Simply My Notes

Seorang teman Belanda yang baru pulang dari Amerika mengeluh. Katanya orang Amerika (Serikat) bermental "tipping". Sedikit2 harus keluar tip, naik taksi sampai makan di resto. Lain dengan teman dari Amerika (Serikat) yang bilang pelayanan di Belanda payah. Yang lelet, yang kurang senyum, ga tanggep dll, dsb. Aku cuma bisa manggut-manggut. Habis kalau disini emang kalo makan di kaki lima or resto biasa (not the fancy ones) emang pelayanannya yah gitu, biasanya cuma minta "Mas, ga pake lama ya". Abis makan, ya langsung pergi, ga nerusin ke " een kopje koffie " dulu sampe berjam-jam.

After enjoying a full week of traffic-jam-free Jakarta, last night I experienced the "beauty" of Jakarta at night. There were lots of light from the many cars trapped in the crammed roads. Then some music from the horn of a high rank police officer car, trying to get free from the traffic by zigzaging the other cars. Well, maybe his urge to pee was soooo great :p. Not to mention the "charming" black pool made by the rain on the main road of Sudirman. Maybe that pools were the main cause of the jammed road, not the lack of discipline of the people calling themselves intelligent urban people.  This just adding a bigger line of my disappointment smile. I just went to Papi's cemetary and found out that his grave was neglected. And it was just a week after the last time we paid a visit there. It turned out the cemetary official who supposedly had received payment didn't tend the lot. We supposed to go to unofficial cemetary caretaker to tend the grave. When I...

Want to post one of my favorite poem of all time by Robert Frost. Just knew about this great poem when I was still in AIESEC in 1998. It reminds me all the time, that whatever choices I have, it's up to me to decide. I'm following my own path, and that's what have brought me to where I am now. Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920. THE ROAD NOT TAKEN TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: T...

Maap yah, ini bukan judul Harry Potter ke-8, tapi cuma mau kasih contoh simple negative thinking and suudzon (excessive suspicion) itu stupid and ga guna. Have to admit, before coming here, I was a positive and optimistic person. But after a while being under opression and feeling that all doors to opportunity were shut, I become just the opposite. That's why I had Trouble in Paradis e . But for the past weeks, I've begun to lift my self up with some external help. Yang dimaksud di title di atas adalah Harry Potter ke-7 and Asia Cup football tournament yang lagi berlangsung di Indonesia.

As a moslem (though not a good one yet), being in Saudi Arabia offers great advantages. My family is close to the Two Holy Cities and we can travel there anytime we want to. We also feel secure while consuming food and beverages as I've written before  here . Also important is that unlike in Holland, we can easily find places to sholat, even when we are shopping. But few things are not suited to my mind which I think is quite un-Islamic. Therefore, when I was first got here, I realized then why all God's religions were descended to this region. There are still some remains of the Jahiliyiah old time. From first hand experience, these are my notes.

Nope! I wasn't talking about Rafi's having any fever. It's about the current temperature in Jeddah. It's summer time! During the day, it could reach 39 degrees and sometimes 40, while in the evening it's around 36-37. Note, this is not midsummer yet. Uh-oh! We did some househunting during daylight last week with Mukti's friend. Quite tiring. When we got off the car or out of the cool office door, the heat virtually slapped us in the face. I have to put a blanket over Rafi's head and an umbrella over us. It was even worse for Mukti's friend, since he is white. He got exhausted quickly and turn red in an instant.

Udah sejak kemaren2 mau nulis soal ini, cuma takut aja nulisnya kalo malem. Waarom? Habis isinya nyerempet pengalaman ngga enak yang kita alamin hari Senin (25/6) kemaren. We were house hunting and visited a house near the Corniche. When I saw the complex, it wasn't quite up to what I've expected. Anyway, since we were already there, we visited the house accompanied by the Marketing Office Manager. Don't really like the appearance of the frontyard but made no comment. When we entered the door, all of the sudden si mas who was carried by his daddy, burst in tears and loudly screamed while his finger pointing to the closed front door. Even after I opened the door, he still screamed in fear and continued while we made a tour around the house. He stopped when we went outside. Actually, the house itself wasn't scary at all. It was well lit with sunray and some people were inside renovating the house. But, I just couldn't concentrate when si mas was crying like that...

