This post was originally published and shared by me within my team’s channel (internal.) One thing about Automattic is, the company encourages you to write. Due to its nature as a distributed company where we have been doing remote working Before It Was Cool™?, asynchronous communication through writings is part of the company’s go-to method. Yes, we also have sync communication through Zoom, Around, and what-have-yous. Writing, however, is still something that is close and dear to folks in the company.
I wrote this because I have been facing this thought for quite some time. Perhaps since February, I guess? Although I suspect this has been going on far too long even before the beginning of 2023. I hope that for whoever read this and might feel the same way as I do, take comfort that you are not alone.
Anyway. I blabbed. The post below is copy-pasted from what I wrote on my team’s P2 (P2 is our… Blog-looking internal system to communicate and manage projects) with some word editing.
I love analogies and visualizing things in my head to help me understand things better — and for me to put names on Weird/Big Feelings I have. Lately, I have felt like standing on top of a jelly.
The jelly is my mental state. Like many emotions, it’s jiggly and easy to move. Some folks’ jelly might be firmer, and others might be more movement prone.
Mine? A really jiggly jelly and a combination of a hamster with caffeine.
Things change. The world is not the same after 2020. I even feel we have this collective wish to go back in time and erase that goddamn year and the pandemic, if possible.
What happened for the past 2-3 years feels like it quadrupled and increased every moment (I might exaggerate here.)
While the changes are normal and expected, it’s understandable when things feel… … … Not right. As if we are standing on top of a really jiggly jelly. Some changes, especially the ones that have been discussed and anticipated, are still okay-ish.
Some? Not so. Especially when things feel like coming in droves.
And for some, at least for me, it feels like we are grasping with all of our might to make sure we are still standing on top of the jelly and focusing on not falling down.
And the changes might not always be the major ones. Sometimes, it even comes in the form of small changes. The straw that broke the camel’s back. A different way to report a bug, a different way to follow a process, heck, even a different UI/UX on websites that you used to feel familiar with. Some come in blueberry-sized, and some come in cherry-sized.
Thankfully, we haven’t got the one watermelon-sized (hopefully not, and never!)
And with constant changes, it’s easy to see us struggling and wheezing, trying our best to keep focused. Goal? Motivation? Aspiration? Fuck them. I only want to be able to stand on top of my jelly.
While it’s so easy to see myself standing on top of a jelly, it’s interesting to wonder: “Who put me on top of the jelly in the first place?“
Several days ago, I chatted with my team lead, and they shared how they visualized their journey as mountain hiking. When they mentioned, “… … To see the summit as the goal,” we found what makes my image (jiggly jelly) and theirs (mountain summit) completely different (I even told them, “So that’s how you can keep your calm!”)
Their image is something that they can control. Hiking to the top of the mountain or surfing and riding the waves. It’s something that they know within their means and ability to manage.
Mine is something that I can’t control. The jelly will always be jiggly, even when I’m standing still quietly on top of it. I’m the one who put myself on top of the jelly. As a result, I can’t have a clear goal, let alone see it. I’m too busy balancing myself atop the jelly instead of looking at the bigger picture.
My colleagues (I have the best colleagues in the world. No kidding) shared this article with me.
And you know what? I will use that to go down from the top of the jelly.
Talk about burnout with friends, family, or trusted coworkers.
Set boundaries.
Find little moments of joy
Bonus: Get a coach! This is special because I always feel overwhelmed when I want to create an appointment. I always thought I was lazy or incompetent because of that. It turns out that it’s a really normal response, and I’m not alone! Knowing this helps me to feel more comfortable and confident in taking another step.
And perhaps, I will no longer stand on top of a really jiggly jelly. I will stand on top of a hill, looking at a mountain summit, and achieve my goal.
There will always be a time when we return to our jelly and have another jiggly-jelly moment while trying to climb a mountain (try to have that image for a moment.) Knowing that we can always talk about the jelly, get down, and climb the mountain again is comforting. Or just to sit for a while.
… Or make it every airline company with every route.
Cup noodles, a humble instant food, ready-to-eat with sodium, carbohydrates in the form of thin noodles, and hot soup that sometimes too hot when we slurped it impatiently as our tummy growls.
