Pollyana Cowgirl

Saturday Night Fever

Saturday Night Fever

Several firsts occured last night:

1) My first movie experience in Jakarta: Blood Diamond
2) My first late night out in Jakarta: Kemang
3) My first experience of witnessing a bribe in ACTION
4) Transvestites in Jakarta: Taman Lawang

Very enjoyable outing indeed!
Movie experience was similar to Singapore. Nil difference except the company was different. More on my movie companion after I get him to sign a letter of release for any private and personal information, a.k.a "confidentiality" clause to allow me to blog about him. The corny thing was that after the movie, the first thing he said was "You are so left-brain!"-- because I was sitting rod-steel-straight throughout the entire movie. Read up on "Multiple Intelligence" dear readers!

In my attempt to veer away from being a boring blogger, I shall jump straight into the climax. For the benefit of my Singaporean readers, I shall elucidate a "bribe in action" in words.

So, my companion was driving and we were heading towards Kemang. Kemang is an area filled with pubs, cafes and restaurants, and it was jam-packed. So, on the way there, my companion was trying to navigate through the mess and he failed to filter into the turning lane in time. A quick-thinking traffic policeman flagged us down, and proceeded to check his license.

What happened next was plain hilarious. Said companion conferred with his friends who were with us, and Rp 20 000 (S$4) was fished out of a wallet, and admist giggles, the money was shoved into the policeman's hands. That is all, that simple people.

I learnt a few lessons.

• Always remain calm and collected and cool. My companion chatted with the policeman like they are old friends.
• Start the bidding war small. Offer the minimum first and negotiate.
• Proceed to play down the situation by asking for directions. Make the policeman feel like he earned the bribe.
• Smile, say thank you and drive along.

posted by Poot @ 3:36 PM 0 Comments

My 4th weekend

How have I been doing? Not bad really...

In fact, I am smiling right now. In fact, I am in a rather jovial mood despite sleeping for only 5 hours last night...

I have been trying to experiment with "Introductions". How do I actually capture my reader's attention? Will readers get bored of reading my weekly updates? My musings? My thoughts? I came up with something in the middle of last week. I wanted to start my post with:

"Gymming with Dangdut"

- I have been going to the gym at my apartment regularly and I observed that the music played depends very much on the counter staff on duty. On good days, I am running along with hip-hop thumping sounds in the background, which inadvertently create images of toned buffed bods ... a la... Jennifer Lopez. On bad days, I have techno dance tracks which only distract me from regulating my breathing. On amazing days, I run to dangdut. Dangdut is a popular music genre here in Indonesia. In a nutshell, it is a pop fusion with old-skool diva glam. It consists of a shrieking singer, dance beats and traditional clingling and clanging of a dysfunctional gamelan ensemble. It never fails to amuse me. I run with a vengence when it is Dangdut.

The title, Gymming with Dangdut is rather 'flat' don't you think?

posted by Poot @ 3:11 PM 0 Comments

The Tans

Another shot of the lovely Tans, having coffee and cake.. Favourite past-time is eating.

It is raining here in Jakarta. I am currently craving tao sar pau, mummy's - fried bee hoon, black bean fish, sambal kang kong, sweet and sour fish and sambal goreng. And popiah, Teochew porridge, fishball soup with vermicelli and tom yam soup. I am hungry.

posted by Poot @ 2:37 PM 0 Comments

Church

I don`t usually have a serious urge to blog. I blog to keep my friends in the loop to keep my parents aware that I am still alive and because I need to keep my readers engaged.

Tonight, I am making an exception.
-----
Yesterday evening, I went to church here in Jakarta. My colleague Abigail and her friend Dylan came by my apartment to bring me to church. I was feeling that initial unease, unsure of what service would be like... I was anxious about the 'feel'. The feel is important.

The church is located in the district of 'Greenville' where huge trees line the streets and houses are guarded by security guards and sky high fences. The odd food peddler was making his rounds and the area was surprisingly serene and that helped to keep my nerves in place. Abigail introduced me to her friends and welcoming smiles and warm handshakes.... I even managed to crack some corny jokes (a sure sign that I am being 'myself' Haha!).

The message of the service was on 'Desire'.
Desire. To desire for possessions and for all that is better on the other side of the fence. Whether it is a better job, a more wonderful spouse, a fancy car, a bigger house... you get the drift.

