12 Maret 2009... Hot day at Bangkok

After spending more than 12 hours at the train, we finally arrived at Bangkok. At the train station we saw lots of big King's pictures. I remember my tour guide said that Thailand's king now is not in his good wealth. Funny, because I didn't find any king's picture at Hat Yai.

Again, the king's picture also at our guest house. This guest house is full of tourists too. I could find a tourist from outside Asia too in here. Since we arrived at Bangkok, we saw lots of tourist around. Not as much as we, that have almost 40 people in one group.

I just want to have a rest at our guest house. I was so tired and sleepy. Half hour to arrived at our guest house. It was really good, because the trees around the way to the guest house made the breeze air to get rid my tiresome.

Since we are almost 40 people in one group, each room will have four people inside. That was so crazy. Because guest house's room was not that big, and we had four people to stay there. Since we just arrived there, I really want to have rest. So when the leader said to get prepare to go to the Indonesian embassy, I said no. I just want to close my eyes for a while. I didn't sleep well for two days tho.

Great nap and lunch made me had power again. I told my friend to walked around the guest house. We found lots of interesting places around. Like Thailand fortress, we also find a small temple at the middle of the city. In here we met someone that tried to speak with Thai language to me. At the end I said I can't speak Thai. He thought I am a Thai.

Went to Cho Praya river, rode a tuk tuk, is a must right. But since we didn't go with our group, some people try to scammed us. They sells the ticket with outrageous price. Of course at the end we rejected it. Too expensive!!!

Luckily we found the Thailand museum, and it's free entry. I don't know why I more interest with museum LOL. So we hopped from museum to museum. We were late when we arrived at the Thailand National Museum, so we couldn't enter inside. But since we were here, we tried to walked around this huge place. .


At night time I just found out, we will leave tomorrow morning. Whatt??? This was so insane. So that night we went to the Siam Night Bazaar to bought some gifts (again).

Since I didn't bring lots of money, so I bought a keychain, pens, t-shirt, and etc etc. Again, the seller thought I am a Thai. Some of them even didn't believe it.

When we were here, the only obstacle was language. Not much Thai people could speak English. And this was so tiring. Especially when you go with tuk tuk. Your guest house name card didn't help at all. Luckily we arrived safely at our guest house.


Arrived at guest house and still tired. And we had to check out at 9am in the morning. I really missed my bed so bad now.

10 Maret 2009

After spending a night at Puduraya, Malaysia. At 8am, our bus went to the nearest train station to Universitas Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Before, there were some problem occurred between some of the friends and the tour guide. For me it just their uncomfortable feeling from them who used to have very pleasant life. Travelling in backpacker way means not all have to be as smooth as you want. At the end, along the journey they keep whining and whining and whining.

We arrived at Puduraya around 2am, and we had our dinner at that time, since we didn't have our dinner since leaving Singapore. Not much choices we had, since this was India restaurant, most of the menu is Indian food. Some of us just ordered tea, some also ordered Indian roti.

We waited the sunrise at this restaurant. Just sit and chatted to waste the time. It was the longest night I ever felt. Until 7am, I still didn't see the sunrise yet. So dark, and so quite. We tried to spent more time to had a nap or bathed at the public bathroom. We had to pay around 10 ringgits for the bath.

After bathed, we finally prepared to go to the train station. Since I can't sleep and really tired already, I became a little bit emotional. I could be angry all the time because less rest. But I tried hard not to, since I felt so guilty angry to my friend. They as same as tired as me too.

The breakfast was not as pleasant too. They said the breakfast was nasi kari with buffalo egg. Looks pleasant right, but when it served it was rice with curry soup only, plus the sunnyside egg.

We went to UKM, even thought we also get lost too. We should go to the north, but we went to south. LOL. We had to turn around again. Finally we arrived at UKM train station, which made us have to walk again to the University. Finally we had a pleasant journey when the bus from the faculty picked us, and let us had a fresh wind.

Arrived at the campus, they welcomed us, and asked us to sit at their conference room. Introducing, tea and coffee time, etc etc, then we started our discussion. They gave us some questions that we had to answer:
1.  How to get the best answer for conflict at Gaza.
2. What do you think about democracy at Myanmar.
3. Why UN is not effective to handle the nations conflict?
4. Is it fine for student to involve at politic, or giving a resolutions for the conflict?
5. What do you think about ASEAN. Is it effective, or it just as an unifies only?
6. How far mass media should be free, according this two countries?7. Asian women position and freedom should be not limited, just like any western countries. Why?

