"Why Indonesian always say poligani? What is poligani?" asked Raisa in our car yesterday.
It shocked me. She apparently noticed many discussion and talk with friends around this hot recent topic.

"Well, it is not poligani, Sweetheart. It is Polygamy. Po-li-ga-mmi. With the "M"."

"What is poligamy. Why everytime we gather with the Indonesian everybody talk about it and laugh?"

"Hm…it is something difficult to understand for a kid. You will know when you are bigger."

"But I want to know because everybody always laugh and I want to know something funny."

"Well, it is not something funny. This is adult talk."

"If not funny, why everybody laugh?"

"Well, sometime people laugh for something not funny too. Like "democarcy", "equality", do you know about that?"

"No"

"So it is a concept which is not easy for your six years old brain to understand. When you get bigger, you will understand. I promise to tell you"

"What is "concept"?"

I think it is the work of the confectionery or cake industry in Japan. Perhaps Fujiya, being the biggest in the industry.
In this non-Christian country where 80% of people don’t understand what is the story behind Christmas, the celebration is big.

Beside the growing illuminations at every corner of the city, one must thing on Christmas is the Christmas Cake.
More and more home, office, school, will cut Christmas Cake from a week before Christmas.
The cake is a specific type. It is always a strawberry shortcake. A vanilla cake with white frost, decorated with strawberry on top.
No matter you are a Christian or not, have Christmas tree and the present or not, never been to the church, the cake is a thing that been waited by the family (well, children to be precise).

All cake shop will have the Christmas Cake brochure months before December. All price range, delivery or on the spot.
Supermarket, convenience store (like ampm or seveneleven) will suddenly sell the cake too.
The day before Christmas, shop will open stall outside and  sell the cakes outdoor.
Mothers of the home will be asked by the children if the Christmas Cake has been bought/ordered.
At my apartment building I spot some ladies brought the Christmas Cake box the on Dec 24.

On Dec 25 evening, the cake will be on sale. That is the time when I usually grab the cake.
Only this time, I’m on diet, cake is a big no-no.

Photo credit: Fujiya website

This morning when I just came to the office, the secretary passed me the sad news. JC, an ex-senior colleagues who just retired the company earlier this year, passed away. It is the end of a long battle against cancer.

Working at the office of head quarter function, I am surrounded by senior guys. Senior at age and position. I am the youngest among my team. From the 12 of us, am the only one at the 30s. The next youngest colleague is a lady 14 years older than me. The rest of ten other guys are the age of my father.
Years in this office, in this team, I witnessed two strokes, a heart attack and three passed away. I wonder if it is just the age factor, or the stress level too.

It is just so sad. No matter this is an understood situation, sometime it is just too much to comprehend. Specially, when it is happen to colleagues who is also a friend, a father. Who along the way beside his professional attitude, lay a very warm kind fatherhood every time dealing with me.

Rest in peace.

The bus painted in pink, decorated with shades of pastel floral.
It is a moving clinic, parked at the corner of my office parking yard. This time, for the first time, all women employee not only offered, but encouraged to take the step inside the bus for a test. A mammogram.
Mammography is a low-dose X-ray examination that can detect breast cancer up to two years before it is large enough to be felt.
It was my first time. I was a bit nervous, but it was ok. The result will come in a week or so.
Well, I will not go into detail, but I think it is a good moment to invite you my girlfriends, to raise the awareness.

One in 25 women in Japan has it. One of 7 of us during life, have risk to it. Every 3 minutes, a women is diagnosed with breast cancer in the world.
Ok, you may not jog 10K in the last (or next) Pink Ribbon event to support the research. But for our own sake, please do some readings and make appointment to get yourself this 15 minutes test or at least the monthly self examination because 70% of breast cancer are found through breast self-exams.

I know we are busy. Have no complain with the two mountains.
But, hey, prevention is better than cure.

Maafkan aku, Ya Allah
Yang hati rasanya panas ketika udztad pujaan kawin lagi
Yang terlalu bodoh untuk mengerti dan menerima poligami
Masih terlalu rendah untuk memahami

Maafkan aku, Ya Allah
Yang susah mengerti kenapa umat masih sibuk berargumentasi
Siapa yang benar antara Syiah dan Sunni
Kenapa enerji berlimpah digunakan untuk perang sesama
Sementara jutaan umat lainnya, mengkais-kais tanah kering
Mencari harapan hidup
Mengantri bubur encer bantuan negri "penguasa dunia"
Bukankan satu peluru seharga makan satu hari
Dengan jutaan itu, berapa nyawa bisa diselamatkan?

Maafkan aku, Ya Allah
Yang terlalu dungu untuk terlibat debat
Menbahas mana yang benar, jempol kali dilipat sewaktu sujud
Mata kaki jangan tertutup, Mata pria wanita jangan sampai bertatap
Bukankan lebih bermanfaat
Bila akal dan ide dituangkan dalam kegiatan dan diskusi
Yang bisa mengangkat hidup umat dan nama agama
Seperti yang dilakukan Muhammad Yunus

Tenangkanlah hatiku, Ya Allah
Yang selalu berdebar setiap melihat berita dunia
Berharap sungguh sangat agar bukanlah muslim yang menjadi otak
di belakang ledakan-ledakan yang memenuhi setiap breaking news
Tiada cukup rasanya abuse yang datang ke kepercayaanku
Tindakan biadab membawa-bawa nama umat
Aku tidak dapat mengerti, Ya Allah
Aku sungguh bodoh

Bukakanlah simpul-simpul kusut didalam kepalaku
Sembuhkan ledakan-ledakan marah dihatiku
Agar aku dapat lebih mengerti
Lebih memahami
Lebih bersabar

Lebih ingat, mawas dan tidak malas,
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