bloom bloom bloom

I don't really have much time to take care of my garden

that's why I only plant easy to grow flowers

and they've been so nice to grow up without mama pays too much attention on them

aku ngga terlalu banyak waktu buat berkebun

makanya aku hanya menanam tanaman yang perawatannya gampang

dan mereka ngerti banget, mau tumbuh tanpa terlalu banyak 'mama' urus

pacar air

I don't know the name in english, nor the scientific name

euphorbia

orchid

adenium

I want comments....

Aku mau dapat komentar....


Ibit has started blogging with her page bunga matahari.
And she wants comment.
And I... oops, what can I do to help her?
Even I, myself took months before people commenting on my blog.
Can anybody show her some love, please?

Ibit mulai belajar blogging dengan bunga matahari-nya
dan dia ingin dapat komentar
dan aku... duh, apa yang bisa kulakukan untuk membantunya?
karena aku sendiri, butuh berbulan-bulan sampai akhirnya ada yang koment di blogku
ada yang bisa memberinya sedikit cinta?

black and white

I think this is a cultural thing, and in the same time is, as Kelli said, grass is always greener outside our fence. Here in Indonesia people buy whitening cosmetics, and go to skin specialist doctors and spend a lot of money to have all treatments to get lighter skin. While pale skinned people from around the world come over to burn their skin under Indonesia's abundant sunshine. Alhamdulillah that Ibit feels comfortable with the fact that she is dark, eventhough she still thinks lighter skin are beautiful.
Kurasa ini memang masalah budaya, sekaligus juga, seperti kata Kelli, rumput tetangga selalu nampak lebih hijau. Di sini, orang membeli produk kosmetik pemutih, pergi ke dokter spesialis kulit, dan membayar banyak untuk berbagai treatment supaya kulitnya kelihatan lebih putih. Sementara orang-orang berkulit putih dari berbagai penjuru dunia datang ke sini untuk mandi matahari Indonesia. Alhamdulillah Ibit meraa nyaman dengan kenyataan bahwa dia berkulit gelap, meskipun masih saja berfikir bahwa yang kulitnya putih itulah yang cantik.

When we went to Kampung Kopi Banaran, we met a lady from Netherland and had a conversation (and she said my english was very good... *cheeky*). When I introduced Ibit, she said, "She's so beautiful". Ibit still did insist she's not. The lady (oh, I forget to ask her name...) confinced her that dark is beautiful and she wanted to be dark. But Ibit just smiled...
Waktu pergi ke Kampung kopi Banaran, kami bertemu seorang perempuan dari Belanda dan bercakap-cakap (dan katanya bahasa Inggrisku bagus lho....* jadi malu*). Waktu aku perkenalkan Ibit, dia bilang, "Cantik sekali...". Tapi Ibit tetep ngeyel dia tidak cantik. Perempuan itu (aku lupa nanyain namanya...) berusaha meyakinkan Ibit bahwa kulit gelap itu cantik, dan dia sendiri pengin kulitnya agak gelap. Tapi Ibit cuma tersenyum...

I, myself, also never thought that I am beautiful. And I never wanted to get lighter either. I'm not ugly, I'm cute. That was what I always thougt of. Black is exotic. Like Naomi Campbell, or Iman, or Beyonce, or myself :D
Aku sendiri juga tidak pernah merasa diri cantik. Dan tidak ingin punya kulit terang juga. Aku ngga jelek, aku manis. Itu aja yang aku pikirkan. Hitam itu eksotis. Seperti Naomi Campbell, atau Iman, atau Beyonce, atau aku sendiri :D

Thanks for all the comments to the former post, I'll tell Ibit about these to make her be sure that all colors are beautiful, and what the truly beauty is.
Terima kasih untuk semua komentar di posting sebelumnya. Aku akan meberitahukan kepada Ibit tentang semua ini, supaya dia mengerti bahwa semua warna itu cantik, dan tentang apa 'cantik' itu sebenarnya.

the most beautiful girl in the world (reposted)

gadis paling cantik sedunia

for scrolling saturday

that's Ibit
originally posted on November 20, 2007, I've changed the pictures with some newer ones.



