Day Trip To JB With Bernard

Bernard is easily one of my closest friends, but as I sat down with him in JB and looked back, I realized that I rarely traveled with him. Granted, we did Jakarta and Batam, but Laos was our farthest trip so far. When it comes to Malaysia, we visited Kuching in 2012. 13 years later, there we were in JB for the first time ever. 

One week before the trip, he checked with me to see if I could accompany him to JB for furniture shopping. I checked with my wife if she had anything planned for family and, since she had none, I said okay. It was also a good opportunity to test out the MVNO data plan I just subscribed to. Lastly, since Loca Pay in Laos and Dana in Indonesia, I also downloaded TnG eWallet for this trip.

Off we went on a rainy Saturday. Once we passed through the autogate in Malaysia, it was time to test the MVNO SIM cards. Eight worked like a charm, but Circles.Life failed. Upon checking with the support team, turned out that my data plan of Circles.Life didn't cover the roaming services, haha. 

First stop, lunch. Bernard wanted to eat Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh in Taman Sentosa. Apparently he was a regular here and I'd learn that we basically followed his usual itinerary. The queue for Soon Huat seemed long, but it was quite fast. The food wasn't that fantastic, I am afraid. Even Bernard said that the quality had dropped, though I'm not sure if he was influenced by the clear pork soup remark that I showed him when I checked in using Swarm. 

At the first shop.

Next stop was the furniture shops. The first one was in Taman Johor Jaya, close to Tebrau. The second shop where we got the recliner sofa, was in Skudai. The testing, at least for me, was quite amusing. The more you got the potato couch feeling, the more you could be sure that it was the one you'd want to buy. Bernard was more systematic. He checked the neck and back support in both sitting and reclining positions. To put it simply, he was more meticulous. 

At the second shop, Art Home Furniture.

Now that we got the sofa, we headed to Hard Rock Cafe Puteri Harbour to see if there was anything new. From there we headed back to Taman Sentosa again, this time we ate at Taman Sri Tebrau Hawkers Centre. It was an old fashioned eatery. Bernard joked that even the signboards were probably older than us. We had crayfish there, which reminded me of the seafood restaurant in Tanjung Balai.

Visiting Hard Rock.

The last thing we did right after dinner was foot massage at Fizzio that is located across the street. Painful at times, but that, perhaps, what the feet and legs needed. After an hour, I finally got a chance to test TnG eWallet. I love cashless payment! Then we made our way back to the border and returned to Singapore...

Sehari Di JB Bersama Bernard

Bernard adalah salah satu teman terdekat saya, tapi sewaktu saya lihat kembali, ternyata kita jarang berlibur bersama. Ya, tentu saja kita bepergian ke Jakarta dan Batam, tapi Laos adalah tempat terjauh yang pernah kita kunjungi bersama. Akan halnya Malaysia, kita ke Kuching tahun 2012. 13 tahun kemudian, kita mengunjungi Johor Bahru untuk pertama kalinya. 

Satu minggu sebelum tanggal keberangkatan, Bernard bertanya apakah saya bisa menemaninya ke JB untuk berbelanja furnitur. Saya konfirmasi dengan istri, siapa tahu dia sudah merencanakan sesuatu untuk keluarga. Berhubung tidak ada acara, saya pun mengiyakan Bernard. Ini juga kesempatan yang bagus untuk menguji data MVNO yang saya beli baru-baru ini. Dan sejak Loca Pay di Laos serta Dana di Indonesia, saya juga mengunduh TnG eWallet untuk liburan singkat ini. 

Lantas berangkatlah kita di Sabtu pagi yang rintik-rintik. Saatnya mengetes MVNO begitu kita melewati pintu imigrasi otomatis di Johor Bahru. Eight berfungsi dengan baik, namun Circles.Life tidak bisa dipakai di Malaysia. Setelah saya tanyakan ke bagian pelayanan pelanggan, ternyata paket data Circles.Life tidak mencakup koneksi internet di luar Singapura, haha. 

Bak Kut Teh.

Pemberhentian pertama, makan siang. Bernard ingin menyantap Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh di Taman Sentosa. Ternyata dia sering makan di sana dan saya lekas menyadari bahwa hari ini kita akan mengikuti rute regulernya. Antrian di Soon Huat cukup panjang, tapi cepat pula pergerakannya. Rasa masakannya biasa saja. Bahkan Bernard mengakui bahwa kualitasnya sudah turun, walau saya tidak tahu apakah pendapatnya itu dipengaruhi oleh komentar tentang sup babi jernih yang saya tunjukkan padanya saat saya menggunakan Swarm. 

At the first shop.

Sesudah makan, tujuan berikutnya adalah dua toko furnitur. Yang pertama terletak di Taman Johor Jaya, tak jauh dari Tebrau. Yang kedua, tempat kita membeli sofa malas, berada di Skudai. Cara kita menguji kenyamanannya cukup menarik. Bagi saya, semakin malas rasanya saya beranjak dari sofa, berarti makin nyaman. Bernard lebih sistematis. Dia memeriksa penyangga leher dan punggung dengan lebih seksama, baik dari saat duduk tegak sampai posisi berbaring santai. 

At the second shop, Art Home Furniture.

Setelah mendapatkan sofa, kita singgah sejenak di Hard Rock Cafe Puteri Harbour untuk melihat koleksi terbaru. Dari situ kita kembali ke Taman Sentosa lagi, kali ini untuk makan malam di  Taman Sri Tebrau Hawkers Centre. Ini tempat makan tradisional dan Bernard bercanda bahwa papan nama penjualnya mungkin lebih tua dari kita. Kita memesan udang karang di sini, menu yang mengingatkan saya saat makan di restoran di Tanjung Balai. 

Visiting Hard Rock.

Hal terakhir yang kita lakukan adalah pijat kaki di Fizzio di seberang jalan. Sakit juga pijatannya, tapi mungkin itu yang dibutuhkan tapak dan tungkai kaki setelah berjalan seharian. Satu jam pun berlalu dan akhirnya saya bisa mencoba TnG eWallet. Saya suka pembayaran non-tunai! Setelah itu, kita melaju ke perbatasan dan kembali ke Singapura... 

MVNO

MVNO... Never heard of it? So did I! This story started after my wife came back from her birthday party. She simply said that the eight SIM-only plan was cheaper. I had no idea what she was talking about. My first time hearing it. But like any good husbands that tried avoiding further nagging from the wife, I did my due diligence. 

So I fired up Perplexity, my trusted AI, and started researching. That's when I first discovered the plethora of MVNO providers. But first thing first, the key of MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) is the word virtual, which means they are telcos without physical network infrastructure. That's why the cost is the cheaper, but that also means they are the second class citizens in the telco world. Think of them as the stripped down version. 

I'd been loyal to Starhub for so long that all these MVNOs such as eight, Vivifi, Gomo, etc. were below my radar. But I like traveling, and throughout my journey for the past 25 years, I have seen how the technology has evolved in terms of internet use. Things had changed drastically from portable Wi-Fi to eSIM. Now this! The convergence! For the first time ever, I noticed that the international roaming for selected countries, such as TH, MY and ID were included in the package deal. 

But while the low price and big data plan is attractive, the question now is its reliability as a whole. So I got one data-only Circles.Life just to test it out. It's been all right, the signal has been quite steady even when I am inside the MRT. Support-wise, it was a bit odd to have it available on Facebook Messenger, but it worked well for me! However, the plan I subscribed to didn't work outside Singapore. 