Been a while since the last time I updated this noteblog. Got a way to boost calories intake for Mas R. Chocolate mousse. Got 2 recipes. The hard one from Serge, my Swiss friend in Rotterdam and the simple one from Ready Steady Cook . Chocolate Mousse Ingredients: 100 ml whipping cream (slagroom) 200 gr dark (pure) chocolate block 1 eggyolk 1 eggwhite pinch of vanilla powder 2 tablespoon of fresh milk Preparation The Hard way : 1. Put chocolate with fresh milk in a bowl then put the bowl on a bigger bowl of hot water to melt the chocolate (not au bain marie ). Leave to melt, stir once in a while. When it melts, add the eggyolk, while still in the hot water bowl. 2. Beat the cream and vanilla in a bowl with mixer or electric beater until thick and hold its shape 3. Beat the eggwhite in another bowl until hard (if you put the bowl upside down it shouldn't be spilled out) 4. Add the eggwhite into the whipped cream mixture and mix with spoon thoroughly. 5. Add the...

Gondok ga sih rasanya, ngeliat anak kita 'being bullied' by other kids. Kejadian nih dua kali sama Rafi seperti itu. Kayaknya Arab boys pada suka sirik nih sama Rafi. Padahal kalo diliat, mereka itu lucu-lucu n cakep. Huh! Padahal little devil gitu. Sebel. Sementara the little girls kalo liat Rafi pengennya nyiumin. Apa mungkin itulah beda cewek n cowok? Sudah terlihat sejak kecilnya. Jadi ceritanya yang pertama, kita lagi jalan2 ke Jeddah Mall, one of the nicest in Tahliya street (katanya sih ini jalan pengen copy Paris's Champs Elysee). Karena di tengahnya ada kolam, aku jagain Rafi deket2. Supaya dia ga nyemplung. Suddenly, out of the blue, a boy around 6-7 years old stood besides Rafi and pushed him sideways. Rafi oleng terus jatoh karena gue ga sempet lari ke dia, tapi dasar tambeng dia ga nangis. Terang aja gue pelototin tuh anak, while finger said no-no to him.

One of the things I dislike here in Saudi is the ruling for women to wear Abaya -a long black gown worn over your dress. But, there are some public places that allow women not to wear one, that is if you can afford it. It's the private beaches of Jeddah. Durrah Al Arrus - the resort that we visited last weekend - has this feature too. It's an integrated tourist village up north of Jeddah and we can spend one day at the beach through the Beach Resort Hotel for 50SAR/person/day or stay at the hotel. The beach was nice with blue water and sandy beach and the resort hotel itself has a gorgeous park and swimming pool. Overall it's fantastic. But be discreet when taking pictures, it's actually not allowed to do in the beach and pool. Report Card (Durrah Beach Resort Hotel) Main Attraction: - The Beach: pure sandy beach, with a view of the North Jeddah Bay. Just like being in the Cote d'Azur. Superb! - The Marina to stroll along: Not as beautiful as in Port el ...

About couple of weeks ago, my hubby found a resort in the net called Durrah Al Arrus . So, one Friday noon, we went there to take a sneak peek. Cool beach! But the thing that attracted me most was: Women don't have to wear their Abayas (a long black gown worn over our dress). Since I came here to Jeddah, I've been bickering about the lost of my freedom. Freedom to independently walk alone outside and freedom of dressing myself. It's not the Abaya per se but the ruling that bind which bothers me a lot.

Asyiknya tinggal di negeri yang segala makanannya serba halal gini adalah bisa nyoba makanan yang pas tinggal di Belanda cuma bisa ngiler doang pengen nyoba, tapi trus tau ada ibabnya jadi ill-feel. Kemaren nemu real Spaghetti Carbonara - which is yang pake bacon. Dulu aku pernah coba baconnya diganti dengan smoked salmon. Spaghetti Carbonara Bahan: 300 gr spaghetti 150 gr bacon, iris sepanjang jari 150 ml double cream (whipping cream) 1 btr kuning telur 1 btr garlic, crushed 1/2 bh bw bombay, cincang kecil 1 sm cooking oil salt n black pepper (preferably freshly ground) Cara membuat: - Masak spaghetti sesuai petunjuk packaging - Panaskan cooking oil dalam medium heat dan tumis bw bombay smp harum - Tumis garlic dan bacon sampai bacon matang - Bumbui dengan salt n pepper lalu kecilkan api - Kocok (dgn garpu atau whisker) kuning telur dan cream dalam mangkuk terpisah - Campurkan ke dalam wajan dan aduk rata, masak sekitar 1 menit atau sampai telur matang - Matikan api, masukkan spaghett...

