it was a mistake to sleep at 6pm and woke up at 10pm last night. i couldnt brought my self to sleep again… until now. at 3.30am after three hours trying hard to fall asleep (and the hot weather didnt help either), i decided to stay up rather than missing a 9am work. trying to kill time, i watched The Terminal.
so today at work, i felt like Zombie. well, not exactly. sometimes, my vision gets blurry, and i nearly fainted under the scorching weather while trying to deposit cheques to the bank. i resorted to two cans of redbull to keep me ’sober’. it helped a bit. what helped me most was Betty. we chatted in between our work and it made the day goes faster…. well i have a 9am-9.15pm engagement….
i got another can of redbull just before my 6.15 class. while waiting for the class outside the commerce lab, a guy came by to me and asked me a question: ‘its the first week of semester right?’. i replied innocently ‘yes, it is the first week of semester.’ in my mind, i was condemning his ignorance of semester dates.
then it hit me. he was actually making a sarcastic comment about me and my redbull can. i was slow. upon realising, i just smiled. he was nowhere in sight. i guess my tired look and redbull kept people wondering: how will this guy survive? he he…
its 9 o’clock start for me again tomm.. i better get some rest…
but while im on the ‘flat out’ topic, i just want to quicky comment on the recent 20% petrol rise in Indonesia. some of you might now that petrol in indonesia is heavily subsidised by the government. it is the oil of the economy. when petrol increases, everything else follows, sometimes preceding. its also the political dynamite (more like Catch 22). Suharto learnt his lesson by being overthrown when he increased the price. But at the same time, the rising world oil price makes the budget unsustainable to keep subsidising.
so i applaud SBY for his political will to keep the budget afloat. it surely costs him popularity. but he already said it: he doesnt care about his popularity, he rather lose his popularity than seeing indonesia’s economy crumbling down by the unsustainable budget.
that being said, he didnt play his card right. critics have said that he ‘rushed’ the decision. he didnt consult the House of Reps. While it is true that Petrol price remains goverment’s policy, consulting the House (especially after his VP gains control of the biggest faction in the House, making the combination controls the majority of the house) is a ‘must’ tradition. i would have hoped that he would consult and let the House deliberate over the issue and give recommendations to the govt. whether that advice is taken or not is another matter. its about the process. being inclusive in indonesia’s current political climate can only enhance his govt’s image. and i thought he knew that he won the election based on image. how quickly and conveniently one forgets about the root of his rise… im sure he has his reasons that i wouldnt know of… but why not have the public debate… feed those hungry indonesian souls who always want to argue politically everything under the sun…. surely the media has done its own ‘public debate’ but why not take charge…..
i can understand the busy life that the President has… but considering this is the deal-breaker in his Presidency, im pretty sure he can spare 1 hour each night every week to appear on national television’s debate…. engaging the public is his strength. being plainspoken is his charisma. afterall, he is dubbed ‘the communicator’.
SBY, i support your govt decision. i just wish that you play your card right. this time, im afraid, you might be wrong… but time will tell……indonesian voters very well know that they punish those who dont deliver promise. need advice: ask Megawati (im not surprised though if she doesnt say anything 
)