Air travel usually is tiring. Exciting, for some and for first-timers and kids, and it’s quick becoming tiring and stressful. The stress quick turns to headaches and cold tummy.
I once mentioned how cup noodles fast becoming my version of The Best Airline Food during my flight from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City. It was my second leg from three-legs flight from Madrid to Kuala Lumpur. I was tired due to lack of sleep and the stress of flying several months after the world recovered from the pandemic started to take its toll on me. It was night time (? I guess? It’s hard to know if it’s night time or day time or what time when you are flying and almost bonkers thanks to timezone weirdness) until I saw a passenger next to me called a flight attendant and requested, “I would like a cup noodles, please.”
I was so tired, manners be damned, and my curiosity got the best of me. “Excuse me. I’m so sorry. I heard you asked for cup noodles to the flight attendant. Is… Is that possible?”
He looked at me and nodded. “Yes. And Vietnam Airlines always serve cup noodles on their flights. I always use their service, you see, because I fly between France to Vietnam on regular basis. I always asking for cup noodles.”
A button pressed, a hand raised, and a, “can I have a cup noodles, please?” And 5 minutes later, I felt like home.
Just recently, my family and I went back to Indonesia for Eid and a vacation. We used TransNusa airlines. They are fairly new with the international flights. They have been handling Indonesia’s domestic flights for East Indonesia area, and it has been a fresh 4-5 months of their international flight on Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur route.
It was an evening flight, and the passengers were anxious to board. Our flight gate had to change because the flight before ours got canceled and the passengers got stuck at the boarding area. Despite the ordeals, the flight took off with only 5 minutes late from the scheduled time.
As a low cost carrier (LCC,) TransNusa does not include meals on their tickets, but passengers can purchase on-board meals. Most of us were hungry and tired. As for me, I had a headache.
Was it a good dinner? It was nothing much, but it was great.
Ari and I have been planning a family trip since last year, and one of the main factors was my kids’ jealousy of me because “mom always goes to cool places while we are stuck at home!” (So, no, they don’t miss me when I’m away for business trips. They are more annoyed by the fact I’m on a trip because jetlag be damned.)
We used a tour service for this trip: Toraberu Japan. The tour company took care of our hotel, transportation, and guides — while we took care of our Japan visa and flight tickets. We shared with the tour which places in Japan we would like to visit, and they took care of the tickets and the transportation routes.
Check your calendar. Our trip happened during Japan’s Golden Week, so a lot of places — if not, all — were PACKED by tourists, be it international tourists and local tourists. While crowded places can be overwhelming for some, it was also super fun seeing local tourists enjoying them too. According to our guides, Japan’s peak tourist seasons usually happen on Golden Week, spring (flower-viewing,) and autumn. June-August tends to be the low season as those months are summertime, and Japan tends to be super hot during the summer. Dress accordingly, and be prepared to have a pocket umbrella in your bag. April-May can be rainy and windy, and June-August can be super hot (prepare your UV cream!)
Google Maps is your friend. I highly recommend you to use Google Maps, because…
Use public transportation as much as possible. Taxi fares can be pretty expensive, and it might pose a language barrier issue. On the other hand, Japan’s inter-city and local train systems are top-notch. Make sure you get Suica or Pasmo card for effortless traveling, but it’s alright if you don’t have them as you can get train tickets/tokens at the train stations. If you are traveling with children, they can get a Suica card for children, and the fee will be half-price. Bring passports when purchasing Suica cards for children as the station staffs need to verify the age. Google Maps helps a lot by giving you accurate routes, including arrival/departure timing and entries/exits from stations. Fun fact: Children’s Suica card emits “chirp chirp!” when scanned at the gate.
Suica/Pasmo card is a prepaid card; you can top them off/reload them at any convenience store. Not only for train tickets, but you can also use your prepaid card for payments and vending machines. As a start, for our 10-days trip, one Suica card for an adult had 10,000 JPY on it, and it was enough for us to roam three cities: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, to our heart’s content.
