P&G and Me

The guys at P&G did it again.

As it happens, I am a loyal P&G customer. Not only I use their products that are in the market in Indonesia, but I also use their products that I personally need to import. Like the Pert shampoo that I cant get in Indonesia or in The Netherlands, each time I need to import it from the USA or I buy it whenever I find it abroad. So, you see how loyal I am for their brands.

Alas, the feeling is not mutual.

They always managed to get me hooked on something, and then acting unavailable. I swear I think P&G is a male.

My newest and biggest pet peeve is about their sanitary napkin. Back in the Netherlands I only used Always. The normal with wing variant to be precise. I've tried other brands but I am allergic to them. After years of problem free, several years ago P&G Holland decided not to sell them in Holland anymore. I called up their customer service, and was told that they still carry them (it said the same thing in their website), but couldnt tell me which supermarket/pharmacy/shop carry them. After searching up and down the land with a little help of my friends across Holland, we still couldnt find Always normal, let alone the one with wings! I called those big supermarkets chain and was told that they did carry it anymore.

So, I tried contacting the Brand Manager of Always in Rotterdam to ask where I still could get them in the country, but was told by the receptionist that only big buyers could talk to the manager, and I have to talk to the customer service eventho I told her my predicament. I called customer service again, pleading for them to get me some information about its where about. I was told my option is to use the ultra variant which I hate. Long story.

Not giving up, I tried to contact that Brand Manager again pretending to be a big buyer. Just my luck, the same receptionist answered my call and recognized my voice. She started to rant about my lying as a big buyer. I was really pissed with her because as a woman, she, of all people, should be able to relate to my problem and help me to get some solution.

My savior was a German online supermarket Schlecker that also services the Netherlands. Since then every a couple of months I'd be ordering bulk of sanitary napkins all the way from Germany! No thanks to P&G Holland.

Before I went to Indonesia, my BFF also supplied me with some from the USA, just in case. Sure enough, I couldnt find them in most of Indonesian supermarket, and if I did it's very expensive. To my relief, I still could find Whisper, also by P&G, that I used to use before moving to lowland. However, it didnt last long. I've been coming home empty handed for the last month looking for Whisper at supermarkets around Jakarta. I still have some left, but I need to get some new ones ASAP.

See, the P&G did it again.

On Anggodo

The stories of Anggodo - KPK - Police - AGO are all over the place day in day out. When ever Anggodo opened his mouth, something outrageous came out. The money he spent. His connections (those who are involved are from Surabaya ranging from prostitute, attorney, police officer). It's all seem like we are watching a sinetron, with a more interesting plot, funnier dialogs and better acting. The Chief Detective even cried at a Parliament meeting!! Talked about crocodile tears.

But one thing about Anggodo that I cant help but commend him: he did this for his brother, Anggoro, who run up against KPK.

Eat, Pray, Love and Discriminate

I've read the book Eat, Pray, Love. It was alright, I guess, but not something I want to reread tho. It's a beach book, nothing more than that. If you want to read about living and eating in Italy, Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes is much well written, to be enlighten I'd rather read Dalai Lama, Meister Eckhart, or Coelho, and as for love, there are gazillion books out there about it since the beginning of time.

At this moment Brad Pitt's company is filming that book in Bali with Julia Robert and Javier Bardem starring in it.

On one hand, it's a good way to promote Bali, (and probably also Indonesia). It's not often that foreign companies is granted the permission to do filming in Indonesia. It's a pity, I think we could attract more tourists by promoting it that way. Look at Thailand for example, they attract more tourists to Phi Phi Leh Island after the released of the Beach. Of course, we also need to be careful about the environmental and cultural impact from it.

On the other hand, when I read this article on JakartaGlobe, I cringed. Do I live in South African Apartheid era? Yes, I know expat in Indonesia get paid so much more than Indonesian. Yes, I know average Indonesian goes ga-ga when they meet bule. It's upsetting to read not only a foreigner gets paid $100 a day, which is 5 times as much as Indonesian extra, even foreigner kids get paid 2.5 times as much at $50! But the fact that they separate locals from their foreigners counterpart that did it for me. Why cant they just put two kinds of food and let people eats what they please? Why locals eat their nasi bungkus in some tent, while foreigner eats their western food in the Pura Dalem along with the cast and crew? Are local not worthy enough to mingle with the cast and crew or even eat the same thing? Whose fault is that, the foreign company who hires them or the local legislations and ruling that allow that to happen?

Being a Flirt

Some of my closest guy friends said I am such a flirt. While others said I am judes, I guess you could translate it to bitchy if not rude, tho I dont think both are the right translation.

Anyway, I always thought I couldnt flirt, each time I tried to flirt someone, I ended up not with the guy I was flirting with! (Therefore, I give up flirting consciously). So, the notion that 'I am such a flirt' was something I couldnt fathom. Until ages ago when I saw this BBC programme called Would Like to Meet. When their dating expert, Tracey Cox, showed body language of flirting, that's when it downed on me. I did/do those 'flirt moves' unconsciously when I am talking to people. No wonder they called me a flirt. No wonder I got into troubles. But what can I say, if it's in the blood... :)

I was chatting with Sean about it and he too has the same thing about flirting unconsciously. He loves flirting tho. Then he told me his latest MO, which is hilarious, I have to blog it. Bear in mind he's American in the UK, and oh... he's deaf, and proud of it.

sean: when i came to here last year
sean: i decided to test my flirt skills
sean: i found it very interesting that if i was came to women... hearing women
sean: then they would start to ask me what is my name
sean: i will say
sean: oh i am Deaf
sean: they would say oh dont lie
sean: what is your name
sean: then i would struggle to say "S... Ha..wn"
Triesti : hahahaha
sean: they would repeat after me
sean: i would nod
sean: then they would say oh give me a kiss!
Triesti : u rascal
sean: silence is powerful!
.
.
.
sean: also if i gave them strong eye contact
sean: it will make them weak in their knees

So ladies, be warned!

Reunion

For years I've tried not to go to reunion. I dont see the point of getting together with people I didnt even hang out with in the first place. I do however try to keep in touch with some that I was close to. We talk on the phone, chat, email, and even visit each other in far away places.

It seems to me that ever since everyone are in Facebook, there are more and more reunions. I saw a friend of mine had kindergarten reunion!! So far I managed to dodge it.

Until today, that is.

Since yesterday was one of my BFFs' birthday and she's organizing this get together, I have to attend it. Tho I asked if the rest of the gals remember it was her birthday yesterday, and she said she didnt think so. I guess it wont be a birthday lunch, more of a small reunion. Sigh!