A Visit To Onsen, Universal Studio Japan, and An Internet Cafe Before Leaving Shin-Imamiya area

June 24

I woke up with the worst cramped leg feeling, and it was no wonder after the adventure in Kyoto. 10 spots in one day. Wow, just wow...ouch. I had my breakfast (oatmeal with sweetened fried anchovies/teri kacang), then I went back to sleep.

As it was impossible for me to do anything on this day, I decided to go to an onsen, which is located near my hostel. The area where my hostel is located has so many potential. Just several meters away, there is Don Quijote (a kind of souvenir shop), a laundry coin, as well as two stations (Shin-Imamiya that serves JR line and Dobutsuen-Mae that serves Metro line), and around 1 km away there is Shinsekai market.

I bought a ticket to the Spa World onsen from Klook, and it is an open date ticket that valid for one year. The men and women areas are separated. I came on even date, during which women use Asian spa, while men use European spa. On odd date, it was the other way around. The Asian spa and European spa are on different floors.

In the beginning, it felt awkward to take off the clothes, store them in locker and walk around naked. I kept the small towel they gave me to cover the front area. After a few hours I was like, whatever. I left my eyeglasses in the locker, so I couldn't see clearly too. The onsen visitors were busy with their own business anyway. I saw a lady reading a book while she sat in an outdoor pool (the outdoor area was a closed area, chill), and I just thought, wow I should do that next time. Wait, will there be a next time? There are many pools to try and it is just pure bliss for my cramped legs. I spent around four hours in the building and came out refreshed. 

I felt so much better after the visit to onsen, so I went out to treat myself to a proper dinner at Matsuri, a halal restaurant near Dotonburi area.

The restaurant's facade

Ramen for dinner. And if you post the photo to your IG and mention the restaurant, you would get a discount. Yeay, thank you, Matsuri!

From Matsuri, I went to Osaka Mosque in Chibune area. I successfully arrived at the mosque right during Maghrib's adzan (call for prayer). I quickly entered the women's praying area, which is located on the second floor.

Osaka Mosque in Chibune

After Maghrib, there was a Quran reciting class for children and I could hear them reciting behind the wall. I charged my cellphone for 30 minutes, and headed back to the hostel. I took a different station to go home, because the GMaps said the train cost would be cheaper. But the station it suggested was very far from the mosque. The area near the mosque was residential and housing complex, it was very quiet and I didn't meet any humans until I reached the station.

June 25

The day to explore Universal Studio Japan has come! This is the first Universal Studio I visit, so I don't have any expectation. However, the over-planner in me had read the reviews, all of which stated that you should go to Harry Potter area first thing in the morning because it would get more crowded later. Another tips I read was to bring a water bottle so I can refill it.

It was such a hot day!

Found a quiet spot near Wonderland and decided to roll out my praying mat there:)

A salmon vegetable wrap for lunch-dinner. I also brought onigiri from Lawson for breakfast. 

At night, there was a parade of the characters. I watched until the parade ended, and headed back to hostel to rest and prepare for work.

June 26

Wda landed in Osaka this morning, but I had to do my morning work because my leaves ended yesterday. Yeah, this freelancer refused to take a full holiday, because she is paid daily, and it will create a big hole in her pocket if she takes the whole 10-day leave.

I figured that I could finish my daily work at 1 pm (because Osaka is +1 hour than Singapore). However, the check out time was 10 am, so either I had to work from the hostel's lobby or find another place for work. Yesterday, I scouted the area near the hostel and found an Internet cafe nearby. I decided to check out earlier and worked from the Internet cafe.

The Internet cafe was empty when I arrived there at 7 am. A few men was already sitting in their booth, and as I walked to mine, I noticed they were watching porn. I tried to be cool and oblivious, although my facial expression probably said it all.

The staff kindly helped me to settle on my desk, attaching my cable, ensuring I logged in safely to the WiFi, and showing me the drink station (it's a free flow drink system). The WiFi is reliable in Japan, and I could finish my work before the deadline.

