Watching: The Transporter 2
Reading: Zen in Ten
Project done: Carla Photo

---

Hi! What do you think about the enourmous raise of the petrol price lately?
  • Choking
  • Stressing
  • Annoying
I can relate. It hasn't been so long since the government raised the gas price for the sake of the education and health fund allocation, and now we have to face another raise, which was caused by the global worldly price raise.

It sucks alright. But what can we say? This kind of thing is unavoidable. So instead of being one of those "empty" protestants, who would just throw stones and burn tyres, which resulted to nothing, I'd like to offer another more peaceful alternative.

Alright, first of all, the facts. What have we got here?
Petrol price raise is always a rather fatal issue. When it increases, the prices of other things are automatically following. Rice, meat, vegetables, housings, transportation, clothes, school, basically everything. While on the other hand, the salary of the employees all over Indonesia do not get any raise; fancy a salary raise, more PHK (disemployment) is the most likely occurence here. Or even if it does, it will take some time and mass strike until it's granted. It's sad but it happens.
Fact # 2 is that it drives more crimes in the country. More people get devastated and hungry. Jungle's rule is taking over and attacking other people to survice is more acceptable, if not understandable. It's just so hard for everyone.

Now I'm going to limit the subject. It's practically almost impossible to ask our people to calm down and be cool. I'll let our president and his cabinet think about that.
But to solve a little transportation problem, as one of the oh-so-many effects of the petrol price raise, let's do some rough mathematics over here.
  • By car (before the raise): Rp 120,000 per week = Rp 480,000 per month
    By car (after the raise): Rp 200,000 per week = Rp 800,000 per month
  • By motorcycle (before the raise): Rp 15,000 per week = Rp 60,000 per month
    By motorcycle (after the raise): Rp 30,000 per week = Rp 120,000 per month
  • By public transportation (before the raise): Rp 66,000 per week = Rp 264,000 per month
    By public transportation (after the raise): Rp 96,000 per week = Rp 384,000 per month
Phew... Those numbers are scary.

Anyway, if you concern much about your health and the shape of your body, let's add up to your list a fitness monthly subscription as much as Rp 275,000 (before the raise).

Before you read the next passage, please bear in mind that this suggestion is only for those who wish to balance their dying money flow. If you are in the possession of enough or much money, do NOT claim to me that it's ridiculous for me to say this for you still have a comfortable car. (Whoever in this good earth wouldn't want comfort?)

Ok, let's continue our discussion.

What's the solution of this transportation problem?
A bicycle.

Yes, a simple bicycle.
The early means of transportation using the almost endless energy of our legs.

Pluses:
  • A decent new bicycle will cost you about Rp 370,000, with almost no budget for its maintanance -- cheap.
  • A fitter body is what you'll get when you take your bicycle to get from one place to another periodically.
  • Fresher air and a friendly nasal environment when most people do this.
Minuses (as objected by some female co-workers):
  • bigger legs
  • sweaty dirty look after cycling
  • tired
  • unsafe
It's your choice. But I have to say that I feel much better after cycling to work for a few weeks now. I feel healthier, face brighter and better in financial.
The only thing I hope is that more people will use the bicycles to achieve better air. We need more oxygen in Indonesia; and no more carbon-dioxide.

Thus, this post...
In love I…

… am a stuck up girl.
… am not flexible.
… live in my own self-created box full of sweet dreams and hopes.
… am conservative.
… am a nuisance.
… am very tolerant.
… am colour-blind.
… am not demanding although no promises are made.
… do not even ask you to love me back.

In a sort-of love I…

… am liberal and open.
… am both understanding and selfish.
… keep a slight emotional distance from you.
… am still myself.

After love I…

… am deaf.
… am blind.
… am numb.
… am stupid.
… can’t be the friend you expect me to be.

Sorry a million.
Do I still have a blog?