Wear your most comfortable walking shoes. I can’t stress this enough. Wear your most comfortable walking shoes. If you want to use your Adidas shoes from the Lifestyle line, be my guest, but I highly recommend you use walking or running shoes. Many stations use stairs, and while they have elevators, it’s faster and better to use stairs. Not forget to mention that you will queue a lot. Let platform shoes and high-heels reserved only for the fashionistas in Harajuku and Shibuya; they are physically trained for it.
Cash is your friend. While most places in Japan accept debit and credit cards, I highly recommend you keep some cash, especially the coins. 100 JPY coin is the king of the trade. You can use 100 JPY on vending, ticket, and laundry machines. You can even get a decent meal with only 100 JPY. 50 JPY coin, especially the one with golden/yellow color and a hole in the middle, is the perfect coin for praying at temples.
Speaking about cash, you might wonder about the cost when visiting Japan. In touristy places and business districts, you can expect the price to be slightly higher (at minimum, 300 JPY). Still, many eateries provide a set menu where you can get an entire meal (appetizer, main menu, and dessert) for around 300-500 JPY. Be prepared to fork over 1000 JPY when eating at upscale cafes or malls. Another tip on saving meal costs is to purchase your meal from a convenience store or grocery store (I’d recommend trying a grocery store as prices on convenience stores can be pretty high/marked up 10-20%) in the evening as the stores usually discounted them.
Have an extra reusable bag, or plastic bag from a convenience store. This is a “good to know” tip. While Japanese cities are exceptionally clean, you will look for trash bins frequently because they are pretty hard to find. In Tokyo, you can find trash bins easily nearby vending machines, train stations, or convenience stores. In Osaka and Kyoto, things can be trickier. An excellent way to overcome this is to BRING YOUR OWN TRASH, and you can dispose of the trash back at the hotel.
Somenice-to-know etiquette: Eating/drinking while walking is a no-no. In Japan, eating or drinking while walking is considered rude/frowned upon. While we can have takeouts, walking while eating or drinking is not nice. Not only can this pose a hazard to ourselves and others by leaving crumbs, but it also encourages littering — which is not great. It’s really common to see Japanese folks eating nearby/in front of the eateries while standing (this is encouraged!), and they will go as soon as they finish eating/drinking. Bonus: The eateries usually provide trash bins, so you don’t have to bring your trash.
Going on a multi-city trip with multiple items of luggage? Yes, you can bring your luggage, but you can also ask the hotel to send your luggage before your departure to the next city. The luggage will arrive on the next day. The fee depends on the hotel, but on the place we stay (MyStays hotel chain,) the fee was 1500 JPY/luggage-ish.
In Tokyo and need a new luggage? Because, face it, we could get overboard with stuff we brought in Japan. You can stop by Ginza Karen and get a high-quality, affordable luggage bag in all sizes. The store attendant surprised us when he spoke in fluent Indonesian.
Learn some basic Japanese. My Japanese skill is a whack, so I’m not expecting you all to suddenly master the language within a week before you go, but at the very least, understand some basic talks such as arigatou gozaimashita (thank you,) gomennasai and sumimasen (sorry), and you can always say, “eigo/watashi wa eigo ga hanasemasu” (I can only speak English (eigo)) You might find not a lot of Japanese are comfortable in using English, but they are really really kind and understanding. Once, a restaurant staff even went so far on using their translation service on Naver LINE to communicate with us while I felt super terrible about it and promised myself to continue my Japanese lesson in Duolingo.
Be respectful. This goes not only to Japan but also to any place; please, be respectful. There was some group of tourists openly mocking the Japanese language when we were in Disney SEA, and I wished nothing but ill prayers upon them; I don’t know, something like, they got choked by fish bone multiple times during their time in Japan when eating, I guess. Do not stare at people in public places. You will find Japanese people an exciting mix, gentlemen with formal suit attire and young people with colorful fashions, and you will find yourself inspired and interested. Be courteous and respectful. DO NOT PLAY YOUR PHONE ON MAXIMUM VOLUME WHEN ON THE TRAIN. If you really have to watch that Tiktok or IG Story, use earphones. While Tokyo folks can look cold and always in a hurry, it’s always okay to smile and say, “sumimasen,” when asking for something. Osaka people are more cheerful and upbeat.
