I Want to Apologize for Any Problems I May Have Caused You and I Want to Thank You

I want to apologize
for any problems
that I may have caused you
in the past
I am not
the easiest person
to live with
since I am so
independent and strong
but you can be sure
that though it possibly
didn't seem like it
your values and ideals
did pass on to me
and I carry them forward
in all that I do

You always were someone
stable, strong, giving and warm
an ideal person to look up to
This has given me the
strength to lead
my own life
according to my own standards
Your leadership and love
have enabled me to grow
into a very
happy person
and I think that is
what every mother wishes
for her child
Thank you

Siap-Siap Banjir Di Jakarta hingga 2011

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Anda muak dengan kondisi kemacetan yang terjadi di Jakarta akibat genangan yang timbul setelah hujan turun? Apakah Anda frustrasi dengan banjir lokal yang kerap terjadi di lingkungan rumah sehabis hujan akibat air yang tak mengalir? Jika iya, maka sebaiknya siapkan mental Anda. Pasalnya, hal ini diperkirakan akan terus berlangsung hingga akhir tahun.

Wakil Gubernur DKI Jakarta Prijanto kepada para wartawan di Balaikota, Jakarta, Selasa (26/10/2010), mengatakan, genangan terjadi akibat drainase di jalan tersumbat. Prijanto juga mengakui, banyak drainase yang saat ini tersumbat di wilayah Jakarta. "Memang masih banyak. Ini semua akan diselesaikan di program tahun 2011. Di situ akan ada crossing saluran-saluran. Itu semua akan diperbaiki," katanya.

Jadi, hingga akhir tahun, Jakarta tetap tergenang jika hujan? "Iya," jawab Prijanto singkat.

Prijanto menambahkan, pada 2011, ada 56 lokasi genangan jalan arteri dan kolektor di DKI yang akan diselesaikan. Angka ini terdiri dari 15 lokasi di Jakarta Pusat, 5 lokasi di Jakarta Utara, 6 lokasi di Jakarta Timur, 11 lokasi di Jakarta Selatan, dan 19 lokasi di Jakarta Barat. Total anggaran untuk penyelesaian lokasi genangan ini mencapai Rp 102,4 miliar.

Selanjutnya, pada 2012, ada 17 lokasi genangan yang akan dibenahi. Penyelesaian ini akan memakan dana Rp 35,2 miliar. Sementara itu, tahun ini, ada 33 lokasi genangan yang diperbaiki dengan menghabiskan dana Rp 65,7 miliar. Selain itu, saat ini ada dua drainase di sekitar Jalan Jenderal Sudirman dan Jalan MH Thamrin yang diperbaiki. Dia mengakui, drainase itu tak cukup besar untuk menampung air hujan.

"Drainase itu akan diperbesar. Jadi, itu akan mengalirkan genangan di daerah Sabang dan sekitarnya ke Kali Cideng. Dari Kali Cideng, air dipompa ke Banjir Kanal Barat," kata Prijanto.

Dalam mengatasi genangan, Prijanto juga meminta partisipasi masyarakat, seperti tidak membuang sampah sembarangan. Ketika sebuah drainase dibersihkan dari sumbatan, sampah yang berhasil diangkat ada yang mencapai 15 truk.

Macet D i Jakarta

Arus lalu-lintas yang macet di Jakarta menyebabkan betapa sakit jiwanya pemerintah dan penduduk Jakarta karena betapa ngototnya pemerintah dan penduduk ibu kota tersebut dengan kemacetan, hal ini terbukti semakin parahnya kemacetan akhir-akhir ini.

Pemerintah DKI melalui gubernurnya seperti menyerah dengan kondisi tersebut, sementara penduduk Jakarta tidak bergeming untuk tidak menggunakan mobilnya dengan beralih menggunkan angkutan masal seperti kereta, busway, bus reguler dan sebagainya. Alih-alih mengurangi kemacetan yang makin parah, penduduk Jakarta dan sekitarnya malah membeli mobil baru yang jelas-jelas menambah runyam arus lalu lintas, pengguna jalan semakin stress, penambahan biaya bahan bakar akibat macet, polusi udara dan panas menyebabkan global warming, kualitas kesehatan penduduk menurun akibat polusi dan seterusnya seperti efek domino.

