Jan 30, 2007

Warung Nikmat Kuta Bali



simple lunch menu for Rp. 8000,-

Pertama kali dikenalin warung ini dari Mia, adikku yang saat itu masih tinggal di Bali, dan jadi tempat tongkrongan favorit kru Garuda plus turis2 Jepang yang kadang2 suka agak keterlaluan jiwa jurnalis nya. Warung Jawa sih sebenernya, mungkin cita rasanya agak terlalu manis buat kebanyakan orang Bali.

Pilihan makanannya banyak, tipikal warteg gitu deh, cuma lebih bersih dan kualitasnya jauh di atas warteg2 umumnya kok. Satu porsi nasi campur dengan menu pilihan dari kira2 20 sampai 25 macem menu - kira2 Rp. 7000 sampai Rp. 15,000 (itu kalau yang porsi dagingnya dobel). Enak kok!

Mulai rame sekitar jam makan siang. Dan biasanya banyak yang sudah habis sekitar jam 4-5 sore. Jam 6 pasti udah tutup. Enaknya sih dateng lebih awal sekitar jam 11 siang gitu. Menu favoritnya ayam bakar - rendangnya juga enak kok.


Warung Nikmat
Jl. Bakung Sari - samping Hotel Bakung Sari
Di seberangnya supermarket Supernova


Jan 28, 2007

Drops Restaurant at Casa Suites Legian

Cinta banget sama makanan disini. Chef nya orang Bali asli - tapi katanya pernah ditraining 2 taun di Belanda. Taste & flavours nya pas banget, presentationnya unik... lucu.....Gue sampe terus2an pesen sate campurnya, karena dihidangkan di dalem batok kelapa dibelah plus sambel matahnya yang supeeeerrrrr enak! Duh.... jadi bikin lapeerrrr


Sate Campur komplit


Bebek Betutu lengkap dengan sambal matah

More on Drops Restaurant and Casa Suites in Legian Bali

Jan 25, 2007

Jurus jitu memilih kursi strategis di pesawat


Orang yang sering traveling dengan First Class, pasti nggak pernah pusing dengan urusan seat di pesawat. Tapi yang biasa jalan-jalan dengan tiket murah, duduk di kelas ekonomi dengan jam terbang melebihi 6 jam - saat high season lagi - urusan tempat duduk bisa sama pentingnya dengan urusan hidup & mati. Masih untung kalau dapet mas atau mbak yang baik saat check-in. Kalau tidak, siap2 berjuang mempertahankan ruang dengkul dari penumpang di depan yang berniat membuat kursinya sedatar papan cucian, sementara sikut-sikutan berebut armrest dengan penumpang sebelah. Halah, mana masih 12 jam perjalanan........ampuuuunnn

Ada beberapa tips buat memilih kursi yang lumayan strategis, walaupun tidak 100% bebas gangguan menurut pengalaman saya. Yaaaa, namanya juga kelas kambing.



Seat configuration untuk B747 - kursi strategis 30 ABC dan 30 HJK
Berikutnya kursi 44 ABC dan 44 HJK, lalu 55 ABC dan 55 HJK


1.) Kursi yang paling strategis : Exit Row Seating, tepat di sebelah pintu emergency, karena ruang dengkul dijamin paling luas - lebih luas dari ruang dengkulnya pilot loh. Kalau mau ke toilet nggak perlu melewati deretan dengkul tetangga, atau dorong-dorongan kursi dengan penumpang di depan. Cuma, kursi ini paling susah didapet, harus diminta saat check-in.


Menurut aturan FAA & FAM seat ini di-reserve untuk ABP (able bodied person) yang bersedia untuk dijadikan relawan saat darurat; kalau evakuasi, nggak bisa kabur duluan, harus bantu penumpang lain lah. Syarat utama harus sehat fisik dan bersedia jadi relawan. Tapi setahu saya, di SQ, banyak penumpang2 dari business class yang suka booking seat ini saat mereka kehabisan favorite seat di business class.


Hati-hati: daerah sini kadang-kadang suka jadi tempat parkiran meal cart, lindungi dengkul!



