The day started a normal enough day. Well, if you consider it normal to wake up with extra puffy eyes due to crying, because you were missing your child so much, since you have to leave her with you in-laws because the nanny's gone to kampung for a week. If you don't, okay then, the started abnormally. Then I got to the office. Had the Monday Meeting for a couple of hours. Walked out, famished then straight to my favorite warteg for my lunch. As usual, I bought my lunch, wrapped it and brought it to my office and ate at my desk. It's pathetic, I know but did I ever mention that I usually bring DVDs to watch while I eat? My own personal theatre.

While eating my lunch and watching my movie, Thank God I still pay attention of what I eat. When I took a bit of the vegetables to my spoon, I saw something brown. I thought it was a bit of ginger. But wait, it's not ginger. It's a freakin' cockroach!! EEEEEEEEW times thousands. I lost my apetite immidiately, re-wrapped my lunch and threw it to the bin and call downstair canteen to order indomie goreng. I vowed not to buy lunch at the place anymore (there goes my cheap favorite warteg *sigh*).

Around 2 PM, my boss called me and ask whether I had some event to attend that evening, and I said I didn't, so she asked me to go along with her to the wine and dine event to the adjacent hotel. I thought, what the heck, no body's waiting at home anyway, so I said yes.

Little that I know, the 'wine and dine' here put emphasis on the 'wine'. So the hotel cooperate with this wine company from France, that released new lines of wines, and we have to try, like, 10 types of them. The dining was quite nice too, this was the first time I sampled goose liver (and regretted it afterwards, because I heard the making process was inhumane, or should I say it, in-goose. But no, not really regret it because it's terribly delicious, I guess I have to try it, if only once in a lifetime). But the wine, oh the wine. It got to your head pretty quickly. Even my dear dear boss whispered to me "Please help me up if I walk wobbly". When everyone on the table had too much to drink, there's the executive chef of the restaurant, who is German, decided to gave his opinion about pretty much anything in his loud German voice and accent. I was scared of him. Even the vinologist (who were sent directly from French, and cute, by the way, with his broken English that he looked embarrassed by it, but only make him even cuter) looked scared.

Anyways, the evening ended approximately 11 PM. "It was a looooong evening, wasn't it?" said the editor from The Peak. "It sure was" said me. So I wobbled to the street side, looking for a cab.

Moral of the story:
*German chefs make a bad English speaker
*French almost cannot pronounce 'H' at the beginning of a word ('eavy, 'otel)
*These French wines are very good (believe me, I drank like 10 glasses of them)

Do you think it's fair to judge one's action only based on the intention? I learned it as a child, that as long as your intention is good, if you're lost somewhere along the way - doesn't matter - God would still judge you well, because - well - your intentions are good.

But what if our intentions are actually not good but our minds trick us into thinking that it's good? "Oh, my intention is good. I do this for other people, because they don't need another exposure of bad behaviour. Me? I don't care, I can take care of myself fine" when your thoughts really was: "I just simply don't like this person. And because I can, I would cast him/her away. You know, because I can."

It scares me sometime. I wish I'll always have my friend to remind me whenever my intentions go on the wrong ways. About my friend, I think you know. You may call him/her conscience, gut-feeling or God.

Pardon me Body Shop, I'm not stealing your AIDS campaign.

But something amusing happened on the Trans Jakarta bus on my way to work this morning. I was sitting while reading my book, when this woman entered. She looked tough, carrying two bags. She was restless, at first she stood in front of me. Then she was looking at something behind her, and moved a bit further away. I saw that she was looking at a man - nodding off - and oblivious to all the women that was standing, most of them lugging a quite heavy-looking bag. Then she spoke while nudging on the man, "Mas, boleh gantian engga duduknya?"

The man instantly stood up and gave her the seat while grinning sheepishly. The woman sat and nodded off instantly (must be the seat they're sitting on).

