My First Ramadhan In Batam

It's my first Ramadhan days in Batam. I have fasting month and stay far away from family and have lots of things to do. It doesn't make any different to me to have such thing as I'm not really a religious typical person. But one for sure, it's harder to stay fasting all day long since it's--like it or not--hotter here than anywhere else I've ever been. I'm so thirsty and like powerless so much as I had no supper. I do not really like supper anyway. I mean, waking u at 3 in the morning and have a bunch of food on a plate. It's just...terrible. But, there is no way out unless you break fast right now and you will not feel like you're starving. But it's not what I actually wanna tell you here.

Yesterday I was like a center of the universe as my friends kept asking me what religion I actually possessed. As I had lunch yesterday. I have no idea why some people really take whatsoever-religion-we-possess account. It's not a big deal for me anyway. I mean, I believe what makes us good is not merely what we believe. It's all about what we behave.

Some of my friends just look weird at me as I do not really care of any kind of religion I possess. As if I'm a truly sinner who shall be punished in hell. As if I'm a really bad person as I have nothing to hold on (at least they see me that way). All I can do is just "It's my business, Dude! Back off!". I mean, I have something to hold on, anyway, anyhow. I get a grip and I do not lose it anyway. How could they say that and give such valuation and judgement? They simply say and insist what they believe as rightest. They feel righteous by, let's say, saying what I'm doing is wrong

It seems like the Indonesian society cannot deal with this condition yet. As they're raised in the religions' doctrine's haze that in the end shape the mindset that anything but the-same-like-me is not-right-at-all. Sadly, they believe that hatred is okay. It is confusing and annoying at the same time. How could you justify that you spread hatred or negative thinking against those (like me, at least), meanwhile they believe in something that actually (but they do not really know it yet) do not justify hatred at all?

Anyone, do me a favor!

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Ramadhan: Pemahamanku Tentang Puasa / Me And Fasting

Setiap tahun, semua muslim di penjuru dunia akan mengalami apa yang kata mereka sebagai bulan penuh berkah dan pintu ampunan. Bulan untuk bisa semakin mendekatkan diri dengan sang pencipta, dengan menahan berbagai keinginan dan rasa.  

Terutama di Indonesia dan negara-negara muslim lainnya, Ramadhan merupakan bulan yang sangat ditunggu-tunggu dengan berbagai macam perayaan untuk menyambut kedatangannya. Namun, terlepas dari hingar bingarnya, aku mencoba memahami makna puasa yang merupakan inti dari Ramadhan itu sendiri.

Berpuasa adalah menahan keinginan. Apapun keinginan itu. Mulai dari masalah fisik (makan, minum, dsb) sampai kebiasaan yang tidak kita sadari tidak baik bagi kita (gossiping, too much watching TV, marah,

dll). Intinya, menahan. Dan seringkali, kita tidak sabar untuk menahan sesuatu dari dalam diri kita.

Adanya dorongan untuk melakukan apapun merupakan hal yang wajar yang dimiliki setiap manusia. Entah itu dorongan untuk kebaikan atau sebaliknya. Inilah sebanarnya yang harus kita hadapi selama berpuasa. Personally, pemahaman bahwa di bulan puasa setan-setan dibelenggu memang ada benarnya. Bahwa apapun yang kita lakukan tidak ada hubungannya dengan setan, entah setan secara harafiah maupaun sebagai sebuah konsep. Kalaupun memang iya, tetap saja, tindakan kita adalah manifestasi dari keputusan yang kita buat. Dari ego yang ada dalam diri kita masing-masing. Lagipula, buat yang atheist, pemahaman tentang setan juga sangat sulit untuk diterima.

Secara keseluruhan, puasa adalah bentuk pengendalian diri. Dari keinginan-keinginan, dorongan ego. Dan, personally, IMHO, esensi puasa tidak hanya berlaku selama bulan Ramadhan, tapi selama kita hidup.

Selamat berpuasa :)

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If It's Not Bad, It's Worse!

The Weather!

I mean, oh my goodness, how could you adapt to the hardly-friendly-region called Malacca waters (Batam island, Singapore, and the surrounding)?

You know what, this morning was just shiny like there would be summer this whole mid-year. It's 7.30 in the morning when I was about to go to work and I had no worry about the(sudden)rain. I knew that my jeans would be just dried by the time I went back from work and I was pretty sure they (the jeans) were fine during the dry-in-the-sun time. But now I realize that the worry should be there like all the time.

I was having emails and queries to reply when one in a room suddenly said "Oh, it's rainy hard out there!" Then I looked out the window and I was like "What?! My jeans! My jeans! My jeans!". But all I could do was just looking back at the beloved-always-rushing monitor (as I had to) and "Okay, I love my job! I love my job! Gotta love my job though I love my jeans even more!"

I mean, you gotta be ready for the WORST thing can be when you're living in Malacca waters like Batam or Singapore. The weather is no compromise at all. Can you figure out how to deal with the temperature from 34 degrees (95F) over the day to drop to 25 degrees (77F) over the night? Not to mention the crazy speedy wind and storms to come anytime they want. Seriously! I mean, I often saw the hurricane news in television and it looked creepy and now I'm like having it all, all the days. Moreover, the rain whatsoever spread out like hell. I mean, when it's so hard rainy whatsoever in one part of the island, the other parts (even if it's 2 miles away) are just fine! 

I have no idea whether it's due to the over-blown-up global warming or it's just supposed to be that way as daily-tiny-stranded-islands's-weather. Overall, you need more than just

weather channel on if you are dumped off in the area like Malacca waters. If it's not bad, it's worse!

PS: I'm worrying my jeans!

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