_{Source: Pexels, modified}

Heaven Village was perhaps the most densely populated village in the world. Cheap flat houses filled the entire area. The streets were narrow and there were hardly any gardens. In some corners there was indeed a little open space with a children's playground and a basketball court. With limited open spaces, it was impossible for children and teenagers in this village to grow up and develop properly.

Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside, had led the United Kingdom's Urban Task Force which was examining urban development. He wrote a report entitled "Towards an Urban Renaissance" which was published in 1999. The book was now a classic one on urban studies. Rogers emphasized the importance of sustainable urban architecture that could accommodate millions of residents without encroaching on urban boundaries or encouraging rural development. The Anglo-Italian architect emphasized the importance of open space networks and the potential benefits of social, ecological, health, and quality of life.

Rogers' views were widely accepted. A number of studies in other countries also confirmed this. However, many city leaders ignored it and allowed the emergence of slum areas that were socially and ecologically not healthy. City governments prefered to develop prestigious and luxurious business areas that provided immediate income rather than improving the quality of life for residents by building city parks, green open spaces, and healthy and sustainable housing arrangements.

Heaven Village was a victim of the narrow thoughts of the political elite.

I walked across a basketball court and several blocks of flats. Some of the buskers I saw on Wittgenstein Street greeted me. I greeted and smiled at them.

On an apartment staircase, I saw Octavio Paz playing his accordion. He was really good at this musical instrument. When I got there, he asked me to sit with some other busker friends.

"You know, I just learned that playing on Rising Star game requires strategy," he said.

I nodded. I was also starting to feel that now. When I was a beginner, I just needed to play to catch as many fans as possible, level up, and earned more Starbits. However, the higher our level, the harder the game was. When you had at least 1000 fans, either drunk or permanent (usually because you had a card containing a certain number of fans), the "Ego" category would appear.

If you played "Busking With A License", for example, you would level up, added 30 to 126 Starbits, and got 1 Ego. The more often you played, the ego increased. The effect of the ego was to reduce the Starbit gain. The bigger the Ego, the greater the reduction in Starbit was.

"The only way to lower your ego is to improve your skills. You do this by taking music lessons," I said. "Try learning to sing, play guitar, and more."

"Yes, I just realized that. Would you like to teach me a song?" he asked. His friends also urged me to show one of the songs.

I then played Sexy Sadie Passed Away by United Duality (Hive account@unitedduality) featuring Tom Bedlam who I just heard on Radio Rising Star (Hive account@risingstargame). It's a sad song but performed with upbeat music with various musical rhythms. When I played my guitar, Octavio played his accordion. Her friends then climbed down the stairs and danced to follow the rhythm of the song.

For a moment, my sadness was relieved.

To Be Continued

_{Source: Pexels}

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Mimpi Menjadi Bintang (Bagian 17): Sexy Sadie Passed Away

Kampung Surga barangkali adalah kampung terpadat di dunia. Rumah-rumah susun murah tegak mengisi seluruh kawasan ini. Jalan-jalannya sempit dan nyaris tak ada taman. Di beberapa sudut memang ada sedikit ruang terbuka yang berisi taman bermain anak-anak dan sebuah lapangan basket. Dengan ruang terbuka yang terbatas, mustahil anak-anak dan remaja di kampung ini dapat tumbuh dan berkembang dengan baik.

Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside, telah memimpin United Kingdom's Urban Task Force yang mengkaji perkembangan kota. Dia menyusun laporan berjudul Towards an Urban Renaissance yang diterbitkan pada 1999. Buku itu kini menjadi karya klasik tentang kajian kota. Rogers menekankan tentang pentingnya arsitektur kota yang berkelanjutan yang dapat menampung jutaan penduduk tanpa harus melanggar batas tepi kota atau mendorong perkembangan ke perdesaan. Arsitek Inggris-Italia itu menekankan pentingnya jaringan ruang terbuka dan keuntungan potensial dari kehidupan sosial, ekologi, kesehatan, dan kualitas hidup.

Pandangan Rogers sudah diterima luas. Sejumlah studi di negara lain juga menegaskan hal tersebut. Namun, banyak pemimpin kota mengabaikan hal tersebut dan membiarkan munculnya daerah-daerah kumuh yang tidak sehat secara sosial dan ekologis. Pemerintah kota lebih suka mengembangkan kawasan bisnis yang bergengsi dan mewah yang dapat segera memberi pemasukan daripada memperbaiki kualitas hidup penduduk dengan membangun taman kota, ruang terbuka hijau, dan penataan perumahan yang sehat dan berkelanjutan.

Kampung Surga adalah korban pikiran picik para elite politik.

Aku berjalan melintas sebuah lapangan basket dan beberapa blok rumah susun. Beberapa pengamen yang sering kulihat di Wittgenstein Street menyapaku. Aku menyapa dan melempar senyum kepada mereka.

Di sebuah tangga apartemen, aku melihat Octavio Paz sedang bermain akordion. Dia memang piawai memainkan instrumen musik itu. Ketika aku tiba di sana, dia mengajakku duduk bersama beberapa teman pengamen lainnya.

"Kau tahu, aku baru belajar bahwa bermain di Rising Star game butuh strategi," katanya.

Aku mengangguk. Aku juga kini mulai merasakan itu. Ketika masih pemula, aku cuma perlu bermain untuk mengejar sebanyak mungkin penggemar, menaikkan level, dan mendapat lebih banyak Starbits. Namun, semakin tinggi level kita, permainan semakin berat. Ketika kamu memiliki sedikitnya 1000 fans, baik yang mabuk maupun permanen (biasanya karena kamu punya salah satu kartu berisi jumlah fans tertentu), maka akan muncul kategori "Ego".

Bila kmau bermain "Busking With A License", misalnya, kau akan menaikan level, menambah 30 sampai 126 Starbits, dan menambah 1 Ego. Semakin sering kau bermain, maka ego akan bertambah. Dampak dari ego adalah mengurangi perolehan Starbit. Semakin besar Ego, semakin besar pengurangan Starbit.

"Satu-satunya cara untuk menurunkan egomu adalah dengan meningkatkan keterampilan. Caranya dengan mengambil pelajaran musik," kataku. "Cobalah sering-sering belajar menyanyi, bermain gitar, dan lainnya."

"Ya, aku baru menyadari hal itu. Apakah kau mau mengajarkanku satu lagu?" tanyanya. Teman-teman yang lainnya juga mendesakku untuk menunjukkan salah satu lagu.

Aku lalu memainkan Sexy Sadie Passed Away oleh United Duality (Hive account@unitedduality) featuring Tom Bedlam yang baru kudengar di Radio Rising Star (Hive account@risingstargame). Ini lagu sedih tapi ditampilkan dengan musik yang bersemangat dengan berbagai irama musik. Ketika aku memainkan gitar, Octavio memainkan akordionnya. Teman-temannya kemudian turun dari tangga dan menari-nari mengikuti irama lagu.

Untuk sejenak, kesedihanku terobati.

Bersambung...

_{Source: David Bartus from Pexels}

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