A Short Update

I am sorry for leaving this blog for so long.

As you know, in the beginning of this semester, I have been accepted in college. Now I am studying International Relations Study in Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. It is one of the best university in Indonesia, if I am allowed to say, so thank God for letting me study here! I am trying making my best to survive in this academically-savage environment (hashtag LOL) so I think that gives you a kind of explanation of why couldn't I write anything in this blog.

Talking about college... 

I have been going through a lot of changes, mainly deals with adapting in college life. College really is different than high school. Every single thing, suddenly, is getting serious: you are expected to be perfect so you have to be perfect, no excuses. That is what I meant with academically-savage: you fail and you will fall. Yet at the same time, you have to cope dealing with a lot of people from various backgrounds and characters. Unfortunately this is not always a pleasant thing as sometimes, their opinion are exactly your opposite, one thing that often leads you sighing and say, "I have never thought that there are such people in the world." And a whole lot of individualism. Not merely because people grown more individualist but because the studying environment in my department itself pressured you to be original and therefore, individual.

I am not saying that these things are bad as I have already accepted, since long ago, that these are things that I would deal in college; but, yes, at the beginning, these drastically different environment shocked me a lot. At certain point, this was depressing. It was actually not as horrible as it may sounds, only that it let me not to do certain things I like. Assignments, insecurity, adaptation, high-school nostalgia, they did really took my time. The fact that I could not write nor create any artistic project is the hardest thing to be coped with, in my opinion. But well, that's life, you cannot have everything you want, you have to sacrifice some. So then I chose to take it as a kind of sacrifice so things are a kind of worth it; and though I haven't been totally adapting nor coping with the hardships of college life, I think I can say that things are finally getting pretty well.

But yet I still do miss writing and artworking! So here I am finally, writing an update for you, dear Readers, simply because I couldn't bear not to write anything. I will start to write again soon (just wait for the coming posts) and currently I am working on another artistic project. I am hoping that before this month ends we will see another two art projects in this blog (yes, I am that hungry for art). We are going to work on my label, Boadicea, again this season, which is full of flowers and roses! You can start checking them out on mainly my Instagram and the newly-made Boadicea's Instagram account.

I think I have said more than I should have said, so that's it. See you really soon, Readers, I cannot wait to see you soon!

Love,

#ARTproject: Asian Roses (Prologue)

I think, I have to apologize, first.

This photoshoot was supposed to be posted at May; but due to some scheduling conflict (well, actually, that was just me being busy doing stuffs) I had to postpone this until today. Gosh, three months! But I do hope that this was worthy.

ARTproject stands for Akib, Risa, Tanaya project. This project was actually a spontaneous idea that I got last year. Remember the 'Someday, Today.' post? Well, I was really inspired by friends to create a fashion photography portofolio. I knew that it was crazy to create such things when I was preparing my final exam; but, I mean, hell, who cares? I only young once and if I start things too late, it's over.

So I contacted my best-partner-in-crime-ever, Risa. We went to the same junior high school, but we only knew each other at high school, when we joined school theatre performance and got partnering character. Well, that was it, I think: since then, I never was able to find any other working partner who could understand my artistic vision and desires. She is really talented, mostly when it comes to make my dreams come true. 

We talked about this project and when she was in, it means that this project just got its green light, yeay! We then looked for our first model (as of course, we can't afford any professional model). So we asked our dear friend Dwinda which is just another talented figure. She was a dancer, have been representing our province in many cultural events and competition, yet she is a very warm-hearted person, so we knew that any failur in this experiment wouldn't annoy her so much, hahaha. She agreed to join this project, so it was the time to do the deed.

For the costume, we borrowed many things from our school theatre, Jubah Macan; our friends; and personal wardrobe from my cousin and my mother's (credit goes to Arum, Acha, and Mbak Hanna). We got some troubles finding the location to shoot as there was no way we could afford any studio. But we got generous help from our beloved friend Kezia. She invited us to her house, a big house in the middle of the country. We went there in the middle of this huge rain by motorcycle (such an amazing fact that we could keep the camera, lighting, and tripod dry).

