Life as an Expatriate in Jakarta

As soon as I exited Lynas Malaysia, I started working for a Japanese PHE manufacturer. I was told beforehand that I was going to be sent off to Jakarta to take care of their PHE business in Indonesia once my 3-week training ended. I accepted the offer nonchalantly since I'd had some pretty cool experiences in Jakarta in 2010 when DCI sent me for a 2-week training on formalin and formaldehyde-based glue production with its Indonesian subsidiary. Unfortunately, I had to move back to Malaysia in Dec'14. My stay in Jakarta was cut short due to some inevitable circumstances.

35,000 ft onboard a Garuda Airlines plane

35,000 ft onboard a Garuda Airlines plane

Looking out at the cloud formation 35,000ft above sea level

Plane approaching Jakarta and on descending mode

Plane approaching Jakarta's airspace



A bird's eye view of the islands north of Java

The view of the islands from above

Safely touched down and taxiing at Soekarnao Hatta

Taxiing to the aerobridge at Soekarno Hatta

Jakarta is massively large. It's a city made up of 10 million people based on the Indonesian government census in 2010, almost 5 times the size of Kuala Lumpur. Hence, it's not a surprise that the city is divided into 5 subdistrics or municipalities to ease things up on the administration side:
Central Jakarta: You can find the Grand Indonesia Mall, Plaza Indonesia and JW Marriot Jakarta here. Most of the Indonesian government offices are also located in this district.
North Jakarta: It is bordered by the Java Sea and houses Indonesia's famous Theme Park called Dunia Fantasi,
South Jakarta: Most of the expats, designer shopping malls and affluent neighborhoods are found here,
East Jakarta: Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and Jakarta's 2nd Airport (Halim Perdanakusuma) are located here,
West Jakarta: Accommodates the Central Park Mall, Pullman Hotel and my lovely abode that I shared with my friend, the Royal Mediterania Garden.

The 5 subdistricts of Jakarta

Jakarta is infamous for its traffic congestion though I wouldn't describe it as chaotic as Indonesian drivers are much more well-behaved and well-mannered compared to Malaysian drivers in almost all aspects. What's more interesting is that it's always peak hour in Jakarta on weekdays no matter which part of Jakarta you're in. Expect scattered traffic congestion on weekends. By the way, driving in Jakarta for an impatient Malaysian like me for the first time proved difficult since I was not used to the slow-mo cars, bikes, trucks and buses on the road. Don't worry though as a few drives in and around the city will get you used to it in no time.

I remember on my third day in Jakarta, I had to drive all the way from Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta (our representative office) to Purwakarta to visit a client. It took me 3 hours to get there, a duration which was average. My friend actually warned me not to get on the Karawang toll road (expressway) after 1500hrs or I'd be stuck in a massive traffic crawl all the way to Jakarta. Unfortunately, I got carried away during the discussion with my client and happened to leave Purwakarta at 1600hrs. As expected, I got stuck in the maddest traffic crawl of my life beginning at Karawang. I reached my apartment around 2200hrs, totally spent!

Kebon Jeruk to Purwakarta

I've been told to avoid major places of interest in Jakarta during the festive seasons. I took it a step further throughout my stay there by shying away as much as I could from the so-called hotspots in Central Jakarta, especially the areas surrounding the JW Marriot.  The Marriot had been bombed twice in 2003 and 2009 respectively. These bombings and the 2002 Bali bombings should explain why cars are required to be thoroughly inspected upon entry to the car parks at all economic interests in Jakarta. And you need to go through metal detector checkpoints and bags are required to be scanned at all entry points. I went to the Grand Indonesia Mall, which was just a few kilometres away from the Marriot. Security was really tight. In 2010 when the Manager of our Indonesian Subsidiary brought me to Plaza Indonesia, security was tight but I remember they didn't have metal detector and X-ray scan checkpoints. It was only physical inspection upon entry to the car park. Security got even tighter after that I believe.

Me at Popolamama, Grand Indonesia Mall

The Prometheus statue at the Grand Indonesia Mall
reminds me of the Rockefeller Center



One of the Directory screens at the Grand Indonesia Mall

I happened to also have the chance to visit Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) and I liked the place very much. According to my SGI Indonesia friend, if you want to get to know about Indonesia in less than a day, the TMMI is the best place to visit. Well, she was right. There is a map of Indonesia displayed on a man-made lake in the park. If you take the cable car, you'd be able to view it better. The park also accommodates houses of various cultures and sub-ethnics in Indonesia.


 

 


I like Jakarta and I like the city a lot. Jakartans are extremely nice people, they are really helpful and courteous. The traffic may be horrible but it is actually just a small matter as you'll get used to it in a week or less. There are plans to build Light Rail Transit in the city to alleviate the traffic condition. In another 5 years, the city will further see a positive transformation to both its traffic and economic activities.

Why you shouldn't buy that Puppy in the Window

A Culture of Perfection
Watch any of the "reality" television shows starring beautiful people and you'll see something we cultivate in our culture: the pursuit of perfection. It's often difficult to resist, and it's reinforced everywhere in the media, in TV ads, magazines and newspapers. Everyone is at risk, women especially and men. Athletes and other sports performers succumb to it. These cultural messages feed the deepest insecurity in ourselves and encourage us to believe we must be something different from who we really are. We hold ourselves to an impossible standard: perfection.

