Last Minute School Holiday..

Holiday can be quite unexpected, but I am the kind a person who would take a leap to make a holiday a worthy and well-deserved one.. ;-)

On the last day of school, Ariq caught the chicken pox. It was quite understandable as a few of his classmates caught it during the semester, especially during the exam period.

Ariq was fine within a week, but then, Aza and Kyra caught the chicken pox from Ariq, so we had to stay home longer.. We ended up staying at home for three weeks, out of the four weeks school holiday..

Bored? Of course.. Sad? Of course not! .. We just made a pledge to make the final week of the holiday worth the whole four weeks! How? Well.. this is how we do it!

School holiday started on the 13th of June, and will end on the 16th of July. On Wednesday, the 4th of June, all the chicken pox scars on Aza had disappeared. I quickly decided that our holiday just started!

The Saturday before that, Ariq had accidentally broke my Acer Tab LCD screen, when a piece of wood he was carrying hit the poor tab that was laying on the floor, while being played by Aza and a friend's daughter.. Ariq insisted to have the LCD replaced using his saving. So, when the ordered LCD arrived and the service centre staff called me, we needed to go to the service centre right away. There was a long line up for the LCD, and if we didn't claim one within the week, the service centre had to give it to another customer.

I took the opportunity to take the boys on a modest city tour the next day (Thursday, the 5th of July).. We took public transport, all the way from our home to the Acer Service Centre. We had to change transportation three times.

From the local public transports, which are called 'angkot', short for 'angkutan kota' (city transportation)







To a medium bus, a particular one called 'Metro Mini'







Then, to a 'Trans Jakarta' bus. This is a big express bus, which runs on a separate lane on the streets, so that it doesn't get caught in traffic. This bus is also called the 'Busway'.




On the trip to the Acer Service Centre, Ariq felt tired and uncomfortable during the first half of the trip. I could understand it, because he had been staying indoor for three weeks. However, as the trip went further, the boys started to enjoy the trip better, and we had a great time!

Ariq and Aza were having the best time during the trip back, when several street musicians (pengamen) went on and off the Metromini we were on. Some of the street musicians were actually pretty good, and Ariq admired one of them who had a pretty coarse voice which sounded like two people singing duet.. :-)

At the bus terminal, we saw a poster of the Mummy Exhibition which was going on around the bus terminal. Since it was already 5.30 p.m. and we were still about 2 hours away from home (by public transport), we decided to visit the Mummy Exhibition on Saturday.

The next day (Friday, the 6th of July), my nephew, Irfan -who is the same age with Aza-, called my mobile phone. He caught the chicken pox at the same time with Aza and Kyra. So, he just got better too, and he wanted to have a holiday together with Ariq and Aza. I agreed to meet him at the mall near my parents' home.

I quickly asked Ariq and Aza to get ready, and, we headed to 'Pondok Indah Mall', where we were supposed to meet Irfan and my parents to play in 'Fun World' and have dinner together.

As can be expected, the three boys were having the time of their life! Especially because they haven't been out for more than a couple of weeks! Not as much 'raw' adventure as the day before, but, it was just as much fun for them, and I just love watching them having fun together.. ;-)

The next day (Saturday, 7th July), we decided to stay at home and rest. My husband suggested to go to the Mummy Exhibition on Sunday, instead of Saturday> I agreed, believing that the boys would need the rest after two busy days..

On Sunday, we went to 'Blok M Square' to visit the Mummy Exhibition.

The Exhibition was pretty good, especially for Primary School Children. There were guides dressing up like the Pharaoh's guards who explained to visitors the highlights of the exhibition. There were five areas of the Mummy Exhibition.

The first was the modern mummification process documentary. The film was about a group of researchers, trying to recreate the mummification process on a donated corpse. The researchers were not using the highly sophisticated lab or equipment, instead they were using a room and equipment that are similar to those at the time the real mummies were mummified. They were also using the same mummification technique that the ancient Egyptians used. They wanted to prove that the ancient writing of the mummification process was accurate and could be done in the modern time with the same result.

