My Christmas Wish List

I don’t actually celebrate Christmas itself, but I do enjoy the extra holiday! And any excuse to make a wish list si fine with me… So here it goes, in no particular order.

1. An iMac. Simply because they’re just pretty. And also because I’m tired of sneaking my Dad’s laptop away from his “office,” and then having him knock on my door asking for it back. And I need to get away from the habit of surfing/blogging/etc from my bed.. it’s too comfy, and just leads me staying in bed all day. At least having a desktop instead of a laptop will force me to get out of bed :p

2. That pair of oh-so-gorgeous Christian Louboutin shoes, that cost my monthly salary and a bit lot more… *sigh* I think the salesperson knows me already as “that scruffy girl who comes in, looks at it, and then walks out.”

3. A pay raise (see 2).

4. A holiday. Damn you “no-vacation-leave-until-one-year-of-service” rule!!!

5. My sis to come home for the vacation

6. For Monday to never come, and for this 3-day-weekend to last forever…

7. I want suggestions of things to do/places to visit within a 2-hours-drive radius of Jakarta, i.e. similar to Bandung distance-wise. See, my office has this “weekend duty” program where at least two people per department has to be within the Jakarta vicinity in case of emergency. Since everyone else is on holiday for the next 2 weeks or so, and I’m not (see #4), I’ve been one of the designated “weekend duty” personnel *sigh* So trips to Bali, Lampung, Yogyakarta, etc are out of the question (and forget about trips abroad!). Thus, the need for things within Jakarta’s 2-hours’-drive radius.. Anyone??

8. Books! Why are books so damn expensive in Jakarta? They’re double the prices elsewhere!

9. Philippines dried mangoes.. Yum. I’ve finished my stock, and looking for the next shipment. They’re my drug of choice.

10. World peace.

My Lazy Saturday

OK, people usually have lazy Sundays.. but I thought one day of laziness is simply not enough to recuperate from 5 days of busy-ness. So I added Saturday to my lazy-day list. Starting today.

Oh it didn’t actually started that way.. I woke up with grand plans in my head, which includes cleaning up my room, calling up old friends, catching up with my readings and my writings, sorting out photos from my phone, etc etc.

Out of all those, I managed (or about to manage) one of them: write… and that’s at 8 in the evening.. a cool 12 hours after I made my highly-optimistic list of things to do. All the other things have been replaced by one thing and one thing only: watch TV. damn you TV.

No, really, DAMN you TV. Believe it or not, TV has only recently entered my life here in Jakarta. For the past 4 months or so, there was no TV at home. Well, the physical TV set is there, but since we hadn’t subscribed to any cable television we didn’t receive any TV signals. The good ol’ telly was used sporadically during the weekends simply to watch DVDs.

But you know what? None of us, i.e. neither me, my Mom or my Dad, really missed the whole “watching TV” activity. To those sceptics who asked “So what do you guys do at night/weekends?”, the simple answer is “Eat, play cards, read books, just sit in comfortable silence, or sleep.” I found that the 2-3 hours I get at home after work is just enough to fit these things in.” And it’s true.

But now that the modern evil has re-entered our home, I feel my productivity slipping down. No, scratch that. It didn’t slip… it plunged. Head-first. Into the icy-cold water, to die a permanent death.

So tomorrow, the previously designated lazy-day of Sunday has to become the uber-productive Sunday to make up for this Satur-lazy-day. God may rest on the 7th day, but I guess that’s a priviledge only God can afford.. the toil continues for a mere mortal like me.

To The Man of My Life

5:33 pm, Friday. Just wrapping up a few things in the office, before I head back home. From the large glass window of my office room, through the water streaks and the mist from the rain: a glimpse of Jakarta’s skyline.

I don’t know what it is, but maybe the mix of grey skies and that silence that you get during heavy rains just brings a reflective pause in my Jakarta rat-race life. So I pause. I look around. And always my memories come back and takes my breath away…. and I stood in awe of my life. And that’s not me boasting — in fact, it’s safe to say I’ve done nothing awe-worthy in my life… but I’ve experienced a very awesome life.

You have done the amazing things, and I just tagged along.

So let me count the ways I owe you, you son of a tailor (“tukang jahit”) in one of Indonesia’s thousands of traditional wet market (“pasar becek”) and of a shopkeeper owner (and by shop here, the appropriate Indo word is “warung”, i.e. small shop (usually measuring 2 x 3 m) selling lil household/toiletries items and chocolate bars).

A deadly combination of brains and hardwork (I’m afraid “good looks” doesn’t factor in :p), you gained admittance to an academy (I know you only applied to academies, instead of universities, because tuition was free and they even gave living allowance) where, if I remember correctly, you scored 2nd highest amongst thousands of applicants.

