Determination

Last month we joined a group camp with Aik's school at Mount Ungaran, as a media to get to know each other and built better communications between parents and families. The plan was to stay one night and hike to the peak in the early morning.

I didn’t expect Aik to finish the hike, but he looked so enthusiastic. He kept walking following other hikers in the group. 

Suddenly at the beginning of the last part from Pos 3 to Pos 4, he had an uncontrollable shit. We helped him cleaning up and continued walking to Pos 4, where it happened again. Thank God we brought some clothes in our backpack.

So I and Dan decided to stop, turned around and walked down. People say we should have kept going up because it was like just a throwing stone away. But no. I thought it was too late already. I should’ve seen that Aik’s body was not ready.

It has been beyond expectation. So we thought we better stop now and try again some other day. With a better preparation and may be don’t let Aik walk fully. We can carry him at some parts so the hike won’t press him too much and we can reach the peak safely.

the street singer

when I was a little girl I had a dream to perform singing on street. yet I haven't had it come true.
until this morning.
waktu kecil aku punya mimpi untuk ngamen di jalanan. mimpi itu belum jadi kenyataan
sampai tadi pagi.

I don't know what I would call it, a coincidence or what. but Ibit had the same desire. she said it's not about getting money but to have experience. Ibit and I planned this about few weeks ago. we've chosen some songs and practiced. yes we needed to coz I am not an expert who can instantly play to any song. I always need to find the chords and practice. some songs have complicated chords and when I meet those songs I usually give up and choose the simple one.
ga tau namanya kebetulan atau apa. Ibit juga punya keinginan yang sama. katanya sih bukan soal cari uang, tapi lebih tentang cari pengalaman. jadi kami merencanakan untuk melakukannya sejak beberapa minggu yang lalu. memilih lagu, lalu latihan. soalnya aku bukan pemain yang ahli, yang bisa langsung main begitu denger lagu. harus cari-cari dulu chordnya. banyak lagu chordnya rumit. kalau ketemu lagu-lagu yang begitu biasanya aku nyerah dan cari lagu lain yang sederhana.

so.
every sunday morning is car free day on Pemuda Road from 06.00 to 09.00 AM. we decided to perform there. people do many activities during the car free hours. biking. skateboarding. skate-lining. playing futsal. or just walking. some photographers find this as a field of objects to shoot. but no one did what we were about to do: singing.
jadi.
minggu padi adalah car free day di Jalan Pemuda, dari jam 6 sampai jam 9 pagi. kami memutuskan untuk main di sana. banyak yang dilakukan orang selama car free hours. bersepeda, main skateborad, inline skate. main futsal. atau sekedar jalan-jalan. pecinta fotografi menjadikan semua ini lahan untuk mencari obyek menarik. tapi sepertinya belum ada yang melakukan apa yang akan kami lakukan: ngamen.

early before we went, I asked the children to prepare. Ar and Ir seemed so lazy and I heard conversations...
 Ir: let's just stay at home and play video games. I don't want to sing on the street...
Ar: but we will get money...

pagi sebelum berangkat, aku suruh anak-anak untuk siap-siap.Ar dan Ir ogah-ogahan. aku sempat dengar percakapan:
Ir: kita di rumah aja yuk, main game. aku ngga mau ngamen...
Ar: tapi nanti bisa dapat uang...

however they came along with us. I brought Aik too. off course Dan should be in charge while I was  performing. only Ibit would sing while I played my guitar. Ar and Ir, ah... I just let them go and have some fun.
toh akhirnya mereka ikut juga. aku bahkan ngajak Aik. tentu saja Dan yang harus momong sementara aku dan Ibit ngamen. Ar Ir beneran ga mau, jadi aku biarkan saja mereka bersenang-senang...

it wasn't easy to start. Ibit got a stomachache, just like any time before she performs on stage. nervous. I was okay and tried to build up Ibit's confidence.
ternyata susah mau mulai. Ibit sempat mules, seperti biasa kalau gugup sebelum manggung. aku sih baik-baik saja dan coba menyemangati Ibit.

one song, and there came a girl put two coins of 500. Ibit sat down and whispered, "a thousand for a song? I'm not doing this"
setelah dapat satu lagu, seorang gadis mendekat dan menjatuhkan dua koin 500an. Ibit duduk lalu berbisik, "satu lagu seribu? aku ngga mau lagi..."

