Keeping a pet is the most appropriate solution to ward off boredom and make the most of spare time. At least, that's what I think.

With the increasing number of malls that cannibalize open spaces in the city, I would rather stay home taking care of my pets than wander around in shopping centers, like most people probably do.

I can not tell you how I used to ramble on with my buddies before the day I found a couple of Russian Campbell hamsters at a pet kiosk on Jl. Barito, South Jakarta, just a few months ago. Now they have become my loyal friends.

Actually, I don't mean to talk about hamsters, it's just that whenever I see those two little cuties, I tend to muse about what's become of my social life.

A few questions occupy my mind, like why do I rely on a pet to fill my spare time when I could be doing outdoor activities?

During my childhood, some 15 years ago, I used to bike, play football or simply play childhood traditional games, including galasin (a game in which a team of children tries to intercept an opposing team from entering their territory), with other children at a vacant field near our houses. It was such a happy time.

The next question is, why didn't I try to get along with my friends? To be honest, I'm not deprived of friends at the moment. I have many friends who still ask me to hang out with them in so-called popular malls like Pondok Indah Mall (PIM), Citos, Senayan City and others scattered around the city.

I have been refusing their invitations because I don't consider it suitable for me to hang out in malls. I feel a profound emptiness that our foremost social activities are limited to staying in buildings or going from one building to another, all with similar formats and atmospheres.

My friends called me old-fashioned when I admitted I didn't like socializing in malls.

Was I being primeval when I said I'd rather meet friends for a coffee at a small cigarette stall near my high school building with a huge mango tree as our roof? It would be more relaxing than sipping coffee at a Coffee Bean at Plaza Senayan.

Or would I appear pre-historic if I said I preferred eating chicken noodles at a small noodle stall on a corner of the Pondok Indah housing estate compared to dining at Bakmi Gajah Mada in PIM?

Would I be less sophisticated if I chose to walk along wet and muddy terraces of the now-evicted Barito pet market than through Senayan City's white halls, upon its perpetually shiny floors, amid its freezing air-conditioning?

A wise man says "There is no absolute truth but God."

Apparently, there is nothing wrong with my choice to have different hobbies from the majority of urbanites, particularly those in Jakarta, who choose malls as the centers for their social activities.

Since people are free to do as they like, mall-lovers should be respected for their decisions, just as I should be for preferring to socialize in open spaces.

This, however, raises another question in my head: Do the majority of Jakartans consciously choose malls as the hubs for their activities or are they merely victims of a capitalistic force that has taken away our open spaces from the city?

Jakarta has begun to sink with the weight of its malls. Wikipedia said Jakarta had 72 modern shopping centers as of 2007. It is a lot easier to find a mall in this city than a football field.

Football fields remind me of my brother, who now often helps me take care of my hamsters. He has had more time to do it since the vacant field where he used to play football with his friends was turned into a foundation for a new mall.

I'm afraid my brother might become another mall-lover with the lack of open spaces available to him. If he conforms, it may mark the day Jakartans are forced to say goodbye to a democratic and humane city.

Seriously, what would you call a city that does not allow residents to socialize in the way they want to?

I remember a statement by Enrique Penalosa, mayor of Bogota, who developed the busway system.

"When shopping malls replace public spaces as a meeting place for people, it is a symptom that a city is ill."

Based on my observations, Jakarta already shows these symptoms.

I simply hope Jakarta will not suffer for too long, and that it will soon become a comfortable home for all residents from all levels.

-- Alfi Rachman Waluyo

We invite readers to contribute to this section about things happening in Greater Jakarta. Personal experiences, rants and protests are also welcome. Please send your story to city@thejakartapost.com. The article should be between 600 and 800 words.

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