Rekomendasi Aplikasi untuk Bepergian

Hidup di era informatika seperti sekarang ini, bepergian jauh pun jadi sangat mudah karena banyak sekali aplikasi-aplikasi kece nan canggih yang dapat mempermudah urusan kita. Dari mulai booking tiket pesawat dan penginapan, urusan manajemen budget, jadwal penerbangan, dan remeh temeh lainnya sekarang bisa dilakukan dengan mudah. Cukup dengan bantuan smartphone di genggaman. Sebagai referensi, berikut rekomendasi beberapa aplikasi yang sering saya gunakan ketika bepergian (dan juga sehari-hari). Aplikasi-aplikasi ini tersedia untuk iOS dan Android. Platform lain saya nggak tau dan malas nyari tau juga (hahaha blogger gak niat). Dan yang paling penting, gratis! Kecuali di beberapa aplikasi kamu harus bayar jika ingin upgrade ke versi Pro atau Premium.

Carrie & Lowell

I've been repeating Sufjan Stevens' newest album, Carrie & Lowell, lately.

The Strange Library

I bought this book last week because, everybody knows, I really adore Haruki Murakami's writings and want to collect all of his published works. This book is a little bit different with others, because this one is illustrated storybook! Do not expect something long like novel or novella because this book contains only a short story, with cool illustration on each page as an addition. I even can finish it in less than an hour, a very pleasant hour. The illustration succesfully created a different reading experience. Surely, this book seems like a fancy gift for those who are willing to collect Murakami's work.

 This is the synopsis from Goodreads:

On his way home from school, the young narrator of The Strange Library finds himself wondering how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire. He pops into the local library to see if it has a book on the subject. This is his first mistake.

Led to a special 'reading room' in a maze under the library by a strange old man, he finds himself imprisoned with only a sheep man, who makes excellent donuts, and a girl, who can talk with her hands, for company. His mother will be worrying why he hasn't returned in time for dinner and the old man seems to have an appetite for eating small boy's brains. How will he escape?

 

I really love the design and packaging. And would love to recommend this book to all of you. Though if you're not a fan of Murakami already, it would be better to spend your money (since this is the most expensive short story that I've ever bought) on Murakami's actual novel or short story collection. But if you're a fan and have already read his other works (and love it), this book is really a nice treat.

Having this book on my bookshelf makes me happy! I think I have to save money to buy another edition (mine is UK edition) since they have different packaging and illustration.

Happy reading!

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

It's been a long time since the last time I post book review here. It's not that I haven't read any books. I read some, but there was no book that I thought was worth to be reviewed. This one is different.

I've been a die-hard fans of Murakami ever since I read his book for the very first time. I've read most of his books (current progress: 13 of 15), and been collecting it as well. When I read the news that Murakami had published his newest book, I couldn't hardly wait until the English version launched. And when finally the day came, I ran immediately to the nearest book store to grab it.

The title is Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.

The book is very beautiful. The kind of book that make you feel so happy to owned. The outer cover design is so simple yet stunning, and the inner cover has a very lovely pattern with lovely colors. The book came with free stickers of various illustration related to the story. 

Source : Here

The story itself is quite simple. There's a man named Tsukuru Tazaki. During his highschool years in Nagoya, he had a group of friends. There were five, including Tsukuru. The four friends all had last names that included color-words. Akamatsu : ‘red pine', Oumi: ‘blue sea', Shirane : ‘white root', and Kurono : ‘black field'. Tsukuru Tazaki had no color-words on his name, so they would joke that he was "colorless," which explains the rest of the title (and the cover).

There was quite a strong chemistry between them that make them inseparable. But not long until they graduated from high-school. The four friends decided to stay in Nagoya. Tsukuru Tazaki alone went to Tokyo to attend engineering school. One day, when he went back to his hometown, his friends said that they don't want to see Tsukuru anymore. They rejected him with no explanation.

Months and years with depression and loneliness. He thought nothing but death. Sixteen years later, he still has the wounds from that rejection. Now he has a new girlfriend, who encourages him to seek out the four old friends and find out what happened. She suggests that unless he deals with his old hurt, he'll never be able to move on.

Just like Tsukuru, as a human we sometime might have some problem or question that might have been burdening us for a long time. This problem is just hanging, sometimes it is annoying as hell, sometimes it is forgotten. But no matter what, it is still exist. And unsolved. Some people maybe too afraid to face it and prefer to let it stay. Some other maybe couldn't solve it no matter how hard they tried and choose to close the problem thightly unsolved. The others may want the closure so badly, to finish all unfinished business so they can live peacefully in the future without any burden.

This is a story about finding closure. To go backward and understand things. For Murakami's, this is quite a light reading. Though I think the story ended too early. But that's fine. Still, it was such a pleasure experience reading it. A very nice way to contemplate.

10 Things I love About Khaosan World Asakusa Hostel

Choosing a place to stay during a trip is a little bit confusing sometimes. We must choose the right place with the right location, facilities, and the most important thing is we must adjust it to our budget - which is to me is a very tight one. When browsing through list of hostels and hotels in Tokyo, I was really amazed with the price. Expensive! Finding one cheap accommodation among the expensives maybe is not that hard. But sometimes the cheaper one always come with shortage, far location for example. Yes it is cheap. But you must count the transport expense and also the time that will be spent.

So, when we found this hostel named Khaosan World Asakusa, without any hesitation we booked it for 4 nights. We didn't put high expectation to it because as long we know it's cheap and the location is great, for us that's enough. But after we went there, we fell in love with this hostel since the very first time. It was really beyond our expectation. And here I share 10 things that I love about Khaosan World Asakusa.


1. Location

It is located in Asakusa, near Sensouji temple and Nakamise street. Very near to the subway station. Well, at first we stopped at the wrong station. Then we got a little bit lost and walked quite far until we met the Germany friend who was also stay at this hostel. But once we knew it, it's pretty near! Just 2 minutes walking to Asakusa subway station. We can also found convenience store, 24 hours bento shop, Uniqlo, 100 yen shop, and Don Quijote around the hostel. This Don Quijote was the most awesome shop that we've visited in Tokyo. At the first glance it looked like a common convenience shop, but when we try to go to the upper level (it has 5 level - or more), we found interesting and absurd stuffs! From clothes, Japanese souvenirs, and unique costumes. There were Mt. Fuji and Tokyo Tower costume, sexy maid and schoolgirl (HAHA), and even Obama mask. Well, it is open 24 hours so when on the last day packing you realize that you forgot buying souvenir to your family or friends, you can go there directly to buy it even it's in the middle of the night. Awesome right?

