Archive for the ‘lifestyle’ Category

Today is Friday, and the office felt less formal in many sense. People are more laid-back, some even came few minutes later than the usual schedule, and then there are colorful combinations of shirt, skirt jeans and trousers. Polo shirt being the most popular, spotting wide array of color variation and patterns, jeans are almost an obligation, and snickers were spotted along the way.

Obviously, some are trying to present or rather impose their self perceived image of cool, laid back, relaxed and unique which expressed through combination of polo-shirt, jeans, and snickers. What they don’t realized though, there is nothing unique by wearing colorful shirt, if anyone else wearing that too, on Friday. At the end you ended up with being majority.

The question, how do you go through the dress down Friday without being trapped into mediocrity all over again ?

The answer lies to your self believes, that dress down Friday is not a window of opportunity to get slack and loose your sharpness. Here is how

1. Avoid sneakers, this is the big no-no in the dress down Friday. If you I have to pinpoint a single style component that have sudden impact if throwing you into a pack mediocrity this is the one. Sneakers, should only be use when you jog, walk, gym, run or any other sports. It may be ok to be use on your weekend walk in the park session, but it’s never a good choice when you wore it to the office
2. Avoid black shoes too. The odd is you wear black four out of five working days in a week. So why do you so intent to wear black with your jeans. Sure it still work but fine. But please think about the feeling of your other shoes, the brown wingtip or the grey suede monk-strap for example. Dress down Friday is the perfect opportunity to express your fashion preferences, so do try different colors or material. My personal take, plain shirt (in blue, white), jeans, and dark brown semi brogue wing-tip
3. Forget flannel, what are you ? Cowboy ?
4. No chain please. Linen jacket and chain could not be sighted at the same place together, and so is the khaki, loafer, or any other respectable fashion elements. Leave your chain on your gates, door or dog
5. Try to jacket. Really the easiest trick to upgrade your appearances and facade is to done jacket. And by definition of jacket here is a blazer or suit upper, with two buttons, nice fit and avoid any synthetic. Forget your winter jacket, parachute, mountain or leather jacket.
6. Finally be your self. I mean if you are 30 or 40 something, do not pampered your self with teenage gigs. Looking young and energize is not about what you wear, but very much about how you carry yourself, and being unique and differentiated, doesn’t mean you have to resort to the utter and casual slackness

You see, it’s not so hard really. What you need to do is try your best to relax, put up a serious self confidence, and remember that how you look very much depends on how you feel. Surely the subject of self confidence is an entirely different matters. But this would mean that you have to start as soon possible, and by as soon possible, I mean like…now.

I’ve been driving since I a Junior in college, the was roughly about 11 year ago, with a green, beaten down, but superbly reliable Isuzu Panther. After that, there were the 99 Gold Isuzu, the ’93 Blue Mitsubishi Magna, the ’03 Black Toyota Vios and the latest, is the newly acquired the ’10 Black Chevy Cruze.

I got in sometimes in August, and it should be galloping its forst 10k sometimes next month. So how does it like to run an American in a street of Jakarta.

Fuel consumption wise ? Not fun. My Cruze gulped about 7-8km/liter, in-town. For a car with 1.8 liter engine, thats more than what its competitors i.e. Honda Civic or Toyota Altis drunk for the same distance. But good news bound to come if you drive the out-town. Its fuel efficient can almost double. I’ve the opportunity to drive it to Jogja some months ago, thats a total of 1100k return, and it only needs to full tanks refill, that approximately 15km/liter fuel efficiency.

If it’s a very thirsty car, what about the power ? I have to admit, driving Cruze traffic is rather moot point. The car, the way it came as it was, has so much energy potential, sadly, this potential are not those that useful in the hectic, crowded and raring traffic of Jakarta. But try to take it out at the night or early morning and Cruze some of the Jakarta sprawling highway at the the city outskirt. It is going to be a total fun.

The 0-100km/h in less then 10 secs, and than you can easily climb the speed up yo 180km, in almost no time. Never tried till 200km/h though, as the road is way too wavy to drive in such a speed. Driving the Cruze on that particular intensity is total joy. The suspension hold the car swell, not as hard as Civic, but much more stable than Altis. It balance the needs of convenience against stability.

Maneuvering the car also easy and fun to do. The steering wheel is responsive, and it holds well, while you jerked alternatingly. While the brakes are sufficiently responsive, even in a wet condition. Press it light and the system will adjust slowly, helped by the automatic engine brake, press it hard, the brake will manage themselves to have the car slowing down in steady but rapid manner.

And while the exhaust system is standard, you can hear the silent engine roared, as you press the pedal on, trying to get any accelerations. The sound are satisfying at the very least, and kinda making me wonder, what will happens, if you change the exhaust system, and changes the muffler too.

Interior wise ? I have nothing to complaint about. My auto version comes with the 6 CD Changers, leather seat, and aux audio in. The inside is silent, and the music flows unperturbed.

So really, I don’t have much complain about the car, the exterior looks cool, its interior is comfortable, and the power does not disappoint. Sure the fuel consumption could be better, but thats really depend on how you handle your right feet.

Bottom, line, the Cruze is good as it is, and if I don’t really have many wish list to improve it. For now I’m content with just upgrading the rims from 16” to 18” (and thats not even big enough). But in the near future, I’ve got some ideas already.

Rear lips diffuser, double exhaust and muffler, tweak the engine a little, and add upgrade the rim to 19”. Then I’m set.

