Medan Kota

Alright.. I haven’t been blogging for a longggg time.. that’s simply because.. 1. I am busy with life and  2. I have nothing interesting to entertain … ^0^..

Anyway.. this morning, a friend send us a link.. he said someone wrote that Medan is “Worst. City. Ever.”.. well.. honestly, I wasn’t expecting much of what the article is going to be about anyway.. but mine oh mine.. just the first paragraph alone had me feeling sick to the stomache..

Alright.. I am not going to deny that I am not a big fan of this city, Medan.. I have lived for a decade by now.. and though it is not the best city on earth.. (Bangkok, my hometown, received ‘world’s best city” this year).. but I have to defence on behalf of Medan people that.. ‘NO!!  Medan is not the Worst. City. Ever.’

enough said.. but here’s what Mr ADAM GARTRELL wrote on July 19, 2010 for www.theage.com.au..

“Dear Medan. I hate you.

I visited you recently and found you the most unpleasant, charmless and thoroughly depressing city I’ve ever encountered. And I’ve visited plenty of s—holes in my time.

Now, when it comes to big Indonesian cities I have pretty low expectations.

I live in Jakarta, the biggest of them all, so I know what I’m in for: traffic, pollution, heat, noise, chaos, the stench of human waste.

And you, Medan – Indonesia’s third biggest city – you provided all those things. In great abundance.

In fact, even though your population, at three million, is a quarter that of Jakarta’s, I reckon you’re worse on just about every count.

Quite an achievement.

But Medan, you’re awful not just because of your many failings but because you appear to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

You’re slim pickin’s for hotels, you don’t seem to boast a single, decent restaurant and from what I’ve heard, you’ve got no real nightlife.

Your airport is a Boschian nightmare, your roads a mess, your buses an embarrassment and your taxis … well, if I ever find one I’ll let you know.

And ever heard of trees?

Okay, so you have a big mosque but it’s also the closest thing you’ve got to a tourist attraction. And you have a few shopping malls but what city doesn’t?

I understand now why you consistently feature on people’s “Worst. City. Ever.” lists.

You’re at the very top of mine.

Okay, I admit, there’s a personal element to this. See, I got robbed in one of your hotels.

It wasn’t a very nice hotel. It promotes itself as a four star hotel when in actual fact it’s closer to a two. But that’s fine. I don’t need luxury and it cost less than $100 a night.

Except, in the end, it actually cost a couple of grand. Because while I was out one night scouring the streets for a decent meal – in vain, of course – someone broke into my room and stole a giant wad of company cash from my suitcase.

Why did I have a giant wad of cash, you ask? Well, because Indonesia is a mostly cash economy, so I’m forced to travel with plenty of it. But why didn’t I put it in the safe? Well, because the hotel didn’t provide one.

And when I brought the robbery to the hotel’s attention the staff were predictably – and perhaps deliberately – unhelpful.

Security staff at first said they could give me a keycard lock report, so I could see if anyone else entered my room. But then – for reasons not properly explained – they suddenly couldn’t.

But that was okay, they said. They could show me the CCTV footage outside my room instead.

Oh no, wait, sorry! We don’t actually know the password to review the CCTV!

Can you say “inside job”?

Needless to say I moved to a different hotel for my final night. I woke up the next morning in blood-stained sheets. Mozzies never take any interest in me but your Medan mozzies made quite a frenzied exception.

I didn’t get malaria. But I did get spectacularly, violently sick about a week later from an intestinal parasite, which I’m certain I picked up from you, Medan. I just know it.

I’ve never been so happy to board a plane as I was the one that whisked me away from you, Medan. And I never want to see you again.
AAP”

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my eldest son, Jadon.. who is now in primary 1.. and is just 7 yo… he has been saying stuff that left me speechless..

on the road one afternoon… he asked mr hubby..  “papa, when I get to secondary class, are you buying a car for me to drive to school?”.. we both got shocked but were half laughing at the same time and me replied him: ” NO, you are too young..” which he then went on to explain how he saw several big kids drive sport car to school.. with ‘4 exhausts’ he claimed… and went on to say…“papa, you are so… ‘aaiiiiiiii yah’ (he couldn’t find the right word) .. those koko drive a sport car to school and you are only driving a Honda CRV…“… huh?.. he’s only 7 yo and he has the guts to say that to his dad!!.. but of course we explained and cleared up the matter..

GoKart! it’s his first time .. but he drove like a mad boy.. was not afraid.. and even drove so fast that the car spinned.. (which he claimed that he was simply cruising) .. my mum and dad almost had their heart attack seeing this grandson.. but heck, he came off the track with a big wide smile on his face…

then last month… at the end of 3rd term.. we went to take the school report card… after the Bahasa homework incident and exam madness… I asked his Mandarin tutor to do an hour of Bahasa with him once a week.. which lead him to getting an A* this term (mind you it was always either B, or D)… though he was real happy, he was also curious… on the car he said.. “mama, I don’t really understand what Ibu (his Bahasa teacher) said in the class and I know very little of Bahasa.. but how come I still got an A.. “.. honestly, I thought so too myself..

next, while I was trying real hard to think back of my childhood days when I was my sons age… to see if I have a “puppy crush’ on anyone from my class.. and darn.. I don’t think I do… why?.. lately, both my boys are talking about boys-girls relationship almost everyday!!!… like this who likes who … and this who wants to marry with who .. and this who has so many girlfriends… etc.. I can understand that it’s a growing up thing.. but I disapprove this sort of conversation at home..

and with me not able to take any more of this nonsense hearing, I came up with a way to put a stop to all these silliness… how?.. I told my boys straight to their faces… “you guys are not having any girlfriends!! .. mama will be the one who will find the right girlfriend for you both!!“.. and somehow Jadon funnily said this back out loud .. “so Elson (my young son), if anyone asked us if we have any girlfriend.. we just tell them NO, coz mama said she will choose for us”.. and of course with a grin on my face.. I replied..”you are absolutely correct”.. and it kinds of kill off the topic from then on…

with both boys growing up at a rate too fast for me to handle… I find being a mum involve lots of patience and understanding, guidance and planning… and most important of all, the endless love they both constantly seek from me..