Risa did the whole makeup, I did the styling. The shoot went really well, finished with a well-dining, too, sponsored by Kezia (Thankyou!). You can check the behind-the-scene sneak peek here.

I did the whole digital imaging for the photographs. It took me almost three months to work on it as I was so busy with the national exam preparation. Actually, I almost didn't finish it; until we got another generous help from our juniors. So the tenth-grade students were holding our school's annual art exhibition, the DedicArt, and they offered a special room for us to present the ARTproject.  Gosh! We would be very stupid to miss such ultra-generous offer, so we finished the whole thing. We did any other third-grade-student-facing-final-exam can do to showcase their artwork in only 24 hours; but we did it, afterall. We were so glad to tell you that our friends and teachers reacted well to our showcase. Here's some pathetic shots of some parts of the showcase. (Huge thanks to my cool bro Alvin, beloved Nora, Nicky, and DedicArt team!)

The next month, we were so busy preparing things for college; and as you can read in my previous post, I was busy for some other stuffs, too. But now, we will not neglect you no more, readers. We humbly ask your forgiveness that you could only see the ARTproject now! Nevertheless, we will be more than glad to have your critics and opinions; so we dearly ask you Readers to give some comments about the artwork after we posted it.

Thankyou, and enjoy!

PS: The #ARTproject "ASIAN ROSES" will be posted tomorrow, July 21st, 2013, inthis blog.

Update: (Not) An April's Fool

So, we have finally come to April!

This will only be a short post, however, as I will face national test to graduate from high-school. It will be held at April 15th to 18th. Don't worry, I will write things again as soon as possible after the test has been done!

But to pay my late and coming absence from the blogosphere, here is some of our updates.

So we will have a big makeover (again) in coming months. One of the updates will be a bigger font as I have received many suggestions about it. I am welcome to opinions, so here you go, Readers, your request is approved! Tell me which one do you like, by the way, the small one or the bigger one. 

Anyway, what is the other makeover? Well, I will not tell you any for now! Just wait until next semester and see the total result (or you might want to see some teaser by checking the Twittersphere and see how our hashtag has changed!)

I am also proud to tell you that we have started other projects. I have started a fashion project with my long-time artistic partner, Arivina Risa, titled Boadicea. Boadicea is expected to be a premium fashion line, creating custom-made dresses and suits for our customers based on requests. Our style will combine haute-couture tastes with pret-a-porter simplicity. We are currently working on Boadicea's pilot project and campaign for Fall/Winter 2013. Further information about the label will be given soon; but if you are interested and want to book our dress, or just want to ask some questions, you can call me by e-mail or BlackBerry Messenger (the addres can be seen in my Twitter account).

The second project is the #HeavenUnlimited campaign. You might have read my post Bordered Vision which criticizing the limitations of sky-seeing caused by electric wires. I am intended to make poeple appreciate our heaven better, so to make it real, I have been posting pictures of our sky in this blog and also in my Twitter account. We will talk more about the project soon, but you still can start joining the campaign from this very second!

The last one, we are very proud to announce you that the teaser trailer for #ARTproject has been officially released! The video was made by our brilliant artist, Ms Arivina Risa, cathing moments when we shot the scene. You will still have to wait until next month to see the final editorial, however; but until then, please enjoy the teaser video below while you wait in anticipation!

Have a marvelous, April, everyone!

***

The teaser video of the #ARTproject, "ASIAN ROSES":

Model : Dwinda Tanaya
Costume : Akib Aryou and Arivina Risa
Make Up Artist : Arivina Risa
Photographer : Akib Aryou
Videographer : Arivina Risa
Location: Kezia Juwita's Home
Music: Princess of China by Coldplay ft. Rihanna

#ARTproject (1).

