Patches In a sea of blight

I've many times been told of the Scandinavian design wonder. The furniture, the product design and how famous we are for it. Myself, I did study product design engineering as well as some at art school back in Stockholm. It's quite  strange to say this, since I never really use any of those skills. They have been rusting for so long I'm not sure if the're still there. Well the computer aided part is. I dunno about the rest.
Anyway. So far I only heard about the nice traditional craftsmanship and artwork in Indonesia, the origin of Batik. But what I find more interesting are the little patches, containing explosions of design passion in a vast landscape of gray blight, that is Jakarta.

These patches of insight in a sea of blight are usually cafes or restaurants that someone put in more than a tad of effort in designing and decorating with artwork. I came to this realization after hanging out in a photo and printing area which was as dull as dishwater. Finding a cafe on the third floor that radiated with color and coziness made me realize that in Jakarta where restaurants, clubs and cafes pop up like weed and die out just as fast is a extremely interesting place for one who likes experiments in design and interior decorating. I think one could spend a lifetime here always finding new interesting places.

If you don't have too much time to spend wandering the odd streets in J-town you can actually get a quick look at some of the nice designs at the Malls otherwise not so appreciated by me. Well, except for the food which also comes in a nice variety.
A better way is to ask a local. But you need to ask someone of the middle class or up. Your general street thug won't give much insight here, sadly. You will however maybe get to chill out at the warkop (from Warung Kopi). A bicycle coffee stall containing a big thermos of coffee, in it's simplest version. Not a bad way to go all in all. The best way is to find some gay people. They will know what's up in this area.

Sexual Quantum Leep

The mating and grooming habits of the Indonesians or specially the Jakartoon is something that needs a peek at. First of all one should be aware of that the heavily religious nature of the country tends to foster prudish notions. So a conception of sex before marriage being inferior to sex after marriage is the status quo, on the surface. In reality many young couples engage in sexual activities.

For me it's more the way there and what other implications this brings that's interesting. As the image, surface or face is what counts it is ofc seen as very obscene and maybe too exciting with public displays of affection (PDA). But there are modern and cool people that may hold hands while walking and things like that. For making out, you can forget it. This is way beyond the J-towners borders. You will however see foreigners doing this with small or no attempts of prevention by the locals. This lack of displays of affection has even seemed to enter the private domain. What I mean with this is that few attempts to engage in physical interaction will occur before there is a clear indication the coupleing. This gives rise to an interesting process of sexual exploration. Which I call the Sexual Quantum Leep effect. Here is small summary of what might happen during courting.

1. you get her number from a friend
2. you text, cause it might be so scary for her if you call out of the blue...
3. you call
4. you go for dinner, coffee or something like that
5. you repeat this and also engage in lots of BBM activeties (black berry messenger. Yes, I too was hoping for a more exciting explination to this ebriviation)
6. maybe you get introduced to your respective friends
7. Eventually BAM! you are a couple
8. Now it might be considered ok to do the down and dirty, if he or she is open to that at all.
9. Sexual Quantum Leep --- Sex, touching and kissing follows.

Now it might be me, the traveller from a coulture far, far away that got some of this wrong or right and I'm just unused to the schematics of it all. But for you, my compañeros in exploration to understand my notion of this casm I'll copare to the process I'm used to.

RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS	SAMPLE PHYSICAL PROGRESS	JAK BBM PROGRESS	JAK PHYSICAL PROGRESS
Live Conversation 1	Non sexual physical contact	Moderate	N/A
Live Interaction 2,	Kissing, Making out	High	N/A
Continued Live interactin	Sex	Very High	N/A
Coupeling or non-coupleing relations	Sexual Exploration	Extreamly High	Sex

The Americans use a baseball analogy to help quantify the sexual progress in a given senario. to help us define this sexual progress leep I will also use numerics. from 1-4. Since the relationship building progress seem to share sertain characteristics these will be used as a base measurement.

As you can see the rate of sexual advances is significantly higher for the Jatowneese than the sample population of my experience. This means that when it comes to that last step it's a all or nothing situation where there is little previous experience to build on. One can easily make comparisons to a vast amount activities like flying an airplane with no previous training in a simulator and such but I will refrain from that. Instead I'd like to highlight some side effects of this environment which might me interesting.
So stay tuned for a second report of social interaction and grooming in Jakarta.