The Internet cafe also lends out comics, CD/DVD, magazine (adult magazine too). 

The drink station where Internet cafe users can have all the drinks available.

Each desk has monitor and PC desktop, but I used my laptop and only needed the WiFi

After I completed the day's work, I headed to Wda's hotel, which was located in Namba area, near Shinsaibashi. I put my luggage and stuffs, discussed our (different) plans for the next few days and then got ready to our respective destinations for the night.

Wda had work dinner with her colleagues, so I went to Ayam-Ya, a halal restaurant in Namba area. It seemed that in the next few days Wda would leave early for work and then had dinner meeting with her colleagues. So we would only meet very late at night (if I am still awake) and very early morning before she left for work. Oh, the demanding lives of metropolitan working women!

The restaurant's facade

To place an order, you put money into this machine and press the button of your selection. The machine will produce a receipt, which you give to the staff. 

I forgot the name of this ramen, but I think it's the original soup. There is an option for spicy soup.

After dinner, I went to Shinsaibashi area again just for sightseeing. As a freelancer who works alone like a hermit, walking around and seeing new scenery are already an adventure.

One Day In Kyoto, 10 Places Visited, And Cramped Legs Later

June 23

I decided to go to Kyoto today. A few days ago I found out through a WhatsApp status that a former colleague became a visiting researcher/lecturer in Kyoto University. I contacted him and said that I would be going to Osaka and Tokyo soon. He asked if I had plans to go to Kyoto, and offered to lend me his bike if I did.

At first, I was thinking to go to Universal Studio Osaka on this day. But then June 23 was a Sunday, and Universal Studio would have been packed. Also, this friend had a day off on Sunday, so let's go to Kyoto!

The amazing thing about Japan's transportation system was it was all there in Google Maps. If you put in the destination station in the app, GMaps would show the nearest train station, the time schedule and the ticket price.

Here were the places I visited in Kyoto:

1. Fushimi Inari
I chose this Shinto shrine to be the first spot to visit, because this is the most-visited place in Kyoto. I arrived at around 9.30 am (because I was trying to find the fastest route there and making quick decision was not my forte), and it was already full of people! Well, it was Sunday, anyway.

Shameless selfie in Fushimi Inari :D

Fushimi Inari is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates that leads to Mount Inari. The shrine is dedicated to Inari, Shinto's god of rice and fox is the messengers, which is why there are many fox statues around. I would have loved to climb to the peak, but I only had one day in Kyoto and had so many places to check out, including a lunch date with my colleague. So after one hour, I left the place and hurriedly went to...

2. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
This is also another most-visited place. I arrived at around 10 am, and again it was already packed! Argh. I also spend around one hour here, just to take some photos and see what makes the spot so famous. It was really hard to find a quiet and empty spot for photos because there were so many people photobombing you.

3. Togetsu-kyo Bridge, Katsura River and Arabica % Cafe
From the bamboo forest, I decided to check out that Instagram-famous cafe near Togetsu-kyo Bridge. The coffee itself was not that impressive, I mean I have sampled better coffee. But I guess what made it famous was the view of Togetsu-kyo Bridge and Katsura River.

Arabica % cafe in the background, with long queue line

4. Kyoto University
I went here to meet my friend, Pak Indrawan. I gave him a pack of Kopi Kapal Api to accompany him during the cramming nights as he would have to conclude his research in one month. He gave me a free lunch (a seafood bento) and lent me his bike. At first, I was hesitant about using the bike. I was afraid of the traffic or being lost in the city. But he assured me that Kyoto was very safe for biking. He also insisted that I used the bike to catch up with all the tourism sites I should visit.

"You don't come to Kyoto every day, you should maximize your time," he said. Hmm, he got a point here, ok, I thought.