One of the recipe I've got from the Italian guys in my class. Original recipe was without garlic, but my Indonesian tongue just couldn't get a grip without one hehehe... Penne Salmon Bahan : 200 gr smoked salmon, cincang 300 gr penne 100 gr fresh cream 200 ml whipping cream (double cream) salt n pepper secukupnya 1 sm cooking oil 1 btr garlic - crushed (optional) Cara Membuat - Masak Penne al dente (kurangi sktr 2 menit dari waktu memasak di packaging) - Panaskan cooking oil sampai medium heat (lalu masukkan garlic, tumis sampai harum) - Masukkan salmon dan tumis sampai harum dan berubah warna. Bumbui dgn Salt n pepper - Kecilkan api, masukkan fresh cream, aduk sampai rata - Tambahkan whipping cream (sekitar 50-100 ml) sambil diaduk - Masukkan penne sedikit demi sedikit, ratakan - Tambahkan sisa whipping cream sambil terus aduk perlahan - Biarkan selama 1-2 menit di atas api kecil sampai mendidih - Angkat dan sajikan hangat-hangat Serve: 2 - 3 person Tips: - Kadang aku tambahi...

Gara2 salah ngukur gula merah, empalku kali ini jadi dendeng :(. Makanya mending stick to what Mami wrote in her SMS deh. Kapok. EMPAL GORENG CEMPAKA (C) Copyright Cempaka Katering Bahan: 500 gr daging sapi, potong kotak-kotak besar tipis 4 butir bw merah, gerus 4 butir bw putih, gerus 1 ST Ketumbar 1 ST Gula merah yg sudah dihaluskan/digerus Garam, gula Lada sedikit Cara membuat: - Rebus potongan daging sapi sampai matang - Ambil dagingnya dan sisihkan kaldu sapi (bisa dibuat soto atau sop) - Dalam panci atau wajan kecil, masukkan kira2 150-200 cc kaldu sapi, bawang merah putih, gula merah, dan garam gula. Tambahkan lada secukupnya. Aduk rata, lalu masukkan daging rebus dan aduk kembali. Bila daging tidak tertutup air, tambahkan sedikit saja kaldu. - Tutup panci (ungkep) sambil sesekali diaduk agar bumbu meresap rata. Lakukan sampai airnya habis. - Saat hendak disajikan, goreng seperlunya. Sisa yang tidak digoreng bisa disimpan sampai 3 hari.

Sing, tickle and make gestures with the kids... Itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain And itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again

Alhamdulillah... akhirnya laptopnya daddy bisa direstore! Gara2 dirusakin Rafi tahun lalu, kibor ga bisa jalan. Tapi yang parah, ada system yang rusak. Untung semalem ketemu tuh CD Recoverynya. Akhirnya bisa melihat foto2 Rafi waktu masih bayi lagi. Ngeliat foto2 kawinan kita. Hampir semua foto lama ketemu. Sebel juga sama custom di Arab. Isi kontainer semua diperiksa absis (100% scrutiny ). Termasuk juga isi PC semua diobrak-abrik, trus akhirnya semua data ilang. Bukan itu aja, poster souvenir dari Museum van Gogh juga ilang, beserta hampir semua CD yang masih baru dalam plastik. Sapa yang maling nih. CD yang berisi hampir semua balik. Hiks... Ah, sudahlah, yang penting sekarang senang dulu bisa dapet foto2 lama lagi.