2.) Jangan ambil kursi yang paling belakang, karena biasanya tempat duduk tidak di desain untuk recline penuh karena terhalang oleh dinding pembatas, selain juga bersebelahan dengan toilet yang biasanya berjumlah lebih banyak dari toilet di depan. Dijamin nggak akan pernah sepi pengunjung. Tambahan pula, kursi belakang itu dekat dengan galley atau dapur yang juga jarang sepi dari kegiatan nyiapin makanan/minuman plus tempat ngerumpi cabin crew *hehehe, pengalaman soalnya bikin ribut di galley.......*


3.) Usahakan ambil kursi yang agak di tengah menjauh dari bulkhead, karena biasanya bulkhead seat - deretan kursi paling depan yang berhadapan langsung dengan tembok pembatas - biasanya di-reserve untuk bayi & anak balita (yang kemungkinan bakal rewel sepanjang penerbangan). Biasanya row kedua dan ketiga dari depan juga termasuk deretan favorit tuh buat tempat balita. Jadi ambil jarak aman dari tiga rows itu.


4.) Oh ya, boarding pass itu cuma berlaku saat boarding aja. Setelah pintu pesawat ditutup, cepet-cepetlah cari kursi strategis. Tapi hati-hati jangan sampai pramugarinya liat, bisa kena marah loh & disuruh balik lagi. Kalau flight nggak terlalu penuh, cari deretan kursi di tengah dengan 4-5 kursi sebelum penumpang lain liat. Cepet2 didudukin, tas/barang bawaan ditaro di ujung satunya lagi sbg tanda daerah teritorial sudah diambil alih, sebelum penumpang lain ikutan mengklaim juga.


5.) Kalau beruntung bisa dapet beberapa kursi sekaligus, saat berbaring usahakan posisi kepala jangan menghadap aisle. Meal cart yang wara-wiri itu lumayan juga rasanya kalau sampai mampir di jidat.


6.) Tips terakhir, kalau masih nggak nyaman juga, cari kursi kosong lain atau minta bantuan cabin crew dengan alasan kursinya rusak atau apalah *namanya juga usaha*. Biasanya alasan keamanan atau kesehatan lebih diperhatikan daripada alasan kenyamanan. Kalau bisa bicara langsung dengan chief cabin atau pursor nya.


Seat configurasi untuk lebih lengkapnya bisa dilihat di SeatExpert Website

Jan 20, 2007

Leisure walk on one Saturday morning



We both woke up a bit late today, really late round 11am. Clear day but still too cold to get out and do stuff. Yeah, like there're anything to do here anyway. I wasn't in the mood for preparing breakfast, so we'd just pop by the hotel for a quick lunch.

The weather was crisp cold but still slightly bearable to go for a short walk. I sort of excited to try out the new camera. And there're quite a few photo ops on the way - like this funny looking curly cabbage-look-alike that had been planted since the beginning of winter. Not edible apparently, just part for decorative purpose in the parks. I think they look amazing this morning, especially with last night's drizzle, all dotted beautifully in strands of pearl-like morning dews. They look amazing! Anyone knows what it's called, pls let me know.





We took the back alley of the hotel which is a local residency area. Farmers mostly, have massive vegetable plantation in front of their houses. These people really know what they're doing, the vegetables look absolutely delicious!

Jan 18, 2007

And so the world disappears....

Woke up this morning to find the world had vanished. The fog was so thick, we could barely see anything out there. Still freezing cold, below 5 degrees C. Should be getting a bit warmer later today, but still won’t make me want to go out and do stuff. Gotta get up to get brekkie ready for B. See ya later!!

Jan 17, 2007

Can you take me higher......

Maybe it's not so bad after all. Maybe deluding myself is part of the deal in self development, spiritual growth, coping with life.... or whatever you wish to call it. Paaaak, nyesel saya nggak ikutan MJH nya bapak. Hiks!!! Feel that I have so much negativity in me right now, can't quite put a finger on it, but it's there. Tired of people's ignorance and rudeness. Tired of being expected to be culturally sensitive while the rest of the 'world' stay ignorant. Bunch of bulls. My mind is already soaking up the sun in a beach in Bali, melting away in morning meditations while listening to the birds chirping away, sound of the rolling waves nearby. Melting myself in nature. Filling up my entire being with blissfully pure energy. Whoa.... hope I could view things from a better perspective upon my return.

