Yesterday was my 11th years of work anniversary and my life has always been series of hard work ever since.

I have been working full time ever since I was in University. I remember clearly that my first day at work was 28th of June 1995. I worked as an accountant in a foreign embassy. I was so happy that I finally able to earn my living. I was so please that I finally able to finance my own education and did not have to ask money from my parents anymore. I care less that the work was hard, the boss was a nightmare and that I had to returned home almost midnight every day because I swapped my day classes to night classes. I worked there for more than a year. It was a year without day off where any day off would be days for examination and days for study. I remember taking ojek (taxi motorbike) to go to the campus every evening. Sitting at the back with my feet dangling and my hands clutching books and papers. I was not allow to wear pants at that time, so I had to wear skirt. And since I was not really a motor rider, I remember that I had difficulty to keep my skirt not to climb up higher whenever I rode that bike. Once I graduated, I got another offer that four times better so I quitted. My boss at that time was really pissed but I did not care. She did not treat me good so why should I bother.

My second job lasted for almost two years. I was so happy there. My boss was nice. My colleagues were fun. The job was challenging and the paid was good. Unfortunately the office was moved and I did not want to move. I want to stay in Jakarta. So I quitted and join my current company.

And I love it here. My bosses were nice and the environment is good. Meeting your colleagues are like meeting your friends. And without me realising it, it’s been more than 8 years now since I started with this company. I was a single woman when I joined, and here I am now, married with two children. I started as an Office Administrator and now I am a Human Resources Analyst. I have experienced 3 bosses and 4 GMs. I have moved from 13th floor to 5th floor and have moved my cubicle 6 times. Our team members did not change much in numbers as well as person and yet the headcount bloomed from 20 to 85. It will be close to 150 by end of this year as we move from development to production.

Our team member feels like family to me now. To them I shared my ups and downs, and to them I lend my ears and hands. I knew that there were times when I seriously think to quit and be a full time mother, but one of thing that stopped me was the thought that I don’t know any other life than the life I experienced everyday now. I am fully aware that my time with my family is very precious and I am at jeopardy of not seeing many small things that mattered in my kids development. But I am a firm believer that a good mother is a happy mother and working is one of the thing that made me happy. I have always like the feeling of earning my own living and having my own income. I have always liked it then and I am liking it now.

Nevertheless, I would not be able to make it if it was not because the huge support that I got from my family. From my husband who light heartedly took some of my domestic “responsibility” and my mother who helped me watch the kids. Without them I will not be where I am now.

I returned from Bangkok with blistered feet and contented stomach. Blistered feet from too many walking around the sky walk. Contented stomach from too many good food. Have I tell you that I am a big fan of Thai food? I love it so much I think I was close in a situation to embarrasing my self. They are so good and tasty I really had to stop my self not to lick the plate.

My colleagues there were such a big help in satisfying this gastronomical need. On my first day, Pannaporn, Sang and Jet took me to a restaurant at Paragorn Siam. It was within walking distance from our office, through the sky walk. It was sort of pedestrian walk beneath the monorail way. The walk was pleasant as the height kept us from the car fume but the temperature was very humid. I was sweaty and with every step got more and more starving. I was so hungry as I could not eat any food on the plane the night before and I had breakfast in a hurry. So I had tom yam soup along with other food I did not know what the names were. Didn’t really matter. All I knew it was beef, fish and also ice cream. Yummy! I wobbled back to the office all sweat from the food as well as the humidity.

Second day, Pannaporn, Chotima and Jet took me to different Thai restaurant in a place I could not remember what the name was. Again, it was through sky walk and it was another series of good food. I guess food is a big thing in Thai just like in Indonesia. In the office all I saw was food and food and food everywhere. A very delicious shrimp crackers to cak kwee. I even spotted a very yummy looking pourage. Gosh, I think I could live in this place! When my stomach fit the taste, everything else would be secondary.

Anyway, when I weighed my self this morning, I was in shock to find that I had gained 2 kg only in 2 days! My, my…I guess it’s time for me to return to my daily portion. Urgh!

I have only been waiting in Changi for 10 minutes waiting for my connecting flight to Jakarta and I am as sleepy as ever. The soft thick carpet looked so inviting for me to stretch my self.

Ah…4 more hours to my comfy bed to rest my head.