Life Digest. December 2024.
"You have to be careful to what (and to whom) you give the best part of your day", Philipp Meyer in correspondence with Ryan Holiday.
A belated self-guilty attempt to start journalling of my life whilst trying to avoid genre specific egotism and making it a practical guide for the readers.
The quote at the beginning of this diary which I picked up from R. Holiday post sent me thinking. Life is short, especially you realize it after…well, different for most people, but I think after 50. How and with whom? Luck is good, but determination and self-guidance are important. Don’t allow your Box of Daily Experiences to become dull (more on that in reading section).
SOUTHEAST ASIA.
Jakarta.
Half of December I spent in SE Asia. Yes, again, after Singapore-Malaysia trip in November. Mostly work related. I noticed big difference in climates between Kuala-Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok. Jakarta and BKK felt cool enough at 27 degrees C or even cold due to the strong breeze. I think this is due to proximity to the ocean and the rivers. ?? KL, on the contrary, was hot and stuffy.
Jakarta has not changed much since my last trip in 2017. I might be wrong but sometimes I feel that people here spend their lives within a certain circle pencilled around their home-work- shopping mall-car. If you are on a low income or not working at all, just remove the last two or three and add local warung (small local eatery). I like warungs though.
Bikes and scooters are still a major form of transportation in Jakarta. Although MRT was opened in 2019 (now 13 stations), it is still a baby.
I have got a few tips on where to see a “non-Bali” Indonesia. The two places are Labuan Bajo islands (already well known in my opinion, but locals suggested, “still ok”) and Raja Ampat archipelago with its 1500 islands. I made a note to visit the latter.
Bangkok.
I like Charoeng Krung Road. It is very long, around 9 km, passing through Chinatown, some historic and culturally interesting places (Customs House, Assumption Cathedral, Embassies of France and Portugal, Haroon Mosque, etc). Walked through the road many times and prefer it to Sukhimwit, Khao San and the likes. Especially I enjoy the part located in Sathon District, south of Saphan Taksin station. And yes, it runs along Chao Phraya River.
Charoeng Krung Road The road has a few familiar faces, ever present! I know the guy in the picture below for more than 10 years and never seen him in a bad mood. He makes a very nice grilled kor moo yang (grilled pork neck). One warning though. As in Thailand they add sugar to any possible dish, even to your bowl of noodles, remember to use “Mị̀mī n̂ảtāl” - “no sugar” in Thai. I would rather eat “non-authentic” food, than taste sweetness in every dish sometimes softened by the sourness.
Mr. Smile. Kuala-Lumpur.
People in KL talk a lot these days about this world second tallest building. Merdeca 118 was officially opened this year.
The building is 679 m tall, and as usual will be another large retail, commercial rent and entertainment space. Many Malaysians criticized the project financed by the state-owned corporation. Well, it costed around 1.5 billion USD. I agree with the criticism. First of all, KL needs a modern city infrastructure.
To start with the roads. Walking in the center of KL is not safe.
Always enjoy wandering around Chinatown, take Jalan Sultan street and walk around Petaling Market, avoiding stepping inside (typical tourist enclave).
Chinatown, Jln. Sultan Penang.
Had a few errands in Penang, afterwards relaxed a couple of days near Ferringhi Beach. Nothing special, but quiet and a lot of good local food. Recommend hotel Lone Pine if you happen to be in Batu Ferringhi, peaceful.
Batu Ferringi (Ferringhi Bay). Definitely not your dream beach, but good place to rest aimlessly. 
Thosai (dosa) bread and ginger tea. 1 AUD. The best part was to come to Penang by train again. This time a standard passenger runner. From KL to Butterworth it took around 3.5 hours.
Train KL-Butterworth.
JAPAN. LIFE.
It is an interesting feeling coming back home to Japan. Smells are different, people are more so, mind mode adjusts from “be careful” to relaxed. My routines at home are no longer boring but refreshing. So, I think a geographical change is a positive thing. Kind of bringing one fresh stream into your pond of life. To freshen the Box of Daily Experiences (see reading section).
At the beginning of December, I could not leave my beach. The water was 20 °C and transparent unlike in summer, the air 15 to 20. It is still very swimmable on New Year Eve as well, although mornings can be cold and below 10 °C.
A giggle. Sniffling season started. Japanese prefer non-stop sniffing compared to gently blowing your nose. There are patterns. Younger people, likely the attention seekers, do it every few seconds. Then, a more serious crowd, often in business attire, sniffle rarely, but with a full force as if reflecting their position in the ladder of life success. I read somewhere that blowing your nose in public is considered rude here. Gentle squeeze with tissue might work.