The second area was where a few statues of ancient Egyptian gods and pharaohs were displayed. The guide corrected visitors about the most common wrong perception that people make:

1. Pharaoh (Fir'aun) is not a name of a King, but a title equivalent to King.
2. There are not only one or two pharaohs. There are at least a total of 40 pharaohs in the ancient Egypt, because that is the number of pharaoh mummies that have been found in pyramids or ancient sites in Egypt.
3. King Tut was not the pharaoh that ruled Egypt in prophet Musa's time. The pharaoh ruling Egypt in prophet Musa's time was Ramses II and Ramses III, who were the descendants of the King Tut's wife, after King Tut's death. King Tut was the youngest and shortest ruling pharaoh, as he was crowned at the age of 9 and died at the age of 19. He was married when he died but he didn't have any children.

After the display area, we came to the main area, which was where the modern mummy was displayed. The mummy was placed in a large glass box. Dried flowers were sprinkled on the top part of the glass box.

I asked the guide if the mummy was the one being mummified in the presentation film. The guide said that it was very possible. There were several corpses donated for the mummification research, and those mummies were the ones allowed to travel overseas for exhibition/education purposes. The real pharaoh mummies are now resting in museums and they are not allowed to travel to maintain their condition.

Another lady asked the guide why the mummy was covered in linen cloth. Why not just let them stay open so people can see the skin that was mummified. The guide said that the condition of each mummy is different. Some of them are perfect, but some others aren't. The ones that are in perfect condition can be displayed without the linen cloth wrap, but the ones that are not perfect must be kept wrapped, to avoid further damages. These damages could be caused during the mummification process, or by injuries or deformities during the pharaoh's life time.

Another visitor asked if the mummy has an odor. The guide said that mummy is basically a corpse, so it does have a smell. It can also break. That is why, besides the linen cloth wrapping, the lighting and temperature in the room where the mummy is stored or displayed must be maintained and closely monitored.

When all of the questions had been asked and answered, we were taken to the next area, where we had to walk through a labyrinth to reach the exit door. The labyrinth had many turns and dead ends. At any hidden corner, a mummy could be hiding, waiting to jump at us. Sometimes, the mummy also jumped and scared us from above the labyrinth wall.. One mummy was walking right behind us, making Aza grinning all the way through the labyrinth.

Aza, my 5-year-old, loves everything about the ancient Egypt. Being able to 'interact' with a 'live' mummy just made his day... If the exhibition area was shaped like a pyramid, Aza probably wouldn't want to go home.. :-D

The fifth and last area was the mini photo studio, where we could have our picture taken with a prepared background. After a few shots, the photographer team finally had one that they considered good for printing.

This is the one the photographer team printed for us

This is the one the photographer team thinks was not good for printing

Ariq and Aza asked if they could come back before the exhibition ended. I hope we can go there one more time before it ends on the 17th.

Monday, again, was a rest day. My husband went to work and Kyra's nanny was having a day off. So, we were just having an easy day.

Tuesday, was a different story, though..

Last week, a mother of Ariq's friend at school was organising a camp for kids between 9 and 16 years old. Ariq was supposed to go on the camp. However, since the quota for the camp was not met, and a member of the committee had a road accident, the camp was cancelled.

My husband and I were originally planning to stay around the camp area the whole day Tuesday, because it was going to be Ariq's first camp. Therefore, my husband requested two days off work. Tuesday to come to the camp, and Wednesday to pick Ariq up.

When the camp was cancelled, my husband and I decided to go to the camp area anyway. We thought it would be fun. Especially my cousin and a mother of Aza's school friend, recommended the place. We went there, and it was just amazing! A great adventure for the whole family and we came home with a decision that we had to make a 'part two' trip there, and next time, we might stay overnight there, either in the cottage or in a tent in the camp area.. ;-)

The place is called Kebun Wisata Pasir Mukti and with a good traffic, it is only about one hour drive from either Jakarta or Cinere/Limo.

The entrance fee and individual activities in park was very reasonable, which was between Rp 10.000,- and Rp 15.000,- , while other activities can be pre-arranged in groups, such as paintball skirmish, outbound, etc.

As it was a Tuesday, the park was quiet. We almost had it to ourselves!

As usual .. Aza had lots of fun with his 'friends' ..

Nice little lamb.. Can I be your friend?

(1)Can I sit on your back? .. (2)Whoops .. (3)Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you .. (4)Go ahead, eat! .. (5)Yes, we're friends

Hi, there..

Let's pretend that we're swimming together.. 

Kyra is finding out new things..

Paddy field path is a nice place for a picture

That little bird is pretty.. like me..

