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Dear Mr. Gates:
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Date: Sat, 7 April 2007 11:25 WesternIndonesiaTime Subject: A Moving Down Monthly Gathering from Crystal Jade to Canton Bay
Wednesday March 28, 2007, around ten o’clock I was on the way to the monthly gathering of my ex-senior high school friends. A few days earlier actually it was planned to be held at Chatter Box restaurant, but than switched to Crystal Jade, at the same shopping mall Plaza Senayan. I was interested to attend, because in the previous three events I was absent, the last time I attended was on November 2006. Besides, the name of the restaurant Crystal Jade, is like related with my consent of treating Paris Hilton as my bridge to heaven. Because she is tall, and the word "Jade" is like Indonesian word "jadi" which means "done" or "let it happen". Before entering the Plaza Senayan, I stopped by at STC, also a shopping mall but smaller, located on the left side of Plaza Senayan. STC was developed to become a shopping mall for sport related shops, yet when I entered there most of the shops were still empty, the glass doors and windows of those empty shops were covered by wrapping papers with the logo of STC. Among the shops there is Manchester United shop, an official shop of England famous soccer team Manchester Untied, selling merchandises with the logo of Manchester United. While I walked in the corridor at STC, I took my cell phone to look at the watch, and there was an SMS message already kept in my phone, probably received while I was in the bus so I could not hear any sound of it. The content was announcing that monthly gathering was moved again, from the Crystal Jade at third floor to Canton Bay at the basement. Or it was like "a moving down monthly gathering", from the third floor to the basement. Actually it immediately made me have a thought that such moving down gathering would be against my consent to move up to the eternity. I was thinking to cancel my attending it. Yet I thought I have been so close to the location, if I canceled it I would be like a man full of doubt, or maybe I would be accused of severely forgetful man. So I continued my walking to the Plaza Senayan. The gathering started at around 12.00, some twenty five friends of mine attending it. The lunch was nice, among the food was fried duck.
Approaching 2.30 pm, some of my friends began to leave the premise. A few minutes later a woman entered the restaurant, shook hand with everybody including me, while introducing herself: "Sofie……." Later on I realized, she was an old friend of mine since the kindergarten. Her name is Aprilia Sovietina, because she was born in the Soviet Union when her father was posted in Indonesian Embassy in Moscow. She also spent five years in Japan during the elementary school, following her father’s duty there. Around three o’clock, the gathering was over, everybody left the restaurant. I was still rather worried for attending such "a moving down monthly gathering" that seem like against my consent to move up to the eternity. So while walking, I wish nothing bad would happen following the event. The next day, Thursday 29 March 2007, nothing bad happened, no disaster took place. I felt calm, but still a little bit worry.
Friday 30 March 2007, in the morning as
usual my sister turned on the radio at the living room. Since my
bedroom is close to the living room, the sound of the radio could
enter my bedroom clearly. And that morning the songs from the radio
made wonder, why the radio kept on playing the songs of Chrisye, a
famous Indonesian singer whose voice and songs rather similar to
Peter Cetera. Until later on I realized, it was because earlier that
day, at around four o’clock in the morning, Chrisye had passed away.
Date: Sat, 7 April 2007 11:58 WesternIndonesiaTime Subject: So Long Chrisye
Chrisye, born 16 September 1949, was so famous among the Indonesian young people in the eighties and nineties. His songs were mostly influenced by classic-rock band of the seventies like yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Ekseption, and also Chicago and Beatles. His voice resembled to Chicago vocalist Peter Cetera. He began his solo career in 1977. Since then his songs almost always became number one hit, either the songs he wrote himself or the songs written by others. He made history in Indonesian music when in 1989 his video clip for the song “Cintamu Telah Berlalu” became the first Indonesian video clip to appear on MTV. Followed by another historical moment when his video clip “Kala Cinta Menggoda” obtained an award at MTV Video Music Award 1998 in Los Angeles for “MTV Video Music Award Asia Viewer’s Choice Award”. In 1978 when my friend Raidy Noor came to my house to get my help of writing lyrics of two songs he already has the melody, Raidy Noor often mentioned Chrisye’s songs as the base from where I should write my lyrics. Then I rarely met Raidy again, until in 1982 I heard the news that Chrisye married his sister. Chrisye, the idol of Raidy’s songs, finally became his brother in law. Chrisye began to get the diagnose of suffering from lung cancer on August 2005. After undergoing six times of chemotherapy, his health turned better. Until two years later, on March 30, 2007, he met the end of his life. Considering the historical moment of my relationship with my friend Raidy Noor, I made a condolence visit to Chrisye’s house. It is located at Asem II Street. The Indonesian word “asem” has the meaning of “tamarind”, or could also mean “sour”, the taste of tamarind or sour orange. Since he had a lot of fans, I decided to only take a visit to the mosque when he was being prayed, and later on when the cadaver was brought to the grave yard I left to get back home.
So long Chrisye.
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Thank's, A.M. Firmansyah Tel. +62812 183 1538
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