Jade’s Mom’s days…

Wuaa cape deyh senin kemaren macet banget jalanan!!! Tadinya pikir iseng mo ke M2 jalan2 ajak Jade beli baju (sekalian abis ngambil mobil ke pecenongan) … Pulang tuh dari masuk mobil sampe ke WTC 1 jam!!! Keterlaluan ga tuh padahal cumen brapa ratus meter sih?? (hiperbola kali ya, ada kali sekilo lebih?) … Karena males deh ga tahan masa cumen di situ2 aja selama 1 jam akhirnya ngaso lah di WTC sekalian makan dolo dah ke toilet dolo kali …

Nah pada akhirnya kita keluar deh sekitar jam 8an … keluar dari WTC ke Gn Sahari ke arah tol … HWARAKADAH … di atas tol truk2 kontainer pada PARKIR!!! Walaaaah piye toh … ada kali ampir setengah jam ngantri di situ2 aja … Akhirnya nekat dah muter balik nyerobot2 sambil potong sana-sini … berhasil dah ke arah sebaliknya … Trus ujan gede … hadoooh, mana kaca mobilnya kok kacau banget sih burem gitu abis di wiper, kok gitu yah …

Tapi alhamdulillaaah deh lancaarrr kok liwat Gn Sahari, trus belok kanan ke Pasar Baru, belok liwat Monas, Thamrin, Sudirman, Radio Dalam, Kartika Utama … dan … nyampe deeeh ke rumaah … 4o menit dah dari point kita muter balik ….

Walaaah kapok dah ke M2 hari senin … Kok 2 minggu lalu hari Jumat sepi bener ya? Asli beda banget loh! …. Eh tapi ga juga deh, pas Jumat itu kan gue dari ITC baliknya ke pecenongan dolo, trus pegi makan ke Yakoya … Nah, dari Yakoya itu macetnyaaa ampun dah di Sudirman … akhirnya kita muter2 liwat jalan belakang ke Grand Indonesia nyobain nonton ke Blitz aja deh … Gila murah banget pake Mandiri buy 1 get 1 kan … Beli 1 tiket doang, tadinya si Jeff mau mangkuin si Jade …. eeee di dalem mayan sepi! Jadi Jade bisa duduk sendiri … Gila berarti 40 ribu tuh nonton bertiga! … Popcorn caramelnya enak banget lagi … Pas pulang udah sepi, iya lah jam 11 gitu loh … coba jalanan tiap hari lancar kayak gitu … Eh ada sih yah pas liburan lebaran pas gitu tiap hari … HAHAHA …

Kenapa nih post-nya tumben ga ng-Inggris? Karena kalo ngomongin macet tuh ga "kena" deh kalo pake Inggris … cocoknya sama bahasa Indonesia, abis udah kulturnya sih … HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ….

-L

Very easy to make, takes more or less 30 minutes to cook and so delish!

Ingredients:

1 onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

250 gr bacon, sliced

1 pack champignon mushroom, sliced

200 ml cream (can substitute with milk)

1/2 cup grated parmesan (or according to taste, just add 1 tablespoon at a time)

Parsley, pepper (to taste - I didn’t use salt because bacon and parmesan are very salty)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 pack pasta (300 gr), any kind. We like Fusili or Penne because it’s bite size and kid friendly (no fiddling with twirling the pasta, just stab with fork and eat)

How to make:

Brown the bacon in a non stick pan, it will melt away the fat. You can fry them to crispy bites, but I prefer not to. Scoop them up (try to drain the oil) and set aside, leave the oil in the pan.

Now, saute the onion in the melted bacon fat … mmm … add in garlic, then the mushrooms.

Meanwhile, in a big pot, bring water to rapid boiling. Add salt and pasta. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Stir frequently … Oh, just read the direction in your pasta packet … ^_^ …

Put the bacon back into the pan, mix them up. Pour in cream and parmesan, add some parsley and pepper. Stir some more and turn off the heat.