How often do we stop to thank God for all the blessings He has blessed us with? How often do we leave things in His hands and not ask for more and more and more?

I am always worrying about my family. I worry about Mummy and her sinus, I worry that PaPa would worry too much about the business, I worry that Mal would be so busy with school/work/friends and forget to take care of herself, I worry about KorKor too. I worry and I fear. Perhaps they are irrational fears, but.

I worry so much that I often forget that my dear Father in Heaven is always looking out for me and my loved ones. I forget that if I call myself a believer of His word, a Christian... I should put my faith and trust in Him. Sometimes I commit the sin of being a 'selective believer'. I ponder about the meaning of my life, I hope that my life can be a testimony of God's love... and then I wonder why I am still single, why it is seemingly impossible to find a good man, a someone special (yes, this issue bugs me often enough.. right Mal? The 'will I be single for the rest of my life' question!). Of course NOT. It is all about the 'mould'!

I call myself a worry-wart.

The message was to stop and trust in Him. To stop desiring but instead to thank God for the blessings and to share the blessings with others.

I cried, like I always do when I sing hymns. Singing hymns reminds me of my schooldays in St.Hilda's where I found God... through songs of praise. So, I sang yesterday, I sang and I sang.
And then, I prayed.

All the worries in the world are numbered.
Yesterday, I placed the worries in His hands and asked for Him to just hold me a little tighter when I am afraid here away from my family, my home and my friends. I asked for Him to lead me when I feel lost and then I prayed, with my all heart that He would look over my family and let His love just flow. For the young minds that are entrusted to me... I prayed that I would be a good teacher.

And I love you so much dear Lord...

posted by Poot @ 9:09 PM 0 Comments

Outing with PSW

A glorious Saturday.

It started like an ordinary Saturday until the clock struck 1130am. I was excited and bounced downstairs to meet Pak Wandi (my driver for the day) who was tasked to figure out where exactly the long-long-lost Kindred Spirit (K.S) will be waiting. Armed with a map and my self-professed expert topographical map reading skill that was perfected during my JC days, Pak Wandi and I were ready, set and GO!

Roads were clear and it was an extremly sunny day... barely 15 minutes in the car and I spotted the first landmark, the exit toll road. Turned left, turned right... and the Sheraton Hotel started to appear, in the distance. I quickly sent K.S an sms to ready him to look out for my car. The plan was for him to jump into my vehicle without stopping. It seemed possible in my warped mind, but I soon realised that I was way wrong. I saw K.S standing at the bus-stop outside Sheraton with a huge bag, I flung the door open and he stumbled in.

*LOOK! STARE! GRIN! SMILE!* Finally!

K.S could have just passed off as Santa Claus. In the huge bag, *surprise surprise* was a survival kit of sorts. Peach candy, Chelsea sweets, packets of Japanese Senbei with NUTS, two Jay Chou CDs and two skirts that he bought when he was in Hong Kong. K.S actually went shopping for ladies clothes! Which is more unbeliveable? Him shopping? Or him knowing how to shop for a female? Touched but more concerned about the SENBEI I unbashedly started snacking on them right away! My favourite!

We yakked and we kept smiling like two crazy goons who had not seen each other for years. I had my first taste of Jakarta's jam. The jam was crazy, it was human and traffic jam. Dusty roads and people everywhere between vehicles, getting on and off. Soon enough we arrived at Mangga Dua Mall... it is like MahBoonKrong (MBK) in Bangkok. Level after level of shops selling clothes and bags and shoes... where bargaining is the norm. We did not buy anything, partly because it was so crowded and partly because I was making mental notes of which shop to bring Mal when she comes to visit in March. There are loads of funky clothes and shoes which are Mal's kind of stuff. The human traffic was getting to us, and K.S and I decided to proceed to Plaza Senayan. After spending 15 minutes trying to find Pak Wandi and the car, we got out of the mess and sought refuge at a more hospitable mall.

Well, it was an unexpected expected situation at Plaza Senayan. K.S and I were going through the different menus of the many cafes and restaurants, trying to decide what we were going to have for dinner later. I told K.S that I was not going to buy or shop for anything as the plan for the day was to chat, catch up and eat (Japanese food! Sushi and fish were my crave yesterday!) ourselves silly.

