Menyebalkan sekali kalau sudah hujan di Jakarta. Jalanan pasti macet. Hari ini ketimpa sial jatoh dari ojek karena tukang ojeknya sok tahu nyalip kanan-kiri.

Huh.

Susah-susah disekolahin sama emak, dibikin celaka sama tukang ojek. Betis dan dengkul pun jadi sakit. Padahal kan otak gue di dengkul…

Today marks the fifth month of my absence from writing here. Dear friends have been asking why I stopped writing since I left Bacan. I couldn’t give any definite answer but one: unforgivable laziness.

Many many things happened since I moved back here. Oh, the places I’ve gone to! The malls! The books! The movies! Scrumdiddlyumptious brunches with friends! Everything seemed different. Smelled different.

I’d be staying again in Jakarta for the next one-two years–with extensive travels, too. I have grown wiser, too. I’ve decided to work 3+1 where 3 days in the office, 1 day from home. Someone asked, “Why would you only want to work from Monday to Thursday? What will you do on Friday?”

Obviously, that person has never been living in Jakarta for a long time

Expect posts to be up and running again next week. Jakarta, I’m back!

This is it. The Last Day at Work. Been quite productive too since morning–going island hopping visiting schools and delivering farewell invitations, arranging tomorrow’s trips, finalizing guests list, menu and other Event-Organizer-y stuff. I guess the feeling of sadness about me leaving is inevitable. And I guess it’s not just me. There’s this invisible veil of sadness looming over us here. And I know I’ll miss this place, no matter what. I guess that’s the thing about going home after nearly two years living in this remote island. The base host had become my home, and ‘home’ is no longer where it used to be. I wonder where I will end up next. Hehehe. Anyway, I still have five more days here. And I may as well enjoy it to the last minutes!

I think it’s been more than eight months since I first used Linux Mint. Not surprisingly, everything has been working very well here. I am no rocket scientist but I can safely say that I am the least whiner when it comes to internet or viruses situations. Some people with new laptops in the office *yawn* complained about not being able to connect to the server printer AND internet.

The first time I brought Linux Mint in this office, I just sled in the installer disk and simply follow all the instructions and in less than what it took to brace yourself for a fart, I could print my docs. For the internet connection, I simply use the wi-fi that’s not password-protected. I use Pidgin for the messenger, Firefox for browser and Picasa and Gimp for playing with my photos. Of course I use OpenOffice for my day-job. You know, the one that I actually get paid to do As for virus… what virus? I update my system periodically and so far have no deadly-blank-blue-screen meltdown (I might have worms or dinosaurs in my system, mind you. I expect I can learn more about this system once I am back around the Real Geeks in Jakarta. You know who you are. Hehehe). In short, I can function properly in my works with Mint.

Anyway, I’ll be returning home soon, but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the old OS. As one used to say: In a world without borders, why do we need windows and gates?

… from a trip end of December last year to Manado, North Sulawesi in which I did NOT snorkel, nor did I swim. So what did you do, one might wonder. I did all the things I barely did during these last years; window shopping, eating junk food, roaming around in malls and ended up purchasing three pairs of shoes. It felt so natural . I also walked around the town and visited at least three Klenteng.

Manado, North Sulawesi, December 2008

reminds me of…

the age when I first fell in love with a boy

my best friend’s birthday in March

Big Star’s song I first heard of in one of Gilmore Girls’ series

the number of batches I tried before I could make my chiffon cake perfect

the number of hotels We passed in deafening silence on one long night walk in Kuta

All with fondness and sadness but also with utter and complete joy.

What does 13 remind you of?

How will I remember the remaining 13 days of my stay in Bacan 13 years from now?