The Umpteenth Journal Attempt (Version III)

Just dropping by for dropping by’s sake. Been a hectic week and I’m not sure it’s quite over. The hectic part, not the week - I’m not that out of it. Last week was supposed to be post-deadline chill time, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, I only got to get home before 9 on Friday; the previous four days always had something making me stay out late. Consequences of the job…though I can’t seem to remember what I did on Thursday. Well, actually now I do, but that was after asking around and straining my memory banks.

And this week is shaping up to be just as busy, if not more so, as we enter Ramadhan. In my particular case, the music industry takes a break during that month, so it’s like everyone’s trying to fit in their events and shows in the last remaining pre-fasting days. And while this may seem like I’ll have a relaxed work schedule during Ramadhan, I have a strong feeling that that will not be the case. Gotta get a magazine out, y’know…and earlier than usual, since the end of the month usually means a lot of people halt operations for the Eid holidays. So for my first Ramadhan as a full-time working stiff, I’ll not only starving for a month, but I’ll also be working my butt off (or at least trying to). Not an ideal way to get into the festive spirit.

Ah, how I long for the days when I could do something else less tiring to take my mind off hunger…like sleeping for most of the day, as I did for most of this time last year. But then again, those were the days when I didn’t really have anything productive to do. In between careers, you might say. And I much prefer having a career, such as it were. Besides, I can always sleep in the office…

Yeah, you read that right. 26 years old, baby! As is always the case whenever a birthday arrives, I don’t feel any different, either mentally or physically. Well, there is an aching pain on my tailbone, but I’d blame that on sitting for several hours on those crappy plastic chairs in the Indoor Tennis Stadium’s tribune section during the MTV Indonesian Music Awards a couple of days ago.

And as is usually the case when my birthday arrives, I didn’t do anything apart from the usual everyday routine. Last year was spent in semi-unemployment (in other words, freelancing), whereas this time around, a major portion of my day was finishing up that Papua-related article. I’d buy everyone (well, at least at the office) lunch and drinks, but unfortunately my birthday doesn’t come at a good time in the month, paycheck-wise. Around this date since I’ve been working regularly, I’ve living off the last scraps of last month’s wage, while awaiting the end of the month for the next one. And so on. This month just happened to have my birthday as well. So it’s mixed feelings, being skint on your birthday.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who sent their wishes. The family, of course. (Special shout out to my big bro Hanief, who also has his birthday today.) The guys at the office (Amanda, Adib, Ricky, Probo, Wendi, Maya, Odie, Andra, Drigo). Then there’s Citra, Irene, Ale, Isyana, Leti, some mysterious person who said it’s bad luck if I don’t buy them lunch (the nerve), Dicky, Ikmal, Zaky, Imam, Jamal, Yoga, Maggie, Astri, Andra, Tiara, Dhitri, Avie, Alex, Biggie, Akbar, Khamzet, Ginanjar, Vivi, Endah, Husein (happy birthday to you too), Rani, Nyit, Notz, Genia, Astrid and Via. If your name’s not here then you haven’t congratulated me, so if you send your belated wishes, then I suggest you get a move on. September and my birthday mood won’t last forever.

What I wish for this year: ah, the usual. Last year I asked for a decent job, and I seem to have got that. So maybe this year a decent relationship? Then again, I’ve been asking for that for a long time…

Well, I made it out alive. Not that I ever thought otherwise, contrary to what I wrote earlier - those were just the ramblings of someone who’d just been dumped several thousand miles from home with a bunch of total strangers for company and barely a moment for solitude. And I love my solitude, which meant I tried to get as much sleep as possible, so as not to have to deal with people. But then again, my work there involved dealing with people, so I was stuck with wanting to stay in bed all day, while at the same time being torn up about how to fulfill my obligations. Fortunately my sense of duty overcame my reluctance to leave my room, and what’s even better is that I enjoyed things more as the trip progressed. Professionalism wins!

(Of course, now I’ve gotta get a multiple page feature article done by about, oh, yesterday. Gah.)

I shit you not, for I am currently at a warnet somewhere in Jayapura. Left last night at around 9:50, with a slight heartbeat increase considering what happened earlier this week in Medan. The plane made stops at Manado and Biak, before finally landing smoothly at Sentani Airport (major props to Capt. Syahrul Nasution of Merpati Airlines), at around 6:30 in the morning, local time (two hours ahead of Jakarta). So that’d be over six hours in the air, which drives home the fact that Indonesia is a bloody big country.

What’s it like here? Well, the airport’s about an hour from the city, so the scenery was lots of big-ass mountains and vegetation. At least I think it is, because I spent just about the whole journey comatose. Arrived at the Tirta Mandala hotel, somewhere on the outskirts. As the cliche goes, "it ain’t the Ritz," but the breathtaking view more than makes up for it. The hotel’s just above the sea - forgive my sparse knowledge of the local geography, because I have no idea what sea that is. All I know is that there are several islands in the horizon, and beyond them lies the Pacific. I think. Looking out the hotel window reminds me of watching Lost.

Slept most of the day, trying to adjust for the two hours lost, and flipping the channels for something interesting. Seeing that the hotel mostly only receives local channels (and even then, not all), something interesting to watch is not on the cards. Speaking of lousy reception, Pro XL have not seen fit to install relay stations or whatever it is in Irian, and so my cellphone is, for all intents and purposes, dead. (Not that anyone calls or sends text messages anyway, you bastards.) Also spent a lot of time trying not to freak out, being so far away from home and not being able to call anyone who’d care.

Then at around seven, we took a trip for dinner. For some reason, they prefer it dark here - including the hotel and streets. A disturbing lack of lighting. And it’s raining, to boot, so driving around Jayapura…let’s just say if I had to move here, I’d only drive in the daytime. I’m sure the scenery is awesome, though I’ll have to wait for daylight to see just how awesome it is.

Anyway, I made a trip to the wartel to phone home and let them know I’m still alive, and then to this warnet to check my mail and see what’s going on in the world. I still have a day and a half to go here before flying back to Jakarta, so here’s hoping everything will go well. If not, well…let’s try not to think about that, hmmm?

Oh yeah, as for why I’m in Papua…see the next issue of Rolling Stone, mwahahaha…