I reminded her that we this wasn't about money so she stood up and sang again.
"what if people think we are just practicing, or sing for nothing?"
"no problem. but I believe they will understand what we are doing"
kuingatkan lagi tekadnya bahwa ini bukan tentang uang, akhirnya dia berdiri lagi
"bagaimana kalo orang-orang pikir kita cuma latihan atau main-main aja?"
"biarin. tapi nanti lama-lama pasti mereka tahu kita sedang apa"  

another song and a man with a camera came. he took Ibit's picture, and I believe she realized that. taa daa. here comes the spirit. people are watching and they know we were performing. more camera shots and more money dropped...
dapat satu lagu lagi dan seorang pria datang dengan kameranya. Ibit difoto. aku yakin dia sadar. taa daa. semangat. orang-orang mulai memperhatikan. lebih banyak kamera memotret -- dan lebih banyak uang dijatuhkan...

we performed for about one hour and gained 42.000 rupiahs. I think that was awsome.
kami ngamen sekitar satu jam dan dapat 42.000 rupiah. menurutku sih keren.

on our way home Ar asked Ibit how much money we got. and this is what he said, "great. twenty for me and twenty for Ir. right?"
di jalan pulang Ar bertanya Ibit dapat uang berapa. katanya setelah tahu, "berarti dua puluh buat aku dan dua puluh buat Ir. ya kan?"

hahaha... no way.  I think Ibit deserves all the money for what she has done. I told her to give Ar and Ir 2000 each. they protested. but Dan told them to join their sister singing if they want more...
hahaha... enak aja. menurutku Ibit berhak dapat semuanya. aku minta dia untuk bagi ke Ar dan Ir masing-masing 2000 aja. mereka protes sih. tapi Dan bilang, kalau mau dapat lebih banyak harus mau ikut nyanyi...

that was a great experience, even for me. I asked Ibit if she wants to perform there again one day, or in some other crowded. but she said it was enough for now. she's done what she wanted to.but maybe, some other time, some other place. no problem.
seru seru seru. bahkan buat aku. aku tanya apa Ibit mau ngamen lagi minggu depan, cari tempat yang lebih rame. tapi katanya cukup buat kali ini. yang penting sudah pernah. kapan-kapan lagi kalo pengen...

be there when we do, and drop much money for us, okay. don't only take pictures! :D
pastikan kalian di sana kalo kami ngamen lagi. dan kasih uang yang banyak, jangan motret doang ;)

Even an Angel Needs to Step Down the Earth Some Times

Bidadari juga kadang-kadang perlu turun ke bumi

And find out how it feels to climb up to reach the height.
Supaya tahu bagaimana rasanya memanjat untuk sampai ke atas.



Hosted by Cecily and Sports Mama

Watchout, this time I'm gonna talk a lot, and more pictures than I usually show too.
Siap-siap, kali ini aku akan bicara banyak, dan juga lebih banyak foto daripada biasanya.

Eidil Fitri has always been my favorite annual moment. Like most of Indonesian Moslems do, I guess. It is time when children, parents, siblings, families who live apart – come together. Yes, it is time when dandelion seeds come to where it used to be.
Idul Fitri adalah salah satu momen favoritku. Kayanya semua Muslim begitu deh. Saat-saat seperti ini, anak berkumpul bersama orang tua, saudara, dan keluarga yang tinggalnya berjauhan. Yup, ini saatnya biji dandelion melihat kembali dari mana dia berasal.

