Four Seasons in Belgium

Pernah denger istilah ini?
Gue baca soal nappy brain dari majalah parenting. Lupa judulnya (oh gosh, is it one of the symptoms?)
Well, anyway, walaupun belum ada penjelasan yang pasti, banyak banget ibu2 yang mengeluhkan masalah ini…

Setau gue, gue emang pernah baca kalau saat ibu mengandung (kalau nggak salah mulai semester kedua), akan terjadi penurunan tingkat kecerdasan sampai 40 persen. Jika ini benar, maka pada saat hamil, IQ gue ‘cuma’ 140 X 60/100 = 84!!! Tapi katanya lagi, IQ akan kembali normal secara berangsur-angsur dalam waktu 6 bulan setelah kelahiran, kecuali jika si ibu menyusui, dimana prosesnya akan sedikit lebih lambat. Again, ini teori yang gue baca.

Back to nappy brain.
Banyak banget ibu-ibu yang ngeluh betapa mereka lupa sama hal2 sepele dalam keseharian mereka sejak bayi mereka lahir. Ada yang ‘lupa’ menyiapkan sarapan pagi suami dengan makanan kucing, ada yang bikin kopi pake botol susu dan bikin susu pake cangkir kopi, malah ada yang nanya ke suaminya ‘Sayang, itu mobil besar yang suka lewat rumah kita dan ngangkut penumpang namanya apa yah?’ dan suaminya ngejawab ‘Er… bis…?’

Segitu dasyatnya!

Gue juga kayaknya terkena sindrom nappy brain ini.
Suatu hari gue pernah teriak-teriak ke Jo, marah-marah karena gue udah 15 menit naro wajan diatas kompor tapi wajannya nggak panas2 juga… gue udah merepet, nyalahin kompor sampai jo dateng nengokin… ternyata, gue salah nyeklekin tombolnya. Karena kompor gue bukan kompor gas, tapi kompor keramik yang kagak keliatan apinya, gue nggak ngeh kalau yang gue nyalain adalah tungku yang sebelah kanan atas, sementara gue naro wajan di tungku yang sebelah kiri bawah… Yeee jelas aja wajan gue kagak panas2!!!

Dan tadi pagi, waktu gue pergi ke toko daging deket rumah, gue tengsin banget pas mau bayar, ternyata gue lupa bawa duit! Duh, untungnya, tukang dagingnya kagak nyolot… akhirnya, gue permisi dulu ke bank buat ngambil duit… Gue sih berharap semoga itu tukang daging kagak gosipin gue ama tetangga-tetangga sekampung. Eits, jangan salah, siapa bilang orang bule kagak suka gosip? Cuma bedanya orang bule walaupun doyan gosip, tapi bibirnya tetep aja merah kinyis2 kagak kayak kite orang indo yang kalau gosip bibirnya ampe item kayak pantat panci!!!!

Yah pokoknya banyak banget kejadian2 aneh bin ajaib yang gue tuduh bersumber dari nappy brain gue. Sekarang gue baru ngeh kenapa nyokap dulu suka nyap-nyapan gak jelas, gara2 lupa sesuatu atau kalau diajak ngomong suka kayak distracted.

Begini kali yah emang nasibnya jadi ibu2. Banyak banget yang harus dipikirin dan diurusin. Alhasil kita suka jadi nggak konsen dengan keadaan sekitar…

I guess I nees Ginko Biloba…

Can I write 2 postings in one day?

Yeah I think I can.. it’s MY blog anyway!

Well, actually, I just remembered something…
You know how I love talking about FART alias KENTUT?

A few months ago, I watched OPRAH, and a doctor told her that HUMANBEINGS PASS GASSES 14 TIMES A DAY, NORMALLY.

So, I never thought I’d say this…
but I think I dont fart enough… ***lol***

Hmmmpphhhffff…

I hate this feeling.
I’m done with my ‘thing’, but still I’m not sure about the result.
It’s exciting yet scary…

And the worst thing is, when I’m on pressure, my body starts to show all this crazy symptoms like migraine, nausea, cramps, etc…etc…

May God help me!