Getting Around J-City

With it's tentacles streaching inward covering large part of the land the it streches so much further than the little city once considered a big city in a country made of old kingdoms. Jakarta's origin, It's old town still has a lingering colonial feeling about it despite the stampeedes of modern day Jakartans. It clearly cherishes it's history and in many a place there are clear affiliations with the golden age of the film industry. Cafes and restaurants are likely to have designs inspired by icons of fiction or reality like Bogart, Casablaca or maybe Marylyn Monroe. This is the Indonesia I think of from traveling around these volcanic lands as a kid. But Cities evolve and grow. They become something else with time. In my native Sweden there are songs about the concrete Jungle but in reality I'd more compare those environments to concrete tundras. Now Jakarta is a true concrete urban Jungle. Sprawling and bustling in so many ways. It's filled with the unexplored and the dangerous.
Photos by: http://www.flickr.com/people/jantomarzuki/

I'm not sure which of these dangers would be the worst. One comes with certain benefits. The city has protected itself from most of the sun's heat and radiation through a skin of smog and smoke effectively eliminating a lot of potential sun burns and cancers. With air so think with pollution I'd call it something else, has it's own influences on the people of Jakarta. While the well off little chieftains and their corporate minions erect protective shelters using air condition and air purification around their territories (Malls, Villas, Shops, small palaces and dorms). The low class people, as someone here called them just deal with it. Well that or die.

The other great danger and terror of the Jakartians is the macet. It's terrible creature that used to stalk the city mostly during dusk and dawn. As the urbanization grows it has fed the macet to disproportional extents. It now strikes ruthlessly from dawn till late evening while resting during the night. In all of the cities I've visited in all of the countries I've journeyed to, the macet, or "jam" here is the worst. Attempting to travel when it hits is completely futile as you will for certain be stuck for many a hour during these jams.

With a wide range of methods devised to get around this monster of a city only a few are recommended. Your average local way finder will prefer the Ojek or motorcycle taxi. It does have the ability so swiftly navigate even through the worst traffic macet with a skilled guide. This is not without danger though. When luck runs out and Ojek and any other vehicle decide to mate your unfortunate Jakartanese is definitively left in a bit of a pickle or maybe that is a word that might describe their future prospects after that. The other two ways I'd recommend are quite a bit safer. At least the drawbacks are less instead. Riding the bussway might soak you in the odeur of two or three busloads of sweaty J-towners cramped into one small buss from the last millenia. While some genetic advantages can help alleviate some of the discomforts it also has it's disadvantages. If you happen to be unnaturally tall, Say over 175cm. you can easily pop your head up and breathe the less hot air, say under 30 degrees Celsius. Blunt head trauma will follow if you are not careful though. There is always you standard upper class carriage which here is the taxi. It's safe and air-conditioned. Well safe in the context. Most cabs do not have seat belts but will survive small collisions and warm weather, all for a small extra fee. Here you just have to choose the right type of flock for you. The safest is the colored bird company. They come in two prominent colors blue and silver. While the blue bird is actually blue or at least grayish blue depending on how long it has prospered in the Jungle, the silver one is undoubtedly black. While these birds will carry you safely I prefer the white one. It's called an express and will cost you about half your gold compared to the other ones.

From lifeonthego

• Ojek 5min 10.000 RP 30 min 25.000 Rr
• Buss way 3.500 Rp
• Taxi 5 min 10.000 Rp 30 min 30.000 R

The Hood, The Turf.

I'm not sure about you but in a whole bunch of places people define them self by the location of where they matured or live. In Stockholm we have the snobby posh peeps of Östermalm or maybe Danderyd. In Oakland, CA the hood defined it's crews but here we have something else. Here we have the people of the malls.

Don't know if you've read my previous post of the prominents mall culture of Inonesia and Jakarta but lets just say it's a very dominating part of life for the middle class and well off in Indonesia. Instead of beloning to a crew or living in a selct neigbourhood one is often described why what mall one frequents and what mall one lives close to.

We have our Yupies and business peeps (pacific place), Our soccer moms (pasar raya), suburban shoppers (mall ambasadeur), OC brats, (taman angrek), chill outers (semangi), and many many more. As a funny note there is a kids attraction at PP named Yupi land. Quite fitting if I do say so myself. Having Pacific Place in my back yard forces me to endure the snobbiest of all malls in Indonesia. Seeing families with more nannies than kids here are not at all uncommon. Needless to say they have at lest one part of designer strollers for their kids. Kinds like home, in Stockholm I guess but with way less of a fasion sense.

Shake that Mony Maker

I'm sure some of you have heard the expression shake that money maker. Well them gold diggers come in all shapes and sizes. There are always plenty of articles online describing how there are plenty of girls in the developing world wanting to date those "rich" foreigners. Specially here in Jakarta I'm finding a whole bunch of articles about it and how to meet those hot local girls. Ha ha, you thought I was gonna write something about my experiences here didn't you. Well OK then. The night scene is in fact filled with plenty of women one might call gold diggers. Looking for a man to pay her bills or take her away to a richer place. I'm not going to claim that all women here are like that but a whole bunch of em are, at the clubs. I'm not even counting in the prostitutes now. Anyway that's not what surprised me. What surprised me was to what degree money makes the wheels turn here. I recently went to a salsa place here in J-town and learnt something else than salsa moves too. I learnt that almost all the men in the club where hired my women who want to dance. There is in fact such a shortage of dancing men here or at least that don't require to have their steps lubricated with cash that the whole Latin dance scene here runs on it. Where did the spirit of dance go? Well at least both men and women here shake their asses for them dolla dolla bill ya'll.

