Holidays: Christmas Eve Afterthought

As an overview this trip was as any other. The only difference is we have all matured. 4 months ago I set out to document my trip, it was only due to the lack of internet connectivity that blogging has become a little sparse in the last few days of 2009.

24.12.2009 – Christmas Eve

LCCT Departure Hall

Traveled by Air Asia to Jakarta from Kuala Lumpur at 5am in the morning. Was quite taken aback by the amount of people congregated at LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) at such an hour. The opening of Air Asia has enabled many middle class families to travel across Asia. I think this is a very very good initiative to broaden the minds of all Malaysians. At the same time allowing them to witness for themselves the enormity of the world we live in. Their “Everyone can Travel” campaign has really hit the home run.

Old Style Carrousel

Finally arrived at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Harta International airport. This airport has managed to maintain itself for 20 over years without shedding it’s skin. The only difference evident from the photos taken 20 years ago and the ones I took was the apparent commercialization of most of the shops and not to mention the quality of the photo taken. By this point I was sleep deprived and annoyed. We found a bench and I flopped onto it without caring about etiquette. After 10 minutes or so, I felt something crawl onto my arm. And lo and behold, it was a freaking cockroach. I jumped up and as soon as all of us left the bench, they swarmed onto it and took over. There were at least 6 cockroaches alone living in that rubbish infested bench. It was disgusting.

Broken window from my train seat

Finally after an agonizing delay my cousin finally appeared at the gates and we rushed to the train station. Thankfully traffic was not as bad as anticipated and we cruised into the station with a few minutes to spare. From my seat the glass window was broken. My grandmother reckons it was residual from the 1998 riots throughout the cities. The seat was not anymore comfortable than that of the Air Asia flight I just took, and the train ride lasts 3 hours. I tried to photograph the country side as we passed by, but the stained glass was making it difficult.

Indonesian country side

It was amazing as we passed paddy field after paddy field. Some even ranging as far as the eye can see. Even with the over flowing amount of crops, the Indonesian rice growers are still unable to sustain the needs of the local population. After an agonizing 3 hours copped in that tiny uncomfortable seat, we finally arrived at Cirebon, my mother’s hometown. A place where all you have to do is sit around and everything is within your grasp. In short an awesome holiday beckons.

Avatar 3D: The Movie

Avatar the Movie

I tell you, whoever who hasn’t watched it, you have to!!! There is no doubt about it. Avatar 3D is one of the best 3D shows yet. The plot wasn’t anything to fuss over about. It reminds me greatly of the Pocahontas story. Not very new exactly but still effective nonetheless.

The setting was very beautiful. The colors of the forest at night, the CGI effects and the 3D motions were jaw-droppingly stunning. The way the forest lights up with humanoid contact was fascinating. Also the way the blue humanoid figures interact with their surroundings. The way James Cameron portrays that all living things have emotions and interconnect with each other is beautiful.

By the difficulty in obtaining tickets one can tell that it has definitely been worth all the money spent. Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Holidays: Indonesia 2009

Indonesia hasn’t changed. Or rather Cirebon hasn’t changed. Cirebon is the city I am in. It’s a 3 hour train ride away from Jakarta and a 3 hour car ride from Bandung. It is a small quiet city which doesn’t have much to offer except in the food department and cheap labor. I don’t mean to be undermining, but it truly is a luxury. Only if you are the one dishing out the orders though. If you are on the receiving end then it might not be as fun.

But all in all it is a really fun. All we do everyday is wake up, tennis, eat, pangsai, eat, pangsai, swim, eat, mahjong, then sleep. That’s our routine. It does sound quite boring but a lot of food is ingested. You won’t believe the amount of food that we take in everyday. Actually not so much on my part. More on everyone else’s part because of the cabe (chilies). It is insane the amount of chilies that they eat everyday.

They ate the following but not restricted to the following.. Lontong, tempe, ayam goreng, sambal terasi, sambal goreng, rujak buah, rujak sayur, gado gado, beef steak ikan, kangkung goreng, martabak, mee kochlok, mee tek-tek, bubur ayam, mangga gedong, magga harum manis, duku, kerupuk sambal, and much much more.

Everytime we finish eating we feel so bloated but then we would still ask to buy more food as we have cravings. It’s so hard to resist. Especially with being here for only a few days. It’s like resisting a very nice wine. Impossible… So we continue eating and eating and eating… I’m sure eating will be the death of us I swear…

- Written 28th December 2009 6.08 p.m.-

Holidays: On the way home…

Home sweet home… Finally… After 12 hours of travel I finally reached my home. So tired now.

The long flight had already tired me to death. My bro was late by about half an hour, and when he got there, he proudly announced to me that he drove at 140kmph to get to me. =_=||| Which goes to show that you were late to begin with nut job… Grrr…

Anyway, it interesting to note things that is the norm in Malaysia started to stand out after a year abroad.