This year I meet my siblings in my parent’s home, except my younger brother Bond. He is going to his wife’s parents this time. I also stayed for couple nights in my parents in laws. Dan’s brother didn’t come either, he is celebrating Eidil Fitri in Jakarta with his wife’s family this year.
Tahun ini aku bersyukur bisa berkumpul dengan saudara-saudaraku, kecuali Bond yang lebaran di keluarga istrinya. Aku juga menginap beberapa malam di tempat mertua. Adik Dan juga tidak bisa datang kali ini, lebaran di mertuanya juga di Jakarta.

after sholat Eid, yes I finally finished sewing my kids batik wears

I and my siblings always tried to make a good time together, just when we can all stay together for awhile. We have gone to the beaches these last couple years. So this time we decided something different: hiking. Not to a mount too far, only to a hill next to the village we live in. This hill is called ‘Gunung Buthak’. In Javanese it means ‘Baldy Hill’. I don’t know why it is called so. May be because in the dry season all plants in the hill dried. The hill turns to brown and you can barely find a green living plant. Like a baldy head, funny.
Aku dan saudara-saudaraku biasanya bikin acara yang menyenangkan, selagi kita bisa berkumpul. Beberapa tahun terakhir kami pergi ke pantai. Kali ini kami memutusukan untuk melakukan hal yang berbeda. Naik gunung. Bukan gunung beneran yang jauh, sebenarnya cuma bukit dekat tempat kami tinggal. Namanya Gunung Buthak. Entah kenapa dikasih nama begitu. Mungkin karena kalau musim kemarau, semua tumbuhan di bukit itu kering. Warna bukit kalau dilihat dari kejauhan jadi coklat, ngga ada ijo-ijonya. Kaya orang botak, begitu. Lucu.

This is what I am going to talk about. Some thing I have learned from this year's family time. Hiking a hill is not a journey upstairs on an elevator. You need to make your steps on the rock, find the right rock to step on. Some times you find slippery sand layer, and need to hold on a tree – or fall if you failed. You might get scratched by sharp dry grasses or branches. And some thorny wild plants might hurt you.
Ini yang ingin kubahas, sesuatu yang ku pelajari dari kegiatan lebaran kali ini. Neik gunung bukan perjalanan dengan elevbator. Kita harus berjalan mencari pijakan yang tepat. Kadang kaki kita menginjak lapisan pasir yang licin, sehingga harus segera berpegang pada pohon terdekat -- atau jatuh. Banyak rumput dan ranting kering yang tajam dan melukai. Tidak sedikit juga tumbuhan berduri.

Dan helped my brother Bot

this part is quite hard

Everyone enjoyed the climbing and all it took. Reaching the top was an achievement. We were tired but it was fun. We had a simple breakfast up there. The kids (and the adults especially) made some paper planes and flew it down the other side of the hill.
Secara umum semuanya menikmati perjalanan. Sampai di puncak itu sebuah pencapaian. Capek sih, tapi senang. Di atas kami sempat sarapan sedikit. Anak-anak (terutama yang tua sebenarnya) bikin pesawat dari kertas dan menerbangkannya ke sisi lain bukit.

our house is somewhere down there...

But Ibit couldn’t enjoy it pretty well. She felt bothered with some sands getting into her shoes. The grass, the dry branches scratched her leg. And it seemed an ant thought she had bother its sunbathe and decided to bite her. Itchy off course. Ibit grumbled along the way up, to the top of the hill. She really didn’t enjoy it. I wonder how come. She always wanted to do this before, but when the time comes she didn’t like it. I always needed to ask her to smile every time we took her picture.
Tapi Ibit kurang bisa menikmati. Dia merasa terganggu dengan pasir yang masuk ke sepatu, tergores rumput, kena duri. Tambah lagi sepertinya ada semut yang merasa terganggu lalu menggigit Ibit, gatel deh. Jadilah Ibit ngrundel sepanjang jalan sampai ke puncak. Aneh juga, padahal dia pengen banget naik gunung. Eh setelah kesampaian malah ngga suka. Kami sampai harus memaksa dia senyum setiap kali mau foto.

on the top of the hill

We went down the hill on another path. A rocky path is good for climbing, but is difficult to go down. So we went another direction with almost no rock. Only sands and dry leaves all over the ground. No it wasn’t easy if you try to walk on it. It would be easier if you just sit and slide down, and it took less time, much. Again Ibit thought it was no fun. Some stone, she said, has hurt her butt.
Kami turun lewat jalur lain. Jalan berbatu enak buat naik, tapi susah buat turun. Jadi kami ambil jalur yang batunya sedikit. Lebih banyak tanah berpasir yang tertimbun guguran daun. Malah susah kalau jalan. Lebih enak kalau jongkok lalu meluncur sambil tangannya mendayung. Cepet sampai lagi. Tapi lagi-lagi Ibit tidak bisa menikmati. Katanya pantatnya kena batu, sakit.

slide slide down...