Weird costume @ Don Quijote

The lady at the 24H bento shop

You can also rent a bicycle near the hostel. The rental located in Asakusa Subway station. The rental price is really cheap. Just pay 300 yen / day and you can cycling all day long. Well, more on this later :D

2. Cheap Rate

Only 2.000 yen for 1 night stay in the 10-bed mixed dorm. Maybe little bit expensive compared to the cheaper hostel (there were others with only 1.200 yen/night) but for all the facilities that you'll got, it is really worth it.


3. Super Comfy Bed

It was my very first experience staying at dorm room with bunk bed and I never thought yet expect that the bed will be this comfy. Like, really! The mattress was soft and wide. And the comforter was really warm and soft and made me just wanna sleep all day. There were also three power outlets attached on the wall for every bed so you can recharge your gadgets while sleeping without any worries. The hostel provide comfortable slipper for you to wear inside the hostel.

Our messy room just before we left

Tips : bring your earplugs! Having a room-mate that snoring out loud in the middle of the night was really annoying!

4. Super Clean Bathrooms

The washbasins

Toilets and shower boxes

There is one shared bathroom on every floor. At first I thought that I'll have to queuing up to take a bath but apparently that wasn't necessary. On the bathrooms there were like 3 or 4 toilet and also 3 or 4 shower box. There's 1 shower box which also equipped with one small bathub. Having a nice bath with warm relaxing water at night was really a great thing after long tiring walking all day. There were free soap and shampoo on the shower box. Also cotton-bud and hair-band for girls, all free. The bathrooms also equipped with hairdryer. What I love the most was its cleanliness. There were special slipper on the bathrooms so you must change your slipper on the bathroom entrance with it.

5. Kitchen
and
6. Dining Room

(HAHA maksa biar pas 10 nomernya)

I really love the kitchen. It is clean and fully equipped with complete cooking utensils. From frying pan and saucepan with various size, knives, chopsticks, spoons and forks, whisk, plates and bowls, etc. There are also two big refrigerators and food cabinet to store our food, microwave, toaster, water heater, so it was really comfortable to cook our breakfast every morning. You can get coffee, creamer, tea, sugar, salt & pepper, and frying oil for free there.

Clean and neat kitchen

Fake candid :P

Cooked Indomie for breakfast

Other side of dining room with vending machines.

If you are too lazy to cook, there are food and drink vending machines available in the dining room. The dining room is quite spacious and always busy in the morning. But I really love the ambience. There are also shared computers with internet connection. Now I miss the time when sometimes at night we sat there eating snacks and talked about our next-day plan. If you are lucky, you can meet nice girls or boys here.

Dining room at night, this photo is really precious to Ibun :P

7. The Lounge

There is a lounge on the 4th and 5th floor. The cool thing about that lounge is there are a lot of comics available for you to read. They're all in English translation so don't worry. There are another books like lonely planet about Tokyo and Japan. While reading comics, you can sit comfortably on a massage chair which is available for free. What a heaven! If the massage chairs are all occupied with another person, you can just lie down on the mattress. I usually use this lounge as my praying room :D

8. Coin Operated Laundry

For you who travel light and only bring few clothes, you can laundry your clothes with the coin operated laundry machines. You can get the detergent for free at the receptionist. It was really useful for us, especially Ibun who only bring 2 clothes (1 cloth he wore, the other one on his bag). Super ultra light traveler awarded!

9. Portable WiFi

You can use WiFi anywhere inside the hostel for free and you can also rent portable WiFi which is really important to avoid getting lost in Tokyo! This hostel provide Samsung Galaxy Note II as portable access point for rent. It costs only 500 JPY/ day, but you need 10.000 JPY for deposit that will be returned to you later. It is cheaper and easier rather than if you rent at the other places.

10. Friendly & Helpful Staff

All the staffs speak fluent English and they were really kind. They respond my questions through e-mail very fast and helpful. They are travelers too, you can see their profiles on the website - including the list of countries that they've visited. Awesome!

Selfie with the staffs before check out.

What a nice place to stay. I definitely will stay there again if I have a chance to go back to Tokyo!

Introduce you : Ricoh GR

Some people asked me about the camera that I use currently. So here I'm trying to introduce my new camera that I've been used since September : Ricoh GR. But if you expect something technical, I suggest you to read the review written by Wira or Steve Huff because I just can't write something so technical like that. I even haven't read the manual book so maybe I'll just write the review in my own way :D  

Here we go.

Long story short, on my first year of college my father bought me DSLR camera which I've been dreamed for so long to replace the digital pocket camera that I owned since high school. Canon EOS 400D it was. It became my best friend. We captured the moment, went to many places, and even made some money together. What made it even better was because my father also bought me the lenses : tele lens (Tamron 70-300) and fix lens (50mm f/1.8). I couldn't be more happier!

But, suddenly I feel so tired. At first it was because my camera gradually grew some errors and defect. Canon user must be familiar with Error 99 - the error that all Canonian afraid of. The screen was often blink, though the result is still great it's still a pain in the ass because you can't see the preview of what you've just photographed. Well actually no wonder, because it has been 8 years since I bought Antonio (the name that I gave to my camera - yeah I know it's lame). Just like human, probably he just getting old.

The second is because the body. The large shape and two lenses (or sometimes three) that I should bring everywhere (because I don't satisfied with the kit lens, at least I should bring one extra fix lens), sometimes made me kinda lazy to bring it. Even if I bring it, sometimes I just kinda lazy to take it from my bag when I want to capture something. Which took me an expensive price to pay : losing the moment. You can't repeat the moment so it's better for you to capture it as many as possible. There was a temporary solution, using my smartphone to replace the DSLR. The result is quite good. But, never trust your phone for printable photo, especially if you plan to print it on a large size.

Then I thought that I should get myself new camera. The compact one that I can easily bring everywhere without losing the ability to create the photo with great quality. After some searching and Googling, I don't know why I suddenly run to this very friend of mine, Wira. He recommended Ricoh GR because he himself also planned to buy it. You know what, the truth is I don't really care about the camera specification whatsoever. What made me so sure about this Ricoh GR was just because Wira sold his precious Canon EOS 5D and replace it with Ricoh GR. Haha!

Hello, have you met Richie? Photo by : Hardo.