When the pasta is al dente (just try a piece, when it’s not chewy then it’s done), turn off the heat and drain the pasta into a colander and put them back into the pot. Stir in the beaten eggs slowly over the hot pasta. Mix in the sauce. Serve while hot!

Jade loves it … She jumps with joy every time I cook it for her and shouts "Too yummy!!"

That’s it for now, I’ve got to run down and get her some more pasta … ^_^;

-L

No, this isn’t a review about the Disney Pixar movie (which I love, btw) … I made the dish the other day, and it tastes good, I thought I would share the recipe here … I found the recipe from SmittenKitchen and New York Times (google ‘Confit Byaldi’).

It’s a vegetarian dish and very healthy (I would imagine) and it’s a great way to get kids to eat vegetables!

Ratatouille Recipe

(makes 2 small dishes, I’m guessing 4-6 servings)

Ingredients for sauce:

1 orange bell pepper - cut in half, broil skin side up till charred, cool and peel the skin, then chop

1 onion - peel and chop

3 cloves garlic - peel and chop

3 tomatoes (I used garden tomatoes from cilember) - soak in boiled water for 1-2 minutes, then peel the skin and chop

Basil, Thyme, Parsley, Salt, Pepper - to taste

Olive Oil

*Optional:

250 gr ground beef

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon sugar

Vegetables:

1 long-ish eggplant (mine was a little fat, so I had to half them) - slice with a mandolin (I didn’t have one, i just sliced the veggies finely with a knife)

1 medium zuchini - slice

4 roma tomatoes - peel the skin and slice

(1 yellow squash - slice … I couldn’t find them in Ranch Market, if you happen to find any, let me know so I can buy one for next time)

How To Make:

Sauce: Pour some olive oil in saucepan. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent (10 min). Add bell pepper and cook 3-5 min. Pour in chopped tomatoes and spices, stir. Add white/red wine and stir for 5 min.

Preheat oven to 200 degree C. Spread the sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and then arrange the veggie slices around the dish. Drizzle olive oil on top and cover losely with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until the veggies are soft (I did a fork test). Sprinkle some cheese on it (I used Gruyere cheese and a little parmesan) and broil it for another 5 minutes, uncovered (to melt the cheese). Voila!

You can serve it with bread (Jade ate it with some croissant) or rice or pasta.

*Update:  By popular demand, I made this dish again. This time I added 250 gr ground beef and a little ketchup to the sauce and it was even yummier (Jade said "MMM too yummy!"). I didn’t bake it this time, I stewed it in a covered saucepan (because we didn’t care about the food’s apperance anyway) and just toss it with cheese (Gruyere, Emental, Parmesan mix) … Yumm! Jade asks for more and more. ^_^

Happy Chinese New Year!

In January we traveled to USA, mainly Los Angeles, just the 3 of us. We took the Singapore-Los Angeles direct flight, almost 16 hours on the plane. It wasn’t bad at all, Jade slept for almost 10 hours and she didn’t bother us too much. There’s a movie/game system on board and that kept her occupied and quiet. Heh heh.

We rented a van and stayed at my uncle Ferdinand’s house. Jade has lots of fun playing around the house. It has 2 stairs and she loves to play hide-and-seek with Dana (Auntie Lenny’s niece) and trying to run away from us when it’s bath time or bed time (grrr) … Breakfast time is her favorite, she likes to sit at the kitchen island and have cereal or toast with warm milk.

Food is a difficult issue there. She doesn’t like fancy restaurant and prefers In-N-Out all the time. Which isn’t so bad, but extremely boring for us. Shabu Shabu House is another one of her favorite, we went there 5 times for lunch! The old guy (Yoshi-san) still remember us! That was surprising! He took a look at Jeff and say "How are you? How is Jakarta? Wah, now you have a daughter, how nice!" … He was very nice to Jade and pats her head. On the very last day we went there very late (2.15pm) and they were closed and turned down many people (when we walk up there they warned us "it’s closed already" but we still went anyway) … so we went in and sat down inside. The oji-san looked and us and sadly said "we’re closed already" but Jeff gave "but it’s our last day here, we leave to Jakarta tonight" excuse and he lets us stay. YAY!

