D.I.Y Haircut!

This is the second time I do my own haircut. Yep! I cut my hair. By myself. Yep.
No worries, because if I messed my hairstyle, I have headscarf to cover it, of course.
The first time I cut my own hair was because I felt too busy to go to beauty saloon. So I just tied my hair and snip-snip, cut.
It is simple, and free, hehehehe! And if you fail, just cover it up :p
Here's what I did. Get these tools: sharp scissors or haircut scissors (I bought one at the Japanese 'barang-barang ngga penting'--> borrowing my brother's term for unnecessary stuffs), two rubber bands and comb.
First, do this in the bathroom. Tied your hair and make pony tail on the top of your head(or wherever you like. Nobody will see it anyway). Use 2 rubber band to tie it up. First rubber band tied close to your skin head. The second one tied few centimetres from the first band. The second one is actually to keep the hair that will be throw from being too messy on hands.
Wet your hair, especially on the part that you will cut. Get scissor and cut your hair between the two bands. Then, you will have a bundle of hair, tied, not messy and fall over the floor.
So what will you do with the bundle? Well, I just dug the ground in the garden with my hand and put the bundle in the hole and piled it with ground. The rest of the hair in the bathroom simply just flush it down with running water or pick it up and flush in the toilet.
Hehehe... simple, eh?
Oh one trick from my Mom, if you want to have hair bang, just get a piece of cello-tape and put it on your hair where you want to have the bang. Then, cut the hair by the direction of the side of the cello-tape. That way you'll get a straight hair bang. She did this to me when I was a child.
I remember that getting my hair cut by a hairstylist was a joyful activity on the old days. I had a very trusted hairstylist. I trust him to cut my hair anyway he likes. Always turned out great. I don't have to ask anything. He's just know my hair so much.
Anyway, just wait for my husband to go home, and see what will he say about my hair now. Yeeeess..husband is the only one you have to worry about if you mess your hairstyle eh eh eh..
Duudiiiduuuuu...

My absence and the City of Seagulls

Wow, it’s been soooo long time after my last posting!
I guess for the last 8 months, maybe, blogging was not my first priority in what to do list.
Maybe I should make one posting of why didn’t I blog. However, the reason is about my mother, and it will make me sad if I have to remember it again by telling the detail of the story.
What happened was, my mom got hospitalize last April, 2011. She got stroke and we ran her to hospital. The doctor decided to make a surgery. Unfortunately, after the surgery my mom was never awake again. She stayed in ICU room for 22 days, and passed away on May 17, 2011. I probably not need to mention that, my family and I was shocked and sad. Well, actually we went through many ups and downs feeling through the days when she was still in hospital. First we shocked, and then we learnt to accept that Mamah was ill. After that we decided to build spirit and hope in ourselves that she will be awake again. Then, we finally had to accept that Mamah was probably better with Allah than with us. That morning the doctor called us urged my dad and I to run to hospital just to release her go. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiuun.
Tears. The whole month. And after.
Days after that were not so easier also. My husband and I had planned to move to New Zealand for about two years before. So we had to leave Papah there. My mind was storming to find a way so that my dad would not be so alone after we leave. It became a huge problem then. Anyway, it’s another long story and it just make me sad and sad. Maybe some time later I will tell.
After my mom passed away, we moved to smaller house. My parents were actually longed to sell their big house to buy a smaller house. As my eldest brother and his family got their own house, and my second brother moved to Singapore, I was the only child they had who still lived with them, with my husband and kids too.
When the house was finally sold, my mom got hospitalized. So she never knows how it’s like to be in her new house.
Sad. Again.
Our moving to a new house was not so easy for me. I had to pack up the things and stuffs from that old big house. That house was once the home for 8 persons. So the stuffs that they had left were pretty MUCH. It is not easy also, to deal with my mom stuffs. Everything was reminds me of her.
If I count it, my family and I have been moving at least three times in a year! From my Mamah’s old big house to my Papah’s small house. Then moved from Papah’s house to apartment in Central Auckland. Again moved from apartment to unit house where we staying now.
Anyway, enough with pre-moving to NZ thing. We departed from Soekarno-Hatta released by family. You know, I was worried a little knowing we will travel 13 hours by plane with 2 very active toddlers. Alhamdulillah, they can sit well and not trying to escape anywhere else. Maybe because they love transportation, so experiencing to be in an airplane was marvelous for them. Abang said, “Bunda, pesawat bagus ya. Dalemnya juga bagus. Abang seneng”(Bunda, airplane is great. It’s inside is great too. I like it)

The fact of meal time was kind of absurd, the stewardesses was delivering meals on 4 o’clock in the morning of Indonesian time (I still don’t know what meal was that in NZ time), made us feel like preparing fasting on Ramadhan! Of course, the boys couldn’t wake up and stay asleep until REAL Indonesian breakfast time.
We arrived in Auckland International Airport in the beautiful noon. The water sight on our left was glowing as the airplane was landing. Boys were up and excited. After that we hailed taxi and checked up in serviced apartment the company had rented for us.
The sun was warm, but the wind was cold. They call it summer. I call it cold. Known as city of sails, I call this city of seagulls, because we can find seagulls everywhere in this city. They fly and making squeaking, giggling voice, hang out on the streets’ lamps, on the parks, everywhere.

