Images of Farewell

April 5, 2010

As mentioned in my previous post, I have recently concluded my advertising agency stint in Indonesia.  Prior to my flight back home, the few remaining weeks were filled with “images of farewell” that depicted my attachment and appreciation of the life I have lived and the people I have built deep connections with over the last (nearly) two years.  Here are some of the snapshots:

Last KTV session with the singers of the Accounts Team

With my ever reliable Cara and Dhanny...

With the "humor in my life", Sari...

With the "pumping queen", Dessy...

With the "lady rocker" Dianna...

With the newbie Dewi...

Last dinner with my so-called clubbing/chill-out friends in Potato Head...

After dinner, straight to Blowfish of course...

The first couple of people that I went out with back in 2008...

Last traditional lunch with the team...

Last dinner at BIN17 with Pinoy friend, Berna...

Last dinner at The Apartment with ex-Account Director-currently-close-friend, Sinta...

Last office lunch courtesy of Riyas... your Nasi Uduk is really to die for... I'm missing it already!!!

Last dinner at FJ Bistro with the best client ever, J&J Indonesia...

Photo op for the ceremonial gift giving! :)

Last booze night at Tabac with Dila, John and Nadia...

Last dinner at Social House with my favorite couple, Maira and Adwin...

Last dinner at Cafe Batavia with a few of my favorite people...

Last Padang lunch at Sederhana with the whole Accounts Team...

Last ride with my ever reliable and sleepy Pak Darmo...

Last house party with the whole gang in my apartment...

Thank you guys...

Terima kasih banyak, teman teman! :)

For more pictures, check out my Facebook albums…


Goodbye and Thank You, Indonesia!

April 5, 2010

After 1 year and 8 months, I’m bidding Indonesia goodbye…

It just feels like yesterday when I first stepped in to the very dynamic and diverse culture of Southeast Asia’s largest archipelago.  I won’t ever forget the combined excitement and fear that I felt after accepting the idea of embracing a lot of first time experiences that is intertwined with the new blessing that came my way: being expatriated, living alone in a country that that is stranger to me, working in a new industry that I honestly didn’t have the complete expertise, and taking on a senior management role that is both overwhelming and challenging.  Yet, after nearly 2 years of experiencing these monumental first time milestones, I am very grateful to have had the courage of seizing the opportunity that fell on my lap back in 2008.

From personal experience, I can say that the concept of expatriation in a tough country is a big “character building” exercise.  More than the test of professional competencies and skills in your workplace, it is more of a test of inner strength, drive and commitment not just to survive but also to successfully thrive holistically as a person.  A friend once told me that the first 3 months will appear to be heaven since it would be your time to enjoy a lot of new things, but on the 4th month, it would become a turning point – you will start questioning why you are in the place where you are, depression can set in and you might “make” or “break” it.  Not to my surprise, I realized that my friend was right.  Fortunately, I was able to view it in a very positive light – using my personal standards as measure, I can proudly say that I managed to brave the trial and pass the exercise of finding myself, building a stronger character, standing by my personal values and validating my vision in life.  The experience also gave me a liberating perspective about life and how to seize the unlimited possibilities that it can throw at you, with this as a guiding inspiration, I saw the “world” as my oyster and it further ignited my passion to transcend to becoming a significant global citizen that can create a positive dent wherever life’s road would lead me.

On the context of living and breathing as an “Indonesian”, the entire journey is indeed a memory that will be treasured for a life.  If I were to put on a list of things that I value the most and will definitely miss out of the whole experience, they are the following:

  1. New bunch of friends, acquaintances and contacts made from various parts of the world – Indonesians, English, Americans, Indians, Malaysians, Singaporeans and of course, Pinoys.
  2. Studying, learning (a bit) and using Bahasa Indonesia, especially “Jakarta slang” and some profane terms.
  3. Huge malls in every corner of the city (Grand Indonesia, Pacific Place, Senayan City, fX, Plaza Indonesia, Plaza Senayan, Mal Ambassador and ITC Kuningan on top of the list).
  4. Great clubs and chillout places like Dragonfly, X2, Blowfish, Immigrant, Loewy, Tabac, Elbow Room, Social House and Potato Head.
  5. Gastronomical treats – ayam goreng kremes, nasi uduk, rendang, dendeng, sate, otak, nasi liwet komplit, ayam goreng mentega, martabak, pukis, and a whole lot more!
  6. Driver Darmo and house help Nini for spoiling me, being patient with me and always being physically there for me (literally would not have survived without the both of them).
  7. “Vacation haven” defined by Bali – Kuta, Nusa Dua, Seminyak, Legian, Uluwatu and Ubud.
  8. “Culture” defined by Yogyakarta – seeing a creation which was once part of the world’s wonders: Borubudur and witnessing how “batik” is made.
  9. “Solace” defined by Lombok beaches.
  10. Destination spots for tourists in these towns/provinces – Bandung, Surabaya, Padang, Batam and Medan.
  11. You-C1000 orange water, which replaced my morning coffee and became a default post-lunch beverage.
  12. Being a millionaire everyday – thank you for the Rupiah currency, which offers a lot of “zeros” in most money bills.
  13. Crazy traffic, undisciplined drivers and swarm of motorcycles (call me wimp, but I didn’t have the guts to drive in Jakarta; Filipinos said that if you can drive in Manila, you can drive anywhere…  I don’t think so!).
  14. Blue and Silver Bird Taxi service – if there is one thing that works well and efficiently in Indonesia, this would be it!
  15. Casablanca Mansion Executive Residences in Jl. Casablanca, Kuningan for being my home, thank you that the rumored ghosts (as in real ghosts, cause the place used to be a cemetery) never visited my unit!  Special mention to the apartment café’s volcano rice and chili wings, which served as my staple Saturday brunch.
  16. The slowest internet connection in the world that never fails to drive me nuts!
  17. Some local Indonesian TV shows that I sporadically watch during really boring days – soap operas commonly known as “sinetron” (favorite scene: the antagonist character talking to herself alone while facing the mirror), Bali TV channel’s cultural shows, infotainment’s showbiz gossips and the cheesy, cheap and corny yet entertaining antics on the dating show “Take Me Out”… indeed a guilty pleasure!
  18. Dangdut songs accompanied with those funny dance moves!
  19. The aroma of Gudang Garam, the national clove cigarette of the country (I think) – at first can make you puke, but when you get used to it, you’ll think it’s cinnamon roll you’re smelling!
  20. Teh Botol – the national drink of Indonesia (for me) – tasted like flower (eeew right?) when I initially tried it, but turned out to be another staple drink, which I eventually appreciated.  Include all the other tea variants (my favorite is Ultra Jaya’s Teh Kotak though)!
  21. Four Season’s Hotel’s spa – therapeutic and certainly relaxing!
  22. Being “lost in translation” with market vendors, my favorite though is ordering food delivery as I made lots of enemies or nearly had moments of incurring a heart attack from this activity!
  23. El cheapo restos with yummy delights – Abuba, Andakar and Bebek Guinio.
  24. Cheap electronic gadgets galore – enough said!
  25. The loud sound coming from mosques (especially the one at four o’clock in the morning) inviting people to pray!
  26. Observing the customs during Ramadhan and Lebaran – I remember trying to participate in the fasting month; I only made it to day one!
  27. Blitzcinema and XXII Cinema, truly state-of-the-art cinematic experience!
  28. The warungs and the wartegs for making everything so accessible and convenient, and for not making me sick of typhoid fever despite the questionable food safety (due to hygiene issues)!
  29. Oleos 1 office building – it was the venue for tons of great memories and learnings that I will forever treasure!
  30. DDB Indonesia team – not only for being professional colleagues, but also for being real friends and for making me feel that I am one of them!

I can go on and on with this list but I don’t think that what I owe from the experience will be well encapsulated even by identifying a million things that I would miss.  Truly, the fulfillment, joy, challenges, sadness, inspirations and lessons that the journey planted cannot be quantified.  So at this final moment, allow me to say, from the bottom of my heart, “thank you and I will definitely see you again, Indonesia!”.


18-24 January 2010: Pure Indulgence

January 25, 2010

This week, I decided to fail in one of my new year’s resolutions – lose weight by dieting.  I gave in to the temptation of eating rice during weekdays – again.  Oh well, at least I am consistent in failing to accomplish this much needed task to reach my ideal weight year on year!  Hahaha!

Hence, I would have to say that 18 to 24 January 2010’s theme is “pure indulgence”.  Two major reasons why the week is called that way: (1) my food intake – enough said, (2) I decided to end it by pampering myself some more.  Friday morning, I had a spontaneous thought of flying to Bali for the weekend, but decided to just stay in Jakarta and book myself a nice suite at The Ritz Carlton (also quite excited as it is my first time to stay in the hotel with such fancy name) for Saturday and Sunday.


