The guy who never runs out of arrows

mae govannen .... mellon nin'

I believe everybody must immediately understand whom I'm talking about. Yep, he is the prince of Mirkwood: our Legolas. True, in the Lord of The Ring books, he is not as cool as in the movie; he even should not appear in The Hobbit movie. But who cares? Peter Jackson, I do love your imagination!

How if emptiness is (still) an epidemic (even when you don't realize it)

In my country: Indonesia, people living in a community, that means you won't be (literally) alone. Especially when Indonesia's population is more than 240 million and make it as the top fourth of the world population. Well, just imagine, people are everywhere, at any direction. Sounds good and fun huh? Let's compare with this contradictory picture.

How if emptiness is an epidemic?

I love very much taking a picture of an empty bench, don'no why, but I just love it. Maybe be because emptiness represent a loneliness which is the most common feeling everybody doesn't want to admit. Why not admit it?

Hey, don't ask me, ask yourself! Actually the feeling doesn't sound sad, or related to sadness, it just a unique situation where you have to be alone and trust only yourself.

As explained on my previous post, bench should be associated with people. The absent of people give a strong message of emptiness and further, loneliness.

See the picture. I got this pic in front of National Gallery of Art downtown DC. I've been in this spot couple times but it's almost impossible to get a snap shoot of this place without the present of people, but finally I did get it. Cool huh??

The next pic is just few blocks from the first pic was taken. Yeah, it's always lots of people in this spot, but it's empty now, not even with cars on the street. And this is along Pennsylvania Avenue just after crossing the 10th Street NW downtown DC. Do you believe this?

When The God of Thunder turning into wise

I just watch “Thor”, a superhero movie based on Warvel comics. Thor is PG-13 movie (qualified for all ages including children under the age of 13 with parental guidance), but you won’t believe, I cried when watched that movie! Yes, it's ridiculous, watching a superhero movie but I cried.

Okay, what is so touched in that movie? Evidently, there’s a lesson of humility in the story of Thor, and the movie took a shot of that moment very nicely!!

A feeling of having "the world" in the hand

A piece of (mess) peacefulness

It should be a peacefulness place, like an oasis in the middle of a very busy city. In fact, the place might be dangerous and awful, if you come not in the right time (or come without a right person for accompany). Well, whatever you think, I love that place and always plan to come back (over and over again).

The picturesque Central Park

I don't live in New York, I live about three hours fifty minutes (driving) down south from Fifth Avenue New York, so can't come to the park at any time I want.

can you hear them?
the helicopters?
I'm in New York
no need for words now
we sit in silence
you look me in the eye directly
you met me
I think it's Wednesday
the evening, the mess we're in

the city sun sets over me

Living on a jet plane

I’m now so tired, sitting at home in Yogyakarta, 16,485.6 km or 21 hours 16 minutes flight duration away from my apartment at DC. This world and surrounding is completely different from the place that I used to be for the last four years. I should feel comfortable and have a complete good rest, but it doesn't really work as expected. Yes I can eat everything I was dreaming about, but still can’t sleep, thinking about my papers, works, my life in other side etc.

Aaaarrrrrggggg ......... (for 17 seconds)

Given up? Why so?

Well, there is always a time when you cannot push yourself any further, then feel like moving nowhere though you move/walk as far and as fast as you can. My friend calls that situation a 'comfortable numb', but I prefer call that desperately situation a 'temporary' given up. Why given up? Of course because life isn't always what we expect. However, trust me, for God sake, add this word in your life dictionary.

No need for words now

Today is my special day .......
nothing I want, but remember all the paths I've been through this far.

From the inside (LP)

Now I’m really on vacation, sitting next to the pool on the 2nd floor of the hotel at city center, listening to music and waiting for lunch time (can’t stop thinking of chicken lollipops at café downstairs). Officially I’m off, ‘coz UMCP put weather alerts due to the attack of Frankenstorm ‘Sandy’ in the East Coast. So I am actually a refugee who (luckily) gets nice vacation instead.

That’s good huh? I did nothing for work and feel not guilty for that. I spend a wonderful weekend at Houston and surrounding, and have a good quality time to rest, enjoying myself, not as a suffered student but as a professional with a good life and future (you know what I mean, don’t you?). See the following pics.

The pool in the right terrace facing the plaza in the middle of city center

The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted but to the brave

Houston ... Houston ..... do you hear me? 
I repeat, Houston ... Houston .... do you hear me?

Does the sentence ring you a bell? Yeah, if you like the science fiction movies about outer space, you should know what does it mean (Recall: Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in Armaggedon movie). For me, as I watch that kind of movie, as well as work with satellite imagery, I do familiar with a voice calling Houston ... Houston, and here I am now, at Houston (not only at the city but at the place where it's called 'Houston' on radio call-sign).