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I went on a parenting session last Friday which was a public holiday…. so two days before the day, I informed my boys of how I will not be home and that I will be going to school for a day.. Jadon being the cheeky one, then happily shouted “wow.. mama, you are going school!”. I then explained to him, “it’s only for a day, I will be going to school to learn how to be a better mummy to you boys”.. the boys got excited somehow and couldn’t stop telling everyone.. saying that I am going back to school and that I will have lots of homework etc… and insisted on sending me to my class on the day..

The truth is, it’s only a one day seminar at Aryaduta Hotel.. so on the morning itself, both boys woke up early and were readily to send me off.. and during the breakfast time, on the dining table was a pack of Chinese preserved Honey Plum.. and this was what Jadon came up with..

Me: “Elson, can you please help me put this bottle (the preserved Honey Plum) into my handbag please?”

Jadon: “Mama! you can eat in the class? my Miss won’t let us eat sweets in the classroom..!”

Me: “Jadon, the school that mama goes to is different, mine is school for adults and not children..”

Jadon: “That’s not fair!”

I then began teasing him and joke around…

Me: “actually, my school is at a hotel!.. with nice air-con, nice chairs, nice tables, nice rooms.. and we eat nice food with soup, sweets, coca cola, coffee and tea and it’s at Aryaduta Hotel..!”

Jadon: “wow, so if you are hungry, you can pick up the phone and ask the uncle to deliver food to your classroom too?..”

I find that kids these days have the abilities to come up with all the funny thoughts…

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Some of us travel rather extensively, use the credit cards on practically all things and with all the rewards point accumulating from the airlines program or from the credit card itself.. I have come to find out that exchanging those credit card points to shopping vouchers give the lowest return.. and I find it silly knowing how some choose to exchange the points for payment of the annual fees.. (I never pay for any of my credit card annual fees, I simply demand for mine to be complimentary.. there are ways to do it and yes.. anyone can go about doing it provided you have a good clean record..)

Well.. I am going to be honest with you all here.. I use my credit cards on every chance I could.. not because I want to be on their credit terms i.e owed money to the bank and be charged ridiculous late fees and interest.. rather I exercised my rights in all possible ways to earn the reward points.. hence over some 6-7 years of my so called hard working rights, last week, I sat down and compiled all my points from all the different cards.. did some casual calculations to have it convert to Krisflyer air miles .. well well well.. voila!!! I now have enough air miles to fly on SQ for

1.    Return air tickets to Tokyo for 8 people or
2.    rtn to Sydney for 6 people or
3.    rtn to Athens/Europe for 6 people or
4.    rtn to Los Angeles for 4 people

and by me doing all the processing online, there’s an additional 15% saving on the points deduction as well..  do look out for promotion where at times, SQ do have promotion on 50% off on the rewards redemption.

so yea.. I kinda often look out for the double rewards point promo.. like currently Citibank is giving 10X for all Hotel transactions from now till 17 January with minimum usuage of Rp 2.000.000.. I was kinda of late to find out this promo over the December, else, I could have my shopping planned that would easily lead to one free return Medan to Singapore on Silkair..

Among all major credit cards in Medan, I would say Citibank gives the best rate of return on points accumulation, lots of program during school breaks and there is no expiry on points accumulated..

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I know.. you know.. we know.. and everyone know that any start to a New Year should be something nice, good, as well as pleasant.. so it should goes the same for my first blog post for this year 2010.. but nope.. I am not… and I am not gonna think that what I experienced on the first minute of year 2010 is a bad start for my coming year..

A week before the start of this new year… I twitted, told myself and everyone that.. I am NOT gonna stay in my bedroom and fall asleep before the midnight.. rather I want to be somewhere nice to do the countdown.. and for some reasons (should have known that it’s a sign to warn me).. well, at 8pm, my boys were telling us how they want to be cuddled up in bed with mum and dad  i.e spending their night with us… and yes.. I told them a straight ‘NO’ and clearly announced that this year mama wants to have some fun..

My plan for the night was really simple… had dinner with family and then head down to Prime Bar at JW Marriott Hotel to meet up with my dear girlfriend.. and yes, for once I even made an effort to not wear something usual…

We left home at 10:15pm heading from Polonia towards Marriott Hotel.. 3 mins into the journey, small traffic began to build up but cars were moving okay… 10 mins later at Jl. Permuda, police began closing all the major roads leading up to the L.Mederka.. and so the nearest road we were allowed to turn was at Jl Sutomo.. let’s just said that I was in the car for about 2 1/2 HOURS and get to nowhere!!.. hubby ended driving on the foot pavement to get to the nearest turning just to get home…

As for my countdown?.. do I need to say more?… well, hubby and me weren’t in any mood to even talk to each other!!!… we were so so soooooo frustrated… my brain was cursing every possible single things I could thought of and with that!! … tell me, am I supposed to just console myself that…. ‘this is Medan’?.. for just once.. jusssttt onceee and for the first time in Medan… I want to celebrate my New Year in the right and proper way.. and oh yesssss… my beloved Medan town decided to close their roads this year…

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