Guess what picture is this? If you know the answer you are truly a little prince by heart. You can only answer one time. I will give you this A5 journal I made. Length 15cm x width 21.5cm, about 100 pages of white paper, Japanese side stitch binding, printed double brown paper front cover with a mouse in Chinese embroidery, recycled cardboard for back cover, and 6 yellow papers with my favorite quotes. Send to you wherever you are in the world. Free of charge. Seriously.
The first thing the doctor asked me was, "How was the marathon?" She wrote me a health form for Maratona Di Roma over six months ago and she remembered! I'm impressed. She listened attentively to my running story, made a small comment here, made an inquiry there and then asked, "How can I help you today?" to which I answered, "I don't go to a doctor for a sore throat and a little flu. But I need to get well by Saturday for a triathlon's open water trial." She checked me and said,"You don't have sore throat. No need for antibiotics. Just a little cough syrup and lots of rest you be fine by Saturday." A doctor who listens, pays attention and makes eye contact. My kind of doctor.
Fiumicino airport passport control. "Where are you going?" Harsh tone. Sour face. No smile. I wish I said "Is this a trick question? You have
my passport and my boarding pass!" Instead I just gave him a big smile
and said happily, "Home!" He quickly stamped my passport and gave me a chilling look. If look can kill I'd be dead by now. I know you have to deal with hundreds of
people everyday and you probably hate your job but that doesn't give you
the right to be rude to people. You need an attitude transplant. Stat!
They say When in Rome do what the Romans do. The Romans gave encouragement to marathoners by yelling "Bravi! Bravi!" But somewhere after 12K people yelled "Bayan! Ka Bayan!" Wait! That doesn't sound like Italian at all. But I smiled anyway. Later I found out I was mistaken for a Filipino. I don't mind. I say always give anyone who take the time to cheer a stranger in a race with a big smile, a high five or a running ovation. Every cheers in any language matters. 42K can be a lonely road sometime.
Every cloud has a silver lining. All the odds were against me. My left heel was not completely healed. The longest distance I did in my marathon training was only 20K. On top of that the weather was not kind at all. Stubborn drizzle. Chilling wind. I kept my travel insurance and 2 ibuprofen tablets in my running jacket. Just in case. And somehow the freezing weather numbed the pain on my heel & the quitting thoughts in my mind. I befriended my pain, my self doubt and my pride. And I got well acquainted with perseverance & patience somewhere after 25K. I arrived at the finish line five and a half hours later still alive but literally choked with tears. Happy tears. Best marathon yet.
A small street line up with cafes with chairs outside. Waiters standing around luring passerbyes calling out, "Home made pastas! Pizzas! Panini! Hot sandwhiches!" And when that didn't work a waiter made an inquiry, "Where you from?" To make a good impression he continued, "Aah...Indonesie. Si. Bintan! Bintan! Bene." Wait a minute! Did he mean Bintan the island or Bintang the beer? Either one I was impressed.
Woke up to a wet and grey Tuesday morning. Feeling rather gloomy when I heard people singing happy birthday right outside my hotel window. I opened my window to see who was lucky enough to have friends celebrating your birthday first thing in the morning. It was a homeless guy. A life time reminder that a little kindness can bring some sunshine into someone's rainy world. I love Rome!
A rainy day in Rome may not cause traffic or flood like in Jakarta, but it sure can cause mood swings when it drizzles all day with gloomy grey skies and mean bone-chilling wind. I need an attitude transplant. Stat! The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.
One wet & cold but lovely afternoon in Piazza Navona, Rome. A hot green tea with lemon and a cafe latte. "Where are you from?" a waiter asked. "Indonesia!" I didn't think he knew anything about Indonesia because he neither made any more comment nor asked me any more questions. But at the end he gave me a postcard with lovely drawings of the fountain. Terima kasih!
Eli Khamarov says the best things in life are unexpected, because there were no expectations. Look what I found on a crossing bridge on jalan Sudirman (The one that connect Bendungan Hilir to Atmajaya). Classic Indonesian literatures! I love Jakarta!
One lovely quiet morning with Bumblebee doing 1.8K loop in Senayan. What is it about me that every time I see other cyclists I automatically want to see if I can at least match their speed? A guy cyclist about 300m in front of me. I almost caught up with a guy when he stopped abruptly. Good thing I have a good reflex! He must have had some emergency to stop like that. I slowed down and looked back just in case he needed an assistance. To my horror the guy took out a camera and started taking selfies. Geez! %#@$!
"Sepanjang pendapat saya, cinta itu akan berbukti benar, bila yang menaruhnya tahu menaruh sabar, tau menegakkan kepalanya didalam segala rupa mara bahaya serta rintangannya. Cinta itu tahu memberi korban, jika perlu. Jika orang yang bercinta seketika saja sudah menundukkan kepala atau mencari jalan hendak lari setiap bertemu rintangannya, tidak sucilah cinta itu." Abdoel Moeis
