Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Puisi Kitab Cinta

Ini adalah senaskhah kesedihan yang aku kirimkan melalui jiwaku yang dipenuhi dukacita kepada sebuah jiwa yang lain.
Sesungguhnya kau telah berhasil menghancurkan belengguku dan meraih kemerdekaan

Sudah bertahun aku mengikat tali cintaku tanpa makna
Sudah bertahun malamku berlalu menunggumu, Maha Pencipta di dalam persembunyianku yang ditemani keangkuhan dunia
Kau juga adalah penyembuh bagi semua yang salah pada diriku
Namun saat ini, Kau juga adalah penyakitku
Kau seperti mahkota yang dibuat untukku tetapi menghiasi insan lain

Kau adalah syurga, aku yakini itu namun aku tidak menemukan kunci untuk membuka gerbangnya
Kau ibarat seperti seorang pencuri yang sedang bergembira dengan apa yang dicurinya
Kau mencuri segala jiwa dan cinta yang ada
Jalan cinta sejati hanya dapat ditempuhi oleh mereka yang siap untuk melupakan diri mereka
Demi cinta, kesetiaan harus dibayar dengan darah dari jantung kita, dari ketenangan jiwa kita
Jikalau tidak, cinta kita tidak bererti apa-apa maka biarkanlah cinta kita menjadi pelindung rahsia-rahsia kita
Biarkan kesengsaraan yang dibawa oleh cinta membelah jiwa

Marilah kita berjalan menuju kepadaNya, mengadap dan bersujud
Memalingkan wajah kepadaNya, memberikan segala jiwa kepadaNya dengan membawa cinta sejati yang tidak akan pernah mati kerana cinta buatNya akan kekal abadi



Tak tertampung perasaan ini jika puisi seindah ini dikirim oleh orang yang diharapkan cintanya. Terlalu indah hingga bisa buat mata saya bergenang dan hati berombak kuat. Surutnya tidak tahu bila.

Ada satu perasaan yang tak boleh saya jelaskan bagaimana saya sangat terhubung dengan bicara Bahasa Indonesia, ada sesuatu yang menjadikan saya pegun tatkala mendengar ia dituturkan. Mungkin juga kerna usul saya di sana, mungkin itu menyumbang. Mungkin juga kerna ia kedengaran sangat klasik, sangat halus, sangat berirama, sangat tersirat, menjadikan saya selalu ingin mendengarnya. Atau mungkin kerna memang sudah terbit minat terhadap bahasa klasik, di umur 9 tahun saya sudah membaca Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa tanpa dipaksa. Teater dan wayang gambar Puteri Gunung Ledang saya tidak jemu menonton berulang kali. 

Tiada yang salah kata Lisa, jika masyarakat Indonesia ingin kedengaran puitis, bahasanya lebih mirip ke Bahasa Melayu cuma diselitkan sedikit Bahasa Indonesianya. Lihat saja lirik-lirik lagu Indonesia, banyak condong ke Bahasa Melayu, itulah antara sebab kita mudah menerimanya. Bahasa dalam lirik itu berbeza daripada bahasa di bahan bacaan atau percakapan harian. Cuba diamati semula, kurang Bahasa Indonesianya di dalam lirik.       

Puisi di atas adalah daripada Kitab Cinta, gabungan cerita antara Malaysia dan Indonesia. Tidak pasti milik siapa nukilan ini tapi sungguh dalam maksudnya, sampai tepat ke dalam hati, jika difahami. Tergiang-ngiang di kepala memaksa saya kongsinya disini sama seperti lagu Ungu yang saya dengar di Jogja ketika dulu. Kini, lagu itu sudah sampai ke Malaysia dan saya masih suka mendengarnya. Malaysia dan Indonesia mempunyai banyak persamaan membuatkan saya ingin kembali ke sana lagi, terutamanya ke Tanah Jawa.


