The Time Traveler's Wife Book Review

I know I'm so late at making this review and most of you probably had seen the movie or read this book already but what the hell. I love this book and still going to recommend you to read it just in case you haven't :)

This book revolves around the love story between Henry and Clare. Henry DeTamble, a 28 year-old librarian who lives in Chicago and looks just like a perfectly normal librarian with an extraordinary love for books.... except that he is anything but normal. He was born a Chrono-impaired person, meaning he often finds himself time-traveling.... involuntarily. Instead of time-traveling, probably the more appropriate term is that he often finds himself displaced in time. He can never control when or where he will be going, and since he is not allowed to take anything with him when time traveling, not even his clothes, he often has to survive by pickpocketing, picking locks, and stealing.

Henry first met Clare at the age of 28. For Clare however, that was not her first time meeting him. Many times in her past she had seen the future self of Henry, who time-traveled back to when Clare was as young as six. This extraordinary couple finally got married, and in this book they take turn telling stories from their side.

How Henry has to deal with all the hardships he experiences during time-traveling and how he misses home and hates to go away where Clare can't follow. How he despises himself for being such unreliable husband during all the time they were together. And Clare - how she is the one who has to wait for Henry every time, worrying, wondering if her husband is somewhere out there, if he is all right.

I was a little skeptical about this book, especially because the first half of the book looks more like a science fiction. But as the story goes on, what seemingly a science fiction turned into a real love story and got me badly captivated. Especially with its brilliant and touching ending, it will be hard not to be moved to tears by Henry and Clare's true love across the time. When you really love somebody, time and distance mean nothing.

Terrible Mistake

How deep I've hurt you...


Forgive me, though I know I can never be forgiven....


How heavy is the burden of forgiveness....


How deep is the burden of my sin...


Forgive me...

Think of Me

Think of me

Think of me fondly

when we said goodbye

Remember me, once in a while

please promise me you'll try

When you find that, once again

you long to take your heart back and be free

If you ever find a moment

spare a thought for me...

We never said our love was evergreen

or as unchanging as the sea...

But if you can still remember

stop and think of me....

Think of all the things we've shared and seen

Don't think about the things which might have been..

Think of me...

Think of me waking

silent and resigned

Imagine me..

Trying too hard to put you from my mind

Recall those days..

Look back on all those times

Think of all the things we'll never do

There will never be a day when I won't think of you....

We never said our love was evergreen

or as unchanging as the sea..

But please promise me

that sometimes

you will think of me.....

(Courtesy of Phantom of the Opera. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber)

Long Distance Relationship : Yes I Will Survive!

I'm not gonna lie about this: it's hard.

Especially when you are thousands of kilometers apart from your beloved one. He's all the way in Indonesia... and I'm in America.

Your days and nights are not the same anymore, you started doing new things separately, your worlds are changing and they slowly become different. It's becoming harder and harder to see each other, your feelings are not connected and you feel as though you don't understand each other anymore.... And that's when your love's gonna be tested.

Well, I guess need to provide a little detail about why I'm in a long distance relationship.

On August 2010 I left home for Global Undergraduate Exchange Program. I'm gonna spend about ten months in the USA, and come home on May 2011.


Deep inside, as happy as I am for getting this scholarship, I could never forgive myself for leaving him alone, at the time when he needs me the most. This year he finally graduated from college, and started looking for work, and I really hate myself for not being able to see with my own eyes the moment he started taking his first step to the outer world. I hate myself for not being able to be there with him in such a crucial moment, when he began stepping toward his future. I hate myself.

I tried to be a really good girlfriend even though I'm faraway but I know that's not enough. I want to be there with him. What am I doing here? Why am I alone? Why am I leaving him? Sometimes the feeling of loneliness is just so overwhelming that I want to cry. But I tried to suck them all up and convince myself. Yes, it's only for a year! I will survive until May!

And then came that call. He got a job in Kalimantan (it's somewhere really far away from my hometown). I was really happy that he got a job.... but also terrified. He's moving away.. Who knows if I will be able to see him again in the future? Kalimantan is really far, it's costly to go back home. And he might never get a holiday long enough so that he can visit home. Suddenly everything just feels so... empty. Lonely. I used to be so eager waiting to come home because I know I'll see him again if I come home. But now? Even though I come back to my hometown, it will not be the same anymore... not without him there. When will I ever see him again? God knows.

A little advice for those who are also in LDR:

1.) Long distance relationship relies on two things : trust and commitment. As long as you believe in your partner and keep your commitment, you'll be fine.

