100 Days of Happiness – Day 23

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Day 23 certainly didn’t get off to the happiest of beginnings!  Samudra woke up so often last night crying it was craziness, every time I got up to cuddle and soothe him less than half an hour had passed since the last time.  As much as I love sleeping upstairs in the studio, it has left him so unsettled for the past week and taken me to a new level of haziness.  I almost cancelled going to Indonesia Fashion Week today but then thought better of it as I needed some time out, and was happy I changed my mind!  I caught up with some friends I haven’t seen in a long time as I have been away from regularly photographing fashion events since becoming pregnant, and was happy to wander around JCC Senayan looking at all the vibrant colours and beautiful designs from Indonesia’s top talents.

It wasn’t until I was seated in the photographers pit that I realised I had taken my camera lens with me instead of the lens for Putra’s camera which I had bought along today and they were completely the wrong match! Ooops. So todays photos aren’t good quality at all, but I loved being there for the Dulux Indonesia Fashion Design Competition Show which was for aspiring young designers.  The first prize winner from todays competition won Rp 15.000,000 and a 3 month design course in Italy – congratulations!

I hope you had a colourful day wherever in the world you are too.

Day 23: Ernesto Abram ‘Transforming Electhic’.

Day 23: Audrey Chaerunnisa ‘Envisage’.

Day 23: Yusak Maulan ‘Cultura’.

Day 23: Ivana Tanos ‘Enchanted Soul’

Day 23: Savira Lavinia ‘Soldier Children Army’. 1st Place Winner.

100 Days of Happiness – Day 22

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Another day, another new experience in Indonesia.. Putra left home at 4.30am to go shooting Gamma1’s video clip in Cibubur and although Samudra was awake within seconds of his bapak leaving, we didn’t go to join him until later in the morning.  Putra had mentioned that it would be filmed in a large house in Cibubur so you can imagine my surprise when Samudra and I arrived in a taxi to this massive housing estate and were greeted with the Statue of Liberty and other iconic replicas from the around the world along a lush tree lined street.  One minute it looked like we were in Paris, and the next, somewhere completely different.  We came upon signs for Madrid, Norway, Japan, San Fransisco etc and every section had houses typical of the country they were representing.  We had entered a ‘mini world’ on the outskirts of Jakarta! BIZARRE!

The houses here were HUGE and once the taxi dropped us off in ‘Boston’ and Putra was still in a different location filming, I went for a walk with Samudra to check out this crazy place.  The women cleaning the streets and security guards all asked us where we were from, where were we going and why were we walking around.. I broke into a heavy sweat within minutes as it was incredibly hot and ended up turning around after spinning out at some seriously massive chinese character statues at the entrance to one house.  What is this place? I can’t tell if it would be a really cool place to go back and check out again, or if I was just in shock from arriving somewhere completely unexpected that I had never heard of before.

Samudra was surrounded by people once again, all wanting to hold him and have photos with him and he was smiling and so happy, he really is such a sweet little boy and we are truly blessed.  I am also so proud of Putra, I love seeing him work and then seeing his final product.. he always captures everything so beautifully and I can’t wait to see this clip once it is finished.

I hope you all had a beautiful day too wherever in the world you are.

Day 22: Samudra having another social day. Happiness.

Day 22: Funny transport full of happy passengers. Happiness.

Day 22: Samudra showing his bapak how to work the camera. Happiness.

Day 22: Watching Putra film Gamma1’s video clip. Happiness.

Day 22: Hot and Sweaty! I adore this little being. Happiness.

Day 22: Quick sale! Thank goodness this is not my house! Happiness.

100 Days of Happiness – Day 21

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Where did today go?  Somehow the morning just disappeared after we cancelled our plans to film at Taman Mini today as the weather wasn’t looking great early on.  I was playing with Samudra and feeding him with Putra, answering emails and trying to organise a few things, and before I knew it it was already late afternoon.  It seems that Putra and I have a new addiction – the gym! So we off we went to work up a sweat and once again we had the whole place to ourselves which I love! The only thing is, it makes me so incredibly hungry afterwards and I am sure I am eating twice as much these days but it really feels great to be exercising again.