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (part-2)

Well, I got sick (again), but not that bad, just bit drop as a result of working too much without an appropriate rest. It's not good, but what can I do? I wish to get well soon to be ready for another trip. Yeah two weeks ago I came back from Massachusetts, and never get fit since then, and tomorrow have to go to Texas. Yeah well, whatever. Massachusetts trip was awesome, check this pic, I took the snap at Delaware Water Gap Pennsylvania on the way back to Maryland.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (part-1)

I got sick since two days ago! Working too much and don't have enough time to rest appropriately. As a result, I got fever in the last two nights, but maintain it good, so far. This morning I got so bored, and decided to leave my bed and blanket to check the beauty of the natural canvas. Well, are you kidding me? stay on bed during a beautiful weekend at Fall? No way !! I'll take the risk!

Rebel Heart

No story for tonight, (I'm tired) and have no complete words to write it down, only provide a beautiful music which is presenting something unexplained. The video doesn't really match, but who cares (and I love Supernatural series too)? Whatever ..... the music of 'The Corrs' is the main intention.

(100%) Made In Indonesia

I’m quite busy lately; my brain mostly occupies with something else, and I easily forget to share this 'interesting' story. However, yesterday night, I came back from other similar event (which was 'rang me a bell'). So before telling about the new event, let me share the previous one.

Do something that's never been done

Well ..............
It's easy to narrate or express, but definitely isn't easy to do or to say ..........

trust me! 'coz if that's easy, it may have been done (or said) long before!

Lonesome Cowboy

I’m Poor lonesome cowboy ….
And a long long way from home ……. 

What's in your mind when you found that verse? Loneliness? Wild-west emptiness? Well, listen, this is not about a sad story!! I'm not in the mood of talking about sadness. Come on, rejoice yourself and use your imagination!! 

The Crime and Punishment

Last Saturday was a free museum day in US, and I took benefit of this opportunity to visit Crime and Punishment museum in DC. Normally you need to pay $22 to $32 for purchasing a ticket. So it was a long queue in front of the museum. Many people have the same intention as mine. No doubt, this museum is one of the expensive museums in DC, and the museum presentation is awesome; especially when you like the detective and crime stories.

When life leaves us blind ….

I'm quite busy recently and have no time to express something from my mind. I don’t know exactly what’s occupying my mind; everything doesn't seem wrong, but doesn't really right either. Just ‘in between’, like Linkin Park song. By the way, I’m a fan of this band, though the music is hard, but I love most of their lyrics, could be so depth and meaningful.

O Mio Babbino Caro

Oh my dear father ............. is the actual translation, but what is actually the meaning of this song?

Snacking 'Wasabi Green Pea'

It’s too boring to wait the computer finishing the work. Though, ideally that will be good time for drafting. But sometimes (or most of the time), you are in situation when you cannot write down any sentence, not even a single word. Just blank and don’t know what to do; and that was me, that evening.

It’s okay (sign of pain, see Wicked Game), I'll always swallow it, coz doing science (and trying to be a scientist) is (still) great and (damn) good. I like this (the sign that scientist is still human being)":

Scientists are people of very dissimilar temperaments doing different things in very different ways. Among scientists are collectors, classifiers and compulsive tidiers-up; many are detective by temperament and many are explorers; some are artists and others artisans. There are poet-scientists and philosopher-scientists and even few mystics (Peter B Medawar, The Art of the Soluble, 1967).

A cup of Javanese tea: a symbol of friendship

I like trilogy, so this is my third post about Yogyakarta (for this season). Hey, here’s a song titled ‘Yogyakarta’, but sang by street musicians in kroncong and been flavored with Javanese singing style such as tembang and siteran. The woman is singing in tembang style: a style of telling Javanese folklore in rhythms; and the old man plays the siter (as well as doing tembang or nembang).

Déjà vu

It’s an early morning now, just about two hours passed midnight, and I couldn’t yet fall asleep. Donno what’s wrong, but my eyes don’t wanna sleep, it keeps looking at my small screen, browsing (thought my head has been complaining since three hours ago). Well, it’s déjà vu, I feel nothing but empty. Sound stupid, but it’s not wrong to feel stupid, sometimes. We are merely a human being.

Prince of Red Chili

Hey, this is the comic hero I’ve talked about: Prince of Red Chili (Pangeran Lombok Abang). His clothes, robe and hat are red, and his weapon is a traditional Javanese dagger called Keris. In Javanese culture, Keris is magical and very powerful. Look at the Logo of Yogyakarta Sultanate in his chest and his hat, cool huh?

He speaks in Javanese: "for the sake of God, be careful with your words!!"

Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta: a happy end of the controversy

During lunch time, while we’re enjoying pho Vietnamese noodle soup at Baltimore Avenue, my friend asked me about Yogyakarta, my home town in Indonesia. My friend especially questioned the controversy of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Special Region). His question reminds me about my lovely hometown, and here it is.

The gate to the Sultan palace (Keraton)

Prairie is my garden

Hey, it’s been a while since I left B-town, how are you today my hometown? Brookings South Dakota: a little town in the prairie?  

Talking about the prairie, my mind goes to Harvey Dunn, an American painters who masterpieces of prairie drawing. The most well-known paintings he has, is titled 'Prairie is my garden', showing a mother and two of her kids gathering flowers from the prairie (where it is said supposed to be in Great Plains). 

Prairie is my garden (Harvey Dunn)

It's M

Sigh, with headache, but not yet feel sleepy, make me think about something, and here it is, it’s M.

Nope, I’m not talking about a fictional character in James Bond series of Ian Fleming; nor talking about the old movie of child murderer in Berlin. And this is a single M, not double M. Coz double M or M&M is chocolate colorful button-shaped candies, or a nick name of my good friends (they are a nice couple) who moved to Australia about two years ago. Hey, this is the pics of the M I’m talking about.

Wicked Game

De wored wos on fayer, an no wan culed sip mi bat yu (singing, he he he) …….

Hey have you tried to play poker? Well, not many Indonesian familiar with this game. Well known as gambling game’s made poker as a sin for most of us (back home). It could be not, actually, if you only play for fun, no bet with real money, do it once in a while, and don't get into it. It’s just a game, such as Dakon/Congkak. Though for me it’s also math: a probability theory in application.

Bazaar Indonesia 2012

Perfect, I am now full, satisfied, happy and sleepy, but let me share a great experience of attending Bazaar Indonesia 2012 held at Wisma Indonesia, Tilden Street Washington DC.

O Sole Mio

Whilst were waiting for my computer working on its own, and getting stuck from somewhere on what is usually called "dissertation's chapters", I stopped working and enjoyed the voices of Bryan Adams and Luciano Pavarotti sang "O Sole Mio" ...... Wonderful.

Road goes ever on, and on

Four days ago, in one of the beautiful summer day, I walked through the mall of my university. Wait, what I called mall here is not a shopping mall, remember, but kinds of open grassy space with many walkways crossing around. For me, the mall is really a space to breathe and pondering whatever you have in your mind. I love this mall, with the pattern of the paths, and trees surrounding, I often visit this place. The mall’s path goes to almost all directions; in some point intersect with other paths or joint larger walkways in both sides.

The paths on the mall

Dirgahayu Republik Indonesia

After almost five years never take a chance to attend the ceremony for our independence day, finally four days ago I joined the official ceremony at "Wisma Indonesia" Washington DC, the house of Indonesia’s Ambassador to the United States of America. Our independence day is on August 17 1945, so this year we are celebrating our 67^th of anniversary. As a tradition, we always celebrate our independence day with having a flag ceremony. The name of our national flag “Sang Merah Putih” represents the color of the flag which is red and white; Red color represents the courage, while the white color represents the purity.

Nothing

Almost midnight, and I was alone, sitting inside my car, parking under the yellow sparkling streetlight across a quiet Metro station. I was listening to 97.1 FM; soft rock music was playing, fills up the entire car, nice and comforts me. I enjoyed the voice of Jeff Bailey of REO Speedwagon and the cold breeze from the AC, feel nothing but empty. Just like an empty road before me. Physically, I was inside my car but without my minds that were probably somewhere wondering around, far and might be far enough from me.

Brookings, or B-town, as “my home” in US

I got many questions from my new friends and colleagues at College Park Maryland on how do I feel about moving into DC’s area, after almost 3.5 years (from beginning of January 2009 to the end of April 2012) spending time “peacefully” in a small town namely “Brookings” (see Wikipedia).

Brookings from the sky, left front ground is the Brookings municipal airport, the place for our gliding and fun flying activities; the right front ground is the Indian Hills, the best luxury neighborhood at B-town. The background is the whole town of Brookings, separated by 6^th street or Highway 14; The University is on the left side of the 6^th street. My apartment was in the very far-backside of the University complex. 

Lonely Bench

Why bench? And why talk about loneliness? And why is it important? And how it is connected? Simply, it's because people should sit on a bench (especially when they are enjoying something), then the absent of people shows an emptiness.

A lonely bench, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, about a month ago, on one of beautiful days on the very beginning of August. It's Summer time, weather was good, people was around to enjoy the smell and cheerful of summer, but the bench was alone. I took a piece of this bench's story, save it as a memory of  a life.