April 15, 2017

An Afternoon Well Spent

As seniors who are about to graduate (hopefully) soon, it is mandatory for my friends and I to present the Last Performance. The name says it all; it's an event where we put on various performances on stage dedicated as our last contribution for people on campus. It is also recognized as the last opportunity to show your true color slash go crazy (meaning: giving your best shot to come up with the most stupid, effective way of ruining your image you've exerted yourself to build in the last four years, like by doing some weird dancing or acting ridiculously).

Our Last Performance was successfully held last Wednesday, earning rounds of applause, squeal, and laugh. After practicing and preparing everything for weeks, I was nearly moved to tears at the end of the three hours performance. I felt so happy, relieved, and proud receiving positive feedbacks and knowing that people love the show!
"Kak, pecah banget LP-nya!"

"Ini siapa dah yang bikin script-nya? Bokep banget jir!"

"Kak aku jadi sedih.. Jangan lulus.." one of my juniors said. Then she cried. Like, she actually shed a tear. When I stepped forward to hug her, she backed away, screaming with her teary eyes "Jangan deket-deket!! Nggak mau ah jangan baik-baik!!"

And my reaction was (of course) "YA TERUS AKU HARUS GIMANA. Yaudah sana pergi!"


Last Performance isn't the only tradition we have, for there's also Wall of Fame. In the spirit of Last Performance, we seniors place an installation on the campus ground, usually in the form of blank notes (with absurd personal photo covers) attached to big boards. Each blank notes represents one senior in which people can write whatever messages they want, directed to the owner of the notes. The sole purpose is to facilitate people who want to send us personal last messages and/or letters.

This year's Wall of Fame was in the form of bottle! Since the first day it was displayed, I had been wondering what kind of messages I would get inside my bottle. No, scratch that; I had been wondering whether there was any person at all who cared enough to sent me messages. Learning that my bottle was gradually stuffed by rolled paper as days went by felt surprisingly touching.

As tempting as it could be, I restrained myself from opening my bottled messages before the very last day of WOF installation. And after more than a week of doing what Ninet and I call "delay of gratification", I finally brought my bottle home two days ago! I wasted no time in taking out everything inside and I read all messages straight away after I got home in the afternoon.

I read them all in amazement.

First, I never ever thought I would receive so many messages (some people even gave me candy and hand cream!). And second, they are so wholeheartedly written. I couldn't stop smiling as my eyes glided across every paper. I even had to pause at certain points to take a deep breath, thanks to the overwhelming feeling of happiness. And gratitude!

Amongst my favorites one are "Berkat catatan Kakak aku bisa lolos dari Metpennya Mas Dewa", "Lo mudah dibohongi sama dongeng-dongeng murahan gue Na, gue senang liat lo bingung sendiri", and "Semangat!! Cepet lulus!! Ayo main ke Kopo!!".

Still, the best one is this small piece of love letter I completely did not anticipate.





It only took me split second to burst out laughing. I laughed. Like really, really laughed. I laughed so hard I felt my stomach hurt. The one who wrote it is my industrial/organizational psychology lecturer. My friends and I love her so much since she's so funny (in her own way; you have to see her in person in order to understand). And now receiving this message from her is just unbelievably hilarious! Whether she's really the one who sent the message or not remains a mystery. It turns out that a lot of my friends get the same message too.


It feels really nice to know that you have a lot of kind people who love you, and care for you, and actually thank the divine power up there for having brought you to this world.

"I am very grateful for your existence and I hope you get all the happiness and success because you are deserving of all that."

"Lo bisa gue bilang sebagai perempuan yang merepresentasikan cewek psiko."

"Kalau baca ini pas lagi downI want you to know that you are amazing."

I find so many negativities from people around me lately, and they has been bugging me for awhile now. I grow tired of people who are too frequently (and bluntly) expressing life dissatisfaction on social media. Why don't we stop grumbling and whining over small things and just count our blessings? We have so many things in life we can be grateful of. I think people often forget that everyone is fighting a hard battle, so it's not only them who have difficulties and problems in life.

I know that we have our own huge, depressing drawbacks we desperately need to pour out in order to keep ourselves sane, but wouldn't it be wiser to just personally share it with people who truly care instead of publicly share it to people in the whole world who most of them, nah, perhaps think that your problem isn't their business at all?

Why do we have to add burden on others' shoulders by spreading negativity? Wouldn't it be better for us all to spread positive vibes instead?


Reading my Wall of Fame bottled messages gives me a lot of positive boost. It reminds me to always be kind to people and be grateful for everything I have. Those messages also add a new pile of motivation for me to continue fighting and moving on with my life. I think by finding and focusing on good things in life, just like what I do through my WOF, the positivity within us can flourish until it's plenty enough to be effortlessly radiated through our daily act of kindness.

And in the end,

it was an afternoon well spent after all.

No comments

© La Valse des Mots
Maira Gall