2015: The End of the Year Ramble

Hello I'm back finally woohoo.. *yay*

My God.. A lot has happened in the last 5 or 6 months or so.. 

Got into uni, been studying, meeting new people, got myself a gf, spending plenty of time with her, finally got a car, the car got scratched, got some of my first semester results/grades, celebrated my gf's bday and then she got back at me by giving me first ever bday surprise... Tried video editing... other stuffs as well.. I dunno.. Oh.. STAR WARS.. AND DOCTOR WHO... MY GOD.

I haven't written in a while.. Tbh.. I didn't really have the time...

And now, my first semester is gone.. And I have this month-long holiday, which is quite something..

Anyway.. Yeah.. I feel like writing.. Again..

I kinda miss Paris.. And living/spending time abroad in general... Well.. Maybe... I only miss some aspects of it.. But mainly, the frickin' strolling and the fact that you can go anywhere wherever you want whenever you want with a public transport.. Well, not really "whenever"... But close enough, especially during New Year's Eve..

Oh.. HAPPY NEW YEAR BTW!

Alright.. Back to our main ramble..

Yeah.. I FRICKIN' MISS STROLLING AROUND AIMLESSLY + LISTENING TO SOME MUSIC/PODCAST WHILE I'M AT IT. God...

It's the fact that no matter where you are, wherever you're going, you can always, sort of, feel safe.. And like.. Sure, nowhere is really "safe".. But compared to Indonesia or Jakarta or Depok (where my uni is)... Paris or London or like other places I've visited so far.. They have plenty of spaces for people to stroll, to simply walk around and enjoy their surroundings...

I miss the parks. I miss strolling around and then resting on a bench in some random park. I miss walking alongside a river.. or a canal.. or like the beach.. Btw sorry bad grammar I know.. Not too fussed about it.

There, I said it... I really frickin' miss proper facilities for pedestrians.... We need wider sidewalk/pavement... With plenty of benches.. And open area like proper town squares or parks..

I mean.. I know.. It's frickin' hot in Jakarta or Depok or Indonesia in general.. And if it's not scorching, it's frickin' raining, like, proper tropical storm rain kinda thing... Well, not really.. I mean.. I love the rain.. As long as they're not too heavy.. And I love the Sun as well.. So long as it's not too bright and there's wind..

But like.. We need open space, with plenty of trees.. I mean.. Come on.. Having an open space like parks or squares in Jabodetabek is quite doable, no?

It's not gonna be frickin' too hot. We just need to figure out some ways, like.. I dunno.. Trees.. Plenty of trees but like not like forest-y kinda trees... Just enough trees and grass and ponds or mini-rivers to get things going.. with footpaths..

Like, a week ago or sumthin.. I was walking around in this park at this shopping mall with my gf.. And then we decided to sit down.. And like.. MAN! It was breezing, like, proper wind.. It was a hot day.. But like sitting beneath some trees, just, it already made things cooler with plenty of, or just enough wind/breeze to keep us cool... Trees are the answer.. and lakes..

Anyway.. Yeah.. I miss walking around, strolling around, so much.

Whoa. That's done. I just needed to let it out.. Dangit. :p


Now.. My life..

The Faculty of Law is quite nice.. :) And my relationship has been going pretty well, with plenty of ups and downs.. But we always managed to get back up and yeah... I love her so much. There. I said it in public. Tho I can always edit this out or sumthin'.. but.. whatever...

Back when I started 2015, I never really imagined that my life at the end of 2015 would be like this..

The highlights are probably like: Inten, Faculty of Law, car.. And above all, I have the pleasure of being this lovely lady's bf..

Time flies, quicker than ever.. Just two years ago today, I was in London, enjoying NYE with my sister and her friends in front of the London Eye.. I was still in 12th grade, not knowing where I'd end up being..

I never really imagined that two years after that night... My life would be like this at this moment..

I thank God for giving me the strength to keep on going with my life.. And all the fortune that God has given me.. I'm so lucky.. Just need to make sure that I don't waste all of these fortunes and opportunities..

Bismillah.. 2016, what have you got for me..?

Bahasa Indonesia dalam ujian PTN

Friendly warning: Ini post pake Bahasa Indonesia yang sangat tidak baku karena 1.) Gw udah lama ga nulis pake Bahasa Indonesia, 2.) This is just a short post and I wanna go to sleep :p 3.) I wanna show you a point which I'm trying to make..

Gw ga bilang bahwa gw tau segalanya atau hal2 yang gw sampaikan di bawah ini benar... Bisa aja gw salah besar. Dan, ya.. Biar post ini jadi lebih "kredibel" gw bisa kasih beberapa contoh... 

Tapi... Karena alasan2 di atas, gw mau kasih opini pendek aja dulu :p Gw tiba2 kepikiran hal ini daan, gw coba nulis aja duluu... Sekalian latihan nulis pake Bahasa Indonesia... Walaupun ini pendek banget dan sangat tidak formal.. Or whatever :p

Enjoy...


Pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia yang diujikan di SBMPTN atau ujian-ujian masuk PTN lainnya itu terkesan agak... sia-sia.. :/ 

Masalahnya, ilmu yg udah dipelajarin juga masih aja ga terlalu dipake... Di essay atau artikel2 misalnya, masih aja ada salah ejaan. Entah di level buku pelajaran, perguruan tinggi, bahkan pemerintahan.. Masih ada kemungkinan ditemukan teks yang aturannya ga sesuai sama yg diujikan di ujian2 itu.. 

