Sometimes Ya, Sometimes

Sometimes Madrid or Turin doesn’t love you.

Sometimes a 20-minute flight from Luang Prabang to Hanoi could cost you slightly more than flying Jakarta – Tokyo, or Bali – Perth. Gils.

Sometimes just because you start the day with a bright smile, bring a suitcase to work, and wrap up meetings early to catch the airport train nearby does not guarantee a seat on the airplane you have already paid months ago.

Sometimes you get more nosebleeds in a month than all of the hipster bowls of Indomie you eat in one year combined.

Sometimes it’s not AirAsia or China Southern that cancels your flights and plans, sometimes it’s the embassy.

Sometimes hiring an agent to take care of your visa (just because you can’t trust your time) isn’t always a good idea, even if they seem experienced.

Sometimes in the aftermath of Europe chronicles, everything about Italy makes you sick. Even Carbonara does.

Sometimes you never know why Malaysian passport is superior to yours. You tell me.

Sometimes those hotels you’ve accidentally booked don’t give you back your money. Even after you send countless emails, explaining shit you’re in. Man!

Sometimes you decide to just cruise over southeast asia at the last minute only because you freak out according to the master plan of every dreamer and the school of discipline, leaving things behind after September is nearly impossible. And that requesting a leave from three different work places is such a pain in the ass to not use.

Sometimes the excitement from long-awaited catch-ups with friends at Chijmes, updates on AI world in Bugis and scheduled wine party at friend’s condo must be dropped. Coz life says so. At least the embassy thinks so.

Sometimes Chao Praya remains your favourite river in the world, and together with Mekong, they seem to make a decent alternative to the overrated Venice River (I know it’s biased but let me just write this).

Sometimes you just freeze not caring much about what happens outside that head because you don’t know how else to respond to things.

Sometimes your investors change their mind as you gear up to top speed.

Sometimes you have to turn down people with a lot of money, too.

Sometimes there are people who actually threaten to sue you in business.

Sometimes you learn to must have everything in writing, legally.

Sometimes people bail on you, on the plans they said they’ve truly committed to. Professionally and personally.

Sometimes your neck, tooth and right foot hurt at once. You don’t know which to take care of first.

Sometimes the startup company whose mission you like so much, and where you’re interning at, runs out of fuel and decides to take the ugly exit. You’re haunted by all the possible harm you might have to deal with for the next 7 months of your academic life.

Sometimes you don’t graduate 3.5 years not because you’re dumb, but there are rules you can’t override. I’m just glad I’m not the old me.

Sometimes people only read your Whatsapp. I’m glad my skin has grown thicker and thicker every day.

Sometimes when you think you’re on top of your game with plans 12 months ahead, sky just falls apart (nobody knows why).

Sometimes you don’t even have a house to return to after three weeks being away.

Sometimes the boxes you’re supposed to ship are stored in three different places in Jakarta because, you know why. So, three temporary homes.

Sometimes you forget you must figure out things about money right away coz it’s like fluid, it just flowsssss, fast.

Sometimes money is just literally bees, nuts and rain all at once.

Sometimes all deadlines for school tuition, house deposit, outstanding credit card bill, and other expenses you and your cofounders are bound to pay are perfectly scheduled by the universe in the same week.

Sometimes you return to a city you love-hate so much without knowing what to type on the destination in Grab app. Coz you’re homeless now.

Sometimes you think you’re too young for what you’re wrestling with. Or maybe too old for some people.

Sometimes you just wanna fly straight to home to see your newly born nephew after all drama but can’t afford to because you got to tick all the Jakarta checklist.

Sometimes Vanesa is right: your heart isn’t in the right place.

Sometimes you think to yourself: starting a charity seems to be something only wealthy people do, like what the royals and celebrities do on the side. Not a broke, struggling entrepreneur-slash-student-slash- who thinks twice about buying USD 15 food (even in places where people find that price to be cheap).

Sometimes you do not end up buying the house you’ve been constantly looking at (it’s near a beach). Instead, you consider all things that matter and put down a deposit for a house from your cofounder.

Sometimes you give too much burnout room for others but yourself. That’s not healthy. Walk away and find that peace wherever you can find it.

Sometimes you don’t even know where to press the restart button in life, even in the less-dramatic context of it, like how to make enough money to make a living.

Sometimes a lot of things you were skeptical about assets are correct.

Sometimes you just lose precious things from people to jobs to things, and without proper training, you’re supposed to understand it and swallow the life pills. Even worse, sin agua, mi amigo.

Sometimes receh jokes are the best thing ever happened to you.

Sometimes you discover this pattern about people, like that person who comes late to a meeting will always appear as a tardy person. You’re just immune to their sorries.

Sometimes life gets too funny. It never tells you anything but bricks are starting to be thrown at your face, repeatedly. And because you’re too numb to feel, people think you’re having the best times of your life. That also because I have an automatic happy face.

Sometimes cappuccino costs > HK$ 40 in this part of the globe.

Sometimes I forgot I’m lucky to have a good support system in my life. I don’t lose a house to a terrible volcano eruption, nor was I to lose my loved ones. Life’s too short to feel small with what I see as first-world problems.

Sometimes I prefer sulking in writing.

Sometimes I think I should just vlog my dramatic life journeys.

Sometimes waking up to >50 messages in your phone becomes the new normal. It’s inevitable.

Sometimes I feel like my Jakarta life is certainly what Her looks like in real life. My iPhone tells me everything, from waking me up, tracking health, moving to places, to enslaving myself to all messaging apps.

Sometimes 99.9% of problems I now face < the devastation the family of Sabika Sheikh has to go through.

Sometimes I never really want to get hung up on my views that things should be the way my eyes see it. Because truth is everything.

Sometimes you just wanna sit alone, figuring things out.

One of the common things many successful dreamers tell you is that the only way to evolve fast is to get through an extremely dangerous jungle. And that I’ve learned enough number of verses in Quran and talked to a few wiser folks since a very young age that 99% of my problems are temporary. They are just this list of sometimes that won’t last forever. I just do the 3 year-old style, you know, just move the fuck on when they hear the word ice cream. For a life that is too short to be lived unhappily.

Happy fasting and cleansing in Ramadan. Happy Vesak. Happy Galungan. Happy Pancasila Day. Happy long weekend!