And She Cried

Although my prediction was proven to be true, still it was eerie watching the turn of the show. What I’m talking about here is Nania’s failure to continue to the Grand Final of the Indonesian Idol singing contest.

The Kedirian singer Nania Kurniawati Yusuf had become many many people’s favorite of the three remaining finalists. The competition was tight between her and Joy, the other female finalist, but when it came to her and Delon “Melon” – that’s the name his aficionados as well as people favor against him have been using to cheer or mock him – the difference was great. It was Nania who won the juries’ compliment most of the time. The only critics she received was mainly regarding her stage appearance and sometimes her unability to put her high voice in the right place.

Meanwhile Delon had to face critics – harsh ones, a lot of times – almost every week. It was because the juries and a great many people thought that the guy made it to join the contest, let alone survive to this very day, owing to his handsome look only. Cynically, Indra Lesmana - one of the juries – had even said once that Indonesian people should have looked beyond the physical quality if they wanted a good quality singer to represent the country in the World Idol singing contest.

So it was a bit surprising to see Delon kicked other contestants out the contest stage week after week and survived to the semifinal round. Yet many people and the juries still put on high hopes considering the best contestants namely Joy and Nania still hung around to save Indonesian Idol from losing its glamor and attractiveness. The Delon’s phenomenon did not escape attention, nevertheless, as the show hosts - Ata and Irgi - had to remind people to send their vote sms or make vote calls for their favorite singer unless they wanted to see the singer get to be sent home.

I myself partly agree that Delon counted more on his looks than on his singing capability to win his fans’ heart and support. Lately somehow I see that he has been making great improvements. His voice was no longer flat during his performance in the last two weeks and I actually began to enjoy it. I believe a lot of people felt the same way I did, and as more negative talks cast over him, at the same time Delon gained more pity and support from people who saw him to be the “abuse victim” of the juries and the anti-Delon society’s sarcastic remarks.

At least that was what I learnt from people’s opinion on the radio and blogs. I remembered someone commenting that Delon perhaps right now felt sorry for having a handsome visage that for the first time in men’s history the guy might have thought of having a plastic surgery on his face so he could have the face of Shrek instead of the current one, just to get a more objective judgment!

Of course, that is an extreme comment, but hey, we couldn’t see this guy with one eye’s shut! Wasn’t it clear that Delon had successfully brushed off the other Indonesian Idol contestants, some of them were better than him? Not only that, he was never in the danger of being in the two most bottom positions. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I think the guy has a strong support not only in the matter of the number of fans but also the ring a chink chink, clink clank, jingle jangle of money poured out to ensure his steps to the following week’s performance. No proof so far to back up my opinion, but it all makes sense, doesn’t it?

That’s why I predicted that Delon would overcome Nania. It’s not cool and I actually did not want it to happen, but when rationally pondered upon, it was what would likely to happen.

And the dreaded thing did happen. Nania would not go back to the stage next week and duel with Joy in the Grand Final, for it was Delon who would join the big event. And people, a lot of people cried. The first jury I noticed sheding tears was Dimas Jay. Commercial break cut off the show for a moment, then it was apparent that Indra Lesmana and Meuthia Kasim, with their hands over each others’ shoulder, just broke into tears. I don’t know what was in the head of Titi DJ, but I think she was also emotional at that time.

In the mean time, the person these people had spilled their tears over looked calm and quite in control. It all changed when she got to sing the finale-goodbye song, Ruth Sahanaya’s Ingin Kumiliki. The mental siege she had built was slowly tumbling down into pieces as she reached the refrain; Her voices trembled … and she cried.

(Nania Dear, I think I owe you an apology for having not sent any sms to vote for you. I should have, shouldn’t I? Well, I guess I made the mistake a lot of people often do: Relying on other people to get what they want. Sorry, Nania.)

Selamat Hari Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan, Indonesia!

