Another Victoria's Secrets

I went to Bandung last Saturday at 7 a.m. by Day Trans Travel for its pool is right in front of our apartment complex entrance. J'arrive a Bandung a 9 du matin dans Cihampelas (a cote La Nalendra Hotel.) Papa fetched me and we met the whole family a la maison.

Mom had prepared the cake and we sang for Ben's 23rd birthday, prayed for his blessings before he blew the candles. After the blow-the-candles (-and-eat-the-cake) ceremony I went again with Mum and Clemy. They dropped me at Bersih Sehat Jl. Gempol where I got 1 hour full-body massage (after such burdens of work and some illness the night before, it really did help me to gain my strength and fitness back)

Then Mum fetched me by 1.30 and we went to Rich & Famous-Happening factory outlet where we bought some clothes and black Nike Air jacket. After that we had lunch at Soto Betawi in front of my former school. Then it was raining so we had to wait for at least 1/2 hour. We then went to Ciwalk to buy another clothes (I got a black Triset skirt).

We arrived home almost 6 p.m. then after took baths we went to PVJ and queued at Duck King Restaurant to celebrate Ben's birthday. We had a superbly delicious meal; four season duck, chicken tofu and cha siew chicken with hainan rice... mmm, yummy!!!
And after such a tiring day, I fell asleep in the car on the way home... until the morning came. This was the tightest sleep I've had in the last month.

June 29th, 2008 - 8.15 a.m.
Mum woke me up cuz we were going to 10.15 mass at Cathedral. The altar was completely newly renovated and it was cleaner than ever. It was a nice change. After mass the 'Catholic Women' Indonesia celebrated their 84th Anniversary so they blew the candle in front of the church, then after closing bless we were allowed to enjoy the food in stalls they provided. There were nasi campur, tahu peletok, nasi bakmoy, es lilin, etc. There were also small plants they gave away.

Clemy had an appointment by 12 in Pizza Hut Dago so we dropped her, went to Cihampelas to buy some chips for my colleagues. Then we crossed the street and bought a kupluk for a friend. After that we had marvelous German sausages for lunch in Winner Bratwurst at Dago Plaza.

Papa and Mama dropped me in Jl. Trunojoyo to browse the bag I wanted to buy, so I swept down the area, from No Label (Invictus, Surf.Inc, Collate, etc) to Unkl347. I got interested on the Rip Curl backpack but Clemy said no, so we continued sweeping the Jl. Sultan Agung distros from Ouval Research (d'Loops, God.Inc, The Starseeker, Vocuz Ovulate, etc) to Evil Army. Finally my last decision fell for an Ouval Research's brown Victorian messenger bag.

We came home and I started to check emails, prepared stuff, had dinner and went back to Jakarta by the same travel bureau by 8 p.m. and arrived in apartment finally by 11 p.m. The short holiday was mostly spend on shopping which made me like any other Jakartanese when they come to Bandung but it really made me happy with those new stuff!

06.00 Morning call by cell phone alarm. Snoozed out.
06.15 Alarm still ringing on, but I'm still dreaming...
06.30 Finally getting up from bed!
06.35 On my way to bathroom.
06.45 Finished taking bath, I get dressed up.
06.50 Still looking in the closet for more clothes.
07.00 Finally finding the right clothes for the day.
07.10 Preparing breakfast.
07.30 Finished the meal.
07.35 Put the make-up on.
07.40 Change the clothes again, final decision.
07.50 Review the outfit all over again. Wear the shoes.
08.00 Leave the room. Down the elevator. Through the lobby.
08.10 Arrived at Dukuh Atas Terminal. Pay the ticket.
08.30 Arrived at Blok M Terminal. Down the basement.
08.35 Get on the 610 Metro Mini.
08.55 Arrived at Darmawangsa Square.
09.00 Start working...
12.00 ... Lunch break.
13.00 Start working again...
17.00 (Supposed to) ... finish work.
17.30 Still have something to do in the office.
18.00 Could really leave the Citywalk.
18.15 Ride on 019 Kopaja/610 Metro Mini to Blok M Terminal.
18.30 Continue by TransJakarta bus way to Halte Dukuh Atas.
19.00 Arrived home. Start cooking or do other homework.
19.30 Having dinner at home.
20.00 Working out at gym/swimming.
21.00 Finished sporting. Back to my apartment unit.
22.00 Wash/ironing the clothes or rinsing dishes or...
22.30 ...(still) sweeping/mopping the floor.
24.00 Finally finished and totally tired and going to bed.