Weeks ago, i received an email from a penpal. This is what she told me in her letter (translated-edited version):

" How are you Fanny?
Yeah, it’s tough to be a mom, especially to live so far away from the family. But I feel blessed and happy, because my hubby is very understanding. I am free to use computer. I am not good with technology and not very smart. Luckily he’s very patient and always helped me, he wasnt angry too when I lost his data because I clicked the wrong button. He just asked me to learn more. I am so much more lucky than my friend who cant even use her hubby’s computer. She cant even go anywhere except to the supermarket or kids’ school…."

I was stunned when i read this.

For some reasons, I envy her. I envy her simplicity and her attitude to always feel blessed in her life.

Being a so-called modern woman, I always demand for more.
More freedoms, more respects, more understandings, more times, more money, more rights, more shoppings!!!!

I never feel blessed that my hubby ‘allow’ me to use the pc at home (beside this is our pc, we bought it together). I just feel that, its the way it should be. And I still feel the same way in many other things. That women and men are equal.

I’ve always thank all the amazing, extra ordinary women, like Oprah and Kartini, to make this thing happen.

But still, having read the email, i thank this wise woman. She reminds me that we need to feel blessed, in so many ways.

She taught me how to feel happy, to make the most of our life instead of always fighting for more and more..

I guess this is what I need. A balance.

Another crazy idea from me

Before, when I was asked if I could choose between beauty or brain, I’d hold my head high,  and said ‘Brain, of course!’-with the kind of attitude that made anyone wanted to kick me-

But now, I think, I’ll choose beauty.

Hey, people has the right to change their mind…

Anyway, I choose beauty because I have my own reason.
For me, beauty is more difficult to achieve than being smart. To be intellectual, you simply have to learn. Read a lot, study all night, go out, watch news, be opinionated or even perhaps, just talk about some bullshit with such a confident, people will start considering that you are a genius!

But being beautiful is not as simple is that.

If you weren’t lucky enough to be born as  a ‘ natural beauty’, then you just have to groom yourself, to get the image you’ve always want. And, just like I’ve told you before, that ain’t easy.

No pain no gain, no money no honey.

Have you ever thought about all the cost you need to make you look at least ‘adequate’?

And even if you do have the money, you still have to do a lot of hard works. Exercising, sweating, dieting, etc.

That, if you have the time, patient and strength to go through everything. But if you have no will, but loaded with cash, then maybe you just take the faster way… surgery, laser, macrodermabration, blah blah blah…

But it doesn’t mean that it’s easier to get the look that you want when you are rich. Well, may be it is, but that’s not always the case. Because even when you do have money, you still have to suffer from the treatments, which for me is even scarier than the tough of having to run on a treadmill for months.

That’s why I choose beauty.

Think about it. How many gorgeous women make their living, only -or at least mostly- from their looks? And it’s not just a living I’m talking about. It’s THE LIVING. Got it?

They seem to have a special place in this world, or must I say, a better place. People adore them, love them, envy them, welcome them..

They seem to have the right to do almost anything. Have you ever heard someone say "Oh, he’s so arrogant, but yet he’s ugly. Who the hell does he think he is? "

Well, OK. So ugly people cant be arrogant, but then beautiful people can?

Yeah, I think they can!

So that’s why now, if someone asked me the question, I’ll choose beauty.

But then again, why bother?
I’m lucky I didn’t have to choose… I’ve got both of them: brain and beauty!!!! *** yikes!***

Tot zien!!!!

Kemaren, gue chatting dengan seorang sahabat dimasa SMA. Nggak lama, cuma sebentar, intinya dia ngasih tau kalau dia lagi buru2 mau cabut ke PS buat ketemuan ama sahabat2 gue lain…

Hua… hati ku langsung diliputi perasaan IRI!!!

Gue kangen banget becanda2 goblok ala Indonesia. Dan meminjam istilah Adyt, temen gue si pengarang Jomblo, ‘becanda yang menurunkan tingkat kecerdasan’!!!

