Bumming For Too Long?

Signs that I (perhaps) need to get my butt back to work:

1. I constantly forget what day and date it is.
2. I like weekdays more than weekends.
3. I even forgot the name of my favourite email font - Verdana. I had to scroll down the entire list until I found it sitting right there at the bottom. All neglected.

Brats Alert!!!

Since we'll be moving in a week's time and we have about 1.5 years left on our current lease, the company is trying to hawk out our property to other expats within the company. I had a family come by to take a look at the house today. They brought along their 2 young boys and that was the LONGEST 15 minutes of my life! OH MY GAWD! They were such TERRORS! They tore through the house, touched EVERYTHING they can lay their grimy little hands on, almost broke Stephen's precious apple that he's been lugging all around the world, teased Cooper and basically drove me insane for about 15 minutes. The parents didn't even notice. Here I was entertaining the thought of perhaps having kids soon but these 2 screaming, ill-behaved little 'uns have completely put me off kids for now. If I can't take 15 minutes of this madness, I don't think I can take 15 years! I hate to sound intolerant but they were such nuisances! YUCKS! GROSS! NO WAY JOSE!

Halloween

We decided to get into the Halloween mood this year and dress the part. We had all these grand plans but shopping for costumes was exhausting and the costumes that they have here aren't great. They're mostly for kids. Decided in the end to just do the makeup and throw on whatever black clothing we have. It was hilarious watching the guy try to put on eye makeup for Stephen. Stephen kept flinching every time the brush went anywhere within 10cm of his eyes. Too funny!

my doom smiles at me

there’s no other way:
8 or ten poems a
night.
in the sink
behind me are dishes
that haven’t been
washed in 2
weeks.
the sheets need
changing
and the bed is
unmade.
half the lights are
burned-out here.
it gets darker
and darker
(I have replacement
bulbs but can’t get them
out of their cardboard
wrapper.) Despite my
dirty shorts in the
bathtub
and the rest of my dirty
laundry on the
bedroom floor,
they haven’t
come for me yet
with their badges and their rules and their
numb ears. oh, them
and their caprice!
like the fox
I run with the hunted and
if I’m not the happiest
man on earth I’m surely the
luckiest man
alive.

~ Charles Bukowski

Down Came the Rain

It rained so much yesterday that the traffic in Jakarta literally came to an absolute standstill. There were so many places flooded that traffic was stuck in gridlock for hours. I spent 3 hours trying to get home. We had to keep trying different alternative routes because all the usual routes leading home were flooded, with flood waters up to chest-height. Many people resorted to trudging through the waters but couldn't get anywhere as the cars were so tightly packed that it was difficult to even weave around the cars. It was a complete mess! There was so much rain that our swimming pool overflowed and our backyard resembled a rice padi field. I've seen it flood in Jakarta but never this bad.

Check out the supermarket that I usually buy groceries from. It's located just 5 minutes from our place. Most of it was underwater yesterday.

Hokkien Dog

Task for the next 4 weeks: Teach Cooper Hokkien so that he can blend in better!

I Hate Pizza Dough!

It didn't rise and I have no idea why...! It's 7:45pm, I've prepared all the ingredients and I'm just sitting here waiting for the dough to rise so that I can slap everything on the dough! It's like watching paint dry. Not going to happen in this lifetime. Think we'll have to order take-away tonight. What a bummer... :(

Update: I made a 2nd batch and it turned out fine. Yay. By the time I was done with the 2nd batch of dough I was so tired that all I made were Magherita Pizzas but they turned out pretty good. Finally..!

Minstrel Man

Because my mouth
Is wide with laughter
And my throat
Is deep with song,
You do not think
I suffer after
I have held my pain
So long?

Because my mouth
Is wide with laughter,
You do not hear
My inner cry?
Because my feet
Are gay with dancing,
You do not know
I die?

— Langston Hughes

Jinx-ed!

I've gone and jinxed myself declaring on the blog that I like it here in Jakarta. Silly silly me! I still do like it here which makes what we're about to do all the more difficult. Ahh well... life is never easy nor fair.

C'est la vie.

Jakarta Update - Has it already been 5 months?

Well to be exact, it's been 5 and a half months since we moved here to Indonesia. The initial couple of months were tough going because of the hassle of moving, of setting up house, adjusting to a new country and a new way of life. However, lately I'm maybe beginning to enjoy living here. I've made some friends and have also learnt to cope better with having so much time on my hands. Over the last few months, I've been doing things that I never had time for. I've been spending time with Cooper (trying to make up for neglecting him over the last 2 years and leaving him at random boarding kennels every couple of months), cooking (been doing lots of this), baking (not so much of this since I realised that I'm not cut out to be a baker), reading (whenever I can get my hands on an English novel), learning a new language (which is really satisfying when I realise that I can hold my end of the conversation with a local), learning to paint (let's just say I'm no Picasso) and going for long lunches with my girlfriends. Just the other day, I caught myself thinking - I could get used to not working!

So it's been pretty alright thus far, despite the fact that there are still blackouts every other week, despite bad traffic where a 10-minute journey can turn into a torturous hour-long car ride, despite getting constantly ripped off, despite the loneliness. On some days, it still can be challenging living here in a foreign place, with hardly any friends and no family around. These are days when I just feel like packing up and going home but days like these are fewer and further in between now.

Like I said, I might actually like it here in Indonesia.

Yummy Brunch

We went to Table 8 at Hotel Mulia over the weekend for brunch. Delicious food, fantastic decor and ambience. We ate and ate and ate for 3 hours straight. Oooohhh I really like the restaurant! If you ever do visit us in Jakarta, remind me to bring you there for brunch.

I took several photos at the restaurant with my iphone but the photos turned out really crappy (or rather I looked dreadful!) This was the only decent shot.

Pine Nuts!