Overabundance of housing estates

1) The crazy driving. My brother was driving at top speeds reaching 140kmph, and averaging speeds of at least 120kmph. Needless to say I was kind of freaked out. But thankfully the car proved to be well insulated as there was barely any sound emanating from the seams.

2) The weaving. Drivers were weaving in and out. Buses fully loaded with passengers were driving at the same speed as we were. I was really quite taken aback. But again, it has always been this way.

3) The rain. In Australia, you can’t count on the gloom of the sky to tell you when it is going to rain, because of the wind speeds. But in Malaysia, when it is gloomy, please do run for cover.

Motorcyclists under the overpass

4) Motorcyclists who think they are kings of the roads. As it started raining, motorcyclists were clambering for a spot under the overpasses. We were on a busy highway. And motorcyclists were just stopped at the left shoulder of the road, some of them even overflowing onto the road. It is a very dangerous act of stupidity that often gets them killed.

5) The heavy mushrooming of rows and rows of new housing estates still never fails to baffle me. Seriously do we need to thin our forests that much?

6) Everywhere you go, there are PEOPLE!!! Oh my head is going… *spin spin spin* Now I need to lie down.

-Written on 23rd December 2009 11.34p.m.-

Holidays: Arrive-ed…

LCCT Arrivals

Just arrived in LCCT, Malaysia. And was hit by this sudden wave of heat. It’s insane. Am so not used to it at this moment. But it’s all fine…. I’m home. It’s so typical me that my connecting flight to Indonesia was to be canceled. Now I am stuck here in Starbucks (by the way thanks Starbucks LCCT for providing me with Internet access), enjoying a frappe while waiting for my brother to turn up. As to why I am not using my phone, answer, I don’t have my Malaysian SIM card with me, and my Australian SIM card ran out of credit. That’s why I’m stuck here using MSN to communicate with my father in his office who is calling my brother. Ingenious eh? I thought about it on the flight over. *proud proud*

On the plane, I was sandwiched between two men. Yeah just my holiday luck. One of them was a huge Caucasian man and the other was a slight framed Chinese. They very generously helped me get my luggage up onto the rack as I settled into my seat. It was only then I realized that the Caucasian was overflowing onto the hand rest. As I took Air Asia (a very affordable, albeit uncomfortable experience), the seats were small to begin with. So I barely had anywhere to put my limbs. Gosh, it was a very unpleasant flight. Seriously. I couldn’t move an inch.

However, I had a very interesting talk with the Chinese man. His name I later found out was Mr. Wong. He lives in Batu Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and was just in Brissy to see his daughter graduate. He works for the tax office and has done so for the past 30 years. He spoke really fluent English, unlike a normal Malaysian. He had two daughters, the elder one was working in Malaysia in the IT field while the other was trying to find a job as an accountant. He was very surprised when I said I was working in Brisbane and have done so for the past 2 years. I guess my stature and the way I dress give others the false impression about my age. It sometimes bothers me. But other times, I enjoy watching their eyebrows rise and fall as they are struck with surprise and try to hide it in an attempt to not embarrass me.

We had a nice chat about life, about choices and decisions. His daughter who just graduated was at a crossroad too. Decisions decisions decisions… How will I know whether I made the right one?

Holidays: Counting down 7 hours!!!

7 more hours before I hop on the plane to salvation. Currently have panda eyes. Worried about weight gained in the past 24 hours due to excessive chocolate ingestation. Should probably get some sleep. Need to make a list of things to bring. Here goes.

Done:

• Pulled bin out. Although it’s only a Tuesday night.
• Locked all windows with key. Made sure all doors were locked as well.
• Turned off all electrical appliances, bar my computer and router of course.
• Checked all taps to make sure no leaking. And stove burner and oven.
• Checked all credit card and bills paid. “Big freaking hole in my bank account now”
• Passport, money, and luggage packed.

Not Done:

• Pack toothbrush.
• Pack biscuits in the fridge.
• Pack laptop and charger.
• And most importantly wake up at 5.15am. =_=||| So dead…

Btw, THANKS ANNIKA for fetching me to the airport. You are a champ. Will give you a kiss if you don’t mind. Hehe….

Holidays: 2 more days!!!

The three exclamation marks are necessary. In case you were wondering why the sudden excitement. As the title suggests… 2 more stinking days before my immaculate holiday comes riding round the corner like Santa on his sleigh. And. Wait for it…. 5 more days till Christmas. Can’t wait can’t wait!!! Holidays. Presents. Food. Friends. Family. Home.

Home Sweet Home.

Tuesdays with Morrie: Afterthought

I wonder what my life would be if I had a mentor like Morrie. His awe inspiring insights into life and death is a healthy dose of caffeine for most living in this fast paced world. We who run about our own businesses, too caught up in our own bubble of troubles. Egotistical musings, career, family, money, mortgage payments, and stuff. The culture that we have encourages monetary achievements. Instead, love and compassion should always win. In that battle. There is no competition.

