Freak City Soundtrack

I turned 28^th just two weeks ago. What’s so special on my B’day? January 31^st is Wednesday, and it’s like other ordinary Wednesday. So I getting old now and I remembered my old pal, Jipel used to said to me, “We’re almost there, (in the late 20s) and still like this”. What his trying to tell me is as our age almost reaches 30, we (my friends and I) still act like 20s. Hang around, went to coffee shop or snooker’s together. While some of us, haha, ok, I should say that most of us (since they’re already married) taking care of their wife or children, and we still fooling around most of time.

As far as I remembered, I always spent my January 31^st alone. Alone means, at that time I don’t have someone that I can share my happiness with. Does it sound too pathetic? I have no idea. But when I turned 27 just one year ago, I also spent by myself alone. Maybe if I’m not mistaken, it was just few days of my life in Korea at that time. But even alone, I’m trying to enjoy. It doesn’t matter whether it works or not. At least, I felt that my birthday is a day of thankfulness. Thanks for everything, up to now, He still giving me a chance to live and to see so many wonderful places.

If I can ask one wish to Him, I am expecting to share my time someday when I turn 29^th with someone that I can rely on. Or maybe it will be just perfect if I wouldn’t hear any news that can break my heart. Haha, I can hear some of you are laughing at me now. Damned, I’m too sentimental. Does it because I’m listening dozens of love songs? Or is it because I just feeling blue?

Ok now let’s talk something else. Can I ask you something? Does some of you still keep contact with your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend? Well I do. It doesn’t mean that I frequently contact them, but in my case, they’re good friends of mine now. Sometimes one’s or twice a year, we send email or just do some chit-chat, or just share some news. Even we’re not seeing each others, but it doesn’t mean that they’re my enemy since we’re not couples anymore. I’m neither a wise man nor a perfect guy, but since I saw many of us hated our ex-girlfriends, if possible I could tell you that don’t hate them. Keep contact each other, keep your friendship on. I think there are no religions in the world that suggest us to break a friendship right?

So my birthday only two weeks away, I think is not too late for you to treat me lunch /dinner or send me a present. I will receive with my open arms and surely delighted. In the other hand, I also want to send my truly deep empathy to my brothers and sisters who suffer from mighty flood in Jakarta. Even natural disaster keep happened more often, but I believe our country, Indonesia may became a great one someday.

“Yes, it will all be there, just as intensely and tenaciously alive as ever all there a thousand years hence, five thousand, ten. You have only to stroll through Shanghai to be certain of it. London and Paris offer no such certainty”. (Aldous Huxley, from his diary, 1926)

Hi, Ni Hao? Here I am, sittin’ in the lobby of one of Shanghai’s most glamorous hotels in the 1930s. Yup, I’m in Shanghai now, is quite late at night and I still can’t close my eyes even after I spent whole day sightseeing this fascinating city.

What brings me to Shanghai? It was begun early summer, when my friends and I organized to see The Shanghai Formula One Grand Prix Series. As my self, I really looking forward to come to this city, bcoz I always amazed how Shanghai became the most metropolises, skyscrapers, fascinating, also one of developed city in Asia. I kept listen, saw, and read how Shanghai city grew. One of my other reason is Shanghai is much more Hong Kong than Beijing, which actually visitors won’t get the Great Wall or dusty imperial palaces. This is China’s modern portal on the 21^st century where modern-day travelers come to catch glimpses of the new People’s Republic.

Shall I continue my story, so after we finally cancel our trip to Shanghai on October, I made a big plan for my self. I should see Shanghai before I leave Korea. It’s been mentioned also in my 2007 resolutions. Yes, I will travel by myself even no body wants to join me. So I booked the hotel and ticket airplane one month before. Thank God now I‘m living in holy-technology, which just a click of my finger, and I google’up everything, I found bunch of hotels in Shanghai. I decided to choose this hotel because is just few blocks away from the Bund, the most impressive mile in Shanghai. A boastful reinder of the city’s cosmopolitan and decadent heyday, it’s the first place to which all visitors to Shanghai gravitate. The hotel architect, interior and exterior in addition to their historical stories in 1930s, has made my self confidence to choose this hotel as my shelter for my staying in Shanghai.

It is required a Chinese visa to go to Shanghai, and I went to Chinese Embassy at Seoul. Interestingly, maybe I will write more details how Chinese Embassy made everything’s easy to everyone who wants to visit their country. It’s so easy and it doesn’t take long time. Oh Gosh, I shouldn’t compare with how our customs treat foreigners in my beloved country.

When I came to Shanghai, I was quite shocked to see their Pudong International Airport. Especially, after I finished with my luggage, I went out and waited for a bus. Again, I compare with Incheon International Airport in Korea, so different. In my opinion, Pudong is much dirtier than Incheon. And sorry, I don’t ment to offense you guys, but in Pudong, I found difficulties to ask someone that can explain me how to get to my hotel. Although I printed the hotel map, it still hard for me because none of them speak English !! Well, ok even you can’t speak English, at least you can show me the way right? That’s what they did in Incheon, but in Pudong, wow, I promise they were not very helpful. After sometimes, I decided to take a cab. Indeed, it’s so much cheaper if you can find an airport bus.

What can you expected when you sitting in a taxi and the driver can only speak Chinese? Haha, I just sit still and took my pocket cybershot, capturing the beautiful city of Shanghai. I arrived at the hotel one hour later. After I put my belongings to the hotel, I started my journey by walking and reading my favorite books, Shanghai – City Guide which is published by Lonely Planet. My only preparartion before I came to this city is just this book and camera. I really recommend you that if you want to travel, you may find this Lonely Planet that have many city guides for all over the world. It is very useful and thanks to this book because it lead’s me to see the most beautiful places that I really wanted. And also these books described all the details clearly.

My first impressions of just couple hours in this city is, this city has hundreds skyscrapers and unfortunately you may not see the original Chinese. I mean, it’s quite difficult to see the Chinese temple or palace. Shanghai it’s too modern for it. In the other hand, I saw many American’s, British and other imperialism countries brands all over the place. The capitalism has covered this city, lots !

Very interesting place, but I still have to discover more. This only few of my stories, while, I’m going to write more soon…

Ciao.