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What’s The Story?

Coming down off the nova somewhere near the boiled egg that is the Royal Albert Hall, we watch Paul’s sun crossed with John’s star and hold ice cream hands. Someone slipped on a cassette as the one you wanted left with someone else but somehow it was cool because as the music filled the shadows, you heard a sound that was a million miles away from fakery and a step away from your heart.

Just like it always did, this sound puts the swagger back into your step, the rush into your blood but somehow, and I don’t know how, they had become deeper, wider, soulful, better at their craft, inspired by so many things like a world that is tilting who knows where and the applause they always knew was theirs but waited so impatiently to receive. Words cut you from all angles, backed up by a monumental sound that rises high, high and high to crash against your rocks and then changes, majestically and magically to soothe the wounds inside.

As you are dragged inside on this trip abandon, you hear a council estate singing its heart out, you hear the clink of loose change that is never enough to buy what you need, boredom and poverty, hours spent with a burnt out guitar, dirty pubs and cracked up pavements violence and love, all rolled into one, and now all this.

At the end you flip over and start again because now you are not isolated. They have gone to work so that you can go home. High above the day turns pink and you feel your feet lift above the ground as new roads open up in front of you. In this town the jury is always rigged but the people know. They always know the truth. Believe. Belief. Beyond. Their morning glory.

from P.H. in the summer of ’95.

hanny
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Crème fraiche

Why wait for something when life is going on? You have your own life. Do the things you enjoy, be around people you like | bukansourcreamnonion

I used to write because I’m sad. There were moments when I believed that writers are sad people. Tears were from where those poetic lines originate. I don’t know whether it’s true; but now I just write because I’d like to, whenever I want to, every time I feel the urge to scribble. And I’ve known this since I was 13: that I will continue to write though people have long stopped reading. Exactly the kind of spirit I’d like to have in living life. Because we only live once. And once should be enough.

hanny
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Hilang.

*terjemahan bebas dari MISSING, Stephen Dunn

Ia menghilang, seringkali, bahkan ketika ia sedang berbicara,
meskipun ia bisa menyelesaikan kalimat-kalimat itu,
yang dari mana ia telah melepaskan kaitan dengan dirinya,
menyelesaikannya dengan baik. Dan ketika aku berbicara,
ia cukup tertarik dalam kadar yang patut untuk membuatku
mau terus berbicara. Aneh,
bahwa aku merasa tersanjung dengan semua ini, sepertinya
ia memberikanku semua dari setengah dirinya,
yang terbaik yang bisa ia berikan.

Di tempat tidur, setelah bercinta,
yang selalu memuaskan, aku tahu bahwa ia telah belajar
tata-krama setelah selesai bercinta—perhatian, kelembutan—
dan ia menunjukkannya. Aku yakin
ia tengah merencanakan esok harinya, hati rahasianya
mengecek jam rahasianya.
Aku sudah mengenal lelaki lain semacam ini, tentunya,
tapi ia begitu buruk dalam menyembunyikan kesalahannya,
dan akan mengakuinya ketika ditanya,
semua itu seperti bagian dari keberadaannya, bagian dari
caranya selalu ada di sana untukku,
jika kau tahu apa yang kumaksudkan.

Aku merasa, pada saatnya nanti,
Aku akan bisa menemukan, atau mungkin memberikan hidup
pada setengah bagian dirinya yang hilang. Aku merasa bahwa cinta bisa melakukan ini.
Dan aku bahkan merasakan cinta yang ganjil pada saat ia tak ada,
sebagaimana, menurutku, kebanyakan dari kita akan mengecup
bekas luka yang mengerikan untuk membutikan bahwa kita bisa hidup dengan itu.
Ia punya pekerjaan yang baik. Para lelaki mengaguminya
karena ia membawa seluruh dari setengah dirinya
untuk bekerja setiap hari, membawanya dengan kecerdasan
dan karisma. Itu sudah cukup untuk mereka.
Dan semua teman perempuanku memujanya,
mengatakan betapa beruntungnya aku.

