Rain has fallen this morning. Washed the earth with freshness and left these beautiful pearl-like water drops around my garden.
Pearly drop in the tip of a banyan leaf.
Two pearly drops in the edge of pinkish frangipani petals.
A cluster of pearly drops on the surface of Euphorbia leaf.
Photos were taken using iPhone 5s.
Posted to DP Photo Challenge: Details.
My husband is walking the dog
~ Where there’s life there’s hope. Stephen Hawking ~.
“Guess what?” My husband welcomed me home with the question.
“What?” I just came from Gianyar regency to see my parents, went there with my oldest sister this afternoon.
“Guess how much is my PSA now”, his eyes were sparkling.
“Like a thousand and five hundreds?” I teased him, mentioned the result of last November (2015) that had hit the highest number of 1589,15. At that moment, his blood became very liquid (only small wound on his lips and the blood kept dripping for 10 days, so that he had to be tranfused with blood to provide haemoglobin and also fresh frozen plasma to help the blood coagulated .
“No! It is 7, 79!” Our second daughter announced and held the lab’s result paper up.
“Wow! That’s wonderful”, I said, looked at my husband. “Your effort is bringing very good outcome. Really. That’s wonderful”.
I admire and appreciate his persistence of dealing with his advanced prostate cancer that has spread to the bones. He still takes the Chinese herbal capsules of Chang Sheuw Tian Ran Ling Yao (30/ day), still drinking pure carrot juice, using DR. Warsito ECCT blanket, still a vegan, still not having any kind of white sugar, still not eating white or refined flour, no cigarettes and alcohol drinks at all (he was a smoker before he was diagnosed with cancer).
My husband and Hugo, the Siberian husky.
It is easy to tell a patient (read: my husband) what to eat and not to eat, the efforts to do it faithfully are in his own hands. How he changes his carnivore life-style into a vegan, face the reality that he is surrounded by 90% of meat-eating people, including his own family (I had stopped the consumption of red meat a year ago and more choosing fishes or tempe or tahu/ tofu), but still I eat meat. Once, in a family celebration (held at his brother’s house), there was no vegetable based food served on the table, all were meat: Babi Guling (Balinese suckling pig), Betutu Ayam (Balinese roasted chicken), fried fishes, Ares (soup made of young banana plant) but it was mixed with duck broth. He withdrew himself from the dining room and went to the kitchen, fortunately, he found mixed vegetable with shredded coconut there. He told me, if there were no vegetable, he would prefer not to eat than have to eat rice with meat. I-admire-and-appreciate-his-persistence.
Although the Bone Scan (last May/ 2016) has revealed no cancer found on his neck, shoulders, ribs and backbone (only around the pelvis area), but we want to make sure by having a second Bone Scan as comparison to the previous one. Since in Bali, there is no hospital with Bone Scan facility, we are planning to go to Jakarta, probably next month.
Husband, Hugo and Amy by the beach
The lab’s tests all reveals good result. How does my husband feel? He feels good. Last hospitalized was in October 2015 (second blood problem) and hope we don’t have to go back unless for lab’s test. He can do activities like healthy people do. Go to the office, take our daughters to the schools, fix the leaky balcony with the worker, wants snack (fruits, boiled corn/ cassava/ sweet potato or fried banana), and every weekend does his exercise, sometimes takes the dog, sometimes not.
We have dealt with the advanced prostate cancer for a year, now (diagnosed last June/ 2015) and we do hope, what we have chosen to confront the cancer are the right ways.
Posted to join DPPrompt: Hope.
This is the best beach in Indonesia according to the Traveler Choice of Tripadvisor in 2015 (one of the reason because it’s the cleanest) that is located in Nusa Dua area and managed by the ITDC (Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation). It has white sand and calm sea water, very suitable for swimming, especially when you are having a family holiday with young children or just want to enjoy the beautiful view.
We went there last week. Actually, our main purpose was not the beach, but to see Ami (my second daughter) performed Kecak dance with her extra-curricular friends in a hotel yard near this lovely beach.
So, before, the Kecak dance was started, I took Andra (the first one) to the beach. She was surprised and said this is so beautiful. She’s 13 years old and this is her first time to visit this wonderful spot, here in Bali (forgive me, sweety, for being such a selfish parent, did not bring you to this beach since years ago). She kept telling me, I love Nusa Dua, Bu. I Love Nusa Dua. It’s clean, beautiful, and the sea water is very inviting (I’m not in doing any Bali Island tourism promotion, really, it was purely my daughter’s words towards the beach).