Come on. I and Dan and my sisters told her, that’s the good thing about doing an adventure. How you can get through the difficulties and finally reach the goal: you win. You surely will get some small blisters on your skin, but soon it will be healed.
Plis deh. Aku dan Dan dan saudara-saudaraku berusaha memberi pengertian ke Ibit, itulah hal menyenangkan tentang sebuah petualangan. Melalui berbagai kesulitan hingga mencapai tujuan itu sebuah kemenangan. Pastilah akan ada lecet-lecet sedikit, tapi sebentar juga sembuh.

Have I told you how Ibit has been so very special? My angel. She was able to read when she was four. She is a perfectionist. She sings. She plays piano. She writes stories. She draws comics. She blogs. I just realized that all these time we let her have fun only with her brain while her body didn’t do enough. She even spends her resses time in school reading in the library. A little hard out bond activity we did has become too hard for her… Funny. I remember she was going to bring a book going hiking, good thing she put it back when I told to.
Aku pernah cerita kan, Ibit itu istimewa? Bidadariku. Sudah bisa membaca waktu umurnya baru 4 tahun. Sang perfeksionis. Menyanyi. Main piano. Menulis cerpen. Menggambar komik. Ngeblog. Aku baru sadar bahwa selama ini kami membiarkan Ibit bersenang-senang dengan otaknya saja, sedangkan badannya kurang. Bahkan kalau jam istirahat di sekolah, dia ke perpustakaan baca buku. Gerak badan sedikit begini menjadi terlalu berat buatnya. Lucu, waktu mau berangkat naik gunung dia nyangking buku. Untung dia mau nurut waktu kusuruh ninggal aja bukunya.

It’s a note for me and Dan, to make a balance to what Ibit ‘eat’. Now we are planning to give her more activities like this, so she can enjoy life more than just reading books and get stuck inside her room. I surely hope it will work.
Sebuah catatan untuk aku dan Dan, untuk lebih menyeimbangkan apa yang 'asupan' Ibit. Sekarang kami merencanakan untuk lebih banyak mengajak Ibit beraktivitas fisik, supaya dia bisa lebih menikmati hidup lebih dari sekedar baca buku dan mengurung diri di kamar.

I should have known, too much of something is never good.
Harusnya aku tahu, semua yang serba terlalu itu ngga baik.

it wasn't worth that much....

tiwas penasaran, kaya apa yang namanya grebeg mulud. tahun lalu katanya ada 16 gunungan. aku pernah baca harusnya ada 30 gunungan. lalu segala pusaka kraton di keluarkan.
aku udah mbayangin sesuatu yang megah dan sakral, yang bakalan bikin merinding dan bergetar.
tapi dapetnya ini...

I was so curious, how a Grebeg Mulud is. Last year, they said there were 16 gunungans. I read somewhere, there should be 30. Then all the Kraton's Pusaka (weapons) would be brought out. I was ready for a chilling gracious moment.
And this was what I got...

drumband pembuka jalan-nya kalah banter sama drumband-nya Ar Ir
the opening drum band, ah... Ar-Ir's Drumband Group sounds even louder

lalu keluarlah prajurit ijo
then came out the 'green' soldiers

diikuti prajurit biru
followed by blue soldiers

dan prajurit merah
and red ones

dan gamelan kyai... apa ya? kanjeng?
and a set of Gamelan Kyai Kanjeng

ini yang dinanti-nanti Ar Ir: gunungan. gunungan pertama adalah gunungan jaler, yang isinya sayur dan buah2an
these were what Ar-Ir have been waiting for: gunungan. the first to come out was the male gunungan, made of fruits and vegetables

di belakangnya ada gunungan estri, dari rengginang dan jajan pasar. total gunungan ada tiga pasang, atau enam buah. dikit amat! tapi bentuknya sama semua, jadi ga usah dipasang gambarnya yang lain.
behind it, the female gunungan made of rengginang and some other traditional snacks. there were three pairs of gunungan. compared with last year, it is a small amount. they all looked the same so I only put pictures of a pair of the gunungans.