Ricoh GR has 28 mm fix lens, so you can't zoom-in or zoom-out with this lens. But it's really not a problem because to me, it's a perfect range. Just like my favorite range of lens when I use DSLR camera. You can shoot everything. For landscape and scenery it's absolutely perfect because it's quite wide. To capture portrait there's 35mm crop mode so it's enough. If you feel that you're not close enough to your object, move your lazy ass!

Ricoh GR soft bokeh. Me likey.

The autofocus is fast in the daylight and fair in the dark. And what I love most is the Positive Film effect. It makes the color of your photo to be like film processed. The picture quality is sharp and stunning. Beyond of what you expect from a tiny camera like this. The video quality also great. It's more than enough to record the performance from your favorite band.

I really love the color from positive film effect!

Acceptable noise on ISO 1600

Video result from Ricoh GR:



You can also personalize your menu button so you can make it more comfortable to your own hand. Its small size make it easier for you to bring. It's just like I have my old DSLR camera with better quality and smaller size. Now I can say good bye to big camera bag!

Me, Hardo, Danceu. You can put a trigger to control studio lighting on Ricoh GR. Small but powerful!

A friend once told me, "Pick a camera that will make you feel happier when taking picture". And I did. :D

More result from Ricoh: Here, here, here, here, here, and here

**UPDATE**
Latest firmware update from Ricoh GR has been released!
What's new? Extra crop feature : 47mm! Now I have 28mm, 35mm, and 47mm 'lenses' . Yay!
More details here :D

Titik Nol : Makna Sebuah Perjalanan

Jujur, pada awalnya saya tidak menaruh sedikitpun ekspektasi pada buku ini. Kalau bisa dibilang malah cenderung skeptis. Di pikiran saya pasti buku ini bakal serupa dengan buku-buku traveling yang lain, sekedar mengunjungi tempat yang baru lalu menceritakan hal-hal baru yang menarik di tempat tersebut, dsb dsb. Makanya ketika seorang teman merekomendasikan buku ini, saya cukup ragu sampai pada akhirnya memutuskan untuk membeli buku ini karena merasa saya butuh bacaan 'ringan' untuk selingan (duileee gaya benerrr bacaannya sok berat - HAHA).

But I was totally wrong. Baru saja membaca saya sudah mulai terhipnotis untuk terus membuka halaman demi halaman. Diawali dengan kisah Agustinus memulai perjalanannya dari Beijing menaiki kereta super padat menuju Tibet. Seusai menuntaskan kuliahnya di Beijing, dia memutuskan untuk mewujudkan mimpinya berkeliling dunia. Dari China hingga Afrika Selatan.

Buku ini menguak segala cerita dari tiap tempat yang ia singgahi, dengan segala pelajaran hidup yang dapat kita pelajari darinya. Cerita tentang Tibet dan kapitalisme yang telah menggerus nilai-nilai kemanusiaan bahkan religius disana. Tentang India yang tingkat kemiskinannya sangat mengenaskan. Tentang Pakistan dengan segala keramahannya (bayangkan korban gempa yang masih dengan suka cita menjamu tamu yang datang). Dan juga tentang Afghanistan, tempat Agustinus berdiam selama 3 tahun menjadi photojournalist, yang dengan segala kemelut peperangan ternyata masih memiliki kehidupan dan tawa layaknya kita, manusia normal.

Kembali saya mempertanyakan apa artinya sebuah perjalanan, dan tentu arti kata 'pulang'. Dan kembali saya juga melirik mimpi saya yang sudah mulai berdebu di pojokan sana. Tersadar bahwa yang saya butuhkan untuk mewujudkannya hanyalah sebuah langkah kecil.

Dan buku ini juga berhasil mengembalikan semangat membaca saya. Back to the track, 1 book for 1 week. Reading challenge, I'll beat you!

Everlasting Playlist

Melihat postingan di blog teman saya, Ndook, tentang playlist lagu yang gak akan bosan didengarkan sampai kapanpun, saya pun jadi ingin berbagi playlist di blog saya ini. Berhubung lagi vakum jalan-jalan hingga beberapa bulan ke depan dan gak ada topik postingan lain, gapapalah ya nulis ini dibanding blognya sepi berdebu kebanyakan ditinggal.

Berbicara tentang playlist, playlist lagu-lagu saya cukup variatif dan berubah-ubah sesuai mood. Tapi tetap saja ada beberapa everlasting playlist, yang sepertinya sih gak akan bakal bosan didengarkan sampai kapanpun. Jadi biasanya ketika saya lagi bosan ngedengerin lagu yang saya punya, saya pasti ujung-ujungnya balik ke playlist ini. Dan sama seperti Ndook, saya lebih suka dengerin playlist lagu full sealbum dari satu artis. Kadang kalo saya suka banget sama artisnya, playlistnya gak cuma sealbum, tapi satu discography yang pernah mereka rilis.

Berikut listnya.

The Weepies - All Albums

Saya jatuh cinta sekali dengan band satu ini, band folk pop yang anggotanya 2 orang, sepasang suami istri. Manis mungkin kata yang pas buat menggambarkan band ini. Saya suka semua albumnya dari mulai Happiness, Say I Am You, Hideaways, dan Be My Thrill. Tapi kalau ditanya album favorit, maka itu adalah Say I Am You. Mendengarkan kembali album ini membawa saya ke masa-masa awal perkuliahan. Di mana kayaknya hidup tuh masih lempeng-lempeng aja bebas masalah. Masa-masa ngerjain tubes Basis Data hingga larut malam sambil karokean lagu Gotta Have You dari komputer. Rindu. Dan sekarang, di umur 20 something ini di mana hidup mulai terasa rumit dan rasa insecure sangat besar sekali di dalam diri, lagu Simple Life selalu berhasil menenangkan. Liriknya gak melulu cinta yang menye-menye, tapi lebih seringnya menyemangati.

"Paint a heart repeating, beating, don't give up don't give up" - This is Not Your Year

"Walk on, walk on, walk on, you can't go back now" - Can't Go Back Now

Favorite Track :  Simple Life, Gotta Have You, Add My Effort.

