Duck Talk

5.5 going on 15

2010-04-08T14:11:00.002+07:00

Disclaimer : If you don't want to hear totally nonobjective ramblings of a proud Mummy. Don't read any further...

A couple of things happened with the kid this week that I just have to record for posterity. Am still trying to work out how I should react to them, but have decided that for the time being, I'll just channel Yoda (small and silent unless he has something profound to say)...

1) Kiddo has 2 favourite dresses and a shirt/shorts combo that she will wear in preference to absolutely anything else. I'm not kidding. We've tried hiding them, delaying the washing... Nothing works. She will very calmly ask the maid to please wash it today so she can wear it tomorrow. Anyway, I was gazing upon her stuffed wardrobe, eyeing the lovely (expensive) clothes she has and decided that it was time for a little chat about this clothes issue. We went through colours ('it's not about the colour, mom'), flowers ('I just like the flowers on these, mom'), beads ('this one has pretty beads')... Finally, she just looked at me and said, 'Mom, you just can't POSSIBLY persuade me to change my mind...' Accompanied by an exasperated eye roll!! Uh. Dumbstruck mummy. Do I laugh at the statement, or yell about the eye rolling? That night The Man and I had a little discussion on how we would have worded this differently... 'Oi! I'm not changing my mind-lah!' was the general consensus on how we would have responded. Proud mummy was on one hand thinking what a grammatically elegant statement that was, on the other thinking 'Oh no, my kid can out-talk me at 5 and a half!! And what's with the whole eye rolling thing?! '

2) I've always known that kiddo is an advanced reader. After all, she read our Bill Bryson Aussie commentary when she ran out of books on holiday. So I decided to test her using the Sonlight homeschool reading assessment. My biggest worry is always selecting books with the appropriate content for a 5-6 year old. And Sonlight does provide some guidelines on book selection based on age/level. So there we were, reading through lists of words that are supposed to gauge reading readiness. 5 minutes later, kiddo had read all the words including those for level 7 (roughly age 13). The test stops there as beyond that, ability is no longer the limiting factor. Again, befuddled mummy. Then she turned to me and said, 'Mom, what's dominion, and sundry, and capillary and condescend...' Out of the 10 words, she understood none of them!! Ok, ok, some of them even I would have trouble explaining, but my most immediate thought was, 'Crap, what happens if she hasn't understood ANY of the gajillion books we've spent so much money on??' Response to my suddenly rabid insistence that she ask my about ANY word she doesn't understand from now on, 'But I haven't come across a word I don't know in a really long time mom.' So, I've decided that I shall be guided by the Sonlight curriculum and we shall have 'together' reading time so I can make sure she understands at least some of what she reads.

After all this,I feel like a totally inadequate mother. Either I'm complaining she's too mature and out talking me, or that she behaving like a toddler and whining. Poor kid...

I can picture Yoda in my head, perching upon a rock, swivelly ears, walking stick, googly eyes... 'Calm, you must be... For, though smart, child, she be...'

Randon Musings....

2010-03-15T15:41:00.003+07:00

Why is it if I give my life for my family I'm a martyr?
Why do I get called overprotective if I'm concerned for my child?

Why is being godly the same as being holier than thou?
And why am I fussy if I choose to be particular?

Being aware of my health REALLY doesn't make my a hypochondriac,
And how does being cautious of strangers mean I'm paranoid?

Does wanting the best for myself mean that I'm selfish?
Does wanting the best for my child mean that I'm demanding?

If my methods of organization differ from yours, why am I the messy one?
If I enjoy certain things done a certain way, how does that make me obsessive-compulsive?

If you speak your mind, you're direct;
If I speak my mind, I'm rude.

How come when you refuse to be budged you're persistent,
but when I refuse I'm obstinate?

When you think, you're a philosopher;
When I think, I'm neurotic.

So if I'm a thinking, concerned, cautious, stay-at-home-mom;
Does that then mean I'm a neurotic, overprotective, paranoid martyr...?

Japan part II : The skiing

2010-03-08T14:18:00.007+07:00

View of the main Hirafu runs at night

For The Man and I, this was the second time we had been skiing. First time was in Maria Alm, Austria, and great fun, but it was end of the season, so we had more slush than snow and powder was something we used to prevent chafing. Also, The Man had a rather amusing encounter with our previous ski instructor that put him off group lessons. Our previous ski instructor, to put it mildly, was a hunk. Very, very hunky... He was great with the ladies of the group, but when my big baby fell over, promptly skied up to him and said, 'S*** happens' and skied off again! Hilarious. Less so for my subcoordinated (is uncoordinated more rude? Hmmm...) spouse. So, it's been 7 years since we've donned those cement blocks masquerading as ski boots, and wielded the mighty rapiers of doom... i.e. ski poles.

Well, for those new (or old, or anywhere in between) to the sport, I have 2 words for you. Brian Findlay (http://www.instructoracademy.com). 'Nuff said. Instructor of instructors. The man with the never ending repertoire of analogies from which surely something will trigger the 'Ah-ha!' light bulb moment for you. The man who got my malcoordinated (sound better?) hubby swishing down the slopes with no spills, thrills or wipe outs. Unlike the last time where it was harder to find a non-painful patch of skin than green grass in the arctic circle.

We were pretty hopeless when we met up with him for the first time. Decked out in our new goggles and rented gear (yup, this time we had helmets. Made everything worse. Like I couldn't already see and hear well enough, had to add a handicap...), we did the stiff legged, hip rolling, step, drag walk that seasoned skiers pull off with such panache. Except we looked like marionettes operated by a puppeteer who'd tipped one too many the night before. So there we were, students of the instructor's instructor. I didn't even bother trying to look like I belonged. Anyone who'd seen us schlepping across the snow dragging our skis and poles, and whamming ourselves on the (thankfully helmeted) heads would've been able to tell we were rank amateurs. No class, no style. But I can tell you within the 1st 5mins that helmets are a necessity!!

Then he said the other side of the mountain was better, he'd drive us there. More awkward shuffling. And we piled into his van. Note to self, don't do up the ski boots till you're certain it's time to put the skis on. When you're as short as I am, fastened ski boots mean virtually no movement below the knee. Walking is a weird rocking from heel to toe that make it virtually impossible to climb into a van. I essentially flung myself in full body and dragged myself into a sitting position. Kind of like a seal dragging itself up the beach. And NOT the cute fluffy baby seals at that. Think blubber, flopping, olympic weight lifter grunts...

Reaching our destination, which was only about 5mins away (everything in Hirafu Village is about 5 mins away from everything else), we piled out of the van (I mean that literally). Brian gave us a few refresher tips, and said, 'Well, you know how to snow plow right? Let's head to the lifts!' Waaiiiitttt!!!! Too late. Off he went and we had to follow. I was just praying that I'd a)get there without falling (too embarrassing) b) not knock anyone done in the process (too embarrassing) c) just get there... Well, there's something to be said for jumping in the deep end. Both of us got there without falling, hitting anyone, running into anything... Not very gracefully perhaps, but get there we did. Whew, now for the next step, getting up the ski lift...

This is simple for seasoned skiers. Nothing of great import. Part of daily life. A necessary pause in life that lets them get to the next stage of swishing gracefully down pristine white slopes. Not so for us. More like a stumbling swish, swish trying madly to get to the green line before the chair comes and bashes you behind the knees. Then it's followed by an ungraceful flop into the chair while trying to deal with poles that really want to go somewhere else, skis that would like to cross and wham your seat partner's shins (Imagine 2 beginners on together. Seen Laurel and Hardy?), and the ubiquitous bum shuffle you have to do 'cause you didn't realize you sat right on the edge of a (rapidly) moving seat that is now 500ft (I exaggerate, but it FELT like that) above the ground. Not to mention, NO SEATBELTS (Obviously the higher ones do, but the ones you go up as a beginner don't). Then just as you're about to get comfy, the weight of the boots and skis feel like they're about to yank your feet off at the ankles... Before you know it, you're at the top. Now you have to coordinate standing up at the line, skiing straight down, making sure your weapons don't brain someone in the process, and, most importantly, GETTING OUT OF THE WAY! Then comes the fun part. Trying to get down a slope standing on 2 planks and holding oversized chopsticks. Unbelievable that it can actually be fun!

All in all we had 3 half days with Brian, kiddo had the other halves. Bringing us to a total of 3 full days. Brian's ski school only does private lessons. So I guess you could have a group of pals doing it together, but we found it perfect for us since we were equally inept, and group lessons tended to leave us feeling rather dissatisfied. Kinda like standing at a pub trying to order a drink and the bartender gives you a sprite when you asked for a spritzer. Then has no time to retake your order...

In any case we had an awesome time. Not to mention being thoroughly entertained by Brian who is clearly highly in demand as a ski instructor and has done heliski tours and been privately flown all over the world to give private lessons etc. Like I said, his skills were totally wasted on us. Still, he's been in Niseko for yonks, and had lots of very interesting little snippets of information for us. Not to mention speaking perfect Japanese! Hats off, kowtow, you get what I mean. In 1 day we were as good as we were after 3 days before. We'd also only fallen over twice each. More topples than the screaming, flailing, flashes of your life thing that happened previously. After 2 days, we were as good as we had been after a week. And after the 3 days, we were better than we could've possibly have imagined. We were parallel skiing!! Kinda...ish... Still, yay!!

Brian and the kid on a ski lift

Now onto the kiddy's experience. For the first 3 days, we stuck her in day care when we were having lessons. It was about USD25 for either the morning or the afternoon sessions. These were run by the large hotels and there tended to be very few kids in there. Kiddo put up with it, but after the first day questioned why she had to be there since she wasn't 'a baby'. Tough luck kid, learn to ski and you can be out with us, be belligerent about learning and stay with the babies! Monster mummy rears her head...

Brian was phenomenal with the kid. He started by sticking her on one ski, telling her they were her sharks and scooting her off with him to find food for them. There was something about shark bellies and happy sharks and all. Wasn't listening to the details, but kiddo was burbling on about it for ages after, so whatever it was, it worked. So there they were, skiers were sharks and snowboarders were whales. All of a sudden... 'Auntie N!! She's a white whale' was announced at the top of a piping little voice. ACK!! Oh earth swallow me now... That was unexpected and MORTIFYING!! Luckily N has a good sense of humor and just laughed it off. Not so funny were the declarations of, 'There's a purple/ red/ black whale...'

There were a few worrying moments for daddy and mummy throughout her lessons. We saw the death of all further ski holidays when she mournfully said to Brian, 'Uncle Brian, my sharks aren't hungry anymore. Can we build a snowman instead?' I could see The Man cringing. At USD450 for 5 hours a day of private instruction, this would probably be the most expensive snowman in history... Still, she ended her journal entry for the day with 'I love skiing!' Totally worth it in my mind.

First 2 days were touch and go for the kid. I could see her wavering between 'Hate it, never want to do it again' and 'It's ok, but not my first choice'. Poor Brian spent those 2 days with her pretty exclusively skiing backwards since she wouldn't move without him in front of her. Nail biting for the parents who already had visions of more ski holidays, custom ski boots, etc etc. Not to mention we'd already plonked down the GDP of a small country on goggles, gloves, winter boots for her... She kept us hanging for 2 whole days. What a tease. Then on the third day, all of a sudden it was 'Watch me!! I can go FAST!'. It was a 'whew'/ 'crap' moment. 'Whew' because next year is HAPPENING people! 'Crap' because I now had visions of her turning into a speed demon... Just think of it... Motor bikes, race cars.. oh NO!! Biker boyfriend!!! *swoon* For obvious reasons I didn't mention any of this to my feet on the ground spouse, he might have just tried to smack some sense into me...

Last day of skiing was a revelation. Our little nervous Nellie was zooming down the hill and skidding to a stop 6 inches in front of other skiers. We saw lots of 'startled deer in front of headlight' looks. All were incredibly understanding and seemed more amused than anything. Inside they were probably thinking what an undisciplined brat the kid was. With parents that had obviously no control over her. They certainly weren't far wrong. We have videos of her barreling down the hill with me racing behind yelling, 'Turn!! Stop!! Slow down!!' Kiddo's reply was, 'Why? I know how to stop...' Grrr. Well, I certainly feel like I spent the whole morning apologizing. Though realistically, since she only did the run 5 times, it can't have been that much.

You may wonder why I haven't posted much on the other members of our little group. Well, JT the black whale, and L and P the sharks were in a totally different league. They were talking about going across the ridge and through trees... We never really saw them. Just a bit in the morning and then again for dinner. Last few days, it was dinner capped off with monopoly deal. Action, action!!

That pretty much sums up our experience. We were there from the 22nd of Feb till the 28th of Feb. To us the snow was great, but apparently it was pretty late in the season and wasn't powder. We heard lots of people say that Niseko was THE place to be for powder snow. So next year we'll be aiming to get there earlier in the season. You can bet the first person we call after making our accommodation reservations will be Brian.

PS : Brian's academy also has the same kind of private lessons for snowboarders. After 2 days of abuse to her derriere, N finally hired the snowboard equivalent of Brian. She too ended up singing his praises...

Japan part I : How we got there

2010-03-06T09:07:00.005+07:00

February 21st 2010. We set out on our 1st ever ski trip as a family, 1st ever greater than 6 hour journey (it took us 36 hours to get to Niseko due to our desire to cut costs and travel on miles. Normal would have been about 12 if we did the same route), and 1st ever trip to Japan (for me and the kid).

We started out making the short 1.5hr hop to Singapore, then spent the next 10 hours catching up with friends and relatives. In retrospect it was actually a really nice break seeing as I have no idea when we'll next be back. Also, it was a great opportunity to tire the kid out so that she would sleep on the overnighter to Tokyo. Which she thankfully did. Crashed at 12 midnight before the plane even took off and we woke her at the other end at 7-ish when we landed at Narita. We flew the A380!! I'd like to say how fantastic the facilities were and all that, but seeing as I pretty much slept the whole way, all I can say is the movie selection looked good... The man was obviously not best pleased as he kept mentioning the flat beds in business class etc etc. WHATEVER! If you fly the whole family to Japan using points, you ain't gonna have enough to go business... Still, we all got our little sleeps. Me with enough space to really stretch out (Ha! All you people who laugh at my height! Always told you it's better to be 5'1"!! See who has the last laugh now!!), kiddo sleeping horizontally with her legs propped on this little box-like storage space (good seat, space beneath the seat in front and also next to you) next to each window seat (Yup, she takes after her mummy)and the human pretzel also known as daddy... I looked over at some point during the flight and couldn't believe my eyes. He was sleeping diagonally with his head kind of balancing on the head rest, with his legs propped up next to the kid. I'm sure if the plane hit turbulence, he would have hit the floor. Heh...

We got in to Narita at 7ish. Bundled the kid into the toilet (all of you out there with kids would immediately understand why this is even mentioned) and went out to catch the airport transfer to Haneda, our domestic airport transfer to Chitose in Hokkaido. This was another 2 hours-ish in a bus. Which was smooth and really comfy. We all slept through. Which was a bonus as the Man and I were anticipating a lot of 'are we there yeeetttt's. On reaching Haneda, we caught up with my cousin L and his wife P and went to check in for our domestic flight. ANA (the airlines we used) was really helpful, we were early, there were seats on the earlier flight, so voila! We flew early.

View of south Hokkaido from the plane

Another 1.5 hours and more sleep (yay!) for all later, we landed in Chitose airport in Hokkaido. More meeting up with friends N and JT (not THAT one), and we were complete as a group. On to the bus transfer to Niseko... There was a lovely lady giving out what looked like really important information, but I didn't understand a word... Oh well. Unfortunately, we had to wait a bit outside for the bus. It was FREEZING! Poor kiddo had never been this cold in her life, and I REALLY didn't want her woken up fully. The bus ride takes 3 hours. And I was hoping she would sleep more...!

Another lovely, comfy bus. The Man asked kiddo if she wanted to sit with him. Nope, she replied, she wanted Auntie N. After some woeful looks from daddy, the kid replied with, 'Sometimes it's not all about you Daddy...' Hee hee... Got you there. Quoted verbatim!

More sleep...

1.5 hours later, we had a rest stop at a truly amazing rest area. It had fresh produce, lovely little cake things (I tried some of N's 8 then went and bought 16) made fresh with all sorts of filling. The caramel ones are terrific! It also stocked some winter wear, souvenirs...

More sleep... (more like zombified staring at this point)

Hirafu Village!! Finally!! It was probably about 5-ish in the evening and we had been on the road since 9am the previous day. Us parents were pooped. Kiddo was full of beans... Bustling around the welcome centre like a little Michellin man. So comical... We then had ANOTHER transfer, but luckily this was only to the next street where our apartment, Kira-Kira, was. Now this apartment was really the bees knees. 3 separate bedrooms, 1 ensuite, 1 shower/bath, 1 WC with typical Japanese heated seats and warm water washer/ dryer to save you wiping... Cool, but apart from the seat warmer, I couldn't bring myself to use the washer. Lots of partial attempts, but I always chickened out in the end... The apartment had cooking facilities, a full complement of crockery, a dish washer, vacuum, washing machine, tumble dryer... Wall mounted shampoo and soap dispensers, clothes washing powder... And a lovely large dining table and sofa set (that to my mind could easily sleep 2 people ).

Then it was showers all round and out to dinner at Sou. A truly FABULOUS shabu-shabu (Japanese steam boat) restaurant. The beef and pork slices were melt in your mouth tender. And the salmon sashimi absolutely to die for... L had a drink called calpis (try saying it fast... Hee hee) which is some yogurty drink. But don't let that put you off. It's really, really yummy. The girls had Umeshu sodas. This is a plum wine that says 4% alcohol on the box, but obviously if you mix it with soda, it's practically non-alcoholic right?? In any case, it's lluuurrrrvvveeely.... Had LOTS of it in the one week we were there.

After dinner it was a 10min trudge back to the apartment. Uphill!! It had also started snowing heavily and was a wonderful 1st time experience for the kid. Tongue sticking out tasting the snowflakes... Pelting the grownups with snowballs... Or actually I think it was the grownups that were doing the snowballing... Hmmm...

Then the stops for snacks. Hokkaido is famous for it's food. We went back to the apartment laden down with local cereal, bread, milk, umeshu (of course!), ice cream (I know... crazy isn't it. But the apartment was really, really warm), chocolate...

That wrapped up our 1st day in Japan. Next would be the beginning of our ski holiday and all round eating fest.

Race throught the last month

2010-03-05T11:19:00.002+07:00

The last month has been very, very hectic... Hong Kong for 4 days, our maid sacking herself (don't ask, a very long and winding road leading to nowhere), a week of being 'mummy-maid', capped by almost 2 fabulous weeks in Japan. Am in the process of downloading the photos. And when I do, it'll be skiing, Disneyland and FOOD!! From now on Japan=Food. Till then...!

I have also come to a conclusion... It is virtually impossible to satisfy your family. No matter what you do as a stay-at-home mom, it will never be enough. When we didn't have the maid, it was endless complaints of laundry taking a long time, missing items, stuff not cleaned up to standard, me being tired, me being in a bad mood (Kiddo devised a 'mood monitor', with 4 options for angry, so she wouldn't have to ask me how I felt 'cause sometimes mummy, your face is just like that, not happy, not sad...' *slap forehead*)... When we DID have the maid, it was complaints about the maid misplacing things, not doing something or the other... Sigh... I give up. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Sometime I really want to do the whole Exorcist head spinning thing, then maybe I won't get bugged so much!! Arrrggghhh! As a friend said to me, 'They get used to being pampered and having you deal with everything.' Well, the new maid just started work today. From now on , if I get anymore complaints, I shall say, 'Tough. Do it yourself!'

By the way, I DO love my family...

Long weekend away to Hong Kong

2010-02-03T17:57:00.003+07:00

Kiddo and I just returned yesterday from an EXHAUSTING weekend away to Hong Kong. We're trying to pack as many holidays as we can into the next 6 months as Kiddo starts Grade 1 in August. As it is, her teacher is none too happy with the number of 'ponteng' (truant) days we have taken so far. The comment the other day was, 'Is your husband an athlete?? You've taken days off for his triathlon, diving and now skiing!' Um. Weeellll....

Anyhow, this holiday was planned in about 3 weeks. During the Christmas holidays, my Dad mentioned that he would be in Hong Kong for 5 days at the end of January. At that time, I didn't think much of it, but we later found out that the Man had to be there the same time on business. So, long story short, we cobbled together a trip for the same time. We even stayed in the same hotel in Kowloon although we only met for dinner on Saturday and Sunday, and lunch on Monday. Heh, Dad = food. We flew in Friday night and back to Jakarta Tuesday morning. The flight took about 4 hours and was really good. Set up of the video screen and meals was much better than our usual carriers. We flew Cathay Pacific and it was marvelous. Of course, they gave out little kiddy packs too. That always helps.

It's currently winter in Hong Kong. Meaning that for those of us who have lived in the UK, the weather was a balmy 20C with light breezes. A light cardi was all that was needed for the nights. Saw lots of winter coats and knee high boots around. Overkill, but super fashionable.

Saturday saw us hopping on the MTR (Hong Kong version of the London tube) to Disneyland. Brilliant way to travel. Convenient, fast, and announcements are trilingual. Disneyland was lovely. I have always loved Disneyland. Nice clean, organised streets. Cheerfully lit store fronts... Piped music... I want to LIVE there!! Imagine... Address: # Sleeping beauty Avenue, Disneytown. Or, Snow White Glade, Pocahontas Valley... I digress...

