the list of useless skills

Inspired by Cherry Darling in Planet Terror grindhouse, I too decided to make a list of useless skills of my own. One day, maybe, as Dr. Dakota Block put it "at some point in your life, you find a use for every useless talent you ever had. It's like connecting the dots"...

*crossing fingers*

So, here's a few that i can think of for now...
useless skill #01
I can twist, twirl, twine, spin and roll my tongue real good

useless skill #02
I can move my ears backward and forward

useless skill #03
I can speak manadonese

useless skill #04
I can make cats fell asleep

useless skill #05
I can make funny noises with my toes

useless skill #06
I can generate puns and riddles in minutes count

useless skill #07
I can give a very good head massage

useless skill #08
I can sing lotsa songs from Betharia Sonata's era

useless skill #09
I can blow spit bubbles

useless skill #10
I know lines from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by heart

useless skill #11
I can fall asleep floating on my back in a swimming pool

useless skill #12
I can eat really fast

useless skill #13
I can make rainbows from water and oil

useless skill #14
I can interpret dreams

useless skill #15
I can make a drama out of anything

and still counting....

And we're always amazed...

Terlalu banyak Pippi Langstrump mengalir dalam darah kita, lalu panjat pohonnya dan terdamparlah kita di Negeri Tuka-Tuka, melihat bintang timur lalu menghisap Cerutu Sang Pharaoh. Kunang-kunang, Enid! Kunang-kunang! Bintang jatuhkah atau kembang api? Kita terlalu mudah terdistraksi oleh benda-benda yang mengeluarkan cahaya. Kita menerawang diatas atap rumah, aku berbisik, bahkan nama belakangnya pun seperti magnet yang membuat radarku berpijar. Kamu lalu tidak mau kalah, "nama belakang ia, yang tertangkap lampu mercusuarku," katamu, "selalu digambarkan dengan cahaya yang turun dari langit". Semiotika, aku tahu. Tapi somehow betul juga itu. Seperti anak kecil, menyusun nama belakang, tapi kita memang berusia tujuh tahun, berlari-lari di padang rumput, meniup gelembung sabun dan mengejar kupu-kupu. Kamu menemukan pohon oak besar yang ingin kaupanjat, aku menengadah, 'is it actually safe?'. 'It is', you said. Then I climbed up the tree, lalu melihat gumpalan-gumpalan awan yang menggelembung di langit biru. 'Yang itu berbentuk roket yang hendak diterbangkan ke bulan!' katamu, 'it really looks more like one quasiphallical object', i said. Lalu kamu memandangku dengan heran. Aku tidak peduli, aku sedang menggambar dengan crayon, kamu mengamati, lalu kita terheran-heran menikmati semesta.

To be continued...

Fox in the Snow

Fox in the snow, where do you go
To find something you can eat?
Cause the word out on the street is you are starving
Dont let yourself grow hungry now
Dont let yourself grow cold
Fox in the snow

Girl in the snow, where will you go
To find someone that will do?
To tell someone all the truth before it kills you
They listen to your crazy laugh
Before you hang a right
And disappear from sight
What do they know anyway?
Youll read it in a book
What do they know anyway?
Youll read it in a book tonight

Boy on the bike, what are you like
As you cycle round the town?
Youre going up, youre going down
Youre going nowhere
Its not as if theyre paying you
Its not as if its fun
At least not anymore
When your legs are black and blue
Its time to take a break
When your legs are black and blue
Its time to take a holiday

Kid in the snow, way to go
It only happens once a year
It only happens once a lifetime
Make the most of it
Second just to being born
Second to dying to
What else could you do?

*song by Belle and Sebastian

hm..hm..hm... :) si rubah saljuuuuuuuuu....

Bubble of Thoughts

No we're not born with wings behind our backs
Yes we have fins instead and that's the fact

Inside the glass things could get a little hazy, unclear and blurry
But it's bubble of the thoughts, dear
Ploppin out from your head, dear
Up unto the water surface...

Bubble of thoughts, thousands of them, dispersing themselves,
Disappear into the air
I see you swimming around, dear
Swimming swimming around, dear
On the other side of the glass

Chorus:
Give me the strength for the clang clang
It's much warmer than you think
It's waiting for you
A fear which takes you to the bang bang
But only fate divides us
I see in you
Shoulder to shoulder in the end
Shoulder to shoulder in the end

Please don't shatter the glass, dear
You'd only hurt your nose, dear

You cant shatter the glass,
Why don't you hold on tight
To the bubble of thoughts and
Jump, jump, jump, jump

a song by riddlereverie (is that the fixed name, eh? hihihihi...)