Our lives are so cluttered with stuff that we fail to see the importance of this life. We revolve around the dramas of other people’s existence instead of concentrating and making our possibly mundane lives more interesting. Focussing instead on tabloids that report gossips. Pretending we are living the life we aren’t. Why is it so hard to instead live more constructively everyday.

Culture has pushed us into a state of oblivion where we are mindless pod people who go about our lives collecting money like in Monopoly. Not fully realising the impact of our decisions. As I sit here writing this, I see an old man, riding his bike down the road. A couple walking their labrador. I wish I could still do that when I am older.

As Morrie put it, the most degrading part about growing old is when you need someone to wipe your ass. But why consider that degrading? Weren’t we fully dependent on our parents when we first arrived in this world? Wasn’t that degrading? Or is it less degrading just because we didn’t know we could do the things we can?

I am starting to rethink my life. I have been so keen all this while to achieve greatness. And since young I have always been sure that I was destined for greatness. To achieve what my forefathers have never achieved before. This sense of confidence has been bestowed upon me on birth. I never believed in impossibility. Only possibilities with courage and wisdom. But greatness is not confined to career success, it can also be defined when you start touching the lives of others with love. I am not without love. However, I feel less connected to people than I ever had before. I think that’s why I cherish the family reunions. That is when I throw away technology and embrace the real me. With overspilling love.

Graduation

Graduation |ˌgrajoōˈā sh ən|
noun
The receiving or conferring of an academic degree or diploma.
• The ceremony at which degrees are conferred.

Graduation. A phase of life where it is bitter sweet. The transition from being a student to being a statistic on the unemployment trend.

Every semester, hundreds and thousands of 20 year olds join the workforce. Stepping into a new stage of adulthood. Life is tough as a fresh graduate. Especially so with the waning recession, as there are still plenty of experienced workers eager to work for less who have years under their belts to speak off.

As most 20 year olds have great aspirations to join a huge corporation, to excel at what they do and contribute to the world, they often find themselves in less than satisfactory positions. Getting coffees, data entry jobs or even sitting around reading policies are not what they would originally envision themselves doing. But do expect these to entail. If you are lucky you might get more responsibilities within your first month, if not rest assured that you are not the only one still stuck doing crappy work after your first year. You are less than capable to do anything the real world needs you to, regardless of how many marketing campaigns universities put up to say they are preparing students for the “real world”, trust me it is not what you think. Nothing can prepare you for the “Read World”, but experience.

Everyone drones on about how important a degree is. But trust me, the certificate you hold in your hand is useless after your first job. Employers do not care what you studied at uni. All they care about is what you have learned after you graduated from uni. If someone tells you they were able to work straight after uni without having to learn anything new, I can say with one hundred percent confidence that the person was full of sh*t… For me, the 4 years at uni only prepared me for 10 percent of my knowledge in the real world. The other 90 was gained by learning on the job.

One might ask then why do we go to uni? I do not doubt that uni is a very essential part of growing up. The information imparted is important but is nothing compared to how uni shapes the minds of future leaders. It induces critical thinking and forces the brain to part take in a stage of development that otherwise would have been missed. I think it is an essential but painful path. Worth it though. Really worth it.

I am not who I was. Uni shaped my mind, my life, my future.

Silent achievers vs boisterous smart-alecs

There are two different types of people in this world who look smart to others.

First: The type who undermines the possibility of others prowess to magnify their own. This type of people will not praise themselves directly. It’s not to say that they aren’t smart but they do so in such a way that I think it’s sick. They do so indirectly by stepping over others dead bodies, per se. It is a ruthless act. One of self preservation. In fact it is a very instinctual primate instinct, which has been observed even in animal behavior. The way the males of a species win over the affection of the females in the group is by battling it out and showing her that the other is the weaker of the two. This has been a tried and proven theory that works. However, it is an extremely degrading act that, I for one, do not like to part take in. I believe in a person earning their rightful glory, but not have that glory be tainted by acts of jealousy and childish rows.

Second: The type who earns their rightful honor. If what you say is right, there is no way anyone can contest your judgments. Any sane person would be able to see right from wrong, black from white. All the throat-cutting, backstabbing acts are very unnecessary. Back in my uni days, I never saw anyone as a competitor. Although I knew many of my classmates viewed me as a rival to beat. The way I viewed the system was different. In uni, the only competitor is yourself and no one else. Your grades are in no way tainted or influenced by your classmates. Especially in engineering where the field is very objective, there are only 2 ways in which the answer can go, right or wrong. No gray area. Therefore, your marks are fully dependent on your own capabilities. Throughout the course, I helped many pass subjects and tutored them through projects.

In life we meet different people from different walks of life, and we learn how people interact with others. It does not bring out the best in people, but that’s just reality, that’s just life.