Potato Salad

I was thinking to have something different for dinner last night (please bear in mind that potato salad is an unusual option for dinner in Indonesia).

I diced two medium sized potatoes (about 1 cm) and while I was waiting for them to boil, I finely chopped a clove of garlic and diced a little bit of onion to make up a spoonfull.

-note: the potatoes should only brought to boil until the outer part is tender enough for the tip of a fork to go in. Then, turn the fire off and let them sit in the saucepan with a lid on for about 15 minutes or until they are all evenly soft (a sous chef friend once taught me this trick to make sure that the potatoes are not too soft for the salad)-

Then, I mix the prepared garlic and onion with 2 heaped spoonsful of mayonaise and a little bit of oregano. I let the mixture sit while I took the potatoes off the stove and drained them.

After the potatoes are drained, put them for 5-10 minutes in the fridge, and then finally, put them in the mayonaise mixture and mix them thoroughly.

I realise now that I should've taken a picture of my favourite salad, but it's still a potato salad, so you can easily imagine what it should look like anyway.. ;-)

(This post was originally published in 2017, but I accidentally unpublished it while working on the blog. So, I added the picture and republished it).

Time to move on..

Ten years ago (I can't believe it myself that it has been that long), I enrolled Ariq in his first drum lesson. Ariq was 4 years old and he had been asking for drum lesson for almost a year. Starting the drum lesson was as exciting for Ariq as it was daunting for me. My music lesson was not the best experience I had in my life.. Anyway, it didn't take too long for Ariq to understand rhythm and drum playing. It took longer for him to settle down and stay focused during sessions.

After 1 year of lesson, we moved house, and I had to stop his lesson because our new home was quite far from the music school. Plus, all the energy was focused on the moving out and moving in process, including starting Ariq in the new school. It was during the period of KG B for Ariq. He was exhausted with all the changes at first, but, after a few months, he started to feel adjusted and he started asking about drum lesson again.

After one year adjusting to the new life, I finally found a new music school for Ariq, not far from home.. Right when Ariq had had enough of waiting and was ready to start drum lesson again. This time, Ariq was starting 1st year of Primary School. 

He was so happy when I told him that he was starting drum lesson again.. and I was happy to see him happy..

After taking the drum lesson for about two years, Ariq started performing in his music school concerts. He played drums to the songs prepared by his drum teacher. The first few concerts were quite a challenge. Not because he was struggling with the songs, but because he had to wait in line for his performance. He was still a little impatient as he was excited about going on stage and playing in front of the audience. He wasn't always flawless, but he finally understood that it wasn't perfection that matters, instead his feeling for the song, which lets him gain better understanding of himself, his skills and technique. Concert by concert, he rose up to be more confident.

At the same period of time, around third year of primary school, Ariq was invited to audition for the school orchestra team. However, he came home with the news that he wasn't chosen. I kept encouraging him to keep trying and be confident. He must believe that he would make it the next time.. And he kept trying, every audition, for the next two years.

Fifth year of Primary School, I was really puzzled when Ariq's classroom teacher asked me why Ariq still hadn't joined the orchestra team. I replied that he still hadn't made it through the audition. Ariq's classroom teacher was puzzled by my answer. Trying to end my confusion, I finally decided to meet with the orchestra teacher, from whom I finally found the answer to the mystery. Ariq didn't understand that he wasn't auditioning for membership, he was auditioning for songs. Since there were more than one drummers, the orchestra teacher had to place the right drummer for each song. During these auditions/practice sessions, Ariq always felt uncomfortable and kept leaving the practice. When I saw the orchestra team members, I understood why Ariq thought he wasn't chosen. The orchestra team consisted of highly talented, dedicated, young musicians, and most of them were older than Ariq.

For almost a year, I had to personally take Ariq to orchestra practice, 'handed him over' to the orchestra teacher and waited until the practice was over.. Finally, after a few orchestra performances, and Ariq had started to get to know his teachers and friends (seniors and junior members), Ariq finally felt belong in the orchestra team and he would go for practice by his own effort.

Throughout sixth year of primary school, Orchestra became Ariq's passion and his world. More than learning music, he learned about teamwork, harmony and advancing his music skills. Both Ariq's drum teachers (the school orchestra teacher and the drum teacher at the music school) always gave Ariq advice and encouragement. They knew Ariq so well that their advice was always in sync although they never met. I was so glad that Ariq had two excellent teachers.. And Ariq respected them very much..

At the end of sixth year, Ariq graduated from primary school and decided to study in a boarding school. He admitted to me that it was really hard for him to leave his drum playing, but he believed that he needed to see a different side of life by moving into a new environment.. During enrollment process, Ariq asked the teacher of the boarding school if there was a possibility for him to play music there. To his relief, the teacher explained that there would be time when students could do some sports or music, and one of the teachers can supervise the students if they need to go outside the school boundaries to do their activities.. Unfortunately, Ariq kept getting sick through the first year of Junior High School, so that his dad decided to take him home after the final exam..

