No one likes to have a terrible flu especially when you are pregnant. This is a bad thing that's happening to me now. I hate it so much. First, it's because it attacks my immune system that makes me very weak and even more tired than I already am. Second, it's because I can't take the damn medicines! Oh..no!! I need at least a paracetamol to help me to fight the headache but since I choose to give a chance to my immune system to fight without any help, I just have to 'enjoy' the feeling of my head is about to split into 2. I can't describe how painful it is. Now I know how Harry Potter feels every time Voldemort is in his head. Since I don't know how to do occlumency just like Harry, I just have to bear the pain and vomit when I really can't stand the pain. Gee, I never know I am too dependent on that bloody paracetamol.
Headache isn't the only challenge to my body defense, it comes in a packet with runny nose and sore throat which are trying their best to test my immune system.
I know my body is fighting the sickness. It fights so hard I feel so weak and restless at the same time. My nose produces liquid actively it doesn't give a chance for me to even run for my handkerchief. The liquid would flow back to my throat and make my throat so itchy and dry as if I just swallowed one bucket of sand. I cough and sneeze so much I'm worry about the foetus in my womb. I pray hard it won't be disturbed by this sickness. Disturb the mother, but not the foetus!
Gosh, I can't remember the last time I feel energetic and alive. At the moment, I just need to focus on helping my immune system to fight the flu before I fly back home. It will be a horrible experience to fly with a nose blocked and pregnant at the same time. Even without the flu, I am feeling nauseous and intolerable hungry all the time, so with the flu, that horrible feelings intensify, plus the sleeplessness every night. Oh...I don't feel well at all.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Gong xi fa cai
In case you haven't noticed, I just changed the template and the header for http://coffeeliqueur.blogspot.com again in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration. This year we welcome the year of rat. I'll use this template until Cap Go Meh (the 15th day of Chinese New Year celebration) though I kind of like this template... :) It's so pinky and so girly... :D
Just like last year, I'm going to take vacation and visit my family back home. So, I won't be able to post anything new until I have access to the internet again.
For those who celebrate Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Have a prosperous year of rat.
May the year of rat bring so much joy, luck, wealth, health, harmony, success, and happiness to you all and your family.
Just like last year, I'm going to take vacation and visit my family back home. So, I won't be able to post anything new until I have access to the internet again.
For those who celebrate Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Have a prosperous year of rat.
May the year of rat bring so much joy, luck, wealth, health, harmony, success, and happiness to you all and your family.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Flood..flood...and more flood
Again, Jakarta is flooded. No area is spared this time including my parents' house. The house has been a flood-free zone for the past 27 years, but this year...it gave away...:(
The dirty muddy water entered my parents' house slowly from yesterday afternoon. My dad tried his best to clean up and sweep the water out the whole afternoon but his efforts has become worthless in the evening when the flood water entered the house again and this time was higher and flooded more areas in the house.
My mum was alone that evening because my dad went to church and the light went out. My mum cried out of frustration when she tried to salvage all precious things at home, alone in the dark. She was forced to return home alone from work yesterday because my dad couldn't get out of the house to pick her up. She had to walk about 1 km through the knee-high flood water all the way home.
This morning at 6am Jakarta time, I called my parents to find out their latest situation. At the time I called, the rain was still pouring and there is no way that the water will subside because all other area outside the house have submerged and in certain area, the water level reaches chest high. The water pops out everywhere from under the ceramic floors, the toilet, the sinks, and this situation really frustrates every one. People are trapped at their homes flooded with dirty muddy water. They can't use the toilet. It is hard to get clean water. Food is not easy to get either. The neighbors are sharing boxes of instant noodle with each other. Traffic jam can be seen everywhere. Many people have already abandoned their vehicles stranded in the flood.
It pierced my heart to hear the news but I couldn't do anything either. I'm so far away and it's already good that I can still maintain the communication with them.
I knew all along that this is coming. I have been trying my best to persuade my parents to move out of the area but they just don't want to leave at all.
I don't know how long they can stand with this kind of extremely frustrating situation. The situation will sure get worst and I hate to hear, "Sorry...it's too late. There is nothing else we can do."
I'm coming back home soon and will try to assess the situation. I hope I can come up with best solution to evacuate my parents.
The dirty muddy water entered my parents' house slowly from yesterday afternoon. My dad tried his best to clean up and sweep the water out the whole afternoon but his efforts has become worthless in the evening when the flood water entered the house again and this time was higher and flooded more areas in the house.
My mum was alone that evening because my dad went to church and the light went out. My mum cried out of frustration when she tried to salvage all precious things at home, alone in the dark. She was forced to return home alone from work yesterday because my dad couldn't get out of the house to pick her up. She had to walk about 1 km through the knee-high flood water all the way home.
This morning at 6am Jakarta time, I called my parents to find out their latest situation. At the time I called, the rain was still pouring and there is no way that the water will subside because all other area outside the house have submerged and in certain area, the water level reaches chest high. The water pops out everywhere from under the ceramic floors, the toilet, the sinks, and this situation really frustrates every one. People are trapped at their homes flooded with dirty muddy water. They can't use the toilet. It is hard to get clean water. Food is not easy to get either. The neighbors are sharing boxes of instant noodle with each other. Traffic jam can be seen everywhere. Many people have already abandoned their vehicles stranded in the flood.
It pierced my heart to hear the news but I couldn't do anything either. I'm so far away and it's already good that I can still maintain the communication with them.
I knew all along that this is coming. I have been trying my best to persuade my parents to move out of the area but they just don't want to leave at all.
I don't know how long they can stand with this kind of extremely frustrating situation. The situation will sure get worst and I hate to hear, "Sorry...it's too late. There is nothing else we can do."
I'm coming back home soon and will try to assess the situation. I hope I can come up with best solution to evacuate my parents.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
300,000 free seats from Air Asia
Quick log on to www.airasia.com to grab free seats to your favorite destinations as this award winning budget airline is offering 300,000 free seats for its domestic and international routes.
The booking period is from 29 January to 3rd February 2008 for traveling dates from 26 February - 15 May 2008.
If I were not pregnant, I would have grabbed some free seats to Macau and Siem Reap (Angkor wat) because I have been longing to visit these 2 places.
Click this link for free seat status to check which destinations still have the free seats: http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/page.jsp?reference=300kfs
Here are some tips to help you to get the free seats:
The booking period is from 29 January to 3rd February 2008 for traveling dates from 26 February - 15 May 2008.
If I were not pregnant, I would have grabbed some free seats to Macau and Siem Reap (Angkor wat) because I have been longing to visit these 2 places.
Click this link for free seat status to check which destinations still have the free seats: http://www.airasia.com/site/my/en/page.jsp?reference=300kfs
Here are some tips to help you to get the free seats:
- Sign up with Air Asia website to get newsletter to your email address. This is very important so that you get the news ahead of other people.
- Log in to Airasia website a.s.a.p no delay whatsoever after you hear any news about free seat from any sources, especially from Air asia newsletter because usually, it comes a day earlier than the advertisement in the newspaper. So, if you log in right away, you'll gain 1 day ahead of anyone reading the newspaper.
- If the website is very busy, try to log in during odd hours when people in Malaysia are asleep. You can ask a favor from your friend or family who lives in different time zone (like in UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand) to help you to get the ticket but don't forget to pay them back, ok?... ;D If you do live in time zone of GMT+1/2 or GMT+10/12, you'll get bigger chances to get the free seats.
- Get ready with your passport and credit card details to speed up the process.
- Keep on trying and don't give up easily. Try to modify your journey and be flexible if you can't get the destination you want to the nearest destination then continue your journey by land. For example, if you want to get KL-Yogyakarta route but there is no more free seat available, try to get KL-Solo route because from Solo to Yogyakarta it takes only an hour by car. Or if you want to go to Singapore but you can't get the free seat, try to opt for Johor, then take a taxi/train to Singapore. Or if you want to go to Jakarta but no more free seat available, you can try to get KL-Bandung first, then go to Jakarta by bus. It's only an hour journey.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The apple of my ice
My 3 year old son came back from school telling me the story about what he did at school today. He told me that he has learned to play a computer game that had a hamster in it. So I asked him what happened with the hamster. He said, "The green hamster eats a green apple with the ice.", then I told him, "How can the hamster eat the green apple with the eyes? The eyes cannot bite and chew."
I saw him staring at me and said again, "No, mommy! The green hamster eats a green apple with the ice. The ice."
I still thought that he mentioned "the eyes" and insisted that the eyes cannot bite and chew the apple and explained to him that the hamster must have eaten the apple with the mouth.
I saw him thinking hard. I thought he was digesting the information I told him.
Then he said again, "Then there is ice on the apple."
I said to him, "Oh..there is some ice on the green apple. Does the ice melt on the apple?"
He said, "No! The hamster eats the green apple with the ice."
I thought he returned to his first statement and trying to convince me that the hamster can eat the apple with its eyes.
I saw him getting a bit frustrated when I still didn't get what he meant.
So he stood up and walked to the fridge and took out some ice cubes.
He returned to my side and showed me the ice cubes and said, "Mommy, this ice is on the green apple and the hamster eats the apple with the ice."
Then I understood what he was saying actually. "Oh..I see!!! I'm sorry! I thought you were saying the eyes...not the ice. I'm sorry for being so slow to understand you. Alright?"