We hit easily 90% of the rides. Kiddo wanted to do EVERYTHING. Which was rather a surprise actually. We expected a fair bit of resistance, but once she tried out the Mad Hatter's tea cups, she was on a roll. We didn't even stop for lunch! Peckish? No problem! Box of yummy caramel popcorn while waiting to enter the stage show. Still hungry? Here, have a bite of a foot long hot dog while waiting to go into the Lion King show... That was the 1st time we've been so lax about food, but we knew dinner was going to be a feast, and since she wasn't complaining, and Daddy was given enough to prevent him from morphing into the monster at the climax of MIB I (the slimy roaring one that ate everything it saw!), I decided to just go with the flow... All the usual rides were there: it's a small world, pooh and the hundred acre wood, buzz lightyear, space mountain (we didn't go on that), princess carousel, flying dumbos, tarzan's treehouse (not sure the point of that actually)... The Lion King show was very, very good. Things have certainly changed since the last time we have been to a Disney park. Admittedly that was 10 years ago in Florida and we were still DINKs.

HK Disneyland opens at 10am. We got there just before 11am and stayed till almost 7pm.Prices were HKD 950 for the 3 of us (about RM450/ USD150). Food within the park is pretty expensive. Captive audience and all that. Not that we ate much. Still, as our little princess' 1st visit to a Disney park, it was a rousing success. If not for having to meet my Dad and his friends for dinner, we would have stayed for the fireworks. No matter. Tokyo Disneyland in 3 weeks!

Sunday, we hit the Science musueum in Tsim Tsa Tsui. The original plan was to do both the Science and history museums then go check into the Hotel we stayed in on HK island. Unfortunately, we ended up spending over 3 hours in the Science museum and ran out of time. Oh well, next time. The science museum was very interesting. They had old rotary phones that were exposed so that you could see how the connection went through. And also all sorts of games that illustrated how things worked... Power stations, electricity, phone operators, mobile phone towers... Fantastic. Sunday night we went to a Teo Chew restaurant on HK island. Can't remember the name but it's 37-39 Queen's road West. Incredibly yummy. Had food like my grandmother used to cook. It also cost HKD23,000 (RM12,000/ USD3,000) for the 18 of us. I only found out the cost the next day when I was chatting to my Dad. My jaw dropped and I'm so glad I only found out the next day. No WAY would I have been able to eat it if I knew the price beforehand...!

Monday Hubs had to go to work. So kiddo and I trekked up to Sham Sui Po on Kowloon island to do some bead shopping. Didn't buy much, but kiddo got a look at 'real' HK street shops. As it's nearing Chinese New Year, all the decorations were out, and there were vendors selling wax ducks etc. Wonderful. Lunch saw us wandering off to Harbour view City on the south west coast of Kowloon. We met my Dad and a couple of his friends there and had more good food. Then we walked around the shopping centre which was obscenely huge. LV is 3 stories high (!!). There's a Manolo Blahnik, Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo (drool)... And also any other branded goods store you can possible name. The entire ground level of the Ocean terminal (one end of this store) is devoted to kids stuff. Dior, Tommy Hilfiger... you name it. Tucked into a little corner next to Toys R us is a little bookstore called Book Buddy. Unassuming and messy from the outside, but if you spend a little time checking out the inside, it's chock full of fantastic finds... Kiddo was in heaven. And of course, since grandpa was there, she literally walked out with the whole store. Trust me, I know. I carried ALL of her finds...

Tuesday saw us returning to Jakarta. The Man moved on the Singapore for more work. HK was nice. Though very, very expensive. A bowl of noodles in a small restaurant can easily set you back USD10. Taxis are exorbitant. The meter starts at HKD18 (USD2.50). The MTR is a fantastic alternative. A HKD 100 trip from Kowloon to HK island cost HKD15.50 for kiddo and I. It truly is a shoppers' paradise. And so alive... I love the neon signs suspended over the streets...

All in all. Great trip. I would have liked to take her to Tai O village, a traditional fishing village built on stilts. But apparently it's better in summer. And being over an hour away, we just didn't have the time. End of the day, the only thing I would have done differently would have been to bring a bottle of face scrub along. Believe it or not, I actually think HK is just as dirty pollution wise as Jakarta (not general cleanliness though. Toilets=sparkling, streets=no trash. HKD1500 for littering). 5 days = 5 spots. Gaaakkk!!

Random pics...

2010-01-29T09:13:00.003+07:00

Got caught in a Monday morning traffic jam. There I was in my nice, comfy air conditioned car. Having a nice little picnic breakfast... When I looked out and saw this bus ahead. Made me feel very spoilt and over indulgent. This is Jakarta for you.

A scrapbook I made for my friends the Cs'. It contained photos of our holiday together in Sambolo. A lovely beach resort about 4 hours away from Jakarta (with traffic). Unfortunately, you have to lug everything, including microwave and ovenette, along.

A 'clip' board inspired by the 'handmade' magazine that I borrow from my friend and fellow crafter L. Kiddo has many, many clips. But barely uses most of them as they are chucked into a drawer. So she always uses the same 5. This way, she can see all of them and match them with her clothes too! Asked her what words she wanted on the board. Reply, 'Clippy things, of course!'. Hmmm, yes, of course... Duh...

The trampoline in the apartment complex. Kiddo is the one with her legs in the air. The other 2 kids belong to the Cs'. Lovely, sweet kids...

A little accordion photo holder I made for my friend's birthday commemorating her first year in Jakarta.

No more penguins! Yay!

2010-01-28T11:20:00.002+07:00

That's it! The end of the whole penguin issue! For those who were not previously aware, kiddo has spent the last 6 weeks rehearsing for a preschool oratorical competition. I know, I know... My first reaction was to burst out laughing and to tell the teacher that there was no way on this green earth that MY kid would ever agree to go up and speak on stage. Nope. Not happening. But Daddy and I thought, well, it's a good opportunity, she should be given the chance and not stopped because of her parent's hang ups... In the end, I'm glad I did.

We rehearsed at home till she was confident, then she practiced a bit in school. But it wasn't till yesterday that I found out that she wasn't doing any of the actions at school because she felt too self-conscious. Oh well, too late to do anything and my kid definitely isn't the performing type anyway. So we spent all yesterday repeating 'Don't forget your actions...!' till I felt like a broken record. All to no avail...

Today's event was organised by the Singapore International School in Kebon Jeruk, just out of central Jakarta. Except we got lost, and spent an hour going around that area. Not nice. Still, we got there on time, and kiddo was quite happily chatting to her friends. Although there WAS a little moment when she spotted the stage and I thought she was going to balk right there and then and demand to go home.

Kiddo was 3rd on the list. Her friends were 1 and 2. Talk about pressure! She was a great little trouper. Delivered her spiel flawlessly. But... NO ACTIONS!!! ARRGHHHH! I could've ripped my hair out! Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic that she did it let alone so smoothly, but she (and we) had been working on it for 6 weeks! For her to suddenly omit it was sooo disappointing... Anyway... What's done is done. The kids who won were very, very good. Regular little show people. Although, I'm convinced that if she did her actions, she would have won *wink*.

In any case, there is much more to life than this. At least now she (and we) know that she is definitely capable of speaking in public. Performing though, is a whole different ball game.

Well done Kiddo! Daddy and Mummy are SUPER proud of you.

Shrink film is the bees knees!!

2010-01-26T09:53:00.011+07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I tried out shrink film for the 1st time. I have decided that I love the stuff! In fact, I like the little medallion I made yesterday so much, that I made another today to wear as a pendant. This time, I took blow by blow photos. The shrinking is unbelievable! If you look at the photo, the large circle with flower on the right is the original size. The little one on the left is the finished size.

Step 1 : Cut and stamp. I used a 3 3/4 inch circle die with prepunched hole and a Stampin' up flower stamp from the fifth avenue floral series. The ink was reflective interference ink in sterling frost from the Tsukineko Opalite range. The instructions suggest sanding the film 1st, but I decided to just give it a go with and see what happens... It's pretty slippery, so stamp with steady hands!

Step 2 : Shrink! I used my heat tool instead of the oven although the product sheet says you can do both. I figured I would get better control with my heat gun. Just run the heat tool over the cut and stamped film and watch the show! Try not to get too caught up in the theatrics of it and keep moving the tool around, or your film will look like something out of Picasso's dreams. Not to worry even if it happens though, just flip it occasionally from back to front and it will sort itself out. After that, squash it in between 2 books while it's still a little wobbly, give it a few seconds, and you're done!

Step 3 : I decided to go on and emboss it with some glitter (cause I LIKE sparkly things. No better reason than that...). So I just lightly pressed it on my embossing pad and sprinkled some Tsukineko sparkly embossing powder over it. Don't ask me what colour it is. The only words in English on the bottle are emboss and Tsukineko. Everything else is Japanese. Heat it again like you would embossing paper, and...

Voila!! You're done. Easy peasy lemon squeezy...

Bottom pics are the finished product before and after it became a necklace.

Points to note... Make sure the surface you're heating it on is not going to melt and warp while you're in the middle of your masterpiece. I suggest tweezers 'cause that bit of film can BURN! I found out the hard way.

Fun day with the ladies

2010-01-26T09:22:00.002+07:00

Yesterday was a morning of indulgence for me. I packed the kid off to school accompanied by the maid and stayed home to await the arrival of my crafty ladies, L and A.

L is a friend from church who makes the loveliest cards. Check out her blog on . Long story short, we both realised that we like crafting and, well, birds of a feather and all that. Ever so often we troop off to each others homes to oo and aa. She has lots of embellishments, I have a lot's books; she's a traditionally creative cardmaker, I'm an experimenter. Lots of dramatic disasters using my way... but it's fun.

So, the morning was spent with the 3 of us gabbing away like magpies. Not to forget L's yummy food. She has an amazing cook, PakM, and we had otak, siu mai and pound cake. Talk about fusion! L is ALWAYS feeding me. It's embarrassing, but I can't resist it. Isn't that worse!?

A, the other lady who came, is a born entrepreneur. She has, I don't know how many different projects ongoing for various yayasans (charitable foundations). She also sells dried mangos. Very yummy. Apparently, according to a friend in the US embassy, agricultural wastage in Indonesia is around 40%. In the US, it's a rounding error. So A's husband has a friend who taught some local farmers to dry their surplus stock. So far it looks like it's working really well...

After a couple of hours of my showing off all the bits and pieces I've acquired over time from Pasar Mayestik (a fantastic fabric, craft, food and pretty much everything market) which is just around the corner, we decided to head over there anyway. Might as well, since L lives pretty far away and goodness knows when she might next get a chance to head this way.

There we were, 11am and browsing through Toko Maju, the best stocked, messiest, dustiest, most incredible craft shop in town. It's been at least a month since I've been back, and they had new things in. Oooo... ribbons, buttons, clips bases... Lets put it this way, I left a little poorer but very satisfied.

L and A eventually left for home at 2pm. I'm going to head back to play with my 'new toys'... Craft time!!

Parents-teacher conference again

2010-01-22T18:24:00.002+07:00

That time of the year again. The quarterly PTC. I was grousing to the man about having to do a round trip of 1.5 hours to spend a total of 20 minutes with Kiddo's teachers, but in retrospect, I'm extremely pleased with the 2 discussions I had.

Kiddo is creeping up to 5 and a half. I'm not hugely concerned about the various subjects, but am interested in whether her behavior is consistent at home and school. After all, to my mind, any problems will cause behavioral mismatches between home and school. In any case, I was reassured by the teacher that she is just as chatty and frustrating to pin down at school as I feel at home. Heh.

The most amazing thing about the PTC though, was how the teachers were sooooo good at presenting further educational plans. I admit, I think my kid is a great one for language (I know, I know, proud mom!!). Her reading ability is at least 12, although when we were in the airport once, she ran out of books and read Bill Bryson's 'Down Under'. Having said that, I have no idea if she understood it. Anyway, the teachers agreed with me that she reads well, but instead of leaving it at that, they told me what additional tasks they were setting for her to improve her assimilation of what she reads. Horizontal learning, they call it.

So, for her homeroom teacher Ms.M, instead of reading her daily book and my signing off, she has to go to school and tell the teacher the story line and characters. Admittedly, 'This is snow, snow is white, snow is cold, I like snow' is not remotely challenging, but they made it slightly more detailed and she refused to do the verbal summary (GRRRR!! Come on Brat!! You witter on and on about whatever princess book you're reading at that point but refuse to tell the teacher about a 10 page book??). Well, the Kiddo does not like to do anything that she might not be 'perfect' at. So Ms.M decided to emphasize effort rather than perfection. Also, Kiddo's writing is appalling. Truly pathetic (I blame Daddy, his is no better. Just smaller...). So Ms.M is going to help her by assigning work on multiple lines instead of on a blank sheet of paper.

Her English teacher, the other Ms.M also agreed that she had no concerns about her reading. Also emphasized understanding. So from her, Kiddo is now being asked to write summaries of books she is assigned. Also, she is being asked to write little compositions that are longer than just 'I went to the beach'. Ms.M challenged her by asking her to include the who, what, when, why's (Light bulb moment! THAT's why she was chanting it non stop last week...). She will also ask for special permission for Kiddo to move away from the kindy section in the library to the grade school section.

Ultimately, I'm delighted with the school. The teachers appear to really know the kids and are tailoring the course work to fit them. Even in kindy. I really hope we stay for a significant part of Kiddo's education. I doubt we'd easily find such a good fit for her... Go ACS!!

Update on the new place

2010-01-18T10:27:00.003+07:00

We've been in our new apartment for a month now. I LOVE it!! Wish we had moved in right from the start. Having said that, I may not then have gone on a 3 month shopping tour of Jakarta and found all the shops I did. Nor picked up the various hobbies I have... On the other hand, there are good friends living here that I wished I had met earlier. Still, regrets are pointless. I enjoyed our 2 years in Kemang, and it certainly allowed me to fully appreciate what we now have here.

The complex holds free exercise classes ranging from pilates and yoga to step and cardio. The instructors are good and the classes tend to be full. I have to admit, having the classes right below me makes it very easy to pop down. One of the problems I've always had with exercise classes in the past is the effort involved in getting there. More often than not, I just give up.

If those classes are not enough, then there are also additional classes that one can pay for. Lots of language classes, then taekwondo, ballet etc etc. The choices are endless. Kiddo elected to take additional swimming and piano classes. Maybe I'll take violin classes... never got around to it in the past. Hmmm...

All in all, this place is the bees knees. Everything is so convenient. Unfortunately, it's still subject to the vagaries of Jakarta traffic. Took me 1.5hours to get home today. Reason? Maybe because it's a Monday... Maybe the wind blew wrong...

Werner- the culinary maestro

2010-01-07T11:29:00.003+07:00

Back in KL, in an old rehabbed alleyway (Changkat Tung Shin) that used to house dilapidated old buildings (and incidentally, my Dad's old family home), sit 4 of the most amazing European restaurants to be found. There's a wine cellar too, but that's not open yet. They are : El Cerdo (the piggy place), El Cerdito (the Tapas place), Lavaca (the beef place) and Piza (the pizza place (duh), which is the site of my Dad's old family house in the days when Pudu was considered suburban). Actually there's a little sign that says 'Werner's on Changkat Bukit Bintang'. Not sure what it's referring to, but it's very apt since it looks like he might be gradually taking over the whole street. I have but one thing to say... Bring it on Werner! I'll be there! (And so will my Dad, and cousins, and a whole host of other people who think Werner is a genius with food!)

Every time we go back on holiday, it's at least 1 if not 2 trips to El Cerdo. Werner must have started it about 5 years back. Possibly less. But the first I remember of it is my Dad taking me and a very little kiddo there for lunch when we happened to go by his clinic one day. In those days, it was a little, narrow, cubbyhole of a restaurant and honestly, we had our doubts that an upmarket (as opposed to your regular char siew stalls or family Chinese restaurants) piggy restaurant would survive long in a Muslim country. Especially since it was tucked away in a rather awkward place. In those days, there were only a couple of dingy looking pubs there and the parking was impossible. Werner and his nephew Andreas were there all the time, and the place was near deserted the afternoon we went. They were lovely towards kiddo (always a big plus), supplying her with colouring pencils and a piggy picture to colour in even though she was too little to do any of that. Since it was so quiet, the waitresses even came by and helped her do the colouring!! That's service for you... The food was AMAZING!!! The Jamon Serrano with rock melon even better than I remembered having in Spain. They even specially boiled pasta and brocolli for kiddo who, as expected, wouldn't touch anything on the menu.

Fast forward a few years to December 2009. Werner now has the 4 places up and running, countless renovations under his belt, and to hear my Dad describe it, is well on his way to monopolizing that street. There is also ample parking. Yay! And the dingy pubs are no longer dingy. Quite 'happening' now. Dad has got to know Werner quite well, and when Lavaca opened, was given a complimentary table to invite his friends! Wow... Stuff like that NEVER happens to me. According to Dad, Werner has worked all over the world, from Spain to Brazil. Ask him where he's from, and he'll say all over. Never got the details right since I'm usually too busy stuffing my face to pay attention to the 'grown ups' (go home, and I revert to being a kid again!) talk, but I think Werner is either German or Austrian. Hmm... Maybe Swiss... Ok, I'll stop now before I get more off mark.

I am delighted to say that over the past few years, the standards of his offerings have not dropped in the slightest. He's going from strength to strength and I VERY eagerly await what he's going to do next.

Last Saturday though, was truly something to write about... We (The Man, kiddo and I) had been to the new beef place with the Monkey family on the 26th and had a fabulous time. But The Man wanted the roasted suckling pig at ElCerdo, and I wanted MORE beef. After listening to us bicker about it for a while (a very SHORT while, it's my Dad after all, patience of a 2 year old except when it comes to his princess. That's the kiddo folks, not me, I'm just her PA :)... Just KIDDING Dad!!!), he suddenly whipped out his phone and called the ever capable Monica, Werner's right-hand-woman. Next thing you know, he arranged for dinner party of 16(!!) at ElCerdo, with beef coming over from Lavaca! They were willing to do him a favour 'cause he regularly does things like host dinners for 20 I guess. In any case, moos could go to the oink place but not the other way.

All I can says is, I salivate just remembering the food. I also remember that at one point I seriously thought that what the Romans used to do at banquets was very sensible (google it if you haven't got what I mean). The menu was as follows :
Starters - Jamon Serrano from Spain (RM38,~$10), Cesar's Salad (RM26), 4 different mini Sausages with sauerkraut and mash (RM24.50), Prawn cocktail (lost track for a bit while stuffing my face, so didn't get the price for this), Pork shoulder steak with foie gras (a New Year special, no price as not on the main menu- supremely yummy)
Mains - Wagyu rump (RM78- the MOST amazingly tender bum of a cow I've ever had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into *slurp*), Rib Eye (RM108), Slow cooked tender ribs (RM65), Roasted suckling pig (1/2 for 2 RM118, 1 for 4 RM219).
Dessert - Churros dipped in chocolate, apple crumble with ice cream (by now I was in NO shape to even look at the menu, so no prices. Sorry)

Like I said, not cheap, but worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY!!! When the roasted suckling pig is served, they offer you a plate to cut it with as proof of how tender it is. Word to the wise, unless you want to eat piggy chips, go ahead and make the first cut like they want you to, then give it over to the pros... You then have to smash the plate in a bucket. By putting your hands at certain points on the plate, you wish for love or money... Leave it to you to decide if if works. Werner allowed kiddo to smash an extra plate after she had so much fun with the first, thus forever ensuring a loyal customer in her.

They have a great selection of booze. But if you bring your own, be warned that corkage is steep. RM80 for wines and RM130 for hard liquor. They will provide the decanters if needed as well as water/ soda for mixing though.

All in all, Werner's restaurants are not to be missed. Can't wait for March when I go back again...

Back to reality

2010-01-07T10:42:00.003+07:00

It's been an amazing Christmas holiday for us. But we're finally back to real life here in Jakarta. One could argue, though, that we are definitely not living in 'reality'. After all, how real can it be when I expect to be picked up and dropped off right at my doorstep? Or, I get annoyed that I have to carry the kid's bags to the car myself? Sure, if one were a billionaire it would be second nature, but we're just normal people... Hard to imagine just a few days ago I was loading and unloading shopping trolleys at carrefour all by myself, and driving around KL looking for parking spaces.

Anyway... We're back to our usual routine, and I shall remind myself that it's totally normal if clothes don't reappear in the closet the day after I chuck them in the wash basket.

Yesterday was kiddo's first day of school. Why a Wednesday? No idea. Except it gave me an extra day in KL, which is always welcome. Waking up was a real chore. Bleary eyes, incoherent speech, uncoordinated limbs... That was me, by the way. The kiddo was so excited with her new alarm clock that she practically leaped out of bed when it rang. Oh, to be young again and actually look forward to alarm clocks!

She also signed up for extra swim classes at the apartment we live in. 'But it's soooo much fun mom!' and also piano classes. 'I looovvveeee the piano!' Yes, we seem to have entered the age of exclamations...

I've come back to my crafty little haven. 3 weeks with no supplies and I was definitely suffering withdrawal symptoms. Eventually made a paper mache bowl just for something to do. Pathetic. At least now I'm back to having a whole bunch of new things to fiddle with. Thanks to finding supplies in the most unexpected places. Craft-haven on the 1Utama 2nd floor promenade would count as a big find this trip home. Together with the online store scrap-n-crop... Who says if you can't do, teach? If you can't do, SHOP! Hee.

Things I need to get on with now... Blog about Werner, restauranteur extraordinaire; finish my crochet projects before the japan trip; photograph my crafty things BEFORE giving them away, penguins...

