Mimpiku

Hujan baru saja berhenti dan matahari mulai kembali muncul dari balik awan kelabu saat aku mulai menapakkan kakiku di jalan beraspal.

Bau aspal basah bercampur bau rumput basah di udara, kuhirup udara dingin dan baunya dalam2.

Senyum mengembang, kepala terasa ringan dan bersih....
 

Itu cerita tentang mimpiku tadi malam, as far as I remember.Weird....

It's here

It's when the sun is brightly shining but there is a chill in the wind,

It's when trees turned bright gold, when yellows, oranges and reds are beginning to peak through the branches,

It's when the leaves started to fall and we rake the leaves in piles,

It's when small fires are made in the fireplace, AC switched to heating mode, and heater is out of the cupboard,

It's when the warm coat, sweater, long sleeves, and boots are worn,

It's when winter clothes start to get into the stores,

It's the season after summer and before the winter,

It's the fall, it's autumn,

it's cool, crisps, sweet, sometimes wet,

it's here.

Traditional Vs Electronic

............. 'XX' is wishing you a Merry X-mas and great New Year 2010... Have a great holiday........

it's another christmas wishes on my friend's status on facebook. This time not even went to my personal mailbox. As I am considering myself as her friend, so I should think that message is for me too.

What happened to the world?! The last few years the communication world has been taken over by electronic device. What happened with the written letters and cards?

As much as I enjoy the practicality of technology and paperless environment on birthdays and Christmas' time, this year I am missing the old days. Am talking about Christmas time in particular here.

I misses the day when I would be busy making Christmas cards, sent/handed them to my friends. Or would be busy buying lots of Christmas cards then sent them by post. The next day I would impatiently wanted to go home to see who has sent me a card and how many card I received that day. I remember the feeling to get a 'surprise' cards. I remember the excitement of decorating the house with all the cards we got in the house. Sometimes we left them standing on special table, some other times we stick them on the wall, other time we put them under the Christmas tree, or arrange them like a tree on the wall. From all the cards I received, I would give a lots of attention and care to a hand made card, made by me own friends who gave them to me. I felt it was very special. As special as all the handmade cards I made for them. At the end of the season I would count the total cards I received that year, and wrapped them neatly and safe them in a box (I still have them now).

As the year goes by, the quantity of cards I get is lesser and lesser. Starting with the birth of email, people started to send e-cards through email - which at least I can print ( I never did that, though). Then through sms (which at least it can be saved in the phone inbox for a few months - then their gone). Then through friendster, and now on facebook. It starting to lost the essence, doesn't feel special anymore.

In the last five years I sent at least 8 cards each year, and all I received was only two Christmas cards every year; one from my dearly husband, and the other one from my parents in law.

I sent 3 cards this year. Two days ago I found a christmas card in my mailbox. It was from my friend in Melbourne (whom should get the card from me too by now). It looked pretty and special with all the photos in it. It was a surprise and made my day. It brought me back to old memories and wish to find more cards everyday on my mailbox from someone I know.

Poor mr postman, he become an unwanted person who only deliver us junk mails and bills.

Dad's Birthday Today

Today is my dad's birthday. I and the boys here celebrate it by enjoying my Mie Goreng Special Ulang Tahun for lunch. It taste better than fried noodle we bought from a noodle restaurant in town. :)

Happy birthday, Dad! I pray that God grant him health and happiness. Wish I were there and celebrate it together with family.

changes

I've been questioning myself of what changes I've made since I have a baby. These are just a few that come across my mind now.

1. No more lady of leisure.

2. Become a morning person - well,... not exactly. I wish I could sleep till 9am every morning or at least on weekend. But the little boy won't let me :)

3. Everyday is a new adventure, every day is a surprise - this is the exciting and fun part

4. No more dull boring days - no more wake up and think what I'm going to do today.

5. I look at the little boy in the mirror instead of myself - well, i usually looked dreadful (*sigh*)

6. I don't mind going to bed at 9pm - as I started to loose energy around 5 pm

7. appreciate 'silence' more - hearing the little boy bubbling and winging away are enjoyable, but when he asleep and watching him sleeping in a warm quite room... it's a gold!

