So, it’s our fourth day in Jakarta and it’s pretty much our last day since our flight back home is just the day after. I woke up around noon and got ready for lunch. Wanna guess where we had our lunch? Come on… give it a guess.

Yup. We had lunch in Garuda. That’s twice for me and Yazid that day.

Us in Garuda having lunch.

This is how they serve nasi padang in Garuda.

Since I’ve done my shopping yesterday, I was more keen to spend my afternoon under the hot sun by the pool.

KL boys posing before entering the pool.

No hunks here but us.

Sean and Yazid being kids.

After spending much time by the pool, Ideham and wife came to visit us and we got ready to go for dinner. We had dinner in Plaza EX which is connected to Plaza Indonesia. The malls here is nothing compared to what we have in KL. I’m definitely coming back here to do more shopping. Huhu…

Us having dinner at Plaza Indonesia.

Holiday in Jakarta is so far the most happening event this year. Can’t wait for my next holiday. Ahhh…

- end of part 4 -

Ideham and his family.

Rizka, Ideham’s wife in her traditional Javanese outfit.

Saturday, 14th July 2007, Ideham and Rizka was officially pronounced husband and wife. The event was held in Persada Executive Golf Club in Halim. During the ceremony, the bride asked for forgiveness from her parents. It was a very emotional moment. And also beautiful. After the solemnisation, both the groom and bride concluded the ceremony with the “Sungkeman” (an act whereby both newlyweds bow their heads on the laps of the parents as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness).

Dinner reception was held at night. I’ve never seen such “Pelamin” settings before. The “Pelamin” was staged in between both of their parents. They (the bride, groom and both parents) had to stand while 800 guests queued to congratulate the family and take photos. That took a long time. Ideham said it was unbearable but fun. What if I had to go through this? Waduh waduhh… capet.

Oh yeah, during that time, dinner was served buffet style. I wish I have pictures to show. Buffet tables were set all around the club’s compound even by the pool side. There were no tables and chairs setups as compared to our malay weddings. Since there were no proper seatings, I only had just one plate of rice and I was done. I couldn’t be bothered to walk around because it was hot. Luckily I didn’t wear a tie that night. After all is done, Rizka entertained us with two Indonesian songs. And she can really sing. Ideham, you’re one lucky guy.

Me and Asman had to rush back to the hotel because someone forgotten his medication. Plus, it was a saturday night and I wanted to go out and party. Since both Asman and Sean were tired, I went off with Ideham’s friend Yazid who happened to bunk in our room because he came “Kamikaze” without making any reservation. Mat, lu nie gila lah! Hahaha…

I was advised by a few friends to check-out a club called X2. And so we did. The club is huge. It has three main room and one VIP room. Every room is named as VINTAGE, X2 (main room), Equinox (hip hop & r&b) Ego (VIP lounge). Oh yeah, Yazid forgot to bring his camera. So there’s no pictures of the club. Except this,

Taken from my SE K610i.

And no I did not get her number. I think they were having some FHM party because she was wearing FHM tshirt.

I was also told to check-out all the rooms. Vintage was pretty chilled. They were playing chilled out music. Yazid didn’t quite like it because there were too many old people. I said they don’t call this place Vintage so no reason right? Haha.. We went up to Equinox to check out the Hip Hop scene of Jakarta. Not bad yo! And the girls are fucken hot yo! Too bad it was too packed so we decided to head back to the main room. The music in main room was pumping hard. I wish we have clubs like this in KL.

We stayed on till the club closes at 5am. Or was it 6am? I don’t remember. Upon reaching the hotel, Yazid mentioned that he was hungry so I suggested that we go to Garuda. A bit too early for nasi padang? Why not? Both of us had our breakfast and head back to the room to sleep. It was a long day but it was worth every bit of it.

Damn… last two days in Jakarta. So little time left… Sigh…

- end of part 3 -

We woke up at 5am (Indonesian time) on friday morning. Had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. As usual, food is served buffet style. After breakfast, we got ready and head straight to our meeting point in Aston Hotel.

Sean took this picture. That’s why he’s not in it. Sorry Sean.

Once everyone is gathered we then head to the bride’s house in Bekasi, Jakarta Timur for a Kalimantan wedding ceremony called “Siraman” (bathed in flower water). Since there were 19 of us, they charted a bus instead. The journey took about 1 and a half hour. Long enough to get a shut-eye.

Like our Malay weddings, they too have “Hantaran” (dowry).

Ideham then changed into their traditional outfit in order to perform the ceremony.

The “Siraman” outfit.

The “Siraman” is like our Malay “merenjis” where they start off from the parents and the elders. Just when I thought everything was over we were called on to perform “Siraman” onto the couple. Wow.. this is definately something new for me. And as a good friend, I felt honoured.

Me performing “Siraman”.