There you go, ladies!! If you're pregnant or sick, or having trouble with excess baggage on a bus, with men (pretending to be) sleeping sitting in front of you, DO NOT HESITATE to speak up and ask for a seat with LOUD VOICE. But Please, do your homework first, choose - based on the appearance - wisely. Skip men with kupluk, cingkrang trousers and beard - for I think you're wasting your time.

I don't know about you, but few of my fondest childhood memories are cuddled up with a book on my lap, usually it's Tintin, or Lima Sekawan, or Pasukan Mau Tahu, more often than not, it's Si Badung series, or Si Kembar or Malory Towers (I've collected these a couple of times, yet they kept fly off my shelf to another dimension). I totally enjoyed those books, and after I grown a bit and read them in English (on Enid Blyton's case, their original language) they made me feel just as wonderful, so I assumed the translation was flawless.

I also had this favorite picture book, called "Jumpailah Warga Hutan", where we could meet animals from the forest, and they eat corn, made housing and took refugees when the forest flooded. I usually read the book before sleep. It was perfect to take me to nicest dreams.

I found the same book a while a go. Couldn't resist to buy some for Yoko. The title has changed to "serial makhluk hutan", I owned hard copy, but they have only paperback now, so I bought them (picture will be included on this blog soon). But when I read them, I thought "what the heck?"

I recalled understanding the story compeletely when I was a child, but now, it only confuses me. I feel that few sentences were missing or taken out of context from the book's original language. I feel sad. It's never the same anymore. "sigh"

Now if I find the newest re-print of my favorite childhood books, I become skeptical. Just today, I was going to buy the newes re-print of Tintin. It's smaller, like some English version I owned, and I'd love to collect it again (this time, I'd put it in a safe deposit box), but I put it back in the shelf of Gramedia because I'm not sure the translation is the same with the ones I had when I was little. Is it? Can somebody help me? Because I saw that "Snowy" now has changed into "Milo" and I don't like a bit. What about Lima Sekawan? Shit, I should've put the ones I had in a deposit box then.

Why would they change something that was perfect just it was? Why Why Why?

I guess it's not far from the truth if I said, we as consumers are seldom win in this country. When we pay our bills late, our punishment awaits. But if suppliers fail to give us service or event adequate service, it's our loss and all we can do is submit complaint.

Any who, this rant is inspired by a stupid small thing that bugs me a lot. There's one mini mart in my office building. I always buy my cigarette from them because they always have supply, they're close and their price (of the cigarette) is lower than the warungs around my building. They charge 8.150 rupiah for a pack of Lucky Strike Lights. The thing is, they NEVER have change even for Rp. 100 coins. All they have is 500 coins. So what did I get when I bought the cigarette? It'll cost me 8.500 rupiah and I'd get bonus of a bunch of candies I didn't even eat. I spoke to the cashier girl few weeks a go:"Mbak, if you don't have the change for such a price, why don't you just round it up to 500s? I don't mind paying 8.500, it's still considerably cheap". The Mbak answered "People would complain if we raise our price". And they wouldn't when you gave them a bunch of candies instead of the change they deserved? Confusing.

Until I stocked up many of 50s coins. Now I pay my cigarette with any amount of money (up to Rp. 50.000 bill) and I give the Mbak 150 rupiah in coins, so she give me the change of 42.000 rupiah. Not without scowling. Ha di Ha Ha.

It's stupid, I know. But who gives a shit when it feels so good not to be irked by those damn candies.

Suatu Sabtu yang indah, di mana Ibu sedang menyiapkan tas-tas untuk pergi ke Bandung, dan Yoko diawasi Ayah yang sambil berngantuk-ngantuk dan bermalas-malas di tempat tidur sambil juga mengobrol dengan Ibu. Tiba-tiba: "Ayah! Ayah! Liat deh, bagus ga?" Ayah dan Ibu menoleh bersamaan ke tempat yang ditunjuk Yoko. Ternyata dia membuat seni instalasi yaitu memasukkan kunci metal ke dalam stop kontak. Ayah dan Ibu histeris. Yoko melihat karyanya tidak dihargai, turut histeris.

