4 Alasan Garuda Indonesia Maskapai Terbaik Untuk Flight Sydney-Jakarta

Sebagai residen tetap Australia, tentunya saya selalu kangen kampung halaman dan sebisa mungkin sering pulang ke Jakarta (finance permitting, hehehe). Ada tiga airlines yang bisa saya pilih untuk pulang ke Indonesia, yaitu Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, dan Qantas. Di antara ketiga pilihan tersebut, pilihan pertama saya adalah Garuda Indonesia. Di postingan kali ini, saya ingin mem-point out kenapa saya cinta dengan maskapai Indonesia yang satu ini setiap saya pulang kampung ke Jakarta.

1. Pesawat-Pesawat Baru

Adik saya bekerja di GMF sebagai project manager untuk quality control setiap ada pesawat Garuda yang baru datang dari produsennya, yaitu Boeing. Dan dia pernah bilang bahwa Garuda Indonesia memang banyak melakukan perbaikan beberapa tahun terakhir ini, termasuk menambah armada pesawat-pesawat baru. Terakhir kali saya naik Garuda Indonesia, 2 tahun yang lalu, memang pesawatnya jauh lebih bagus daripada Qantas yang terlihat tua.

2. Direct Flight ke Jakarta

Beberapa kali saya memang tergiur ingin mencoba naik Singapore Airlines karena melihat harga tiket promo di Netfare yang memang tidak jauh dari tiket Garuda Indonesia. Namun sayang sekali, walaupun Singapore Airlines termasuk maskapai paling top di dunia dalam hal keselamatan dan pelayanan, tidak ada direct flight yang langsung terbang ke Jakarta. Harus transit di Singapore yang berarti ada tambahan waktu perjalanan untuk sampai ke Indonesia. Sedangkan Garuda Indonesia menawarkan direct flight ke Jakarta beberapa kali seminggu yang hanya memakan waktu 6-7 jam perjalanan.

3. Full Entertainment

Saya puas sekali dengan entertainment yang ditawarkan oleh Garuda Indonesia (dibandingkan Qantas ya, kalau dibandingkan dengan Etihad ya lain lagi ceritanya, hehehe). Layar TV-nya besar dan touchscreen, dan film yang tersedia pun termasuk film-film baru. Beberapa kawan saya juga mengatakan Garuda Indonesia menawarkan beragam entertainment untuk anak-anak. So, sepertinya memang recommended juga untuk travelling dengan anak-anak :).

4. Bagasi 30 Kilogram!

Garuda Indonesia sangat generous dengan baggage allowance-nya dan ini sangat penting bagi saya dan orang tua saya yang suka mengisi koper-koper kami dengan berbagai macam makanan khas Indonesia dan hasil belanja murah selama di Jakarta, hehehe. Bagasi 30 kilogram ini berlaku untuk semua penerbangan kelas ekonomi ke luar negeri (untuk ke Amerika bisa sampai 40 kilo dan ada beberapa pengecualian - untuk lebih lengkapnya dapat dicek disini: https://www.garuda-indonesia.com/id/id/garuda-indonesia-experience/on-ground/baggage/index.page?), namun untuk student (one-way ticket) kita bisa request untuk menambah baggage allowance menjadi 40 kilogram (menurut pengalaman ketika menjadi exchange student dulu).

Pregnancy: 40 Week Update

I actually have three different due dates depending on how it was observed. According on my doctor, I'm supposed to be due by August 12th. According to midwife, I'm supposed to be due by August 14th. And according to my last ultrasound, I'm supposed to be due by August 19th. If following my doctor and midwife, I'm either due today or overdue by 2 days. But bubba decided that it's comfier inside mummy's womb LOL. So, yep, baby is still inside me while I'm writing this blog post :D.

NO SIGNS OF LABOUR YET

I've tried everything to get my labour going, but until now nothing has happened. No cramps  or any signs of contractions whatsoever. I've tried walking, eating pineapple and dates, spicy food (I often have spicy food throughout my pregnancy so I doubt that this will help at all), telling bubba to come out, etc. None works and I'm getting desperate! A friend of mine whose due date is around the same time as me already delivered her baby on Friday.

On my last check up with the midwife last Thursday, she said, "You're supposed to have delivered the baby by now, what's happening?". I'm like, "Umm... I don't know... I didn't feel any contractions at all!". And, oh, by the way, I gained another 1.5 kgs in a week. I suspect this is because mum already arrived with loads of comfort food from Indonesia. She made me eat everyday and I'm not getting enough exercise - deadly combination (-_-)". The midwife also said that baby's head was not fully engaged yet (what? I was told it was already engaged two weeks ago!) and asked if I would like her to do an examination to trigger the labour. I nodded and the midwife did what she needed to do. Before I left the appointment, she reminded me again that I should just keep walking to get the baby down. But to be honest, I'm starting to give up walking because I can't bear the weight on my tummy anymore. Baby's getting bigger and bigger by the day (pretty much sure of that!), my tummy's definitely getting harder and harder, and now I worry that he's too big to be delivered vaginally.

After reading a couple of people's posts in forum saying that baby will decide when it wants to come out, now I'll just fully trust bubba to decide when he wants to come out. I've heard a couple of stories from my friends that they've tried everything possible to trigger labour but baby still decided to come late, and one was even still too stubborn to come out after the mother had been induced!

MUM'S HERE!

My mum has arrived since last Sunday and she's enjoying her time here away from all the house chores back in Indonesia (fyi, she's got three people to feed, mountains of laundry and clothes to be ironed, a big house to clean up, etc). Here? All she does is eat and sleep LOL. I let her help around the house (excuse?) so she actually has something else to do besides sleeping and eating. At least she doesn't have to do laundry and ironing everyday, and my house is fairly small.

As always, mum brought along precious cargo with her: comfort food! Junk food (as per my request) and other food that I can't get here. She also brought along sapu lidi which is a broom made out of the bones of coconut tree leaves bundled together (this really cracks me up!). I was actually worried that she won't be able to converse with the custom officers if they ask her stuff about her belongings. So before mum left for Australia, my sister and I checked all of the stuff that she'd be bringing and needing to declare and taught her how to fill it in. She's now a pro in filling in the custom declaration form and I'm sure she'll be able to travel alone next time.

ENJOYING MY WAITING PERIOD

I have to admit that the last two weeks has been great. Maybe it was a much needed holiday. But I feel bad for mum to have arrived earlier and bubba still doesn't want to come out yet! I managed to finish making my wedding album, which now I have to redo because I just realised that I'm missing some of the photos from my harddisk, after all these years (4 years since my wedding to be exact)! And I finally finished sewing a change pad cover and one blanket for bubba - this was supposed to be only-a-couple-of-hours-job - but it eventually stretches to a couple of days because I had troubles working with the stretchy mink fabric (now I realise I had to get a walking foot for my sewing machine!). I also managed to have some relaxing time to go for some retail therapy - picked up teapots, maternity/breastfeeding bras, went for grocery shopping on a weekday (which is a luxury for me because the shopping centre was not crowded). But I do need to be a bit mindful now that my income is not as steady flowing as before :D.

***

Last words from me: bubba please come out very soon so your Nanny can help me out longer before she needs to leave!

Desperate Writer

Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash

Kadang saya kepikiran, "kamu nulis blog buat apa sih Dit?". Selama lebih dari seminggu lalu saya berusaha keras untuk menyelesaikan tiga tulisan yang tidak kunjung selesai. Entah karena saya merasa alurnya berantakan atau isinya kurang bermanfaat dan cenderung ke arah riya'. Apalagi setelah blog-walking ke blog orang lain yang banyak di-share di Facebook, ah... semakin terlihat bahwa tulisanku dan tulisan mereka bagai langit dan bumi. Oh, dan satu lagi yang saya sadari, kemampuan bahasa Indonesia saya semakin jelek. Semakin sulit untuk menemukan padanan kata yang pas. Intinya, English has taken over my brain.