The Love For Delicious

Delicious, a cafe with western and fusion food selection is place where I usually spend the afternoon or evening together with my girlfriends. The ambiance of the cafe is enough to make us stay for many hours eating their scrumptious meals, chatting up, people watching, drinking away, look at the menu again, order dessert, order more drinks and more chatting :) 



I fell in love with the place on the very first visit. The crave for somehing sweet aka dessert after heavy meal of Banana Leaf Rice at Nirwana Maju had lead me, Ayun and Sayra to come to the cafe that looked very cosy from the outside requesting table for 3.


After the menu was handed to us by a more-than-average looking waiter *ahem, we were browsing each page guessing how they would taste. They have long list of drinks, starter, main dish and dessert. Undecided, we looked around to find inspiration from other table's foods. Every plate on the tables looked good and delicious. Still, neither of us succesfully made up our mind what to order and with the intention not to spoil the already good impresssion of Delicious by ordering something not nice, we called up the same waiter *on purpose, he's good looking!* for recommendation. 


The waiter helpfully explained each drink to us and only after few minutes he finally got something to scribble on his order pad :'). He was quick to recommend Chocolate Brownie (with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream) as dessert to us, claiming it was the best dessert in the house. We trusted his words and agreed to share one serving together.   



The waiter was right! The brownie tasted perfectly, rich in flavour!
We went ohhh-ing, ahhh-ing when the warm brownie with its combo entered our mouths. Handsome waiter never lies :') 


The tasteful dessert we had was not enough to evaluate Delicious (although we already liked the place so much) so we made a deal to return for other dishes some day. And it was not too long before we returned to Delicious (Bangsar Village II branch particularly) for birthday celebration, treating visiting friends from out of town, Sunday evening hangout etc.



We even met the iron lady, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz!





Delicious had clearly become our new favourite place for any occasion since then. And the same chocolate brownie had become the official dessert. I can't stop spreading words to everyone I met how wonderful the chocolate brownie tasted. So, if u haven't been to Delicious and feel like having to spend your time with love one, go and order yourselves the Chocolate Brownie and take your time indulging it. You'll understand what I meant :)


So last two weeks, when Dian asked whether I'd be available after work for Delicious Appreciation Dinner, I immediately said yes. Oh, how could I resist the invitation?! It's DELICIOUS!!!

Me & Dian

The dinner was held at their Marc Residency branch at Jalan Pinang. The place have slightly different interior than my usual Bangsar branch, but with the same concept - cosy and condusive for eating.   





That night, guests were treated with food other than what Delicious put in their menu but were prepared by the same chef. How did I know? I got the chance to talk to the chef :') It was a special occasion, so he prepared special food for everyone that night. 






The event got livelier after 7.30pm when every corner and nook was occupied by guests.



We were introduced to the new COE of Delicious Group, Michael Saxon.



He also presented an Illy's coffee maker to the lucky guest. Now, all coffee in Delicious are made from Illy coffee, a reputable brand of coffee from Italy. So, don't regret paying more for coffee here, they're the best one!


After that, the guests were entertained by Malaysian Dreamgirls. I like watching live performance let alone these powerful voice of the trio. Simply entertaining and stunning.



So now, in total Delicious has 5 outlets in KL (One Utama, Bangsar Village II, Dua Residency, Marc Residency and Mid Valley) and people in northern region can also get the taste of Delicious at their newly open branch at Strait Quay, Penang. 


The only branch that serve steak is the one at Dua Residency, Jalan Tun Razak. And since me, Sayra and Hana (and Ikhlas) managed to squeeze some time out from busy work schedule, last weekend saw us lunching at Dua Residency - to try their steak!




For starter, we had Red Velvet Cupcake that came with generous cheese frosting instead of soup or salad :') Sweet tooth we are!
My favourite drink here is Hot Honey Lemon.



Then only the Caesar Salad came with other dishes.



Wait! Weren't we came for their steak?!



It came a little bit later and this was what been presented to us - Delicious' Tenderloin Steak. Oh yummmm......


Ahhh, my mouth watering when I look at these picture. Do you?


The earlier Red Velvet Cupcake didn't count as a dessert, so we ordered Black Forest In a Glass to complete the course :)



When you're with great friends and great foods, time flies so swiftly. We didn't realize we spent 5 hours *I've told ya* just sitting there talking and eating :') It brings us more closer each day. Thanks Delicious for having such a wonderful place!
  


