Refreshment in a boring holiday

18 July 2005, Refreshing time...
6.57, Went to schipol for the 2nd time this month. Went there to drop Rino who went back to Indonesia, and to get his zomertour ticket (actually that was my main reason...).

11.04, Went to Den Haag for the 3rd time this month. Went there to arrange Joe's passport renewal, I think the officer remember me so well now.

13.30, In the train to Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, place for the famous Van Gogh Museum, and Rijk Museum. A place for the coffee shops and red light district, which make Amsterdam a unique city in Europe.

15.00, Van Gogh Museum. Astonishing pieces of art are inside that museum. Almost all of Van Gogh works are inside it... Unfortunately "the stary night" is still in New York. I thought they would bring it to Amsterdam because there was an exhibition "Van Gogh Masterpiece" (New York + Amsterdam). I saw the great 'evolution' of Van Gogh's work, from realism to impresionism in the exhibition and as I passed by Van Gogh's paintings and letter, I began to realize that he was a genius with great idealism.

18.30, Madam Tussaud locket. I would like to go in, but the ticket price was crazy... 23 euro per person.. I started to bargain (as a chinese indonesian, I really know how to bargain), "15 euro for two person" I said.. And she replied me "Are you insane, what about 15 euro per person?". Hmmm... that still too much for me.. so I said "OK, make it 20 for both of us", and finally she gave up...

19.00, Madam Tussaud Museum. Interesting place, full of famous wax figure.
I feel good.. after my duet with James Brown. And Mr. Marley said to me "Don't worry about a thing, cos every little things is a gonna be alright"... Great advice... Then I met Fredy who told me "I want to break free...".
After I sang with those guys, I met the dutch royal family, shake hand with Vincent, say hi to Nelson, gave a kiss to J-Lo, sat in Julia's lap, and asked for "J.P 2 da Pope's" blessing..

21.00, In the train back to Enschede. Felt great and tired... Can't wait for a nice warm shower and then directly go to bed...

22.30, Enschede train station. Picked up my bike and went home.

BAMBUL

17 July 2005, 1 hour before midnight... We couldn't control our desire to satisfy our belly.
For your information, here in Enschede its really difficult to find an open store after 6 p.m.
We went to centrum with a hungry stomach, and a pocket full of money (joe's freezzzer money), in quest to find a Greek's restaurant.

We found Sirt*** Restaurant which we think it's cheap and also nice, but when we just entered, we were refused, they said that they were going to close soon. *!@$*%#@*... They judge us by our "fashion" (We wore sandals, t-shirt, and 3/4 pants). Well that's a big mistake for them... *%!*&%**!...

Since then we were looking for another restaurant. Right in front of it, there is BAMBUL restaurant, we thought that it has strange name and it must be very expensive and not nice, but once again, never judge from it's look, and our belly started to crumble again. So we just enter that restaurant.

We sat in four persons table, then we ordered the most expensive menu in the menu-list. Even the waitrees said "You can't finisih the menu by 2 of you, but you can always asked us to wrap it if there are still left." [skip]

It was a very big portion of meat [beef, pork, chicken, and lamb] ugh.... full of fat (its always tasty), we like it... We ate like an animal, see what happened before and after...



I'm too full and too sleepy to write more... Its 2.03 A.M. Time to rest..





(Picture 1 - The overview about BAMBUL, picture 2 - Veggies, picture 3 - Meats, picture 4 - After shock)

Behind the "Marketplace"

Some ppl ask me why I choose Marketplace as my blog name. Some says "it was OK when you want to sell something in your blog, but now your not selling anything".
In this topic I want to give the answer to those who are still wondering why I choose this name.

According to dictionary.com Marketplace are:

1. An open area or square in a town where a public market or sale is set up.
2. The world of business and commerce.
3. A situation or place in which values, opinions, and ideas are put forward for debate or recognition: a marketplace for new ideas; the literary marketplace.

Based on the third meaning, "Marketplace" is the perfect name for this blog. Its a place where I publish my opinions, ideas, poems, and lyric for public recognitions. So feel free to give comments and critics to this blog...

Any questions?

Grow Old With You

The Wedding Singer is one of my favourite movies. Simple, predictable, yet beatiful. This simple song made the movie perfect.

