That was my Facebook status last Tuesday on my first Nyepi (Hindu Day of Silence) in Bali.
Many people say Nyepi is the most boring day. Even my co-workers in Bali were restless a few days before the big day, busily planning to get away. And then there was me, so curious to taste my first Nyepi. I didn't know what to expect or how I would feel about total silence and darkness for 24 hours.
I prepared myself by stocking up my fridge with all kinds of food, drinks and sinful snacks, bought some new DVDs, made lists of creative things I'd like to do and house projects I've been postponing.
The morning after a night of ceremonies and ogoh-ogoh euphoria on the streets, I woke up feeling like Sleeping Beauty. I don't know if it was the spiritual aspect of this holiday or if it was because I could hear nothing but birds chirping, but it was almost enough to make me run outside and sing "The hills are alive with the sounds of musiiiic."
And I had my moment sitting in the garden to enjoy the peace and excitement of nothingness. This was total bliss: everything seemed so serene, the breeze soft on my skin, nature sung its song just for me, and for the first time it felt so great to be alone without any contact from outsiders - not their sound, not their faces, and not their smells!
I did my errands as I planned, starting with cooking traditional food that I always miss making -ayam goreng kampung, tempe kecap, sayur asem with my mum's secret recipe, and of course my killer sambal terasi. All this was done in such a quiet manner, and tasted better than normal.
Then I watched some new DVDs, at the same time organizing my old DVDs that were all over the place. A sack of peanuts, a mixed fruit juice and two movies later, my TV and DVD racks never looked this tidy, which motivated me to rearrange my entire living room. By 3 p.m. I had an entirely "new" living room which made me so happy.
Then I sat here on my computer doing the usual, Internet, email, Facebook and YouTube. The trees outside my window were waving with the white clouds hanging behind them as the sun set. The color of the sky was like the sweetest cocktail of Blue Curacao mixed with guava juice.
My head seemed so clear and my creativity ran wild on this spiritual day. I won't lie that I was also tempted to walk outside and feel like Will Smith in I am Legend, imagining myself as the only survivor in "Zombieland" and selfishly having the streets all to myself, but that would have just got me into trouble.
I cannot help but express my gratitude for this beautiful day, and propose the idea for our beloved Jakarta to have one day of Nyepi like this, just one day a year, no one allowed to leave the house, no one allowed to show their ego, no one allowed to speak their mind, and no electricity or noise can pollute the city for 24 hours (from a total of 8,760 hours per year) to let the metropolis rest and breathe.
Maybe it's not a bad idea, compared to the car-free days, no-smoking day or similar. It doesn't make sense to block only some main roads to reduce pollution while vehicles are obviously jammed somewhere else and (still) pollute other parts of the city.
And who would care not to smoke on no-smoking day anyway, just let all smokers do whatever and let all the losers make fools of themselves wherever they are at their own space, and at their own risk!
This "total day off" is not just a good idea for Jakarta, but also for the mental health of its citizens. In this tranquil state, let each of us focus on our own self and clear our minds, introspectively, to stimulate a more positive flow.
At least, that's what Nyepi did for me.
Why can't we take steps to maintain this city's sanity? Are we really too busy to shut down, even just for a day, or would we simply go crazy?