11-17 January 2010: More Than Just Work

January 24, 2010

One of the things that I promised myself in 2010 is to be more diligent in terms of documenting blog-worthy thoughts and events in my life.  Hence, I am now committed to summarizing my weekly adventures via words and photos.  So, here’s the first cut to a more active blog in 2010…

11 to 18 January 2010 I would say had been such a fun week – needless to say, work occupied much of it, but relatively speaking, there were also a lot of social activities that came by, making the seven days fully optimized with “more than just work”.

11 January, Monday – KTV night with Berna and Ayie at T-Rex, Grand Indonesia

12 January, Tuesday – Great dinner at Pand’or with Sari

14 January, Thursday – Gastronomic feast: grilled lamb lunch with Prita and JB at Andakar, Chinese dinner with J&J clients turned friends at No Signboard-Pacific Place

17 January, Sunday – Wore my tour guide hat: Pau’s visit in Jakarta for the first time.  Itinerary: Grand Indonesia, Social House, Pacific Place, Potato Head


Couchsurfing: A New Innovation To See The World

August 24, 2009

couchsurfing-logoSeveral months back, I have discovered one of the modern world’s greatest innovations – “couchsurfing”!  Thanks to one of those web-related articles from “Timeout Jakarta”, I got introduced to this whole new concept of seeing the world, in a relatively cheaper and friendlier way.  Here’s how it works…

The whole concept is hinged on a website called www.couchsurfing.org.  To make it easier to understand, its basic mechanics is similar to your typical social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, MySpace, Linkedin, etc., yet, it serves a niche and specialized purpose which is to offer a “couch” (literally speaking, bed or room if you are more generous) to a traveler (more like, a stranger) who would be visiting your country or city in one of their backpacking trips or vacation tours and vice versa (meaning, you can search for a “couch” that you can use in your next trip)!  For me, the best part is a couple of things: (1) it makes your accommodation free (hint: as I plan to treat myself to a European tour in my 30th birthday next year, this will make it more reachable and cheaper on the budget), and (2) you will have an instant tour guide and friend from the place that you are visiting.  It also has nice-to-have features that help in ensuring your security from the people who will be surfing your couch like detailed profiles, preference for hosting (offer a place to stay or just meet up for a coffee/drink) and commentaries from other users.  With such great excitement, I immediately created my profile.

Lo and behold, after just a few weeks from signing up, I received lots of inquiries from tourists around the world who are planning to visit Jakarta, and a couple of weeks ago, I hosted my first couch surfer – Leon, a German kid (he’s only 21) who just finished school and works full-time playing poker in the web (his poker earnings funded his tour around the world for six months – geeeez, while I’m working like a horse for 9 fu@*#%g years)!  Since I live in a 3-bedroom apartment, there are 2 spare rooms that I can always use for guests and I was glad that the kid felt comfortable in my place.  I also served as a tour guide after finishing office work at night as I showed him some nice places in the city.  Yet, the greatest thing from the experience is learning new things about Germany’s culture (trivia: a beer is not a beer if it has sugar in its ingredients) and at the same time, realizing that I now have gained a new friend from Germany where I am assured of a place to stay when the time comes that I’d be visiting the country!


defining “homesick” sa kontekstong pinoy

April 2, 2009

the blog entry title would speak for itself. perhaps, if you’re in the middle of work pressure, stress, boredom and feeling that everything turns out to be a routine – homesickness would eventually step in to make matters worse (i.e. if you are thriving in a foreign country). just to vent, here it is…

1.  lahat ng nakikita mo sa paligid mo, agad mo nare-relate sa mga bagay sa pinas. halimbawa, habang nasa kalye dito, kapag nakakakita ako ng mikrolet, jeepney ang naaalala ko; pag naman warung, karinderya sa kanto; mga naglalako ng soto at prutas, fish at squid balls!

2.  gusto mong tumawag, mag-text, mag-ym at mag-email sa mga tao sa pinas, but you end up not doing so dahil alam mong mas malulungkot ka pag nag-uusap na kayo ng tuloy-tuloy.

3.  lagi mong tinitingnan ang kalendaryo para alamin kung kelan ang next long holiday at binibilang mo kung ilang araw ang natitira bago ang bakasyong ito.