Back to eight, I switched and ported my daughter's StarHub number to the MVNO provider. It was easy to set up, though I still saw her temporary number as the SMS sender even a week after the successful port-in (it was eventually fixed). She was unhappy, complaining that the internet connection was choppy. Not sure if it was true, but the 4G was totally gone at least once right after the initial setup. When I borrowed the SIM card for a day trip to JB, I'd say the signal was pretty reliable. 

As for me, I had been using Star Plan. It worked well, but I disliked the idea of not having a proper contact number for what I'd consider as a premium MNO service these days. I mean, it didn't make sense to pay so much when its chat support is worse than Circles.Life. So one fine day, while taking the train to the office, I switched to M1. Similar service, still MNO, but monthly recurring cost was reduced from SGD 27.5 to SGD 11.5. Bye, StarHub! It had been a good 15 years or so!

MNO v. MVNO.

MVNO

MVNO... Belum pernah dengar? Sama juga halnya dengan saya! Cerita ini bermula setelah istri saya pulang dari pesta ulang tahunnya. Dia dengan santai berujar kalau paket SIM-only dari eight itu lebih murah. Saya tidak tahu apa yang ia bicarakan. Baru kali ini saya dengar yang namanya eight. Namun sebagai suami yang baik dan senantiasa berusaha menghindari ocehan lebih lanjut dari istrinya, saya pun lakukan riset.

Saya aktifkan Perplexity, AI andalan saya, lalu mulai mencari informasi. Dari situlah saya pertama kali tahu tentang banyaknya penyedia MVNO. Tapi hal pertama yang penting untuk dipahami dari MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) adalah kata virtual, artinya mereka ini adalah operator tanpa infrastruktur jaringan fisik. Karena inilah biayanya lebih murah, tapi juga berarti mereka ini seperti “warga kelas dua” di dunia telko. Bisa dibilang versi sederhana dari operator asli.

Saya sudah begitu lama setia dengan StarHub sampai semua MVNO seperti eight, Vivifi, Gomo, dan lain-lain benar-benar tidak masuk radar saya. Tapi saya suka berlibur, dan selama 25 tahun terakhir saya melihat sendiri bagaimana teknologi internet berkembang. Dulu orang pakai portable Wi-Fi, lalu beralih ke eSIM. Dan sekarang ini! Sebuah titik temu! Untuk pertama kalinya saya perhatikan roaming internasional untuk negara tertentu, seperti Thailand, Malaysia, dan Indonesia, sudah termasuk dalam paket.

Tapi meskipun harga murah dan kuota besar itu menarik, kuncinya sekarang tentu saja adalah soal keandalan secara keseluruhan. Jadi saya coba ambil paket data-only dari Circles.Life untuk uji coba. Lumayan, sinyal cukup stabil bahkan di kala saya berada di dalam MRT. Dari sisi pelayanan, agak aneh juga karena harus lewat Facebook Messenger, tapi buat saya cukup efektif! Sayangnya, paket yang saya ambil tidak bisa digunakan di luar Singapura.

Kembali ke eight, saya akhirnya pindahkan nomor StarHub anak saya ke penyedia MVNO itu. Prosesnya mudah, tapi seminggu setelah pemindahan nomor berhasil, nomor sementara anak saya masih muncul sebagai pengirim SMS (problem ini akhirnya beres juga). Dia kurang senang, katanya koneksi internet suka putus-putus. Entah benar atau tidak, tapi 4G sempat benar-benar hilang tak lama setelah saya aktifkan. Tapi waktu saya pinjam kartu SIM-nya untuk perjalanan sehari ke JB, menurut saya sinyalnya lumayan stabil.

Kalau saya sendiri, sebelumnya saya pakai Star Plan. Selama ini berjalan lancar, tapi saya kurang suka dengan konsep layanan MNO premium yang bahkan tidak menyediakan nomor kontak yang jelas. Maksud saya, untuk apa bayar lebih kalau pelayanan via chat-nya malah lebih buruk daripada Circles.Life? Jadi suatu hari, saat naik kereta ke kantor, saya putuskan pindah ke M1. Layanannya mirip, masih MNO, tapi biaya bulanan turun dari SGD 27,5 jadi SGD 11,5. Selamat tinggal, StarHub! Terima kasih untuk kebersamaan selama 15 tahun terakhir!

Rebound

In 2023, I made up my mind to become Catholic. I added “Simon” in front of my name, so I became Simon Parno. It was also reasonable for my father to take a new name, and he became Lukas Bong Ket Tjhiung. At that time, I was unable to earn any stable income, even though I had worked as a shopkeeper from a very young age until now, at 46. I have a wife and two children to support, but the only income I managed to make was from online hailing jobs—which was far from enough.

After six months of struggling with little to no income, my wife decided to work with her friend as a helper in the evenings, from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m., to help cover our children’s expenses. I had no choice but to let her do it for the sake of our family. During that difficult period, Hauhau introduced me to the property world. At first, I was never interested in it, but over time I realized it could be a solution for earning more and easing my burdens. Even though it was new to me, it slowly gave me peace of mind and convinced me that property could be my path to financial stability.

Before anything else, I had to pay the fee of IDR 200K to become a proper broker with a license. I acknowledged that moment when my high school friend Landak came back to his hometown in Pontianak to see his beloved family.

In the beginning, the first few months were full of doubt. I wasn’t convinced about myself at all because my mindset wasn’t there yet. I even remember refusing to meet Hauhau when he wanted to introduce me to the broker world. That action was reported in our WA Petrus group, and my friends scolded me for being so stubborn—hahaha 🤣. But still, I told myself, I’ll try, I’ll try to get into the vibe of becoming an agent.

Week by week, month by month, I pushed myself to stick to the principle of listing houses every day. Slowly, I adjusted to the property world, and eventually, I started to believe in it. My first closing with a fellow agent truly changed my life. Even though it was just a small rental fee, it all began from someone simply seeing my WA status and asking me if there was a house for rent. I quickly checked someone’s listing, made the connection, and it turned into a 2-year rental deal.

Three months later, I hit the jackpot with a big closing that brought in a significant sum of money. I felt so proud. The following month, I had another closing—not as big, but still meaningful and worth it.

Those two months were a real relief for me, especially since I managed to achieve high-income closings during that time. It was the moment I truly began to acknowledge myself in the property world. Of course, it’s not a smooth ride—I know I’ll be facing many challenges ahead—but from now on, I feel a little more confident. I’m still adjusting myself step by step, but this marks the end of my first achievement.

Number #1!

Bangkit Kembali

Pada tahun 2023, saya memutuskan untuk menjadi Katolik. Saya menambahkan nama “Simon” di depan nama saya, sehingga saya menjadi Simon Parno. Ayah saya juga mengambil nama baru, dan ia menjadi Lukas Bong Ket Tjhiung. Pada saat itu, saya tidak memiliki penghasilan tetap, meskipun saya sudah bekerja sebagai penjaga toko sejak kecil hingga usia saya 46 tahun sekarang. Saya punya istri dan dua anak yang harus saya nafkahi, tetapi satu-satunya penghasilan yang saya dapat hanyalah dari pekerjaan ojek online—yang jelas sangat tidak mencukupi.

