A Rose For Emily

(William Faulkner)

When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant--a combined gardener and cook--had seen in at least ten years. It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street. But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps--an eyesore among eyesores. And now Miss Emily had gone to join the representatives of those august names where they lay in the cedar-bemused cemetery among the ranked and anonymous graves of Union and Confederate soldiers who fell at the battle of Jefferson.
Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town, dating from that day in 1894 when Colonel Sartoris, the mayor--he who fathered the edict that no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron--remitted her taxes, the dispensation dating from the
death of her father on into perpetuity. Not that Miss Emily would have accepted charity. Colonel Sartoris invented an involved tale to the effect that Miss Emily's father had loaned money to the town, which the town, as a matter of business, preferred this way of repaying. Only a man of Colonel Sartoris' generation and thought could have invented it, and only a woman could have believed it.

Cogito Ergo Sum

Descartes berpendapat "cogito ergo sum" atau "aku berpikir maka aku ada". Sangat filosofis memang. Manusia diciptakan Tuhan, bagiku Allah swt, pasti memiliki tujuan. Muslim ataupun bukan, para penganut agama akan meyakini bahwa kehidupan ini semu dan hanya tempat singgah sementara. Rumah abadi dan nyata adalah justru alam setelah kematian, yang sebenarnya awal dari hidup itu sendiri.

Dulu pertama kali film "Matrix" muncul, aku hanya menikmati kecanggihan CGI dan alur ceritanya yang menarik. Beberapa waktu yang lalu aku mencoba menontonnya lagi. Ada banyak hal yang dulu aku lewatkan atau bahkan tidak peduli. Matrix ternyata sangat filosofis. Aku semakin memperhatikan setiap dialog dan semua kode dan tanda yang ada disana.

Behave Yourself!

Bagaimana rasanya ketika ada orang lain yang berpapasan dan tiba-tiba berucap kata "sh*t" saat tidak sengaja kita menghalangi jalannya? Aku tahu rasanya seperti apa. Seorang gadis muda, berstatus mahasiswa di salah satu universitas. Cantik dan fashionable tetapi sayang tidak berperilaku layaknya seorang intelek.

Aku jadi teringat statusku di FB beberapa waktu lalu, "Knowledge is Power, but Character is More". Rasa-rasanya mereka yang bergelar pelajar bahkan mugkin para pejabat sekalipun tidak memiliki karakter yang kuat. Mereka memang pintar tetapi kepintarannya itu tidak pernah atau mungkin belum diiringi oleh karakter yang rendah hati. Mereka selalu merasa diri lebih hebat, lebih mumpuni, lebih segalanya ketimbang mereka yang tidak mampu memperoleh kesempatan untuk mengeyam pendidikan.

i know that i know nothing!

Pernahkah merasa terganggu karena tidak mengetahui banyak hal tentang sesuatu yang kita pelajari? Jika iya, maka reaksi yang muncul adalah kita pasti bergegas untuk mencari ilmu yang dibutuhkan. Caranya? Tentu salah satunya adalah membaca dan menulis. Permasalahan muncul karena banyak yang enggan untuk membaca, apalagi menulis.

Miris rasanya ketika mengetahui mereka yang menganggap dirinya mahasiswa ternyata sangat malas untuk membaca, atau bahkan pelajar tingkat sekolah dasar atau menengah pun sama. Para oknum pelajar itu kehilangan semangatnya ketika harus berhadapan dengan buku-buku yang bervolume lebih dari biasa. Raut wajah mereka akan langsung berubah pada saat melihat huruf-huruf yang terangkai di dalamnya adalah bahasa asing.

The Landlady

BILLY WEAVER had travelled down from London on the slow afternoon train, with a change at Swindon on the way, and by the time he got to Bath it was about nine o'clock in the evening and the moon was coming up out of a clear starry sky over the houses opposite the station entrance. But the air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks.

"Excuse me" he said "but is there a fairly cheap hotel not too far away from here?"

"Try The Bell and Dragon" the porter answered pointing down the road. "They might take you in. It's about a quarter of a mile along on the other side."