I saw him smiling so widely. He knew I finally understood his sentence... :D
D'oh mommy is sooo slow...:D
Another time when I held my son's hand to cross the road, I told him to watch out for the cars as there were too many cars on the road.
Then he answered me like this, "but mommy, there are 3 cars on the road. Not 2 cars." Wha..ha..ha.. I burst into laughter.
Apparently, he has mistakenly understood the word 'too' in 'too many cars' with the word 'two (2)' because of the same pronunciation.
I saw him staring at me and said again, "No, mommy! The green hamster eats a green apple with the ice. The ice."
I still thought that he mentioned "the eyes" and insisted that the eyes cannot bite and chew the apple and explained to him that the hamster must have eaten the apple with the mouth.
I saw him thinking hard. I thought he was digesting the information I told him.
Then he said again, "Then there is ice on the apple."
I said to him, "Oh..there is some ice on the green apple. Does the ice melt on the apple?"
He said, "No! The hamster eats the green apple with the ice."
I thought he returned to his first statement and trying to convince me that the hamster can eat the apple with its eyes.
I saw him getting a bit frustrated when I still didn't get what he meant.
So he stood up and walked to the fridge and took out some ice cubes.
He returned to my side and showed me the ice cubes and said, "Mommy, this ice is on the green apple and the hamster eats the apple with the ice."
Then I understood what he was saying actually. "Oh..I see!!! I'm sorry! I thought you were saying the eyes...not the ice. I'm sorry for being so slow to understand you. Alright?"
I saw him smiling so widely. He knew I finally understood his sentence... :D
D'oh mommy is sooo slow...:D
Another time when I held my son's hand to cross the road, I told him to watch out for the cars as there were too many cars on the road.
Then he answered me like this, "but mommy, there are 3 cars on the road. Not 2 cars." Wha..ha..ha.. I burst into laughter.
Apparently, he has mistakenly understood the word 'too' in 'too many cars' with the word 'two (2)' because of the same pronunciation.
Food Poisoning
Last Saturday, I went to have breakfast with my husband at one of many hawker food joins in Ipoh. This was not my usual thing to do but because I have woken up so early in the morning and I felt a terrible hunger that would make me vomit if I didn't eat quickly, I begged my husband to take me with him.
I ordered a bowl of wan tan noodle and a piece of roti chanai for a quick and easy meal while my husband ordered a bowl of prawn noodle with 3 giant prawns in it. I didn't dare to order that one as it is not advisable for a pregnant woman to consume shelled fish during early pregnancy.
After I finished my food, I felt so bloated and wanted to vomit. I thought it was because I ate too much and I was sure that there must have been quite a generous amount of MSG in my food.
On the way back, I told my husband that I could feel the MSG and it made me sick. I felt dizzy and nausea.
My husband asked me to lay down. I laid down and closed my eyes for about an hour.
When I woke up, I felt a terrible feeling in my stomach. I went to toilet to pass bowel motion but instead of passing bowel motion, I vomited so much. Gosh! I felt so weak and dizzy. Once I could handle the nausea, I passed watery bowel motion. I freaked out! My food must have been contaminated with some bacteria or virus that made me suffering like that. I could not walk out of the toilet because I was shivering and so weak. I called my husband and asked him to carry me to the bed so that I could lay down and informed him what had happened.
I was so worried about my pregnancy and about the baby in the womb. Luckily, after about an hour of resting, I felt a lot better and was able to eat again. This time I made sure what I ate was clean and came out right away from the stove.
To make sure everything was fine, I went to see my Gynecologist on Monday to check on the womb. On the same day, I received a sad news from one of my pregnant friends that she just lost her baby due to typhoid. Oh no! It scared the living daylights of me! I panicked! I couldn't wait to get the result from my Gyne. I did the ultrasound scan again to make sure the baby's heart beat in normal rate and was not infected by any virus or bacteria. My Gyne told me that I had food poisoning last Saturday. He asked me to be careful when choosing my food and asked me to avoid hawker food as much as possible. The fetus looked alright and the heartbeat could still be seen. Oh thank you God!!
I promised my self to be extra careful with the food I eat and stop visiting hawker food joins for the time being. Nothing worries me more than loosing the precious gift due to my negligence and ignorance.
Oh by the way, my doctor informed me about the possible harmful effects of herbs, chinese drugs, native medicine, bottled extract of chicken, and alcohol, during pregnancy. I have also been advised not to take them throughout my pregnancy, delivery, and post natal period (confinement period). This is very important to remember especially during Chinese New Year feast that's coming in 2 weeks.
I ordered a bowl of wan tan noodle and a piece of roti chanai for a quick and easy meal while my husband ordered a bowl of prawn noodle with 3 giant prawns in it. I didn't dare to order that one as it is not advisable for a pregnant woman to consume shelled fish during early pregnancy.
After I finished my food, I felt so bloated and wanted to vomit. I thought it was because I ate too much and I was sure that there must have been quite a generous amount of MSG in my food.
On the way back, I told my husband that I could feel the MSG and it made me sick. I felt dizzy and nausea.
My husband asked me to lay down. I laid down and closed my eyes for about an hour.
When I woke up, I felt a terrible feeling in my stomach. I went to toilet to pass bowel motion but instead of passing bowel motion, I vomited so much. Gosh! I felt so weak and dizzy. Once I could handle the nausea, I passed watery bowel motion. I freaked out! My food must have been contaminated with some bacteria or virus that made me suffering like that. I could not walk out of the toilet because I was shivering and so weak. I called my husband and asked him to carry me to the bed so that I could lay down and informed him what had happened.
I was so worried about my pregnancy and about the baby in the womb. Luckily, after about an hour of resting, I felt a lot better and was able to eat again. This time I made sure what I ate was clean and came out right away from the stove.
To make sure everything was fine, I went to see my Gynecologist on Monday to check on the womb. On the same day, I received a sad news from one of my pregnant friends that she just lost her baby due to typhoid. Oh no! It scared the living daylights of me! I panicked! I couldn't wait to get the result from my Gyne. I did the ultrasound scan again to make sure the baby's heart beat in normal rate and was not infected by any virus or bacteria. My Gyne told me that I had food poisoning last Saturday. He asked me to be careful when choosing my food and asked me to avoid hawker food as much as possible. The fetus looked alright and the heartbeat could still be seen. Oh thank you God!!
I promised my self to be extra careful with the food I eat and stop visiting hawker food joins for the time being. Nothing worries me more than loosing the precious gift due to my negligence and ignorance.
Oh by the way, my doctor informed me about the possible harmful effects of herbs, chinese drugs, native medicine, bottled extract of chicken, and alcohol, during pregnancy. I have also been advised not to take them throughout my pregnancy, delivery, and post natal period (confinement period). This is very important to remember especially during Chinese New Year feast that's coming in 2 weeks.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Another good news
This good news is for those who love travelling.
- Malaysia Airlines has an online offer for Kuala Lumpur - Yogyakarta (Indonesia). It only costs RM99 one way or RM198 before any taxes and surcharges. This airlines also has many online offers to other destinations. Go check out the website at www.malaysiaairlines.com!
- Air Asia now serves Kuala Lumpur - Yogyakarta route as well and the ticket price is very competitive.
- Air Asia ticket price from Kuala Lumpur - Singapore starts at RM29.99 one way (I managed to get a free ticket when Air Asia gave away 30,000 seats to celebrate the liberation of KL-Singapore route...:D)
- To fly cheap from Australia to Kuala Lumpur, you can fly with Air Asia X (Long distance Air Asia) or Jetstar. Air Asia X serves Brisbane (Gold Coast) - Kuala Lumpur route while Jetstar serves Sydney - Kuala Lumpur route.
- You can now take train (KTMB) from Ipoh - Singapore vv directly. The journey will take about 8 hours. For more info, check out KTMB website at www.ktmb.com.my (use IE to open the website properly).
Sharing a good news
Some people believe that informing a good news about your pregnancy before it reaches 13 weeks old to other people is a taboo because the first tri-semester of pregnancy is the most crucial time. The pregnancy may get a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) anytime because of many reasons such as chromosomal defect, imperfect brain development, drugs, cervical incompetence, ectopic pregnancy, or severe accident. According to my pregnancy guide book (New Zealand Pregnancy Book. This is a great book, by the way.), it is estimated that as many as 30% of pregnancies are lost, although many of these occur even before a woman is able to confirm pregnancy or in another word, before the woman know that she is pregnant.Personally, to me, it is very very hard to conceal a pregnancy because getting pregnant is something wonderful that does not come easy to me.
For my first pregnancy, I had to wait for 5 years to get it, despite all the mocking and cursing I got. I even found out late about it because I was so sure all along that I could not get pregnant so easily. So, the moment I knew I got pregnant, I could not wait to tell the world about it. I knew I would feel extremely disappointed if it got aborted. I did not even dare to think about it; but thanks to God, everything went well and so smoothly.
My big belly suddenly became a public property. Every where I went, people stopped me and asked me how many months pregnant I was while touching my growing belly. From the youngest one at around 5 years old to the oldest one at around 90 years old, they honestly showed that they cared for me and that they too were very happy for me. These people didn't even care if I was only a stranger in the country.
