G'day, welcome home

Just what I needed to see at just the perfect time. There's no other place I'd rather be for my 30th than here.

Japan Tribute game

Following the mid-week twilight match where the husband picked a fight with the opposition players for being pushed off the field, he was injured (with blood wounds and all...ewww) so this time he played photographer and I reckon he takes better soccer shots than I! Check it out, playing against Japan

Creative copyrights

I met this guy a while back working for Disney Hong Kong (here on business) and he was telling me about how he was watching Indonesian tv late one night and came across an Indonesian tv show (I forgot the name) which was a dead ringer for the tv show "Lost" and he was fuming! Apparently, this Indonesian show had the exact same plots, characters and similar dialogue as the Disney owned "Lost". He was going on about how this was completely absurd and how he was going to complain to the said tv channel and sue them. To this I was not surprised, Indonesia is not exactly crash hot when it comes to creativity...correction, they can creatively copy other existing works but to conceptualise on their own is not traditionally an Indonesian thing to do. It seems like the attitude of the major creative players here is "in order to get onto the same creative level as the western world, we must copy what they do" and it is completely untrue. I have seen many Indonesian inspired works here in Jakarta that are true to its historic background and culture (just have a browse at Alun Alun, Chick Mart and Inacraft) and I would pay the big bucks for the things they create that are uniquely Indonesian.

I took this picture as I was driving past Gandaria Mall. A new chain store opened called Amazing Town to which its logo bares the classic Disney font. I wonder if I should email it to the Disney guy? Hmm...

Tragedy strikes

I received a disturbing text yesterday from a friend. It read:

"My dad passed away this morning :("

The sad face being the understatement of the century. It's funny how a semi-colon and an open bracket can describe the simpleness and depth of sadness these days. Indonesians are quite fatalistic people, especially when it comes to death. In a country surrounded by tsunamis, earthquakes, corrupt police, and no health support or system from the government, the people here have been accustomed to this tragedy, but when it happens to someone's daughter, son or in this case, father, it is still a sad, sad occurrence.

Today I visited my friend at her mother's home, and in between conversations about everyday happenings there were tears, regrets, dumbfounds and thoughtful smiles at the stubbornness, gems of wisdom and peculiar things our parents do and say to us. It makes us realise that the older we get the more faults we find in our parents and the more endearing it makes them as well as how much we still need our parents' help even at our age, because at the end of the day, we are all still finding our way.

Twilight game

Decided to accompany the husband to one of his soccer matches, they played against the Murphy's and I decided to take some pictures for once.

Back street sunsets

It had been a long day today, after picking up the German crew from their Lombok vacation, we headed straight to Chick Mart in Kemang for a quick shopping spree which included some nice materials for cushions then off to Blok M for some bling, topped off by a trip to Pasaraya for some rocks. Whew! try doing that in peak hour traffic and you get the idea of a long day. This was shot after I had dropped them off their hotel (Sommerset) in the back street (jalan tikus) heading towards our apartment.

Smoggy Jakarta

Back at home and in the midst of running some errands, realised the view of the sky from our balcony was looking more red than usual...looks like a scene from a movie after a bomb has exploded and all that is left is the burnt skyline and smoke.

Sheraton Senggigi Lombok

One quick sunbake by the beach and we are already on our way back (It was a really short stay!) Was a little disappointed not to stay longer, especially as the staff at the Sheraton Senggigi were so nice and accommodating. We were even glad to find out that they really took care of our Jakarta guests so well while we have been away. So here we leave them for another 5 days of relaxation while we run around like mad back in Jakarta.
Another spectacular view

Very jealous right now!

Sheraton Senggigi
Jalan Raya Senggigi Km. 8
Senggigi, Lombok
West Nusa Tenggara

Alles Gute!

We decided to surprise the German crew in Lombok, in light of Marcel's dad's birthday. The timing could not have been more perfect. We were hiding by the cafe not far from the pool deciding on how to surprise them. One idea was to have Marcel casually swim up to them but we ended up deciding to come out from behind the bushes...would have been awesome though.
Surprise!

We brought over a cheesecake from Harvest, and it took them three goes to spell out "happy birthday" in German, but we got there in the end!

Harvest
Pondok Indah
Jl. Arteri Pondok Indah, No.38E,
Jakarta Selatan
Tel: +62-21-7201710
(They deliver also)

Meanwhile in town...

Was in town today to pick up my tickets to Australia and looking at the traffic jam, I had no choice but to take the public transport. Things were not moving!

Antiques hunting

We visited this antiques furniture store in Ciputat, the one our driver and I stumbled upon a while back, and the husband was curious about the store and the antique cabinet I found and wanted to see it. I'm not sure whether he realises yet that whenever I take him some place, the price of things tend to double (as he is a bule) and I cannot bargain but I think this was one of those moments. So when I asked for the price, the storekeeper took one look at my bule husband and one look at me and sternly said "4.5 million"(almost double the price I was originally quoted...to which my bule husband angrily complained...well, what do you expect?

So the lesson of the day is: sometimes the stuff your wife says are not always nonsense hah!

Asia Art
Curio & Antique
Jalan Ciputat Raya No. 8
Situ Gintung
Tel: 021 7402672
Jakarta Selatan

Kue cubit

Ooh kue cubit, I think I will miss you most of all when we leave Jakarta...a cross between madeleines and pancakes

Flowers please

I've got to say, I've never really been a fan of flowers (it's slowly changing) but when you are living in a dusty, smoggy, polluted city like Jakarta, it's quite a nice contrast to have in your home. This one I picked up at the Pasar Bunga quite close to our place, a couple of ankot drives away to the most vibrant looking pasar I've been to in a while.

Bandung to Jakarta

To say it was crazy macet was an understatement, but the views were amazing

Sari Ater

Hotel Malya made a great revamp of the place.

The view from the breakfast area, a 5 metre tall balcony with no safety windows.
We spent the day at Sari Ater before heading back to Jakarta. This massage guy seemed to enjoy massaging people more than they enjoyed the massage and for 50rp it's better than any massage place in Jakarta!

Bandung at last

What a long drive! between the monster traffic jam from the police randomly stopping cars to being stopped by the police and getting fined for Marcel not having a drivers licence to Marcel's dad wanting to give the police something extra (more cash than asked...you tip the workers for their service not the police!!). It was more than a little stressful, but alas we made it in one piece.

Somewhere along puncak

The view from the top (as they say) is rather nice, especially when you have been stuck in traffic all the way to the top and especially after a small brush with the law. We took a tiny coffee break at a warung and stretched out a little. Great local coffee and a perfectly sunny day to a windy rainy night.

Good morning Bogor

The view from our hotel room