Then, well... something caught my eye. I casually suggested going into one boutique to check out the prices. I wanted to 'compare prices', that was ALL. Guess what happened? No actual need to actually guess. The clothes were yummy, beautiful and I saw a dress and a top that I liked at FIRST GLANCE. K.S was baiting me to try. I thought, what harm could come out of trying, simply trying some clothes. Just try, and the dress, a lovely blue number was oh-so-nice and the top, a casual-funky number was oh-so-irresistable. K.S said that the dress was weird but K.S and I do not agree on everything. Fashion is one of the areas of casual disputes. K.S for your information is rather straight-laced and regards my fashion sense as 'avant-garde' when I am very sure I dress rather normally.

So there, I went shopping. I bought them. No regrets. I am determined to wear the blue dress when I go out with K.S again, just to make a point.

Going out with K.S yesterday made me realise that it is not very easy to find someone who is patient enough to wait for me to change in and out of many outfits, hem and haw about the 'nicer' colour, the 'should I buy?' for the umpteen time, who understands why I must get the 'new piece' all the time. K.S helps me carry my bags of stuff, K.S understands why drinking soup is important to me, K.S laughs at me, K.S is sarcastic but never hurts, K.S laughs and runs with me and K.S coined 'walking paradox'.

Saturday should not have ended. But it did. After shopping for some groceries and giving K.S a quick tour of my abode, it was time to bid K.S goodbye. I hope we meet again soon enough. Long lost remember? I hope K.S reads this blog soon enough. K.S, thank you for reminding me that I will never grow up to be an elegant woman, for making me come to terms with my innate corny ways and for making the day a wonderful one.

It was a happy Saturday. Happy, I am told is a cliche adjective. But, happy I was yesterday and happy I am 'usually' when K.S is around. That is what real friends are for. Another cliche.

posted by Poot @ 2:35 PM 0 Comments

TGIF

TGIF!

I have been looking forward to TODAY! For a variety of reasons...

(1) I will be meeting up with Kindred Spirit tomorrow! We are planning to go around the city, North Jakarta, Chinatown and do some general sightseeing!
(2) It will be fantastic to have a cosy tete-a-tete with Kindred Spirit! Especially since I am this far away from home... it will help ease the 'still-there' general feeling of isolation from the people I love back home!
(3) Kindred Spirit promised to buy me dinner! I have been craving for Japanese food for the longest time! Yummy! The weekend is always an excuse to pig out!
(4) I want to sleep! Looking forward to waking up at a more earthly hour of maybe 8am? Then having a nice breakfast... and perhaps the gym if I am up to it!
(5) I love Friday nights! To anticipate the weekend... LOVELY!

This week marks the beginning of getting to know my students better. After the initial awkward silence, my students are starting to open their mouths and showing a little bit of their true colours! Ehehehehe... Show me the colours!

I am enjoying the noise and the energy from the students. Lessons start to come alive and I can show off a bit of my funky vibe! Plus, it is rather funny to listen to my students and their nonsense... Especially from this particular class that never never fails to tickle my funny bone. It is all very unpredictable and I think I had to suppress my laughter on a few occassions when the boys decided to do their "thinking out of the box".

Oh yes! I hope to be able to go to church on Sunday too! A few colleagues attend church and I think I will join them this Sunday! Something else to look forward to! Will blog about church soon!

Shout out to: Emimi, Luke, Mal, Siyao, Pat and MUMMY dearest! I really appreciate the SMSes, the calls and the emails! An unmistakable feeling of warmth and love touches my heart whenever I am 'remembered'. I miss all of you very dearly. Stay beautiful! MUACKS!

So there we go dear readers... Another week is behind us. This week a student taught me something. There is a very quiet girl who never looks at me, much less into my eyes. She sits right in front, literally under my nose. I thought that it was rather unusual and with the multi-taking necessary (bad excuse) when teaching, I left her alone.

But, she continued to bug my consciousness for some inexplicable reason. So, I decided to just look at her. I decided to catch her glance and look straight into her eyes, and smile.

I walked into class, and smiled at her. I did it once, I did it twice, and finally, she broke into a slight grin. I did it again the next day, and I tried it again. She broke into a smile. She is still keeping real quiet in class, but today, I cracked another one of my 'jokes' and she showed her teeth and laughed. I guess being a corny hysterical nutcase helps.

Lesson: Take the time to smile. Smile at life... Cos more often than not, Blessings are in Abundance.

posted by Poot @ 5:46 PM 0 Comments

More pics!