Tha Adams - Self Titled

Band yang berjaya di masa-masa SMA. Dulu inget susah sekali mencari CD Band ini di Medan. Dan suatu hari sahabat saya Dhea pergi melancong ke Ibukota dan membeli CD ini dan langsung saya kopi (haha. piracy detected). Dimulai dari Intro (track 1) saja langsung bikin semangat. Ditambah dengan liriknya yang khas The Adams banget. Kalau dengerin lagu Waiting pasti langsung keinget dulu sering request lagu ini di Radio Sekolah pas istirahat dan kalau diputer itu rasanya senang gak ada dua. Padahal bisa didengerin sendiri pas di rumah. Hahaha. Lagu Glorious Time yang gloomy juga merupakan soundtrack wajib saya ketika bepergian. Mendengarkan lagu itu sambil memandangi jendela kendaraan yang bergerak is such an undescribeable feeling. Album berikutnya dari The Adams (v2.05) juga merupakan favorit saya. Sayang mereka sudah lama vakum dari blantika musik tanah air.

Favorite Track :  Konservatif, Waiting, Glorious Time, Kau Di Sana

Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala

Walaupun semua discography Jens Lekman saya suka, tapi tetap album ini yang selalu ada di hati. Mungkin karena pertama kali berkenalan dengan Jens ya lewat album ini. Your Arms Around Me merupakan lagu yang sangat manis dan berhasil membuat saya mimpi indah abis dinyanyiin Jens secara live di Bandung, Maret 2010 lalu. Lirik-lirik Jens yang jenaka membuat dia lebih kayak bercerita dibanding bernyanyi. Atau bernyanyi sambil bercerita? Ya gitu lah kira-kira. Misalnya lagu A Postcard To Nina yang nyeritain tentang seseorang yang jatuh cinta sama cewek yang sebenernya lesbian. Liriknya konyol sekali. Dan sama seperti The Weepies, Album ini juga mengingatkan saya akan masa-masa hura-hura di awal perkuliahan.

Favorite Track : Your Arms Around Me, A Postcard to Nina, Into Eternity, Shirin.

Kings of Convenience - Riot on An Empty Street

Album favorit dari seluruh albumnya KOC. Suka hampir semua lagu di album ini. Kalau lagi kangen rumah dengerin Homesick, kalau lagi pengen kabur ke mana gitu tapi gak punya waktu dan uang dengerin Cayman Islands, kalau lagi pengen berdansa dengerin I'd Rather Dance With You. Kalau lagi pengen karokean nyanyiin The Build Up yang bagian Feist nyanyi. Kalau lagi galau dengerin Gold in the Air of Summer.

Favorite Track : Homesick, Cayman Islands, The Build Up, Gold in the Air of Summer





Acid House Kings - All Albums

Sempet mikir lama pas nentuin album mana yang paling favorit, tapi ternyata tidak bisa saudara-saudara. Karena lagu favorit saya hampir ada di semua album. Acid House Kings ini bikin inget masa-masa transisi dari SMA mau ke kuliah.

Favorite Track : This Heart is a Stone, (I'm in) A Chorus Line, Sleeping, ...But I was Wrong








Pure Saturday

Berhubung Pure Saturday adalah salah satu pelopor band indie Indonesia yang muncul tahun 1996, agak susah mengumpulkan album-album lamanya. Jadi dapet lagunya juga misah-misah jarang yang komplit. Lagu Desire punya makna sendiri buat saya dan mau diputer sejuta kalipun gak akan bosan dengerinnya.

Favorite Track : Desire, Pathetic Waltz, Elora, Pagi, Labirin








The Kooks - Inside in Inside Out

Aksen british Luke Pritchard, vokalisnya The Kooks memang juara. Album ini merupakan album yang paling saya suka sampai punya album versi akustikan semua lagunya. Dengerin lagu Naive inget jaman SMA pas lagu ini sering diputer di Radio Sekolah. Sayangnya makin ke sini The Kooks makin kurang asik, menurut saya.

Favorite Track : Naive, She Moves In Her Own Way, Jackie Big Tits







Rushmore OST

Rushmore adalah salah satu film favorit saya. Dan soundtracknya asik-asik semua. Cocok untuk piknik atau sekedar malas-malasan di kamar sambil baca buku. Tipikal film-film Wes Anderson sih yang soundtracknya memang biasanya asik-asik.

Favorite Track : The Faces - Ooh La La, John Lennon - Oh Yoko! , Unit 4+2 - Concrete & Clay







Juno OST

Satu kata : Cute. Inget jaman awal-awal kuliah sering banget karaokean album ini di kamar atau ngetik liriknya yang cute di YM (aduh).  

Favorite Track : Anyone Else But You, I'm Sticking With You, Tree Hugger, Tire Swing









Banyak juga ya, tapi masih banyak lagi kayaknya. Cuma banyak yg lupa dan khawatir bakal jadi super kepanjangan postingannya. Hahaha. Itu playlistku, mana playlistmu? :D

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is another famous book after Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Screw my laziness! I started to read this book on September and just finished it yesterday, on my Christmas day-off. It's a quite long time to finish 611 pages. But it doesn't mean that this book isn't interesting to read.

The story begin when a man named Toru Okada searching for his wife's missing cat. Until his wife goes missing as well without any warning and explanation.

I actually don't know how to review this book properly. Because just like another Murakami's books which are mostly surreal, it's better not to describe the book unless you want it to look lame and lost its power to attract reader.

It once happened to me on my IELTS speaking test. The reviewer asked me to describe one book that I want to recommend then I choose "Dance, dance, dance" by Haruki Murakami. And mannn, that was hard! I was out of word and looked so stupid. All I could describe was just "Yeah, and there was a sheep man. This sheep man is kinda strange. That was a man, but he has sheep face". The reviewer was looked really confuse and might be think that I was crazy. Well, maybe it's me that can't choose proper words to explain. But yeah, until now I still think that it's impossible to describe Murakami's book.

But for me this book is really interesting, just like his other books. It is surreal, mysterious. Something that out of this world. One thing that most important, you just need to stop questioning things and let yourself get carried away by its story. My favourite part is when Murakami write about deep silence and loneliness. When Toru okada feel so lost when his wife left him and then decide to sit deep down in a well to contemplate for days. Murakami addresses the themes of alienation, loneliness, and self discovery perfectly in this book. Well, since there's nothing more to say, I should end this post and happy reading!

Moonrise Kingdom

I love you, but you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

This is the cutest movie of the year!

I have no idea why I really love this movie. Is it because its sweet story? Is it because Suzy Bishop is so lovable? Or because its dreamy setting? Or maybe because it's Wes Anderson's? I don't know but I just love it. You must watch it. Too sad this great movie isn't released in Indonesia.  But, if you know the trick, you will find this movie (if you know what I mean). Happy watching!