4.  pinupuntahan mo ang cebu pacific website para malaman kung may piso fare promo para kahit one weekend lang e makauwi ka, kahit at your own expense.

5.  tuwing sabado o linggo, nagluluto ka ng adobo o sinigang dahil miss na miss mo na ang luto ng nanay mo, katulong nyo, karinderya sa kanto o ng gerry’s grill.

6.  senti o eraserheads ang mp3 tracks na pinapakinggan mo habang nagtatrabaho ka sa opisina.

7.  dati, baduy na baduy ka sa mga pelikulang tagalog, pero ngayon tuwing may pagkakakataon, pinupuntahan mo ang free tagalog movie website para manood ng mga pelikula ng star cinema – kahit alam mo na ang kabuuan ng plot (since pinoy movies are always so predictable), pinapanood mo pa rin ito mula umpisa hanggang katapusan at napipikon ka pagnakikita mo ang “buffering” sa screen at napuputol ang panonood mo.

8.  pagnagdadasal ka sa gabi, kung dati e english mo itong bigkasin, ngayon e tagalog na. sabik na sabik kang gamitin ang wikang pambansa na dati e di mo ginagamit ng straight since kalimitan laging taglish ang ginagamit mo.

9.  kalimitan kang mag-crave for chickenjoy ng jollibee. para masagot ang craving mo, pupunta or magpapadeliver ka ng manok sa mcdo, pero pagkatapos mong kumain, madi-disappoint ka kasi hindi yun ang lasang hinahanap-hanap mo.

10.  binabalik-balikan mo ang mga photo files na naka-save sa laptop mo. kahit paulit-ulit mo na itong tinitingnan, di ka pa rin nagsasawa na panoorin ang mga litrato habang napapangiti o natatwa ka.

11.  kung pikon na pikon ka na sa opisina, napapa-mura ka ng ”putang ina” instead na ”shit”.

12.  consciously or unconsciously, naipapasok mo sa casual conversations kausap ang mga foreigners ang mga salitang: ”oo nga”, ”sige”, ”ano” at ”hay naku”.

13.  naiingit ka pag may nababalitaan kang kababayan mo kung nasaan ka na magbabakasyon sa pinas

14.  nagsusulat ka ng entry sa blog mo tungkol sa pagiging homesick katulad nito.

yun lang.


first time hometown visitors

March 14, 2009

last 20-23 february, i was reunited with a group of friends – it was indeed a breath of fresh air to have your bestest friends back home visit you in the country where you are trying to thrive.

since it was their first time in jakarta, i had to give them a taste of how it is to be in this crazy, yet fun and dynamic city: a trip to taman mini (it’s like the nayong pilipino of manila), monas (a historical structure in the central area), high-end and low-end malls, clubs, bars, theme park, restos, and a whole lot more summarized the nearly 4-day break.

thanks again guys for dropping by – let’s see each other again very soon! where? uhmmmm, how about maldives? tara!  :)

welcoming committee - the placard states "mga baliw"!

welcoming committee - the placard states "mga baliw"!

welcome to jakarta, guys!  :)

welcome to jakarta, guys! :)

balinese-style facade of national museum

balinese-style facade of national museum

ang emblem ng indonesia - nun ko lang nalaman, sobrang symbolic pala yun...

ang emblem ng indonesia - nun ko lang nalaman, sobrang symbolic pala yun...

picture na ang background e ang traditional wedding ceremony...

picture na ang background e ang traditional wedding ceremony...

feeling heroes at monas

feeling heroes at monas

unang tikim nila ng padang food!  ang anghang daw!  wahahahaha!

unang tikim nila ng padang food! ang anghang daw! wahahahaha!

photo op in my foyer bago gumimik

photo op in my foyer bago gumimik

pinaglaruan ang laser lights ng x2

pinaglaruan ang laser lights ng x2

ang masayang kulitan sa dragonfly

ang masayang kulitan sa dragonfly

with my 3 looovely ladies at dragonfly

with my 3 looovely ladies at dragonfly

a tactical display at grand indonesia - syempre, di nila pinalampas to!  hehehe!

a tactical display at grand indonesia - syempre, di nila pinalampas to! hehehe!

sa tuktok ng grand indonesia cineplex

sa tuktok ng grand indonesia cineplex

chillout sa loewy

chillout sa loewy

white team at loewy

white team at loewy

let's call it a night...