Back in my kampung for Christmas

2009-12-17T23:10:00.004+07:00

Another year done, another Christmas looming. Back home in lovely KL again. No matter there being no snow or festive street lights, Christmas has always been one of my favourite times of year. When I worked in the UK, I used to always have the misfortune to be on-call Christmas and New Year. The lovely snow and Oxford Street lights made up for some of it. I choose to ignore the wet and gale force winds and tube strikes... Now, I spend my Christmases in hot, sometimes wet, KL.

There were moments in the plane this time when my life flashed before my eyes. First was when we (seemingly to me) dropped about 200ft out of the blue (am sure in retrospect it was probably more like 10ft). Kiddo was having lunch at that time and her food went flying up out of the box. If I were super mom, no doubt I would have caught the lot with some fancy wielding of the box and fork, but being me, I just shoveled the pile back into the box and asked her if she wanted more. I think the pale face and gritted teeth gave me away (am not a great flyer at best of times). Kiddo took one look at me and started whimpering... Then said, 'I don't think I'm hungry anymore mummy...' Maybe the sweeping up of dropped bits put her off. Don't blame her. The second time was when our delightful air stewardess blithely carried on offering piping hot food and drink to everyone. My seat belt was on so tight I swear I couldn't feel my toes. So, no, nothing in front of me please. I don't fancy a hot coffee shake the next time we hit a bump.

There's just something about flying that makes me totally nervous. Absolutely no control. Inside some huge metal canister that logic tells me shouldn't be able to get off the ground let alone fly... Yes, yes... I know I'm a bit of a control freak.

In any case, we landed safely, albeit with me a little green. The rest of the flight was actually quite smooth, but anticipating the next plummet kept me on tenterhooks and my stomach in knots. Happily kiddo fell asleep. Mind you, the flight only takes 2 hours, and after 'the incident', we only had about an hour to go. I have to say that I was tempted to ask for some wine ('Thanks, just leave the bottle!'), but opted not to since, a)showing my kid that consuming alcohol as a way of dealing with stress is SERIOUSLY bad parenting, and, b)I really didn't want my Dad to pick us up with me looking like a total lush. Dads still need SOME illusions about their daughters even when said daughters are ___ (insert your age here).

We've now been back a day and already hit the Dentist (my old pal J who's an absolutely AMAZING kiddy dentist), Czip Lee (fab stationers), Borders, Art Friend, Think Toys (the old ELC) and Yuzu (yummy Japanese restaurant in the Gardens shopping centre). I also planted a row of loofah all along one wall and hung lights on our Christmas tree and in the front window. Kiddo went garland crazy and did the stair rails. What a day...!

Tomorrow we're off to Book Xcess (unmissable book store in Amcorp mall that does cheap books) and my little niece's birthday in the afternoon. It's wonderful being home...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year one and all!!

And the madness has passed... for now...

2009-12-11T18:57:00.004+07:00

We're finally in our new place. The glorious Pakubuwono Residences. Sweet! No more worrying about what stranger has decided to momentarily squat at our place without us knowing, no more Kemang traffic... Hello (many) pools, gym, shop, ATM, Daily Bread, restaurant, dry cleaners, pharmacy, sundry shop... most of all, friends everywhere!!

The moving was amazingly painless. We ended up using IMS (International Movers & Storage) because they had the best telephone etiquette, the most helpful contact person and the most reasonable prices (
1st day, they were 30mins early (I know! Unbelievable!). I wasn't back yet, but they called and I was more than happy for them to start. By the time I got back at 9am after dropping the kid, they had already practically completely packed her room and teams was moving into the master bedroom, kitchen AND dining room. In fact, I seemed to be constantly tripping over them. When I asked the supervisor how many people there were, his reply was, '19, Ibu.' 19?? You're kidding! When we moved from London to KL, we had 4. And it took them 2 days to pack an apartment... In any case, by the time 2pm rolled around, the whole house except for the living room and service areas was packed and loaded. Amazing. Very impressed. Long story short, everything was into the new place by the next day at 3pm. I actually sent them home then although they were suppose to help me unpack. But I was too slow for them and was rather afraid of being overwhelmed by things just sitting on the floor. I hadn't yet decided where to put half the stuff. Only that it was NOT going to be in the same rooms as the old house. Not helpful to them...

The next 2 days were a flurry of unpacking. I found out that The Man is ace at unpacking boxes and shoving things into any available nook and cranny. Except that he DOESN'T really unpack anything! Found out the hard way when I opened a supposedly empty cupboard and a FULL bag fell on me! Aaannnnyyyyyway, we're all (mostly) unpacked and (very happily) settled in now. The only thing IMS messed up was they forgot The Man's sports socks. Those of you who know him know what a disaster that is... A suggestion to buy a temporary pair was greeted with a disgusted snort. HIS socks are SPECIAL... Not the standard CHEAPOS... What. Ever. See if I ever try to help again... Still I eventually found them when I went to hand back the keys. I reckon the movers thought no one wanted them anymore seeing as all were grubby and looked like something the dog rejected (or ejected).

All in all, the last week has flown by. We were somewhere else one day, here the next... The only breakage was by me when I unrolled an interesting looking bubble wrap ball and had a round tealight holder crash to the floor. D'oh! Note to self, bubble wrap= fragile. Don't hold one end and unspool. Luckily it was a Rp10,000 (USD1) tealight holder from ACE and not some irreplaceable family heirloom.

Have decided that from now on, I shall only use IMS for moving. The were great! And hearing some of my friends' horror stories from other 'reputable' companies... No competition at all.

Dummies guide to the stages of sunburn

2009-12-01T16:24:00.002+07:00

After having spent the last few days sun burnt ENTIRELY due to my own fault, I feel supremely qualified to expound upon it...

Stage 1 : 'Ooo... What a sunny day. Warm isn't it?' Unless you're flitting from car to air conditioned mall, sunblock might be a reasonable consideration here.
Skin colour : No change, possibly an attractive flush.

Stage 2 : 'Gosh, it's really hot out. Kinda feel prickly...' Even most morons (except me, obviously) would actually, seriously be considering pulling out the SPF 30 here.
Skin colour : Reddening, but nothing too alarming.

Stage 3 : 'Ow, the skin's really starting to hurt. Golly it's fierce out.' Pretty obvious it's get under cover time. But noooo, I was still chasing the kids (who were actually blocked and covered) trying to get some cutesy photos. The sarong about my shoulders was really too little too late.
Skin colour : Boiled lobster.

Stage 4 : 'DON'T TOUCH ME!!! NO hugs please...!' This is generally after you've got in from the sun and are trying to have that post sun shower. Fun and games, fun and games... I had to shower with kiddo's baby bath (my bath gel had exfoliating bits in it. NOT HAPPENING!) and alternate warm and cold water. The burns couldn't tolerate warm water and the normal bits couldn't take cold water. Picture this, hop to the side, turn on cold for burned bits while keeping normal bits away from stream of water. Another little shimmy, turn on a bit of heat, trying to avoid water splashing on the burnt bits. My burnt bits were as follows : face, forearms, upper thighs along bikini line (but only the sides. How??), back (a 2 inch strip between my tank and bikini, and the upper back between the tie and back of the tank), shoulders, back of my left knee (Huh??). Now imagine having to do the above little dance while avoiding all burned/ normal bits...
Skin colour : Over-boiled lobster.

Stage 5 : 'Yuck, starting to flake. Itchy... Hmmm, wonder if I can help it along...' DON'T DO IT!!!! Don't try to help the flaking along. I'm a compulsive fiddler, so I picked at my peeling nose. It got painful and very, VERY red...
Skin colour : Go home Rudolph, I'm leading the sleigh tonight... But if you DON'T pick, then you can be the 'snow' covered tree in the yard.

Stage 6 : 'Ewww, Mummy, you look like a molting snake!! Am I going to look like that too??' Flaking everywhere. Skin very dry, fault lines appear if you even move the skin... More itchy... Incidentally, not a good time to commit a crime. Too much trace evidence, they'd get you just by sweeping the floor...
Skin colour : Patchwork. If you can imagine very poorly sewn shapes that are fraying at the edges.

Stage 7 : When the flaking is over, if you're lucky, you have a uniform tan. IF.
Skin colour : Golden brown if you're lucky. Muddy brown if you're not...

So there you go, sunburns according to me. The whole process usually lasts about a week-ish. I'm hoping that by writing this down I will now, NOT EVER, forget the sunblock. I hope. Really. I will actually post on our Sambolo holiday after our move tomorrow (Yay!) and once I stop flaking all over the keyboard.

Temporary tattoos have hidden dangers..

2009-11-26T08:51:00.004+07:00

Kiddo was at a friend's birthday party and got a lovely glittery temporary tattoo. I said yes knowing that she's had reactions in the past, but thinking to myself, 'Remember to wash it off later...' Well, what d'ya know, what with rushing to pack for today's Sambolo trip and dashing to the store at 8pm to get daddy a snorkel mask, I TOTALLY FORGOT!! Ugh! *smack self in the head* Added to that it was Daddy who did the bathing, so I didn't even see her till she was all covered up in her PJs.

This morning, kiddo woke up complaining of a tummy ache and when I felt the warm forehead, my heart just sank... I knew it! A forgotten tattoo! Out came the nail polish remover and thus commenced our 15min cleaning session. She was subsequently sent down for breakfast and instructed to drink lots and lots of water to, hopefully, flush out whatever chemical it was that was causing all this. Happily the tummy ache and fever settled within an hour of having the tattoo removed.

Googling temporary tattoos was an eye opener. Nowhere does it list the chemicals that go into them, it just says dyes should be US FDA approved. Then there are the 'water soluble slip layers' and the 'contact adhesives'. A whole lot of 'uh?'.

This has happened several times in the past. At first it was only after parties when we put down the tummy ache and fever to over excitement and junk food the previous day. The fever and tummy ache would go on for several days, probably until the tattoos eventually faded, but I didn't link the two before. Then we got a pack of these tattoos for fun and she had the SAME reactions at home. I could not believe it! But it happened EVERY SINGLE TIME we put it on! Since then, I've been pretty strict, no tattoos except for parties, and they get washed off the moment we get home. Unfortunately last night it got left on, and she had a whole night of marinating in those chemicals. Hopefully we got it off in time and her beach holiday won't be spoiled. Note to self... parties = tattoos! Inspect and WASH!

End of the bazaar season

2009-11-24T19:29:00.002+07:00

Well, this is IT for me. My bazaar season (as a vendor) officially ended at 1pm today in ANZA house. Phew... Am pooped. It's pretty difficult repeating a sales pitch over and over again for up to 4 hours. Hats off to traveling salespeople who do this for a living.

At last total, the orphanage will get in the region of about Rp3.5mil (USD350) from my 2 bazaars and 1 coffee morning. Wish it were more, but I was already encouraging shoppers to round up sales with additional items. Short of randomly grabbing strangers off the path and forcibly removing cash from their wallets, I don't think I could have done better. As hubby likes to say,'Small ticket items give you small profits!'.

I did, however, meet LOADS of people this time. More so than any other previous bazaar. To be honest, the bazaars are my way of meeting people I wouldn't otherwise encounter. Some have turned out to be great friends, others have introduced me to new interests... I love the saying 'A stranger is but a friend you haven't met yet'.

It's off to the Sambolo Beach bungalows for us on Thursday and the move to the new apartment next Wednesday. Busy, busy, busy... Give me my G&T!!

Hit the 'next blog' button for some laughs

2009-11-19T18:09:00.005+07:00

I don't know if non-members of blogspot can see this button, but if you do, hit it and see what comes up. Intuitive programming at it's best. The Genius function on iTunes supposedly makes up a playlist for you depending on your tastes when you play a particular song. The 'next blog' button attempts to do the same by randomly selecting blogs for you that you might be interested in.

Well, what they selected for me ranged from absolutely 'uh??', to 'oh yeah, I think I'll come back and check this out.' After a while it got addictive just seeing what they would come up with next.

I got directed to blogs on: Anime (why??), an Indian political site (I think, not sure, but it was all in Tamil(?) and had pictures of people waving flags and marching), a new moms blog (justified), some tech blog with pics of phones (not sure, in Japanese, so have to guess using pictures), some illustrator who draws castles and such (probably got there because I had sooo many posts with the word 'defense/ defender'. Goes to show...). And this is supposed to have been refined. I so do not want to know what it was like previously... Oh well, next time I'm bored, I'll definitely hit it for laughs.

PS how can I forget the one written by the teenage girl that sounded incredibly profound and poetic, yet with a postgraduate degree in medicine, I could not, for the life of me understand. Each word was ok, but strung together they didn't seem to SAY anything... HOW did I end up THERE??

The hidden gem of Cibubur

2009-11-19T14:00:00.004+07:00

Blogspot has just gone funny and I can't move my photos, so here it is: top is kiddo in her outfit, bottom is our haul for USD75...

From the title, you would assume that I'm referring to some fantastic natural wonder or ancient monolith. I'm sorry to disappoint, but although I'm fairly certain that there are nice landmarks around there, what I went for was winter apparel shopping for our ski trip to Niseko (Japan) next February. Yup, that's right, you didn't mishear at all. Winter apparel shopping. I know, I know, winter is not the first thing that crosses your mind when you think of Jakarta, but seeing as a lot of western clothing brands have their factories in this part of the world, would you be surprised that there are lots of outlet stores too?

The store in Cibubur is called Upscale and is located in Cibubur Times Square (CTS for this post). Opens at 10am. Before you think of spending some time wandering around CTS, let me warn you that CTS is a far cry (more like a whimper) from NY Times Square. Apart from a pretty large ACE hardware, it's practically deserted. So don't bother thinking you could kill some time in the local Starbucks while you wait for it to open. There's a McD's off the toll road and a petrol station KFC nearer CTS. More than that, you would have to go explore...

Walking into the store, you are immediately confronted by lots of lightweight clothes, and only a couple of racks of winter stuff. Thump goes the sound of your heart hitting the floor as you think of all the unnecessary calories in the KFC meal just consumed and the amount of money just spent in impulse buys from the ACE hardware that opens at 9am (Yes, yes, guilty...)! Well, not to worry, head upstairs and be amazed! Racks upon racks of ski jackets, heavy duty winter stuff, sweaters, ski ensembles... Even the cutest little onesies for the little ones. I went totally crazy. My friend KP and I must have tried on at least a dozen items each. Downside was the 'what you see is what you get' policy. If it doesn't fit, move on. Don't bother asking for sizes. Usually it's just the one available. The other thing of note is that sizes don't always correspond with what is printed. So try everything. There's a reason some items are factory rejects...

Well, after an hour of rummaging, I walked away with a jacket, ski pants and a body warmer for kiddo, and a jacket and body warmer for myself. I wasn't really supposed to be shopping for me, but couldn't resist the prices. The whole haul cost me about USD75. Considering my ski jacket and pants bought in London during the sales cost GBP129, it was a definite bargain.

I raved about it to my Dad today, and he's just given me a shopping list for himself! He's also headed to Japan next February, except it's a little earlier and he's doing a eating tour of Hokkaido rather than a ski trip. In any case, I shall take it upon myself to deck him out in unmissable in the dark ski jackets!!! Just kidding... Yes Dad, I heard you, only darks...

Bazaar No.1 done

2009-11-17T21:05:00.004+07:00

Bugs in blogspot, can't organise the pics. Sorry. Top: Me behind my stall. Couldn't stand up straight, so figured peering from around the rack looked better than hunched over the table. All other photos: pics of my haul. Excepting the bear. The bear is kiddo's. She just felt it looked better with he new tutu on...

Today was the first bazaar of the Christmas season for me. Organised by the BWA (British Womens' association). It was held in the Grand Kemang Hotel. Lest anyone think I'm an insatiable bazaar hopper, I actually go to flog stuff for charity. This time it's the Panti Asuhan Pondok Taruna orphanage. With the thought of them needing 70kg of rice a day (costs about Rp500,000/ USD50 per day), I went there totally prepared to be the barracuda salesperson of the year. No taking 'no' for an answer! Everyone who pauses has to buy! Buy! Buy! I say!! Well, within an hour of arriving at the venue (6am for set up!! Ugh!), this barracuda became a minnow... I stupidly bent over to pick up a box forgetting that it was heavy and that I generally have a dinky back. No prizes for guessing what happened next... My back locked up big time, and I was left squirming around trying to pretend that I was looking for something inside the box when in actual fact I could neither fully straighten nor fully bend! I eventually plonked myself onto the sample bean bag I was selling since it allowed me to wriggle into a non excruciating position in order to unpack the offending box. No surprises that everything ended up on the edge of the table. It was as far as I could reach. An emergency call to my co-vendor, who luckily, was only due in later netted me a couple of lifesaving panadols. She was very apologetic about not having anything stronger, but at that point, I would've gratefully settled for anything, even a hammer to my toe as distraction from my back.

In any case, there was selling to be done and people to meet. I love doing the bazaars. Every time I do, I meet someone new, or an old customer. And you never know when you're going to meet a great friend. Like my co-vendor today, V. I met her at the last bazaar a few months back and we got to talking. Now she's a fab friend that I cannot imagine I've only known for a really short time. Even funnier, our girls both have the same name! And we both love crafting... Not to mention we're going on holiday together in 2 weeks and moving into the same apartment complex in 3 weeks. Before you suggest it, no, I'm NOT stalking her...

Well, if there's shopping to be had, I'm the one to call. I can ALWAYS find something to buy. Picked up some lovely little batik covered boxes for gifts, as well as some cutesy little things for the kid. Turns out it's lovely having a co-vendor because we can take turns shopping while the other person mans the stall. And V is as great a shopper as me, which is saying a lot...

All in all, it was go, go, go from the moment the doors opened. I've never been in a bazaar that has been this busy. Barely had time to shop for myself!! *wink* For the first time, I also won a raffle prize! I only know it's to some restaurant. The main thought flowing through my head when going up to get the prize was, 'Suck it in!! Walk upright! OWN the pain! Don't limp!'. Hilarious that as we were walking around the hall, V kept trying to carry my bag. Geesh...!

Back pain or no back pain. A preliminary accounting shows that the orphanage will get Rp1,750,000 (about USD175) from today. That's about 3 days worth of rice or 60 chickens. Rather pleased with that I have to say. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come for the next few events.

PS will post some photos when my back unlocks enough for me to focus my camera higher than my knees...

Eye of the hurricane

2009-11-14T10:30:00.006+07:00

It's Saturday. For a change, we're all 3 of us at home just chilling. No looming business trips, nothing particularly pressing. Just our little family enjoying some family time. Ok, at least we're in the same room. Kiddo is reading (as usual), The Man is fiddling with his NEW bike (it sounds like an arthritic old goat. Clackity clackety...) and I'm trying to build mountains on my farmville game...

Next week the chaos starts. Bazaar on Tuesday, coffee morning at ANZA (Aus and NZ womens' association) on Fri, Bazaar again the following Tuesday, long weekend away that Thursday with some great friends to Sambolo. The week after that, we'll be moving to the apartment. Yay!!! I shall be even more a duck than I usually am (why duck? Read the blog description above...).

Yesterday the kiddo had her 2nd lot of boosters. MMR and Varicella. Very stoic through the 1st one with only an 'Ooowwww' at the end. But the 2nd one? Oh my goodness... You would've thought the doctor was skinning her. The howling and wailing...! My poor baby. Worst thing is next month she has a typhoid jab to go for. Sigh. I bought her a bunch of new books as a little reward for the jabs (I know, I know, wasn't supposed to buy anything before the move... But she was such a sad little thing when she found out she had jabs... *sob*). And it DID smooth everything over...

The rest of today shall be family time. Much anticipated since Daddy has been away so much in the last 2 months. Nice lunch at the club... BBQ dinner... Wine... Keep repeating to self, 'I will not obsess about next week, I will not obsess about next week...'

Kiddo's bedtime prayer tonight

2009-11-11T19:44:00.005+07:00

'God Bless Daddy, Mummy and Me. Help me get better. Keep Daddy safe on his travels. God Bless Grandpa, Grandma, Ah Kong and Ah Ma. God Bless all the orphans. Let there be no tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes. Help me not whine, moan, cry, and tantrum. God bless all my new friends, old friends, and ab-so-lu-te-ly everyone. Help me sleep well and not wake up late for tomorrow's school trip to the zoo. Good night God. Amen.'

What can I say? A kid's environment certainly affects their thought processes. Much more so than one would imagine. I use prayer time as a guide to what the kid is thinking, and a spring board to talking about stuff. Ever since the recent spate of natural disasters have hit the local papers, she's been including tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes in her nightly prayers (Downside of a kid being able to read the back side of the paper while I'm reading the front).When I talk to her about it, I can tell she's concerned they will happen to us and people she knows. On one occasion, I remember having to sit down with her and the encyclopedia to work out how safe Jakarta, KL and Singapore were for the various friends and relatives she was worried about. And being here where poverty is so visible she has asked about the street children who beg at the car door. So has developed a slight obsession about orphans and their lack of parental love. Sigh... I guess if we were living in London she would pray about blizzards, gale force winds, tube delays and Indian summers.

Being an expat kid, she's had friends in KL, from her old school Tutor Time, and now in ACS. Not to mention the other expat kids that come and go. I can see how distressing that can be. I certainly do feel it when friends move away. The friendships tend to be rather like a summer romance, you know they're going to end right from the start, you make promises to keep in touch no matter what, and parting is wrenching. But once everyone's moved, it's only the occasional email or skype. Sometimes not even that. Thank God for blackberry messenger. These friendships tend to be quickly forged and quite intense, after all, no one really understands what an expat goes through other than another expat... She's also had to get used to Daddy traveling quite a lot. Now when she's had a scolding and says, 'I want to talk to Daddy!', Mummy has to do time zone as well as airline ETA computations. It's no longer just calling and having The Man furtively whisper that he's in a meeting and will call us back.

