Calm after the storm…

"I don’t think that life is short. So I think you should stop saying that. ‘Life is short, man.’ No it’s not! Life is excruiatingly long. Let me rephrase that. The life you got left is excruciatingly long. The life behind you, it’s done. So yeah, life is short, but only when you turn around and look at it. But if you keep looking forward, you got a lot of years to think about. If you don’t think life is long, if you live every day like life is short, you know what you become? A fuckin’ asshole. You gotta live your life like someday soon you’re gonna hit some miserable Tuesday night that’s just gonna seem to go on for days and days and days. Waiting for either some phone call to come that doesn’t come or some phone call to stop that won’t stop. Because as it’s laid out infront of you seems to go on forever. But look back to when you were 4 and it seems like last Sunday. So just keep looking forward and keep your good heart on you and keep doing the best you can do and love who you love the best you can love." - John Mayer

I say….

Moving on….riding the roller coaster and trying to survive yet another storm …..
life is one big adventure…I’m just moving along.

These are my frequent visitors since the rainy season stopped. My toddlers love to run and chase the birds. And also runs but away from the bees.
It’s one of the consolations of being a hands on in the garden (I didn’t hire a gardener).

Gardening is very relaxing, fulfilling and therapeutical. At the moment, it’s the one that I enjoy most, more than shopping and socializing.

Earlier, I was sitting beside the bedroom window and enjoying this view. Few moments later a couple of brown butterflies started circling the plants. As if assessing the quality of my work …LOL! And then they settled down and started what seems like a ritual. I was watching for a few minutes and I noticed that both couples are doing exactly the same routine so I thought it must be a mating ritual. I took my camera and stepped out to capture the moment and this is what I have  witnessed.

Last Monday, we drove up to Puncak with the whole family. Nope, not to buy plants (I wish :D) but to see Taman Safari. Loaded with kids, gadgets and food, we explored the wilderness to see animals in their wild habitat.

Upon entering the place, I asked everyone (who’s sitting beside the window) to roll down their window and smell the fresh air. It’s not just the air that surprised us, it’s also the sound of the wild echoing. It makes you feel like you’re in the jungle.

Here are some sightings :

What are the usual (public) perception towards an expat wife? Why do people mistook us as having a dull free, luxurious and easy life?
Are we really priviledged? What most of us (expat wives) really prefer?

Expat Wife
Definition : Married to a mobile husband who earns more than the average Joe back in your own country.  Living internationally, with  company allowances.  etc..etc…
Sounds good ey? Not!

Contrary to what everyone thinks (well most), we don’t have an abnormal life. A life of luxury is only for rich people, rather, for people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. 
We struggle the same life like any normal wife, only, we are fighting the unknown. Being aliens in other countries is not an easy job. We may have little comforts like living in a better compound or buildings, having a helper and driver, sending kids to international schools. But the chances of having more advantage than disadvantage is not possible. We have problems of isolation, unfamiliarity, etc… etc… Imagine yourself stranded (for a couple of years) in an island far from civilization, then you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

It’s not that I’m whinning,I’m not!,I’m just stating facts. Sometimes I’m being too cynical, sometimes I feel so blessed with what I have, knowing that some people will kill for this life that I have. But then, there’s this little devil at the back of your mind that never ceases an opportunity when it arise. Sometimes we prefer and hope to have a normal life back home.

Socializing was never been this hard back home with your long time friends. I used to love parties and in those days I am me. But now in some parties you have to be pretentious, in some a little stiff and in some just plain fake.  Makes you wonder why it’s not easy to borrow a face like ………..                  

Yes I borrowed her face but only for this blog. This was taken before one of the cocktail parties. Justin took the photo but thought my face looked stressed out…so I pasted hers on mine. Neat eh? And yes it’s my body …..duh! I just borrowed her face.

Note to self: Have to learn to accept I’m aging and not steal somebody else’s face …LOL!

This post was inspired by expatwomen.com and the book "Me, a TaiTai? Expatriates wife don’t always have it good".

Justin prepared another meal for his weekend cooking duty. This time it’s an Indian adaptation of Chicken Tandoori.

  The chicken was marinated and kept in the fridge for two nights. And then grilled in a makeshift barbecue grill because he doesn’t like to bake it in the oven.
The plate was decorated with salad leaves and grilled yellow capsicums. Served with Mango chutney and Thai spicy garlic sauce.

And I still don’t have the Aussie Turbo II Barbecue Grill
( I’m still saving for it).

The Aussies are famous for BBQ  especially during the summer season. You can find gas BBQ grills in public parks which you can use for free.

I got rid of the one I have back in Hong Kong because it became rusty for being left out in the rain a couple of times. But then, we Pinoys are known to be resourceful and this is what I come up with ……….

………………………………    an old baking pan. We burned the coals halfway before putting it in the  pan. Justin have to  fan it manually to burn continuously.