Bukan, bukannya selama di Belgi gue nggak pernah becanda ama orang2 di sini. Tapi tetep aja, coba deh lu ngelawak pake bahasa Inggris atau Belanda, pasti susye…

Kalau di sini, palingan gue sama Jo ngobrolin masalah anak, atau perekonomian dunia (which by the way, how we invented the new theory of smoking, yang bisa di baca di postingan gue ‘go smoker go 1 dan 2′), atau kadang politik. Tipikal candaan yang justru bikin lu nyureng buat mikir…

Nah, kalau kita udah capek ngomongin politik atau nyela2 bushy (maap ya oom), baru deh kita becanda yang agak2 bar bar, kayak kentut2an…

this is true. may be, this was the reason why we married each other. because we feel so comfy, we can simply fart and forget!!!

Sering banget pada malam2 yang dingin,kita berpelukan mesra di balik selimut, tiba2 jo nanya:

" honey, what was that? "
" what ? "
" I felt some vibration on my thigh" (dia meluknya dari belakang sehingga pantat gue nempel pahanya dia)
" Er… " (masih belon mau ngaku)
" Did you just fart? "
" … "

Hehehe. Yang paling parah adalah kalau kita abis makan keju. Gue suka kentut diam2 dibalik selimut, sambil berharap ‘uap’nya nggak bakalan lolos keluar. Tapi nggak tau kenapa, mungkin feeling, tiba2 si Jo bergerak dan bikin selimut tersingkap, sehingga uap yang udah gue umpetin itu lolos juga… Kalau udah begini, lagi2 dia bakalan nuduh gue dan gue tetep keukeuh berusaha ngeles…

Born from the parents who are so productive (in terms of producing gas), jangan heran kalau Alyssa, my darling cute lil angel, juga jago ngebom! Dan dia lebih nggak sopan lagi karena dia selalu kentut dengan cueknya dimanapun, kapanpun, bahkan tanpa mencoba meredakan efek suara yang ditimbulkan! Dan jangan salah, kentutnya bisa kenceng banget, sampe2 orang suka nuduh kalau itu gue yang kentut, bukan alyssa, karena mereka pikir nggak mungkin mahkluk semungil itu bisa ngeluarin suara yang dasyat..

Well, balik lagi ke main topic. Gue bener2 kangen becandaan ala Indonesia. Kemaren gue dapet email yang isinya joke2 goblok gitu, gila gue ketawa ampe guling2 aspal. Trus gue juga kangen ala plesetan2 ala srimulat, trus istilah2 gak jelas yang sering dipake kayak, sumpe lo, ‘bo, dll (ada lagi yang baru..? update gue dong :)!! )

Nah makanya sekarang gue rajin chatting, dan kalau lu juga sering chatting di YM, invite gue yah ***ngarep***
Udah gitu, jangan lupa, kalau ada joke2 garing.. kirimin yah…

Nice weekend!!!

Alyssa jatoh dari tangga kemaren.

Ceritanya gini. Setelah ngedrop gue ke kursus bahasa belanda, Jo dan Alyssa pergi ke rumah omanya. Entah gimana kejadiannya, tiba-tiba Alyssa udah jatuh ngegelundung ke bawah dengan posisi muka nyium tanah. Tentu aja, seisi rumah omanya panik. Apalagi waktu ngelihat Alyssa cuma diem aja, dan nggak nangis. FYI, kalau seorang bayi/anak mengalami kecelakaan dan dia nangis, it is much better dibanding kalau dia diem, yang bisa jadi pertanda sesuatu yang serius telah terjadi/anak kehilangan kesadaran. Untungnya, (dasar orang Jawa, anak jatoh dr tangga masih juga untung!) saat itu tantenya alyssa yang kebetulan perawat pas ada disana, jadi dia langsung ngecek semua tanda vital alyssa, kemudian dia dan papanya langsung ngebut bawa alyssa ke UGD. Sepanjang perjalanan, sementara si papa konsentrasi nyetir, si tante duduk di samping alyssa sambil nepuk2, ngajak ngobrol dan sebagainya, buat menjaga alyssa tetep sadar.