It was the greatest adventure I have ever had so far. Really! Nothing could beat the happiness I felt for the whole duration of pregnancy. It was so wonderful to be the centre of attention and to get all the priorities in life so why would I hide it?
What happens if you are asked to do the X-ray? You've definitely got to inform about your pregnancy no matter how early it is.
It is also important to inform a GP that you are pregnant before the GP prescribes any medications to you.
When I found out I got pregnant for the second time, again, I found it hard to keep it a secret because this pregnancy is an answer to my prayer. I informed God that I am ready and my body is ready too to conceive my second child and God listened to me.
Just as my first pregnancy, I found out a bit late. But this time I could feel the same symptoms as the previous pregnancy so I've already suspected it.
And now, I'm telling the world about it because I want the world to be happy with me and pray for my pregnancy so that I will have the same smooth ride or better for the whole duration of pregnancy as the previous pregnancy until the day, I am able to give my 2nd child, the same greatest gift of love I've given to the big brother, my breast milk.
So, if you see that this blog is not updated too often, that is because I can not sit too long in front of computer. Just as the previous pregnancy, I always feel tired all the time so I need to have a lot of rest. Just say a little prayer for me and the baby inside my womb so that every thing will be alright. Thank you people!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
First day at school
Yesterday was a very important day for both my son and me because yesterday was his first day at school. Though it's only a pre-school, both of us were overwhelmed by the fact that my son has just reached another important milestone in his life. I got more excited than any one else including my son. It doesn't sink in his brain yet that when he goes to school, his world is not just mommy, daddy, and his nanny. He needs to learn to interact with his new friends and his teachers. He needs to learn to be independent. It is important that he develops his social skill as well.
On Sunday, we went for shopping to buy more pants and cloths for my boy because he doesn't have his uniform yet. I prepared him as much as I could so that he wouldn't be too overwhelmed by the situation and the new things at school. I trained my son to sleep early at night and wake up very early in the morning because usually, he sleeps at midnight and would wake up at 10am. A week before his first day at school, I trained him to learn to sit down and feed himself. Normally, he wouldn't stand to sit down for more than 5 minutes and it took about at least an hour to feed him. He needs to be able to sit down and feed himself because I was afraid that my son would walk around while his friends enjoy their meal. My son is learning very slowly about this. I don't get much support from others who stay with us because every one wants to teach my son his/her own way and my son knows that there will always be someone that is willing to feed him. D'oh I am really frustrated about this but I can't be too hard on him or he will be frustrated too and he will refuse to eat.
So the 1st day at school came.
My husband and I couldn't sleep because we were afraid of waking up too late and I could feel that I was very nervous about my son's reaction on his first day at school. I heard from so many people that usually first day at school is a crying day because the kids will not want to be separated from the parents.
I tried to calm myself down and prepared my son to go to school. My son still didn't realize why he had to wake up and get ready so early that day. He thought we were going to church. He was very excited and got ready with no fuss at all.
When I saw him ready to go to school with his small water bottle on his shoulder and his small bag that he dragged here and there, I could not hide my emotion. Oh my boy has grown up so fast. Seems only yesterday I gave birth to him and now he is ready to go to school. I hugged him tightly and kissed him. If only I could paint, I would have painted this moment. I did take many photographs but I don't think the photos really show the emotion I experienced that day.
The first day at school was not only for my son but it was also for me and my husband. We were not too sure what to do the moment we arrived at my son's school.
As for my son, he got so excited to see so many kinds of educational toys around and no one seemed to say "No" to him when he played with all the toys. He jumped from one section to another taking different kinds of toy but one thing that attracted his attention so much was the computer set. He was so happy to see the computer he is very familiar with. He played with the computer and quickly forgot about his mommy and daddy. When every one saw him quite ok with the new situation, the teacher assured us that he would be fine. So, off we went. My son didn't even hear us saying good bye to him. He was so busy playing and discovering his new toys.
Then when we came back to pick him up again after school finished, he run very fast while screaming and crying so loudly the moment he saw us walking towards his classroom. From the teachers we found out that he cried for hours when he realized mommy and daddy were not around anymore. He hugged my husband so tightly and screaming that he didn't want to go back to school anymore. Oh poor my little boy! He got so trauma with the new situation.
For the whole day yesterday, I kept on talking and talking to him, trying to calm him down and convinced him that mommy would not leave him anymore.
Today, I was so afraid that my son refused to go to school at all, but he forgot about the incident yesterday. He woke up early and got ready quickly. He still thought that he was going to church (again)... :)
But then, when the car made a right turn to his school, his trauma came back. He screamed and cried so loudly that he did not want to go to school.
I hugged him and gave him assurance that mommy would always be with him. Mommy would not leave him alone this time.
So, I had to carry him out of the car and comforted him while walking down to his classroom. Then, the moment he saw the toys and the crayons and the computer, he wanted to go down and dragged me around the classroom. He showed me where he played and he showed me what the computer did.
Again, I was so overwhelmed. I could not hide my emotion but I didn't want him to see me crying because then he would think I was sad when in fact I cried because I felt very proud to be his mother. I could not believe I managed to help him to reach this milestone.
On the second day, slowly my son got used to the situation and the surrounding. I slowly retreated to the back of the school joining a group of parents who were waiting for their children.
When the classroom door was closed, I could hear so many children crying, including my son. He forced to open the door and stormed towards me with so much fear in his face. When he saw me, he hugged me tightly and said, "I want mommy! I want my mommy! I only want my mommy!"
I saw many other younger kids crying looking for their mommies. 1 teacher had to comfort 4 crying kids. Oh what a stressful situation!
I tried my best to comfort my son and assure him that I would never leave him alone. But it was not easy to gain his trust back. So, I had to sit down inside the classroom until his teacher took the children out for an outdoor activity.
Most children love the outdoor activity. They stopped crying at once and got busy playing with the sand. My son was so busy playing with the sand he completely forgot about me. For another 2 hours, for the first time, I saw him following his teacher's instruction and not even bother to look for mommy.
Then it was time to go back home, but my son did not want to go back home! After more talking and persuading from me, he said good bye to his teacher and promised to come back again tomorrow. Wow! I could not believe my ears...:D
For the whole day today, he was so proud that he did not cry anymore at school and I use this opportunity to lift up his spirit more so that he won't be afraid to go to school again tomorrow and hopefully, by next week, I don't have to stay at school anymore so that he can learn to be more independent.
Oh what a great experience as a parent!!
1st day at school. Still trying to explore the classroom and the surrounding.
Showing daddy the new toy.
That is my favorite thing, the computer!
On Sunday, we went for shopping to buy more pants and cloths for my boy because he doesn't have his uniform yet. I prepared him as much as I could so that he wouldn't be too overwhelmed by the situation and the new things at school. I trained my son to sleep early at night and wake up very early in the morning because usually, he sleeps at midnight and would wake up at 10am. A week before his first day at school, I trained him to learn to sit down and feed himself. Normally, he wouldn't stand to sit down for more than 5 minutes and it took about at least an hour to feed him. He needs to be able to sit down and feed himself because I was afraid that my son would walk around while his friends enjoy their meal. My son is learning very slowly about this. I don't get much support from others who stay with us because every one wants to teach my son his/her own way and my son knows that there will always be someone that is willing to feed him. D'oh I am really frustrated about this but I can't be too hard on him or he will be frustrated too and he will refuse to eat.
So the 1st day at school came.
My husband and I couldn't sleep because we were afraid of waking up too late and I could feel that I was very nervous about my son's reaction on his first day at school. I heard from so many people that usually first day at school is a crying day because the kids will not want to be separated from the parents.
I tried to calm myself down and prepared my son to go to school. My son still didn't realize why he had to wake up and get ready so early that day. He thought we were going to church. He was very excited and got ready with no fuss at all.
When I saw him ready to go to school with his small water bottle on his shoulder and his small bag that he dragged here and there, I could not hide my emotion. Oh my boy has grown up so fast. Seems only yesterday I gave birth to him and now he is ready to go to school. I hugged him tightly and kissed him. If only I could paint, I would have painted this moment. I did take many photographs but I don't think the photos really show the emotion I experienced that day.
The first day at school was not only for my son but it was also for me and my husband. We were not too sure what to do the moment we arrived at my son's school.
As for my son, he got so excited to see so many kinds of educational toys around and no one seemed to say "No" to him when he played with all the toys. He jumped from one section to another taking different kinds of toy but one thing that attracted his attention so much was the computer set. He was so happy to see the computer he is very familiar with. He played with the computer and quickly forgot about his mommy and daddy. When every one saw him quite ok with the new situation, the teacher assured us that he would be fine. So, off we went. My son didn't even hear us saying good bye to him. He was so busy playing and discovering his new toys.
Then when we came back to pick him up again after school finished, he run very fast while screaming and crying so loudly the moment he saw us walking towards his classroom. From the teachers we found out that he cried for hours when he realized mommy and daddy were not around anymore. He hugged my husband so tightly and screaming that he didn't want to go back to school anymore. Oh poor my little boy! He got so trauma with the new situation.
For the whole day yesterday, I kept on talking and talking to him, trying to calm him down and convinced him that mommy would not leave him anymore.