In order to make pesto sauce, I needed pine nuts. I couldn't find it in the supermarket that I usually frequent so I had to go to Ranch Supermarket (which in my opinon is the place to shop for groceries when you have money to flush down the toilet). I bought a tiny bag of pine nuts for about SGD$15! I've never bought pine nuts before so I don't know exactly how much they usually costs but $15 of 100g for nuts?! Come on!

Cooking Up A Storm

As hard as it is to believe, I've been bitten by the cooking bug ever since I started Italian cooking lessons. Classes are pretty easy to follow and I've picked up quite a few tips and new recipes. I realised that cooking is fun! Yay! Spent 2 backbreaking hours yesterday making massive amounts fresh pasta at a girlfriend's place. There was flour everywhere after we were through. A lot of work but well worth the effort!

Stephen has been a rather good sport and have been happy to eat whatever I dish out. Some recipes turned out brilliantly while others... erm... well... flopped! Tried baking chocolat cake the other day and the cake turned out too moist and the chocolate ganache turned out... well not so ganache-y. Not exactly my finest moment. There's still half a cake left in the fridge and I don't know what to do with it. Can't even feed it to Cooper since it's full of chocolate.

Gonna try my hand at lasagne tonight. Will let you know how it goes.

Lost In Translation

This is what happens when you send the Husband out on an errand.

I asked Stephen to buy 15 sticks of satay from our favourite roadside hawker on his way back from work. Here in Jakarta, most roadside hawkers do not understand a word of English so we usually communicate with a mixture of broken Bahasa Indonesia and sign language.

Just before Stephen stepped out of the car to place his order, Stephen had the following conversation with Jamhuri, our driver:

Stephen: What's 15 in Bahasa Indonesia?
Jamhuri: Lima puluh (which is 50 in Bahasa. I suppose you can imagine the mayhem that's about to follow.)
Stephen: Ok. Thanks!

Stephen told the hawker that he wanted "lima puluh" sticks of satay ayam and 2 lontong (ketupats). He was feeling so proud of himself for ordering in Bahasa. The hawker was very happy to take his order and proceeded to pile on sticks after sticks of satay on the grill.

Stephen: Stop stop stop (gesticulating wildly)! I only want lima puluh (when he actually meant lima belas).
Hawker: Ya ya (points to grill). Lima puluh!

Stephen, sensing something was amiss, decided to get Jamhuri.

Stephen: Jamhuri, I only want FIFTEEN sticks of satay.
Jamhuri: Yes. Fifteen. Lima puluh.
Stephen: No No that's too much!
Jamhuri: Ya! I think too much also. I think better for you FIFTY sticks. Lima belas. Lima puluh too many sticks for you!
Stephen: But but but...
Jamhuri: Oh! Sorry sir! I thought you wanted FIFTEEN sticks. FIFTEEN is LIMA PULUH. FIFTY is LIMA BELAS.
Stephen: *LOST*

And for those of you who are, like the Husband, equally lost, 15 is lima belas while 50 is lima puluh. Jamhuri thought it was the other way around in English (Fifty = 15 and Fifteen = 50). The clueless Husband didn't know any better ended up ordering 50 sticks when all he wanted was 15. We eventually wound up with 50 sticks of satay and had to share them with Jamhuri and the guards.

Insert Foot In Mouth

I suppose most of you would have heard Stephen happily relating the story of how I asked a Muslim satayman for pork satay. The satayman was game enough to play along and told me that they were all sold out. I was feeling rather disappointed until Stephen pointedly reminded me of my faux pas.

Oops!

Well, I've gone and done it again! *grimace*

I was at the supermarket and wanted to buy ham for breakfast. I couldn't decide between the Danish ham or the smoked leg ham so without much thought, I asked the Malay dude in English which one tastes better. He just gave me a blank look. I figured he didn't quite understand me so I repeated the question but this time in Bahasa Indonesia. He thought for a moment, looked at the prices and pointed to the more expensive one. I can totally imagine that he was mentally rolling his eyes at me. Well, at least he was nice enough to play along as well.

Favourite Days

... are days when it rains in the afternoons. We've had quite a few here lately. I'll make myself a hot cup of milo, put on my favourite CD and settle in for a good read. Cooper, on the other hand, hates rainy days with a vengeance. Rains here are usually accompanied by thunder and he'll be hiding under a table somewhere, trembling and cringing every time he hears the roar of thunder. Not exactly my idea of a guard dog.

Little Boys With Umbrellas

We have a good 5 days of holiday for Idul Fitri here in Jakarta. The streets are clear of traffic and it's quiet because about 80% of the people living here in Jakarta have already made the trip back to their kampungs. We have the city all to ourselves. Joy!

We drove ourselves, for the first time, to Grand Indonesia. Grand Indonesia is a huge shopping mall and it's next to Plaza Indonesia which is an even huge-r mall. They're just across the street from each other but there isn't a sheltered walkway betwen the two. It started pouring while we were in one of the malls and we couldn't make our way back to our car, which was parked in the other mall. While we were contemplating whether we should brave the rain and make a run for it, up came 2 little boys with an umbrella offering to ferry us across for a small fee. How enterprising I thought! We took them up on the offer and they sheltered us across the street. After our brief encounter with them, I was gushing on about how enterprising these kids were and how they were working so hard to get a little bit of pocket money before Lebaran. That was until Stephen burst my little bubble. Stephen speculated that these boys probably were recruited in their village by some man who's putting them to work. While these boys were running around getting drenched in the rain, this evil evil man is probably sitting comfortably in a Starbucks somewhere sipping on his nice hot cuppa coffee, waiting for the boys will have to hand over their hard-earned cash to him at the end of the day.

Darn. I hope that's not true. So I'm going back to Grand Indonesia again today and hope that it'll rain so I can get to talk to one of these little boys with their umbrellas and find out the truth.