Mungkin saya kurang membaca. True that. Membaca memang bukan sesuatu yang saya nikmati sepenuhnya di waktu luang saya, mungkin karena agak sulit untuk saya mempertahankan fokus ketika membaca, biasanya hanya bertahan 30 menit :D. Tapi tidak berarti saya tidak suka membaca sama sekali. Dan buku-buku yang saya baca kebanyakan memang bahasa Inggris karena saya merasa kosa kata bahasa Inggris saya terbatas dan kemampuan saya untuk membetuk kalimat dalam bahasa Inggris juga kurang baik. Ternyata, hal itu bisa juga berbalik kepada saya, sekarang saya kesulitan menulis dengan baik dan benar dalam bahasa Indonesia.

Otak saya tidak sistematis. Hahaha - true that, again. Saya sepertinya memang punya masalah untuk berpikir secara terstruktur yang berimbas ke kemampuan menulis saya karena isi otak saya sangat 'berantakan' walaupun saya cenderung otak kiri. Entah, mungkinkah karena saya punya ADHD? Sebetulnya nggak pernah terdeteksi atau apapun, tapi ketika saya mencoba tes online atau membaca ciri-ciri orang yang mengidap ADHD, kok saya banget ya!? Saya memang punya masalah untuk bisa fokus pada satu hal. Inget banget waktu dulu di-ospek saat SMA, ada kakak kelas yang marah-marahin saya karena ketika dimarahin mata saya malah lirik-lirik kemana-mana (andai saya inget kakak yang mana, pingin saya bilang "hey, kamu marah-marah seenak jidat!"). Kalau pikiran saya terlalu kalut karena banyak hal yang menggantung di pikiran saya, maka saya wajib-kudu-mesti menuliskan apa yang ada dipikiran saya baru kemudian saya bisa sortir. Walaupun saya cenderung otak kiri, saya termasuk orang yang visual dan lebih suka melakukan hal-hal yang mengasah kreativitas. Saya bisa duduk di depan layar komputer berjam-jam berkutat dengan desain dan saya lebih menikmati menonton film ketimbang membaca buku.

Takut riya'. Sepertinya inilah deal breaker saya yang sebenarnya. Saya nggak suka pamer tapi kok setiap kali membaca posting saya sebelum akan saya publish, terdengar seperti saya sedang bragging karena hal-hal yang saya sharing bukan sekedar cerita hikmah-inspirasi tapi juga review produk-produk yang saya sukai. This is the tricky part. Sebetulnya niatan saya baik, hanya ingin berbagi, tapi bagaimana ya caranya supaya tidak terdengar seperti bragging? Mungkin saya harus hilangkan pikiran-pikiran seperti itu kali ya dan biarkan pembaca yang menilai. Kalau bermanfaat ya syukur, kalau dapat kritik ya coba diperbaiki lagi. Lagipula, pede banget sih kamu Dit, yang baca blog kamu juga nggak banyak kali!? :D hahahaha.

Who cares kali ya? Pada akhirnya, yah, apalah kata orang toh blog ini juga blog ku, ruang tulisku, ruang curhatku, ruangku berbagi bermacam hal sama orang lain yang memang tertarik :). Nggak semua orang bakal suka, tapi nggak semua orang juga bakal benci. Ya seperti orang-orang di Youtube saja - banyak yang sinis dan banyak pula yang suportif. Dan mungkin yang paling penting adalah selalu berusaha menghasilkan tulisan yang kira-kira bermanfaat dan akan dinikmati oleh orang lain (dan jauh dari kesan riya', walaupun hal itu memang sangan subjektif). Yuk Dit mulai nulis lagi!

Dari Pak Anies: Nilai Yang Perlu Ditanamkan Pada Anak

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Beberapa hari yang lalu jujur aja kaget bahwa telah terjadi re-shuffle kabinet Jokowi di Indonesia. Saya bukan pengamat berita Indonesia, tapi saya pengamat setia timeline Facebook (siapa bilang Facebook udah ga jaman? hihihi...). Dan dari timeline Facebook itulah saya mengetahui bahwa presiden Jokowi "memecat" pak Anies dan pak Jonan dari posisi kementerian. Sangat disayangkan sekali sebetulnya karena kedua orang itu adalah orang-orang yang kompeten di bidangnya masing-masing. Tapi yah, namanya juga politik, banyak lah agenda-agenda terselubung dan orang-orang titipan. Entah kenapa pemerintahan Jokowi ini gampang sekali ditebak (re: "orang-orang titipan"). Kadang jadi gemas sendiri. Untung dulu nggak milih Jokowi (tapi nggak milih yang satunya lagi juga).

Lalu, di timeline Facebook itu pula saya menemukan pesan berikut dari pak Anies yang menurut saya sangat relevan untuk semua orang tua, apalagi di zaman sekarang orang tua sudah meng-outsource-kan peran orang tua ke gadget dan memanjakan anak-anaknya secara berlebihan - termasuk terlalu banyak mengintervensi kehidupan anak sehingga anak tidak mampu menyelesaikan masalahnya sendiri.

Anak anak yang dididik dalam keluarga yang penuh kesantunan, etika tata krama, sikap kesederhanaan akan tumbuh menjadi anak anak yang tangguh, disenangi, dan disegani banyak orang... 

Mereka tahu aturan makan table manner di restoran mewah. Tapi tidak canggung makan di warteg kaki lima... 

Mereka sanggup beli barang-barang mewah. Tapi tahu mana yang keinginan dan kebutuhan... 

Mereka biasa pergi naik pesawat antar kota. Tapi santai saja saat harus naik angkot kemana-mana... 

Mereka berbicara formal saat bertemu orang berpendidikan. Tapi mampu berbicara santai bertemu orang jalanan... 

Mereka berbicara visioner saat bertemu rekan kerja. Tapi mampu bercanda lepas bertemu teman sekolah... 

Mereka tidak norak saat bertemu orang kaya. Tapi juga tidak merendahkan orang yg lebih miskin darinya... 

Mereka mampu membeli barang-barang bergengsi. Tapi sadar kalau yang membuat dirinya bergengsi adalah kualitas, kapasitas dirinya, bukan dari barang yang dikenakan... 

Mereka punya, tapi tidak teriak kemana -mana. Kerendahan hati yang membuat orang lain menghargai dan menghormati dirinya... 

Jangan didik anak dari kecil dengan penuh kemanjaan, apalagi sampai melupakan kesantunan, etika tata krama...

Hal hal sederhana tentang kesantunan seperti :

• Pamit saat pergi dari rumah

• Permisi saat masuk ke rumah temen (karena ternyata banyak orang masuk ke rumah orang tidak punya sopan santun, tidak menyapa orang orang yang ada di rumah itu),

• Saat masuk atau pulang kerja memberi salam kepada rekan, terlebih pimpinan

• Kembalikan pinjaman uang sekecil apapun,

• Berani minta maaf saat ada kesalahan

• Tahu berterima kasih jika dibantu sekecil apapun...

Kelihatannya sederhana, tapi orang yang tidak punya attitude itu tidak akan mampu melakukannya. Bersyukurlah, bukan karena kita terlahir di keluarga yang kaya atau cukup. Bersyukurlah kalau kita terlahir di keluarga yang mengajarkan kita kesantunan, etika, tata krama dan kesederhanaan...

Semoga bermanfaat :). Sekalian nge-bookmark :D.

