Strength & Beauty, Before Brain

Film G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra sungguh keren dan bagus banget ... bagi mereka yang tidak lebih pintar dari anak kelas 5 SD.

Bagi mereka yang merasa lebih cerdas, tentu dengan mudah menyadari, betapa konyolnya cerita film ini.

Salah satu contoh kekonyolan itu adalah: ternyata tidak perlu otak cerdas untuk dapat diundang menjadi anggota G.I. Joe. Padahal, sebagaimana yang dikatakan oleh General Hawk kepada Duke dan Ripcord, tidak bisa sembarangan orang masuk dan bergabung ke dalam organisasi elit ini.

Bayangkan saja, pasukan Cobra Commander menyerbu The Pit, markas besar berstatus super rahasia milik G.I. Joe yang berlokasi di bawah gurun pasir di dekat piramida di Mesir. Scarlett terlibat baku-hantam habis-habisan melawan Baroness. Melihat bagaimana keduanya sampai jungkir-balik karena berusaha saling menjatuhkan, bisa dibayangkan all those cuts and bruises they were obviously have to endure afterwards. Sewajarnya, dibutuhkan setidaknya waktu antara dua hingga tiga hari untuk mengobati luka dan menghilangkan bekas memar serta lebam di wajah dan sekujur tubuh.

Ternyata oh ternyata, tidak lama kemudian Scarlett terlihat cantik dan rapi seperti baru saja keluar dari salon ketika dirinya bersama Ripcord sedang berjalan-jalan tanpa tujuan di dalam The Pit. Aku tahu betul bahwa "waktu" itu relatif: sekian tahun dalam kehidupan nyata bisa berlangsung dalam hitungan detik di film. Yang jelas, diperlihatkan bagaimana mereka berhasil menduga siapa pihak yang berada di balik penyerangan The Pit.

Ini berarti, dugaan tentang dalang di balik serangan baru muncul beberapa hari kemudian (meskipun 'waktu" dalam film itu relatif), sehingga segala macam bekas luka dan memar di wajah Scarlett telah hilang dan keelokannya telah pulih seperti sediakala. Secara implisit, ini sama saja dengan menyatakan bahwa orang-orang G.I. Joe begitu bodoh sehingga butuh waktu lama untuk bisa menduga siapa dalang penyerangan sesungguhnya.

Atau, kalaupun dugaan tersebut muncul dalam waktu singkat, misalnya satu hari setelah penyerangan; ini berarti bahwa di The Pit ada fasilitas semacam spa dan salon kelas wahid yang mampu menutupi sempurna bekas-bekas luka memar yang sewajarnya baru muncul sekitar 1x24 jam setelah ditonjok habis-habisan, seperti yang dialami Scarlett.

Jika kemungkinan terakhir ini yang betul, berarti seharusnya waktu itu Rihanna menghubungi spa dan salon The Pit ini untuk menutupi luka-luka yang dideritanya ketika habis berantem dengan Chris Brown, supaya dia bisa tetap tampil di Grammy Award yang diadakan Maret lalu, dan di hadapan para penggemar fanatiknya di Jakarta.

Baroness, Rihanna dan Scarlett.

Menikmati M*

Pernah kubaca entah di mana, seseorang yang kulupa entah siapa, mengatakan bahwa menulis blog itu sama saja dengan bermasturbasi dengan pikirannya.

Oops !

Menurut hematku pribadi, pendapat yang diparafrasekan kembali di atas itu lumayan vulgar. Dan terasa tidak pada tempatnya. Bisa jadi – ini berdasarkan kecurigaan tak berdasar semata – karena yang mengeluarkan pendapat itu cuma asal bunyi saja, sekedar cetusan mencari sensasi belaka.

Ibarat kata, biar happening aja gitu.

(Menggunakan idiom ”ibarat kata” barangkali akan membuat sementara pihak menduga kalau aku terinspirasi oleh Dewi Perssik kala dirinya sedang diinterview oleh para wartawan infotainment)

Soalnya, apa perbedaan nyata antara aktivitas menulis blog dengan menulis diary, selain medium yang dipergunakannya ?

Menulis blog jelas-jelas ditujukan untuk konsumsi khalayak – karena kalau tidak, buat apa dipasang di wilayah yang terkategorikan sangat umum karena bisa diakses oleh sejuta umat. Benar demikian, bukan ? Sedangkan menulis diary jelas-jelas termasuk dalam ranah pribadi, karena rasa-rasanya tidak ada yang melakukannya dengan tujuan untuk kemudian sengaja diekspos/dipublikasikan kepada masyarakat luas.

