Iridescent Alvrose

I always have some kind of energy jolts whenever I rewatch the compilation of videos I recorded through years of us being together. That, is exactly why I filmed, arranged, and edited those big piles of footages in the first place. Whenever I feel drowsy and let down by life, my phone gallery with that specific folder called "Edited" is always been my go to haven. Never posting those pain relief candies containing our smiles, laughter, and silly jokes in public somehow helps me acknowledging that there is at least one thing in this world that is completely mine and only mine. In this social world, he might be his parents', his students', or his colleagues', but these memories we carved together and I recorded, are legitimately mine and only mine. Just thinking about it makes my soul delighted.  Since 365 days ago, I have a lot more footages filmed, of us exploring the world, both the world of marriage and the wide world outside our balcony. Looking in retrospect, ...

That day, after years, I finally let my guard down and allowed someone in. The feeling at the moment is still the same with how I had it that morning back in 2019. The difference is that back in the days we were just friends and colleagues, teaching as interns at a school . Today we are a husband and a wife to each other.   I surely cannot describe how a blessing it is to have him in my life. All I know is that after all those thousands happy and tough days, ups and downs, highs and lows, I still love him and would love him even more. I won’t say that we have been through all the hardest parts of our lives, as I know we have a lifetime more to experience. Which means a lot more. Which means a hella bunch more adventures. (I’m excited already to face whatever’s coming our way!)   On that Sunday morning in 8 th of January, beneath the crystal clear sky and the quiet dome of Masafi, the universe witnessed us tying the knots. He took the wedding vow and I got mesmerized with ever...

Di tengah hari yang cukup tenang itu, dalam sebuah panggilan video tertanggal 4 Mei 2021, lelaki itu berkata pada lawan bicaranya di telepon, "Aku akan ke stasiun pukul 15:00, sementara itu, masih hal yang harus kuurus sekarang, dan juga aku harus ke beberapa tempat. Akan kuhubungi lagi jika aku sudah di kereta, oke?" Dia mengakhiri panggilan video itu dengan kalimat, "Doakan aku selamat ya, hehe, harus ngebut soalnya ini." Lawan bicaranya hanya mengamini saja, lalu mereka bertukar salam penutup. Si lawan bicara itu tidak tahu bahwa kalimat terakhir lelaki itu adalah sebuah pertanda, yang di dunia perfilman biasa disebut foreshadowing -secuil petunjuk yang berfungsi sebagai hint mengenai apa yang akan terjadi di adegan selanjutnya, atau bahkan jauh di akhir cerita. Lelaki itu berujung tidak menginjakkan kaki di stasiun seperti yang direncanakan, tidak pula menghubungi seseorang yang kepadanya diberikan sebuah janji. Selepas magrib, ia baru mengirim sebuah pesan, ...

It was a trip we had waited months for, only to see the sapphire sky, silvery sands, and glorious ocean tides. There was such a desire to just escape from life and its cacophony for a little while. And there we were, after a long journey, we found ourselves stepping our feet on the kingdom of barnacles, the starfish's homeland, with the crowds of crabs cheering upon us. Not long afterwards, we happened to be sitting next to each other, facing the borderless coast carpeted by endless vigorous waves. While savouring snacks and enjoying ourselves, we both stared at the rippling seas and the shorebirds flying above. Then I said, "I wonder how it feels to be a bird." "What do you mean?" "You know, to be free and liberated." Then he said something I would never forget, "It's really fascinating and enthralling indeed being free. However, you don't know what lies beneath the sea surface. Those birds might hunt for fish, but the bigger fi...

Hukum rimba. Hukum yang semua orang mengutuknya, tapi tanpa terasa, kita pun turut melestarikannya. ------------------------- Beberapa hari yang lalu, setelah pulang mengajar jam delapan malam, saya berencana mampir ke warung bakso, minta dibungkuskan satu porsi untuk dibawa pulang. Sayangnya, begitu sampai TKP, warung itu cukup ramai pembeli. Ada sekitar 3 pembeli yang harus dilayani sebelum giliran saya. Berhubung saya lapar (dan lagi kepingin :D) , jadi saya rela antre dan menunggu. Sembari menunggu, seperti biasa, saya amati orang sekitar saya. Si penjual yang kelihatan lelah, si bapak pembeli yang minta dibungkus banyak sekali, anak kecil beserta ayahnya yang juga menunggu dilayani, dan ibu paruh baya yang sepertinya baru pulang dari pabrik (atau hanya seragamnya saja? No one knows) di antrean sebelum saya. Setelah tiba giliran saya, sebuah sepeda motor merapat. Datanglah pembeli baru, dua anak perempuan seumuran saya yang segera setelah memarkir motorny...