Setelah enam bulan berjuang dengan penghasilan yang hampir tidak ada, istri saya memutuskan untuk bekerja bersama temannya sebagai pembantu pada malam hari, dari jam 4 sore sampai 11 malam, demi membantu menutupi kebutuhan anak-anak kami. Saya tidak punya pilihan selain merelakannya demi keluarga. Pada masa sulit itu, Hauhau memperkenalkan saya pada dunia properti. Awalnya saya sama sekali tidak tertarik, tetapi lama-kelamaan saya menyadari bahwa dunia properti bisa menjadi solusi untuk mendapatkan penghasilan lebih dan meringankan beban saya. Meskipun hal itu benar-benar baru bagi saya, perlahan saya merasa lebih tenang dan mulai yakin bahwa properti bisa menjadi jalan menuju kestabilan finansial saya.

Sebelum memulai, saya harus membayar biaya Rp. 200 ribu untuk menjadi broker resmi dengan lisensi. Saya mengingat momen itu ketika teman SMA saya, Landak, pulang ke kampung halamannya di Pontianak untuk menemui keluarga tercintanya.

Pada awalnya, bulan-bulan pertama penuh dengan keraguan. Saya sama sekali tidak yakin pada diri sendiri karena pola pikir saya belum siap. Saya bahkan ingat pernah menolak bertemu dengan Hauhau ketika ia ingin memperkenalkan saya ke dunia broker. Tindakan itu kemudian dilaporkan di grup WA Petrus, dan teman-teman saya menegur saya karena dianggap terlalu keras kepala—hahaha 🤣. Tapi tetap saja, saya berkata pada diri saya, saya akan coba, saya akan coba menyesuaikan diri untuk menjadi seorang agen.

Minggu demi minggu, bulan demi bulan, saya berusaha konsisten dengan prinsip untuk terus membuat listing rumah setiap hari. Perlahan-lahan, saya mulai menyesuaikan diri dengan dunia properti, dan akhirnya saya mulai percaya pada jalan ini. Closing pertama saya bersama seorang agen lain benar-benar mengubah hidup saya. Walaupun hanya berupa komisi kecil dari rumah kontrakan, semuanya berawal dari seseorang yang melihat status WA saya dan bertanya apakah ada rumah untuk disewa. Saya segera mengecek daftar rumah orang lain, menghubungkannya, dan akhirnya menghasilkan kontrak sewa selama 2 tahun.

Tiga bulan kemudian, saya mendapat jackpot dengan closing besar yang membawa sejumlah uang yang signifikan. Rasanya sangat membanggakan. Bulan berikutnya, saya mendapat closing lagi—meski tidak sebesar sebelumnya, tetap saja berarti dan sangat berharga.

Dua bulan itu benar-benar menjadi kelegaan bagi saya, terutama karena saya berhasil mendapatkan closing dengan penghasilan tinggi. Saat itulah saya mulai benar-benar mengakui diri saya di dunia properti. Tentu jalannya tidak selalu mulus—saya tahu akan ada banyak tantangan di depan—tetapi mulai saat ini, saya merasa sedikit lebih percaya diri. Saya masih terus menyesuaikan diri langkah demi langkah, namun inilah penutup dari pencapaian pertama saya.

Original version:

Its was 2023 i Made up my mind to be khatolic dude with a name in front of Parno turned to be Simon Parno its was reasanable for my father also become Lukas bong ket ttjhiung , at time i was not Able to earn income at all after a long perioud of being a shop keeper from my youngest years till im 46 right now ! I have a wife 2 childrens need to feeed , the only income i Made is hailing online earning its was totally not enought for sure , after 6 months of repettion life in a non income dude my wife decided to work with her friend as a helper in the night from 4 pm till 11 pm thats its for lighten my children expensesis , from that reason i got no choices beside let her do for good Familly , during that moment hauhau already ignite me in property world , I Was never fond on it but turn out to be a solution for me to earn more money to enlighten my burden , even throught its can relief me in peace of mind , but for me its slowly convince me of earning money in the world of property

Well before that you have to pay 200 ribu fee for becoming a proper broker with a licences , i aknowledge myself its when my high school friend landak is coming home town to see he beloved family in ptk , Then be it , the early month was full of dout because i was never been so convinse about my self  because my mind set still not in it because before that i still not get in it yet , i remembered i refused to see hauhau in order to introduction to the broker world , n my action was reported to grup that i was to be mad by my follow friend in WA Petrus group hahaha 🤣, stubbern i am, but i ll try ill try to get in vibe in becoming an agen , i went wheel by weeks month by months n sticking to the principal in listing houses everdays  and so on , until i have adjusted my vibe in this world of property make me convinced when the time i had my closing with fellow agen , its really change my life even throught i had a small fee of renting home its surely just see my WA status and asked me Its there a home for rent , I Quickly use my konsisten to cek somebody list and suddenly deal with this house they rented for 2 years n then 3 month later i got a big jackpot which its a big closing that its a rented a big sums of money 1 feel proud n the next month i got another closing this time is average not much but it worthed 

Well in those two months was a relief for me not for mention i was become the high income closing for those month , n i acknowledge myself in property , its not a smooth ride but im gonno be facing alot of problem in property world to come, but i feel conviden a little bit from now on , i kind a adjusting my self first … end of my achievementt

A Birthday Trip To Remember

The way it started, I just couldn't help feeling that our trip this round would be different. I mean, we woke up quite early only to be greeted by a message from a friend, bearing the news or her hospitalized husband. It had taken a turn for the worse. As the only one who was around before dawn, I felt obliged to respond as her sounding board.

In all honesty, I don't know if I was any helpful. What I really felt was the mood set by the conversation. The birthday trip we were having suddenly became sombre. It was like, while we were about the celebrate a birthday, one life was probably going to end on the other side. It couldn't get more extreme than this. 

So off we went to Jakarta. The news trickled in bit by bit, each one worse than the last. In the midst of all this, I celebrated my daughter's birthday and mine, binge-watched Cobra Kai, met a friend who does chiropractic. Given my ailing friend's condition, I couldn't shake the feeling that he might pass away any time. It was like, would it happen on National Day? Or on my birthday? Or while we were flying back to Singapore? 

But no, it happened the morning after, when I was getting ready for work. Just like that, a life ended. Two things came to my mind. The first one was George Harrison's life flows on within you and without you. How it rang true. The world goes on. It doesn't stop, almost as if it doesn't care. We're really only very small.

The other was Hamilton's the World Was Wide Enough:

Death doesn't discriminate

Between the sinners and the saints

It takes and it takes and it takes

It was a weird birthday experience, really. I can't say it wasn't a happy one, but it was certainly unforgettable. To me, this was the only birthday when my wife and I ever asked, "what if this happened to us?" It was a stark reminder of our mortality, but also a revelation that, for me, it has been a life well lived. I intend to keep it that way.

The birthday celebration.

Hari Ulang Tahun Yang Tak Terlupakan 

Dari awal sudah terasa bahwa liburan kali ini terasa berbeda. Di pagi buta saya tertegun saat membaca kabar tentang seorang teman yang sedang dirawat di rumah sakit. Kondisinya yang sempat membaik tiba-tiba menjadi parah dan koma. Sebagai satu-satunya orang yang sudah membaca WhatsApp sebelum fajar menyingsing, saya tergerak untuk merespon pertanyaan istrinya yang sedang gundah. 