The Burka Band

I incidentally stumbled upon this article, it was actually dated years ago, and the core of the issue is really, nothing new. Still it's amuse me nonetheless, in a sad and loathsome kind of way. Kudos to the girls, though. I hope they’re still alive up to now, and not beheaded by some nauseating religious militants. I mean, for freak’s sake, this could very well happen anywhere, in some countries where, in the name of the religion, people feel they have the right to butcher people and their property. Shoveling their sickening pseudo-norms and morality in the name of their belief everywhere. Oh, wait a minute, did I just say some countries? Emm… countries like our country? Oh yah well…

Anyway, here’s the complete article…

The Burka Band

By Michael Lund and Signe Daugbjerg

- Blueee, burka blue, sings the lead singer on the tv, while another woman plays the drums and a third the guitar.

The three girls make small dancesteps and swing the microphone as you would in any other girl band. But there is one big difference. The three girls all wear the Afghan burka, the blue dress that covers a woman from head to toe.

25-year-old Nargiz laughs when she shows us the video in Kabul , the capital of Afghanistan . She is one of the three girls who started the Burka Band two years ago.

- It was a lot of fun, but also very scary. Afghanistan is still a very dangerous place for modern women, and when we shot the video we had to do it very discreetely because no one could know that we were playing music, says Nargiz.

Hidden recording

Nargiz started the Burka Band when she met a German music producer in Kabul in late 2002. The producer was teaching Afghans to play modern music, and Nargiz learned to play the drums. One day she wondered why all the burkas in Kabul were blue, and together with two friends she wrote the song "Burka Blue" which is about burkas and the way you feel when you wear them. The song was recorded in Kabul with help from the German producers. The band would rehearse behind locked doors, so nobody would find out that the women were playing music. The burka also helped hide who the bandmembers really were.

- Of course it was a joke to sing in the burkas, but it was also necessary to wear them. If people in Afghanistan knew who the members of the Burka Band were, we could be attacked or killed because there are still a lot of religious fanatics here, says Nargiz, who hasn't told any of her friends that she has played in the Burka Band.

In 2003 the German record label Ata Tak released the song in Germany and the song became a hit in German clubs after it had been remixed by a german DJ. The Burka Band even performed at a big concert in Köln during a trip to Germany . Unfortunately, Nargiz couldn't join the band in Köln because she had to work, but she followed all the hype from her home in Kabul .

Too dangerous to sing

- At first I didn't believe it, when the German producer told me the song was a hit in Germany . It was fantastic, but at the same time, we also worried that somebody in Afghanistan would find out who we were because of all the attention, remembers Nargiz, who estimates that only 10 people in Afghanistan actually know who the faces behind the burkas in the band belong to.

The Burka Band has never performed in Afghanistan and at the moment the band is not active. During the Taliban regime music was totally forbidden, and women were not allowed to work. To sing in public could carry a death sentence. Today the country is still very conservative, and there is no market in Afghanistan for the Burka Band's music. The band members have to wait for a European or American record label to help them if they are to make a whole album one day.

- I'd like to play again, but right now it is not possible. Last year there was a big bomb at a concert here in Kabul , and lots of people are still against female singers because the religous leaders condemn it. It will probably take 10 years before we will have real girl bands here in Afghanistan , says Nargiz, who now works in an international organisation in Kabul .

The lead singer of the Burka Band has gone to Pakistan because she can't sing in Afghanistan , and the guitarist has a regular job.

Today the only place to see the Burka Band is on the video. On the screen the first and only Afghan girl band plays on with their headphones on the burka-covered heads and the drumsticks swinging. The lyrics go:

- My mother wears a burka, I must wear a burka too. We all wear a burka, we don't know who is who. Blueee, burka blue.

Nargiz's name has been changed to secure her anonymity.

Info box:
The land of no music

When the religious Taliban-movement was in power in Afghanistan they banned all music because they thought singing and dancing was the work of the devil. People listening to music would be beaten or put in prison. Watching television, flying kites and wearing make-up was also forbidden for more than five years and women were forced to wear a burka.

In 2001 the Taliban was ousted from power by a coalition led by the Americans and today the country is moving towards democracy. However, Afghanistan is still a very conservative country and many Afghans feel that especially women shouldn't play music.

i feel

alone
surrounded by all these
i know i should feel
content

i
am
not

picture was taken from www.ravendance.com

I am not sad

I'm not sad because of what you did.
I probably deserved that anyway.
I'm sad because I know I wont allow myself to forgive you for doing that.
It makes me sad to think of it that way.

hahaha

sayang..

dammit. ini cuma proses.