It is so much easier said than done. Distance is a terrible thing. Sometimes you feel as though your hearts are not connected anymore. You feel as though you don't understand each other. You began to fight, and you are scared seeing how your friends who are also in LDR began to break up one by one, and you wonder if that will happen to you as well.

2.)Don't worry too much about it. Life goes on. For me, I strongly believe that he is my one and only and I will keep trusting him, because I know that I can never feel this way again for anybody else. As lonely as I am right now, I have no intentions of breaking up. But if you feel that LDR is not working for you, don't force yourself. Break up and get it over with.

3.) Always remember that it is NOT going to be easy. Don't expect anything close to the relationship you were in back home because it is going to be entirely different. It is not going to be as romantic or intimate. There will come days when you feel lonely, but take it easy. Go out and hang around with your friends if you feel lonely, but remember to ALWAYS keep your trust and commitment. Your partner is not going anywhere and so is you.

4.) Seek moral support. If you look around, it's highly possible that you will find friends in the same situation as you (LDR) and trust me, that makes you feel a LOT better!


Lastly, say it to yourself : Long distance relationship? YES, I WILL SURVIVE!!!

Tahun baru 2010 : Perang Dunia II

Tahun baru 2010 saia lewatkan bersama temen2 SMA di rumah temen saya, Stanis. Meski nggak begitu banyak yang dateng, tapi tetep aja, seneng rasanya bisa kumpul2 lagi sama temen2 SMA setelah sekian lama. Bikin aq merasa kembali muda :P

Kenapa aku bilang 'Perang Dunia II'...? Jelas ada ceritanya, yg laen drpd yg laen XD

Jadii.... pas pergantian taun, kita pun memutuskan untuk maen kembang api. Temen saya sudah beli kembang api super yang ledakannya besar dan suaranya dahsyat. Kemudian, si kembang api itu pun dipasang di atas pagar rumah. Sesaat kelihatannya berdirinya cukup kokoh. Tapii.... setelah ledakan pertama, kedudukannya si kembang api jadi goyah. Posisinya jadi miring dengan moncong menghadap ke arah rumah stanis!

Setelah itu, saya nggak tahu apa yang terjadi.


Mungkin dia merasa takut kalo ledakan kembang api kena rumahnya stanis

Mungkin dia takut kalo rumahnya stanis kebakar


Pokoknya, seorang temen saya, anak Manajemen '07 berinisial K lantas me- NENDANG mercon tersebut. (Benar, si mercon super yang sedang nyala itu di- TENDANG begitu saja. Don't try this at home)

Si mercon pun melayang.... dan jatuh ke lapangan basket di depan rumah stanis... dengan moncong menghadap ke rumah stanis dan ke arah kita semua.

Selanjutnya....


DHUAR!!

Ledakan pertama, sekeras bom atom Hiroshima, tepat di belakang saya, hampir bikin jantung saya copot!! Saya langsung melompat kaget dan menjerit sekuat-kuatnya. Mau lari tapi otak dan tubuh rasanya gak bisa berkoordinasi dengan baik, jadi saya cuman mematung di tempat sambil jerit-jerit.

DHUARR!!

Ledakan kedua, lebih dekat dan lebih keras daripada yang tadi! Bunga api berwarna oren menyembur lewat samping saya. Satu pikiran pun melintas di benak saya. Kabur! Selamatkan diri! Dan saya pun berlari sekencangnya untuk berlindung di balik pagar rumah stanis.

DHUAAARR!!

Si mercon meledak lagi, dan ternyata percuma bersembunyi di balik pagar rumah stanis. Pagarnya bolong2 dan semburan bunga api warna ungu masuk melalui celah2 itu, lewat tepat di depan mukaku!!


Sekarang aku tahu rasanya perang dunia II


Selanjutnya si mercon pun meledak dan meledak.... Saya lupa tepatnya berapa ledakan... Ketika akhirnya ledakan-ledakan itu berhenti, saya menoleh ke sekeliling, ke arah wajah temen2 yang pada pucat semua.

Beberapa saat kita pandang2an tanpa ngomong apa2...

Setelah itu kita pun ngakak habis2an.

Gelok!! Bener2 pengalaman gila dan sensasi tak terlupakan! Meskipun kita semua sepakat kalo bahaya maen2 mercon kayak begitu, tapi lucu banget ngelihat semua kekacauan yang terjadi saat kita dengan panik berusaha menyelamatkan diri masing2 dengan berlindung di balik pagar, semak2, ato ngungsi ke dalam rumah. Kita ngakak bersama gak ada habisnya.

