It’s Ramadhan—the fasting month—already, thank Lord. I’ve promised (and always have been) myself to make as much efforts as I’m possible to change myself for the better me, always. Last Ramadhan was just pretty okay, I suppose, as I didn’t really stick to my very own promise. It’s not about the whole fasting-from-food-and-drink thing. But it’s about the fasting from all of the willing and desire to do those ‘bad, naughty things’—you know, like lying, mad at others, saying names to others, and the list still goes on… (guess I’m good enough in listing these bad things…).

It, somehow, reminds me of my for-the-past-few-days contemplation or something. I accomplish a consciousness that, apparently, I’ve been whining about my very own life, way too much! Well, yes, that’s always been all human being’s ‘forte’, but when it comes to the term “way too much”, uh-oh… really need to hear that sirene, alarming thing. Need to stop just right there and spend the rest of my life doing other worthy-of-note-lessons-in-becoming-more-of-myself things. I realize now that whining is actually an exhausting activity, I swear to Dear Lord. I wonder why we, human, are so keen in this sort of activity.

Traveling–it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.
– Ibn Battuta

For the past few weeks, I’ve been inspired to challenge myself to do something definitely new and not-really-me: traveling. It’d be a great pleasure to be given opportunity to visit some places outside the place I live, but that’s just going to accomplish the visiting-as-a-tourist circumstances, while I want to experience being a traveler. Just like Ibn Battuta, maybe? Well, okay, just close to that …

I’m actually not a sort of traveling person. At all. I mostly prefer the ‘comfort zone’, the ’status quo’ state or something.

But, that’s about to change.

…

… at least that’s the plan :p

Travel teaches you how to see.
– Anonymous

I don’t know what’s going on, but life’s been a bit surprising for me on this term–traveling. Been weeks I found some sources that have to do with traveling, without warning (don’t wanna use the word ‘coincidence’). Okay, so is that some kind of ’sign’ or something? No idea.

First, two people–that I don’t know at all–told their interesting traveling stories in a very interesting way.

Second, I found an article on a young woman whose hobby is traveling. The very first time she travelled was when she visited her long-distance-friend … alone.

Third, I read Travelers’ Tale–Belok Kanan: Barcelona by Adhitya Mulya + his wife + 2 other writers. Makes me even more curious to try traveling *would I have the courage…?* Inside this book, all things traveling are revealed in a light way. So appealing. Makes me more triggered to travel one day–I don’t know, somewhere (but when… I’m gonna soon work Monday to Sunday this semester…).

…

Well, having a plan is already a good thing, right …

Traveling–all you have to do is take the first step.
–Ibn Battuta

Naah… not gonna talk about the-very-handsome-reminds-me-to-a-guy-who-was-next-faculty Michael Buble’s newest album. Seriously, people MUST call me irresponsible for doing things that are not my main tasks in my very own office, while doing some of my tasks back home. Isn’t that stupid?!?

But I just can’t help it, Lord! Once I start writing, it’s gonna flow and flow and … just like that. I am so much in love with writing. Can’t live without writing (okay, this is hyperbolic…).

Having my notebook before me while I’m sitting behind my desk at one corner of my office, such a perfect moment to write. God… I really do need someone from the military to teach me discipline… *sigh*.

This writing activity reminds me of my childhood. I was in, maybe, 3rd or 4th grade and there was a kind of ’strange phenomenon’ happened in my class–some kids (including me) started writing prince and princess stories, completed with some innocent sketches in each single page (we used the plain lined books).

Then another new ‘phenomenon’ appeared, other kids who didn’t write and drew started to pay us some money to read our stories. So, this, where I began making money for the very first time in my life.

Okay, another ‘phenomenon’… one by one the kids who wrote and drew ‘vanished’, just like a click sound or something. I mean, they no longer did the activities. So, two kids left–me and my one good friend who was also my neighbor. Some kids, I remember, said that I was good in making stories and my one friend was good in making images. See, we could’ve been a great mix–a writer and an illustrator–but we didn’t do that. We kept doing our own stuff.

Anyway, two memorable things about the activities (which, then, ‘vanished’ by itself–we just stopped writing and the ‘phenomenon’ changed: the whole class started bringing the famous series of story books that I forgot the name and read them every single day in the classroom–even one day our teacher gave an hour or two for us ONLY to read those books!):
1. The word-of-mouth really IS such a good promotion. That happened to me. Even some kids from the higher grades found out that I wrote something and they read mine.
2. One of my classmates gave me a ’silly’ order! Well, back then, I didn’t think it was silly. Guess what, he ordered a hand-written magazine! From me! What was he thinking?!? But I did what he told me to. I made this (now I’d call my work silly) made-up children’s magazine, inspired by a famous real one in the country. And he paid me for that! Ha!