Low Profile

Last weekend's Who Wants to be the Millionaire show was AWESOME! Did you watch it? Did you watch it?

I don't usually watch TV too much.. not even in my weekends. But sometimes I like accompanying my mum watching some TV shows in Saturday evenings when she is most of the time left alone at home -- bro is always out then. Well yeah, he's having his normal youth life, with a lovely girlfriend. So why wasting a beautiful Saturday night at home?
That left me -- the single available person that seems to have no life -- in the family to be with my beloved mum. Not that it was an obligatory thing to do. I rarely spend my time at home, and always love to spare some time for dear mummy.

Well, two weeks ago, the latest participant in the Who Wants to be the Millionaire came out to be a very shy not-daring-to-look-at-a-person-in-the-eye Javanese guy who works as a loper koran (paperboy). He was trying his luck in the quiz show to fund his getting-married to his girlfriend. If you looked at him, you would have guessed that he wouldn't be getting too far in it. Really... physically, he doesn't have the look of smart person. He always ducked his head when he answered the questions Tantowi Yahya, the presenter, was asking him. He didn't take too long to answer and he seemed to be sooo.. careless. My mother said that he wouldn't make it and he should be happy to get an Rp 8 million prize to fund up his wedding party. Consider those professors and doctors who didn't pass the third safe level of the Rp 32 million prize. Some of them didn't even survive to the Rp 8 million stage! So, indeed, it was very reasonable that my mother said so.

As always, I argued:
"Well, those doctors and professors have only one or two big but very specific knowledge of their majors. So actually it was quite normal that they couldn't answer a lot of questions of random fields of study. Remember the easiest question of literature taught in the elementary school? The most simple idioms and proverbs? The most obvious geography facts? And the other should-be-easy-and-general-stuff-to-know-abouts? They couldn't answer them! But this guy... is a paperboy. He might have read the news for quite some years now and he might know much more things than those doctors! At least, he'll make it to the Rp 32 million prize, I'll say."

The time was up and the game was continued in the next weekend (which was last week).

I was staying the night at Rina's, almost forgetting the quiz when suddenly Rina's mum was excitedly talking about the paper-guy on TV. Rushing to her room, I sat nicely and began to watch the show.

I was right. He made it to the Rp 32 million prize.. to the Rp 250 million.. and stop at the last level and was happy to only get the Rp 500 million! Holy shit!

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SOMEONE HAD EVER SUCCEEDED TO GET TO THE LAST LEVEL!!!!

And what was he again? A paper boy? And what was everybody's speculation on his chances? Man.. Salut!!!

Everybody was standing up for him everytime he answered the so-very-fucking-crazy-difficult questions right! Tantowi Yahya, actually ran to his place and gave him a hug twice. He did deserve the applause, the respect, the admiration! Go Agus!!!

There again.. I was taught not to judge someone by its appearance, or way of act, or words, or religion, or race, or tribe, or colour of skin or hair, or any differences we were born gifted. I was taught not to underestimate anyone by their profession or unlucky situations in their life.
Instead, serve all people the same. It will create a happier, healthier and nicer relationship in the community. In the long run, it can be one way of avoiding any kind of war. Does it quite make sense?

I admire this Agus person. His braveness. His low-profileness. His brain. His willing-to-learn from the used unsold newspapers. His survival tricks. He's so cool of a man, really.
He might not be the handsome guy of our standard, nor does he dress up like a very intelligent person. But he's intelligent in real and he's sweet in real. Now he can enjoy the Rp 500 million (is it all money??? hehehe) he earned from his own hard discipline work and study for years and guts, of course, to join this exclusive seeming-to-be luxurious TV show. You can even buy a HUGE house and a sport car, Gus!!! Congrats!