People say boys should not cry.

But I was crying a tear when I saw the photo below.

The photo was taken by George Dsouza in Kathmandu, not long after a 7.9-Magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal.

Seen in the heartbreaking picture was a two-and-a-half-year-old sister protected by her four-year-old brother.

Before his younger sister, the little boy was trying to look strong and tough, although I know his heart must have been fragile inside.

May the two kids in the picture stay safe right there, and be taken care of by loving people who are unconditionally willing to guard them always, and offer them any assistance they may need (in case they are separated from their parents).

Kata orang, laki-laki pantang menangis.

Namun mataku sempat berkaca-kaca saat melihat foto di bawah ini.

Foto ini diambil oleh George Dsouza di Kathmandu, tidak lama setelah gempa berkekuatan 7.9 SR menggoncang Nepal.

Terlihat dalam foto adalah seorang anak perempuan berumur 2,5 tahun yang berada dalam dekapan dan perlindungan kakak laki-lakinya yang baru berumur 4 tahun.

Di depan adik perempuannya, anak laki-laki kecil ini berusaha tampak tegar, meskipun aku yakin hatinya di dalam remuk.

Semoga kedua anak tersebut aman di sana, dan dipungut oleh orang-orang penyayang yang senantiasa rela menjaga mereka tanpa pamrih, dan memberikan bantuan yang mungkin mereka butuhkan (kalau-kalau mereka terpisah dari orang tua mereka).

AGAPE LOVE ABOVE ALL

To be brought to you in a meeting is something coincidental

Pertemuan denganmu adalah sesuatu yg sifatnya tidak disengaja

To get to know you is something beyond my expectation

Bisa mengenalmu adalah sesuatu di luar perkiraanku

To be loved by you is something worth acknowledgement

Menerima anugerah cinta darimu adalah sesuatu yg patut disyukuri

To have you in my life is truly a blessing

Bisa menjadikanmu pasangan hidup adalah benar-benar suatu keterberkatan

To have kids from our marriage is even more so

Memiliki anak darimu adalah lebih dari sekadar keterberkatan

But to receive His love in my life is the most precious thing for which I should never unfailingly extend a gratitude and praise, as it has exceeded the above privilege of mine.

Namun menerima kasih Tuhan dalam hidupku adalah harta paling berharga yg tidak pernah henti-hentinya aku syukuri, mengingat kasih Tuhan berada di atas segalanya.

Trying to Sustain a Pillar of Democracy

You may be right, but other people may also be right. Only through a bloody conscious and conscientious mind will we be able to see the problem clearly, from which we may have a framework to base on, perceive something in a wider context and begin to approach them more wisely, without any prejudice and feeling of enmity; without any feeling of superior to other people in terms of one’s capability and belief; without any political interests and personal ambition to conquer the world. That we are born as different individuals so that diversity and plurality should be highly respected in this country. It’s what a genuine democracy is all about (self-attempt to sustain a pillar of democracy).

Anda mungkin benar, tapi orang lain juga bisa jadi benar. Hanya melalui hati nurani yg bersih dan pikiran yg jernihlah kita mampu melihat permasalahan secara lebih jelas, dan dari situlah kita memiliki tempat untuk berpijak, memandang sesuatu dalam konteks yg lebih luas dan mulai menyikapinya secara lebih bijak, tanpa ada prasangka buruk dan rasa permusuhan; tanpa merasa lebih unggul dan lebih super dari  orang lain dalam hal kemampuan dan keyakinan; tanpa ada motif politik dan ambisi diri untuk menguasai dunia. Bhw kita dilahirkan sbg individu yg berbeda shg keanekaragaman dan pluralitas sudah selayaknya dijunjung tinggi di bumi pertiwi. Itulah sejatinya arti sebuah demokrasi (mencoba menegakkan tonggak demokrasi).

Lesson of Life

A young innocent child asked his father, “Dad, which is more important to forgive or be forgiven?” The father asked her back, “Which do you think is more important to a bird, the left wing or the right wing?" Satisfied with the answer, the child returned to her friend who had been waiting for her outside, and she began to shake her friend’s hand to indicate her regret at not forgiving him in the first place.

After her friend went home, the father asked his kid, “What about to understand and be understood, which do you think is more important?” Replied his daughter diplomatically, “Which is more important to you Dad, your left eye or right eye?” And the father gave her a big hug, “I love you, kid!”

Seorang anak yg masih lugu bertanya kepada Bapaknya, “Ayah, mana yg lebih penting, memaafkan atau dimaafkan?” Ayahnya bertanya balik, "Mana yg menurutmu lebih penting bagi seekor burung, sayap yg kanan atau sayap yg kiri?" Merasa puas dgn jawaban ayahnya,”anak tsb kembali menemui temannya yg sudah menunggu di luar, dan mulai menjabat tangannya sbg tanda penyesalan karena dia sempat menolak utk memberikan maaf.