Today, I was so afraid that my son refused to go to school at all, but he forgot about the incident yesterday. He woke up early and got ready quickly. He still thought that he was going to church (again)... :)
But then, when the car made a right turn to his school, his trauma came back. He screamed and cried so loudly that he did not want to go to school.
I hugged him and gave him assurance that mommy would always be with him. Mommy would not leave him alone this time.
So, I had to carry him out of the car and comforted him while walking down to his classroom. Then, the moment he saw the toys and the crayons and the computer, he wanted to go down and dragged me around the classroom. He showed me where he played and he showed me what the computer did.
Again, I was so overwhelmed. I could not hide my emotion but I didn't want him to see me crying because then he would think I was sad when in fact I cried because I felt very proud to be his mother. I could not believe I managed to help him to reach this milestone.
On the second day, slowly my son got used to the situation and the surrounding. I slowly retreated to the back of the school joining a group of parents who were waiting for their children.
When the classroom door was closed, I could hear so many children crying, including my son. He forced to open the door and stormed towards me with so much fear in his face. When he saw me, he hugged me tightly and said, "I want mommy! I want my mommy! I only want my mommy!"
I saw many other younger kids crying looking for their mommies. 1 teacher had to comfort 4 crying kids. Oh what a stressful situation!
I tried my best to comfort my son and assure him that I would never leave him alone. But it was not easy to gain his trust back. So, I had to sit down inside the classroom until his teacher took the children out for an outdoor activity.
Most children love the outdoor activity. They stopped crying at once and got busy playing with the sand. My son was so busy playing with the sand he completely forgot about me. For another 2 hours, for the first time, I saw him following his teacher's instruction and not even bother to look for mommy.
Then it was time to go back home, but my son did not want to go back home! After more talking and persuading from me, he said good bye to his teacher and promised to come back again tomorrow. Wow! I could not believe my ears...:D
For the whole day today, he was so proud that he did not cry anymore at school and I use this opportunity to lift up his spirit more so that he won't be afraid to go to school again tomorrow and hopefully, by next week, I don't have to stay at school anymore so that he can learn to be more independent.
Oh what a great experience as a parent!!
1st day at school. Still trying to explore the classroom and the surrounding.
Showing daddy the new toy.
That is my favorite thing, the computer!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Going green
If this is not your first visit to my blog, you should have noticed that I'm giving a facelift to my blog. This year, The Coffeeliqueur way is going green in support of any efforts to green the earth, especially the recycling project. This is the main reason of choosing green as the theme color of this year. Other reasons include a fresher appearance to my blog and also a soothing/calming mind for my readers after they visit my blog. This blog is a kind of mental therapy for me and for every one who reads this blog. Since I am a peaceful person, I hope not to post any controversial stories here. I want to keep the happy blog status just like what one of this blog visitor commented.
Enjoy your visit at The Coffeeliqueur way! I hope you become a regular visitor of this blog. Don't forget to leave your comment or just to say 'hi' when you visit this blog. Let me know if you link to me so that I can link to you back. Let's support the efforts to green the earth for us now and for our future generations!Oh by the way, this blog is not about a cup of coffee and liqueur or a cup of coffeeliqueur on the rock. There no alcohol involved whatsoever...so it's safe to read this blog together with the whole family... :)
Enjoy your visit at The Coffeeliqueur way! I hope you become a regular visitor of this blog. Don't forget to leave your comment or just to say 'hi' when you visit this blog. Let me know if you link to me so that I can link to you back. Let's support the efforts to green the earth for us now and for our future generations!Oh by the way, this blog is not about a cup of coffee and liqueur or a cup of coffeeliqueur on the rock. There no alcohol involved whatsoever...so it's safe to read this blog together with the whole family... :)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Happy New Year 2008 to all
It's still too early to get ready for new year countdown so I thought of writing my last post for 2007.
In 8 hours 11 minutes I'm going to say good bye to 2007 and welcome 2008 with hope of a better things in life.
On this great opportunity, I'm going to do the flashback to highlight some great things that happened in 2007.
2007 has been a great year for me. Things are definitely getting a lot better towards the end of the year. In fact, this year's Christmas is the best Christmas I have had since I moved to Malaysia. It was a simple Christmas as I told you before in my previous post, but what made it the best is that I celebrated Christmas with people that mean the most to me with all the love and affection and joy that I never had before. I felt very happy because I did not have to go to places where my heart refused to go. So I didn't have to pretend to be happy and this has really made me happy. Sounds confusing, huh? :D
In November 2007, my very best friend came to visit me from the faraway land. Her visit cheered me up and brightened up my days. That was a visit I had been waiting for 3 years. Her visit meant a lot to me and to my mental health... :)
Before her visit, I went back home with my husband and son for Idul Fitri holiday and got a chance to meet up with my cousins whom I hadn't met for years. In June-July, my folks visited me and they brought along my beloved uncle and aunt. I never had so many companies and so many people cooked for me before. Their visit also meant a lot to me and I would love them to visit me again in 2008.
And then, the biggest, the greatest moment happened in May 2007 because one of my dream has been fulfilled. I finally managed to visit Vatican, and not only that. I also managed to kneel down and pray in front of the tomb of the great Pope John Paul II. Who am I for I am so blessed? I am only a teacher's daughter with great traveling experiences.
Thanks to my great friend who tried to keep his promise though it took him 10 years to fulfill it. Thank you, my friend! I am very blessed to have you back as my best friend. Yeah...I 'lost' 1 friend but I 'found' my long-lost best friend back in 2007.
Continue on...
In April 2007, I got a chance to visit Malacca. Though it was only 2 day-trip, it has left great impression on me. I hope someday I could visit Malacca again.
In March 2007, I visited Singapore and met a number of old friends whom I miss a lot. That 5 day- trip was great. I took my son to Sentosa Island for the first time.
In late February early March 2007, I went back home and stayed there for nearly a month. It was quite the longest stay for the past 4 years. I attended the important meeting with WRM (We R mommies) in conjunction with its 3rd birthday. I met many new great friends in there.
Then finally, since end of December 2006 until early February 2007, I was very busy with my husband's family to prepare the Chinese New Year, the year of Pig.
As you can read above, I did not have a quiet year in 2007. It is a traveling year for me.
But in 2008, I won't be traveling too much because my son will start his kindy in January and I have promised my husband to learn Mandarin together with him...;)
Let's see...hopefully, by end of this year, I will be able to speak Mandarin so that I can start planning to visit China in 2009..upppsss..then I'll miss the Beijing Olympic 2008... :(
But it's ok. I want to visit China to see the Great Wall and to visit my friend.
Yeah...I think 2008 is going to be a 'quiet' year for me. It's going to be a year of learning and collecting new skills.
I hope 2008 will bring more joy, luck, wealth, health, and happiness for every one because according to the Chinese, 2008 is a good year. Though I am not Chinese, I'm married to one so it makes me half Chinese already... :)
Oh by the way, I almost forget. 2008 is a leap year! Yay! Another leap year is coming! Yay! I'm jumping for joy. You know why? because I will be able to celebrate my 2nd wedding anniversary! I pray so that 2008 will also be a great year for me and my marriage life.
I still have many dreams to fulfill and I am a person with strong determination. When I want something, I will try to get it no matter how long it takes.
So, to every one who visits The Coffeeliqueur way, Happy New Year 2008! May this 2008 will bring all great things in your life so that 2008 will be a great year for you all.
Come back often just to see if I can speak Mandarin already... :)
In 8 hours 11 minutes I'm going to say good bye to 2007 and welcome 2008 with hope of a better things in life.
On this great opportunity, I'm going to do the flashback to highlight some great things that happened in 2007.
2007 has been a great year for me. Things are definitely getting a lot better towards the end of the year. In fact, this year's Christmas is the best Christmas I have had since I moved to Malaysia. It was a simple Christmas as I told you before in my previous post, but what made it the best is that I celebrated Christmas with people that mean the most to me with all the love and affection and joy that I never had before. I felt very happy because I did not have to go to places where my heart refused to go. So I didn't have to pretend to be happy and this has really made me happy. Sounds confusing, huh? :D
In November 2007, my very best friend came to visit me from the faraway land. Her visit cheered me up and brightened up my days. That was a visit I had been waiting for 3 years. Her visit meant a lot to me and to my mental health... :)
Before her visit, I went back home with my husband and son for Idul Fitri holiday and got a chance to meet up with my cousins whom I hadn't met for years. In June-July, my folks visited me and they brought along my beloved uncle and aunt. I never had so many companies and so many people cooked for me before. Their visit also meant a lot to me and I would love them to visit me again in 2008.
And then, the biggest, the greatest moment happened in May 2007 because one of my dream has been fulfilled. I finally managed to visit Vatican, and not only that. I also managed to kneel down and pray in front of the tomb of the great Pope John Paul II. Who am I for I am so blessed? I am only a teacher's daughter with great traveling experiences.
Thanks to my great friend who tried to keep his promise though it took him 10 years to fulfill it. Thank you, my friend! I am very blessed to have you back as my best friend. Yeah...I 'lost' 1 friend but I 'found' my long-lost best friend back in 2007.
Continue on...
In April 2007, I got a chance to visit Malacca. Though it was only 2 day-trip, it has left great impression on me. I hope someday I could visit Malacca again.