Things Happened When You're Twenty Something (Part I)

Kejadiannya pas gue lagi belanja jins bareng si mamah. Berhubung dibayarin, jadilah gue seneng2 aja nemenin doi keliling2 beli jins baru. Sampai tibalah saatnya gue memilih jins yang gue inginkan…

Mas2 yang jaga toko: Size-nya apa, mbak?

Gue: Hmmm… S kayanya mas. Atau nomer yang paling kecil aja deh. Biasanya saya pake ukuran yang paling kecil soalnya.

Mas2 yang jaga toko: *menatap dengan pandangan gak yakin* S, mbak?

Gue: *sensi dengan tatapan si mas2 yang gak yakin sambil ngambilin jins dengan size permintaan gue* Iya, saya biasa pake yang S.

Mas2 yang jaga toko: *ngasih jins dengan nggak rela* Ini, mbak. Mau nyobain yang M sekalian?

Gue: *sensi, senewen dan mulai melirik dengan sebel* Hmph, ya udah deh sini, sekalian.

Jadilah, gue masuk ke kamar pas dengan membawa dua potong jins warna washout black yang emang gue pengenin sejak lama itu, ukuran S dan M. Si jins ukuran M tentu aja gue lirik dengan lirikan seperti yang bisa diberikan oleh seorang ibu tiri pada keponakan jauh anak tirinya, sambil menggantungnya di gantungan baju dengan cukup jumawa. Lalu mulailah gue nyobain si jins ukuran S. Gerakan doyong-doyong ke kiri dan ke kanan ketika memasukkan ujung kaki ke celana gue anggap sebagai hal yang normal, alah.. ini mah emang biasa atuh.. jins jaman sekarang emang potongannya bikin doyong-doyong kalo mau dipake saking cucutnya ujungnya. Mulai agak naik ke atas, doyong2an gue makin seru, tapi gue teteup semangat dan percaya kalo ini emang cuma efek potongan jins dan emang harus begitulah adanya. Barulah ketika doyong2an gue itu sudah menjadi lompat2an agak heboh ketika sudah sampai ke bagian paha nyaris pinggul, gue mulai tertegun. ‘Ada sesuatu yang salah di sini. Sumpah. Saya tidak tau apa, tapi rasanya benar2 ada sesuatu yang salah!’ Lalu karena gue nggak suka melakukan sesuatu yang terasa salah (serem, takut dosa), maka dengan lunglai gue membuka kembali jins ukuran S yang nggak sukses nyampe bagian paha nyaris pinggul itu.

Samar-samar, gue seperti ngedenger suara cekikikan dari arah si jins ukuran M yang gue gantung . ‘Oh faaaaaiiinnnn... sini lo kampret, gue pake!’ dan akhirnya gue putuskan untuk nyobain si jins ukuran M itu juga. Pas gue cobain, gerakan doyong2 masih terjadi (bener kan, itu mah efek potongan jins jaman sekarang!), sampe bagian paha, mulai terasa sempit, namun dimana ada kemauan di situ ada jalan, maka dengan sedikit gerakan2 memaksa, berhasil lah jins itu memeluk pinggul gue dengan sempurna. ‘Ah! There you are! Sial, ukuran gue M ternyata!’ tapi itu sebelum gue mencoba mengancingkan jins itu.... dan.. dan.. dan gak muaaaaaaaaaaattttttttt!!!!

*sakit hati*

*berlinang air mata*

Hari itu, gue tetep membeli jins berukuran M itu, karena ukuran gue bukan L. Sumpah bukan L, gue cuma perlu beberapa minggu lari pagi.

huhuhuuuu...

“Iteman, si?”

“Wow! You got your tan!”

“Deeeuuu yang baru liburaaaan...”

Balik dari Bali dengan kulit yang gosong sentosa, gue jadi familiar sama komentar2 macem begituan. Emang, main panas2an tiap hari bikin kulit gue jadi item. Tapi kan udah gue bilang, gak peduli juga sih, soalnya sebanding banget sama segala hal2 cihuy under the sun yang gue lakuin di sana. Jadi, komentar2 seputar kulit gue yang iteman selalu gue jawab dengan cengiran jumawa. Tapi itu sebelum kejadian sore ini pas gue lagi sok gaya luluran di salon. Si mbak2 kapster yang ramah dan murah senyum itu tiba2 nanya sama gue...