Hai Indonesia! Selamat ulang tahun kemerdekaan ya!

Euleuh, euleuh, udah 59 tahun yak, kita merdeka. Tapi kok aku nggak gembira ya? Rasanya ada yang ngeganjel gitu. Abisnya kalo keluar rumah terus liat lalu lintas yang macet, orang-orang yang seenaknya aja di jalan (well, that probably includes me, sih), anak kecil di jalanan ngamen atau minta-minta padahal mestinya mereka pergi ke sekolah dan main, trus senior mereka yang melakukan hal yang sama; orang-orang yang ketika aku turun dari kereta di sore hari di stasiun Pasar Minggu Baru, aku lihat lagi baringan di bangku peron stasiun atau lagi duduk di pelataran peron sambil berbagi sebungkus nasi; pedagang asongan yang jualan pupuk tanaman di dalam kereta (ya Allah, apa bakal laku jualan barang seperti pupuk?), atau buku peta dan buku doa-doa... rasanya bukan seperti ini Indonesia yang aku atau para pendiri negara ini inginkan.

Belum lagi korupsi dan pungutan-pungutan liar di mana-mana... Duh, mau jadi apa negaraku ini? Aku jadi pingin tinggal di negara lain yang lebih manusiawi terhadap masyarakatnya (Kanada kayaknya asyik ya, Mbak?). Tapi nanti dibilang nggak setia ama negaranya karena nggak mau ikut ngebangun negaranya. Serba salah.

Bukannya kurang bersyukur. Alhamdulillah, kita bisa belajar, bekerja, dan melakukan aktivitas apapun (almost) tanpa takut diberondong peluru atau dikekang oleh jam malam. Listrik, tivi, air, komputer, Internet, semua cemepak (di Jakarta dan kota-kota di Pulau Jawa sih. Kalau di luar Jawa, ya nggak semewah dan selengkap di Jakarta. Jadi inget pemadaman listrik yang sering banget di Metro Lampung waktu ke sana untuk nikahan Om). Tapi susah buat merem dan tidak melihat kesusahan yang dialami orang lain yang notabene adalah saudara sebangsa kita juga. Aku takut, semakin lama aku hanya ngomong "sedih", aku jadi mati rasa dan hanya jadi salah satu dari corporate slaves (Ah, bahkan budak pun punya perasaan. Lebih tepat lagi corporate cyborg, mungkin).

Yah, mudah-mudahan Allah mencatat niatku deh, untuk berbuat sesuatu. Masalahnya: Berbuat apa dan mulai kapan? Semuanya kok terasa terlalu rumit untuk diatasi. *Menghela napas

Weekends = Eternity

What do you usually do on Saturday nights?

Duh, what an annoying question! People usually ask this kind of question to dig information whether the person they ask:

is single/married/in a relationship/in threesome relationship;

is somewhat boring/interesting/dorky, judging on the activity she/he’s doing every saturday nights;

still has much money (to judge how much money's left) at this period of time (tengah bulan, bouw) / already penniless, judging on the activity she/he’s doing at specific Saturday nights of the month;

other reasons which accidentally do not pop in my mind by the time I'm writing this.

For someone who prefers to stay at home during the night, has not much money in her pocket , and rather single like me, Saturday nights mean torture (actually because I got no money, like it or not I have to stay at home more frequently than I want). No interesting show on TV (AFI? Sorry, I’m over it.); No body to talk to since my sister has already gone somewhere since 5 pm with … I don’t know whom she’s going with tonight, and my mom is busy chatting on mIRC (yup, that’s my mom); Feels like going out but you know, with the state of broke I am in right now, staying home is a definitely healthier option...

