My last Departure to Indonesia from Gee Pity

It's 31st of March and it's a Sunday. I couldn't sleep very well as I have to wake up and go to airport. So by the time I fell asleep it was after midnight. Imagine at 4:00am plus, there was a call and to my utter surprise, front desk called me for wake up call for my transfer at 5:00am. I said I booked 6:00am but did not ask for wake up call

So I went back to bed and finally left my room at 5:30am. More depressing matters were to come. I walked to the "club house". The contracted worker was seated on trunk one, trousers rolled up and chilling out. Security was leaning on the railing looking out to sea or dozing and no one bothered to work!

If you think that is bad, here is next!

At the lobby, all was in darkness until I reached the steps to go down. I was wondering how in the world is it totally deserted and putting down my bag, I spied the security on the row of chairs facing Sepoi fast asleep. Then at the lobby, where the round chairs are? Front Office chap lying down sleeping and the driver lying down on another sleeping!

I had to go and jostled and called them to wake them up! They were really sound asleep!

You can imagine my mood the entire time I was going to airport. Thank goodness flight was uneventful and so was Jakarta. It is Easter weekend. I thought to go Mulia but it was full and we ended up at Melia which was surprisingly nice ... nicer than the Melia KL that I remembered. I loved the supermarket set up for cold dishes, cold cuts and what not ... they had pan fried foie gras and Cory actually loved this!

Then there is tempura, local, Chinese and lots of fresh chilled seafood and a huge array of desserts!

After that, we had a nice massage at our usual Plaza Indonesia

And sleeping tonight is at? Akmani

KL Tally Ho ...

Actually that should be Damansara ... hahaha! I decided after pondering about it for like 20 minutes to just plunge ahead with my original plan of testing the GPS in my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and did a solo drive down to KL from Ba-Gan-La-Lang!

Some of you may say what's the big hairy deal? Well, for a timid person like me (surprise!), it is a big deal, okay? I was nervous and kept coming up with excuses (mentally) not to go but hey, the only way to overcome fear is to JUST DO IT, right? Right! And I am glad I did

I had back ache and what-not but I drove out around 7:45am and reached Damansara Intan at like 9:00am. Had a nice time of going to Old Town for coffee followed by a lame as Dwayne Johnson movie. Then it was a quick shop before home for nap

Of all coincidences, I was busy texting N-G before the movie setting up appointment for dinner when who should I bump into at the cinema? N-G! Weird, right? Hehehe! Anyway, we had a nice dinner at Rakuzen and as it was almost 9:00pm, I decided ... yes to drive back the same night!

And here I am! Ta-daaaaa! Small achievements for small people like me but what a confidence booster ... and that's what life is all about, isn't it? Doing things and moving on and up ... hehehe!

New Day New Life ...

It's all good ... I woke up feeling a bit under the weather but I am not going to let anything get me down ... damn it! I am determined to go all out this time and get me the life I have waited sooooo long to have ... do the things I want to do and make a living out of it instead of doing the things that others dictate ... otherwise where will it end, right?

I am FORTY darn it! Forty already! Is this mid-life crisis?

Hmm never thought about that actually but then ... I have resigned ... and I have signed on to JV with different parties ... bought my own house ... my own car ... and plan to start my own painting retreats ... so I guess no I should just plunge ahead for the next 18 months and see what happens, eh?

Wish me luck!

So what did I do today that is different? Well I got out to the beach front for a slow breakfast chatting away with my Malay colleagues. They are dressed for work and I am dressed for ... home! Hehehe! T Shirt and Shorts. Then I hung around and had a heavy lunch from Room Service while doing some sketches to get me "horny" - you know the type, right?

So much sketching and typing ... until my back actually hurts ... or is that vicarious sickness from the Were Pig?

Well, time to take a break and sleep ... goodnight world ... here's to the future!

Deluge of the Were Pigs!

That's kind of uncharitable, isn't it?

But unfortunately that is still how I feel about certain people ... today my wonderful superior (work position not anything else okay?) came over to visit me for the handover ... as usual he is late ... and he said he is busy entertaining ... well at least I got everything organized from hardcopy of stuff to outline on a main page the routine work

So we went over work briefly before he started on his favourite topic - how the world is against him! Here's a rundown of the more interesting bits for you to enjoy:

1. He was on this diet and exercise regime but he admitted that his weight increased! Well dude I am not surprised seeing how much food you packed in when your mrs is not around and you used every excuse to stuff yourself. On top of that, you exercised only when people are there to watch you. From the way your tummy protrudes, everyone knows, dude! You have been kidding yourself!