Sayang aja pelajaran yg dijadiin bahan ujian, yg ujung2nya nentuin masa depan penerus bangsa, malah pada kenyataannya ga terlalu dipake.. 

Yang pas di ujian ada salah sedikit langsung disalahin, pada kenyataannya ga jadi masalah besar. Padahal ujian itu nentuin masa depan banyak orang... :/ 

Gw sih setuju aja, perlu ada aturan Bahasa Indonesia yang baku. Fungsi paling penting dari aturan itu yaa... Untuk mengurangi ambiguitas. Penting banget, misal dalam konteks sosialisasi(?) dan pemberitahuan peraturan2.



And related to that... Bahasa Indonesia itu, dalam bahasa sehari2, mau dipake gimanapun juga, masih aja bisa dimengerti... Sort of.

Bahkan post ini... Gw yakin di post ini banyak bgt kesalahan... Mungkin hampir 100% ga ngikutin aturan "grammar" Bahasa Indonesia.

But hey, gw yakin kebanyakan dari kalian cukup ngerti apa yg gw sampaikan...

:p

Language is very interesting indeed.

Dan gw jadi inget dulu pas SMA sempet bikin essay ttg English dan fenomena Bahasa Inggris di media sosial... contohnya Twitter...

Gara2 Internet dan media2 sosial, bahasapun ikut berubah gitu....

So yeah.

Interesting, as I said. Sort of. :p

Cheers.

Musical Taste: The History (Part 1)

Hiya!

Finally I'm back. I'm back after a month and a half. Not bad, eh?

Was doing university entrance exams.. And so, wish me luck! Really hope that my fellow classmates can also get into where they want to be.

Anyway... As far as I'm concerned... It's holiday season here. Yep. And it's also Ramadhan! Oh, the Holy Month of Ramadhan... Welcome back.

Fasting season.

The cool thing is, from what I've heard... This year is quite special because, I believe, the next school year will begin after Ramadhan, after the Eid. So... I think.. No fasting while studying at school for this year..

But I'm way past that. :p

Anyway... I just wanna write about the history of my musical taste... Sort of.. Thing.

Have been thinking of writing this for quite some time... So.. Let's begin.

Introduction

Listening to songs have been a big, big part of my life... 

Okay. I gotta tell you. For those of you who have seen two of my last three posts... You probably realised that I have this weird taste for music... Yep.

Somehow.. I just can't really click with today's mainstream music.. Which is sort of a bummer, especially if you wanna try to connect with most people these days.

The only sort of recent mainstream artist whom I listen to is probably Ed Sheeran. Yeah. Even for Ed, I don't really listen to him all the time. It's just that, I believe, he's the only recent mainstream artist whose album I bought.

Besides Ed.. I do listen to new stuffs.. I bought several songs that have been played over and over again on the radio or at shopping malls... Catchy songs... Or I guess.. The fact that they are being played over and over again made them catchy? Dunno.

But mostly... In terms of "new stuffs"... I listen to not-really-mainstream-in-Indonesia songs.. Like.. Blur's new album "The Magic Whip" (2015). When Paul McCartney's "Kisses on The Bottom" (2012) and "New" (2013)  albums came out, I also listened to those.. Technically, those are new materials.. Right? I'm currently listening to Carl Barât and the Jackals' new album "Let It Reign" (2015), because I've been listening to The Libertines, again.. They are making a new album!! So that's quite cool. More on The Libertines later.

A few months ago, I was trying to explore more mainstream bands, and so I decided to start listening to the Arctic Monkeys. Bought their first (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)) and latest (AM (2013)) albums... And in the end.. I quite like them. Though I very much prefer their first album than their latest. :p

Now... So.. What the hell do I listen to, then? And how come I listen to these stuffs instead of more-recent more-mainstream music?

Well, as I've told you before.. Today's mainstream music simply doesn't click. Dunno why. Probably since I was a little boy, I've been, sort of, accidentally "exposed" by "old mainstream music"... And then, a few years later, I developed this unconscious interest towards old mainstream music.. Dunno. Just a theory :p

Or actually... Is it because of genetics? Heard that musical taste is an inherited trait? Nah, dunno.

Okay, enough rambling. I just wanna share the evolution of my musical taste.. Sort of, what I hear, bands that I sort of follow. Yeah.

1. Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, and Queen

The earliest memories that I have of really listening to a band or an artist... I forgot which one I listened to first.. Probably the Bee Gees.

I had this VCD of one of their live appearances and I remember watching it. I also remember listening to their "Love Songs" compilation album... In form of a cassette. Yep. Old school, according to today's standard.

At the same time, I was also listening to Rod Stewart. I remember listening to "The Very Best of Rod Stewart" album. Forgot whether it was a cassette or a CD.

This was back in primary school, I guess.. I used to play them music in my (parents') car.

However, besides those two.. I remember Queen being the one which I really listened to and really follow. I had their three "Greatest Hits" cassettes, and I listened to them over and over again. I also remember that the first ever music CD that I really picked to buy.. was.. the "Queen Rock Montreal" album. I just checked wikipedia and apparently it was released in October 2007... I was in 6th grade..? whoa.