8. taking a warm shower + washing hair is a luxury - means I have a couple more minute to pamper myself.

9. sit down and relax in front of TV for more than 1/2 hour is an oddity - call me strange, but really, there's no time to watch my favourite series. Even when they were repeated few days in a day.

10. Running with hours instead of running on the treadmill - every day goes so fast I'm not even realised.

11. Conscious to 'time' more than ever - found out that I rely on the clock a lot to take care a baby. Days were timeless before.

12. cinema ? what's that ?! - impossible to go to cinema with little boy. So forget it.

13. Little boy's pain feels much worse than my own - little bit of abnormalities even though it's not harmful made me sad and worried so much.

14. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please me (Hooray for poop!) - I guess that's simply becoz I have no choice but HAVE TO deal with it.

15. I discover how much to say just for two teeth - I might be bored people with all the talk about my little boy every time we are in a conversation. He is just my world at the moment.

16. Clothing shopping for myself became priority number 100. - I can't remember the last time I walk in to a clothing shop. What a major change!

17. I discover an inner strength I never thought I have - I'm survive so far. I guess it made me strong and I proud of it.

18 . I give parents with a screaming child an 'I know the feeling' look, instead of a 'Can't you shut him up?' - between mums, we understand each other now :)

19. I give more attention to everyone who has gone or have to go through surgery/operation. - having a c-section just open my eyes to the misery of the recovery post surgery. Not too nice.

20. and, I guess I respect my parents and love them in a new way

Happy Mother's Day for my lovely Mum, and to all mums in Indonesia.

My Mum

My mum went back to Jakarta yesterday evening after spending 2 month here with us. She had no choice than flew across the continent for more than 20 hours to see her first grandson. it was a brave thing to do considering she had to travel alone to a strange country. Arrived on the 19th of May, she suffered a jet lag for 1,5 weeks (*grin*).

It's been a year since the last time I met her, and it's been 3 years since I move from my parents house. I'm happy to finally have family visiting us. Even though we never lost contact, it's hard to explain about my new life style and the way we live here if they are not experience themselves. So it was really nice to have her in our house (I wish dad could come too, but he has business to run - 2 months was to long). It's funny, I hardly talk and do things together while we were in Jakarta. I can't remember when was the last time we went holiday together. Here, we had fun doing things together, catching up and talk about many things, and travel around.

It was only 2 months, but so many things happened. We've gone through a lot of changes especially in the milestone and growth of Evan. His schedule, habit, and skills changed quite fast so that we didn't have time to breathe. Mum help us a lot with that. She loves spending time with Evan, cuddling, carrying and playing with him. We had lot of laugh together. She help me going through the misery of breastfeeding and c-sec wound problem and gave us a few tips and tricks on taking care of Evan. She also help us with some of the house chores like cooking, laundry and iron. And we had a great time travelling out of town a few times.

I am now feel a lot better from the c-sec and have more confidence in taking care Evan. It's been a lot of fun with mum here. I wouldn't know what to do without her. I miss her as soon as she walk out the door. Thanks Mum!

Best Wishes

As kids we used to have fun, play and fight as much as we could

As teenagers we used to share room and thoughts, and fight

As adults we were busy with our own things,

have different ideas and interest in many things

now we are living in different place, doing different things

we have less chat, less sharing, also less fight.

but our thought are still meet each other

missing her, loving her,

my sister

who had finally went to a new step in her life yesterday

I wish I were there on her wedding day
Wishing them both a lifetime of everlasting love and happiness.

congratulations

till we meet again

I Miss....

driving in a chaos traffic of Jakarta, spending times with family, hanging out with old friends,

taking shopping tour from mall to mall, shopping like never shop before,

going crazy with crazy sisters and friends,

and satisfy my tummy with yummy favorite food.

These are the one I miss the most as I can't get them here,
Crab with spicy sauce, traditional cakes from stall on the street,
frog leg with margarine sauce, teh botol, and hoka-hoka bento!

These pictures were only some from many others taken on my last year Jakarta visit, around the same time last year (march). Pulang kampung once a year, that's what I usually do since I move out. But I live far far away now, and with the baby coming soon, I don't know when I can go back there. Rather sad. Especially I'll miss my sister's wedding too this year.....