Jujur saya katakan bahwa saya tidak tahu apakah respon saya ini membantu. Yang justru terasa adalah nuansa setelah percakapan usai. Liburan ini jadi terkesan sedih. Di satu sisi kita hendak merayakan ulang tahun, namun di sisi lain, sebuah kehidupan mungkin akan berakhir. Benar-benar ekstrim. 

Kita lantas terbang ke Jakarta. Kabar selanjutnya pun terbaca, semakin lama semakin buruk. Selagi semua ini terjadi, saya berpesta, menonton serial Cobra Kai, lalu bertemu teman yang membantu meluruskan tulang belakang. Di dalam benak saya selalu terngiang bahwa teman yang sedang koma ini bisa meninggal setiap waktu. Apakah akan terjadi di hari kemerdekaan Singapura? Atau hari ulang tahun saya? Atau saat kita dalam penerbangan pulang ke Singapura? 

Namun apa yang saya cemaskan ternyata terjadi di pagi berikutnya, selagi saya bersiap-siap untuk berangkat kerja. Dan hanya seperti itu, satu kehidupan pun berakhir. Dua hal langsung terpikirkan oleh saya. Yang pertama adalah lirik George Harrison yang berbunyi, life flows on within you and without you. Sungguh benar adanya. Dunia terus berjalan, tidak berhenti, seakan-akan tidak peduli. Kita hanyalah setitik debu. 

Yang satunya lagi adalah lagu The World Was Wide Enough dari Hamilton:

Death doesn't discriminate 

(Kematian tidak membedakan)

Between the sinners and the saints

(Antara orang suci dan pendosa)

It takes and it takes and it takes

(Kematian hanya merenggut dan merenggut)

Pengalaman ulang tahun kali ini sungguh tidak lazim. Saya tidak mengatakan bahwa kesannya tidaklah gembira, tapi yang jelas tidak terlupakan. Bagi saya, ini adalah sekali-kalinya ultah di mana saya dan istri bertanya, "bagaimana kalau ini terjadi pada kita?" Kejadian ini adalah peringatan tentang realita kehidupan kita sebagai manusia. Kendati begitu, lewat introspeksi ini saya juga menyadari bahwa sejauh ini hidup saya sudah dijalani sesuai dengan panggilan hati. Saya akan usahakan agar tetap seperti itu. 

Book Review: Waxing On

I like Cobra Kai long before I watched the Karate Kid. But as someone from the 80s, even a boy from a place as remote as Pontianak had heard of the infamous crane kick. Yes, it was that popular, though allegedly illegal, if one could trust Johnny Lawrence, haha. Now that there was a book written by the Karate Kid himself, of course I had to read it!

And what a great and easy reading the book is. It reminded me of what Ringo said. To paraphrase his words, he has lived well into his 80s, but most people are only interested in that 8 years of his life as a Beatle. In the case of Ralph Macchio, the career span is even shorter: he is forever known as the Karate Kid. Not even My Cousin Vinny can change this.

Ralph knew and he acknowledged this through his book, Waxing On. Even the title was a homage to Mr. Miyagi's teaching. And it focused on all things Karate Kid, with a taste of Cobra Kai. I like how he dedicated each chapter to Pat Morita,  Elisabeth Shue and William Zabka. The one with Pat was especially endearing. He was truly Mr. Miyagi. 

Now, back to the fact that even people from Pontianak had heard of the Karate Kid, it was even more impressive to read how Ralph's further elaboration on this. The movie was up there, together with Rocky, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, becoming part of the pop culture that we know and love. Okay, even if you hadn't watched them, you'd at least know about them!

Then of course there was the birth of Cobra Kai series. Its origin story was hilarious. It was the unlikeliest story, but yet that's how it happened, with a little help from How I Met Your Mother. 

If you like the Karate Kid and its expanded Miyagiverse, this is clearly a book for you. It's both humble and funny. It's also a story of acceptance. People love having options, but sometimes we're defined by the one thing we did right in life. And that's how it is for Ralph Macchio. He might not like it at first, but he has made peace with the fact that we'll always remember him as Daniel LaRusso...

Ulasan Buku: Waxing On

Saya suka Cobra Kai jauh sebelum saya menonton Karate Kid. Namun sebagai seseorang yang berasal dari dekade 80an, bahkan bocah dari tempat terpencil seperti Pontianak pun pernah mendengar tentang tendangan bangau yang termasyhur. Ya, jurus tersebut sedemikian populernya pada saat itu, meskipun disinyalir ilegal kalau Johnny Lawrence bisa dipercaya, haha. Sekarang, setelah saya tahu ada buku yang ditulis oleh pemeran Karate Kid, tentu saja saya harus membacanya.

Dan ini adalah buku yang gampang dibaca dan mengingatkan saya pada perkataan Ringo. Kira-kira begini kalimatnya: meski dia sudah hidup 80 tahun lebih, orang-orang hanya tertarik dengan delapan tahun hidupnya sebagai anggota the Beatles. Dalam konteks Ralph Macchio, karirnya lebih singkat lagi: dia selamanya dikenal sebagai Karate Kid. Bahkan sukses My Cousin Vinny pun tidak bisa mengubah hal ini. 

Ralph tahu dan mengakui hal ini lewat bukunya, Waxing On. Bahkan judulnya pun mengacu pada ajaran Mr. Miyagi. Buku ini menjabarkan segala sesuatu tentang Karate Kid, termasuk Cobra Kai. Saya suka caranya yang mempersembahkan masing-masing satu bab untuk Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue dan William Zabka. Cerita tentang Pat sangat menyentuh. Pat sungguh merupakan Mr. Miyagi yang otentik. 

Nah, kembali ke fakta tentang orang asal Pontianak yang pernah mendengar tentang Karate Kid, sangat berkesan rasanya saat membaca tentang dampak Karate Kid pada dunia lewat sudut pandang Ralph. Film ini setara dengan Rocky, Ghostbusters serta Back to the Future dan menjadi bagian dari budaya pop yang kita kenal baik. Ok, walau anda belum pernah menonton film-film ini, setidaknya anda pasti pernah dengar!

Dan tentu saja Ralph kemudian juga bercerita tentang serial Cobra Kai. Asal mulanya kocak juga. Seperti suatu cerita yang mustahil, tapi memang demikian kisahnya, dengan sedikit bantuan dari How I Met Your Mother. 

Jika anda suka Karate Kid dan cerita yang akhirnya berkembang menjadi Miyagiverse, maka ini adalah buku untuk anda. Kisahnya bersahaja dan lucu. Selain itu, temanya juga tentang penerimaan. Sebagai manusia, kita pasti ingin memiliki pilihan, tapi terkadang kita ditentukan oleh satu hal yang kita lakukan dengan baik dalam hidup ini. Dan inilah yang terjadi pada Ralph Macchio. Pada awalnya dia mungkin tidak suka, tapi sekarang dia sudah berdamai dengan fakta bahwa kita akan selalu mengingatnya sebagai Daniel LaRusso...

Micro-Travel

As seen from Life Events: Travel, I had been blessed with a lot of opportunities to travel for the past 25 years. My record was about two weeks, such as the trip to China or Europe, but more often than not, I had short trips. 

And recently I came across the terms for it: micro-travel. No, it's different than weekend getaways. Micro-travel is a trip that typically lasts four days or less. This is my kind of trip. And looking back, there's a good reason why!