Billy thanked him and picked up his suitcase and set out to walk the quarter‑mile to The Bell and Dragon. He had never been to Bath before. He didn't know anyone who lived there. But Mr Greenslade at the Head Office in London had told him it was a splendid city."Find your own lodgings," he had said  "and then go along and report to the Branch Manager as soon as you've got yourself settled". 

Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy‑blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat, and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. He walked briskly down the street. He was trying to do everything briskly these days. Briskness, he had decided was the one common characteristic of all successful businessmen. The big shots up at Head Office were absolutely fantastically brisk all the time. They were amazing.

Once Upon a Time (Hendri Sukma)

Once upon a time there was place called 7 North Star. It called like that because if you looked the sky at night there are 7 North Star which brighter than other stars, there empire which ruled 7 north Star. The 7 stars were called the heroes of North Star celestials. North Star celestials predicted there will be appeared 7 heroes which guide the people when the empire is in a crisis. On each hero will have a North Star marks. In North Star there are 5 stars called  Tigre, Preyas, Gorem, Skyress, and Eden which called The five divine warriors, even among the five divine warrior, there are Drago and Hydra the two celestial star lords. One of them would become bad side and another one is opposite. Because their greatness these two stars have never appeared in the same era, or the empire will become distorted.

At night in a place called Rentsuu temple, which is sacred to the empire was attacked by someone and killed all keeper who guarded the temple. One of the keepers who managed to survive was escaped from the temple and ran to his friend, Ryuuk.

Untitled (Ronny Gumilar)

Few days ago, when I go to a rental of internet near of my home and opened a one of the famous site, Youtube, I was searching some funny videos to reduce the bloody stress in my mind. And at last, I found some videos which had same tittle “Stand Up Comedy”. As far as I know, these videos are about people who are giving a speech or exactly sharing about popular problems today with little jokes inside.

At that link, there are some people who famous enough in my country that I know. They are Raditya Dika, Pandji Pragiwaksono, and Ditha Dee Abigail. And then, I’d started to see the Pandji’s video in the Stand Up Comedy Indonesia.

The reason why I choose the Pandji video is because the theme which he talking about really appropriate with something which always disturbs my mind. About a problem that could say “it’s only a simple problem, isn’t it? Then why they make it to be an extraordinary problem? Is it because of we are developing country? Or is it because of a bad habit of Indonesian which always made them to be proud because of their foolishness? A country which always proud because of something precisely could make it to be dishonorable. Is it something like that?”

In that video, he was sharing about the issue that often talked by society today, especially in Indonesia. The issue is about “The legalization of marijuana”. And then, do you know what? I even heard he said that “if only I have to choose between cigarettes and marijuana, I’d like to choose marijuana”

For the first time, it really makes me dizzy when he said something like that. It even gives me big “WHY?” because I know that marijuana is an illegal thing in Indonesia and it is forbidden to consumed by Indonesian. And after I finish watching the video, I know the reason why he liked to choose marijuana than cigarettes. And honestly, I will also say that the marijuana is better than cigarette.

The last Saturday night (Aprilia Yuanita)

 The last Saturday night,i just awakened ,silent sounds and breezy of wind when i opened the car windows and still on my position in the car ,nobody on the left or beside me . i stil on my speed not too fast nor too slow . i was staring on the road ,that night actually was night in where teenagers leaving their home and spared some time for hang out. During driving on the road but i cant find them anymore ,the girls,the boys and all people who hang out. Turned my head to the left ,to right ,to beside .

             Hopes that i met someone who i knew but it just dream,slowly very slowly driving my car. I tried to looking for “pom bensin”  and after i found it go ahead for my trip, on the street wa so silent . i just looked a groups who gathering like gangstar in the other country,cause at my city nowdays gangstar being famous .Hmmm just skip about them.

            Home sweet home still far from my mind,like never reached that place i think,for a weeks i felt the different atmosfer because i visited Bogor .There was equvalent between bogor and bandung, both of them has fresh air in the morning but pollution still number 1.

Untitled (Arief Febriyanto)

Kriinnggg... kriingg… krinngg…

  ‘’ouch... who does calling so early? Do not know if I'm still sleepiness!’’  Grumbled Mela while a looking for her hand phone.

‘’Whose is it?”

“It’s me, Mahmud. Wake up, do not sleep on again! Today was noon.”

