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