Him

He can be annoying
He can be ignorant
He can be messy
He can be clumsy
We may do things differently
we may not talk to much sometimes
we may be busy with our own things

But

He can be sweet and loving
He can be helpful
He can be funny and cheerful
He can be dependable
We always enjoy watch movie and cuddle together
We always plan everything together
We always help and take care each other

...............

.... how I miss him when he is not around....

Transformation

Time to be a real narcissist. :D

After a few days digging to all my pictures collection, i found it easy to find my childhood's and current's, but hard to find the 80's and 90's. And here they are, some of them I could get from each decades of my life. Reminded me to how old I really am (*sigh*)...

So, how do I transformed? Do I look so innocent in the 70's? Do I still look innocent now? :D

Utopia

kulihat dunia berputar lagi...

warna warni terindah menyinari bumi...

kujelang hari, kujelang mimpi...

hadirmu utopia...

senyumku utopia...

rinduku utopia...

khayalku utopia...

kudengar dunia bernyanyi lagi...

nada-nada terindah mendamaikan bumi...

Utopia - by Homogenic

Utopia. I like this word. It gives a positive meaning and hopes. Although there's no such thing as a perfect place. An ideal place and life, it's only fiction, fantasy. But it's good to have a fantasy that someday I could live in a perfect, ideal place, where there's only peace, no pain, no hunger, where people don't have to get older, don't have to be sick, where I can see more people smiling and laughing than sad and crying, where there is no hate, no stress, no worries, where the weather is nice, not too hot, not too cold, where people doesn't have to bad to, bitch, or trick each other. well.. maybe you still have to sleep, eat, work, etc, but you know.. where everything just run smoothly like whatever you wanted. I know.. it might be not as exciting as the world we live now. It would be a total boredom place. But... again, no such place like my fantasy utopia.

Anyhoo, wonder what kind of Utopia you have in your fantasy ??

Clevedon

I've been to this place, a historical house at East Gresford, NSW, called Clevedon. Stayed there for a few weeks a couple of times, and I enjoyed it very much. I amaze with the history of the property, how peaceful and beautiful it is ... so I thought I wanna share it with you.

Historical Victorian Home, Clevedon

History of Clevedon,


Clevedon was first settled by George Townshend when he bought the property in 1836. James McCormick arrived from Ireland in 1833 with his wife, Ellen and 3 year old daughter, Mary. Mr McCormick worked for George Townshend at Trevallyn for some years before he started buying his own land which included Clevedon.

Mary McCormick married Edward W Doyle in 1862 after he arrived from England in 1986. They had two children, Joseph McCormick and Edward James Sarsfield, and it was for Edward James Sarsfield that Clevedon was built in 1898 after his marriage to Lillian Kathleen Robertson in 1895. Edward james Sarsfield Doyle died in 1903, aged 34 after surgery for appendicitis on the kitchen table at Clevedon.

There have been three substantial houses on the original Clevedon property - there is no trace of the first, the second homestead can still be seen to the right of the current house facing the river (minus its top storey, which was sold during the 1930's and was moved to Trevallyn and is now know as "The Harbourage").

Clevedon served the Gresford Community as a hospital between 1929-1953 and 1956-1984 and many of the district's residents have strong links to Clevedon in its days as a hospital.

After 1984, it was lovingly and carefully restored to its present state and now sits on 82 acres backing on to the Allyn River with vineyard, orchards, and gardens.

The current owners live in the house and have built two modern, high quality Bed and Breakfast units with a Craft shop and Tea Rooms to cater for the growing tourist market visiting the scenic peaceful Gresford area and the Barrington Tops.

House of Clevedon

Bed and Breakfast at the top storey

Garden near the entrance

Another garden spot around the house

Bushes of flowers at the back gate

One misty morning in Clevedon

Scenery around the property

Living animals around the property

A Year Ago

A year ago today, I was on a plane from Jakarta to Adelaide, planned to stay there only for 3 months.

A year ago today, I arrived in Adelaide with love, happiness, hope, and confusion.

A year ago today, I never ever knew that I would end up staying in this country till now.

A year ago today, I started new journey of my life .....