The gate of Kyoto University

Kyoto University is an old campus, with big trees and some of the buildings in red-brick style. I tried to ride the bike in a few circles, then I was on my own on the streets of Kyoto. Oh my God, I loved it! I haven't been biking for years because the traffic in Jakarta was too cruel to bicyclists. But Kyoto's traffic and people has been very gentle to me. No one honked or even tried to overtake me.

5-6. Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher's Path
Pak Indrawan suggested that I went to Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavillion) and the Philosopher's Path.
Ginkaku-ji complex consists of the Silver Pavillion, half a dozen of other temple buildings, a moss garden and a sand garden. There is a circular route that allows visitor to view all as they walk around.

The Philosopher's Path is a pedestrian path along a cherry-tree-lined canal in Kyoto between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji. The route is so-named because a Japanese philosopher and Kyoto University professor Nishida Kitaro is thought to have used it for daily meditation. Everything is green and quiet along

7. Kamigamo-jinja and Shimogamo-jinja
After that, I should go to Kamigamo and Shimogamo-jinja, or the Kamo shrines, both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Pak Indrawan said that I should go a bit farther to see the bigger shrine (Shimogamo).

The facade of Kamigamo-jinja and the bike I used to get here

8. Kamo River
Again, the idea to visit the river came from Pak Indrawan. From the Kamo shrines, you could walk along Kamo river, he said. If you were lucky, you might see a deer, he added. Well, I didn't see any deer, but I met ducks and saw many big carps. It just felt so peaceful there. I had a wonderful time along the river. I came back to Kyoto University all smiles.

9. Gion
I charged my cellphone for an hour in Pak Indrawan's study room. The he walked me to the nearest bus stop. One of the best things of having a friend in a foreign place was the chance to have a private praying area. I checked all the places I visited above, and none of them had a dedicated praying room.

Gion at night

Before I headed to the station, I decided to stop by Gion, because it is also one of the must-visit place. I arrived a little bit past 8 pm. Unfortunately, the shops close at around 8 pm. But I could imagine how elegant the area would be if it were open. I should be going to the station, but the stubborn in me decided to check out Yasaka shrine, which GMaps said only several hundred meters from Gion.

10. Yasaka Shrine
It started to drizzle when I climbed up the stairs to Yasaka shrine. But it didn't stop me to admire the beautiful lanterns adorning the shrine. Since it was almost 9 pm, I only spent around 15 minutes in the shrine complex, and literally ran to the station.

Alhamdulillah, I managed to catch the train. I arrived back in Osaka at around 11 pm, cleaned up myself quickly, slathered my legs with analgesic cream and rolled under the blanket.

Conclusion: One day in Kyoto is not enough. I should come back again to explore other places, such as Kiyomizu-dera and Imperial Palace. For the time being, it was the best I could do. I slept with And the cramped legs? Ah, that would be the background story for my adventure on June 24.

15 Days In Japan: The Beginning

I was chatting with a former colleague Wda and again, I was whining on how my freelance works had secluded me from the outer world, when she innocently said that she was going to Japan next month for an office assignment and asked if I would like to join her. Without further ado, I jumped to the opportunity.

Wda would attend the G20 event in Osaka, and then go to Tokyo for a meeting. Therefore, I booked the Jakarta-Osaka and Tokyo-Jakarta flights. However, I decided to come a few days earlier and leave later from her schedule, because unlike her who was paid to go there, I spent my own money to go to Japan, so I'd better stay longer to enjoy the country.

So the plan was, I would fly to Osaka, Japan on June 21 and arrive on June 22. I would stay somewhere cheap on June 22-25. Then I would join Wda on June 26-29. On June 30, we would travel to Tokyo on a shinkansen as Wda would have a meeting at the headquarter office. We would stay on different places again in Tokyo, probably would just meet over dinner, if possible. This was done under the consideration that Tokyo would have more colleagues and it would be uncomfortable for her to explain to them why I was staying at her hotel. If her office did not allow her to extend her stay, she would go back home on July 3. And I would stay until July 6 and arrive in Jakarta on July 7. I had yet to have any plan for the July 3-6 stay, but I figured that I would just soak in the Tokyo vibes.