Our trip to Big Bear Lake was fun for Jade and Jeff. I thought it was a waste of 3 days, but Jeff really enjoyed the trip, he went skiing 2 times. The snow was really thick because it rained heavily for a few days before we got there. I never saw snow covering the road up to Big Bear before, it’s the first time I see that much snow up there. It was almost comparable to Mammoth.

I didn’t do much shopping as most of the clothes are winter items, so we mostly do window shopping. We went to The Grove twice and Jade likes it because it has trolley service running up and down the strip mall (from Farmer’s Market to The Grove) and she likes American Girl store. I bought her an Ivy doll. I thought the thing costs around $30-$40 because I saw lots of girls carry 1-2 boxes of dolls. I was surprised when the cashier ring up the total after tax to $97!

We went to Disneyland 3 times! We bought a 3-day Pass on-line and went there on the 2nd. It was CROWDED, luckily we used the Fast-Pass, spent the extra time for sight-seeing and eating and got on a few rides with minimal waiting time. The second time we came we went to California Adventure Park and had a blast. They have great rides and Jade’s favorite is "Hollywood Tower of Terror" where they load you up in an old elevator and fling you up and down, it was fun. We get to meet and take pictures with characters, we didn’t have autograph book at that time (I regret that, on the 3rd trip we bought a book and had a lot of fun hunting autographs). She loved the High School Musical Parade and had a blast dancing with the cast members. On our 3rd trip we went with Tanny (our friend’s daughter). She and Jade got lots of signatures from the Princesses and other characters. Tanny wanted to ride with me all the time (her dad’s divorced and her mom lives in Taiwan, maybe she misses her mom) … Jade’s a good sport, she lets Tanny ride with me as she sticks with Jeff.

Seaworld San Diego … We tried to discourage Jade and told her we can go the The Grove and ride the trolley instead, but she insisted "I WANT TO SEE SHAMU!" …. so off we went … She wanted to get splashed, but it was cold! and we didn’t bring any change, so I insisted we sit to the side and a bit further up. It was a lot of fun for Jade … After that we tried to have dinner at Phil’s BBQ, but Phil’s on vacation … We ended up eating at Yoshinoya, which was good because apparently Jade likes it.

Las Vegas has changed, big time! It’s amazing how they keep revamping the strip. We went there with Tanny and her dad and stayed at a double suite in Mirage, the kids loved it! Mostly Jade loved the big bathtub. We went to the Secret Garden where they keep dolphins and tigers and lions. Then we went to Circus Circus where the kids had LOADS of fun winning stuff, we had a BIG haul. We saw the Blueman Group. It was ok … it’s like a concert with comedy skits … The kids like it … I would much rather see a Cirque Du Soleil act though (ie: O, Ka, Love, Mystere), but it might be too much for a young child like Jade. I got sick due to very dry weather and loads of second hand smoke. That’s what I hate about Vegas, indoor smokers. Blech.

Overall the trip was a lot of fun for Jade, Jeff got to ski, I got sick … nevertheless, it was great and I would love to go again in summer time.

My my, how time flies … I didn’t realize that I haven’t blogged for over half a year!

A lot has happened in 6 months …

Jade "graduated" from pre-school. She looked so cute in her blue graduation robe and cap. She is now in K-1 (kindergarten). Her teacher is amazed at the fact that she reads very well and asked me how I taught her to read. I’m puzzled too, to be honest. I always read to her, almost everyday, but I didn’t think she would be able to read a whole book (simple ones, like Green Eggs and Ham, Guess How Much I Love You, etc) by herself at this age. So while her classmates are doing the "hat, bat, cat" flash cards, Jade has her own cards consisting of whole sentences. The teacher would be doing the regular lesson with the class, and Jade would sit in a corner reading other cards with the assistant teacher. She’s very good with reading new words through phonics, even though sometimes she reads it wrong (it’s phonetically correct) and comes out funny. She seems to be enjoying math too (especially adding).