The moaning, whining bit... Well, that's totally my fault. because of my ear problem, anything above a certain frequency hits my brain like a laser beam and turns it into what feels like a cauldron of boiling lava with nails shooting into my ear drums. Her voice then echoes and reverberates in my skull, bouncing around and causing more churning of the lava and nails... Well, lava explodes, and so does mummy. That's generally when monster mummy makes a visit. My own yelling adds to the mix and I get even more steamed. Not nice for everyone... So every night, without fail, kiddo asks to not moan or whine. Depending on what's gone on at school, some times she adds in, 'help me to cheer not jeer (school lecture) and help me not mock or be smart alecky (heh heh)'

She throws in the 'help me get better' whether she's sick or not. Being an asthmatic and allergic-y kid, there have been times when she's on pills, syrups, puffers, sprays, creams for months on end. This is like a mantra for her. Can't sleep unless she says it. No matter, I don't imagine God would hold it against her...

All this is certainly a change from 2 years ago when her prayers were, 'God Bless Daddy, Mummy and Me. God Bless Grandpa, Grandma, Ah Kong and Ah Ma. God Bless Riesling, Cookie (our dogs), Baileys and Smokey (our cats). God Bless my friends. Help the woodpecker not eat all our fish...'

One man's food is another man's poison

2009-11-10T21:00:00.003+07:00

It has come to me, rather uncomfortably tonight, that while avoiding shellfish is well and good (I have a horrendous shellfish sensitivity. Gives me heartburn like you wouldn't believe!), I should also, perhaps, be more cautious in scarfing down foods that are somewhat out of my usual menu.

While at Aladdin's cave (Kebayoran Market) yesterday, my maid asked if Mister and Missus would like to try cumi-cumi (cuttlefish). Being Malaysian and generally rather fond of my grub, I immediately said, sure, we'll try anything once... Except innards. I draw the line at that.

Well, IbuI stir-fried up a delicious plate of cuttlefish with chillies and 'stuff' (ginger and something else, I think). It was really yummy. Unfortunately. Because that meant I didn't realize the heartburn was coming on till I stopped for a breath and thought, 'Ooohhhh... My stomach definitely does not like that.' In fact I felt like I had swallowed a pot of chilli padi (for those Western friends who are prone to being the butt of practical jokes by Asian friends, if someone dares you to eat this cute little chilli, SAY NO! It's dynamite!). Totally unexpected. Cuttlefish isn't shellfish is it?!? Poor hubby. He's off to Hong Kong for work tomorrow and instead of some quality time with wifey, he has to put up with my moaning and groaning. Gaakkk...

Moral of the story, if you have ANY sort of food insensitivities/ allergies, BE CAREFUL! Especially if it's a food that you don't often eat. As some supermarkets back home sometimes post 'Come one, come all!' I shall now take myself and the towering inferno that occasionally doubles as my stomach off to bed...

Kebayoran Market

2009-11-09T11:27:00.004+07:00

Following on from our recipe book acquisitions at the Indo Book Fair, my maid declared that the only place she could get certain ingredients (namely a duck for Bebek Bengil) was at a market. The largest one near us being the Kebayoran market. Neither one of us had been there before, and it fell to Mr.D, to take us to the market. Who needs the Jakarta Shopping Guide when I have a walking, talking version!

1st stop, ducks. There were big ducks, little ducks, super fat ducks (called 'entok'. Don't ask me what it means. Apparently it tastes the same, just fatter). All looked the same to me. My maid IbuI, seemed to do this weird squeezy, pokey thing and would reject some with a scoff and accept others for further consideration. These were live, flapping ducks, mind. They would then be presented to the totally useless money banks (that would be me) for perusal. The vendor would gleefully ask me to personally 'feel' the duck to see how fantastic the meat was. Uh. No. I could see them wallowing in their own poop. No feely for this missy... In any case, 2 ducks set me back Rp80k (about USD8 / RM25). I also bought 3 kampung chickens (free range chickens) for Rp135k. Cue the whole, 'Pegang aje Ibu. Bagus s'kali!!' (Hold it madam. Very good!) again. As I said just 2 minutes ago, NO HOLDING!! Or touching, or pulling of feathers. I ran off when I saw the guy whip out a machete the length of a saber to do the nasty. I insisted on taking home meat instead of a live animal lest my little sunshine decides to adopt dinner. Left D and I supervising the sectioning. My only request... Keep the duck livers. I want to make pate.
Ibu I doing whatever it is she does to get a good duck...

The fowl (foul too!) defeatherer. Birds are dipped in boiling water and tossed in this device. The little rubbery protrusions spin around and smash all the feathers off. Perhaps also adding a tenderizing effect? Out of the holes ooze icky blood and pulverized feather. Note to the curious, don't stand within 5ft of the thing, you'll get covered in the stuff.

After that it was spices, fish (1/3 the price of Hero!!) a wok (yeah, mine's not the right size apparently), some weird looking round, green eggplants for sambal, some tempe, and we were done. Tried to get a photo of the ginormous rat that was slinking around the fish seller, but it ran up a pipe before I could whip out my camera. I would say it was the same size as the rat that came by our place for a visit last week except it's fur was more, well, ratty. Perhaps the food it steals in the market is not quite as good as what is finds in the compound...The fish alley. Thank God for Crocs and a recent dry spell. Merely somewhat 'pongy'... But the ground was still a little fish gutty... No nice shoes here.

We walked past people selling hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, eels... The was a man challenging people to beat him at chess in 3 moves. He had the king and a castle, the opponents virtually the whole board. It was something along the lines of if you won, he paid you 10k, if you lost, you'd pay him 10k. I wasn't going to pay someone to humiliate me, so onwards we went.
The chess player waiting for his marks...

The coconut grating machine. Watching them do it, I would suggest anyone who wants to eat grated coconut from the market makes sure that it's cooked very, very thoroughly. Goodness knows if the machine is EVER washed...

On the way home, IbuI and I were animatedly discussing the market when we realized that Mr.D was rather conspicuously quiet. Turns out he was amused at us raving about the market because he had only taken us to the periphery of the market as he felt the main bit was too hot and too crowded! What a man!! Sounds like something MY man would've done. Well, IbuI and I were not stinting on the abuse we heaped upon his head! So much more stuff to buy! We probably missed it all! Next time, we're leaving him with the car!! His point was that everything inside can be found outside. Why go in? But, but... What if there IS something different?? 'Nggak lah, Madam. Semuanya same aje...' (Nah Madam. It's all the same) Grrr... Even sounds like something 'Mister' would say.

All in all, I'm hot, sticky and tired. The distances weren't far, but dodging hand-drawn carts can be a rather athletic experience. By the time you hear, 'Permisi!!' (Excuse me), the cart can be practically on top of you. Couple of times, torn between the options of getting run over or cozying up to a bucket of slithery, slimy eels, I opted instead to stand with one foot parallel to the path (so the cart didn't lop off my toes!) and the other suspended over the bucket of eels. Lots of strange looks, but they saw my camera, so most just ignored me.

All in all, a rather interesting experience. Next time though, I will stand 10ft away from IbuI and pretend not to know her. I'm sure (and she agrees) that despite the prices being rather low, they were still artificially inflated when the sellers realized I was the person actually paying. Somehow, they can always spot an expat at 10 paces.

Origami bowls

2009-11-06T16:11:00.005+07:00

Fiddly scale : 6 (0 is I can do it plastered, 10 is I couldn't even work out how to start)

Picked up this paper folding book from the Indo book fair and decided to try out one of the projects. Problem is it used washi paper. I don't have any and am too skint to buy some. So I decided to do it using left over scraps of cloth instead. I did the same thing the book suggested to stiffen the paper. I.e. sandwich a piece of aluminum netting in between the pieces of paper and glue the whole shebang together. Anyone who has glued fabric will know that it's messy, fiddly and doesn't ever seem to dry clear even though the bottle says 'dries clear'. Anyway, it worked. Sort of.
1st effort. The glue is visible along the top edges if you look closely.

Today, I decided to give it a go again. I couldn't believe something that appeared so easy could end up so incredibly complicated. This time, I decided to sew a square, stuff the netting inside and slip stitch the open end together. Much better. Though I have to say that someone who has better slip stitch technique would make this look infinitely better. I also managed to smash my thumb with a hammer trying to crease the corners. There is a reason origami is meant for paper...
2nd effort. Better, but wasn't very careful so the edges are a tad wobbly.

3rd effort. It's do-able!! Note to self, take time with measuring and cutting. Rulers were invented so idiots like me don't have to eyeball stuff and have it turn out crooked...

10 days to the bazaar now. I wonder if anyone would buy them for charity??

Return of the red-eyed fanged monster

2009-11-06T09:05:00.003+07:00

630am : My alarm rings. No sounds of stirring through the monitor. No matter, kiddo doesn't really have to wake till 640am. Close my eyes for a quick catnap.

645am : Open my eyes thinking, 'Oh s@*#! Late!' Still no signs 0f kiddo stirring. Well, can't be helped, she has to get up. Crawl under the covers with her and try to gently wake her up. My mom used to yank the covers off me and slap a sopping wet towel on my face. Not a nice way to get up... Today though, I can see the virtues of the shock treatment.

650am : STILL not getting up. This is the kid who is usually up on her own at 630am singing! 'Come on kiddo... You're late...' (Mummy getting desperate here...) This is when the monster appeared... 'But moo-oommm, I'm still tired. WHY do I have to go to school now? I WANT it to be a weekend NOW!' Mum, 'It's the weekend tomorrow, you can sleep in and catch up, now quick! Go clean up!' Monster (with the added finger on chalkboard screech thrown in for good measure), 'But I don't wanna sleep in on weekends... I wanna wake up early and go downstairs MYSELF!!' Rapidly losing patience mum, 'Look, I turn off the alarm on weekends, and if you wake too early, then of course I'll ask you to go back to sleep.' Monster, 'NNOOOO!!! I WANNA WAKE UP EARLY' Punctuated with a foot stamp. Really needing a pee mum, ' WHATEVER!!! I need the loo, GO CLEAN UP!!'

7am : Monster still yelling and screaming that she wants to wake up early tomorrow. Totally lost it mum, 'IF YOU'RE NOT DONE AND READY IN 5 MINS I'M COMING IN THERE AND DRAGGING YOU DOWNSTAIRS, AND YOU CAN GO TO SCHOOL IN YOUR PAJAMAS!!! AND IF THIS IS THE WAY YOU BEHAVE AFTER PLAYDATES, THEN NO MORE PLAYDATES!!!!' *cough, cough* I'm out of practice, we haven't had a visit by the monster in a while, obviously my vocal cords need re-conditioning...

705am : Stomping heard on the stairs and down the hall. Minimally effective because it's tiled, but I guess effort counts.

710am : 12mins late. The kiddo is slowly re-appearing. Very grumpy though. So I just left her to a silent breakfast in the car while I hid behind the daily paper. She didn't even want to have her daily chat with my Dad. Left him pretty disappointed too. 'I'll talk to you after school, grandpa...'

740am : 5mins late for school. Assembly already in progress. She was whisked off by her teacher, smiling and chatting. Back to normal... Sigh.

At a quick count, 1 monster = 1 yelling mummy, 1 disappointed grandpa, 2 staff literally hiding from both monster and mummy. Can you believe it, 1 bad tempered kid spoils the morning for 4 people...!

Indo book fair 2009

2009-11-05T09:28:00.003+07:00

Book fair=No money... I should just leave it at that.

The 29th Indonesian Book Fair started yesterday the 4th and will run through to the 8th. I went with rather low expectations of everything being in Bahasa and me not finding anything to buy, but since the entry fee was only Rp5,000 (USD0.5), I figured that even if I only found 1 book, it would still be a bargain... Yeah, right, like I've ever left a bookstore without buying more than 1 book.

In any case, I was there bright and early at 945am waiting for the 10am opening. Walking in I thought, 'Wow, I didn't know there were so many book sellers in Indonesia.' The English books were mostly outside in the foyer. Well represented by some standard shops, Periplus, Aksara, Times. However, compared to some of the others, their selection was pitiful. It was like they had brought out all the trashed up, totally not in demand titles. Periplus was better than the other 2, at least I managed to pick up some craft books. The Times stall was truly dismal, I had vouchers to spend and after going through everything twice eventually walked off with 'The enormous crocodile' by Roald Dahl for kiddo.

The inner hall was filled with offerings from local publishing houses. Never heard of 99% of them. But I DID find the Femina magazine stall that was selling their recipe books cheap. Yay!! I bought books on Manado, East Jawa, and Minang cooking, Street food, banana and corn recipes. Matter of interest, I found a recipe for Bebek Bengil!!! Had a whole discussion with the maid on where to get the ingredients. She reckons we have to buy the whole duck from the market. I'm totally ok with that as long as she doesn't come home with one still quacking. No doubt kiddo will adopt it, and there goes my Bebek Bengil.

I also figured that since I was there, I would look out for some Bahasa books for the staffs' children. From speaking to them, it doesn't sound like they can afford leisure books. Wandering around, everything was 'cinta' this and 'cinta' (love) that. Ugh. I ended up at the Islamic book store being served by a goateed little guy who was amazingly helpful. He picked a few books and gave me a synopsis of them. Apparently, the titles often have nothing to do with the content, they use words like 'cinta' only to catch the attention of teens. He also suggested 2 books on avoiding celebrity chasing and girls not looking for early marriages. That gives you an idea of the issues affecting local teenagers...

All in all, it was a morning well spent. Very, very satisfied with my haul, though in retrospect I should have grabbed the other 2 art books I was looking at. Sigh. The only downside was that the Comtec fair was bigger and noisier and right next door. So traffic was pretty bad. Although nothing like for the bazaars. Conclusion being books and tech stuff are less popular than fashion, home dec and kid stuff?

Anyway, I'm off to try my hand at some of the crafts featured in the books I bought. Tin foil here I come!!!

Green day at school

2009-11-03T14:57:00.003+07:00

Today was green day at school. All the kids had to wear a green top. There was a presentation by the WWF and the elementary kids will be having a recycled paper making session after school. I'm pretty impressed by the recycling efforts at her school. They have recycle bins everywhere. The kids don't really have an opportunity to not recycle actually. No regular bins. Only 'paper', 'plastic' and 'waste food' bins in groups of 3 wherever you go. Good idea really.

Anyhow, we've been home for a bit. I'm messing on the computer and she's reading something when all of a sudden, she comes up to me and says, 'Mummy, don't put your juice box in the bin. It has to be recycled. We have to look after the environment or the endangered rhinoceres (rhinoceri?) will have nothing to eat. There are only 60 left! Also, if we chop down trees to make paper, the squirrels will have no homes and no nuts. So recycle your paper ok? The lady was asking people to adopt rhinos in school today. Can we adopt one?' As I sit there a bit stunned by this deluge of information, my automatic reaction is, 'Sure. Let's adopt a rhino.' Then it occurs to me that kiddo might think we can bring the fellow home! So I cautiously say, 'You DO know that we can't bring it home right?' Kiddo, 'Of course mummy! They live in the national park and eat leaves and stuff. We just have to go there everyday to give it some love!' Riiiggghhhttt. 'Everyday?' I say, trying not to fall on the floor screaming with laughter. Bad for the child's self esteem, you know. 'Ye-ah' she says matter-of-factly, 'after school everyday, we'll just go to the park and play with it.'

Now, I have full respect for the WWF presenters having to deal with a bunch of yelling fidgety kids, but if I EVER see any of them I shall very strongly suggest that presentations to impressionable young kids include the statement, 'Adopting means your parents PAY for us to look after the animal. You may not visit, touch, or play with said animal.' Capisce??

Porn

2009-11-03T09:35:00.008+07:00

Hubby and I were perusing our much over crowded workroom when he suddenly declared, 'You have too much porn.' I looked at him and was debating whether to slap first and ask questions later or just pretend my ears were acting up, when he continued with, 'Look at your shelf, it's full of books on beading, candle making, origami, sewing, painting, scrapbooking... And that's just what I can see! And I don't even know when you add something, the piles just get bigger!' Ohhh. Ookkaaay. Well, I was feeling rather unfairly attacked so I came back with, ' Oh yeah?! What about all your running and triathlon magazines? And your collection of running shoes that look perfect but YOU say they have gone past their distance limit and you need a new one? And your bike? And the indoor trainer? And the mammoth bike case when you've only ever gone for ONE triathlon?'

This is my work table. I admit it's a LITTLE messy.

Part of my craft book collection.

The Man's new bike. Brought it back all the way from New York.

His running shoe collection. Except the white pair on the right. Those are his super special bike shoes. Not in the picture are the ones he took into work for his daily running session at the gym. Also, to be fair, what looks like an extra 3 pairs is actually a reflection off the mirror. Don't ask why there's a mirror under the table. That's a whole different story...

The Man's collection of Runner's World and Triathlon magazines. And all the other various running and tri training books. Also the running and tri dvd's. He's forever in search of the perfect technique...

Let's put it this way, we both think the other is spending more on their 'porn' but I think it's pretty equal. I could've bought at least 100 craft books with what his bike costs!

As I said before, I love my crafts. Sometimes I buy books on crafts that I probably won't have time to learn anytime soon, but I love looking at the lovely pictures and filing it in my 'to-get-to-at-some-point' mental box. I reckon this is the main difference between the way Hubs' brain is wired and mine. He has his little interests, but they come one at a time. First, photography. When that was over, running, with biking and swimming now tacked on.

Carrying on with our little contretemps, I said, 'Anyway, porn is the wrong word. I don't know about you, but I CERTAINLY don't derive any sexual gratification from my crafting! It keeps me sane! I spend less on gifts! Don't you like my scrapbooks!' Well, The Man has THE MOST amazing ability to just suddenly switch off. His answer was, 'Hey, whatever tickles your tackle babes...' Followed by him whipping out the latest Runners World magazine. Grrr... Annoying Y chromosome carrier, I wasn't even finished with the discussion! We love each other. Honestly. We do.

Out of the mouths of babes

2009-11-01T19:33:00.004+07:00

I just HAD to write this down before I forget it. Never mind that I'd give a kidney for my bed right now.

Tonight, right after bath time as I was snipping kiddo's nails, she suddenly turned to me and said, 'Mummy, when I grow up, I want to be a doctor.' Ok, nothing new there, but knowing my experience and with the benefit of a bunch of horrific over night shifts behind me, I calmly (while yelling 'No! No! No!' inside) said, 'Well, it's a lot of hard work you know, and mummy decided I'd rather spend my time with you and Daddy. BUT, you can do whatever you want...!' Never forget equality and female emancipation! Nor hold your kids back because of your own prejudices... So say all the books. Kiddo replied, 'That's ok, then I'll just be a teacher, like you. But I also want to be a scientist... So I'll be a doctor 1st, then a teacher when I get tired of being a doctor, then a scientist when I get tired of being a teacher!' Um. Well. 'Kiddo, it's hard to earn money if you keep changing jobs like that you know. And it takes a long time to study for each thing, so why don't you have a good think about it. You have plenty of time to decide.' Reply, 'Hmmm, yes, I also want to earn lots of coins like daddy.' Ulp. Too much farmville perhaps? Then, 'That's ok, I'll just stay home like you. And do stuff I like. Like being a doctor, a teacher, a scientist...' Me (out-talked by now), 'Baby, you can't earn money by staying home and just working a bit here and there you know...' Kid, 'You do.' Urk!! Beleaguered mummy, 'Mummy was very blessed because daddy makes enough money so I can stay home to look after my little baby.' Kid, 'That's ok, I'll just stay at home and be your grown-up little baby...!' Me (in a bit of a panic now), 'Where are you going to get your money from?' Answer, 'Daddy.' *slams head against the wall* What have I done?!?!

Halloween party

2009-10-31T21:33:00.010+07:00

Kiddo and I attended our 1st ever Halloween party today. Costumes required for all attendees. Parents included. Being cheapo mummy, I decided to make my own. After all, why pay loads of money for something I would only ever wear once? My home made fairy costume cost about US$10 and 2 hours of time. It will now be cut down to kiddo size. Voila!! More money saved on costumes.

The morning was spent helping N carve pumpkins at her place. Great fun. The kids played all morning and then some, but that meant we were free to unleash our artistic abilities (google images is great!) without interruption (or not much anyway)... After multiple different knives and tools (some of which names I couldn't even tell you on pain of death) including a drill set, we had our 7 carved pumpkins. N was initially thinking 20, but just the 7 took us from 930am till 2pm to complete. With a short lunch break, of course. At that point, we realized 20 was clearly unmanageable. All in all, pretty proud of our efforts. No injuries either, bar a small nick on my left thumb that probably happened as I was trying to stab a hole with the knife angled towards myself. D'oh!! Still, it didn't bleed (or was pasted shut by pumpkin goo), hence forgettable in my books. Especially since I only just noticed it while hitting the space bar rather vigorously after the computer hung (AGAIN!!) as I was trying to upload photos...Photos taken by kiddo before any knives or drills were put to use.

The fruits of our labour. Far left is a cat. Middle small is hello kitty, on top of the medium beigy pumpkin on right is my version of a 'pocket God' pygmy (You really have gotta be playing iPhone games a lot to get this one)
All lit up. For some reason, the hello kitty candle kept blowing out. Oh well. No one could be bothered to keep relighting it...