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/people/chifeng/

Surprise visit

Early this morning I got a call from my cousin. I figured she and her friends wouldn't show up since their friend Chris sent me a message that they wouldn't come.

Apparently one of the girls lost her passport and is now on a quest to get a new one.

For me, this meant that my tiny room became a bedroom for four. my room is about 3x4 square meters which means thats it's well cosy haha. I do wonder what my neighbors assumes though.

Kinda of strange with Swedish Company too. It's been ages since I've spoken Swedish with people.

Anyway hope they make it safely to Singapore for more adventures =)

Jakarta Shopping

The main extra curricular activity of the middle and upper class Jakarta people is "hanging out at malls". Hanging out at the mall has become the main activity of entertainment during the last 20 years. I cannot remember that is was such a big deal back in 1987. coming back to this island nation every decade I've noticed a clear increase in popularity of this "entertainment".

Since I'll be spending some time in Jakarta this time around I've decided to write a small guide on the "Malls" and other shopping areas in Jakarta. I'm no expert in shopping, specially not compared to my local friends when it comes to hunting down those bargain prices. Malls in Jakarta vary a lot and are not the same despite what a heap of travel guide say. There are bargains to be made, there are great fun to be had but you do need to visit the right place for your taste.

Pasific Place

Living a stone's throw away from it, I've taken a walk or two in it. This is more or less the epiphany of an upper class shopping center. This is where you find you nice cars, brand boutiques and "I pay so I feel rich" restaurants.

It's connected to the Ritz-Carlton hotel and like all malls it's easily accessible by Taxi.

There are NO good deals to be found here. It is very clean and calm. I would not recommend you to go here for a good time unless you like walking around in expensive boutiques and paying generous amount for simple things and a good helping of status. Which a surprising amount of Indonesian people do.

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Scaling Jakarta

I'm having some trouble writing this post since my fingers are't adhering to my will completely. The reason they're on strike is that I went rock climbing for the first time in ages.

After some searching I managed to find Jakarta's only place to Boulder. I'm quite amazed by the obscurity of the sport in a city hosting 20 million people or so. There are a few places where you can do some wall climbing with a bilayer but only one place to boulder.

The place is quite small and it's in a abandoned staircase of a football stadium. It's like if someone ghetto rigged a bouldering gym. But it's perfectly good to practice at. Just like at almost every climbing place the guys there are really friendly and talkative. It's a great atmosphere to hang out in it you don't mind the mosquitoes and neon lighting.

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My shopping addiction

I have to admit that I too enjoy shopping. Today I spent a bunch of cash on sports gear. I tend to spend my money or sports, travel, tech stuff, food and nerdy stuff. Can’t say it’s any different from anyone else I guess.
I am curious about my ability or lack of restrain in spending far too much of my available funds on a whim when it comes to these things. I think that if one made a graph of spending over time I’d be similar to a heartbeat. quite low for a long time and suddenly consumption rises enormously with some smaller variations in spending amount before and after.

This time I happened to spend it on a new Badminton racket. Last trip around the world I think I bought a couple too. Anyway it ended being a nanotech 200. It felt good so I hope it works well too. Stringed it with BG 66. tried to find BG 80 but I’m not sure if it doesn't exist any more due to my long time absent from the world of Badminton or if they just didn’t carry it.
Did learn that it is impossible for me to play with a traditional grip in this hot weather due to not being able to hold it sweating like crazy. I changed to a towel grip long ago but I never realized it was vital for me to even being able not to drop the racket.

Playing the Hood

It's in the humid and dirty streets of Jakarta where it goes down at night. Where it's decided who is the strongest, fastest and most dangerous. At Badminton that is.

Badminton is the national sport of Indonesia and it's played my most people in most places. In fact there is a street badminton court outside of where I live where the local crew hang out at night. And as the ''new kid on the block'' I had to throw it down too.

Jakarta Street Badminton from Filip Marzuki on Vimeo.

Pain I tell you. My right leg is so tiered and I realize I'm so out of shape. I have been spending some time looking for a gym around here but maybe these night badminton games will serve just as well.

Playing barefoot on a concrete court my old practice with Suryanaga Gudang Garam Badminton in 1998 paid off. I did win my games despite problems with, well everything haha. Maybe I'll get to play someone better next time. Win or lose it's real good fun and besides I need the practise if I'm gonna be in shape or the annual get together with my old club mates from Täby Badminton.

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Right off the bat

Well pretty much right off the bat I managed to engage in random activities with some peeps in Jakarta. Like some of you might now I do like to try new sports. This time it was a sport called Kasti. It's like a variation of softball or Bränboll as they say in Sweden. the major difference it that someone throws the ball to you from the side so you hit it from a 90 degree angle. Don't know why but I really sucked at it. Think I only hit the ball once in nine tries.

Here it's played in grade school and it's really a lot of fun. Some of the really fun parts is when you need to throw the ball at an opposite team member when you change sides.

Spending the afternoon playing Kasti was a lot of fun and I recommend you to try it if you're ever in Indonesia.

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