My world (now) is full with you...

Is it late to introduce my little baby?

Hehehe...

Here's my lovely little boy!

KENICHI ARIA SUNG

ケンイチアリアスン

was born in late spring on May 25, 2014

in Kyoto

His name 'Kenichi' has many different meanings in Japanese according to each kanji.

Ken'ichi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:

• 健一, "healthy, one"
• 賢一, "wise, one"
• 謙一, "humble, one"
• 憲一, "constitution, one"
• 建一, "build, one"
• 研一, "polish, one"
• 兼一, "concurrently, one"

(Wikipedia)

However, me and my husband choose to use katakana, so that the name can include all meanings, which also our wishes for him ^-^

Middle name and last name is taken from his father's name, it is very ear catching, isn't it? 

Now, my little K (I call him with many nicknames; K/kei, Kenda, Kenhihi, etc) is 4 months old going on 5 month this week. His development is really fast, or maybe every baby grows very fast as him... hehehe. Really happy to see him grows well eventhough its only the three of us in here, no parents, no babysitter, no maid... Sometimes, we feel exhausted too, but we try to enjoy. I think everything become more simple in the way we raising him, because everything decided by ourselves. 

I really want to introduce him when I get back to Indonesia. He have to see his (parents) homeland... 

(7 days old, before leaving the hospital)

(1 month old, crying so loud)

(2 months old, now bigger than Uteng)

(3 months old, getting love to play)

(4 months old, plaaaayyy until papa and mama drop, hahaha)

(become mama and papa's traveling companion)

I love you so much, Kenichi-kun... grow well and be a good man my son

Why Am I Here...

Sedang berpikir ngapain yah aku jauh-jauh kesini... 

Ngapain aku belajar sampai ke tingkat ini, yang mana (nampaknya) hal kayak gini bukan aku banget.

Honestly, aku bukan tipikal pelajar banget... even not a bookworm.

Sudah setahun di negeri sakura. Negeri dimana semua impianku pernah tertuju, "Suatu hari aku akan kesana menjemput impian!!" tekadku waktu itu. But then... now I aske myself a question, "Impian apa itu?"

I mentioned in the Welcome post,

I dream to be a traveler, culture explorer, writer, and home-made cooking chef.

Does it require to be a PhD?

a big NO

terus kenapa aku harus belajar tinggi-tinggi, tenggelam dalam membaca jurnal-jurnal yang aku pun nggak bisa paham, belajar metodologi penelitian yang rumit yang pada prakteknya penelitian nggak serumit itu, dan menyenangkan.

Ok... Ini semua untuk meraih impian.

Balik lagi, impian yang mana?

Kadang mikir juga, setelah aku belajar jungkir balik koprol-koprol gini, aku mau ngapain? Balik ke Indonesia dan ngajar jadi dosen dengan gaji yang nggak seberapa... Researchku yang kukerjain jungkir balik itu mau dibikin apa? Paling juga cuma sekedar jadi WACANA... itu pun kalo di-waca... hehehe.

Indonesia besok bakal ganti presiden, yang mana diharapkan bakal bisa membawanya jadi negeri yang lebih baik. Aku amin-in aja. Seraya nambahin, semoga ketika balik Indonesia nanti apa yang kami pelajari disini nggak disia-siakan... karena sungguh, berada di titik sekarang ini, ketika aku ngerasa apa yang kulakukan sekarang ini enggak aku banget, aku butuh alasan untuk tetap berusaha, finishing what I started. Kalo misalnya balik Indonesia nanti tidak termanfaatkan, yaaa... buka toko benang saja lah...

Ahhh... curhat apa lagi aku ini...

Cuma pingin nulis, sudah lama nggak nulis bikin otakku tumpul rupanya. Skill menulisku merosot drastis.

Oke, so, kembali ke why am I here?

Saatnya kembali menata fokus, belajar adalah yang no 1, mengurus keluarga no 1-1, jalan-jalan no 2, menulis no 3, dan memasak no 4.