Tokyo and surroundings becoming quieter as many people leave for holidays. The exodus started around Dec. 26, the last working day of the year for the most companies. This time of the year I stay put, no big travels, but hiking in the neighborhoods. Yesterday I tried a new route. It is called Rokkokutoge Hiking Course.
A rough map of Rokkokutoge track. A very good discovery not far from my home. It took me more than 6 hours (18 km) to walk from Kanazawa-Bunko station with extensions and breaks until I reached Kamakura station. I think this review is not bad.
December 30. Near Kamakura. As you can see, there is no winter anymore, just a belated autumn…
GOOD READS
Tom Hanks in the interview to NYT (Nov. 2024). “I am 68, and I must say I view time differently. I used to think a day was 36 hours long, and now I am convinced it’s only 18. So, I ponder everything that I do from a perspective of how many minutes do I have left”. So true.
If you click only one link in this post, I recommend this one. The Travel is No Cure for the Mind. Not 100% agree, as I am mostly content with my Box of Daily Experiences, as I change those boxes often. The author then goes into the “objections handling” in this fresh post. My takeaway from both oublications is to read the Letters of Seneca during NY break.
How it seems vs how it is. Interesting angle.
I want to reread it. Walking Warsaw. It is good idea to research the history of the place you visit before you go. Recently I am into it.
GOOD WATCH
There are sequels stretched in time, not necessarily with the same name. But the theme is there. Do you remember “Pretty Woman”? There is a similar 21st century story. Anora. And another one. Tom Hanks meeting Robin Wright in “Here”. Kind of a sequel to “Forest Gamp”. Tom Hanks is a living acting legend at his 68. Do we see next generation matching up? I hope so.
The vengeance and the punishment should be aimed correctly. The Mauritanian. Jody Fosters as a bonus to an already interesting plot.
“Carry-on”. Another “Christmas Eve” crime story.
GOOD BITES. SE ASIA.
Jakarta.
Senayan is a restaurant chain. I normally avoid chains, but this one was superb. Tried the one in South Tangerang. By the way, nice suburb. Try durian juice for dessert.
Soto Betawi -Jakarta beef soup If you are staying in Sudirman area, then Lotte Mall will be not far (I stayed in Ascott Sudirman). Highly recommend Remboelan restaurant located in the mall. More than 10 varieties of nasi goreng, exotic drinks, good service. Food menu is nearly 50 pages.
Food boulevard … Many good choices in Soekarno-Hatta international airport (terminal 3). Before immigration.
I have been in most Asian airports and can say that Jakarta’s choices are a plenty.
Kuala-Lumpur.
If you read my earlier posts, you know that I am big admirer of laksa. Assam laksa is never boring. A good place at Suria KLCC, level 4. Little Penang Cafe.
Assam laksa and Pucuk Paku (fiddlehead) salad. You might need to wait. To avoid come at 11.40, opening time.
GOOD BITES AND SWIGS. JAPAN.
I sometimes hang around Haneda airport. For the sake of travel without travel. Haneda airport is a huge conglomerate of retail and eat-drink spaces, check in and immigration counters, bus and train stations all connected by lifts and escalators carrying excited and exhausted passengers (departures vs arrivals), all producing never ending energetic hum. Recently terminal 2 started to host more international flights. There is a nice observation deck from where you can watch planes landing in an organized queue every 5-10 minutes or enjoy views of Tokyo Tower and Skytree. I visited this deck one Friday evening in December. There is a British pub Hub serving craft beers and usual pub grub. But coffee and cakes are available too, so instead of a beer I had a very delicious cheesecake! Good place for a date, plane gazing or a beer with friends. The observation deck is long and has many seats. On a sunny day I saw many people just enjoying their books.
EXERCISE AND HEALTH
I like this new workout. It seems Penny is the best so far. If you know better, please let me know.
This yoga stretch is good. But I am always still in a search for the better. Again any tips welcome.
END OF YEAR
Today is the last day of 2024. Usually on the last day of the year I do a BIG clean up including washing my hiking backpacks, runners, etc. Then a short swim, today was rough though.
Somehow this day feels very calm, probably the inevitability brings a very peaceful state of mind. One year gone, here come another. Same approach needs to be applied to a day-to-day life. At the end, today will be replaced by tomorrow and we are all actors in this never-ending change of scenes.
Happy New Year to all my readers!
I have to try the Kanazawa-Kamakura walk one of these days.
Thank you for the insights and excellent guides. Happy New Year! The end of a cycle, leading to a new beginning. You are right again. Today is only yesterday's tomorrow. The story never ends.