The gym and the partial view of the tennis courts.
There are six towers of residence. This is the front lobby of my tower.
The exterior of my favourite cafe in the condo. The food is to DIE FOR. They sell the yummiest traditional Indonesian desserts (hot and cold) and also sandwiches and finger food. The staff are very friendly and the interior is minimalist chic. I will post pics of the interior once I am on friendly terms with the people.

More pics coming up in the next few days. The SWIMMING POOL and the supermarket.... wait for it!

posted by Poot @ 3:24 PM 0 Comments

Cleaning

My bedroom. With the satin sheets! Ehehehehe... notice the bedside table? It has my super-duper ultra loud alarm clock! My journal, my candle and my handphone.
The view from my bedroom window. I am on the 20th floor... so, I have a bird's eye view of the surroundings.
My little couch and my matching carpet. The table doubles up as a dining table too!
Another bedroom which is like a storeroom cum studyroom. I am rarely in this room...
A different angle of the living room.

posted by Poot @ 3:05 PM 0 Comments

Pixeled Photos

Saturday...

My second Saturday in Jakarta!

An eye-opening Saturday. One which serves to cement my reservations about this city. Somehow or another, the construction boom, the onslaught of malls and the advent of consumption among the well-heeled have conveniently left behind the forgotten poor.

I went out with my colleagues to 2 beautiful designer malls, Plaza Senayan and Senayan City. Sparkling marble floors, Gucci, Prada, Bvlgari... gourmet coffee, numerous delicatessen that only the most discerning tastebuds can appreciate. People, beautiful people... all togged out in the latest designer-wear.

Great! I feel at home! I shall not pretend to be someone who is left behind in the bandwagon of advancement. In fact, I was glad, way glad to see Topshop, Miss Selfridge and even Debenhams plus a well-stocked Marks & Spensers that sells my favourite cookies and restaurants with lovely interiors (no inkling about the food yet).

In Singapore (and I will hasten to add that I err on the side of generalisation) the poor are kept away from the streets. One does not feel guilty about buying and spending, here... beggars line the sidewalks and the roads with careless abandon. I did what I had to do yesterday, to save me the agony of an unimaginable guilt. I looked away, I looked straight ahead and sought the solace of the mall with relief.

The greatest irony.
While the boutiques and restaurants were teeming with people... a lone store stood.
UNICEF. A UNICEF store selling cards and handicraft in aid of the poor.
There it stood, uncomfortably.
It did not belong.

posted by Poot @ 2:43 PM 0 Comments

Got through the week

What can I say? Except...

Congratulations to myself for getting through the week in one piece!

I suppose it is no big deal really... since teaching is not new to me, but, being away from home will never be easy. So, I have been keeping things in perspective and taking care of my physical and emotional well-being so that it will not affect my work.

After spending a week with my three new classes (including my new form class), I am starting to realise that kids or TEENAGERS will always share similar traits no matter which part of the world they are in.

My three new classes, for ease of classification are as follows: The Zoo, The Discovery Centre and The National Library. As diverse as hot chocolate, coffee and juice. I shall not even attempt describing the individuals in those three places of interest. Admitedly, I still do not know my students well, and I can not even remember their names (except for the few who either remind me of people I know and thus I have an easier task of remembering OR the ones that stand out of the crowd for reasons... good and bad).

My new form class is uncannily similar to 05S01, my first form class at TPJC! The students in the class are considered 'good' by other teachers (I do not know them yet... so 3rd party information is as reliable as it gets!) and my impression of them, based on my gut and my relatively sound Emotional Quotient Register is that they are a well-behaved bunch who are focused and want to do well academically. I feel comfortable with them, enough to lower my guard just that mili-centimetre less and I really hope things go well during the course of the year. Having a form class helps me to feel more involved with the school and it is always nice to have a group of people to 'take care' of. Motherly instinct ALERT!

I have been asking around, to see what the others around me are doing during the Chinese New Year holidays. There is no denying that I really want to fly home, but at the same time, I am trying to conserve capital and 'homesickness'. I reckon, if I return home too soon, I might be in a situation where I will want to return home again. So, perhaps it might be better to have a longer hiatus and then return home when I get a bit too dandy for my own good. In the meantime, I am staying occupied and looking forward to going out with my new colleagues this weekend to immerse myself in the local scene!