Man, it's been a while since the last time I wrote here, hasn't it?
Well, I've got too much to tell I don't know where to begin. So I'd probably skip them all for the next time.

I've been busy lately (No, don't roll your eyes now). Nice busy, though. So to explain it, I'll need to make my points in points. I hate this way but I seriously can't describe everything that has happened these past few weeks.

  • First of all, I realised that I still had a blog after I got a comment notification from Blogger that Jason, a friend of a friend, commented in my last post. It was a nice comment and somewhat encouraging my writing skill. As always, I'm easy to get high with compliments (haha). Now go and give him a visit. You might like his expressive blog.
  • I went to Jakarta, as planned, as a finalist of the singing competition in Het Week van de Nederlands. I actually expected it to be nice and calm and fun. Though the last expectation came true, I had to go through a real tight schedule of singing practices with the keyboard player. Not to mention that the song they wanted me to sing was a hard one, that took up almost all of my voice energy. It was still cool, though. I met cool, warm, talented people and broadened my friends connection. I lost in the competition. Blamed myself at first for being too tired and nervous (seriously, it was one of the very few times in my life that I got nervous) when I had to be on the stage and sang in front of hundreds of people. Pluuuussss, I forgot my lines again. Hahaha... But, it was still nice. I had nothing to lose, anyway. I came with nothing and went back home with some things. *grin*
    Oh, and I met Yuli, too. She's a friend of Arnoud that emailed me a while ago after reading my article on Arnoud's website. Nice girl.
  • After Jakarta I went to Bangka island for a four-day holiday. I bought tickets for my sister and niece, as sis requested, so that they could go back home with me. This is actually what triggered the sour face of my sister's father-in-law. Two first minutes after I met him for the initial time and shaked his hand (I had still not even let go his hand yet), he told me that I could go home with my sister, but not with Michelle.
    Why, Mister. I'm very honoured to be accepted here. Could you please remember that I have nothing to do with all the discussions between you, my sister and her husband? The fact that I'm bringing their tickets shouldn't make me the guilty person, should it?
    Luckily, the rest of the family was nice, so I could keep my mouth shut and emotion down whenever he sarcastically lit the fire of the war.
    About Bangka island itself, it's not really a tourist island. More like a fishermen one. There are indeed some historical places of interest, but it's a world-wide understanding that I'm never interested in history. The beaches are actually quite nice if there were more developments in the area. So to summarize it, the landscape is not that cool, but the food and men ARE. Geezh... I couldn't find a bus conductor or a street snack seller in Surabaya that is as handsome as in there!
  • Back home, the house that was slightly cleaner when Michelle was absent, became like a wrecked ship once she stepped her small feet again there. Mother was undoubtedly happy to have her back and spoiled her twice or thrice she did before the baby went to Bangka.
  • Oh, did I tell you that I bought a new camera to replace my lost one? Well, I did buy it. Canon PowerShot A-95. 5 MP. Flipable LCD. Cool thing. I've got my spirit back, thanks to it. It kinda sinks back everytime I think about the payment, though. Haha...
  • To top it all, I purchased some domain names and got a webhost for them for less than Rp 250,000. Thanks to Denni for letting me know. I'm sooooo excited in building it up. Designing it is only a part of the fun. :D So... you can expect a link of them (or one of them) as soon as I'm happy with the overall outcome of it.
Cheerio..
It has been a weird day.

After what happened with my eye this afternoon, I got another "amusing" experience when I was about to visit Felix, my ex-student.
I haven't met him for the longest time. The last time I taught him was probably in 2001, when I started to work for CDU. He was in the third grade of Junior High School then, and even then he already changed so much from the first time I met him two years before.

Felix was a fine boy. He was shy at first, but lately I learnt that he was naturally playful. He was crazy about football and he brought his ball wherever he went. Even at the time we were having our lesson, his feet would always continously kick the ball. I can recall those times when I stole the ball from him and had it under my feet to force him to concentrate. Then I was still taller than him.