let's call it a night...

dinner at social house

dinner at social house


mga litratong para sa nakaraang posts…

September 20, 2008

dahil ngayon ko lang nakuha ang mga litratong to, ngayon ko lang sila na-post dito sa blog, pero supposed to be, para to sa mga nakaraang posts – dun sa mga kwentong ahensya at clubbing experience ko dito sa jakarta. anyway, para naman may visual reference, eto sila…

ae nova a.k.a. big angel, ae dhanny a.k.a. small angel, ad sinta a.k.a. sweet angel

tatlo sa team ko - angels ang tawag ko sa kanila: ae nova a.k.a. big angel, ae dhanny a.k.a. small angel, ad sinta a.k.a. sweet angel

)

alternative shot - sa opisina pala to, obvious naman di ba? :)

unang tvc shoot ko dito - same thing sa pinas, nasa set ang product manager (ang kliyente), client service director at associate creative director

unang tvc shoot ko dito - same thing sa pinas, nasa set ang product manager (ang kliyente), client service director at associate creative director

the rest of the team - ako, isa sa mga talents, vida (copywriter), adhi (media planner), andu (director), nova (ae)

the rest of the team - ako, isa sa mga talents, vida (copywriter), adhi (media planner), andu (producer), nova (ae)

the mandatory "isa pa" shot

the mandatory "isa pa" shot

pagkatapos ng police experience sa embassy club - after party snack sa burger king with nova & toni, 2 of the party aes

pagkatapos ng police experience sa embassy club - after party snack sa burger king with nova & toni, 2 of the party aes

as usual, isa pang shot - this time kasama si budi, bf ni nova

as usual, isa pang shot - this time kasama si budi, bf ni nova - then uwian na since alas tres na ng umaga!


halo-halo, kung anu-ano at samu’t saring gunita…

September 14, 2008

na-realize ko lang, naramdaman ko ang pagiging busy at pagod sa trabaho ng mga nakaraang araw.  lalo ko pa tong naramdaman ngayong binuksan ko tong blog ko at nakitang more than one week na kong di nakakasulat.  parang dumaan lang ang nakaraang linggo, sa dami ng meetings at tasks, ang ginawa ko lang e gumising, maligo, pumasok sa opisina, mag-email, mag-meeting, mag-isip, pumunta sa kliyente, mag-meeting, mag-email, kumain ng lunch sa di tamang oras, umuwi, kumain ng delivered food for dinner, manood ng tv, magbasa at matulog.   kapagod, pero ok ako – parte to ng bagong buhay na hinaharap ko, at ang mahalaga, ine-enjoy ko ang bawat sandali nito.

so para naman makabawi ako sa pagsusulat at mailabas ang mga bagay-bagay na naiisip ko, isa-isahin natin ang mga gunita at kwentong naranasan ko ng mga nakaraang araw…

buwan ng ramadhan at fasting: nagsimula noong september 1 ang fasting month dito.  ibang klase nga, nakaka-bilib sila.  imagine, pede lang sila kumain, uminom o magyosi between 6pm to 3am, outside of that period, walang pedeng intake – except kung may sakit, may period for women at may gamot na iniinom.  so technically, sa mga oras na nasa opisina ang mga tao, between 9am to 6pm, wala silang pagkain o tubig man lang sa katawan.  at di lang yan, bawal din sila magalit o magpahayag ng masasamang emosyon.  astig di ba?!  pero, eto ang catch – dahil nga sa wala silang pagkain, wala rin silang enerhiya, at dahil jan, kung mabagal sila to begin with, mas mabagal pa sila – bagsak ang level ng productivity!  kaya kung mahina-hina ka, mejo mapipikon ka, kasi tipong lahat sila, tinatamad magtrabaho.  na-experience ko na ma-cancel lahat ng meetings na pinaghandaan ko noong isang araw dahil kung hindi absent (dahil may sakit daw) yung ka-meeting ko, ang alibi naman ng iba e i-postpone na lang daw dahil sa kung anong kababawang dahilan.  nakakatawa, pero parte ito ng kultura nila at dapat kong sakyan dahil wala akong magagawa at kung mapipikon ako, siguradong ako ang talo.  so, dadaanin ko na lang sa ngiti at iisipin kong, oh well, at least mas may time ako sa ibang bagay sa trabaho.