Sampai di rumah sakit, Alyssa nangis sedikit, tapi habis itu dia langsung bercanda-canda dengan dokter dan perawat di situ bahkan maik cilukba dengan centilnya. Seperti biasa, dia nggak melewatkan kesempatan untuk menebar pesona, dimanapun, kapanpun! Bahkan, petugas yang nge-rontgen dia sampai kagum banget, kata dia, Alyssa adalah anak pertama yang nurut banget, nggak gerak2, sehingga hasil x-raynya cepet selesai.

Setelah yakin Alyssa gak papa, si tante pergi ke tempat kursus gue buat ngasih tau, dan tentunya gue langsung ‘kabur’ ke rumah sakit. I was so darn panic, but somehow, I just knew, that Alyssa will be perfectly alright, so I tried my best to stay calm.

Di UGD, the first thing Jo told me was, ‘ I lost her sock in the x ray room’. It might sound silly, but I knew he just couldnt think about anything at the moment. So I just smiled and said ‘thats alright’. I have never seen him so pale and so nervous before, not even in our wedding day!!!

It turned out that my instinct was right. Alyssa is ok, except some bruises in her forehead and nose (tambah pesek deh anak gue!). Cuma dokter nyaranin, supaya dia stay di rumah sakit semalem, just in case.

So, we finally ended up spending the night in the hospital, in which by the way, should have been our second anniversary ! Gue ama Jo cuma bisa liat2an, sambil cengengesan, to think that Alyssa will simply do anything to give us an unforgettable anniversary… :p

Namanya kecelakaan, emang gak bisa diduga kapan, dimana, dan gimana kejadiannya. Sejak Alyssa mulai mobile (baca: ngerangkak, jalan, lari, joget2, manjat2, dsb), gue dan jo udah mengamankan seisi penjuru rumah. Our place is child friendly, karena dimana2 udah dipasangin childproofgadgets, dari yang sederhana kayak tongkat buat nahan laci2 biar gak bisa kebuka, sampai yang khusus kita beli di toko kebutuhan bayi.
Eh nggak taunya kejadiannya malah di rumah omanya. Si Jo bolak-balik bilang, kalau dia udah liat pintu ke ruang basement (tempat alyssa jatoh) ketutup, tapi entah gimana caranya (mungkin kucing yang buka), toh pada akhirnya Alyssa bisa ngedorong pintu itu dan langsung ‘terbang melayang’ ke bawah.

But I do believe, everything happened for (at least) one reason.

Mungkin ini cara Tuhan buat ngingetin kami, betapa berharganya Alyssa buat kami.
Atau, seperti yang udah gue bilang barusan, mungkin ini caranya Alyssa buat bikin anniversary papa mamanya menjadi ‘tak terlupakan’.

But whatever the reason is, I’m simply happy that she’s ok.

And now, all i could tell her was:

" Alyssa, Mama tau, Alyssa cantik, baik, ramah, dan cerdas. Mama yakin, kalau Alyssa pasti bisa jadi apapun yang Alyssa mau nantinya. Tapi, satu hal yang Alyssa harus ingat, Alyssa nggak bisa jadi burung… "

If I had to live my life without you near me
The days would all be empty
The nights would seem so long
With you I see forever oh so clearly
I might have been in love before
But it never felt this strong
Our dreams are young
And we both know they’ll take us
Where we want to go
Hold me now
Touch me now
I don’t want to live without you
Nothing’s gonna change my love for you
You ought know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I’ll never ask for more than your love

Nothing’s gonna change my love for you
You ought know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through
But nothing’s gonna change my love for you

If the road ahead is not so easy,
Our love will lead the way for us
Like a guiding star
I’ll be there for you if you should need me
You don’t have to change a thing
I love you just the way you are
So come with me and share the view
I’ll help you see forever too

(Nothing’s gonna change my love for you - Glenn Medeiros, our wedding theme song, 10 Oct 2003)

Have you ever felt so ‘click’ to someone before?
Someone who completes the missing piece of you?
Someone who can make you drop everything you have, even your long life dream?
Someone with whom you are willing to take all the risks, no matter what the future might hold, because you know that you are simply nothing without him/her?