I wanna make you smile whenever you’re sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do is grow old with you

I’ll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

I’ll miss you
I’ll kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

I’ll need you
I’ll feed you
Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed if you’ve had too much to drink
I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you

Taken from the wedding singer's sound track,
lyric and music by Adam Sandler

Steve’s 3rd birthday

I wish I could seize the day
To be with you just for today
Although what I want is everyday
But for today, all I can say is Happy Birthday

Seandainya ku mampu menahan hari
Tuk ada di samping mu barang 1 hari
Walau yang ku mau itu seribu hari
Hari ini, ku hanya mampu ucapkan selamat ulang tahun

Andrew, Sorry I always miss your B-Day
Brugge, 27 June 2005

I've come home

Found it in the middle of my 'oret-oretan'
I think I made it in the end of 2002 or beginning of 2003..

I’m coming home…
The son who lost his way
Now back among the living
Lets take it back to the beginning

Father I’ve return
I’m sorry I was wrong
I feel so undeserving
After all I’ve done

I see Your open eyes
And I feel Your spirit rising on my chest
You’re the Father of forgiveness
I’ve come home

All I have is Yours
I don’t have much too give
But a heart that needs forgiving
The flesh is tired but the spirits willing

Father I’ve return
The one who left alone
You give me Your kingdom
And tell me it’s my own

I see Your open arms
I know I’ve found a place to rest
In the Father of forgiveness
I’ve come home

I’ve come home…

For Steve

For my youngest brother Steve

I wish there was a place to start again
Just blink and count to ten
In the land of beginning again

When no one knows the bad thing that you've done
The past is truly gone
In the land of beginning again

I love my brother more than my own life
We will play simple game
And all hard things are soft as rain

In the land of beginning again...

Andrew, made for my brother's birthday in 2004

Heart

.

Finally... After almost 2 months of works, my heart beat project is going to the right direction. Today I saw my heart in the computer screen...
Huhahaha... I can't stop laughing. It feel so good... Now I'm really
in a happy mood. Goodbye bad weekend... I don't really care anymore about my bike.
I'm glad I still have a heart, or at least a proper working heart.

Andrew, so happy and can't stop laughing...

Uncertain

Uncertainty… has no remedy
Like craving for a melody
From a voiceless symphony

Wordless… has no therapy
Don’t know what to say
In a temporary way

Lord, help me to find my remedy
Please give me Your therapy
And make me hear the beautiful symphony

Andrew, never knew I could feel so uncertain…
Sunday, June 19, 2005

Sunday

Sunday, what a terrible day…
Don’t know why it happened that day
Why can’t it be in other day?
Why in that bloody Sunday?

Can’t you pick another day?
Monday, Tuesday, or even Wednesday
Thanks, stadsweide in Enshede
You ruin my beautiful Sunday

Andrew, one bastard stole my lovely, full of memory bike
Sunday, June 19, 2005

Burning My Soul

A thorn in my side, a chip on my shoulder
A lump in my throat, the size of a boulder
The chill up my spine, can’t get any colder

I say it’s green and then you tell me it’s red
Keep your thoughts and ideas
Locked inside of your head

Twisting, turning
Losing all sense of yearning
Living and learning
The pressure keeps on burning my soul

Burning my soul...

Andrew, was in really bad mood yesterday

Ora che ho perso la vista ci vedo di più

Now that I'm blind, I can see much clearer

This sentence was in my head for a while.
Medically its a nonsense statement. But spiritually it isn't.
Have you ever tried to make yourself blind for a while?

Andrew, writing with a clear head. Udah gak error lagi.

'it(u)'

Don't know why, don't know how
Don't know where, don't know when

What can I, what should I?
How can I, how should I?
Where can I, where should I?
When can I, when should I?

Is this 'it'?
Am I in 'it'?

Tak tahu kenapa, tak tahu bagaimana
Tak tahu dimana, tak tahu kapan

Apa yang bisa ku, apa yang harus ku?
Bagaimana bisa ku, bagaimana harus ku?
Dimana bisa ku, dimana harus ku?
Kapan bisa ku, kapan harus ku?

Apakah ini 'itu'?
Apakah ku di dalam 'itu'?

Biar tambah error nih pake boso jowo sekalian

Ora ngerti opo, ora ngerti ngopo
Ora ngerti nang ndi, ora ngerti kapan

Opo sing iso aku, opo sing kudu ku?
Piye iso ku, piye kudu ku?
nang ngendi iso ku, nang ngendi kudu ku?
kapan iso ku, kapan kudu ku?

Opo iki 'iku'?
Opo aku nang njero 'iku'?

Nah lo tambah pusing aja kan bacanya.. hehehe
Andrew, yang lagi super error mikirin 'itu'.