Ariq was enrolled into a different junior high school for his second year. This school was very close to home, to give him a chance to fully recover. Once Ariq's health was better, he decided to rejoin the orchestra team, and start his drum lesson again. Both his teachers happily welcome him. During his fragile time -becoming adolescent, changing schools and not perfectly in good health- his drum world was the steady thing in his life.. I was really grateful of his teachers..

For one year, Ariq's adjustment into the new life (again) was not as smooth as I would hope.. The new phase of life, new friends, new experience, triggered the emotional roller coaster in him.. There many things that he and I didn't agree on. His adolescent curiosity often crashed with my expectation of him to be a responsible young adult.. My days with Ariq felt like they were filled with rocks and storms.. Still, he found his constant and stability in his drum world..

During the second year of junior high school, Ariq watched his seniors in orchestra team leaving the team in pursue of their new lives.. Until  only a small number of senior members left.. And as Ariq was going to be in his 3rd year of Junior High School, he had started preparing for another new phase of life too..

At the end of second year of junior high school, things became so tough, that there was a point when drum-life was the only thing that could convey a lesson for Ariq, so his dad had to challenge him by taking away his drum lesson. At that point of time, orchestra became his primary anchor.. I was glad that it actually became a learning phase for him. His interest expanded. He started learning bass guitar, piano and violin on his own. His teachers and friends in the orchestra team were his inspirations.. 

Despite Ariq's thoughts about how life would be after graduating from junior high school, once again, a change happened sooner that he had anticipated..

Starting orchestra practice session in the third year of junior high school, one of Ariq's old classmates who had continued studying in his old school (the same school with Ariq's primary school), was attending the orchestra practice session. Ariq was so happy when he found out that his friend was there as the new drummer.. Ariq had been asking a few of his friends from primary school to join the orchestra team as drummers, because being the only drummer for an orchestra team had always been quite a challenge, especially when there were more than 2 or 3 songs to practice at once.. Ariq was also relieved that once he graduated from junior high school, there was a great drummer already to replace him..

However, a mother's heart was not as easy to accept change as a teenage boy's..

Last Saturday, during the orchestra parents meeting, I was informed that the school orchestra was reorganising. The school committee would start to enforce the guidelines of orchestra membership, which was only current students and alumni -who graduated from senior high school-, could join or stay as members. Therefore, current active/non-active members who did not fall under these categories had to resign immediately.. This came as a shock to me, and it felt really hard for me to tell Ariq about this.. In the past, the definition of alumni was students who have finished a level of education in the school, be it primary, junior high or senior high school.

At the end of the practice session, I softly informed Ariq about the news and asked him to say goodbye to his orchestra teacher. He did as I asked and I was surprised to see the teachers' shocked reaction to the news. Apparently, they didn't know about the news yet. Ariq's teacher asked us to wait a few days for confirmation. He wanted to keep the team as long as he could.

I was silent as we walked to the car. I couldn't imagine how Ariq felt. His drum lesson was taken away, and how he lost his orchestra team too.. To my surprise, Ariq noticed my silence and he said something that was really unexpected, "Mum, my teacher needs to let me go, to let the new drummer adjust quicker. People do better without a constant backup. He is good and he will be fine. He just needs the chance and time to adjust. My being there would only be holding him back." 

I lost for words... 

His orchestra teacher was still hoping for the senior members to be able to help out with the upcoming performances in the current month, but it looks like that the school committee had a different idea.. There would be no transition period.

This morning I had the formal notification, and I couldn't help shedding my tears.. And I talked to Ariq again.. And again, Ariq's reply hit me hard, "Mum, why are you so sad about this? Look at it this way, the teachers have taught us everything that needs to be taught. We, the senior members, have learnt everything that we need to learn from the teachers and the experience. We have our instruments and our skills, we are ready to move forward in our musical lives.. Yes, the teachers are starting from zero again, but they know that they can't escape that.. So, just take it easy.. It is time to move on.."

Oh my... I was speechless again..

When times like this happen, I feel like I'm one step behind Ariq.. I still hope for stability in his life, but he keeps reminding me that his world is not about stability, it is about the determination to keep moving on and forward..

The confidence Ariq shows me calms me down, and despite the daily unending chase I give him,  I am truly proud of him..

04.10.2017

Mission: Elephant (Kyra's Day Out)

Kyra loves elephant.. everytime we take her to the zoo, she is always 'glued' to the elephant area. We can walk around and see other animals, but she will always ask us to take her back to the elephants!