“Cowoknya bule ya, mbak?”*

Kampret! Kok gue sebel yahhhh... jadi maksuth lo apeeee? Gue setipe sama cewek2 cem2annya buleeeeeee???? Huaaa... gue tau si mbak2 itu gak bermaksud nyebelin, orang cuma ngomong cowoknya bule doang, huhuuuu, dan kaga ada hubungannya, temen gue aja banyak yang cowoknya bule dan mereka juga cihuy2 aja kok. Tapi tetep ajaaaa... huhuuuu... gue benci stereotipeeeee...

Hella Bali (Part I)

Oh yeah what the hell. This morning I gave a metal sign to my reflection on the mirror. Screw these utterly atrocious-looking pimples, that went sprouting and blossoming in every available lease on my face like the spring of July. Screw these beautifully mangy complexion, the flawless dirt-colored skin of mine, the hopelessly tousled hair, screw them all, screw them all. How would I, o godhead, ever complained, upon these fantabulous days I had. When I got to lie down at the sandy beach of Kuta in the stark of the night, the first night I arrived here. Looking at the stars and watching them colors swirling and twirling before me. When I got to see bits by bits of sands went elevated, floating like bubbles up to the effervescent sky. Clouds of aurora dancing and musing in slow motion, eating and rolling the twinkling stars in the hay. When I got to sing to every Beatles' song I know with the band of the sea playing the waves melody serenading every tune I made. I felt the utmost kindness overflowing in my blood stream, gushing in every heartbeat. I felt beautiful, I felt unruffled, calm and ecstatic at the same time, so elevated, I felt that there should be a song dedicated to my splendiferous being. “I should live and die by the sea! This is across the universe, floating in the sky like diamond. This is blackbird singing in the dead of night, and if you want me to, I will! I will!” Darn crazy mushroom!

The second night here, I wandered around, I gazed at the loitering crowds of Legian roaming around upon the noisy night, back and forth, back and forth. I took some sips, and the trip then brought me to a square room where everything was black and white. I felt a little bit claustrophobic, but it didn't take me away from noticing them shadows making lazy motions on the wall. It was quiescent, yet exhiliarating. I turned the tv on and meditated upon the dramatic sounds they played in every movie score. The fact that I felt overwhelmed with pulses of enlightment after watching The House of Wax, made me understand why they made the word 'crazy' embedded with the complete phrase.

The next day, off to dreamland I went. After bathed in a little bit of rain of adrenalines in Benoa. A little bit, I said. Not that much. I happened to think that human-made rain of adrenaline couldn't even go as close to the rhapsodic ecstasy offered by the nature-produced substances. Not that I didn't gorge every single drip of adrenaline offered, though. And dreamland was beautiful, the strikingly clear blue sky, the clean white sands, I dipped my feet beneath and felt the coolness of it dampening my sunbaked toes. I waved the sun good sleep as it went setting down.

On the fifth day, I went to Amed. Impressively far, we went through all these beautiful remote villages in Bali. Made a stop at Amlapura for breakfast, the place were stunning with oldschool Dutch architectural buildings adorning the traditional market. It's not until two hours later that we finally reached Eco-Dive, the diving site of our destination. Once again I bode my ignorance upon the beady-eyed sunshine. It was 12 at noon, I couldn't even care less how the lumbering weight of my scuba tank hurt my spine as I dragged myself as close as I can to the sea shore. Sun was warm and the burden on my back got lighter and lighter as I drown myself deeper and deeper. It was miraculous down there, indeed. School of fish in sparkling color were fluttering all around me, I touched the nearest anemones that waved upon me flirtatiously. It was soft and jelly-like. Upon my head the rays were penetrating the sea surface, like the swords of light diffusing everything on their ways. I chased a yellow fish with blue lines on its fins that swam right in front of my nose, but I was too joyous, the burst of air bubbles dazzled my sight out of the flickering little fish. I lost any track of time and space, though I wasn't failed to remind myself to look at my air gauge every once in awhile. It's not until Made, my dive-buddy, softly pulled my left flipper, that I saw his thumb pointed upwards, a sign to greet the surface at last. I took off my goggles, and Made was a bit startled. “You're bleeding.” He said, pointed out at my nose. “Am I?”, I wiped my nose off and saw lines of red smearing the back of my palm. It must be the air pressure down there, I was too happy chasing the fish I rarely equalized. It was nothing serious, though. Nothing that could beat the fun I felt that day.