Ideham then changed to another outfit and we then proceeded to have lunch. I was still full from breakfast so I didn’t have any. But I heard the food was good. After lunch, we went back inside the house where all of us took photos with the bride and groom. Check out some of the candid pictures taken.

The bride and groom with their parents.

This is us with Rizka’s sisters. The two girls is her eldest sister’s daughter.

Too many cameras to focus on.

I just had to do this stupid face. Hahah…

The event finished at about afternoon. It was a hot and tiring day for us. We then head back to our hotel to get some rest. I went to the mall nearby and got myself a new pair of sunnies. I like!

Went to Senayan City to have dinner with Ideham. Senayan City is huge! I almost went crazy looking at the Top Shop sales. The mall is like KLCC. I didn’t get to browse around because all of us were hungry. After dinner we head to a club called CJ’s Bar in Hotel Mulia. Don’t ask why there. It’s a nice place with live band performance. The drinks are a bit pricey. Maybe because it’s a hotel’s club.

Cheers?

We didn’t stay long since we have another event on saturday but it was a good night out. The clubs in Jakarta is so much different from KL. Can’t wait for tomorrow. Huhu…

- end of part 2 -

When Megatron transformed to Optimus Prime.

I was in Jakarta last week to attend a good friend’s wedding. Jakarta is NICE! I had so much fun eating, clubbing and also shopping. I like the idea to be able to spend millions on just shopping. Haha…

Us in KLIA.

We got to Jakarta on a thursday night. Our flight was delayed because the plane had a break malfunction. Since we’re flying with KLM, we had food served and you know what.

Oh, imagine this. My SIM card got blocked when I reach Jakarta. It’s actually no biggie but what’s the point of having roaming service if I can’t use my phone. Bahh!! How’s that happening?

I don’t know? I think my fingers are too fast for my phone. It kinda make the phone lags a bit when I’m clicking fast. So yeah, I thought I’d key in my pin code, phone security code and try to press for the menu button and then I heard the a sound from phone. Oh shit! ENTER PUK1 on my phone screen. I am so fuct!

Then I remembered that I could get my PUK1 code from DiGi’s Online Customer Service (OCS). Now all I need is the internet. And I was pretty sure that the hotel would have internet facilities. Anyways on the way to the hotel, I asked the taxi driver if there’s still any good food nearby our hotel coz I was feeling hungry and the time was almost 10pm. He mentioned that Garuda is just behind our hotel. And it open 24 hours. Nice..

So yeah, Garuda serves Nasi Padang. A table full of variety of dishes. You pay for what you eat. Or at least touch. An average meal would cost about Rp150,000. Pricey? Maybe not quite. Well, I wouldn’t mind since their service is very efficient. And the food is nice too.

Us goofing around in front of the hotel entrance.

So back to the hotel. We were staying in Sari Pan Pacific. It’s a nice “old” hotel. Sadly to say that our room wasn’t really what we expected. Well, it seems there was some miscommunication between both KL and Jakarta’s travel agent because the hotel was booked for two person and there were three of us. Since the communication breakdown was through agents, the hotel could only provide us with an extra bed. WTF?

I’m so gonna complain to the travel agent!!

This is the next morning.

More pictures coming soon.

- end of part 1 -

Ever had anyone said that to you?

Someone said that to me some time ago. One day, I was bitchin about life with a certain someone. I said I saw a guy trying to cross a busy street when there is a pedestrian bridge just a few meters away from where he is standing. Why can’t he use the bridge instead? I guess it’s faster to cross that way. Hmmm… Maybe I’ll blog about it.

Thus the statement “You ingat you bagus sangat ker?!” smack right in the face.

YES! I’m better then him because I know how to cross the road using the pedestrian bridge.

No, I’m no better. I’m know I’m not perfect. But I’m willing to make that extra effort to be a better person. Or at least try.

I’m merely using them as example to say that we could be a better person if we try to be. It’s our attitude. I may not the best example but I’m willing change.

If only we we’re to be more courteous on the road. If only we knew how important it is to fasten the safety belt. If only we learn to be patient and not loose temper over a silly traffic jam. Or for whatever reason there is.

The world will be a better place if only…

Some say promises are meant to be broken. Some just can’t keep their promises. And some just love to make promises and never keep them. I hate it when a promise is broken. Who doesn’t?

As a kid I use to throw tantrum to my parents whenever they break a promise. As I grew older, I learned that promises are made to be broken and lies are meant to be kept.

If you examine the above phrase, you will find out that 9 out of 10 times it is true. Hence the saying broken promises.

As I grew wiser, I learned that throwing tantrum is no solution either. And promises are still meant to be broken. So what’s the deal?

Sometimes some things are not meant to be. Sometimes some promises are meant to be broken. Sometimes I learned to not make anymore promises.

I promise not to make any promises. There you go. Another promise broken.

When was the last time you hang out with your best friend? Let’s just say, you hang out with you best friend today. When was the last time you saw him/her before today?

