capeeeeekkk

day 1
pindahan dari nevada. subjek-subjek yang berkepentingan: ajeng & etta. sewa u-haul. sopir truk yang bertanggung jawab: yudi(stira), navigator: me-jep, seksi transportasi: wina, seksi perangkutan: sinan, seksi konsumsi: mya.

ternyata barang gw banyak banget ya..? beruntung banget gw ada pasukan sebanyak itu yang membantu gw memindahkan barang2 gw yang super banyak dan super berat (maaf ya guys) ke lantai 3 apartemen baruku. tanpa lift pula. uhuk2. pokoknya i luv u all so much deh...thx 4 all ur help banget banget. buat mya dan kel yang menjamu kita di tengah malam buta dengan opornya yang super duper lezaat, thx soooo much.

midnite. start to unpack my junk. pasang shower curtain. tyt susah pula pasang ring-nya. harap maklum 1 dollaran.

2.00 am. off to bed

day 2
hop out of bed, look for the time. 7.22 am. siap-siap ke chicago. seperti biasa naik LEX. di mobil gak bisa tidur. untung gak terlalu panas di luar. adem. enak.

perjalanan ke chicago kali ini berbeda dari biasanya. secara dadakan gw dinobatkan jadi tourguide...huuuuuhuuuuu. kawanan gw lumayan banyak, etta, ika, rita, wina, aldi. turun di water tower, menyusuri michigan ave ke mall apa ya...pokoknya yang ada saks fifth ave di bawah. pokoknya yang ada panda expressnya di lt. 8 itu lho..

abis lunch jalan ke konjen, sambil nunggu foto2 di tengah jalan gak jelas, terus masuk ke anti-cruelty center, liat gugug2 dan kucing2 yang diadopsikan...so cute. so...kasihan. balik ke konjen terus balik ke watertower. naik trolley gratis ke lincoln park zoo...huahahha...niatnya sih ke navy pier, kok nyasar ke sana ya. tapi gak papa lah...foto2 diantara bunga2 lucu juga. lanjut naik bis ke millenium park. anak2 pada main air di pancurannya...hihihi jadi inget jaman dulu suka main sprinkler di bleecker st. playground on hudson.

eniwei. dari sana ke loop. mau liat city dari atas. naik purple line. baru sebentar liat krispy kreme. u know lah..my obsession w krispie kreme. so turunlah kita. unfortunately original glazednya abis. huuuaaaa sedih. untung masih bisa titip lala though.

lanjut. naik red line ke watertower lagi buat ketemuan pasukan fulbright baru plus tri plus lala. makan thai di dao on ohio & fairbanks. enak deh. murah meriah pula. abis makan, jalan ke borders lagi, sambil tunggu jemputan. what a loooong day.

tunggu belum selesai. sampai di kampung around midnite. jalan dulu anter rita ke clark st. terus ke locust. nginep di etta. akhirnya tidur juga.

12 hours in chicago. seru, rame, different.

day 3
7.30 am. bangun lagi. jalan balik ke apt. mulailah unpacking & beres2. males jelasinnya. tapi kebayang kan capenya? sambil sakit peyut pula. berdiri aja rasanya udah sakit & lemes. masak lhoo tadi saya. hot & sour soup. tapi kok banyakan sour-nya ya? akhirny tambahin kecap manis aja deh tuuu. ya udah. segitu dulu deh. sore makan di za's bareng sopir sejati.

day 4
besok ke walmart kali ya? musti beli rak buku nih. kemarin ada yang murah di sana. hehe. oiya..kok kayanya kacamata gw ilang yah? hiks hiks

capeeeeekkk

Day After the Storm

My first days in Champaign, after my short trip back to Jakarta, were unbearably hot. I couldn’t believe that summer in the States was crazier than the hot humid weather in Jakarta. The sun was really strong, and as Jamie Cullum or Radiohead would say, it was really ‘High & Dry.’ To make things worse, the apartment I’m temporarily staying in (just for this month) has no air conditioning! So you can imagine how that felt. I tried not to complain, and made the best out of the worst situation. I bought a box fan to make things a little cooler (although it didn't help much). Nevertheless, for me, staying at Nevada is still a much better alternative than staying at my air-conditioned apartment at Armory!

Then came the day of the thunderstorm. That day, I was working on my research project at the Union. By 7.00 pm I was ready to head out, grab some dinner, then walk back home. After packing my laptop, books, and other belongings I walked to the door. Suddenly, heavy rain swept the area. The rain was soooo heavy that you barely could see anything. I was like thick fog. Then the building alarm system went off and the main doors of the Union were guarded. Nobody was allowed to leave the building, and everyone was advised to seek shelter in the basement. Although it didn’t seem like a big deal, crazy ideas swept through my head. What if the storm lasted for some time, and we were left starved in the basement? What if the building was hit by a tornado, and things became a wreck? How was I supposed to get home? It’s wet, raining, cold, and I don’t even have an umbrella with me! I tried to stay calm, but so many “what ifs” were racing across my mind. Fortunately the storm didn’t last long, and within less than an hour the building administrators informed us it was safe to leave the building.

Amazingly, the days after the storm became much much cooler. It was great. I even slept soundlessly without turning on my box fan. It’s a miracle! Now all I have to worry about is the minimal lighting in this room. But ‘temperature’wise, I’m not complaining anymore.

The moral of the story? Sometimes it does take a storm to make things better. You need to be hit by a tornado, struck by lightning, fall to the ground, and shatter into shambles before you to learn to pick up the pieces, mend yourself, stand straight, and walk with dignity again. This time you walk a stronger wiser and better person. Hopefully :)

Back to Basics

As I was waiting for the bus, with my luggage and stuff, ready to move to my temporary apartment, I sat silently at the bus stop. I looked around. The streets were empty. Nobody there, nobody walking, nobody hustling and bustling. There was a calmness in the air. Only the rustle of leaves as the wind blew gently. There was an occasional sight: the bunny rabbit hopping through the bushes. Birds were chirping. All was serene. And then it came to me. This was it... the very basics of life. Finding serenity, and peace at heart. There's not much to life. We just make it too much. Sometimes we're too caught up in our ambitions, in our expectations, in challenges, that we can never enjoy the moment. Take time. Sit there, enjoy the air, enjoy the breeze. Enjoy the simple things in life. And be thankful.

Quality Moves

I've had a stomach ache since this morning. It's not the ordinary stomach ache though. It's just that all the muscles in my lower stomach are soar from my yoga-lates exercise yesterday. It's the same thing you feel the day after you've had an intensive workout session, or you've just ran a marathon. All the muscles in your body are exhausted from being worked up. Geez... I never realized that just a couple of pilates movements could cause such an effect. Huehehe. It's like what our instructor said the other day: it's not the number of times or the number of hours you do the exercise, it's the quality of the movement that matters. Indeed, she's right. Only 5 times of 1 pilates movement and I'm soar to the stomach! I sure hope this means I'm strengthening the muscles in my tummy. Working hard to keep it flat, since I've gained a bit of weight. I guess I really do need to exercise more often. Good for toning the body. Huehehe.