Pembicaraan dgn supir blue bird setelah argo distop Rp 25,300. Nyiapin uang Rp 32,000 sambil bilang, “Ada Rp 5000, pak?” Dia jawab, “Ngga ada, mba, baru keluar (ha? Jam 9 mlm?). Seadanya aja, mba. Kelamaan,” katanya. Gw mikir, “Udah nyetir bikin org mabok, ngeburu-buru org bayar, ngga ada kembalian pula.” “Adanya kembalian berapa, pak?” kutanya sambil nyodorin Rp 30,000. “Ngga ada, mba.” Pdhl kita di dpn pom bensin, KFC dll, tp dia jg ngga inisiatif cari kembaliin. “Ya gini ini kl naek taksi… Biasanya saya naik uber,” kata gw. “Ya tadi byk uber kok, mba. Ini nih nih..”katanya sambil nyodorin Rp 10,000 dgn angkuhnya. Gw ketawa sinis trus buka pintu dan pergi. Dalam hati, memang Blue Bird makin ngedrop kualitasnya.

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I’m not a naturally happy person, but after exercise I always become hyper and smile a lot! The endorphin hormone is really kicking in, and that’s why I like sport!!

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Found a nice 45m2 1+1BR studio today. With machine wash and oven, too! Too bad it’s carpet all over the room. It’s definitely not easy to find a new living space that’s spacious yet affordable in SCBD Jakarta.

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Meeting my childhood friend at this hipster Melborne-based coffee shop, ST.ALi. As you can see, the owner of Common Grounds and his staff are working there all day (he has a unique look which is hard to forget, and the aprons are quite similar with Common Grounds, too). Did he buy the franchise? If so, I think Common Grounds is definitely a better breed.
ST.ALi coffee is just ok, not spectacular or anything… (but we already know that) and the place isn’t exactly nice for a place to catching up with your buddies for hours. It only provides few power outlets, and they are using high-ceiling concept with natural breeze (which is a bad bad idea in a hot afternoon). Well, Jakarta is definitely not Melbourne… We need air con! Lol.

I like the cold white coffee though. Quite unique and it costs 38k. No free infused water like in Giyanti & Tanamera, so you must buy the imported mineral water for 34k. #STALi #TGIF

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Insomnia diary. At first, an idea to create a book club grew in my mind while I was having a chat with a bunch of supportive friends at Mal Taman Anggrek food court, in 2010.
Since then, I always remember details, including the expression and reactions I received from ppl when I told them about a book club.
At first, I always share the existence of the book club with so much enthusiasm. I kept encouraging MY friends to come, join the gatherings, mingle with the group, etc.

To my surprise, many supports came from strangers, and not so much from close friends. I got some awkward smiles, some cringe, if not finding an excuse to pass. Even a few friends (whom I know like to read) choose not to join the book club. I don’t know why some ppl hv a weird concept in their head about a book club; like it’s something foreign or boring or lame.
So, after a while I stopped telling people I know about the book club. I figured this is a highway that I want to take, and I’m not going to stop just because I found roadblocks along the way. But, I’m not going to look for roadblock, cuz it might crush my spirit.

Well, since we’ve refreshed the book club in 2014, I’ve learned a lot from this event and I get updated on many book-related things. I get to know more authors whose names are not commonly known. If I’ve read 700+ books in my teen years, now I’m familiar with like 1000 books. The participants are also growing steadily from time to time.
The bottomline is: a good brand doesn’t need to advertise too hard. Those who are interested to join will join, while those who aren’t interested wouldn’t come anyway.

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Thank you, Big Bad Wolf! BBW Jakarta is Extended until May 9

I received this limited edition item from Big Bad Wolf today. Like in an international soccer game, Jakarta Book Club swapped T-SHIRT with the Big Bad Wolf founder/ committee 😄

This means JBC shirt will go to Malaysia for the first time! Thanks to awesome design by Dina Sandika. “Take time to read” is JBC tagline that I created back in 2010.

Have been spending 2 out of 4 long-weekend holidays with Jakarta Book Club friends. We played cards & board games, stayed over at BSD, went to BBW midnight shopping, got interviewed by an English language magazine. Tired, but super glad that we had 2 fruitful days. I also managed to meet 2 good ol’ buddies between the busy schedules.

Can’t wait to collaborate with BBW again next year. Thank you, #bbwjkt

F-A-T

Our body defines who we are and how we live, no matter how hard we deny it. By end of last year I was still this girl with fit body and S size who can pull any leggings and shorts bravely.

Now I hardly find the mood and time to exercise regularly and I think a lot about many stuff. More responsibility as well. So, now I can’t even wear that Korean style shirt. My family is warning me about it, constantly reminding me to eat well and exercise more, making me feel less worthy than last year.

Why is it that the closest people are the ones who hurt us the most? I will get back to 55 kilos, but when I do it’s only for myself and not anybody else. FYI, my BMI is still <24, so it’s borderline “overweight”. #diary #may

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My First Visit to Big Bad Wolf Jakarta

The fun I had this weekend. Simple happiness through book hunt, networking and mingling with positive people. For a moment there, I forget about all my worries and troubles. Thanks, #bigbadwolfJKT #weekend #jakarta

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Hunting for Apartment (Cari Apartemen untuk Sewa)

I just got terrible news this weekend: I’m going to be evicted soon from my current place. That means I have to immidiately look for a new place to stay!!

So, now I’m considering few options in my hands. Kinda glad that the price of property for sale/ rent is slowing down this year. I have also been thinking about moving out to an apartment for a while now (to be able to host people, get rid of clutters, cook healthier meals, do morning jog, etc). But, now I’m super confused about finding a good place within the city. Some of my considerations are:

1. Location, location, location (within <10 km from HI roundabout, have multiple access to SCBD, not heavily jammed on weekends, easy access to the airport/ KRL/ DAMRI bus stations).

2. Safe environment to have a walk (morning jog, walk to the main road, not near the slum area). Accessible by Uber, Grab, taxis, Gojek.

3. Near good hospitals, 24 hours clinic and specialist (living alone means you have to be able to transport yourself when you are sick or get food poisoned or injured without other assistance).

4. Good broadband internet access (both wired & wireless connection, so it should be on lower level). I work telecommute, so this is unnegotiable requirement.

5. Doesn’t break my wallet (should be no more than 100% increase from my current expense).

My options are very limited, and I need to make a decision within less than 2 months! Please pray for me. The last time I moved in and out of a building was around 2010, so I’ve created a strong bond with my current neighborhood for almost 6 years now!

It’s always sad to let go of things and start something over. Fortunately, this time I have enough emergency fund to make an annual rent etc. and could eliminate the boarding house option. This is a practice for me to take care my own apartment in the future.

So, any suggestions for me? Newer building (less than 5 years) with semi furnished interior would be greatly appreciated.

Central Jakarta