Mayo Clinic Guide to Healthy Pregnancy

During my pregnancy, I knew I needed a source for all things related to pregnancy because scouring the internet will just complicate things even more as there will be heaps of conflicting articles. Basically, the effort to filter the information will be very overwhelming.

I searched for a good pregnancy book and stumbled upon the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book. I checked the ratings on Goodreads and read the reviews. It gained 4.1/5 stars and there were a lot of reviews saying that this one book is already enough as a guide during their pregnancy. There was another popular book "What to Expect When You're Expecting", but it has lower rating than the Mayo Clinic one. Besides, I know for sure Mayo Clinic is one of the best healthcare provider in the US, so I have no doubt of the quality of the contents.

I think this book is very very useful as a one-stop guide to pregnancy. It is not to be read back-to-back, although you can. It's more like a reference guide or "pregnancy bible" that you read throughout while your pregnancy is progressing. It explains what food you can or cannot eat, what you should expect each week in your pregnancy, and in the last third of the book (I think) there are heaps of information on what to expect when you're giving birth - complete from the symptoms when you're about to go into labour, pain relief options that you can have, to about having C sections. It even has a dedicated chapter for dads-to-be on how they can support their wife during the pregnancy! I can't recommend this book enough. The reviews you'll find on Goodreads, Google books, Amazon, etc will speak for itself :). 

Click here to have a preview on the book contents before you decide to buy!

I do recommend to get the physical book rather than the Kindle version just because it's easier to flip through the pages as this is not a book that you read from front to back. And based on this experience, I had decided to purchase the next stage to this book, which is "Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Year".

Why You Should Get Married Young

I got married in my early 20's - one month before my 24th birthday, to be exact. Not too early, but by most people's standard nowadays, it is considered quite early. I got married early for plenty of reasons apart from finally finding the perfect match (hopefully), some of it being wanting to be one of the first in my class to get married, getting married before my dad goes for retirement (alhamdulillah he still hasn't and still actively working full time), etc. Now that I've been married for almost four years, there are some benefits that I personally feel by getting married at a young age.

Having A Friend 24/7

It may sound immature, but I always thought being in a marriage means you will always have a friend, in good or bad. I know, I know... being in your early 20s, your life still revolves around your closest friends and it's not wrong. But everyone's got their own lives, priorities, and other things, hence they can't attend to your needs 24/7. But I believe husband and wife indirectly have that obligation towards one another. Compromises might be needed at times, but I'm sure most of the time, you'll have always have a friend there for you.

Be Real with Financials

When you are still young and single, you'll most likely splurge on yourself - fancy dining, designer items, travels, etc. But when you're married and (especially) if you move out from your parents house, that's when financial reality hits. You now have to pay your own rent, utility bills, groceries, etc. I was already pretty frugal and good with savings and financial management before I got married, but I was forced to be even smarter in managing our household financials once I was married. And once we have a mortgage, financial management becomes even trickier as we were just scrambling trying to find savings here and there. This has also opened our eyes that we need more than just savings account, we had to invest. Sometimes I feel like we haven't done our best in building our savings and investment. But when I had a look in our investment and progress saver account, we're actually doing quite well (I'm just too hard on myself most of the time).

"Halal" Relationship

Pacaran? The Indonesian term of "being in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship". For me, it's nothing than just a waste of time, money, and energy with the wrong person. Good on you if you married your long-time "pacar". Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. I remember thinking, "it must be really stupid if I ended up with someone whom I barely know for more than 6 months". True that. I said "yes" to my husband whom I had known for less than 4 months. And because we've only known each other for less than 4 months, we've decided to extend our "honeymoon phase" after we got married, which eventually lasted for more than 3 years LOL. By being married, I can actually enjoy the relationship we have and feel secure about it. I know I'm going to the movies, dining out, trying new things, and traveling with the right person and not wasting my energy. Sometimes we do have our fight and arguments, but which family doesn't?

Achieving Things Together

I think this is what I love most about our marriage. We get to do stuff together and achieve things together. I love our last trip together to Melbourne. No kids yet, so we get to enjoy the trip like all normal guys-gals relationship. And the best thing about it is that we're halal! So our parents need not to worry about us going on a trip together (duh!). Also, in the past 4 years, we were able to achieve the unthinkables (at least for us): a job (for me), hajj trip, and finally "renting" our own home. It may look like that we "got lucky" to have those opportunities (I'm not saying that we're not lucky), but all of those did come with hard work, sacrifices, faith, and lots of tears. With each ups and downs, husband and I learned that we will always be dependant on each other. And when we're able to achieve things by working together and supporting each other, that's when we know that we're a great team.

***

Not all people may agree with me because everyone's circumstances are different. But I'm just sharing my personal experience and chipping in my two cents :). I know quite plenty of people who got married even younger than me, and their relationship is still going strong. 

Pregnancy: 38 Week Update

This week I'm in my 38 weeks, which means I'm due in two weeks! But bubba can come out any time now. I had the regular check up with the midwife on Thursday. As usual, I got weighed in and the scale was reading 70.1kgs. So, I had gained about 1kg in the last two weeks, but please note that I just ate an Oporto chicken sandwich just before I got weighed in. I reckon you can subtract a few hundred grams from the reading LOL. 

Thankfully the midwife that night was very nice and cheerful, which is completely the opposite of what I had last week. She told me that I'm already considered full term, so bubba may arrive any time soon. When she said that, I thought it was a very good call that I had moved my maternity leave forward by a week. Otherwise who knows what will happen at the office next week!

She checked bubba's position - bubba's head is already engaged in my pelvic bone. And also checked his heart beat. She said that bubba's heart rate is good and looks like he's happy inside (but don't get too cozy in there bubba!). He gave her a couple kicks as well while she was counting his heart beat, cheeky bubba! Oh, did I mention that bubba's very very active now. Not sure whether it's because he wants to get out of the womb or he just ran out of room to stretch.

As I was preparing my hospital bag the night before the check up, one of the bullet points in the list was to have your birth plan ready. By the way, I used the hospital bag check list from Baby Centre (http://www.babycenter.com.au/what-to-pack-in-your-hospital-bag). I hadn't thought about the birth plan, but I remember my friend saying that she did have a birth plan, which went out the window eventually as her water already broke, she was in severe pain, and can't think of anything else other than delivering the baby. And I had also read in the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy book what a birth plan is. It's basically just listing your preferences during and post labour so you don't have to make a decision on the spot while you're focusing on delivering the baby, that includes the preferred pain relief, whether you'd consent to a C-section, etc. Then I asked the midwife whether it's necessary to have a birth plan. She said, "only 10% of women make birth plans". Well, that makes sense, I thought, considering my friend's experience. "You just need to have make sure that you make informed decisions. And please do not oppose to C-section, although you are allowed to, because we only do C-section if something goes terribly wrong and we need to save both of you," she added. I nodded. Fair enough.

My tummy is getting more uncomfortable by the day. Getting very firm. Can't wait 'til bubba comes out and I'll be done with all of this! Err... not really. Actually the real hard work will just begin. 

Maternity Photoshoot

Last Sunday, husband and I did a DIY maternity photo shoot with our minimalistic equipments: M3/4 camera, tripod, and some props. I was in my 37th week of pregnancy and I wanted to have a keepsake photo of my first pregnancy without breaking the bank. Basically just a photo of me holding my belly would already suffice. I don't need any fancy photo shoot. I mean, what's there to show other than my growing belly? 

I browsed for maternity photo shoot ideas and all of them seems to be either too quirky (that it just doesn't interest me) or it's-that-pose-again. Because most of the photos I saw on the internet is just the "it's-that-pose-again", I thought we should be able to do it by ourselves, with the help of the tripod of course, as long as I can get great background. 

