A short message came to my mobile phone last night telling all Visual Communication Design (VCD) graduates of the class of 2004 to gather at Erasmus Huis. The agenda was hanging out reunion for the graduates who are presently working in Jakarta. At first I didn't have intention to come up because of the coming deadline. Then the second message came. It said, "Too bad you can't make to come. Most graduates have agreed with the timing. Please spare your time. It'll be hard in the future to match their schedules for another reunion." I straightly confirmed to be counted in.
At 1 pm the graduates gathered at Erasmus Huis. After that we headed to Pizza Hut outlet in Plaza Indonesia for hanging out and ordering late lunch. There were 6 of us in the outlet. Because of our small numbers we sent some short invitation texts to the VCD earlier and later graduation class currently working in Jakarta. Few minutes later they showed up. Later on the small outlet capacity wasn't able to accomodate our numbers. Therefore we moved to Starbucks to have wider space. Our chit chat continued to the plaza food court where we ordered dinner. Overall I spent nearly all money in my wallet for pizza, dinner, and beverage. Night getting late thus the party had to be closed down. In the end we said goodbye to each other.
Hanging out in a plaza located in the heart of Jakarta business central off course was lavish. Despite its extravagant ambience this reunion was truly worthy to attend. I didn't only catch up with the latest news of my friends but also their knowledge. During the fuzz I absorbed their knowledge like a sponge. It was really enriching my insight on how managing a work, making an interesting resume, presenting oneself well in an interview, getting a kick ass idea, and so on, and so on.
I usually avoid any kind of reunion because of its location in lavish and extravagant plaza and mall where I rarely order either food or beverage and do shopping. But this day it changes my judgement on reunion, I won't be mind to attend another one next time. The knowledge transfer is priceless.
Reunion Overview
Eccentric Office Environment
My office was three stories building and located in Manggarai, an area in south Jakarta. A wide long river is crossing in front of it. Under the river bridge vault lives some homeless people. In day time, there's nothing extraordinary.
Life starts at night. Transvestites go out from their nest starting to make their living. On the other side of the river, it's she-males' playground. Music plays out loud after the sun goes down. The next morning I saw a worn condom in front of my office gate. Prostitution and theft are common in this area.
Within a year, two corpses were found. The location was about 10 meters from the gate. The victim was an adult man and belong to an arm force division. Bare chest with burnt injury, tied wrists, he wore green arm force trousers and the boots. His eyes were covered by mud, witnesses said, they could see the pain on the victim face. Several months prior the incident, a seven-year-old-dead boy was found. he had been drown by his mother. The motive was unknown.
Let's talk about the office itself. The building has its story inside. It's haunted. My colleagues saw supernatural thing at night. An office boy and my friend saw a headless black figure. Another colleague didn't see anything particular but she felt the presence of this spirit. Luckily, this sighting didn't happen to me.
Inside and outside, this office has a lot of story. Totally eccentric environment for working. Eccentricity comes along with creativity isn't it?
RIP Kitty
I found him dead this morning when I woke up. He died in his sleep. He looked like he was sleeping. So peaceful. At first sight I didn't know that he was gone. I got the feeling when I touching his little body. It was cold and stiff. No life signs. No heart beat. No breathing exhale.
I did anything possible to give him longer chance to live but God already had made his plan for this little fellow. His two neck bumps deflated after I pushed the pus out but it left 2 deep big hollows on those spots. I cleansed and sterilized those wounds with alcohol and dropping antiseptic medicine but the result of my effort was the opposite. Infection paralyzed him. He was able to move his legs but he couldn't able to wake up and to walk. He stopped purring since the paralyzing. He lost his appetite of eating and drinking. I had to help him eating and drinking.
I couldn't able to give him proper burial. This boarding house doesn't have any vacant soil space. In the end I wrapped him in used newspapers where he used to sleep. I double wrapped it with black plastic bag. Then I put him inside the dumpster outside the front door. I never did that before. None of my late kitties had this kind of burial.
Goodbye kitty. I haven't given you any name yet but my mind is still with you. I hope you are happy now at the rainbow bridge playing with my other late kitties.
Eskimotube(dot)com
The subject above is a link related to a site similar to youtube but with different contents. Are you looking for explicit porn and hentai clips? Go to that site.
Kitty Rescue
On last Wednesday Evy called me that she found a kitty on her way off of our office. That kitten was in front of a house near the office. I rushed to finish my work that day. Then I went to the spot Evy told me. I turned left from my office. I walked ahead and passed two houses. There I found a kitty in front of the second house. I grabbed that little one. He struggled to get off my hand when I first grabbed him but then he purred. I examined that it's a male. His face was full of dirty dry mud. I found also an open wound on his left side neck. I saw coagulated blood along with pus inside that hole. It caused a bump. Later on I found another bump on his right side neck.