Ya ampunn.... Thanx for the memories, guys! I luv u all! Buat K the Mercon-Kicker laen kali jangan tendang mercon sembarangan! Happy new year, all! XD

Turning My World Upside-Down

Tadi pagi aku denger berita dari Kendo.... yang bener2 membuatku shock - nyaris nggak bisa aku percaya. Aku nyaris nggak mau percaya.

Seseorang yang deket denganku, keluarga yang aku sayangi, sedang dalam masalah besar.

Masalah besar.

Hidup adalah pilihan. Apa yang akan kita lakukan, dan nggak kita lakukan. Dan dia telah memilih. Sekarang dia harus menanggung semua risikonya....

Aku merinding membayangkan segala konsekuensi yang harus dia tanggung.

Hanya orang-orang tertentu yang bisa membantunya sekarang... Dan tentu saja, hanya Allah yang bisa.

Semoga dia selalu dalam lindungan-Nya... Amin...

PS: Cepet balik.... We miss you.

This movie captivates me in a way like nothing before

Just watched this film




And I'm seriously saying... this movie is nothing like I've seen before. Very beautifully made. Kalo dulu aku udah terkagum2 dengan animasi the Transformers... yang mampu membuat animasi transformasi robot2 itu dengan begitu halusnya... ternyata itu bukan apa2 dibanding ini. Sungguh deh... The deatil of each image is really amazing. Luar biasa.

Melihat film ini, seolah2 dunia Pandora benar-benar ada dan hidup di hadapan kita... para Na'vi yang hidup di sana... hutan mereka yang mistis.... tanaman2 yang bersinar cantik di malam hari... (kira2 kyk Macalania Woods di Final Fantasy X... tapi yang ini benar2 lebih bagus animasinya), dengan air terjun, lembah, tebing, gua... The scene is breathtaking, dan semua pemandangan maupun makhluk2 Na'vi terasa benar2 nyata. Semuanya dibuat dengan begitu halus. Revolusioner.

(Pandora Jungle. Bagus banget kan...? Sebenernya masih banyak yang lebih bagus lagi, tapi sayang aku nggak nemu )

Gimana dengan plotnya? Obviously still amazing. Meskipun nilai jual dari film ini adalah animasinya, bukan berarti lantas ceritanya jadi nggak jelas. Singkatnya, pada tahun 2164 ras manusia telah menghancurkan bumi mereka habis2an. Bumi telah sekarat. Dan kini mereka menemukan planet baru bernama Pandora, yang kaya dengan sebuah material bernama Unobtanium, yang kalau dijual harganya bisa sampai 20 miliar dollar per kg.

Tapi, planet ini telah dihuni oleh makhluk2 berekor, berkulit biru dan berbentuk seperti kucing yang disebut Na'vi. Perkampungan mereka tepat berada di atas sumber tambang Unobtanium terbesar yang pernah ada, dan orang-orang bumi mulai mencari cara agar mereka mau pindah. Salah satunya, yaitu dengan membuat "Avatar", makhluk yang berasal dari percampuran DNA Na'vi dengan orang bumi. Beberapa orang terpilih untuk menjadi "Avatar", untuk masuk ke tengah2 Na'vi dan mempelajari cara mereka, agar makhluk2 tersebut mau pindah dengan cara damai.

Jake Sulley adalah tokoh utama kita. Veteran marinir yang kini lumpuh ini menggantikan adik kembarnya yang tewas dibunuh, menjadi seorang avatar. Setelah tersesat di hutan dan dikejar-kejar oleh berbagai makhluk buas, Jake akhirnya bertemu Neytirri, putri kepala suku Omaticaya. Tadinya Jake akan dibunuh, namun ada berbagai pertanda yang menyebabkan kepala suku urung membunuhnya. Jake diterima jadi salah satu dari mereka.

Yang menarik di sini adalah, manusia digambarkan sebagai pihak yang jahat. Yang mau merebut secara paksa apa yang bukan miliknya, bahkan membunuhi suku pribumi untuk itu. Mereka tega merusak alam yang penuh dengan berbagai keajaiban yang menakjubkan, hanya karena ketamakan. Exactly like what we're doing now to our earth.

Lastly, Avatar IS really amazing. Gak berlebihan kalo dibilang, film ini revolusioner. James Cameron really is a genius. Nonton versi 2D nya aja udah bikin aku terkagum2 dan menahan napas sepanjang film... apalagi kalo 3D ya..?? Gila, pengen banget nonton 3Dnya>.<

Overall rating : 5stars out of five. A MUST SEE movie for everyone!