Something that I really miss while being away. I do believe that places have different energy which somehow drive the behaviour of the people. This land in particular, lacks of depth, people walking around without prayers in mind nor believe in 'miracles' in life. Colorless. There's life, but there's no spirit. Just an empty case walking around breathing. How can you call that Life? Stripped out of all its magnificence, grandeur and mystery to merely mediocre task of getting through the days fulfilling physical and emotional's thirst. So unfair knowing that you owe that much to Life.
I don't have to change it. I owe them nothing. I am watching and learning. It's suffocating. A break means getting away to a place where I can breath, sync and re-attune. I'm tired. So tired of all this. Let me breath....

Jan 16, 2007

Mongolian Chicken



I was slightly in the mood of creating something, enuff with photoshop thingie, maybe cooking? After went through the fridge I found this weird looking mongolian chicken bought from Auchan the other day. The name caught my curiosity instantly. Hmmm..... what sort of chicken would it be? juicier? succulent? fat free? special herb marinated? As soon as I unwrapped the packaging, I was disheartened finding a handful of tiny chopped whole chicken with bones, and I mean w.h.o.l.e including two tiny feet, gizzard, liver.... and head with half closed eyes. Gaaaccckkk!!!

Back in my country, people don't mind bones in their chicken, but usually not chopped to the size of sugar cubes. That small, eh? Perhaps the idea is bite and spit, cut them small enough for one bite and just spit the rest out. Typical chinese though. After getting rid of inedible parts and adding some more decent chicken fillet, I started cooking them. The broth tasted so similar to the strong spices in Sczechuan hotpots. Not too bad at all. Here goes......

Bali, here we come!


Countdown 10 more days to go ...... He's a lot more excited than I am, kept talking about the things we're gonna do. So many things, so little time. Most importantly, the two persons I need to see will be there too. Long lost friends. Oef, it's going to be quite an experience. Hahaha, I could feel it already. Reiki re-attunement, meditations - hopefully on the beach, will do some quiet heart to heart talk without anybody knows what's going on. Giggly. The mischievous kid in me would be wanting to get out again.... Ssshhhhhh! Hihihihi......

Okay, car already booked, hotel - done but looking for a better location still. This time we're going to have some exploring to do in Seminyak - *uhm, Paul Ropp still there I hope*, Ku-de-ta, what else is there? Jimbaran beach for bbq seafood dinner of course, and burying our feet in the white sand of Dreamland beach in Uluwatu. Aaaaahhhh, sounds like heaven!

Then Jakarta, all family thingie. Talk to uncle this, went to visit auntie that, catch up with Seal over coffee or whatever..... hahahhaha. Gotta remind mom about the passport thing. Will have to get it ready in time.

Jan 14, 2007

Menerabas "tembok api" di Cina

Urusan jaringan internet yang sempet keganggu karena gempa di Taiwan sudah selesai harusnya. Tapi blog gw masih aja terblokir. Yang tadinya dengan nyaman bisa dibuka dengan browser Firefox tapi bermasalah dengan Internet Explorer, sekarang malah nggak bisa dua-duanya. Seperti umumnya orang yang lagi 'nyandu' gue dengan semangat cari jalan gimana caranya supaya tetep bisa update postingan-postingan baru. Tanpa sengaja, gw ketemu beberapa site yang menganjurkan untuk ngecheck apakah blokiran disebabkan dari proxy di tempat gw. Dasar iseng, gw check juga sambil penasaran mana mungkin sih. Hasilnya positif. Nggak ngerti sebabnya apa. Yang jelas kalau browsing lewat p.s tersebut pasti loadingnya lama dan berakhir dengan "404 Page Error". Setelah dicoba lewat p.s. lain kok malah lancar2 aja? Oke, berarti gue harus ambil jalan alternatif.

Yang jelas gw yang tadinya nggak tau banyak soal aliran alternatif ini mendadak jadi belajar banyak banget - sampai akhirnya nemu program 'shapeshifter' yang menurut gue bener2 ultimate discovery. Pinter banget yang bikin! Halah. Dengan program ini gw berhasil bolak-balik masuk site2 yang terlarang disini.... biasanya berhubungan dengan media & politik. Hmmm, lagi2 masalah sensitif. Gue masih heran sensitif apaan ya, hari gini masih pake acara filter2an gitu loh. Nggak jaman banget! H*ck3r skarang udah pinter2 kok. Selalu ada jalan alternatif.