Tapi aku harus mengakui,
tidak mudah mencintai lelaki seperti dia.
Hanya sedikit sekali yang diminta dari dirimu, dan setelah beberapa saat
kau lupa bahwa kau menggunakan setengah dari dirimu,
dan kemudian sesuatu mengingatkanmu
dan perasaan bahwa kau telah merampas sesuatu dari dirimu sendiri memberatimu,
lalu amarah—amarah yang diam, demikian aku menyebutnya.
Yang menjelaskan mengapa, akhirnya, aku pergi.
Tapi aku tak pernah berhenti memikirkan dia.
Dan aku telah melalui amarahku. Jika ia lewat di hadapanku
saat ini, kurasa aku akan merengkuhnya
dan menciumi wangi tubuhnya, dan bertanya apa kabarnya.

hanny
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Cinta Sungguh.

*) terjemahan bebas dari TRUE LOVE, Sharon Olds

Tengah malam, ketika kita terbangun
setelah bercinta, kita menatap satu sama lain
dalam kedekatan, kita sama-sama tahu apa
yang telah dilakukan yang lain. Terikat pada satu sama lain
seperti pendaki menuruni pegunungan.
terhubung tali pusar di kamar anak-anak,
kita merayapi koridor menuju kamar mandi, aku nyaris
tak bisa berjalan, aku menyeret tubuhku melalui udara
yang kasar dan tanpa bayang-bayang, aku tahu di mana kau berada
dengan mata tertutup, kita terjerat pada satu sama lain
dalam jalinan besar yang tak kelihatan, kelamin kita bisu,
kelelahan, remuk, seluruh tubuh adalah kepuasan—tentunya ini
adalah saat-saat paling terberkahi dalam hidupku,
anak-anak kita tidur di ranjang mereka, setiap suratan takdir
seperti nadi-nadi dari mineral prasejarah yang belum ditemukan. Aku duduk
di toilet pada malam hari, kau berada di suatu sudut di kamar,
aku membuka jendela dan salju sudah turun,
dengan derasnya, bersandar di ambang jendela, aku
menengadah, padanya,
dinding kristal yang dingin, sunyi
dan berkilauan, aku diam-diam memanggilmu
dan kau datang dan menggenggam tanganku dan aku berkata
aku tak bisa melihat apa-apa lagi selain ini. Aku tak bisa melihat apa-apa lagi selain ini.

hanny
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Telunas Beach Resort, Sugi Island, Batam

It took a 1.5-hour boat ride to reach Sugi Island from Sekupang Harbor in Batam. The weather was nice, sunny and breezy. I climbed down into the boat with my bestfriend, Nena, and off we went! Our destination: Telunas Beach Resort, an eco-friendly resort built by 3 Americans (Mike, Brad, Eric) who fell in love with the beauty of Sugi Island.

The boat was loaded with groceries. There they were: our food for the next few days! There’s no village in Sugi Island, and really, there’s nothing apart from the Beach Resort. Those who ‘stay’ in the island are those working for the resort; mostly locals from islands nearby. So, it was pretty much us, the resort, and the whole island for yourself!

Apart from myself and Nena, plus Robby and Elsa (Telunas Beach Resort’s hosts), there were 2 other families with us: Australians and Dutch. Robby told us that the island and the resort are more popular to international tourists. Students from Singapore, Korea, and Japan also pay a visit every year for their summer camp.

“International tourists are mostly looking for an escape like this,” said Robby. “So close to the nature, no electricity, no air-conditioner, no jet-ski… maybe domestic tourists are looking for a more lavish holiday.”

Upon arrival, you need to climb out from the boat, and then climb a wooden ladder to the front deck. And just take a look at the gorgeous view! During high-tide, you can run and jump from the deck into the water, and swim with the fish!

The ‘common room’ includes a dining room and a living room; you share this room with everybody else who are staying in the resort. In an hour or two, you’ll find yourselves exchanging smiles, laughter, and then starting a friendly conversation with everyone.

