2015

Cinere, Kp. Kandang, Jagakarsa, 2015 Winning was everything, they said. but what about being the valedictorian of the middle of nowhere? Here I am with 3 Serangkai, proudly being ourselves. Curated in Angkot on busy Friday-Saturday — Sunday chain of 2015.

The year 2015 opened in the high altitudes of Malang, a misty start captured in the grain of a digital camera. It was a time of “firsts” and “lasts” — the final stretch at Lazulis, marked by the cold air of Bromo and a bright red Porsche 911 sitting in a museum, looking like a dream we couldn’t yet afford. (Well, there goes the name: “Dreams”, that I used for the playlist I crafted back in the days — latter it was “Starlight”) Back in the city, reality was a cluttered classroom at Nurul Fikri, where the pressure of exams was balanced by the chaotic laughter of the “9 Turkey” peer group. Those were a period defined by the comfort of Class 9 Turkey and the guidance of Ms. Tessa. The days were filled with the chaotic energy of exercises. The growing intensity of the P6 class at Nurul Fikri was also there, amidst the study notes, that I crossed paths with Alfin, Zacky, and Ilham — faces that would either define my future at SMAN 49 or remain frozen in the amber of 2015.

April shifted the rhythm into a relentless loop of preparation, where weekends became a blur of transit between NF and ILP. We captured a rare photo of the “3 Serangkai”, a small record of a friendship that rarely documented itself.The National Exam passed with results good enough to secure my dream spot at 49SHS, but it came with the heavy realization of separation. As I stood on the stage as the valedictorian, accepting an award that felt expected, but also hollow. I wonder what a title truly means after I graduated.

Not everyone made the same turn, and the separations began quietly. June closed this phase with graduation — one of the last times we were all together. I looked at my pictures taken with Firdy, Fahmi, Andhit, Reza and the Muller’s Bois, in addition to Fara and Dinar. Some of us met monthly, while others waited for about 8 years to realise it again.

On August, our family moved back to my newly-renovated childhood home.

July was a suspended moment, a brief pause where I clung to the past, watching movies with my old peer group one last time before the new reality set in. The “Jurassic World “ with ‘Starlights’ in addition to Jawad and Alam, and the newest “Terminator” with Muller’s Bois. Then, SMAN 49 opened its gates. The fear of being the only one from my old world was there, I reconnect with Alfin from NF P6, made new friends like Regi, Aldy, Wawan, Ghifari, and Aji. They all somehow had various junior high school friends who ‘accompanied’ them to 49SHS. Well, the fear of being an outsider/wallflower dissolved within a month whilst delving into the warmth of X MIA 1. We found our rhythm quickly, and my home at Jagakarsa 260 transformed from a quiet residence into a vibrant basecamp for the class, hosting the Idul Adha barbeque yearly. Found myself on a stage again, Space V band competition with Firdy. We lost — perhaps due to his stubborn visions — but thrill of performing mattered more than trophy.

The final months were for settling down; returning to the cinema with Arsyi and Sajid, reviving the “3 Serangkai” spirit, competing on the field with Timnas X MIA 1. We also settled on our new home, cementing the old places that I used to lived in. 2015 was a year of two distinct halves: a first chapter of frantic preparation and departure, and a second chapter of arrival and exploration. Walking into a state school alone turned out to be the greatest catalyst, forcing me to build a new world from scratch.