The visa process for Japan proved to be the most efficient procedure. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon I filled out the forms, paid for the process fee, and left my passport at the visa agency. By Friday afternoon, I received an email informing me that my passport and visa could be picked up. After getting the visa, I booked the tickets to Universal Studio Japan in Osaka and Tokyo Disneyland. I also bought the Internet package and prepared other stuffs to bring.

And here is the first leg of the travel note...

June 21

I flew to Japan with Air Asia, with a 5-hour transit at Don Mueang Airport, Thailand. The airport had several tap water refill spots for the passengers. I tried to find a praying room at the airport, and while walking around I bumped into several Indonesians who were also looking for a praying room. We decided to pray at a quiet corner, because we could not find it. After several hours of transit, I bade my new friends goodbye and boarded the plane to Osaka.

A brief transit at Don Mueang Airport

June 22

Welcome, all G20 Osaka Summit delegates! Not me, though.

I landed in Osaka around 8 am, waited for my baggage and searched for WiFi. For the shinkansen trip to Tokyo, I had yet to know which train Wda would take until the day of my departure (her travel agent in Japan said that the shinkansen on July 1 was a bit crowded due to people traveling between Osaka and Tokyo during G20 meeting, which was her assignment, by the way). I got her confirmation when I landed at Osaka airport, so the first thing I did once I landed was booking the shinkansen at the same hour of Wda.

First lunch in Osaka: soba

I booked an accommodation near Shin-Imamiya station and the check in time was 3 pm. To spend the time until the check in hour, I explored the airport. I had my lunch at Sojibo, a halal soba restaurant, prayed in one of the praying rooms (Osaka airport has three praying rooms), activated my Internet package, exchanged currency, topped up the ICOCA card that L has lent me, and did window shopping (everything is expensive). After Dzuhur, I decided to head to the hostel.

Osaka airport is located on one of reclamation islands, so the trip to the city had to cross the sea. The car looked like the ones in Indonesia,  because Indonesia bought second hand cars from Japan, and I immediately felt like I was home. Everything is connected by transportation network. The trip to my hostel took less than one hour.

Ohayo, Osaka!

As I looked around to find my hostel, a gentleman asked if I needed help. I told him I was just looking for my hostel. He asked if I had the address, and since he looked so kind, I gave him the address. He helped me find the hostel, but it was still closed. So I went to a nearby Lawson, bought a one small carton milk and waited for the check in time in front of that Lawson while sipping the milk. It just felt so surreal that I had made it to Osaka, on my own, and had yet to get lost. In 30 minutes, a young man approached me and asked if I needed help. I said I was okay and thanked him with a smile.

After that young man left, I glanced at my watch and saw that it was still one more hour to the check in time. However, I felt uncomfortable with the thought that another stranger would ask me if I was okay had I stood there for another hour. So I went to the hostel and tried to find a door bell, but there was none. I tried to push the door, but it was locked. I stood there quietly, trying to figure out a way to enter. Another man saw me standing in front of the hostel and quietly slid the sliding door that was next to the main door. Lo and behold, the sliding door was not locked! I thanked the man and entered the hostel. A lady heard our voices and came to the reception area.

The check in process was smooth. I paid for my stay ahead. The lady showed me the shared facilities: the communal toilet and wash basin for brushing tooth, the bathroom and shower, the water heater. Then she escorted me to my room, showed me how to open the door and reminded me to lock it properly when I was inside.

I charged my cellphone, let myself falling onto the bed and dozed off for two hours. I woke up around 4 pm and decided to go to Shinsaibashi and Glico man in Dotonburi area. It was only a few station from Shin-Imamiya, and the signage was available in both Japanese kanji and Romanji, so I could reach the spot easily.

It was Saturday night and Shinsaibashi was packed to the brim that I almost could not walk through. I walked along the river and did people-watching. I only lingered for a while because I was still sleepy, and I had a lot of schedules for tomorrow.

