nice review by alia :)

Chasing Dreams Through [ei tu ze]
reviewed by : alia

You may say I am a dreamer
But I am not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one
[Imagine - Human Nature]

Of course all of us have dreams.
And we all want our dreams to come true.
But what happens when we have to choose which dreams come true first?
What happens if we can't make all our dreams come true?

[ei tu ze] is a book by Danni Junus and talks about dreams.
Honestly, at first it was quite difficult and boring to follow the story.
The Editor DID not do his/her homework and there were a lot of editorial mistakes.
Another issue was that Danni also used English in her writings.
Using a line or two is OK as it reflects how the young urban Indonesian people talk,
but having a whole paragraph in English - which are sometimes grammatically incorrect?
Very uneasy to read, indeed.

The first sections of the book focused too much on the characters
and the words were not flowing as smoothly.
But as I continued reading, it became more interesting and more emotional.

The story focuses on Dharma's dreams for her future.
The setting is in Bandung - not a big surprise as Danni is also from the city.
Like many mid-twenties Indonesian woman,
Dharma longs to settle down and have a small family.
Her previous boyfriend, Rivan - the most perfect boyfriend a girl could ever have -
was serious in having a relationship with her,
but when it comes talking about marriage he simply would brush it off.
And so even though they still love each other,
they decided to call the relationship off.

As Dharma goes on with her single life,
she meets a younger man named Atari.
He's the less perfect boyfriend, but somehow Dharma always felt comfortable with him.
They soon became a couple and eventhough Rivan will sometime pop back into her life,
Dharma soon found out that it's Atari she really loves more.

As Dharma still maintain a friends relationship with Rivan,
things start to stir up between Dharma and Atari.
Especially when Rivan gave Dharma plane tickets to London plus money to stay
and continue her dream study there.
That gift was a big blast for Atari's ego...
and eventhough the naive Dharma thought of it just as a friendly gesture
and was eager to take Rivan's generous gift,
Atari thought differently and got sooo sick he was hospitalized.
At the last minutes before boarding the plane to London,
Dharma changed her plans and stayed with Atari until he got well again.
End of story? Well not yet!

As Dharma and Atari's relationship grew closer,
Dharma's pending dreams to have a small family becomes more stronger.
Dharma's parents has also been quietly pushing her to tie the knot.
Unfortunately, Atari is not feeling the same way.
After quitting his permanent job and pursuing his dream as an architect
the coming projects he got weren't as much and as big as he expected.
He would either be doing nothing and waiting for another project,
or even if he finally got one - he'll be so busy concentrating on it.

Dharma on the other hand, moved back to Jakarta
and had a new career as a fashion journalist in a Fashion Magazine.
As you can imagine, Dharma's financial status become more steadier than Atari.

When Dharma casually asked Atari about their relationship
and her dreams to get married, Atari will brush it off as quick as you can say KIDS.
Somehow Atari feels that he's not financially ready to make her dream come true
and has too big an ego to let Dharma be the breadmaker for the family.
Well, I totally agree on Atari with that.. I mean men should still have THAT ego.
Nowadays, most men are completely lazy and dependent on their woman.

But what I don't agree with Atari was when he said that
maybe Dharma would be better of with another person
because Atari can't fulfill her dreams.
Why do men stop fighting for their woman nowadays? It's such a shame!

Their relationship got even bumpier
when Dharma insisted that she didn't want to marry him NOW.
Yet at least, she would like to know his plans about marrying her.
When Atari said in like maybe 2 years and was still doubtful about it,
Dharma decided he was just being too selfish.
Okay so Atari is younger then Dharma but... tick tock tick tock!
Dharma is 27 years now and her biological clock is ticking!

How would this story end?
Will Atari finally fight to fulfill Dharma's dream?
Or will Dharma have to pursue her other pending dreams?
Will Rivan play a part in making Dharma's dreams come true?
Why don't you just buy the book and find out yourself.
All I can say, it's a not a happy ending
but it'll sure leave you thinking about your dreams!

All and all, I think this book is simply great.
It captures the insight of the mid-twenties Indonesian woman.
The story covers both man and woman perspectives, making it more interesting.
A must read book for girlfriends who want to marry soon
and boyfriends who's girlfriends' age is around 24-27 year old!
He he he

-------------------------------------------
SEVERAL LESSONS LEARNED IN THIS BOOK:

1. Never stay friends with your ex-es.
Based on my own experience, it just won't work.
Either you or the other partner will somehow have hopes.
And besides, it'll make you harder to focus on your next love relationship.

2. It's not wise to set marrying targets.
Some friends always had this target about when they'll get married.
It's usually around the age 24-28 years old.
But my friends get puzzled when they find out I don't have any marrying target,
knowing me with all my list of goals and targets.
My rational is when you get married it should be a decision
made by yourself AND your partner.
I feel it's ridiculous if you set your marrying target
when you don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend.
And it's sillier to push your partner to marry you just because of YOUR goals.
Doesn't he have a say on this too?
Of course, you men out there should also respect the maternal urge of women in their mid-twenties!

3. Never be the first to ask your man to marry you.
Well, as modern and westernized as some people think of me,
I still believe that men should always be the first to pop the question.
I mean, if they really really wanted to marry you
then surely they won't wait until you have to ask when, right?
Is he's ready then he'll be ready.
Nobody can push him to be ready. He just gotta be ready by himself.
Either wait until he gets ready or just find someone else.

4. Sometimes when you love someone, you just have to let them go.
I always believe that our lifes are fulled of paths.
And in each person we meet during our journey will always play a role to our life.
Yet there comes a time when we have to continue our path WITHOUT that special someone.
Just think positive and go on! If you were meant to be, then you'll meet up again.

I'm a dreamer. But I'm also realistic too! ;)

Don't fall in love with a dreamer
'Cause he'll always take you in
Just when you think you've really change him
He'll leave you again
Don't you fall in love with a dreamer
'Cause he'll brake you every time
Put out the light and just hold on
Before we say goodbye
[Don't Fall in Love with A Dreamer - Kenny Rogers]