After that, it was nap time for kiddo and mummy. Daddy is in Bali on some team building thing so no tag team parenting this weekend. Monster mummy's just begging to emerge. Safer if everyone gets lots of sleep. Then hopefully it'll just be growling instead of screaming and raving... I hope...
The dressed up mummies. That's me in the pink fairy outfit (with the cheapo skirt) in the middle...

By 530 we were dressed and tiara'd up. For the 1st time ever, I pulled out my green and blue eyeshadow. I was aiming for the whole glittery butterfly look, but to be honest, I couldn't see the difference between that and using my normal brown eyeshadow. That shows you how little skill I have for applying makeup. Later I found out that in order to make the colours more vibrant, I should have started with a layer of concealer. Too bad, I don't own any. Should have just gone for kiddo's face paints.

The party was a riot. Sat down and margaritas started magically appearing in front of us. The kids were wonderfully occupied by professional entertainers. And parents could eat and chat to their hearts content. Funny how all the men just ended up propping up the bar. We had a surfeit of vampires tonight. One of them was so artfully made up by his wife that his kids wouldn't go near him. Even after all the red lippie complete with faux dripping blood was wiped off. Hilarious. The girls, by and large, were princesses and fairies, with the boys generally superheros of some sort. Not very up to date on superheros I must admit, though I could probably recite the cast of pixie hollow given a chance.

Later, we had a modified trick or treat session. Parents brought tents and sat inside while the kiddies came around. I'm pretty certain I handed out stuff multiple times to the same kids, but who cares, it's not like we're going to eat the sweets. Kiddo doesn't like sweets (weird, but I'm certainly not complaining), so her stash will be carefully examined and subsequently redistributed to our staffs' kids.

I scooted off with kiddo at 9pm. 2 hours past her usual bedtime. She was still going strong. But if I waited till she was tired, no doubt fairy princess mummy would have morphed into evil fairy princess mummy. As it is, grumpy fairy princess mummy was definitely in charge, despite several margaritas (exactly how many I couldn't say, the barman was a fantastic topper-upper). Hopefully by tomorrow calm mummy will be back in charge...

New country, new hobbies

2009-10-30T09:51:00.011+07:00

Some people have hobbies, some don't. Some people are collectors, some aren't. Some people are obsessive-compulsive, some laid back... I'm a compulsive hobby collector. And (not so) proud of it.

When I was growing up, I did the usual girlie crochet and knitting bit. That was about all. School and golf left very little time for anything else apart from story books in the car and while waiting around. Hmmm... that's probably how I developed the habit of always carrying a book or two in my bag wherever I go.

When I was working in London, knitting and crochet (and the books, of course) were portable. I could take them on the tube with me. They were great stress busters. Very soothing. Except the time when I completed a sweater and realized it was too small! Very annoying. I think I chucked it in the bin in a fit of pique. Anyway, we moved back to KL and had kiddo. She consumed all of my time for the 1st two years of her life (What can I say? Obsessive 1st time mom) until she started school, and there I was, at loose ends, with NO hobbies! Knitting in a tropical country is pretty pointless, and after the 5th doily, even crochet gets pretty dull. So I started taking beading classes. That went on for several years, pretty much everyone in the family got stuff thrown at them whether they liked it or not. Rosaries, necklaces, bracelets, whatever...

Then... Jakarta. The land of cheap materials. I carried on doing my beading initially, then a friend, BR, who paints the most gorgeous plates, introduced me to ceramic painting. Initially I was very resistant. After all, I was the kid my art teacher told never to give up my day job 'cause I would starve as an artist. But after some persuasion and lots of, 'It's ok to copy stuff you know.' I finally capitulated. Me being me, I bought every colour paint I could find. I had 2 different browns, 2 different greens, 2 different reds etc. That year, my parents got painted plates for Christmas.

Since then, I have added, to my hobby collection, scrapbooking and sewing. I still do the other stuff. But depending on mood, sometimes I feel like something completely different, so out come the sewing machine, or the beads, or the paints... The Man got so fed up with only having about 2 sq.ft. on a 2m long dining table for meals that he 'gave' me the dining table and bought a new one. It's now covered with 'works in progress'. Some I don't think I'll ever complete, but if it's in front of me, perhaps I can fool myself into thinking they'll get done at some point. The powers of self deception...

====================================
My 'boredom busters'. Some of the things I've done over the last 2 years... (I just dragged and dropped the photos wherever. This whole uploading photos business stumps me...)

Here we go again

2009-10-29T11:42:00.004+07:00

It coming up to the end of our 2 year lease on our Kemang house. We've been here officially for 2 years now. The search for a new place begins again...

Here in Jakarta, leases are signed for at least 2 years with payment in advance. That's the full 2 years rental upfront. No moolah, no house... Thank goodness for employers that pay first and then deduct monthly.

So, 2 years in a house. We've decided that our next place will be an apartment. The house is lovely, but the Kemang traffic is soul destroying. As Mr.D, my go-to guide is fond of saying, there will always be traffic jams in Jakarta. It's a fact of life. But Kemang traffic is not only unpredictable, but so bad that if you come out and there's no congestion, you feel a little suspicious that you're the only one missing some huge event.

Another thing about houses is the staffing issue. The staff have their separate quarters. That's just standard for Jakarta houses. In this current house, the staff area is downstairs, and I rarely go down. Occasionally I will pop my head down only to be greeted by strange male voices. Yikes. I freely admit I'm not the most courageous of people. When I worked in London, I was the only A+E doctor I know who ran away from a patient who's fist seemed to have an attraction for my face (ok, so he was drunk). Anyhow, strange men in my home freak me out. When I call the maid up, it's always 'my husband', 'my son', 'my other son' blah blah... Enough already! At least in an apartment you can tell security not to let anyone but the maid up. Big plus point.

The other thing we miss is the sense of community. This particular compound doesn't seem to have many kids at all. And they're either much older, or much younger than little miss. There's also a limit to the number of times I can wander over to AL's house. She hasn't started drawing the curtains when I walk up the driveway yet, but let's not risk it...

In a nutshell, my 'current' top 3 issues in apartment hunting : Security, community, staff problems.

Our lovely agent T took me round some houses today. Gorgeous in the typically overblown, lavishness of Jakarta houses. One was not too bad, 3 bedrooms, a large sitting room, large extra multipurpose room (craft room, of course), large open kitchen-dining room. Huge garden with lap pool. Only downside was only the master bedroom has an onsuite bathroom. Meaning kiddo would have to go through 2 doors to reach the bathroom at night. While bypassing the stairs AND the master bedroom door. A detour to either is NOT ok at 3am.

The next house was totally a show piece The agent told me with a grin that it is a good house to look at, but she didn't think I would be renting it. HUGE. 3 levels plus roof garden. Pool on a deck outside the living and master rooms. Downstairs wet kitchen connected to upstairs dining room (that has it's own dry kitchen!). Looked around for the little tinkling bell Victorian ladies used to summon 'cookie' but I guess in a house like that an intercom would be more the thing. Not to mention the entryway (which I thought was the living room except, ugh horrid electrical box on the wall!) and activity room that were both the size of my KL living room. Whew. One way glass windows all around... Something like 8 bathrooms. Every door that looked a little out of place was a bathroom. It's almost like the owner just shoved bathrooms in spaces so they wouldn't be empty. Under the stairs, between oddly aligned walls... Still, if kiddo were 10, I would seriously consider it. The rental was not that much higher than the apartment we looked at. And imagine, sunset, walking from the bedroom straight to the pool with a G+T in hand, billowing white kaftan... Sigh. The fantasy kinda sputters out there 'cause other houses and the contractors on the house opposite can see right onto the pool deck. So no white kaftan or G+Ts from the bedroom in any case. Oh well.

The quest shall continue...

The ongoing mozzie battle

2009-10-28T19:14:00.003+07:00

Jakarta = mosquitoes. No escaping that undeniable fact. There are days I sit on my bed at night and point out all my bites to The Man. Usually he's reading his Triathlon magazine and isn't even listening... But so far, the record is 27 bites. Yup. I counted them all twice to make sure. Kiddo's record so far is 15. That was when we first arrived here. Hence our ongoing battle...

We've tried most remedies, including the esoteric ones you read about on the net. Some actually do work! But as I sit here scratching my fifth bite of the evening , I realize that my goal is actually to protect the kiddo. I've pretty much acknowledged that the mozzies have me beat. 'Sweet blood' the folks say. I'm probably the best mozzie repellent you could have. Put me anywhere within 5 feet of you and I guarantee none will bite you. They'll all come for me.

Anyway, getting back to anti-moz solutions. I've tried to include everything that worked for me. If anyone has anything else, please, PLEASE speak up. As they say in Defender Chronicles, 'We may have lost the battle, but we can STILL win the war!!' (Yes, I agree, I'm somewhat obsessed with that game)

Checking the house for stagnant water
When we first moved here, we used to get attacked by swarms of mosquitoes. Nothing we did worked. Nothing. I looked over the whole house, but there were no empty flower pots or buckets. I was stumped. Then came the water leak into the service area. It was eventually traced to the air well that we weren't using. When they scooped up the pretty, white, decorative stones, I saw 6 inches of soaking wet mud. Yes, MUD! Cue swarms of mozzies headed straight for me. Well, Madam legged it straight for the car yelling, 'Tak mau batu!! Buang semua batu dalam rumah!! Lumpur juga!!' (Don't want stones! Throw away all the stones in the house! Mud too!) For sure they thought I had lost it, but hey, no way was I sticking around to see if the mozzies would pick me over the work men... Well, no more swarms after that, just insidious sneak attacks mixed in with some lightning strikes.

Electrified mosquito bats
This is sanctioned violence at it's best. The bats are rechargeable, and when you hit an insect it gives this really satisfying pffffsszzzttt sound accompanied by a mini explosion (the more blood sucked, the bigger the explosion). Hah! Die you bloodsucking spawn of evil, die!!! In Hubby's hands though, it's a weapon to rival a light saber. Witness the lunging and swiping as he attacks the little blighters... mosquitos, flies, whatever... bring 'em on. Then he bounces (flies usually) them on the bat a few times... pfffzzt, pffzt, fzttt, zzt... spark, spark, spark. And looks up with this beatific smile. 'I got one, Babes' Huh. I'd be cowering under the table by then... People, word of warning, it bloody HURTS to get hit by one of those things!!! I DON'T CARE if it's an accident!!!

Mosquito repellent
For kiddo we use Zwitsal, which contains citronella. DEET free. Slather it on many, many times a day and usually there won't be many bites. But you have to keep up with it. Advantage is it soothes the already existing bites too. For us adults, we used to use Off. But it contains DEET. Jungle formula, if you can get it, is great. There are various roll on formulations. Generally they're quite effective if you remember to keep applying. I didn't like the idea of having kiddo slathered in chemicals all day, so the search went on for something else.

Mozzie patches and bands
Right now, this is our method of choice. I stick a MozzOut patch on her uniform before school and it keeps her bite free there. Although the patch supposedly stays effective for 8 hours, I've found that a new one after school will take her through to bedtime. So I reckon 5-6 hours max. They cost about Rp50,000 for 24. Available at Dharmawangsa Square. The band I bought at Mothercare also seems pretty good. It's bright pink, so kiddo's more than happy to wear it. Around her wrist, or ankle, or dangling from some toy... Smells really strong though (not unpleasant, just eye wateringly strong). I'm pretty sensitive to smells, and it was just too strong for me.

Sound wave pest repellents
In KL, there are these little gadgets for sale, apparently they emit a sound wave that humans can't hear, but that disrupt the nervous system of pests. Including rats! Well, we have them everywhere. It seemed to work really well in KL, but I'm less convinced it's actually beneficial here. No real difference to my spot count with and without. Ditto for the key chain version that you can hang on yourself when you go outdoors. We do it anyway, just in case, but even when I forget, there aren't any more or less bites on the kid.

Mosquito nets
There is no doubt these work. You can get beautiful drapy ones that hang from the ceiling and make your bed look all princessey, but beware the dust trapping, mozzie trapping, and tripping that can happen. Also if it doesn't hang well, the mozzies can get in anyway. Totally not an option for dust sensitive, asthmatic kiddo. Until we found the Javan bed canopy... This is the ultimate!! A tent-like mozzie net that folds into a circle (yay for holidays!) and springs out like a tent (yay, no folds to trap anything!). It sits snug on top of the bed (single, queen AND king sizes), is accessed by zippered openings on each side and has the added advantage of stopping a restless sleeper from hitting the floor. Although I'm sure if you rolled fully against the side, the floor would be the final destination anyway, though perhaps a prolonged sinking rather than a crash. Initially we had some toilet emergencies while kiddo got used to the whole zipper system, but we seem to be over that. So now I might only occasionally hear the zipper through the monitor as she's goes about her way in the middle of the night.

Light bug traps
Another fantastic invention. Varying sizes. Usually a uv light followed by a fan underneath and a bug reservoir. They're great. You can get super big ones, or cutesy animal ones like kiddo has in her bedroom. Doubles as a night light too. We empty them out periodically, and although I would say kiddo has the most mozzie free room in the house, we still get at least a dozen or so in there at every check.

Plug in chemical emitters
These are the ones where you plug the liquid canister into the wall or use the hot plate and chemical mat. Kiddo is sensitive to the liquid ones. They were effective, but she kept wheezing. So no go. She's ok with the vape mat, so that's also on in her room every night.

Blocking doorways
I really have no idea if the mozzies fly under the door to kiddo's room. Perhaps I give them too much credit for strategy and planning. But just in case, I sewed up a long tube, filled it with prefrozen green beans and plugged the bottom of the door. At least it keeps the air conditioning in...

Outdoor burners
You can get lovely burners and torches for citronella oil in most stores here. They look great, smell great too. But I don't think they work. I don't like smelling of smoke, so perhaps I'm just not near enough. Mozzie coils work well, but beware the feet. Accidentally brushing against one is funny only to your mates as they watch your frenzied leaping about.

Dishwashing liquid
I got an email from my mom. There was this article floating around saying that if you put lemon (only lemon, not lime or anything else) dishwashing liquid in some water in a WHITE dish, all the bugs would fly in. I did it. Bugs of all sorts did go in. Can't say it changed my life any though. Apart from having to avoid dishes of water in the room. If you do this, be prepared for very strange looks from your staff. Trying to explain it to my maid didn't work very well. Could be perhaps because she already thinks I don't play with a full deck.

Listerin spray
Another email gem. Dilute original (original 'cause the other flavours apparently leave a sticky residue) flavour listerin half and half in a spray bottle and spray around all entryways and where you're sitting. All I can say is if it's a hot day, the evaporation of the Listerin pretty much guarantees all living organisms in the vicinity end up rather dopey. Humans included! I ended up feeling like I'd had a couple of glasses of wine (I was VERY liberal with the spray). Maybe I was bitten, maybe not... Dunno. Hee... Couldn't even see straight... Suppose it could be effective in the open where the fumes are less likely to overpower you.

So far, that's all I've tried. Since I suppose you can't really avoid all bites, I have tubes of Eurax (see photo above), the most effective anti-itch cream around, all over the house. At last resort, there is also the pool. Our water supply comes from underground, and maybe it's the minerals, maybe the temperature (it's usually freezing even at noon), maybe both, but it works wonders at reducing the redness and swelling of bites.

Again, if anyone has any other methods of mosquito prevention, PLEASE TELL ME!!! I'll happily try (almost) anything...

Beat the traffic blues

2009-10-28T17:24:00.002+07:00

I hate car journeys. I absolutely detest being stuck in the car for any longer than 30mins max. It's worse when I have to listen to the kid fidgeting and moaning. Endless 'are we there yet' and 'how many minutes more'. Grrr... We'll get there when we get there!!! For self preservation, I now do the following...

1. Have a decent sized bin in the car. Or at least one that fits the kid's bum. No matter how conscientious she is about peeing before we go out, Jakarta traffic means that sometimes, we get caught out. A friend uses left over diapers, gets the kids to go into the back row to pee in them. But it doesn't solve the occasional poop problem. 'Nuff said... Adults, you're on your own...
2. Teach the kids to have meals in the car. Was totally against the whole eating in the car business till we moved here. Now she's up at 630am, in the car and breakfasting at 7am. Pick her up at 1pm, and she finishes lunch in the car. It takes over an hour to get home, so if we wait, it's past 2pm by the time she eats.
3. Have wet wipes, hand sanitisers, tissues, spare newspapers, spare bin bags. This is really to facilitate the above.
4. Have small bottles of drinking water in the car. Even if you're not thirsty when you start your journey, after 3 hours of being stuck in the car, even the most stoic of passengers will be in need of a little something. The snack issue I leave to your own discretion. Food in the car sometimes means uninvited passengers like cockroaches...
5. Pack a bag of books before you go out. We've worked out that rainbow fairy books last about 45mins. So a minimum of 3 of those if we're going down the road for dinner. You never know. Traffic jams here can appear out of the blue for no reason known to man.
6. Pack a pillow. At the very least you can hide your head under it if the whining gets too unbearable. No, no... don't smother the kid/ husband, they're really not (I hope) trying to be difficult...
7. It's an advantage if you have a third row and/ or seats that recline. Believe me, no matter how much you adore your hubby, after 3 hours (or 3mins if he's particularly fractious that day) of sitting next to a fidgeting, complaining, overgrown kid, you would pay ANYTHING to have a back row. You're never too old for time out.
8. Some people swear by portable DVD's. For us it's the iPhones (GO APPLE!!!). With daddy in the car too, it's 2 iPhones. Someone has to do without, but it's never the kid. Her whining is worse than fingernails on chalkboard. We're waiting with baited breath for the Apple tablet thingey. Ooo... Defender chronicles on an A4 sized screen...
9. Books for adults too. I'm generally pretty prone to motion sickness, even the kiddy rides in the amusement parks can make me green. But traffic being what it is, sometimes I can get through 2 full length novels a day.
10. Remind yourself that despite the traffic, there are other fabulous things you get for living in Jakarta... maid(s), driver, cheap craft stuff, good food, nice house, good friends, endless malls... If all that fails, get out and take an Ojek. (Just KIDDING!! Unless you're a good deal braver than I am)

You know you've been in Jakarta too long when...

2009-10-27T20:43:00.004+07:00

The following list is what I've noticed in no particular order...

1. You forget how to open and close doors.
2. You forget that going down to the corner shop shouldn't take 30mins.
3. You forget that you can actually walk 10m to the shop next door and not take the car.
4. You stop feeling self conscious at being greeted by rows of bowing sales people if you are the 1st person in a shop that morning.
5. You start to believe that traffic lights are advisory and not mandatory.
6. People saying 'tergantung' (depends) doesn't make your blood boil anymore.
7. You don't notice when people drop 'kok' into their sentences.
8. You don't lurch around the back seat in alarm anymore when you see oncoming traffic in your lane or people driving on the kerbs.
9. You think tipping more than Rp10,000 (USD1) for anything is a rip off.
10. You automatically assume everyone is nice and smiley, and feel very miffed if someone isn't.
11. You fantasize about playing a round of golf without once touching your golf ball (that came from The Man. Obviously)
12. You forget that there is a boot attached to the back of your car. Or that you need to load or unload it. Shopping magically disappears into it...
13. Your kid forgets what clean up means.
14. You feel a twinge of nervousness every time the maid goes off. Then another twinge on Sunday night thinking she may not come back.
15. You're the go to person whenever someone wants to buy anything esoteric.
16. You've run out of shopping centres to while away the school hours.
17. You now have a 'face' you have to put on every morning (moisturizer alone doesn't count)
18. You forget that you have house keys.
19. You go on holiday and are horrified when offered tap water to drink.
20. The signals and horn on your car are to be used as frequently as the brakes.
21. It no longer surprises you to see 1 kid, 1 nanny, 1 driver, 1 car families.
22. Bali as a holiday destination no longer excites you.
23. You stop being able to live without your (social not work) Blackberry.
24. You get used to reconnecting your internet 5 times an hour.
25. When you order something and are given a delivery date, you automatically add at least a week (a month for furniture) to it and are amazed if it is completed earlier.
26. You take for granted that trips to the immigration office take only 15mins.
27. You start to carry wet wipes in your travel cases not for kiddo, but to wipe off the chalk marks on your suitcases that customs put on to indicate a further check is warranted.
28. Your kid sings Bahasa songs as adeptly as standard nursery rhymes. Understanding is a different matter though.
29. You get used to schools having indoor tennis courts, swimming pools, multiple football fields, indoor basketball courts, multilevel auditoriums.
30. You realize that after writing the above list of 30 things, that it's just the tip of the iceberg, but are too tired to write anymore...

I heart my phones

2009-10-27T19:22:00.006+07:00

All my adult life, I've been the proud bearer of whatever free or cheap phone came with my mobile subscription in London. Nothing fancy, not too many fancy geegaws if you please. Just phone and texting. Maybe the odd game thrown in for boredom busting during those long tube/ train journeys. Phones were for communication, little else. Then, we moved back to KL, and for whatever reason, I upgraded. Then again. And again. Finally ending up with the Samsung dual chip (1 chip for KL, 1 for Jakarta). I was honestly quite happy at that point. The Man had a blackberry (work), iPhone (social, but I was the only one who had the number!), and Palm Treo (KL). So mine were for communication, and his iPhone for the occasional games. Everyone happy right? So you would think.

2 years on. I now carry a blackberry AND an iPhone (Hubby's discard. He now has the new iPhone 3Gs or some such alphabet combo). Here in Jakarta, most folks go, 'Ya? What's your berry pin?' In KL, (usually from my parent's) the reaction goes something like that, '2 phones?? What for? You can only use 1 at a time! Not like earrings where you hang 1 on each ear!' (Last bit from my dad who carries an obsolete Nokia and gets furious if you change his ring tone 'cause he doesn't know how to change it back) Others say I should be in one camp or the other. Berry or iPhone, and never the twain shall meet. Well, the twain are meeting very well in our little family. Both daddy and mommy have Berrys and iPhones. In fact, I adore both my phones.