1Q84

Been struggling with this book for more than one month, finally yesterday this very-thick-book-with-adorable-cover by Haruki Murakami which titled 1Q84 was officially being shelved again. Proudly announced that I've finished it! Why so proud? Because this book is very thick. Not the one that you can read comfortably on your bed because this book is way too heavy. 3 books bundled into 1, with almost 1000 pages in total. Need so much effort to finish it.

Me, myself has been the fans of Murakami  after reading his book for the very first time, Kafka On The Shore. Actually I've planned to save 1Q84 for the last, after finishing all of Murakami's book. But everytime I saw this book on the bookstore, I can't resist the temptation to have it. And finally, one day at Periplus, I bought it. Book fetish, I am. 

If you are not too into Murakami, or maybe just begin to try or plan to read his book, I suggest you not to choose this one. It could bore you on the beginning.  The first part of the book is nothing short of what you expect from Murakami. But towards the middle it really begins to hypnotize you to keep reading and turning the pages. Just like the other book of  Murakami, this book is about self discovery of the main character that contains a lot of monologue. It begun in year 1984 when a young woman named Aomame follow the instruction from a taxi driver that soon lead her to the 'other' parallel world. Everything seems fine in that world until Aomame realized that she is not in the world that she used to be. That parallel world has two moons and much peculiar things. There's a strange religious group named Sakigake and the existence of Little People that made Air Chrysalis. Aomame called that world 1Q84, Q from word Question.

On the other side, there is Tengo, a novelist that involved in the ghostwriting of new novel called Air Chrysalis, which originally written by a mysterious-dyslexia-girl named Fuka-Eri. That book apparently revealed the secrets of Sakigake and the Little People. That made Tengo's live much harder because Sakigake begin to haunt him. Tengo and Aomame is somehow connected and they begin to found each other and trying to move to their 'real' world. The 1984, where there is only one ordinary moon.

The story is definitely interesting, with its highs and lows, as you would expect from a 1000-page thing. What keeps me going is this: I imagine everything in a very cinematic way, so here's a tip, try seeing what Murakami's saying.  

One of Murakami's reader said that "Reading a Murakami book is like diving into the ocean only to discover that you have always been a fish. Things suddenly start making sense".  Murakami is real genius. He really is.

Happy reading! :D

Another Review : The Catcher in The Rye

Berkaitan dengan buku yang saya baca beberapa waktu yang lalu, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, di dalamnya diceritakan bahwa sang tokoh utama - Charlie, sering membaca buku-buku bagus yang direkomendasikan oleh guru bahasa inggrisnya. The Catcher in The Rye ini salah satunya. Saat iseng main ke salah satu toko buku di bilangan Senayan saya menemukan buku ini, cukup catchy dengan covernya yang berwarna oranye dan tanpa pikir panjang langsung saya beli. 

Buku ini diceritakan dalam bentuk monolog oleh si tokoh utamanya - Holden, yang orangnya sarkas sekali, selalu skeptis dalam memandang banyak hal. Selain sarkas, dia juga pikirannya dipenuhi oleh pikiran-pikiran negatif mengenai society, lingkungan di sekelilingnya. Holden, sama seperti saya, benci sekali dengan orang-orang yang 'phony' (kata yang muncul sering sekali di buku ini), yaitu orang yang suka bermanis-manis di hadapan orang banyak tapi di belakang tau sendiri deh. Dan segala ke-sarkas-an Holden mengenai society, entah kenapa saya juga setuju. Sindiran-sindirannya cerdas sekali.

Buku ini berisi banyak kata-kata kasar yang bertebaran bagai jamur di musim penghujan, ngga heran kenapa buku ini sempat dilarang beredar. Dan ternyata buku ini banyak dibaca oleh penjahat-penjahat kelas kakap. Mark Chapman misalnya, si pembunuh John Lennon itu (baca di sini). Mungkin karena emosi dan kemarahan di dalam buku ini kental sekali. Lelah sekali rasanya membaca buku ini walaupun bukunya tipis dan hanya berisi perjalanan Holden selama beberapa hari di New York setelah dikeluarkan oleh sekolahnya. Mungkin karena emosi dan amarah Holden yang terlalu meluap-luap, depresi mendadak, dan kelakuannya yang persis orang sakit mental. Namun dibalik itu semua, Holden cukup baik sebenarnya. Bisa dilihat dari sifatnya yang gampang terharu, dan lembut sekali kalau udah berhadapan dengan adik bungsunya. 

Setelah menyelami buku ini selama 2 minggu diantara pilihan galau pengen tidur sepulang ngantor atau menamatkan buku ini, saya menyatakan setuju bahwa buku ini termasuk di daftar 1001 books you must read before you die.

South of the Border, West of the Sun

Okay this is review about Murakami's book, again. Since I've promised to myself to finish all of his books. After Sputnik Sweetheart, I continue to South of the Border, West of the Sun. Unlike his more dreamy, surreal fantastic story, this one by Murakami is more realistic. A domestic tale about a Japanese man named Hajime who's married to a woman he's never truly connected with. He always trapped inside his memories about childhood. Reminiscing about his first love: Shimamoto, an attractive girl whom he used to share a love of music and books with and whom he lost touch with decades ago. Someone that he can't get rid off his mind and heart.

In his perfect adult life, in his late thirty age, Hajime got everything that everyone wants too. Beautiful and kind wife with two beautiful daughters, running successful business, money, everything. But deep down in his heart he knows that something's missing. And he begin to longing for his first love, and searching for Shimamoto. No, it's not that kind of melodrama and romantic yet melancholic book, but a book on persistent memories, revised fantasies, and questions that sometimes must remain unanswered. It’s a novel about longing, about small pains and aching regrets:

 ‘"But I didn't understand then. That I could hurt somebody so badly she would never recover. That a person can, just by living, damage another human being beyond repair.’"

 It is, in point of fact, a very subtle ghost story, about being haunted by your own past. It carries the very real sense of always being about things that are just out of its reach, explanations that are never given.Among 5 books of Murakami that I've read, for me this is the one that touch me most. Because in some part, this book is related to me. And Hajime is just like someone that I used to know. Reading it makes me feel blue and the memories of past suddenly come like movie trailer in my mind. And in some part I was like get some hard slap on my face. And I have no idea why somehow this book can makes my mind messed up for couple days after I finished it (until now, actually). A lot of unanswered things in my head become clearer yet more complicated. Damn.

