These pictures were taken awhile ago when Bali was still in the rain season. The rain has just stopped fallen when the sun rose. Somehow, it created a view I like, gloomy, calming and beautiful. As you see. So, I grabbed my iPhone and snapped some pictures.
Hugo (the dog) enjoyed himself walking around the wet garden.
Pictures were taken at home, using iPhone 5S.
Posted to DP Photo Challenge: Morning.
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.
I made a stuffed animal, drew the pattern by myself confidently, traced it to the fabric scraps, cut them out and patiently assembled part by part. My first time made a soft doll, our neighbour’s daughter has her first son, so I wanted to give him a toy to be snuggled with.
“A cute pig!” My husband complimented it.
“Pig? I wondered. “But, it was intended to be an elephant!”
“Well…” He suddenly ran out of words and said things no more, a cautious man to keep away from potential dangers.
“Ibu. It is more looked like a mouse”, my second daughter put the visual condition into words clearly (and bravely).
We named the stuffed ‘hybrid’ animal as Pilly, a combination of a pig and elephant and gave it as a gift to our neighbour. Avoiding further misconception of the craft, I informed the parents right away: “It’s an elephant. I made it by myself”.
Meanwhile, the sweet little guy couldn’t recognize the difference anyway, either it was a pig, elephant or a mouse, he was only 1 month old.
Compensated my less successful crafty time, I got myself busy in the kitchen, making Javanese Fried Noodle. Why is Javanese? Because it is spicy and sweet with thick sauce covers the noodle. It needs candlenut for the spice. Here it is the recipe (it can be adjusted to your own taste buds and what you kind find ingredient in the fridge, feel free to be creative).
JAVANESE FRIED NOODLE:
Spice:
Ingredients:
How to make it:
Note:
Posted to DP Prompt: False.
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.
This is a prelude post about Endek: the Balinese woven cloth (which I have made a draft of it). Fashion side (what I have to wear) is not the only element I should prepare for the Bali Arts Festival 2016. I had done the translation of 45 pages of this annual event Guidance Book. And also…reducing some of my weight. Really.
In our first meeting for the parade preparation, once I entered the room, the coordinator for the parade looked at me as if I had offended him severely (we have not seen each other for a year, since the last BAF). You are fat, now! He exclaimed (in front of some other members of the parade committee). I was babbling, trying to defend myself, saying I am already 40 years old, it is normal if I put some weight. You are fat, now! He pronounced that again in case I didn’t hear it at the very first. OK. Do not worry, by the time of the opening ceremony, you’ll see I am slimmer. He still looked at me, unbelievably. After the meeting ended, and we walked to the parking lot, he chased me. Really, you are fat now. Please, make your body slimmer by the time of the opening ceremony. So, you will be prettier. Ha! I tried to make a joke. So, I am not pretty now? Not enough! He made the announcement ( if it was written, surely with three exclamations). Please, be slimmer. I tried to find excuses, but I realize that I can’t blame him, in Bali, people used to see petite and slim performers: dancers, singers, and other (on the stage) artists. Although I am a civil servant as I will stand on the stage to be a commentator, technically I will be a performer, too. So, I should be slim or at least slimmer than I was in the time the coordinator saw me. Moreover, deep down my heart, I knew I was fat, most of my clothes became too small for me, when I walk, some parts were jiggling (I don’t have to explain further, what parts).
Do you know, a situation when you put on a was once a big cloth, but then it fit your body? And you still eating everything you want just because you are in a big denial. So, the coordinator ‘announcement’ (short, clear, and painful enough to be taken) was a trigger to start my effort.
I cut back carbohydrate intake, drink juices, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. In my 40 years old, the fact to reduce weight is more difficult than 10 years ago. In the first three days, the struggling was real. In the morning, I drink mix pure juice of carrots, apple, lemon, and cucumber for breakfast, have a plate of fruits for snack and for lunch I eat normal portion of meal. In the afternoon, before 5 pm, I have my vegetable, if I really want rice (I loooove rice), I add 2 tablespoons of it onto the plate. Every time I want snack, I have papaya (it is delicious, cheap and easily enough to get) or pineapple (my favorite fruit). I walk in the treadmill three times a week, too. It has been two weeks of my effort to drop some ounces of excessive mass. Tonight (that explains the poor quality of the photo) I asked Andra (my first daughter) to take a photo of me, to be compared with the previous photo (before my diet). With a warning to her: take my photo, but don’t make me look fat.
I made a collage of the photos (so that it will be easier to compare). My husband said, you made it, see this one you look plump and this one you look (he stopped a while) and continued…not plump. I still have some days before 11the June 2106. Hope I can throw away another ounces of unnecessary fat from my body. Being slimmer is not the only purpose I have in mind, but also to be healthier.
Posted to the DP prompt: Purpose.
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.
These pictures were taken on 31st December last year, on the closing ceremony of Denpasar Festival. As in Bali, almost every event is always completed with art and cultural performances. So does this annual event. About 100 students from around Denpasar city joined this festival. They should arrived in the spot (around Catur Muka statue), at least 3 hours before the ceremonial program started. And had to wait, sitting, on the street. Patiently.
My second daughter had also take part as ‘rubbish’ girl. She and friends reminded people of their aware to take environment cleanliness and use less plastic products. The event was begun at 5.00 pm, and those kids had prepared for the performances from11.00 am, put on the plastic bottle as hair ornament, wore the plastic bag dress, and smeared the face with dirt-like paint.
They waited patiently, almost no-complaining. Hey, they are only kids. Even, the adults would complain if they had to wait those long hours, sitting on the street.
The small musical artist with huge patience, wearing their unique head dress, that is in Bali, is called as udeng or destar.
This is the equipment of Barong dance that is worn by two dancers. And as you can see, the dancers probably took a rest and put down their equipment on the street.
Denpasar Festival, an annual event where I can see and admire the patience, true happiness and dedication to art. That is all shown by our next generation, the Balinese young artists.
Posted to DP Photo Challenge: Admiration.
A Simple Note 