I last saw my best friend about a decade ago. Yes, thats right. Ten years. He left Malaysia to study in the U.S and never came back. We lost contact ever since.

One day, I went online and started googling his name, his dad’s name and all the possible search string that could lead me to him. And finally I found a link to an art portfolio gallery. Oh my, our friend here is a designer. What a small world. I sent him a message just to make sure that I got the right person and the answer was a positive! I had found my best friend!

I found out that he was married and has a daughter name Inara. Well, i knew about it from his cousin a few years back so it didn’t surprise me a bit. He said that he was coming back for a quick visit and am not sure if he’s ever coming back.

One day while I was at work I received a call from a familiar area number. It was him. He sounded just the same. I could recognize him instantly. He said that he’s at his old house. Asked if I could meet up with him. Hell yeah! I’m gonna see my best friend after ten freakin years!

I went over to his place after work. I was nervous. Anxious. How is he now? Can he still speak Malay? Will he be able to recognize me? And then I saw him. Walking out from the house in the dark. The same old Hazmal. He’s fat. Haha.. And he has the coolest goatee. Really Remember the picture from my earlier post? That’s him.

So we went to a mamak nearby. We talked like we’ve never talked before. Imagine having ten years story cramped into a few hours summary. I wish I could write a book about it.

So I called up a few old friends and had a small gathering in a local joint in Hartamas. Most of us made it. It was like the good old days. Back in the days, all of us used to hang out together. We had the best times growing up together. I had the best sets of friends.

Too bad that Hazmal had to leave early and also leaving just a day after. I wished he could have stayed longer.

Oh, this time he came to say goodbye.

Everyone is talking about it. Either they are in love or just got their heart broken or some is just a failure in the game they call Love. Some talk about how they hate love but wanting to be loved at the same time. Some even wonder why they can’t find love. That’s too bad though. But in general, love is a beautiful feeling.

I love being in love. I love feeling the butterflies in my stomach every time I’m out with her. Or just even by thinking about her. Stuff like that…

Everything is wonderful when love is in the air. Everything seems to be on track. It’s like it’s almost perfect. That’s usually the feelings that you go through when you’re first in love. Love is the air you breath and life is nothing without you.

But then sometimes you go through bad times but you manage to pull through. You kiss and make up and everything is back to normal. Little did you know that sometimes, those little fights leaves little scars and one day those scars are gonna hurt, bad.

And one day you sit and ask yourself, why is this happening to you? And you start to compare with others. And you start having second thoughts, nothing matters anymore, you then fall out of love. In the end all you get is two broken hearts. Suddenly there’s two lonely people in the world. Devastated. You felt like life is not worth living for. You felt… lost.

Something like that.

But that doesn’t stop you from falling in love again. And for every time you’ve become stronger. You’ve learned from your past.

Love like you’ve never loved before. Always remember to never give up on love. Because one day you will find you true love.

I know someone did…

Mal, I envy you.

Love and Peace. A dear friend thought me that. She said, whenever you’re feeling angry, say these three magic words “Love and Peace”. It’s like a therapy. And if your mind is set, then you should be able to control your anger. It’s all in the mind. It’s you actually.

After all the series of unfortunate events in my life, I have learned to accept. With the calmest feeling I hold no grudge nor anger. I have learned to not let my anger get the best of me.

Because of all this, I became stronger. I learned that shit happens and life goes on. I learned to be patience. I learned to let bygones be bygones and take it as an experience. I have learned that you cannot make someone love you. But be someone who can be loved.

I’m glad I quit smoking. I feel less stress nowadays because I don’t have the urge for nicotine. And I may not be on the top of the world but I’m not gonna give up just like that. It’s not like it’s the end of the world. Today may not be my day but tomorrow is a new day and a new adventure awaits me.

Life goes on. Chin up and walk proud. Don’t worry be happy. You’ll get the idea.

I’ve always wanted to be a Hero. As a kid I love Superman. Oh how I wish I had his powers. I could fly from one place to another in just seconds. I could see through wall and was also able to shoot laser through my eyes. As a kid I thought it was so cool. But that is not real. There is no such thing as a Superman.

Then there was Batman. A filthy rich guy who has a cave hidden beneath his mansion. How realistic is that? He’s got the coolest gadgets and vehicles. Oh, I love his Batmobile. Imagine a car with that speed and fire power. Wow! And Catwoman. Meow! Huhu…

But being a Superhero means you will have to hide your identity. And wear ridiculous outfit. Why the hell anyone would wanna wear a red UNDERWEAR outside a blue spandex? Hahaha… But you don’t need super powers to be a Hero. All you need is a good will and a good heart. I think.

The point is, to me being a Hero could also mean be a person who is able to set a good example to others. Like in my case, I quit smoking. Which is a good thing. And it could inspire a lot of other smokers. To quit or not to quit, it’s your choice. I’m just sharing my view.

Thus it was great example to my friends and families. Therefore I am a Hero.

No?