setelah itu muncul rombongan prajurit pemanah
after that, the archeries

udah. barisan ditutup dengan para abdi dalem yang jumlahnya banyak banget....
that's all. the parade was ended with all the abdi dalems (palace servers), so many of them.

yah.... lepas dari kenapa grebeg mulud ga semegah yang kubayangkan, ini tetaplah usaha pihak kraton untuk melestarikan budaya. dan walaupun rasa penasaranku cuma terbayar sebegitu, lumayanlah. buat pengalaman sekali seumur hidup...
well... ignoring why the Parade wasn't that big, this was still the effort of Kraton Solo to maintain a traditional moment. And even though my curiousity wasn't paid enough, that did okay. as once in a life time experience...

yang bikin tambah ngga cucuk adalah, semua gambar ini aku ambil cuma pake cameraphone-ku. harusnya aku bawa kameranya Dan...
what made it worse, was, I took all those pictures only with my cameraphone. I should have brought Dan's Camera, but as I told you, we didn't plan for this...

Note: what I saw was certainly not the whole ceremony. those gunungans and gamelan set brought to the Mosque at North Square for the next procession. You might be interested to learn more about Grebeg Mulud. The link is to Yogyakarta Grebeg. I Couldn't find one for Surakarta, yet.

it was, an adventure

some body tore my bag with a cutter or something.
ada yang merobek tasku pake silet

but they didn't succeed getting any thing from it.
tapi tidak berhasil mengambil apa pun

so I thought I'd better put my wallet in...
jadi kupikir sebaiknya aku menyimpan dompetku di...

ah, couldn't think of any better place.
tidak terpikir ada tempat yang lebih baik lagi

it happened last Monday when I and my children and my sister and her children, went to Sekaten. Sekaten is a festival held by Surakarta Empire to memorize Prophet Muhammad's birthday.
kejadiannya Senin kemaren, waktu aku dan anak-anakku dan kakakku dan anak-anaknya, pergi ke Sekaten. Sekaten adalah festival yang diadakan di Keraton Surakarta untuk memperingati hari kelahiran Nabi Muhammad.

actually we didn't plan to visit the Sekaten. we only wanted to visit the Surakarta Palace. but, we were so lucky (or unlucky?) because that day was the day of Grebeg Mulud, the culmination of Sekaten Festival.
tadinya kami bukan berencana nonton Sekaten. cuma pengen berkunjung ke Kraton. tapi kami sangat beruntung (atau sial?) karena hari itu bertepatan dengan perayaan Grebeg Mulud, puncak perayaan Sekaten.

Solonese are very concerned about this occasion. well you can call us Solonese. but honestly, this is the first time in my life I attend this annual festival.
warga Solo menganggap perayaan ini sangat penting. kami bisa juga sih disebut rakyat Solo. tapi jujur, ini pertama kalinya kami nonton perayaan rutin tahunan ini.

take a look and you'll see why pickpockets were having fun along the festival.
lihat aja, pantesan copet berpesta pora di sini

why do I let myself trapped in this crowd?
kenapa aku mau-maunya nyebur di keramaian ini?

and let my kids burnt under the 11.00AM sun?
dan membiarkan anak-anak terbakar matahari jam 11.00 siang?

and why should I climb to get best position to take pictures?
bela-belain manjat tembok supaya dapat tempat terbaik untuk memotret?

was it worth what I finally got?
apakah setimpal dengan yang kudapat?

you tell me when I tell what I got, on my very next post.
kasih tahu pendapatmu jika nanti kuceritakan hasilnya, di postingan mendatang.

***************


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Wordful Wednesday - bau kertas terbakar...

Wordful Wednesday - I smell something burning...

last monday, at about 10.30 in my office

'pak, yang bener aja dong, kalau buang puntung rokok jangan di tempat sampah!'
'aku ngga ngrokok...'
'oh please, you shouldn't put you cigarettes in the trash basket'
'I wasn't smoking...'

kriiing....!!!!!

