Thursday, 26 October 2006 @ 4:07pm.
I haven’t posted recently since there isn’t much going on. In many ways, Jakarta feels empty. So many people mudik (go home to other cities and villages) for the Lebaran/Idul Fitri holiday. Things will return to “normal” (i.e., crazy) again next week. I must admit that I like the lack of traffic these days, though!
Other than work, I’ve been visiting friends and relaxing. Yesterday I saw the movie “Cavite,” a film by Ian Gamazon and Neill dela Llana (2005). I highly recommend it. It’s a great indie flick, even if you do get stressed about the main character’s journey and see some of the really sad situations of poor Filipinos. I also saw a hilarious episode of “Extravaganza.” Extravaganza is a two hour bi-weekly comedy/variety show on television based in Jakarta. It debuted in April 2004. It reminded me of “Saturday Night Live.”
Recent Observations:
While riding on the back of a motorbike last Friday (20 October 2006), I noticed the following:
* lots of construction work for the new busway route (and while it’s creating even more traffic, I think it’ll be worth it in the end)
* sales and promotions at all the stores for the holiday
* plenty of government, political party, business, school, etc. banners related to Ramadan and Lebaran
* puppies and kittens for sale in small cages on the side of the street (I felt bad for the long-haired older cats in particular)
* the word “Anti-Jews” spraypainted on some corrugated metal near a construction site (this was shocking since I have not seen anything like that before here)
A few nights ago (23 October 2006), I rode public transportation earlier in the day and had no problems. Evening was a totally different matter. The streets were crowded because of takbiran (night of the last day of the fasting month) activities. There were people on motorbikes driving in circles around the city; truckloads of people singing and pounding on drums; people lighting sparklers and cheap fireworks; street vendors selling clothing, shoes, food, etc. at heavily discounted prices; and last minute travellers trying to get home. The taxi driver was really nice and protective. For example, he told me to put my handphone away so as not to attract attention while our taxi was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and surrounded by lots of young men walking or on motorbikes and trucks. It also took me longer to get home because the police blocked off most of the streets that led to central Jakarta.
Lately, I’ve also come to really appreciate Skype. It’s an amazing FREE program that allows people to talk to each other (domestic and international) via computers. All you need is a headset with a microphone. The connection is often better than regular phones! There are discounted rates in case you need to call computer to landline or computer to handphone. As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the best things since sliced bread. 