I liked to watch videos of their live concerts. I remember watching the Montreal one, and the Queen + Paul Rodgers one. 

And umm... Fun fact. One of the earliest memories of me using the Internet was actually watching this video of Freddie Mercury doing his thing before singing Under Pressure in Wembley '86. Just, wow. I mean, that was back when I had this dial-up connection thingy.

I mean, you gotta love Freddie Mercury, and Queen as a whole. Freddie was this, charismatic and funny figure on stage. And Queen's music. John Deacon's bass line, especially from "Under Pressure", Brian May's guitar play, Roger Taylor's drumming. Oh man. I just love their music and how they act on stage. The bass-lines, the guitar solos, the fast and hard drumming... The soul of it all.

This is how I fell in love with rock music.

Queen is really the first band that I ever got into. The first band where I learned to memorise the names of its members.

When I moved to France, I started collecting their studio albums... Though right now, I still haven't finished collecting them.. So.. We'll see

I remember still listening to Queen back in 7th grade... 

But actually, in 2008, I was introduced to this band...

Probably the band that influenced me the most.

And that is.....

2. The Beatles

Back in 2008, my father bought two Beatles cover album. One was this choral cover of The Beatles' songs, the other one was Jazz cover.

I actually forgot what made me decide to buy the "1" album. A compilation album of their 27 number one singles. I listened to it over, and over, and over again. In my car, on my CD player.

The Beatles.

I remember before I got that close with The Beatles... I remember thinking, "The Beatles. Yeah, have heard that this is the greatest band ever. But, naah, probably never gonna listen to it."

Well kid. You were totally wrong. You became this Beatlemania, Beatle-geek, Beatle-walking-encyclopedia back in junior high school.

I mean, wow. This post isn't gonna be enough to describe my "relationship" with The Beatles.

The first ever band-related T-Shirt that I ever bought, it was The Beatles. The first ever band-related book, The Beatles.

Back in junior high school, I started collecting all the original UK LPs or studio albums. Coincidentally, they were just releasing the remastered version of those LPs.. Wow. Just. Wow.

The first one that I bought was "Sgt. Pepper's". And from then on, during my jhs years... I tried to save up some money in order to buy new albums. And in the end, I finished collecting the 12 albums, plus the "Past Masters" album. Just. Wow. Good times.

My father went to the U.S. once, and he bought me The Beatles' "Anthology" book. Yep. That giant book. I was so. so. so. just. wow. Thank you, thank you dad.

I bought The Beatles' Anthology documentary, and have watched it for several times. I have also watched all of their movies + The Yellow Submarine. I even went on Tumblr, simply because it was full of Beatles-stuffs.

I don't know why, but back in jhs and even back in 10th grade, when I was already living abroad, I simply wanted to show my friends on how awesome The Beatles are. Frankly, looking back, I was a bit too much on being a Beatlemania.

But hey... You gotta love John, Paul, George, and Ringo. They are brilliant, funny, witty. 

From their Quarrymen-Rock and Roll years, to Hamburg, to their early U.K. success, Europe, the World. When they stopped touring and went on being this band with psychedelic and Indian influences, and then went on producing more music and more everlasting masterpieces. Their breakup, their solo careers, John's death, the Anthology session, George's death, more solo careers...

They are simply. Wow. Looking at how they have evolved and matured throughout those years. Even in the 60s, within a space of ten year, their music went through this drastic evolution. And they frickin' made masterpieces. Different genres throughout the 60s, but their music lives on. They pioneered lots of things, and really made a big influence on the music industry.

I simply can't rank which Beatle is my favourite. They are all unique in their own ways. Same thing goes with ranking their albums or their songs. When an album or a song matches your mood, you can simply enjoy it, even consider it as the best.

I thank God that I was given the privilege to watch Paul McCartney live, back in 2011. It was simply, amazing. I was also given the privilege to visit London and Liverpool, and most of the Beatles' sites. The 3 Savile Row, Abbey Road, the Cavern club replica..

The Beatles is still very important to me. And of course, I also listen to John, George, Paul, and Ringo's solo materials.

Right now, I'm listening to most of Paul's solo music, including Wings' music.

And by the way, June 18th, Happy Birthday Paul!

So yeah, The Beatles. Even the way I speak in English... I think it's sort of influenced by them. :p

3. ABBA, Michael Jackson, John Lennon and U2

Back in jhs, besides The Beatles, I also listened to John Lennon, U2, Michael Jackson, and ABBA. Yeah. Weird combo.

And btw, these are just the ones that I can remember.. sort of. The ones that I remember I really listened to, like, I have the CDs and I remember playing them CDs in my car.

I mean, not that I stopped listening to The Beatles or Queen or Rod Stewart or Bee Gees..

So, back in 2008, after watching "Mamma Mia!", I began listening to ABBA... Limited only to their greatest hits tho.

In 2009, after Michael Jackson's death, my parents bought "The Essential Michael Jackson" CD, and so I started listening to Michael Jackson.

And as for U2.. I can't really remember what made me buy that CD.. The "U218 Singles" CD thingy.

Those three are quite alright, I listened to them quite a lot back in jhs, besides The Beatles, of course.

And for John Lennon, obviously it was because I was listening to The Beatles. I bought the "Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon" album. It was good.