Embarrassed with our lovely model stating “Indonesia is a beautiful city ” in the Miss Universe pageant? Think again. Not all “ bule ” (westerners in Indonesian) are native English speaker. Joop den Uyl (former Dutch Prime Minister) referred his nation as “A Nation of Undertakers” to a group of businessmen in Washington DC. What he meant was that the Dutch is a nation of Entrepreneur, but it went out wrong. In Dutch entrepreneur is ondernemer . Onder means under, nemer means taker. Well, you know what undertaker means in English :D. It was Dunglish, a mix of Dutch-English, just like Singlish , Singaporean English or Japanese Engrish . It's like trying to use English translated directly from Indonesian words, such as "Fruit child, "( anak buah : subordinate) or ”Not delicious body", ( ga enak badan : ill/sick).

Repot nih blogger... Ga bisa nulis panjang2... Sebelumnya liat ke Part 1 Spaghetti - Cook about 200 grams of spaghetti as directed in the box - Serve with the sauce and grated cheese on top - Half of the sauce serves 4 - Add some sliced olives if you like Lasagna (little bit more work needed on the bechamel sauce, so buy a ready-to-cook Lasagna leaf so you don't have to boil the pasta leaves) Ingredients: Bolognaise sauce Béchamel Sauce Lasagna leaves Grated cheese Ovenware dish Bechamel Sauce (consists of the following:) - 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine (preferably low fat) - 3 tablespoons of plain flour - 100cc of fresh milk Preparation: - Heat the oven to 220 degrees Celcius - Melt butter on low heat - Add flour little by little while mixing it. Be careful not to make it grainy. - Little by little, add fresh milk and keep stirring until smooth - Set Aside the sauce - Arrange the lasagna leaf in the dish, then layer it with Bolognaise sauce - Do the arrangement until the bo...

With my mom's recipe , I simply make 1 bolognaise sauce for two pasta dishes - spaghetti and lasagna. I even simplify it by buying the bolognaise sauce jar (:p) and add some more spices to my liking. BOLOGNAISE SAUCE (Javanese Style :D) Ingredients: 500 gr Minced beef 2-3 big tomatoes, blend into juice 1 big onion, sliced thinly 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed 50 grams of grated cheese (Gouda Jong Belegen is better, but Cheddar cheese will do too) A Splash or two Worcestershire sauce 50 ml fresh milk or cream 1 tablespoon Tomato sauce Spices: Oregano, Basil, Salt, pepper, sugar Margarine or oil for cooking Olive oil and sliced champignons - optional Preparation: - Heat the margarine/oil to medium heat and sauté crushed garlic and onion until it's sweet-smelling - Add minced beef and W.Sauce, mix thoroughly with all spices to your taste. - Add sliced champignons if you like - Cook until the minced beef gets juicy then add the tomato juice (and olive oil), mix - Continue cooking wh...

Hasil baca-baca buku n internet, katanya kalo mau anak bisa ngomong jelas, adalah kita harus konsisten. Ga perlu ngajarin bahasa asing dulu, pakailah bahasa yang sesuai dengan lidah kita. So, itulah yang aku terapin ke si mas. Tapi susah juga sih. Habis, pertama, akunya latah. Maunya pake bahasa Indonesia melulu, tapi kadang otak ngomandoin kata dalam bahasa lain. Kedua, aku mau bapaknya ngomong ke si mas pake bahasa Belanda. Nah inilah yang jadi masalah. Si bapak maunya ngotot pake bahasa Indonesia yang skillnya cuma tingkat Fluent. Bukannya mau sok-sokan supaya si mas bisa bilingual, tapi tolong deh. Nah, yang aku mau ceritain ini adalah contoh bahasa Indonesia ala hubbyku. Pertama kali aku kenal masku ini, aku pikir orangnya kaku amat sih ngomongnya. Ga ada gue elu. Cuma saya kamu. Ternyata, bahasa Belandanya lebih lancar dari bahasa ibunya. Ini juga, menurut mama mertuaku sebenernya sudah lebih bagus daripada kebanyakan anak Indonesia di Belanda lainnya yang bahkan tidak bisa ber...

