Emen, The Positive and Kind Seller

Emen, The Positive and Kind Seller

by Faris Hardiyan

Emen, it was the nickname he got when he decided to start selling fried rice in a no longer used public telephone area near the security post at a crowded housing complex called Jatiagung. He forgot why the resident started to call him “emen”, but he is okay with that. 

Emen was selling fried rice to the resident since 1996. At first he was moving around the complex offering his cuisine. Until 2000 he finally can opened his own food stall. He did everything for his food stall by his own. He prepared everything, and also cooked the cuisine by his own. 

Eventhough he sell his cuisine in a housing complex, he lives on a house with only two rooms and a lavatory at the outter area of the complex. He live with his wife, his children already got married and move to another place. For about one kilo meter from his house, live his brother that also sell fried rice for living. 

He is happy with his life. “I love my life. Living in a poor area doesn’t mean that I have to feel sad and regret my own life.” He said. 

The complex resident was happy with him. He is a nice person, and he likes to help other when there is some trouble with them. The funny and also a ironic part is he knows the resident better than the resident itself. He open his food stall from six pm to one or two am in the midnight, then about 8 to 9 pm, some elder men start to hanging out and gossiping on his stall or playing card on the security post. He said, “I even know this complex resident even better than the resident itself from the talk of those elder men. They like to gossiping other resident, just like elder woman.” That is why he likes to help others when they have some trouble. 

“I always try to see the good in everything. Because life isn’t that hard when I always see the good in everything and I never forget to always feel blessed and thank to God about what I have now.”

fhardiyan

The Moodbooster Coffee Shop

The Moodbooster Coffee Shop

Faris Hardiyan

            I wonder who can resist the freshness of Iced Cappucino after a long way drive home from campus or office? My mood was instantly cheered up when I put the straw to my lips and drink my Iced Cappucino at Gudang Rottie coffee shop after struggling the Jakarta’s road chaos. 

Front door of the shop

It has a perfect atmosphere for a coffee shop. The shop is quite small but cozy, they use yellow lamp as a lighting which also makes a comfortable atmosphere. The use of green color and some wooden part for the chair and the decoration was a pleasure for eyes to see.  With only about six table of four placed in the front and two tables of three placed near the kitchen provided by the shop, it makes me feel private.  For me, the perfect time to enjoy the shop’ atmosphere is after 6 pm.

  

As I entered the shop, I could smell the coffee aroma and also not-so-freshly-baked bread, which is another great addition to called this coffee shop is a perfect one. Either for doing assignment or even have a great-deep-quality-time with your friends and love one.  The waitress great me nicely then led me to my table, which make me feel appreciated as a customer.

The atmosphere of the shop.

The shop isn’t only sell coffee but they also sell bread as their main product. Eventhough I came there on the evening, I could see the well-prepared stack of various kinds of flavor of bread and also some muffin and brownies placed near the front door and cashier. There were also some cake placed neatly on the right side of the cashier.

As I enjoyed my fresh and moodboosting Iced Cappucino, I smell a freshly baked toast delivered to table next to me. Then, I Immediately ask the waitress what kind of toast was that. With a big smile and low voice she answered me, “it is a toast topped with ovomaltine, one of our champion in the menu.” Without thinking any longer, I decided to order that. For about ten minutes later, the waitress returned with another big smile saying, “The champ is coming.”

The ovomaltine toast

 I was lost for a second because of the smell of the toast. It was tempting. Then I eat my first sliced of the toast. The crunchiness of the bread blended with the chocolate from ovomaltine makes the toast taste even better. The bread is not too soft and also not too burnt. The toast instantly added to my favorite list. For about twenty thousand rupiah, it was a great deal for a-mouthwatering-and-delicious ovomaltine toast comparing with another shop that sell the same toast.

After taking a last sliced of my Toast and a last sipped of my Iced Cappucino, I was asking for the check to the waitress. She came to me with the check and a warm smile, saying “thank you,” and hoped I’d return. I definitely love to come back to this moodboosting coffee shop.

[Mid-term] Faris Hardiyan - The Sniper (Drama)

The Sniper

By Liam O’Flaherty

The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone throufh fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey. Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war.

On a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching. Beside him lay his riffle and over his shoulders were slung a pair of field glasses.

[Eat sandwich then drink a flask of whiskey and smoke his cigarette doubtly]

S          : [whispering to himself] I have to take out those bastard. [crawled away to the left of parapet]

[peered over the parapet] [bullet pass over his head]

S          : Damn! It almost hit my head. Those bastard are on the other side of this road.

He rolled over the roof to the chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew himself up behind it, until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There was nothing to be seen. His enemy was under cover.