Reading Interests

I was at Pejatan Village Mall the other day with Stephen. There's a Times bookshop on the groundfloor of the mall and we decided to pop in to have a look. Bought myself a book - "Eat. Pray. Love.". It's a pretty good read. I'm halfway through the book. Just finished the bit on when she was staying in an Ashram in India. Reading the book gave me wanderlust and I'm really aching to go travelling to India or someplace exotic to seek spiritual enlightenment.

While I was browsing through the novels, I chanced upon the magazine rack. The magazines were categorized according to reading interests. Under "Women's Interests" were the usual fashion, tabloids and cooking magazines. Under "Men's Interests" were also the usual magazines on cars, bodybuilding, and magazines with lots of half naked ladies on them. There was also another section under "Men's Interests" that had more intellectual reads such as The Economist, Newsweek, Bloomberg Businessweek et cetera.

I was pretty peeved at how they categorised these magazines. It's basically implying that women care for and read only frivolous topics while only the men are concerned about the economy and world affairs. Hey! I resent that stereotype! Women make up, more or less, half the work force! I, of course, had to bring this to the shop assistant's attention. He promptly shrugged and told me that's how it is in Indonesia. Pfffttt!

According to Mansur (the poor ignorant fool of a leader)

Jakarta Globe talks about Shariah Law in Aceh in a 2-page centrefold in today's edition. It really is an interesting read.

One of the religious bylaws in Aceh requires that all Muslims don on Islamic dress. Women are required to wear head scarves and are forbidden to wear pants. According to Ramli Mansur, leader of the Aceh Party, it is stated in the Koran that if a woman imitates a man by wearing pants, then she will spend 500 yeas in solitude before she ever gets to heaven. (Can someone please confirm if this is true? It'll save me the trouble of having to hunt down an English version of the Koran and find out exactly in what context that statement was made in.) Mansur also carried on to say (this is his personal opinion mind you and isn't stated anywhere in the Koran) that when women don't dress according to Shariah law, they're asking to get raped. And that it's a fact that men go wild when they see a woman's breasts and thighs because they arouse them.

I can't believe that someone would actually utter that sentiment knowing full well that his words will be published in the newspaper. I hope to God that he was misquoted because there is never ever a valid excuse for rape. You can never justify rape. To think that there are people who think that just because a woman walks around in shorts, exposing her knees and thighs, she's asking to be raped? In that case, have those men, who are so prone to raping women just because they set their eyes on certain body parts, dig their eyes out in all their religious self-righteousness so they'll never ever be tempted.

What a damn brainless thing to say!

p/s: Oh and by the way, when asked about health and education issues in Aceh, Mansur mentions that he does think about those issues too but religion and the implementation of Shariah Law is more important than those issues. And the reporter probably rubbed Mansur the wrong way because he went on to add that "Your kind of question (with regards to health and education) is characteristic of rebellious people with short-term views. You’re considered an apostate if you hate Islam." (Ha! How about that! Gotta love this man's priorities and foresight! It's okay to have a life expectancy of 30 years and completely illiteracy in the community, as long as women wear their skirts and cover their heads! Prime example why we need to separate church from state.)

Macet!

What was supposed to be a 40 minutes journey turned into an nightmare 2 and a half hours in the car. Today's car ride was Murphy's Law at its finest.

We left the mall at 3pm and came to an absolute standstill in the CBD because some hot-shot government official was driving through and the police literally block off the entire stretch of road (imagine blocking off the entire stretch of Shenton Way just because say, Vivian Balakrishnan was visiting one of the offices there) for about an hour. Everyone basically sat in their vehicles and fume. By then, it was 4pm and office workers started steaming out in hordes because everyone is trying to get home to break fast with their families. Without any traffic jam, it usually takes us about 15-20 minutes to get home from the CBD. To add insult to injury, it started raining! When it rains in Jakarta, traffic (for some inexplicable reason) slows to a crawl even if it's just a drizzle.

It was about an hour later when we caught sight of the lane that leads to our house but the traffic wasn't moving. I can see the turn just 20 metres ahead but we're stuck in such a bad jam that the cars were stationary bumper to bumper. Took us another 20 minutes to travel that fateful 20 metres. I think towards the end of the car ride, Jamhuri (my driver) was about to pull his hair out in frustration.

I swear I'll just sit at home from now on. No more car rides for me!

Disturbing Chat

We went out last night for a round of drinks and dinner with a couple whom we met here in Jakarta. We had a very "interesting" conversation during pre-dinner drinks with A (I shan't name names and you'll understand why as you read on) while waiting for her husband to finish up work for the day. A has had problems with her driver, or rather drivers, since she arrived here in Jakarta. She's been here for 5 months and have gone through 4 drivers. The conversation went something like this:

Us: How's the new driver? And what happened to the previous fella?
A: The new one is alright. Previous guy told us he didn't want to work anymore.
Us: He resigned?! (It's shocking because firstly, the company pays our drivers above the current market rate and secondly, a job as a driver is pretty hard to come by.)
A: Yah. He claimed that he's sick and doesn't want to work anymore.
Us: Ahhhh okay.
A: And I didn't like him much either. He was too religious.
Us: What do you mean too religious?
A: He needs to pray 5 times a day. And he doesn't pick up my calls when I call him while he's praying.
Us: Erm... He's muslim. Most of them do and I don't think they can pick up the phone while praying. (DUH!)
A: Also he's fasting and keeps asking me to give him some time off in the evenings to break his fast. Come on, if he wants to be religious, then he shouldn't be a driver! What am I supposed to do while he prays and breaks fast? Sit and wait for him?! He's just lazy! (Usually, our driver takes about 20-30 minutes to grab dinner after sundown. It's just 30 minutes and the poor dude hasn't eaten or had anything to drink for the entire day. Cut the dude some slack!)
Us: *shocked into silence*

I had to bite my tongue and look the other way because I was afraid I would say something nasty and regret it later. Stephen just smiled and there was an awkward silence after that conversation. The icing on the cake is that her husband is Muslim, albeit a non-practising one.