Where would I go tomorrow? Now that requires a post on its own :).

I met a guy who was also a solo traveller so we took turns in taking photos. I was tired and sleep deprived, but this photo summed up my feeling that day. It's a wrap!

On Placing Your Hopes And Expectations To God

Last year I saw a YouTube video on an ustadz (male clerics) giving a sermon on the importance of marriage. The ustadz cited a hadith saying The Prophet said married people were already achieving half of the religion. From that hadith, the ustadz deduced that the unmarried people had yet to reach anything worthy for the journey to afterlife.

I remembered feeling helpless after hearing the sermon. As a single Muslim in my late 30s (this year is the last year of my 30s), I believe that Allah would not let anyone feeling left behind and that Islam embraces people from all walks of life. So I looked up Al Quran to find solace.

What I found in Al Quran were verses on marriage, to be kind to spouse (how husband should treat their wife and vice versa), to be kind to those who have less, and other advises on being kind to other humans. Reading the verses on marriage resulted in even more helpless feeling, because they emphasized the aforementioned hadith.

As I turned the 30th juz, I stumbled upon Q.S Al Zalzalah (The Earthquake). The 99th surah in Al Quran consists of 8 verses and the last two verses say: "Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. Whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it."

It reminded me of a hadith as told by Abu Hurairah ra about the poor people who asked The Prophet that the rich could do sholat and fasting, just like the poor do. But the rich can give alms, free slaves and donate their wealth for good deeds, while the poor can not do that. At the end of the hadith, Rasulullah SAW said that Allah gave blessing to whoever He wanted to give.

And then another verse of Al Quran jumped out before my eyes: "And to your Lord only should you direct your longing." (Q.S. Al Insyirah-94: 8).

I still needed some validation on the hadith mentioned on the first paragraph of this post, so I asked another cleric, who I knew well that he would pick his words carefully. He said that marriage was indeed already half of the religion (insert sad sigh here). However, he added, those who were married still had to pursue the other half, which is taqwa. He reminded that people should always place their hopes and expectations to God, and not being complacent with the good deeds they have done or achieved.

Those kind words reminded me of another surah, Q.S. Al Ashr, which is my namesake actually. The last two verses say: '"Indeed, mankind is at loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."

Please note that I am not a scholar on Islamic studies. I am just a Muslim who wants to learn more about my own faith. I know that my understanding on Al Quran is not as much as the people who dedicate their life to learn Islam. Feel free to give comments and suggestion. 

May we be able to reach our full potential in this year's Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak!

A Few Days Of Working From Kuala Lumpur

As many people often express their envy on my work-from-home situation, I would respond by explaining my lonely hermit-like work schedule. Eventually, one of my friends, Nisachan, invited me to join her to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was going there to attend a three-day workshop. I didn't need much persuasion, and agreed to join her.

Day 1

I started the trip in the worst-case scenario: I missed the flight! So I booked a flight at 2 pm, because I thought I could finish my work at 11 am. Unfortunately, my work ended a bit later and I arrived at the airport 30 minutes before the flight. I also forgot to do web check in (my bad, I know). This was such a lessons learned: always do web check in!

Anyway, I decided to continue with the travel plan and buy another ticket on the next flight (which was still available, alhamdulillah).

Upon arriving in KL, I took KLIA Ekspress to reach KL Sentral

Learning the intricate transportation network in KL Sentral

Ok, I have made my decision to take LRT and used this blue token to reach my destination

I arrived in KL and headed to the hotel where my friend stayed. She had just ended a series of meeting when I got to the room. We later explored the area around her hotel for food (I had yet to have dinner). We walked around and find a kind of hotpot cart nearby a construction project.

The best thing was it's cheap! 

We closed the night with a photo session in front of KLCC Twin Tower.