While her brothers are  having a play and study weekend at a friend's house, we decided to take Kyra on a day trip to the zoo. She was jumping up and down, when her father told her that she was going to visit the elephants..

Kyra woke up late this morning, so she had late breakfast. We left the house about 11 a.m. and we reached to zoo at about 11.30. The weather was warm, but thanks to the trees, it was nice inside the zoo. From the entrance, we went straight to the elephant area.

The first one we saw was the male (my personal guess was that he was the alpha). He was the biggest one we saw in the zoo and he had an area all to himself. He didn't mind the crowd, but he didn't really look for attention either. I tried to take shots of him and Kyra, when suddenly, he leaned to the wall that separated his compound from the next door compound. Not sure what he was doing, we were guessing he was looking for his family..

We moved on to the next elephant compound. There we saw two female elephants, one looked older than the other. These two certainly were looking (and enjoying) the attention from the visitors. We were not supposed to feed the animals, but some people tried to give peanuts to the elephants. One person even threw a mango.

I was worried the elephant would go excited and misplace his foot, which could result in the elephant falling from the high area of the compund. It turned out that the people coming with the guy who was giving peanuts, were thinking the same thing. They asked him to stop feeding the animals, and he did. I think the guy was happy enough because the elephant's trunk touched his palm when taking the peanuts he offered.

At that time, Kyra started walking away from the elephant compound. She wanted to have a ride on an elephant! She has been waiting for this chance for some time now. So, we started walking to the elephant ride area.

Before we reached the elephant ride, we went past the elephant nursery. I read about the baby elephant's birth on the internet, and I was so happy to see the baby with my own eyes! The baby elephant was so cute. It was walking fast around the nursery, while its mother was watching.

The baby elephant was thirsty and went to drink from the pond. The pond was surrounded by stones, probably for the safety of the baby elephant. The baby was safe from drowning, but it took a lot of his efforts to move his short legs around the stones. The baby was not about to give up though. It drank until it had enough, then it slowly walked back, over the stones..

Yep! The baby elephant and Kyra are as persistent as one another.. Children never cease to amaze me!

From the nursery, we went straight to the elephant ride area, which was only across the walkway. I bought the tickets for my husband and Kyra, and found a good spot to take pictures.

Kyra waited in line patiently (which amazes me, since the line up was quite long).

Once she reached the top of the stage thing, where she would hop on the elephant, I could see that she was eyeing all the elephants that were coming and going, trying to find an opportunity to touch the big animal. My husband kept asking her to stay away from the edge of the stage, worried that she might slip and fall. She followed her dad's direction, but, her eyes were still looking for any elephants walking towards her..

Finally, it was Kyra's turn to hop on the elephant.. YAY!

My husband asked her if she wanted to sit in front of the elephant handler (note: other riders, especially the kids, sit behind the handler. I didn't even think that people were allowed to sit in front of the handler). I was busy trying to take pictures, I didn't notice where Kyra and my husband were sitting, until later, when I was reviewing the pictures.. When my husband told me that Kyra wanted to sit in front, I didn't think that she was actually allowed to.. I was really surprised when I saw the pictures, it looked like she was rubbing the elephant's head and talking to it!

When the ride was over, Kyra hopped off the elephant, and gave a big pat on the animal's head. I think they have become friends now..

As we were walking away from the elephant ride, we saw one elephant was being taken out of the ride area, for drink and splash. While Kyra was lining up, I saw the other elephants doing the rides were taken out in turns for drink and splash. At that time I couldn't rush to take pictures because I was worried I would end up losing my spot, and couldn't take pictures of Kyra on the elephant. Now that Kyra's ride was over, I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to see this rare occassion. I had my camera ready and started taking pictures..

I was enjoying taking pictures so much, that I didn't realise that the elephant was walking towards me and standing right in front of me! I wasn't using the zoom, because I was standing close to the elephant. Can you imagine how close this elephant got to me, if it shows up this big on my camera lens?

My husband was laughing at me, as I jumped back.. But the elephant was only as interested in me as I was in her.. It was an experience I would never forget..

Kyra waved at the elephant and asked us to move on. My husband suggested that we went to see the snake show. Luckily the show had just started, so we didn't have to wait long for the people to come in. At the end of the show we offered Kyra to have her picture taken with a giant snake, but she refused, "I like elephants. I don't like snakes, " she said.. I guess I have to accept that. Aza is the reptile lover, while Kyra is the big animals lover.. haha..

We started looking for the Children Zoo.. It turned out that it was on the other side of the zoo! We went in, and right away we could see little ponies were tied to the trees, ready for kids to take a ride on them.