Now, for the update on the 'Running Timetable'. Countdown for the year`s BIG event! My 3rd Marathon. Yes yes, I know it is in Dec, but I plan to improve on my timing slowly and very steadily. I thought that my training regime will be severly affected by my move to Jakarta since I can not and will not jog around my area (am being a filial daughter and listening to Papa and Mummy!). To my delight there is a well-equipped gym in my condo and I have been tracking my progress. So far so good!

A long term challenging goal.. Where the mind is supposed to triumph over the body! Mr Scowler and I decided to attempt the marathon again this year though we are unable to train together this year, he is doing his own stamina and endurance training while I am doing mine over here. I hope it will be a 'tradition' of ours... running the marathon! For as long as my legs can carry me...

Running the race meant a lot to me last year... for a variety of reasons. Finishing it with him meant even more (erm... despite the fact that I snapped quite a few times during the runs because he kept going ahead of me! Hello mate! We are supposed to run together!). He might scowl often enough... and I am not the nicest smelling runner after 21km... but, thank you. Hee.

I have been keeping up with the news and I see another round of 'thank-yous' necessary at this juncture.

TT Durai, thanks for everything. (I am keeping it short and sweet. The poor man must have enough curses rained on him that he alone can halt the El Nino effect and droughts around the world single-handledly.)

I can imagine Papa and Mummy getting all upset about their lost dollars that were invested in the hospitality and welfare trust fund of the Durai Inc. Had fun in First Class Sir? Enjoy the rest of the journey... Beggars can not be choosers. Crisp and clear plain water?

posted by Poot @ 5:35 PM 0 Comments

I am my Parents

What do you do when you realise that you ARE your parents?

Not becoming like your parents...
I am in a crisis of sorts. I realised today that I have become Mummy and Papa.

Yes yes, I studied Biology and Chemistry, so I am aware that some of their traits will inherently be evident in me and I will thus have some resemblance to them in both the personality and physical look-alike departments of the Tan Family Co. Pte Ltd.

I am not embarassed to be an offspring of the Tan Co., let me qualify, I adore and love the Tans to bits. But but...

I think I am becoming a bit of an information hound. I have been in Jakarta for a week now, and I was having the sure signs of "The Straits Times" withdrawal symptoms. I thought it must be an occupational hazard of being a GP teacher. Right? "Read the newspapers" being my oft quoted refrain.

Imagine the sheer joy when I went up to the school's library yesterday and read THE Straits Times.

*no tears of joy.. but.. I swear my heart skipped a beat*

The school I am teaching in subscribes to THE Straits Times. Joy, sheer joy.

Now what has this got to do with my parents? Papa, is a fellow newspaper afficiando. In fact, he inculcated in me the love for reading and watching the news. Papa abhores all programmes except for the news (in all languages) programme. Lately, I realised that I am becoming more and more like him. Fret not, I am subscribing to the Jakarta Post and a daily dose of The Straits Times will rid me of the news withdrawal symptoms. I guess in this globalised world, being out of touch with the happenings around us will render one obsolete in a few days. Uh-huh.. T T Durai's civil suit... Maia is a pansexual (bwhahahahaha... that article got me rolling on the floor!).

Let me move on to Mummy dearest and me. Now, Mummy is my best friend and I love her (more than I love chocolates with peanuts) so so much. Mummy and me share some admirable traits. We love shopping, we are both vain, we love eating desserts and Italian food, we cry easily and we are both corny.

Sorry Mummy.
Despite my love and admiration of all of you, I really do not want to be a compulsive hygiene and neat-always-in-order... erm... freak. I am starting to pick up single strands of hair on the floor, noticing a single speck of dust and making sure that my bedsheets and pillowcases are crease-free when I make the bed every morning. Ah!

The moment I start hanging my clothes on hangers that are seperated equally (to a decimal point accuracy) on the clothes pole with a fiery passion, I know I should start being hysterical.

Not a bad thing actually...
Doing things that reminds me of home and my family helps me to stay sane, stay rooted and never forget what they taught me.

I told my classes today when I met them for the first time my list of expectations. I ended the list with something that I believe will get us through the year, sane.

Be kind. Be kind to one another and be kind to me (very important! I still refuse to be wrinkled by my students a.k.a my JOB. ahahaha...).

Mummy always said to 'Be Kind'.
I guess being alone and looking out into the nightsky here gives me all the space and inspiration to be so dramatic. Singaporean lingo for 'drama-mama'.

posted by Poot @ 6:59 PM 0 Comments

Photos

And yes... the photos.