Day 2

Nisachan went to her workshop and I worked from the hotel room. The Internet speed in the hotel was superb. After work, I went out to have a quick reunion with a friend Ririn Ruby. We used to take yoga class together back in 2005-2006. She married a Malaysian in 2010 and now lives in KL. It was a wonderful meet up after our last meeting in 2013.

Hello from Kuala Lumpur! Thank you for making the time for the meet-up.

At night, my roommate had a work dinner with her colleague. So I decided to have dinner at Tapak foodtruck area.

Clear elevator and no one around? It's time for shameless selfie shot.

My dinner: Mee Mamak or something. Verdict: I like the Indonesian version of Mie Goreng better

Day 3

Nisachan would depart to one of the beach and check on turtle conservation areas with her office on this day. At first, she thought that I could tag along, because she would have the whole room for herself anyway. But then there was a transportation issue, because it was located quite far and I had to go there on my own. After a lot of thinking, I decided to stay in KL and find a place to stay for one night. After all, she would come back to KL the next day and spent one more night in KL before we flew back home on the fifth day.

When I told Ririn Ruby that I was staying in KL, she said,"Hey, why don't you stay with me?" Wow, sure, with pleasure. So the accommodation was settled. All I needed to do was complete my work before the check out time.

The joy (or is it a curse?) of freelancing is you can bring your work anywhere

The electrical socket in KL has three-leg, but I can still use the two-leg from Indonesia

Nisachan also checked out, but she still had meetings at the hotel before she departed to that beach at night. We bade our temporary goodbye, and left each other to face to our own fate (#drama).

Anyway, Ririn Ruby picked me up at Taman Bahagia LRT station, which is the nearest station from her home. We dropped my bags at her home.

Happy Park. Actually, there was a ramp on the side for people with disabilities.

Then we went to Naelofar to shop some hijabs because our friend requested one hijab made in Malaysia. I ended up buying two hijabs for myself. I should open 'jastip' next time, lol.

The Naelofar outlet in Taman Tun Datuk Ismail (TTDI). Shoes off!

My friend asked me to buy one black Jemima hijab for her. Then I also bought one. This resulted in the cashier girl asking me three time if I was really buying two black Jemima hijab. Maybe they thought I should buy the other one in another color. No, I wanted two black hijabs please.

After all the exciting shopping experience, we went back to Ririn's home. Then she asked if I wanted to watch Avenger: Endgame with her family. Whoa, definitely! 

Ririn has two boys, let's call them A1 and A2. They are still below 10 years old, but already act like adult, and it is so refreshing to have conversation with them.

For example:

On how Ririn and I met

A1: Where did you and mom meet?

Me: We took up yoga classes

A1: I didn't remember you at all

Me: Well, it was back in Jakarta. But I did meet you back in 2013, you were still around 2-3 years old, I think

A1: Ohhh

On staying in for the night and leaving the next day

A1: So you stay with us for the night?

Me: Yes, just for one night, though. I will leave tomorrow.

A2: You can stay with us forever (hugs)

A1: Oh yes!

Me: (Is there anyone cutting onion here?)

On sleeping arrangement

A1: Where are you sleeping tonight?

Me: Rrr, we'll see

A1: You can sleep next to my brother and I

Me: (Oh, my heart!)

Before we left for the movie

Ririn: Ok boys, we are going now. Remember, no crying, no whining, no noise and no taking other people's food.

Me: Wait, it happened before? Taking other people's food, I mean.

Ririn: Oh yes, it did. The person just laughed it off, but I was mortified.

Me: Oh your boys are definitely cute.

Anyway, Avenger: Endgame is a three-hour movie. Although Bahasa Indonesia and Melayu share similar roots and words, watching a movie for three hours with subtitle in another language was quite confusing. For your information, movies screened in Malaysia have two subtitles: Melayu and Chinese. "And sometimes there is subtitle in Indian language, too," added Ririn. Oh dear.