So I just started a photography project which currently will only be known as #ARTproject. The word 'ART' stands for 'Aryou, Risa, Tanaya'. This is a collaboration between me and my long-time artististic soulmate, Arivina Risa. We had our school friend, Dwinda Tanaya, as our model. She is a dancer and was chosen as Jogjakarta's Student's Art Ambassador. 

The project was started at January 2013 and will still continue. Because we are going to have National Exam then applying for college, I think this project will took months to finish. Stay updated with #ARTproject's latest news from this blog and our Twitter accounts. You can also lend some hands in the project, in wardrobe or any other part; we will credit you later when the project finished.

Just wait for the roses to bloom... #ARTproject

Controversy Controversy (Prologue)

So, this post is a response to the controversy about me that arised in the end of January.

I was using one of the photos in my about-to-be-published photography portfolio as my Twitter ava, which then led into arguments. Most people discussed about the use of makeup and my choice of being topless. Some of my friends supported my courage, stating that it was my artistic freedom and nothing is provocating from my picture. But many are criticizing the way I took the picture, deemed it was inappropriate for a high-school student and potential for triggering perversion.

I had discussed the deed with my closest friends in different perspectives and from that, I could understand the controversy better. I will not condemn my critics as I truly believe in freedom of speech (which applies in everyone, including them) but I will not keep being silent at all. So hereby my explanation.

The pictures was meant for artistic purposes only and not for any other purpose. The sole reason of why did I take the photograph topless was because I felt more comfortable in expressing myself and my movements without any shirt, since I have no skin-tight clothes. I am proud of my body and its shape, regardless its flaws and imperfections, a principle that I have held for so long. I have never talked about this case but trust me, I am not promoting nudity and still have a full respect towards boys and girls who cover temselves.

I also have to say that I am completely sorry for those who had been uncomfortable with the ava pictures and completely gratituous to those who respected my choice. I know some of you guys, contrary to me, were unfamiliar with such pictures nor ever had any acquintances who did such shoot. But I will be more thank you guys if you can understand that the photoshoot was not something 'uncommon' for me and I would never thought that it was inappropriate.

So, for those, who demands that the pictures are pornographic or plain pervert, trust me: I am not that type of guy. I do not believe in such cheap self-promotion of selling breasts and butts for sexual arousal tendencies and I will never do such. What I am trying to say is that there is a big difference between Paris Hilton's A Night In Paris with Rooney Mara's The Girl With the Dragoon Tattoo. Please differ pornography from art as both are two different substance.

Thank you for respecting each of our choices and may this helped us broaden our perspectives.

With all my respect and love,

Akib Aryou.

~

Checkout this blog at February 9th, 2013, to see my next photoshoot, 'Controversy'.

Akibaryou, NOW.

Welcome to akibaryou.blogspot.com,

the officially renewed akibbernyanyi.blogspot.com!

Well, this is exciting! Finally the voting time is over. I want to thank you guys who have taken your time to read and vote; and for encouraging mentions in Twitter. I feel honoured to have your compliments. Your supports are priceless! For those who have given their critiques, thank you for your wise opinions, I will note that :)

So, as you can see, the vote have answered the question. This blog's URL is officially changed to akibaryou.blogspot.com! I promise that I will post more, at least constantly. Also, as what I have said in the last post, I will post my first photoshoot experimentin 19.00 GMT+8. I hope this photoshoot will only be the first, as I am going to have some other experiments this holiday season.

In the end, thank you so much for your votes! Keep on reading A Warehouse and follow the blog! Check out me on Twitter, also.

Thank you and have a great holiday!

Akibbernyanyi, Akibaryou.

If you guys pay attention carefully, you will find out that this blog's URL is no longer akibbernyanyi.blogspot.com; but had been changed to  akibaryou.blogspot.com.

