In our line of business, and I assume just like in other line of business in Indonesia, our clients usually have duration of payments ranging from 1 week - 2 months.
Well, one of our smaller client showed up today to pay his debt. We teased him a bit for being late with the payment. We stopped immediately though after he informed us that he paid us using the money he got from the pawnshop. He used his motorbike as the collateral.
Apparently, his wife had to go to the hospital for 5 days and he had to pay 2.5 millions for the hospital bill. This completely affected his financial situation. You see, he has no savings. I bet most of the lower class people in Indonesia don't have any savings for the rainy days.
How much is the interest?, I asked. It's 50.000 per month per 1 million borrowed. That's 5 percent per month and 60% per year, assuming it's not using the compound interest system, and gosh, I really hope not.
The current interest rate in Indonesia is, if I'm not mistaken, 8.75% per year. Banks don't touch micro loan though, and I'm sure the complicated bureaucracy doesn't motivate the small loaners. I believe most lower class people either go to pawnshop or loan sharks for their cash needs. If they're lucky, they have a wealthy enough relative to go to. Hopefully, the relative won't be too greedy and charge them with high interest.
We lend money for our employees with no interest. Most of them would borrow money when it is time to renew the contract of their house, to pay for the school admission, to pay the hospital bill for their parents, the list goes on and on. They always break even or run negative with their balance book, never a surplus.
Aside from the civil employees, I don't think there is any retirement plan in Indonesia. Not for the lower class for sure. I think they would work until they die, or they would hope that their children would be able to support them at the old age. Is that why they have many children even if they are not economically well off?
How many times do I see a husband, a wife, and their 2 children traveling on one motorbike? Sometimes it's even 3 children. What would happen if their children grow bigger and they still can't afford a car? How would they go for leisure? Could they afford to pay their school tuition? Could they afford college? I heard education costs a fortune nowadays.
What a life.
On how my day got ruined, zombie, and Aretha
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
What on earth possessed me to sleep at 1 last night? I'm just not cut out for late night activities. I should have slept at 9, just like how my grandma taught me to. After a jolt of hyperness this morning - provided by the late night dessert intake, I am now having the appearance of a drunken zombie. The more I think of it, my current state is not that much of a difference from those Chinese mummy that was once the famous subject of 90s Hongkong films.
A tragedy beset upon me this morning. As I tried to lock the car's door, I was damned enough to have my breakfast box (as opposed to lunch box) slipped from my grip. It was surprisingly didn't go directly to the ground. Instead, it was on the air for a while, moving in approximately 60-degree trajectory and performed a 360-degree spin at the peak before finally landing on the ground.
OK, so, maybe I did some exaggeration, but I remember it was on air long enough to give me time to scream a loud "Nooooooooo!" for the amusement of everyone in the neighborhood. Gravity force finally descended my breakfast box and destiny deemed it to be appropriate to sprinkle some condiments called dirt on my breakfast and stamped my whole day as "RUINED".
Anyway, I listened to the music of Aretha Franklin last night, and I was floored ... again. I have the same reaction every time I listen to her music after some vacuum period.
It's very unfortunate that her talent is being overshadowed by the many repulsive karaoke renditions of her famous songs (Respect, Chain of Fools, etc) and also her weight problems. People should give a chance to her music and listen to it without some preconceived idea (preferably on her 60s-70s repertoire). Not only that she has amazing technical chops, what's more important is the raw emotion that exudes in her singing.
Check Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
Aretha, together with Otis Redding and Sam Cooke helped positioned Soul as the respected music genre, and she totally deserved the title Queen of Soul.
Before I end this post, let me do a bit more complaining. The client that always calls me "Meme" is back, and he managed to blurted out "Meme" about 10 times or more during the 5 minutes that he was here. Gahhh ...
*end of post*
A tragedy beset upon me this morning. As I tried to lock the car's door, I was damned enough to have my breakfast box (as opposed to lunch box) slipped from my grip. It was surprisingly didn't go directly to the ground. Instead, it was on the air for a while, moving in approximately 60-degree trajectory and performed a 360-degree spin at the peak before finally landing on the ground.
OK, so, maybe I did some exaggeration, but I remember it was on air long enough to give me time to scream a loud "Nooooooooo!" for the amusement of everyone in the neighborhood. Gravity force finally descended my breakfast box and destiny deemed it to be appropriate to sprinkle some condiments called dirt on my breakfast and stamped my whole day as "RUINED".
Anyway, I listened to the music of Aretha Franklin last night, and I was floored ... again. I have the same reaction every time I listen to her music after some vacuum period.
It's very unfortunate that her talent is being overshadowed by the many repulsive karaoke renditions of her famous songs (Respect, Chain of Fools, etc) and also her weight problems. People should give a chance to her music and listen to it without some preconceived idea (preferably on her 60s-70s repertoire). Not only that she has amazing technical chops, what's more important is the raw emotion that exudes in her singing.