No matter how bad you got, never say "It can't be worse than this"

because, you know what, it can.

I saw a report in Trans TV on Sunday,  it told a story about this exotic fruit, called dragon fruit, which only appears near Chinese New Year. The reporter then interviewed a child who came to the orchard to witness this eventful...err...event,"The fruit is very strange, my mother said it's rare." My reaction was: "huh?" Isn't that the exact same fruit that my father buys at TOTAL buah segar?

I thought I could pass the new year safely without being tagged... but no such a luck hee hee, thanks to Uci. I don't want the things I WANT to do, rather than the things I need to do, because, by now I should learn that resolutions are just to do list. So here they are:

1. Potty train Yoko (I've postponed it long enough).
2. Launch the magazine that everyone would like and relate to.
3. Encourage Mas Udin (my household assistant) to learn how to cook, so I don't have to employ a cook (one more salary that could be eliminated).
4. Walk more.
5. Do some sit ups whenever I got the chance (pregnancy pouch would hopefully reduced).
6. Organize my time so I could catch up on my DVDs (when all my tasks are done, of course, I'm not THAT ambitious)
7. Scrub my toilet, sink and bath tub at least 2 times a week.
8. Love my family more.

That's it, and I tag: Azza, Affi, Reza, Adrian, Mandey, Yasha, Rani and Devi.

How hard it is to get some rest? Just let most of your muscle loose, lay your body anywhere you can find a flat surface, and do it.

Maybe you should ask more question if, the easiest thing to do become the hardest.

*am so physically tired*

...if  last week about five people told you that they saw quite a big picture of you in an exhibition some place and you got curiouser and curiouser (sori dit) then you came today to the place to check only to find out that they've taken down the whole exhibition just yesterday?

- Wear your walking/running shoes, don't wear something like pointy toes. It might be comfortable now, but after a while, your toes will suffer.

-Don't wear sandal jepit, either. You might get lucky to have an empty bus, but otherwise the risk of being stepped upon is unreasonably high. Spare your toes the nasty experience.

-If you have to stand, stand with your feet wide apart. Or you might fall into mas-mas's embrace when the driver hits the brake. Forget dainty. Choose dignity.

-You know the man with a kupluk, moustache, beard, koko shirt and cingkrang pants who is concentrating on his read such as: "Tafsir Al-Mustafa"? He is the least likely type to give up his seat to anyone, not even a heavy-bag-lugging ibu-ibu.

-If the driver hits the break, try best to step on the man's  (in kupluk, moustache, beard, koko shirt and cingkrang pants) toes.

-If you can, bring something to kill time, or even better to avoid the risk of getting caught sleeping with your mouth wide open. Book is good. NDS:even better.

-A woman is more likely to give an old lady her seat, even though her stop is still far away. A man would give someone his seat when his stop is next.

-Not having an intention to undermine woman-busway-drivers, but prepare to jump pretty far to and from the bus, from and to the shelter whenever they drive.

It's good, isn't it? To know that you're in good hands. It feels good to know, that your government is full of  capable, competent smart people, especially the leaders. Right? NOT!

Two days ago, I read this "Lampu Merah" newspaper (I swear I'm not the one who bought it) and found two articles about Jakarta's horrible traffic. The officials would debate about how to overcome this predicament. Whether they should raise the parking fee to Rp. 15.000 per hour (moronic, but I can see why), restrict the evens or odds of last number on the license plate (useless, do you think those bastards only have ONE car?), or electronic tracking device for subscription to entry the business area of the city (sure, another vehicle for pungli).

All of those is useless, said Ade Suryapriatna - who, I later found out, is the chairman of DPRD DKI Jakarta - if Jakarta government doesn't replace the lane for private cars that has been used for busway. Before Foke&Friends can do that, said Ade again, they should ALLOW any cars to enter the busway lane. "That'll be fair" He said.