2. He is sick again and said this time he has something ingrown on his neck or spine that causes so much pain not counting the flu etc. He said the Gunman suggested he go for traditional massage but that would only make it worse

3. He told me that since I worked so hard, now I can handover to him and step back and take things easy. Anything I see, notify him for follow up. Yes, but he is hardly here and he doesn't want to be the bad guy until his back is to the wall. That doesn't make for good management. I tried telling him about the new Gee Am but as usual, he protects the guy. Well he did that for Pus Man, the Silk and then Justice. Doesn't he learn?

4. He told me their intention was to form a company with him and his wife along with me ... oh please ... what kind of contribution will the 2 of them give to the company? I do all the work and we split the money with them 4x what I get? Hah! I will drown if I work with them any more unless he starts carrying his own workload

5. He told me of the plans for farewell and that they are setting up a table for me. I am sure it is not in a room which means my level is very demeaning if I have to sit outside. They are very position conscious over there. If I have a permanent workstation and it is part of the floor, then I am like the bloody rank-n-file and there goes any respect from the juniors!

I am so glad when he finally had to flake off to a luncheon so I can get back to my lonesome self in the office. Ugh. I feel so bad that I just needed to get out for lunch and I did it by going to Sg P to buy a thumb drive to back up HDD for him. Hehehe!

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. His wife came over to see him and subsequently they had dinner with the Gee Am. I had dinner in Sg P with Eye Sac at Pizza House or Home. They have WHITE PIZZA. Yes! And surprisingly it is good. I tried also the crème brulee ... the sprinkly of nuts is weird but other than that, it was nice as well

So one new place to eat ... must support ... yet watch my diet. Hahaha!

Will Miss You Jakarta ... Welcome Frenchman!

Honestly, I am going to tell you all the events that happened this day. Some are boring, some are not but it will give you a feel of what life is like for me and mine and as this is my blog, if you find it the slightest bit boring, like any book, you can skip a paragraph or two, or even a page or two, or scary bits here, chuck the book!

I was outside on the verandah of An-Choll Man-Shion ... waiting for Corn until way past 12 midnight ... just chilling out and enjoying the view and imagining how nice it would be to call it home ... I really loved the place! Then we had a bit of a drama. He said he was there. I went down to LG but couldn't see him. I took the lift back up to 5, crossed the floor, another lift to lobby. He was not there. The security even came to see me! I said I was waiting for a mate! And then he messaged me again. So I took the lift back up to 5, crossed the floor and back down to LG. I still couldn't see him but decided to go walk the car park and found him there. Hah!

After all that drama, we went to the apartment and continued to chill out at the verandah chatting away. Then he said he was a wee bit hungry and I asked ... what are we waiting for? He asked where the noodles are. I looked confused and said didn't I texted him to buy? And he said he thought I was buying it on the way home. So what did we eat in the end? Oats! Hahahaha! At least it is healthy. Oats with water for a drink. Double healthiness!

Sleep was only like an hour as he had to leave by 3:30am to go to the train station to pick up his mom, uncle, sister and sister's friend. I am not going into details here on why the F they are in Jakarta. After that, my usual paranoia set in. So I hardly slept anymore until nearly 6:00am

I went to the airport feeling out of sorts and it wasn't helped much because the airport check in people are not hotties. So nothing to ogle at to relieve the boredom. I wanted Stabucks but to my utter horror, at that time, the only shop with a queue was Starbucks. So I finally had my bakmi at the shop next to Star and what can I say except TO AVOID THE SHOP! Overboiled noodles until they become bloated, steamed chicken that was cold and dry and Twinnings tea sachet? Ugh!

Flight was okay except that it was full. Even for the red hot seats. So that was a nasty 2 hours

What about the stewards, you may ask? Umm they were in that new jeans uniform. And you know what my opinions are about jeans - a no no

When we touched down, again no cuties in sight. ARGH!