Then obtained a scholarship for your Masters to go the US at the young age of 20-something… and this was back in the 1970s — I can only imagine the competition for that! A PhD soon followed, but not before I entered into your life and started accruing my debt to you… (and you to me, as I’m sure I’ve brought great moments in your life too, right? Wait, this post is not about me….)

Long story short, I travelled the world, gained formal/informal educations around the world, tasted some of world’s finest cuisine, stayed in breath-taking hotels, saw many of the world’s amazing wonders, and through it all never had to worry about the $$$. And most importantly, I either did all of those things with you by my side or at the least with your love and moral support behind it.

You’ve come a long way: from having to remember all the teacher taught you because notebooks (the paper kind, not the one equipped with wi-fi and bluetooth) were too expensive, to getting me my first car (brand new, and automatic). Thanks for taking me along with you.

And sorry for forgetting it was your birthday. But I think we’re even now, considering you left me (and sis) on the curb once when you went to get the car and then just drove off without looking back… only to realize a good 500 meters later that we were not in the backseat

Things I’ve Learnt in the Past 2.5 Months

1. Jakarta is crowded.. really crowded. 15 million people in 62 km2 does not a good city make. But it truly is the city that never sleeps.

2. Busway is just as crowded… But surprisingly convenient, reasonably clean, safe and frequent (According to my calculation, at least one bus every 10 minutes, which is not bad at all).

3. People cannot queue… My dad argues that it’s the crowd mentality, where because there is such a huge crowd, people panic and jostle to the front. But I noticed that even when it’s just me waiting for the busway, the next person will stand next to me instead of behind me. And will innocently cut me to the bus, even if clearly s/he knows I was there first.

4. Payday is somehow always a sunny, clear-blue-sky kinda day.

5. Living with parents again after 8 years of full independence requires negotiation skills, diplomacy and patience of the highest level… from both sides.

6. I’ve forgotten the beauty (and the beast) of being back within the grandeur of Indonesian extended family.

7. While I’ve heard Indonesia being described, by foreigners & Indonesian themselves, that Indonesia is the smiling nation, I still think they (we?) need to smile a lil bit more. Especially to the doormen, security guards, drivers, maids, cleaners, and the likes.

8. To some people, a mall excursion requires a level of makeup and hairdo that I usually reserve for a night out. I’m afraid of what these people do for their evening plans.

9. My marriage plans are everyone’s business… literally.

10. People are shocked that someone from my upbringing/educational background/international experiences/socio-economic status* willingly takes the busway to and from work. Listen to me people: From London to Paris to New York to Singapore, from the red double-decker bus to the Tube to the Subway to the MRT, if it’s 5 PM, it will be crowded. Jakarta’s Busway is not immune to this rule.

Posts to Write

Oh yes, it’s been a long, long while since I posted anything here… (apart from that Really Random post, which is excluded due to its sheer randomness). And it’s not because of lack of materials. Or lack of time. Or lack of interest in general writing. Or lack of internet connection.

It is, in fact, down to that singular feature of human trait that accounts for so much of our behaviours.. mostly bad ones. Or, it may not result in anything bad, but it definitely stops the good from materializing.

The L word: Laziness.

So to combat that, I’ve decided to write a Posts-to-Write list. Simply to act as a reminder for the many many things I want to share with you all (the I’m-thinking-of-others reason*), and also as a reminder of the many many interesting stories I have (the I’m-so-cool reason).

1. Letter to Grandpa
2. First day/month at work
3. First payday! (yay!!)
4. The End of My Manila Chapter
(yes, the closest thing I’ve had to a home is now no longer…)
5. The Start of My Jakarta Chapter
(trying to make a new home, amongst people who think that this is my home. talk about a misunderstanding minefield)
6. Define Home, Please.
(the eternal question of TCKs)
7. One Month of Busway
(I can write a Ph.D thesis on behavioural psychology based on this)
8. Coolest Travel Story: Wedding in Saudi Arabia
9. 6 Months (and Counting) Without TV
(yes, it’s possible. Life does exist outside TV, and a good one too!)
10. A Heritage Trail Across Jakarta
(an excursion with Sahabat Museum, lit. Friends of Museums)

OK, that should be enough to keep me going.. And hopefully it’ll act as a teaser so you’ll watch this space

*This assumes that you guys actually want to hear my stories. Which is of course true, because of reason number 2: I’m so cool (!)

Really Random

How random can things be? Or at least how random can ramblings be? Like, right now. I have no idea what to, ok, no. I do have some idea, but just too lazy to write them. I wanna just type type type without stopping, or deleting or censoring. But that’s hard to do. Coz I do a lot of typos. And that’s not fair for you, my dear readers, who have already spared the time to read this nonsense. I don’t wanna cause you even more pain by shifting through typos.

…
typos typos typos
…
I think that’s a really funny word. Maybe typo was a typo, like someone was trying to type type, but made a typo.

Oh I hope no one from work read this.