Setelah temannya pulang, Sang Ayah menanyai anaknya, “Kalau memahami dan dipahami mana yg lebih penting?” Dgn diplomatis anaknya menjawab, "Mana yg lebih penting bagi Ayah, mata kiri atau mata kanan?" Dan Sang Ayah pun memeluk erat anaknya, ”Ayah sayang kamu, Nak!”

Now It's Time for a Poem

I know my lifestyle is not glamorous
But at least I have done something prestigious
To find someone marvellous
Although I have to be cautious


I know I am not victorious
But at least I have been quite serious
To find someone gorgeous
Although it is somewhat ridiculous


I know I am not adventurous
But at least I have tried something dangerous
To find someone mysterious
Although I am somewhat nervous


I know I am a bit tedious
But at least I have tried something not monotonous
To find someone whose voice is sonorous
Although I have to be conscientious


I know I am not humorous
But at least I have tried something joyous
To find someone who look fabulous
Although I am a bit tendentious


I know I am not generous
But at least I have tried something enormous
To find someone who is precious
Although I am somewhat suspicious


** Judy Hendratno, 23 July 2012

Discourse vs Execution

It’s easy for us to come up with a brilliant idea, but most of us fail to execute the brilliant idea with which we have come up. It takes more than just a discourse to be able to succeed, as the discourse alone does not move the mountain, but our action will.

The time for disregard is over, and it is now the time for us to execute our plan in a consistent and professional manner. Don’t forget to always pray God as the owner of the whole universe as we come on board, because only in His hand will we able to materialize the blueprint we have initially set and designed. 

Punya ide-ide cemerlang adalah hal biasa, namun kebanyakan dari kita gagal pada tahap eksekusinya. Diperlukan lebih dari sekadar wacana untuk bisa menggapai sukses, karena wacana itu sendiri tidak akan mampu memindahkan gunung, tapi tindakan nyata kita akan mampu mewujudkan itu semua.

Masa ketidakacuhan sudah berakhir, kini saatnya bagi kita untuk mengeksekusi rencana-rencana yang sudah kita buat secara konsisten dan profesional. Saat mengejawantahkannya, jangan lupa untuk senantiasa berdoa kepada Tuhan sebagai pemilik alam jagad raya, karena hanya atas restuNya lah kita bisa mewujudkan cetak biru yang sudah kita tetapkan dan rancang sebelumnya. 

Development of a Child

The development of a child is so adorably amazing that it sometimes makes us dumbfounded and jaw dropping, especially on knowing that our kid has developed very fast within a relatively short period, not only in terms of their language acquisition but also in some other aspects of life, like what I have experienced below. 


When I was trying to explore the content of my cell phone, there turned out to be some sound recording with which I was unfamiliar. Seems that it had been made secretly by my youngest son (7 y.o.) during my last R&R. In the recording, he pretended as if he had been a professional radio presenter. In the beginning, he tried to greet listeners with a small introduction, using his childish strong accent. He then read aloud a story which was likely to have been taken from his mom’s smart phone, and finally played a song for listeners.


How come he could do that? To be honest, his parents never taught him how it had been to be a radio presenter, nor have we exposed him to any radio broadcast, considering the fact that we do not have a radio.


Tumbuh kembang pada anak sangat mengagumkan sehingga kadang hal tsb membuat kita tercengang dan mulut kita menganga, terutama saat mengetahui bahwa anak kita telah berkembang dgn sangat cepat dalam waktu yg relatif singkat, tdk hanya pemerolehan bahasanya saja tapi juga dalam aspek kehidupan lainnya, sebagaimana yg aku alami di bawah ini. 


Saat mencoba menelusuri konten yg ada di hapeku, aku mendapati ada rekaman suara yg tampak asing bagiku. Sepertinya rekaman tsb dibuat secara diam2 oleh anakku bungsu (7 thn) waktu aku R&R terakhir. Pada rekaman tsb, dia berpura-pura seolah-olah dia adalah presenter radio profesional. Pada awalnya, dia mencoba menyapa pendengar dgn memberikan salam pembuka dgn logat anak2nya yg sangat medhok. Lalu dia membacakan sebuah kisah yg sepertinya dia ambilkan dari smart phone mamanya, ditutup dgn melantunkan lagu bagi para pendengar.


Bagaimana mgk dia melakukan semua itu? Terus terang, ortunya tdk pernah mengajarinya bagaimana menjadi seorang presenter radio, dan kami jg tdk pernah memberikan pajanan siaran radio, mengingat di rumah kami tdk ada pesawat radio.