Maybe it's because we grew up in Singapore where we're exposed to different races and religions, and have been taught at a young age to be sensitive to other races. Perhaps we've had a leg up when it comes to being more racially tolerant but it's still shocking to me that there are people out there who think like A and who are so vocal about their bigotry. That particular conversation really disturbed me.

Ramadhan

I just found out that puasa month for Muslims starts tomorrow which means no food and drink for the hours from approximately 4:30am to 6pm. Whoa! That's an awful lot of hours to go without food and water. I wonder how it'll be here in Jakarta during Ramadhan. Will it be rude if I were to go out for lunch and have a huge feast while (almost) everyone here is fasting?

Pretty Things

We decided to indulge a little and get some fresh flowers for the house. Brought my brand new vase over to a streetside flora stall in Kemang Dalam to purchase some flowers. I was using my iPhone so the photo really doesn't do it justice. Did a little bargaining and the arrangement costs me about $12 SGD. Pretty eh? I've been admiring it all day. :)

What Happens When We Go Furniture Shopping.

This is a typical scenario when we go furniture shopping:

me: ini kursi berapa?
shopkeeper: xxx rupiah.
me: wah! mahal sekali! ada discount?
shopkeeper: yyy rupiah.
me: tidak bisa! lebih kurang.
(The negotiation would go on for about 10 minutes and I'll make a move to proceed onto the next shop if we're going nowhere.)
shopkeeper: kaka. okok. zzz rupiah.
me: terima kasih!

after all that negotiation and AFTER we've agreed on the price, my husband comes back to me saying...

stephen: er... actually i don't think this one is nice. i think the other one looks better.
me: but they're both the same and this one is cheaper!
stephen: OMG! they're totally different. look at the width of the arms on this chair as compared to that? (a 1mm difference in width.)
me: but this is cheaper! you said you wanted this chair!
stephen: no la. I'd rather pay 200,000 rupiah more for this one. the design is also nicer (a very very very slight difference) plus I like the dinks in the wood and the colour is slightly different too.
me: wah lau! (I'll be rolling my eyes while proceeding to start another round of negotiation with the poor shopkeeper.)

What Would You Have Done?

Most of the expats here in Jakarta are provided with a driver. Stephen's colleague is no different. Let's call him Peter.

Peter arrived in Jakarta a month ago and was assigned a driver. This driver however did not speak English and communication was a constant problem. Neither party could understand each other, so Peter wasn't able to tell his driver what time to pick him up and where. I completely understand how frustrating that can be especially if you're new to Jakarta and you rely a lot on your driver to bring you to places. So naturally Peter wanted to change his driver to someone who at least speaks basic English.

When Peter's current driver found out that he will be replaced very soon, he went pleading to Peter to keep him for at least one more month. School starts this month and school fees in Jakarta are not affordable for the average man on the street. In order to afford for his children to go to school, Peter's driver is using this current month's salary to pay for the school fees, which means he has no money for food. And he's banking on next month's salary to pay for food for his family. The driver needed at least a month's notice so that he can have time to look for another job else his family will have to go without food until he finds something else. But if Peter is to keep his driver, he'll have to put up with the inconvenience and frustration for another month.

In the end, Peter didn't keep his driver.
If you were Peter, what would you have done?
 
Living in Jakarta, you hear stories like these all the time. And sometimes it just breaks my heart how poor the poor really are. It's difficult to witness and it's made more so when the income disparity is so huge. The rich are sitting comfortably in restaurants in the malls while the poor are living out of cardboard boxes just outside the malls.

Yes. No. Maybe.

Uncertainty is a large part of our lives.I don't feel it on a day to day basis, but sometimes it pops up when I have to make certain decisions.

For example, should I sign up for the 1-year subscription of the Jakarta Globe? If I do, it's a huge saving and I get an additional 3 months free, so that's 15 months in total at a discounted price. But I don't know whether we'll still be in Jakarta by then.

Most people will say go ahead and do it. What are the chances of moving so soon right? Well I happily signed up for a mobile phone plan (with a commitment period of 6 months) in NZ after being told that we'll be there for at least another year. A couple of weeks after, I was informed that we'll be leaving in approximately two months' time! Ha!

I used to get really upset because it's difficult to make long-term, or even short-term plans for that matter. But being here in Jakarta helps put things in perspective. These are little issues as compared to the kind of problems some people on the streets of Jakarta have. They are struggling to put food on the table, let alone be able to afford to send their children to school. Some don't know where and when will the next meal be. Those are real problems with uncertainty, as opposed to my endless whining.

I Found the Folder!

It was on top of the fridge. I must have left it there when I opened the freezer to get some ice for my drink.

I'm really getting old.

Are Housekeepers Good to Have?

I never really believed my mom when she said that maids are tricky to handle. Figured she was just exaggerating and making a mountain out of a molehill. Well I found out the hard way that the mountain is truly real!

Parti has been working for me for the last 1.5 months. She started out really enthusiastic, has a realy glib tongue and can be a real crowd pleaser when she wants to. I hired her as my housekeeper, mostly to clean the house and do my laundry and ironing. I don't have kids, and I don't require her to cook dinners so life is relatively easy breezy for her. Plus I told her it was okay for her to leave once she's done with her housework. Yes I know. My mistake because she was leaving at 2:30pm every day. And I was thinking to myself, hey, this lady is super efficient. Well, that is until I took a walk into the other rooms and realised that she hasn't been cleaning them. (I usually only hang out in the living areas and my bedrooms. That's more than enough space for me so I don't go peeking into the rest of the rooms.)

I pointed this out to her and loe and behold, she started crying. She started crying even more when I told her that I can't loan her the money that she asked for because she's not doing a good job at all. (Oh yes. She wanted to take a loan from me. And I told her it's all dependent on her work performance.) She thought about it and then decided to resign! FWAH! I get mad just thinking about it. It really irks me that she caused me to lose a little faith in my household staff. I sent her packing right away and had to scramble to hire a replacement.