Tapi tak pernah kudengar ada pendapat yang mengatakan kalau rajin menulis diary berarti gemar bermasturbasi (masih “dengan pikirannya”, ingat dong embel-embel yang ini jangan sampai lupa). Padahal kegiatan menulis diary kan cenderung dilakukan kala si penulis sedang sendirian di dalam sebuah ruangan, saat dirinya merasa rileks dan nyaman serta bisa berkonsentrasi penuh pada aktivitas yang ingin dilakukannya. Bedanya apa coba dengan kondisi yang memungkinkan seseorang bermasturbasi ?

Nah, apabila kembali lagi ke premis yang mendasari tulisan ini, yaitu untuk mengomentari pendapat di atas, rasanya jadi agak semakin membingungkan. Bila dikatakan ”target” pembaca blog itulah yang menjadi dasar pembentukan pendapat itu tadi, berarti bisa jadi ”tuduhan” sesungguhnya adalah bahwa penulis blog itu eksibisionis dong. Secara ”masturbasi” dengan tujuan bisa dinikmati oleh orang lain. [*euw*]

Barangkali hanya aku saja yang jadinya berpendapat begini : si pencetus pendapat itu tadi malah terkesan pervert yah. Seperti si kakek cabul di Dragon Ball, yang memiliki kecenderungan (baca: fetish) berbeda dengan mayoritas orang lainnya, tapi malah menganggap kelompok mayoritas lah yang memiliki kekeliruan. Hhhmm ...

Ngomong-ngomong nih, mengapa lebih banyak orang Indonesia yang tidak mengetahui bahwa padanan kata dalam bahasa Indonesia untuk masturbasi adalah ”merancap” ?

Entah apa akar katanya, dan aku belum sempat mencoba mencari referensi dari Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, apa bentuk kata dasarnya; apakah ’ancap’ atau ’rancap’.

Barangkali ada yang bisa membantu memberikan pencerahan ?

Story Behind The Creation

Couples of years ago, from various sources of international online news services, I read that writing blog is the new trend in IT sphere. It was said that blogging regularly have many advantages. By blogging, you can improve your writing ability (of course!), make more friends, and in more recent cases, even helping out your career!

Well, at least I personally know someone who told me that he landed on his first job in Jakarta with such an unexpected help from his own blog. Even some big companies in U.S. of A. already admitted that blogging improved their brand image and boasted up sales, while at the same time they can get in touch personally with their consumers.
That was why all top executives in those companies go blogging, responding to every comment posted by their customers and people who visited their blog. Even Bill Gates, one of the very richest persons in the world, writes his own blog!

That’s why I started blogging in 2005, using then recently launched blog service from Friendster. Since I thought I have deep passion for creative writing, I didn’t see any damage could be done by posting my writings online. At least, I found a new medium to justify my narcissist-self. Ha! Ha!

Blogging was fun, until later in June of the same year, someone told me that some of my postings has stirred some gossips around The Neighborhood. People started talking, asking questions behind my back.

“Does he …?”
“But I thought …”
“Is he …?”
“That means for all this time he was …”

Even a friend from the buzzing Neighborhood felt some kind of obligation to ask me about the real meaning behind my writings posted on my blog.

“People are talking, you know. About you and what you’ve posted. They asked me whether I could confirm any of them. They’re curious. Because they thought for all this time you and I were into something.” (yeah, right! *rolling eyes*)

“Oh really? That’s good. That’s the reason I blogged. Even though at first I don’t think anyone would ever read them. But you know what? I feel quite happy now you’ve told me that. I mean, my writings are ‘that good’, right? That’s actually my intention posting them online. They were written and posted for one’s reading,” replied I (*compiled answers*). However I thought I just sounded defensive, didn’t I?

Munching the Mexican-style spicy grilled chicken breast, I tried to keep an emotionless face even though my mind was thinking hard. “That means I have to write more, but in a calmer tone. Gosh, I can’t wait!”

But then what was really happened back then was that I spent doing everything I could but write new materials and posted them online. Until one time near midnight when I was hanging around The Neighborhood with Bradley.

“I read your blog,” he said. “And I was wondering, why on earth you could be so open about you and still relax. I mean, you seem don’t have any hesitation revealing everything about you online. Because if I were you, I won’t be able to do things like that. I mean, with all those folks around this Neighborhood. I just won’t feel comfortable after posting things like the ones you wrote.”

He kept talking about me and my blog, trying hard to convince me that I’m that obvious, unlike his discreet personality; but all he said failed to catch my attention. My mind seemed automatically shut itself off of this topic.
“You’re not listening”, he protested. I just laughed, which made him stood and left me.

