Home-made cookies

Making home-made cookies? well, why not. When it comes to cooking, my wife can be considered one among the best> :) for sure, I am not boasting. (sorry, mama). But I think I am right, right? If you do not same the same idea about how good you are....you could tell me:)
In between, she would just let the kids do the stuffs of their own.
So...this time...she is making cookies and for sure, Eyra and Freya would love to mingle, let themselves hooked and preoccupied with cookies making.
hmm.....colorful garnishing time! 
 It is just like painting and coloring the cookies any way they like it. And that is what they like.

Jogja Expo Center (JEC)

This is -- I think -- one among a few convention centers or exhibition centers in Jogjakarta that boasts itself to cater the needs of international and national standard convention or exhibitions. I think it is true to some extent. At least in terms of its varieties of themes of exhibitions being held there. Name it, you got it: food? check. computer and IT? check. housing or real estate? check. traditional handicrafts? check. automobile and vehicles? check. mining industries? check. banking? check. wedding? check. Tourism? for sure. and so much more...:)
So, I love to check out the latest programs offered in this seemingly simple, but yet significant convention hall of Jogjakarta. It has a lot to offer.
As a family, we take our time to see and check out some of the events laid out at JEC.
One of the good ways to spend time in Jogja, I guess.

Green-Eyed Freya

What I mean by ‘green’ is simply because Freya loves anything green. Green t-shirt, green cookies, green trousers, green books, green lights, green sandals, and everything greeeeeeeeeeeennnnn. J

These photos were taken when we just attended a family-day outing at campus. We strolled along the campus and took a rest at some place (still inside the campus). Eyra & Freya got excited about the activities.

One picture shows Freya being a gate keeper in kid’s soccer field. I guess this photo was taken at Pringsewu Restaurant in Jalan Magelang, Jogjakarta.

Deep in the forest of Tawang Mangu

Naaaa……it was actually a place called Tawang Mangu in Central Java. Yes, it is inside a forest at the slope of Lawu Mountain…but with a lot of hotels, villas, youth hostels sprung up and scattered around the tourist site, I cannot say that we were deep in the forest.

We were heading to the Grojogan Sewu waterfall. This one is pretty much well-known for tourists, though. It is worth-visiting, indeed. There were lots of activities for the kids, too. Especially, the horse-back riding that they loved so much. As for me, I love the greenish and eerie feeling while I was there...due to the misty and cloudy atmosphere...

Eyra on Kartini's Day

She dressed up in South Sulawesi traditional dress—I guess soJ

I remember how prepared she was for the occasion. From early in the morning she got so excited about going to school. Before going, I took some snaps of her adoring the plant she got for birthday present on April 20.

Ow, the other photo only shows different side of Eyra with her favorite chocolate candy. (hmm, should I say good or bad….cos she got most of her upper teeth decayed thanks to this kind of candiesJ )

Elmo

Elmo. Elmo. Elmo.

Eyra and Freya used to love Elmo a lot. Well, at least Freya still does.

It is not that they do not like Elmo any more. No. It is just …they sort of found some other new ‘friends’ in toy’s world.

I still remember buying them the first talking, dancing, and ticklishly giggling  Elmo back in 2009.

At times they still play with him.

Elmo…

Daejanggeum

Having dinner @ Daejanggeum—a Korean restaurant which is just 1.5 km away from home. I think it was during Chuseok, wait Seollal? Hmmm. Can’t remember * giggle*

As always, I had dolsot bibimbap (or mixed rice on hot stone (pan)—or how it is literally translated. Whereas my wife had suntubu (or sup tahu sutra—in Indonesian; or kind of soft-tofu soup) hmmm. Well, at least those were what we had. As for the kiddos, they just had plain rice or so. Hmmm.

This is at the entrance signboard of the restaurant.

I want Daddy:)

That's what she always says whenever she wants to do something. She is really really just Daddy's little girl. And I do not min:) Freya is so adorable that I most of the time I could not say no to her. 

Even for some small stuffs like taking her to the bathroom, changing her diapers, making her milk, and....etc. Guess....she loves me. 

And...that is one of the greatest things of being a Daddy.

Love you, Freya. 

the facade of my present home

after helping me clean up, Eyra and Freya fell asleep. hmmm......

 The living room is now empty. There used to be a sofa bed or bed sofa in there. Now it is empty. I think I took this photo at around 2 pm. It was a bit hot today, but luckily the house is kinda cool due to its high ceiling and ventilation.





The book shelf used to hold hundreds of books but now it is deserted intentionally. :) all the books are gone to the boxes.:) hehe.
 But, I am sure the new host will put some on it soon.



.