4. Paul McCartney and to be continued

Anyway... Summer 2011, I moved to Paris. And um... Before I moved to Paris, I remember that I started buying Paul McCartney's solo era albums.

Just before I moved, I bought "McCartney" and "McCartney II", newly remastered back then. And, like, whenever I listen to songs from those two albums... They remind me of my early days in Paris.

For example, whenever I listen to "Every Night", or "Coming Up", or "That Would Be Something".. They simply remind me of those early days.

I have mentioned about how I was collecting Queen's studio albums back in Paris. Well, I was also collecting Paul McCartney's solo era/Wings' albums, such as "RAM", "Band on the Run", "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard"... many more.

Moving back to Jakarta, it's getting hard for me to collect hard copies of those albums... I'm still looking for the newly-remastered version of "Venus and Mars" and "Wings at the Speed of Sound". :/ 

Back in 2012, I began to explore more bands, trying to look for new materials... 

And so, I started listening to lots of more bands/artists. A wider variety of genres. Decades of music. Etc2.

Just you wait for Part 2. Just you wait. 

And sorry for the bad English, like, oh no, my writing skill has deteriorated quite a lot. :o

See ya next time. Cheers.

The Beatles. Playlist.

Just another playlist. Enjoy!

1. There's A Place
2. You Really Got A Hold On Me
3. If I Fell
4. I'm A Loser
5. It's Only Love
6. Michelle
7. Here, There And Everywhere
8. When I'm Sixty-Four
9. All You Need Is Love
10. I Will
11. Julia
12. Two Of Us ("Naked" version)
13. Something

Just a thingy

I don't know why, but for the last couple of months or so, I've been feeling kinda down. I've been thinking a lot, and probably a bit too much. Thinking about things that are probably unnecessary and too early for people my age.

Now, I don't think it's really important to talk about what I've been thinking recently. I don't know why, but I always feel a bit paranoid about sharing my thoughts online or to a wider audience... For now.

However, I feel like for the last few months, like I've lost something. Like, something is missing from my life. And after reading a post from another blog, I've come to the conclusion that... It is most possible that I haven't shared my thoughts or feelings as much as I used to, before I moved back here.

What I've been feeling, is that there's like this... thing, inside my chest. Like this heavy thing, I don't know what. Lately, I also get tired quite easily. I don't know why. It's like, something is lacking in my life.

As far as I can remember, usually, back there, I used to think and ponder on things while strolling. And then, whenever I had thoughts or any sort of feelings, I liked to share it with a couple of my friends. And it felt good afterwards. Whenever I had this "burden" inside me, I shared it, and then I felt better.

But I just realised that I haven't shared as much as I used to. I mean it's not like I share my thoughts or emotions all the time. But it's just that, I've been having different kinds of emotions and been thinking quite a lot lately, more than I used to. However, I haven't shared my thoughts or emotions as much as I used to. 

So yeah, probably this explains why I've been feeling kinda down lately. Like, something is building up inside me. I've been keeping all these thoughts and emotions to myself.

"Well then, why don't I just share all these thoughts and emotions to others, to my friends?"

It's not that easy. And this is probably one of the things which I've been thinking about... For some unknown reason, since I was a child, I don't like to "disturb" other people. I don't want to make them feel "annoyed".

Back in Paris, I shared stuffs with a couple of my friends, who sometimes looked interested at what I was talking about... But most of the times, they told me that they don't really care about it. And I really like talking with them because of this. Honesty. Nothing fake or artificial. Simple and plain, jovial conversations.

Another thing that I like about talking with them, is that they also talked about themselves. They also gave some sort of opinion on things that I shared to them. For those people, they probably know that I like to talk about things ranging from random nonsense, pop culture references, to politics, history, and philosophy/life in general. But moving back here, being separated from those people, makes it very difficult to talk to them.

Being very very honest, since I moved back here, I haven't found friends whom I can really connect with, just like with those peeps. Probably I have met them, but I have not met that version of them whom I can truly connect with.

Lately, I feel like I'm living in another world compared to my friends. Besides our classes, some aspects of life in Jakarta and Indonesia, university stuffs... And probably football and movies and TV series... I got nothing much to talk to them. Which is sad. Very sad indeed.

And I feel like lately, things that I want to talk about are getting more and more serious. Too serious for normal conversations, and I don't want to make my friends feel annoyed. 

It's like I have forgotten how to talk to people, how to socialize. It's like... I've forgotten how to make a casual conversation.

Man, I feel like an alien.

But probably, I've found an explanation to that...

It's the thinking that I've been doing.

Wait. A cycle. 

I've been thinking more, so things that I want to talk about gets more serious, which makes it hard for me to connect with others, which makes me feel kinda lonely, which makes me think more and more...

What the flying cow. This is scary.

I have to break the cycle.

Back when I was in high school... I had stuffs to do. University applications, all those written tasks and lab reports, and IAs... Final exams. And this meant that I had other things to focus on, besides thinking and pondering too much about life, and feeling alone.

Now? I "simply", well not that simple, need to learn and prepare for the univ. entrance exams + do all the Univ. applications...

Which is still a lot, actually, so never mind.

It's just that I can't really focus on those things, because I've been feeling a bit down recently..