The sky was cloudy that morning and we went out around 9am. I expected the sky would be clear by then (according to the weather forecast), but unfortunately we can hardly get any natural light. So, most of the photo is a bit disappointing, coupled with my husband inability to take good photos (as usual). But anyway, I'm still happy because some of them turned out great good.

The photos were taken at Holroyd Gardens in Merrylands which is near our house. The venue is actually gorgeous. It's just a bit unfortunate that we couldn't get natural light on that day and that I completely forgot to bring my 60mm lens. And I guess it would be much better if we could have a third person to help us - but then this would dismiss the idea of a "DIY" photoshoot, LOL, as that means we're "hiring" a photographer.

Here Comes Maternity Leave!

That day has finally come :) - last day at the office before maternity leave. It feels like I'm going to leave that place forever although I'll only be away for 6-7 months. 

Yesterday was my last day at the office before I officially go into the "waiting period" before bubba arrives. Since morning, I was full-on training my maternity leave cover on my last day, making sure she's on top of everything - or at least get the gist of most of my task. We were quite late when we started the handover three weeks ago as I had a lot to handover and some of the tasks had to be done at a certain time or required certain files from other people. To make matters worse, I wasn't training her full time because she was also training her offshore counterpart and covering her manager who was also on leave at that time. Eventually, we only had around 1-2 hours of training each day for about 3 weeks. It was very unfortunate, because my manager already had everything planned carefully earlier in the year (even I had submitted the training plan back in February!) but that plan just went out of the window.

In the afternoon my colleagues threw me a temporary-farewell party (slash baby shower) as well on my last day. I was gifted baby singlets, jumper, baby toys, and a huge greeting card (thanks everyone!). And on the Monday before, my bird-loving colleague, Katrina, gifted bubba children's books by Australian authors (thank you! will definitely read them to bubba :)). At the party, many were commenting about how my bump is very much facing forward, indicating that it's a boy (well, that's what most people believed). Some were commenting how on Earth I was still able to come into the office although I'm due in two weeks! To be honest, it wasn't easy, especially that my bump is getting bigger and bigger by the day and standing up (from sitting position) is just hard, but I can't imagine myself just staying at home doing nothing.

At the end of the day, I finished training my maternity leave cover at 6pm - just in time when hubby arrived to pick me up. I packed the remainder of my personal belongings (I guess this is why it felt like I'm leaving the company once and for all) and said goodbye to anyone who was still at the office when I exited the building, which is actually not many people, LOL. 

Anyway, now I'm enjoying my quiet Saturday (with no hubby at home as well!). I'm trying to finish the "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy" book, preparing myself for labour which can happen anytime now. Starting next week, there's no work that I need to think about. Hopefully I don't get the itch to open my work emails now that I have VPN access which means I can basically access the company's server and actually do some work remotely. And hopefully I will have some time to finally finish creating my wedding book (while Blurb is having 40% off) and sewing bubba's blanket before he arrives.

Sayur Singkong/Kale

When you can't find singkong (cassava) leaves in Australia, kale leaves make a great substitute due to the similarity of the texture. That's what I've been doing pretty much in the past year when I'm longing for any type of cooking with singkong (cassava) leaves.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale leaves (around 400gr)
• 2 tbsp small shrimps (ebi) - or you can use prawns with skin on, but if using prawn do not blend it with the other spices 
• 1/2 red onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 block of ABC shrimp paste (terasi)
• 2 tsp of coriander seeds (ground)
• White pepper 
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 2 candlenuts (burn)
• Chillies (optional)
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 2-3 tbsp anchovies
• Royco ebi flavour (optional)
• 1 can of coconut milk (400gr)
• Water

Directions:

1. Blend together: small shrimps, red onion, garlic cloves, shrimp paste, coriander seeds, white pepper, ginger paste, candlenuts, and chillies. Add a bit of water if it will not grind finely.
2. Heat a bit of oil and saute the blended spices.
3. Add in water and coconut milk.
4. Add in anchovies, bay leaves, and Royco until boiling.
5. Add in the kale leaves and cook until the leaves wilt.
6. Add sugar and salt to taste. 

Bread and Butter

Prologue: This post has been sitting in my draft folder for months. I wasn't really sure whether to expose the hardship that I've gone through. But no one's life is perfect, and I think we shouldn't pretend to fake it that everything in our lives is so perfect in social media. So, I thought to myself, "why not just share?"

***

Four years ago when my husband and I started out as a married couple, my husband wasn't even making the average income. And he is not the greatest at managing money either. I still remember how I face-palmed trying hard to understand the justification of his purchase (when he was still single) when I found out that his Macbook Pro worth more than $3000. I thought to myself, "Oh God, how can he be so reckless with his money!?" I didn't have lot of savings as well at that time because when you convert my savings into Australian dollar, it's basically nothing. The money we collected from our wedding, we spend almost all of it for my return flights and my visa application. So, I went from comfortable living in my parents home, to struggling to make ends meet.

I have been having toast and butter almost everyday for the past few weeks. Just felt like having them although bread and butter are not a staple breakfast in our home. Every time I slather the butter onto the warm toast, it brings back memories of how I used to have my bread and butter when we just started out on our own. I consider it as a good reminder of how my life has evolved in the past 4 years, reminder for me to look back to my past and keep myself grounded.

The bread and butter that we used to be able to afford were the Aldi or Coles homebrands. The bread that we normally purchase wasn't fresh from the onsite bakery. And the butter was also cheap - the private label ones. I'm big believer that if you want to have a taste of the best, then you must be ready to pay the price - which translates to usually good stuff are expensive. Since I only buy the cheap ones, I never knew what good bread and butter tasted like. I remember buying the 80 cents bread for my in-laws while they were staying for 3 months because they usually have bread for breakfast. They would say the bread was hard and they would like the Tip Top one (which cost three times the private label).

Fast forward to four years later, we now eat a different bread and butter. My bread is the freshly baked ones from the bakery. I don't go to the bakery aisle anymore where they display breads from bakery companies. And the butter that I eat now is one of the pricier butter you will find in the chiller (but I always get them when they're on sale every 4 weeks or so tho). Every time I see my now-butter and bread, it reminded me how I used to not be able to afford them because I needed to save money and should make do with whatever we can afford. Now I'm quite proud that I can afford good bread for when my in-laws are staying over without needing to feel guilty. It's a beautiful reminder for us as well how a lot has changed for us.

Thank you, God, for the immense blessings that you have showered us with. We are truly grateful for everything you have given us.

Setting The Records Straight

Yesterday I delivered a project report in a monthly project meeting. As usual, I was nervous as hell, so the sentences that came out of my mouth didn't really flow very well. Consequently, the Project Lead misunderstood my words and said, "ok, so well done to the X team for rushing the coding." Then I realised, no, they weren't the heroes... they're actually the one who contributed 80% of this chaos. But then I didn't really take it seriously because it was just mentioned in a project update forum.

This afternoon, an email arrived from the Project Lead and she gave a call out to the X team for their "great job" getting the coding done. I felt that that was totally wrong. Especially because this X team was one of the team who caused most of the headache in the project by not taking things seriously, missing the deadlines, and not getting things right because they weren't proactively seeking for help if things were not clear for them, hence extra time was needed to redo their task.

Without any doubt, I knew I had to do the right thing: extend the call out to the people who really deserve it. I replied to everyone who was sent the Project's Lead email although there were 25 people in the distribution list (including 4 operations leads) and I know my email would be spamming their inbox. But I believe I need to set the records straight. So I wrote back, "I would like to extend the special mention to the A team, B team, C team, and D team for their efforts, working in a very tight timeline, to ensure that the data is delivered by this period."

Again, I don't care if my email is going to spam their inbox. But the A, B, C, and D team deserves an even more special mention compared to the X team.