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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Central-East Java: Quaint Dieng Plateau

After too many of temple visiting (PrambananSewu & Ratu Boko) and walking on my first day (oh it's only first day, please u guys bear with me until I completed writing this whole Java trip ok), the second day seen me doing nothing matching my plan. Sometimes I don't like being too spontanious in my decision making but with much persuasion and recommendation from my host, Lisa, I agreed to rent a car and began my journey at 5 IN THE MORNING local time! How I spent the night before is here, in case u want to know how wonderful it was to me.

Why can't I wait till sunrise to start my journey?

Well, first reason because the place is far from Jogja, 116 km drive here is not equivalent the time taken when driving using PLUS highway, that you have to keep in mind.  

Second, it's not only far but also on a highland which thick mist will cover all the masterpieces by afternoon. So, I need to reach there when it's still morning.

Third, late departure time will lead to late arrival in Jogja later which also means traffic jam and thinning my chances to visit another UNESCO Heritage Site.

So, where exactly was I going?


It's Dieng Plateau.

As far as our geography knowledge is concern, Indonesia is located inside Pacific Ring of Fire thus it dominated by volcanoes. Besides crater, plateau is another one of earth form produced by volcanic activity.

Dieng is derived from Sanskrit language of 'Di-hyang' (Abode of the Gods) while in Javanese language it's derived from 'edi' which means beautiful and 'aeng' which means strange.

Sitting at 2000 meters above sea level, Dieng Plateau is far from major population centre and the nearest town is Wonosobo. Wonosobo is in fact the main gateway to Dieng Plateau. You could either stay overnight in Wonosobo then proceed the next day for another hour to reach Dieng or do as what I did - leave Jogja very early morning :)    

The only memory of Wonosobo I have is this place.



Where I had my breakfast after sleeping few hours on the road. Look at the pricelist, SUPER CHEAP compared to Jogja!

Since it was still quite early and my head was heavy from lack of sleep last night, I asked the driver to stop at any restaurant that was open for breakfast. I totally forgot about culinary icon in Wonosobo - Mie Ongklok. Please, please, please when u are in Wonosobo, try eat Mie Ongklok and tell me how it taste ok.

Instead, this is what I had for breakfast.


Nasi Gundul Daging Sapi.
If you been following my twitter, you had heard about this dish.


How did it taste u ask?

Well, now u see.





Now u don't :D



Honestly, it was so good I could order for second plate if I want to. It tasted like beef stew cooked with oriental spices - just the way I like it. There were also other condiments u could add to match your tasting preference.




And this is what my sister ordered for her breakfast - Bakso with giant meatballs.



Thanks Rejo Bejo for great Wonosono breakfast!



The route up to Dieng was stunning. The terraced fields of fertile soil were planted with vegetables - potatoes, spring onion and cabbage occupying the view before your eyes. 









U could see the mist already covering up part of the hill.





Lovely isn't it?

Dieng Plateau is a big area with so many tourist attractions mostly on nature and culture.




My first stop was Candi Arjuna Complex. 
The moment I stepped out from the car, the very first word blurted out was "Sejukkkkk" which means cold. Wearing a thin cotton shirt was the unwisest decision I made. How could I forgot that I was going to cooler place and the temperature nothing like when I was in Prambanan the previous day. Huh, sometimes my mind refuse to work properly :p

Mmmm...no wonder this uncle wears a jacket :D



I paid no heed to the temperature and continued walking towards the entrance.


So, welcome to Candi Arjuna Complex!

Albeit named complex, the area is relatively small compared to Prambanan Temple or even Sewu Temple. There are only 5 temples remain from 19 temples built in the olden days lined next to each other.





The main one, Candi Arjuna is sit opposite to cuboid shape Candi Semar.


  



The other 3 are Candi Srikandi, Candi Sembadra and Candi Puntadewa.







Being here, I could agree with Javanese derivation of Dieng - 'edi-aeng' which means beautiful and quaint place.





I wish there is a cafe at this area so I could sit and sip my hot tea while looking at this incessantly beautiful scenery. Don't u agree?