We went to Bali for the summer break … which … didn’t feel at all like a vacation because Jeff got diarrhea and then is allergic to Immodium and made him worse. I feel so sorry for him, he looked so weak and pale. So we spent most of our time in the hotel room, while Jade is off being BBQed by my dad. She got so dark!!!

We bought an apartment in Pakubuwono Residence. Yay! We furnished it a bit, bought dining table & chairs. Got some spare sofas we can use and bedroom sets from the newly sold house.

And then Jeff’s father fell ill … He experienced stroke like symptoms and blacked-out. It was quite a scare! His children was crying and they didn’t know what to do (Jeff was on his way home from work), which made Jade (the poor dear) very confused and sad, I had to drive them to the hospital … Long story short, it’s CNS Lymphoma and now after radiation he’s going through chemotherapy now in Singapore. It’s been hard on Jade (and me) because Jeff had to be in Singapore with his father and mother. She misses her daddy very much.

We went to Singapore for Lebaran holiday for 2 weeks. It was fun for awhile, then it became boring after we ran out of places to go to. We met with our friend (Harun & Chiki) and their daughter Kashel. Jade and Kashel had lots of fun running around together in the Parragon playground. That’s all Jade ask about in the next few days "Let’s go play with Kashel!" She misses her friends and school though, so she bought her friends lollies. How thoughtful and cute … She told me that when she went back to school she gave all her friends a big hug and her friend Christie said "Jaaade, kok lama banget siiih?" … awww …

Moving out has been put on hold. Even if we completed the renovations, I don’t think me and Jade can live there alone without Jeff. Besides, with all the traffic jams in and out of Pondok Indah (because of the supposed busway road work in the weeks ahead) I can’t possibly drive her everyday to school from the apt. I’m thinking of sending her to school by bus next term.

My nephew Alexander Akira Wonoto was born in 5th October. He’s so small and cute, I really forgot how tiny newborn babies are! I thought the clothes and socks that I dig out for Akira have shrunken, but they’re so big on him!

Which, in turn, fueled questions about my barren womb. In the few days I spent going over to visit my nephew and S-I-L, i got 27 variations of the "when are you planning to get pregnant?" question. Even strangers are concerned about my reproductive organs. Amazing isn’t it. People can’t talk about sex casually, but they feel very free too inquire about my uterus. It’s depressing.

And … Yesterday was my birthday … yay … and as usual, I used it as an excuse to drag out my poor, dear cousin (Ebil) to come and sing with us at Happy-Puppy on the 4th (Sunday). Just because it makes him miserable and that makes me so happy. (Just kidding, I love you man!) On my actual birthday we went to dinner at Angus House in Senayan City. There weren’t many patrons there, so it feels like a private party. I like the original location better, but we fear the traffic jam, so we opted to go to Senayan.

I wonder how many more years can I wear my skinny jeans. I bet in about 10 years Jade will be fighting me for it.

F*ck I’m old ….

-L

Here we go again … It’s time to discuss more uteri business again … And it’s all because of my stupid brother …

Why oh why did he have to go and get his wife ’sperminated’?!? … Oh yes, ladies and gents, they’re pregnant …

Oh God …

There will be more "You should make more babies too!!"s coming my way, all no thanks to my little brother … Crap …

It has already started!! … My mother has insisted STRONGLY that I get pregnant right now too … Oh woe is me … Now I’m scared to go to my parents’ house because I’m dreading the ‘making babies’ talk I will have to endure during my stay there … sigh … I don’t know how long I can avoid not going there … It’s gonna be hard because my dad always insists on having Jade over every weekends … I’m running out of excuses too …

I think the next time someone says "It’s time to get plowed and sowed" to me, I’m gonna respond with "Well, if YOU buy me a house/apartment, then maybe I’ll consider it" …

-L

(PS: I love you Ian!! :p)

