Images

There are lots of images that will forever stay in my mind. I remember years ago when I went to some cosplay competition event. I don’t know much about cosplay. In fact, even though I really like manga + manhua + manhwa –can’t live without them- I rarely watch anime or playing game.

I went there because one of my classmates in Japanese language course told about it and in the end all of us (I think only 8 person in our class that time) going together to the event.

I saw many unique, bizarre and wonderful costumes. Even though I don’t understand what anime or which character they portrait, I found it interesting and I admire their effort + desire for what they like.

As expected, many people, especially elderly were glaring with disapproving eyes to the cosplayers. Most of the cosplayers are Chinese descent (In Indonesia language; Tionghoa). I think that maybe because they have more open mind about this kind of stuff + also easier access to things like cosplay, anime + manga. Plus, in my opinion they really looked nice + fit wearing the costumes even the most unique one.

The event was held at the mall in the area where many Tionghoa people lived. So there are also many Tionghoa elderly. Almost all of them looked disapprovingly to those young Tionghoa cosplayers.

Maybe they are thinking: “What are those kids nowadays doing, instead of studying… so messy!” :P

One old lady is really scolded when a group of young Tionghoa lads who were dressed in really bizarre costumes (really cool I think) passed her. After raising her eyebrows in disgust, she whispered something to a lady beside her. Both looks really annoyed by group after group of cosplayers who seems to passing them endlessly.

Back to the competition ground where a stage has been built + cosplayers each showing off their costume, a couple caught my interest. They are holding hands and looked like a picture. The wife around early 30’s and the husband is in the end of 30’s. They smile broadly and with much of pride staring to one place.

I, who mesmerized by their smile + light of proud around them, was searching for what they looked so fondly. Turns out they were looking into the stage where a girl around junior high school, standing nervously in the stage. She too, wears a bizarre costume.

It was really impressed me how this couple looked so proud to their daughter after I saw people looked so irritated at those cosplayers. I know that’s because they are her parents but actually that fact makes me think that’s even wonderful.

I’m sure there are many other parents who don’t like their kids doing things like coslayers and stuff like that, in Indonesia at least. I don’t know how’s in the other countries (though I’m sure in every part of the world there were always exist open minded people and vice versa).
Yet, this parent looked at their daughter with so much love and proud. The way they hug each other and looking to their daughter with sparkling eyes and warm smile, makes me drawn to them that day.

Until now I still can remember them clearly.

Wait

I think most of my time in this life I spent for waiting.

I know and understand that it’s sometime-often hard to be on time living in this city. There are so many things we can blame on; traffic jam, rain, traffic jam that happened after rain, flood that happened after only 10 minutes rain that caused traffic jam, new academic year that caused traffic jam, the transportation worker strike, relatives that come by suddenly, etc, etc. Those reasons are real and indeed they make a 1 hour trip to be 3 hours trip.

In the end, people, especially those who live far from their school or work place have to be either arrived very early or very late. I usually try to be on time or just arrived early because I will feel very bad later if I make someone wait for me. I usually found something interesting to do -reading, writing, drawing- while waiting so I don’t realize about my surrounding and voila, the person I wait have arrived.

While I don’t really mind waiting, I annoyed when I have to wait for more than 3 hours. I have waited so long for a friend –an ex friend to be exact- until I finished a book. It’s a novel and written in English, and even though the book was not “thick as pillow” it have hundreds of pages, though I have read it half.

I will understand and forgive her if that not happened almost in every meeting. I don’t know what this kind of person thinking. One example of “eh-I late again-hehehehe-“; this ex of friend called and told about a painting exhibition and whether I can accompany her because she doesn’t know the place. I like paintings so I said that would be nice. So we made plan to meet at this bus shelter at 10 on Friday and then go to the exhibition together.

On the day, I was just about to leave the house at 0830 when a text message comes: “I can’t make it at 10; I got woke up late, sorry. Don’t depart yet until you get my message.”

Her house is more far than my house to the meeting place and the painting exhibition. So when I spend 1 hour she will spend 2 hours. I was glad that she managed to send me a text message and thought that she’s having something at her trip.

By the way she used to hide the fact that she’s late and send no text message to let me know, so I ended up hurriedly depart and when I arrived in the meeting point at the exact promise time she wasn’t there or in the 2 hours after that. After I tell her many times (well with a quite fierce way ;P) she started to inform me when she’s late.

So I wait, relax while ready to depart as soon as her text message come. But until 11 it still no news from her. I got anxious and texts message her. She didn’t reply. Maybe she can’t reply because of something, I thought. I try to relax and eat something. At 1130 I called her. She didn’t answer. At 0100 I was just thinking whether to just leave or not because maybe she can’t call. At 0130, I decided to drop off this idea and going somewhere else when a text message comes: “I will arrive in about 30 minutes to our meeting point!”

I was dumbfounded. It is impossible for me to go there in 30 minutes. Not just that, even if it is I don’t have to worry because it’s her own fault to have to wait for me, every local should know what kind of traffic is at 12 in the noon and also on Friday. Monday and Friday (and Sunday in some area) are the most horrid days that I don’t want to go out after 2 PM.

So I hurriedly depart. As expected the street are full and also the bus. I wonder what this people are doing at this hour. In Monday or Friday, even when it’s just 3 PM, traffic jam has occurred. Do all these people leave work early to avoid traffic jam and in result cause this unbelievable traffic jam? The thing is much of these people wore the public offices workers uniform. No wonder this country sadly become more and more declining.

So I spend extra hours because of the traffic jam and got smashed between a stupid and an idiot man in the bus (considered this lucky actually, many strange people exist in the bus including those need to killed-perverts) that actually can be avoided if only this ex friend can keep her promise and not late.

At last I arrived at the meeting point and we have another stressful trip to the exhibition by bus. And no need to say that the trip back home is even worst. When we arrived it’s already 0345 PM. This ex friend insists to eat first; she said that she so rushed to go early she hasn’t got time to eat.

When she ate I learn why she’s so late. No hassle in her trip it’s only because after she sent me that first text message she slept again…. So she woke up at 0830 sent me text message and continued to sleep right away.

I looked at her who smiled and continued to eat without any slight of guilty and that time I really want to smack her face. So, not that day but many days after I able to calm myself, I told my opinion about her. Well in the end we don’t speak to each other anymore.

I hate people who saying sorry every time lightly without any slight of realization. Saying sorry or thank you is important, not doing or trying not doing the things that have to make us saying I am sorry to other person is even more important I think.

This thought come to my mind yesterday when I was waiting once again. That almost everything in life is a priority or a choice. We can actually meet someone on time if we think it’s an important meeting. Just because the person not yelled nor angry to you when you are late doesn’t mean you can take it for granted.

Some majority of human are so annoying. To nice people they take it for granted, to bad and short tempered people they try as hard as they can to please or not getting any scold from them.

I try my hard to act like people act towards me. If they kind I will kind also. If they act impossible I will leave them. No small talks, no spice or adding up flavors. Period.

Chocolate Spots

When I waited for the bus on Tuesday morning, a group of goats passing the small bus shelter near my house. It’s not too early in the morning and not yet noon either, so the street is not too crowded.

There is a goat that’s different from the others with thicker fur and four chocolate spots in her right side. She looks like a sheep, a cheerful one. She’s also smaller + chubby than the other sheep. Almost, always small gap left behind the others; she was trotting despite walking like the others. So funny!

I saw them until they disappear from my sight. Just before they disappear three goats start to occupied two lines in the street. Lucky, the drivers –surprisingly- were civil this time and patiently waiting-not even a single honk- until the shepherd behaving them.

They made me smile that morning.