Initially, before I got my berry. Hubs and I had a little discussion weighing up the pros and cons of it. Seriously, why on earth would I need a Blackberry. Well, here in Jakarta, you can have unlimited data services using several of the prepaid providers. Mine is Telkomsel Simpati and I pay Rp180,000 (about USD18) for a month. In KL, I had to activate berry services on my Maxis postpaid line, and for unlimited data, it was well over RM100 (about USD30+) a month. Still, compared with about Rp60,000/month for only phone services, it was 3x the price... The unit itself cost Rp4.7mil (about USD 470) though, so not really more than my previous Samsung. So this is what we came up with in that little discussion: (assuming the package is unlimited)
1. Messaging between berry users is free
2. Messaging photos between berry users is free. Great for sending daddy photos of the stuff kiddo gets up to during the day. Sometimes I don't have my camera with me, but my phone, always.
3. Unlimited surfing all the time. Think 3 hour traffic jams and you begin to see how it might be a clincher in this discussion.
4. Most of my friends are on it. Makes it much easier to communicate. Especially since there is a status option that lets you post short messages. Saves the overseas roaming charges if your friends know not to call you when you're out of town.
5. My email goes straight there. No more missing important bank stuff because I couldn't be bothered to check my email.
6. Connection problem happen only rarely. So no cursing at the computer for disconnecting out of the blue.
7. Better relationships with family/ friends who live in other parts of the world who also carry berrys.

Ok, so there you go. I got me a berry... Now for the iPhone. Yes, yes, you're rolling your eyes. Still, I need something to stick my KL chip in, and since Hubby was upgrading to his iPhone alphabet soup, I might as well take his old iPhone right? See... Logic at it's best. Anyway, I love my iPhone too! Loads of fun applications to download from iTunes stores. Some free, some a couple of bucks. Lots of stuff for kids. I just downloaded a math program for kiddo that does addition and subtraction (Kidcalc). So what if I have to sit through endless kiddy voices saying, 'Twelve. Pumpkins. Minus. Three. Pumpkins. Equals. Nine. Pumpkins'...Kiddo likes it. And since math is really not her strongest subject, I guess it's good she's playing and learning at the same time.

As for me. I have my Defender Chronicles and Fieldrunners. 2 tower defense games that are so addictive it's not true. Think 2am fixed, bloodshot, stare at the little iPhone screen waiting to see if your 15th strategy of the night will keep the little scurrying enemies from reaching your home. Initially I would stare at them so hard that my lids would stick together if I tried to blink. Ugh. Let's not go there... Then there is the hypnotic game Enigmo, where you have to make all these little droplets of water bounce into a pot. And to cap it off, the puzzle game where you have to make a ladybird push boxes across the screen and avoid getting squashed by spiky balls (Ynth). Ooo... not to mention the penguin game where you crash penguins into polar bears (crazy penguin catapult) or the one where you have to milk your cows before they explode (milk panic)...

It's amusing at times when Hubby and I have to gather up all our phones and juggle them with other bits of paraphernalia just moving from one part of the house to another, but that's a tiny price to pay for the sheer enjoyment we get out of our phones...

How to teach your kid to speak Mandarin

2009-10-25T21:27:00.002+07:00

Want to teach your kid to speak Mandarin? Don't bother with lessons and fancy books. Just carry on long involved conversations with cab drivers and wait staff in Mandarin and refuse to tell the kid what you're talking about. Before you can even say 'Ni Hou' they'll suddenly start saying phrases that you previously had to gouge out of them with threats of bodily harm... Passive aggressive mom, 1; stubborn kid, 0.

Panti Asuhan Pondok Taruna orphanage

2009-10-20T19:18:00.003+07:00

Today was my first visit to the Pondok Taruna orphanage. This orphanage is one supported by our church and since it was practically next to Kiddo's school, I though I'd join a bunch of other ladies and go have a wander round.

The house is set in the middle of a kampung. And before you think 'little backwater hamlet', let me just tell you the difference between an Indonesian kampung and a Malaysian kampung. 1st of all, a kampung in Malaysia is usually quite rural. Not many amenities, slow pace of life. Indonesian kampungs are vastly different. According to Mr.D, my walking encyclopedia of all things Indonesian, because Jakarta is essentially pockets of affluence within many kampungs, the kampungs themselves function like towns abutting towns. Think Yong Peng (a town in Johor State) 30 years ago. This little kampung had it's own internet cafe, and streets lined with restaurants. The biggest difference, though, was the greenery. Indonesian kampungs are filled with greenery. And the inescapable traffic...

To get to the orphanage, you have to drive down this tiny lane that barely fits the width of a car (we missed it a few times thinking it was the back door into someone's house). It then opens out into the orphanage that has a few joined buildings, and even it's own school. They have some donated computers, but no instructor. A stocked library but no supervisor. The kids cannot be left unsupervised at the library because they will attempt to sell off the contents to the seconds collector for extra pocket money! There are 170 kids under the direct supervision of the extremely capable Ibu L and her 17 staff (some are ex residents, all work for room and board only). She was previously supervising 5 other orphanages but got tired, so is now matron for this one only. However... she is also starting another orphanage in Lampung, as well as rescuing kids from all over Indonesia. Whew! At present, her husband is part of the relief work at Padang.

Looking around, the kids are all clean and polite. They're cheerful and happily pick up the younger ones that one can see running about. Everyone has their duties, be it kitchen, cooking, laundry, cleaning etc. I was there for almost 4 hours and never heard any scolding or crying. Everyone calls Ibu L 'Ma' and there was always a kind touch or word for passing kids. What a lovely lady. I admit to being a touch alarmed on spotting the barbed wire wrapped around the balcony railings, but Ibu L explained that it was the only way to stop the boys from climbing up to the roof for some kite flying. Apparently, all that prancing on the roof was causing water to seep into the bedrooms... Boys will be boys she said. For the same reason, she couldn't manage to grow plants, as the kids would pull on them if they were trailing, or pick at them if they were ground level.

Ibu L, trying to generate a little income for the home, often personally carries little crafty items from all over to sell at the orphanage. Lovely little carved eggs with cinnamon attached that smell heavenly, Dayak beaded purses etc. No marketing is done though, so her customers tend to be the local village people. Minimal profits as you can imagine. Well, my eyes practically popped out, and since my coming bazaars are in aid of the orphanage anyway, she was more than happy for me to take some stock to sell. Ooo... Very tempted...

Just some interesting facts that I have no where to insert... They get through 70kgs of rice (Not kidding!!) and 10kgs of vegetables (if available) PER DAY!! Often they can't get that amount of veg so go without. Meals are rice, or fried instant noodles 3 times a day with a little tempe (locally made fermented soy beans). Meat is a luxury. Once a while, they will kill a dog (desperate, ok...). That's really got to me 'cause they had a bunch of very nice looking pups in cages. According to Ibu L, they will keep the good guards, and sell or eat the fat ones. Dog meat is apparently very pricey in the market. Rp25,000 (USD2.50) for a whole chicken, but up to Rp40,000 (USD4) per kg of dog meat. I tried really, really hard not to be influenced by my own opinions while thinking about this issue, but I'm afraid I can't get away from thinking of dogs as pets and not livestock. Ugh.

I will leave you with that lovely conundrum and go off to catalog the goodies that Ibu L sent with me instead... Let me know if anyone is interested!!

What you really, REALLY need to know when you see a doctor

2009-10-19T17:33:00.004+07:00

I was thinking back to our little trip to the doctor's for kiddo's vaccinations last week. First thing he asked me was, 'Where are her old records?' Oops. Um. In KL. And a copy with the school. But honest, guv, I can tell you what she had... Well, Doctor L was not impressed. He didn't tell me off but the ole brainbox was probably muttering something about mothers knowing better... So I came home and had a little think about it. I put myself (figuratively!! No dress up for me, please) back in my white coat (not that we really wore one that much... white coats and ties have been shown to be the largest germ collectors around) and stethoscope and thought about the information I always wanted my patients to have when they came in the room. Trust me, 'Isn't it in the records?' is NOT an answer.

First off, for kids, especially families moving all over the world, is a copy of the vaccination records. Try and stick to one place for jabs in any one country. And at the very least, have a list of all the vaccinations given. I have a friend who's kid has had vaccinations in about 5 different countries, and now at the age of 5, poor mummy can't remember what was given last year in the US. This record is pretty important because different countries have different vaccination schedules. So if you say, '5yr old jabs, Doctor' to someone working in a country with no 5 yr old jabs, but with 4 and 6yr old jabs, then good luck.

Next is a list of current medications and current illnesses. Saying, 'I've got arthritis and I take this little beigy pill' is not helpful in any way at all. Seriously, how many beigy pills do you think are out there? Answer, too many that fit your description. And all doing different things. It's a bit of work, but one of my ex-patients who got fed up of doctors giving her exasperated looks did the following. x illness - a, b, c drugs; y illness - d, e, f drugs. Amazingly helpful. She also put a list of drugs that didn't work on the list next to each condition. Made life so much easier... Crucial for kids with recurrent illnesses like asthma. It's useful to know what the kid needs under what circumstance. And how much. Big difference between puffing once a week and 3 times a day...

That brings us to the medical profession's favourite (not) question, 'any illnesses that run in the family?' At this point, we're cringing, waiting for the deluge of information about granduncle so and so's wife's cousin's daughter's blah blah. If your doctor's eyes are glazing over, you've gone too far. We need only blood family, folks. So NOT your spouse or their family, ok (unless you're bringing your kid to the paed, then your spouse's family history is relevant). Spousal issues are covered somewhere else. We need, succintly please, illnesses that seem to affect more than one generation. Or if there are 2 or more of the same condition within the extended family. Of note, you have to inform your doctor about cancers and genetic illnesses. It's useful to know what grandparents have passed from, and of course, any illnesses that your parents have. Doctors will usually ask about heart disease and cancers. But it's useful knowing about allergic symptoms that run in the family, e.g. asthma, excema etc. And some families do tend to have odd ailments running about. Trust me, I would know, our family has an odd nerve condition that only 1 neurologist in KL (ours) knows about. And that's because she had to go research this weird condition that initially affected both my dad and aunt. So when I went to see her with a bit of the same, her reply was, 'Oh yes... you have xyz (I certainly never studied it in med school!!). I can stick this ginormous needle into your arm and give you a confirmation. No?? Go read up the website then, you're ok for now.' Huh... Thanks, Doc.

Finally, my personal fav, 'Do you have any allergies?' The number of suddenly dumbstruck faces I've seen is mind boggling. 'Um, my mom said...' 'My mom is...' (No mate, you. Not your mom) 'Um. Wait while I call my mom' 'My mom never told me...' 'Let me ask my wife...' (your wife?!?) 'I, think, perhaps...' If you have never had a reaction and your mom has never said anything to you. It's reasonable to say, 'Not that I know off.' See... effortless. And if you have had a reaction, please remember what kind. E.g. If you swelled up and couldn't breathe, that's likely an allergy. Diarrhoea is not an allergy to an antibiotic, but if the last time you were given it you had explosive ejections (from anywhere!) for a week and felt like a dog, then it probably would be better to try another drug. Contrary to popular belief, doctors are not sadists and generally try to avoid the 'killing is better than the cure' scenario.

Well, I hope that was amusing and vaguely helpful. As for me, I'm going to take myself off and prepare to approach the school tomorrow for a copy of the copy of Kiddo's vaccination records...

Drama over the weekend

2009-10-19T17:09:00.002+07:00

Daddy is home!! A whole day early. He actually got in yesterday morning. Early enough for us to go to church and for him to go for a massage. The flight was apparently uneventful, except they lost his bike case containing his brand new, custom fitted, practically rides itself bike! Not to mention the little princess' leapster unit that she has been waiting months for. Disaster! There was a lot of calling around to no avail till we managed to get the number of a friend of a friend who is really senior in SIA Indonesia. Following that, The Man started receiving updates every time a SIA plane landed, right up till the last plane came in. Don't ask me what time that was, I was already dopey half asleep. Nothing, nothing, nothing.... Till this morning when the case was delivered to our house. And I wondered why they hadn't just chucked the dratted thing into the ocean. It's HUGE!!! According to Ibu I our maid, it took 2 people to unload! How embarrassing. And he wants to tote it around for triathlons... All I can say is, there's my shopping weight gone... Anyway, thanks N!

We also picked up the 4 shoe boxes that our family is filling for a couple of orphanages supported by our church. The instructions are Rp100k-150k (USD10-15) per box. Now anywhere else in the world and you'd probably think that would mean some stationary, sweets, that's it. But so far, I've managed to put in pencils, erasers, color pencils, markers, highlighters, exercise books, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lollipops, fluorescent stars, Koko krunch, coloring books and a cartoon instruction book (both courtesy of Office 2000 in Kemang). And I still have 100k to spare. Going to see how much more that can buy...

No school today...

2009-10-16T20:26:00.003+07:00

It was Teacher's Day yesterday, and the school gave everyone a day off today. I went to bed last night with a certain sense of trepidation. What to do all day with the kid? She had her booster jab yesterday so I thought, perhaps nothing overly strenuous...

She woke at 715am. Ugh. I was really hoping for more of a lie in. Channeling evil mummy (twice in 2 days!!), I decided to leave her be. There was singing and story telling and goodness knows what else, but the guilt kicked in at 745am and I went in. Happily she was still involved in whatever story she had made up using her stuffed toys and wasn't bothered at all that mummy had been too lazy to go get her.

Then followed breakfast, reading, boochie ball, reading, country story, farmville, cafe world. Time check 1030am. Sigh. We went over to my friend (and neighbour) AL's house and spent an hour playing with her almost a year old Liverpool footie player in the making. He certainly moves as quickly as one! After all that, it was still only 1130am. Mummy, exhausted. Kiddo, still on full battery.

Lunch at Fj's on Jalan Kemang Raya (opposite Moms and I) was a lovely little girlie outing for us. Admittedly we stood out among the ladies (and gents) who lunched, but who cares. Kiddo had food packed from home, as she has had for the last 4.5 years whenever we eat somewhere not Japanese or Chinese. Mummy had the most fabulous 'mixed coloured pepper (actually, red, yellow and orange only) and prawn pasta'. A large deviation from my usual 'chicken and mushroom in cream sauce'. Note to self... keep working through the menu!!

We then dropped by my friendly tailor to pick up more breast feeding covers for the Christmas bazaars. As usual, delays. Not surprised. Would have been more surprised if he had actually handed them to me straight off. No matter, I usually build in a good 2 weeks extra for things like that. Not that I'll ever tell him. He's been in the process of making a blouse for me for over 6 months now. Here's hoping he still remembers what I want.

At this point, mummy's battery indicator was flashing red, and kiddo, predictably, was reading in the car. So, seeing as we had joined the usual Friday afternoon 'macet' (traffic jam), I decided to nap. Yay for books! Eventually the 500m 2min journey ended up over a km (diversions etc) and more than 30mins.

The rest of the day was just more of the same. Except kiddo did it all on her own 'cause mummy carried on napping after we got home! Kiddo eventually woke me at 4pm, 'Um, mummy, is it 4? Can I watch Diego?' Oops...

We did manage to speak, via skype, to my mom and grandma, followed by Uncle SH from Perth. So nice to catch up. Grandma has gone from Singapore to stay with my mom in KL and has apparently developed an addiction for televised tennis. She stopped watching the Shanghai Open for only a few minutes to say hi, then it was back to the telly. It's baffling since she has never EVER shown the slightly interest in sports of any kind... Maybe she and kiddo can play together. Probably the same standard... Speaking to Uncle SH is always interesting. He and Auntie YM are going to do the 'snow goose project' as she calls it and go live in New Zealand for the next 3 years, then the US I think. Not sure if there's some European bit thrown in too. Hats off... Anyway, he was saying that he watched some gardening show and learnt how to make the most effective anti bug mixture that was totally chemical free. Crush garlic into a jar of normal cooking oil and leave for a few days, strain and mix into water using a 1 (oil mix) : 20 (water) proportion. Spray liberally. He feels it's more effective than commercial pesticides and only smells a little if you go very near. I'd try it if I had plants...

All in all. We had a very nice day. Next time I'll make it a point to sleep extra early if the kid's got an extra day off. In retrospect, off days are more tiring than school days...

Never trust dosages on the sides of bottles...

2009-10-15T17:41:00.003+07:00

Kiddo had her booster DPT today. Much, much less traumatic than expected. Maybe it was the ice pack before that numbed the area, or maybe it was the nurse yelling, 'abracadabra, sim salavim!' right in her face. Whatever it was, it worked. No crying at all!! Just a rather bemused look on her face. What I call the 'is it worth bursting into tears' look. All in all it was ok until about 5pm, right after her Dora show (fancy that!), when she started to complain of an ouchie arm. Then came a bit of drama during the attempt to remove the plaster. Lots of cringing and shuddering and groans and whimpers. Following which mummy got fed up and ripped the half hanging plaster off in one fell swoop. Heh heh heh... (evil mummy) She was NOT amused. 'Stop laughing at me!!! It's NOT funny!!!' In any case, I decided to give her a dose of paracetamol before things got worse. On picking up the bottle, I saw printed on the side : 4-6yrs 1.5 teaspoons (1 teaspoon is about 5mls but NOT ACCURATE! Dosing spoons are infinitely safer), 160mg/5 ml, not more than 5 times a day.

Ok, at this point, all I could think was, 'please tell me I've checked the dosage in the past...' because for my kiddo, that would be an overdose. And as one of my consultants once said, 'Paracetamol should be a controlled drug. It's the easiest and nastiest way to kill yourself. It poisons your liver and you die horribly...' I remember shipping patients off to liver units with everyone up in arms over the fact that a much needed liver would be going to someone who willfully destroyed their own. Anyway, that's an argument I definitely don't want to start...

Back to kiddo's paracetamol. The recommended paediatric dose is 10-15mg/kg (UK 10, Aus 15) up to 4 times a day. Australia then caps the dose at 60mg/kg/day. Being UK trained, I go by 10mg/kg. That would bring kiddo's dose to 160mg 4 times a day. Total = 640mg/day max. 960mg a day if you use the higher Australian recommendation. Using the dosage suggested on the bottle, she would be taking 240mg 5 times a day. Total = 1200mg. That's 87.5% more than what she should be having!! Which also works out 25% more than even the higher Australian recommended dosage!! Last year at age 4 she was 14kg. Going by the dosage on the side of the bottle, she would have received 114% of her recommended daily dose! I shudder to imagine how much paracetamol parents out there are unknowingly giving their children thinking the dosage on the bottle can be trusted. Yikes!

From now on, I'm checking the dose of every drug that comes into this house. No more assuming the dose printed on the bottle is correct. After all, you know what they say about assumptions... If you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME... So before you dose your kid, just do a quick google check on the recommended dose for that particular drug. Much easier to check than to deal with the consequences of damaged internal organs. Oh... and buy a dosing spoon. Teaspoons and tablespoons are only good for eating, not administering medicines...

Day 7 :The Man is in New York

2009-10-14T23:11:00.002+07:00

Got a call saying he's in New York. Followed by many messages asking if there really was nothing he could buy for me. Isn't he sweet...? Don't worry my dear, I'm doing all the buying I need right here. Heh heh heh...

By the way hun , yes, the maid can make goreng pisang and yes, it's very good.

The kiddo is due her shots tomorrow and I still can't find disney princess plasters. This is a disaster, because all she wanted was the ice pack and the princess (Ariel to be precise) plasters. Ugh. Will have to try and convince her that smiley faces will be just as effective at making her ouchie better...

To soap or not to soap, that is the question...

2009-10-14T12:42:00.004+07:00

Soap, or to be precise, antibacterial soap. Advertised as being the solution to all our problems of household illnesses. But is it really the wonder product companies want us to believe it is? Today while I was standing in Hero supermarket perusing the half dozen brands of liquid handwash, I thought to myself, 'Do we really need all these chemicals inside the soaps to stay healthy?' So I decided to have a look around.

Many of the products contain Triclosan and Salicylic acid. Salicylic acid, ok, you make aspirin from it, and it's used on the skin to treat acne, so it's probably not that bad, unless you're going to try and chug the stuff. But Triclosan... Now that baby is a registered pesticide by the US EPA. Yup, PESTICIDE!!! It's a little like a bacterial bomb. Everything goes, friend or foe. Kaput. Now, I'm all for blitzing bad bacteria like salmonella, E.coli etc, but please, leave my normal skin flora alone. They actually protect you from colonization by other more harmful bugs. The other thing is that it's classified as a 'persistent pollutant'. Meaning it stays in the body as well as the environment. Studies have shown that virtually every creature on earth has some Triclosan in it. And humans, being the numero uno, top of the food chain consumers, are eating a little of it in EVERY MEAL!! Not to mention, washing it down the drain. Where it just gets stuck in the ground water waiting to get consumed and work it's way back up to us humans.

So, why am I making such a fuss about it? Well, Triclosan (also Triclocarban, the other product used) is postulated to cause cancer. Also if you're crazy enough to drink enough of it, then you could get lovely symptoms like convulsions, coma and death! Apparently, it also causes some skin irritation, but on the other hand, it affects your nerves temporarily so you can't feel it anyway. Of course, if you wanted to play devil's advocate, no one can actually produce evidence that proves 100% that it does all these nasty things so I will understand if you're not convinced.