Rian came over to my place last night and we had some conversation. We talked about stuff we dropped a long time ago, when we stopped contacting each other. We started to converse the old way, I'm like having my old buddy back, like we've never been apart by time and distance, like we're always converse like that all these 7 years of friendship.

Then he mentioned something, that in a relationship it's normal for us to get interested in to someone new.. and compare them to the one we already have. Like toys, we're normal to play more often with the new ones and abandon the old one. We're usually comparing the old and new ones although it's not the right way to do. Becuz every toy (or every person) has their own positives and negatives, plus and minus.

So there shouldn't be a comparing for nothing (or no one) would win. If we chase something, we'll lose another thing. Somehow we're usually returning to the old toy that had always been with us from the beginning. So we have to focus on what we're looking for. And for a long-term-with-commitment-relationship (read: marriage), we need a great quality of communication and -well, of course- sex. We just have to find someone with same discussion interest with us cuz love (feeling) will only be the starting point and to develop a higher kind of relationship, all we need is communication, then trust and understanding.

I'm reflecting this with the situation I am having now. About Yodi. About Mario. And every other guy in between. Rian said that I shouldn't take any other step forward to get to Yodi anymore for I've always know that nothing would happen between us, so why should I take any step in that wrong path? I just have to simply stop and change way. I really have to make a move in the path that I choose, the one that I know would happen, or at least is the right one.

I dunno about Mario, the thing about us still has at least 20% of possibilities. But not for the present time for I still want adventure. I still need to discover my limits and the world beyond my imagination that I still could reach. I'm keeping the 'file' for future reference... for the least.

But for Yodi, it's definitely a dead-end as what it was 'written'. I just have to stop.

Btw I feel like I'm the most naive one in the office. I've been fooled twice (or more maybe) by the same person I've trusted a lot. He deceived me once with Orie's case and now, on his second resignation he fooled me again...

This same guy came back to the office (later I know that it was after my HRD Manager came over to his office and 'ask' him to get outta the company in a more legal way) and told me that he was asked by his uncle to make a business in Manado, his hometown. Now he's working in another company, together with our ex-ID staff, hi-jacked by our soon-to-resign-ID Manager and here I am, twice fooled so naively.

Remember the quote 'Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me'...

D.A.M.N! I feel so terribly a big FOOL ('shame on me' huh!) God how could I be so naive, too positive-thinking while the 'world is spinning so crazily around me'? I've no negative nor suspicious thinking toward anyone around me and I'd be more a fool if I don't have 2 of my best friend in my office. They're the gossipers who always know every scandal/affair/issue happen in the office and I'm always the last to know.

Yeah, I still have to learn a lot in this working world, especially about who I'm gonna trust in. But one thing for sure, boys are full of bullshit!


All images were uploaded from www.decor8blog.com. Thanks Holly Becker for the ideas!

Yesterday (20/6) was the 'hardest' day in the whole week, or perhaps the whole June for me. I came to work by 1 p.m. cuz I worked til 1.30 a.m. shopping in midnight sale at Debenhams Senayan City. I went with my boss, of course, and my Visual Merchandiser partner Hendy, and with Friska also to hunt accessories needed for our apartment show unit project and parcel packages.


Anyway, I was woken up by 9.30 a.m. by mom's call told me to get ready to move out. Well, I forgot to tell her my plan, too, so I got myself ready, packed all of the stuff I could pack to the bags and went to work. I had to list the inventories we bought the night before and supposed to go midnight shopping again.