So how could I complain about all these sunburn pain, the ache in my ear, and the flakes on my head? When I'm writing this while lying lazily under the sun that shines brightly upon the sandy beach of Kuta. How dare I could ever complained? Just bring me more arak attack, and some more bacons, please!

Menahun

aku ingin mabuk menahun :) kuingin ambil semua zat sedatif yang tersebar di udara lalu menyatu dengan debu dinding. agar tidak kuingat lagi kala air matamu kutampung dalam botol-botol kaca, lalu kusimpan tersusun rapi dalam lemari. terberi label nama dan khasiat. dahaga lepas tapi pipimu pias. agar tidak kuingat lagi kala jantungmu, hatimu, paru-paru yang menderukan napasmu adalah bantalan empuk untuk jarum-jarum jahitku, sebelum mulai kuuntai benang dan kutisik lagi selimut mimpi kita. agar tidak kuingat lagi kala setiap ruam syaraf otakmu terasuki jaring laba-laba yang kupintal panjang berujung pada rambut yang kuminta kamu belai setiap hari kita bermimpi.
aku ingin mabuk menahun.
aku ingin memikirkan kalau kamar tempat aku tidur adalah sebuah pulau kecil sunyi berbentuk tanda koma.

Desember

Selalu ada yang bernyanyi dan berelegi

Di balik awan hitam

Semoga ada yang menerangi sisi gelap ini

Menanti..

Seperti pelangi setia menunggu hujan reda

Aku selalu suka sehabis hujan di bulan Desember

Di bulan Desember...

Sampai nanti ketika hujan tak lagi

Meneteskan duka meretas luka

Sampai hujan memulihkan luka...

*song by erk



dan apalagi yang bisa kubilang kali ini karena sungguh persediaan pura-pura ku sudah menguap terbuang ke sudut-sudut ruangan...

Always Look On The Bright Side of Life...

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath

Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

And always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the right side of life...
(Come on guys, cheer up!)
Always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the bright side of life...
(Worse things happen at sea, you know.)
Always look on the bright side of life...
(I mean - what have you got to lose?)
(You know, you come from nothing - you're going back to nothing.
What have you lost? Nothing!)
Always look on the right side of life...

This song is from Life of Brian, Monty Python. Sing Sisie sing! hufffffff...
image was taken from trishbeeuk.blogspot.com

Always Look On the Bright Side of Life

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...
For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath

Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

And always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the right side of life...
(Come on guys, cheer up!)
Always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the bright side of life...
(Worse things happen at sea, you know.)
Always look on the bright side of life...
(I mean - what have you got to lose?)
(You know, you come from nothing - you're going back to nothing.
What have you lost? Nothing!)
Always look on the right side of life...

from Monty Python, image was taken from trishbeeuk.blogspot.com/

hai dan halo

hai halo. saya kembali. setelah hiatus sekian lama karena beratus juta hal, teknis maupun tidak begitu teknis sampe yang dicari-cari. blog saya kembali lagi. dan saya akan menulis lagi. saya janji. sekarang itu dulu lah.

sampai jumpa.
-sie-

put a smile on your face and make the world a better place

i dont need make-ups, or masks, i never do. i just have to smear that paste upon my lips and put on that drawing i made before.
beeyatch.
should i wait a few more days before i really ask? would that make much of a difference?

almost eight, i should go home now. my body's falling apart.
too tired to write, yet i got so many things to scream out.
oh i'm such a very nice girl, am not i?

-sie-

*artwork by Amanda Walujo

not pretty enough?

Am I not pretty enough
Is my heart too broken
Do I cry too much
Am I too outspoken
Don't I make you laugh
Should I try it harder
Why do you see right through me

I live
I breathe
I let it rain on me
I sleep
I wake
I try hard not to break
I crave
I love
I've waited long enough
I try as hard as I can

chorus

I laugh
I feel
I make believe it's real
I fall
I freeze
I pray down on my knees
I hope
I stand,
I take it like a man
I try as hard as I can

chorus

why do you see
why do you see
why do you see
why do you see right through me

*Kasey Chambers

in the middle of OTAK NGEHANG... sialaaaann padahal minggu depan deadline kerjaan gue baru kelar 10% doang... dan OTAK gue NGEHANG... @nj**G!!
anyway, currently listening to this tune, and it's just me being too sappy but this song really touches.
-sie-

nyam!

i know who i want to take me home :)
and i think it's beautiful

-sie-