Pesenannya Henny...(Kalo mo gampang sih, gue bilang juga beli Mushroom Soupnya Knorr, neng, hihihi) Creamy Mushroom Soup Bahan: 5-7 jamur putih segar ukuran besar, iris tipis 200 gr creme fraiche 1 buah onion ukuran sedang, iris tipis 1 butir bawang putih, crushed 300 ml vegetable or chicken broth* 1 sm margarine Garam, gula, lada (GGL) Cara membuat: - Panaskan margarine di atas api sedang, lalu tumis onion dan garlic sampai wangi - Masukkan jamur, tumis sampai layu dan mengeluarkan juice - Tambahkan GGL, sesuai selera - Kecilkan api, masukkan creme fraiche, aduk sampai rata - Setelah creme cair, masukkan kaldu perlahan-lahan - Aduk rata, and let it boil for a while - Angkat dan sajikan. Garnish with peterseli Serve 2-3 person *Sebagai pengganti broth, aku biasa pake Cup-a-Soup Helder (bening bukan cream) rasa Paddlestoelen. Belum tau apa ada di Indo, Spore or Arab

Sebel! Udah seminggu lebih bloggerku ngadat. Biasanya kalo nulis panjang2. Pasti deh tiba-tiba disuruh tes connection. Kenapa sih. Udah capek-capek nulis jugaan. Untung sekarang udah lebih pengalaman. Sebelum disave, gue copy dulu en disave di Word. CAPE DEEH....

Henny and I had an agreement in 2003 when we traveled together to Prague. We will send each other postcards every time we travel. But since I moved here to KSA, I have never received any postcards from her. Not her fault. It's simply because, we DON'T have ADDRESS here in KSA! Hah! Annoying isn't it? The address are not clearly arranged around here. The buildings don't have definite number. My apartment number is 12, but the building doesn't have that. So, the mail system here uses post office box. We should rent a PO box in the post office. BUT, I rarely see a post office. I have only seen 2 of them while I'm here in Jeddah and 1 in Makkah! Post boxes are also not a thing here. I've spotted NONE.

Poor child. He's now begun to lost his socialability touch, (bahasa indonya kuper :(), not like he used to be. Now, he likes to climb on to the window and stare outside our apartment. Well, this is what we get by living in a very closed environment. We cannot freely go outside and play. For some good reasons. First, the desert climate. The sun is very harsh especially during summer time - very bad for the skin. Just the opposite of being in Amsterdam. I remember one cloudy day calling my mom then suddenly the sunshine stroke my window. When I was about to get off the phone, my mom laughed at me saying, "Poor you, never see the sunlight eh?!". Now, I have sunlight everywhere but just can't enjoy it. Secondly, my security. As if it wasn't enough for me being stared by men though I walked with my hubby n baby. Oh please...!!! A friend of mine confirmed us that it is not quite safe for women to wander around by herself. What am I saying here. I was just abo...

When I get bored of rice and pasta, potato is one of the solutions. Just the simple one since I am the love-to-but-can-not cook type. Cheddar Mashed Potato 3 big sized potatoes - peel and cut into medium size Fresh milk 100 gr Cheddar cheese - grated Pepper Preparation - Boil Potatoes until soft - Drain and put in a large bowl - Mashed with fork or potato masher - Add grated cheddar and pepper to taste (the cheddar has already act as salt) - Add a splash of milk little by little and mix until the texture is tender but not mushy (too watery) Serve with steak or vegetables or any other things. It's your cooking after all ;) Tips : Don't let the potato cool down when you mash it. The texture will be little bit coarse. For my boy, since he's more than a picky eater, I substitute plain water for boiling with chicken and/or vegetable broth. And then add some shredded chicken or hamoor * fillet plus adding a triangle of cream cheese. * hamoor : kind of big sea fish with white ...