We arrived home to Daffa asking me if we could go for a walk again and so I agreed to take him only a short distance this afternoon as I was so hungry and wanted to go inside and eat.  I decided I wanted to walk down the small alleyway near the house as I have been seeing a huge house from our balcony which has clouds painted on the column below a large dome.  I have been curious about the house for so long but never made the short walk around the corner in that direction, so I was shocked to see the whole column painted on this huge mansion.  It must seem like a magical house to all the kids in the alleyway as the house is decadent and on the other side of the narrow alley, the houses are very small and simple.

I can’t believe I have never walked that distance before as the little street was filled with kids and adults and it was so lovely!  Many people came to say hello to Samudra and I and so I took loads of photos and met lots of young babies and small children and curious adults.  What a lovely surprise to discover this little area and it really made my day.

I hope you had a lovely day wherever you are in the world too.

Day 21: Cool painting on the column of this mansion. Happiness.

Day 21: Big brown eyes and super cuteness. Happiness.

Day 21: Samudra and his new friend from today, Windu. Happiness.

Day 21: So many kids in the neighbourhood. Happiness.

Day 21: I found the sweet girls from yesterday again. Happiness.

 

100 Days of Happiness – Day 20

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Today was a pretty crazy one with my little bundle of joy! After feeding and bathing him we ventured to Pejaten Village to pick up a few things, and while we were there I decided to have a quick lunch at Java Bean Cafe as I LOVE the food there, they have vegetarian options and it’s no smoking inside.. perfect!  I sat down with Samudra and sang some songs and he was laughing hysterically and he even happily let the waiter pick him up and introduce him to everyone.  Samudra LOVES attention, it makes him smile and hyper excited!  but… as soon as my food arrived he went AWOL screaming crying with tears and wouldn’t stop, no matter what I tried.  I had no choice but to pay and leave without eating as I didn’t want to disturb everyone else eating there, and I had broken into a sweat and could feel my face burning up as I tried to calm him down.  As soon as we hopped onto the escalator he was all smiles and flirting with the girls behind us, so I sped up and picked up what I needed before he went crazy yet again at the check out at Hypermart.  I was so shocked and thankful for all the males who actually stopped to try and make Samudra smile while he screamed today, people here are seriously so lovely and friendly and I appreciated all your attempts to help me out!

We ended up walking up and down the street infront of the house as it was the only way to keep him calm today and it was so entertaining out there!  Many people stopped to say hello and even knew Samudra’s name and I swear I hadn’t met them before, and there were loads of groups of kids running around and playing.  It’s very social to just stand outside without going anywhere and people will just come to chat, but I really REALLY need to learn Bahasa Indonesia  so I can have a proper conversation.

A quick visit to the gym, some delicious healthy veggies for dinner, and my baby finally asleep and peaceful, it’s time to breathe and get some things done.. if I can keep my eyes open!

I hope you had a fun day wherever in the world you are.

Day 20: Samudra in a sea of colourful toys and not crying. Happiness.

Day 20: Beautiful giggling girls in the complex. Happiness.

Day 20: Amad is always so busy cleaning and fixing the house. I caught him resting for a split second for a change! Happiness.

100 Days of Happiness – Day 19

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What a day! I was again awake before the sun had risen and so decided to have a shower and prepare to go to Car Free Day in time to watch the sun rise and make the most of the day.  Putra and I had planned to do some filming there today but instead, I showered, got dressed and got straight back into bed and stayed there until 9.00am!  My stomach is still feeling dodgy so every effort to do anything other than play with Samudra got put on hold. I am really looking forward to a time when I can sleep for longer than 1 hour at a time so I can feel refreshed and have some energy back.. but the more I am woken, the more cuddles I get from Samudra, so it balances out, right?