***

People are always happy and they feel valued when they are appreciated - which should translate to higher productivity. So, I always make sure that I appreciate people for what they do (especially if they've gone above and beyond to help you) and share that appreciation to a bigger group (and involve senior leadership!).

Rendang Jawa

Ingredients:

• 750 gr beef (gravy) 
• 3/4 red onions
• 7 garlic
• 5 chillies
• 10-20 bird's eye chillies (depending how hot you'd like your rendang to be)
• 1-2 tsp corriander seeds (ground)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2-3 fresh kaffir lime leaves
• galangal
• 1 lemongrass
• 1 can of coconut milk (400 gr)
• 100ml water
• Salt

Directions:

1. Blend together red onions, garlic, chillies, bird's eye chillies, corriander seeds, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves.
2. Heat a bit of oil in a saucepan and saute the blended spices.
3. Add in galangal and lemongrass and stir.
4. Add in the gravy beef and let it cook for a few minutes.
5. Add in water, coconut milk, and salt.
6. Cook until the liquid decreases significantly and the meat is tender and soft.

Pregnancy: 36 Week Update

I'm finally entering the full term! Sorry for the lack of updates because last month was Ramadan so I didn't want to get out of focus. Also, recently I've just been very busy at the office trying to handover to my replacement whilst completing my tasks. I've only got two weeks left before starting my maternity leave and four more weeks til baby's due date! So excited and scared at the same time!

WEIGHT GAIN

So, I've just had my 36 weeks visit to the midwife clinic last Thursday. Unfortunately I had to go an earlier time slot due to my usual time slot's been booked by someone else! The midwife wasn't very nice. Barely any smile. After she weighed me in, she told me, "You've gained 13kilos so far. You can only gain 1 kilo more. Otherwise you can have complications later on when delivering the baby." Umm... truthfully, I wanted to tell her that I have two friends who gained 26-27 kilos and they're actually encouraging me to do the same thing too! But I didn't follow them of course because I don't want to have to work hard to lose those baby fat. Hhh... back to square one where I don't eat rice at night and could only eat fruits before bed again like in my first trimester then...

PAINS AND PRESSURES

I should've listened to Emily when she said she took a month off before her due date because she was already having trouble walking around. Well, I don't really have a lot of issues with walking around, but it is the pain that I feel whenever I stand up from my sitting position and trying to walk.

Sleeping is not pleasant as well, but I still can cope with it. I've heard that sleeping on your left is best for you and baby, but I find it difficult to sleep on my left side as the skin underneath my breast feels like it's being pulled. So, sleeping on my right is actually the way to go for me, and I actually prefer it as well because it's the sunnah.

I'm also starting to feel a lot of pressure down on my pelvic bone. Midwife says it's very normal because baby is pushing down and it will actually become worse later on because of the contraction. By the way, baby's position is already downward (that was when I checked in at 34 weeks). When I checked in at 36 weeks it's actually on horizontal position. Midwife said bubba can still move around until the day of labour, so we can't really determine what his position will be when he's ready for labour. But I've been telling bubba to be nice to mummy and be ready in a correct position. Hopefully bubba cooperates :).

ANTENATAL AND BREASTFEEDING CLASS

I've also attended the antenatal and breastfeeding class, with hubby accompanying - which is great! He got to learn how to change nappies and swaddle the baby (hopefully this will come in handy later on). But I think the biggest tick for me is when hubby attended the breastfeeding class. My sister in law only breastfed her babies for a month and followed with formula milk. My mum in law is already accustomed to that as well as she's the one who looks after my SIL's daughters, so I need someone to support my back just in case there are other people who is not supporting my choice. I'll talk more about the antenatal and breastfeeding class in a separate post. But I think it's really great that the hospitals here offer these kinds of classes (compared to pregnancy workout class like in Indonesia) to new mums. Please note that you have to pay to attend the antenatal class (the breastfeeding one was free).

BABY SHOPPING

I'm so done with the shopping - yeay! Some people follow the myth that you're not supposed to buy anything before your pregnancy turns 7 months (because you might jinx yourself!). But I'm glad that I started my baby-stuff shopping way before and was almost done by my third trimester because then it means I can just relax and enjoy the remaining days/weeks/months of my pregnancy. Although I know that there might be a possibility that I can get disappointed in the end, but anything can happen even to the last minute.

I did basic shopping for huge items like baby bouncer, pram, play gym, breast pump, etc, but I left the clothing department to my mum. I'm just so afraid to get dragged into impulsive shopping for baby clothes that I decided to leave it to mum. I just picked up a few fleece onesies just in case, because bubba will be born in at the end of winter/early spring. We're also planning to fly back to Indonesia when baby is about 4 months old, so I've told my mum to not go overboard as we will have another chance to do some shopping later on :).

My Sunday 17.07.2016

Another "My Sunday" story... Posting kali ini akan menggunakan bahasa bebas dan santai, seperti "My Sunday" post yang pertama.

Baru aja ngubek-ngubek blog, pingin lihat lagi dulu gw nulis apa sih di posting "My Sunday" itu? Ternyata aku nulis cerita tentang hari Mingguku yang diisi dengan kegiatan masak-memasak. Hah?! Coincidence? Soalnya kali ini juga ceritanya mau pamer hasil kreasi hari Minggu kami (yes - me and husband).

Jadi, hari ini akhirnya aku berhasil mengeksekusi resep nastar andalan bude setelah harus berjuang keras melawan rasa malas. Ada yang nanya resepnya apa? Hihihi... rahasia dapur dong! Just in case kapan-kapan buka usaha kue kering pas lebaran. Lebaran kemarin sempat mencicipi beberapa versi nastar, tapi kecewa lah aku karena ga ada yang seenak buatan bude. Untungnya, dulu udah pernah nyatet resep versi bude karena keluarga mama udah nggak pernah lagi bikin kue bareng seperti Ramadan-Ramadan sebelumnya. Jadi, sebelum resepnya punah dimakan waktu, jadilah aku berinisiatif untuk memulai ngumpulin resep keluarga. Juga, karena nyesel banget sih salah satu mbah putriku udah passed away dan aku nggak tau resep sambel goreng ati beliau padahal itu menu wajib setiap lebaran.

Proses pembuatan kue nastar sudah dimulai dari malam yang sebelumnya dengan mencicil membuat selai nanasnya. Kali ini aku berhasil bikin selai nanas yang enak! I've learned my lesson. Tiga tahun lalu saat pertama kali bikin kue kering, untuk menghemat waktu, aku blender nanasnya - bukan diparut. Jadi sepertinya serat-seratnya hancur saat di-blender itu, hahaha. Polos banget sih! Kali ini, aku parut nanasnya, lalu direbus sampai airnya habis, lalu baru dimasukkan gula dan dimasak sampai kering. Alhamdulillah berhasil! Cuma kurang banyak aja nanasnya :D karena resepnya calls for 3 pineapples instead of two (jadi, adonan kukisnya masih bersisa).

Setelah selai jadi, aku membuat adonan kukisnya. Langkah pertama adalah creaming butter. Mungkin karena lagi musim dingin juga, jadi butter-nya pun nggak bisa jadi creamy. Akhirnya nyerah dan aku masukkan semua kuning telur. Baru deh setelah itu butter-nya bisa jadi fluffy (dan untungnya aku pakai standing mixer, jadi nggak perlu capek-capek babysit adonannya). Lalu aku masukkan semua bahan-bahan keringnya ke mixer. Dan ternyata mixernya nggak muat dong untuk menampung butter tadi dan bahan kering. Tepung sampai sempat terbang keluar mangkok adonan, hahaha. Kemudian aku matikan mixer-nya lalu aku uleni adonan tersebut secara manual.

