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"THE VICIOUS"
Beware of the vicious. They come in different shapes and sizes. They can have the most soothing voices. Don’t get me wrong. Not all of them are monsters. In fact, the majority of them are fellow ...
"THE UNBELIEVABLES"
People are amazing. Sometimes they can be so unbearable. How? Like I’ve mentioned earlier: their quick change of hearts. They can be one thing now and another the next, quite rapidly. It doesn’t ...
"THE TWISTS AND TURNS"
Sometimes it’s safer to claim that not all your writing stuff are good. It’s even better that you don’t claim yourself an expert at anything. Perhaps I’ve already written something like this befo...
"THE REST STOP"
Before the concept of the rest stop was applied in my country, I’ve already seen plenty of them in Hollywood movies. Basically, a rest stop is a temporary spot where you can do some stuff for a w...
"THE QUICK FIX"
There’s nothing wrong with this digital era. I’m not going to blame this on it, unlike some of the older generations. (No offense, though.) I’ve got the benefits from this too. (Like my freelance...
"THE PAINKILLERS FOR THE FORMLESS, UNSEEN ILLNESSES"
How do you find the right painkillers for your illnesses? Some common ones have already been properly diagnosed. Ibuprofen for your headache, for example. Cough drops for your major sore throat, ...
"OVERLOOKED?"
Once upon a time, I wrote a bitter haiku poem with that title. ‘Overlooked?’ I forgot where that is, but I remember one thing about it: I was still a bitter, disappointed idealist. I’d been taugh...
"NO MORE"
Sometimes you dwell too long on your misery, whether it is work-related, social issues, or personal betrayals. Each is bound to hurt you, one way or another. They can really do. Don’t get me wron...
"THE MASQUERADES"
Many, many heartbreakers wear too many masks. They have plenty of sets for different people and various occasions. They don’t want anybody to see the real them, like ever. Why? How come? Believe ...
"LYING FOR MERE (AND TEMPORARY) COMFORT"
People lie. Big deal. Why do we make such a fuss about that? We lie too. It’s really hard not to. People lie for so many reasons. They may do that to themselves, in order to survive. It’s their o...
"KISS AND TELL" (One Party's Living Hell)
“Gentlemen don’t kiss and tell.” Enlighten me, please, since I’ve been very skeptical with that phrase lately. Forgive me sarcasm, since I’m rather faithless with the idea itself. First of all, w...
"JUST ANOTHER SAD LOVE SONG"
Many people love music. Whether they are also musically-talented, tone-deaf, logical, emotional, or sentimental (or at least a combination of some of these things), they have some favourite songs...
"THE IDEA OF YOU"
Let’s just be honest here. Sometimes (and to some people), how you see yourself alone is not enough. You still need some validation from other people around you, especially those you find matter ...
"HIGH-STRUNG"
There are freaky dreams you never want in your sleep. Still, they occur anyway. It begins with a song you know (and have a love-and-hate feeling with) so well in the background: “Broken hearts, b...
"GETTING BY VERSUS GETTING BACK ON YOUR FEET"
“Are you okay?” “Yeah.” “Are you sure?” “No, but I’ll get by.” Perhaps this conversation is familiar to you. Maybe you’ve been one of them – or just another bystander witnessing it all. However, ...
"THE FALL BEFORE THE RISE"
Life is one hell of a rollercoaster ride or an open road…or whatever you’d like to call it. Basically, it’s the same thing. It offers possibilities, but only nothing still lasts forever. It’s nor...
"EVERYBODY'S FOOL"
How do you see yourself every day? How do you feel when you look in the mirror? Do you like what you see, so far at least? The harsh truth is, we can be such fools by doing one of these two (2) t...
"DONE WITH THE SICKNESS"
If many people love “Kiss From A Rose”, then my favourite Seal song is “Don’t Cry”. It is one of the ballad tracks that has a calming effect on me. I listen to it a lot at certain times. Not just...
"COLD-HEARTED AND CRUEL"
“He’s a cold-hearted snake Look into his eyes Uh-oh, he’s been telling lies…” (“Cold-hearted Snake” by. Paula Abdul) I used to listen to that song a lot as a kid. (Yes, I am that old!) I’d enjoy...
"BAD FOR GOOD"
“You’re way too nice. That’s your problem. No wonder people make a fool out of you.” “Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.” These days, many might agree to both statements above. As cruel a...
"ANGRY DAYS"
You miss your fasting month. It’s over a month behind you now. It’s been a great cover to calm you down, like it always is. Once it’s gone, you go back to facing your old demons. People who conti...
This is not the first time I heard complaints regarding Indonesia’s “Galau” (Maudlin) Culture. Some say that’s how the Malay influence has always been, overly sentimental. People here always pref...
“THE LIVES OF OUR LOVED ONES”
I have to keep reminding myself: There are still worse heartbreaks than just breaking up or being cheated on. It’s always much closer than we often remember. Hopefully, we’re also not the ones ta...
"THE BALLAD OF THE SUPPRESSED ROMANTIC"
What if I tell you that we’re not always the same person(ality) in people’s eyes? Even we see ourselves differently to how they see us. It’s normal and natural. It happens all the time, although ...
"THE BEAUTIES VERSUS THE (HANDSOME BUT CLOSETED) BEASTS"
Have I ever told you that the beasts aren’t always ugly? Sometimes they are very, very handsome. They look more like charming princes than monsters. When they talk, they sound so convincing that ...
Book Description
You never really run out of stories to tell. If you look around closely and more carefully, you’ll find plenty.
That also happens if you live in Jakarta, Indonesia. Here, people always find some tales to tell, even if they’re quite mundane. Trivialities still excite them somehow – or maybe it’s just me and my point of view.
Of course, the real issue is how to divide them into:
1. What’s informative and useful.
2. What’s just informative.
3. Gossips and rumours, alias hoax news.
It’s nothing new that many have assumed that most Indonesians are not that well-read. They tend to fall for the last bit on the list above.
Well, that’s not always true. Allow me to prove you wrong.
R.
