there's a saying in malay, "tempat jatuh lagikan dikenang, apatah lagi tempat bermain". and this place has been both for me.

jakarta is not pretty. it's an old city, unlike kl. jakarta have endured 500 years and have seen everything it could have seen. it witnessed many great events. it's old, and cranky and tired, the huddled mass lives in jakarta, not manhattan. the streets of this city are riddled with riddles, and secrets it saved for years. jakarta can't afford to be kind anymore. she's too worn and torn to be kind.

but, we all love this city. the jakartans, and such have this strange relationship with the city. me included. i don't know if it's the stockholm syndrome acting out, or simple the defense mechanism of the mind to simply accept the sudden change of demographic i had in malaysia. but nevertheless, shuttling between two cities and amidst all of that reasons, i called this place home. like family, you can't choose. like jakarta, really, just another card dealt in the game of faith, and i have to conquer this one.

i can moan and groan for hours about all the ridiculous thing in this place, but i still want to best for her.

and indonesia as a country, is a blessed land.

and now i'm tired. night.

g