All this happened when I had guests over. My poor cousin was a little overwhelmed I'm sure. I eventually found a replacement, Narti. She comes with glowing references but then again, so did Parti. The house is a lot cleaner now and Narti seems more genuine as well. But because my bad experience, I'm also a lot stricter with Narti. Well, hopefully she will work out a lot better than the previous one. Fingers crossed.

The 3 Musketeers

They came. They saw. And they flew out this afternoon. The house seems unusually quiet now without  the craziness of having the 3 musketeers around and the din that follows them wherever they go! Even Cooper noticed the difference. He's been popping his head every now and then into the guest bedrooms and even the toilets looking for them. Doncha worry Cooper. We'll be having another set of visitors in 2 days' time!

Where is my brain?

I lost my brain some time between 2:30pm and 3pm today.

2:30pm
I was holding a folder containing 2 slips of paper that needed my landlord's signature. One of his maintenance staff, Malino, was over at my place to fix up a broken window handle.

2:45pm
Made small talk with Malino. He speaks pretty good English and he was suitably impressed with my smattering Bahasa.

3pm
I looked down in my hands and I realise that I wasn't holding onto the folder anymore. I must have left it somewhere in the house but I couldn't find it anywhere. I had it 5 minutes ago. It was not in any of the bedrooms, kitchen, toilets. I looked everywhere. I even checked the freezer. I can't, for the life of me, remember where I last placed it.

Where the hell is the folder?!

Cheapie Cheapie

I headed to one of the local malls hoping to buy some handicrafts. Didn't manage to get any since there wasn't a good selection plus they weren't exactly very cheap. Instead, I stumbled upon a second hand bookshop and found some English novels going for a really good deal. Picked up a couple of books by Wilbur Smith and Robert Ludlum for 5,000R each. That works out to be about 80 cents each. How about that!

Why the Chinese and Indians are not in the World Cup?

Peter Russells has the answer. It's too funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq5wtW2yvvY

Little Miss Fortunate

My sister recently was involved in a fender bender. Some fool driving behind her was dreaming and crashed right into her car. He basically used the car that my sister was in as his braking aid. Yes it was unfortunate that she was involved in an accident but things like that happen. The good thing is that, despite all that drama (being admitted to the hospital overnight to have her neck checked out, then making a police report because she was given 2 weeks' worth of MC and then finally making the insurance claim), she was alright. Nothing like 2 weeks' worth of rest won't cure. Hence the title.

I know she'll probably not talk to me for at least a couple of years for putting this photo up but it's too funny not to. She looks equally pathetic and adorable (kinda-sorta) at the same time with the sad looking neck brace. She has to wear it for the next 2 weeks. So if you don't hear from me over the next week, my sister has probably killed me for embarassing her over the world wide web.

Yikes. My iPhone.

I dropped my phone so many times that I've since lost track. The most recent was when I was at the bank. I was juggling so many things in my hands that my phone slipped and landed with a loud smack on the floor. This was the proverbial last straw that broke the camel's back because when I turned my phone around, the screen was completely shattered. Oh... the heartache!

This is what I did to my poor phone.

Jacques Cousteau mouse in my pool

Went to turn on the pump in the pool this morning and found a little mouse swimming laps and diving around in the pool. The poor bugger must have fallen in while scurrying around trying to pillage food from my kitchen. I ran away screaming! Our compound's security guard came running to see what the commotion was about and kindly removed the rodent in question.

Can't believe there are mice running around in my backyard. And this is after the pest control company's visit just last week.

Help!

Power Outage

We experienced our first blackout a couple of nights ago at our new place. We woke up in the middle of the night to find the a/c off and the garden lights were out. Figured something must have tripped the power. Trudged downstairs in the dark, almost tripping over Cooper a couple of times. Managed to find the circuit breaker and realised that all the switches were flipped in the right direction. Odd. So we took a peek outside and realised that the entire neighbourhood was blanketed in darkness. Our trusty security guard told us that the problem is "dari pusat".

Power didn't come on until the morning but good thing it did else I'll have to throw out half the things in my fridge. Now I'm wondering whether I should get a backup diesel generator that kicks in whenever the power supply cuts off. What do you think?

How much does a gallon of water cost?

Well it really depends on who's buying it here in Jakarta.

If I were to buy a gallon of drinking water, it will cost me R60,000.
For the same gallon of water, my housekeeper pays R11,000.

Imagine the look on my face when I found out.

Homecoming

What did Cooper do when he first arrived at his new home? He romped around in the backyard and didn't stay clean for very long.

Operation Free Cooper

Cooper arrived last Friday into Jakarta. We were unsure all the way up until his arrival whether he needs to be quarantined. Indonesia's equivalent of MAF is known to be very erm... "flexible" when it comes to animal quarantine. I've been told the rule is enforced randomly, depending on the officer on duty and what mood he is in. Alternatively, one could facilitate the early release by greasing the palms of certain officers. I have to admit that we did enquire the amount of payment needed to faciliate this particular transaction and was told that it is 600USD. It's a little excessive considering how the quarantine officers probably earn about 100USD per month. We decided that Cooper can rough it out and stay in quarantine for 2 weeks. That boy's gotta learn that life isn't all walks and doggy bones! I visited him today and he did look a little sad in his tiny kennel. Oh well... suck it up boy!

Stephen, the softie that he is, felt bad for the Doopsie and worked a little magic today and managed to negotiate an early release for the brat of a dog! Hoorah! Operation Free Cooper is a success! He's expected to arrive tomorrow just before lunch. Ooooooo can't wait!

We have moved in! Finally!

We finally moved into the house over the weekend! It was a mess! We spent the entire weekend just putting everything into place. Sorting through our clothes and putting them away took an entire day! No more shopping for clothes for either of us until what we have currently falls apart.