Tapi memasak harus tiap hari je... hehehe.

Sudah sudah, ayo kembali bersemangat, kucing pink!

Kamu berada di tempat yang kamu impikan

Bersama orang-orang yang kamu sayangi

Belajar apa yang kamu sukai

Nggak ada alasan buat mundur

Cuma ada, LAKUKAN YANG TERBAIK!

For dreams... For the future... For LIFE!!! 

(never forget this)

Dare to Eat: Natto

 Holaaa!!

Hari ini libur di sini, Showa day katanya.

Yip, libur hari Selasa-selasa gini, tapi disini nggak ada tuh hari kejepit kayak di Indonesia. Hari Senin kemarin kantor, kampus, sekolah, masuk-masuk aja dengan santainya, malah jadwalku padet. Gara-gara minggu depan ada ‘Golden Week’, yaitu libur nasional beberapa hari berurutan di awal Mei (dari tanggal 3 sampai 6 Mei, sayang sekali tanggal 3 dan 4 adalah Sabtu dan Minggu, nguik), jadinya jadwal-jadwal kuliah pada diganti ke hari lain deh.

Sebenernya mau keluar jalan-jalan sih, gosipnya ada flea market di shiyakusho (kantor walikota). Tapi tapi tapi…, semaleman saya nggak bisa bobok, kata si Kamen Rider sih wajar kalo ibu hamil insomnia gitu. Akhirnya tadi pagi baru bisa bobok, sampe siang! Hahaha! Dan sepertinya memang cuaca  Kyoto suka banget mempermainkan perasaan, giliran pengen keluar rumah, hari ini anginnya kenceng banget berasa satu kota di-blower-in. Anginnya kelar, niat mau keluar rumah nongol lagi, dikasih hujan. Hehehe…, maybe the nature conspires to make me take a rest today.

So, mumpung ada waktu dan mood, sekarang saatnya menulis kembali. Jyah, dah lama banget nggak nulis-nulis kayak jaman Multiply dulu. Bahkan, saking bergejolaknya hasrat menulis waktu itu, sampai bela-belain nulis pake HP (yang belum smartphone, belum berpaket internet, jadi kalo internetan makan pulsa abis-abisan).

Oke, sekian prolognya, daripada makin OOT (out of topic).

Tentang NATTO. Ini nama makanan.

Hidup di negara orang,  mau nggak mau harus adaptasi, termasuk sama makanannya. Salah satunya makanan ini, yang katanya adalah ‘tempe’nya Jepang, yang walaupun sama-sama terbuat dari fermentasi kedelai, tapi bentuknya sama sekali nggak mirip tempe, apalagi rasanya.

Berdasarkan baca review orang-orang non-Jepang banyak yang nggak suka sama makanan yang satu ini, karena bentuknya yang… berlendir dan berjaring-jaring (aku menyebutnya berhifa-hifa), rasa dan baunya juga aneh. Compare to tempe, terasa lebih beradab makan tempe banget deh, hahaha!

Pertama kali makan natto waktu field trip ke Tohoku tahun 2012, yang mana salah satu menu breakfast hotelnya ada natto. Aku yang penuh rasa ingin tau pun mencoba mengambil sesendok, kayak temen-temen Jepang lainnya, trus ditaruh di atas nasi. Yap, dengan segenap kurangnya pengetahuan tentang makanan ini, maka perjumpaan pertama dengan natto berakir HORRIBLE. Teksturnya yang lengket dan bau yang menyengat bukan paduan asik untuk makan olahan kedelai.

Waktu kembali lagi ke Jepang setahun kemudian. Ada rasa penasaran yang menghantui tentang makanan ini. Katanya ini adalah lauk sarapan favorit orang Jepang yang sehat (kandungan gizi dan manfaatnya bisa googling lah kalian). Plus, melongok-longok di suupa (supermarket) depan dorm, kok harganya murah banget, 1 paket isi 3 cuma 84 yen. Aku pun browsing, lihat-lihat gimana sih harusnya makanan ini dimakan, dan akhirnya mencoba beli sepaket.