In March 2007, I visited Singapore and met a number of old friends whom I miss a lot. That 5 day- trip was great. I took my son to Sentosa Island for the first time.
In late February early March 2007, I went back home and stayed there for nearly a month. It was quite the longest stay for the past 4 years. I attended the important meeting with WRM (We R mommies) in conjunction with its 3rd birthday. I met many new great friends in there.
Then finally, since end of December 2006 until early February 2007, I was very busy with my husband's family to prepare the Chinese New Year, the year of Pig.
As you can read above, I did not have a quiet year in 2007. It is a traveling year for me.
But in 2008, I won't be traveling too much because my son will start his kindy in January and I have promised my husband to learn Mandarin together with him...;)
Let's see...hopefully, by end of this year, I will be able to speak Mandarin so that I can start planning to visit China in 2009..upppsss..then I'll miss the Beijing Olympic 2008... :(
But it's ok. I want to visit China to see the Great Wall and to visit my friend.
Yeah...I think 2008 is going to be a 'quiet' year for me. It's going to be a year of learning and collecting new skills.
I hope 2008 will bring more joy, luck, wealth, health, and happiness for every one because according to the Chinese, 2008 is a good year. Though I am not Chinese, I'm married to one so it makes me half Chinese already... :)
Oh by the way, I almost forget. 2008 is a leap year! Yay! Another leap year is coming! Yay! I'm jumping for joy. You know why? because I will be able to celebrate my 2nd wedding anniversary! I pray so that 2008 will also be a great year for me and my marriage life.
I still have many dreams to fulfill and I am a person with strong determination. When I want something, I will try to get it no matter how long it takes.
So, to every one who visits The Coffeeliqueur way, Happy New Year 2008! May this 2008 will bring all great things in your life so that 2008 will be a great year for you all.
Come back often just to see if I can speak Mandarin already... :)
Friday, December 28, 2007
Flood and landslide in Indonesia
I have just talked to my dad on the phone and he asked me to go read the latest news about Indonesia. It's news about flood and landslide which claimed many lives in Java island caused by very heavy rain that can last for hours.
My dad who is in Yogyakarta and is supposed to drive to Surabaya tomorrow is thinking of canceling the trip to Surabaya because of heavy flood around the Bengawan Solo area.
My dad told me that it rains heavily everyday in Yogyakarta and the hilly area such as Tawangmangu has been hardest hit by the landslide. Oh my God! Tawangmangu that I know is a very beautiful place. I used to visit this place for vacation to see the waterfall.
As I'm writing this post, I'm reading the online news about my country at Metro TV online.
The bad news keeps popping up as the headlines. The flood also happens in Jakarta (not surprise about this), in West Sumatera, and other parts of Indonesia.
Indonesia is very prone to natural disaster, especially during the end of the year. I don't deny the fact that Indonesia geographical position is not actually in a good position either. Being in the pacific ring of fire makes Indonesia very prone to earthquake and any volcanic related disasters. Years of deforestation has left many areas in Indonesia, especially in Java island, with very little vegetation to hold the soil and this has caused the flood and landslide during tropical downpours. Don't forget about forest conversions and chaotic spatial planning that happens in every part of Indonesia. On top of that, many Indonesians still adopt the attitude of I-don't-care-about-other-people-and-my-next-generation-as-long-as-I-get-what-I-want-now towards the environment and the government is also not pushing any 'love the environment' policies hard enough. They only act when the disasters strike. It's a bit too late, isn't it?
As 2008 is approaching, I hope to hear better news about Indonesia and in the mean time I can only pray hard so that my country always survives any tragedies and natural disasters, the number of victims reduces and every one can get back to normal life as soon as possible.
Click here if you want to read the complete news.
My dad who is in Yogyakarta and is supposed to drive to Surabaya tomorrow is thinking of canceling the trip to Surabaya because of heavy flood around the Bengawan Solo area.
My dad told me that it rains heavily everyday in Yogyakarta and the hilly area such as Tawangmangu has been hardest hit by the landslide. Oh my God! Tawangmangu that I know is a very beautiful place. I used to visit this place for vacation to see the waterfall.
As I'm writing this post, I'm reading the online news about my country at Metro TV online.
The bad news keeps popping up as the headlines. The flood also happens in Jakarta (not surprise about this), in West Sumatera, and other parts of Indonesia.
Indonesia is very prone to natural disaster, especially during the end of the year. I don't deny the fact that Indonesia geographical position is not actually in a good position either. Being in the pacific ring of fire makes Indonesia very prone to earthquake and any volcanic related disasters. Years of deforestation has left many areas in Indonesia, especially in Java island, with very little vegetation to hold the soil and this has caused the flood and landslide during tropical downpours. Don't forget about forest conversions and chaotic spatial planning that happens in every part of Indonesia. On top of that, many Indonesians still adopt the attitude of I-don't-care-about-other-people-and-my-next-generation-as-long-as-I-get-what-I-want-now towards the environment and the government is also not pushing any 'love the environment' policies hard enough. They only act when the disasters strike. It's a bit too late, isn't it?
As 2008 is approaching, I hope to hear better news about Indonesia and in the mean time I can only pray hard so that my country always survives any tragedies and natural disasters, the number of victims reduces and every one can get back to normal life as soon as possible.
Click here if you want to read the complete news.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
All I want for Christmas is Doraemon
Anyone knows Doraemon? If you like Japanese cartoon character, I'm sure you'll know Doraemon, the blue cat-like robot that has a magic pocket full of anything you want (I should rather say, Nobita wants). Nobita is Doraemon's friend who likes to cry and when he cries his tears pouring out heavily every where...:D
When I was small, I loved to see Doraemon in the TV together with my brother. After I woke up from a nap and took shower, I would be ready to watch the show while waiting for dinner to be ready. Even when I was in college, my flatmate called me Nobita because I used to cry a lot and when I cried, my tears poured out every where just like Nobita...:D
So, when I knew Doraemon was coming to town, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to relive my childhood memory. I took my son to get up close and personal with Doraemon after the Sunday mass just before Christmas.
Actually, my son doesn't really know who Doraemon is and he didn't seem so interested at all...:( It was me who tried my best to get as close as possible to this blue cat-robot. My son was more interested in the fake snow falling down from the snow-making machine...:)
This was the stage for Christmas with Doraemon.
Before Doraemon came out, there was a choir caroled to cheer up every one that visited the mall.
Doraemon!! This was as close as I could get...:)
This is Nobita. My son who was with my maid actually bumped to him so close but I was somewhere up in the 2nd floor to get this photo.
When I was small, I loved to see Doraemon in the TV together with my brother. After I woke up from a nap and took shower, I would be ready to watch the show while waiting for dinner to be ready. Even when I was in college, my flatmate called me Nobita because I used to cry a lot and when I cried, my tears poured out every where just like Nobita...:D
So, when I knew Doraemon was coming to town, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to relive my childhood memory. I took my son to get up close and personal with Doraemon after the Sunday mass just before Christmas.
Actually, my son doesn't really know who Doraemon is and he didn't seem so interested at all...:( It was me who tried my best to get as close as possible to this blue cat-robot. My son was more interested in the fake snow falling down from the snow-making machine...:)
This was the stage for Christmas with Doraemon.
Before Doraemon came out, there was a choir caroled to cheer up every one that visited the mall.
Doraemon!! This was as close as I could get...:)
This is Nobita. My son who was with my maid actually bumped to him so close but I was somewhere up in the 2nd floor to get this photo.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008
Looks like Christmas this year is going to be the simplest Christmas I have so far.
I only received 1 card so far and I don't put up any Christmas decorations at all in my house; no Christmas tree, no presents, and not even a 'Merry Christmas' sign. My house is so plain as if I did not celebrate Christmas at all.
Up to present, I still cannot decide where to go for my special Christmas diner. I have been to almost all restaurants in Ipoh that supposedly serve good food... :)
Unfortunately in Ipoh there are very limited choices of fine dining restaurant to go to for a special occasion like Christmas. Unlike Penang, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh only has a few fine dining restaurants such as Indulgence and Brewster for western food, Oversea and Tai Thong for chinese food. So, I really have no idea where to go for my Christmas feast because I am not in the mood to travel for 2 hours (sans traffic jam) to Penang or KL just to eat.
Anyway, that's not important. The most important thing for me during Christmas is that I get a chance to spend more time with my husband and my son.
Merry Christmas and in case I don't have a chance to go online, Happy New year 2008 to you all.
I only received 1 card so far and I don't put up any Christmas decorations at all in my house; no Christmas tree, no presents, and not even a 'Merry Christmas' sign. My house is so plain as if I did not celebrate Christmas at all.
Up to present, I still cannot decide where to go for my special Christmas diner. I have been to almost all restaurants in Ipoh that supposedly serve good food... :)
Unfortunately in Ipoh there are very limited choices of fine dining restaurant to go to for a special occasion like Christmas. Unlike Penang, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh only has a few fine dining restaurants such as Indulgence and Brewster for western food, Oversea and Tai Thong for chinese food. So, I really have no idea where to go for my Christmas feast because I am not in the mood to travel for 2 hours (sans traffic jam) to Penang or KL just to eat.
Anyway, that's not important. The most important thing for me during Christmas is that I get a chance to spend more time with my husband and my son.
