Practice makes (kinda) perfect
In light of what might be my next job for the next year, I need to be prepared. I have to be able to write about anything that comes my way. This is interesting since I tried very hard not to have too much opinion, and all of the sudden my whole life depends on it.
It's not surprising that some of my friends are already married and there are wedding invitations coming every month and now I have to keep buying fancy clothes so that I can attend such weddings. However, what's surprising is the amount of baby photos on FB! My cousin who is only about 4 years older than me is having her third child. I'm not even married yet! Oh, and apparently she is having bad morning sickness coz I read all about it in her FB Status. In addition, people my age are also having babies! What's even more interesting is that they actually change, like, literally. They dress differently and look differently. Like....a parent. Good on them! Pretty soon they will believe in Fanny Pack. ;p
People blabs on Twitter most of the time but not today. Guess why? The only reason for people not complaining is because it's their Pay Day! Hooray!! Its pay day for me too - From my mother! Okay, that part was too awkward and too bitter at the same time. Trying to focus again to positive things now. Congratz to all the employees out there its time to spend and time to pay! What comes next is the bills. I know what pay day feels like, I used to work full time. So here's the thing: I got paid on the 23rd - or something like that - then I would spend my money around and go drinking and have good dinner and shop. And then by the 30th, the bills start to pour in and that's when I realized that I spent too much money coz I don't have enough money to pay my phone bill! FML.
Where do I begin? So the whole country is a mess and nobody want to be blamed. Of course! why would they! at the end of the day, anyone who is stupid enough to admit that it's their fault will not have any career - let alone in politics. But that's not the good part. The house of representative single-handedly blamed Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). What's insane about this country is that the government, authority, press, even the people, the all know that everyone-absolutely everyone- in this country corrupts. If you want to sit in a certain position in the government, you have to pay a certain amount monthly to someone in the house of representatives. I was walking by in a police station about to leave when the policeman asked my mom for lunch money. We were INSIDE the police station! Who can you run to if the authority squeeze you for their own personal gain? That was the moment that I accept that this is my country. Essentially, this country is ruled by mafias. And the media is just a puppet to bring each other down.
My personal favorite today is the story where someone who is a contributor in CNN published a list of 10 most hated cities in the world. One of them being Jakarta. Of course, we, as Jakartans, feel crushed. Who is he to say that our city is filled with traffic, have mall epidemic, when... wait a second, it's all true! Jeez, I better start finding another city to live in. Yet, if all we ever see is negativity, then it doesn't matter where we go, we will always find a reason to hate something.
In light of that, I present my personal 5 things I love about Jakarta:
No matter what time, if i'm hungry, I can always find food. I didn't mean McDonald's, but a real Jakarta food! The good old fashion street food! Furthermore, if you go to the heart of Jakarta, you can find the best congee in a decent restaurant that's open 24 hours! Did I also mention food court in Kemang?
I used to live in Sydney, so I know that for a person with minimum wage, I have to live in suburban part of Sydney and eat very little to survive. Same thing with Singapore. But in Jakarta, the great thing is even poor people can eat! (if they have a job) They might live in a slum, but, on average, they can purchase something in the local market and cook them. I live in a house with 3 other family members and 2 maids, and we all can live with - on average - Rp70,000 for food (not including rice) both lunch and dinner. that's about Rp. 10,000 per person per day, or AUD 1.20. How can you beat that?
I would say that Jakarta traffic sucks, its true, but let's just step back for a moment and see this in a different angle. No matter how bad the traffic is, people still give you ways. In Sydney, people won't care about you and they will not give you ways in times of traffic. Again, same thing with Singapore. Also, if a motorbike touches your car, people in singapore will stop and freak. In here, as long as it's harmless - to an extent - people usually let it go. Patience - in comparison to those in developed countries - actually grow in these people. Bless you Drivers.
Fun fact! When I live in singapore, I lost apetite and weight. Why is that? Mostly coz i couldn't find good food at affordable prices. But here, I can find delicious food in such a cheap price! Anyone ever heard Sop Kaki in Tebet? It is by far the best Sop Kaki that I had. Furthermore, even street food have diversity. In Singapore, for example, I could only find either chicken rice, curry stuff, noodle stuff. Basically chinese, malay, or indian. Cultural diversity of Indonesia means food diversity! And you can find everything in Jakarta.
I must say that Jakarta has its own culture. It is not east, nor is it west. It is not influenced by other countries, yet, it is. Consumptive, yet workaholic. Though you can tell that everyone is hungry for money, it's the small stuffs that you see everyday that makes you believe in humanity. People help people. If you think that I'm wrong, you have not looked hard enough.
