Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Sang Pipit Kecil


Suatu ketika ada seekor burung pipit kecil yang sedang belajar terbang. Sang Ibu tak sabar ingin anaknya segera mahir terbang tinggi. Sialnya, sang pipit kecil tidak bisa langsung terbang tinggi. Terkadang ia hanya sanggup melompat dari dahan dan langsung terjatuh. Kepakan sayapnya masih lemah dan keahlian terbangnya masih nol.

Sang Ibu semakin tak sabar. Menurut sang Ibu, terbang adalah pekerjaan yang tidak sulit sama sekali. Ini adalah keahlian dasar semua burung pipit. Dalam ketidaksabarannya, sang Ibu mulai kehilangan akal sehat. Keluarlah omelan dan cacian untuk si kecil. "Masa terbang saja kau tak bisa?" "Apanya yang susah, Nak, kan hanya mengepakkan sayap." Mulailah sang Ibu menendang dan menjitak kepala sang anak apabila ia gagal terbang tinggi.

Sang pipit kecil ketakutan untuk mencoba. Terbang yang menjadi impiannya surut tiap hari seiring dengan omelan dari sang Ibu. "Mungkin Ibuku benar. Mungkin aku memang bodoh, tak bisa terbang," pikirnya sendu.

Suatu saat, sang Ibu pipit sedang pergi meninggalkan si anak di dahan. Datanglah seekor macan yang sedang lapar. Si macan mengintai sang pipit, "Akhirnya, inilah makan siangku." Sambil mengendap-endap, sang macan memanjat pohon tanpa suara. Tatkala sang pipit kecil menengok, sudah terlambat tampaknya. Andai kata ia terbang, ia pasti selamat. Namun, di dalam hatinya, si pipit kecil yakin kalau ia tak bisa terbang. Bukannya selama ini sudah terbukti kalau ia memang bodoh, tak bisa terbang? Bukankah selama ini sang Ibu terus berkata demikian?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Men 3G

Men 3G (Gadget, Gadget, and Gadget)
Available in the stores near you


It is not a top secret that men are addicted to gadgets, just like women are addicted to handbags and shoes. Some of these addictions are cure-able, but in my history of living in this hi-tech gadget nation, this gadget epidemic is beyond help.

Whenever there are gatherings - family's or friend's- the men would form themselves a group. I call it the fruit corner because all they ever talked in this fruit corner was about apple and berry. Apparently, these two types of fruit are now on top of the fruit chain. The accessories that go with these fruits are much more sophisticated and more expensive compare to the regular grocery bags that we usually get at the end of the cashier counter in the supermarket.

The funny thing about men and their gadgets is, they like to compare and try out each other gadget, even if their gadgets are the exact same brand, containing the same type of applications. I don't see women swap their shoes with each other, especially if the models and the type are the same.

The men also like to check out the bits and pieces of their gadget (aka accessories) frequently. They will wonder in the electronic stores/ malls every week and check out online stores for programs and other possible new gadgetry every waking hour. Don't they know, that even the brightest researcher / technician who are employed by my Uncle Jobs, won't be able to come up with anything new or breakthrough gadget/ application in 24x7, let alone in less than 24 hours. I keep telling my husband that, and he keeps staring at his computer and frantically exploring all of the pages that he could find on his gadgets. Weird! We don't go checking on LV shops every day. And our bags models, types, and collection vary by a huge number compare to the men's gadgets. If you do the checking constantly and frequently, you will lose all your restraining order not to buy anything, honey.