Kemacetan di Jakarta sebenarnya adalah potret lalu lintas di Indonesia, bukankah ibukota merupakan gambaran suatu negara, ini berarti peringatan bagi kota-kota di daerah untuk menata daerahnya, supaya tidak seperti Jakarta beberapa tahun yang akan datang. Ini tantangan bagi pemerintah daerah untuk lebih baik dari Jakarta. Alternatif pemecahan untuk kemacetan di Jakarta sudah banyak di tawarkan bahkan sudah diterapkan diantaranya, three ini one untuk jalan tertentu, busway, kereta api dalam kota (Ciliwung Blu Line), kendaraan yang boleh beroperasi di Jakarta untuk nomor kendaraan ganjil atau genap pada hari tertentu dan sebagainya. Di bawah ini alternatif pemecahan yang saya tawarkan untuk mengatasi kemacetan lalu-lintas DKI Jakarta yang mungkin pula sudah diungkapkan di media.

Yang pertama, menggugah kesadaran masyarakat untuk tidak menggunakan kendaraan pribadi pada jam sibuk dan beralih menggunakan angkutan masal. Hal yang luar biasa jika pemerintah Jakarta dan sekitarnya mampu menyadarkan masyarakat, ini berarti penduduk Jakarta dan sekitarnya berorientasi lebih mementingkan kepentingan umum daripada kepentingan pribadi. Kemampuan pemerintah DKI dalam menyadarkan masyarakat mempunyai efek besar dalam menata dan mengelola kota, kesadaran masyarakat menjadikan pemerintah DKI dalam membangun kota terlihat lebih manusiawi.

Yang kedua, pengaturan jam masuk dan pulang anak-anak sekolah harus diatur, misalnya saja untuk masuk sekolah jam 06.00 WIB, ini artinya persiapan berangkat sekolah menjadi lebih pagi, hal ini pun akan berpengaruh pada jam tidur anak menjadi lebih awal. Udara pagi sekitar jam 05.00 – 06.00 WIB relatip lebih baik dibanding jam 06.00 – 07.00 WIB karena banyak polusi akibat macet.

Yang ketiga, untuk jangka menengah dan panjang perlu diprogram pula, membangun sekolah dengan sistem boarding school (sekolah berasrama) di kabupaten-kabupaten sekitar wilayah DKI, dimana keuntungan sekolah berasrama ini lebih banyak manfaatnya dari pada sekolah biasa.

Yang keempat, mengoptimalkan sungai sebagai sarana angkutan masal dalam kota, namun yang perlu diperhatikan, bagaimana supaya sungai tidak kekeringan, ini bisa dilakukan dengan memasukan air laut ke dalam aliran sungai.

Demikian alternatif untuk mengatasi kemacetan di Jakarta, harapan saya agar Gubernur DKI tidak mudah menyerah untuk mengatasinya dan bagi warga untuk segera menggunakan angkutan masal sehingga mengurangi kemacetan.

Haunted Christmas

The soft thud of following footsteps echoed behind him as he hurried through the snowflakes toward home. They kept pace with him, quickening when he quickened and slowing when he slowed. It was creepy. His flesh crawled at the sound and he sped up, cursing himself for walking home alone from the midnight Christmas Mass.

Normally not a pious man, the middle-aged bachelor had suddenly been struck by a wish to hear the old Christmas songs sung once again by a church choir, and had walked across town to attend the service. Now he regretted his choice, as he passed dark house after dark house in the snowy night, and the footsteps ever followed.

He sped up until he was nearly running, and skidded into his street. A few more paces brought him to the bottom of his front steps, and as he dashed up them, he realized suddenly that the following footsteps had ceased abruptly. He glanced behind him at the cross-street from which he had just turned and saw only one pair of footprints in the snow-covered street when there should have been two. He frowned in puzzlement, and then shuddered as a cold breeze struck him, driving snow against his collar, and slammed against the door. Almost, it seemed to pass through the door, but that was superstitious nonsense. His hand was shaking as he unlocked the front door and hurried inside.