Sometimes, there's nothing in the cage

Dad is cool

Mum is mine

Big brothers are fun

(1)I'm cool .. (2)I'm sweet .. (3)I'm cute

and.. 

I'm afraid of the buffalo who is having a mud bath!

Last but not least.. Ariq is doing his 'big-brother' thing..

See, Kyra.. Baby lambs don't bite..

Don't worry, I'll get you across safely..

I won't let you fall..

Pull your jeans up.. See my pants are dry..

And.. we were all having a great time..

That's our Last Minute School Holiday.. I'm sure now that the timing can be pushed to the last minute, but the fun, the great holiday, should not be pushed to anything less than great.. ;-)

I hope all of you had a great school holiday.. :)

A Little Italian Taste for Our Garden

About two (or three) months ago, Sinta told me that she brought some seeds from Italy, which she had been storing in her kitchen cupboard. They were the seeds of her favourite vegies and herbs.

Having a little baby certainly took most of her time. She is still struggling with daily chores, let alone trying to do any gardening -been there, done that-.. :-)

While in my case, after watching my chillies grew and enjoying the harvest.. I became addicted to growing things in the garden.. Here are some photos of my chillies, obviously, I'm not the only one who enjoys the chilli harvest.. ;-)

A couple of mating crickets in my Habaneros (Cabe Gendot) tree.

Leftover Habaneros.. left by crickets for me.. :-P

The Long Chilli harvest has been claimed.. not by me..

I'm so happy knowing that my hands can actually grow things, which I used to think was impossible. Plants used to die in my hands, but, watching Mother and my husband work in the garden somehow has sparked a motivation to try.. and it works well!

I prepared the soil for the seeds. I laid the soil on the ground for a few days, then I mixed it with natural compost and let it cool down under the shade for a few days again. Then I took a little bit of each seed and place it in small pots. I watered the pots twice daily and.. Wow! Within a week, little leaves have sprung out..

It has been almost two months, since the time when I sow the seeds. Now, the plants are ready for first harvest.

Rucola Da Orto (Kemangi Itali)

Basilico

Prezzemolo

The last thing I need to find for these plants now are RECIPES.. ;-)

So far, Sinta only told me that Rucola is nice to put in sandwiches, while Basilico and Prezzemolo are usually used as herbs in cooking.

I have tried having Rucola with my breakfast sandwich and it was beautiful. This morning, I tried having it with my rice.. It was also nice..

I can't wait to use Basilico and Prezzemolo in my spaghetti bolognese.. I hope I can make it some time this week.. ;-)

If any of you have any recipe suggestions for me, using these three ingredients, please let me know. I am really excited to try..

I am also growing Zucchino (Italian Zucchini) and Pomodoro (Italian Tomato). They take longer to harvest, though, so, I have to come back to you for the result..

When I sow the seeds for the first time, I only used a small portion of the pack. I am growing some more in an open space. This time, I'm growing more Rucola and local Spinach. I'm hoping to harvest in a month time.

Chilli trees are very fragile. They can't stay too dry/hot nor too wet/cold. I'm looking for more habanero seeds to grow and this time, I hope I can also successfully keep some seeds for future sowing..

Don't forget to have your vegetable every day and have a nice day, Everyone.. :-)

-14 May 2012-

Baju Princess untuk 'Princess'-ku

 Tidak ingat kapan persisnya, saya hanya ingat waktu itu, di sekolah, entah SD atau SMP. Suatu hari, teman sebangku saya membawa sebuah hakpen dan segulung benang wol lokal (yang biasa untuk prakarya sekolah). Dia bercerita bahwa neneknya sedang mengajarinya merajut (merenda/crochet). Saya bertanya, apakah dia mau mengajari saya, dan dia mau.

Saya belajar membuat rantai, double-crochet dan treble dari teman saya itu, tanpa mengetahui nama-nama dari tusukan tersebut. Lalu, saya mencoba membuat taplak bulat kecil yang sederhana, tapi, begitu waktu ujian tiba, semua itu terbengkalai. Ditambah lagi, kesabaran saya di masa itu masih jauh dari cukup, hingga membuat teman sebangku saya juga pusing mengajari saya.
 


Singkat cerita, sejak saat itu, saya tidak pernah merajut lagi, walaupun setiap kali 'berpapasan' dengan toko benang dan alat rajut, perasaan saya sering tergelitik untuk merajut lagi. Namun, saya tidak yakin, seberapa pandai sebenarnya saya..