Yes, it is now all 'Akib Aryou'. With the change, I finally answer my question in 'Comeback. No?'. I was questioning myself: will I continue this blog; or shut it down and start a new one? But months had passed since; and at that time, I had myself thinking. I always embrace my history. What I am today is a metamorphosis of that then-me.

This blog is the record. I had started this blog at 2008, when I was in the 8th grade. At the time, it was named 'Gudang Saya' which means 'My Warehouse'. My old posts, when I read that again lately, was totally, in Indonesian, alay. Corny and cheesy. I remember that I said to myself, 'Crap, how could I make such silly posts?'

But, that was my history. I was silly, I was corny; I was cheesy. That is a part of my history that I cannot erase. Moreover, I realized that I don't want to erase it. Why? Because I want to remind myself who I was; and how I changed, slowly, through years that came. I ever said to my bestie, "We need alay to overcome." We need to be awful, to make mistakes; so we learn to be good, to do something right.

First posts of 'Gudang Saya' maybe are some of the worst posts in the blogosphere. But since that, I have learned how to write better. Though I started it with no focus, it helped me to build my own point and expanding my perspective; and with that, creating my own style. I changed and this blog helped me to. It will be totally ungratituous to shut this blog down and erase all records of my teenage metamorphosis. So I have decided: I am keeping this blog and will continue writing. 

***

Yet, I know that this blog need to be renewed. Neither of 'Gudang Saya' nor 'Akib Bernyanyi' reflect the way I am today. We need to refresh this warehouse! And I am not a stranger to the word 'makeover'. Even since junior high school, I developed a public personality which first known as Rococo Hearts. Since that, the alter ego had gradually metamorphosed.

2010, as Rococo Hearts.

 2011, as Rococo Vanguard.

2012, better known as Vanguard.

Now, we are heading to 2013, and this blog needs to be renewed. But how it will be renewed? What wil be the name?

I looked back to the late years. Since 2011, I became the high-school announcer in JogjaFamily Radio for the teenage program Zona Pelajar (click JogjaStreamers for radio streaming). When I first joined the radio, my program producer, Kak Dira, asked me, what will me my nickname for the program?

I started to think quickly. I knew that I will not use any of 'Rococo' nor 'Vanguard' as my nickname. That would sounds strange yet unfamiliar. Somehow, I wanted to embrace my original name, too. I wanted to be recognized by people who had known me before I joined the radio. I mixed my original name and that's it: Akib Aryou. This may sounds narcisstic, but I love that name. I want to keep my history, but I want to give it my latest touch. I am not going to destroy a temple; I am retouching it. With the name, I did not leave my original name; it is just being refreshed and given a dynamic touch. I use that as my radio nickname and in every designs, every artwork that I made since.

***

So it had been decided: I will use the name for my blog. The times of akibbernyanyi.blogspot.com had gone. It is now the time for akibaryou.blogspot.com. 

2013. Akib Aryou.

It will mark a new beginning for this blog as I am going to revitalize this A Warehouse. I will post articles more often and you can expect that at least, there will be a new post every month. Also, I had found my answer for Someday, Today post. The most important thing is not starting things big; but start things now. So, next year I am going to experiment more on making photoshoots by adding a new type of article labeled as Photoshoot.

Still, I am open to opinions. I know that not all of you agree of the URL's change, so I will be happy to know your opinions on it. If you support the change, please mark the 'keren' block on the Reactions panel below this post. If you disagree with the change, please mark the 'aneh' block instead. You can also add your comment for further explanations. The voting will be closed at Wednesday, December 26th, marked with the publication of my first photoshoot. (Just don't get shocked when it have been posted, please, hahaha.)

Well, that is the end of the story. Please forgive me if this long, long post bores you. But still, vote your opinion, please. :)

Thank you for your time and attention. The voting is officially opened! :)

Resolusi Tahun Baru

Januari 2011 sudah habis separuh dan saya baru menuliskan resolusi tahun baru saya. Beberapa orang akan berkata, "Hey, kau terlambat." Namun, saya percaya bahwa untuk bermimpi dan berubah tidak pernah terlambat.