Masih punya sedikit springroll pastry, buat apa ya. Bosen juga bikin martabak. Iseng2 cari resep bikin somay di google. Semua perlu tepung sagu, padahal sagu bukan main ingredient yang suka nongkrong di kitchen cabinet. Akhirnya coba2 deh bikin dengan bahan2 yang udah ada. Tanpa sagu hasilnya lumayan lah, tapi memang jadinya ga kenyal-kenyal kayak siomay si Japra hehehe. Berhubung aku ga doyan sambel, jadi ga ada sambel kacangnya :D Ingredients: 10 ekor Udang kupas ukuran sedang or besar 1 potong Fillet Ayam (or potongan daging ayam , mentah or sudah direbus) 4 butir Bawang merah 4 butir Bawang putih 1 butir Telor *) 8–10 lbr Springroll pastry (kulit lumpia) atau Tahu (keluarkan sebagian isinya) Garam, gula, lada (GGL) Tepung Terigu Wortel, parut Maggi penyedap rasa - bila suka --> semua secukupnya Cara membuat - Blender or chopper udang, ayam, bawang, GGL - Aduk rata dlm suatu wadah hasil blender dengan telor, terigu, wortel, maggi - Bungkus adonan ke dalam pastry sesuai selera **)...

Spring time is coming! In other part of the world that is :( ! How I miss to see the cherry blossoms on the tree. And the wild flowers blossoming on the greeneries along the street. Well, that's what in my mind when I saw some flowerbeds along the street to Corniche in Jeddah, yesterday. In Jeddah, the weather is getting warmer and it will be hotter during summer. The wind is still little bit chill, still quite nice to spend the afternoon at the beach like we did yesterday. Cause in summer, people come to the beach after it's dark. My first impression when I came here last year... "What are they doing after dark in the beach anyway!! Nothing to see. And the sea breeze is not cool at all!" I can also feel the warmth of the midday sun when I open the tap. The water was little bit warm. Wait until summer, then you don't need water heater for your shower. In fact, don't try to shower during midday in July-August. The water is very hot. Morning or afternoon is...

Cempaka Katering We serve: Lunch box or prasmanan for offices and parties (incl. arisan, birthdays etc) Prasmanan for wedding, birthday, holidays etc Tumpeng Komplit Snack box for meetings and parties Daily house catering (also for Sahur in Ramadhan) - selected areas in Jakarta We can cater your parties, big - medium - small. Wide variety of menu @ All budget type; low to high Let's manage it together Interested? Please contact me by email or via this blog. ==== About Cempaka Katering Cempaka Katering is owned by my parents, Pak Robert n Ibu Noor. Mostly Cempaka Katering is run by my dad. My mom was one of the chef of some restaurants in a five star hotel in Jakarta before assigned as one of the manager in the hotel's catering service section. She is the food controller for Cempaka Katering. Cempaka Katering has already served some offices for lunch and training; arisan; wedding (from Pengajian to Midodareni and Reception). Before catering those needs, Cemp...

As if one blog is not enough :D This is my second one, conducted as portal to my current blog in Friendster, Simply Our Story . Yet also for some notes without stories. Anyway, if you have comments for my Main Story and don't have Friendster account, please feel free to comment and give feedback here. Thank you.

Asyiik... Last weekend kita akhirnya bisa melampiaskan rasa kangen masakan Indo. Well, emang hampir tiap hari sih di rumah masak masakan Indo, cuma kan ga kayak jajan di kaki lima. So, KJRI Jeddah Rabu-Kamis 14-15 Maret kemaren ceritanya bikin Bazaar Amal. Dan seperti kebiasaan di Arab, acaranya dimulai jam 5 PM sampe 12.00 AM. Kl siang ya panas abisz lah. Mulailah jajan2 dari mie ayam bakso, es cendol, es campur, pempek, sate ayam n kambing, es kopyor etc. Utk rasa sih jgn ditanya ya. At least bisa lah utk obat kangen ama jajanan di Jakarta. Sarana juga sih u kita jalan2. Trus kenalan lsg deh sama yg namanya Mira. Hehehe... Nambah temen lagi. Sayangnya sih, tetep aja bakalan susah saling visit di waktu siang, tanpa suami or sopir :( Tunggu bazar2annya lagi aah.

