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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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: Blend together red onions, garlic, chillies, bird's eye chillies, corriander seeds,...

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...

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...

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...

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...