He expected darkness, but was delighted to see the yellow glow of firelight coming from his study doorway upstairs. His old housekeeper, whom he thought firmly asleep in her attic bedroom, must have lit the fire pending his return. He shrugged out of his coat and paused for a moment, amazed to find it still warm and dry, though he had walked for more than a mile through a snow-storm. It was almost as if he’d been walking in a bubble of calm air, though he remembered the soft snowflakes hitting his face when he first stepped out of church. Before the mysterious footsteps began…

His shudder was interrupted by a shout of greeting as his old friend Andy came hurrying out of the study. His whole face lit up in a grin at the unexpected surprise. The two men shook hands heartily and retreated back to the warmth of the firelight, talking so fast they stumbled over each other’s words. Andy had left town years ago to take a government job in D.C., and they hadn’t seen each other since.

Nearly an hour passed before it occurred to him that his guest might be hungry. His offer of a meal was instantly accepted, but Andy was unwilling to leave the comfort of the fire to eat in the kitchen, so he jogged downstairs alone to fetch some food. He didn’t wonder at his friend’s reluctance to join him in the kitchen. Andy had looked very pale and had kept shivering with cold while they talked. He hoped his friend wasn’t ailing for anything.

A few moments later he was back with warmed up meat and potatoes and a couple of glasses of beer, apologizing profusely as he handed Andy a plate, for the mismatched dinnerware. Andy just laughed and hunkered down to eat. When they were both finished, he showed his friend to a guest room and then tumbled into his own bed to sleep, all his apprehension caused by mysterious footsteps forgotten in the visit of his friend.

He jumped out of bed Christmas morning and dashed immediately downstairs to the guest room to rouse his friend. Andy wasn’t there, and the bed had not been slept in. That was odd. He ran down to look in the study, but Andy wasn’t there either, and one plate full of food was sitting on the end-table beside his old friend’s chair. It was completely untouched, though he’d seen Andy eating from it the night before! Skin creeping at the thought, he ran to the kitchen and asked his housekeeper if she’d seen Andy. But the housekeeper had seen no one either the previous night or this morning. He flopped down on the bottom step of the staircase, completely baffled. Where had Andy gone? It was a mystery that plagued him all Christmas Day, and he did not enjoy his holiday dinner at all, a fact that annoyed his housekeeper.

He was awakened the next morning from a restless sleep by the sound of the front door bell. He stumbled out of bed and was splashing water from the bedside pitcher onto his sleepy eyes when a knock came at his bedroom door. When he answered, his housekeeper handed him a telegram that had just arrived. As she hurried back downstairs to prepare his breakfast, he opened it curiously, not knowing who would be telegraphing him so urgently.

As he read the telegram, he started to tremble. The message was short and to the point: Andy’s family regretted to inform him that his old friend Andy had passed away on Christmas Eve in his home in Washington D.C. He sat down hard on the bed, the telegram fluttering away from his hand. It must have been Andy who had followed him home on Christmas Eve. That would explain the eerie footsteps and the dry coat in the middle of the snow storm. He’d spent Christmas Eve with a ghost!

Ghost Handprints

My wife Jill and I were driving home from a friend's party late one evening in early May. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. We were laughing and discussing the party when the engine started to cough and the emergency light went on. We had just reached the railroad crossing where Villamain Road becomes Shane Road. According to local legend, this was the place where a school bus full of children had stalled on the tracks. Everyone on board the bus had been killed by an oncoming freight train. The ghosts of the children were reported to haunt this intersection and were said to protect people from danger.

Not wanting a repeat of the train crash, I hit the gas pedal, trying to get our car safely across the tracks before it broke down completely. But the dad-blamed car wouldn't cooperate. It stalled dead center on the railroad tracks.

As if that weren't enough, the railroad signals started flashing and a bright light appeared a little ways down the track, bearing down fast on our car. I turned the key and hit the gas pedal, trying to get the car started.

"Hurry up, Jim! The train's coming," my wife urged, as if I didn't hear the whistling blowing a warning.

I broke out into a sweat and tried the engine again. Nothing.

"We have to get out!" I shouted to my wife, reaching for the door handle.

"I can't," Jill shouted desperately. She was struggling with her seat belt. We'd been having trouble with it recently. She'd been stuck more than once, and I'd had to help her get it undone.