'kebakaran... turun semua... kebakaran...!!'
'fire... everybody get down... FIRE!!'

aku masih bengong di tempat dudukku. tapi kulihat dari arah dapur mulai mengepul asap putih. spontan hal pertama yang kulakukan menyambar laptop di mejaku dan menjejalkannya asal-asalan ke wadahnya. untung ngga lagi tak sambung adaptor. aku langsung menyusul yang lain keluar ruangan. tapi baru sampai pintu tangga balik lagi, HP dan kacamata ketinggalan. udah turun hampir sampai lantai 2, balik lagi, kepikiran uang tabungan teman-teman di laciku.
I sat stiffed there on my seat. but then I saw from the kitchen some smoke started to spread into our room. my first reaction was grabbing my laptop, put it in its case, and went eith the other employees ran out the door. I almost got to the emergency stair when I realized I've left my phone and glasses. so I turned back to take them. but again, after few steps down stair, I remember I left some amount of money in my drawer. I turned back again

saat itu ruanganku sudah penuh asap, dan aku sempat melihat nyala api (warnanya oranye...) di arah dapur.
that time my room was filled with smoke, and I saw the fire at the kitchen

sayang ngga kepikiran moto oranye-oranye itu. boro-boro... aku udah gemeteran menyeret ranselku yang tiba-tiba terasa lebih berat dari biasanya, dan asapnya mulai hitam pekat dan seperti mengejar aku yang lari sepanjang lorong ke arah tangga darurat.
too bad, I didn't even think to take a picture of it. I was too afraid and trembly dragging my backpack that suddenly felt heavier than it usually was. and the smoke was turning to dark and like chasing me running along the corridor to the emergency stair.

kupikir aku ini pemberani. paling tidak cukup berani untuk berhenti sebentar ambil foto api atau asap. blehh...!! :P.
ternyata aku cuma bisa ikut yang lain, lari menyelamatkan diri (dan harta karun) keluar gedung.
I thought I was a brave girl. at least brave enough to stop for a while and took a picture of the fire or smoke.. bbbllhhh... :P
all I did was just ran to save my self (and my treasure) out the building.

alhamdulillah, pemadam kebakaran cepat datang. api bisa dilokalisir di tempat asalnya, belum sempat menjalar ke mana-mana. diduga penyebabnya adalah hubungan arus pendek. terima kasih pak pemadam, anda keren banget... :)
alhamdulillah, the firefighters soon came. the fire was blocked at the location where it started and didn't spread out any farther. they said it was caused by an electricity short cut. thanks to the firefighters, you are so cool.... :)

****************************
see more Wordful Wednesday at Angie's

'good morning , ibu...'

versi bahasa Indonesia di sini

'good morning honey... '
'did they call?'

I shoke my head. she cuddled up in my arms. silent.

'dissapointed?'

she nod

'sad?'
'I'm okay'





***

long before ramadhan, she called me one afternoon when I was still in office

'Ibu, will you buy my the CD of Idola Cilik?'

and the first thing she did was unwrapped it and : 'yes! here it is'
'what?'
'Idola Cilik audition form'
'you want to join it?'
'may I?'

may she? I never wanted to introduce my kids to entertainment world... I supported her to join any singing contest. trembling and watering seeing her performing. heartbeating during announcement. happy to see her shining receiving awards.

'so may I join the audition?'
'what for, you want to be on TV?'
'I want to sing better'
'you can take a lesson'
'I want to have friends. there are no girls in the neighborhood'
'friends you could find there would live even further'

she looked at me. I could see her 'want' was so big, but she didn't know how to convince me to let her join the audition.

'there will be sooooo many participants'
'I know'
'and they sing sooooo good as you've seen on TV'
'I know. and I want to know if the judges in the audition think I sing good or not'

so I let her do. I wasn't as enthusiast as she was. I can't imagine how hard it would be if she makes it. I and Dan both work, and I don't know how to manage time to accompany her to go to Jakarta every weekend.

I believe prayers of a mother is mostly answered. and I don't know which prayer HE would answer. I feel so guilty because at the beginning I wished she doesn't make it, just because I can't imagine the followings...

but I saw her wanted it so much. I can't let my self ignore that. so I went with her to the audition. jostled between hundred, may be thousands other participants. calmed her down when she got impatient. cooled her down when she got tired.

'do you really want to make it?'
'yes I do'
'can you imagine the bustle that might happen?'
she stood still for a second, then said, 'I wish you weren't working'

oh that ambition...