Man... Another cycle. I can't concentrate, because I've been feeling a bit down lately, because I've been having different kinds of emotions and thinking a lot, because I'm not properly preparing for uni, because I can't concentrate...

This is proper scary, this. Even this post is toooo serious to be true.

So, I guess... I need a little push. A little bit of motivation. And also... I need to sort of... Get rid of(?) all these things inside my chest. This weird feeling, this pressure.

And then, hopefully I can move on and concentrate in doing all those things. Yay.

Yeah. I need that sort of motivation.

Man, writing does help clear things inside your head.

Now, coming back to a point which I've mentioned earlier, about myself not wanting to "disturb" others... This could probably be one of the reasons why it is so hard for me to start a conversation with someone...

Man. Why is it so hard for me to have a conversation with someone. I should probably stop thinking too much about it, and just do it... Eh? Yes? No? Who nose.

So, final remarks... I should find that extra motivation, somehow. So that I can concentrate more on my future... Because I need to concentrate and it is crucial.

I need to get rid of all of these thoughts and emotions... Probably? Is it the right thing to do..?

Okay. Let's focus on our future.

For now, let's stop wasting our time and energy thinking about "what ifs", because it's not worth it... For now, at least.

Yeah. One of the things which I've been thinking quite a lot recently...: My future.

I have to make choices, on which uni to go to, and what am I going to study for the next few years...

Which is, to think about it, it's like a domino effect. A series of "what ifs". Different scenarios. Alternate universes...

SEE? Too much thinking. Oh God.


Okay. So.. I need to focus on my future, while still "making the most of now" and "enjoying the moment".

But really, I don't want to make the wrong choice this time.

I've made plans before. And some plans worked out, some didn't. Some things in my life which I didn't plan, turned out to be fantastic. It's fascinating how destiny works.

I have some plans for my future. What I can do now, is to do the best that I can. To study. To work. To make maximum efforts. To pray for the best. 

I prayed. And I hope God has planned me the "best way" to achieve my dreams.

And I hope for the best of future for everyone. For my family. For this country. For Muslims all across the globe. And for humanity.

Btw, I've just finished watching "Guru Bangsa Tjokroaminoto", like, a few hours ago, at the cinema. Might do a review of this movie some times in the future... But for now, I just want to give a quote from that movie. 

"Hanya ada satu cara untuk berhijrah. Setinggi-tinggi ilmu, sepintar-pintar siasat, dan semurni-murni tauhid."

This quote is quite deep. Either that or I'm just seeing to much into it. That's why I can't give the "English" translation of this quote. If you're trying Google Translate... You'll have to decipher it. :p

Man, such a great movie. I'm such a history geek.

:p

Cheers.

Playlists

Hello, hello.

Finally I'm in the mood again to write. Well, not really. Just wanna share two playlists which I've made and an update on things that I'm doing right now and gonna do in the next few months. Hopefully. Bismillah.

So I made two playlists recently. One is the fourth disc of Ethan Hawke's The Beatles Black Album playlist, which was included in the movie "Boyhood". The other one is... Sort of a... Compilation of soothing music.. tracks.. thing..

So, the first playlist is called "Black Album IV"... I made the first three Ethan Hawke's playlists on my iPod too and I simply call them "Black Album" followed by Roman numerals I or II or III. 

Btw, here's the first three discs: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ethanhawke/boyhood-the-black-album#.nc3bxZyNz

The songs are taken from John, Paul, George, and Ringo's solo careers. Basically he reunited The Beatles... :'

Btw... Happy Birthday George Harrison! :D

Welp, anyway, I realised that some of my favourites, solo-era Beatles songs were not included in his three-discs playlist... So... I made the fourth disc, which includes some of my fav. songs that were not included in the Black Album, plus some songs that sort of match the playlist..(?)

So, without further ado, here is Black Album IV:

1. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five - (Paul McCartney & Wings)

2. Give Peace A Chance - (John Lennon)

3. All Those Years Ago - (George Harrison)

4. Peggy Sue - (John Lennon)

5. Oo You - (Paul McCartney)

6. Ding Dong, Ding Dong - (George Harrison)

7. Coming Up - (Paul McCartney)

8. Got My Mind Set On You - (George Harrison)

9. No More Lonely Nights - (Paul McCartney)

10. Nobody Told Me - (John Lennon)

11. When We Was Fab - (George Harrison)

12. How Do You Sleep? - (John Lennon)

13. Somebody Who Cares - (Paul McCartney)

14. Rising Sun - (George Harrison)

15. Never Without You - (Ringo Starr)

16. Working Class Hero - (John Lennon)

17. Let It Be Me (Demo) - (George Harrison)

18. Here Today - (Good Evening NYC, Paul McCartney)

19. Walk With You - (Ringo Starr ft. Paul McCartney)

20. Free as A Bird - (The Beatles)

Black Album I starts with "Band On The Run", so I think finishing what we have started, we have to begin/end(?) with "Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five", the last track on the album "Band On The Run".

We also got John Lennon's song, widely believed aimed at Paul, "How Do You Sleep?"... Followed by Paul's song... "Somebody Who Cares"... Which I found quite beautiful.. And somehow I sort of relate Paul's song with John, knowing that John is no longer around.

I mean, essentially, despite the fallout, they are still the best songwriter partnership that has ever existed.