Wanna go browsing over my comic books again, but I already learn them all by heart (haha, I’m exaggerating there); Surfing the internet? Well, you know my mom is already taking the lead; Working on my thesis? Hm, shouldn’t I deserve a fresh air today, after battling for almost a week to get a chapter done?; Baking a cake? Okay, let’s save that for another Saturday; Going to VCD/DVD rental? Nah, it’s taking much time for me to wear my jilbab. And duh, it's like I have plenty of money to spend :P

So… *Sigh What can I do? Most people can’t wait to get to Saturdays. For me, Saturday feels like eternity, yet Monday is a dreadful reality. Ya udah lah, enaknya tidur aja kaleee :))

One Phone Call and Gone's All Your Happiness

Uhh, kenapa sih elo pake kasitau gue, Bal, kalo gue ternyata dipanggil buat tes?
Gue kan jd kesel dan nyesel kenapa gue taunya telat.
Setelah gue nulis application form-nya yang berhalaman-halaman itu dengan penuh darah, air mata, dan sekian lembar puluhan ribu, hiks hiks :(

AMRO: Murder Next Door

-----Original Message-----
From: Hepta Sangkan Nugroho [mailto:hepta.nugroho@kabelvision.com]
Sent: 30 Juli 2004 8:34
Subject: Mohon Bantuan ...... Tolong Forward - TOP URGENT -
Importance: High

Dear all,

Minta bantuan dengan sangat, …. Atas nama Keluarga Bp. Sapto dan Ibu Anik. Mereka mencari anak perempuannya bernama AMANDA yang sudah 2 hari tidak pulang. Dia mahasiswi Elektro Universitas Trisakti.

Kronologis:
Rabu 28 Juli, dia terlihat pulang cepat diantara teman-temannya sekitar pukul 11.30. Kamis 29 Juli, dari pelacakan sinyal Telkomsel diketahui posisinya ada di Cipayung Puncak pukul 13.00. Setelah itu hp mati.

Ciri-ciri per Rabu 28 Juli:
Tinggi badan kurang lebih 165 cm, kulit sawo matang, rambut panjang. Memakai baju warna pink dan celana jeans. Mengendarai Nissan Terrano warna Silver No. Polisi B 1167 QU.

Tindakan yang dilakukan:
Sudah menghubungi Polisi per kemarin. Saat ini, keluarga bersama beberapa teman kampus sedang menyusur di daerah Cipayung.

Jika ada yang tahu informasi mengenai Amanda, harap hubungi:
1. Bp Sapto : 0811 950 793 (Ayah)
2. Ibu Anik : 0812 923 1015 (Ibu)
3. Hepta : 0811 106 318 (Kakak Sepupu)

Tolong forward email ini ke milist dan komunitas Anda. Kami mengucapkan terimakasih sebesar-besarnya atas bantuan Anda, semoga Tuhan memberkati selalu.

Salam,

Keluarga


When I first read the above e-mail a friend of mine had forwarded to me, honestly I did not pay too much attention to it. I thought the family would soon find the missing girl, so I soon engulfed myself in reading other incoming e-mails.

Last Sunday (August 1), a feature news on the bottom part of Kompas Minggu’s first page was titled this:

Tersangka Pembunuh Itu Ikut Mencari Amanda

Interested by the title, I read the whole story.

HARI Kamis (29/7) kegelisahan Ny Sri Andiani dan suaminya, Sapto Hartoyo, semakin menghebat. Anak sulung mereka, Amanda Devina (22), yang berangkat kuliah sejak Rabu (28/7) pukul 06.30 belum pulang ke rumah. Padahal, biasanya Amanda langsung pulang ke rumah begitu kuliahnya di
Universitas Trisakti usai siang hari.

Keluarga ini berikhtiar keras mencari. Semua teman dekat Amanda dihubungi, tetapi yang dicari tetap tak ditemukan. Polisi, media massa, internet, termasuk radio, keluarga, dan kerabat, juga sudah dimintai tolong untuk ikut memantau, tetapi belum tampak hasilnya.