I threw myself across the stick-shift and fought with the recalcitrant seat belt. My hands were shaking and sweat poured down my body as I felt the rumble of the approaching train. It had seen us and was whistling sharply. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder. The engineer was trying to slow down, but he was too close to stop before he hit us. I redoubled my efforts.

Suddenly, the car was given a sharp shove from behind. Jill and I both gasped and I fell into her lap as the car started to roll forward, slowly at first, then gaining speed. The back end cleared the tracks just a second before the train roared passed. As the car rolled to a stop on the far side of the tracks, the engineer stuck his head out the window of the engine and waved a fist at us; doubtless shouting something nasty at us for scaring him.

"Th..that was close," Jill gasped as I struggled upright. "How did you get the car moving?"

"I didn't," I said. "Someone must have helped us."

I jumped out of the door on the driver's side of the car and ran back to the tracks to thank our rescuer. In the bright moonlight, I searched the area, looking for the person who had pushed our car out of the path of the train. There was no one there. I called out several times, but no one answered. After a few minutes struggle with her seatbelt, Jill finally freed herself and joined me.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"There is no one here," I replied, puzzled.

"Maybe he is just shy about being thanked," Jill said. She raised her voice. "Thank you, whoever you are," she called.

The wind picked up a little, swirling around us, patting our hair and our shoulders like the soft touch of a child's hand. I shivered and hugged my wife tightly to me. We had almost died tonight, and I was grateful to be alive.

"Yes, thank you," I repeated loudly to our mystery rescuer.

As we turned back to our stalled vehicle, I pulled out my cell phone, ready to call for a tow truck. Beside me, Jill stopped suddenly, staring at the back of our car.

"Jim, look!" she gasped.

I stared at our vehicle. Scattered in several places across the back of our car were several glowing handprints. They were small handprints; the kind that adorned the walls of elementary schools all over the country. I started shaking as I realized the truth; our car had been pushed off the tracks by the ghosts of the schoolchildren killed at this location.

Te wind swept around us again, and I thought I heard an echo of childish voices whispering 'You're welcome' as it patted our shoulders and arms. Then the wind died down and the handprints faded from the back of the car.

Jill and I clung together for a moment in terror and delight. Finally, I released her and she got into the car while I called the local garage to come and give us a tow home.

White Wolf

She snapped awake out of a deep sleep, screaming aloud in terror. In her nightmare, a large white wolf had been chasing her around and around the house, gaining on her with every step until it finally pounced on her and ripped out her throat. She lay shaking for hours, unable to sleep after such a terrifying dream.
But morning finally arrived, and the day was completely normal. Celia forgot all about her dream, until the moment her parents reminded her that they would be going out that night to celebrate their anniversary. Celia turned milk-white. In her dream, the white wolf had come to kill her while her parents were out celebrating their anniversary! She started shaking and begging them not to go. Her parents were astonished at her behavior, and finally shamed her into staying home alone that night.
Fearfully, Celia locked herself into the house as soon as her parents left, checking every door and every window. She tried to laugh it off as she got into bed, and finally she shook off her irrational fear and fell asleep.
Celia snapped awake suddenly, every muscle tense. She heard the tinkling of falling glass from a broken window, and the snuffling sound of a snout pressed to the floor. It was the sound of a hunting wolf. A werewolf. Real wolves did not break into houses when there was plenty of game outside. She could hear the click-clicking of the creature’s claws on the wooden floor. The musky, foul smell of wet animal fur combined with the meaty breath of a carnivore, drifted into the room.
She could hear the werewolf’s panting right outside her bedroom. Then her body was out of bed and she sped through the bathroom and down the back stairs. She heard a soft growl and then the sound of animal feet pursuing her as she raced down the steps and tore open the back door. A glance at the window beside her showed a reflection of the werewolf leaping down the last few steps behind her.
Celia’s feet screamed in protest as she ran painfully across the sharp gravel driveway toward the tool shed with its shovels and baseball bats. Anything she could use as a weapon. But the huge, red-eyed wolf was suddenly between her and the toolshed, stalking toward her. The cold wind pierced her skin as she turned and fled around the side of the house. She gasped as the white wolf howled and took off after her. She could hear the terrifying sound of the creature’s pounding feet.
Faster, faster, she commanded her legs, panting desperately against the fear choking her. She would run around the house and back down the driveway, she thought with the clarity of sheer horror. She felt the wolf snap at her back leg and felt the sting of teeth. She put on speed.
The wolf veered away from her suddenly, and she felt a rush of hope. She couldn’t hear the wolf now, couldn’t see it in the cloud-darkened night. She kept running around the house, heading back toward the tool shed. To her intense relief, she heard the sound of a car coming down the road in front of her house. Her parents were back and would save her from the wolf!
Then her heart stopped in panic as she turned the last corner and saw the shape of the white wolf as it stood balanced on the porch railing right in front of her. It sprang upon Celia, huge teeth tearing into her flesh and ripping out her throat. She fell under the weight of its body, hot blood spilling all over the ground, and died seconds after she hit the ground. One minute later, her parent's car pulled into the driveway, its headlights blinding the white wolf as it pulled toward the house. Frightened, the wolf backed away from its kill and then ran away.