My usual routine… up at 4:45 a.m. preparing breakfast for hubby, then his lunch box. At 5:30 it’s Justin’s turn to hit the shower et moi prepares his breakfast. Then at 5:45 it’s Pixel’s turn to be shaken up and be served her breakfast . Although with her, it’s quite easy because most of the time she eats cereals.
But this morning I forgot to prepare her lunchbox.
After setting up her table, I glanced at the tube and there it is a feature about Uma Thurman on E!. I was hesitating but I said to myself it will just be a few minutes break then I’ll get on with what I’m supposed to do.
She came out of the room and ate her food while my eyes are  still in the tube. This time it ’s the story of her life with Ethan Hawke. Earlier it was her marriage with Gary Oldman, quite interesting I should say.

She finished up and I went back to the sofa still glued at the tube until ….Pixel’s eyes widen when she asked …”where’s my lunch???”  Oohhhh deaarrr!!!
Next thing I heard is the school bus slowly  pulling over at the front door ….I immediately rushed in to the kitchen …open the fridge ..grab a cheese slice … slice of ham…2 pieces of bread…plugged in the sandwich maker….stack them all inside and grab it tightly  with my fist because I broke the lock in a hurry. Pixel is fretting with her things being dragged, wearing a long face and heading to the maindoor. Me on the other hand hurried to place the sandwich in a ziploc bag, grab a box of cookies and an apple juice. I run to the door and saw the bus door about to close but then I managed to catch up with it and hand Pixel her food. At that time she was explaining to her bus friends this - “My Mommy was watching TV and she forgot to prepare my lunch!” A bunch of rascals (kids) throw me a look and all I can manage is a   halfway smile and couldn’t say a single word. Ah!! don’t you just love my daughter !!!

As a couple, we make sure that we take time out for ourselves at least
once a week. Sometimes we go to a dinner, a movie or a nice breakfast
over the weekends.

Last Sunday, Sacha took me to the Ritz Carlton for a heavy breakfast
buffet. Afterwards we went to check the new Pacific Place Mall.

Much to
our surprise this is what we found :

Located on the 4th floor, where the food section is. The whole floor is built to look like a Marina. Complete with lighthouse, sailboats, man made ponds, fountains and a
ceiling painted as a blue sky.

There’s VIP seating on top of the lighthouse where they serve steaks. Ice cream shops  occupies seating on the sailboats. All restaurants have a view of the Marina and the fountains. We sample the view from the sailboat with Cream N Fudge.

At the 6th floor you will find the best cinema house in the city. It is similar to Hong Kong’s Palace IFC the where you have library cafes exclusive for cinema goers, VIP toilets and membership priviledges.

You will also find Kidzania, where kids can spend as long as 7 hours in this little town
set up filled with activities suited for children. In here, they can pretend to be doctors, fireman, lawyers et al. Small divas can go on a shopping and spa service. The entrance is like a check-in counter at the airport that continues to the immigration office before you can enter the town proper. Adults are not allowed in the vicinity but they can watch thru the waiting area.

The mall set up is similar to Times Square in Causeway Bay (Hong Kong) which has an atrium in the middle.

Pacific Place is my place …..

I was inspired by the grand houses and immaculate gardens of Pondok Indah (where the rich people lives,I don’t).Today, I finally visited Puncak (2 hrs. drive outside Jakarta) to check out garden plantations. I’ve been hearing plenty of good things about this place.It’s where you can find the biggest safari in Indonesia called Taman Safari. There is the tea plantation and lots of plants shops that sells cheap garden plants. It’s also home for the biggest botanical park, the Taman Bunga. I didn’t know about the Bonzai garden until my driver recommended it. He may have gotten tired of me exploring every single area in the city of Jakarta just to find a cheaper Bonzai shop.

On our way to Puncak we passed by the tea plantation and this is how it looks like:

According to him it’s always misty,foggy and the temperature is colder than in the city.The view is similar to some European mountains.
It’s completely different from what you usually in the city of Jakarta. Miguel couldn’t help but wonder where his mommy has brought him.
The road is quite steep and wet. Travel time from city to Puncak is about 2 and half hrs. without the traffic jam. But you will enjoy the ride because you’ll be entertained by the view. And the sides  of the road are lined up with all sorts of plants shop.

The one that took my breathe away is…
the Bonzai garden. Which consists of thousands of this lovely tiny little trees. Upon entering the plantation, I develop a stiffed neck from looking to my left and right inside the car.My eyes popped out as soon as I got closer to them. I couldn’t decide which direction to go. I must’ve asked a hundred times a bout the prices of each kinds.

There so much happiness I feel when I was walking around and admiring each one of them. I remember a dream I had long time ago, exactly like that. No, not the one where you’re in the fields of flowers, arms extended and heading towards the man of your dreams,LOL! But the excitement is similar to that.

When I was about to leave Hong Kong, I placed an ad in the "Expat Trading Post’, trying to find a person who likes plants. One that is particularly fond of Bonzai’s. I’ve got several response and finally gave it (actually I sold it for half the price) to a guy who’ve just moved in. He said his family is coming to join him and as a gift to his wife, he is preparing a small garden in their patio. For me, the idea of him surprising his wife speaks for his/her love of plants. Which made me decide to choose him to adopt my beloved plant.