--

“Hajime,” Shimamoto said as we approached Aoyama Boulevard. “I was thinking back then how nice it would be if the plane didn’t take off.”
     I was thinking exactly the same thing, I wanted to tell her. But I said nothing. My mouth was dry, and words couldn’t come. I merely nodded and reached out for her hand. At the corner of Aoyama 1-chome, she told me to stop the car, and I let her out.
     “May I come to see you again?” she asked me softly as she opened the door. “You can still stand being around me?”
     “I’ll be waiting,” I said. Shimamoto nodded.
     As I drove away, I thought this: If I never see her again, I will go insane. Once she was out of the car and gone, my world was suddenly hollow and meaningless.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Yesterday I finished this book called "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. At first I saw this book in Kinokuniya, there was an urge to buy this book because the cover is so interesting and my friend told me that this book will gonna be filmed soon with Emma Watson as the one of its character. But, back to the fact that I have no money that time (haha) and the fact that for now it's better for me to read a book in pdf format because I can read it at the office when there's no job (scumbag employee), it ended with some googling and downloading. :P

My friend told me that this book is kinda 'hipster'. I didn't know why he said like that until I found out that this book was published by MTV on 1999. And "LOL I'M A HIPSTER" said that Step 11 to be a Modern Hipster is by reading this book. So yeah, I'm a fucking modern hipster now.

 Okay, let's skip the hipster part and back to the book. This book talks about drugs, sex, sexuality, literature, films, music, and daily adolescent life. It consists of the collection of letter from the main character named Charlie, a freshman in the early 1990’s, who decided to wrote to unnamed stranger friend he barely know since his bestfriend died by suicide. He wrote to that stranger friend to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn’t try to sleep with people even if they could have. He wrote about what he went through, his thought, his sadness and happiness, his family, his friend, and his love life. From the letters we may see that Charlie is too sentimental, melancholic, and naive. Following his meeting with Sam and Patrick, two seniors who become his best friends, Charlie begins to experience more of life.

When I read it, sometimes Charlie really pissed me off because he is way too sentimental. It took me a long time to finish this book. But overall, the book has the quality of getting the readers sympathy to what was the characters are getting from each of his experiences. But if you expect to have great satisfaction and book-orgasm or read-orgasm thingy, I think you better search for another book, because I haven't got it from this book. The movie will be released on September, and I think that Emma Watson is really suitable with Sam character. Just like in my imagination.

-- 

"It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means that you're happy, too."

"It's just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life."

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

"I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where to go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them."  

Sputnik Sweetheart

Semenjak lulus, tepatnya semenjak bekerja, saya jarang sekali bisa menamatkan suatu buku. Boro-boro tamat, biasanya suatu buku berakhir naas di tengah perjalanan dan tidak saya sentuh kembali karena mood membaca tiba-tiba menguap secara mistis. Maka saya terheran-heran ketika bulan ini (hingga saya mengetik postingan ini) saya telah menamatkan 4 buah buku. Prestasi yang luar biasa bukan? Bukan. Hahaha. Saya akhirnya mendapati bahwa melarikan pikiran sejenak dan menenggelamkannya ke dalam suatu buku merupakan cara yang paling efisien untuk melupakan sejenak rasa resah yang selalu menghantui belakangan ini. 

Saya sedang jatuh cinta dengan karya-karya seorang penulis jepang bernama Haruki Murakami.

Berawal dari Kafka on The Shore, lanjut Norwegian Wood, saya langsung jatuh cinta dan penasaran dengan karya-karyanya yang lain. After Dark dan Sputnik Sweetheart adalah dua yang berhasil saya khatamkan di bulan ini, tapi sekarang mari kita bahas tentang si Sputnik Sweetheart.

Cover versi tidak vulgar. Versi yang saya baca bergambar wanita nude :P

Pernahkah kamu merasa benar-benar kehilangan akan sesuatu? Sesuatu yang benar-benar berharga. Mungkin dulu semasa 'sesuatu' itu masih ada, kamu tidak menyadari makna kehadirannya dan tidak menyadari bahwa akan sebegitu menyakitkannya ketika ia menghilang. Vanished, like a smoke. Rasa kehilangan itu yang menjadi tema besar dalam buku ini. Miu, seorang wanita mapan, yang kehilangan sesuatu dalam dirinya, yang menjadikannya merasa setengah hidup. K, sudut pandang 'aku' dalam buku ini yang kehilangan Sumire. Dan Sumire, seorang gadis yang menurut saya keren sekali- yang sangat hobi menulis dan segala sesuatu yang berbau literatur, yang tiba-tiba kehilangan sesuatu dalam dirinya ketika mulai jatuh cinta kepada Miu, membuatnya tak lagi bisa menulis, bahkan membaca buku.

"Imagine The Greatest Hits of Bobby Darin minus 'Mack the Knife', That's what my life would be like without you."

Sama seperti buku-buku Haruki Murakami yang lain, saya bengong dan melamun lama setelah selesai membaca Sputnik Sweetheart ini. Hal yang saya sukai dari karya-karyanya adalah ceritanya yang penuh dengan hal-hal absurd yang terkadang (sering malah) tidak saya pahami. Membuat saya bertanya-tanya apa maksud di balik itu semua. Membaca buku-bukunya membuat saya merasa sedang bermimpi, mimpi panjang yang absurd dan surreal, dan ketika terbangun kepala saya dipenuhi dengan begitu banyak pertanyaan yang jawabannya entah ada di mana. Perasaan yang menyenangkan. Selain itu, Haruki selalu sukses membangun karakter-karakter yang kuat dalam ceritanya. Dengan background hidup yang kebanyakan kelam.

Saya menyadari betul bahwa kebanyakan review buku yang saya tulis ujung-ujungnya selalu membuat si bukunya terlihat tidak semenarik yang saya baca. Akan tetapi seseorang pernah berkata, tulislah apapun mengenai buku yang telah kamu baca, agar ingatan tentang buku itu tidak hilang begitu saja. Scripta manent verba volant. Tapi percayalah, terlepas dari review saya yang kacangan ini, Sputnik Sweetheart ini sangat recommended. Jauh-jauh lebih keren daripada yang saya gambarkan di sini :) 

---

Tomorrow  I’ll  get  on  a  plane  and  fly  back  to  Tokyo.  The summer holidays are nearly over, and I have to step once more in  that endless  stream of  the everyday. There’s a place  for me there.  My  apartment’s  there,  my  desk,  my  classroom,  my pupils.  Quiet  days  await  me,  novels  to  read.  The  occasional affair.