I forgot to lug the humble cable from Singapore that connects my handphone to the USB port.

I promise I will upload the pictures as soon as IT-ly possible.

I actually went around taking pictures last evening. I am a responsible blogger. Fret not.

posted by Poot @ 7:15 PM 0 Comments

First day of school

First day of school...
Actually.. first day at WORK.

Well, I was all set to start my first day on a right note by having a good dinner last night, picked out my clothes, made sure my alarm works (and made sure again and again... at home, there is Mummy as a back-up alarm. Here, if I am late, I am dead.) lit an aromatheraphy candle and had some quiet-time by writing in my journal. However, sleep was an illusion at best. I was tossing and turning...

And just as I was about to fall asleep...

*beep*

SMS. Ahhh... who could it be but dear old Mr.Scowler ready to hear me wax lyrical and be pensive about the most mundane things. I will give up my sleep for him only because I love having thinking conversations, with him being painfully and brutally honest about my incessant worries and ramblings.

Today, is the day.
My alarm clock, loud and proud, woke me up early. No tossing and turning. I was on task and ready to go.

*beep*

SMS. Ahhh... Mr.Scowler decided to initiate a message delivery service, this early, to wish me good luck and to make the morning perfect for me.

The school building is in a nutshell a refrigerator. Sorry to disappoint dear readers if you were expecting an indept description of the school. It was so cold today my sensory abilities were nullified. A fully air-conditioned building, seven storeys high and get this... an in house radio station manned by the students. Now.. no dowdy nationalistic songs or National Day emotional hum-drum songs, mind you. Instead, at about 2pm, I was way way surprised to hear Black Eyed Peas from the PA system and get this... my immediate neighbours beside me started to hum and sing. Be warned, the karaoke-r in me will be unleashed.

Wait for it...

You WILL hear me score a few ballads.

Being the first day of school, students and teachers were bustling about and settling down. I was essentially a lost sheep and had to ask directions from the students who are at first impression very lively and friendly. They love to talk, and talkative me was asking questions about life in Jakarta... basically I was trying to compile a Lonely Planet for myself.

-Best Shopping Mall
-Where to watch movies
-Places where students hang out (and best avoided by yours truly)
-Food places to check out

Meetings, introductions and information overload made up my day.

I have a good feeling about this.

I guess it has a lot to do with the people. They look at you in the eye, smile and offer a warm handshake. When people take the time to be kind... the sincerity, unmistakable.

Thank you dear Lord. You know what I am talking about.

posted by Poot @ 6:32 PM 0 Comments

3 days later...

I am starting to calm down...

Yes... I have spent 3 nights sleeping in my new bed in Jakarta...

I learnt some things over the previous few nights:

1) My father (dear Papa) can actually SMS in SMS lingo! I was way surprised when I recieved an SMS from him to remind me to LOCK MY DOOR. Yes Papa... I check before I sleep everynight... please don`t worry...

2) Yoghurt and museli are pricey in Jakarta.. though one can always opt for the locally made yoghurt instead of the typical Bulla and Yoplait

3) I am in heaven... FRUITS heaven! The sweetest and freshest fruits everyday.. and I had Rujak Buah (Fruit Rojak) for lunch today and it was YUMMY!

4) To SMS to Singapore.. I need to affix the +65 in front of the numbers! Blur me forgot and was wondering why Mal did not reply!

5) Going to the gym is a stressful affair. As an avid OUTDOOR jogger, I had my experience on the treadmill yesterday.. and after 45 minutes when I stepped off the treadmill, I had a positively surreal experience. My legs went wobbly and I felt like I was floating. The gym is very well-equipped with ... hunks? eheheheh... More on this soon. Wait for it...

6) I heard horror stories about Jakarta from friends and reading forums on the Internet. Well, I am not going to be complacent... but I am becoming a security freak. Clasp my handbag tightly, always ensure that my windows and door is secure. Check and check and check... better to be safe than sorry.

Short post... I will do a descriptive narrative post entry tomorrow! And... try to post some pictures using my phone's camera!

Wait for it....

Just to let the entire world know...

I was so glad to talk to Mal and Mummy just now... They both sound so happy and were laughing. Good to know that my presence is not very sorely missed! Kidding... love the Tans loads!

posted by Poot @ 8:43 PM 0 Comments

I am here in Jakarta!

Selamat Malam..
time check.. it is 5:38 pm in Jakarta!