For me, that someone is Jo.

It all begun in a cold autumn in Copenhagen, Denmark, 4 years ago.

The first meeting, we were just good friends, but I remembered that he promised to bring me some chocolates the next time we’d met.

The second meeting, months and months after the first one, he handed me a big box chocolates. I was surprised that he actually remembered. He told me, that he’s the guy who keeps his promises. I thought ‘Whatever…’ *** rolled my eyes, started attacking the pralines***

The third meeting, still in Copenhagen, we became closer. But still, there were no butterflies, lightning strike, electricity, etc. Nothing.
Until one lonely night, (when we were stuck together while our other friends somehow disappeared), we kissed. Just like that, out of the blue…although, of course, there was some vodka involved ***wink***
And up to now, we still argue about who made the first move! (of course, it wasn’t me!)

So from then on, we were together.

The journey hasn’t been easy.
It was so hard, but we’ve always stood by each other.

And now here we are, still holding strong, as ever.

Dear Joey,
You are such a stubborn bastard and a selfish asshole…
But you are MY stubborn bastard and MY selfish asshole… :p
Happy second anniversary…
Thank you for every moment we have shared together…
and for many more to come…
I Love You With All My Heart, Body and Soul !!!

***********************************************************************************************
Ps. To readers, the moral of the story here is:
" Give any woman Vodka + Chocolates… She will definitely fall for you!!!!

Kemaren kita bertiga jalan-jalan ke Lille, sebuah kota di Prancis deket perbatasan Belgia. Ceritanya sih kita bertiga ngunjungin temen kita, si Bpk F sekeluarga…

Perjalanan ditempuh dalam waktu dan tempo yang sesingkat2nya (1.5jam)…

Bpk F ini, adalah temen kita jaman masih jadi mise dulu. Buat yang gak tau apa itu mise, gue jelasin dulu yah, bahwa mise ini merupakan program di kantor gue dulu, yang sukanya ngirim2 pegawai2nya buat ke denmark supaya mereka bisa asyik2 aja begaul dengan sesama mise dari negara lain dan party2an! Wuekekekekk..boong banget gue!!!

Yah, pokoknya gue, jo dan si bpk F, ini lumayan deket dan kita suka saling silaturahmi, maen2 kalau pas ada waktu senggang. Dan berhub. bpk F ini adalah salah satu dari sedikit temen kita yang juga udah berkeluarga, jadi kita tambah cucok.

Bpk F ini punya baru punya anak kedua, satu setengah bulan lalu. Sementara anaknya yang pertama umurnya 4 tahun, bernama Mas T. Beberapa tahun yang lalu, waktu gue pertama kali ke rumahnya si Bpk F, yang namanya mas T ini baru 2.5 tahun, dan dia lari telanjang langsung meluk gue begitu gue dateng!

Mungkin itu lah saat pertama dia jatuh hati ama gue!!!!

Kemaren, begitu gue datang lagi, dia langsung aja nyosor nyium BIBIR gue, sambil meluk… apa lagi pas dia tau kalau gue bawain dia kado… which, btw seperangkat spidol, yang bikin emak bapaknya agak2 bete ama gue! hehehehehe

Setelah makan siang dan Alyssa bangun bobo, kita semua (gue, jo, alyssa, bpk f, ibu S, mas T dan dek A) jalan-jalan ke sebuah taman di deket rumah mereka. Tamannya gede dan bagus banget, lengkap dengan danau2an, dan sebagainya…

Dan seperti biasa, dimanapun Alyssa berada, dia mesti tebar pesona… Maka jadilah gue dan jo sibuk lari-lari ngejar dia, sampai pinggang kita rasanya mau patah. Kayaknya nggak ada orang atau anjing di taman yang nggak disapa Alyssa hari itu! Yang ada gue bete karena orang2 prancis itu sibuk ngoceh ama Alyssa sementara gue cuma bisa bengong karena gak ngerti sepatah katapun!!! Akhirnya gue cuma pasang senyum lebar-lebar sambil ngangguk dan bilang ‘Oui, Oui…!!!’