In order to explain this, let me share with you the problems I faced with long trips: the fading wow factor and the food. I remember the feeling when I first landed in Geneva. It was like, "wow, Europe again. The building, the food, the lifestyle." It was fun to embrace the new experience. But by the tail end of the trip, the last few cities felt the same: old town by the river, etc. And the food! Be it in Japanese or Indian, regardless how delicious the food was, after a week or so, I wished it was something else that I was familiar with.

This is where micro-travel was different. It was so short and concise that it was a time well spent. You didn't have a chance to grow weary of it. By the time you returned from your break, the amount of work piling up for you wasn't that bad, haha. 

Case in point, this year's trip to Seremban. It was a good break. The carefree feeling to be just ourselves again, the excitement of meeting old friends, the food hunting, the exploration into the unknown that we did together, the stories and laughter we shared, it was rejuvenating! And it didn't overstay its welcome.

That's not to say I'm against long trips. They were different kind of fun that came with different set of expectations for us to manage. My point here is more on why micro-travel worked for me thus far. I enjoy speeding through the experience and the outcome of the quick break is rewarding. Instead of seeing things from the same old, same old perspective, it's good to be recharged and refreshed once in a while! That's what I really like!

The trip to Seremban. A micro-travel!

Liburan Mikro

Seperti yang bisa dilihat di Life Events: Travel, saya telah diberkati dengan banyak kesempatan untuk berjalan-jalan dalam 25 tahun terakhir ini. Rekor saya adalah kira-kira dua minggu dalam sekali jalan, misalnya sewaktu ke Cina atau ke Eropa. Selain itu, saya juga sering menjalani liburan singkat yang hanya memakan waktu beberapa hari. 

Baru-baru ini saya menemukan istilah untuk apa yang sering saya lakoni ini: liburan mikro. Dan ini berbeda dengan liburan akhir pekan. Liburan mikro ini biasanya berkisar empat hari atau kurang dari itu. Saya suka ini. Bila saya lihat kembali, ada alasan tersendiri kenapa liburan mikro ini mantap.

Untuk menjelaskan ini dengan baik, mungkin saya jabarkan dulu masalah yang saya hadapi dengan liburan yang terlalu panjang: pudarnya faktor pesona dan juga problem makanan. Saya ingat dengan apa yang saya rasakan waktu mendarat di Jenewa: "wow, akhirnya ke Eropa lagi. Gedungnya, makanannya, budayanya. Wow!" Tapi di penghujung liburan, beberapa kota terakhir terasa sama: pemandangan kota tua di tepi sungai. Dan makanannya! Tidak peduli betapa lezatnya makanan Jepang atau India, setelah seminggu lebih saya merindukan masakan yang saya kenal baik di Singapura.

Dan inilah yang membuat liburan mikro terasa berbeda. Liburan ini singkat, padat dan tepat guna waktunya. Oleh karena itu saya tidak sempat merasakan kelelahan yang timbul setelah berada terlalu lama di suatu negara. Ketika liburan usai, tidak banyak pekerjaan kantor yang menumpuk, haha. 

Contoh terkini adalah liburan ke Seremban. Ini adalah waktu santai yang pas. Selama liburan, saya berkesempatan untuk menjadi diri saya apa adanya, juga menikmati kebersamaan dengan teman lama, eksplorasi makanan dan tempat-tempat baru bersama, bercerita dan tertawa, semua ini sangat menyejukkan kalbu. Tidak ada kesan terlalu lama. 

Ini tidak berarti bahwa saya menentang liburan panjang, tapi perlu saya tekankan bahwa rasa dan ekspektasinya berbeda. Apa yang ingin saya sampaikan di sini adalah kenapa saya menyukai liburan mikro. Saya suka kecepatan dan efisiensinya. Hasilnya pun sangat mujarab. Saya kembali ke realita, tersembuhkan dari kelelahan dan memiliki perspektif yang baru dalam menyikapi hidup ini. Hal inilah yang saya sukai! 

The Doomscrolling

And we thought binge-watching on Netflix was bad! Like many others, I've also got my own addictions to battle. For example, I am still hooked by crackberry, even long after BBM ended (it was simply replaced by WhatsApp). It was a struggle to sit down and really make a conversation with a person in front of you, just like what I did with my wife when we had a dinner. Oh yes, dinner and drink were probably the few times I could totally put my phone down on the table. 

The Crackberry addiction...

Now, on top of the ongoing crackberry addiction, I began realizing a new pattern that I developed lately. Yes, scrolling down the newsfeed on Facebook was already part of my lifestyle for as long as I could remember. However, I couldn't help noticing that recently, I spent a lot of times watching those short videos on Facebook.

I just had to click one, let's say a snippet of Two and a Half Men, then from that point onwards, anything else that caught my attention would continue to appear. It could be a few minutes of stand-up comedy, then scenes of crocodiles in action (yeah, I am somehow fascinated by how unpredictable crocodiles are), a quick laugh with Everybody Loves Raymond, etc. And I'd keep scrolling down until I reached office. 

The reels on Facebook.

The biggest difference between the two behaviours described above is this: I could still stop scrolling down the newsfeed on Facebook. But those videos, it was as if there was this voice whispering to me, may be one more? By the time I reached Downtown Station, what felt like a harmless suggestion had turned out to be more than one video for sure. 

I remember reading a specific term about this before. When I cross-checked this on Perplexity AI, there were many names for the syndrome: infinite scroll, zombie scrolling and doomscrolling. They all basically meant the same thing: the unconscious act of scrolling through social media or other content, typically without a clear goal or endpoint.

Kinda spooky, though. I'm not a TikTok user, but I reckon it could be worse for them. Time for digital detox, perhaps? Maybe it's time to try out the Minimal Phone? Or probably I should wait a bit for the BlackBerry Classic revival in the form of Zinwa Q25? We shall see!

The Minimal Phone.

Kecanduan Digital

Dan kita dulu menyangka bahwa yang namanya binge-watching di Netflix itu tidak baik! Tak berbeda dengan orang lain, saya pun memiliki masalah kecanduan yang perlu saya atasi. Sebagai contoh, sampai hari ini saya masih terbelenggu crackberry, lama setelah BBM tamat (dan kini tergantikan dengan WhatsApp). Perlu perjuangan untuk bisa duduk dan benar-benar berbincang dengan lawan bicara, seperti halnya yang saya lakukan dengan istri saat kita makan malam di luar. Oh ya, acara makan dan minum adalah sekali-kalinya saya bisa mengabaikan telepon saya di meja. 

Kecanduan Crackberry...

Selain masalah ketergantungan crackberry, saya menyadari bahwa ada pola baru yang mulai saya jalani tanpa sadar. Membaca berita di Facebook adalah bagian dari hidup sejak penghujung dekade pertama di abad 21. Akan tetapi menghabiskan waktu menonton video singkat di Facebook adalah perihal baru yang tidak biasa. 

Saya cukup menekan satu, misalnya cuplikan Two and a Half Men, lalu apa saja yang menarik perhatian saya akan terus bermunculan, mulai dari beberapa menit komedi, lalu video tentang buaya (ya, entah kenapa saya selalu tertarik dengan tindak-tanduk buaya yang tidak bisa diprediksi), tawa singkat bersama Everybody Loves Raymond dan lain-lain. Saya akan terus membuka video berikutnya sampai saya tiba di kantor. 