I and Ibit were in Ibit’s bed, talked about this and that, until we got to the part when we talked about our neighbor who has moved couple months ago.

aku dan ibit sedang ngobrol di kasur, lalu kami sampai di bagain ketika kami membicarakan tetangga yang pindah rumah beberapa bulan yang lalu

"We can visit them someday", I said.
"kita bisa mengunjungi mereka nanti", kataku


“Yes, I want to, I want to... But.... will Bim still remember me?”
"ya, aku mau... mau.... tapi... nanti Bim masih inget aku ngga ya?"


“Of course he will. How can he forget the most beautiful girl in the neighborhood?”
"ya pasti inget, lah. masa dia lupa gadis paling cantik di perumahan?'


Ibit punched me and laughed.
“Ibu, you know I’m not beautiful”
ibit meninjuku dan tertawa
"Ibu, aku kan ngga cantik"


I was shocked. Most girl will love to be told they're beautiful.
aku kaget, kebanyakan anak akan suka kalau dibilang cantik

“What do you mean?”
"maksud mbak ibit ?"

“I’m black, and black girls are not beautiful”
"aku kan hitam. orang hitam itu ngga cantik"

“What about me ?”
"trus ibu bagaimana?"

“You’re not either”
"ibu juga ngga cantik"

“But darling we’re not black, we’re brown”
"tapi sayang, kita tu ngga hitam. kita coklat"


“We’re dark, that’s just the same”
"pokoknya gelap, sama aja"

“Who is beautiful then?”
"trus yang cantik itu siapa?"

“Santa?” Santa is her friend, she has a little lighter skin.
"santa?" santa adalah temannya, yang kulitnya agak putihan

“If you’re not beautiful, what are you?”
"kalau ibit ngga cantik, trus apa?'

“I’m just, ordinary”
"aku, biasa aja"

“Do you want to be beautiful?”
"pengin cantik ngga?"

“No, I dont. I’m glad with what I am. Alhamdulillah I don’t have blemishes on my face”
"ngga. aku suka begini aja. Alhamdulillah mukaku ngga jerawatan"

I smiled.
“That’s because you’re still so young. Sooner or later you’ll have some”
aku tersenyum.
"itu karena mbak ibit masih kecil. nanti kalau udah besar ya jerawatan juga"

“Really ?”
"masa?"

“Yes”
"iya"

“That’s fine, I’m still grateful everything on my face works. I can see with my eyes, I can speak with my lips, I can smell with my nose..”
"ya ngga papa. aku masih bersyukur semua yang di mukaku ini berguna. mataku bisa melihat, mulutku bisa ngomong, dan hidungku bisa mencium"

I enfolded her in my arms.
I tried so hard not to cry, I don't want her to think I was sad to realize that we are not beautiful...
aku peluk ibit.
aku berusaha keras utnuk tidak meneteskan airmata, takutnya dia pikir aku sedih karena menyadari kami berdua tidak cantik...

I (pretend to be wise) said,“You know, there are so many things more important than the look. You are a nice girl, you are kind, caress, and smart. And that what will make people love you”
aku (sok bijak) pun berkata' "mbak ibit, banyak hal yang lebih penting daripada wajah. mbak ibit tu anak manis, baik hati, penyayang, dan pinter. itu yang bikin orang suka sama kita"




“Yeah... some girls have it all. They’re beautiful, and kind, and smart... But I'm okay with myself”
"yeah.... tapi ada yang punya semuanya. udah cantik, baik hati, dan pintar. tapi aku bersyukur seperti ini"

I hugged her tighter.I also never think I was beautiful. But I never feel so comfortable about that like Ibit does.
dan aku peluk dia lebih erat lagi. aku juga ngga pernah berpikir aku ini cantik. tapi aku tidak pernah merasa senyaman bagaimana ibit merasa tentang dirinya.

