Tuesday, April 29, 2014

I Am Only Human?

A taxi driver with spiritual articles. He drove carefully and patiently. He let other vehicles cut his way. He let pedestrians crossed. I felt safe and secure. Until a policeman stopped the taxi and the rest of the traffic for no apparent reason. Almost instantly he got really angry, called the policeman all the names under the sun. 


Monday, April 28, 2014

Sound Mind

So I painted my toenails blue for a first three-hour run session in my training calendar. After two and a half hour I had quitting thoughts. I had a perfect excuse, I had to take a bathroom break.  I headed home and soon found myself caught in an argument between my mind and my body. My mind won. Now my legs are giving me a silent treatment. Orange. I think I'm going to paint my toenails orange next Sunday. 


Friday, April 25, 2014

Feeling Blue

Some runners have a ritual before a race. I paint my toenails blue. When my feet look pretty they feel good. When they feel good they are happy. When they are happy they are strong. When they are strong they are not afraid to meet pain. 


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Terrible Thursday

What did I do to you Thursday? We were fine this morning. Why didn't you say something when I took a wrong exit from a freeway this afternoon? Why didn't you stop me when I decided to venture into an unknown area hoping to find an alternative way to my destination? You know I had an extremely terrible sense of direction. It took me almost an hour to find my way back to the freeway. Aaaaargh!

Doodle by Dena




Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Bridge Over Troubled Water

"I think the seperation between life and Paradise as a river," Mirdin said. "If there are many bridges that cross the river, should it be of great concern to God which bridge the traveller chooses?" The Physician. Noah Gordon

Monday, April 21, 2014

Duckie See Duckie Do

Sunday long run. A duck on Car Free Day? I thought I started dreaming while I run. It was following a man. Man stopped, Duck stopped. Man changed direction. Duck changed direction. Duck stayed behind Man at all times. What a sight to see. Thank you Man Duck for making my tedious long run a little bit whimsical.  



Friday, April 18, 2014

Good Friday

Two years ago my Dad passed away. Time really flies. Last year I remembered feeling restless around April. This year I feel peaceful. He is in Good Hands. 


Thursday, April 17, 2014

Jammed

Sizzling hot day. Stuck in a mean traffic. Thank God I was in a taxi and I had a pen and a notebook. For a good fifteen or twenty minutes that it took me to do an initial sketch of what I saw, the traffic came to a standstill. Not even moved an inch. I gave up and took Trans Jakarta. My heart goes to the taxi driver.


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Wait & See

They say good things come to those who wait. I was instructed not to use my mobile while I waited for my turn to submit a visa application. I didn't have any pen or pencil to draw. I didn't bring any book. I didn't feel like to start a conversation with some strangers. I guess I just force my brain to focus on something and quiet my agitated, restless mind. 


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Sleep Running

I couldn't believe I finished a marathon in 3:00! Completely stunned. So instead of running straight to the finish line I stopped and waited until the official timer turned to 4:30 then I dashed to cross the finish line. What a dream. That's what you get when you watched two running movies back to back in one go. 


Monday, April 14, 2014

Less Is More

Fifty seven stories in a book. Each story is finished in thirty second or less. Each story is adorned with lines and shades. Each story leave plenty of space to my imagination and makes me wonder, agitate, sigh, smile, nervous, ache, and glad. The Tiny Book of tiny stories. I think I've read it more than twenty times already. Today.






Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Absurd

Election Day. I have no idea which political party to vote for. I don't know who run for what. But I want to exercise my right. So I run in the morning to get inspiration. Warm up, 10 minutes. Run, threshold pace, 8 minutes. Recovery run, 2 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Can you tell which political party I voted based on my run?

Trees drawing by Aya & Devin



Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Outcasts

You can't smoke in your office. You can't smoke in a mall. You can't smoke in most restaurants. You can't smoke in airplanes and airports. You can't smoke in a hospital or any other public building. You probably can't smoke in your own house too. At least you are making those cigarette tycoons more richer. And I guess you are helping thousands of workers in cigarette industries. A noble way to die?


Monday, April 7, 2014

The Wind In The Willows

"Every animal, by instinct, lives according to his nature. Thereby he lives wisely, and betters the tradition of mankind. No animal is ever tempted to deny his nature, No animal knows how to tell a lie. Every animal is honest. Every animal is true-and is, therefore, according to his nature, both beautiful and good." Kenneth Grahame. 

Illustration by Alex Taso

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Trash Run

Jakarta is not a running friendly city. Pollution. Hazardous sidewalk. Trash. Trash. Trash. Its nick name should be the big trash can instead of the big durian. Apa susahnya sih buang sampah di tempat sampah? 


Saturday, April 5, 2014

I'm Baaaack!

After a five days break it felt great to run again. Goodbye cough. Goodbye blah. Hello sunshine. Hello polluted sky. Hello trees. Hello little birdies. Hello runners. It was Awesome to be back. Thirty four minutes of happy run. A dog happy run! \(^_^)/


Friday, April 4, 2014

Phone Books

Repurpose a phone booth into a mini library? An urban intervention project in New York by DUB, Department of Urban Betterment. You take one book and you replace it with another one. No supervision. What a neat idea! But that spells for disaster here in Jakarta, Indonesia. In my opinion it would never work. Would it? 


Thursday, April 3, 2014

Hello?

I was walking down a street when I saw from a distance a man in a phone booth. Those thing still works? People are actually using it? I walked closer to see up close. The guy was using his mobile. What a creative way to use an endangered phone booth. You can sit comfortably and you have your own privacy. What else would you use a phone booth for?


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Mean Time

One year, nine months, and fourteen days. Life span of my running watch. She quit on me without saying a word. Not even a goodbye. Only a blank face. Nothing.