So there you go,don’t ever think that only animals and kids  needed adoption, plants are living things too

After 8 months in Jakarta,
few kilos lost (I’m barely 57 kilos), strands of hair pulled by gravitational
force (according to Justin’s scientific terms meaning falling hair), a
decreasing waistline and one size down for my bra ………. I am also one organ less.

Yes, it’s the age that’s getting me these days. When science tried to explain
about the stages of life (cycle), it did not explain further that as you grow old you
lose parts of your body. Well maybe it did, I was just not listening closely
when it happened J

One week ago, I went through a laparoscopy procedure to
remove my appendix. I woke up one Saturday morning with a slight tummy pain. I
went straight to my usual routine for the weekend – prepare breakfast, eat ‘em,
take a little walk around the house to check my garden. After the 5 minutes
stroll, the pain came back and this time it’s excruciating. It was so severe
that I have to lay down in a cramped position to minimize the pain. After a few
hours of roller coaster pain attack, hubby have had enough watching me suffer.
He said it doesn’t look like common food indigestion.

He drives to Gobal Doctor, which took an hour and a half because of that damn traffic jam. In the car he
brought a pillow and a blanket so that I can lay down at the back. I was in so
much pain, sweating profusely but I felt chills with the car aircon. When we
arrive at the clinic they immediately took me to the observation room, put an
IV drip, took urine sample, blood test and gave me a double dose of antacid. We
waited for a couple of hours until the blood and urine test result came out. It
was positive that I have some kind of infection and that the pain concentration
is at the lower right of my tummy which identifies the appendix. The doctor
then arrange for me to get admitted at the hospital (said to be the best one in the country) for further test and
treatment. Again, another 1 hour and 45 minutes wasted in traffic for what is
supposed to be just 25 minutes drive.

In the hospital they declared acute appendecitis
only after a few minutes I arrive. Hubby was so nervous about the history of
medical services in this country so he tried to ask for emergency evacuation from our insurance company to fly to Singapore.
I was in pain but somehow excited to hear about the plan of flying me out of
this city.
At least, I said to myself, I will have a chance to get a break from this God forsaken place.
Unfortunately, after an hour of negotiation and confirmation from doctors on
both side they decided to keep me here to avoid the risk of my appendix
rupturing while I’m being transferred. My husband held my hand tightly and
hugged me, praying that everything will be fine.

Two hours later, I woke up
with two slaps in my face. It was the attending nurse at the operating room trying
to get my consciousness back as soon as possible. ‘Twas back so soon that I
felt the slapping on my cheeks. After that, I noticed that I was shivering so bad,
practically jerking my limbs up and down with my teeth gritting. I was
suffering from hypothermia,so bad that I began screaming “I’m cold!” as loud as
I can. Which is not much because I ain’t got no energy after 20 hrs. of no food.
The last one was breakfast and they cut me at 3 a.m. til 4 a.m.. I looked
around while I’m in that state and all I see is everyone busy with their own
stuff while I’m there exposed in the cold practically naked (just the hospital
robe). After 5 minutes I felt a warm air inside my robe and then they covered
me up with what looks like an extra large thick bath towel. At that time I was
already in tears because of rage and helplessness. It was traumatic and when I
came out of the room I saw my husband but I couldn’t speak anymore. He said I
was crying for almost an hour until I fell asleep.

I woke up few hours later and after I narrated the story
to him, he almost cried. Then,I demanded for the surgeon to see me but he went home after the surgery
and will be back later that day. The whole afternoon, I refuse to relate to any
medical staff that comes to my room. When I finally saw the doctor, I told him
the experience with tears rolling down my face. I recounted to him the first 2 times
that I have undergone C-section in Matilda Hospital in Hong
Kong.
I insisted that I have the same reaction to the surgery
which is the sudden drop of body temperature BUT I was fully covered with woolen
blanket from beginning to end. Damn, there was even some sort of warmer socks. That
the result of that neglect have caused me more pain specially in my upper back
because of cold air trapped inside. He wanted to give more painkiller but I
declined. I said all I wanted is a hot water bottle to help ease the pain. But
guess what, there is no such thing in the hospital, no, nada, it doesn’t exist.
He said he can send someone to buy me one but stores are already close. Damn!

Anyway, I am now a lesser person (one organ less) hehahaha!
I’m back
on my feet, ‘though I can’t yet carry my 18 kilograms  son, but I’m back
gardening. It’s business as usual, Justin is back bugging me about his
aquarium and the computer room, Pixel with her vanity and the two little ones with their day to day
schedule of activities.Todays activities - gymboree and pony ride around the compound.

This morning I broke the news to my husband that his mother in law (my mother) is coming to visit us and stay with us for a while. I told him that we’ve been exchanging messages and all she needed is a date and she’ll be with us in no time. Got him all worked up, he actually started planning on her accommodation. He even started imagining how much fun it would be seeing me and my mother arguing because of her meddling and me becoming an underdog. I warned him that it will be the other way around, that it will be him instead of me. That his and my teenagers happy days will come to a halt  as soon as she arrives. It gave him the chills..hahahaha!
Walking him to the car I said “Cheer up! It’s a gonna be a fun day.” and before he starts the engine I quickly greeted him “Happy April Fools Day!” …oohhhh the look on his face …hahahaha!