Anyways, filter2an gw bahas karena ternyata emang beneran ada disini. Fakta? Google ngelisting smua site yang ngebahas ini - berikut bypassnya. Ah, indahnya dunia h*ck3ring. So, kalau internet di kantor atau sekolah dipasangin filter, jawabannya ada di google. Carilah cgiproxy sebagai jalan alternatif. Beres! **hmmm, berapa lama ya postingan ini bisa bertahan sebelum nantinya kena 'dor' lagi??? hehehehhe


Si Kitkat - nyobain kamera Nikon coolpix yang baru. Ternyata detailnya oke banget!!

Jan 13, 2007

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil


Just something I need to share

Blind criticism is crap. Anonymous and cowards leave this sort of criticism.

The point is, generally people don't like being criticized. This may be different if it's meant to be a constructive comment. Some people may consider it but would prefer not to make it public. Book authors never include negative reviews or critics on the front cover of their books. There's never been any negative writings about painting in the art exhibition catalog.
There's simply a different forum to channel these sort of things.

I just don't understand that there're people who think picking on others is the best way to learn about differences. I think it's a selfish statement that does nobody any good but ego boosting. Try turning the mirror around for once. Yes, I object negative comments because there're people whose lives are miserable enough to spend time and energy throwing negative comments at others, seeing the world from the half empty glass.... instead of half full.

Jan 12, 2007

Out of place


While the rest of the world is moving forward, I feel like I'm just standing still, half conscious or perhaps pretend not to see what's going on around me. Hybernating? Or simply ignoring. I don't care, honestly. Deep down I feel like I still have a lot of exploring to do in this place, weekend adventures and a few days off to another part of the country. But when? How? Don't have the energy to plan all of this. Mike would've said something like "I'm all booked up until the next couple of weeks.... Try next century"

One thing I noticed recently was how much frustration I've had about this place. Didn't even know I had so much bitterness until yesterday. Was surprised myself but quickly thought, what the hell, they don't understand me anyway. Maybe this is also what has kept me from coming back to check up on the girls at the hotel. Enough of this please. Let me have something else on the shelves. Difficult to say, probably a mix of rock-bottom frustation, anger, bitterness, mental suffocation and inability to change the problem at hand because I AM NOT THE FREAKIN' DRIVER ANYMORE!!!! I have no control over these things and I have VERY LITTLE tolerance level at this point. Not now. Not today. Ask me some other time. Thank you.

The man is gone now.
Funny how we see things from different perspective, I mean Mike and me. He saw a broken man walking out of here. They'll never be able to see eye to eye. I, on the other hand, see a man with visions who strives hard to achieve them. Along the way, he's made a couple of others to see it too.

I still think it's important to have him walk out of here proud, of what he's created along with all of the significant impacts brought to the city, as he promised long time ago. Some people may not have the ability to look up with the intention to be better, instead they look down comparing themselves with those down below and thought "This can't be right". It's light-years-ahead concept that we have in hand and now you're telling us you want the stone age simplicity??? I really don't understand.....

Jan 11, 2007

Update dari kantor, bikin runyam


Udah hampir sebulan gw berenti dan tutup mata dari kerunyaman dunia perhotelan di sini. Tapi tetep mau nggak mau input2 dan gosip hangat terus aja mengalir nggak berenti. Mau gimana lagi, Mike yang tiap hari cerita kebete'annya ngadepin boss nya yang lepas tangan & gak perduli dengan operasional hotel, karena merasa kedudukannya diutik-utik owner dan akhirnya resmi dipindah tugaskan ke negara lain oleh HO, anak F&B yang selalu bikin kasus dengan anak HR yang asli alesan sebenernya nggak penting banget..... cuma gara2 waktu Fire Drill minggu lalu, HR yang udah dibriefing bolak-balik sebagai penanggung jawab lantai dasar; termasuk kantin dan seisinya, storage room, butcher room, pastry kitchen dan HSKP department berikut Laundry Room yang rata-rata staffnya agak terganggu pendengarannya stlh training selama seminggu... HAH??? APA??? BARUSAN NGOMONG SAMA SAYA YAH??? *katanya sih karena suara mesin cuci & dryer raksasa disitu*

