The End of my Year : A Heartbreak with Willie

Today is the last day of the year of tiger. As someone who was born under the celestial patron of tiger, it feels like the time to step down from my throne. So many things have happened during "my reign", and I had to say, it was a good year. A perfect one even. However, my year was not all golden brick road and milk fountain with rain of honey (yuck, that's going to be sticky!). In fact, I had some topsy turvy moments. But it was not until two days before the year end.

Being raised in a superstitious environment, I could not help but believing some of those stupid rituals and beliefs. And one of the thing that I keep holding is the principle of balanced life, that life is like a wheel, cakra manggilingan, in Javanese term. That life will turn, putting you sometimes up and sometimes down. You can't stay fortunate for the whole life, there will be a time when you get a lot of misfortunes. But as the wheel is constantly rolling, there must be the same time for both the good and the bad. Therefore, the most difficult test is when you are successful, because the more you gain, the more you will lose (or vice versa).

For some people, it might sound silly for me to believe in this superstitious. When I got a traffic accident in the last day of 2009, I thought that it was my last misfortune for the year and I can enter 2010 with a brighter hope and fortune. But I was wrong, as the VERY first day of 2010 became the worst day of my life (so far). I entered that year with a pessimistic and gloomy soul. With the first day of the year became very bad, what other misfortunes awaits? The whole January was full of misfortunes. I fell down from my motorbike twice, went through the worst month so far. But I realized, part of my heritage is Chinese. So what if the Lunar New Year played a more important role as the turning point in my life? And it was. Just after the Lunar New Year, I got the letter that changes my life forever.

Reflecting back on what happened, I grew anxious as life seemed to take the right path during the remaining of 2010. My last days of 2010 were blasting! But the first days of 2011 were really bad with the kitchen tragedy. Ironically, I did not even consider that as bad enough to open my year (yeah, like any starvation is not bad enough to get me dying. What did you really want, Doel?). In fact, I spent my money extravagantly after I received my living allowance. I sold my old Blackberry (which carried memories of my ex) and bought a new, fresher, no-memory-of-ex-and-whatsoever, cool Android device.

It was an android, something that can arouse me and get me into the geeky orgasm (Okaaaaay, it's getting too much). A device of my dream, err, I mean the second device of my dream, since I can't never afford iPhone 4. And just two days before my year ends, I LOST IT! Darn! I lost it when I walked home from the faculty. Willie was in my coat pocket all the time, and when I reached Sidney Street, I realized that the coat was empty. Willie was gone!

In the next morning, I desperately seek the help form the Parkside Police Station. For people who know my history, you know how much I HATE POLICEMAN! Thankfully, UK police was completely different from my ex-students (yeah, I used to teach in the police department). Although they were nice, they never heard of any report regarding my cellphone. Ugh!! I am cellphone-less, and as a person growing up in Indonesia, it is quite depressing (dear European friends, you have to know Indonesian's addiction to cellphone!).

I guess, it was the misery that I need to think as the last down payment for the greater fortune and wealth in the coming year. At least, I know that the year of the rabbit would be as great as my year. Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Xin Nian Kuai Le!!