I had a somewhat fit full sleep in for the entire afternoon from about 3:00pm to 7:00pm. But thank goodness I woke up then. It was really good because I saw the message from Niece-Zal. And quickly changed and rushed to Sir-Latt Bar to meet his sis and her hubby. The dude is on the board of the French chamber of commerce and knows lots of expats working and living and doing biz in Malaysia. Imagine he was formerly a finance guy from club med but now doing so well and living in Tmn Tun. And we talked a wee bit about biz and what-not and he is keen to do a Rihiveli here in Malaysia!

Yes, yes, yes! That is good news for me. So if I combine Kruger-B's Anan with his and Desmond's expat community, we are talking potentially good news here for everyone!

Anyway the Frenchman came to see the new GM but to his utter surprise, he was accorded only 5 min of face time! In the lobby! Not even bothered to sit down for a coffee as he was going out with his family. So much for dedication, Mr TF - all talk only, eh?

Good for me, good for me!

And finally, after drinks, we went to Pearl-Rah-Hoo for fish dinner. He ordered from fish sashimi to fish grilled. It was a very healthy sort of dinner. As it was too healthy for me, I decided to msg uncle Case and Uncle Eye and we had Satay late at night along with sago dessert and fruit platter ... and they are still here in my room ... as I am tryping this without their knowledge. Hehehe!

Good night world!

I would have loved to type even more but will it bore you readers out there? Hmmm something to think about. Private message me yes? Whenever you read this even if one year down the line!

Time for Jakarta again ... and what will this trip bring?

Well, I was up early and excited. So it was a rush to pack and a rush to get to office dumping my bags downstairs while going out to carpark to get a last fix on Case See. We had breakfast together and I bid him goodbye. Then I spent sometime in the office clearing emails and what-not until it was time to head for the airport

Unfortunately the only cuties were at the customs after immigration. As I was STOPPED years ago for trying to snap photos of cuties, I dare not do anything except try to enjoy the view of young, slim men in blue uniforms

The horrible thing happened. We have a plane delay of 45 minutes. As if this wasn't bad enough, when I reached Jakarta I waited for nearly an hour before I could get my ride thanks to Corn who was in a bitching mood. He bitched about the time of my flight coinciding with rush hour traffic. Next time, I will get a driver. So much for lovers, eh?

But the good thing is at Immigration there was a chap who was a trainee and he looked pretty nice. After that, we went to collect luggage and while waiting, there was yet another generally a-okay (6 points) chap in dark blue uniform. He is not that slim but the way his trousers gave shape to his butt, you just want to smack it, know what I mean?

About the only saving grace for waiting is actually the traffic controllers. We have one chap who must be at least near 6-feet tall and he is so thin that I just kept on eyeing him for the entire time. His face is nothing to shout at though. Very average to almost below average ... sigh!

After the pick up, I headed down to the city to grab an early dinner with Corn. He wanted Thai. Remember the old adage never go back to somewhere that worked? Well, the Thai resto failed miserably this time around with the main course of fish and beef salad. My choice of the cute fruit shaped desserts was nice though. Hehehe!

Then we headed down to Sarinah to get me a new Blackberry. As is my norm, I do not buy new or latest model but one that is a few generation ago. Then we had a massage at Meiso (horrible). First time ever, the masseur actually shook your body as if dislodging something in a bottle. I mean, come on!

Finally, after a long and winding drive using GPS we arrived at our hotel for the night - Rasuna Icon. It's an apartment converted into hotel with lots of space for room and lobby but very odd as it is tucked in a narrow alleyway with almost no carpark. And they give you minibar in the form of a 7-11 downstairs style of fridge. Ridiculous as there is no service but charged like RM7 for a drink!!!

The people on duty are good and helpful though. So that makes up for it

Well, it is now late and I have an early start tomorrow. So goodnight JAKARTA! Love you all!!!

Is Blog = Diary?

I have been scrolling around other blogposts and noticed that some are using it for business, some are like personal soapboxes with their issues/ trying to get philosophical while others are diaries (sanitized naturally)

And I have been asking myself, off and on, for the better part of the past couple of years about my own blog. I started this blog when I was in Dubai. I still remembered it clearly, sitting in my new rented apartment, on the floor as I had yet to get all my furniture in. Not a nice way to live but hey I enjoyed the Spartan ruggedness all the same and that was like ... oh maybe 5 going on 6 years now!

I chose to use anonymous for one simple reason: because I wanted to share the frustrations of modern living like a real diary that you keep in the olden days hidden away with your innermost frustrations. I think there are definite pluses for putting everything down simply because it lets you release your frustrations so that the stress doesn't get built up inside until you KABOOM explode, know what I mean?

