Unveiling The First Chapter of a Book
I just finished the first chapter of Growing Pains, a book written by senior Indonesian journalist, Desi Anwar. At first, I didn't plan to buy this book.
Last Saturday, I was spending my day volunteering in an NGO. I spent most of the day with my friends, children, and international volunteers. It has been quite a long time though not spending time with them.
That Saturday, I've made promise to have dinner with my parents. But, on the evening, while I was waiting for dinner time, I decided that I want to go to a book shop after I finished my volunteering job desk. I would like to go to Kinokuniya to buy a printed edition of a magazine, and also search for a new romance novel. However, Kinokuniya is quite far from my location, so I decided that I could buy that magazine on weekday since Kinokuniya located near my office. So, I went to a closer bookshop instead, Aksara Kemang. Maybe, I could find a recommended romance novel, as long as it's not a young adult one.
My eyes fell into two books, which is Growing Pains (the synopsis and review seems interesting to me) and Before, written by a Mexican written and the book was translated into English. Sadly, there's no romance novel on my interest that evening! I just couldn't find it. So, I would like to buy Before with Growing Pains, but I have sort of this limited budget and I decided to just bought Growing Pains, haha. Anyway, I still have some books that are unfinished to read at home.
Now, I've arrived at the second story. Growing Pains reminds me that if (or when) I write a book someday, the first chapter or story must be about Death. Yep, death, the opposite of life. The first story in Growing Pains titled as A Million Pieces. It's about the writer's personal story of unexpected death of his father. For me, the story also reminds me about the death of my grand mother when I was 18 years old. After the death of my grand mother, I realized my grand mother is the closest person I've spent time at home since I was a child.
On this first chapter, the writer's relationship itself with her father is not merely based on sweet emotional relationship father-daughter. How to put it simply, ya... They understand each other even though the father-daughter relationship is not clingy or lovey-dovey, a bit awkward sometimes. In conclusion, the writer crumbles in complicated feelings inside her, mostly it's not about sadness, but also annoyance on why she didn't recognize universe signs that her father is about to say good bye from life. And also about satisfaction how her father's life is fulfilled by the things he loved and on the last day the writer's saw her father's face, she looked at his face with smiling lips before he was about to be buried, and she felt happy for it. Relieved, perhaps.
Ugh, I don't know why I ended up to buy this book while at first I want to buy a romance novel, right? This maybe strange, but I always have a deep fascinating interest about death, and life as well. Because I think the most certain thing in life is death. I mean, what else are you really holding on to in this universe? I know, family, friends, fulfilling occupation, money, are nice. But still, lately, my extreme thoughts often reminds me that I'm alone, I should've stand by myself, nothing last forever, don't let yourself grip something too tight. It will hurt you.
A Million Pieces in Growing Pains reminds me, my thoughts and my feelings, that something will change through your soul when you were faced by the death someone close to you. After my grandma left, there was a strange feeling. Being left while the person is still alive is very much different when being left because the person is death. The person wasn't there anymore. And then some daily routines change, and you began to think, what have I done while she/he still alive? Why I can't read the signs? I should have done better.
The story recalls my memory on 2014 and makes me wonder, why I'm not maturing earlier when my grandma was still alive? And for now, I would really like to share on what happened in the past two years about my life, and hear her perspective as a strong independent woman. But, of course, that would be impossible. I miss her, and I can only pray for her.
And one more thing. This story also recalls my feelings in how I begin to have less and less interest on so many superficial things in this world. Sometimes, when I'm in a crowd like big event or family gathering or just looking throughout my friends Instagram story, or when I read recent news, I was like, "wow I have completely no interest with all of these stuffs now."
In sums, I admire how Mba Desi Anwar can put this story-her personal experience, thoroughly. It was like reading her diary, and I understand it. I couldn't agree more with some lines and thoughts that she put on this first-story. It's raw, and of course looks different than her journalism work. Can't believe I just found out this book last Saturday.
Last Saturday, I was spending my day volunteering in an NGO. I spent most of the day with my friends, children, and international volunteers. It has been quite a long time though not spending time with them.
That Saturday, I've made promise to have dinner with my parents. But, on the evening, while I was waiting for dinner time, I decided that I want to go to a book shop after I finished my volunteering job desk. I would like to go to Kinokuniya to buy a printed edition of a magazine, and also search for a new romance novel. However, Kinokuniya is quite far from my location, so I decided that I could buy that magazine on weekday since Kinokuniya located near my office. So, I went to a closer bookshop instead, Aksara Kemang. Maybe, I could find a recommended romance novel, as long as it's not a young adult one.
My eyes fell into two books, which is Growing Pains (the synopsis and review seems interesting to me) and Before, written by a Mexican written and the book was translated into English. Sadly, there's no romance novel on my interest that evening! I just couldn't find it. So, I would like to buy Before with Growing Pains, but I have sort of this limited budget and I decided to just bought Growing Pains, haha. Anyway, I still have some books that are unfinished to read at home.
Now, I've arrived at the second story. Growing Pains reminds me that if (or when) I write a book someday, the first chapter or story must be about Death. Yep, death, the opposite of life. The first story in Growing Pains titled as A Million Pieces. It's about the writer's personal story of unexpected death of his father. For me, the story also reminds me about the death of my grand mother when I was 18 years old. After the death of my grand mother, I realized my grand mother is the closest person I've spent time at home since I was a child.
On this first chapter, the writer's relationship itself with her father is not merely based on sweet emotional relationship father-daughter. How to put it simply, ya... They understand each other even though the father-daughter relationship is not clingy or lovey-dovey, a bit awkward sometimes. In conclusion, the writer crumbles in complicated feelings inside her, mostly it's not about sadness, but also annoyance on why she didn't recognize universe signs that her father is about to say good bye from life. And also about satisfaction how her father's life is fulfilled by the things he loved and on the last day the writer's saw her father's face, she looked at his face with smiling lips before he was about to be buried, and she felt happy for it. Relieved, perhaps.
Ugh, I don't know why I ended up to buy this book while at first I want to buy a romance novel, right? This maybe strange, but I always have a deep fascinating interest about death, and life as well. Because I think the most certain thing in life is death. I mean, what else are you really holding on to in this universe? I know, family, friends, fulfilling occupation, money, are nice. But still, lately, my extreme thoughts often reminds me that I'm alone, I should've stand by myself, nothing last forever, don't let yourself grip something too tight. It will hurt you.
A Million Pieces in Growing Pains reminds me, my thoughts and my feelings, that something will change through your soul when you were faced by the death someone close to you. After my grandma left, there was a strange feeling. Being left while the person is still alive is very much different when being left because the person is death. The person wasn't there anymore. And then some daily routines change, and you began to think, what have I done while she/he still alive? Why I can't read the signs? I should have done better.
The story recalls my memory on 2014 and makes me wonder, why I'm not maturing earlier when my grandma was still alive? And for now, I would really like to share on what happened in the past two years about my life, and hear her perspective as a strong independent woman. But, of course, that would be impossible. I miss her, and I can only pray for her.
And one more thing. This story also recalls my feelings in how I begin to have less and less interest on so many superficial things in this world. Sometimes, when I'm in a crowd like big event or family gathering or just looking throughout my friends Instagram story, or when I read recent news, I was like, "wow I have completely no interest with all of these stuffs now."
In sums, I admire how Mba Desi Anwar can put this story-her personal experience, thoroughly. It was like reading her diary, and I understand it. I couldn't agree more with some lines and thoughts that she put on this first-story. It's raw, and of course looks different than her journalism work. Can't believe I just found out this book last Saturday.
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