From Protest Panics to Pizza Promos: The Beauty of an Unplanned Day

It all started this morning when my scheduled meeting got abruptly canceled because there will be a massive University of Indonesia (UI) student demonstration happen at Bundaran HI. The Governor of Jakarta also issued a WFH (Work From Home) appeal. I was just chilling, reading the news, fully supporting the students' voices in my heart, but also thinking about how the parents of those UI students must be worried right now.

And then, like a lightning bolt, it hit me.

Wait a minute... MY DAUGHTER IS A UI STUDENT!

She had left for campus at 5:00 AM today, wearing her iconic yellow jacket. My husband was equally panicked. We quickly WhatsApp-ed her: "You're not joining the protest, right?"

Her reply? A very vague: "Of course."

Wait, of course YES, or of course NO?!

Naturally, my friends started stirring the pot with things like, "They jam signals at protests to avoid viral. The parents have difficulty in reaching them out" and "Freshmen usually have to join, it's a campus tradition" To make matters worse, she suddenly became completely unreachable.

It was a nerve-wracking couple of hours until my phone finally buzzed. Huge sigh of relief: she wasn't on the streets. She was safe on campus, happily attending a seminar that offers free Sei Sapi for lunch, lol.

Since our schedules were completely cleared out thanks to the canceled meeting, my husband and I decided to do something spontaneous: we drove over to Depok to pick her up. She was surprised and absolutely happy. Seeing her walking towards us in her bright yellow jacket, safe and sound, eating a box of sei sapi that supposed to be her lunch but instead became early dinner due to unreadiness of panitia, lol.

On our way back, we stumbled upon a hidden gem called Javatoscana Garden Resto & Cafe. It is surprisingly beautiful, ridiculously cozy, and, the best part, they have a library collection!

My husband and daughter ordered pizzas that we had to wait about 1.5 hours. But it was totally worth it! The pizza was surprisingly delicious and insanely cheap. They had an Independence Day promo: 3 whole pizzas for only Rp 81.000! I just wanted something comforting, so I opted for a warm bowl of capcay.

To kill the 90-minute wait, hubby played Fur Elise with electone in the room. And of course, we hit their bookshelves. My husband grabbed Sun Tzu’s Art of War, while I picked up the biography of Dato Sri Tahir, written by Alberthiene Endah. I only managed to finish the first chapter, but his life story is already so fascinating. I am absolutely coming back to this cafe just to finish the next chapters and try out the rest of their menu.

Oh! Speaking of today’s unexpected free time, I have to rewind a bit. Earlier today, right after my meeting got canceled, my husband and I went out for a super cheap, incredibly delicious street-side Soto lunch (only Rp 43.000 for the two of us, including kerupuk and oranges) and grabbed a quick Rp 8.000 iced coffee. Also, we had a little DIY salon session at home where my husband helped dye my hair to cover up my gray roots. I took a bath after that and took a nap, then woke up feeling so fresh!

It’s funny how life works. What started with canceled plans, urban chaos, and a spike of parental anxiety turned into one of the sweetest days. Sometimes, the universe clears your schedule just so you can rest more, eat cheap street food, get your hair dyed by your husband, take a nap, surprise your kid after class, and discover a cozy new reading spot. It’s a gentle reminder for me that we don't always have to be productive or strictly follow an itinerary to have a fulfilling day. More often than not, it’s the unplanned detours that lead to the best days.

Here’s to canceled meetings, unexpected family time, and hidden gem cafes!

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