At first Kyra didn't want to have a ride, but then, she started walking towards the ponies, saying that she wanted to pat them.. The handlers warned us that ponies are still horses, they have strong legs and they can kick!

I said to Kyra that to get near the ponies, she had to buy a ticket. She finally said yes. However, since it took some time for her to make that decision, two other kids had entered the pony ride before her. They took the ponies offered by the handler. Kyra didn't want the ponies taken by those kids. She had her eyes on the brown one.. the biggest pony there!

I thought that when one of the handlers brought the smallest pony to her, she would go for it, but NO! She actually said no to the handler, "I want the brown one!" So, the handler called out the other handler, the handler of the brown pony. The other guy was grinning, "She asks for the brown one! The big one!"

I told him that we just had an elephant ride, and she was riding in front of the elephant handler. The pony handler laughed, "That's good. It means she is a brave kid!"

Just like the elephant ride, I didn't realise that Kyra was holding the rein, not the stump on the saddle. The other kid who went on the pony was not allowed to do this. The handler kept reminding him to hold the stump and not to touch the rein. I guess, the pony handler was as brave and confident as she was.. ;-)

From the Children Zoo, we decided to have lunch before going home. On the way to the food area, we walked past the elephant nursery again, and we caught the sight of the baby elephant feeding.. it was a very beautiful sight..

After lunch, we finally went home. Kyra was already tired, and she had done everything she came to do. So, it was time to rest..

Until next time.. :-)

Back in the tent..

Everything has the time and space..

There was no regret when I realised that my 'active' camping days were over. Not because I got married, or have children, but simply because life changes..

As time goes by, I notice that every time we are on family vacation in the outdoors, I feel happy and free, like coming home to the place where I belong.. and then, I start to to feel that I want to pass my skills and knowledge about the outdoor life to my children, knowing that such things will be their assets in the future. However, setting up the time and planning the actual camp is a big challenge.

One day, last year, a friend (my eldest son's friend's mum), who owns a life-skills training course sets up a camp for school children. At first, she set up a camp mid last year (2012), but the camp had to be cancelled for some reasons. Then, she set up another camp which took place last weekend (29-30 June 2013). The camp will cover character building, photography and writing skills. My eldest son was very excited about it. After discussing it with my husband, we agreed that he would stay home with Aza and Kyra, while I would accompany Ariq in the camp.

Waiting for the time, Ariq already had a few plans for this holiday. He wanted to visit my grandfather's grave at the National Hero Cemetary (my grandfather was a soldier during the independence war, therefore he had the right to be buried there). My parents agreed to take Ariq there, so Ariq stayed for a few days at my parents' home.

Prior to that, Ariq had his mid-year drum concert, which I will write about in another post. He also had a few 'appointments' with his friends to play together.. so, it has been a busy holiday for Ariq.

I delayed enrolling Ariq in the camp, since I wasn't sure whether he would be up for it when the time comes. However, when my friend called me to confirm whether Ariq would be coming, Ariq confirmed that he was coming. So, I officially enrolled him.

The morning of the camp, I found out that most of Ariq's friends' mums had cancelled staying overnight, therefore the cabins we originally booked were cancelled. There was only one other mum (apart from the one who was organising the camp), and we agreed to share a tent, if there was one available. There were a few other parents staying overnight too, ones whose kids were not Ariq's school friends. We were so glad that there were tents available for us at the last minute.

Parents' tents couldn't be too close to the kid's camp site, so, the camp site people set up our tents across the path from the kid's camp site. We could see the kids quite easily, but they wouldn't 'feel' our presence because of the little distance.

The other mum staying overnight with me is a very energetic person. She likes walking and riding bike. As soon as the kids were comfortable with the camp instructors, we (the other mum and I) quickly decided to start our own adventure. Meanwhile, the camp staff was organising our tents. They were supposed to be ready around 2pm.

The camp site was located in 'Taman Buah Mekarsari' (Mekarsari Fruit Park). This park is where lots of fruit variety are grown for educational, conservation and sales purposes. For Ariq and his friends, Mekarsari is not a strange place. The park is one of the most visited as school tour destinations. 

To me, however, it was my first time there, and I was amazed by the size and the beauty of the whole place. Mekarsari is so wide, green and clean. It feels like being in a perfect environment.

We took the train ride around the park. The ride started at the front entrance part of the park, and ended at the lake, which was the rear part of the park. Visitors are allowed to stay as long as they want around the lake, and they can take the train back to the front entrance anytime they want.

We took the train back around 2pm and unpacked in our tent. After that, we felt like walking around the park again. We walked to the lake again, taking a few turns to see what's behind the trees and to take pictures.

The walk to the lake didn't take as long as we thought it would be, although due to the stops we made, it was almost sunset when we reached the lake. As we were taking pictures, a security guard approached us and told us that the last train was leaving.. Then, we realised that we were the last people at the lake.. hahaha...