Ny Sri Andiani dan suaminya tak putus asa dan terus mencari. Ny Sri, yang berbagi tugas dengan suaminya, pergi mencari anaknya ditemani beberapa teman dekat Amanda, termasuk seorang lelaki muda bernama Ronald. Namun, pencarian tak menemui hasil, dan pada pukul empat sore, Ronald minta diturunkan di kampusnya, Universitas Trisakti.

Pencarian atas Amanda pun memasuki fase-fase menentukan. Keluarga tersebut mencari hingga keluar kota, termasuk di sekitar kawasan Cibinong, tetapi tetap nihil.

Lalu datanglah kabar yang pahit itu dari petugas Polsek Bojongloa Kidul Bandung dan Polres Jakarta
Barat. Petugas mengabarkan bahwa telah ditemukan mayat di sebuah mobil Nissan Terrano, di Jalan Soekarno-Hatta, sekitar 150 meter ke arah timur perempatan Jalan Kopo dan Jalan Soekarno-Hatta, Bandung.

Jenazah korban ditemukan pertama kali oleh seorang tukang becak yang sedang melintas di samping kendaraan korban. Ketika itu dia mencium bau menyengat yang berasal dari dalam mobil tersebut. Tukang becak itu lalu berhenti dan mengajak orang yang ada di sekitar lokasi itu untuk memeriksanya.

Mereka melihat sesosok tubuh di dalam mobil tersebut. Setelah dipastikan sosok tubuh itu telah tewas, sejumlah warga melaporkannya ke petugas kepolisian setempat. Petugas Polsek Bojongloa Kidul segera menuju lokasi. Polisi terpaksa memecahkan kaca pintu bagian tengah kanan
mobil tersebut untuk mengidentifikasi korban.
…

DRAMA atas peristiwa
pembunuhan ini rupanya masih panjang. Hari Jumat malam polisi menciduk teman Amanda, Ronald, di rumahnya. Polisi yang sebelumnya sudah memeriksa dan mencurigai Ronald, langsung menahan pemuda itu.

Kepala Kepolisian Daerah Metro Jaya Inspektur Jenderal M Firman Gani yang dihubungi Sabtu malam menjelaskan, polisi menahan Ronald dalam kapasitasnya sebagai tersangka. "Polisi menemukan bukti-bukti permulaan yang cukup kuat, dan karena itu langsung menahannya. Ada, misalnya, beberapa bukti di rumah dan juga di tubuh tersangka. Polisi menduga, ketika hendak dibunuh, korban melawan sekuat tenaga, termasuk mencakar leher dan dada tersangka. Maka, tersangka Ronald
langsung kami tahan," kata Firman Gani.

Kepala Polda Metro Jaya menyatakan, polisi tengah mengembangkan kasus ini kepada beberapa orang yang diduga terlibat dalam kasus ini.

Dihubungi secara terpisah, Kepala Polres Metro Jakarta Barat Komisaris Besar Suhardi Alius mengatakan, penetapan Ronald sebagai tersangka itu setelah dilakukan pemeriksaan.

"Sebenarnya ia sempat diperiksa bersama empat-lima orang temannya sebelum ada kepastian korban meninggal. Tapi, setelah Amanda ditemukan meninggal dan ada konfirmasi dari ayah Amanda, maka saya perintahkan anggota untuk menangkap Ronald di kediamannya karena dalam pemeriksaan sebelumnya ia sudah nervous. Dan ternyata ia mengakui perbuatannya," ujar Suhardi Alius.

Mengenai tersangka yang menemani ibu korban keliling Jakarta mencari korban, menurut Firman Gani, itu memang taktik lazim yang dilakukan para tersangka. "Sekitar 70 persen sampai 80 persen pembunuh mempunyai kedekatan dengan korban, dan untuk menghilangkan jejak, ia pura-pura ikut mencari korban," kata Firman Gani.