We are still missing a whole bunch of stuff. We don't have curtains yet so I've been up and about at 6:30am the past couple of mornings since the sun comes right through the full length windows. In place of a coffee table, we're using a sad little stool which we try to balance everything from tea cups to the remote controls on it. Armchairs for the living area are still WIP, the TV is perched on top of one of our bedside tables, and the rest of the stereo equipment and DVD player have to go on the floor. Moving is hard work but it's also a lot of fun decorating a new place. The possibilities are endless.

Slowly and surely, we'll get the house up and running in time for our first guests in July. I'll take photos and post them up soon!

Today's Checklist

1. Movers to come in with our shipment.                             check.
2. Spend all day unpacking, cleaning and dusting.              check.
3. Lunch menu: Have cheap nasi padang from one of those roadside hawkers (and not have to run for the toilet after that!)                                check.
4. Play the silly game of attempting to go out for dinner with some friends on a Friday night and then having to give up after spending 1.5 hours in the car and only getting as far as around the block.                                                        check.

Woof!

Latest word from the pet movers is that Cooper will be picked up on the 18th and he will probably arrive on the 19th. Sooooooo excited!

A Breather

Phew.

I'm taking a break from the madness of moving today. It's the driver's day off today so I'm happy to take it easy and not run around like a headless chicken trying to get ready for the move on Saturday. Have been busy cleaning and trying to set up house over the past few days. At least the house is now clean and power and water is up and running. I still have ugly water stains in the toilet bowls that I can't seem to remove no mater how much elbow grease is being put in. I'm going to try a tip I read online - using white vinegar or even coke. I hope the stains come off because they look absolutely disgusting! Argh! Also have to work on getting cable TV and internet set up. Other than that, everything seems to be falling in place (I hope I didn't miss anything.)

A couple of pieces of new furniture came in yesterday, more will come in tomorrow and our shipment from New Zealand will arrive on Friday. How exciting! Can't wait to move into the house on Saturday! 

World Cup Mania

For the next few months, Stephen is going to live, breathe and dream soccer. Like it or not, I have to go along with this madness because there is only one TV at home. After I watched a couple of matches, I discovered I find myself hooked on the game! Not because of the actual sport - come on, who actually understands this whole off-side rule anyway?! I'm more interested in the gorgeous men kicking the ball around! How hot are these guys?!

Presenting Yoann Gourcuff. Take a back seat Beckham. Your glory days are over!

Wink Wink

Someone winked at me the other day. And it was too cute. So I've decided to adopt winking. The next time I wink at you, wink back. Don't ask me if I have a facial twitch! ;)

Uh-oh. Three-oh.

According to the girls in Sex in the City, if 40 is the new 30, then 30 is the new 20!

I had a fabulous birthday. I didn't do much really - ran errands in the morning, went for a spa massage in the afternoon and headed out for dinner with S in the evening. A quiet day but made special by the little things. I received great gifts this year, nothing extravagant but they were all really thoughtful. Plus the staff at the Ritz somehow found out that it was my birthday and turned up at the apartment bearing gifts and a cake, which was a really sweet gesture. Not to mention the well-wishes and phonecalls and the birthday cakes!

Not a great photo. My hand must have shook a little while taking this photo. There's S in his uniform. He looks like a security guard in it.

Birthday cupcakes.

A cake from my favourite aunt. The person at the bakery obviously doesn't speak English.

From the lovely staff at the Ritz.

9th June 2010.

Today is our 3rd year anniversary. We registered our marriage today 3 years ago. I have to admit that I clean forgot about our anniversary (oops!) until Stephen came home with flowers and a little gift last night. He might be working late tonight so he figured an early present will be nice.

I realised that I moan a lot about my frustrations with moving, coping and living in a new country every couple of years. But I have neglected to mention that I’m happy to do it because it means that I get to be together with S and as much of a pain it is to be constantly on the move, it is also just as fun discovering new places together. And if I have to do it all over again, I won't change a thing.

So here’s to us baby, for the next 50 + 5 years.

Happy Anniversary!

OTT Homes

In some parts of Jakarta, the houses are H-U-G-E. They're over-the-top-get-lost-if-you're-don't-leave-a-trail-of-breadcrumbs kinda huge. These homes are more like mansions or palaces. My typical reaction when I chance upon one of these mansions goes something like this: "WOW!" (after having to pick my jaw off the ground) and then followed by "Mad ah! So big! How to clean?!"

Check it out. The portion of the house up front with the little awning over the window is the guard house. This house probably has a pool and a tennis court and (I won't be surprised) a golf course! Madness!

Familiarity Breeds...

happiness! Whoever said that familarity breeds contempt soooooooo did not appreciate the joys of being familiar with his/her surroundings, the people, the language... oh the list goes on. I don't want to explore anymore. I'm not cut out to be an adventurer. I'm getting too old to be making new friends every 2 years. I want the familiar! I want friends! I want to know where to go when I want to get something! I want to be understood without having to resort to sign language and miming!

BIG FAT SIGH.

i heart.

for the first time in a months we decided to make an effort and join the party crowd last night. we stayed out way past our bedtime, which isn't saying much since bedtime is around usually around 10pm. went to a event that was organised by Stephen's company, staggered home at 11pm (it's embarrassingly early I know. there was an after-party which we didn't even consider going since we didn't even make it to the end of the first event) and went straight to bed.

 i think we're getting old...!

Traffic Woes in JKT

We have a driver assigned to us here in Jakarta. It sounds fancy but it really isn't. The terrible traffic, the lack of a comprehensible road numbering system and the absolute lack of road signs coupled with cheap labour is the reason why every mother's son/daughter has a driver. Like everything else in life, having a driver has its pros and cons. You lose your privacy but you don't have to deal with the crazy traffic. Our driver is a nice man. Quiet, unassuming and really tries his best. The thing is, he's constantly lost. It's irony as its best. A 20-minute car ride can turn into a 2-hour nightmare because he doesn't have a clue where he's going, even after getting directions from the hotel conceirge, 3 random motorists and repeated calls to other fellow drivers. We'll be going around in circles and driving around in circles in Jakarta is like tempting fate. You'll eventually get stuck in traffic. And that's usually what happens when I muster enough courage and patience to venture out with the driver.