As we were arriving back at the camp site, a family of Ariq's friend arrived too. They occupied a tent near us. This mum used to go hiking and camping (even more active than me). We ended up chatting almost all night. We even came up with the idea of another camp for the kids..

We finally went to bed around 2am, although the quietness didn't last long..

The excited kids couldn't stay asleep for too long.. They woke up at 3am and started playing around the fire. So, no more sleep for the rest of us, haha..

After sunrise, my friend who was organising the camp told me that Ariq had a slight fever. He couldn't join the morning walk. After breakfast, Ariq was feeling much better, though. I guess the fever was just a result of lack of good night sleep.

The kids had 'FUN' farming activities.. which also concluded the camp. The other mum, who stayed in the tent with me, suggested to walk to a nearby garden and take pictures there. The garden was beautiful. We managed to take a few good pictures, despite the strong sun.

Then, we started packing, while the kids were having fun! After lunch, we headed home. Falling asleep in the car..

All in all, it was a great time. It wasn't a rough camp, but I'm still glad that I had the chance to do it.. and with Ariq.. Now I'm sure that I can do it again, hopefully with Ariq, Aza and Kyra..

-See you again-

The Best in People at The Worst Time

This is the house from our neighbour's window

Fire.. one of the worst thing that could happen to anyone.. We never want it to happen, but things can happen, regardless we expect it or not.

This is what happened to my parents' home (the home I grew up in), last Friday, 22 February 2013.. It was caught on fire.. It was unexpected, and we were not prepared for it.. At the same time, we learn to be grateful of what we have and all the people that surround us..

It was around 9.00 a.m. when my mobile phone rang, and my youngest sister spoke very quickly when I picked it up, "Sis, Dad just called. He said that our house is on fire, and he is in panic. I don't know how bad and I cannot get through to Mum or Dad again. I'm going home right now."

I was still at home, my husband just left for work and I just started working on an knitting order. I left everything I was doing, changed my clothes and left. I sent a text message to my husband while getting ready. Dad called while I was opening the gate, telling me not to come, but how could I not come, knowing that my parents' house.. my childhood home.. is on fire, and my parents are there, and they need the whole family..

It took me about 90 minutes to get to my parents' house.. One and a half hours is pretty standard for travel time from our house to my parents' house, but under the circumstance, it felt like hours, and I had to keep my mind focus on the road and not thinking about the fire and the house.

When I finally arrived, the street was still busy with policemen and firemen and neighbours. I parked my car on the other end of the street and started walking towards the house. All I could see was the completely burnt and destroyed upstairs area. The rest of the house was behind the wall, so I could only hope that some parts of the house was still intact.

A family friend quickly showed me where my parents were. Mum was sad and quiet, so was my (middle) sister. My father was talking to the policemen and the firemen. I noticed that he had bruises on his arms and he looked shaken, but he was fine when he was talking to the policemen and the firemen. The family friend told me that everyone is alright. My parents were in one neighbour's house, and the rest (the domestic staff and my niece) were in another neighbour's house.

My youngest sister and my husband (who had arrived earlier than I did), were helping out in the house. Our neighbours were moving quickly putting out small fires inside the house before they could become a big flame again. One of my dad's sister-in-laws suggested to prepare lunch for everyone, while the other of my father's siblings were draining the flood. So, we left to arrange lunch. When we came back, the street was quieter, as it was Friday prayer time.

We entered the house and we saw the damaged downstairs and the burnt down upstairs. All the furniture downstairs have been moved to a neighbour's house, to avoid the fire to spread and to keep them from getting wet by the firetruck's water. Electricity has been cut off prior to the firemen spraying water to the fire.

This is the stairs from below

This is the stairs from above

My old room was completely gone, so was my middle sister's. Our rooms were the only ones upstairs. My parents' bedroom and my youngest sister's are downstairs and they are safe. The spare room downstairs is also fine. The dining room, pantry and living room were flooded, because the roof above them were destroyed and the water from the fire truck had gone in from there.

My old bedroom

My husband and my uncles went upstairs to check the condition. Some areas, especially where our books were, still smoking and hot, ready to burst out in flames again. So, they poured water on those areas. We could not do much other than that, since the whole upstairs have been surrounded by the yellow tape (police line), waiting for the forensic team to arrive.

Late in the afternoon, my dad, my niece's nanny -the person who saw the fire for the first time-, and one of my uncles, went to the police station to. My sister and I went upstairs to have a look. We took some pictures of things that we wanted to remember, especially our book collection. I found some brooches and traditional clothes that were not completely burnt. I took pictures of them too.