The following points however, cinched it for me. By using so many antimicrobials (anti-bug stuff) on ourselves, we're actually encouraging resistant bugs. That's seriously bad especially if you get sick and nothing works. Also, studies have shown that if you wash your hands properly (10-15s rubbing all over with soap apparently), then there is no difference in illness (coughs, cold etc) rates between households that use antibacterial soaps and those that don't. Not forgetting the whole 'sterile house leading to increasing rates of childhood allergies' argument.

Suffice it to say, I opted for standard soap with as little on the ingredients list as I could get away with. Point of interest, I found Triclosan on the ingredients list for several leading brands of toothpaste. Except ones for sensitive teeth. Makes sense since it causes irritation. Wouldn't want THAT on a painful tooth!! Also on several antibacterial face washes, body washes. And this is just the beginning. Its been found in toys, cosmetics, shaving cream, kitchenware, blankets, humidifiers etc etc.

I just ransacked our supplies cupboard expecting to see Triclosan on everything. I admit to being a bug freak and buying everything with 'antibacterial' printed on it. Surprise, surprise... No Triclosan. But lots of 'antibacterial agent x%'. Hmmm... Doesn't inspire a lot of confidence does it... From now on, I shall endeavor to make this a phenol (group of chemical compounds that Triclosan and Triclocarban belong to) free household...

Nanny diaries

2009-10-13T09:03:00.003+07:00

One thing I really had to get used to when we first got here to Jakarta was the '1 child 1 nanny' policy many of the families here subscribe to. I personally have nothing against nannies, in fact The Man and I do use a part time nanny on occasion when we feel like an evening out. The problem arises, though when families stop being able to function without their 'pengasuh', or when the kids actually prefer their nanny to their parents. Walking around the malls you will see dozens of uniform clad ladies. From what I can tell, their job is to feed, entertain, carry and supervise their charges. You will frequently see a poor beleaguered nanny chasing a kid around who has never been taught that meal times mean sitting in your chair till you're done! I have shivers every time we eat out, just anticipating a disaster where some waiter dumps hot food onto a kid. Whose fault will it be then? The waiter? The nanny? The kid? Surely not the parents...!?

A local friend of mine (an aberration who only uses her nanny to do the school run and when she's working) once said to me that nannies here try and foster the child's dependence on them. Their version of job security. If neither you nor your child can function without them, then you're never going to get rid of them are you. And it gets worse as the kid gets older. Witness the number of kids in restaurants still being spoon fed by their nannies. Yeesh. The way I see it, if a kid is old enough to use a PSP, he/ she is old enough to feed themself. According to another friend, she caught her nanny feeding the kid when she specifically asked her to let the kid do it himself. When confronted, the reply was, 'Dia tidak mau...' (He didn't want to). Ookaaayyy... who's the boss here? The other thing that really gets to me is the constant shoving of food down the gaping maws of chubby kids. Chicken or egg scenario... Are they chubby because food has been used as a pacifier, or do they eat like walking garbage disposals because they're already chubby and need more fuel? It really gets to me. PEOPLE!! No need to feed your kid out of meal times!! A snack occasionally is fine if you anticipate a late meal or if the kid has been very active, but there is no need to offer food every time the kid stops talking, or gets whiney, or gets tired, or gets bored, or simple behaves like kids do... Especially not with sweeties and chocolates anyway. All you end up doing is conditioning your kid to need and crave the sugar high. Not to mention the bad teeth. And the childhood obesity... If necessary, use fruit. I hesitate to even say kiddy biscuits because considering the volume I see consumed, just give them spoonfuls of sugar, why don't you...

When I dropped the kiddo off today, I saw some bigger (at least my height, so they would have had to be at least 10) kids who were accompanied by a companion. 2 kids in the back, 'companion' and driver in the front, who then rushed out of the car when it stopped to help unload the bags and stuff. OY! Do it yourselves!! The staff are NOT your slaves no matter how much money your parents have!! I overheard one parent agitatedly insisting that her nanny be allowed into the boys changing room during school hours to help her 7 yr old change into his swim trunks. Please spare me... That's just too much. Swim trunks!!! Not even the full body suits some of the other kids use. You mean to tell me he can't even put his briefs on himself?!? 7 and the nanny is still dressing him from the skin up?? School policy is NO ONE is allowed on the premises during school hours without a very good reason. That, is NOT one... I mean, bad enough that all the schools I've seen have special staff areas for nannies AND drivers to wait. Yes... Some families do the '1 nanny, 1 driver, 1 kid' thing too.

Ok. Enough ranting. Hubs and I just get really annoyed when we see kids running roughshod over their nannies while their parents just ignore everything going on. Nannies are well and good, there is definitely a place for them. But parents still need to be involved, right?! We did consider getting a nanny to do the school run (which takes me 3-4hrs everyday), but in the end, forget it. Sink or swim kiddo.. sink or swim...

PS I've found that for now, I actually quite enjoy the school run. If and when I get fed up of it, I think the marvelous Mr.D will be able to cope admirably on his own. Good man...

PPS Just to end with a little anecdote... A friend of a friend once took his 3 kids out together with the nanny to give his ill wife a little break. This chap was totally against the use of nanny uniforms, especially since they had little labels on the arm saying 'nanny' or 'governess' (not kidding! Not much governing goes on though...). He felt they were demeaning. Well, nanny dearest tried to pass the kids off as her own and daddy as her Bule (white) husband. Not realizing that 'mister' understood Bahasa quite well though never spoke it. You can guess what happened next... Poor recovering mummy was instructed to go out immediately to get a uniform (you can buy these in any store) for the upstart. On top of that, he wanted 'nanny' embroided onto the back too!

Day 5 : Hindsight is 20-20

2009-10-12T19:10:00.005+07:00

I did something really, really idiotic today. Honestly, I know better than to bring up the issue of the dreaded vaccinations too much in advance, but I thought the kid would do better with some warning. After all, she doesn't like surprises. And it's only 4 days!! Well, more fool me. She started sobbing in the most heartbroken manner, kept going on and on about needing to have the ice pack and pretty plasters ready, not to mention the endless, 'I want daddy!!!! I want both of you to be there to cuddle meeee!!!' Come on. Please. He has NEVER been there for any of her jabs. Seriously, 'Can I have a half day off? My kid is having her jabs and I need to be there to cuddle her.' I can already imagine the looks. And to cap it off, in the middle of all the caterwauling, she suddenly declared, 'I wish it were already Thursday!' Huh? Come again? I thought you didn't want it!

We go through this whole vaccination melodrama every year. Last year it was the flu jab, this year the flu jab AND the regular scheduled boosters. Haven't even told her it's going to be 2! I can see how some moms might feel that it's not worth it, especially when you add the fears about risks of autism etc.

I remember back in medical school, we studied this concept called 'herd immunity'. In a nut shell, what it means is if you vaccinate enough kids, then the few who don't get vaccinated won't be able to catch the disease anyway. I guess if you're really convinced that your kid's 'herd' (this includes every single kid your kid is ever going to come in contact with) is fully immunised then it could be a valid argument for not giving your kid the jab. After all, there's been talk about a link between the vaccines and autism. Although I have yet to actually read anything that convinces me of a definite link. Circumstantial evidence, Your Honour...

When I weigh up the risks of death and permanent disability versus the risk of getting autism, which kids can get anyway, I tend to come down in favour of hauling her to the doctor when the guidelines say I should. This of course, is my opinion only, and I know parents who are vehemently against vaccinations of any sort. And that's up to them. Like I always say, you can but do the best you can for your kids, there will always be people who think they know better. And who won't be afraid of telling you either...

Amusing thoughts while husband is away on business...

2009-10-11T20:15:00.003+07:00

Last night while lying in bed desperately trying to fall asleep after having, again, dropped off for a mini nap at 10, I considered the differences between having my beloved husband home vs. away on business...

Pros :

Not getting woken up by his alarm at 530am on weekdays (work) and 430am on Sundays (running).
Not having to restrict myself to 6 inches of bed to accommodate his sprawling. Mind you, we have a king sized bed, and before that, a queen. Regardless of the size of the bed, I always get only 6 inches. Never realized how big a king actually is until last night when I lay on my side and stretched my leg aallll the way over to his side and STILL couldn't reach the edge. I guess a 6 footer requires more space then a 5 foot 1-er...
Not having to mediate between him and the kid when they wind each other up.
Being able to hop off shopping at the weekends. Hubs HATES shopping, so we rarely go with him. And it's great fun shopping with kiddo. She's has the funniest observations. We were shopping for stuff to put in an orphanage gift box today and she suggested some flowers because, 'they're sooo pretty and it'll make the little girl feel better...'
Being able to eat leftovers if I feel like it
Not having to fight over the computer.

Cons :

No one to talk to who doesn't occasionally whine like a steam engine with rusty breaks.
Having to answer all the 'why' questions on my own without being able to say to daddy, 'tag you're it'.
No one to talk to at the end of the day.
No one to talk to in the middle of the day
No one to show all my little crafty bits who will always say they're nice even if they suck. I always know anyway, he gets that deer caught in headlights look when he wants to say something's horrid but is afraid I'll get really upset by it.

I fell asleep at that point... Unfortunately, this periodic separation is part and parcel of the job. I miss my honey, but he loves his job and we get to enjoy lovely things because of it. So I just tell myself to enjoy that lovely big bed when he's away and (try, very, very hard) not to complain (too much) when he's around. After all, a couple of weeks every few months is small enough price to pay. And, tonight, I shall sleep in the MIDDLE of the bed...

Day 4 : Still husbandless

2009-10-11T19:41:00.004+07:00

Off to church we went today. Kiddo loves Sunday school. Yay!! Our church is called the Jakarta International Christian Fellowship (JICF). It's housed on the 2nd floor of the Graha Niaga building right in the middle of the central business district. Good atmosphere, good speakers and they have a really good children's program. It took us ages to find it, but once we did, we knew we were staying. There's either a 8.30am or 10.45am service. For reasons of HIS running, we can only ever make the 10.45am service. Today they had children from YWAM (the Panti Asuhan Pondok Taruna orphanage) singing a few songs. JICF members contribute about 50% of the orphanages running costs and the kids come from all over Jakarta. A couple of them are actually at Uni. Inspiring to see that happen.

After church, we popped into the Penang Bistro near Senayan for lunch. This is the kid's favourite eating place because of the feather light roti canai. The other stuff is a welcome taste of home too. Prices, however are in line with the Jakarta culinary scene and a meal for 2 is very unlike to ever be under Rp150,000 (about USD15 / RM50). I can see my Malaysian friends sputtering already...! For that price, you do, however get air conditioning, mood lighting, drinks with fancy names and (so far), no flies. The last being a major bonus in my book! The Hainanese chicken rice is very tasty, but the chicken portions are tiny (in general chickens here are about as scrawny as you would ever see. Something about people not trusting fat chickens to not have had hormones injected. perhaps by serving skinny chickens they are indicating the quality?), probably a quarter of the size of a portion ordered at the Jalan Gasing chicken rice shop in KL. Just another thing to get used too... The laksa and curry noodles are certainly approaching KL standard. In fact, the prawns are about double in size as you would get in KL. I leave it to you to weigh up, less chicken vs larger prawns. Hmmm... The nasi lemak tastes really good too. But I've never eaten it like that in KL. Usually hubs picks some up after his run and it's wrapped in banana leaf with a hodge podge of stuff thrown on it. Here everything is nicely displayed and separated. Gotta give it to them, they know their food presentation.

Am just waiting now to see if 'some people' will write to them saying they're breaking copyright laws by using the word 'Penang'...

Day 3 daddyless : Kidzania mania...

2009-10-10T17:02:00.015+07:00

Since kiddo and I were at loose ends today, we jumped at the chance to go to Kidzania with a friend and her kids. 2 moms, 5 kids (2 were my friend's nieces), a WHOLE lotta screaming.... Result : utterly exhausted moms with hyper kids.

Buying the tickets was an experience in itself. You queue like you're checking in at the airport. Trust me, it was as crowded and noisy as Soekarno-Hatta on a Friday. Then they give you a ticket that looks exactly like your Air Asia plane ticket, and a wrist band which is colour coded depending on whether you're with a party, an unaccompanied kid etc. There are 8 categories. More on that later. The band is used for logging them into various activities. Yes, parents get banded too... No, you can't participate no matter how much you beg. All the doors have 'no adults allowed' signs. I was rather disgruntled as being only 5'1", there were kids there much taller then I am...

Top : Kidzos , Mid : bank card, Bot :
drivers license, L/R : back and front
of tickets

On entering, you first come to Main Square, where the food is. Very wide selection but don't expect Cordon Bleu. With time pressing (5 hours is waaayyyy too little time), you just want something quick. The kids didn't eat much anyway. Probably had 15mins before they were off to the next thing. There's a 'Metropolitan Theatre of Kidzania' where the kids can stage a magic show or Peter Pan. Kids imitate the staff, so there's not much memory work needed. Best of all, a plaque displaying the 'Independance Declaration of Kidzania' sits in front of this huge monument to kiddy emancipation! One of the statues looks like it's casting off chains! I kid you not!! Someone PLEASE tell me I'm wrong...!

For kids, it's great. Wonderful atmosphere. No need to speak softly or tip toe around adults. For adults, it's P.A.I.N.F.U.L. Noise, noise and MORE noise. For someone who already has hinky ears, I couldn't hear nuts. Kiddo had to yank on my arm every time she had something to say. Every hour on the hour, they play the Kidzania theme song. Ouch. The kids can join a marching band, ouch. That's in addition to the welcome song and dance and the farewell song. Everything being played at MAXIMUM volume. Also sirens for the fire engine, ambulans, police (kids have to catch an escaped felon while being coordinated by other kids in the 'control room'. He has tattoo sleeves and breaks out of the prison that has rubber bars. Hilarious...) OUCH.

All the different activities are in their individual sound proof rooms. Each room takes 5-12 kids and lasts 10-30mins depending on what the activity is. You MAY NOT help your kid. Which is why I hope the KL version will be more English based than this one. The default language here is Bahasa, unless the majority of the kids need English, they will conduct it in Bahasa even though the other kids can speak English. You get payed in Kidzos ('local' currency. Upon starting you are given a 'cheque' you have to bank in. Kids either use the 'bank card' issued or withdraw Kidzos from the ATM to buy things) to do certain things like, wash windows, be a dentist/ scientist/ doctor/ tax agent (Huh??) or pay for services. Eg. getting your photo taken... Some activities have minimum ages, like being a tax agent (8. Huh x2??), some have minimum age suggestions, like being a scientist in the Yakult lab (6. Free Yakult included in the job...). Others are ok for all ages. Usually the food related activities (eg ice cream factory, cookie factore, Aqua plant etc) will give you a free sample of that item. Little tip from my Kidzania veteran friend, C : get your kids to do the pizza/ burger making activity and the Aqua bottling activity just before lunch. See! No need to pay extra for food!

The cutest thing there is the driving activity. You have to drive around, get fueled up at the pumps, go through a car wash (no water moms, don't worry). But in order to do that, the kids need, wait for it, a DRIVERS LICENSE!! To get this they need to get a medical check up (not real moms, don't worry), go through a driving lesson, and pay 20 Kidzos. Check out the photo above, it looks and feels real! With this, they can also do a go kart like racing activity. Kiddo was not interested in that, though looking at it, those go karts didn't seem all that go to me. More like, amble karts...

All in all, it was a fabulous outing. Moms had to crash at the Times book store cafe with some rejuvenating beverages for bit (actually so long the staff kept wandering by looking at us) while kiddos had some down time reading. As kiddo said at bedtime, 'I had an amazingly, fun time mummy. Let's go again!' For sure, apple of my eye. Let's just wait till mummy can hear again shall we...

Miscellaneous information

Tips from today's experience and C

1) For first timers, don't bother rushing to the bank when you arrive to get a bank card and cash your cheque. You can quite happily go around without it till later when it quieter.
2) Check the age/ height limit before q-ing. No point standing there for ages then getting told your kid is too short/ young.
3) If you have 2 parents, while one is waiting for the kids, the other can scout out an activity that is finishing. That way, less waiting for kiddos and they get to fit more in.
4) Head upstairs early. People tend to stay downstairs for a long time before going up. Early on the 'factories' upstairs tend to be quieter.
5) Get there early. You will need EVERY second of your time there.
6) Wear comfy shoes. Parents do A LOT of running around.
7) Don't bring a lot of extraneous stuff. There aren't many seats around for adults so by the time 5 hours is up, you may feel like your glamorous Prada has morphed into a deformed saddlebag. Next time I'm bringing a backpack and foldable chair...
8) Call ahead. If avoidable, you don't want to be squeezing with a whole bunch of school kids. My experience thus far is they don't really have a good grasp of the concept of a queue. Also there are no roped off areas to form the q, so unless your kid is good at standing up for themself (mine isn't), they can get totally shoved to one side.

Toilets

Clean and easily used by unaccompanied kids. Kiddo is about 105cm (what can I say, pint sized like mummy), and had no problems going on her own. Even the sinks had 2 levels. Low and super low. Best of all, the sinks are outside, so if you're a hand washing freak like me, you can personally supervise the soaping (provided) and scrubbing.

Security

Everyone is tagged in one of 8 colours. Once the kids are in, they cannot leave the premises unaccompanied. Dropped kids are picked up by their guardians at a designated place and the adult has to bring some proof of identity. When we were leaving, the security personnel were going around asking blue tagged kids if they had call their pick ups etc. The are also constantly on walkie talkies at the exit relaying information on how many blue tagged kids were still inside. Really impressive. I don't now how fool proof the system is though. C's nieces came later and were blue tagged, and yet were allowed to leave with us when we said they were part of our group.

From R : Party; responsible
adult for the party; School
group; Responsible
adult for the school; Accompanied
kid/ Adult (that's us); toddlers
aged 2-3yrs; Unaccompanied kids;
Babies/ Adults >65

Location, price and timing

Pacific Place 6th floor.
021-5154 222 / 021-5154 888 ext 101, 191, 192
www.kidzania.co.id

Mon-Thurs : 0900-1600 (7hrs) - 2-3yrs Rp5ok, 4-16yrs Rp130k, +16yrs (that's us, moms) Rp90k
1100-1600 (5hrs) - 50k / 115k / 75k

Fri, Sat, Sun : session 1 0900-1400
session 2 1500-2000
50k / 115k / 75k

View from outside Kidzania

Holiday season : session 1 0900-1400
session 2 1500-2000
100k / 155k / 155k

NB : if you're a grandparent >65 with 2 or more grandchildren in tow, you get to go in free... Otherwise it's the standard fare. Hmm, I wonder i one can get away with 'borrowing' grandchildren...

As many stations as I can remember

Theatre, magic show, hp art studio, ponds sunsilk beauty saloon, burger place, pizza place, window washing, cosmos electrical shop, indomart, BCA, tax office (hee hee), yakult lab, archeological site, hospital (couple of different things there, there's a pretty lifelike surgery station), dentist, photo studio, fire station, construction site, wall painting, police station, telkomsel workshop, news station, radio station, Aqua bottling plant, Kapal Api factory, Walls ice cream factory, biscuit factory, cookie factory, milk production plant (box milk ok!! Not human!), baby nursery (kids are the nurses learning to diaper and clean baby dolls. Good for moms wanting to see if their kids might help with a younger sib??), Flight simulator, go kart track, driving track, driviers lessons... Waxworks pending... I definitely haven't got it all. Let me know what I've missed. Oh, and if the kids get tired, there are mini blue/ silver bird taxis and buses to get to their next destination... Pay in Kidzos please. Other currencies not accepted... Forget it big people, apart from the driver, no adult allowed. Check out the photo, the 'cab driver' can't even sit up straight!!

Day 2 without The Man

2009-10-09T19:48:00.002+07:00

It'a amazing how much time I end up wasting when the The Man is not around to chivvy me along. Last night I ended up taking a little cat nap at 10pm. Not advisable... Couldn't sleep proper till past 1am. That would never happen if he were here. He'd probably just drag me to the bathroom by my ankles and leave me in a heap. After all, HE needs his sleep and he can't relax if I'm cluttering up the bed...

Having a bit of extra time on my hands, I thought I'd work on this year's Christmas presents and possible bazaar offerings. I have given up trying to buy anything for my folks. It's impossible. For my mom I painted a 2 little Japanese girls on plates. She doesn't like water marks on her table, so this should do the trick. I also painted a tile to use as a trivet. I would post photos, but as usual, the connection here is so poor that stuff just gets clogged up like Monday morning traffic. Will try another time...

Am rather tired tonight. Probably last night catching up with me. The key now is not to let myself have another cat nap! I have to be full of beans for tomorrow. Kiddo and I will be going to Kidzania for the first time ever with some friends. Selamat malam all...

You say to-mah-to, I say to-may-to...

2009-10-09T09:41:00.003+07:00

Everyone knows that Malaysia and Indonesia are neighbours and practically share an identical language (no, I am NOT getting into the politics of it). Even so, the differences make living here an incredible adventure... After many blank looks and 'uhhhh...'s I have had to change the way I speak bahasa. I know I'm improving because I don't get so many blank looks now... Also the multi-talented Mr.D is an incredible walking fount of all things Indonesian.

I thought I'd share some common things that tripped me up in my early days here in Jakarta. I get into lots of trouble because I tend to chat to everyone. As Hubs likes to say, I speak more to our staff in 5mins than he does in 2 months... Then again, he doesn't go much beyond, 'buat kopi, ya' (make coffee) and 'pulang rumah' (go home).