Rasa penasaran itu akhirnya sampai juga pada puncaknya, saat tante saya mulai mengikuti kursus merajut di dekat rumah. Saat itu, saya masih sibuk dengan dua anak laki-laki saya yang masih kecil dan saya baru saja pindah rumah.

Saat saya melahirkan anak saya yang ketiga (satu-satunya yang perempuan), adik ipar saya yang baru lulus kuliah, mulai kursus merajut juga. Melihatnya merajut di rumah, saya benar-benar tergerak untuk merajut lagi. Akhirnya, saya ikut dengan adik ipar saya ke toko tempatnya kursus dan membeli segulung benang dan sebuah hakpen.

Saya merasa sangat senang, seperti berhasil mendapatkan sesuatu yang saya impikan bertahun-tahun. Untuk beberapa bulan, saya mencoba membuat kerajinan-kerajinan sederhana yang muncul dalam imajinasi saya. Kemudian, saya mulai ingin mencoba untuk membuat sesuatu yang bisa memotivasi saya untuk berkembang.

Menjelang putri saya berusia satu tahun, saya ingin sekali membuatkan sebuah baju Princess (long dress) untuknya. Sebagai langkah pertama, saya mencari pola baju bayi yang saya sukai. Saya belum pernah merajut menggunakan pola sebelumnya dan saya tidak tau cara membaca pola gambar. Setelah sekitar satu bulan mengarungi dunia maya, akhirnya, saya berhasil menemukan sebuah pola (tulisan) gratis di internet yang menurut saya, sangat cantik untuk jadi baju putri saya.

Langkah kedua, saya mencari benang yang saya rasa cocok untuk baju yang ingin saya buat. Saya ingin benang yang saya gunakan ini cukup lembut untuk anak-anak, tapi, harganya juga tidak terlalu mahal, karena saya baru pertama kali mencoba membuat karya crochet sebesar ini. Kembali saya menelusuri internet, mencari toko benang online. Saya tidak mungkin berjalan jauh dari rumah, karena ketiga anak saya masih membutuhkan saya sehari-hari di rumah. Proses mencari benang ini juga berlangsung sekitar satu bulan. Namun saya merasa beruntung karena sekarang ini, begitu banyak pilihan toko benang online di internet.

Setelah benang yang saya pesan tiba di rumah, saya pun mulai merajut baju bayi untuk putri saya. Saya ikuti seluruh instruksi dalam pola itu hingga selesai. Merajut.. membongkar.. merajut.. membongkar.. hingga semua sesuai dengan yang dimaksud oleh pola. Sedikit demi sedikit, baju untuk putri saya mulai terlihat bentuknya. Saya pun merasa termotivasi untuk menyelesaikannya.

Kedua anak laki-laki saya sangat antusias menunggu baju untuk adik mereka. Setiap malam mereka memasangkan 'calon' baju itu ke badan adik mereka dan berseru, "Sudah pas, Bu! Sudah bagus, Bu! Cepat saja selesaikan!" Dan saya hanya tertawa dalam hati. Kalau saya berhasil menyelesaikan baju itu sebelum kekecilan saja, sudah bagus sekali rasanya..

Saya mengerjakan baju untuk putri saya itu di sela-sela rutinitas saya. Namun, karena saya menikmati proses merajut baju itu, ternyata, saya berhasil menyelesaikannya dengan cukup cepat, hanya tiga minggu saja. Waktu yang cukup lama bagi para 'crocheter' yang lebih handal, tapi, untuk saya yang baru pertama kali merajut karya besar, dari pola, dan hanya di sela-sela keseharian yang tak menentu.. saya merasa bangga.. 

Saat saya coba pakaikan baju itu pada putri saya, ternyata masih agak kebesaran, dan putri saya juga belum lancar berjalan. Pengasuh putri saya memberi saran, kalau dibuatkan sebuah bandana yang senada, pasti akan terlihat sangat serasi. Lalu, saya pun membuat bandana dari motif lengan baju, dan berhasil!

