“I haven’t decided if I will act in another movie [very soon] because I am now occupied with tight schedules promoting Catatan Harian Si Boy as well as working on some commercials.

“I spend a lot of time outside the capital city these days.

“Due to the tight schedule, I usually spend my spare time staying at home, sleeping or watching news on television. My hobby is actually traveling, but I have not had time to do that lately.

“I also like yoga and cycling. These two activities really make me excited now!

“I have been practicing yoga for six months. I have a cousin, Fajar, who loves practicing yoga. Infected by his enthusiasm, I joined him once.

“At first, I did not really enjoy it, but after doing several sessions, I finally got the point and now I’m addicted to it!

“When practicing yoga for the first time, my body became stiff and weary but after several times, my arms, legs, stomach and thighs quickly got into shape.

“Some friends say I look slimmer, but actually, my weight is still stable. I am 49 kilograms now -- nine kilograms lighter than when I played in the Ayat-ayat Cinta. I still want to shed a few more kilograms, though, because I still look big on the screen.

“I derive many benefits from yoga. I sweat a lot every time I finish practicing yoga; so sweaty that I look as if I have just taken a bath. Yoga also helps to make me calm; I enjoy the feeling of calmness after finishing yoga. The practice seems to lift the weight of my burdens and stress off my shoulders.

“I like yoga so much that I aim to do it whenever I have free time. I practice yoga three times a week with my friends, with Fajar as trainer. I can practice it alone at home but I opt not to do that.

“Yoga has many weird poses and I am worried I will have an accident if I practice it alone, without a trainer. A few friends and I have a private trainer to practice yoga and we change the location depending on who can provide the space.

“Before practicing yoga, I used to go to the gym but currently I prefer yoga and never go to the gym anymore. I still do a little cardio exercise, though, such as running on a treadmill. Besides yoga, I also like biking on the weekend.

“I have been biking for three months now, taking a route around my house in Cipete, South Jakarta, or Menteng in Central Jakarta or Mega Kuningan and Epicentrum.

“Usually, I bike on Saturday and Sunday when the roads are not jammed with motorcycles and cars.

“I like seeing people biking and hope that they really make use of the bicycle as a mean of transportation. Jakarta is getting more and more congested with vehicles nowadays. It’s crazy. We used to spend only 15 minutes to get to a nearby destination. But right now, we have to spend an hour or more.

“I cannot imagine the stress levels of people who have to attend an important meeting on time but are trapped in a traffic jam.

“Jakartans should spend more time cycling than driving cars. I like the fact that there is a new bicycle lane in Barito, South Jakarta. I have ridden along it and enjoyed the feeling of greater safety.

“Now, the fixie (fix gear) bike is very popular. Mine is a city bike. I like the long design of my bike and it has a rattan basket where I can carry things. I tried several bicycles at the store before buying it but I fell in love with that one.”

— As told to Indah Setiawati

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