Indonesian Wedding

Wedding parties in Indonesia, at least those that I'd been invited to, are eye-popping to most non-Asians. Several main differences between Indonesian weddings and American weddings (which seem to be on extreme ends - Chinese wedding I've ever attended was kind of in the middle) are the involvement of parents and the number of guests invited.

Indonesian weddings, like what I had seven years ago, and what my sister just had last week, usually funded mostly, if not all, by the parents. It's them that really wanted to "show off" their achievements: the money they've made so they can arrange such a great party and invite so many people who I probably know only one-fifth of them. Total guests invited in my wedding were 2000 (1000 invitations), and every single of them was fed in buffet type dinner. That number is half of what my parents and in-law were thinking about doing.

Although I truly think it's a waste of money and is very taxing to the couples (traditional clothing, weird costumes and make ups), I'm not sure if I'll be able to not do the same thing to my kids. Peer pressure. However, things are changing. Who knows twenty years from now it's no longer the parents' responsibility to fund the wedding party? That'll be good.

A website for expats in Indonesia considers being invited to an Indonesian wedding fortunate, an opportunity to gain insight into Indonesian culture and social more.

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First Day

First day at work after 25 months and 12 days off from full-time job. Though first day at work, or a new place (e.g. school), is nothing new anymore, there's this thing that sometimes bugging the mind. I randomly googled "first day at work", and here's one of the articles popped on Google.

An article (for college graduates) in youngmoney.com says by the end of the day you should be able to find the bathroom, break room, supplies, photocopier and fax, know your contact number, know the names and roles of co-workers, and know responsibilities and major projects. Well, you definitely must know what your roles and responsibilities before even accepting the offer. But this is for fresh graduates, so definitely most of them are clueless.

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Yahoo! Fantasy Football

Here's the thing I've been doing week-in, week-out from August until May since 2000: Yahoo! Premiership Fantasy Football. I just checked my Fantasy profile, it's not that bad! Although my overall rank (out of all the teams registered) has been going down, 99% in 2001 to 98% last season (2005), it's been a great achievement as the number of participants has also grown up exponentially (not proven). What's been consistent is my performance in the private league. Champions in the league of friends, and top four in the private league of Indonesian players - for five years in a row. Despite my hate of the Gooners, I would choose Thierry Henry as the best player in the league - though it comes with the highest price as well.

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Oh, Jakarta...

Jakarta is just too crowded and has far too short and narrow streets. While it's nice to see everyone again, family and friends, commuting from one place to another may take half a day. If that is not stressful enough, add millions of motorcycles into the equation!

Wikipedia claims Jakarta's population is 8.8 million. I heard, and believe, it is over 15 million during the day and about 12 million at night while everyone is back home in Bekasi, Tangerang and Bogor. Make no mistake, however, that the nightlife is amazing.

From Wikipedia:

Jakarta (also Djakarta or DKI Jakarta), formerly known as Sunda Kelapa, Jayakarta and Batavia is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Located on the northwest coast of the island of Java, it has an area of 661.52 km² and a population of 8,792,000 (2004).^[1] Jakarta has been developed for more than 490 years and currently is the ninth most densely populated city in the world with 44,283 people per sq mile.^[2] Its metropolitan area is called Jabotabek and contains more than 23 million people, and it comprises an even larger Jakarta-Bandung megalopolis.

Jakarta is served by the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Since 2004, Jakarta, under the governance of Sutiyoso, has developed its new transportation system, which is known as "TransJakarta" or "Busway" and in 2007, Jakarta will establish its newest transportation system, the Jakarta Monorail. Jakarta also is the location of the Jakarta Stock Exchange and the National Monument.

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