From those seven questions, I had to answer question number six, they said because my bachelor degree was communications. Actually I would like to answer question number seven, since it became my concern since in my bachelor degree.

Beside number six and seven, I am not too understand all the questions. So I just tried to make my self not fall asleep in this discussion. I was so tired, sleepy, and hungry.

After finished the discussion, they took us for lunch. Finally proper meal. Lunch, a chit chat with all people there, and then took more and more picture.



Another problem, our transport money was gone. LOL. Since I don't want to write something bad about our journey, at the end we decided to have our own time. We decided to go to Petronas twin tower. And again, took lots and lots pictures.

After finished playing at twin tower, we bought some gift for our family at Indonesia. This was kind of culture, that wherever you go, you have to buy them gift. HAVE TO. And having a dinner too, another proper meal. Because we had our dinner at the restaurant at China town there. Luckily each of us only spent 3 ringgits for our meal.

Came back to our place, time already at 7pm. We then prepared again to go to Hat Yai at 10pm. It was the border city  between Malaysia and Thailand. What will we have at Thailand? Can't wait to arrive there.

9 Maret 2007

Journey to Bangkokbegan.
After preparing, and borrowing my brother backpack, with pray from parents, and some dollars, I went to Adi Sutjipto Airport. From there my friend and I then fly to Hang Nadim Airport, Batam, and cross to Singapore by boat. First time cruising by boat, and first time going aboard.

Before went to Singapore at 1pm, we who arrived at 11am at Batam felt so hungry. Batam way fried rice with egg, because the taste so un-describable. My fried rice is better. For information, i can cook, just not hobby staying a long time at kitchen.

It so existing. Maybe for some of us, this is our first time to go aboard, even it just at ASIAN countries. But still, we finally have passport, LOL. Inside the boat everyone's face is really fresh, and we always joked around too. Lucky me, I sat near the Kawaii Japanese boy.

Arrived at Singapore, and passed the immigration, we used MRT that used by almost all Singaporian. I was amazed with their public transport. We stopped at the station which near the very unique building. This building shaped like durian fruit. It call the concert hall. This beautiful building also have some statues that made from iron and shaped like musicians. Their parks also really clean, no wonder, because they have so many rules; you can't eat; you can't littering; you can't eating bubble gum; etc. After finished taking a lots of pictures, we moved to the Merlion Park. Here where all tourist have to go in Singapore. From concert hall building to Merlion Park, we just have to walked a couple minutes. Luckily the weather was not hot that day.


Our journey to Merlion Park was so exiting. We were accompanied by the beautiful sight from Singapore. Their river also really clean. The only trash is came from the tree around the river.

Arrived at Merlion Park, we were a little bit disappointed, because the Merlion it self covered, they said they need to restore the Merlion. But, since we already there, we didn't waste our chance to took a lots of pictures. We also able to took a picture with the mini Merlion. Since I didn't bring lots of money, and no Singapore dollar in my wallet, even I really want to, I can't have a drink at the starbucks near the Merlion Park. *sad.




That afternoon, not much tourist came to the Merlion Park. Beside it was rain, and also the Merlion it self had been restored. Some of the tourist just wasting their afternoon there, have a rest, took a picture, or just sipping their coffee.













We knew our time in Singapore is up when we walked to the MRT station again. From there we will going to Malaysia.

So my Singapore journey was just visited Merlion Park. But, the story is not ended in here. Let me tell you about Singapore people (from Indonesian point of view), they are like robot, work at morning come home at night, flat face expression, they always bring laptop, or documents, phone too. They also not really care to each other.

When you went to their main road, not much vehicles around. You can count a personal car, and it just only a public buses too. You will not always seeing a group of people walking around.

The city is so neat and clean. If you want to see a lots of people, just go to their MRT station. Because the MRT is the most popular public transport there.

Tomorrow we will be at Kuala Lumpur. What will I do at Kuala Lumpur? Wait and see..

These few days I followed some gossip stories, LOL. It's not a hobby, but since a couple weeks i didn't do something useful. The gossips were about the musician divorces. Started from Ariel 'Peter Pan'; Rizki 'The Titan'; Pasha 'Ungu', and there were also gossip about their wifes. It remind me the about the story about the musician husband and wife, that often came out at the television, Saipul Jamil and Dewi Perssik (both of them are Indonesian dangdut singer).

Not their personal gossip that become my attention, but how the television depicted their statues. It is so not fear for me when I saw how the television made a news about their divorced status.

One of how they depicted the divorced woman status was when they talking about Dewi Perssik. So many times television made Dewi Perssik as the beautiful divorced woman that love to show up her body, love to show her boyfriends after divorce.