ayam goreng kremes: ito ang bago kong paboritong pagkain.  simple lang naman to – malutong na fried chicken na binudburan ng malutong na “something”, parang chicharon sa atin.  kakaiba sya sa tipikal na pritong manok pero masarap.  natututo na rin akong kumain ng may sambal.  not bad naman actually, hinay-hinay lang sa anghang.  yung picture sa baba nito ang example nitong bago kong paborito.  kinuhaan ko to nung kumain ako sa senayan express, grand indonesia mall.  pansinin din ang kanin, maarte ang shape!  hahaha!

ayam goreng kremes ng senayan express

ayam goreng kremes ng senayan express

buti na lang walang traffic pag linggo: contrary to the usual crazy traffic jam on weekdays, iba ang sitwasyon kapag linggo.  ang usual routine ko pagkasimba ng 11am sa st. therese church (eto lang kasi yung english mass pag linggo sa simabahang to na malapit sa kin), iikot na ko sa mg lugar kung saan may malls (senayan, sudirman, thamrin).  buti na lang kahit di kami ganon naguusap ng driver ko dahil hindi talaga sya makapag-english ng derecho, e nagkakaintindihan kami sa mga lugar na pinupuntahan ko.   interestingly, mapapansin mo talaga and difference kapag weekends, walang traffic at hindi ito ang usual jakarta scene.  mapapansin mo na less ang mga motor (na kalimitan e 1/3 ng kalye ang occupied) at konti lang din ang mga kotse at limitado rin ang mga sumasakay sa busway (parang eto yung lrt or mrt natin, preo barok version kasi bus lang to na naka separate at may dedicated lane).   bottomline, sana na lang e laging linggo ang traffic siuation dito – for sure, mas productive at efficient ang mga tao at mas gagaan pa ang sitwasyon – at malamang, di ko kailangan magtagal sa opisina para magtrabaho!  :P

busway station on a sunday morning - you should see it on a weekday!

busway station on a sunday morning - you should see it on a weekday!

surprisingly light...

surprisingly light...

ang sentro

ang sentro

tipikal na tinitinda sa sidewalk - proof na maraming nagmomotor dito

tipikal na tinitinda sa sidewalk - proof na maraming nagmomotor dito

prayer life: natapos ko na basahin ang pangalawang libro ni joel osteen.  naging habit ko na tuwing umaga habang on the way sa opisina na magbasa ng isang chapter.  kaso, natapos ko na nga noong isang linggo.  nakaka-miss tuloy yung feeling na pagkabasa mo, sobrang gaan ng pakiramdam mo – yung tipo bang lalakas yung loob mo na harapin kahit ano at sobrang may tiwala ka sa kanya.  pero, the nice thing about it is that mas humaba yung time ko na magdasal tuwing umaga at gabi.  ito yung pagkakataon na nagpapatatag at nagi-inspire sa kin para i-pursue tong nasimulan ko, at so far, effective talaga – no doubt about it.

bakasyon from 27 sept to 03 oct: matapos ang dalawang buwan, babalik na agad ako sa pinas para sa halos isang linggong bakasyon.  originally, uuwi talaga ako pero weekend lang para umattend ng wedding ng pinsan ko – part kasi ako ng entourage.  but, sobrang sakto sa timing, end-of-ramadan yung week o kung tawagin e lebaran yung week na yun – since parang pasko sa kanila ang selebrasyon na to, 1 week na holiday!  astig!  so, nag-book na ko ng ticket pauwi – unfortunately, la na seats available sa sq or pal, so no choice – cebupac ako.  pero ok lang din kasi at least straight flight at 12:30am yung departure, so tutulog lang talaga ko sa eroplano at paggising ko by 5:30am, nasa maynila na ko.  exciting, so next next saturday, i’ll be back home!  exciting!