About a week later, Mr. Talent Guy of The Neighborhood, on a lunch gathering, suddenly asked me about my blog’s content. Since I don’t expect him as someone who’ll read my blog, it was like setting off an alarm to me.

“That’s it. They’re circulating some stories about me among them. Somehow, it makes me feel uneasy. Maybe I should quit writing anything that’ll bring up some issues on me.”

That was why I stopped blogging, and even went further by deleting the whole blog, yanked it off online.

Until Bradley brought it up again. “Why did you stop writing? I thought you enjoyed it. Thought we shared the same passion, that is writing.”

And others, I thought, but hey, that’s another story!

And he surely made me think: “I shouldn’t let anyone stop me from writing. I shouldn’t listen to them, to whatever they said about me. I love writing creatively. If I let anyone ever stand in my way like I did these past months, I won’t be able to enjoy the rest of my life.”

Which led to the creating of Life in The Time of Butterflies. This blog, that is.

Beauty Gives You ...

Superpower.

At least that is what a self-acclaimed beauty soap claimed in their current multi-billion Rupiah multi-media mega-campaign, which translates into giant billboards in protocol streets throughout Indonesia, commercial ads on every major TV stations and radio syndicates, not to mention gracing all important magazines and tabloids.

Which I, in my humble opinion, think is a much overstated slogan.
Geez, by doing background reality checks of the so called beauty icons’ the soap promoting, even with the help of such bombastic tagline and the obviously expensive ad, am wondering who will really buy that “superpower” imagery?

I strongly suggest for those people behind that self-acclaimed beauty soap brand – even if they say they do have their own rationale on using the “superpower” label – to rethink of their current slogan.

Beauty doesn't necessarily give you superpower.

It gives you a more humane face.
Just like the rest of us.

* * *
Original format of "Beauty Gives You ..." was posted online on Thursday, 14 September, 2006.
This piece above has gone through a heavily editing process to avoid certain implication(s) in later days.

Please, Sir, I Don't Understand Your English

what have I done to have been given children like these Benjamin was punishment enough and now for her to have no more regard for me her own mother I’ve suffered for her dreamed and planned and sacrificed I went down into the valley yet never since she opened her eyes has she given me one unselfish thought at times I look at her I wonder if she can be my child except Jason he has never given me one moment’s sorrow since I first held him in my arms I knew then that he was to be my joy and my salvation I thought that Benjamin was punishment enough for any sins I have committed I thought he was my punishment for putting aside my pride and marrying a man who held himself above me I don’t complain I loved him above all of them because of it because my duty though Jason pulling at my heart all the while but I see now that I have not suffered enough I see now that I must pay for your sins as well as mine what have you done what sins have your high and mighty people visited upon me but you’ll take up for them you always have found excuses for your own blood only Jason can do wrong because he is more Bascomb than Compson while your own daughter my little daughter my baby girl she is she is no better than that when I was a girl I was unfortunate I was only a Bascomb I was taught that there is no half-way ground that a woman is either a lady or not but I never dreamed when I held her in my arms that any daughter of mine could let herself don’t you know I can look at her eyes and tell you may think she’d tell you but she doesn’t tell things she is secretive you don’t know her I know things she’s done that I’d die before I’d have you know that’s it go on criticize Jason accuse me of setting him to watch her as if it were a crime while your own daughter can I know you don’t love him that you wish to believe faults against him you never have yes ridicule him as you always have Maury you cannot hurt me any more than your children already have and then I’ll be gone and Jason with no one to love him shield him from this I look at him every day dreading to see this Compson blood beginning to show in him at last with his sister slipping out to see what do you call it then have you ever laid eyes on him will you even let me try to find out who he is it’s not for myself I couldn’t bear to see him it’s for your sake to protect you but who can fight against bad blood you won’t let me try we are to sit back with our hands folded while she not only drags your name in the dirt but corrupts the very air your children breathe Jason you must let me go away I cannot stand it let me have Jason and you keep the others they’re not my flesh and blood like he is strangers nothing of mine and I am afraid of them I can take Jason and go where we are not known I’ll go down on my knees and pray for the absolution of my sins that he may escape this curse try to forget that the others ever were

No, I was not mumbling up there.

And for your information, it was not actually mine either.
The so-called mumbling above originally comes from William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury.
And yes, that passage above was coming from inside the mind of a particular character, of whom I can barely recall now.

All I wanted to convey is that if you have trouble in understanding the above passage and subsequently failed to finish reading it, so did I.
And it turned out, so did with many others, which are actually Mr. Faulkner’s fellow American writers.

And they said once that Ulysses written by James Joyce was one of the toughest read in the history of modern English literature. D’oh!