And still in the same vein: Do not take pictures of people’s houses. Japan is famous for its tiny houses, and it’s easy for us to feel interested and in awe. Especially in Kyoto, the birthplace of Japan’s proud history, where you can find Kyo-machiya (traditional houses in Kyoto.) Please note this is a country, and the Japanese are not some “tourist objects” for us to gawk at and invade their privacy. Take pictures in public places, and if you are not sure, you can ask, or even better, don’t do it at all if you are unsure.
Tokyo, April 24 – 28
Our first stop was Tokyo from April 24 to April 28. Similar to when I was in Madrid, I was so confused seeing bright sunshine outside when it was 5 AM (it’s still pretty dark at 6 AM in Kuala Lumpur.)
Our guide for our first day was Miss Maria, an undergraduate student from Indonesia, living in Tokyo. She told us that Japan just underwent a general election, and that’s why we kept seeing politicians’ pictures.
We went to Tsukiji Market and kept seeing long lines in front of some food stalls. Those food stalls were usually famous, thanks to social media. We decided not to eat there because we really want to preserve our energy, and the kids have been feeling tired too. We had ame-ichigo (candied strawberry,) though!
We also went to Ginza, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. These three are Tokyo’s lifestyle and fashion powerhouses. We saw the Godzilla statue in Shinjuku, the Hachiko statue in Shibuya, had a piping hot takoyaki, and crossed the famous Shibuya Crossing.
The following day (April 26), we went to Tokyo Disneyland. It was raining and windy on that day, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying The Happiest Place on Earth. We also went to Disney SEA on April 27, but we learned from our experience that it’s better to have a one day-buffer because good gosh, our energy was depleted.
On April 28, we went to Ghibli Museum at Mitaka. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures inside the museum, so I could only take pictures of the outside. Ghibli Museum’s ticketing is… Legendary. You must purchase the entry tickets months before your planned trip, and the availability is limited. I was confused about why they did that, but looking at the museum’s location, I think I understand, haha. Many places we visited in Japan are located in the middle of, or nearby, housing areas. Ghibli Museum is located next to a public park, and limiting visitor numbers is helpful to ensure the traffic around is controllable and not too crowded for folks living in the area.
Our tickets include (short) movie tickets, where we watched Ghibli’s original short movie in the museum’s Saturn Theater. Don’t worry if you can’t speak Japanese; the short movies are dialogue-less. This is the movie ticket — and it’s SUPER CUTE! The tickets use animation cells from Ghibli’s movies.
Right after Ghibli Museum, we went to Osaka using Shinkansen (Tōkaidō Main Line). We got two tickets: The train ticket and the seat reservation ticket. Upon entering the station, we needed to insert the two tickets, tap our Suica card, and then pass the gate. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the tickets for mementos/keepsakes.
We bought ekiben (train bento) because I have been wanting to try it for a really long time!
During the trip, I had the opportunity to see Fuji-san (mount Fuji)!
Osaka and Kyoto, April 28 – May 2
On the next day, April 29, we had a Kyoto city tour. We went to Kyoto from Osaka using the train for 40-50 minutes ride, and in Kyoto, we went to Gion, Fushimi-Inari, and Nishiki Market, where we had a really nice lunch of wagyu steak.
A small temple in Gion area
Fushimi-Inari is really famous for its torii, the red gates that spanned, approximately, 10,000 gates (!) The gates were donations and present from companies and businesses, as Inari is the goddess (kami) for agriculture and businesses. The guardian deity for Inari-sama is fox (kitsune) as foxes helped chase out and repel rats — indeed a creature worthy to be a guardian and deity for the goddess of agriculture!
Fushimi-Inari itself is the head temple for Inari temples, meaning that, yes, you can find Inari temples with torii tunnel on other parts of Japan (although not as massive as Fushimi-Inari’s.) Also, keep an eye out for fox statues when visiting temples — it usually means the temple has an association with Inari-sama.
I learned how kabuki and geisha were started by completely different figures I had in mind. Kabuki is a traditional theater performance performed by men — even when the character is a woman, the performer/actor is a man. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the very first kabuki performance was performed by a woman named Okuni (her full name was Izumo no Okuni. If I’m not mistaken, it means “Okuni from Izumo”.) Geisha started off as a men-only field as they were the attendants for oiran, high-ranking prostitutes (prostitution was legal in Japan at that time.) As oiran’s popularity waned, the public moved to geishas.