He grew up so fast, his height rapidly advanced over me. And he kept measuring our bodies. In almost no time he got much taller than I was. Though it also happenned to my other teenager students, it was always a surprising miracle to witness a little boy transforming into an almost grown-up man.

I stopped teaching him because I got too busy with CDU. I often had to work overtime so I had not much time left for my private students.

A few days ago I was cleaning up my drawer and found my old address book. There printed some old familiar (or even unfamiliar) names of acquintances and students. I spent my afternoon to call them one by one, including Felix.

He guessed it right when he heard my voice. He told me he had been trying to contact me but I was always not at home. I was sorry for that but I just couldn't help it. We set up a meeting today.. We previously planned to meet up at the mall, but then his mom called me and said that she wanted to see me, too.. so I offered to go to their house, instead.

I was early. I thought I still remembered the way to his house, but apparently I took the wrong turn. I turned on the first road and checked out the houses on the right. It was pretty different, I thought. And I had no idea if his family reconstructed their house of not. Foolishly, I was too confident that I remembered his house without bringing his complete address. I finally found a house, which looked like his old house. And instead of going through the house with the white fence gate as I used to do, I knocked on the lock of the gate.

An old man appeared before the doorstep and asked whom I was looking for.

"Felix," I said, "Is he home?" while wondering how time made Felix' father look so old. I didn't wear my eyeglasses, as I haven't fixed them yet, but I could tell that he was much older than when I used to teach Felix.

The man came inside and called Felix.

A little bit overweight boy ran jumpingly towards the gate and said, "Yes?"

"Hi Felix!!! Long time no see!" I blurted out without checking him out.

"Err... who are you?" he said in his confusement.

"How dare you not to remember me. It's Carl..." I stopped when I finally got to see the boy's face through the dimly lighted porch. Oh God, he looked so young, I thought. Didn't he grow up at all? And what's this pretending not knowing me???

"Are you Felix?" I asked.

"Yes."

"From Petra University?"

"No, I'm still in Junior High."

G R E A T !

Wrong guy.

How the hell I could be missing Felix' real house, in a house so similar like his own, with a boy named Felix, too?!?!?!

The boy kindly gave me an alternative of another Felix in the same neighbourhood. But soon I found out that he was not the Felix I meant since he still sits in the Senior High School.
His mother and father got out of the house and asked what happened.

I, feeling shamed, explained that I might come accross the wrong house, which happened to have a boy with the same Felix name.

They symphatized and offered me to borrow their phone. (Which was good, cause I was running out of fund on my cell) I accepted the offer and got in their house. I called the real Felix (thanks God I saved his number on my mobile!) and his maid explained that Felix' house was on the next street. She gave me the full address and the couple helped me give the direction.

It was absolutely shameful, though funny, cause I kept laughing at myself when I was on my way to Felix' house.

The good thing from it was this Felix' parents were interested after they knew that I taught English privately. They asked my number before I left and I thought,
"Maybe it was the way it meant to be. I could be having a prospective student now"

*smile smile*
I forgot to bring my lunch box that my mother had kindly prepared for me. She called me when I was on bemo and asked if I remembered that I was missing something. I looked around and inside my backpack if I forgot to bring my cellphone (my most important belonging). Just then I found out that I left my lunch box. *sigh* Ged, I think I really need to work on that curiously absolutely-not-profitable personality.

Anyway, that made me have to go out to buy some lunch at 12 o'clock. I decided to go to warung soto near the office and buy a portion of soto with rice.

When I arrived back at the office, I started to eat the soto while talking with other workmates who sat around the dining table. I always like spicy food, so I had some sambal (chilli sauce) added before I ate. The unfortunate thing was that accidents seem to like to stick with me wherever I go and whatever I do.