Untuk beberapa bulan, baju tersebut belum bisa dipakai secara maksimal, tapi, putri saya sangat menyukai baju hasil karya saya itu. Seluruh keluarga juga menyukai baju tersebut. Sepupu saya, saat melihat putri saya mengenakan baju crochet itu, memesan untuk putrinya yang berusia lima tahun. Saya terima pesanannya, dan berhasil menyesuaikan polanya untuk membuat baju yang lebih besar. Saya betul-betul termotivasi untuk terus merajut setelah menyelesaikan baju untuk putri saya.

Sekarang, putri saya sudah berusia hampir dua tahun, dan saya sudah menyelesaikan cukup banyak karya rajutan di sela-sela jadwal keseharian saya. Saya juga sudah bisa membaca pola gambar dan sudah mulai belajar 'knitting' (breien). Namun, bagi saya, baju Princess yang saya rajut untuk 'Princess' saya itu adalah karya saya yang paling berkesan, karena dari baju itulah saya benar-benar termotivasi untuk terus merajut dan mengembangkan kemampuan merajut saya sampai sekarang.

Putri saya, Dinda, bersama ayahnya, mengenakan baju rajutan saya

-27 April 2012-

Aza's First Wushu Tournament

My cute 5-year-old, who usually performs as 'the family clown', finally had a chance to show a different side of him.

After 11 months of weekly training (which often feels like exercise routine for me too), he wanted to perform in a Wushu tournament.

I still remember in May 2011, he saw a poster of the Wushu club on the glass window of the fitness centre at the mall near home. The poster was showing a girl, about Ariq's age, performing a sword stance.

Aza asked if he would be trained to use a sword if he joined the club, and we told him that he would, if he would be patient learning all the stances and forms before he could move well enough to hold a sword. He said that he wanted to learn Wushu.

We enrolled Aza in the Wushu club, with a hope that he would enjoy practicing Wushu and learn many things from his practice. I have seen how he is fascinated with all types of swords. He rarely asked for toys other than swords, and I'm pretty sure that he has drawn more than one hundred swords since he was two years old.. He can even cut a simple shape of a sword with scissors without drawing it first..

The first few weeks, I worried a lot, because Aza kept running around during practice. He did well as long as his Sifu was instructing him one-on-one, but when he had to practice with the whole class, he lost concentration and started running around.

I was wondering if Aza was too young, and if he was a distraction to the club. So, I asked the Sifu about that. I was really surprised and relieved when the Sifu told me, "The younger they start, the better. He's only 4 years old. If he is not running around, then we should be worried. If joining Wushu is what Aza wants -not something that his parents want him to do-, then you should not worry, he will naturally calm down in a year or two."

It was true. After about six months, once he began to have a grasp of the basic stances form, Aza started to calm down a little. He knew his routine well, and he was alright doing it without his instructor watching him every minute. He still wanders off around the room when he gets bored, but not as much. I could leave the room for half an hour and he was still obediently practicing when I came back.

I didn't realise how long Aza had been practicing Wushu until recently. I asked the fitness centre admin staff, when Aza first joined the club and she told me it was May last year. WOW! It was almost a year ago! Then, Aza's work started to show result. A tournament and belt examination were coming up.

Aza wanted to perform in the tournament. I cautiously asked the Sifu, if Aza was allowed. The Sifu was excited that Aza had the initiative to join the competition and they assured me that there was no unnecessary pressure on the students. The most important thing was that students learn to be confident of themselves in performing their forms in front of other people.

The Sifu suggested Aza to perform in a group. Aza's group consisted of four members, with Aza as the team captain, being the longest practicing white belt. He had memorised almost all moves in the Basic Stances form. Aza loved having to shout the 'qi' and leading the team.

On the day of the tournament, it turned out that two of Aza's team were not performing in the tournament, and one lost contact -later on we found out that they got lost on the way-. The Sifu asked Aza if he felt ready to perform alone. Confidently, Aza agreed.

Shortly after, Joshua -Aza's friend who got lost- arrived, unfortunately, after Aza was moved from team class to individual class. So, Joshua -and his parents- decided to stay to cheer for Aza, which made Aza very happy..

I know that Aza was confident, because the Saturday before the tournament, his Senior Sifu got married and asked Aza to perform his Stance Form in front of the stage and he did! I was not sure though, how the change in formation would affect Aza's performance.

Well.. it did affect him, but not as big as it could have been.. For a few seconds Aza forgot that he was not performing as a team. He looked around and realised that the other contestants moved without sync.

Aza looked at me for confirmation, and when I told him that he was performing alone, he started his form, and he did it well.