Some of our book collection

Our 'Harry Potter' Collection

 
While we were there, we could feel that the walls were still very warm. When I accidentally touched a piece of burnt wood with the side of my foot, I could feel that it was still hot, although not burning hot. There were also big pieces of wood with large nails stuck on, laying every where. We didn't stay long upstairs. We didn't want to be there when it was already dark.

The fire is really an unfortunate event for our family, but there we so much more that we learnt that day, apart from the lesson to be more careful with electricity and electrical appliances. There is still so much good in people, and we thank God for showing us that.

There was a non-stop flow of food for our family and everyone else who were helping us with the house that day. My parents also received many invitations to relocate temporarily, although they decided to stay in the house, since there was a lot to do and their bedroom was fine. All the neighbours who helped fighting the fire inside the house, and family and friends who acted quickly in the nick of time, giving us all the help and support that we needed.

We are grateful that we still have a house, because when my parents were watching the fire consume the upstairs area and they couldn't get through to the fire department, they thought that the whole house would go. When the firetrucks finally arrived and people were helping, we knew that there is always good lesson in every bad situation.

Finally, we would like to thank everyone.. family, friends, neighbours.. for all the help and support. No matter how small you might think your act was, it was a big thing for us, because you did it. Thank you.. Thank you.. Thank you..

This is Mr. Bari, the man who built the house and has been maintaining it for over 30 years. 

Wishing all of you a very nice day and see you in my next post..



-26 February 2013-

Kyra and Dad's Ipad

Dad: Do you see my ipad?
Mum: No.. Isn't it in your bag?
Dad: No. Aza was still using it before he left for school. Can you check in our bedroom?
Mum: (checking).. No. It's not there..
Dad: Under the pillow? In the cupboard?
Mum: Nowhere.. I've checked all the places Aza usually hides things.
Dad: Oh well, I have to go..
Mum: I just hope he didn't take it to school..
Dad: I'm sure he didn't. He took it to our bedroom, and he left it on Kyra's bed.
Mum: Strange.. it's not there..
Dad: Don't worry, it will turn up.. See you tonight..

Kyra: (running from her nanny).. I want to play in mum's room..
Mum: Hi, sweety.. Aren't you supposed to be having lunch?
Kyra: Noooooo.... (rolling on her bed, and pulling the sheet.. then giggling)..
Mum: What is it?
Kyra: (pulling the ipad from beneath the bedsheet).. Dad's ipad!
Mum: Where was it? Dad was looking for it this morning..
Kyra: (laughing and giggling).. Under the sheet..
Mum: Who put it there?
Kyra: I did! (giggling again)..

I was speechless.. Neither Ariq nor Aza ever hide anything under the bedsheet. Their choices would be in the cupboard, behind the couch seats or one of the drawers in our bedroom.. Only one of my kids like to put things under the bedsheet.. KYRA!!

But, did she really hide the ipad? Can a little kid really think of something like that? I decided to wait until Aza come home..

Aza: Hi, Mum.. I'm home!
Mum: Hi, Aza.. How's school?
Aza: Good! (then he spotted the ipad on the computer table).. Why didn't Dad take the ipad to work?
Mum: Where did you put it this morning?
Aza: I put it on Kyra's pillow on her bed. Dad knew. Why?
Mum: Dad and I were looking every where for it. He finally left without it.
Aza: How come? Where was it?
Mum: Kyra hid it under the bedsheet..
Aza: (looking at me with his mouth wide open).. Serious, Mum?
Mum: Yes...

Oh no.. my almost-three-year-old daughter can hide his dad's ipad.. I thought this wasn't going to happen this soon..

-31 Jan 2013-

Saigon Mango

Mango..

One of the beautiful seasonal fruits..

Nice for after meal, and really great for the kids' afternoon snack ..

The usual size of the fruit is a little bigger than a folded fist, which would be quite comfortable to hold while peeling the skin and cutting the flesh into small pieces. However, this one variety that we have at home, turned out so much bigger than usual..

It must have been about 8-10 years ago, when Mum and Dad went to Australia, to visit my sister, and brought home a few Australian mangoes. They gave some to Mother and Father, who then planted the stone (seed) in the front yard.

Last year, the tree had fruits for the first time, but the fruit didn't survive.. The few that fell, in the size of half my fist, tasted pretty good (for a half-ripe fruit), so we were hoping that the fruits would turn out better this year..

To our excitement, this year, the tree have many fruits, and.. they are BIG!

Mother had an invitation to come to a fruit farm on Sunday, so she brought some pictures of the mango and the tree, to ask the staff there, the exact variety of the mango and how to care for it.

Well, this is the information that Mother received from the farm staff..