From 14 to 19... It's sort of the reality, really. John and George are no longer around with us. But their music and spirit live on. The Good Evening NYC version of "Here Today" is really what makes the reality hits us. Paul is still doing live concerts, with his voice becoming more and more scratchy or strained or hoarse..(?) Dunno the correct way to describe it.The way I see it in this playlist, "Here Today" is aimed at both John and George from track 16 and 17... 

"And if I say,

I really loved you and was glad you came along.

If you were here today.

Oo-oo-oo, for you were in my song.

Here today."

And then... "Walk With You". Again, reality hits.. Two of the remaining Beatles, singing together. 

"When I walk with you.

When I talk with you.

Everything will be fine."

And finally, the playlist ends with "Free as A Bird". The first track of Anthology becomes the last track here. :p I mean, you gotta end this playlist with all four Beatles together. :)

So yeah. That's that.

On to the second playlist...

This playlist. I was sort of in the mood of making a soothing compilation of songs, all taken from my iPod. 

I was listening to "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton when this idea struck me. I mean, I put the song on repeat, played it over and over again, realised that this is a frickin beautiful piece of music/ballad/song right here.

Before we begin the second playlist... Here is Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight":

Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton

"It's late in the evening, she's wondering what clothes to wear.

She puts on her make-up, and brushes her long blonde hair.

And then she asks me, 'Do I look all right?'

And I say, 'Yes, you look wonderful tonight.'

We go to a party, and everyone turns to see.

This beautiful lady, that's walking around with me.

And then she asks me, 'Do you feel all right?'

And I say, 'Yes, I feel wonderful tonight.'

I feel wonderful, because I see, the love light in your eyes.

And the wonder, of it all, is that you just don't re-alize how much I love you.

It's time to go home now, and I've got an aching head,

So I give her the car keys, and she helps me to bed.

And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,

I say, 'My darling, you were wonderful tonight.

Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight.'"

Aw man. Just. So simple and beautiful at the same time. It Hits it perfectly, right in there.

So yeah, listening to this song, how beautiful and soothing it is... I thought, "Hey, let's make a playlist."

I mean, it's not a proper playlist with ups and downs... Sort of in an alphabetical order, this.. If this is a proper playlist, I'd probably put ABBA's "I Have A Dream" last. Gonna arrange it soon, when I have time.

ABBA - I Have A Dream

Air Supply - All Out of Love

Athlete - Chances (Vincent and The Doctor!!)

Barry Manilow - Mandy

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows

The Beatles - Mother Nature's Son

The Beatles - Here, There And Everywhere

Bee Gees - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love

Carpenters - (They Long to Be) Close to You

Cat Stevens - The Wind

The Corrs - Runaway

The Cranberries - Linger

Ed Sheeran - Photograph

Elvis Costello - She (Notting Hill!)

Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight

The Everly Brothers - All I Have to Do Is Dream

Frankie Valli - My Eyes Adored You

George Benson - Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You

George Harrison - Let It Be Me

Johan Johannsson - Epilogue (The Theory of Everything)

John Lennon - Love

Julie Delpy - A Waltz for a Night (from Before Sunrise)

Kath Bloom - Come Here (again, from Before Sunrise.. That scene.)

Lionel Richie - Stuck On You

Oasis - Songbird

Paul McCartney - Jenny Wren

Paul McCartney - My Valentine

Paul McCartney - Somebody Who Cares (Three Maccas!)

Queen - Love Of My Life

Rod Stewart - You're In My Heart

Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence

Sting - Fields of Gold

Wings - Mull of Kintyre (Actually, another Macca...)

So there we are. 34 tracks.

I mean... for a late-1996 born.. This is weird. Too many oldie hits, pops, and movie soundtracks... Plus. Out of nowhere... ED SHEERAN :p He's good tho.

I really need to listen to today's music. Ah well.

All those songs are from my iPod so.. I have like, over 2200 tracks on my iPod... But I believe, most probably, some of the most beautiful pieces of music are still out there somewhere... Outside my iPod I mean.

Moving on. Updates.

I'm in the process of applying to Univs. again. Studying for exams (though still lacking, really) and preparing all those documents, including a Motivation Letter.

Feels good to write again. Especially after a long hiatus, writing something similar to all those IB essays just feels good. 

Feels sad though, because most of my classmates are still struggling on their Try Outs. :( Really would like to help them. Just don't know how.

Anyway, I just hope for the best. And I hope that I have each and every requirements ready. I hope that the Indonesian system of application is... lenient..(?) I'm just afraid that I don't have all the requirements ready... being someone who graduated outside, in a private international school.

Sometimes, the information here is just not enough/lacking... I've been to the Ministry of Education several times, and it seems that they're also confused. 

Really hope that I won't have to wait for another year, simply because of a stupid mistake like.. Not being in the national database or something. 

I mean... That would suck. A lot. Like. Really. I've been preparing for the entrance exam for months and suddenly... Oh God, please no.

Bismillah. Wish me luck.

Cheers.

Je suis Ahmed

Hai2,

I'm in the mood to write a post so... Let's start.

We're already in the second half of January. Time flies. Wow.

I have no internet connection here... A bummer. Big, big, bummer. Probably just gonna terminate the current one and gonna go look for other brand which can hopefully work nicely, at least better than the current one.