Saat pertama kali membuat nastar beberapa tahun lalu, aku menemukan cara jitu untuk mempercepat proses pencetakan kue nastar dan juga make sure semua punya takaran/ukuran yang sama. Kuncinya adalah penggunaaan measurement spoon! Aku menggunakan dua measurement spoon: 1/3 tsp untuk takaran selai dan 1/2 tbsp untuk takaran kukisnya. Karena measurement spoon yang aku punya berbentuk setengah bola, jadi gampang sekali untuk mengeluarkan adonannya dari sendok. Lalu, adonan adonan kukisnya dipipihkan menggunakan pantat cangkir yang agak mencekung. Isi dengan selai nanas, lipat adonan, lalu bulatkan. Alhamdulillah suami ikut ngebantuin proses perakitan nastar. Karena kalau nggak, nanti nggak bakal aku bagi, hehe! Well, it takes a lot of love and labour to make this cookies (apalagi aku lagi hamil besar), so makes sense kan?

Alhamdulillah dari 2 nanas itu jadilah sekitar 150 bola nastar. Tapi setelah masuk toples ternyata cuma dapat 1.2 toples. Sedih. But anyway, aku senang (and very proud of myself) akhirnya bisa makan nastar resep budeku itu, very yummy, keringnya juga pas, dan selai nanasnya berasa banget!

Setelah selesai berkutat dengan nastar, aku kembali ke laptop untuk melanjutkan nulis blog karena udah lebih dari satu bulan aku rehat nge-blog setelah Ramadan dan udah banyak ide yang nyangkut di kepala. Aku memang bukan penulis yang baik, partly because sometimes it can be difficult for me to organise my ideas in my head and partly because I need a lot of work with my reading-writing skills, tapi aku suka sekali sharing! Sudah ada beberapa blog post yang menanti untuk di-publish dan masih ada beberapa lainnya lagi masih dalam proses penulisan. Doakan supaya istiqomah ya karena blog yang baik itu yang sering di-update walaupun kadang isinya sampah gak penting, hehehe.

Islammu Nggak Ada Artinya Apabila Durhaka Kepada Ibu

Baru-baru ini saya sangat kesal sekali dan harus menasihati seseorang karena menurutku ia sudah sangat keterlaluan kepada ibunya sendiri. Dengan arogannya dia tidak mau meminta maaf kepada ibunya ketika Idul Fitri lalu dan pernah pula dia nyatakan bahwa dia tidak mau mengurus ibunya nanti ketika beliau sudah tua. Orang tersebut berjilbab dan mengerti agama. Tapi menurutku Islamnya tidak ada artinya apabila ia durhaka kepada ibunya. 

Seperti di blog post yang pernah aku tulis sebelumnya, aku baru merasakan betapa besarnya pengorbanan seorang ibu ketika aku mulai merasakan hamil si kecil. Mungkin orang ini tidak akan pernah mengerti sampai ia sendiri mengalaminya bahwa hal-hal yang dilakukan ibunya semata-mata karena si ibu sayang kepada anaknya, tidak mau melihat anaknya hidup susah. 

Aku ingat ketika aku masih mencari kerja dan gaji suamiku pun pas-pasan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidup kita, ibuku menawarkan membiayaiku untuk sekolah lagi. Tawarannya pun kutolak. Aku nggak punya hati untuk merepotkan dia lagi. Sudah cukuplah tanggung jawabnya kepadaku. Aku hanya minta ibu untuk mendoakanku. Ketika ia berkunjung kesini (waktu itu kondisiku sudah jauh lebih baik) dan aku biayai seluruh pengeluarannya selama disini pun ibu masih berkata, "pasti kamu keluar uang banyak ya untuk bayarin mama selama disini. Mama kasian, uangnya kan bisa kamu pakai untuk yang lain. Nanti mama ganti ya." Dan aku bilang, "gak perlu Ma, aku cukup minta didoakan supaya dimudahkan rejekinya. Biar Allah nanti yang ganti." Karena aku tahu ridho dan doa ibu itu luar biasa.

Kalau orang ini sampai sesumbar bilang bahwa dia nggak butuh ibunya, dia salah besar. Karena sepanjang hidupnya dari dia masih di kandungan sampai sekarang dia selalu bergantung kepada ibunya (walaupun mungkin sekarang sudah tidak setergantungan seperti dulu). Mungkin dia sengaja lupa bahwa ketika dia kecil, justru dia yang tidak berdaya, tidak mungkin survive tanpa ibunya. Dan ibunya pun tidak pernah meminta sepeser pun darinya untuk apa yang telah ibunya lakukan untuknya. 

Aku ingatkan kepadanya bahwa doa ibu dan doa orang yang teraniaya itu pasti diijabah oleh Allah, oleh karena itu berhati-hatilah, jangan sampai kamu menyakiti hati ibumu sampai dia mendoakanmu yang tidak baik. Dan juga, selagi masih ada waktu, sebaiknya dia meminta maaf karena umur seseorang tidak ada yang tahu.

Bahaya-bahaya durhaka, azab dan dosa durhaka terhadap orang tua:

1. Haram masuk surga

“Ada tiga jenis orang yang diharamkan Allah masuk surga, yaitu pemabuk berat, pendurhaka terhadap kedua orang tua, dan seorang dayyuts (merelakan kejahatan berlaku dalam keluargannya, merelakan istri dan anak perempuan selingkuh).” (H.R. Nasa’i dan Ahmad).

2. Dimurkai Allah SWT

“keridhaan Allah tergantung keridhaan orang tua, dan murka Allah pun tergantung pada murka kedua orang tua.” (H.R. al-Hakim).

3. Allah tidak menerima shalatnya

“Allah tidak akan menerima shalat orang dibenci kedua orang tuannya yang tidak menganiaya kepadannya.” (H.R.  Abu al-Hasan bin Makruf).

"Ada tiga golongan yang Allah tidak menerima (amal kebajikannya) dari yang sunnah maupun yang fardhu, yaitu durhaka kepada orang tua, orang yang suka mengungkit-ungkit kebaikannya, dan orang yang mendustakan takdir.” (H.R. Thabrani).

4. Dipecat sebagai pengikut nabi SAW

“Bukan termasuk dari golongan kami orang yang diperluas rezekinnya oleh Allah lalu ia kikir dalam menafkahi keluargannya.” (H.R. ad-Dailamy).

5. Mendapat “gelar” kafir 

“Jangan membenci kedua orang tuamu. Barang siapa mengabaikan kedua orang tua, maka dia kafir”. (H.R. Muslim).

6. Balasan azab dengan segera di dunia

Al-Hakim dan Al-Ashbahani, dari Abu Bakar r.a. dari Nabi Saw, beliau bersabda, “Setiap dosa akan diakhirkan oleh Allah sekehendak-Nya sampai hari kiamat, kecuali dosa mendurhakai kedua orang tua. sesungguhnya Allah akan menyegerakan (balasan) kepada pelakunnya didalam hidupnya sebelum mati.”

7. Tidak diampuni dosannya

Dari Aisyah r.a. ia berkata, Rasulullah Saw. Bersabda, “dikatakan kepada orang yang durhaka kepada kedua orang tua, “berbuatlah sekehendakmu, sesungguhnya Aku tidak akan mengampuni. “Dan dikatakan kepada orang yang berbakti kepada orang tua, perbuatlah sekehendakmu, sesungguhnya Aku mengampunimu.” (H.R. Abu Nu’aim).

8. Membatalkan seluruh amal

“ada tiga hal yang menyebabkan terhapusnya seluruh amal, yaitu (a) syirik kepada Allah, (b) durhaka kepada orang tua, (c) seorang alim yang dipermainkan oleh orang dungu dan jahil.” (H.R. Thabrani).

