GREETING CARD

I found a nice surprise on my post box this morning: a greeting card from Indonesia. From my mom uncle. It’s Ied Mubarak Card. Kartu Lebaran. This is the first card I have received this year. And maybe the only one.

This card flies me back to my childhood memories. My very first memory about Ied card it’s when my mom brought me to Kantor Pos Besar aka General Post Office to bought some cards. I was 7 years old. At that time, not many dept store or bookshop around, so GPO veranda was full of cards seller.

When I was on year 5, I asked my mom if I can help her to make our own greeting card. My mom gave me opportunity to do so, and its boost my confidence of my art skill. It keeps going until I was on the High School and College. Every year, I come up with new idea about the card. And the list of recipients growing bigger and bigger. There was some time that I sacrificed my bed time after sahur, just to finish the cards. Cost me my pocket money, for all of the papers, envelopes and stamps. But you can’t buy the pleasure feeling. I always had mixed feeling, exhausted, happy, joy, after my project complete.

My ‘best performance’ was when I’m on year 11 –High School- with 230cards in total. All of my money gone for stamps. So, the following year, I decided to handed-out my cards to my classmate, in order to save the stamps. Some friends weren’t happy, because they loved to get the card by post instead.

I did design all of the cards myself. One design goes wrong when I tried to use plastic as an envelope, and this card beautifully see-through. Post Office wasn’t happy, though. They can’t stamp it, because this silly plastic just ruined the ink. So, I got an ‘invitation’ letter from Post Office, saying that I had to come and replace all of the plastic cover with normal envelope, or they won’t send it. I was disappointed at that time. What is the point, covering this beautiful design with envelope? I did not intend to use the envelope at the first place anyway. But I had no choice. Rather than send all of the cards my self all around the City and even all around the State, I placed the card into envelope. And re-address. And re-send.

Since technology overtaking human life, and E-mail or Short Message Service is easy option to greet, I never received any cards. I felt lost. I still made some cards, send it to family and closets friend. But I can’t help myself not to reply all of greeting through SMS and E-mail. I tried to be polite. Even when I feel I lost the human touch.

This year, weeks ago, when I was still thinking about either yes or not to make my own cards as before (I have to admitted, bit hard for me to sneak quietly on my desk doing some cards when there are 2 kids need 100% attention) I got an e-mail from old friend from High School. She asked me if she still on the recipients list –which she hope so- and she asked a sneak preview of my newest design. She mentions about his first card from me, about 20 years ago, and she still keeps all of the cards that I send to her in 20 years. Yes, 20 years, 20 Eid, 20 different designs of handmade greeting cards. It surprised me. I never though that it’s been 20 years I made my own card.

Her e-mail put me back on the track. I suddenly felt of adrenalin rush and paint new design on my mind.

It’s felt different when I open the card from my mom’s uncle. I’m feeling the connection. I felt the joy that I’ve loosing it. I felt touched.

Happy Eid Mubarak. Send me card next Ied. Please…