I just found out (well.. Not really "I just found out", more like "I have heard of it for several times but never really tried it until very recently.") that I can use my iPhone as an internet connection source, thing.. Don't really know what the technical term is.. Is is tethering? Who knows.

So if I need to access the Internet from me lappy or me iPod, I can use this thing. Just gotta make sure that I have enough Internet quota... :/

Other news, Paris Terror Attacks January 2015. (Jan 7th - Jan 9th)

The three-day terror was quite an important event in our recent history. It actually touched many, many issues. Islamophobia, immigration, terrorism, extremism, freedom of expression, counter-terror laws, more control over citizens... For conspiracy theorists, "False Flag"?

These issues are some of the many issues which define our generation. Other issues, like climate change, are important to us all, and they define our generation. They show our main concerns and how people live during the early decades of the 21st century. The way we deal with these issues today, will define ourselves in the future. The way we treat these issues will affect our future, this planet's future.

Anyway, I made several tweets on the 7th of January, in response to the attack... And in response to how the world responded. Just gonna quote it here:

"We should condemn the act of killing.. But then again, how far should we defend "freedom of expression"..? If someone expresses his/her opinion and it hurts the feelings of billions of people from around the globe... Should those billions of people stay idle? They too have their own opinions. But then again, murder is simply bad. It is certainly not the right way for those people to "express" their opinion in this modern society. 

Why can't people from different backgrounds, from across the globe, engage in fair discussions, in which we'd all respect each other.. The key is to respect and understand one another... But the thing is, we all have different interests and concerns. Different ideas on how this world should work, how it should look like. Anyway, we are not living in cloud cuckoo land. So yeah. Condolences to families and friends of the victims."

It is simply bad that this kind of thing still happens in today's society. Personally, I was a bit sad, because it happened in a city which has a special place within me. I've experienced living amongst dem French people, amongst its Muslim community. And to see Paris in that kind of state, with maximum security level, is heart-wrenching.

I don't know whether it was a false flag or not. And I don't know whether those extremist groups, who act bearing the name of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), are "puppets" of another higher authority or not... But these acts are just wrong and bad.

Using the name of Islam, or Allah (SAW), or the Prophet (pbuh), or using passages from the Qur'an in order to justify such acts. It's just heart-wrenching. Islam is a religion of peace, with billions of followers. It has lasted for over 1400 years, and so there's got to be a reason behind why 'Islam is truly a religion, a guide, instead of a mad man from the Arabian desert babbling nonsense, taken from Judaism, Christianity, and Greek philosophy, in order to corrupt and control other people'.

If people spread terror using the name of Islam, or if anyone, who consider themselves as a Muslim, behave or act badly, mistreating other people, hurting other people... We have to bear in mind that it is not the religion that is bad, it is people who are corrupt, who are bad. 

People are not perfect. Humans are not perfect.

We have needs, we have desires, earthly desires... Probably heavenly desire for some of those who've had enough of living...? But these kind of people, they need to know that we exist here for a reason/ some reasons...

Human beings have this tendency to commit bad things. To disobey, to insult others, to harm others in order to achieve what we crave. Some people are greedy, some are lustful, some are just too lazy... All those sins including the so called seven deadly sins. :p

But human beings, according to what I believe anyway, also have the capacity to love. To love one another, the environment, animals, plants. We have the capacity to respect one another, to help each other out. We have the capacity to do great things, to achieve great things which can benefit us all, the human race...

Lol wtf was that, sounds like a utopian thingy. :p

Where was I... Ah.

Yeah, human beings have tendencies to commit harmful things, but we also have the capacity to do great things. It's just that the way we are raised, the way our society works, these kind of things really affect ourselves... Sometimes, people think that there's no other way, that the only way is that we have to do something bad in order to achieve our goal. In cloud cuckoo land, everyone wouldn't even dare to think of bad thoughts... Sadly, the Earth is not cloud cuckoo land.

The thing is, as I said in my tweet, we have different concerns and interests. Some of us are desperate to have food and shelter. Some of us crave luxury. Some of us crave power. Some of us do bad things in order to ensure themselves to be adored, to be liked by others. Some of us do unacceptable things in order to protect their loved ones, securing a brighter future for their family without considering the effect of their doings.

We can't enforce our own ideals into everyone, that's why we have to accept the fact that people are different. We have different ideas on how this world should work. Some ideas may clash, but that does not mean that we have the right to force other people into submission, into agreeing. 

Instead of the use of force, as I said, why can't we have discussions...? Human beings have the intellectual capacity... Well, some of us do anyway. Some people are just too thick or too hot-headed to have a proper discussion with...

But I believe, for many of us, if the right reasons have been presented, then they can think for themselves which would be better, which are the right things to do, which are the things that should be, how things should work out in our society, ideally.

Well, I doubt this can work though... Dialogues and discussions... :/ Similar to "Ibadat Khana", in which people had interfaith dialogues. There need to be transparency, good regulation, respect between participants, understanding, and willingness to respect, understand, and willingness to improve humanity.

Wow I clearly went way way way off tangent there...

Back to the Paris terror.

I was a bit disgusted by how the media and the social media responded to this event.

Don't get me wrong, as I said, I condemn the act of killing such as what happened.

But the way people brought up the phrase "Freedom of Expression"... Is just. I don't know.