Hasil Fire Drill, semua tamu di kamar berhasil dievakuasi, prosedur evakuasi yang dinilai efisien oleh Fire Bureau China, seluruh staff berhasil dievakuasi - kecuali seluruh staff pastry kitchen berikut David, dept headnya, yang masih sibuk ngadonin croissant di dapur. Fire alarm di dapur mereka mati, dan HR lupa mengevakuasi staff kitchen. Jadilah mereka skarang berantem dari minggu lalu. Halah!!! Tapi emang HR di hotel kita antik banget. Sukur deh training mgr nya bulan lalu baru ambil sertifikat training di Shanghai, jadi sekarang udah bisa training orang. *Ini gw masih gak ngerti kenapa bisa di-hire yak?*

Boss gw juga lagi tebar pesona kata anak2. Biasanya kalo morning briefing galaknya kaya singa. Gw yang saat itu kantornya masih sebelahan sama ruang briefing, bisa denger kalo briefing udah mulai - dahsyatnya berasa dari cuma megang tembok aja.... Dan dia gak malu-malu ngeluarin segala kata mutiara penghuni kebon binatang. Yaah, itu sih masih belom ada apa2nya. Kalo udah dipanggil khusus ke ruangannya... itu yang seru, biasanya nggak lama pasti ada surat resignation dari orang yang dipanggil. Anak-anak sehotel udah pada tau semua. Tapi akhir2 ini dia berubah banyak katanya, ada acara morning briefing sambil breakfast, gak pernah ngeluarin warning letter lagi, briefing juga katanya udah agak manusiawi. Ooooh, ternyata lagi direview performancenya sama HO. Hahhahaha......

Sementara spa gw apa kabarnya? Agak gimanaaa gitu rasanya, gw gak tega mampir. Pasti anak2 gw pada berkaca-kaca gitu, mukanya polos kalo ngomong "I miss you..." padahal bahasa Inggrisnya belum tentu bisa bikin satu kalimat penuh. Ngomongnya pake hati, gw pasti ikutan nangis deh. Halaaahhh!!! Nggak nyesel gw ngedidik anak2 ini, yang penting mereka kerja pake hati dan udah ngerti service lah at least. Padahal mindset & kebudayaan mereka beda banget, yang penting kuantitas - bukan kualitas.... jadilah kerja a la McDonald, nggak pake feeling, yang penting cepet.

Customer relations sama dengan lemparan pertanyaan2 basi yang sudah dihafal luar kepala ke tamu dan minta isi formulir komen. Gak responsive sama sekali dengan kebutuhan tamu.

Guest contact sama dengan "Good morning, how are you" dan pasang senyum. "Plek" titik. Kalau tamunya cerewet dan malah ngobrol, gelagepan lah dia, karena di buku gak ada contekannya dan emang supervisornya belom ngajarin sampe situ.

"Beneran loh, gw pernah nguping briefing gaya militer yang umum banget di restoran2 lokal sini. Pegawainya dibarisin berjejer, trus didikte pertanyaan2 dalam bahasa Inggris serentak nge-beo "Good morning, how are you?" "Fine thank you, how are you" "This way, please" Kaku banget!

Common sense juga agak susah diterapin disini tadinya. Biasa dilatih gaya tentara mungkin ya, apa2 harus ada komando dari atasannya, tamu yang minta gak akan digubris.

Di restoran:
"Mas, laksanya tolong jangan pake udang ya. Saya alergi udang"
Laksa dateng lengkap dengan udang dan kulit2nya berikut kumisnya.
"Tadi kan saya bilang gak pake udang......?"
"Tapi di menu ada udangnya kok!" sambil nunjukkin tulisan di menu

Di Spa:
"Maaf pak, kami tutup sebentar lagi"
"Iya, tapi saya belum selesai, baru dipijet kaki sebelah kiri nih"
"Kami tutup jam 10 tepat. Kalau mau booking besok lagi silakan"
** ini hasil training roleplay yang salah tempat, karena seharusnya buat tamu yang datangnya pas mau tutup
"Emang gak bisa tunggu 15 menit aja sampai saya selesai?"
"Maaf, tapi manager saya bilang jam 10 harus tutup"

Di lobby:
" Minumannya udah dingin nih. Bisa ganti dengan yang baru nggak?"
" Boleh, tapi kena charge tambahan ya"
" Belum saya minum kok ini, saya cuma minta ganti dengan yang panas"
" Iya, tapi kena charge double pak"
" Bisa saya ngomong sama manager kamu?"