And she asked me, are there no houses in Nusa Dua? I replied that as far as I know, Nusa Dua is an exclusively managed area for 5 stars hotels that are located around the beach, this area was started by the government since 1970-s. So, probably you won’t find any houses in Nusa Dua area. Nusa Dua itself means the Two Islands (Nusa means Island and Dua means Two), located in the southern part of Bali Island, 20 minutes from the Ngurah Rai airport and about 45 minutes from Denpasar.
And I can tell you, my dear blog readers, Nusa Dua beach is a very suitable place to get rid of your stress and enjoy refreshing moment from your boring daily routine.
All photos were taken using iPhone 5s.
Join the DP Prompt: Water.
These are surely not the real rangda. The set of pictures were scenes of preparing a friend’s costume in the street performance on the last Denpasar Festival.
If you asked me: is there a real rangda? Many Balinese people would say yes. I would say: probably. And I do not in any intention of meeting Rangda for real.
The rangda you see now, is a costume worn by a Junior High School student and he was assisted by his friend to make sure everything’s will look good and proper for the audiences.
A look of Rangda: very long spiky hair, bulging eyes, razor-like teeth and fangs, the tongue is depicted as blazing with fire out of her mouth. Her? Yes. Rangda is a female. Rangda in the old Javanese language means a widow. The Balinese folklore said that Rangda was Mahendradatta, a queen who was condemned and exiled by her husband (the King of Udayana, once ruled Bali around 10 AD) for practicing black magic.
Rangda = a fierce divorced woman who wanted to take revenge for the unjusticed life she had = demon queen.
Posted to : DP Photo Challenge: Face.
For three days, I and my family spent our long weekend in a villa that is located only half an hour (can be 20 minutes, if there is no traffic to force you slow down) from Denpasar city (where we live). Even, Sanur is actually part of Denpasar city! Giving ourselves a nice difference to the routine we have gone through in our daily life is actually the main purpose of booking this villa. When we keep doing the same activities, everyday, for weeks and months will surely make our own life becomes boring and dull. And becomes tourists in Bali-our own Island is an alternative to cheer our life’s journey. I have checked the definition of tourist in Oxford dictionary:
Tourist (noun): a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure.
We did not travel to Sanur, we VISITted Sanur as a famous beach area for PLEASURE. Notice the capital letters as the clue that I think it is still fine to use the word of tourist to describe what we became in our last long weekend. Ha! I was only find excuses to dramatize our stay in Sanur.
We were welcomed by this tiny beautiful butterfly and flowers in the villa’s garden.
Swim! Playing in the water!
Barbequing!
Took photos first before eating (that’s just the way thing works for my daughters, take picture, upload then eat).
Swim again! Or not…then, chilling on the water!
Eating grilled corn. By the poolside.
There are two bikes provided in the villa, as determined tourists, my daughters used it to explore the surrounding that in 5 minutes will take you the beach. The luscious green grass path and fence that can give you a feel of calming right away.
This photo is an additional information to my husband updated health (he has got advanced prostate cancer with metastases to his neck, shoulder, ribs, back and pelvis bone). He has changed his diet radically into vegan, avoid white sugar (even, most of all the time all kind of sugar), refined flour and preserved food. He still drinks pure carrot juice, the Chinese herbal medicine (Chang Seuw Tian Ran Ling Yauw), and using DR. Warsito ECCT blanket. He brought the blanket to the villa and keep drinking the carrot juice also. From our barbecue menu: bratwurst, prawns, chicken wings and corn, my husband just eat the corn. Being vegan is not just a diet, but a way of changing his way of life.
His PSA is now 27 and his bone survey has revealed no indication of cancer spread in neck, shoulder, ribs, back bones…only in his pelvis bones (the doctor seemed amazed and told him it’s such good improvement). My husband is never been hospitalised for 6 months (for blood transfused or anything else). We do feel grateful.