She just made me do. My beautiful angel, the most beautiful girl in the world.
dia bikin aku merasa begitu. gadis cantikku. gadis paling cantik sedunia

the lunch is delicious...

I called Ar Ir from office this afternoon, and that was what they said. what so special about it? because I cooked for the lunch, and those words touched my hart...
see I'm not a cookie mom. I only do quick simple sim salabim abra kadabra hocus pocus cooking.
but yesterday I was feeling moody to 'really' cook something. I decided to make soto in a complete recipe. well I usually don't care if I miss a spice or two...
a little bustle has brought bunch of happiness
this is the recipe for the soto ayam

(this time I'm too lazy to take a picture of my own soto and write my own recipe....)

waiting

This is the translation for those who might want to know the story I've written in Indonesian. I’m sorry if I make mistakes writing it. And it might not sound beautiful. My goal is for you to know what the story about, that’s all. Enjoy.


Her agitation was rising up. Didn’t know how many times she sat, and stood up, and sat again, and stood up again. On the bed edge, in the living room, in the dining room. Walked to and from here and there. To the kitchen, back to her room. Turned on television and left it to look out the front window. Back to the room and turned off the TV, and sat again.

kartinian

celebrating 'kartini' day
(I've linked the traditional stuffs to some resources, in case you want to learn or just know about them)

hari ini sekolah Ar Ir merayakan Hari Kartini. Jadi murid-murid pake pakaian adat.

today in Ar Ir's school they celebrate Kartini Day. so the students have to wear traditional clothes

aku bilang juga apa, aku ini mami dodol. aku inget tanggal 19 ada sesuatu di sekolah Ar Ir. tapi lupa apa. dari hari kamis udah diinget-inget. cuma berhasil inget bahwa hari ini kelas A dan B masuk pagi semua.

I told you what. I'm a stupid mom. I remembered I had to do something in 19 for Ar Ir's school. but couldn't remember what. I've tried so hard to remember it since Thursday. all I can remember is that in 19 class A and B started at 07.30.

kalo hari sabtu udah ritual antar dan jemput anak sekolah. pas sampai di sekolahan aku bengong. loh, kok pada pake kostum pakaian adat? spontan Ar-Or aku giring masuk mobil lagi, aku nelpon salon deket rumah, "Budhe... ada kostum ngga buat kembar?". Jawab budhe-ku yang centil itu. "ada sayang... udah dhe nur siapin. dari kemaren dhe nur tunggu-tunggu langganan yang satu ini, mau kartinian kok belum pesen kostum"

I'm off on Saturday so I could take the boys to the school this morning. when I got there, I was kinda dazed. hey, everybody ia wearing a traditional clothes. I was spontaniously turn Ar Ir back to the car, and called a beauty house next door, "budhe, do you still have costumes for my twin?". this coquettish Budhe of mine answered, "I have prepared two pairs for them. I've been waiting for you to come and take it, I know their school is doing it today"

alhamdulillah!

budhe nur nyiapin dua pilihan. beskap solo, dua-duanya warna merah; atau beskap lurik yogya. Ar Ir suka yang kedua.

budhe nur prepared two choices. beskap solo, both are red; or beskap lurik yogya. Ar Ir chose the second

dan inilah hasilnya, dua wayang golekku....

and these are the results, my twin wayang goleks.....

this is Ar

and this is Ir

tahun ini sekolah Ibit ngga kartinian, mungkin karena tahun lalu sudah. ini gambar ibit kartinian dari tahun lalu. seingatku mereka memang kartinian setiap dua tahun sekali

this year, Ibit's school don't do the celebration. may be because they already did last year. this is Ibit's picture from last year. what I know is they do it every other year.

dan ibit juga ikut nyinden dengan rombongan gamelan teman-temannya

and ibit also joined the sindens (javanese singers) along with the gamelan (javanese band/orchestra)

mbah di gedong songo

grandparents in gedong songo

harusnya ini udah di post 'bertahun-tahun yang lalu'. seminggu setelah kami jalan-jalan ke gedongsongo, bapak dan ibuku datang ke semarang karena ingin lihat bandungan. menurut kami bandungan kurang seru, jadi sekalian diantar ke gedongsongo.