Reels di Facebook.

Perbedaan paling mendasar dari dua prilaku ini adalah kontrol diri. Untuk berita Facebook, saya masih bisa berhenti. Tapi untuk video-video singkat ini, sepertinya ada suara yang berbisik, tak apa-apa, satu video lagi saja. Dan di saat saya tiba di Stasiun Downtown, saran bawah sadar itu membuat saya menghabiskan waktu melihat entah berapa banyak video selama perjalanan ke kantor. 

Saya ingat bahwa saya pernah membaca tentang hal ini sebelumnya. Ketika saya cari lagi menggunakan Perplexity AI, sindrom ini muncul dalam berbagai nama: gulir tanpa akhir, gulir zombi dan gulir hingga kiamat. Semua ini memiliki definisi yang kurang-lebih sama: perbuatan menggulir ke bawah tanpa sadar untuk melihat konten media sosial yang tidak jelas tujuannya dan tidak memiliki akhir. 

Agak seram juga nama dan penjabarannya. Saya bukan pengguna Tiktok, tapi saya jadi membayangkan, mungkin lebih parah lagi bagi mereka. Apa sudah waktunya untuk detoksifikasi digital? Ganti ke Minimal Phone? Atau mungkin tunggu sampai bulan depan untuk menantikan kembalinya BlackBerry Classic dalam bentuk Zinwa Q25? Hmm, mari kita lihat bersama-sama...

Minimal Phone.

All The Money In The World

It was another Tuesday morning. Just like most of the people from my generation these days, I scrolled the newsfeed on my Facebook immediately I woke up. Soon I found myself staring at all the flags shown under the caption saying countries with lowest inflation rate. Bahrain captured my attention and I did some research on my Perplexity AI. For the Middle East standard, apparently Bahrain wasn't an expensive country. 

What I did just now reminded me of Australia and other countries I visited before. For a country with a currency weaker than SGD, Australia certainly was more expensive. On average, the meal was two times of what I would have paid in Singapore! So, no, Australia, didn't feel affordable. Perth was a nice place, though. And very generous with french fries.

Similar experience was felt in Hong Kong. I definitely felt the pinch the moment I traveled out from Shenzhen. Hong Kong was cramped and expensive. A tiny, costly hotel room as opposed to a much cheaper and spacious unit with living room that I had while I was in Shenzhen. China was generally okay, but Hong Kong was an exception!

India, on the other hand, was very cost friendly for SGD holders. The price of the Uber ride was so cheap that I couldn't help pressing the confirm button. It was the same feeling in Malaysia, especially Ipoh. The price was so unbelievably attractive that I wished I could have ordered ten Grab ride at one go.

Taiwan was also budget friendly. The most memorable moment I had was when I went through the Din Tai Fung bill. It was just about SGD 50. You certainly can't get this price for a family of four if you eat at any Din Tai Fung in Singapore!

Europe was a different ball game, though. The currencies, be it GBP, EUR or CHF, are stronger than SGD. Everything in UK and Western Europe also felt more expensive than Singapore. The time in Europe was one of the few times I felt inferior earning SGD. One consolation I had was the gelato. It was somehow much cheaper in Salzburg!

Brunei is unique because the currency is pegged to SGD at a fixed 1:1 exchange rate. I had this thought that it must be as developed as Singapore, too. Imagine my surprise when I visited the country. It was nowhere close to Singapore and somewhat comparable to Malaysia. I might be biased, but I couldn't shake of the feeling that things should have been cheaper in Brunei. 

Having said that, the rest of Southeast Asia, from Myanmar to Indonesia, was a good place for me to travel. It was so affordable. Good and cheap! Cambodia was probably the only other exception, as KHR had a fixed exchange rate and the country also used USD as a legal tender. When we entered Cambodia from Vietnam, some of us actually paid USD 1 just to use the toilet.

Overall, it's still pretty cool to earn SGD and spend it on another currencies. It was fun to feel like a king. Even when things were much more expensive for us, at least SGD was strong enough to cushion it, haha. That probably explained why traveling was an option, not a luxury...

Uang dan Nilai Tukar 

Di hari Selasa pagi, seperti kebanyakan orang di generasi saya, saya melihat-lihat Facebook begitu saya bangun. Ada satu gambar dengan banyak bendera yang memiliki tajuk negara-negara dengan tingkat inflasi terendah. Bendera Bahrain menarik perhatian saya. Riset pun segera dilakukan dengan Perplexity AI. Untuk ukuran Timur Tengah, ternyata Bahrain tidak tergolong mahal untuk dikunjungi. 

Apa yang baru saja saya lakukan ini mengingatkan saya pada Australia dan beberapa negara lain yang pernah saya kunjungi sebelumnya. Untuk negara dengan mata uang lebih lemah dari SGD, Australia tidaklah murah. Secara rata-rata, harga sekali makan bisa dikatakan dua kali lipat dari harga di Singapura. Tapi Perth enak suasananya. Dan tempat makan di sana sangat murah hati dengan kuantitas kentang gorengnya. 

Pengalaman serupa terasa di Hong Kong. Perbedaan drastis ini dialami saat saya keluar dari Shenzhen. Hong Kong terasa padat dan mahal. Kamar hotelnya kecil, berbeda dengan kamar yang luas plus ruang tamu yang saya tempati di Shenzen. Rata-rata kota di Cina masih wajar harganya, tapi Hong Kong adalah pengecualian! 

Di sisi lain, India sangat terjangkau bagi pemegang SGD. Harga Uber di sana sungguh terasa murah, sampai-sampai saya menekan konfirmasi tanpa keraguan. Sama halnya pula dengan Malaysia, terutama di Ipoh. Harganya selalu membuat saya tertawa dan berharap seandainya saja saya bisa langsung pesan 10 mobil sekaligus. 

Taiwan juga ramah bagi yang ingin berhemat. Yang paling mengesankan adalah restoran Din Tai Fung. Hanya kisaran SGD 50 untuk makan siang. Harga segini sungguh mustahil bagi satu keluarga dengan dua anak yang bersantap di Din Tai Fung Singapura!

Kalau Eropa beda lagi ceritanya. Mata uangnya, mulai dari GBP, EUR atau CHF, lebih perkasa dari SGD. Segala sesuatu di Inggris dan Eropa Barat terasa lebih mahal dari Singapura. Satu hal yang sering terasa di Eropa adalah lemahnya SGD. Satu-satunya penghiburan yang saya temukan adalah gelato. Di Salzburg, harganya dua kali lebih dari Singapura. 

Brunei tergolong unik karena mata uangnya yang dipatok 1:1 dengan SGD. Saya jadi membayangkan bahwa negaranya pastilah semaju Singapura juga. Bayangkan betapa kagetnya saya pas tiba di sana. Negara ini lebih mirip Malaysia daripada Singapura. Saya mungkin bias, tapi berdasarkan apa yang saya lihat, saya jadi merasa seharusnya harga barang-barang di Brunei lebih murah.

Negara-negara lain di Asia Tenggara, mulai dari  Myanmar sampai Indonesia, sangat ramah bagi kantong saya. Murah dan terjangkau! Kamboja mungkin satu-satunya pengecualian karena KHR memiliki kurs tetap dan juga menggunakan USD dalam jual-beli. Ketika kita memasuki Kamboja dari Vietnam, beberapa di antara kita membayar mahal USD 1 hanya untuk kencing. 