I walked back to office and headed to the toilet to do some cleaning on him. Before cleaning I had to push out that pus along with the coagulated blood in order to deflate his bump. After that wiping off the mud was on the way. What I thought dirts, was dry tissues of wounded skin. Once I wiped off those dirts my wet white tissue turning red. Blood ran out fast. I didn't continue cleaning him because of the bleeding. He kept purring when I did the cleaning. He purred hard and loud like motor engine. I wrapped his body with a plastic bag to prevent him scratching and tearing off my paper bag where I took him inside. I let his head unwrapped so that he was able to breath. Some times kitty tried to get off of my paper bag during my way home. Then he fell asleep knowing his struggle ending in vain. Arriving at home I released him from the wrapping plastic. He purred knowing someone caring about him and loving him. He's home now.
Movie Review
I was bored with The Sims and browsing that I had done. Then I search to my unwatch DVD piles. I selected 4 movies out of those piles. They are Wicker Park, Pan's Labyrinth, The Fountain, and Casanova. I review only the first 3 because I am impressed with them. Let's start with the first one.
Wicker Park:
A story about love lost and found. The storyline is moving back to past then forth to present. The story is revealed from each character's view. Like any other love story this movie ends happily but the twisting love triangle gives spice on it. I love the editing effect on most of the scenes which takes me to look the scenes from pieces of glass. Good soundtrack too! The plot set in winter about a young man named Matthew who's obsessed to find his long lost girlfriend. This girl, Lisa, vanished without a trace 2 years ago. One day he finds a glimpse trace of her and he begins his search. Then the 2 reunite. I wish Matthew and Lisa never reunite. I pity Alexis the girl who causes Matt and Lisa separation. I'd love to see the ending that he hook up with Alexis and Lisa really vanishes. I think Matt's eyes only projected to Lisa because she has stunning beauty, blond, height, and body. In the other side Alexis has ordinary face, short, red hair, and little chubby. I'm on your side Alexis!
Pan's Labyrinth:
The plot set in Spain in 1944. A girl named Ofelia with her pregnant and ill mother are on their way to rural area of Spain to accompany Ofelia's stepdad in the war field. Unable to find comfort in the harsh real world surround her then Ofelia builds an imaginary world of fairy tale. Should you not be deceived by the fairy tale theme. This movie isn't for children. Many violent scenes and blood spilled along the story.
The Fountain:
A story about life, love, and death. A researcher husband is seeking a cure for his wife who's apparently having brain tumor. The hubby is devoting himself in a research and is hoping that the result can be used to cure his wife. Tragically the wife dies when the result indicating the cure for the tumor. This movie is extraordinary in my opinion because the plot isn't set in one linear storyline but 3 parallel stories. The movie is supported with awesome soundtrack too. I love how amazingly brave the wife facing her own dead. She isn't afraid at all. She also encourages her husband to finish the final chapter of her novel. I'm in awe how the actors play their role. No crybaby impression I had about this movie although a lot of tears is shed. In the other hand I felt the lost of the husband. I'm also deeply impressed by the wife's perspective about death. Death is a road to awe.
Sold
Yesterday the house maid of my boarding house, where I live, told every room renters to gather at 9 pm in the house owner's resident. His house and the renters are in one big house but it's separated with different entrance doors. The owner lives in the front part of the house while the tenants live in the hind. All his room renters are females because this is female only boarding house. The owner name is Koh Ayong. Koh is a term in chinese to address an older male fellow in order to pay respect. Back to the invitation. The maid said that the owner had an urgent announcement. I wondered what would that annoucement be. Would it be the raise of the room cost? Or would it be application of the earlier curfew for visiting male guest?
This night my questions were answered. None of those predictions above were close enough to the annoucement. Koh Ayong invited his renters inside his house. While he was serving his guests, he said that the house was sold to a couple of husband and wife from Padang and he will move out on this 20th October. We were surprise with that news. Major questions from the girls were about the rent cost and the new policy. Koh Ayong replied that the cost will not raise. He added that the new owners are nice couple. They will live with their 2 children. He implied nothing to worry about. In his last words he added that he takes his maid when he leaves. Now he is in searching of temporary maid to wash and iron the girls clothes.
My concern about this new owner are the house rules. They are moslems. Most moslems owners, as I once surveyed, have stricter rules and more conservative. That was why I prefer to rent a room from chinese. Well. I've made my decision. It's not nice to make prejudice to someones you have not known yet. Hopefully they are not conservative as I think.
Lovely Comment !!!
I browsed to my friend's friendster account and I found this lovely comment.
Dream what you want to dream;
go where you want to go;
be what you want to be,
because you have only one life
and one chance to do all the things
you want to do.
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human, and
enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily
have the best of everything;
they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always
be based on a forgotten past;
you can't go forward in life until
you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying
and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end,
you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
Long Road to Heaven
My first contact to the net was 7 years ago when my old pal from junior high school made my first email account. The location took place at one of internet station in the campus library. Mainly I used the internet for sending and replying email.
One day I went to internet rental at the campus. I browsed to msn chat. That was my first contact to chatting world. I went online more often since then. I began going online from my house using the dial up connection. I went online for hours. In the end it effected the monthly telephone bill. Mom was upset for it. I was wondering how I could have internet connection at home without adding any rupiah to the bill.