Izumi no Okuni statue
We also had dinner on Ichiran Ramen. This ramen chain gained popularity by introducing no-pork ramen, which catapulted their status among Muslim travelers. Their restaurants are famous too for having individual outlet-style where we can order our ramen through an ordering machine and papers. As social media puts it: “A perfect place for introverts,” hahaha.
And being a geriatric millennial, I was excited seeing some famous names on the wall (GLAY, Gackt, and L’Arc~en~Ciel.)
When we were there, the staff got confused with our orders because Wira’s order and mine were similar — the only difference is Wira asked for spicier ramen. The staff asked for clarification, and I was pretty happy to answer. Apparently, they felt really bad and kept apologizing as they brought our order. I was like, “gosh, I’m already so happy being here; please don’t take it to the heart.” Japan’s service is top-notch, and it was really easy to see why. I wish nothing but good luck and prosperity to the staff!
On April 30, we went to Universal Studio Japan. Our main goal was to go to Super Nintendo World. A bit of note when visiting Super Nintendo World, this place and the Harry Potter area are two areas with a time-based system, meaning that you can’t visit these areas anytime. You need to check your ticket on when you can go inside. Ours was 5 PM, so we spent the first half of the day enjoying rides on Jurassic Park, Sesame Street, and Despicable Me areas. Universal Studio Japan also has some areas for Detective Conan (Case Closed), Jujutsu Kaisen, and Spy x Family.
On May 1, we went to Arashiyama. This place is famous for its bamboo forest, built to prevent flooding from the nearby River Hozu (Hozugawa). The place soon became popular among royal family members and feudal lords to walk and enjoy nature — and still popular among crowds now!
Within Arashiyama, a temple plays a pivotal role for the women in the Royal Family: Nonomiya Shrine. Every imperial princess of the royal blood needs to enter the shrine and undergo training to prepare them to serve the public.
Right after, we went to Kiyomizu-dera, one of Japan’s holiest, most sacred Buddhist temples. It is said that there should be NO buildings in Kyoto with its height surpassing Kiyomizu-dera. Because of that, you can see the impressive Kyoto skyline from the temple.
As we descended from Kiyomizu-dera, we went through some ancient roads, and two of them are pretty famous: Ninenzaka (2-years Hill) and Sannenzaka (3-years Hill). According to local lore, be mindful when walking on these two roads because if you slip or fall, the ghosts on the road pull you to join them in the afterlife. Slipped or fell on Ninenzaka means you will die within two years, and slipped or fell on Sannenzaka means you will die within three years. I know some folks who feel compelled to test the lore (certainly not me, though!) Within these two roads is a five-story pagoda older than Kyoto itself: Yasaka-no-to (八坂の塔)
Tokyo, May 2 – 4
The next day, we returned to Tokyo as our flight home was from Narita. While in Tokyo, we went to Asakusa with our friend, Budi. He used to live in Singapore and has been living in Japan for some time. We also visited Tokyo Skytree but didn’t go all the way up. The koinobori on the Tokyo Skytree signifies the upcoming Children’s Day, a.k.a. Boys’ Day. Girls’ Day would be Hinamatsuri, which falls on March 3.
On May 3, while we wanted to go to Yokohama, we decided not to because we got too tired. Instead, we went to Mitaka again and met Budi (again!) to enjoy Inokashira Park. Within this park is a temple that only opens on the Year of the Snake — and you can see some snake reliefs on the temple’s fence and statues.
And that’s it! Thank you, Japan, for the memories. I surely will come back for more!
At this point, many more people are more aware of Ramadan and what it entails; no eating and no drinking from sunrise to sunset.
The problem is that not everyone knows Ramadan’s massive effect on Muslim-majority countries, such as Malaysia or Indonesia. The latter is mainly on the island of Java.
This post is prompted by a couple of tourists who asked the restaurant staff, “… how much longer?” at the place where we had our iftar (breaking the fast) just now.