Perfect Pure-breed Pups
And it is the pursuit of perfection that compels many to look for the best breed of dog, hence the existence of countless pup breeders in this world. These pup breeders could be accidental breeders, small time backyard breeders and large scale commercial breeders. It is immature to label all pup breeders unethical. Accidental breeders who happen to own two dogs that are coincidentally a male and a female sometimes fail to separate them during their mating season resulting in a litter of pups delivered. While backyard breeders only allow their dogs to mate when neighbors, friends or relatives show interests in their off springs. These people are normally looking for the perfect pups to be their pets.

The inhumane part in question is when pups are bred in large scale commercial breeding operations. These commercial breeders normally run a large scale dog breeding facility called a puppy mill or puppy farm. A puppy mill is most of the time operated with an emphasis on profits over the wellbeing of the dogs bred with substandard conditions of care often the norm. Similar types of operations also exist for other animals most commonly kept as pets or used as feed for other animals.

Puppy Mill
Many pictures of puppy mills have grazed the internet as a result of exposure by animal advocates. Pictures like below where the pups are confined in cramped up cages have drawn many animal advocates to decry puppy farming:

Puppy mills treat dogs as simple commodities to be fully exploited. Housing usually consists of a wire pen that may be shared with one or more additional dogs. As many cages as possible are crammed into each facility, with tiny cages stacked on top of each other. There is usually no bedding. Dogs spend their lives on the wire mesh, and urine and feces rain through the cages or collect on the floor. Protection from the elements may be minimal with inclement conditions in rainy season and stifling heat all year round. Accounts of conditions related during visits by animal advocates are hair-raising, stomach-turning and infuriating. Dogs of all sizes are raised in puppy mills, but the in-demand smaller breeds are especially exploited. Some operations house as many as 1000 dogs and their pups. Many breeding dogs receive inadequate food, water, and health care throughout their lives. Most get no socialization, no grooming, and no exercise. In order to maximize profits, each breeding female must have as many litters as possible. Little regard is given to producing healthy pups; if the pups are superficially appealing they will sell regardless of hidden problems. Dogs continue to be bred even when they show serious health problems or suffer injuries. When her ability to produce pups wanes, a dog may be sold at a wholesale auction or simply euthanized. Some discarded dogs become research subjects. Crowded and insanitary conditions lead to a range of health problems including both internal and external parasites, respiratory infections, eye diseases and skin conditions. Bad teeth result from bad food and lack of dental care. Some dogs go "cage crazy" from the overcrowding and lack of exercise. Some dogs are attacked and trampled by their cage mates. Pups produced under these conditions may have health problems that prematurely end their lives and saddle their owners with steep veterinary bills.

Pet Stores
Most pet stores obtain their stock from puppy mills. Many pups sold online, in magazines, and in newspaper ads are products of the factory farming of dogs. It is truly shameful, therefore, that we continue to tolerate the existence of puppy mills for churning out the maximum number of puppies with the minimum amount of effort and expenditure, and with little regard for the health or comfort of either the adult dogs or their pups. So when you are at a pet store looking for the perfect pet of yours, think of the sufferings that the pup may have had to go through. With every MYR spent on a pet store puppy, a mill is driven to produce another litter of dogs in deplorable conditions. Buying a dog is a huge commitment and shouldn’t ever be done on impulse. As much as you want to "rescue" that doggie in the window, it only continues the vicious cycle of the puppy mill industry.

Adopt from Animal Shelters
When you deal with an ethical breeder, remember there is always no pet store acting as the middleperson to take a slice of the profits. Accidental breeders and backyard breeders whom you personally know are mostly good breeders who will charge no more than what pet stores are charging for their dogs. Maybe you’ll have to wait a bit, but that’s a small price for a dog that will be right for you. Better yet, visit your local shelters and consider the adoption option! You’ll find dogs of all ages and breeds – from purebreds to the latest in “designer dogs!”

The Start of 2015

2015 kicked off with my 2014 Altis lightly grazed on the rear bumper. When I first dropped by the parking lot, I didn't realize the front portion of the 2014 Estima had crossed the line of its parking box. I was only planning to warm up the engine until I noticed  that the Estima was peculiarly close to the behind of my car. I checked it out and there you go:

What I saw riled me and all sorts of negative ideas shot through my brain. I thought about using brute force on that Estima (smashing the hood with a blunt object), then I realized I wasn't 'KIKI' (the infamous road bully girl who terrorized an old man in Kuantan last year when her car was rammed into) and backed away. What angered me was how dumb can you be to ram into someone's car right in front of you when your Estima is obviously equipped with state-of-the-art proximity sensors on the front bumpers? And that's a 2014 Estima we're talking about, not some run down Nissan Datsun!

I snapped a few photos as proof that the Estima had crossed its parking box line and drove forward my Altis to take a good shot of the scratches caused by the Estima's number plate. They were deep and I doubt they would go away even after being polished. I waited for the driver to come get his/her car. Just as I thought, it belongs to a middle-aged 'CHINESE' couple with 2 children and an old woman. I confronted the husband and he was apologetic but the wife was quite rude. 'BITCH', you nudged into my rear bumper and you had the guts to be impolite when I asked you to be careful next time? You're obviously not the only one driving a 'NEW' and 'EXPENSIVE' car. I have photos as proof and I can make you pay dearly 'BITCH'. She was taken aback and I didn't press charges. I threw the 'KIKI' face at her as I drove away and parked somewhere safe from these 'RETARDS'

So PEM 4848, I'm WATCHING YOU!!! And to all Penang drivers, I'm WATCHING YOU too.