Hendy and I planned to go to several places first before Debenhams, we ought to go to Index Furnishings and Plaza Senayan starting by 6 p.m. But then the plan changed, we just leave the office by 8.45 and went to Cipete first to deliver a gift to a boss's friend. So we arrived in Plaza Senayan by 9 p.m.

We had dinner at McD STC (but I only consumed a cigarette and black coffee) then went to SenCy right after that. We collected the stuff we must buy and gathered it all in a cashier by appointment cuz we stayed in the super store till 00.30 the night before. Although we started queuing by 11 p.m. (to make it quicker for us to get home), our boss came just a minute before midnight. That's why we were kept till 1 a.m. to get queuing again and re-check all the stuff before the boss pay.


I was so stressed bcuz of the crowd and got tired also. The fun thing was that I met Rian and his mom plus Aunt Magda and Angelika there, so the stress I had was a little released. The opposite with Hendy, his stress came after 11 while mine was gone by 10. Another nice thing was that my family fetched me by 1 there and we went directly to Sudirman Park.

We rent an unit there for a year, in Tower B, a 53m2-2 bedrooms unit. The apartment is nice and has minimalist design. The walls are covered with full-size mirrors so we could be a little more narcist for the following year. The facility includes fitness room and swimming pool and this is what we all need; some exercise. I share room with Clemy while Dad'll sleep alone in the second bedroom.

I have to go to office by bus but it's worthed it, I think, for I'll gather with my family again and the place is in the central part of Jakarta it'll be easier for me to meet up with friends. Plus, I'll hold a spare key in case I'd have night shift or.. well.. go clubbing ^_^

This song is a true match for my heart situation towards Yodi. Dunno why but I still can't erase him from my mind and heart (yet?) but I have to move on. It's just about time. 7 years? God, hellooo??
And like what Fergie said earlier, big dirls don't cry!

Life in Jakarta isn't as smooth and safe as I thought. Everybody knows that Jakarta isn't a save city, but I never thought it could happen to me as well. But, yeah, everything can happen in this metropolitan city.

There was an outsource driver at my office who quit more than a month ago and he had drove me 1x for office need. Then, starting more than a week ago, he sent me SMS-es. I never replied in a special way, I just typed important things 2x after a dozen of his messages.

Then about a week ago his messages coming more and more often but I've never replied a single SMS, until he became more ill bred. He'd been calling me by name (which is supposed to mention 'Bu' before my name for he was a driver) and said stuff about how he 'loves' me.
[Yuck, even to type this made me feel sick.]

I was so angry by his impudence I replied in instance: "Tolong Bapak jangan sms saya lagi, saya sangat terganggu dengan sms Bapak."
He replied by saying that he understood if it was my willing and said he wouldn't sms me anymore in the future but I had to know that his feeling was pure. Dang!

I deleted his sms right away. But the sms flowed like water, I could receive around 20 messages in a day without any reply from me. That's why I changed my CDMA number and turned my GSM cell phone off for the last 2 days becuz I've been so sick of receiving those mad messages.

Solutions you can do when you face a problem like this (being terrorized by phone):

1. Never reply any single message. Even to tell them that their messages have disturbed you, they'd send more and more messages cuz they'd think that they're given hope;

2. When they call, ask someone nearby to pick up the phone and answer it as if it was his/her number, so the terrorist would think that they dialed the wrong number and stop terrorizing you.

3. Turn off your cell phone for 2-4 days and they'd think you've changed number since all of their messages were failed to send.

4. Change your cell number for it'd be the safest way to avoid all the terror activities, but still this isn't the most effective way cuz all of your friends have known your number (specially if you've have this number for quite a long time).

5. Don't call the police for you'll never know what's in their minds for they're not thinking the same way with us; they have some kind of over-possessive mind and at some point this could lead into madness.

