Yet Another Proof of How Freakin Lazy We Indonesians Are

Found an interesting piece in the December 2006 edition of Citibank Clear Card (free) Monthly Magazine about the supposedly latest craze within Jakarta’s young urban professionals crowd: lunch in Bandung.

Yes, you read it correctly. L-U-N-C-H, in, Bandung.

Come again?! Having lunch in a neighboring city a 90 minutes drive away (and that’s on a good day), on a WORK day? Practically taking out a minimum of full 3 (three) hours from your 8 hours WORKING day only for the trip, not counting the actual time spent on the lunch itself. Hell, who wouldn’t love that.

I surely would, too bad am still a sane person!

The following is the breakdown of a typical 9-to-5 day of an average young urban professional in Jakarta, assuming that particular article in the magazine represents the majority.

- 09:00 Start working (at least in theory)
- 10:00 People actually start working or just arrive at work
- 10:30 Leave for lunch, in Bandung
- 12:00 Lunch in Bandung
- 13:00 Return to Jakarta
- 14:30 Back to work

- 17:00 Leave work tenggo!

What does that leave you? Roughly 3 (three) mere hours of productivity only, even less than half of the 8 hours normally required. Yet we still wonder why this developing nation is apparently in a permanent slump. Hello! We barely work half of the time we’re supposed to be working. And the sad thing is, we actually encouraged this. Just pick up that December edition when you see one, and weep.