***

'it's six a clock, Bit'
'they said they'd call between six and midnight, ibu. let's just wait....'

after sholat maghrib, she sat on my lap and show me the daily prayers book

'I was looking for a prayer that might make our wish come true'
'did you find it?'

she showed me: a prayer for a wish to come true

'I've read it this afternoon before nap'
'let's read it again, after sholat is a good time to pray'

suddenly I wanted her to make it. suddenly I didn't care if I had to take an off every friday. suddenly I prayed to Allah to give what she wanted. but would HE allow it?

***

21.00

I went to bed holding my cellphone. waiting. at 00.05 I woke up. I might didn't hear the phone rang. so I checked, but there wasn't any missed call. they didn't call.

***

is she really okay?
is she really not sad?
than why my fussy girl didn't talk so much today?
how deep her disappointment is?
have I supported her enough?

GOD, why did I ever wished for her not to make it....????

forgive me, bit.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

they didn't call

biasanya, kalau pengumuman lomba dan aku berdebar-debar, Ibit berhasil dapat juara, walau juara harapan sekalipun.
sebenarnya kemaren itu aku berdebar-debar juga, tapi kok ngga ada telpon yang kutunggu-tunggu ya?

usually, if my heart beats during an announcement, Ibit will win the competition. yesterday I felt my heart beat too , but the call we were waiting for... ah, they didn't call us

ya... paling tidak kami sudah mencoba. mungkin memang sebaiknya Ibit tidak jadi artis :D
well. at least we tried. may be she better not be a celeb :D

aku ngga ingin anakku jadi artis

I don't want my kids to be celebrities

tapi ini komentar mbakku: kamu boleh ngga ingin. gimana kalau anaknya yang ingin?
but this is what my sister said: may be you don't but what if they do?

aku selalu dukung Ibit ikut lomba-lomba di Ungaran-Semarang. tapi ikut audisi Idola Cilik?
audisinya aja di yogya. belum lagi kalau lolos (ya ampun pede-nya!) apa ngga harus bolak-balik Semarang Jakarta?
I always supported Ibit to join any singing contest in our city. but joining Idola Cilik? (it's like Indonesian Idol for kids). the audition would be held in Yogya. and if she make it (ugh, like if she would!), means I would have to travel Semarang - Jakarta every weekend.

'aku ingin tau, menurut mereka aku bagus ngga nyanyinya', katanya
'I only want to know, how good they think I sing', she said

ya sudah, masak mau ngga dibolehin? paling-paling juga ngga lolos audisi. (duh, doa yang jelek karena males ngebayangin ribetnya kalau lolos....)
well, would I say 'NO'? I think she wouldn't make it (what a bad prayer of a mom who can not imagine how hard it would be if she does make it)

sudah sering lihat yang beginian di tivi, tapi ngalami sendiri?
as seen on TV, but being a part of it?

capeknya ngantri tiga jam lebih
tired being in three hours waiting in line

dalam jenuh kami mulai gila-gilaan....
and we started going crazy...

dan ibit senang dapat teman baru
and she was glad to have a new friend

pengumumannya masih besok, lewat telepon bagi yang berhasil. berdebar-debar. bingung musti berharap lolos atau tidak....
they will let us know if she made it or not tomorrow, by phone. I don't know what to wish better, should she make it or not...

MERDEKA!!!

FREEDOM!!!

Indonesia's Independence Day is on 17 August, which is tomorrow. We have started the celebrations from few days ago.
these are some pictures from our independence day celebration in my neighborhood. not the best shots, everybody was moving and my cam isn't good enough for that...

games for children

we have done this last Saturday


eating kerupuk is the most frustating game



Ir was frustated



but Ar broke the rules


and Ansel didn't care about it at all, just enjoyed the kerupuk


Ibit won this race


Ar was so good in this one





the night before the day


Ar Ir and Ibit helped me wrap the gifts for the children in the afternoon


we prayed for our heroes who has fought with their blood to free this country from Dutch and Japan



games for dads: they had to move 5 marbles in a plate filled with flour to a little bowl, using their mouth



games for moms: they have to put a pencil tied behind their back into a bottle




every kid got a gift






and hot soto was great for a cold night dinner


more reports next week!!