“Oohh... turns out you, Mud. What do you want calling me in the early morning?” ask Mela.

“What... early morning you said? (Mahmud confusion), now the clock is shown at 10 am, Mel! Hurry Mel, you should quickly come to the campus, we have perform to presentation at 11 am, are you remember that?” Mahmud said.

“Oh my God..  I forgot about that!” Mel was shock.

“Ok... Mud, I will be right there and then you send me message, where s the room.”

She asked that Mahmud send short messages via phone about where is the room that will be used to presentation. Then she started rushing to get ready to go to campus.

Once Upon A Time (Reisa Caroline)

The ending of this story is so surprising because I thought that it would be about the happy family where the man, the wife, and the boy lived happily ever after like another bed time story. Actually it is not only the ending which so surprising but also the whole story. The first thing in my head when I heard about bed time story is fun and full of imagination because I think a bed time story should be a beautiful story so the children or the reader will have a beautiful dream with full of imagination too.

            In this story, the man and the wife are too careful, overprotected, and maybe too paranoid. I don’t really understand why they do that. In my opinion, this story is too scary and not too good for a bed time story.

            From the 1^st-8^th paragraph is an opening story which tells us what’s the reason why the writer wrote this story, if the story without 1^st-8^th paragraph can be a good story maybe because they do not have any relation with the next paragraph until end.

21 (Bayu Tri)

Last Saturday, a day which is quite bright, as usual my friends and I went to play games online together in our favorite internet cafe at the Taman Sari street that is in Smart.net. We always play games online when night comes. We have argue, it’s better to spend money and time in the internet cafe rather than spend it with some girl/girlfriend (because we must to buy something for her and drive her to any place), and it is very prosaic for us. But we are not a bunch of queers. When we got there, I don’t know why there are so many people gathering in the one of computer. As we approached, it turns out, there is a visitor/player was died on the spot and it was very surprising the whole room. No one knows what causes the person was died. But one thing that surprised me as well as tremble, when I see the set number of people who was died.

 “21!!!”

Seeing the number 21, is not a name of cinema that I remember when it, but I was reminded of a similar incident that occurred three years ago. I asked in myself. What I was experiencing this and whether this de Javu?

Dialogue with the tourists (Rian Andini)

The teacher told the students to make a dialogue for the program tommorow with the tourists which there in the someplace, to know how the tourists was enjoying them daily activity and satisfy when they were in the some country which is they visited.

When I was home, I think “like what the dialogue I have to write? So as to make better than my friends dialogue”.

In the night, I was thinking all the time and looking for the dialogue example, but I was still have to think about my another task. So many task which was I have to do. I ever though, why the teacher very like ti make us very confuse with the task which was given to us? Yeahh… it’s may be good for us to make us so busy with the task and made us know about anything,learned about many thing. And finally I had finish do my dialogue task.

Best Friend Forever (Nurrizal)

            There were four boys who claimed that they would be a best friend forever. They were Charda, for some reason he’s little bit selfish sometimes, Affan, he’s ridiculous and the handsome one, Maulana, he’s the most talk less boy in our gang and the last one is me, maybe I’m little bit funny.

             We met at Assalaam Junior High School Bandung, it was our lovely junior high school. Every day we shared, played, studied and helped each other. No matter what was going to happen, happiness or sadness we were going through together.

            We were the most famous gang in school, teachers, officers, and friends knew us very well. Until we thought that our school was our kingdom, and because of it, there were so many people or another gang that hate us so badly especially boys, maybe it’s because we were the most famous gang in school and a lot of people loved us very much.

There are no enemies in football (Willy Ajie)

Once upon a time, there’s a boy 9 years old who’s named Adjie. He lives in the very small village with his family. Although the village very small, but that village very precious for Adjie. That’s village so far from the city. But the people who live there so enjoy lives there.

Adjie who was nine years old that time was in elementary school grade 4 in the one of elementary school in that village. That time was happened the euphoria of football world cup 1998 in France. And surely there’s always the football tournament in that village to shows that this country very enthusiastic about world cup in France. At that time, Adjie didn’t know how to play football. All he knew only Brazil team who was participated in the world cup 1998 football tournament. There was a final match between Brazil against France. And the end result was 3-0 for the France victory.