Jadi, mengenai resolusi 2011...

Membahas mengenai resolusi 2011, tidak lepas dari hal-hal yang telah saya lakukan di tahun 2010. Harus saya akui bahwa saya mengalami banyak perubahan di tahun 2011. Pergantian dari SMP ke SMA, tidak dapat dipungkiri, adalah sebuah transisi yang amat berpengaruh dalam kehidupan saya. Ada banyak keputusan yang harus diambil, ada banyak perubahan yang harus dibuat.

Sejujurnya, 2010 adalah tahun yang sangat berat bagi saya. Ada banyak tekanan dari berbagai aspek kehidupan saya yang benar-benar merobohkan pondasi benteng kehidupan saya. Dinding-dinding yang saya bangun selama 16 tahun kehidupan saya remuk redam, tercerabut hingga ke akar-akarnya. Saya benar-benar mengalami apa yang orang-orang sebut “rollercoaster phase”—diangkat setinggi-tingginya, kemudian dihunjamkan ke tanah. Saya seperti orang hilang—tanpa arah, tanpa tujuan, tanpa teman, tanpa pedoman.

Di tahun 2010, saya benar-benar kehilangan pegangan.

Tetapi, justru kini saya menyadari bahwa penghancuran tersebut penting. Benteng perlindungan saya memang perlu dirobohkan. Mengapa? Karena kini saya sudah berada di dunia yang jauh berbeda dari dunia saya 15 tahun lalu: saya berada di ambang dunia kedewasaan, di mana saya harus meninggalkan semua proteksi imajinasi masa kecil dan melangkah menghadapi dunia nyata. Saya harus keluar dari rumah kerang saya, saya harus pergi dari benteng saya; semua agar saya benar-benar tumbuh menjadi manusia dewasa sebijaksana dan sematang mungkin.

2010 adalah perobohan. 2011 adalah pembangunan kembali. Tahun ini adalah tahun megatransisi. Di tahun inilah saya akan—dan harus—membangun pondasi bagi bentuk saya di masa-masa mendatang. Sekarang saya harus mematangkan segala pembelajaran yang saya dapatkan selama 1994-2010 serta mengadaptasikannya dalam kehidupan saya yang baru.

Oleh karena itu, langkah pertama yang saya lakukan untuk mengawali pembangunan benteng saya adalah dengan mengosongkan resolusi 2011 saya.

Saya membuat begitu banyak resolusi di 2010. Beberapa berhasil; namun, banyak yang tidak. Bukan berarti saya tidak mensyukuri pencapaian-pencapaian saya, yang tidak bisa dibilang sederhana. Namun, memang itu kenyataannya. Ironis bahwa, sekarang, saya menyadari bahwa hal-hal tersebut tidak terkabul justru karena saya terlalu memikirkannya; membicarakannya; mengejarnya. Istilah gamblangnya, menjadikan mimpi saya tersebut beban—sesuatu yang amat bertentangan dengan kepribadian saya sebagai manusia bebas. Maka, alam bawah sadar saya menentangnya; dan tiada tercapailah mimpi-mimpi tersebut.

Maka saya memutuskan untuk membiarkan semuanya mengalir. Saya akan membuat berbagai rencana, saya akan menjalani berbagai kegiatan; namun, saya tidak akan mematok apapun. Just live it. Jalani apapun sesuai arusnya. Ibaratnya, saya tidak ingin melihat sejauh apa garis finish saya dan menargetkan waktu yang harus saya habiskan. Saya hanya akan berlari menyusuri rute saya, melakukan apapun semampu saya, dan baru melihat hasilnya di akhir. Saya akan membuang semua ambisi. Saya tidak ingin terbebani oleh standar perfeksionisme saya lagi.