One of my hobbies is shopping. Not quite a shopaholic, but I loooovvveeee browsing. Jakarta is great because there is a mall for every walk of life selling anything and everything. My source of all things money related, ie The Man, once told me that he read somewhere that Jakarta has the most number of malls per capita than any other Asian country. There are close to 30mil people in Jakarta. That's more than the WHOLE of Malaysia. That's mind boggling... So, there I was, a newcomer to Jakarta, and I thought I'd pop into this store and get something for kiddo. The lovely shopgirl (they're ALL nice, All beautiful and actually know their job!) asked me if kiddo was a boy or a girl. Except she didn't say, 'laki atau perempuan?' like we do in KL. It was 'cewek atau cowok?' On seeing my blank stare, she then said, 'boy or girl Ibu?' I definitely know I'm not the only one who has had these encounters. Occasionally they will say 'putra' (prince) or 'puteri' (princess). That at least sounds better. Somehow 'cewek' and 'cowok' just sound to me like they're describing bodily functions of some sort. Ok, they've worked out it's for a girl, umur 5 (age 5). Then comes the 'rok' (skirt), 'celana' (trousers), kaos (shirt), 'blos' (blouse), dress (YES!! that's the same! But I think it's for my benefit. Haven't mustered the energy to ask what it is in BI yet) discussion. All I can say is I'm glad I generally shop when the stores first open at 10am as I usually get about 3 or 4 sales people around me and between us I have so far always been able to get what I want.

Oh and shoes are 'sepatu' not 'kasut'; fridges are 'kulkas' not 'peti sejuk'; rabbits are 'kelinci' not 'arnab'; frogs are 'kodok' not 'katak'; glue is 'lem'; carrots are 'wortel'; motocycles are 'motor', cars are 'mobil' not 'kereta', 'kereta' is short for 'kereta api' which is train. I remember Mr.D's predecessor insisting that there were no 'kereta' in our area when we were plainly stuck in the middle of a traffic jam... Which is 'macet' in BI.

The list goes on and on. My staff are great. If I say something weird, they just laugh and tell me the correct word to use. Latest discussion was on sentence fillers... I've worked out 'dong' and 'sih', but 'kok' (!!!!).... Sorry, I just don't think I will ever be able to just drop 'kok' into a sentence with a straight face.

Mr.D: A law unto himself

2009-10-08T20:04:00.003+07:00

Since I wrote the last post, I thought I'd do one on Mr.D our driver. He's worked for us for 2 years, has 3 kids all 7 years apart and is genuinely a very nice guy. Just as a quick example, when the Ritz and Marriot bombs went off a few months ago, he had actually just dropped Hubs at work and was on his way back to the house. Upon hearing the news, he did an about turn and went straight back to the office calling Hubs to say he was waiting downstairs if Sir wanted to go home straightaway. Unfortunately Sir didn't. Sir also missed his plane back to KL that day leaving madam fuming! But that's another story...

So, yes, Mr.D, wonderful chap. But he has some really strange interpretations of traffic law. Most baffling is how he uses traffic lights. How difficult can that be? I hear you say. And 'he uses'? Must be a grammatical error, you say again. Under usual circumstances I would agree. I mean, red=stop, amber=stop asap (or go faster if you're Malaysian), green=go. Basic highway code. Not for Mr.D!! For him, traffic lights work like this... Red=Stop if it's convenient. But go if it's a jam, otherwise you'll never get a chance to go anyway. Go if there are no cars because there's no point stopping anyway. Oh, and it doesn't apply if you're turning left or if you're turning either direction while on a one way street. Amber=go. Green=go. In other words, go as and when you like. It used to have me at the edge of the seat yelling, 'Berhenti, berhenti!!' (Stop, stop). But now, after many months and much futility, I have decided that I shall just ignore it. He just laughs at me anyway.

The next thing is the whole flashy high-lights thing he does. If the car in front stops, he flashes the lights. If he thinks they should be going faster and aren't, he flashes. If they slow down, he flashes. If he's in a hurry and joins the back of a queue, he flashes. I tried counting how many times he flashed the head lights for one 10min journey. Lost count. Couldn't keep up. I have to say though, all the other drivers on the road do it too, so it's hard to say if it's just him or a Jakarta phenomenon. You have to get used to the 'chicka-chicka-chicka' sound pretty quickly though, or go crazy. At least it's not the horns....

All in all, despite his little foibles. We haven't any serious dings on the car. The Man put a couple on there, but they are NOT TO BE SPOKEN OF. Got hit by a golf ball while driving past the golf range, but one can hardly blame that on him. So... Carry on Jeeves, or in this case, Drive on Mr.D...

Day 1 without the man of the house

2009-10-08T19:33:00.003+07:00

It's been roughly 24hrs since The Man left for his jaunt around the world. I'm already bored. Amazing how just having someone there to talk to can make life that little bit more interesting. Oh well, we knew his job would be like that, hence the lack of a proper job for me.

Had a rather interesting little experience today. There we were, happily driving down the road to school when all of a sudden, absolute standstill! There were news vans lining the road and police trucks and it seemed like a scene out of some action packed Hollywood action movie. I was just waiting for some suave guy in shades to come leaping over the stationary cars in pursuit of the scruffy looking baddie wielding a parang (parang of course, we're in Asia!!). Instead, all I could see were people standing around. And more people... and even MORE people. Where did they all come from?? Anyhow, we inched along untill, suddenly.... Absolutely no traffic going in our direction!! But being Jakarta, all the oncoming traffic decided that since no one was using our lane, they might as well! So there we were, to all intents and purposes going AGAINST the flow of traffic. I was stressing away going, 'Udah lewat dong!! Bagaimana nak sampai di sekolah dalam masa 10 minit!!' (It's already late! How're we going to get to school in 10mins'), when Mr.D our fabulous driver replied in his inimitable style, 'Ngak apa madam, bisa jalan di sini...' (Don't worry madam, we can go here), and promptly drove OFF THE ROAD!! HELLO!! We were OFF. THE. FREAKING. ROAD!!! Remember the non existent pavements I was talking about? Well, there's a reason you take your life in your hands if you try and walk on them, it's because everyone uses them as emergency lanes. Or convenience lanes, I should say. At least we arrived at school on time... And from now on, I will never ever try and walk on those death traps, ever again!!

Home alone

2009-10-07T17:03:00.004+07:00

The man has just left on his 2 week Jakarta-London-New York-Jakarta business trip, leaving me alone with the kiddo. When we first got here, we tried to arrange it so that all his overseas business trips coincided with us going back to KL on holiday. At least then I was back in the bosom of my family and didn't have to worry about being alone in a strange country. Now however, we feel like seasoned expats. Kiddo and I both have our own programs and really, the crime rate in KL makes it such that I reckon it's safer to stay in Jakarta.

Just the other day I was commenting to my driver that KL has had many incidents of snatch thievery, some even leading to death. I wanted his opinion on why he thought it hardly happened in Jakarta (or we never hear of it anyway). According to him, many years ago it was a common thing. However Jakarta is pretty much riddled with kampungs and this holds true even in the expat residential areas. So with the local economy so dependent on the expats ie. maids, drivers, security guards, pool cleaners, gardeners (and on and on, the list is endless), the kampung folk could not risk having the expats driven away through crime. So they took it into their own hands to find and 'discipline' these riff raff. Troublemakers and petty thieves were turning up badly assaulted or worse, disappearing completely! Over time, these crimes stopped happening. Of course, he continued, if you venture out into gang controlled areas in the city then it might happen. So, I now follow a simple rule, before going anywhere new, I ask my driver. If it's iffy, he always tells me not to go or offers to go with me. Not that I've taken him up on that. Shopping with my driver in tow just seems a little weird to me.

The other reason it's so much safer here is that there are no pedestrian pavements to speak of. Short of risking your life playing dodge the motorbike/ bajaj/ car going the opposite direction, it's easier and safer to just be dropped at the doorstep of wherever you want to go. All these places have parking attendants that direct cars into postage stamp sized parking spaces. Thus you're never more than about 10 feet from someone for whom your continued well being is essential to their continued well being... So don't worry about us daddy, we'll stay well away from dodgy areas and crumbling sidewalks. See you again in 2 weeks... mwah!

Are you listening to me, Doctor??

2009-10-07T11:19:00.004+07:00

I remember back in the days when I was in medical school, 'communication skills' were the big thing. How to speak to your patients to get the best information, how to ask open questions so you get answers that are the patients own and not what they think you want to hear... And on and on ad nauseum. Well, I have had cause to visit a fair few medical practitioners since I've stopped working and I have come to realize a few things... It's easy to speak to doctors who are trained like I was. They're the ones looking earnestly at you and saying things like,'...and how did you feel then?' or '...what else happened after that?'. Things changed when we got here to Jakarta. For one, the poor air quality meant kiddo's asthma and allergies and what have you all made a massive comeback. Not to mention the food poisoning etc etc... So forever at the doctors clinics mean wading through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat.

The first thing I noticed was that people in general are very laid back and smiley here. Same for the medical staff. It's not that your problem is unimportant, but that's the way they are. Some more so, some less so. But in general, going to see a doctor here is a little like walking into a spa. They speak in the same soothing voice, same smiley face... I've essentially had to come up with a way of giving them information so that they get the important bits, and not wait for the polite pauses before they ask about the next symptom. I'm always concerned that they will forget something in the time it takes for the consultation to end.

This is what I do... I tell them everything that has happened in sequence, what I've done, whether it's been effective and what's happening now. E.g. I've had a cough for 4 days and a fever for 2. The fever goes away with panadol every 6 hours but for the last day I have had green phlegm and my chest hurts when I breath. 10mins condensed down to 1min. I never tell them what I think the diagnosis is because a) I don't want to influence their thinking b) I'm interested in their diagnostic processes c) there's a reason doctors are advised not to treat themselves or people close to them... I was once so annoyed by hubs complaining about a couple of spots that I missed the fact he actually had shingles!

Another thing I've noticed is that all the competent doctors in Jakarta only practice during office hours. Off hours, it's dicey. I have yet to see a doctor, or hear about someone seeing a doctor off hours that has left me feeling anything other than nervous. On our first trip here, kiddo fell and split her head open. We went to SOS and the doctor on call (she looked younger than my 20 yr old cousin!) had to call someone to ask for advice on whether she should put stitches in. Also consulted ME on whether the skull XRay was ok! Um... anxious mom dealing with freaking out husband and kids here!!! In any case, kiddo left sporting 3 stitches in the back of her, thankfully, unbroken head. Lots of other stories on weird and wonderful diagnoses to cover for the fact that some on call guys really have NO idea what's wrong with you... And obviously can't even make up plausible stories. Others are just forgetful. My husband got a metal splinter and the fellow forgot to ask about tetanus status! I had to ring the practice manager from KL where I was on holiday, and she had to then call the clinic and get it sorted. What a hassle!

Well, I discovered a handful of doctors that I trust. Top of the list is Dr.Ade, a GP at Global Doctors. She's there all week but not weekends. Lovely lady. Very competent though does appear very laid back. Very good diagnostically. The regular GP at SOS was good too though I have to say that I 'bonded' with Dr. Ade much better. For kids, the selection is better. Dr. Isabella and Dr.Lineus at Jakarta Women and Children Clinic are pretty good. Though I have had some raised eyebrow moments. Nothing horrific. Dr.Isabelle (different lady to that at JWCC) at Global is also very sensible and nice.

The one paediatrician I wish was still in the area is Dr.Johannes. He's a paediatric pulmonologist (chest doctor) who used to be at JWCC and is now somewhere in Tangareng. Not much bedside manner to speak of. Very brusque and hurried (unlike his other local colleagues) but he sorted out kiddo's asthma and allergies within 6weeks. Hats off to him, wherever he is...

All in all, medical services in Jakarta are probably not as terrible as made out to be. But how on earth do non-medical people decide which doctors to see?

Thank God she likes school...!

2009-10-07T09:54:00.005+07:00

It was the quarterly parents-teachers meeting today. I am still in a state of bemusement.

The kiddo is in ACS (Anglo-Chinese School) International Jakarta. She loves school, including all the extracurricular activities offered. Ballet on Monday, Mandarin Club on Tuesdays and Fridays, Tennis on Wednesday and swimming on Thursday... Not to mention normal lessons that include computer classes, Mandarin classes, writing, reading, math, art... It's a full platter, but as long as she's coping and not morphing into some red eyed slavering beast at 5pm every night, I'm happy to go along with it. Then there are the daily bits of homework. Nothing taxing, but probably useful in getting the kids used to having to sit down everyday for a bit of work. Again, effort is the key, I've stopped the sickening 'you're sooo smart' gushing that only elicits an eyeroll from her... As Po Bronson (author of 'What should I do with my life') says, praise the effort not how smart the kid is. Kids who are always told they are smart end up afraid of tackling difficult tasks. I have noticed that kiddo appears happier at doing her work now compared with before. At the very least, she doesn't get upset anymore if her work is not done 'perfectly'. Ok, guess I should actually finish the book now...

Anyway, back to our little meeting today. The conversation was illuminating to say the least. Teacher thinks my little bushel of joy is very smart. Why? Because she can talk and listen at the same time!! Excuse me, but isn't that called interrupting?! And isn't it actually RUDE? I think Teach probably sensed my rising blood pressure because she very quickly asked me not to worry, they were slowly teaching her to wait while other people were speaking. Downside of her being an only child I suppose. No need to compete for willing ears... Besides, I can pull the 'mummy's ears are tired' line which the teacher probably can't.

Another topic that came up in our little chat was forgotten stuff. I have a policy... I ask her to pack her stuff once. If she forgets something, tough. After all, she's 5, it's hardly the end of the world if she forgets to bring her book to school. Better she learn to be responsible for her things now rather than later when it's more important stuff. Anyway, her teacher mentioned that a common excuse for forgotten things among the other kids was 'the nanny forgot'. Now, I'm all in favor of the occasional services of a part time nanny when the man and I want to join in (very) occasional late night poker parties (he plays, I anticipate how much shopping I can do with his winnings), but letting the kid become totally dependent on nannies is letting yourself in for a huge amount of pain later on. I have heard stories of men going away on business trips who need their mothers/ girlfriends/ wives to pack for them!

All in all, I'm very happy so far with this new school. A bonus point is that till just a few months ago it was a National plus school and was therefore significantly cheaper than some of the other international schools. It's a bit far, Setu exit, 15min on the toll road from the Pejaten entry, but the grounds and facilities are top of the range. Teachers seem to actually know the kids and most importantly, the kids actually look and behave like kids instead of jail baits in training. Even the early start is a price I'm willing to pay. School runs from 730am to 12noon or 1pm if ECAs are happening. She's in bed by 7pm and up at 640am. For now the multiheaded monster of doom only pays us occasional visits when she gets overtired, otherwise life is predictable and as calm as is possible with a 5 year old around. Just the way I like it....

Of Tai-Tais, Mai tais and steroetypical misconceptions

2009-10-06T13:31:00.003+07:00

A few years ago in London after a dinner accompanied by copious amounts of wine, a few girlfriends (1 lawyer, 1 journalist, 1 accountant) and I decided that the pinnacle of our existence would be becoming Tai Tais. A Tai Tai, for my non Chinese speaking friends out there, is essentially a lady of leisure. She is married, to a rich man who supports her in style, is always beautiful and glamorous, and never has to bother with the mundane issues of daily life. Sounded heavenly to overworked, underpaid twentysomethings...

Fast forward a good few years (don't ask, I'm not telling how many). I'm now an expat-wife, a mom, have no job, but have a maid AND a driver. On the surface it looks like I have indeed attained the lofty heights of Tai Tai-dom... Cocktail lunches... Spa mornings... Look closer and the cracks in that perfect facade start to show. First of all, living in Indonesia means being surrounded with the genuine article. Women who are always perfectly coiffed and made up. Who would never be seen dead in shorts and t shirts, and who appear to float over the top of life's little speed bumps. This, after all, is the land of the 6am hair appointments. Heaven forbid one should appear at a breakfast meeting without perfect hair. I, on the other hand, live in my shorts and tees, avoid the hairdresser like the plague, not to mention only having a passing acquaintance with my hair brush, and most definitely hit all the speed bumps in life at full throttle. I try to be like a duck at these times, calm on the surface while paddling furiously underneath. As for cocktail lunches, I have no idea how that became part of the stereotype for expat wives. I'm sure they exist, but unfortunately not in my little sphere. Thankfully, I have found other 'ducks' to hang out with. Occasionally if I'm out for lunch (always with kiddo), I may see some absolutely gorgeous specimens of womanhood gathering together. The Indonesian term for these groups is 'Arisan'. They get together at a set times in different happening places for a meal, pool a set amount of money with one winner at each function. The winner's name is then removed until everyone has won once. Very fair. Prizes can be money, jewelry... the sky's the limit.

Getting to spas. I have to admit they're not for me. I find it really difficult lying there for any length of time while a virtual stranger touches my naked body. Call it Asian prudery if you will, but even after 10 years of living in the UK and travelling around world, I still get the urge to giggle and blush if confronted with topless sun bathers. So, no. I shall stick to reflexology on the odd occasions that my husband manages to convince me that sitting next to each other getting our feet poked at can be considered a romantic couples outing. For those who are interested, Kenko in Kemang Selatan (outlets also in several major shopping centres though prices will be higher) gives a pretty good foot and body rub for about Rp60,000 (about USD6). Best of all, you get to keep your clothes on! The man of the house also swears by Bersih Sehat near Pasar Mayestik. Apparently some big, older Indonesian lady walks up and down your back. I can't for the life of me see how that can be nice, but there you go...

So.. going back to our group of 4... Married, tick. Rich men, um...., half tick? Beautiful and glamorous, maybe them, but the only beauty and glamor I'm acquainted with is Vogue magazine. Not having to deal with mundane issues, ha! Don't make me laugh... my whole life revolves around the mundane. What will the kid have for dinner? Hmm... rice/pasta, roast/steamed chicken, broccoli, egg. Again, and again, and yet again...

So, for now, let me just raise my low sugar winter melon in a box to all you Tai Tais out there...

The joys of Jakarta traffic

2009-10-06T09:52:00.002+07:00

When we first moved to Jakarta 2 and a half years ago, I thought I was prepared for the traffic. I mean... traffic, schmaffic. I'd heard all the horror stories. Come on...I'm Malaysian! Who hasn't sat through an hour on the Federal Highway, or been caught in the forever changing 1 way systems in the centre of KL. Not to mention being stuck on the M25 and North Circular Road in London... Traffic! Ha! I laugh in the face of anything Jakarta could throw at me...

Well, you know what they say, pride goeth before a fall. After 3 hours of trying to get from the airport to town (not even to the house!), a crabby 4 year old in tow, I was ready to prostrate myself before the Gods of Jakarta traffic. It was unbelievable! True, there was rain, and it was also a Friday night, but rain in Jakarta is like roast beef and yorkshire pudding, or nasi lemak and fried anchovies, you can't really have one without the other. Of course, subject to times of year, you get more or less of the stuff... And Fridays, don't they come, something like, once every week? In any case, my first lesson of Jakarta traffic... If it rains, stay home. If it's rush hour (7-10am, 12-2pm, 4-7pm), stay home. Weekends, stay home. We've learnt, over time, how to 'guestimate' how long it will take us from Kemang to the airport in order to make the 1.5hr check in time. It's an art. The conversation between my honey and I goes something like that:

Hubs : Flight's at 2pm tomorrow. Check in at 1. Leave house 11.30. Lunch traffic...
Me : Siau! (Meaning crazy in a Chinese dialect) International check in is 2 hours!! Check in at 12. Normally takes 1 hour to get there, but lunch traffic, extra 30mins. Also Friday, extra 30mins. Starting to drizzle too... We leave at 930am!
Hubs : Nah... You're being over cautious... (Mind you, he's the one who's missed flights, not me)

Usually after a lot of wrangling he'll agree to leave at 10am. So far, we haven't missed any flights while travelling together. Incidentally, that first trip from the airport to our rented house in Kemang took 5 hours.

A little tip for those travelling with kids. Have a little bin lined with plastic in your car. Also supplies of old newspaper, wet wipes, tissues and hand sanitisers. I can't begin to count the number of times kiddo has needed the loo while stuck in the traffic. Short of opening the window and dangling her out over the poor, hapless motorcyclists, not to mention the insult to her dignity, this is honestly the most acceptable option.

Here's to dust bins!!

2009-10-06T09:30:00.000+07:00

Well, it's been 6 years 6 months and a handful of days since I was in gainful employment. Do I miss it? You bet! I miss the intellectual challenge of diagnosing something, I miss the patient contact, I miss the lovely, padded bank account that having a good salary gives you. The fact that I never had any time to spend it is, of course, besides the point... I miss the fancy free, drop everything and go on a hot date lifestyle... I miss a LOT!!!
However... I now have a wonderful kid who's a joy to be with, who challenges me non stop, who makes me feel that all those things that I missed so much, actually don't amount to anything all that important after all. Oh yes..., I also enjoy having more time with my husband. No more dropping everything for a hot weekend away though. Any outing, no matter how short, involves planning to rival Napoleaon. Who's going to be there? Make sure they have all 4 phone numbers that hubby and I have (2 for him, 2 for me). Emergency procedures in case of sudden coughs, fevers, injuries, sky falling down... We left her, once, for a supposed dirty overnighter away, but realistically speaking, once we had organized my mom to kidsit, and left all the pertinent information etc etc... Forget dirty, I just wanted some uninterrupted sleep!
So, to all those folks out there who are like me, missing the fancy free lifestyle, I feel for you... But hey, when your kid wakes up singing 'Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day. I've got a beautiful feeling, everything's going my way...", isn't it all just suddenly bearable?