Seorang sahabat dekat korban yang tidak mau disebut namanya, yang bersama Ronald menemani Ny Sri membantu mencari informasi mengenai keberadaan Amanda, sama sekali tidak menyangka jika Ronald yang menjadi tersangka kasus ini. Ia menceritakan, saat berkeliling mencari informasi
mengenai Amanda itu, wajah Ronald biasa-biasa saja.

"Saya tidak menyangka, bahkan teman-teman saya dan juga dosen saya tidak menyangkanya sama sekali," katanya.Sementara itu, ibu korban, Ny Sri Andiani, tampak amat terkejut ketika disampaikan bahwa tersangka pembunuh anaknya adalah Ronald. "Akh, jadi dia...?" cetusya. (RAY/J11/GUN/NIC/AS)

Wow, it’s like reading a murder story! But my interest in the case came to that point only, that the murder was like in detective stories.

And then everybody started to talk about it. At first, it was my mother who told my sister and me that the girl was killed because she asked for the guy’s accountability for having made her pregnant. Being an mIRC-freak, she found out about it after conversing with someone who happened to go to the same university as Amanda, Sunday night. She went on telling that Amanda was in her 4-month pregnancy (later I read in the papers that it was 5 months, not 4) when she died.

On Monday afternoon, I opened messages coming to my alumni-mailing list and was pretty much surprised seeing that my college buddies were all talking about the murder. One of them even forwarded the friendster link of Amanda and Ronald, the murderer. Provoked by a friend’s comment “…what an irony. Liat favorite booksnya.”, I checked out the friendster page of both of them. There, I read that her favorite books was books about ‘murders and chicklits’. It is truly an irony.

The next day, conversation about Amanda and Ronald kept going. Up to this day, people still clamored about it, though the topic started to take turns to silly subjects. Many question and wonder why the topic did not slip people’s mind easily although it had been days after the incident took place. Here’s my analysis.

Firstly, of course it is the media that has successfully raised the story and grabbed everybody’s intention. Printed media, TV, to online publication, all covered the story and the progress day to day. As long as the media keeps on squealing over the topic, we’ll never find the end to the discussion over Amanda & Ronald.

Secondly - and this I believe is the most logical explanation - the use of e-mails and mailing list to announce the search for Amanda and inform the links to Amanda-and-Ronald’s friendster page have brought everyone closer and felt more intimate with the subjects of the story. People discuss about Amanda and Ronald like they were just next door neighbours, like they exactly knew all along who these two unfortunate souls had been. Well, it is actually not a magic wonder considering the existence of Internet has connected almost anyone on earth and made it possible for two persons living on far away, different places – one in Alaska and the other one in Capetown, for example - to communicate as if they were neighbours. When I checked the friendster page, I found out that my sister’s page is linked to Amanda’s and Ronald’s page via her friends. So, somehow all of us are linked one to another. Amazing, huh?

Moreover, this AMRO (that’s the way my friends have been calling Amanda and Ronald) case took place in Jakarta, which made the attachment and the chain of links to the two persons go stronger. Combined with continuous expose by the media, no wonder the discussion resists to die away. It’s no wonder too, why Ronald even bothered to make a press conference to make explanation and apologize to Amanda’s and his family and to everyone. Some people think he behaved like an artist, but my guess is because Ronald understood well that with the power of Internet, almost everyone in Jakarta by this day had gotten to know him much better and consequently would pay much more attention to what he had done and would do.

Lesson to learn? Behold the power which the Internet possess to move people. It may move people to do something good/to think of something in a positive perspective, or the other way around; It can encourage people to make a negative act/judgment. My wish is that more people will use it for the sake of the well being of the majority of the community (sorry if the line has too many 'of's and make you dizzy as you read it). Me, for example, I wish that by using the links of friends available on the net, I could bring people in Jakarta to collect Rp 100 each person every day. The money collected then could be used to educate more people and educate people better. Whoa! What a passionate daydreamer am I! :D

By the way, what am I talking about? :P