There were some noodles in the soto and one of them seemed to jump on the soto, where the hot soup water splashed on my face! My right eye, to be exact. So you can imagine. IT HURT SO DAMN MUCH to have that spicy pricking water inside it! *sob sob*

My eye was quite watery and painful for 15 minutes or so that I couldn't concentrate on eating my lunch. That was most uncomfortable. :(

To make it worse, it was not the first time I had that. The same experience happened to me in less than a month. Urrrggghhh....
... is pretty
... has a great sense of humour
... is smart
... likes to play a little, as in not always too serious.. but sometimes of course she can be
... sometimes is a little moody and difficult
... is a little dominant and wants to be in control
--- Arnoud Meindertsma ---

... is a clumsy girl
... likes confronting people
... likes singing and traveling
--- Denni Permadi, as written in Friendter's testimonial ---

... is so sweet
... is creative
... is easy to get angry and doesn't bother to use sweet words
... is an independent and tough woman
... is a modern Xena
... loves bakso
--- Yustina Widyawati, as written in Friendster's testimonial ---

... is the craziest English teacher I've ever known
... is a traveling lover
... is cuek pol
--- Stephanie Budiharjo, as written in Friendster's testimonial ---

... is a real person, very lively and honest
... is not hypocrite
... is tough
... sucks
... is fun
--- Shirley Wibisono, as written in Friendster's testimonial ---

... is sweetness, sometimes too sweet, it comes straight from the heart
... is responsible, naieve a bit, cantik, open-minded, unique
... is always herself
--- Marijn Huijbers, as written in Friendster's testimonial ---

... is cool, loud and friendly
... is kind
... is a good listener
--- Kusumawati Wiyono ---

... is childish but pretends to be mature
... is passionate
... is nice and one of my best friends
... is fat
--- Reynard ---

... is a crazy English teacher
... likes to quarell with workmates
--- Lusida Juwita, as written in Friendster's testimonial ---
I took my sister and niece to the airport this morning. They've been bugged by Ita's husband and parents in law lately to move to Bangka island, where they live. Ita was quite unsure for a while. She just doesn't want to LIVE in that island. A month visit is OK, but living there is another issue. Firstly it's a small island, where she can hardly find any offices to work at. Secondly, that leads to her doing nothing there but eat and sleep and take care of Michelle. And naturally she won't get any good name in A Lung's family's eyes. Since she's super lazy in housework, I don't think she'll help her mother-in-law much in doing the house chores. Thirdly, she'll be having a hard time taking care of Michelle, my niece, cause for all this time my mother was the one who have been taking care of the cute little baby. There's no doubt that A Lung's family will be so much in love with Michelle, like those unknown girls at the airport who were so very excited to see her cute face. But it was so hard for my mom to let her go. She's been sad for days because of this moving out.

As for me... it's a big loss.
My sister and I don't really get along too well at home. But like any other public secret, the more you get into a fight with somebody, the more it shows that you actually love or care about that person. I love Ita. No matter how minus her behaviour is (I guess she thinks the same of me).
And Michelle... is always my most adorable baby in the world. I was often annoyed by her mischievious acts lately.. to mention some: hiding my toothbrush, taking away my CD collections and climbing up my bed and throwing them down under the bed, messing about with my tampon box and spread them all over the room, switching off the computer power, wrecking my books and comics, banging my cellphone to the hard part of the bed, etc. etc. But they are just some things that make me love her more. Especially when I caught her doing the crime. She would throw away ANYTHING she was holding, smile or laugh, then run away as quickly as possible.

Who can get mad to such a sweet smart adorable naughty baby?

Just then I had the idea of visiting them in Bangka island right after the singing competition in Jakarta this month. My trip to Jakarta will be paid by Erasmus Huis, so I'll just need to fund my tickets from Jakarta to Bangka. Money is still quite a big issue at the moment, but I'll try to manage to get enough of it for this travel.

I seriously need a sidejob. There are just so many needs to fulfill, and so many other less "important" things I want to have. Let me know if you know some, OK?