Time flew. I kept online from internet cafe and sometimes via dial up at home if it was urgent. Then a year ago my dad decided to subscribe to Speedy. Yippie!! Finally I could online at home although it was limited access. Yuck!! Three months later my dad unsubscribe the provider because he seldom use it.
I kept wondering why was it so hard to go online from home. I kept dreaming having internet at my room in Jakarta. Then one day a friend, living in the same boarding house, told me that she was going to subscribe to speedy unlimited. In addition she was looking for friends to share the monthly payment. That was dream come true!! I've been longing for this moment. Off course I'd love to share the subscribe and the payment.
Finally after 7 years waiting I am able to go online from my own room. I have unlimited access plus affordable monthly cost. What a long road to heaven.
Fucking Singing Beggar
I met this singging beggar on my way to the office when I took bus number 11 from Slipi Jaya. This boy sang with an instrument which was familiarly called "ecek-ecek" in indonesian. It is an empty capped bottle or jar filled with sand. I was looking out through the window. Therefore I didn't pay attention to his song neither did others passengers. Minutes passed. All was quite. Then the beggar bumped on me. I wouldn't had noticed him if he didn't touched my arm. He raised his hand with his pityful face in front of my face. I said nothing but my head gave body language which said "No". I headed my face to the window again. He touched me again with his raising hand and with mercy expression. This time I said verbally "No". The next second he cursed me saying "curek". I guessed the word was local language for cursing someone. I paid no attention to him by looking at the window. Seconds passed. No sounds. The beggar boy touched my arm again and still with his ugly faking mercy and pity face expression. My temper was up. I yelled at him asking what he wanted. Why he kept irritating me. I cursed back at him. I loudly hurled my local dialect to curse him, "Ojo jancokan kon yo!". All passengers in the bus looked at our point. Few minutes ahead the bus stopped at the my stopping destination station. I jumped off of the bus and walked ahead to the office.
Birthday Surprise
I never think a birthday is a special day. I sometimes forget what date I was born. It takes some seconds to recall what my date is when someone is asking me. One day before the "B" day I did something as every other day. I woke up. I went to bathroom. I did activity as usual. I slept at night. That night I was not expecting something.
At 12 am two girls walked in to my room. They could do it because I never lock the door. I sleep with the door open. They were Henny and Ivy. The boarding house mates. In the dark they brought roll tart cake with 6 candles on it. I saw them with sleepy eyes. I woke up and I sat on the bed. I blew those candles with one blow after making wish. Henny turned my room light on. Henny and Ivy prayed for me. The two prayed beautiful ones. I was gratefull. Thaks a lot!!
After praying I cut the cake for the 3 of us. After that the girls said good night to me and they went back to their rooms. I went back to sleep again.
Little Kitty
On the way back from the office I see little kitty on the dark pedestrian. I think kitty is 1 one month old. The kitty just learned to walk and still dependents on the mother. I can't clearly examine what the kitty sex is because the street lite is too dime to lighten the spot that I want. I guess it is a kitty girl. I am touched by compassion seeing her. I always do every time seeing an abandoned cat.
I am thinking what I will do. What I can do for the cat. Keeping the cat at home is crossing my mind. She is fragile and dependent. I can't leave her alone. Doubt also crosses my mind. I am doubt that I can't take care of her well. I don't have enough space for pet at boarding house. Not all of my neighbours love cats. I bet Devy is the one.
I put the kitty on my front pocket of my bag. I put her slowly. I decide to released her in the small path near my boarding house. I think it is the best option. The path is rare of big vehicles. only motorbike crisscross the path once a while. There is also a lot off food in the garbage cans. Other wild cats around the path do eat from them. They are growing well.
I am walking on the path heading to boarding house. It's rainy night. I release kitty in the middle on the road. Kitty is meowing. She is heading to the opposite of me. I hear nothing but the the kitty mew while heading to my direction. I wish you survive the night and the night the after.
Next night I am trying to look after her. I find her nowhere. Perhaps she dies but i do hope someone has already took after her.
ATM Lost
Last Sunday I went to graphic design exhibition in National Galery on near Gambir Train Station. I met Dina and Nicky. The Two are my friends at campus. They asked me to join them to watch Blood Diamond on Djakarta Theatre.
We took taxi to sarinah for taking some cash from ATM. I took the middle machine while the two took my left and right ones. After taking cash I walked out from the machine box. We go to the theatre building next to Sarinah and buying tickets.
Fourty five minutes passed. Sitting in Oh La La Cafe I realised that I hadnt took my card out from the ATM. I rushed to the ATM counter. I found no card anywhere. I asked the security officers whether anyone had gave a lost card to them. They replied negative. I called the BCA call center to shut down any transaction from my ATM account. The officer accross told me that no newer transaction had occured before the shutting down. I was thankful knowing that my last money to survive is save.
The next day I went to BCA office center on Sudirman. I walked to the Customer Service desk asking for new ATM card. Thank You God. The process only took half day. Now I have my new card in hand. I must be more carefull next time.