Yes dear readers. I made it to Jakarta. The luggage, well.. I exceeded the baggage allowance by a cool 18kg and had to pay S$63 dollars. Well well... my belongings arrived with me in Jakarta, I was paranoid that they might be orphaned and I will be so lost without my pillow (yes, I decided to bring it along.. ahahaha). The only blooper was that my bottle of shampoo leaked a little and I now have the honour of the most wonderful smelling luggage around...

I have absolutely no idea how to start and what to say. It has been a sensory overload, and since my arrival yesterday afternoon, so many things have been happening (even now.. I am looking around the other users at the cybercafe... my 'neighbours')! I will try to summarise the most interesting and 'blogworthy' bits...

My apartment! I must say, I was fretting about the apartment for the past 2 months because despite the trawling on the Internet for information and placing my trust in the school's admin to locate and select a nice and safe abode, I was worried.

The condominium is NICE. Oh yes! I am living in a 2 bedroom newly furnished apartment! I am lucky to have all the major appliances provided for (they are all NEW in fact!) and I think I heard my own sigh of relief when I saw that the bed and mattress were still wrapped in plastic. The thought of sleeping on a used bed is plain... scary. With freshly painted walls and everything in order... my worst nightmare did not come true and I am in the midst of writing down a list of decorative furnishings to make the apartment home. Potpourri... mmmmm

I made two trips to Carrefour and I now have a functional kitchen and will be preparing my own dinner tonight (after I am done with this blog-post). This is all so exciting.. buying towels (hand, bath, sports, kitchen! I never knew towels were so diverse!), toiletries and little hooks and knick knacks. To my relief, my stereo system and hairdryer lugged across the vast oceans from Singapore are working fine here.

The plan tomorrow is a shopping trip to the mall to purchase bedsheets, a carpet and some pillows for the sofa... exciting! I am colour-co-ordinating! I have peach coloured curtains and a brown sofa.. so today I bought a brown doormat! I must be Martha Stewart's biggest fan in Jakarta!

I took a walk around my condominium before going to the cybercafe (here NOW!) to check out the facilities. There is a gym (tomorrow morning I will check out the equipment.. and exercise!), a pool, tennis courts, basketball court and a variety of shops and restaurants on the ground level. There are 6 towers of residence in the condominium and on the ground level there are 2 minimarts, 1 supermarket, a laundry, a few cafes, a Chinese restaurant (which sells Singaporean Chicken rice at Rp16 000.. hahahaa), a Japanese Bento restaurant, a high-end Indonesian restaurant, 2 normal-price Indonesian restaurant, a GAMING CENTRE (to my horror!!!! Lan games! Yucks.), a cybercafe (where I am at now.. it costs Rp 5000 an hour to use the Internet), a tour agency and I think that is about it. Oh.. and my favourite.. aside from the cybercafe is this cafe that sells desserts ONLY! I made a deal with myself and I will try a different dessert every week! Es Campur... Es Teler... and Bubor Hitam and .. and ..

I have been raving about the good things first.. here comes the bad...

Going to sleep was difficult last night.. I woke up at 6am (despite sleeping at 1am) feeling a bit strange... a new bed and a new place I suppose. I miss my family loads and loads! I called home and spoke to Mummy last night and she was glad that everything is fine with me... but I miss her terribly!!! But, Mummy is coming to visit in March with Mal (maybe Papa might come along if the business is not busy)! I absolutely can not wait!!!

Jakarta has a huge rich-poor divide (am I stating the obvious?). While sitting in the car, and looking out at the streets, I see slums. I am not oblivious, and hopefully I never will. Enough said. There is no point describing scenes of poverty as if there are displayed highlights.

The car drove past the school where I will be teaching last night and I will start teaching next Monday. Oh yes.. and I am excited!

More updates about my new job soon!

I finally bought a pre-paid SIM card, so yes.. I am connected.

That is it! For now...

posted by Poot @ 6:37 PM 0 Comments

Last blog entry from Singapre

10 hours... and I will be on the plane to Jakarta.
My last blog entry. Location: Singapore

The excitement is threatening to spill out of my ears, yet, I am feeling just a little 'pensive'. It seems like everything is happening so fast that I can not really comprehend what is actually happening. The months of research, deciding, deliberating and finally making up my mind.