Since we arrived at noon, we’re greeted by lunch-time! And it was a delicious parade of honey-roasted chicken, baby-corn and mushroom, and fresh watermelon! The taste was just… amazing!

The ‘ibu’ who cooked our meal is a local from an island nearby. For 2 weeks, she stayed in Batam, in the house of Telunas Resort owner. The owner’s wife taught her how to cook Western food! And the food we attacked that day was SUPER-YUMMY! Really! The ‘ibu’ should be opening a restaurant here in Jakarta—and I’ll be her regular.

[Telunas Beach Resort, Batam]

(Did you notice how they cut the watermelon? So thoughtful; that they actually gave a ‘handle’ to the watermelon! :D)

And what’s better than enjoying a cup of coffee after lunch, accompanied by this stunning view 🙂 All day long, tea, coffee, milk, and hot water are available for free in the common room. Heaven!

Telunas ‘wooden’ Beach Resort was built in 2004, and 90% of the compound stood above sea water. There’s no electricity in Sugi Island, so the Beach Resort functioned with generators. No air-conditioner, but really, I don’t see any reason on why you’ll need one. The sea breeze is too refreshing! 🙂 What I admired the most from the resort is its cleanliness. The room smells fresh and airy, bed-sheet is spotless, the wooden floor is amazingly clean, the bathroom works well and odor-free. Lovely.

But what’s best than having the beach for your own? When there were only you and 2 other families in the island, you’d feel as if you’re in a private beach. And again, it was one of the best beach I’ve ever seen. The sand was so clean, so white, so soft! No trace of plastic bottles or other trashes as far as the eye can see. It was just wonderful!

And what about this private-view of the sunset? 🙂

Apart from enjoying the white sand, reading a book or magazine while lying down in the hammock, and pampering yourself with a bath in the sea, you can also spend your time in Telunas playing volley ball, going on a kayak ride, or lighting up the campfire and baking pizza. In the morning, you can have your ‘jungle walk’ and for the more adventurous, you can also camp in the jungle! There’s also a black-hole drop inside the jungle, where you can jump from the height and dive into the pool of cold water. And don’t worry, there’s no mosquitoes in Telunas!

And you hear me, Telunas? I’ll be back—I promise, and this time: for a week getaway! 🙂 Thanks, Maverick, for the free trip! Am looking forward to my next all-expense-paid holiday!^^

hanny
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Chocolate Orange Cupcake with Choco-Baileys Butter Cream

I looove this chocolate-orange cupcake sooo much! ^^ It’s so light and fresh, and it smells of chocolate and sunkist! A very nice treat for one sunny afternoon, especially when served cold 😀

Chocolate Orange Cupcake Recipe:

  • 175 g unsalted butter
  • 120 g castor sugar
  • 150 g self-raising flour
  • 60 g cocoa powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 orange (sunkist) – use the orange rind and the juice

Beat butter and sugar in a mixer, add in those eggs (one at a time) and the orange rind. How to get the orange rind? Easy. Peel the skin of your sunkist, ensuring that you’re only taking the thin orange skin and leaving the white part. The orange rind has this fresh orange fragrance that will make your chocolate-orange cupcake smells (and tastes) amazing! 🙂

Next, put the mixture in a bowl, add in flour, cocoa powder and orange juice (from the sunkist), fold it, and divide it evenly into a 12-cupcake tin, bake for around 15 minutes, 180oC.

Choco-Baileys butter cream:

  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 50 g castor sugar (you can add more sugar later to the mixture if you like sweeter cream)
  • 1/4 cup of coffee-flavored Baileys
  • 4 tbsp of cocoa powder

Beat with electric mixer until it turned into a perfect butter cream.

hanny
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Hanny illustrator
Hi. I'm HANNY
I am an Indonesian writer/artist/illustrator and stationery web shop owner (Cafe Analog) based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I love facilitating writing/creative workshops and retreats, especially when they are tied to self-exploration and self-expression. In Indonesian, 'beradadisini' means being here. So, here I am, documenting life—one word at a time.

hanny
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