From those events Adjie started to like football and started to play football with his classmates. Adjie has a brother who was six years old at that time. But even though his age was six years old, he always asked him to play football with him.

FORBIDDEN LOVE (Rizkia Lestari)

At 10:00 o’clock in the morning I arrived to my home from the campus. I decided to eat before doing my home work from my lecturer, Miss Nenden. But after eating, I fell asleep because my stomach had full. I woke up at 12:30 pm and remembered that I had to do my home work. So, I switch on my computer and tried to write. When starting to write, I was getting blank. What’s the topic that I would talk about in my short story? At the first, I would talk about corruption, but when I started to write I didn’t know what must I written. So I thought that it’s better if I wrote about environment or about the movie which is a danger for the children growth. Aaaah,,, but I still confused to start it. Aha, about love. Most of people like love story right?! So I tried to write but I still blank what kind of love that I would talk about? I thought more and more, suddenly I remembered with my friends, unusual friends. So I thought I would make a story about unusual love or forbidden love. Before I talk about the story of that love, I will tell you about my friends. I said that they are unusual friends because they are love with the same of sex, or we call them gay and lesbian. But in this story I will focus on lesbian love.

One Day for a Year (Meslina Aritonang)

That afternoon, the sun burning like a flame of fire is very hot. In the spirit of burning well, he's down the aisle by aisle to find a suitable boarding-lodging with him.

Actually, the problem of why the spirits that come highly flared, it comes after her land lord old boarding call and said the money greedy stared up boarding-lodging, from 8 million to 12 million. Wowww! Incredible! "Thanks a lot Mom!"In the heart Amel, "you make me so spirit today!”

When up in an alley, Amel stopped and called, "Bang!? Help me find boarding-lodging! We must seek now Bang! ". Without an answer, Bang Kiton so call immediately went out and prepared to accompany Amel.

On the way, Amel talk at length without wanting a response from Bang Kiton. Suddenly, Bang Kiton raised his voice, "Are you thirsty Amel? Soon I bought for you ", with a smile he went to buy water to the shop they encountered. "Abanggggggg !!!!" with a smile and shy, Amel pursue Bang Kiton. She realized, from my earlier rambling and it makes Bang Kiton can’t talk and be laughing at her.

My friend and I (Diki Miharja)

Do you know something? Every man in this world needs to interact with the others, because it’s the way to know how pathetic we are. Imagine that if we have no friends, or someone else who knows everything about you, worrying you day and night, and also give some advice to you when you are doing something wrong, off course your live will far from happiness. You will always think that your live is not important, useless, and at the end you try to suicide yourself. Do you won’t like that, aren’t you?

By the way, first, we must choose for friend carefully and for your own kindness. Don’t ever think because she/he smart, rich than you, you want to be his/her friend, because if you think like that, you will regret it later. Second, don’t plunge each other, then if you have a problem, share with him/her and find the way together. And third, in a friendship, there is no name an “ex”, because a true friendship will always you remember till your last breath.

Untitled (Andreas Tobing)

I love my hometown, love the views from the windown of my house, the weather, the peace and simple life here, the people too. I love everything that belongs to my hometown where i was born and grew in for 18 years... But I want a change! ... I want to see other place, experience other culture, meet with new people. I want to live my life with the utmost fullest and feel the adventure.

After i finished my highschool and was preparing to enter university, i decide to go to Bandung because that place have so many good university and my friend told me about how nice the people over there and the weather too, last but not least he also told me that Bandung have so many beautiful girl, one thing that I would like to see it for my self. Unfortunatly when I say this to my mother , she doesn’t approved and decide to sent to university on my home town. After spending some time  studying on the college my mom send me I feel so stressed out because all I want is to see a new place. One day my best friend who went to college in Bandung come home and then he came to my place, I use that opportunity and told my best friend to help me convincing my mother about college in Bandung.

Long Distance Relationship (Ahmad Muhyidin)

This story is taken from true story about seven years ago. They have lived this long distance relationship for seven years. Doni who was sitting in class 1st high school, met with a beautiful girl in his school, she is one of students at his school. After a few days, they were made a relationship, and their relationship still continues till now.