A can tell you, we are all fully recharged our battery in the villa. The swimming pool is gorgeous, the privacy is excellent, the breakfast is delicious (every day two staff comes and cook you breakfast from the listed menu and do cleaning for you for 2 hours), the environment is calming, as if you are not staying in the middle Denpasar crowded city. And what really impressed me is: its facilities are amazing, they provided all needs the guests possibly want: mosquito repellent, grilling tools, good connection of wifi, I even find out they provide spice collection for the guest, not just spices, but also, coconut oil, vinegar, flour, many kind of sauce including Indonesian keycap as well as (of course) set of dining utensils, in case you want to dig your hidden talent of become a professional chef.
My younger daughter told me: Ibu, their kitchen is more complete than yours. :).
Posted to DP Prompt: Colourful.
We are going to have long weekend, it is started from Thursday, 5th May 2016. Having 4 days of not worrying to wake up at 4 or 4.30 am and face my hectic life, is quite relieving. And as a very dedicated days off/ holidays fan, I have booked a villa to spend with my family long time before (since January…see how dedicated I am?). This villa is located in Sanur, only half an hour from Denpasar (where we live), my consideration of choosing this place, because we cannot left our pets behind, Hugo (the selfish Siberian husky) and Molly (the not sure what breed but cute enough dog), but I want to give chance for my daughters to refresh their battery by doing something different to our life routine. And the most important thing, the villa must have a swimming pool.
Some days prior, I went to find the exact location of it, that in the D-day, we do not have spend hours looking in the confusing street and lines of Sanur. After looking about 45 minutes (I am not good in finding address, although I have searched it before in google maps, and asked the direction to the villa management, but still…45 minutes is not something I can proud of), I found the location, its street name and number, no name or sign. So I entered the neatly cut grass path and parked my motorbike near a security spot inside. One security approached and looked at me. I was pretty sure with a look of combination: underestimation and disbelieve. The look was very possible caused by my looking: no make up, wearing pajamas-like pant, worn off jacket, flip flop (it was Crocs, still, flip flop is flip flop) and using motorbike.
Me: “I am Indah. I just want to make sure this is the villa location that I have rented. We will stay here, at villa S” (I’m not in any capacity of announcing the real villa’s name).
Security: “But, villa S are having guests.”
Me: “I just want to make sure this is the location, there is no name or other sign of this villa’s name outside.”
Security: “There are guests staying in the villa. It would be impossible for you to stay…”
I started to feel offended. May be because of the way he’s looking at me.
Me: “Listen, pak. I have booked the villa for three days, two nights. The guests are probably staying in the villa now. But, in the next two days, Thursday to Saturday, it will be me and my family. I am a Balinese, but I have paid the exact same money with those tourists to stay here. So, can you answer my very first question, is this the location of villa S?”
He attitude slowly shifted and responded me although still with a hint of doubt. “OK. I’ll take you to the villa, there are 12 villas in this complex, and villa S becomes one member of it. But, there are guests staying, so we cannot come inside”.
Me: “It’s OK. I was not asking to come inside, just to know the location of the villa. That was all”.
That incident made me wonder: is it me or the security who acted like a misbehaved idiot? I was only looking for an address so why would I dress like I would go to an official reception? He should not underestimate anybody for any reason (either because I am a Balinese or what I am wearing). Or probably it is just me who should not expect to be treated like wearing high heels when I am only wearing flip flops.
Posted to DP Prompt: Disappointment.
I’ve made a major decision few months ago. Using almost all of my money saving, I try to run MiniMaca (a mini mart and café). That the fact I am a language graduate and work already as a civil servant What those facts actually do to my new ambition? What past experience has influenced that big choice? Continue reading
I usually sleep soundly. That I don’t dream. Let alone having a nightmare. But I do have daymare (if that kind of word exists) that don’t involve any sharp teeth, white pale face or bulging eyes. My daymare happened a few days ago when I got a phone call like this: Me: Hello? Caller: Have you known that you have been assigned as the interpreter today? Me: No, I don’t. Caller: Don’t worry. The program will be started at 09.00. I looked at my watch. It was 08.45. Continue reading
Remember when I said in one of my post that our cook was quit, as he wanted to continue his study in Law? It has been 2 weeks, now and we are still looking the new one. And it is not easy. Especially, for a new place like ours that has to stand tall in the crowds of other cafes in Denpasar city. Continue reading
My first daughter, Andra with her best friend, Hugo. A 2 years Siberian husky. This selfie was taken months ago using iPad 2. Nothing was edited before I uploaded. Minimalist photo of a beautiful friendship.
Note: Andra took the photo, not Hugo.
A Simple Note 