9. Haram mencium aroma surga

Bau surga yang radiusnya sejauh 1000 tahun perjalanan itu tak bisa dirasakan oleh orang durhaka. Benar2 dahsyat. “sesunguhnya aroma surga itu tercium dari jarak perjalanan seribu tahun, dan demi Allah tidak akan mendapatinnya barang siapa yang durhaka dan memutuskan silaturahim.” (H.R.Thabrani).

10. Terputus rezekinnya

“Apabila seseorang tidak meninggalkan doa bagi kedua orang tuannya, maka akan terputus rezekinya” (H.R. Ad-Dailamy). Seseorang yang Tidak mendoakan kedua orang tuanya termasuk kategori orang yang durhaka terhadap orang tuannya. Oleh karena itu, orang tua wajib mendapatkan doa dari anaknya.

11. Orang yg mendapat kerugian besar

“Sungguh kecewa dan hina, sungguh kecewa dan hina, sungguh kecewa dan hina orang yang mendapati atau salah satunnya sampai tua, lantas ia tidak dapat masuk surga.” (H.R. Muslim)

12. Dibenci Allah

“Barang siapa ridha kepada kedua orang tuannya, berarti ia ridha kepada Allah. Dan barang siapa membenci kedua orang tua, sungguh dia membenci Allah.” (H.R. Ibnu An-Najjar).

Source: https://sapta06.wordpress.com/2010/05/22/249/

Eid Mubarak 2016!

Aaahh... another year another Eid :). This is my fourth year celebrating Eid in Sydney and this time around I wanted it to be filled with warmth and happiness since in the past two years I haven't been really enjoying Eid as I should. 

On my first Eid, I was still yearning to celebrate Eid how most Indonesians would: take the day off, visit family and friends, and eat lots and lots of yummy food! So for my my first Eid in Sydney in 2013, I cooked opor ayam and sambal goreng ati, which are staple Eid menu, to eat before we go to visit some friends at an Indonesian community masjid. At that time I wasn't working yet, so I had plenty of time to prepare the food and also bake Eid cookies like kastengels (edam cheese shortbread cookies), nastar (pineapple tart), sagu keju (sagoo cheese cookies), and lidah kucing (cat's tongue cookies).

On my second and third year, I only went for Eid prayer in the morning then immediately returned to office. On my second year (2014) I think I had to save my annual leave for the hajj trip. And on my third year (2015) there were some issues I needed to rectify at the office (yes, it is kind of annoying), so I had to return afterwards. And I haven't been cooking anything special for Eid because I was just too busy and the last time I cooked in a rush, the food didn't come out that great. So, I told myself not to cook Eid food in a rush - and if you have to rush, then better not cook at all.

***

This year, the way I asked permission for Eid annual leave was a bit odd and awkward for me. Because my husband followed the proper moonsighting, we can't determine on what day Eid is going to fall on until we observe the moon on the night before. But I do know which days I'll be taking, so I've informed my manager that I'll be taking either the Wednesday or the Thursday off. Due to my low annual leave balance, I could only afford to take one day off, and I can't confirm until Tuesday night. Thankfully my manager was very understanding. I made sure that there is nothing significant happening at the office on that day and I reassured her that I'll be checking my email intermittently throughout the day in case I need make any follow ups. To be honest, I really feel bad about having to ask permission for annual leave this way, but this happens because I'm a minority. If I were in Indonesia, I'd already be on leave for a week, so it doesn't matter anymore when I'm going to have my Eid prayer.

***

So for this year's Eid, I didn't cook anything special nor bake any Eid cookies. But I ordered some Eid cookies through my friend. I haven't had Eid cookies in forever and been craving for it really bad. I know they're expensive and I can make them anyway, but I thought, oh don't bother, just buy it. So then I did. I spent a good $81 for 3 containers of kastengels, 3 containers of sagu keju, and 1 container of nastar.

In the morning we went for Eid prayer at Masjid Al Noor, Granville. That was my first time there and the masjid is very comfy with the plush red carpet. Husband said that if we're going to pray Eid there, we'd better go from Fajr and stay there until Eid because finding parking there is ridiculously hard. True that - they closed their parking space behind the building to be used for jumping castle, so you can only park on the kerbside. Although we've arrived since before Fajr, hubby still had to go a bit further away to find a parking space. 

After the Eid prayer, we went home and do what all Indonesians do after Eid prayer: ask for forgiveness and forgive one another. And as usual, we took a mandatory family photo like what we always do every year :). This year we have a new member, still in my tummy, making his 'debut' (sort of, haha)! I also tried to call mum to no avail. She's probably busy prepping this-and-that because the people in my house usually wake up late and go for Eid prayer in the last minute. And then when they return home, they'd be prepping to go to my relatives house to have that "asking for forgiveness" ritual.  

This year we managed to visit IQRO (this is the Indonesian Muslim community where we're active in - but not active member) since our Eids fall on the same day. So we can enjoy the celebration and the food as well, unlike last year. Poor hubby - last year he had to grill BBQ although he was still fasting because the moonsighters hadn't spotted the mood yet before the Eid! The ibu-ibu of IQRO prepared yummy food as usual: BBQ lamb with potato salad and salad greens, soto mie, chicken porridge, and heaps of delish desserts. We arrived a bit late, around 11.30am and the chicken porridge was already gone! *cry*.

Afterwards hubby was helping IQRO clean up the masjid after the Eid celebration, and I went to a friend's place with another friend while waiting for him to finish up (no way I'm waiting at the masjid by myself). I had a really good catch up with my ladies since I haven't seen my friends in a while (long time!). This is what happens if you work full time. But if you don't work, you'd be begging God for a full time job, so just say alhamdulillah for everything :). 

***

So, all in all, I enjoyed this year's Eid very much. I really took the time off to unwind and enjoy my day off, although I must say I was quite guilty of checking my office emails and sending some follow ups because I had promised my manager that I was going to check my email intermittently. Hubby and I had a great time, great food, great company and I'm looking forward to celebrating Eid with family in Jakarta very soon (but looks like it won't be next year).

Ramadan Day 14: Tips for Fasting While Pregnant

Alhamdulillah we're entering the second half of Ramadan now and alhamdulillah bubba is still very cooperative while I fast.

I do often get questioned, "do you still fast even though you're pregnant?". I understand their concerns, especially from people outside of Islam, but the answer is yes, of course. BUT if you're not strong enough until the time to break your fast or concerned with the baby's well being, then you may not fast." So, there are conditions that needs to be met before you can break your fast before Maghreeb time, which are:

• Mother not strong enough - for example: you would often vomited, felt dizzy, feeling like you're going to faint, etc
• Concerned with baby's well being - for example: baby is not moving a lot

This year, in Sydney we only fast for less than 12 hours and weather is cool enough not to make you overly exhausted - so I'm very thankful of that. Sometimes I do get tempted to break my fast when my stomach growls and I would start getting sleepy around 11am. But usually all I need is a bit of walking and a trip to the washroom, and I should feel better. Baby's still moving around actively, so that also gave me a peace of mind to continue with my fast.