With respect, Mr. Ade, maybe you should forgo your three luxury cars for a while and try the busway at rush hours. Try mish-mashing with the crowd like sardines in a tin, standing up in an awkward manner and have to do it - instead of the theories of 10 minutes max - for 1 hour instead, because the people - who can sit comfortably in their own cars while listening to their top of the line car stereo - with personal cars enter the busway (already happened). Let's see if you can still call it fair.

Instead of inventing imbecile plans, why don't you nudge the DKI government to put the BUS in the BUSway. So that instead of waiting for up to 45 minutes, passengers could get into the bus every 5-6 minutes (the original plan). With only that, I believe that more people would take bus rather than driving their cars. It'll be stress and hassle-free, faster and much more convenient.

Allowing cars into the busway to overcome bad traffic is like having your right leg with gangrene and amputate your left one to treat it.

A newly acquired licensed lifestyle-fitness woman magazine needs a female or male beauty/ fashion editor of following requirements:

- Punya fashion dan beauty sense yang lebih dari rata-rata
- 1 or 2 years experience in the field is preferable
- Pendidikan min D3
- Lebih dipertimbangkan jika sudah punya network dalam industri fashion dan beauty
- hard-worker and team-player
- harus bisa nulis!

Capcus, kalau berminat atau ada teman yang sekiranya cucok, kirim cv dan surat lamaran ke simandoux@yahoo.com. Ditunggu!

To quote Rachel in Friends when she has to move out from Monica's apartment: "Wow, I could easily freak out right now."

Most of my things are still in Bandung. Yet you could say that I am living in Jakarta. Niang and Yoko is officially still live in Bandung, but I cannot stand being apart with her for too long, so she is here now, with me. But I cannot spend much time with her anyway, because of the new office and all.

The house we intend to live in is still - emm, how can you say it - not ready? The electrical installation was probably done by a group of chimpanzee, so if we turn on the light on one room, the light on the other room would blow a fuse and so on. So we brought an electrician to the house, to fix it. Some how the electrician managed to get himself fallen from a ladder. THANK GOD his injury is quite superficial, but his back is still aching, at least that's what he told me via SMS 2 days ago. I think his stitches has dried up a bit now (done by a doctor at RS Fatmawati, where my husband brought him when the accident happens).

Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday, but it's also the day where my new company chooses to celebrate its magazines birthday with a whole shebang that I am obliged to go to.

Next week would be the beginning of the training for the 'new' product, and today, I still have no staff present.

I haven't finished my job from my previous employer, the deadline's today, and I am short - like - five articles.

I think I am feeling the beginning of a freak out.

Even before I moved to Jakarta, I have decided that I won't be driving in this God Forsaken City unless it absolutely necessary. Lucky me,  my mother house is located not far from a busway shelter, so I can go to and from the office by this God Forsaken mean of transportation. Doubly lucky me, my sister's office is just a couple of buildings from mine, so I could just hop on to her chaufeurred car and relax.

But still, from time to time, mine and my sister schedule not always match. So I have to walk walk walk from the office to the shelter, hop on the bus, change the bus mid way, hop on other bus, hop off and look for other mean of transportation to my house. The last part is kinda headache, for the only mikrolet that passes through my house (well.. almost) stops operating when it reaches 7.30 PM. The last time I went home with busway, I reached the shelter at 8.30 and I have given up hope to look for that mikrolet. So I tried the small streets and alleys by asking few warungs to get to my house. And I was pleasantly surprise that it's not that far, actually. The distance probably only 200 meters. Yay!

But I found that most of my journey  is hard on my feet. I got bad blisters on both feet. I gave up wearing pretty shoes if I was planning to busway. So my choice is, that I should wear my jogging shoes to work, then change it to pretty shoes, or, I should find shoes that are pretty and won't cause blisters (dream on, girl). Any suggestion?

She tagged me quite a while a go. But better late than never!

1. Sometimes I clean when I'm angry
   There's nothing better than scrubbing toilet or floors to spend your negative energy. Niang         knows this, so whenever I scrub things he would ask: "is there something wrong?" Not             always, but often there is hehehe...