Jan 10, 2007

This is for my mom!


Pieces of myself from the past. Thank you mom for your unconditional love to make me the way I am today. Take it to the next level, it's not about what I know or don't know, it's about how I should answer to Life.

When I refused to go to school, coz I was afraid of the world outside
You sat through the class with me, in that tiny red wooden bench made for dwarves - cutting colorful papers and singing along with a bunch of midgets. I still can't believe the sort of things you had to put up with.....

When my thirst for stories & adventure was more than bedtime reading
You taught me how to read. I got my own first 255-page book when I was 5 yrs. It was that "Little House on the Prairie"

When I had my first crush
You bought me a diary - that one with 'pacman' pictures, rainbow pages and a lock? Remember, mom?

When you were called to the principle's office one day because of my first crush story.......
You listened to the whole story and thought it was cute ** I was in 2nd grade and just proposed to a boy in my class, Brett, to be my fiance, with a dummy gold ring. Everyone in school knew about it.

When I hated my sister coz she followed everything I did
You told me about sharing and nurturing ** .... and it works mom, I had managed 14 staff. Thank you :-*

When I failed that scholarship for the AFS Student Exchange Program
You still thought I was the best!!! ** Was one of the only 2 candidates left for posting in Japan - just me and him, and all they told me was "Now, it's just how much you are willing to pay your way in, because the other candidate's parents are willing to pay so-and-so" .... remember that, mom?

When I had to choose between school or work
You told me to do what I think is best. You'd be behind me all the way

When I told you I made up my mind to take an overseas job for the first time
You were sad, but still encouraged me to pursue my dreams

From then on I start to live 'away' from you, pursuing my dreams
.... but you're always there, supporting me, waiting for me in our old house so I would always have a HOME to come back to.....


LUV YOU MOM!!!! YOU"RE THE BEST

Jan 9, 2007

Mystic Odes


Our death is our wedding with eternity.
What is the secret? "God is One
The sunlight splits when entering the windows of the house.
This multiplicity exists in the cluster of grapes;
It is not in the juice made from the grapes.
For he who is living in the Light of God,
The death of the carnal soul is a blessing.
Regarding him, say neither bad nor good,
For he is gone beyond the good and the bad.
Fix your eyes on God and do not talk about what is invisible,
So that he may place another look in your eyes.
It is in the vision of the physical eyes
That no invisible or secret thing exists.
But when the eye is turned toward the Light of God
What thing could remain hidden under such a Light?
Although all lights emanate from the Divine Light
Don't call all these lights "the Light of God";
It is the eternal light which is the Light of God,
The ephemeral light is an attribute of the body and the flesh.
...Oh God who gives the grace of vision!
The bird of vision is flying towards You with the wings of desire.


** Mystic Odes - Rumi's Poetry

Jan 7, 2007

Life is about choices


Another weekend in Shanghai. This time we came to see another property which had been in contact for a while. An invitation to spend the weekend experiencing the hotel is not a bad idea at all. After all we both need a break anyway from the routines. It was surprisingly quiet on the road that we reached downtown in 90 minutes.

The rest of the day was spent leisurely within the hotel. The western restaurant outlet seems a bit run down, a lot of unused space, musty, limited old-fashion selection of European menu and a bunch of rude staff chatting away amongst themselves. Last option was the Japanese Teppanyaki which was unfortunately also not as we expected. Way overpriced! Gotta do some thinking about this babe! Sure that this will be a good chance to measure yourself.

The next day we were informed about the new clothing & souvenir market , Ya Tai Xin Yang, near the Science Museum. And it was only 10 mnts walk from our hotel, with shortcut through a park. I wish that we knew about this place long ago - mom would've went absolutely crazy with the stuff they have here. Amazing selection of bits and pieces..... Found branded shirts and a couple of neckties for Mike - which we're sure are the real thing, the whole plastic wrappings with every details, linings, tags are all with the same brand and no spelling mistakes. Either it's the real thing or it's a really good copy...... which I doubt because the material feels soft to the touch. I think it's real. Unbelievable, I don't think I could find anything with the same quality anywhere in Jakarta.