I am nervous about my new apartment, my new environment, my new job... the new people, the smell, the food... I keep telling myself that everything will work out fine because if I survived Japan, Indonesia will be no different. I am wrong, right? I am prepared for the initial culture shock (never undermine this potentially deadly disease), the compulsory course of diarrhoea that all fresh-off-the plane Indonesia newbies will experience, the stress of making the apartment a home and homesickness. The last being the most potent and the only one without any real antidote... suffer in silence. Hail pain.

Tomorrow... actually, it should be today. Gosh... not often that I render myself speechless.

The first hurdle of the year 2007: Saying goodbye to the Tans... especially the double Ms of Mummy and Mal.
The second hurdle of the year 2007: Pray tell how I am going to lug an almost bursting at the seams luggage, 2 fragile boxes of belongings, 1 filled to the brim sports bag and an oversized tote to Jakarta without making a fool of myself while struggling to balance and stay upright.

Till I blog again... with updates of the baggage 'situation'...

May the good Lord bless you with love, peace and joy...
Take good care...

p/s: I will survive.

posted by Poot @ 12:16 AM 0 Comments

Help

Help.

1) If the airline stipulates that my baggage allowance (check in) is 30kg, does it matter if the 30kg is made up of 2 boxes, one luggage and one sports bag? Will I be taking up too much space?
2) But really... who is going to believe me when I say the above mentioned boxes, luggage and sports bag will just tip the scales at 30.0kg?
3) Contingency plan -- Look really sweet and plead for that bit more allowance. If that fails, try saying.. 'I am an educator, seeking to educate the minds of future generation... What is in the luggage and boxes? Books... notes... books... notes.' Oh yes, real smart Pollyana Cowgirl.
4) Do I really, really... really really really need my pillow? Ok, it is not just a pillow. It is an almost flattened cotton filled rectangular thing that serves to raise my head to a specific 10 degrees tilt (yes... I get specific when I am nearing hysteria) so that I can sleep. It really needs a bath, perhaps a makeover too. Question is, to bring or not to bring?
5) Why. Tell me why why why... Why is it that just as I am preparing to leave for J-Land... the modes of transportation in the country decide to well... disintegrate. Let me see, 3 ferries have sunk into the deep ocean bed... good for the growth of corals. A plane went missing and the wreckage found in some hinterland... good for boosting confidence in the country's national carrier. All in the span of a few days.
6) If the parents ever decide to read this blog... this is for both of you:
'Hello... hello... Mummy and Papa... and NO... for the last time, I really do not need a heavy padlock, tea bags, a huge bottle of cough mixture, 2 towels and that and this and that and this...'
7) I am not done packing. Help.

posted by Poot @ 1:40 PM 0 Comments

Pack!

The rush continues. Darting from one errand to the other... ticking off the seemingly endless array of tasks on my list. It seems like I am almost done... I hugged and said goodbye to the people who matter and I cleared my shopping list of 'Things that I might not be able to find in J-land but NEED!' which is plain ridiculous, considering the list included a pack of pumpkin seeds. I deemed my seeds as being pivotal to my survival in J-land. These seeds, for all you ignorant people who know nothing about these magical seeds... they are roasted and not fried. Only available at this particular store in Takashimaya.

All I have to do now, is pack.

Heeding the incessant nags of dear Mummy to start packing before the day before my date of departure (get it?!), I finally got my act together and started to pack. I am meticulous and ridiculously organised when it comes to packing. Everything seemed to be going fine... I folded my clothes into neatly marked plastic bags and I even went as far as to pack my handbags into 'handbag' bags (there are bags for everything these days). I was starting to feel very self-assured about my packing abilities... Or so I thought.

The bags of bags of bags... are refusing to fit into my luggage.
I reckon... never say never! A bit of tugging and squeezing... they will somehow have to fit. So, I decided to be savvy about this packing debacle and weight my bags of bags of bags... afterall, an ill-fitting luggage is better than an overweight luggage (I am working with a 30kg limit by the way...). So, I am sure we can all guess what happened. I tried to hoist the luggage onto the weighing scale... but, it was too heavy for me to even tilt. I am in trouble.

I am less than 36 hours away from my departure and I still have stuff to pack. I am starting to worry. 'Panic' might be a more fitting description of my state of mind. I am running out of time! I am starting to look hysterical.

Wait for it ~~~

AAAAahhhhhhh!!!! heaghkgreadhgjhressyiuhkhkfjeaklkjpOUJ!!!!

posted by Poot @ 1:28 AM 0 Comments