…
typo typo typo typo
sounds like hippo hippo hippo

of which I’m an expert, thanks to Lufthansa Airlines that only had that one giant screen for the entire economy class. So I had to sit for 15 hours watching a documentary on hippos. 15 hours I’ll never gain back, and 15 hours of the most unproductive tv viewing ever.

But maybe, one day, I’ll join a TV quiz show and the one million dollar question will be on hippos. Just like that movie which I liked but just at this moment can’t remember the title of. But I’m sure you all know. If not, ask your neighbor.

…
A 1-min break to check facebook, and to reply to a chat message, only to find so-and-so is no longer online. I hate that.

I like this lil window of quickpress. Very good for random stuff. Specially coz I can’t see any of the previous paragraphs, so I don’t have to worry about connecting this paragraph with the previous ones.

OOooooohhh… He’s back online. yay! chat back in motion.

I saw a friend’s status on facebook, which I think is hilarious. It goes like this: “In future, YouTube, Twitter & Facebook will merge to form the mega platform, YouTwitFace -Conan OBrien (rofl)”

Definite rofl.

Click on the blue button. Publish.

QuickPress for a QuickQuestion

Do smokers complain about pollution?

If yes, why? Why do they complain about pollution from cars/buses/factories/bajaj, and then smoke up a cigarette or two? Where’s the logic in that?

If not, then fair enough I guess

Why I Love the Philippines

After a good few years of living in the Philippines and even more of calling it home (since I define home as where my parents live), the journey will come to an end this June/July. My parents are heading back to Jakarta-side, so I guess that’ll be my “home” from then on.

Like they say, you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone. And I don’t think I took full advantage of living in this beautiful country. I don’t even know how to speak tagalog after all these years, apart from the few words that I drop in so that they give me the “local” and not “tourist” price.

While I say my good bye in what could be my last visit “home”, I thought I’ll do another list like what I did for Indonesia. It’s not as well-researched (I’m stealing time on the library computer), but it’s no less heartfelt. Maybe someday, when I’ve left and truly realized how much it means to me, I can write a better-composed one.

1. English-speaking: makes getting around so much easier. But that means I lose the drive to learn Tagalog. Darn.

2. Friendly and happy people: I find the pinoys (the local term for Filipinos) in general have a happier outlook in life than, say, the general Indonesian or Singaporean eventhough financially they are as or less well off. A very laidback and outgoing, takes-life-as-it-comes nature. I like getting service from people who are happy giving it.

3. Weather: being somewhat above the equator, the Philippines have its hot months as well as its cooler months. Hot months are crap, but the cooler ones are just nice. You can walk around without getting sweaty and sunburnt, which means Manila has a lot of open-air parks and recreation spaces next to its oversized malls (which are, in contrast, perfect for summer).

4. Nightlife: officially, I know nothing about the Manila nightlife. unofficially, I know quite a bit and it’s goood. Cheap & fun; a lot of music, and even more drinks. And no ID checks

5. My dad’s office: It’s like a one-stop convenience center. Free internet (which is where I am posting from), big big library, cheap international food, a commissary (where I can buy lots of imported goods and charge directly to my dad’s paycheck hahaha), a post office, a laundry service, banks, atms, water/electricity/DHL service.

Update

Now that I’m done with Uni, I’ve been doing a lot of travelling and even more general lounging.

My parents came to Brisbane to attend my graduation (Dec 15), and my birthday (Dec 16). We didn’t get to go to New Zealand as planned, so I turned 25 without a 25th-country-I-have-visited tale to tell.

But I still got to cross off one of my things-to-do-before-I’m-too-old/broke list: diving in the Great Barrier Reef! We (me mom & dad) went to Cairns, where I dove, dad snorkeled, and mom sudoku-ed.

After many visits to my parents’ friends’ houses in Brisbane, those from 20 years ago and more recent ones, we flew off to Manila on Dec 31st.

They spent New Year’s in Manila, me in Singapore, and my sister in London. Then on Dec 2nd, after 2 years of here there and everywhere, the whole family was reunited back in Manila. Yay!

Jan 3rd-4th: went to Anilao, where me & sis dove, dad snorkeled, and mom Sudoku-ed.

Jan 10th-11th: see above (but in future tense)

The honeymoon will end when my sis leaves (Jan 15th), then me (Jan 19th), then mom (Jan 20th), leaving my dad back to his Indomie-for-dinner routine.

In between all of that, I am doing my job applications *wish me luck*

Belated happy new year to you all, and my best wishes always!

Oh Happy Day!

Oh results are out!

Oh how my heart pounded when I went online to check the results!

Oh happy day!

Now I can call my parents and tell the good news.

Now I can really enjoy my trip today to Wet ‘n Wild (a water theme park with huge slides.. weeeee!!)

Now I should call those friends I shun during the thesis-writing days (I hope they’re still my friends…)

First things first: Pray and thank God. Alhamdulillah.