Anyway, Auckland, here we come.

the absence

It;s been a long time since my last post. I guessed I was focused much in my kitchen blog.
Actually my head can't really stop from thinking of some topics to write. But, writing, oops, I mean typing a topic need extra time. I sell some stuffs online now. You know, to back up my shopping hobby-wannabe ;)
So between the kitchen blog, and the toddler and the online shops and other real life episodes, well, I neglected this blog. Boohoo, girl! I know.
I want to come back soon.
I will.
Don't worry :)

Ella Fitzgerald - Louis Armstrong "Dream a Little Dream of

I heart this song. Really. I do.

A courage to show myself

Uff...
this is the second time I put myself picture in this blog. As I was just out from the 'madness period' as I told in my other post about Ppd, I almost lost all my self-esteem and confidence. You can see I almost never put myself photo in this blog. Maybe just one or two, along with everybody else. I always hate to see myself in pics. My freckled face always looks pale but dark and gloomy.
But recently I found this blog. The writer is a plus-sized hijabi. She said "I see no reason why curvier women can't be modest and stylish at the same time". I thought, ya.. I used to accept my self just the way I am, my look and everything in me. No reason that NOW I can't show myself in public.
Soon or later I just got to get over it, and regain my confidence again.
So, even still in hesitancy, here are some of my pictures.

Black knitted maxidress+grey cardigan+skinny belt+grey pashmina

Black jumpsuit+tanktop+soil cardigan+pashmina. Basil didn't want to be taken in the picture.

white cardigan+...I forgot what I wore underneath, hehe. Skip!
Each item that I wore is not more than IDR100,000. Most of them not even touch IDR50,000. Bwehehehe! Darn, I'm so thrifty!

Houda, thank you ^^

Flash News

Just a tiny flash news, the Obamas, just land on Halim Perdanakusumah Airport. Michelle is pretty casual but neat, and pretty hijabify look. I'll borrow pic of her from somewhere later on ;)

Well, here we go!


Probably a little too casual, compare to our First Lady maybe? Hm..

The pics are from here.

Anyway, I guess this is not really important news. I was just wondering what would Michelle wears when she climb down the airplane's stairs.
Cheers! ;)

Bunda is Hungry Too

Hai..
Pernah nggak saat menyuapi anak-anak, kita yang ibu-ibu ngiler berat sama makanan anak sendiri. Hmm...apa cuma gue doang ya? Ha ha ha!

Anak-anak kadang susah makan ya. Mungkin karena mereka bosan. Sebetulnya sih kalau nggak ingat usaha kita memasaknya, sikap mereka dapat dimengerti. Makan nasi setiap hari? Huh!
Dulu waktu aku masih kecil juga seringkali bosan sama yang namanya nasi. Tapi karena pengasuhku dulu adalah almarhumah Nenek, yang dengan.. ehm-beliau banget deh, bisa membuatku makan nasi lagi hanya dengan berkata, "Orang kalo nggak mau makan biasanya udah mau mati". Hiiii..aku takut dan terpaksa makan lagi, he he he. Yah, maklumlah, beliau kan orang 'dulu', Betawi pula. Jadi nggak ada tuh urusan rayu-merayu atau metode-metode ilmiah tentang dampak psikologis anak. Bwahaha! Anyway it works, thooo?!
Jadi sekarang kalau anak-anak susah makan, dugaan selain karena mereka ngantuk atau sakit atau kenyang karena cemilan, adalah mungkin mereka bosan dengan nasi. Maka, kubuatkanlah makanan selain nasi, seperti pasta, mi, bihun, atau kentang. Makanan ini kan enak-enak, bahkan bagiku juga. Jadi kalau sedang menyuapi mereka makanan ini, kadang Bunda jadi ngiler he he he!
Tapi nggak tega juga ya, kalau ikut makan makanan mereka. Aku juga nggak pernah terpikir membuat porsi makanan mereka lebih banyak biar aku bisa ikut makan. Soalnya nanti makanan buatan Mamah bisa nggak kemakan, he he. Salah satu makanan yang suka bikin aku ngiler sendiri yaitu kalau aku bikin pasta/noodle with white sauce. Nyummmiiiieeeeh..!
Nggak cuma emaknya lho ternyata yang suka ngilerin makanan anak, bapaknya juga suka ngiri kalau anak-anak lagi dibuatin omelette. Ternyata juga, bukan cuma kami, tapi sepasang suami-istri yang juga sepupuku suka ngiler melihat rantangan sehat anak mereka. Hwehehe, jadi nggak salah dong kalau Bunda ngejilatin sisa saus yang menempel di mangkuk makanan anak-anak. Haaa...jorok! ;P