Day 4

The next day, I had Nasi Lemak at Village Park Restaurant, which is also nearby Ririn's home. I went here with her and Tika in 2013, so this was a walk down memory lane. In my opinion, it's the best nasi lemak in Malaysia.

The menu and price

I am drooling just looking at that photo. Ohhh, the crispy and yet tender fried chicken, a mix of perfect spices (not too much balacan), along with the rice that is accompanied with anchovies and peanuts, and the sambal (chili paste).

Ririn dropped me off at my hotel in the afternoon. After Nisachan arrived, we went out to have dinner at McDonald's. The next day, we flew back home.

Conclusion: It was a wonderful experience to work in KL for a few days, although I didn't get to see around. I think I would do this again if similar opportunity comes again.

MRT Jakarta Public Trial

Hello, people living in Jakarta and its greater areas! The time has come for us to raise our heads and say proudly,"Yes, we are one of those cool cities that have subways!" Woot woot!

The MRT Jakarta opened its gates for a free public trial during March 12 and 24. Tickets for the public trial were available at ayocobamrtj.com, a website that collaborates with e-commerce BukaLapak. We have to type in our email/ID card number/mobilephone number, and after a period of time, you will get the ticket in the form of QR code in the email.

Although the process is relatively easy, I still think it's just so much hassle for a public trial. But a friend, who was invited by the Jakarta administration to get a free trial a month before it was opened for public trial, said that the registration was to get everything in records, in case something happened. (Tangent: if you want to see the pictures he takes on Jakarta's infrastructure, you check his IG account at @darisarch)

I did a free public trial of MRT Jakarta on March 16 with a former colleague. We hopped on to the MRTJ from Bendungan Hilir station. The QR code was scanned, a sticker was handed. Then we walked down to the platforms and waited for the train to arrive.

Bendungan Hilir station 

The sticker for the public trial

In my opinion, the platforms look like the ones in Singapore. My friend commented that it looked similar to the ones in Japan. But of course, MRTJ was designed by a Japanese consortia, I said.

I didn't take the photo in the right angle to show everything, but there is an escalator next to this stairs

Let's go to Lebak Bulus

The design of MRTJ takes accessibility seriously. The stations have escalators, elevators, ramps, and special tiles for the visually impaired. The car has priority seats. Upon approaching a station, passengers can see the notification on a small screen above the car door or hear the name of the station being announced.

The MRTJ stays underground between Hotel Indonesia station and Al Azhar Mosque, and then it jumps up to an elevated railway track until Lebak Bulus Station. The 15-kilometer route is completed in less than 20 minutes, it's efficient and traffic free.

On the day I tried the MRTJ, the car was crowded with families going out and about. Many people took photos, made vlogs and stared in awe. All has the look of pride and happiness on their faces. As for myself, I was overwhelmed with emotions. After trying subways in many countries, I am finally able to take one in my home land. It felt so surreal!

I read that after the first phase is inaugurated, the government will soon plan for the second phase, which will connect the east-west areas, and then the third phase, which will connect Jakarta and four greater areas (Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi). May God grant me the opportunity in this lifetime to see them all in operation.

Some Real Life Pick Up Lines

While I do not have many experiences in love and relationship, I can not stop being a hopeless romantic. But if you have read this blogs from the beginning, you can figure this out by now:).  

To close the month of February, I have compiled the pick up lines from my guy friends in real life. Here they are without further ado...

"For all of you, I may just die, because you're worth it." - a guy friend who was complimenting a girl's bright red lipstick color.

"You absolutely deserve to be addressed as poetically 'milady'." - a guy friend who shares similar interest on Game of Thrones with a girl.

"Love it when your funny naughtiness appears." - a guy friend who has kinky perverted thoughts (lol).

"I don't really do cinemas anymore, only with you." - a guy friend when a girl asked what was the last movie he watched in the theaters.

"If there is just one thing I would like to see in life before I die, it's you during the early 2000s." - a guy friend trying to see a photo of a girl in her younger days.

What are the sweetest pick up lines you ever heard in real life? :)