This is still a kitchen, minus: kitchen sets. it is just clean now. nothing left there. Hopefully it will be alive again as soon as the new host arrives.
I still vividly remember how much I spent mos of my time being there cooking :??) and ....THIS I do not buy it myself:)

Bersih bersih rumah

Cleaning up the house in Purwomartani.
The story goes like this. So, we decided to have the house rented for one year or more. As of August 1, 2011 the house that we used to live in....will have a new host: a newly married couple.
So, today...my daughters and I were busy cleaning up the house.
I threw away all unused and outdated stuffs. Everything must go--as far as I could tell.:)
The thing is...I got to let myself get used to having nothing left in the house prior the coming of the new host.
I am blessed that Eyra and Freya were so keen in helping me out.
They were playing around, singing, fighting o'er trivial stuffs--as usual--; running around, shrieking, making noises, and all those hyper-activities they could think of....
but hey...those were exactly what I needed during my 'cleaning up' activities...because they kinda cheered me up.
Now the house is clean and sort of empty:) hahaha...
and my house is ready to welcome the new host for one year.

Borobudur Temple (part 2)

 

This is a continued story from my previous (ehm when was it??) entry on Borobudur trip with Eyra. Just a glimpse of the temple before ascending the stairs since it was a bit cloudy and looked like the rain was about to start. I remembered we only got a chance to go up and enjoy the whole session in a briefly 15 minute-time or so. Hmm not enough time actually, but we did manage to get a close look at it--at least for my daughter.

Baba

Baba or how they call the mascot of Susu Bendera 'frisian flag's milk that both of my daughters have been consuming since they are 1 year old. The funny thing about it is that both Eyra and Freya love him. We love it so much that we got to make sure to grab (by purchase, of course) all the finger dolls of Baba in every/single shape and style it offers. As the pictures show, Eyra got a chance of photo session with him; and we play with Baba finger figurine.

Ambarrukmo Plaza

This is the biggest mall in town.
Jogja has more than 5 malls. I think it is more than a small city like Jogja could bargain for.
back to my story.
So, the only mall in town where I often go to with my family is Amplaz (the short form of Ambarrukmo Plaza which is affectionately given by the locals in town). I think at least once a week I go there, either for shopping or sightseeing.
Most of them I do both. And mos of the time, I do it along with my children, even during shopping.
not a good idea, though. But, it seems that taking a stroll inside this particularly glitzy mall in town is a cooling-down remedy for a days' work:) naah...not really. But, still I love going there.

Harry Potter 7 Part 2: The Deathly Hallows

Finally.....Finally....Finally....I made it.
I managed to secure two tickets to see the premiere of the last installment of Harry Potter series.
I've been waiting for this movie for two weeks and now I stop waiting 'cos I just watched it today.
After the gloomy days out of fear of not being able to see the HP7 at cinema in 3D.......my mood is kind of changed to the most ecstatic moment I have ever felt.
I am so happy to be one of the thousands who saw the first day of HP7 screening.
Thanks to my student who managed to get me the two tickets for the premiere.
I read the book but only half of it....intentionally.
So I did not know what to expect from this movie.
I got nervous and jittery, worried as to what I might come to face and behold before my eyes.
The excitement preoccupied my feeling.

I was petrified, glued, touched, baffled, amazed, and....solemnly surrender myself to the wondrous and magical story that wraps up the whole story...
I first saw Harry Potter in Korea back in 2001 when I was studying there. I grew up with Harry for the past 10 years.
and now I conclude the Harry Potter series in Jogjakarta where I live now....

I watched it in 3D at XXI Cinema .....which I think worth it. I think 40,000 Rupiahs is worth it for 3D.
As I finished watching it, I really really admire J.K.Rowling for having been so keen and far-reaching in writing and twisting the end of the story. She is so brilliant. Upon watching the Harry Potter 7 part 2, I could not help but saluting J.K Rowling for giving me such a wonderful story.....and also I could not help but admiring Chris Columbus for having been successful in capturing the memorable moments and scenes in the first movies. To think that the J.K Rowling had not yet written or let alone exposed the final fate of the HP saga (in 2001), but yet Chris Columbus managed to capture the most essential moments or footage that are re-used or re-shown in the last HP movie....in such perfectly tune and nuance.......once again...I am so speechless.
Bravo and I am happy to be a part of this worldwide phenomenon.

Transferring some households

So, it was a month prior my departure to Korea and I got lots of things to do. One of them is managing the current house I am residing in. So, I have been posting an ad of renting my house to anyone interested in living around LA area. (LA: Langgeng Asri :) in Jogja. *chuckles*
Since I need to make sure that anyone who would rent the house would find the place comfy enough to live in, I am rearranging some stuffs and most of the time, I am taking the stuffs out.
so...today, my colleague, ibu Nining, happened to be interested in taking care of my stuffs. In fact, I kinda gave them away to her since she promised to take a good care of them.
So, the nice green sofa bed or bed sofa, a sofa-turn-bed or vice versa a bed-turn-sofa is gone. bye bye.
a cabinet that will hold a 42 inches flat TV is gone, too. bye bye.
a set of furniture for a living room is also gone. bye bye.
a set of small studying table.
a set of water jar and its gallon. bye bye.
and some books related to Korean stuffs.

