Motorcyclists are Nuts

I refuse to drive because Jakartan motorcyclists are nuts. You are driving, eyeing the motorcyclist on the right when suddenly the one on your left cut you off. I get this feeling that as soon as their asses touch the motorcycle's sit, their common sense and brain are out of their body.

Yesterday morning it rained hard. So I went to work later than normal after it turned into drizzle. The road was not that crowded. My busway was not speeding when suddenly this motorcyclist getting in front of the bus out of nowhere. The bus driver blew the horn and slowed down and tried not to hit the motorcycle. We all swayed in the rather crowded bus.

The motorcyclist immediately went off the busway lane. Just in time for not getting hit by the bus. The guy looked at us smiling from ear to ear, and he almost hit another car while doing that! Stupid, stupid, did I say stupid guy. I didnt drive the bus, but my heart was still beating hard until I got to my office. I could only imagine how the bus driver feel. In Indonesia, had he hit the motorcycle, it's his fault, eventho he was on his lane and not speeding.

A stupid egotistical person who didnt bother about the law and crosses/uses the busway lane could get hit by the bus. I'm sorry but I think it's their fault for not taking the crossing bridge/path and not the bus driver's fault.

The reason why motorcyclists are like the way they are, is because the police did nothing against them. One time a motorcyclist hit my dad's car while my dad stopped for the red light. The police asked my dad to sign a paper saying it's my dad's fault, because according to the police it's a pity that the motorcyclist had no money. Was he nuts? Of course my dad didnt sign it.

Once I stood on the pavement waiting for taxi during a traffic jam. About 5 meters away there was this policeman. He did nothing at all when these swarm of motorcycles rode on the pavement just inches from both of my sides and acting as if I disturbed their riding the pavement!

Unless the police really enforce the law on motorcyclists, it's a jungle out there.

I Dont Mind Waking Up To This

I went to an acupuncturist for my cough the other day and as always, I got knocked out as soon as I got home. Since I slept way too long the other day, last night I couldnt sleep without any meds. I only slept for four hours and woke up to this email starting with subject: Visit to blabla...

It said that they had superb feedback on me, so they are inviting me for a visit a long with a small group of tech entrepreneurs and a journo.

And yes, it's a good weekend indeed.

Are You an Under or an Over?

Before I moved to lowland, I never paid any attention on a trivial matter such as how you hang the toilet paper. Most of the time it doesnt bother me how it hangs, over the top or under the roll. But there were some occasions when I was in a hurry and someone hung it under and it irritated me because it slowed me down. That's when I realized that eventho it is such a trivial matter, I have my preference and it bothers me from time to time when things are not the way I like it to be.

I dont like having to touch the wall in order to get my toilet paper and I dont like that most of the time I get not the quantity of paper that I need. I dont care if it looks neater when it hangs under. Think about it, if it looks neater hanging under, why in all fancy hotels that I've been in 3 continents all their toilet papers are hang over the top?

Haute Couture

Last Saturday while I was watching the Young Boys performed for the Harry Darsono's Special Needs Children Charity event, Farhan, the presenter, sat next to me and asked how it felt to wear an Haute Couture. "Well", I said, "in my case, the one I am wearing was like made for me, it fits perfectly while a few other women's clothing today needed some altering. It feels better than my own clothing that was made to measure." He then talked how he never had the opportunity of wear one (is there haute couture for guys? I wonder), that the most expensive thing he had to wear cost less than Rp 10 million. To tell you the truth, I dont even know how much the one I was wearing costs, all I know it was part of his private museum pieces and it was made for the wife of Finnish Ambassador. I didnt dare asking the price of it.

I was honored that Oom Harry let me wore his beautiful clothes even for just a few hours. I'd never dreamt of wearing such a thing, as it was hand painted on pure silk, it was one of a kind. I was also happy that I met the dressmaker who sewed the said dress and she told me a bit about the process of making it. It's not just some piece of clothing that you take off the rack in some high street shop some where. It has history and full of artistic details.

I'm Ashamed being Indonesian

Never in my life I feel so ashamed as Indonesian until I heard the news yesterday.
Never in my life I feel so detached about any religion until yesterday.

The longer I live in this country the more I loose faith in humanity.
The longer I live here the more I loose interest in any religion.

I couldnt, cant and will not comprehend the act of barbarism in the name of G_d that happened in Banten yesterday against the followers of Ahmadiyah.
I couldnt, cant and will not comprehend people who condone that act of evil.

It's time for the so-called moderate moslems in Indonesia to stand up and refuse the hijacking of Islam by the radicals.
It's time for Indonesians to stand up against any discriminatory treatments of the minority.
It's time to do something for the betterment of Indonesia.