6. You could block their numbers so they wouldn't be able to contact you from their number in the future, but they could always change numbers, but this one is a good temporary option.


Meanwhile, I'm a bit disappointed by a colleague, twice from the same person. He shares the same birth date with me, so I expected him to be as cool as me (LOL) but seriously, I expected something special from him since we're Catholic and we could discuss anything.

He left us once cuz he got another job but he came back in two days cuz he said he didn't like the new office. Now he left us again without any confirmation but he hurt his leg by an accident on the way to the advertising media.

I started feeling something wrong when he admitted that he was the one who gave our coordinator the way to leave this company; by being absent for more than 3 days without any news then they'd considered quit. I don't see any positive side by doing this thing cuz we entered the company with some procedures and politely and so should we leave the same way.

I really don't like his way for he had given me some false hope on having a new best friend (that was before I got close with Maya, Shereen, Wenny, Sisca and Ira.) Plus, he ran with my USB flash disk and my mum's camera tripod and he turns his phones off so we couldn't reach him.

It's been so much disappointment I got from him (more to his way of finishing things than the value of the materials he brought with cuz he might need it more than us but I don't like the way he's dealing with stuff) and I have learned my lessons now.

I am not really hoping for my stuff to come back, I'm just praying for his needs that perhaps my stuff is necessary and important to him. But above all, I want some explanation.

Solutions you could do when you get this kind of problem with colleague:

1. Never judge people if you don't know their situation. Judgment is never man's but God's portion.

2. We shall not think negative toward them, no matter how disappointing their behaviour is. Cuz behind every action there was a reason. And it must be good enough for them to disappoint others (that means us.)

3. Always treat others like you want to be treated, so place yourself in their side ('not guilty until proven' theory.)

4. Be their friend, listen to their story/reason, don't take a side, just listen. You could offer solutions if you have one, but only listening is sometimes enough.

5. Ask them to think of the solutions together cuz they might need help but afraid/embarrassed to ask for one.

My last weekend was a blast! At first it was so dull I had to come to work and had nothing planned for the night so I went home by 5.30 and found my aunt and her family had gone to the church and I was left alone at home with Angel only.

I was fell asleep but then Angel woke me up and asked me to get prepared to go to Kemang with Aunt Agnes' family from Gading. Then we had dinner at Kemang Food Fest, the 11 of us (plus Tante Honey, Aunt Agnes' best friend.)


We moved to Dim Sum Festival to have OLLINO ice cream for dessert and hung out there until around 10 p.m. Just before we were about to leave, Yodi called and he said he was coming so I stayed after my family had gone home.

I waited for around 10 minutes until Yoan showed up, then a moment later came Idoy, Endy, Linggar and Jade. We watched the UEFA Euro 2008 opening matches; Cheko vs Switzerland (1-0) and Portugal vs Turkey (2-0) until around 4 a.m.



The next morning I went to 10.30 a.m. mass at Blok B church with Angel. At the end of the mass we met Aunt Dewi and the Daenuwy family. It was a bit surprising because the last time Astarra contacted me he was still in Batam and now he was there with the whole family, including Astiro and Astarri, his sister I've never met before. I like this family so much and it was really nice to meet them all in the church.

We went to have lunch at Mbah Jingkrak; me, Aunt Dewi, Oma and Angel before going home. It was a nice Javanese restaurant with spicy and hot menu readily served located in Bulungan, near Blok M Plaza.






After a nap, woken up by Jeremy's call and after 5 minutes, Astarra's call, I got ready for the reunion of my ex-classmates in Binus. Hizkia came with me to PIM2, where we were supposed to meet up, but then I found that most of the people who promised to meet up didn't come except for Fenny who came from Northern Jakarta (Teluk Gong; I think it's really far away since I've never known/heard anything of this place.)

Then Iyank, Qucay, Cink2, Miko and a friend whom I forget the name, came by 9 p.m. just when I thought of going home. Fenny went home and we continued hanging out in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cafe until 10 p.m.