Dan saya akan berhenti membiarkan orang lain mendistraksi saya. Tidak, saya akan menjadi diri saya sendiri kali ini. Saya yang akan memilih pilihan hidup saya; saya yang akan menjalaninya. Orang-orang boleh menggugat, mengkritik, dan menyarankan ribuan opini—itu hak mereka. Tetapi, kali ini, saya yang akan mengeksekusi semuanya.

I am the single player in my stage. Nobody shall rain in my parade. And if that makes me a bitch, then so what? Madonna said, “I'm tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.” If that is the definition of a bitch, then I have been a bitch since I was born—and I am willing to be a bitch until the day I die.

Itulah resolusi 2011 saya. Sebuah kesederhanaan. Hanya sebuah cita-cita dan komitmen, tanpa embel-embel yang membebani.

Untuk menjadi bebas.

Tampilan Baru, Tampilan Lama; Bagus yang Mana?

Bienvenue.

Bagi para pembaca yang sudah pernah mengunjungi blog saya sebelumnya, mungkin sedikit terkejut dengan perubahan layout. Ya, saya sudah mengganti layout lama saya. Mengapa? Alasannya sederhana saja: saya ingin mencoba sesuatu yang baru. Bukan berarti saya sudah bosan dengan layout yang lama. Saya hanya ingin bereksperimen.

Pada awalnya saya mencari-cari template yang bagus dari sebuah situs template bernama BlogSkins. Ada beberapa template yang saya akui unik dan menarik. Namun, meskipun dari segi artistik memang indah, templates tersebut tidak memenuhi kriteria template blog yang saya butuhkan.

Mengapa? Hanya ada dua alasan. Pertama, dari segi lebar wadah tulisan. Bagi saya blog adalah tempat untuk menuangkan imajinasi; dan saya setuju sepenuhnya dengan apa yang dikatakan Ms Dewi Lestari dalam tulisan terbarunya, Nge-blog: Perjalanan Panjang Dengan Hati: Bahwa yang paling penting dari blog adalah isinya. Bukan tampilannya, yang sebenarnya hanyalah aksesori.
Oleh karena itu saya kecewa saat mendapati bahwa templates tersebut memberi ruang yang sangat kecil bagi tulisan. Mereka justru menonjolkan hiasan-hiasan yang remeh temeh daripada tulisan! Betapa kecewanya saya. Maka, karena saya tidak ingin mengedepankan tampilan unik dan antik, namun mengorbankan kenyamanan dalam membaca tulisan, saya pun batal menggunakan templates tersebut.

Alasan kedua, dari segi kepraktisan. Seperti yang sudah saya sebut kebanyakan tersebut menonjolkan keindahan--serta, sejujurnya, keramaian. Betapa banyak fitur-fitur dan aksesori unik dalam templates yang saya temui. Misalnya, profile harus dibuka dengan menyibak kumpulan kancing warna-warni; bahkan ada yang blognya justru disembunyikan. Apa gunanya membuat blog bila tidak untuk dibaca, coba?

Oleh karena dua alasan utama tersebut, serta mungkin beberapa alasan sampingan yang saya sendiri tidak menyadarinya, saya memilih menggunakan template resmi Blogger untuk diaplikasikan dalam blog saya. Karena seperti yang seharusnya sudah saya sadar, Blogger sangat menyadari apa guna blog; dan oleh karena itu, templates mereka lebih memperhatikan kenyamanan membaca daripada pamer aksesori.

Saya, tentu saja, tidak tahu apakah layout saya lebih bagus daripada yang lama. Oleh karena itu, pembaca lah yang seharusnya menentukan. Vote Polling saya di sebelah kanan blog untuk evaluasi saya. Saya akan sangat berterimakasih atas pendapat yang pembaca berikan. Bukankah ini semua juga demi kenyamanan Anda membaca?