Some tips that I could share with fellow mommies to be for fasting in Ramadan while you're pregnant are:

• Make sure you have suhoor. This is a must! Preferrably with something that can make you full for the whole day - so, carbs is a must. An ideal balanced breakfast/suhoor should consist of 50% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 10-20% fat. Don't worry, I don't really follow this :D as long as I eat one portion of food, no less.
• Drink a lot of water. It is highly recommended - a must, in fact - that pregnant women have enough water/fluid intake. Just because you're fasting, doesn't mean you're allowed to drunk less water. Plan your water intake throughout the night, make sure you and baby are always hydrated.
• Take your supplements. I remember before I even got pregnant, I used to feel very tired everyday, until one day I decided to purchase the Blackmores Stress Relief capsules (because I thought it could help reduce the stress). That supplement worked wonders on me. So, since then, I promised myself to regularly take supplements to improve my stamina throughout the day. While you're pregnant, obviously you will need extra energy for you and the baby, so don't skip on your pregnancy supplements!
• Don't get too tired. Look after yourself. You know yourself better than anyone else. Remember that now you have a precious cargo in your belly that you have to take extra care of. So, don't push yourself too hard to achieve your Ramadan goals (well that's if you're making ambitious goals). I'm already way off track with my tilawah, but I have to be mindful of the baby. You don't want baby to get too tired then decided to come out early!
• Break your fast as soon as possible. Baby needs food after a day of fasting! And this is actually the sunnah, so I think no further explanation needed :). Just make sure you have something sweet to boost your sugar level.

Ramadan Day 7: Giving of Alms

Based on the article published in Huff Post in 2013 (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/21/muslims-give-most_n_3630830.html), Muslims are the most generous, ahead of Christians and Jews. Why? The answer is simple... because giving charity is prescribed in our religion and also in our religion there is an "obligatory" alms called zakat. Please note that it is OBLIGATORY :).

THE POOR OWNS SOME OF OUR WEALTH

In Islam, we are taught that within the wealth that we own, the poor owns some part of it. The poor have rights over some part of our wealth. If we don't pay our share of alms, how else can the poor access their rights if we don't open the way? Think of it this way, not everyone is born privileged. When we were born, we can't choose our family, our parents, the environment, etc. Some people will be born into low socio-economic family, while some others are luckier to be born into wealthy families. Don't say that poor people need to work their a** off to be rich. Some people may achieve success through a combination of hard work, perseverance, and miracle; but some people just can't no matter how hard they try. So, try to put yourself in other people's shoes. Giving alms will not make you poor. In fact, it will make you richer - mentally and financially.

ALMS IS THE BEST INVESTMENT

Allah himself has promised, if someone want to give alms  then surely Allah will replace it with a minimal amount of 10 (ten) times . And that is written in the Qur'an Surah : 6 , Verse : 160 , where Allah promises a return of 10 fold for those who want to do good . Even in the Qur'an Surat: 2 , Verse : 261 , God promised a reply to 700 folds.

Allah's maths is beyond our logic and I think it's the best investment you could ever make. In Allah's maths, if you think 10 - 1 = 9, then you're incorrect. It should be 10 - 1 = 19, the result is based on the statement that Allah with replace with minimal amount of 10 times. If you invest or deposit your money in the bank, bank will only give you return of 10% at most. You can get more returns if you invest your money in foreign exchange or shares, but the risk is also very high. But if you invest in the bank of Allah, you will be guaranteed a minimum ROI of 1000% and with no risk at all. In order to make this work, there is one key thing that you must do: keep your faith in Him. Sometimes you can get the return immediately, sometimes you have to wait. And sometimes you get the return in the form of money or wealth, and some other time you're protected from bad things. Either way, you will definitely still profit. Just remember that He always keeps His promises.

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So, after reading this, do you still want to pile up your money in the bank? Think again ;)

Ramadan Day 1: My Ramadan Plan

Can't believe Ramadan is here now! I know I haven't preparing this Ramadan quite well this time around because I have been feeling overwhelmed with the pregnancy. Yes, this Ramadan is different than the usual Ramadan for me because I will pregnant while fasting! So I do have to be very mindful of my health and baby's health, hence why planning a routine is very crucial to keep baby healthy and still fasting without any issue.

I can still remember how my last two Ramadan went like - exhausting. Usually in Ramadan I will be all out in giving my best effort in everything e.g. prayer, reading Quran, i'tikaf, tarawih at the masjid, etc. I never mind being too tired because Ramadan is such a precious month that you don't want to pass the time just doing nothing. This is the special time of the year where the rewards of all your deeds are multiplied by multiple multiple times! This year, I have to be very realistic... make sure I don't get too tired so I can still be fasting during the day.

EAT HEALTHY AND DRINK MORE

It is important that your body is getting enough food to feed the baby. Don't worry about gaining weight due to midnight snacks or meals, you have to eat and store some fat so the baby can stay healthy while you're fasting at daytime. I eat a couple of times throughout the evening which consists of snacks and big meals. Because we always break our fast on the road, I always packed a light snack for ifthar, like croissant or bread with chocolate sprinkles. Then when we reach home, we'll have a light meal that doesn't take long to prepare (or you can also make a big batch beforehand to avoid extra cooking time), for example scrambled eggs with red bell peppers or spaghetti bolognaise (eat in small portion of course :)).

And don't forget to drink lots of water because baby needs water to keep his 'home' comfortable and also to keep you hydrated. I'm really bad at ensuring that I drink at least 8 glass of water, but I can get quite close to that. So, I usually drink one glass at ifthar, another glass or two after light meal, another one or two after the big meal or while reading the Quran, another one when doing midnight prayer, and another one at sahoor.

SORRY, I HAVE TO MISS TARAWEEH AT THE MASJID

Taraweeh at the masjid is one of my must-do thing during Ramadhan. I will try my best as much as possible to follow the taraweeh prayer at the masjid. I remember back to when before I got married, usually after work I would run to the nearest masjid from my office follow the taraweeh prayer. And last year I tried to do taraweeh at IQRO as much as possible in the cold winter nights. But because now I'm working full time, pregnant, and I didn't want to get overly tired, I now prefer to have taraweeh prayer at home. Sometimes my husband would become the imam if he couldn't make it to the masjid.

GOAL: KHATAM DURING RAMADAN

This month is one of those crazy month at the office. I'm really afraid I couldn't complete the Quran like last year. Last year I think I was pushing it too hard on trying to do everything at the masjid (taraweeh, listening to the lecture, etc) everyday and at the end I got very exhausted so I wasn't able to keep up with my Quran by the end of Ramadan. It made me really sad and disappointed. So, this year I want to make sure that I khatam the Quran during Ramadan. What I've planned is... while doing taraweeh at home, I will just read the short ayat from the book which this will help me to complete the Quran (it's like sekali menyelam dua-tiga pulau terlampaui). In 8 rakaat I can finish 8 pages, and then the remaining 16 pages I can read throughout the day/evening like after subuh or before bed.

READ QURAN AT TIMES WHEN I'M ALLOWED TO EAT

Perhaps this is only me, but I my throat can get dry easily by reading Quran and I would have to drink after reading a couple of pages or otherwise my reading pace will slow. Also, I tend to get really sleepy when reading, thus if I don't have snacks with me I will just fall asleep. My problem with reading Quran while fasting is that I can't drink or eat! And somehow daytime just pass really fast and I don't quite have time to read during the day due to my workload during this month (like I've mentioned, it's one of the craziest month for me!). So, the only time I have is night time, so I try to complete my juz for the day at night and before fajr.

SHIFTING WORK HOURS

I'm fortunate enough that my workplace is quite flexible. So during Ramadan I opted to come early to the office (8am) and leave early (4pm). Why? Because sunrise is at 7am and there's no point of sleeping again after subuh which is now starts at around 5.30am! So, I thought I'll just leave for office early at 7am. And since we also need to catch up with maghreeb, isha and taraweeh (all within a very short time window!) which is around 5pm - 7pm, it will also be good if we can leave the office early so we don't have to look for a masjid or prayer place while on the road.

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Planning really helps to achieve your Ramadan goals and helps you to make the most out of your time. Just bear in mind that you have to be realistic. If you're pregnant, don't push yourself too hard because you need to think about the baby too. If you're single, don't forget look after your health, because you don't want to get sick during Ramadan in these winter days as it will definitely affect your ibadah!