So, after more than eight months of vacuum, idyllic and absence mind, I am now returning. Not so much with a bang nor any expedited brouhaha, but with simple proclamation that my eight vacuum months, brought out some changes. Some of these changes also the reason why I’m not writing as much as it used too.

Straight to the point these are whats new and whats not

Whats Not

• Job -No surprise here, still work in the same company, still reporting to the same boss, and still doing the same thing (roughly) as I did 8 months ago. Very minor changes though, is that I am trusted with promotion on May, and with that comes bigger responsibility (and paycheck too
• Apartment – Yupppp, still standing tall and proud. I’m still living on the 27th floor on my downtown apartment, overlooking South Jakarta, still sleeping with open curtain so that I can see the city light and occasional star gazing. Again minor additional to the member of my apartment appliances is a new portable stove and boiling pan for some fun sukiyaki time !!!
• Girlfriend - Really not much to tell here.

Whats New

• Car – You got it right my friend, you got it right. I got rid of my 7 years old Vios ad with with the new Chevy Cruze in Black. Bigger car, bigger power, and just pure handsomeness on hands. Two months, and 3000km later, a new top speed record of 200km/h and two small dents on the hood and side body.
• PS3 -This is actually reason why I abandon my creative pursuit and in the 8 months. The result of much idyllic time during one of my annual leave, the console now occupied much of my free hours. But lets be honest, aside from suppressing my creative mind and wasting some of time, the console visual is feast for human sight. Also I think it provides some sort of release on my gf occasional harmful tendencies towards me ( She kicked my ass on Tekken6 9:1)
• iPad – My very first Apple product, enough said.

A lot of things is currently lining up, so I will have more to tell, when this things comes up into play in the next couple of weeks or so. Cheers.

One of my bad (or good, depends on your perspective) habit, is to give random kiss, unplanned surprised kiss on my girl friend’s hand, especially her palm and upper fingers.

So one day, when she sat next to me, in my car, driving for our usual weekend lunch, I swiftly hold her hand and bring them to my lips for quick endearing light kiss that I used to gave. What I saw that day, makes me scream a little and spontaneously yelled, ” Babe…what the hell is happening on your finger ?”

The reason for that untimely jolt was her usual porcelain clean nails were turning into mischievous face of little grinning frog (I’m not even 100% sure that there were frogs).

Little smiling frogs, or birds, or penguin on my girl's fingers. Heck, I'm not even sure.

Now, I could understand if she paint her nail to some other monotone colors that might suit her feeling or preference of the day. Red if you feeling on fire, blue if you feeling creative, or yellow if you want to splash some cheers and fun to others. But I’m not sure what kind of emotion that is represented by mischievously grinning frogs.

Its sure make her fingers funnier, but I’m thoroughly uncertain on what these little frogs contributed on adding value to her beauty or cuteness.

Girls out there…help me to understand.

Two hours from now, all farmers market across the city will be bustling with customers and traders alike, with tons and tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, farming , fishing products and other necessities delivered in masses.

The fisher ports, which are located on the city’s north would be busy by then, with vastly varied of fresh and delicious seafood were dropped from the hundreds of traditional fishing boats that roamed the northern sea.

Jakarta at dawn, taken from my apartment window

In the entertainment and red light districts, thousands of Jakartans inhales the unseeingly delicious life, drown themselves in the hedonic satisfaction, without the slightest care of the world. You can find everything here, scantily clad women imported from Central Asia and Eastern Europe, illegal drugs, booze and the nonstop nightlife that will continue  till the doomsday.

No matter whether it’s a weekdays or weekends, people are travelling in and out of town. There is no such thing as a holiday in Jakarta, what is there is just shifts and breaks of people from different professions running their trade alternately.

Jakarta is a melting pot in a real sense. Hundreds of ethnicity, dozens of languages, all mixed and entrusted to the evolution on the people’s way of live.

Sun rise, taken from my apartment window

In Jakarta you will never be alone, for friends are easy to make and difficult to break. It’s Indonesian thing, the only comfort that strikingly and decisively differentiate Jakarta from other metropolis.

Jakarta is far from perfect though, as a matter of fact it will never be a perfect place to live. The air quality is getting worse every year, the public transports are virtually useless and the traffic is dreadful. There is nothing in this city that can be valued as structurally beautiful, an eternal marking of disastrous city plan.

The social gap is horrendous, the cost of living is among the most expensive in South East Asia, yet the income level is among the lowest.

But even if one can judge that Jakarta with all the harsh reality it presents, as a god forsaken city, she is  still undoubtedly and indisputably, offers opportunity, a chance to live up the dream, to excel and rise above the challenge. It’s Indonesia’s American dream, where one can change their fortune in the blink of an eye.

Generations have changed and replaced, the poor were made just as the riches emerged. And for ten millions of its people, Jakarta is their livelihood.

My Jakarta is my home in many respects. I came to know and remember her street just as I come to understand my own veins. I came to understand and love her imperfection simply because I am a Jakartan.

Living in Jakarta leads me not to take everything for granted all the things that I have in life, and to appreciate simple things. Jakarta teaches me to live strong and yet reminded me to be emphatic. She allows me to be independent but never lonely, and to be smart but not foxy.

For me Jakarta Is my playground. And tonight as I watched the sparkling light of the power transmission tower, I found that despite her ugly truth and weaknesses, I love Jakarta.