2. I love my child but that doesn't mean I love children in general
    I still can't stand most of them. I'm sorry God, you know I've tried, but I just can't...

3. I have to have my alone time, otherwise I'd go nuts
    The setting lately was: Yoko is taking her nap, Niang is upstairs, I'd be munching my lunch     while playing my latest purchase of DVD. Oh, heaven... I know I'd lose this with my 'new'        job, well, just gotta find something else then...

4. I don't think I can give up cigarette and coffee... ever!
    Those are my ways to cope with this crazy-crazy world. If I were to give up those bad             habits, I think I wouldn't be the same (AKA crazy).

5. Nowadays, I'm scared shit of changes
    I used to love changes, but I don't know why lately I'm petrified by it.

6. I overthink stuff (bukan nyontek loh Man)
    I often jerk awake at 3 o'clock in the morning and think thouroughly about stuff. Mostly         negative stuff. I don't like this at all. I wish I could have a switch that can turn it off.

7. I love and hate to be alone
    According to my mood, sometimes I love it the most when I can drive alone and sing on         the top of my lung (mostly to JRock or System of A Down). But at other times, I crave         companion like crazy.

8. I want to move back to Bandung, go to school again and start my own business someday
    Wish me luck on this one...

I'm tagging Fitri, Ipin, Merry, Mona and Affi (udah belum ya?)

Here I am again, at the intersection of my life. But now, instead of choosing the easy way, I would try for the hard way. Well, I guess one cannot be safe and secure all the way. Opportunity does knock, and I am afraid it won't again anytime soon.

The timing could be better though...

With the nanny going home, Idul Fitri, family vacation and I have to come in to the new office just 2 days afterwards, makes me wonder how I haven't gone crazy. I may live my day normally. I may still take my naps. But you don't want to see what's inside my head.

I don't know what's got in to me, or got in to people.
I don't talk that much, perhaps that could be my liability, for people tend to assume about what I'm talking about. You know what 'they' say about never to assume, it would only make an ASS of U and ME (garing).

Conversation #1
Me: Do you want to enroll your younger kid to school this year?
Friend: Yes, his brother enjoys going to school there, I think he would also. What about Yoko? She'll be 2 years old in no time right?
Me: Yes, but I don't think I'll put her to school just yet, but I like THAT school.
Friend: What about a trial? Who knows she might like it there. I could help you with that, my mother in law is in the committee.
Me: Hmmm... I don't know. Maybe I'd go there sometime... but not in the near future.

Assumption: I later found out from my mother in law, that Yoko is already registered to enroll in the school this year.

Conversation #2
I saw my mother wearing this lovely necklace, the initial platinum saying "cinta" (whateverthatmeans, I don't want to know)
Me: Bagus juga mam, kalungnya...
My Mother: Terimakasih...
Me: Lucu juga ya nanti kalo aku punya duit aku beliin emas gitu... tulisan nama Yoko kek, biar dia bisa pake pas gede nanti.
My Mother: Iya lagi non, kalo ada kan lumayan, kayak jadi tabungan juga.
Me: Iya ah, kapan-kapan deh aku pikirkeun...

Assumption: Few weeks later, my mother presented me with this HUGE bling bling that I don't know what to do with. And I don't have any planning to spend that much on a necklace! What should I do?

I don't know how I did it... working while fasting.
Right now it's impossible for me to think, let alone write something good during the day. So I rearranged my routine. After Yoko asleep (usually at 11.30 PM), I would work for about 2-3 hours then I go to sleep. Only to be waken up an hour later. My sahur diet usually consists of tiny bits of food here and there and a cup of coffee (a must). The coffee would keep me awake about an hour after sahur. So I usually back to sleep about 4.30 or 5 in the morning. Then at 8 or so I should wake Yoko up only to fall back to sleep when she tries to play or chat with me. Then I would spend the day in the hazy mood. My brain is cloudy. It's a bit ironic, considering I don't inhale cloud of smoke during the day.

I hope I'll survive the month.