I did go for a quick walk with Samudra and Daffa up to Jason’s supermarket and we returned drenched in sweat from the heat so lucky Daffa, he cooled off with a quick mandi (shower) under the hose in the street infront of the house.  I remember days of being young and playing under the hose and sprinkler in the summer, on the grass in our backyard, and envied Daffa today as he squealed in delight as his Dad sprayed him with water.

It’s the simple things that make a moment happy!

I hope you had a happy and active day wherever you are in the world today.

Day 19: Daffa cooling off and showering at the same time. Happiness.

Day 19: Simple fun. Happiness.

Day 19: Wish I was little again 🙂 Happiness.

 

100 Days of Happiness – Day 18

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I was awake again at 4.00am after yet another restless night with Samudra and as I couldn’t get back to sleep, we decided to have an adventure and join Putra’s family going to their villa in Bogor for the day.  We were all off on the road at 6.30am with Samudra jumping up and down on my lap.  We have a baby car seat but Samudra used to scream in it all the time making it incredibly stressful to go anywhere that took longer than a few minutes, so eventually we took it out of the car and decided to drive around Indonesian style, with him tightly in my arms in the back seat.  I would never even have considered this as an option back in Melbourne, but here, I figured there is so much traffic that cars cannot pick up any speed so we should be ok.  I instantly regretted taking it out of the car as soon as we made it onto the Tollway and we could actually drive at a normal speed.  Samudra is getting so active so it’s impossible to keep him still no matter how many toys I give him to play with on my lap.  I vow to never go a long distance with him on my knees again, for both safety reasons and peace of mind.

It took around 45 minutes to get to Bogor leaving at that time of the morning, and we stopped in at the Farmers Market supermarket and stocked up on food for the day before heading up the winding mountain roads to the villa.  It felt so good to be out in nature again!

We arrived at the entrance and drove down the driveway surrounded by trees and flowers and then I spied the amazing traditional wooden houses, what a great place to escape the craziness of Jakarta and breathe in fresh, cool air.

There are two large main traditional houses on the land, one is from the 1940’s which used to house cattle and was owned by a very elderly old couple and it was too big for the two of them, so Putra’s parents bought it and had it moved to Bogor.  It has an incredibly high ceiling, beautifully carved wooden doors that all open up at the entrance side of the building, a stunning freestanding door way in the middle of the building to divide the house into separate sections for  sleeping and relaxing.  The back area is filled with light and has a bathroom off to the side.

The second house is also large and is from the 1980’s, again with beautifully carved doors, a separate bedroom and bathroom off to the side, with a fish pond stretching along the front and both sides of the house and it’s so relaxing to sit outside beside it and listen to the sounds of nature.

We took a rest once arriving, in the newest additional house which is a smaller 1 room wooden building that was recently purchased in Jogja and has a bathroom adjoining it.  It was so simple with just a mattress on the floor and a cabinet in the corner but it was so peaceful lying in there.  I was told that some guests would be arriving to stay the night at the villa, and was laughing from shock, to wake up to a sound check on a microphone and hearing loads of laughter outside.  I waited until Samudra woke up and we walked outside to see a party going on amongst the trees, with a band playing music, the guests playing karaoke and food on a big table.  Indonesians know how to party and alcohol free too!

I had a dodgy belly and wasn’t feeling 100%, but loved being there, and still managed to eat some delicious tofu, tempe and rice, all cooked on site by the staff.  Putra and I took a walk down the side of the mountain into the little valley of rice fields below, with a river running through it and little waterfalls here and there.  It was so amazing to be outdoors, to not be sweating, to be able to hear the running water below and the distant sounds of the party happening above, and we must remember to make the time to get back there again and actually spend the night away from the city.

I hope you all had a beautiful day wherever in the world you are.

Day 18: Saung Kalapa2 Villa in Bogor – original 1940’s Javanese house. Happiness.

Day 18: Beautiful wood inside the 1940’s building. Happiness.