Ghost In The Alley

Rumors were rife about the alleyway behind the tavern. It was haunted, folks said. Haunted by the ghost of a young girl who had been found murdered in that self-same passage. People avoided the small street after dark, for the spirit was said to be a vengeful one. Of course, no one could name anyone whom the ghost had actually killed, but the tales were enough to keep people away from the alley at night.

Fortunately for the owners of the tavern that backed onto the alley, their front door faced a well-lit road and so business was not slack.

Then one night, while the tavern was full of drinkers, a nasty character named O’Hare wandered into the bar. Women and children were not safe in his presence, but especially not women.
After O’Hare had consumed far too much alcohol, he suddenly announced to the bar that he’d seen a pretty young thing in the alley out back of the tavern. The bartender froze in the middle of polishing a glass, and the men around the bar exchanged covert glances. No one said a word, but everyone was thinking about the ghost of the vengeful young girl. Everyone in the bar looked down at their glasses as he stumbled to his feet. No one made a move to stop him, and there was a quiet air of “he deserves what’s coming to him” about the bar as O’Hare left the building. It’s just too bad that there isn’t really a ghost, thought the bartender, setting down the shining glass and picking up another one to polish. O’Hare sorely needed a lesson in human kindness and respect for others.

At that moment, a horrible scream came from the alley. Everyone in the tavern looked up in shock and fear. Had there really been a ghost out there? Or was O’Hare up to his old tricks and even now accosting one of their womenfolk?

The men leapt to their feet and raced to the back door of the tavern. Pouring out into the street, they were met by an unnatural cold, and their eyes were dazzled by a blaze of light.

The bartender thrust his way to the front of the crowd and saw the body of O’Hare lying in a pool of bright white light. His throat had been torn to pieces, and blood was spilling out in gushes. Above him hovered the semitransparent figure of a young girl, her eyes gleaming with red fire, her mouth covered with blood. She glared down at O’Hare and then turned to look at the crowd. The specter licked the blood from her lips thoughtfully, her eyes on the bartender’s neck. Then she vanished, taking the light with her. At their feet, O’Hare gasped out his last breath and died.

The local authorities were summoned to deal with the body of O’Hare. Though skeptical at first, they were finally convinced, since there had been so many eyewitnesses who had seen the ghost hovering over the dying man.

The bartender resigned his position the next morning and took a job across town, the memory of the ghost’s hungry stare at his neck prompting him to look elsewhere for employment.

UTS (Ujian Tengah Semester)

