12.14.2012

PODCASTS AND HOW TO BEAT THE TRAFFIC

I love stories and I love hearing people have a fun conversation. What I don't love is traffic and spending an hour in my car to go to and from the office to the house. That's why I love podcasts. I don't think many people in Jakarta actually download and listen to podcasts but these are what gets me through the traffic. And honestly, I'm sure I've had people looking at me when I drive because when I listen to the stories and conversations I could just suddenly burst into tears or laugh out loud.

So I'm going to share with you my secret to getting through Jakarta traffic. First of all, get iTunes on your computer. You don't need to have an account. Go to "Podcasts" and search for my favorite podcasts:

1. THE MOTH: TRUE STORIES TOLD LIVE
The concept is simple: everyday raconteurs or storytellers get together for an event and each have about 15 minutes to tell their story. The event usually has a theme, but the stories are all different. I truly can't say I've ever heard a boring or uninteresting story. A few that I remember well is a father telling the story of his son who is into girl toys and clothing and asks for a pink bike, another one where Kimya Dawson talks about her experience working in a carnival and scaring Mariah Carey, and a really touching story told by DMC of Run DMC.


2. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD
This podcast is for mostly female and a parent, but honestly you would also enjoy it if you were male and non-married. The host are Lynette and Stephanie and they talk about everything from their daily lives to what's happening in the news (mostly in the States). They just have a really relaxed feeling to their podcast and you feel like you're there next to them, just looking at them talk to each other.

3. MANIC MOMMIES
Ok so from the title you can already imagine that the podcast is mostly for women and mothers. But what I like about this is that the two hosts, Erin and Kristin, talk about managing work and motherhood, which I'm very familiar with. Again, it's like listening to your good friends just ramble and make you feel like you're not the only one in the world who feels frustrated when it comes to balancing work and motherhood.

4. TED TALKS
There's nothing more to say except that these talks have literally changed my life. They've taught me so many things, that I couldn't have even imagined learning on my own.

Now that you've found the podcasts, click on "Subscribe" and download a few episodes. Put these into you iPod and voila, you're ready to beat the traffic :)