I've to eventually learn how to navigate and manage the traffic here because it'll be nice to drive myself to places instead of relying on my very nice but also very lost driver. But with the lack of proper road signage, it's difficult to navigate your way around. You either turn at the first broken wall or the second broken wall. Also it'll help to unlearn everything that you've learnt about road safety rules. For example it's alright to be driving against oncoming traffic whereas stopping when the lights turn red is not because you'll have angry motorists honking at you and wondering what you're thinking actually abidding by traffic rules.

i heart.

the bathroom at the hilton, bandung.

Never Say Never

"Twinkle toes I think I found a soul
To make me happily ever after
Twinkle toes I'm glad you shot your bow
Into the arms of my savior
Can I say that I'm somebody's world
How I live alone with nowhere to go no
I say I love you
and I'll say it more
My one and only I can't lose so..

Don't stop doing what you do
Have I paid my dues just to be with you
Don't stop doing what you do
I'll be your something old, new borrowed and blue
Don't stop doing what you do
Coz that makes you my man."

I'm sitting here in my little apartment looking over Jakarta and listening to Gin Wigmore. Never thought I'll say this but I'm missing New Zealand. I miss the quiet, miss the wide open spaces, miss how clean and green it is. I miss the long summer days and walks along the beach. I miss how much time Stephen and I had with each other. Never say never eh?  

To my dear Mum...

Happy Mother's Day!

Big hugs and kisses!

Grand Canyon

These photos are long overdued.

I remember being completely awestruck by the Grand Canyon and how beautiful and enormous it is. I also remember looking over the edge and having a minor panic attack when I realised how far, far away the bottom of the canyon is from where I'm standing. There are no rails between you on the ledge and what looks like at least a 1 - 2 kilometers drop to the bottom. *Shudder* I'm never particularly good with heights. Ok. Maybe that's an understatement considering how I get a panic attack even on a ferris wheel.

First Days

The income disparity here in JKT is huge and very apparent. I thought DVDs in Bangkok were cheap but I think we've come to the source in JKT because DVDs are 1/4 of the price in BKK. It costs about $1 per DVD in JKT. I bought 10 and they even threw in one more free. Joy! At the same time, in the space of 40 mins sitting here at Pacific Place mall, I just saw 3 ladies wearing Christian Louboutin shoes walk by. Each pair of Christian Louboutins costs about $900SGD and up (I think). I've seen more girls with expensive handbags and shoes in one afternoon than compared to 2 years in Auckland. Imagine that!

Also, Jakartians (if there is such a word) somehow seem to either have a complete disregard for their health or that they are just clueless about the harmful effects of cigarettes on their health. (I know I should be the last person to comment on it since Stephen is in the tobacco industry but still!) I'm here at a cafe taking  advantage of the free wifi and slowly dying of passive smoking since every table has someone smoking. What's more, we're indoors and in an air-condtioned mall! I can feel my lungs crying out for help!

House hunting is tomorrow. I really realy reeaalllllllyyyy hope we'll be able to find a suitable place tomorrow so that we can move in ASAP and get settled. Wish me luck.

Selamat Datang di Facebook

That was what greeted me when I logged into Facebook for the first time here in Jakarta. Ha! And I had to figure out how to sign into my blog since everything was in Bahasa. If any one of you guys know how to switch the language over, please let me know. Google seems to automatically set the language of their pages depending on where in the world you are.

CNY 2010

We really should take more photos together as a family. Here's one from CNY this year.

Moving Woes

Not liking this bit of moving at all. We're running into a whole string of random problems.

1. We didn't get the house in JKT that I adore, which means we have to house hunt again when we arrive in JKT and pray really hard that we'll be able to find something that we like within 60 days else then we'll have whole different set of problems.

2. In order for Cooper to enter JKT, he has to receive a rabis vaccine 30 days before he arrives in Indonesia. Except that for some warped reason the entire country of New Zealand has run out of the vaccine. Can you beat that? This is the epitomy of Murphy's Law.

3. Our two-year work visa in NZ expires in a couple of weeks' time. We're heading off to a two-week vacation to Vegas and LA this Sunday (yay!) but we might not be able to get back into the country after our trip from the US (boo.) No loss to me really except that Cooper will be feeling rather sorry for himself that no one came for him at the kennel!

Latest Update: House Hunting in JKT

I found a place in JKT that I really, really adore! We're now just waiting for the owner to come back from overseas in order for us to sign the lease but but but... we also found out that there's another interested party. Darn. I really want that house!

Selamat Pagi Jakarta!

It's funny how life works. Just when I was getting comfortable living in NZ, coming to accept how some things work there even though they still bug the hell out of me, we have to move.

It's definitely different here in Jakarta. It's 5am in the morning (I'm jet lagging and have been awake since 3.30am. My husband is of course happily snoring away. He can sleep anytime at anywhere. I envy that.) I look out of the window and all I see is this gray smog blanketing the entire city. I never knew how blue the skies are until NZ. When you take photos of the skies in NZ, it's like someone has already gone and photoshopped the photos because the colours are so intense. Here, everything looks washed out, the colours are slightly off kilter.

You know you're back in Asia when there are people to do everything for you. Step off the airplane, someone picks you up, someone else picks up your bag, escorts you to your car, loads the bags and then chauffeurs you to the hotel, checks you in. All without you lifting a pinkie. Some people might find it awesome but it makes me a little uncomfortable. It's almost as if we've stepped back in time and slavery was still acceptable.

So it's house hunting day today. I'm really looking forward to it. Can't wait to see what JKT has to offer!