One time, the television told a story that Dewi Perssik tried to find other man to exchange her ex-husband position. And I almost never heard the story about her ex-husband, Saipul Jamil. Sometimes, Saipul Jamil came for commenting the Dewi Perssik stories.

Another story when Dewi Perssik faced the defamation case from her ex-manager. The point of the information was suddenly become blur, and they focus on her man companion beside her. Television also put Saipul Jamil as a wise man that always support her and giving her comfort and save. And they, then, add that Dewi Perssik now having a close relation with another artist. It seen that Dewi Perssik depicted as someone who is helpless if she had no man around her.

Another program at television also made a statement that divorce woman status is something negative. Plus, the statement from Dewi Perssik itself that makes the divorce woman not even better. In one chance she said "Oh well, what can I do, I am a used thing." This is makes me think how television help to depicted about divorced woman. They are depicted as someone who is helpless without man or they will be stamped as bad woman, so the divorced woman should find another man to let the divorce status gone from her. The television also made a negative story about how bad being a divorce woman and being a free woman, and free doing anything she likes. Because when you are divorce and trying to enjoying your life, you will be stamp as a bad woman. Maybe this also part of the Indonesian social judgement about a divorce woman. But I don't know why a divorce woman who want to enjoying herself will be stamp as a bad woman.

As the comparison, let's talk about those divorce men. The television making a good story about all this divorce men. Some of their statement also said they are a "cool divorce dad (???)". The reason, because they are still young, and they are cool (???). Why there is no "cool divorce mum" too?? When you said young, Dewi Perssik is younger than all those divorce singer. Cool? What is the definition of cool it self? Sexy also can be assumed as cool too, right? And all of them are singer, and of course their vocals are superb.

This, then, show how mass media have a role to create a public perception, especially at social life. Mass media should give the balance information. In this case is about how they made story about divorce woman and man. How they depicted divorce man and woman in balance, and not judging by they own perception. Putting a statement like "cool divorce dad" also make me thing that they still look at the man as the superior human above all, and no matter what the reason of the divorce between them, the man always be the coolest one.

Divorced woman and woman actually have the same meaning, but in Indonesia social life, the meaning become different between man and woman. Especially when mass media also make a lame story about gender. Does it mean Indonesian mass media still bias gender? While in one statement they said woman and man are equal.

Okey...

Just about a week I will traveling around South East Asia.
Preparing? Not even yet... :(
Because it will backpacking, and I still don't know what to bring, so I become really confuse, what will I bring. I even don't have a backpack for the journey.

Visits to some places sometimes makes me have to prepare one costume that not too tidy and also nice to look. Because we will visiting an important institution, of course we can't wear t-shirt, dirty jeans, and slippers. Not to mention some medicines that i should prepare. Looks like it will take my time to think what should I bring. Just because I am too perfectionist for preparing something for my journey.

Thinking about all of that already makes me exhausting. I wonder will I be relaxing too? I also worried about my body hygiene, how about my body odor? how about the pimples that not covered by my foundation? how about my oily face? how, how, how...

LOL...
When I think about it, I am so complicated person. I should preparing something to make me look awesome all day. So, if I don't have a chance to take a shower or cleaning my body? Maybe face cleanser and deodorant, and some things also need to bring.

Now, a week before the journey, and... I still not preparing anything. So unlucky, is it because of backpacking, so I am a little bit paranoid because I can't bring my complete "weapon" ? Could be. But (maybe because I graduate from Public Relations major)looks can be a good value for us. And for me... this is what I am worrying about. Couldn't be I am going to very important place and I can't look awesome. Big problem!

But I hope, a week is enough, and I can finish my packing. Because there is one thing that more crucial than that. Thesis registration before the journey. Form, ok! Thesis tittle. ok! Lecturers, ok! Proposal and abstract??? Not yet!!!!!! OMG!!!!!

My planned was this Monday the proposal should be done, and should be submit to the secretariat. But oh but... I still not fixing my thesis background, and the bibliography become another problem. I forget to noted what books that I used for it. Big big problem!!! No!!!

I am panic... 85% panic
I am not focus doing my thesis background. How could I finish it, while my bibliography still a problem. And... a paper! I also not doing one paper too! This also my second panic source. Paper with abstact theme, and I am not doing it. I am DOOMED!!

I am so panic.
It almost deadline, and I still not finishing it, and it only one more week!!!! That will be the end of my history for being such a clever girl (too proud to my self). LOL... *Cry