Merry Christmas and in case I don't have a chance to go online, Happy New year 2008 to you all.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Telefon bimbit, had, and telor mata kerbau
My Indonesian friend came over to visit me from a far away land and this was her 1st visit to Malaysia.
When I took her for a drive around the city, she admitted to me that she got confused with Bahasa Melayu (Malay language) spoken here in Malaysia. I was very surprised when she told me this because I thought she would not have difficulties understanding Bahasa Melayu at all since she comes from Sumatera island. I thought the melayu people in Sumatera speaks the same Bahasa melayu like the Malaysians. So, when she told me that the language is completely different, my eyes were round and my mouth was gagged in disbelieving her explanation.
Her confusion in Malay language started when she was on board of the aircraft on the way to Kuala Lumpur. She said she could not understand what it means when the flight attendant mentioned about telefon bimbit in the airplane. The word sounded so strange to her ears.
I told her that usually telefon bimbit is mentioned together with cakera padat and komputer riba by the flight attendant making the safety announcement on board. "Yes..Yes..that's right!" she said. I informed her that telefon bimbit means cellular phone, cakera padat means compact disk, and komputer riba means laptop. "Whua...ha...ha..." I heard her laughing so loudly and continued "I always thought komputer riba means something bad because 'riba' in Indonesian language means lintah darat (usury - english)." "Whe..he..he.." It's my turn to laugh now... :D
Then I continued, "Yeah...the same one as the word 'budak'. Budak in Malay language means kanak-kanak (children - english) but in Indonesian language means slave."
"Oh gosh! It's better to speak English then and just understand the English version because even though I do understand bahasa melayu, some of the words means completely different from words I understand." my friend concluded.
"Yes, that's right. But when you stay in Malaysia long enough, you'll learn to speak like the Malaysians and you'll grow to understand the differences of the 2 languages." I told her.
Then when I was about to turn into a one way road, my friend read a sign board that says, "Jalan sehala". She started her inquest about the difference in Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu again. "What's that 'Jalan sehala'? I don't remember bahasa Indonesia has that word." She said. I smiled at her. While continued driving I explained to her that 'jalan sehala' means 'one way road' or 'jalan satu arah' in bahasa Indonesia.
Then I heard her saying, "Kalau gitu, jalan dua arah bahasa melayunya jalan 2 hala?" (That means, 2-way road in malay language is jalan 2 hala?)
"Yeap. That's right.", I nodded.
Then I drove into a tunnel. In front of a tunnel there is a sign board that mentioned about the height limit of vehicles that can pass through the tunnel. My friend asked me again, "What is 'had'?"
"It means 'limit' or 'batas' in bahasa Indonesia.", I answered. "Oh...I see..", she said.
"Geez!! I never expected that Malay language is a lot different compared to Indonesian language.", my friend told me.
"Well, I thought at first you would easily understand the Malay language because you come from Sumatera where all the malay-Indonesian live.", I said.
"Yah...but we have our own malay-Indonesian language which is different. Each area has its own local dialect, such as the people in Medan speak different dialect compared to people in Padang and Palembang or Riau.", she explained to me.
"Yes. I agree.", I understand her explanation.
"Luckily, I have you to help me translating the Malaysian language to me. Otherwise, I would misunderstand everything and get more confused with these strange words that sound funny to my ears. By the way, you already have that Malay accent! You don't speak like a Javanese anymore!", my friend told me.
"Wha...ha..ha..Thanks mate!", I blushed... :D
I was glad that another person has proved it that Malay language is not the same as Indonesian language and admitted that it's better to use English to avoid misunderstanding since most Malaysians understand English while at the same time trying to understand the Malay language in Malaysian way, not the Indonesian way... :)
Just yesterday, I found another Malay words that sound so strange and funny to my Indonesian ears. The word is 'telor mata kerbau'. If I translate these words one by one:
telor (egg - english) - telur (Indonesia)
mata (eye - english) - mata (Indonesia)
kerbau (buffalo - english) - kerbau (Indonesia)
But the whole words actually mean sunny side-up egg. In bahasa Indonesia, we also have nearly similar expression, but we use 'cow' instead of 'buffalo', so sunny side-up in bahasa Indonesia is telur mata sapi...;)
I wonder what my friend would say about this...he..he..he..
When I took her for a drive around the city, she admitted to me that she got confused with Bahasa Melayu (Malay language) spoken here in Malaysia. I was very surprised when she told me this because I thought she would not have difficulties understanding Bahasa Melayu at all since she comes from Sumatera island. I thought the melayu people in Sumatera speaks the same Bahasa melayu like the Malaysians. So, when she told me that the language is completely different, my eyes were round and my mouth was gagged in disbelieving her explanation.
Her confusion in Malay language started when she was on board of the aircraft on the way to Kuala Lumpur. She said she could not understand what it means when the flight attendant mentioned about telefon bimbit in the airplane. The word sounded so strange to her ears.
I told her that usually telefon bimbit is mentioned together with cakera padat and komputer riba by the flight attendant making the safety announcement on board. "Yes..Yes..that's right!" she said. I informed her that telefon bimbit means cellular phone, cakera padat means compact disk, and komputer riba means laptop. "Whua...ha...ha..." I heard her laughing so loudly and continued "I always thought komputer riba means something bad because 'riba' in Indonesian language means lintah darat (usury - english)." "Whe..he..he.." It's my turn to laugh now... :D
Then I continued, "Yeah...the same one as the word 'budak'. Budak in Malay language means kanak-kanak (children - english) but in Indonesian language means slave."
"Oh gosh! It's better to speak English then and just understand the English version because even though I do understand bahasa melayu, some of the words means completely different from words I understand." my friend concluded.
"Yes, that's right. But when you stay in Malaysia long enough, you'll learn to speak like the Malaysians and you'll grow to understand the differences of the 2 languages." I told her.
Then when I was about to turn into a one way road, my friend read a sign board that says, "Jalan sehala". She started her inquest about the difference in Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Melayu again. "What's that 'Jalan sehala'? I don't remember bahasa Indonesia has that word." She said. I smiled at her. While continued driving I explained to her that 'jalan sehala' means 'one way road' or 'jalan satu arah' in bahasa Indonesia.
Then I heard her saying, "Kalau gitu, jalan dua arah bahasa melayunya jalan 2 hala?" (That means, 2-way road in malay language is jalan 2 hala?)
"Yeap. That's right.", I nodded.
Then I drove into a tunnel. In front of a tunnel there is a sign board that mentioned about the height limit of vehicles that can pass through the tunnel. My friend asked me again, "What is 'had'?"
"It means 'limit' or 'batas' in bahasa Indonesia.", I answered. "Oh...I see..", she said.
"Geez!! I never expected that Malay language is a lot different compared to Indonesian language.", my friend told me.
"Well, I thought at first you would easily understand the Malay language because you come from Sumatera where all the malay-Indonesian live.", I said.
"Yah...but we have our own malay-Indonesian language which is different. Each area has its own local dialect, such as the people in Medan speak different dialect compared to people in Padang and Palembang or Riau.", she explained to me.
"Yes. I agree.", I understand her explanation.
"Luckily, I have you to help me translating the Malaysian language to me. Otherwise, I would misunderstand everything and get more confused with these strange words that sound funny to my ears. By the way, you already have that Malay accent! You don't speak like a Javanese anymore!", my friend told me.
"Wha...ha..ha..Thanks mate!", I blushed... :D
I was glad that another person has proved it that Malay language is not the same as Indonesian language and admitted that it's better to use English to avoid misunderstanding since most Malaysians understand English while at the same time trying to understand the Malay language in Malaysian way, not the Indonesian way... :)
Just yesterday, I found another Malay words that sound so strange and funny to my Indonesian ears. The word is 'telor mata kerbau'. If I translate these words one by one:
telor (egg - english) - telur (Indonesia)
mata (eye - english) - mata (Indonesia)
kerbau (buffalo - english) - kerbau (Indonesia)
But the whole words actually mean sunny side-up egg. In bahasa Indonesia, we also have nearly similar expression, but we use 'cow' instead of 'buffalo', so sunny side-up in bahasa Indonesia is telur mata sapi...;)
I wonder what my friend would say about this...he..he..he..
Thursday, December 06, 2007
When you come and go and say nothing at all
When you come to visit me from the far away land, it is for the first time I have a genuine smile on my face. The smile that is so warm and so encouraging to tell people that I can face the world.
Even a week before you come, for the first time, I have completely lost my anger to the world and got back my sanity. Nothing could seem to ignite my anger and disappointment. Suddenly everything seemed so bright and beautiful. This continues on for 3 days you are with me.
Then you go away...
Your departure brings back all the anger and the disappointment in me.
I am back to the insane me trying to face the world on my own.
You and I know exactly that 3 days are not enough to redeem the time we have lost for being apart. The moment we are together, we realize that things have changed. Things are not the way we had when we were together. We know we have to move on and try our best to maintain the bond despite all the changes. So, we let things flow and say no word to avoid confrontation because we treasure this rare reunion so much more than anything else in the world.
You often stressed to me that everything happens for a reason and to me, God has a very good reason to let me have you as my best friend, my angel without wings and I thank God for this.