Secara umum, pendapatan SGD dan pengeluaran menggunakan mata uang lain memang masih ok. Sedap rasanya saat menjadi seperti raja. Bahkan ketika segala sesuatu terasa lebih mahal, ketangguhan SGD sangat membantu dalam membendung kemahalan yang terasa. Mungkin ini alasannya kenapa berjalan-jalan adalah pilihan, bukan kemewahan... 

The Land Down Under: Perth

When it comes to a family trip, I prefer a destination that is safe and easy. Japan had been visited a couple of times. After COVID-19, we had gone to Switzerland and Taiwan. If I looked around to find some place new that offers the same standard and isn't too far from Singapore, I guess we're left with South Korea and Western Australia. I dislike the Korean food because it feels busy and fills up the whole table, hence Perth became the obvious choice for year 2025.

My wife and I worked on the itinerary. I relied on Wikivoyage, probably for one last time as I had started using AI for the recent Seremban and Laos trips. As l didn't want to drive, I literally opened up the page for each district just to see the nearby places we could visit. I also have a cousin who lives in Perth and didn't mind to drive us around, so he helped adjusting the itinerary for a visit to Swan Valley. 

The last Europe trip included several destinations that were visited for one night only. They were so rushed that it felt like we just passed through. So Perth should be the exact opposite. It had to be nice and slow. It'd be only Perth for nine nights and we'd be staying at the same Novotel throughout the holiday!

Flying to Perth!

And the first night we were there, since we landed after midnight, was pretty much alive! It was about 2 AM on Sunday and people had been partying since Saturday night. My wife and I were surprised to see so many tipsy people, all dressed to impress. Turned out that Murray Street was quite a party area!

Strolling along Elizabeth Quay.

Our Day One began long after sunrise. About 12 PM, we headed to Hay Street Mall. My cousin Win and his wife met us there and brought us to see the Bell Tower and Elizabeth Quay. We hung out and talked a lot while doing a slow walk back to Murray Street. As they had to go back in the late afternoon, we made our way to Chinatown via Yagan Square for early dinner. But it was too early indeed, so we had our meal at Hakata Gensuke instead. 

Having breakfast with Kaung.

Day Two started late, too. I had a breakfast with Kaung, an ex-colleague of mine, then went back to Room 308. Much later on, we took Uber and reached the Blue Boat House around 1:30 PM in the afternoon. After a quick picture taking, we explored Kings Park. It took us quite a long while to get out of the park, so long that we eventually had a late lunch. We returned to hotel afterwards. 

At the Blue Boat House.

On Day Three, we visited AQWA in Hilarys Boat Harbour. It was about half an hour of Uber ride from the city. This attraction reminded me of the original Underwater World in Sentosa. Needless to say, we didn't stay long. The ride back to the hotel was wet and cold. When the rest of the family were relaxing in the room, I took my time to search for post office. For our dinner, we had Vietnamese food. Starting to get sick of fries! When the night came, my wife and I had a glass of wine at the hotel lounge as Audrey slept early. 

The path to the lighthouse. 

We started early for the first time ever on Day Four. From Barrack Street Jetty, we took a bus to Fremantle to catch a ferry to Rottnest Island. The sea was rough! Our island adventure began with brunch at Dome, then we searched for quokka. The animals were cute and could be seen around the island. There was even one under the table when we had our pizza for lunch! The highlight of the day was the journey on foot that brought us to the lighthouse. The view was beautiful. We took the same ferry back at 4:30 PM, but this time it cruised all the way to Barrack Street Jetty. From there, we walked back to hotel.

While waiting for our ferry to Perth.

We went to Caversham Wildlife Park on Day Five. On our way to the park using Uber, I couldn't help thinking that it'd be difficult to get back to the city. But still, it was a problem for later. As of now, we just needed to enjoy the park filled with marsupials and farm animals that included ostriches and camels. The park was all right, but it was interesting to see wild kangaroos outside the park. But the road signs weren't clear. We lost our way home and eventually called Uber to bring us back. Before we called it a night, we went to OZ Dobi Laundromat, had our dinner at Authentic Bites Dumpling House and waited for our laundry at Taning Lemon Tea.

At Taning, while waiting for laundry.

We finally had a proper visit to Fremantle on Friday, our Day Six in Perth. From Perth Underground that was just a walking distance from Novotel, we headed to Platform 7 that is actually located in Perth Station. Boarded the train and half an hour later, we were in Fremantle. First stop: the iconic Fremantle Markets! Next destination, where we had our seafood lunch, was Cicerello's. Then, to cap it off, we had churros at Chocolateria San Churro. When we were back to Room 308, I still had more a plenty of time to chill before I tried out the Comedy Lounge across the street. Loving it! 

Off we went to Fremantle!

My cousin Win and his wife picked us up on Saturday morning. We had our brunch at Folklore, a popular local coffee shop. Tried toast with Vegemite for the first time ever! Then we headed to Sandalford Estate for wine tasting. A new experience for me! Lunch was at Pasta in the Valley, then followed by a visit to Margaret River Chocolate Company. Lots and lots of chocolates there for shoppers! But shopping isn't my cup of tea, so I just sat at a corner with Audrey, hehe. We did the same during the visit to House of Honey that wrapped up our time in Swan Valley. We headed to South Perth for Korean food and that was it. 

Swan Valley!

Sunday, our Day Eight, was another relaxed day. We didn't have much planned for that day. We walked past London Court, then had lunch together at KFC, our second time in Perth. Linda and her mom went out to shop after that while Audrey and I were chilling in our room. For our dinner, we walked back to Chinatown to eat at Uncle Billy's Chinese Restaurant, the one recommended by Kaung. That meal ended our last night in Perth and we flew back on Day Nine.

Posing in London Court. 

Now, before the trip, I had lunch with my acquaintance Sean. We thought that nine days would be too long for Perth only, but after I went through it, I'd say it was very a enjoyable experience. Perth had a much slower pace than Singapore and the winter did help creating such a conducive atmosphere. It was quite a change and turned out that I don't mind slowing down once in a while!

Negeri Di Bawah Sana: Perth

Bila kita berbicara tentang liburan keluarga, saya lebih condong memilih destinasi yang aman dan gampang dijelajahi. Jepang sudah kita kunjungi beberapa kali. Setelah COVID-19, kita pergi ke Swiss dan Taiwan. Jika saya melihat ke sekeliling saya dan mencari tempat dengan kriteria serupa yang tidak terlalu jauh dari Singapura, maka pilihan yang tersisa hanyalah Korea Selatan dan Australia Barat. Saya tidak suka masakan Korea yang terasa sibuk dan memenuhi meja dengan makanan kecilnya, jadi Perth pun menjadi pilihan tahun 2025. 

Istri dan saya berkolaborasi dalam mengerjakan rute perjalanan. Referensi saya adalah Wikivoyage, mungkin untuk terakhir kalinya karena saya sudah menggunakan AI untuk liburan ke Seremban dan Laos baru-baru ini. Karena saya tidak berminat untuk mengemudikan mobil, saya buka setiap halaman tentang distrik-distrik di Perth untuk mencari tahu tempat-tempat di sekitar kota yang bisa saya kunjungi. Saya juga memiliki sepupu di Perth yang tidak keberatan untuk menyetir, jadi dia bantu merevisi rute perjalanan dengan kunjungan ke Swan Valley. 