Berdasarkan petunjuk makannya (dari review), makan natto nggak langsung dimakan gitu aja, tapi dengan langkah-langkah berikut ini:

1.  natto diangetin di microwave sekitar 30 detik
2. dicampur sama soyu dan mustard (included in the pack)
3. dicampur daun bawang
4. diaduk sampai keluar jaring-jaringnya
5. ditaruh diatas nasi hangat
6. baru dimakan

dan ternyata…
ENAK!

Pendapat ini memang subyektif banget sih, buatku setelah melalui langkah-langkah diatas, rasa si natto ini masih acceptable sama lidah dan perutku. Bahkan kemudian jadi menu favorit, ketika lagi males masak dan bokek. Hehehe…

Waktu mas Kamen Rider menyusulku tinggal di negeri sakura ini, sempet ada kekhawatiran dia bakal nggak suka sama makanan favorit baruku ini. Secara si natto ini sama para gaijin (foreigner) sering dibilang makanan jepang yang paling aneh. Ternyata…, beliau oke-oke aja tuh, malah jadi suka juga, sampe suka eksperimen sama makanan yang satu ini. Pernah suatu pagi tau-tau dia menyajikan natto ditumis, dan hifa-hifanya hilang. Karena selama ini aku makan natto secara default mengikuti SOP diatas, maka natto tanpa hifa jadi terasa aneh -_- but it was delicious too.

Sekarang bahan makanan ini menjadi salah satu belanjaan wajib kalo ke suupa. Kalo sampe kelupaan, pasti kami merasa sedikit kecewa. Kenapa? Soalnya kalo lagi males masak, atau bahan masakan lain nggak komplit, asal ada natto, kita bisa makan dengan enak. Selain itu, natto ini bisa dimakan dengan lauk lainnya, apapun, walaupun cuma sekedar bayam rebus sama soyu (kecap asin).

Sebentar lagi bulan puasa, dan kami berdua memasukkan natto sebagai bahan yang wajib ada di kulkas, terutama buat sahur, biar kalo males masak bisa tetep makan dengan proper.

Ini dia ‘fast-food’ ala Jepang yang lebih fast dari nggoreng nugget! Dan sehat.

Now my baby is dancing~

Okay guys, finally I passed two chilling seasons in here.

How was it?

I always mentioned, it’s not good -_- really, for me, the freezing weather was not suit to my tropical body. But surprisingly, my husband love the winter a lot, since he rose in one of the hottest city in Indonesia, Surabaya. Anyway, my hometown Yogyakarta is also hot, somehow, but still my skin cannot adjust to cold weather yet. Now, spring has come to Kyoto, the weather getting warmer and warmer each day. And I get happier and happier, feel lively again to play under the sun, fufufu…

And as time flies so so so fast…

Now my beloved Kamen Rider is always beside me again, spend time with me again, and enjoy everything together again. It is very nice having him by my side, no more loneliness, have more laugh. He’s taking care of me very well, and I… well, become more spoiled, hehehe… He learns cooking so fast also. Formerly, he can’t cook at all, but now, he can even identify the ingredients and spices inside every cookings. Also, he prepare the meal whenever I feel unwell or… mm, lazy… (honest confession). And his cooking is always deliciozo!

sushi date

hanami date

chef Kamen Rider in action

lunch prepared by my husband ^-^

My pregnancy… thank God for these endless blessing, it going very well. Week by week, my baby is growing so fast. From just as big as a poppy seed to papaya… hahaha. And now he (yes, it’s a he) love to tease his mother by his gentle tickles from inside, and sometimes with kicks, punches and frequent moving. Aaaa… I love this baby a lot… ^-^

Yeaaa, it feels funny that there’s something inside me is ‘dancing’ like that. Sometimes, when I sit in the bus, or in the class, I saw my belly move and it burst me to laugh. However, the more he dance, the I feel so happy to know that he grow very well inside, though, in here, I don’t really do well on those so called “pregnancy treatment” as well as if I live in Indonesia.

preserving Indonesian tradition by celebrating 7 months pregnancy

By the way, I love how THIS CITY treats the pregnant women. Yes, I caps THIS CITY… like everyone and everything in this city is conspired to treat the pregnant woman very nice.