Tapi yang paling serem, kalau Alyssa udah ngejar-ngejar anjing. Busyet, mana anjing yang dikejar segede-gede SAPI!!!! Dan Alyssa dengan cueknya main tarik, peluk dan leyeh-leyeh gitu aja….

Setelah makan es krim, kita mutusin buat balik ke rumah si bpk F. Dan tiba2 aja si Mas T nanya ke gue, boleh nggak kalau dia bobo ama gue nanti?

WHOA?
Serius loh, dia nanya gitu!!! Gue ampe bengong dan kegeeran! Hehehehe…

Tapi belon sampe 10 menit gue GR, tiba2 dia bilang ‘Eh, nggak jadi ah, gue maunya bobo ama Alyssa aja!!!!".

Yang ada sekarang Jo yang bengong!
Padahal, dari jaman Alyssa masih di perut, dia bilang bahwa dia bakal nggebukin semua cowok yang berani ndeketin Alyssa. Kata dia, Alyssa baru boleh pacaran kalau udah berumur 35 tahun!!! Dan sekarang tiba-tiba ada anak umur 4 tahun yang minta bobo bareng anaknya!!! hue kekekekekk

Pulangnya, tentu aja mas T nyosor BIBIR gue lagi, DUA kali… PLUS pipi…

so that’s how my saturday went bye…

Many people asked me to update them about Alyssa’s stories. So ok, here they are…

*** She is now into ‘redecorating’ and ‘cleaning’.
I have to admit, that I’m not really good on this particular subject, that’s why may be, she decided to help mama to make the apartment look nicer and cleaner!

When she saw me cleaned up the table by spraying it first with some cleaning product, she decided that her orange juice in her sippy cup is better… at least it’s more natural and contain no chemical hazard! So she spilled it on the table, and started wiping the already cleaned table with her small hand full of cheese spread… Well, alright, who can beat the combination between orange juice and cheese spread?

And don’t be surprised if you visit our place, and then you found my bra on the coffee table, Jo’s boxer on the sofa, or my panties in between the magazines…
Somehow, Alyssa thinks that they are better there than just being folded in the closet…

Then a few days ago, when I was doing the laundry, I took the clothes from the washing machine, then open the tumble drier door, but before I do the drying, I went to the kitchen first to clean up the filter. When I came back, I found Alyssa inside the tumble, proudly smiling at me!!!!

OK, I must admit that she found a better hiding place this time…!!! ( I used to hide inside the closet, and once I hide there for 10 minutes, and Alyssa wasn’t even try to find me!!! Gila gerah dan malunya ituloh… dikacangin ama anak sendiri! :p)

*** She follows anyone who has food
This is a true story. A couple of months ago, we went to a shopping mall about 10 minutes from our place.  There were a few benches in some corners, with some toys and decorations in front of them. Of course Alyssa was interested with the toys, so she came to them and started to observe… Round and round and round.. until her eyes saw the view of a young man sitting near by with… a sandwich!!! She started to get distracted… But she was still in doubt, so she kept continue walking around the toys… round and round and round… Until finally, she couldn’t helped it anymore… the temptation became harder to resist… so she came to the guy, stood right in front of him and started to beg for his food….

OMIGOD!!!

Of course the guy laughed! But I think behind his laugh he also felt sorry for Alyssa and might even considered to report us to the police for being abusive parents !!! LOL

I’m always proud of Alyssa, for being such a friendly and confident girl to anyone, even strangers… But in this case, she is just, too friendly!!! hehehhehee

Prettige weekend !!!