But  tomorrow  I’ll  be  a  different  person,  never  again  the person  I  was.  Not  that  anyone  will  notice  after  I’m  back  in Japan. On the outside nothing will be different. But something inside has burned up and vanished. Blood has been shed, and something  inside  me  is  gone.  Face  turned  down,  without  a word,  that  something makes  its  exit. The door opens;  the door shuts. The light goes out. This is the last day for the person I am right  now.  The  very  last  twilight.  When  dawn  comes,  the person I am won’t be here any more. Someone else will occupy this body.

*

Why do people have  to  be  this  lonely? What’s  the point  of  it  all?  Millions  of  people  in  this  world,  all  of  them  yearning, looking  to  others  to  satisfy  them,  yet  isolating  themselves. Why? Was the Earth put here just to nourish human loneliness? I  turned  face-up on  the  slab of  stone, gazed  at  the  sky,  and thought about all the man-made satellites spinning around the Earth.  The  horizon was  still  etched  in  a  faint  glow,  and  stars began  to  blink  on  in  the  deep,  wine-coloured  sky.  I  gazed among them for the light of a satellite, but it was still too bright out  to  spot  one  with  the  naked  eye.  The  sprinkling  of  stars looked  nailed  to  the  spot,  unmoving.  I  closed  my  eyes  and listened  carefully  for  the  descendants  of  Sputnik,  even  now circling  the  Earth,  gravity  their  only  tie  to  the  planet.  Lonely metal  souls  in  the  unimpeded  darkness  of  space,  they meet, pass  each  other,  and  part,  never  to  meet  again.  No  words passing between them. No promises to keep.

menulis setelah membaca #3: kafka on the shore

setelah decci merekomendasikan novel Haruki Murakami yang berjudul Norwegian Wood, saya jadi sangat berhasrat sekali membacanya. namun berhubung banyak halangan yang diantaranya adalah sulitnya mencari novel tersebut (heran deh), hasrat itu pun perlahan dilupakan sampai suatu hari berkunjung ke dhea dan menemukan novel Kafka on The Shore ini. baru saja novel ini selesai saya baca.

ada dua cerita paralel dalam novel ini. pertama tentang anak laki-laki bernama Kafka Tamura yang kabur dari rumah di usianya yang baru 15 tahun dan memutuskan untuk mengembara. hubungan Kafka dengan ayahnya tidak terlalu baik, ibu dan kakaknya pun meninggalkannya saat Kafka berumur 4 tahun. banyak orang yang ia temui di perjalanan yang berhubungan erat dengan hidupnya. Sakura, sosok gadis yang seumuran dengan kakaknya, dan Miss Saeki yang merupakan pimpinan perpustakaan tempat ia bekerja. Juga ada Hoshino, seorang lelaki yang terperangkap di dalam tubuh wanita - yang juga bekerja di perpustakaan tersebut.

yang kedua adalah tentang pria tua bernama Nakata, yang mendapat kecelakaan saat ia masih kecil sehingga kehilangan seluruh ingatan dan juga kemampuannya. Nakata tidak bisa membaca dan menulis, namun bisa berbicara dengan kucing.

seiring dengan berjalannya waktu, kedua kisah tersebut akan bersinggungan. akan tetapi, semakin cerita mereka bersinggungan, semakin bingung pula saya dibuatnya. banyak kejadian-kejadian yang aneh di dalamnya seperti tokoh Colonel Sanders (ya, si kakek ayam goreng itu), hujan lintah, hujan ikan sarden, dan kejadian-kejadian yang tidak masuk di akal lainnya yang membuat saya jadi bertanya-tanya apa maksud di balik kejadian-kejadian tersebut. intinya bingung lah.

untuk ukuran novel berbahasa inggris, novel ini cukup mudah untuk di cerna. bahasanya simple namun banyak pesan-pesan yang tersimpan. ditambah alur ceritanya yang misterius dan mengandung banyak rahasia yang membuat kita selalu penasaran ingin membuka halaman selanjutnya.

untuk terjemahan indonesia sendiri, subjudul dari novel ini adalah 'labirin asmara ibu dan anak'. sungguh disayangkan. karena hal ini merupakan spoiler yang sangat amat jelas. begitu juga dengan sinopsis yang tertulis di belakang buku.

ini novel paling absurd yang pernah saya baca.

mencoba menulis setelah membaca #2

The Book Of The Lost Things - John Connolly

bagi penggemar cerita-cerita fantasi (seperti saya), pasti bakalan jatuh cinta sama buku ini. dongeng fantasi seringkali diidentikkan dengan cerita khayalan buat anak kecil, tapi tidak untuk buku ini. dongeng untuk orang dewasa, begitu yang tertulis di cover belakang.

di inggris pada zaman perang hidup seorang anak bernama david. bocah kecil ini harus menghadapi kenyataan bahwa ibunya meninggal karena sakit parah. kehidupannya makin berubah ketika ayahnya menikah dengan rose, wanita lain yang kemudian hamil dan melahirkan georgie, adik tirinya. merekapun pindah ke rumah rose yang besar dan terletak jauh dari kota. di kamar david yang baru banyak sekali buku-buku tua yang entah kenapa sering berbisik kepada david. keanehan-keanehan ini ia pendam seorang diri.

suatu hari, david merasa ibunya (yang telah meninggal) memanggil-manggil dari kebun. david mencari asal suara ibunya dan tiba-tiba ia tiba di dunia lain. yang bahkan ia tidak tahu namanya.

di dunia itu ada sekawanan serigala yang dipimpin oleh Loup, manusia serigala yang ingin menjadi raja. ditengah pelariannya dari kawanan serigala tersebut, david bertemu sang tukang kayu yang menyelamatkannya. dari tukang kayulah david mendapat informasi bahwa  hanya raja yang bisa mengembalikannya ke dunia semula. raja mempunyai kitab ajaib yaitu 'book of the lost things'. david pun memulai perjalanannya mencari raja.

