From hotel freebies to church reflections and a shoe hunt victory; proof that even ordinary days can unfold into unexpectedly meaningful stories.
Thanks to the hotel’s magical sleep aid, I woke up at 8 a.m. feeling like I’d just slept through three centuries. You know it’s a good night when even your dreams seem to have gone offline. I stretched, brushed my teeth, and headed straight to breakfast. Everything was great except for one tall waiter who clearly wasn’t having her best day. But hey, her mood couldn’t ruin my appetite.
Post-breakfast, I still had time to just lounge around. And where did I spend it? In the toilet. Yes, I know. TMI. But you asked for honesty, didn’t you? (Okay, maybe you didn’t, but we’re friends here.) Anyway, check-out was at 12, and you bet we left exactly at 12:00 sharp. Not a minute earlier. I mean, you paid for it, right? Use it all.
The check-out process was smooth, and the cherry on top? More freebies! I’d already scored a bunch from the room and the lobby, but then the receptionist handed me a mini notebook just for leaving a review on Google Maps. I mean, if being honest online always came with stationery rewards, I’d be unstoppable.
We left the hotel hungry and optimistic. Plan A: The Land’s End. But the parking lot was full, valet was 100k (no, thank you), and the idea of walking from the opposite side of the street in PIK’s sun? Absolutely not. So we rerouted to Aloha PIK2 instead. A happy accident, really.
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| Aloha! PIK2 |
The place really does feel like Hawaii, if Hawaii were, say, 40°C and filled with people taking selfies in summer dresses that weren’t made for actual heat. They played Hawaiian songs though, which helped me pretend I was on vacation instead of melting under the sun. After wandering around, we found a restaurant that served pork ribs and burgers. The food was pretty good, though the waiter looked like she’d just argued with the universe. Two grumpy servers in one day, what are the odds?
Anyway, once we were done eating (and sweating), we sped to Alam Sutera for our “Cobain DATE Yuk!” session, which got moved up by an hour because our date leader had another event later. This time it wasn’t in church, but at Delicae. I loved the change of scene. More casual with good coffee. With just three couples, the vibe felt intimate and personal, like a little circle of honesty.
The main topic was about how joining the church community through DATE had impacted our lives. I shared my reflection based on Pastor Jose’s message about the benefits of belonging: internal, external, and eternal. I love that idea; how connection works in layers, from what it does inside us, to what it does for others, to what it means forever. But of course, we didn’t stop there. As usual, our talk flowed freely into everything from daily life to relationships, work, faith, you name it. What was supposed to be a 90-minute discussion stretched into two and a half hours, because… well, you can’t stop good conversation.
After DATE, we went to pick up my youngest from her dorm. She was supposed to come home for the week since it’s asynchronous week (yay for online learning), but then she got news that she needed to rehearse every day for a school performance. So, plan canceled. We decided to go to the mall instead for some snacks and early dinner.
Now, I have a complicated relationship with Supermal Karawaci. I avoid it whenever I can. Too crowded, too loud, too… much. But my daughter had a craving for this mozzarella snack that apparently only exists there. So we went, because sometimes motherhood means walking into the very chaos you try to avoid.
While there, we also decided to resume The Quest for Rohde Shoes. Remember the one I couldn’t find at Grand Indonesia? Well, Supermal Karawaci didn’t make it easier. Google Maps said one thing, the mall map said another, and the staff looked like I’d asked for directions to Atlantis. Thankfully, my husband had the genius idea to WhatsApp the admin of the Rohde store listed on the map. Turned out the shop (Shoeline) had closed, but they still stocked Rohde shoes at the Matahari Mall nearby.
Off we went again, and finally... victory! I finally found a brown pair of Rohde shoes that looked just like the black ones my eldest wears. Super comfy, classic, and yes, worth the whole treasure hunt. While queuing to pay, I bumped into Lydia and her family. We keep running into each other at malls like it’s destiny. If there’s a mall bingo, “unexpectedly meet Lydia” would be my free square.
Keep shining,
Nuniek Tirta Sari
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