Lovely morning. TVRI loops. I was lost in my own thoughts when I noticed two guys in a big motorbike was going along right beside me. The driver was babbling something to me. OMG. OMG. I'm going to be mugged or something. WAIT! CALM DOWN! He still talking. He would have done something awful by now! "I've seen you around. Why don't you join us next time for practice, in case you get into trouble someone can help you. We do loops everyday except Monday. Meeting point 4.30am at seven eleven Senayan." He followed me for one loop then said, "Stay safe. I have to take my daughter to school." Apparently a woman cyclist riding alone early in the morning can cause some concern here. LOL
She is not mine. She is temporarily given to me courtesy of random act of kindness. They say it's important to have a connection with your bike. Say hello to Little Red Riding Hood. She will safely take me to my grandma's house in Bintan. She's got quite a few tricks up her sleeve to outsmart The Big Bad Wolf. We won't be needing your assistance Mr. Lumberjack, you can go impress Rapunzel or Snow White. We're good! :-)
Incredible Saturday ride from Cibubur to Bandung with inspiring cyclists. They say after an uphill there is always a downhill. Unless you are riding the never-ending hills of Cariu or Citatah. There is something compelling about riding hills. Yes, there is pain but there is also joy in pain. Yesterday I learned that when I fight and resist pain, eventually pain will run me over. But when I embrace and welcome pain, eventually and strangely it become somehow less agonizing. And when the pain just become too unmanageable, just get off your bike. Walk and push your bike if you have to. Get in the evacuation car if you must. There is no shame in that. Then try again, and again, and again, and again, again and again. Pain is inevitable, suffering is an option. In riding or in living.
Selesai century ride sepiring keladi Papua rebus dicampur kelapa & tumis bunga pepaya never taste so good! Katanya keladi mengandung air 76 gram, protein 2.2 gram, karbohidrat 17.5g, kalsium, fosfor, zat besi, vitamin B1 & B2 dan lemaknya cuma 0.1g! All the good stuff for you! Jadi kenapa reputasinya jelek di dunia peri bahasa? :-))
You fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars!
Getting updates of Aristo through World Vision Indonesia is always a guaranteed highlight of any kind of day. When was the last time you receive something good through snail mail other than subscriptions, bills or junk mails?
Kalau kemarin-kemarin naik sepeda dapat banyak greeting, hari ini lagi lari somewhere di kota di foto pake handphone sama mas-mas tim oranye DKI, yang berjasa amat sangat untuk kebersihan Jakarta tercinta. Harusnya marah kali ya, ambil foto tanpa izin. Tapi as a token of appreciation of their hard work untuk membersihkan sampah, I gave him a big smile and a peace sign. Mudah-mudahan nggak beredar jadi meme di dunia virtual. LOL
Everyone who knows me will tell you that I'm quiet, reserved and introvert-ish. It's very unlikely of me to approach a stranger and say hi. But for all the greetings I got from other cyclists the other day I thought today I paid it forward to any cyclist that cross my path. A cyclist waiting for a traffic light in front of Fairmont hotel. "Pagi!" I said. And just like that we had a friendly conversation about cycling, Sungailiat, Bali, Bintan at 10km/hr all the way to GBK. I should throw selamat pagi more often ;-)
Lovely Idul Fitri day. Empty street. Waiting for the red light at the intersection of Jl. TB Simatupang & Jl. Fatmawati. Green light on Jl. Fatmawati, traffic were just moving when this Kopaja from TB Simatupang just ignored the red light. A bule cyclist with no helmet stood his ground right in front of the notorious Kopaja, gave his middle finger to the driver before continued his ride. Way to go bule guy! But I didn't think the senseless driver understand what your middle finger stand for. LOL. What's the most obscene gesture in Indonesia sih? Just in case I need to stand my ground against boneheaded motorists :-)
Vancouver. May 2016. I was walking down west 4th avenue in Kitsilano admiring adorable little shops and small cafe when I saw a baby crawl out from a clothing store to a one and a half meter wide sidewalk! I thought I was hallucinating. She almost reached the edge of the sidewalk before her mom casually stepped out of the store and picked him up.
One lovely Sunday. What was it about today that makes four cyclists throw their greetings at me this morning. One gave me an enthusiastic selamat pagi. One with an aerodynamic helmet that looks like it belong to a super hero said, "Nice bike!" I yelled back, "Nice helmet!" But I didn't think he heard me because his ears are covered by his helmet. Another yelled "Haaai! Sendiri aja?" It was a rhetorical question that require no answer right? And The last one gave me a melodious hey, a big smile and a wink. I laughed out loud. Must be the empty streets that makes people delirious today.
Vancouver. May 2016. I was eating my cranberry walnut salad outside in an eating area near a supermarket on west 4th avenue when a young woman approached me and said, "Do you mind watching my dog? I just need to get some juice!" When I said yes she tied her dog to a post in front of me. "I don't want her to get your food," she said nicely and apologetically. The minute she walked in the supermarket the dog started barking and making loud whiny sound. I was still eating my salad when a guy came up to the dog, gave her a pat on her back and said, "There, there! You be all right," and gave me a what-were-you-thinking-look. "It's not my dog and this salad is so good!" I said defensively. He left right away without uttering any word.