I'm so glad I didn't go to Bandung last weekend for Martin's wedding on Saturday, because I found much more fun and meet more friends here in Jakarta. Not that I didn't wanna come to his wedding, but it didn't so worthed of the travel and the benefit I'd have than to spend the whole weekend in Kemang, Blok B church and PIM2. I'm so lucky to have such nice friends and many who loves me.

It's been almost 3 months of my probation time and a month of me being single again. Lots of things I've learned in the office, since this is my first job of working in a building (my recent jobs were freelancing and personal work) so indeed there are so many new things I study in here.

I learn that people must work for at least 2 years in a company to build trust for future employer. I learn that 'newbies' are the spot-lighted ones in an office. Every movement, decision, speech are being highly watched.

I learn that we mustn't listen to gossips spread around the office becuz it could kill our career somehow (believe me there are many ways to kill one's career but listening to gossips could make you feel uncomfortable or worse, made you fired for spreading the issue.) Affairs among employees are better kept in silence for they're not our business.

I learn that we have to be smart but also cunning inside and out. Be smart, read books and newspaper, not tabloids and fashion magz only. Read people's thoughts for it could save our ass, don't be too naive, but don't be too bitchy either. Those whom you spoke of your secrets to could speak about it when it's necessary for them cuz gossips are always a delicious meal for any employee.

A colleague of mine left the company without a word and left us here with questions and a bit of heartache (though we're not that hurt but she made us think negative toward her and it hurt us.) But I learned that we shall not judge anyone for it's not our part but God only who can judge us.

Gossiping is one of judgment we make everyday with or unintentionally. Cuz about 2 weeks after her secession I got the answers, and it was totally different with what I've thought about her, about my judgment toward her and I know, although I've get this straight with her and others, it's another sin I've committed (there's no big or small sin; all sins lead to death.)

I like several of my colleagues. There are Maya, Wenny and Ira who are having lunch with me everyday. There are some who've resigned but still considered a part of us, like Shereen, Winny, and (soon) Sisca. There are also people I'm okay with but others hate. And there are people who they consider okay but I don't like, too. There are so many people in an office and we have to be smart to choose who could be trusted, who could be only lunch-mate, who could be a good working partner.

I learn that even one could accomplish however hard a task, however good one's skill is, however personally close you are with one, still one couldn't be too trusted. Slowly you can detect people who are truly responsible with the one who aren't. Although still we could miss on seeing a person sometimes.

I learn that a company has its own employee cycle, those who enter and quit in some time, but my company here has a rather quick speed of the cycling. I learn that no matter how good they are, colleagues will leave us, sooner or later. It's just a matter of time, so we have to be good with everyone, work at our best.


I'm noting some important tips here:

1. We have to be in a company for at least 2 years to be trusted.
   
2. Walk the other mile. This is very important, mostly for newbies to get your new colleagues' respect.
   
3. We shouldn't listen to gossips around us,
   
4. We shouldn't spread rumors, too, moreover on our false judgment; always practice the 'not guilty until proven guilty' motto, always find the why before accusing someone for doing something.
   
5. We shouldn't trust a person too much; you'll never know what they do behind you, even if they're your own partner,
   
6. We shouldn't be too kind to people except to your close friends for they might be a thread for you in the future (like the terror by phone I'm receiving recently from an ex-driver),
   
7. We shouldn't hope too much on somebody, even if they are boss' favorite cuz anything can happen and we wouldn't know whether (or when) they would disappoint us,
   
8. We shouldn't get stuck with colleagues too much, don't love your job based on a person, becuz somehow they'll leave you sooner or later, or worse, back stab you at some point,
   
9. Do your best, love your job, and be happy cuz it effects your surrounding.

I am the 5th descendant of the great Thung. And the reunion was the first big one after so many years and hopefully this could be the first one for we're gonna make it annual every 29 September for it was the birthdate of our ancestor, father of the Thung Brothers.