This type of mango is called 'SAIGON MANGO' .. It is a native fruit of Kalimantan (Borneo), which was brought to Vietnam and then researched and scientifically grown there.. From there, it must have been brought to Australia, where it was, again, grown there.. that was why I knew it (the first time) as 'Australian Mango'...

This mango can grow to 1.5kg .. For comparison, regular mangoes vary from 300-350grams each (2-3 fruits in a 1kg package). The colour of the fruit gradually becomes paler as it comes nearer to harvest time. When they are ready for harvest, the stem connected to the fruit will turn reddish.

This picture was taken last week (23 October 2012)

Last week, we put plastic bags (the 2kg ones), to cover the mangoes. This morning, we had to take the plastic bags off, because the mangoes did not fit in them anymore..

The branch, had to be supported by a wooden stick, because it was bending lower and lower, closer to the ground. A few days ago, another wooden stick had to be added for the extra support.. 

The mangoes were covered in plastic bags

At the moment, the fruits on our tree look like they weigh about 1kg each, and the stems are looking orange-ish brown.. So, we are hoping they will be ripe soon and ready for harvest..

I remember that when I was in Australia, I was not a big fan of Australian mango, but still, I can't wait to try the ones the grow on our tree.. They look soooo tempting.. (Mother is starting to wonder, how can we peel the skin, when the fruit is much bigger than our palm..) .. Well, we'll have to see what happens when that happens.. ;-)

I am not a great photographer, so, please excuse me for the pictures that are meant to be representing the size of the growing mango fruits.. I hope they can still show how big they have grown in only a few days..

The picture on the left was taken on Friday, the 2nd of November .. The middle picture was taken on Sunday, the 4th of November .. The picture on the right was taken this morning, Tuesday, the 6th of November 2012.

Many thanks to Capo (Feyzhel), for his willingness to pose with the mango.. :-D .. He is now 14 months old.. ;-)

I really hope that the mangoes will turn out well and that the tree will have more fruits in the coming years.. :-)

See you at harvest time!

Gunung Mas Spring (Mata Air Gunung Mas)

Last minute trips are usually the best ones! At least, for my family, they are.. :-D

My husband and I both love nature and open space to have a refreshing family time. However, we have slightly different ideas on the type of 'nice' camping for the family..

I grew up a girl guide, so, anyone can guess that I love sleeping in a tent, somewhere in the forest, up on the mountain..

While my husband, enjoyed a nice holiday, close enough to nature to enjoy it, and close enough to necessities, to ensure comfort..

Both of us believe that there are always a midway for us, the question is.. Where???

It happens that, one of my husband's good friends from high school married a guy who used to be a boy scout. They are pretty much the opposite of us. The husband loved outdoor activities -he even loves the things that I don't dare try, such as paragliding-. While the wife (my husband's friend from high school), is pretty much like my husband.. Well, friends are bound to be alike.. :-D

So far, we have gone on vacation trips together, and our kids get along well together, so, we try to get together every once in a while. The funny thing is, every time we try to make a well-planned trip, weeks ahead.. The trip just doesn't come true..

On the other hand, every time we made a plan in the spirit of the moment, about three days ahead of the planned departure.. just like that, the trip comes true! So far, we have gone to Anyer (a beach about four hours away from Jakarta), Ciwidey (strawberry plantation near Bandung, about 3 hours away from Jakarta), and several night outs around Jakarta..

To cut the story short..

On Thursday, my husband told me that we were going to the mountainside with his friend's family.

My husband only said that it was at the peak of the mountain. Not a well-known place, but our friends' kids always have a good time there. So, I was looking forward to it!

We left home a little bit after 7.00 in the morning, in the hope to beat the traffic. We rounded up at the rest area just outside the inner city toll road, before entering the outer city toll road. We bought snacks and other little things there, then we headed to the mountainside.

Yess.. Some fresh air.. Away from the city!!

The kids were full from big breakfast at home, and they were calm and happy in the car. Ariq kept asking "Can we open the window for cool breeze yet?"

My husband and I kept saying, "Not yet! It's still the toll road."

There were slow traffic at several places, but nothing significant. We arrived at the spring at around 10.30.

The surprise was, the place was very crowded! Apparently, a group of school students were using the place for their study tour. The spring staff told us that the group were checking out around noon, so, we could go for a walk around the tea plantation, or go to the higher ground for paragliding watching.

We chose to watch the paragliding practice.

The air was calm with no rough wind, so, people could have a nice time gliding. The gliders were going round and round in the air, higher and higher as the warm air took them up. Some of them went past each other, as if they were sailing in the ocean.. It was a very relaxing sight. I'm sure the people who were gliding were feeling very relaxed too..

The boys were excited too see the gliders take off and started flying, but more than that, they were just too happy to be in an open space.. Well, I was feeling very happy and free to be in an open space..