However, after seeing the number of people getting sued, I decided that anonymous may not be enough so I changed the names of the people. Right now, I still remember who they are but I have to wonder ... in years to come, will I? What happens if I forget? Is it important to always remember? Is that why a personal diary is still better?

At this stage, over the past few weeks, that is what I have been pondering. Do I stop this and go back to the old-fashioned diaries? I have had many adventures with such diaries over the years. However, I have rarely had success in maintaining for a period of time ... especially when compared to this online blog. So I am of mixed minds to switch back or not. And there sure is no way I can maintain two sets of two versions

And naturally aside from the suing part there is also the need to be "private". Surely I don't want all my friends, family and colleagues (past and present) finding out everything about me. Not everyone is nice and can use info against us ... and I am not just talking about suing here

So what is best?

As you can see, from this very post, this is more of an honest meandering of the mind. Hey, for this post, all those who read this, please send your opinions be it in the form of a private message or a comment. This I truly appreciate

O yes. For those who wonder about my old historical posts that goes back to the past? Well have a read. The information is usually at the start of each blogpost like I copied it from an old diary or whatever. In fact, that's the other thing. When I copied it out, I usually trashed the old stuff. Again I am wondering if I should, right?
Questions, questions, questions!

Itunes Day

Yes, people or should I say netizens, I am finally on the iTunes bandwagon and all it took was for me to be ill and not able to leave my room. So I am stuck hobbling and gravitating amongst bed/ toilet/ couch. With nothing much left to read or watch, I was surfing online just now and decided to try and buy the Scotty McCreery album. However, to my utter dismay, Amazon doesn't permit purchases in Malaysia. Bye Scotty - you cutie! No way I can show you my support!

Then I thought of iTunes and worried that it is for all those needy self-centered bastards (hence all the I I I - Iphones, Ipads, etc hehehe) but hey it works for Windows/ Android folks like me too. So cheers all!

And the process was less of a pain than I was expecting - no rubbishy paypal and what-not like ebay!

What did I get? Umm first up is the new Josh Groban CD (wanted this last week but it was sold out at Valentine's Music Shop @ Tropicana) followed by the Alanis Morissette CD and then to my surprise, they have Tommy Page's CD. Other than that, I bought some loose songs from JLo, Khalil Fong. And all for less than USD40. How cool is that, right?

Cheers and see you all tomorrow!

Furnishings for the new house ...

Yesterday I was in so much pain that I forgot to update that I got T-E-O to help me out as this shop that I bought all the electrical equipment (AC, Washing Machine, Fridge) for my new house came to install. They were supposed to do it in the morning and I hobbled there but then they decided to make it in the afternoon. It was so many things and I think the washing machine is not done but at least the AC is. Sigh! The joys of moving in

As the day wore on, I lasted in my office until about 7:00pm and then headed back to my room. Ordered room service that took forever to arrived and arrived wrong with ikan bilis in my fried rice. So I had no choice but to sent it back since I am already under gout attack

As the night wore on, it didn't get better. I did a fair bit of medicine and woke up 3 times this morning around 1:30am, 4:00am, and 7:00m to pee. The 4:00am was for chocolates (I know, I know! Me and chocolates are not the best of friends but I rather take this than more meds) and painkillers

At least this morning has been good and I see that the gigantic bulge is not getting bigger. So I cancelled my trip to Balikpapan and hope to get partial refund for flight and hotel. I was 50/50 about it but I remembered what the doctors said last year. I should stop pushing myself and give my body time to recover. I am not getting younger and bouncing back from illnesses is no longer so fast which is true. See how many times I have been down with flu lately. In fact, if I can recover quick from this round of gout, I should go take anti-flu shots and in Apr do my last medical check

On the plus side, I did calculations on my 2013 earnings. If H-A-D-I and V-I-V-E pay me as per agreement, basically in terms of basic monthly salaries, I should be making what I am making with Gee Pee Tee which is brilliant. 1 week's work for each company only i.e. I will have 50% time off! This will be perfect to exercise and take care of my health, do more painting and get to finish my book ... at long last!

O nice event today not to forget ... I msg Eye Sac to buy me some meds ... to my surprise he did it during lunch and said it's okay about the charges. How sweet, right? At least I have made some good friends from this place of employment