Check Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
Aretha, together with Otis Redding and Sam Cooke helped positioned Soul as the respected music genre, and she totally deserved the title Queen of Soul.
Before I end this post, let me do a bit more complaining. The client that always calls me "Meme" is back, and he managed to blurted out "Meme" about 10 times or more during the 5 minutes that he was here. Gahhh ...
*end of post*
A Complete Rambling of Mind
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I found out that I'm just not capable to do a coherent post nowadays. I would start something, lost interest in the topic halfway, and abandoned the writing I felt passionate about 1/2 hour ago.
So instead, I'm going to write a list of things I have had in my mind yesterday and today:
* I eat therefore I am
Statement is written while eating bread, knowing very well that lunch is 1 1/2 hour away.
* One is the loneliest number, but two is too crowded and gives me a headache.
I'm a damn hermit.
* What is the most universal human characteristic? Fear or laziness?
This is one of the questions asked in Waking Life, a superb film that gives the viewers a buffet of various idea of life, its meaning and its purposes. Surprisingly, instead of getting depressed after watching the show, I felt rejuvenated by the quality of the conversation. As for the answer to the question, mine are at an equal proportion and at an alarming level.
* Open canal/sewer system sucks!
I live in a pretty good neighborhood, yet it still stinks when I'm at outside my house. Not to mention the damn rodents running around the street. At least in India, the ones who are taking leisure walks along the city are monkeys or elephants. They are interesting and photogenic. What benefits do I get from the multitude of gigantic rodents who believe that the streets are their properties? Oh, the humanity!
* I love peanut butter!
Need I say more?
* Is it wrong to wash your hands more than 30 times within 8 hours period of time?
Don't blame me. Blame the yucky smelling and extremely crumpled looking qualities of Indonesian's cash.
* I was at the doctor's waiting room, and I saw a news coverage at TV regarding the increase occurrence of fights between female gangs. This already tickled my nose a bit with its hilariousness, but I couldn't help but laugh out loud when they inserted a caption: "Perbuatan Tidak Terpuji, Jangan Ditiru!" (A Not Commended Action, Do Not Imitate!).
Below is a coverage from a different channel with the caption: "Jangan Meniru Adegan Ini!" (Do Not Imitate This Activity!) in it.
So, for me, it's hilarious, because they do not put any warnings in any other news coverage: be it the Israel-Palestine war, the anarchist demonstration that has killed a politic figure or even the mass surge of desperation to a 'dukun cilik' (little healer) that has killed several people. But for this news, they feel the need to specifically tell the viewers that these activities are not to be imitated. Right on!
* Why do I write my blog only when I'm at work?
Well, d'uh!
* Last point: Hooray on a new post!
Finally, Nit2 can stop complaining about having to see the damn scale picture every time she checks out my blog :P
So instead, I'm going to write a list of things I have had in my mind yesterday and today:
* I eat therefore I am
Statement is written while eating bread, knowing very well that lunch is 1 1/2 hour away.
* One is the loneliest number, but two is too crowded and gives me a headache.
I'm a damn hermit.
* What is the most universal human characteristic? Fear or laziness?
This is one of the questions asked in Waking Life, a superb film that gives the viewers a buffet of various idea of life, its meaning and its purposes. Surprisingly, instead of getting depressed after watching the show, I felt rejuvenated by the quality of the conversation. As for the answer to the question, mine are at an equal proportion and at an alarming level.
* Open canal/sewer system sucks!
I live in a pretty good neighborhood, yet it still stinks when I'm at outside my house. Not to mention the damn rodents running around the street. At least in India, the ones who are taking leisure walks along the city are monkeys or elephants. They are interesting and photogenic. What benefits do I get from the multitude of gigantic rodents who believe that the streets are their properties? Oh, the humanity!
* I love peanut butter!
Need I say more?
* Is it wrong to wash your hands more than 30 times within 8 hours period of time?
Don't blame me. Blame the yucky smelling and extremely crumpled looking qualities of Indonesian's cash.
* I was at the doctor's waiting room, and I saw a news coverage at TV regarding the increase occurrence of fights between female gangs. This already tickled my nose a bit with its hilariousness, but I couldn't help but laugh out loud when they inserted a caption: "Perbuatan Tidak Terpuji, Jangan Ditiru!" (A Not Commended Action, Do Not Imitate!).
Below is a coverage from a different channel with the caption: "Jangan Meniru Adegan Ini!" (Do Not Imitate This Activity!) in it.
So, for me, it's hilarious, because they do not put any warnings in any other news coverage: be it the Israel-Palestine war, the anarchist demonstration that has killed a politic figure or even the mass surge of desperation to a 'dukun cilik' (little healer) that has killed several people. But for this news, they feel the need to specifically tell the viewers that these activities are not to be imitated. Right on!
* Why do I write my blog only when I'm at work?
Well, d'uh!
* Last point: Hooray on a new post!
Finally, Nit2 can stop complaining about having to see the damn scale picture every time she checks out my blog :P
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