Project Code Name: Sangkuriang!

Try to stop at the Pasupati bridge in Bandung, face north, you will find a unique shaped mountain. In the shape of upside down boat, it is the Tangkuban Parahu. For local, the existence of Tangkuban Parahu revolve around a folktale of Sangkuriang and Dayang Sumbi. Pass and keep by generations of sundanese, the tale is a story of a young man, Sangkuriang, that try to marry his own mother, Dayang Sumbi. Blinded by his ego and lust, denied reality and try to commit a taboo. To prevent it, Dayang Sumbi ask for an impossible dowry: a giant lake that made from damming Citarum river and a giant boat with which she will sail the lake, all have to be done within one night. It is hard enough to dam Citarum river and make a boat, it also has to be done in one night.  Impossible as it sounds, but story told that Sangkuriang nearly made it happened, with the help of a thousand Jinns, before Dayang Sumbi trick him into failure. Magic is how the impossible happened, and trickery is how it failed.

The story is very well known and the name ‘Sangkuriang’ grow into a metaphor for doing the impossible. In our office for example, when a project needs to be delivered in impossible timeline and goal, we will call it “Project Sangkuriang”, because figuratively, we have to deliver it in “a night”. Once in a while, having this impossible task is good for self development. Give the team confidence that they can beat a great challenge. But having it too frequently to be normal, is like asking the team to transform from human to Jinn, and lets face it, divine intervention don’t do frequent request.

Tonight, between watching a floppy TV series about US college life and wondering how I have to write my scholarship presentation, I am questioning myself about my goal. Do I set a goal that seems so impossible to reach that I need magic or divine intervention to reach it?

Long ago, I set myself 3 goals that I want to achieve in life: better education, better job and better family. Compare to what? to the common standard of my family. In the first 24 years of my life (I turned 24 last month and had no will to write my annual birthday post, sorry about that), I can say that I have achieved the first 2 goals. I am among the first generation of my family that go to college, and I am the only one that made it to the top university in the country, that give me better education. I graduated in 4 years and get a steady job in the largest mobile operator in the country, indeed better job than anyone in the family ever achieved. And for the third goal, I can’t say anything about it yet, because let’s face it, getting a proper husband is not as easy as get admission to college or land a good job. So, I just need to be patient for this one.

And then come along the boredom. What will you do when you still can't complete your task yet, and you have to wait for God knows how long? Escalate the level of existing achievement! Between education and job, it seems that the first one is more appealing, it will bring more possibilities in the future, including achieving the third one. So, I set focus on the first. Who knows that it turns to a continuous effort for 3 years with many complication popped up in the middle. In the end, a sweet opportunity come in a package of Company Scholarship Program.

It felt too good to be true. I remember asking myself several times if I am finally succumb to uncurable delusion or somebody just get bored and hack HR system to send that scholarship program announcement as a prank. But it turned out to be true. The official announcement released, first test conducted, second test conducted and I passed. The odd is currently in my favor until this moment. Then come the third test: interview about study goal and target university. And they announce a list of target universities for us to choose, that is when I feel the odd slipping away from me.

Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Yale, Columbia... name it! Ivy, world class, and every possible definition of greatness. Delusional as it is, the chance of me getting admission to those schools is the same as Pluto finishing its first revolution in my lifetime. Not impossible, but near impossible, how near? As near as my thumb and middle finger. There is an index in between, the first can give you thumb up, the other can give you the unspokable.

But when you achieved your goal early, it seems how far you escalate the level is not an issue. So why don’t shoot the impossible. Betting on the greatest so at least when you failed you end up with the second or third greatest? it is still the greatest anyway. That is what I do, shoot on the moon with a cannon from earth. Not a chance on looking vividly at the target, let alone have the power to shoot it straight, but as hell I will pass this opportunity without die trying.

This is my Project Sangkuriang. Unlike Sangkuriang, I can not and I won't employ thousands Jinn to help me out. But unlike Sangkuriang, my mother does not try to fail me, she back me up. I am not committing a taboo, I shoot at the impossible and I pray for the best divine intervention that can happen: God’s bless. My job is to try hard, and that is what I am doing. 

The very least, I'll end up with the second greatest: a better and wiser version of myself. Suit up!