Balikpapan - these past 2.5 years

Balikpapan.

A small-oil town in East Kalimantan. It is located on the coastal area. Not very big in size. It has hills and sea on the other side.

It is known as an oil cities and it has lots of companies operates here, related to the oil and mining industry.

So small it is, that it only has 1 long main road, which connects the suburb, a small fisherman village called Manggar to another suburb, another fisherman village called Kampung Baru. Along the way.. we can find the housing area, several markets, restaurants, offices and hotels.. but FYI that there is no 21 cinema here.

This is the place where I have spent 2.5 years of my life, working, hanging out, socializing, feeling blue and depressed, forgotten and ignored, partying, being couch potato, exercising (in great amount), being sick, being happy and so lively, restless, doing some cooking practicing, finding a lot of fun people to hang around with, studyinga nd working very hard for my project, given shit by the client, job problems, personal problems,getting older (but not wiser), knowing new people and also forgetting people... and a lot of other things.

Sure that this is not the perfect, flowery place, with the sun shines every day of the year...but it does fill some part inside my heart.

First time since I have been transferred here until the next 1 year.. my life was completely work.. work and work.. very rarely I took weekend off, except sundays. I sat in one room with my boss, and apart from other engineers.. that was the reason why I am barely know and being known by others and didn't have much time to do anything else as well. I shared one staff house with 2 others friends: Novi and Firman.. they are fun, but we were rarely together in the house since our scedule of offshore, vacation, or training were different. Then Firman were out for long time.. and left myself and Novi hang around most of the time.

Until the next 6 months - 1 year, we have spent a lot of things together.. if I can recall.. there were: diet phase (Atkins, no-meat, no snacks and other unnamed diets), exercise phase (swimming for 15 min then continued by gossiping for another 45 min:p), chatting frenzy phase, flirting phase, clubbing phase (This is my first real hang out with others), and off course the bitching phase were always there, come and go and come again... Then we have to moved to other housing complex, where we don't share 1 house but we have different single apartment.. off course we chose 2 apartment next to each other.

There she did her project and scored it very well.. and soon after that, she was moved out from Balikpapan.

Then I kept being very much busy because of the job, new bos, new colleagues, come and go. And I lost 1 friend, a very good guy..and the sad part is that I didn't use up my time with him in useful way.. if I knew that he would go that fast....

It was very painful when I saw the faces of his wife and 4-kids when I hurried with them to the hospital, so painful that I chose not even keep in contact with them again, since they will always remind me of him.

That time I tought that I couldn't continue this, I'd rather go away and forget about it at all. I couldn't stop crying.I didn't know and I don;t remember, how I could pass those time...it is true the people said that "time heals"..

After some time..and the work keep piling up.. then it got better. Alone in the apartment.. new people comes and goes. I did spent most of my time alone.. I can even stay inside my room for 2 days, didn't go out at all, I did that on New Year 2006. I feel exhausted if I spent too much time with people around me.. so exhausted like I want to go back and lock myself in.

After some time, things changes.. I start to do some exercise.. running in the morning or eveing, through some tracks passing the village, greenery, hills, sometimes muddy spots. Then I found another new circle of friends to do something and feel that I am healthier and more positive.

Also my 2 foster families - Yong and Debby, Anton and Cika.. who always stuffed me with great food and chat. I love going to their home.. only for chatting, watching TV,walking the dog, babysit the kid, cooking together.

Then the chain of partying starts.. there were always party here and there.. if there was any occasion for the party: like welcoming or farewell party.. then obviously we had to have one.. but if there wasn't any occasion.. then we'll make our own party or clubbing:).

The lots of things happening: After long and tedious work, then finnaly I can get my project done and presented: my duty is over!.. also Deby and Yong's daughter was born on 02 Oct 2006, the name is Zoey Yong. She's so cute and always crying everytime I hold her:p.

I keep the running regularly and do some swimming in the middle... being a badminton athlete, playing squash and tennis sometimes.

Trying to smoke.. but found out later that my throat and nose is too sensitive for being an active smoker (so I keep my position as a passive smoker only:p). start and continue to liking booze, beer and wine is my favourite.. but overall I love alcohol.

Then Aan and Liny were around quite often.. we did clubbing (most of the times), playing pool, eating out, girly thingy, gossiping (for sure). So fun beinga round them.. always laughing and making fun to each other in harmless way. Sometimes, when we lost idea what to do, we just sit down, (they) smoke and drink beer, chat and gossip, tell funny stories.

Now the end of my staying here is getting near and nearer. I wouldn't deny that sometimes I used to think that this place sucks and I am bored being here..

But now I start to be sad, that I have to leave all the great memories here, will I have such good time also in the new place, will I still be able to keep in contact with the same comfortable feeling with the people I love here.

People got apart and the time and distance also will make all of us changed. The old times was best being told and remembered. The reunion will unlikely to happen, even if it does.. it will happen not very often and most of the times.. the feeling is just not there any longer