Halo teman teman semuaa!hihi,skarang nih ya sekolah gue udah uts aja.....ada yang mau tau uts kepanjangan dari apa?uts tuh kepanjangan dari Ujian Tengah Semester.jadi kita tuh di uji waktu pertengahan semester.soalnya tuh ngga kira kira,ada yang susaaahh bangeet nget ada yang sangat mudaahh hoho *gayaludhir* sekarang tuh tinggal nunggu uts yang ktk,bahasa indonesia,mtk sama tik.....kemungkinan besar mtk sama tik tuh kayanya susah deh :( gimana deh?gue padahal udah cukup yakin kalo uts kali ini bisa ngerjain dengan lancar tanpa ngadet ngadet tapi ternyata kenyataan mengatakan terbalik.ipa sama ips gilaaa ngadet ngadet paraahh....susah cuyy,padahal gue udah belajar ipa dari hari sabtu tapi masa usaha gue sia sia gitu aja dah?soalnya fisika gue kira soalnya cuma ngitung ngitung doang bukan teori gitu,lah ternyata malah banyakan teori yang kaya atom atom itu lah ckck -,- trus kalo ips emang susah sekali untuk menghafal sejarah sejarah nya indonesia hh ih wow kebanyakan sejarah nya,gue mending belajar geografi deh :p haha gapapa selow....pokoknya berharap aja nilai nilai nya bagus bagus + memuaskan orang tua semuaa,amin

Bloody Mary

She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary, and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an angry witch could do to her neighbors.

Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one. No one could find out where they had gone. Grief-stricken families searched the woods, the local buildings, and all the houses and barns, but there was no sign of the missing girls. A few brave souls even went to Bloody Mary's home in the woods to see if the witch had taken the girls, but she denied any knowledge of the disappearances. Still, it was noted that her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more attractive. The neighbors were suspicious, but they could find no proof that the witch had taken their young ones.

Then came the night when the daughter of the miller rose from her bed and walked outside, following an enchanted sound no one else could hear. The miller's wife had a toothache and was sitting up in the kitchen treating the tooth with an herbal remedy when her daughter left the house. She screamed for her husband and followed the girl out of the door. The miller came running in his nightshirt. Together, they tried to restrain the girl, but she kept breaking away from them and heading out of town.

The desperate cries of the miller and his wife woke the neighbors. They came to assist the frantic couple. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed farmer gave a shout and pointed towards a strange light at the edge of the woods. A few townsmen followed him out into the field and saw Bloody Mary standing beside a large oak tree, holding a magic wand that was pointed towards the miller's house. She was glowing with an unearthly light as she set her evil spell upon the miller's daughter.

The townsmen grabbed their guns and their pitchforks and ran toward the witch. When she heard the commotion, Bloody Mary broke off her spell and fled back into the woods. The far-sighted farmer had loaded his gun with silver bullets in case the witch ever came after his daughter. Now he took aim and shot at her. The bullet hit Bloody Mary in the hip and she fell to the ground. The angry townsmen leapt upon her and carried her back into the field, where they built a huge bonfire and burned her at the stake.

As she burned, Bloody Mary screamed a curse at the villagers. If anyone mentioned her name aloud before a mirror, she would send her spirit to revenge herself upon them for her terrible death. When she was dead, the villagers went to the house in the wood and found the unmarked graves of the little girls the evil witch had murdered. She had used their blood to make her young again.

From that day to this, anyone foolish enough to chant Bloody Mary's name three times before a darkened mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of the witch. It is said that she will tear their bodies to pieces and rip their souls from their mutilated bodies. The souls of these unfortunate ones will burn in torment as Bloody Mary once was burned, and they will be trapped forever in the mirror.

Friendship

Friendship isn't always easily described. The Eskimos, they say, have a hundred different words for snow. Unfortunately, the English language isn't quite as innovative, though it has vast opportunities to differentiate meaning. Certainly, Love is one of those opportunities. And so, too, is Friendship.

Instead of different words, however, we're stuck with simple adjectives. Close friend. Best friend. Childhood friend. Intimate friend. Trusted friend. Beloved friend. But whether you use adjectives or different words, few could deny the nearly infinite meaning in such a simple word.

Friends are special people. We can't pick our family, and we're sorely limited in the number of them at any rate. Society and mores (and often our own conscience) dictate we select a single mate. But our friends can be as diverse and infinite as the adjectives we choose. Our friends, in a very real sense, reflect the choices we make in life.

This is the example of poetry :

My Special Friend

Your cheerful smile
Your caressing hand
It's the really simple things
That make your life look so grand

You're a special woman
It's in your eyes
I see the truth
There is no disguise

It's your spirit
Maybe your soul
But my life without you
Would feel painfully old

You've been a true friend
I hope you stay
I would be so very empty
If you ever went away