Cikelin Chronicle

I had my first baby ultrasound yesterday. It was amazing to see a tiny human lives inside me. We could see clearly her head, tiny feet, tiny hands, her heart beating rapidly, and even took a look inside her brain. When we watched her, she was lazily sucking her thumb. Alhamdulillah, so far so good. Everything seemed normal, nothing to worry. And... she is a girl! Insyaallah. A.K.

I am longing for "real" Indonesian food, not the one with instant bumbu. Especially these: 1. My Mom's soto kentang 2. Soto Pak Sholeh 3. Soto Mang Udi 4. Soto Kudus Simanjuntak 5. Ayam bakar and telur coklat Yu Yem 6. Hot Cui Mie Gloria Malang 7. Bubur ayam Muntilan 8. Gudeg Yu Djum 9. Bakso Kota Malang 10. Es krim Tip Top Jogja 11. Sate Ayam Madura deket rumah 12. Kupat Tahu Blabak Glurp! I am writing this to ease my pain. Here, I can only find one food that satisfy my tastebud, which is: Turkish Gozleme. It's kind of martabak, with chicken mince, cheese and spinach inside, served with chilli sauce and lemon wedge. We have plenty Indo restaurant here but they are far far away from home, need one hour journey to reach Kingsford aka kampung Indo. Actually, 5 minutes from my place, there is a small Indo resto, but the taste is far far away from our expectation. But since whinning is not good for the baby, better to think positive. At least here, I can easily find a ...

This shopping season, I couldn't help myself. I bought my first MANGO (and the second, and the third and the fourth and the fifth). And I'm not talking about fruits. A.K. shopaholic in training

I don't make resolution at new year, but at my birthday. Last year, I wanted these , and thank God, two of my dreams came true. I don't understand why some people don't have any goal in their life. It's quite absurd if one say, "Ah, I just go with the flow... let it flow like water." Ha, even water has it's own goal: to the sea. I was that kind of person, when I was in my first and second year at Uni. I called it my dark ages. I just didn't know what I was doing and where I was heading. It's comfy not to think about the scary future and not taking any risks, but also I felt useless. The worst part, I became a burden to my parents, and anyone else. Now, I am the kind of person who exactly know what I want, what I am going to do and what I'll say in my prayer. God is Mercifull. It's like we underestimate Him if we don't ask for His Blessing. Oh, okey, here they are, Bismillah, my three wishes this year: 1. Publish two best-selling novel...

A perfect birthday morning: 1. a birthday kiss from him 2. a hot cuppa 3. homemade (w/ instant spices) nasi kuning 4. a perfect gift from my wish lists (sure I had to give him a clue, or I'll get another book, hehehe...) A.K.

There's a rumour that Nindi will have her little sis/bro soon. I just want to confirm that it's not a rumour. I am now twelve weeks pregnant. Actually, I couldn't wait to tell everybody about it, but it's not wise nor safe to announce before it reach second trimester. Even my doctor here believes in this superstition. The due date is on June, 11th, and I will have her/him here. Please pray for me, for a healthy and happy Mom and baby. Thank you. A.K.

Our favorite annual Sydney Uni’s event is The Book Fair. Here we could purchase a used book as cheap as $1, or even less. We prepared for this ‘important’ event, saved as much as possible to buy lot and lot of books. We also learnt from last year event that we must come in the first day for better choice. We came early to avoid dissapointment. To our surprise, when we arrived there, fifteen minutes before the door opened, there was already a giant line, around 100 meter. All ready with their giant shopping bags, boxes, and even shopping trolley. This madness was just like when the final Harry Potter released. This bookfair was held in one of the room at Quadrangle (Sdyney Uni’s Main Building). As we entered, the room was already packed with people. It’s so hard to move, especially when with a stroller, and 5-year-old daughter. Fortunately, Nino was one of the volunteer in this event. He could choose the books he wanted to buy before the fair was officially opened. Since h...