Memory Test

Concentrate and read the following excerpt for a full 20 seconds:

Penyelesaian Kewajiban Pemerintah Sektor Hulu Migas (Pembayaran PBB Migas Kontraktor Kontrak Kerja Sama (KKKS), Reimbursement PPN/PPN BM Migas KKKS, Pajak Daerah Migas, Underlifting Migas KKKS dan Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) Fee Migas KKKS) dan Panas Bumi (Reimbursement PPN Panas Bumi dan Pembayaran PBB Pertambangan Panas Bumi) (SOP 206)

Done? Now, grab a pencil and a piece of paper. Without looking at the screen, try and write what you remember.

If you:
A. Can't remember or write a damn thing >> You might want to check for Alzheimer's. Or finish that Kejar Paket A thingy you once enrolled in.

B. Manage to write the first two or three words plus some bits and pieces in the middle >> Congratulations! You belong to the rest of normal human population.

C. Create a perfect copy of the text>>You're not human, are you?

D. Create a perfect copy of the text and actually understand the damn thing>> The rest of the world might consider that you're a superfreak bar none, but here at civil service we shall hail you as our king.

Pecel of Heaven

The train came to a full stop at Stasiun Kroya. Oh, yes. I’m so fucking dead and gone to pecel heaven. As if on cue, some of the vendors clambered up to the wagon and began offering their wares. And how can I say no to this:

This, my friends, is pecel Stasiun Kroya. While not as reputable as its Gambringan counterparts, this concoction is your ticket to culinary bliss. In a banana leaf makeshift plate, chunks of lonthong and tofu are served with slivers of cooking papaya, kangkung, spinach, snakebeans, and klandingan seeds. And then generously topped with sweet-hot peanut dressing.

The vegetables are boiled into crisp-perfection while the peanuts are coarsely grated to give richer texture to the whole experience. While kangkung, spinach, and snakebeans offer familiar sweetness, the combination of klandingan seed and slivers of kecombrang (that's the pink stuff, in case you're wondering) would add exotic tanginess you won’t find anywhere else.

Also worthy of mention is the dressing. The peanut dressing puts forward a sweetness that lures you into a false sense of security, carefuly masking the fiery hotness that lurks behind. Not until after several mouthful later will you realize that you’re being ambushed by the honest-to-goodness Banyumasan I’ll-kick-your-fucking-arse-to-oblivion chilli. But by then, your senses have been happily paralysed anyway.

Oh, did I mention it’s only Rp. 4.000,- including the rempeyek udang?

Public Apology to Holiday

I didn't know it's meant to be a secret.






PS. But now I do know the key of nursing a drink: good company.

Why I'm Happy Today

As a proud holder of KTB KA JAbotabek Ekonomi Bulan Februari, I just found out that I'm entitled to ride the all-new KRL AC Ekonomi until the end of the month. Awesome!

The Sexist

Several years ago, I went to the local Kelurahan office to apply for some documents that would certify that I was indeed still single and therefore eligible for marriage. Believe me, such documents DO exist. The process was surprisingly quick. The kelurahan guy handed me the papers and told me to have it signed by Bu Camat.

I was taken aback. Since when does the wife of a camat interferes in the administrative affairs of a kecamatan? Admittedly, some wives can have such overwhelming power over their husbands that they control the poor sods’ life to the minutest of details. I’ve heard stories of Bu Camats that are far more bossy than their Pak Camats. However, to my knowledge, they generally stay away from office business. Their role is usually limited to Dharma Wanita, in which they subsequently submit to the whims of the even more fearsome Bu Bupati. So, yes, I was utterly baffled by the fact that my marital status was going to be certified by the wife of the Camat, instead of Pak Camat himself.

It was only after I went to the Kecamatan that I realized that I had been neck-deep in sexism. The Camat of Cilacap Utara was a woman.