[an armored car came across the bridge and advanced slowly up the street. It stop on the opposite side of the street, fifty yards ahead.]

S          : [heart beat faster] No, It was useless. My bullet won’t break those steel.

[From round the corner of a side street came an old woman, her head covered by a tattered shawl. She talk with the man in the turret of the car and pointing the roof where the sniper lay.]

[turret opened]

S          : I have to hit them! [raised his rifle and fired]

S          : I hit the woman. [saw woman fell with a shriek into the gutter]

[ A shot rang out from the opposite roof and hit the sniper]

S          : [dropped his riffle] ah, I’m hit!

[the blood was oozing through his sleeve, he crawled back to the parapet.]

S          : I couldn’t feel my left fore arm.

[take out his knife and ripped open the sleeve.]

S          : Ah! The bullet had loged the bone. It must have fractured it. [bent his arm below the wound and ground his teeth]

[broke the neck of iodine bottle and drip the bitter fluid into the wound. Placed to cotton to wadding over the wound and wrapped thee dressing over it and tied the ends with teeth.]

S          : It is better, but I still can’t feel my forearm. [close his eyes]

[Nursing his wounded]

S          : I have to leave this place before morning. If I want to escape safely, I have to make sure that those bastard dead. I have to hit him. [look to the oppossite roof] I can’t use my rifle, but I think I can use my revolver.

[took of his cap and placed it over the mozzle of his rifle. Then pushed the rifle slowly upwards until the caps was visible from the opposite side of the street]

[drop his left hand over the roof and let it hang lifelessly]

S          : This might make him think that I was hit. [drop the rifle then drag his hand to the roof]

[crawling to the left then peered up at the corner of the roof]

S          : It was a success. He think that he killed me because of the cap and the rifle fell. [standing before a row of chimney pots, looking across, with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky.]

[Smiled and lifted his revolver above the edge of the parapet.]

S          : It is a hard shot in the dim light, and my right hand won’t support me. [took a steady aim with a trembled hand.]

[took a deep breath then fired.]

S          : I hit him! [see his enemy rolled over the parapet then he cry of joy]

[took the whiskey flask from his pocket and emptied it at a draught.]

S          : I have to leave this place then talk to the commander about this. [picked up his revolver and put it in his pocket then crawled down]

[reached the laneway on the street]

S          : I wandered who was those man. That was a good shot! [peered around the corner into O’Connell street taking a risk going over to have a look at him]

In the upper part of the street there was heavy firing, but around here all was quiet.

[darted across the street with a machine gun tore up the ground around him with a hail of bullets, but he escaped.]

S              : [threw himself face downward beside the corpse]  That was a lucky moment! I wondered who is this man [turned over the dead body then shocked] Oh my god, I killed my own brother.

Fhardiyan

[Mid-term] Faris Hardiyan - Smile (Poem)

Smile

You don't have to cry.
You don't have to lie.
You just have to smile.

Smile to their lie.

fhardiyan

Drama: The Sniper

The Sniper

By Liam O’Flaherty

The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone throufh fleecy clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey. Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns roared. Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war.

On a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching. Beside him lay his riffle and over his shoulders were slung a pair of field glasses.

[Eat sandwich then drink a flask of whiskey and smoke his cigarette doubtly]

S          : [whispering to himself] I have to take out those bastard. [crawled away to the left of parapet]

[peered over the parapet] [bullet pass over his head]

S          : Damn! It almost hit my head. Those bastard are on the other side of this road.

He rolled over the roof to the chimney stack in the rear, and slowly drew himself up behind it, until his eyes were level with the top of the parapet. There was nothing to be seen. His enemy was under cover.

[an armored car came across the bridge and advanced slowly up the street. It stop on the opposite side of the street, fifty yards ahead.]

S          : [heart beat faster] No, It was useless. My bullet won’t break those steel.

[From round the corner of a side street came an old woman, her head covered by a tattered shawl. She talk with the man in the turret of the car and pointing the roof where the sniper lay.]

[turret opened]

S          : I have to hit them! [raised his rifle and fired]

S          : I hit the woman. [saw woman fell with a shriek into the gutter]

[ A shot rang out from the opposite roof and hit the sniper]

S          : [dropped his riffle] ah, I’m hit!

[the blood was oozing through his sleeve, he crawled back to the parapet.]

S          : I couldn’t feel my left fore arm.

[take out his knife and ripped open the sleeve.]

S          : Ah! The bullet had loged the bone. It must have fractured it. [bent his arm below the wound and ground his teeth]

[broke the neck of iodine bottle and drip the bitter fluid into the wound. Placed to cotton to wadding over the wound and wrapped thee dressing over it and tied the ends with teeth.]