The great thing about this was that  I felt kinda relieved of having been able to get rid of them--so to speak.
now...I still got to think about the air conditioner that is left behind. I hope the new couple who would stay in the house will let me leave it there for their convenience, if they agree, of course.

The hilarious moment about today was that...we were not able to get the bookshelf out of the room. It was so tall and wide that we could not get it out. But that raised us a question: as to how I managed to get it into the room in the first place.....back in 2005!! aha. I must've forgotten how I put it in in the first place. So, the pictures tell the whole picture of how hectic it was to transfer the stuffs. :)
thank you mbak Nining...

Crazy & Good old Time(s)

This is a collection of pictures I found today in the ruble(?) inside the stacks of books I kept for years in the library. Interestingly, I found that these particular photos are some reminiscence of what I did in my old school days back in campus.
- I remember attending my friend, Salim Jeffrey's wedding ceremony in West Java.
- I remember taking a walk in Prambanan temple with my (then) future wife, Meity.

- I remember taking a picture with Novo in his boarding house.
- I remember tasting the famous Cisangkuy yogurt in Bandung with mbak Yonik and mas Gatut
- I remember taking a picture with Patricia (my Bolivian friend) and my friend from Yonsei, gosh I forgot who he was but for sure I still remember having met him back then. This was taken in Gyeongju, South Korea.
- I remember taking a picture with my friends from Japan in a crazy style-look in photo booth near Yonsei University.

Another day @the office

...for audit.
yep, this has been the 2nd academic audit that we got to prepare. Two auditor came to our office for auditing (for sure) how we managed the department for the past one year. Once again, the flashbacks of what we did last year flung to my mind. Not that I felt this kind of activities a bit so tedious that I'd prefer to have it felt than thought of; no. Instead, I find it easy as well as rewarding at the same time to have this cycle of auditing system.

As time passes by, I find it hard to comprehend that at times we need to keep enhancing our performance. (to make things even more intriguing: it happens every year). I got to pull myself together....:)

Luckily though, the audit went well as planned. No need to worry *hakuna matata*
See? just when I was writing something about serious stuff...something as trivial as *Lion King* crossed my mind ...in a flip of second. LoL:) hehe. And this is how it works sometimes.
It never occurred to me that at times I find myself a bit cheesy and....easy going as well.
Guess...it is all due to the fact that I start to thinking and preparing about what I am planning to do...instead of what I must do at the moment.
period.

PUFS program at Puskor UGM

So, July 26, 2011 marked the end of our program on Indonesian language and cultural course for GLE - PUFS students.
The four students came to our campus to participate in the 3-week program at Pusat Studi Korea UGM.

They made it!
First, I know that it must've been hard for them to be in the country where everything seems different from their own. But..that is the main idea. They had to learn and feel how Indonesian (especially Javanese in Jogjakarta) and more importantly the students here live and learn. They stayed at campus dormitory, they had to walk from dormitory to campus, ate Indonesian food, went to historical and tourism sites, made batiks, practiced traditional dance, and on July 26..they were wearing Indonesian traditional costumes during the ceremony of course completion.

Freya's Birthday again:)

But..this one is sort of unplanned party. Even, I could not call it a party after all. It happened when we were actually celebrating the closing ceremony of Indonesian language and culture course for Pusan University of Foreign Studies students. They just finished their 3-week program in our office.
We had the event at Pringsewu Restaurant so to speak.
and...one of the staffs asked us whether there were any of our guests having birthdays in July.
well...of course it was Freya's and also..there was Evita (my student).
so the staffs of the restaurants dressed up in over zealous(!) with its big flowers on their head, alongside with the musical instruments they were carrying while singing about 'Happy Birthday'
well,.....we might as well play along to please the crowd and especially Freya. She did blow the candle and got a bowl of jelly :)
She loved it. that's what counts.
and I think Evita did as well.:)

Happy Birthday, Freya. But this is not about her B'day party :)

It is Evita's B'day (my student's).

But the fact that today is Freya's Birthday is correct. She is 3 y.o. now. (July 25, 2011).
I did not plan anything special, yet as of today.
Since I got lots of things to do...(gosh what a bad papa I am). well, the fact was that we were planning to do it a few days afterwards since her Mom was a bit tight up as well is still lingering on my mind..:)  So, apparently...there is something to do, though.
In fact, one of my students (Evita) happened to celebrate her birthday as well. She used to work at Pizza Hut. AHA.
So, she was planning on having her b'day party there....and also to celebrate her graduation.
Since I could not go there alone (for sure), I might as well bring along my daughters, Eyra and Freya.
So, I met a bunch of my students alongside other guests...

Freya & Eyra had ice creams ......mix n fun being their favorites.
They nagged at Fifi and Sani and kept bothering them. Still, they liked it. Of course it was a great time.

After taking them home from Pizza Hut, I still had one more dinner to attend to. I rushed to Daejanggeum Restaurant ( Korean Restaurant) just 2 km away from my home. So...it meant...I got to have my second round of dinner. Voluptuous...I mean....gusto suray.:)