This post has no way of criticizing tourists or folks who might not know how Ramadan is in Indonesia and Malaysia. I wrote this post so you, my friends, know what to expect when visiting those two countries during the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. You can read what Ramadan is for more details before we jump to the next section ?
Q1. “How do I know that I’m visiting Indonesia/Malaysia during Ramadan?”
Manual way: Grab your calendar, and check if it has “Eid al-Fitr” on it. Note the date of the Eid. Then, check the exact date of the previous month (or roughly 29-31 days before.) Those one whole month right before Eid is Ramadan.
Instant way: Type on Google: “Ramadan 20XX” (the year). The date you get will be the predicted date of the start of Ramadan. “Predicted” because the Islamic calendar is lunar, and it relies on lunar sightings.
Q2. “I’m here in Indonesia/Malaysia, and apparently, it’s Ramadan. I want to grab dinner, and I found EVERYWHERE is packed! What happened?”
Welcome to iftar, a.k.a. The time of breaking the fast. This is what happened to the tourists I saw at Suria KLCC earlier.
During Ramadan, restaurants and cafés usually quiet and empty during the day. However, come afternoon, you will see some places picking up.
In Kuala Lumpur, we usually break our fast at 7:25 PM-ish. Restaurants and cafés start to fill in as early as 6 PM. You would see patrons beginning to sit and order their food.
But wait. They didn’t touch the food, even when it was already served. Why? We are waiting for the iftar.
Once iftar comes — you can hear the sound of azan (call for prayer) — then, and only then, everyone can eat.
So, no. No “how much longer?” Everyone in the restaurant is eating at the same time. You couldn’t expect them to start eating at different times, just like when the restaurant operates regularly.
The tips:
Have a reservation for your spot
During Ramadan, restaurants and cafés are packed during dinnertime. If you must have dinner at restaurants or cafés, plan ahead and reserve the place waaaay earlier. Find the restaurant’s number on Google and call them to book a place, or go to the restaurant/café in the noontime and reserve a table for the evening.
You might notice reservations are unnecessary for restaurants serving pork/lard. Pork/lard is considered haram (forbidden/not allowed) in Islam, so there is a small chance restaurant serving pork/lard will be packed during iftar time. However, it’s good to plan ahead, too, because folks with religions and beliefs outside Islam might think the same as you are, and they decided to visit the restaurant during dinnertime, which resulted in an equally crowded place.
Have an early dinner
This is the more leisurely approach, although it might be tricky for folks with fixed meal times. When we arrived at the restaurant, a couple of patrons had their dinner, and they finished right before the Ramadan crowd poured in.
Ensure you are aware of iftar time to have enough time to eat. You can Google this information or ask the restaurant staff.
Be flexible: Get yourself some meals from convenience store or street food vendors
While this might not be the most glamorous place, this is one of the most surefire ways to get your dinner. Indonesia and Malaysia have many convenience stores; 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson’s, Alfamart, Indomaret, and millions more options on street food vendors. If you feel adventurous and you have Norit at your disposal, you can grab yourself some local delicacies and eat them on the spot by the street. You can also grab some rice boxes or meal-on-the-go from the convenience store and ask the staff to reheat it.
And most importantly, have fun and enjoy your trip!
Ramadan is one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. While Ramadan is all about abstaining from eating and drinking during the day, you will see the month’s excitement and festivities shown everywhere. If you are lucky, you could even visit Bazaar Ramadan, where food and beverage vendors sell delicacies and refreshments as early as 4 PM.
This was taken in… … 2017? 2018? Bazaar Ramadan at Datuk Keramat, KL
I’ve been seeing my friends using Uni Posca and I’m intrigued. Then, I just realized they are not available here in Malaysia, at least not in retail-wise. I had to order it online from a trading company specializing in stationeries.
I love using them, and I think it would be the same feelings when painting using gouache, yeah? My only gripe, though, is this.
I’m not sure if that’s expected or that piling caused by the marker and the paper. I’m using Moleskine sketchbook (yeah, yeah, I know…) so I’m thinking of doing another test on a more decent drawing/painting paper.
I love how “immovable” it is. You can literally put a different color on top of each layer and it won’t budge.
I combined the marker with my Uni Sketch Art Marker, and I love how they complement each others.