I'm so proud of Aza.. :-)

All because of washing machines

Ariq: 2 spoons detergent, 1 cup softener, START

Almost forty years ago, two dedicated men were completing their university studies. They lived away from home, in a simple dorm house called 'Tontowi Jauhary'.

In the dorm house, they studied hard and learned many things from other people that enriched their lives. All the experience they gained throughout their stay have formed certain respect and affection towards the simple dorm house.

That respect and affection, led to the two men to make pact that they were going to add 'Jauhary' in their first sons' names. Jauhari is an Indonesian vocabulary taken from Arabic word, which means 'expert'.

Thirty six years ago, the first man, had his first son. He named his baby 'Achmad Tanjung Jauhari'.

Thirty years ago, the second man, had his first son. He named his baby 'Jauhary Arifin'.

Then, history brought us into this week..

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Rrriinnggg.. (The phone in the living room rang). I quickly ran to answer it. It was a man's voice.

I: Yes..

Man: May I speak with Mrs. Jauhari?

I: Speaking.. (My answer was a little hesitant. My husband's 'Jauhari' part of his name is rarely mentioned by other people. In Indonesia, first and middle names get used far more often than last name.. and last name is not always a surname.. Therefore, I am more often addressed as Mrs. Achmad or Ms. Hutapea (my birth surname).

Man: I'm from Samsung, Ma'am.

I: Alright. Is there anything I can help you with? (I was on alert. An employee of a communication company (competitor of the company my husband is working for) is calling my husband.

Man: I'm calling about your washing machine.

I: Washing machine? (Phew, at least it wasn't a tricky job offer situation. However, still...) My washing machine is not a Samsung product. Are you sure you are calling the right customer?

Man: I believe I am, Ma'am. You are Mrs. Sinta Jauhary, right?

I quickly burst into laughter..

I: Oh, No, I'm not. Would you hold please, I will quickly get her..

Then I ran fast to my sister-in-law's room to get her.

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Yes.. I am Mrs. Indri Jauhari .. and .. she is Mrs. Sinta Jauhary .. and we both live here ..

.. and ..

No.. The pact didn't involve any bethrotal arrangements .. The two only met after Father passed away..

.. so ..

Yes.. fairy tale still exists.. and I'm happy that it does..

Believe it or not.. Washing machines have made a pact not to let me rest..

Companies always want to make their products look and sound LUX.. but, too many LUX-es tend to confuse simple housewife (namely, ME)..

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Rrriinnggg.. (My mobile phone rang). I answered it and it was a man's voice.

I: Yes..

Man: I'm from Electrolux, Ma'am.

I: Oh, yes, you texted me that you couldn't come on Saturday. You said you were coming on Tuesday.

Man: Yes, Ma'am. I'm sorry I couldn't finish the repair sooner. It was raining really hard. (In Indonesia, service technicians ride motorbikes to customers, so heavy rains can definitely mess up their schedule.) Now I have found the part and I can finish the repair today.

I: Part? What part? I thought this is just the routine service?

Man: No, Ma'am. This is not a routine service. You called us last week to service your washing machine. Your husband 'OK-ed' the purchase request for the broken part.

I: My husband? When did you see my husband?

Man: On Tuesday, Ma'am. When I did the checking.

I: Hang on.. (I called for a washing machine service, but my husband was supervising the work? On a Tuesday? Very unlikely! Moreover, I was definitely home on Tuesday -when my husband was at work- waiting for the guy, and he didn't show up!) .. Are you sure you are calling the right customer?

Man: I'm sure I am, Ma'am. You are Mrs. Hutapea, in Cipete, right?

I: (Shaking my head and exhaling heavily) No, I'm not. You have been contacting me about my parents' broken washing machine. Well, I don't live with them anymore.

Man: Oh, OK.. But is it alright if I come today around 11 to finish the repair?

I: Yes, sure. You can come around 11. I'll tell them that you are coming..

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This one was really on me!

This is my fourth year living with Mother, and I still got the washing machines mixed up! Mum's washing machine is Electrolux .. Mother's is Luxindo! (Every year, Mother and I signed up for the quarterly routine service for the Luxindo machine).

I could've prevented this silliness, if I had realized the misunderstanding when the guy texted me on Tuesday.. 

.. and ..

You are allowed to laugh at me (roll on the floor if you want)..