I should have posted this like 'years ago'. a week after we went to gedong songo, my parents came to semarang, they want to see bandungan. I think bandungan is not good enough, so we decided to take them to gedongsongo.

alhamdulillah mereka menikmatinya, walaupun sempat ketakutan waktu harus naik kuda. ibu sempet ngotot mau naik jalan kaki aja, tapi ngga mungkin.... jalannya jauh dan naik turun

alhamdulillah they enjoyed it, although they were afraid to ride the horses at first. my mother did insist not to, but noway, the track was long and up-and-down.

sayangnya aku tidak bisa ikut karena hari itu aku harus menemani ibit lomba nyanyi. ibit juga sempat bingung memilih, ikut lomba atau ikut ke gedongsongo lagi. tapi akhirnya dia pilih nyanyi

so bad, I couldn't join them. I have to accompany ibit joining a singing contest that day. ibit was so confused to choose to go with them or sing, but she decided to sing.

aku berterima kasih sekali pada Dan yang sudah mau mengantar orang tuaku ke sana. aku bisa lihat keduanya sangat bahagia.

I'm so thankful to Dan for accompanying my parents taking the trip. I can see how happy they are.

dan aku nemu foto ar ir yang sok keren ini...

and look at this picture of ar ir being 'cool'...

toot toot....!!

what have I done this week that sounds like an accomplishment?

1. well, I finished reading a thousand splendid suns
2. and I change my header image

it used to be like this









but now, just like what you see, which is my own painting.
I know some people change their page like every week, using photoshops and edit html and so on, and it seems to be no big deal. but to me, it is.

3. and I wrote a short story (in Indonesian, I don't think I can write one in English, sorry)

4. and a secret accomplishment I've so hard achieved, but I won't tell what.

gokil mom - diari seorang mami dodol

crazy mom - diary of a stupid mommy

kemaren pulang kantor mampir gunung agung. beliin buku buat ibit, yang gak bisa gak ada bacaan. iseng ngiter di deretan best seller ada buku ini. ngerasa diri ‘mami dodol’ dan sekaligus ‘gokil mom’ aku beli buku itu. curious, how gokil a mom could be.
on my way home from office yesterday, I stopped by in a book store, looking for some books for ibit who can not be left without something to read. I walked around the best seller rack and saw this book. feeling as a crazy mom, and a stupid one at a time, I bought this book. I was so curious, how crazy a mom could be.

aku emang gak suka bacaan berat. dan menurut komentar-komentar yang memenuhi sampul belakang buku ini, kayanya ni bacaan emang ringan dan buat hiburan aja. cocok.
I don't like hard thinking stuff to read. the comments filled the back of the book said this book is just for fun. okay.

baca punya baca, aku bertanya-tanya. benarkah semua yang ditulis ini kenyataan: baik pikiran maupun kejadiannya? karena kalau iya, ternyata aku masih jauh dari ‘gokil’ dan ‘dodol’. mami yang nulis buku ini bener-bener s*****g!
read and read, I asked myself, are all these stuffs written here real: the thoughts and the story? because if they are, then I'm far away from crazy and stupid. the mommy who wrote this book is completely s***!

paling tidak aku setuju dengan salah satu quote-nya:
‘being a mom bukan berarti kudu jadi ibu-ibu atau emak-emak’
at least I agree with one of her quote:
being a mom doesn't mean you have to be an old lady

yang lain, terserah yang lain deh. aku….. no komen. buku ini bener- bener buat hiburan.
the rest... up to the rest. me... no comment. this book is surely just for fun.

my new header image...

is my painting. I borrowed Ibit's crayon. and, believe it or not, I used a fork to scratch it.


what do you think?

thanks to carrie for her idea, by her comment on my drawings ;)

cake fun

just another fun quiz I found from kelli

You Are an Ice Cream Cake

Surprising, unique, and high maintenance. You're one of a kind, and you don't want anyone to forget it. You're fun in small doses, but it's easy for people to overdose on you!