PS:

Minggu depan, akan diadakan ulangan umum kenaikan kelas di sekolah saya. Oleh karena itu, dengan tulus, saya meminta doa dari pembaca, agar saya bisa mendapatkan nilai yang memuaskan, naik ke kelas 9, serta memperoleh peringkat tinggi pula di kelas dan sekolah (AMIN!).

Terima kasih atas perhatiannya, saudara dan saudari Pembaca.

-akib-

Obituari

Kemarin, tanggal 20 Mei 2008, kita semua lihat kalau di televisi, sekitar pukul 19.00 WIB, semua channel-nya menyiarkan satu acara yang sama: Perayaan Hari Kebangkitan Nasional. Tempatnya di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno, kalau nggak salah. Perayaannya rame... banget: ada tarian tradisional, pertunjukkan drum band, de el el.

Tapi, pasti ada yang luput dari perhatian kalian semua. Kalau kalian lihat channel Indosiar atau MetroTV, di news banner-nya, ada dua berita mengejutkan. Pertama-tama, soal meninggalnya Ali Sadikin, manta Wali Kota Jakarta, yang jasanya jelas sangat berharga. Tapi yang paling mengejutkan ialah meninggalnya SK Trimurti. Yang sudah kelas 6, jelas tahu dong, siapa beliau. SK Trimurti merupakan istri dari pengetik naskah proklamasi Indonesia, Sayuti Melik.

Selain itu, ada juga hal lain yang dikesampingkan. Jangan lupa, Indonesia sedang berada dalam zaman keterpurukannya, kalau aku boleh bilang. Bencana di mana-mana; angka kemiskinan melonjak; BBM naik; serta tragedi klise lainnya yang kuping sampai bosan ndengerin.

Poin yang mau aku sampaikan, tidakkah perayaan ini merupakan sebuah paradoks yang sempurna? Sebuah pesta besar, dengan biaya yang pastilah mahal sekali, hanya untuk bersenang-senang dan mempertontonkan kebanggaan negara--sementara, di luar stadion, dua pahlawan bangsa meregang nyawa, dan berjuta-juta rakyat Indonesia menjerit meminta perhatian para pejabat.

Memang, perayaan ini mungkin bisa menumbuhkan nasionalisme--tapi, sekali lagi, mungkin. Tapi, bukannya lebih berguna bagi para pejabat negara, serta presiden, untuk memikirkan negara, beban yang diemban mereka semua? Semua orang memang butuh refreshing. Tapi, seharusnya, dalam kondisi sulit di Indonesia, yang lebih dibutuhkan adalah tindakan, bukan sekadar deklarasi atau janji, yang ibaratnya "masuk telinga kiri keluar telinga kanan".

Nah, pertanyaanku bagi kamu yang membaca blog ini, menurutmu apa itu hari Kebangkitan Nasional? Apa maknanya bagimu? Hari libur biasa, untuk "refreshing"; atau justru kalian lebih bijak, dengan memaknainya lebih dalam?

Karena sesungguhnya, makna dari hari Kebangkitan Nasional adalah kebangkitan dari para rakyatnya, generasi mudanya--karena generasi muda adalah penggerak bangsa. Generasi mudalah yang bisa melahirkan ide-ide baru; generasi mudalah yang bisa menciptakan inovasi; generasi mudalah yang bisa menciptakan revolusi. Meskipun pemerintahan kita mungkin dikuasai oleh para pejabat yang tergolong sudah (maaf) tua, tetapi bukan berarti kita lalu begitu saja menyerahkannya pada mereka itu. Sebab, dengan begitu, jelas Indonesia akan selalu tertinggal, karena tidak ada inovasi dalam sistem yang jadul.

Oleh sebab itu, maknailah Kebangkitan Nasional dengan ini: bahwa Kebangkitan Nasional berarti adalah kebangkitan para generasi muda dalam memperjuangkan Indonesia, demi membangkitkan kebanggan tanah air kita yang telah lama tertidur dalam kekunoan.