Jan 2, 2007

Antara Gua Sha ( 刮痧) dan "Kerokan"



Kebiasaan bawaan dari Indonesia emang susah hilang. Salah satunya tradisi pijat dan kerokan. Tempat pijat & spa masih bisa dicari disini, menurut gw sih lebih bagus tekniknya karena mereka kombinasi dengan tuina, pijat ala chinese, yang lebih ke deep tissue massage and lomi-lomi. Kalau therapistnya agak kurang pengalaman emang agak kasar jadinya, tapi banyak independent spa spt Dragonfly (*tempat favorit kalo lagi mampir ke Shanghai) biasanya tekniknya sdh dikombinasi dgn Thai massage, agak lebih halus lah.

Masalahnya, kalau masuk angin ini yang parah. Mau kerokan dimana? Sementara gw nggak terlalu sreg sama cupping. Aneh ajalah, nggak biasa! Konsep "masuk angin" buat Michael kedengeran absurd banget. Mana mungkinlah, dia protes abis-abisan dengan logikanya. Ternyata logika bubar dengan artikel dari TCM bahwa orang china percaya dengan konsep masuk angin..... Huahahahhaha.

Chi yang terganggu alirannya, bisa jadi penyebab salah satunya ya masuk angin itu, yang nggak jelas sebenernya flu, migren, mual, panas dingin, atau apalah.... pokoknya nggak enak badanlah. Berhubung badan udah bener-bener nggak karuan rasanya, gw panggil salah satu therapist ke apartment.

Agak kaget juga waktu ngeliat dia bawa perlengkapan 'kerokan' ala china. Kok tau-taunya sih kerokan tanpa penjelasan penuh sebelumnya? Bentuknya mirip sendok sepatu, atau semacam sisir serit - tanpa seritnya dong, dari tanduk. Kalau kerokan ala Indonesia biasanya berakhir dengan design 'tulang ikan' di punggung, sementara "gua sha" nggak pake design khusus, dimana aja yang kira2 masuk angin. Bisa merah sepunggung-punggung, fokusnya sih di sepanjang tulang belakang.





Sangking gak peduli, hampir gak inget kalau gw sekarang tinggal di China, dengan kebudayaan & teknik pengobatan tertua di dunia. "Gua sha" ternyata sudah dikenal hampir 2000 tahun yang lalu ternyata. Hmmm, orang Indonesia lagi pada sibuk ngapain ya jaman itu?

Oh ya, buat para Newbies Kerokan, bisa lihat Teknik Kerokan Untuk Pemula dari Hericz. Ancur banget ...... :D

Fast-forward that please.....


A brief online chat with an old time friend from Jakarta has been a real inspiration. I may do something about taking up this hobby thing into something serious. She has, as always, been a busy girl doing a lot of travelling for her work, even busier now writing her own book, contributing to a couple of lifestyle magazines in Jakarta, co-authoring for a curator, part time teaching in university, developing website concept and online class on web designing. Wooo-hooo!!! You go, gurl!!! Life is speeding fast. Hang on and enjoy the ride....

As she asked me how I was doing, lemme tell ya, life moves on a much slower pace in this part of the world. Life is just impacting you in a different way, sort of naggingly slooooow and you have that sensation as if you're trapped in a box. But then she said the wisest thing "Sometimes life is meant to be enjoyed in a slo-mo"

Sometimes I miss that crazy hours of work in Jakarta, endless meetings & sales calls, and promo planning - with a little help of 'inside info' from the media friends, hehehe, thanks guys, for whatever I was involved in at that time. Waaaaah, I really miss this frantic pace. And the coffee talk with Nyoman, Indah, Sil.... just connecting with REAL people. Well, will be back in Jakarta by early Feb, hope will be able to catch up with them.

This evening we happened to watch a dvd, Adam Sandler about him having enough of putting up with loads of ridiculous things in his life and found a magic answer to end it all - a 'universal' remote control. He thought he's in full control of his life by skipping parts of his life, until finally he realized that there was nothing at the end of the rainbow.... I just noticed the title afterwards, it's called "Click"