First Of Many Lasts

Today is my last day of work in Morningstar. Sent out an email to my fund managers to inform them of the change and to introduce the new guy. Received lots of replies and well wishes so that made me feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. Having said that, I'm not sorry to leave. It was nothing like quitting my job at Bloomberg, where I had some really good times and I was leaving so many friends behind.

So it seems like it's really happening.

Jakarta, here we come!

Please Go Away...

I'm referring to my eczema. It's ugly and painful and oozy. Now I have ugly legs. Hate it hate it hate it! 

Flying Roach - 0. Me - 1.

So we've moved our bed into the den because we've sold half our furniture online and it's nice to have a fireplace in our bedroom.

The thing I didn't realise was that I was sharing my new bedroom with a flying roach! ARGGGHHHH! It's black, it's huge and it FLIES! Plus Stephen is travelling so it's just me versus evil flying roach. It finally croaked and died only after I chased it around and used half the spray bottle. For now, it's me - 1 and evil flying roach - 0. Yay me!

Going, Going, Gone!

Sold my Mini Cooper today. Sob. I'm going to miss my car! Sob.

Tsunami Warning

Woke up this morning, turned on the TV and CNN was providing live coverage of the tsunami that's about to hit Hawaii. Apparently the South Island has already been hit. After 20 minutes of watching the news, we got bored and decided to head to the beach since it was such a beautiful day.

When we arrived at Muriwai beach, we were greeted by this sign and road blocks set up by lifeguards along the way saying that the beach and the park is closed.

The seas looked fine, the water level was higher than normal but it probably was because it was high tide. No receding of the waer line, no odd fish flopping around in the sand. So we decided to stick around and take some photos. There were a whole bunch of hard core surfers out in the sea catching the waves.

Guess...

... who was put in his naughty corner today?

New Toy

Love love looovvvveeeee (you get the idea) my new camera! Been taking lots of photos of a very un-willing subject. I'm hoping for amazing weather tomorrow so that we can head out and take more photos!

Background

I can't decide whether I should keep this white background with polka dots or should I switch back to the black one. What do you think?

Projects

Received 2 parcels in the post today! Love receiving parcels (even when I'm expecting them)!

One parcel has organic skincare goodies that my sister has requested. The other parcel is much more interesting. I bought a tub of organic shea butter and a bottle of organic jojoba oil. I'm going to try to make my own body butter. I have a whole stash of bee wax (for making lip balms), essential oils and what nots at home. It's a cheaper and a lot more fun. You can decide what goes into the moisturiser, pick your own scent, adjust the portions so that it's creamier or not. (Like I said in one of my earlier posts, I'm going through a kumbaya-embrace-all-things-natural-mother-earthy phase. Ohmmm....)

I've several projects lined up over the next few weeks. Aside from whipping up my own body butter, Stephen and I have ambitious plans to build a dog house for Cooper. We just have to find a lumber yard that sells timber for cheap.

I Want.

Seriously contemplating getting the Olympus EP-2 when I'm back in Singapore for CNY.

Mr and Mrs DIY

Due to a good many encounters with Cooper and his need to purge, either from his mouth or his rear end, we've decided to build a gate so that we can cordon off the deck for my peace of mind. This fella has been creating such a mess at home recently, it's driving me up the walls and onto the ceilings.

So one bright sunny Saturday, we decided to get cracking. We took a zillion measurements of the deck, drove over to Bunnings and bought planks, nails, hinges, paint and an electric saw. Came home and realised that due to our brilliant and very thorough planning, we're one plank of wood short so off to Bunnings again. We sawed and hammered and drilled the whole afternoon, creating quite a din. Don't think the neighbours were too impressed. Finally put together a little hinged wooden gate with a latch that'll safely keep the Coopster out of trouble.

Here's Cooper posing with his unpainted gate. We eventually painted it white to match the deck.

Ass-Kissing

Brought to you by the friendly cows at Cornwell Park!

Long Weekend

We've got next Monday off so it's going to be a long weekend. Gonna head over to Waiheke Island for the weekend and just lie on the beach with my book.

Culture Shock

... for Grandma that is. Brought her along to a dinner party with 2 other couples. They all greeted her with a kiss and a hug. You should have seen her face. Too funny! Would have taken a photo except that it happened too fast and I was too busy sniggering to myself. ;)

Living Out of a Cardboard Box

At the rate house prices are soaring, that's what will eventually happen to us. I don't think we'll ever be able to afford to move back to Singapore. Sure we can get a resale flat but what in the world are we going to do with Cooper? He's not exactly the most stealth of dogs... he'll probably howl in protest at the thought of not having his own backyard.

Thinking Happy Thoughts.

I tend to be glass-half-empty sort of person and am adamant that this year's off to a crap start so it doesn't bode well. Stephen, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He's all bright and shiny and looks at the world through rainbow-tinted glasses.

So here's to thinking happy thoughts. (For all you clueless folks out there, it's a scene from Peter Pan.)

[Wendy:] But Peter, how do we get to Neverland?

[Peter:] Fly, of course!

[Wendy:] Fly?

[Peter:]It's easy! You think of a wonderful thought!

[The children:] Any happy little thought?

[Peter:] Uh, huh

[Wendy:] Like toys at Christmas?

[John:] Sleighbells,snow?

[Peter:] Yeah, watch me now, here I go! It's easier than pie.

[Wendy:] He can fly!

[John:] He can fly!
[Michael:] He flew!

I Like.

Tourist Destination: Michael Joseph Savage Memorial

Seveal things I learnt about Grandma: she loves taking photos and then loves admiring herself in the photos after that.

Update on Stephen's Strange Illness

It's gone! He's fine! Tra-la-la! Happy happy!
*megawatt grin*

Tourist Destination: Auckland Harbour and Viaduct

Only one photo here since the rest didn't turn out so well. Made Grandma walk the entire length of the Harbour and Viaduct since she needs the exercise. Let's just say she wasn't too thrilled with all that walking after a while. Doesn't she look a lil' peeved here?!