Last September, I was shocked by my passport photo. WHO'S THIS FAT LADY??!!!! Then, I rushed my hubby to buy a scale. Damn! Over 50kg! Hoe kan dat!!! I've lost all my pregnancy weight months ago. I had only 1-2 kg left to my normal weight before coming to Jeddah. So, pasti penyebabnya disini nih. Coba di-trace back. Since I arrived in June, and we didn't have any stove yet, we always dined out. "Celaka"nya all the food here are HALAL. So, we could eat all kind of food without any concern of it's halalness. And they say, as an international city, Jeddah offers a range of international food. Although we haven't explored them yet. Mainly because we don't know where's the good one ;)

Baru aja sembuh dari sinusitis nih. Setelah seminggu ga sembuh2 dari pilek, tiba sakit kepala menyerang. Sakit kepala berdenyut2 5 hari ga berhenti. Ampuun! Ga bisa ngapa2in deh. Tapi jadinya pengen nulis soal pengalaman berdokter2an di negeri orang sebagai consumer yang awam dunia medis. Boleh doong ah! Agak2 shocking juga waktu pertama kali berobat di sini (Jeddah). Karena ikutan program asuransi, jadi harus datang ke RS provider. Waktu itu pas lagi sakit batuk pilek aja. Cuma batuknya ngganggu abis, n masih ga berani beli obat OTC karena masih breastfeeding. Pas di administration, ditanya mau ke dokter mana. Yah, Cuma batuk, minta GP lah. Petugas administrationnya bingung. Gue ulang, General Practioner , lah salah kali yak inggrisnya. Diulang lagi, ” General Physician? I have flu and cough” . dengan suara bindeng nan sexy. Dijawabnya “ ENT”. Lah…Kagak parah2 amat kok disuruh ke THT? Akhirnya ok lah. Ke ENT clinic deh. Pikir punya pikir, jangan2 ni rumah sakit ga punya GP? 

Last weekend on Thursday, my babies went out together. Well, not really for THE first time, but the first time for older Rafi who already knows that he's strolling outside his house. It so happened that I got this sinusitis and we needed to do some groceries. So, at around 5pm, hubby went with baby to Geant. I wonder what was in my baby's mind. Usually mommy's always around. Not today. Hubby said, he was quiet in the car. Au contraire to his routine if I was around. He'd arch his back and try to wriggle out of his car seat. He seemed to enjoy being put in the shop trolley too. Looking around little bit higher than his usual stroller. Yeaah...!!! Finally, I have a little time for myself. But, my head was aching very badly. Hey, there was Extreme Home Makeover. Haven't seen it since I left Amsterdam. Anyway, when my babies went back home, I was asking about how were people looking at them. Little bit of staring, Mukti said. AHA! That's what I thought. Li...

Umm...what's so special about Arabian nights, that it was immortalised in the '1001 Arabian Nights' fairytale. In the modern version I think because in Saudi Arabia, (not in Persia, as this is my case) people live at nights! This was quite a shocking transition for me when I first got here. After setlling down with having everything closed down after 6pm in Holland, I have to reboot my routines to having everything opened after 5pm in KSA. Here, most stores open from 9am-12pm then open again from around 5 pm (or after Ashar prayer in the winter). Most small shops closed around 11 pm, big ones 12 AM, and restos 1-1.30 AM. In weekend (here weekends are Thursday and Friday. Time for Sholat Jumat), they even open up to 2 pm. More about weekends, it's family night. So only families and/or groups of women are allowed to enter the malls. So often we see groups of men debating with the security asking them to allow them enterin the mall. In Ramadhan, the opening time is...

Just last week it happened! Sik asyik, bisa "full time" internetan lagi. Ga perlu buru2 disconnect. Enaknya pake DSL. Tapiiii... iih... lambretanya.. ampuun... 256K???!!! Ga ada yang lebih lambat lagi? (ada siiih :p). Opening pagenya juga stuttering deh. Yang lebih parah bukan hanya karena connectionnya. Tapi salah satunya karena adanya "internet police" di network Arab Saudi (KSA). Seringkali udah capek2 bikin email, pas teken tombol SEND tiba2 plung... a page with bold capital letters ACCESS DENIED. Then under it something like: You don't have access to this page (or s'thing like that). Please contact your network administrator. Lah kirain waktu itu karena pake dial-up. Ternyata masih muncul juga. Kalo pas pake dial-up, udah ah, males, matiin aja. Ga jadi nulis email. Makanya sempet ngilang lama dari cyberworld. Habis cuma nulis email aja access denied. Mau buka foto kawinan temen, denied. Pasrah deh, tinggal di negara yg serba tertutup kayak gini. ...