Prelude

a prequel to Learning to Live

He seemed no different from the rest
Just a healthy normal boy
His mama always did her best
And he was daddy's pride and joy

He learned to walk and talk on time
But never cared much to be held
And steadily he would decline
Into his solitary shell

As a boy he was considered somewhat odd
Kept to himself most of the time
He would daydream in and out of his own world
But in every other way he was fine

He's a Monday morning lunatic
Disturbed from time to time
Lost within himself
In his solitary shell

A momentary maniac
With casual delusions
When will he be let out
Of his solitary shell

He struggled to get through his day
He was helplessly behind
He poured himself onto the page
Writing for hours at a time

He's a Monday morning lunatic
Disturbed from time to time
Lost within himself
In his solitary shell

A momentary maniac
With casual delusions
When will he be let out
Of his solitary shell

Learning To Love

A sequel to Learning to Live..

Sometimes morning comes too early and nighttime falls too late
Sometimes there is no time for pain, no energy for anger
And sometimes all I want to do is wait

They say, "Life is too short",
And "You're only given one shot"
But could there be more?
Have I lived in love before?

I may never find all the answers
I may never understand why
I may never prove what I know to be true
But I know that I still have to try

Once I reached for life
And now I reach for love

I was told there's a miracle for each day that I try
I was told there's a new love that's born for each one that has died
I was told there'd be someone to call on when I feel alone
I was told there'd be someone to call on when I feel afraid

I may never find all the answers
I may never understand why
I may never prove what I know to be true
But I know that I still have to try

Once I reached for life
And now I reach for love

Learning To Live

I look at the world and see no understanding
I'm waiting to find some sense of strength
I'm begging You from the bottom of my heart
to show me understanding

I need to live life
Like some people never will
So find me kindness
Find me beauty
Find me truth
When temptation brings me to my knees
And I lay here drained of strength
Show me kindness
Show me beauty
Show me truth

The way your heart sounds makes all the difference
It's what decides if you'll endure the pain that we all feel
The way your heart beats makes all the difference
In learning to live
Here before me is my soul
I'm learning to live
I won't give up till I've no more to give

Another chance to lift my life
Free the sensation in my heart
To ride the wings of dreams into changing horizons
It brings inner peace within my mind,
As I'm lifted from where I've spilt my life
I hear an innocent voice
I hear kindness, beauty and truth

The way your heart sounds
makes all the difference
It's what decides if you'll endure the pain that we all feel
The way your heart beats
makes all the difference
In learning to live
Spread before you is your soul
So forever hold the dreams within our hearts
Through nature's inflexible grace
I'm learning to live

Kembalilah

This is a song that I wrote with my Vocal Group while I was still in Yogyakarta. Last month I finally finished the lyric (english lyric still in final progress) with some help from my friend.

Kembalilah     M: Andrew/ L: Andrew, Merlyn

Verse:
Mengapa kau meninggalkan-Ku
Tak tahukah engkau..
Hidupmu sungguh sangat berharga
Dari sgalanya..

Mengapa kau kecewakan-Ku
Tak sadarkah engkau..
Hidupmu sungguh sangat berarti
Dari sgalanya..

Reff:
Kembalilah... <4x>
Dalam pelukan-Ku, dalam dekapan-Ku slalu...
Menunggumu

Please wait for the English translation, still strugling with it.

Music, music, and music

Sometimes I wonder, why my life is always full of music? Why am I always so excited about music? Why am I always want to learn more about music? Is it only me, or a lot of people feel the way I feel about music?
I always think to really change my study to be more serious about music, but the my parent always say "what will you earn as a musician in Indonesia, there is no future in music", and I totaly agree about that, because I know if you don't have any connection in high places you won't get any record label or something.
But after I came to Holland, I felt something different about being a musician. Being a musician is not about a record label, being a musician is not to be worshiped like a star or idols. Being a musician is just simply play the music that you like, satisfy yourself and the people near you with your music, learn more, grow more... Thats what music is all about. Right??
Now, I find myself learning more and more about music... and once again fall in love with it.

Food for the hungry soul...

Finally, after 1 and a 1/2 years I'm in Holland, I really got what I want. Last weekend (pentacost weekend) was the best weekend happend to me in this country.

We (4U band) went to Doordrecht to have a pentacost weekend. When I enter the church building, I didn't really have any special feeling (especially I was really hungry at that time, so thats the only thing I felt). But after the service started and we grabbed our music instrument, things really change... The support from the people... its unbelievable, for the first time in this country I really felt the spirit of God...

Sunday service was the best part... from 11 to 17.30, non stop praise and worship + lectures, and we didn't feel tired at all. Its really amazing when God did his work with people...

So finally, I got my food for my hungry soul...

Personal thanks to Jesus, all the people in 4U (Merlyn, Joe, Rihard and family, Arun, Cobby and Inneke), and of course the United Pentacostal Church in Doordrecth.