What Kind of Cake Are You?

kiss me...

cium aku...

when it comes to bed time, neither Dan or me will kiss the children. no? no, because THEY will kiss us. and each of them has their own kissing style...
kalau tiba waktunya tidur, aku atau pun Dan tidak akan mencium anak-anak. tidak? tidak, karena mereka yang akan cium kami. masing-masing punya gaya mencium sendiri

Ibit; kisses on right cheek, left cheek, forehead, nose, lips
Ibit; cium pipi kanan, pipi kiri, kening, hidung, mulut.


Ar; kisses on right cheek, left cheek,lips, nose, right eye, left eye, forehead, hair. and sometimes he gives extra kisses up to 15... (and he counts them!)
Ar; cium pipi kanan, pipi kiri, bibir, hidung, mata kanan, mata kiri, kening, rambut. kadang ada tambahan ciuman hingga jumlahnya sampai 15... (dihitung lho!)

Ir; no specific style, he kisses just the way he likes it. sometimes he does Ibit's, Ar's, or nobody's. some time even 'only lips'
Ir, nggak ada gaya khusus, suka-suka dia. kadang pake gaya Ibit, Ar, atau bukan gaya siapa-siapa. kadang malah 'mulut aja'

I love kisses

I worth this much

from angie I got this quiz


CadaverForSale.com - How much is your cadaver worth?

what do you think?

well, they took my appendix when I was 20.

I love my parents

they never celebrate their wedding day

they don't even care about the date, I guess.

but they've been together since 1968

mereka ngga pernah merayakan ulang tahun perkawinan

mungkin malah ngga peduli tanggal berapa mereka menikah

tapi mereka telah bersama sejak 1968

my father is a bright one. he's always been so patient. he used to be a painter until something wrong with his eyes. but he sold all his paintings for life. the only painting I remember the last time I saw was in his parents house, tittled 'jaka tarub', but I don't know where it is now. it's so sad nothing left.

bapakku sangat cerdas. dia seorang penyabar. dulu dia pelukis, sampai ada sesuatu terjadi dengan matanya. tapi semua lukisannya dijual untuk hidup. satu-satunya lukisan yang sku ingat, aku lihat terakhir tergantung di rumah orang tua bapak, judulnya 'jaka tarub', tapi sekarang juga entah di mana. sedih, tak ada satu pun yang tertinggal

he took me hunting, fishing, play tennis. he taught me drawing and painting. and I believe from him I got my brain.

dia mengajakku berburu, memancing, main tennis. dia yang mengajariku menggambar dan melukis. dan aku percaya, darinya aku dapat otakku

my mother was so beatiful, and still is. she's not as patient as father but she' always cared about us, her children, I knew. she used to be a singer, a dancer, and a gym atlet. so I know where I got those abilities from.

ibuku dulu cantik banget, dan sekarang juga masih. tidak sepenyabar bapak, tapi dia selalu menyayangi kami anak-anaknya, aku tahu itu. dia dulu penari, penyanyi, dan atlet senam. jadi aku tahu pasti dari mana aku dapat semua kebisaanku sekarang.

she is a strong woman, a very strong one. that made me, at least not become a weak girl

ibuku wanita yang sangat kuat. ini membuatku, paling tidak, bukan menjadi wanita yang lemah.

2 has become 21

2 sudah menjadi 21

I miss them

aku rindu bapak ibu..

on my lap....

di pangkuanku...

Ir is right now sleeping
Ir saat ini tertidur

I woke up at 4.30 and sit in front of my comp. check email and stuffs I might miss in the last 24 hours I didn't touch it.
jam 4.30 aku bangun. duduk di depan komp, mengecek email dan ini itu yang mungkin tertingal selama 24 jam aku tidak buka.