Thank you for taking good care of me when I am in dire need of a company. You are there for me any time any way. I'm sorry for not being able to repay this. I was incapacitated myself when you needed me but my dear friend, my prayers are with you always where ever you are and what ever you do.
Thank you for the best 3 years and 3 days in my life.
Even a week before you come, for the first time, I have completely lost my anger to the world and got back my sanity. Nothing could seem to ignite my anger and disappointment. Suddenly everything seemed so bright and beautiful. This continues on for 3 days you are with me.
Then you go away...
Your departure brings back all the anger and the disappointment in me.
I am back to the insane me trying to face the world on my own.
You and I know exactly that 3 days are not enough to redeem the time we have lost for being apart. The moment we are together, we realize that things have changed. Things are not the way we had when we were together. We know we have to move on and try our best to maintain the bond despite all the changes. So, we let things flow and say no word to avoid confrontation because we treasure this rare reunion so much more than anything else in the world.
You often stressed to me that everything happens for a reason and to me, God has a very good reason to let me have you as my best friend, my angel without wings and I thank God for this.
Thank you for taking good care of me when I am in dire need of a company. You are there for me any time any way. I'm sorry for not being able to repay this. I was incapacitated myself when you needed me but my dear friend, my prayers are with you always where ever you are and what ever you do.
Thank you for the best 3 years and 3 days in my life.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Let's get busy
It's 6:08pm when I started to write this post and I have been up and have been working for 12 hours straight. No lunch break and no shower yet for the whole day...wha..ha..ha.. :D
Excuse the smell but I really need to finish my work for today. Once I finish writing this post, I'll fly to take a shower and have my 1st meal for the day. Fuih!! I'm starving now that I realize I haven't eaten the whole day. I only had a cup of decaf with creamer in the morning to wake me up a bit.
After being absent for more than a month, today, I'm trying to revive my items sold on eBay Malaysia. This is my 2nd online store actually. My 1st online store is at http://artatyourleisure.multiply.com.
I have been selling stuffs online for 1.5 years now. I've received 100% positive feedbacks from my customers who were happy to deal with me.
Lately, ebay Malaysia has upgraded its website and service. It started to apply charges on some services which were free. But I still have to use it until I can have my own domain name.
Unlike my 1st online store, Art at your leisure, which concentrate mostly on art and craft projects, my 2nd online store on eBay Malaysia sells many different things which are good bargain, unique, and beautiful. Since the items are located in Malaysia, I use Ringgit Malaysia for the price. The price is very reasonable (some are very cheap) especially if you earn Pound sterling/Euro for a living... ;P
You can check it out. My items are great for gifts for people you love and care about. I use Pos Malaysia to ship my item.
This is the least I can do to help my husband to pay the bill. I know this is nothing at all compared to the amount stated on the bills...whe..he..he.. :D
At least this will keep me really really busy (honestly! Working at home is a lot busier than working in the office) and this will also exercise my multitasking skill to the maximum to compete with the Intel Processor... ;) so that I learn to manage my time well and prioritize my duty as a mother, a house-queen, a home-based businesswomen while still trying to stay fit by going to the gym and exercise regularly. Geez, 24 hours is never enough!
Excuse the smell but I really need to finish my work for today. Once I finish writing this post, I'll fly to take a shower and have my 1st meal for the day. Fuih!! I'm starving now that I realize I haven't eaten the whole day. I only had a cup of decaf with creamer in the morning to wake me up a bit.
After being absent for more than a month, today, I'm trying to revive my items sold on eBay Malaysia. This is my 2nd online store actually. My 1st online store is at http://artatyourleisure.multiply.com.
I have been selling stuffs online for 1.5 years now. I've received 100% positive feedbacks from my customers who were happy to deal with me.
Lately, ebay Malaysia has upgraded its website and service. It started to apply charges on some services which were free. But I still have to use it until I can have my own domain name.
Unlike my 1st online store, Art at your leisure, which concentrate mostly on art and craft projects, my 2nd online store on eBay Malaysia sells many different things which are good bargain, unique, and beautiful. Since the items are located in Malaysia, I use Ringgit Malaysia for the price. The price is very reasonable (some are very cheap) especially if you earn Pound sterling/Euro for a living... ;P
You can check it out. My items are great for gifts for people you love and care about. I use Pos Malaysia to ship my item.
This is the least I can do to help my husband to pay the bill. I know this is nothing at all compared to the amount stated on the bills...whe..he..he.. :D
At least this will keep me really really busy (honestly! Working at home is a lot busier than working in the office) and this will also exercise my multitasking skill to the maximum to compete with the Intel Processor... ;) so that I learn to manage my time well and prioritize my duty as a mother, a house-queen, a home-based businesswomen while still trying to stay fit by going to the gym and exercise regularly. Geez, 24 hours is never enough!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Another alternative for MS Office - free
Who doesn't love free stuffs? My eyes and ears are always on the look up for anything that is free or gratis.. :D, especially if that free stuff is a great item which will cost me a fortune to have the same/similar thing somewhere else.
So, this morning, when I was browsing the newspaper, I came across an article about IBM Lotus Symphony.
IBM Lotus Symphony is an office productivity suite that consists of Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets, and Lotus Symphony Presentations and is available for free-download.
Great! There is another alternative office productivity suite for MS Office and it is FREE!!
This is great! So, this Lotus Symphony is joining OpenOffice.org for this free-to-download office productivity suite market.
Another alternative product(especially the free one) for this suite pack is very good for us so that we don't depend on MS Office all the time. Office users should try to look into these alternatives and learn to use them.
I met many people (who are pure office pack users and are not internet savvy) who do not know that there are other similar software to MS Office that are available for free. They only know MS Word and friends. They are only familiar with this MS Office suite and do not dare to try alternative softwares which are similar to MS Office pack. The problem is...MS Office is very expensive, especially the one for business!
So, yeah...this news from IBM is great. We will have more options to learn and get familiar with.
You can read more information about IBM Lotus Symphony and download the software for free here:
http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony
or here:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Office-suites/IBM-Lotus-Symphony.shtml
Read about OpenOffice.org and download it for free here:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Office-suites/OpenOfficeorg-for-Windows.shtml
So, this morning, when I was browsing the newspaper, I came across an article about IBM Lotus Symphony.
IBM Lotus Symphony is an office productivity suite that consists of Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets, and Lotus Symphony Presentations and is available for free-download.
Great! There is another alternative office productivity suite for MS Office and it is FREE!!
This is great! So, this Lotus Symphony is joining OpenOffice.org for this free-to-download office productivity suite market.
Another alternative product(especially the free one) for this suite pack is very good for us so that we don't depend on MS Office all the time. Office users should try to look into these alternatives and learn to use them.
I met many people (who are pure office pack users and are not internet savvy) who do not know that there are other similar software to MS Office that are available for free. They only know MS Word and friends. They are only familiar with this MS Office suite and do not dare to try alternative softwares which are similar to MS Office pack. The problem is...MS Office is very expensive, especially the one for business!
So, yeah...this news from IBM is great. We will have more options to learn and get familiar with.
You can read more information about IBM Lotus Symphony and download the software for free here:
http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony
or here:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Office-suites/IBM-Lotus-Symphony.shtml
Read about OpenOffice.org and download it for free here:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Office-suites/OpenOfficeorg-for-Windows.shtml
Monday, November 05, 2007
Thomas and friends birthday treat
There was no crafted scary looking pumpkin sitting in front of my door for the Halloween but instead, there was a cute innocent looking of Thomas the train face carefully drawn as part of the decorations for my son's birthday cake.Yes, that's right. My son celebrated his 3rd birthday last month and I had to creatively come up with my own trick to have Thomas and friends birthday treat for him.
It was a last minute change of plan from Kipper the dog theme to Thomas the train theme because my son suddenly felt tired of seeing Kipper all the time.
For the past 2 weeks before the D-day, I had been digging out any information from anyone and of course from the internet, courtesy the lovely mr. know-it-all-Google.com, so that I could print my son's favorite cartoon character on his birthday cake. I really wanted to see his big big smile when he saw the cake for the first time. I racked my brain to mix and match any edible materials to get Thomas' face pasted on the cake. It's frustrating but it was fun to do. I baked the chocolate cake on the night before the big day.
The next day, I woke up at 5am to get Thomas' face ready before I decorated the cake.
Since my family is anti-butter sugar icing, so I decided to use cream cheese instead to frost the cake.
By 8 o'clock the Thomas birthday cake was ready. My husband was very surprised to see the cake. He never knew I could make such a cool cake before. I had to keep the cake in the fridge first before starting to decorate the whole house with all things Thomas and his friends. I made all the decorations by myself including the birthday boy hat.
At 10 o'clock, the birthday boy woke up and got out of the room. He had a very big smile on his face though his eyes were still half opened. He walked towards the dining table. His smile was even bigger now and his eyes were widely open for he was so amazed to see all his beloved cartoon characters, lead by Thomas the train, were displayed on the dining table. He gasped and said, "It's my birthday...today!". He sounded exactly like Jake (when Jake celebrates his birthday), one of his favorite characters in Kipper the dog show. I kissed him and said, "Happy birthday, sweetheart. Yes, it is. Today is your birthday and you turn 3 today."