After watching a few gliders take off, suddenly, Kyra was watching the next glider with a very intense look in her eyes. I saw her nodding a few times, while saying to herself, "Bisa! (can do).. Bisa!"  Then, she started counting, "1.. 2.. 3.. Terbang (fly)."

We were grinning for a second, then we shouted and ran, as we realised what she was doing next. She was running towards the edge of the cliff, to imitate the glider!!

Our friend (the husband), saw Kyra running past him, and caught her. Following that, my husband who had caught up, picked Kyra up and swung her around above his head, "There.. you are flying..!"

Kyra was excited and laughing happily. Of course she didn't realise, that paragliding needs a parachute.. She thought that she could just jump off the cliff and fly around in midair..

The good thing was, we were not standing too close to the edge. At first, we backed away from the cliff, because the boys got carried away watching the gliders and a couple of times, they didn't realise that they were in the gliders' way during take off.

We just didn't think that it was Kyra, who would actually run to the cliff to 'practice' paragliding..

We had a good time watching the paragliding practice, and we also took some nice pictures around the area.. ;-)

At around 11.30, everyone started to feel hungry. There was a little snack shop nearby, selling instant noodle and drinks. So, we sat down there and had something to eat before the 'real' lunch. We were planning to have rice and fried fish for lunch at the spring.

The little snack shop had a low wall, so we were sitting on a bench, leaning on a wall/table, and watching the scenery at the same time.. It felt like having a picnic!

After snack, we headed back to the spring, right when the school students were checking out. Then, the spring was quiet.. A few families were still there, but much less busy than the morning.

We ordered lunch, and while waiting, Ariq, Aza and Kyra went swimming in the spring. While our friends's kids stayed at the cottage with their mum and me.

My husband called me to have a look at the kids, and I took several nice pictures of them..

I didn't prepare swimming equipment for the kids, as I didn't think that we would be staying the whole day.. My bad.. :-D .. I still brought a couple of change clothes for each of them though, so, problem is solved!

The water flow of the spring was quite hard. There were four pools, forming a row. The first and the last ones are the fish ponds. The ponds are so clear and the fishes are very big and beautiful. When I was looking at them, one of them looked back at me, and the others were swimming around, close to me..

The middle pools are the swimming pools, with a bridge separating the two pools. These ones are where people swim and play. Despite the fact that these two pools are positioned in the middle of two fish ponds, there is no fishy smell at all. The water flows heavily from the first fish pond, passing the two swimming pools, to the last pond, and out to the gutter, which was also very clean and clear.. It was just a beautiful sight, watching clean and clear water runs that fast..

When I went back to the cottage, our lunch was already there. Freshly cooked rice, fried fish, freshly picked vegetables and freshly ground traditional chilli sauce (sambal terasi). One bite of the fried fish, dipped in the chilli sauce, and I couldn't stop eating.. It had been too long since we had a traditional meal, in the mountainside.. It reminded me of Ciamis, my mother's village in the West Java..


Not long after, the kids came back. They had showers, changed into clean-dry clothes, and then lunch..

Along with the kids, my husband also came back from the spring. He was all wet, when he was not planning to go into the water!

It turned out that there was a little child (about Kyra's age), who wandered away from his parents, and went swimming by himself. The spring pool was quite deep for children that age, so the child was drowning.. and my husband jumped into the water to get him..

My husband completely forgot that he had his Blackberry in his jeans pocket and his Ipad in his sling bag. Fortunately, the sling bag was waterproof, so the Ipad was safe.. The Blackberry was a different story, though.. It was soaking wet!! He couldn't use it for the rest of the trip..

I'm just glad that Ariq is always ready to accompany Kyra.. including taking her around the spring pool on his float.. :-)

Anyway.. After lunch, the kids went to the paragliding landing area, to watch the gliders make their landing.

Our friend (the husband) was practicing grounding. He is in the paragliding club and he goes there, with his family, to practice every Sunday. When the other kids went back to the cottage, Ariq stayed with our friend until the end of practice.

When they came back, the kids played around the cottage, while the adults were packing up to go home. -well, the adults minus my husband-.. because he was turned into a carrousel pony by the kids.. :-D

Suddenly it started raining very hard, and Kyra quietly walked to the balcony.. As expected, she was quietly enjoying the rain..

Then, Aza said that he was hungry. So, we decided to let the kids have early dinner before we head home.

We left the spring at 5.30. It was really good that the kids had their dinner. Not long after we left the spring, Ariq and Aza were already fast asleep in the car. Kyra followed them to the dreamland about an hour after. Traffic was slow, and we arrived home at 08.45

We came home tired and sleepy, but still, it was another great outdoor weekend for us..

Can't wait for another one.. ;-)