siapa sangka apa yang ditemui david di jalan? putri salju gendut dan rakus berbeda 180 derajat dari dongeng-dongeng pengantar tidur, 7 kurcaci yang saling memanggil 'kamerad' dan suka menyanyikan lagu tentang 'anjing-anjing kapitalis' dan 'kerja kolektif' ketika pergi menambang seolah-olah mereka buruh tambang yang tertindas, putri tidur yang ternyata jahat, dan tokoh-tokoh dongeng lain yang ceritanya tidak seindah di buku-buku dongeng. ditambah ada si pria bungkuk (yang ternyata membawa david ke negeri itu dan punya maksud terselubung) selalu muncul dan menyusahkan perjalanan.

melewati peperangan, darah, tulang belulang, keringat dan air mata (oke lebay), akhirnya david pun bertemu sang raja. berhasilkah david kembali ke dunia asalnya?  baca aja bukunya. (azykk promosi) hahahaha.

secara keseluruhan buku ini keren sekali pokoknya.

mencoba menulis setelah membaca.

dua bulan belakangan ini, ada beberapa buku yang saya baca. hitungannya cukup banyak sih mengingat semenjak kuliah terkadang saya suka (sok) sibuk sehingga banyak buku yang terlantar menjerit-jerit minta diselesaikan. sekarang setelah membaca saya ingin mencoba menulis sedikit tentang buku-buku itu. bakalan panjang nih postingan. :D

The Thirteenth Tale (Dongeng Ketiga Belas) - Dianne Satterfield

"apakah kamu percaya hantu?" tanya vida winter, kepada margaret, calon penulis yang akan menulis buku biografinya.
vida winter merupakan seorang penulis dongeng yang sangat terkenal dengan buku-bukunya yang terjual laris. di usianya yang menuju senja, vida selalu menutupi jati diri aslinya dengan memberikan cerita yang berbeda ke setiap wartawan yang mewancarai dirinya. tidak ada yang tahu siapa sebenarnya seorang vida winter. hingga suatu hari seorang wartawan dengan jaket coklat mewancarainya. "katakan yang sebenarnya", kata wartawan itu. pertanyaan itu terus mengusik nyonya winter hingga ia mengundang margaret, seorang penulis amatir untuk menulis biografi dirinya.
nyonya winter menceritakan kisah hidupnya yang kelam. rumah tua keluarga angelfield yang nyaris ambruk, seluruh penghuninya - isabelle yang cantik dan aneh, si kembar adeline dan emmeline yang liar dan abnormal, pengurus rumah, tukang kebun, serta hantu di dalamnya. margaret semakin tenggelam dalam kisah itu dan akhirnya rahasia-rahasia pun terungkap dan margaret juga harus berdahapan dengan hantu dari masa lalunya sendiri.
buku ini mejik! begitu kelam namun tetap indah. yah mungkin karena memang saya suka cerita dongeng begini. semua orang pasti berfikir benar-benar ada hantu di cerita ini, pada awalnya. namun semakin menuju halaman terakhir, semakin menganga kita dibuatnya. ternyata dari awal kita hanya dipermainkan oleh si penulis yang jenius. sangat-sangat recommended!

Fantasia Impromptu - [Rei]

tidak ada alasan khusus saya memilih membaca buku ini. cuma iseng membeli karena harganya yang murah sekali dan judulnya yang unik saat mengubek-ubek tumpukan buku obralan di pameran buku. tapi ternyata bukunya lumayan juga. disini terdapat beberapa cerita yang tidak ada korelasinya. jadi mirip kumpulan cerpen. disini semua ceritanya berawal di sebuah gereja. sang narator melakukan perjalanan fantasi, berimajinasi dengan menggunakan objek orang yang ia tangkap di gereja tersebut. fantasi sang narator disini begitu liar, ada fotografer gay yang rela menjadi simpanan tante girang, ada seorang wanita yang selalu bermimpi kaya, ada seorang anak yang selalu bermimpi membunuh ibunya, dan ada tante khayalan [rei] yang tengah berulang tahun. hingga akhirnya kita bingung mana yang nyata dan manya yang merupakan fantasi.
cukup pusing dan ribet membacanya. namun mengasyikkan ikut larut dalam fantasi yang bisa jadi belum pernah kita bayangkan.

The Winner Stands Alone - Paulo Coelho 

hell yeah, another coelho's book. bercerita tentang perjalanan igor, seorang pengusaha sukses asal rusia yang super duper mega ultra kaya ke festival film di cannes, sebuah kota kecil yang mendadak ramai karena festival film bergengsi itu. misinya adalah menghancurkan dunia demi membuat ewa, mantan istrinya yang lebih memilih lari dengan hamid disainer dari timur tengah, kembali padanya. disini igor tak segan menghancurkan dunia orang lain (membunuh) demi menarik perhatian ewa.
disini coelho mengungkapkan sisi lain dari gemerlapnya kehidupan bintang dan dunia entertainment dimana manusia  saling memakan sesamanya demi mendapatkan eksistensi, kesuksesan dan  harta, sungguh dangkal.
namun entah karena saat membaca buku ini banyak interupsi sehingga sering tertunda dalam waktu yang lama, sepertinya saya kurang menikmati buku ini dibandingkan buku coelho yang lain. alurnya dirasa sangat lama dan (agak) membosankan.

Deltora Quest: The Lake of Tears - Emily Rodda

sumpah buku ini keren banget. pertama kali saya baca pas sma, kebetulan nemu nyelip di salah satu rental komik bareng teman saya, rehan. dan sejak saat itu kita nyari lanjutannya kemana-mana tapi ngga ketemu2 dan kitapun menyerah. sampai akhirnya libur lebaran kemarin saat main kerumahnya ngerampok buku, ternyata dia udah punya lanjutannya. bukunya tipis sampai-sampai bisa saya baca khatam saat menunggu penerbangan ke bandung yang di delay. ceritanya tentang seorang anak bernama Lief yang berusaha melengkapi batu-batu di sabuk warisan ayahnya untuk berhasil mengalahkan penyihir bernama Raja Bayangan yang menghancurkan deltora. di perjalanannya ini Lief tidak sendiri, tetapi ditemani oleh Barda, mantan pengawal Raja Bayangan dan juga Jasmin, seorang wanita yang bisa berbicara dengan hewan dan tumbuhan yang ia temui di hutan. mereka melakukan perjalanan ke Raladin, untuk menemukan batu lainnya. klise memang, tetapi ceritanya keren karena petualangannya amat seru banyak teka-teki cerdas di dalamnya.

Data Mining: Concept and Techniques - Kamber Han. 
oke yang ini bercanda. dan saya tau ini gak lucu.