Well well … Here we are … 2007 … another year went by … Time flies so quickly … bla bla bla …

Every year I always make a resolution, only to break it a few months/weeks/days later … Usually, it involves eating cake too much … Well I don’t want to bore you, so I won’t go into the detail … ^_^;

Anyway, this year, I have made a resolution to FINALLY live on our own, just the 3 of us. I don’t care if I have to cry, beg, grovel … whatever it takes … really … seriously …

It’s 2007,  I got married in 2002, that means I have been living in my parents-in-laws’ house for 5 years … We’ve been sharing 1(one) room for the past 4 years (with Jade) and it’s getting smaller by the minute. I’ve been bitching about it constantly, and I realize it’s quite a pain in the ass to my husband (sorry, dear)… But it’s really not fair for me, or my daughter. She deserves to have her own room. Yes people … she’s 4 and she sleeps with us … We lay a futton on top of a carpet and call it her bed … I usually make her daddy sleep on it so Jade can sleep with me on the bed. Nice, huh? …

I love my daughter, really … but I think I’m going crazy … Sometimes I get so angry for no apparent reason at all and the smallest little ditty she does really ticks me off … So I end up yelling at her or spank her for something stupid, like spilling her milk or messing up my room and laying 20 dolls all over the floor or running around stepping on my magazine and tears it … Then in the end she cries and I feel like crap for being such a horrible mother … I hug her and she tells me she’s sorry and I feel even shittier that I snapped earlier … The next day, we repeat the same thing … It’s a circle of hell …

Well … I figured that if she has her own space, and I have my own space, she wouldn’t get into each my nerves so much …She can play and be messy and do whatever she wants (with a little supervising) in her own play-room, and I can read my magazine or drink my coffee in peace. Then maybe I would enjoy the times we spend together more … Maybe we can be happier … Either that, or I need to see a shrink …

So, I have developed a strategy for acquiring a house …

I am keeping hostage of my husband’s next baby. Yes, I’ve resorted to withold pregnancy to get what I want. Either I get more space, or he doesn’t get another baby. I realize that it’s a terrible, horrible, and disgusting thing to do … But I’m desperate … and I hope it works.

-L

PS: I love you, Jeff! (HAHAHAHAHAHAH) ^_^

………………………………..

I’m grieving over the earthquake in Taiwan ……..

The stupid 7.1 earthquake that severed fiber-optic whatever cables somewhere deep down in the ocean … It’s casting dark depression clouds over me … because … I can’t access the internet …

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH …

Good news is … sale season is on this week!!! Tommorrow I’m going to the Zara and Mango sale, because I can’t stay at home and watch Grey’s Anatomy on DVDs all over again for the 3rd time … I’m getting weird looks from Jeff because I told him to grow his hair out like Dr. McDreamy and I fantasize about Dr McSteamy … And … It sounds so wrong on so many levels, I’m just not gonna go there anymore … So … I’ll just stop my ramblings … Yeah … Ok. ^_^;

-L

Tee : Zara

Jeans : Secondhand

Black belt @ ITC M2

Black quilted bag @ ITC M2

Black & dark purple nail polish

Wooden bangles (bought @ Bali)

Shoes : Gold quilted ballet flats (not pictured)

2006 was the year of getting pregnant. There were tons of Hollywood celebrities getting pregnant or giving birth left and right. Right now, the latest "trend" is having twins!! P. Diddy and Kim Porter are expecting twins, ditto Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives), Patrick Dempsey (Dr. McDreamy, from Grey’s Anatomy) & so on …

Well, next year everybody’s going to adopt. Kids from Africa, Vietnam, India … better watch out when Oprah/Madonna/Angelina/Kate(whichever one of them), etc come and visit your orphanage … You might get adopted by a star … Angelina started this trend many years ago, Meg Ryan followed soon after, and now Madonna has finally caught on with the train wagon. Soon, every celeb will put their name down on the adoption list and fly out to 3rd world countries and pick up babies …..

Maybe I should look into this … ^_^

-L