After he drank his milk, I shoved him to the bathroom to get ready for his birthday party. Not too long, he came out again from the room wearing Thomas and friends T-shirt and pants. I put on his birthday boy hat right away. He looked extremely cute. He looked even cuter when he saw the birthday cake I brought out from the kitchen. He giggled to see his Thomas birthday cake complete with the train miniature and 3 lighted candles.
Once every one was ready, we started the birthday party. Since my son hasn't gone to school yet, he only had his mommy, daddy, his nanny, Kipper the dog and friends, Little Einstein, and of course Thomas and friends to come to his birthday party.
We all sang Happy birthday to him and my son, he just could not wait to blow the candles. He kept on blowing the candles even when we haven't finished singing the birthday song. After blowing his candles for 3 times, he insisted to cut the cake by himself. So, I let him cut the cake.
"Oh no! I cut Thomas, mommy!I cut Thomas!" he screamed. I laughed so loud I could not hide it. I knew he was going to say that. I helped him cutting the cake and gave it to every one. The chocolate cake was sooo delicious. I made the chocolate cake to suit my son's taste. Every one loved the cake.
On that day, my son was not the only one who was over the moon. I was very happy to know that this simple birthday party was a success, especially the Thomas birthday cake.
On that day, my son was not the only one celebrating. Me too, I was celebrating my 3 years of motherhood.
My son is 3 now and he is going to kindergarten soon. Oh how time flies! I still remembered clearly from the first day I conceived him, delivered him, breast-fed him, changed his nappies, carried, rocked, and sang lullaby for him for hours until he slept. He is a little man now who is very talkative, active, and smart. No matter how fast he grows up, to me, he will still be my cute little boy, the magic that God has created in me.
Happy birthday, baby! I love you very much. My prayers are with you always.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
For a moment...
It is a lot easier to say "Face your fear and deal with it" to someone else than to yourself. I fully realize this today when the lump I found on my right chest next to my armpit two days ago still did not go away. It really scared daylight out of me every time I told my self that I had to see a specialist. I would never be ready to hear the result if this is really a breast cancer or not. It's every woman's nightmare to be diagnosed with a breast cancer. I kept on thinking about my son and his future, about my parents, my husband, my brother and his family, my friends, and all other people that have touched my life. For a moment I saw my life flashing before my eyes and I broke down in tears because I was so afraid and so worried. But then again, I really need to know if this lump is a breast cancer or not.
When I woke up early morning to get ready to accompany my husband checking out the best kindy for my son, I saw there was something different about my upper body shape when I put on my bra. I thought my bra was too tight, so I changed to a bigger one. But that 'extra meat' still sticked out of my bra. I could not believe my eyes! I suddenly remembered clearly what I should do to check for any signs of a breast cancer. No matter how I tried to hide that extra meat, I still could see it. I called my husband to help me to check as well. He did feel and see the swollen on my right chest next to my armpit but he told me that it would most likely be my muscle. I felt a little bit better because I remembered I did my yoga exercise in the gym the night before and at that time, I had to do many push-ups.
But I was not completely relieved because I kept on questioning my self what if this is more than just a muscle. I texted my parents and they told me the lump might just be my body fat because I am overweight and they kept on telling me to reduce my intake and loose weight.
I felt even worse because I have been on diet (and I got gastric and stomachache) and I have been diligently going to the gym to shed some pounds.
I browsed the internet for any information about breast cancer. Overweight and poor diet can also be the factors that can cause a breast cancer. Oh please God! Give me a chance to take care of my son longer. This has been my short prayer since 2 days ago. I also spent more time with my son. I hugged him and kissed him more. I realize how life is so precious with my son in it. I realize how thin the line that separate life and death. One moment you are so much alive, the next moment you could be gone taking only your sinful soul.
I could not bear to think about all these alone. I really felt so lonely as always, and even lonelier when I had to face my worst fear. I knew I had to go and get my lump checked by a specialist before it was too late. So, before I could pluck up my courage to listen to any words that would come out of the specialist's mouth, I needed to give a call to my beloved friend, one of my many angels in my life. She told me to face my fear and deal with it. Whether I liked it or not, I had to get a proper check on my lump. Yeah...she's right. I cried for a while because I was so terrified.
After I hung up the phone, I dragged my self to go to the hospital. Along the way I could not stop praying so hard asking God for a second chance. I was like a zombie walking towards the customer service in the hospital. I could not even remember the clinic number where the specialist is. I just walked away like a lost child, asking many people whom I should see for my case. I went to many different clinics before I finally went to right one. I visited a general surgeon. There I realized that I forgot to bring my ID. Luckily, the hospital already has my detail in the database. The fear got into me again when the door was open for me.
The surgeon asked me to sit down and told him what happened with me then he asked me to lay down so that he could check my lump. "Where is the lump?", he asked me. I pointed the lump to him. He checked it thoroughly both sides and said, "This is nothing. This thing is part of your breast and the hard part is your muscle. There is nothing to worry about."
Oh God gracious!! Thank you very much for the second chance! I felt so relieved! I covered my face and could not stop saying Thank you God. I heard the surgeon said, "I know you were very worried, but if in 3 months you see that lump develops, you have to see me again. I may have missed something else." Oh God, please...I don't want to return to him. I want my second chance. I know I sound so selfish but honestly, I still want to see my son for as long as possible.
I really hope the surgeon is right that this lump is just part of my breast and my muscle that get bigger because I exercise a lot.
For a moment I saw my life flashing before my eyes. For a moment I did a bargaining with God. I begged God for a second chance and He granted me that second chance.
Now I have to learn to appreciate life more, learn to forgive and forget, and learn to be a better person as if I will die tomorrow because life is never mine forever. It's on loan. It can be taken away from me any time any way.
Thank you God for the second chance! Thank you for listening to my prayer! I baked the Thank you cake especially for you today together with my son, to show you how grateful I am for everything you have given me.
When I woke up early morning to get ready to accompany my husband checking out the best kindy for my son, I saw there was something different about my upper body shape when I put on my bra. I thought my bra was too tight, so I changed to a bigger one. But that 'extra meat' still sticked out of my bra. I could not believe my eyes! I suddenly remembered clearly what I should do to check for any signs of a breast cancer. No matter how I tried to hide that extra meat, I still could see it. I called my husband to help me to check as well. He did feel and see the swollen on my right chest next to my armpit but he told me that it would most likely be my muscle. I felt a little bit better because I remembered I did my yoga exercise in the gym the night before and at that time, I had to do many push-ups.
But I was not completely relieved because I kept on questioning my self what if this is more than just a muscle. I texted my parents and they told me the lump might just be my body fat because I am overweight and they kept on telling me to reduce my intake and loose weight.
I felt even worse because I have been on diet (and I got gastric and stomachache) and I have been diligently going to the gym to shed some pounds.
I browsed the internet for any information about breast cancer. Overweight and poor diet can also be the factors that can cause a breast cancer. Oh please God! Give me a chance to take care of my son longer. This has been my short prayer since 2 days ago. I also spent more time with my son. I hugged him and kissed him more. I realize how life is so precious with my son in it. I realize how thin the line that separate life and death. One moment you are so much alive, the next moment you could be gone taking only your sinful soul.
I could not bear to think about all these alone. I really felt so lonely as always, and even lonelier when I had to face my worst fear. I knew I had to go and get my lump checked by a specialist before it was too late. So, before I could pluck up my courage to listen to any words that would come out of the specialist's mouth, I needed to give a call to my beloved friend, one of my many angels in my life. She told me to face my fear and deal with it. Whether I liked it or not, I had to get a proper check on my lump. Yeah...she's right. I cried for a while because I was so terrified.
After I hung up the phone, I dragged my self to go to the hospital. Along the way I could not stop praying so hard asking God for a second chance. I was like a zombie walking towards the customer service in the hospital. I could not even remember the clinic number where the specialist is. I just walked away like a lost child, asking many people whom I should see for my case. I went to many different clinics before I finally went to right one. I visited a general surgeon. There I realized that I forgot to bring my ID. Luckily, the hospital already has my detail in the database. The fear got into me again when the door was open for me.
The surgeon asked me to sit down and told him what happened with me then he asked me to lay down so that he could check my lump. "Where is the lump?", he asked me. I pointed the lump to him. He checked it thoroughly both sides and said, "This is nothing. This thing is part of your breast and the hard part is your muscle. There is nothing to worry about."
Oh God gracious!! Thank you very much for the second chance! I felt so relieved! I covered my face and could not stop saying Thank you God. I heard the surgeon said, "I know you were very worried, but if in 3 months you see that lump develops, you have to see me again. I may have missed something else." Oh God, please...I don't want to return to him. I want my second chance. I know I sound so selfish but honestly, I still want to see my son for as long as possible.
I really hope the surgeon is right that this lump is just part of my breast and my muscle that get bigger because I exercise a lot.
For a moment I saw my life flashing before my eyes. For a moment I did a bargaining with God. I begged God for a second chance and He granted me that second chance.
Now I have to learn to appreciate life more, learn to forgive and forget, and learn to be a better person as if I will die tomorrow because life is never mine forever. It's on loan. It can be taken away from me any time any way.
Thank you God for the second chance! Thank you for listening to my prayer! I baked the Thank you cake especially for you today together with my son, to show you how grateful I am for everything you have given me.
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