On Tuesday morning, Doni was playing basketball with his friends. Suddenly, He paused for a moment when a girl walks in front of him. Beautiful eyes, with perfect shape, made his eyes stunned and he said..

“Oh my God.. Who is she? She is very beautiful.”

When he looked at her, she also looked at him and smiled like sun rise in the morning.

Once Upon A Time (Ali Topan)

I am a college student. I always do my college stuff everyweeks. One day, I found something interesting in my campus which remind me of a story that always be my guidance. This is my story.

Light of sunshine in the early morning had never bothered my sleep to continue dreaming, but there was only one thing; I hated having heard a sound always kicking, wounding and tearing my ears apart. The earsplitting sound which blown my dream away makes me, sometimes, angry of it. However, even if it was annoying, it always be my duty to response the call. I woke and turned off the sound of my alarm, because its time to explore the world and found my future. Like a fireball, I grabbed my towel and went to bath until I felt the freezing sensation which turned off my fire and frozen me to death. Doubts filled me and made me think twice to do my exploring, maybe I should sleep again or I shouldn’t have to wake, but I couldn’t loose to this doubts and to beat this freezing water was a must!

I started my journey to explore the world, I went to my campus. After those troubles I had, the freezing water and the sound of my alarm, I arrived but couldn’t find any space at the parking lot, even a tiny space. I was stressed, need fifteen minutes just to find the space, but it was the registration week that made it a full house, then I couldn’t imagine how full my campus will be. I came to my department after parking my bike, saw my schedule and then attended the class. It was a lovely day that I could see my friends again after our holiday, it had been three months, then we had a chit chat and other things which we always do.

Miss Brill

Although it was so brilliantly fine the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light like white wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques Miss Brill was glad that she had decided on her fur. The air was motionless, but when you opened your mouth there was just a faint chill, like a chill from a glass of iced water before you sip, and now and again a leaf came driftingfrom nowhere, from the sky. Miss Brill put up her hand and touched her fur. Dear little thing! It was nice to feel it again. She had taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes. "What has been happening to me?" said the sad little eyes. Oh, how sweet it was to see them snap at her again from the red eiderdown! . . . But the nose, which was of some black composition, wasn't at all firm. It must have had a knock, somehow. Never mind a little dab of black sealing−wax when the time came-when it was absolutely necessary . . . Little rogue! Yes, she really felt like that about it. Little rogue biting its tail just by her left ear. She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it. She felt a tingling in her hands and arms, but that came from walking, she supposed. And when she breathed, something light and sad no, not sad, exactly something gentle seemed to move in her bosom.

There were a number of people out this afternoon, far more than last Sunday. And the band sounded louder and gayer. That was because the Season had begun. For although the band played all the year round on Sundays, out of season it was never the same. It was like some one playing with only the family to listen; it didn't care how it played if there weren't any strangers present. Wasn't the conductor wearing a new coat, too? She was sure it was new. He scraped with his foot and flapped his arms like a rooster about to crow, and the bandsmen sitting in the green rotunda blew out their cheeks and glared at the music. Now there came a little "flutey" bit very pretty! a little chain of bright drops. She was sure it would be repeated. It was; she lifted her head and smiled.

Me & You

Pertengkaran atau perselisihan dalam setiap hubungan apapun pasti ada. Orang bijak bilang "pertengkaran membangun ikatan", mungkin sebetulnya justru mempertanyakan ikatan itu sendiri. 

Aku yakin pertengkaran muncul karena masing-masing miliki ego untuk diakui. Pertemanan yang berlanjut pada persahabatan pasti pernah memiliki sedikitnya pertengkaran, meski tidak hebat. Keluarga dan kekasih juga memiliki resiko pertengkaran yang tidak bisa dihindarkan. Hanya saja yang membedakan adalah sikap dan perasaan apa yang muncul setelah pertengkaran itu.

Aku selalu ingin menang, kau pun begitu. Aku keras, kau coba melunakkan. Aku sedih, kau coba menghiburku. Aku sibuk, kau terkadang tidak bisa membantuku. Aku terlalu sensitif, kau kesal tapi mencoba memahami. Aku lemah, kau coba menguatkan. Lalu ada waktunya semua itu berubah dan kau menuntut hal yang sama yang pernah kau berikan padaku.