nini at darmo: ito ang mga pangalan ng mga taong tumutulong sa kin dito para maging komportable ang buhay ko.  si nini ang aking cleaning lady na pumupunta sa apartment tuwing sabado ng 11am para linisin ang kalat ko ng nakaraan linggo.  mabait sya at masayahin, masipag at mabilis din magtrabaho.  nakakatuwa pa kasi parang tipong anak na nya ko (since 24 na yung eldest na anak nya) kaya ramdam ko kahit paano yung genuine care nya, kahit sa page-ensure na malinis lahat ng sulok ng apartment ko.  si darmo naman ang bagong driver ko, nag-expire na kasi yung contract nung nauna.  contrary to nini na nakakusap ko ng ingles, si darmo e sobrang limitado ang english words na alam.  pero ang ok dun, napipilitan akong mag-bahasa para magkaintindihan kami.  marunong na ko magsalita sa bahasa ng – “bukas ng umaga, sunduin mo ko ng x’o clock”, “balik tayo sa opisina o sa apartment”, “salamat”, “walang anuman”, “ano to?”, “ano yun?”.  while mejo antukin sya (may one time na sobrang tagal ko naghintay sa lobby ng mall dahil nakatulog sya sa carpark!), ok na rin, at least magaling sya sa pasikot-sikot dito at magaling din dumiskarte sa traffic.

eksenang weekend alone: kung mag-isa ako sa weekend, ang tipikal na kwento e mag-mall at magkape habang nagbabasa ng libro.  ok lang naman, sanay na ako and i don’t mind, bago ko pasukin tong sitwasyon ko ngayon, alam kong parte to ng haharapin ko.  what i do is just to enjoy every moment of it.

ang tipikal na eksena...

ang tipikal na eksena...

ang makati cinema square dito - lugar kung saan lahat ng pirated e pedeng mabili

ang makati cinema square dito - lugar kung saan lahat ng pirated e pedeng mabili

isa sa mga high end malls

isa sa mga high end malls

taste of home - chowking at ambassador mall

taste of home - chowking at ambassador mall

abangan natin kung may mga bagong blo-worthy stories soon.  kahit papaano, natutuwa ako dahil matapos ang maraming araw na busy, na-realize ko na mkahit papaano, i can live life outside of the office.  that’s a good & massive step already.  :)


blog-worthy-clubbing-story

September 4, 2008

after one month, i finally got the chance to enjoy the other side of life here in jakarta that is not work-related at all. after a busy whole day fieldwork devoted into checking out the implementation of client’s activation programs and settling some executional issues, two of my AEs (that i now refer to as friends as well), invited me to spend the night with them – clubbing.

around past eleven, we found ourselves queuing at the entrance of this place called “embassy”. yup, its name is exactly the same as that club in manila. upon entry though, i figured that it isn’t exactly the same club that is situated in the fort. the similarities – same type of music on friday nights, same set-up of having a couple of halls playing different tracks and same type of crowd (more youngish and kinda ostentatious in a way). the difference – after a couple of hours, a few grooving on the floor and two drinks (corona and tom collins), several policemen came. they practically surveyed the entire floor and brought out with them some suspicious looking party people that may possibly have with them or have taken some “you know what”. it’s not that i am guilty or i look guilty, but it was a pretty uncomfortable scene to be in, considering the fact that the basis of picking up people may be merely how they look – fortunately, my group managed to consistently project that wholesome party fun look, so we were not called upon by these men – combination of those in uniform and undercover police.

after another hour, we eventually decided to leave the place and just grab some after-party junk food over at the 24-hour burger king outlet. upon exit, another appalling scene – 3 big police trucks were outside and they were actually filled with people – the suspicious looking people that were taken out of the club. most likely, they’d be taken to the station for an interrogation and possibly a substance test. if deemed positive, we do not know then what will happen next. i asked my friends if this is a common thing and they mentioned that it was also their first time to experience such a thing! hence, it wasn’t pretty ordinary – destiny may just have brought me in the situation, probably to show me the worst case scenario of how its gonna be like if you “party” in a party.

we ended the night in this simple place for junk food where I got my usual whopper meal – dancing again after months did increase my appetite and pushed my hunger trigger to the maximum level. so the first night of my clubbing experience here ended in a fun exchange over burgers and fries while stories and thoughts were exchanged. asked my buddies if we’re doing the same thing again next week, unfortunately, it’s the start of fasting season on the first of september and such occasion isn’t actually aligned with clubbing – hence, we might possibly get into it again after lebaran – but if there are people that I’ll get the chance to hang out with again (that may not be fasting), i guess I’d be out again this weekend. hope so!

three thirty in the morning, after devouring the sandwiched beef patties and oily fries while having laughs on the side, we decided to split up and get some rest. making me realize another similarity – same pack-up time and same after-party venue – with this, it’s another reason not to greatly miss home, instead, just have a great time living “life” in this other side of the world.


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