Day 18: Samudra with his kakek at the villa. Happiness.

Day 18: Clean flowing river at the rice fields in the valley of the villa. Happiness.

Day 18: Walking out in nature. Happiness.

Day 18: Having music and karaoke at the villa. Happiness.

Day 18: Samudra’s nenek with her old school friends at the villa. Happiness.

100 Days of Happiness – Day 17

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February 14 has come and gone and this time I am VERY late with my post, but I haven’t had a chance at all to get to my computer until now.  I hope you all had a beautiful Valentines Day, whatever it means to you (if at all anything), and that each and every day you feel loved by someone.

Our morning started with a walk around the complex again and this time Putra and Daffa joined Samudra and I.  It made me laugh when I took Daffa to the zoo and people asked me why I had one black and one white baby! Very presumptuous to think Daffa is also mine, so I just smiled and kept them guessing.  Putra walking with us really made us look like a family this time and we were greeted with many curious glances on our walk, winding through the roads to end up at the park near the school in the complex.  We watched a group of elderly people playing croquet in the park and stopped and watched them for awhile as I have never seen anyone playing it here, and they were getting right into it!

We also paid another visit to the beautiful Diana, and her three gorgeous children at their apartment at Lippo Mall and Samudra had a slide around the floor while Elias was in full force crawling everywhere and pulling himself up and swaying on the swing set.  What a difference a few months in age makes! One day they will be able to interact together without Samudra just lying on the ground with Elias climbing over him and pulling at him, which I find to be very cute anyway.

Joglo Beer in Kemang had a promotion for a free Valentines dinner for the evening, and as Putra and his sister Putri are good friends with the manager, Putra and I decided to go along and support the venue, and hoped for some vegetarian food on the menu.  We were told it started at 6.30pm so thought we would be late arriving at 7.00pm, but in true Indonesian jam karet (rubber time), dinner didn’t start until 9.00pm.  So we had a drink in the bar and just as we entered the building downstairs, we received a call from Putra’s parents to say Samudra was screaming inconsolably and could we come straight home!  I felt so awful as the venue was so beautifully decorated all in white, with flowers on the tables, and musicians ready to entertain, and we were amongst the first to arrive so we sat and got up to leave straight away, making it look like we didn’t want to be there!  We rushed home on the vespa to find Samudra and his kakek  and nenek waiting on the street for us with him still screaming crying with loads of tears and I don’t remember if Putra had stopped yet, all I remember was jumping off the back to grab my little one and he instantly stopped crying when he was in my arms.  Bless.  He has never been like that, but it seemed he really wanted his mumma as I took him upstairs and he was fast asleep within a minute.  So I spent my night sitting on the bed and ordering in pizza with my baby sleeping beside me, still making sad sounds as he slept.  Now that’s what I call love.

I hope you had a beautiful day wherever you are in the world too.

Day 17: Daffa struggling to hang up the old school pay-phone. Happiness.

Day 17: Birds are meant to be bring you good luck – so I hope it works for this household! Happiness.

Day 17: Playing croquet in the park. Happiness.

Day 17: Samudra and his bapak at the park. Happiness.

Day 17: My sunny yellow Valentine’s rose. Happiness.

Day 17: Samudra and Elias’ baby play date. Happiness.

100 Days of Happiness – Day 16

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I was so excited when I woke up this morning, knowing that I would be going for a quick visit with Samudra to meet with my dear friend Deasy and her new baby boy Prada Bintang Amaru.  I am so happy that we are experiencing parenthood at the same time after loads of fun adventures in Jakarta, watching great bands and hanging out, crying together and laughing together.. we have shared a lot in the past 3 or so years and now we get to be new mums at the same time, and our boys will get to be friends and hang out together too.