S          : It is better, but I still can’t feel my forearm. [close his eyes]

[Nursing his wounded]

S          : I have to leave this place before morning. If I want to escape safely, I have to make sure that those bastard dead. I have to hit him. [look to the oppossite roof] I can’t use my rifle, but I think I can use my revolver.

[took of his cap and placed it over the mozzle of his rifle. Then pushed the rifle slowly upwards until the caps was visible from the opposite side of the street]

[drop his left hand over the roof and let it hang lifelessly]

S          : This might make him think that I was hit. [drop the rifle then drag his hand to the roof]

[crawling to the left then peered up at the corner of the roof]

S          : It was a success. He think that he killed me because of the cap and the rifle fell. [standing before a row of chimney pots, looking across, with his head clearly silhouetted against the western sky.]

[Smiled and lifted his revolver above the edge of the parapet.]

S          : It is a hard shot in the dim light, and my right hand won’t support me. [took a steady aim with a trembled hand.]

[took a deep breath then fired.]

S          : I hit him! [see his enemy rolled over the parapet then he cry of joy]

[took the whiskey flask from his pocket and emptied it at a draught.]

S          : I have to leave this place then talk to the commander about this. [picked up his revolver and put it in his pocket then crawled down]

[reached the laneway on the street]

S          : I wandered who was those man. That was a good shot! [peered around the corner into O’Connell street taking a risk going over to have a look at him]

In the upper part of the street there was heavy firing, but around here all was quiet.

[darted across the street with a machine gun tore up the ground around him with a hail of bullets, but he escaped.]

S              : [threw himself face downward beside the corpse]  That was a lucky moment! I wondered who is this man [turned over the dead body then shocked] Oh my god, I killed my own brother.

Fhardiyan

The Monkey and The Crocodile

On one evening, a clever monkey was jumping from one branch to another on his tree that bore juicy, red rose apples. He was very happy. Suddenly, a crocodile swam up to that tree and told the monkey that he had traveled a long distance and was in search of food as he was very hungry. The kind monkey offered him a few rose apples. The crocodile enjoyed the fruit very much and asked the monkey for some more fruit. The generous monkey agreed.

The crocodile returned to the monkey for several days. As the time goes by, they became very good friends. They discussed anything that they have passed. Their lives, their friends and family. The crocodile told the monkey that he had a wife and they lived on the other side of the river. So the kind monkey offered him some extra rose apples to take home to his wife. The crocodile’s wife loved the rose apples, then her husband will bring her that apples every day.

Meanwhile, the friendship between the monkey and the crocodile become stronger as they spent more and more time together. The crocodile’s wife started getting jealous with the monkey. Her husband tried to convince her that he and the monkey shared a true friendship. But then the crocodile’s wife comes up with and idea and said, “if the monkey lived on a diet of rose monkeys, his flesh would be very sweet.” So she asked the crocodile to invite the monkey to their house.

The crocodile was not happy about her idea.

“It would be difficult to get the monkey across the river, honey.” Said the crocodile.

But his wife wanted to eat the monkey’s flesh. So she thought of a plan. One day, she pretended to be very ill and told the crocodile that the doctor said that she would only recover if she ate a monkey’s heart. If her husband wanted to save her life, he must bring her his friend’s heart.

The crocodile was in a dilemma. On the one hand, he loved his friend. On the other, he could not possibly let his wife die.

Then the crocodile went to the rose apple tree and tried to invite the monkey to come home to meet his wife. He told the monkey that he could ride across the river on the crocodile’s back. Then the monkey agreed. As they reached the middle of the river, the crocodile began to sink. The frightened monkey asked the crocodile “why did you do that?” .

“I would have to kill you, buddy. I want to save my wife’s life. The doctor said that she have to eat Monkey’s heart.” Said crocodile.

The clever monkey told him that he would give up his heart to save the the crocodile’s wife life, but he had left his heart behind in the rose apple tree. He asked the crocodile to turn back so that the monkey could go get his heart from the apple tree.

The silly crocodile quickly swam back to the rose apple tree. The monkey jumped up the tree to a safe place.

“Tell your wife, she had married the biggest fool in the world.” Said Monkey.

edited by Faris Hardiyan

Strong

Strong.

You don't have to cry.
You don't have to lie.
You just have to smile.

Smile to their lie.

Don't let them drown your voice.

Don't let them thrown your confidence.

You just have to be strong.

FHardiyan.

Old-Fashioned-Pairs

Old-Fashioned-Pairs.

The wind blows hard

as hard as life was

The leave fall down

just like people make others down.

Thank you

you are my best friend.

Thank you

for always be there.

Faris H.