5.00 Ibit woke up in came to me, a kiss and 'good morning mbak Ibit...'
'aren't we jogging this morning?', she asked.
'can we take a break this time? I'm still tired after having exercise all day long yesterday. we'll jog tomorrow, ok?'
she nod and turned the tv.
5.00 Ibit bangun dan menghampiriku, ciuman dan ucapan 'selamat pagi mbak Ibit..'
'kita nggak lari pagi ini?' tanyanya
'kita istirahat dulu hari ini ya? Ibu masih capek kemaren latihan seharian. besok pagi kita lari lagi'
dia mengangguk lalu menyalakan tv.


five minutes later I heard the sound of still sleepies stepped down stairs. and few seconds after Ir get on my lap, while Ar hug me from my back. another kiss and 'good morning boys...'
then Ar go to my bed and sleep beside Dan, while Ir rest his head on my chest and close his eyes.
beberapa menit kemudian aku dengar langkah-langkah kaki yang masih mengantuk menuruni tangga. beberapa detik setelahnya Ir naik ke pangkuanku dan Ar memelukku dari belakang. lagi ciuman dan ucapan 'selamat pagi Ar Ir...'. lalu Ar naik ke ranjangku dan tidur lagi di samping Dan. sementara Ir menyandarkan kepalanya di dadaku, lalu menutup matanya lagi.

I'm writing this with five fingers of my right hand, since my left is holding my baby. and it's a little harder.
aku menulis ini dengan lima jari tangan kanan saja, karena tangan kiriku menahan sayangku. dan ini agak sulit.

ok, I'm finish. I'll shut down the computer and put Ir next to his twin.
ok. selesai. aku akan matikan komputer dan pelan-pelan akan kuletakkan Ir di samping kembarannya.

and then I'll prepare for the day. I promised to make popcorn for my kids...
dan aku akan bersiap untuk kegiatan hari ini. aku sudah janji mau bikinin popcorn buat anak-anak...

it's 5.20 here right now...

empty

...
...
...
(sigh!)
...
...
...

Ar Ir's art work

they saw their crab on this blog

so this evening they asked me to....

"put this on computer"

mereka melihat gambar kepiting piaraan mereka di blog ini

jadi sore ini mereka minta aku untuk...

"pasang di komputer ya.."

'no tittle' by Ar

'cars' by Ir

mr. crab

Ar Ir's pet

I know where they get it. In some ditch around our house. I was just wondering how they picked it. The tweezers* seem big and strong.

Aku tahu mereka dapat ini di mana. Di suatu parit deket rumah. Yang aku bingung bagaimana mereka mengambilnya. Capitnya kelihatannya besar dan kuat.

"We took it with a scoop"

"kami ambil pakai ciduk (gayung-red)"

Dan has told them to let it go. But they don't want to, and keep feeding it with rice to make it stay alife.

Dan sudah menyuruh mereka untuk melepaskannya, tapi mereka nggak mau, dan tetep ngasih makan nasi, supaya si kepting tetap hidup.

it's good to killing time...

when I get bored in a meeting....

I draw anything with my pen

kalau bosen banget di tengah rapat....

aku bikin coretan apa aja dengan pulpenku

does it look like a daisy to you?

kelihatan seperti bunga aster?

this is the pattern of the glass painting on the ceiling of my office main meeting room

ini pola lukisan kaca di langit-langit ruang sidang utama kantorku

this is one of solo batik patterns, called 'kawung'

ini salah satu motif batik solo, 'kawung

we know what it is...

udah tahu kan, ini apa...

well, even I, myself, am not sure what it is

yang ini... aku sendiri juga ngga yakin ini apa

I posted this here

ini sudah aku post di sini

and this one is my favorite, coz I have make a better version of it, here

yang ini favoritku, karena aku sudah bikin versi yang lebih indah di sini

who is this?

I found this picture in my handphone

I asked the kids who took it

nobody confessed

so I asked who is it in the picture

and still nobody confessed

one thing for sure, it's not Ibit

but who is it?....