We caught a taxi out to Pamulang – this is the first time I have visited Deasy’s house in all the  years I have known her and it was sooo far away!  I didn’t mind at all, as I love watching life happen on the streets of Jakarta and there was loads to see on the way with no traffic in the late morning.  I was shocked that Deasy has to travel so far from Pamulang to Kemang and back every day and when there actually is traffic!  I am always amazed at the lengths that some people have to go to just to get to work in Jakarta – so many people travelling more than two hours each way as the traffic is horrendous, many for six days a week,  but I never hear anyone complaining about it.  Sure many have no choice but to make the long journeys, and work long hours, but it seems so unfair.  Hopefully once the monorail is started and finished here it will make people’s lives much easier.

Prada Bintang Amaru is DIVINE!!  He is so perfect and looks so tiny with the most adorable soft sounding cry and Deasy and Tommy are so happy.  Samudra looked huge in comparison, and he was laughing and jumping up and down in excitement to be there.  Bless.  I wish them all the love in the world with their journey together.

I hope you had a beautiful day wherever you are in the world today too.

Day 16: Meeting Prada Bintang Amaru for the first time. Happiness.

Day 16: Deasy & Maru. Happiness.

Day 16: Samudra at Cali Deli with his bapak. Happiness.

Day 16: My partner in crime on our late afternoon mission to the gym. Happiness.

Day 16: The sun setting over the French Indonesian Residence in Kemang on our way home for the day. Happiness.

 

100 Days of Happiness – Day 15

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I was awake so early yet again and instead of attempting to go back to sleep, I thought I’d make the most of the morning sunshine and take Samudra for a walk around the complex again.  So many people stopped us to say hello and ask where we had come from and where were we were going again and making Samudra laugh and we met lots of gorgeous kids along the way too.

I ended up at Circle K to get a drink as it was super hot and I was dripping in sweat, and the sales girls let a long line of customers gather at the counter as they were distracted tickling Samudra and making him laugh.  I was reminded of being told the other day about a family that has just relocated back to Melbourne from Jakarta, and their 6 year old son has been crying every day as no-one pays him any attention back there, whereas here everyone was always pinching his cheeks and talking to him, and he wants to come back here.  Being a foreigner in Jakarta draws you loads of attention as you are in the minority big time, and having a baby seems to triple that attention.  I remember living on Jalan Benda in Kemang and I would be working in my room and dying of thirst but not wanting to make the five minute walk to the shop for a drink because I knew it was going to have to involve stopping to say hello to so many people along the way, and I wasn’t used to such a lifestyle at that time.  In Melbourne strangers look at you weirdly if you make eye contact with them, but here everyone is curious and wants to say hello.  So I wonder if many expat kids have trouble adjusting back to life outside of Indonesia and becoming suddenly invisible, or are they happy to become anonymous?  Either way, Indonesians are definately the friendliest people I have ever met.

As we were heading back home we passed an elderly bin man who looked to be struggling a little in the morning heat and I felt so sorry for him.  I gave him my change from the shops so he could go and buy a drink and I have never seen someone so grateful.  He got a tear in his eye and was so happy and sweet that I had to take his picture as he just looked so happy.  I walked home feeling blessed for all the simple things that I take for granted on a daily basis and I hope that in that fleeting moment that we made someone else happy too.

After exercising at the gym, we returned home and I suddenly felt that the past six months of sleepless nights (plus all the pregnancy insomnia) all caught up with me at once and I couldn’t keep my eyes open!  Although I don’t sleep well at night I have never been able to sleep in the day, but today I passed out for two whole hours with Samudra beside me and it was bliss!  So being productive had to be put on hold for awhile but wow it felt great!

I hope you had a beautiful day too wherever in the world you are.

Day 15: Samudra wanted to hold this little boys arm and was so chatty with him. Happiness.

Day 15: The most grateful and happy man collecting cardboard and rubbish. Happiness.

Day 15: This little girl wanted to know where we lived and followed us tickling Samudra’s feet. Happiness.

Day 15: Construction workers going to work, Indonesian style. Happiness.

Day 15: Goodnight kisses from bapak. Happiness.