Liburan terakhir ke Eropa mencakup beberapa kota yang hanya dikunjungi semalam saja. Kesannya begitu terburu-buru, seperti hanya sekedar singgah. Perth direncanakan untuk tidak seperti itu lagi. Liburan kali ini harusnya santai dan perlahan. Sembilan hari di Perth dan kita akan tinggal di hotel yang sama sepanjang liburan. 

Terbang ke Perth!

Dan di malam pertama kita di sana, tengah malam tepatnya karena kita menaiki pesawat malam, kawasan Novotel masih luar biasa aktif. Saat itu jam dua pagi di hari Minggu dan orang-orang sudah berpesta dari sejak Sabtu malam. Istri dan saya terkejut juga melihat banyak muda-mudi dalam dandanan seksi dan pengaruh alkohol. Ternyata Murray Street adalah kawasan hiburan!

Berjalan santai di Elizabeth Quay.

Hari Pertama dimulai lama setelah matahari terbit. Sekitar jam 12 siang, kita berjalan ke Hay Street Mall. Sepupu saya Win dan istrinya berjumpa dengan kita di sana dan membawa kita melihat Bell Tower serta Elizabeth Quay. Kita bersantai dan banyak berbincang, sambil perlahan-lahan kembali ke Murray Street. Ketika hari menjelang senja, mereka harus kembali ke tempat mereka, jadi kita pun lanjut ke Chinatown melewati Yagan Square. Kita tiba terlalu awal dan akhirnya makan ramen di Hakata Gensuke. 

Sarapan bersama Kaung.

Hari Kedua juga dimulai cukup siang. Saya sarapan dengan mantan kolega saya, Kaung, lalu kembali ke Kamar 308. Kita lantas naik Uber dan tiba di Blue Boat House sekitar jam 1:30 siang. Setelah berfoto sejenak, kita berjalan ke arah Kings Park. Butuh waktu lama untuk keluar dari taman yang luas ini, begitu lamanya sampai-sampai kita makan siang jam tiga sore. Sesudah itu kita pun kembali ke hotel. 

Di Blue Boat House.

Di Hari Ketiga, kita pergi ke AQWA di Hilarys Boat Harbour. Setengah jam lamanya dari kota kalau naik Uber. Wahana ini mengingatkan saya dengan Underwater World di Sentosa dulu. Tak ayal lagi, kita hanya sebentar di sana. Hujan turun saat kita pulang ke hotel. Selagi semua bersantai di kamar, saya berjalan-jalan keluar mencari kantor pos. Untuk makan malam, kita mencicipi masakan Vietnam. Yang penting ada nasi, karena saya mulai sebal dengan kentang goreng. Saat malam tiba, saya dan istri menikmati wine di hotel karena Audrey tidur lebih awal.  

Jalan menuju ke mercusuar. 

Kita berangkat pagi untuk pertama kalinya di Hari Keempat. Dari Barrack Street Jetty, kita naik bis ke Fremantle untuk naik feri ke Rottnest Island. Ombaknya lumayan tinggi! Petualangan kita di pulau dimulai dengan makan pagi menjelang siang di Dome, lalu kita mencari quokka. Hewan yang imut ini bisa dilihat di berbagai penjuru pulau. Bahkan ada satu di bawah meja saat kita makan siang! Puncak dari perjalanan di hari tersebut adalah mercusuar. Bagus pemandangannya. Dengan feri yang sama, kita akhirnya meninggalkan pulau jam 4:30 sore, namun kali ini feri berlabuh Barrack Street Jetty. Dari sana, kita tinggal berjalan pulang ke hotel.

Saat menanti feri untuk kembali ke Perth.

Di Hari Kelima, kita pergi ke Caversham Wildlife Park. Dalam perjalanan ke sana menggunakan Uber, saya jadi berpikir bahwa akan susah bagi kita untuk kembali ke kota karena terpencil tempatnya. Tapi itu adalah masalah pas pulang nanti. Sekarang kita hanya perlu menikmati taman yang dipenuhi dengan aneka binatang Australia dan juga hewan-hewan peternakan, termasuk unta dan burung unta. Dalam perjalanan pulang, kita mencoba berjalan kaki menuju stasiun. Ada beberapa kangguru berkeliaran di luar taman. Namun karena petunjuk jalan yang tidak jelas, akhirnya kita tersesat dan memanggil Uber. Sesampainya di kota, kita mampir ke OZ Dobi Laundromat, makan malam di Authentic Bites Dumpling House serta menunggu cucian kita sambil menikmati teh es lemon di Taning Lemon Tea.

Di Taning, sambil menunggu cucian.

Kita akhirnya mengunjungi  Fremantle di Jumat pagi, Hari Keenam kita di Australia. Dari Perth Underground yang terletak tak jauh dari Novotel, kita berjalan ke Platform 7 yang berada di Perth Station. Kereta berangkat dan setengah jam kemudian, kita tiba di Fremantle. Pemberhentian pertama: Fremantle Markets yang tersohor! Untuk makan siang, kita icip makanan laut di Cicerello's. Kemudian, sebagai hidangan penutup, kita makan churros di Chocolateria San Churro. Sewaktu kita kembali ke Kamar 308, saya masih punya banyak waktu sebelum saya mencoba Comedy Lounge di seberang jalan. Saya suka pertunjukan komedinya! 

Dan kita pun ke Fremantle!

Sepupu saya Win dan istrinya datang menjemput di Sabtu pagi. Kita bersantap di Folklore, kedai kopi lokal yang populer di Perth. Untuk pertama kalinya, saya mencoba roti bakar yang dioles dengan Vegemite! Kita lantas pergi ke Sandalford Estate untuk mencoba aneka wine. Juga pengalaman baru untuk saya! Makan siang kita dipesan di Pasta in the Valley, lalu kita lanjut lagi ke Margaret River Chocolate Company. Coklatnya menggunung dan tinggal dipilih! Tapi saya tidak gemar berbelanja, jadi saya hanya duduk di pojok bersama Audrey, hehe. Hal yang sama juga kita lakukan saat berada di House of Honey, tempat terakhir yang kita kunjungi di Swan Valley. Dalam perjalanan pulang, kita makan malam menu Korea di South Perth. 

Swan Valley!

Minggu, Hari Kedelapan, adalah hari yang santai. Tak banyak yang ingin dilihat pada hari terakhir ini. Kita berjalan melewati London Court, lalu makan siang bersama di KFC, kali kedua kita selama di Perth. Setelah itu Linda dan mamanya pergi berbelanja sementara saya dan Audrey bersantai di kamar. Untuk makan malam, kita kembali ke Chinatown dan menjajal Uncle Billy's Chinese Restaurant, rekomendasi dari Kaung. Makan malam tersebut menjadi penutup malam terakhir di Perth. Kita pulang ke Singapura di Hari Kesembilan. 

Berpose di London Court. 

Nah, sebelum liburan, saya makan siang bersama kenalan saya Sean. Kita sempat berpendapat bahwa sembilan hari mungkin terlalu lama untuk berada di Perth saja, tapi setelah saya jalani, saya suka dengan pengalaman kali ini. Perth santai suasananya dan musim dingin menciptakan suasana yang kondusif untuk bersantai. Mantap nian!