Here, take a look at this:

The way how people want to protect "Freedom of Speech" or "Freedom of Expression". Those people just don't think, don't they?

I support freedom of expression, because without it, we wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be writing this. But I believe there should, obviously, be limits.

One of the things that I really love about Indonesia, is that many of us are aware that there should be respect and tolerance towards each other, especially in terms of dealing with various religious faiths and beliefs.

Charlie Hebdo makes satirical cartoons. They probably just want to "entertain" other people, or give critics on current affairs. They were attacked previously on several occasions, I believe... Molotov or something. Anyway, they make cartoons not just about Islam or the Prophet (pbuh). They also "attacked" the Vatican, other religious figures, and various political figures.

But the thing is, when you've insulted someone, whom billions of people adore very much. Whom billions of people respect and love... Shouldn't there be limits? Just take a look at the picture that I've posted up there...

And here is a video:

I mean come on, look at the recent conflict between Palestine and Israel. Yes, quite a lot of support for Palestine... But then, take a look at how many people shouting at other people being "anti-Semitic", just because they expressed their pro-peace, anti-Israel views... For example when someone posted a photo saying "Nazi Germany = Israel", just take a look at the comment section and you'd see people labelling others as being "anti-Semitic".

So much for being fair and just.

Well, yeah, those people on the Internet did not go out and kill those whom they considered as "anti-Semitic". Certainly a better way of "opposing" the so-called "Freedom of Speech" than killing.

Anyway, yeah. Limits. Just as the Prophet (pbuh) said, moderation in all things. You can't just promote hatred.

Speaking about promoting hatred... Three videos:

Russell Brand is amazing :p

Wtf Fox News :p :p :p Hilarious.


Anyway, back to the events at Paris...

Yeah. I would accept cartoons which criticises extremist groups or other acts of terrorism bearing the name of Islam, without trying to insult the Prophet (pbuh), Allah, or Islam itself.

And if their objective is to criticise and to entertain, instead of to attack other people, surely it'd be alright.

But as I said, they should not hurt billions of people by insulting a person whom they love so much.

I am sure the cartoonists are aware of what they're doing, aware of the consequences...

And so it happened.

After the 7th January attack, there were several hostage situations and more killings... Heart-wrenching.

It seems that the French government is trying to tell that the attacks that happened did not represent Islam. Hollande is also trying to reassure others that even Muslims feel unsafe after the attacks. Lots of Muslims in France, in Paris... Including Indonesian Muslims. Anyway, yeah, Hollande is trying to say that the enemy is not Islam itself, it is terrorism... Cool. Hopefully he is being sincere about it, and hopefully the French people are willing to agree to this view. I mean, Muslims have been part of France, of its community, for decades... They have lived alongside each other for so long, surely there's some sort of understanding going on between French Muslims and the French people in general.



Now, how should Muslims respond to such attacks or insults? What'd be the best way?

We have to make people understand that the Prophet is a highly-respected figure, whom billions of Muslims love very much. We have to make them understand that depicting the Prophet in such ways is not acceptable. 

If they say that we are ignorant, following some sort of teaching of an "imaginary desert fairy", then show them compassion.

There's no harm in believing in something, as long as you don't go out forcing your beliefs to others, in harmful or inappropriate ways.

The best way to promote Islam, is to show compassion. Show all the good things in Islam. Behave appropriately. The best way to defend the honour of the Prophet, is to act like him.

We have to think. What would the Prophet do in this situation? I mean, man, he was insulted and attacked in his time. People threw rocks at him, insulted him, attacked him... And he showed compassion in return. And that is the beauty of him. It is also the beauty of Islam.

Instead of insulting them back, or revenge, or attacking them... Show mercy and compassion. Promote love. God has given us the capacity to think and to love. So we have to use our intellect to do great things, to help others. We also have to show compassion and promote peace.

Instead of mocking back those who mocked our Prophet, show them how he is the best of mankind. How he was one of the best men who have walked this planet. How he is the best of role model. Use reasoning if they need it, because we are able to give them reasons on why Muhammad (pbuh) is the best example of human.



On Wednesday the 14th of January, I believe it was in response to the new issue of Charlie Hebdo, a hash-tag #WhoIsMuhammad was trending worldwide for some time on Twitter. Alongside the hash-tag, people celebrated the life of Prophet Muhammad by either quoting his sunnah, or by typing his advices and ideas, or simply by typing the ways he lived his life, how he had lived, the story of his life. Emotionally, I was touched. This is how it's supposed to be. By people promoting peaceful thoughts and ideas. 



Do not waste water.

So, so, so much more can be said around the topic of religion, and Islam itself. Save it for another time :)



Right after the attack, people use the phrase, "Je suis Charlie", or "I am Charlie", as an act of solidarity. I somehow feel that this phrase alienates some people... Muslims.. Well, those who love and respect the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) anyway... Because we can't "be Charlie". We can't identify ourselves as a group of people who insulted the Prophet.

Well, je ne suis pas Charlie. :/ Mais, je suis Ahmed. Ahmed, as in the name of one of the police officers who was killed during the attack. He was a French Muslim. Also, Ahmed, as in "Muhammad", the name of our beloved Prophet.

May there be peace.

Cheers.

Assalamu'alaikum. Peace be upon you. :)