Since I (identified) got pregnant, I registered my pregnancy to the ward office for applying insurance (hokken). Then, I got a bunch of book for pregnancy check in the hospital, plus… discount coupons for the check up charge. Whoaaa… so that, in some (most) check ups, I didn’t pay any charge. For sure?? Yup, but still, I have to pay the insurance. Hehehe…

I took pregnancy check up in Kyoto University Hospital, a hospital nearby the campus. Yeah, it was just a week since I came to Kyoto when I know I got pregnant, so I just go for the only hospital I know. My friends said that hospital charge for delivery in this hospital will be more expensive than in the municipal hospital, but since I already familiar with the hospital, I decided not to move to another hospital. And hopefully, the childbirth lump sump from the insurance is sufficient enough. OSH! I believe that every child has its own fortune, I don’t worry so much about this matter.

Ahh, one more thing, I also got a very cute badge to hang in my bag… special for pregnant women. Firstly, I feel a bit shy to hang it in my bag, it is like I announce to everyone that I’m pregnant and I want the privilege (I remember a phenomenal path posting about this matter in Indonesia a little while ago). But nope, in here, it is the way the other people give respect to pregnant women. As part of child protection law, everybody have to give a good environment to a child to grow well, even since they’re in the mother’s womb. And, it were many times somebody offer me seat in the bus or train without I ask, or even intentionally show the badge to sign. This is how a great country treats their ‘special’ citizen!

As typical mother-to-be, I also craved for those cute baby stuffs. Really, even since I was not pregnant yet, I know how cute is baby stuffs and I love to buy them for my cousins or friends that just give birth. And now is my turn… everytime I see baby stuffs (clothes, toy, bedding, feeding things, etc) I got crazy.  Little by little, I gather the baby needs in list. I love this activity a lot (yeah, every women loves to shop ^-^), hahaha…! But everything in here is very expensive, the price is amost tripled from Indonesian price. Luckily, my husband already brought some baby stuffs from Indonesia. Also, my parents will visit Japan in the next two weeks, and I already ask for many baby stuffs! Yeay!

I don’t know why, but the nice baby shop in Kyoto is very far from my dormitory, have to change several trains and walk quite much. Thanks to Amazon (this is not a covert ad), I could buy some baby cute stuffs in easier way and a way cheaper, includes traveling cost. However, some stuffs are unreasonably expensive, both in the baby shop or in Amazon, in my case, mattress and pillow sheet, the price is a way beyond my budget. Then, I think about the way to solve this matter… sewing, by myself. Yes, sewing.

You know what, I’m not good at sewing with machine, eventhough my grandmother and my mother-in-law are experts in sewing. But I ever experienced in using the machine, for… sewing my cat’s trampoline, 8 YEARS AGO! Yeaaah…  then I recklessly motivated to sew my baby’s bedding sheets by myself. I bought the fabric in nearby department store and borrow dormitory’s sewing machine (luckily the dorm have this facility), the start sewing. Don't ask about the detailed result, it is, of course, not as good as professional made (since mine is skewed sewn in here and there). But I satisfied!! I wish my baby someday could understand this… that everything for him is made with love :)

6 weeks to go for the full term.

I am very excited and nervous.

Wish me luck for the big day!

here's my little gift for my coming little special one...

READ AND WRITE

Hello minna!!!

Yeah, it’s been a while since the last time I posted, as always, I feel so bad of not much spending time to write. Actually, it wasn’t because I’m too busy on research or something, even my research is now getting stuck and I don’t know what to do anymore for it. No, I actually know what I HAVE TO DO. But just… lazy.

Like writing a blog post, sometimes, without any particular reasons, I just don’t wanna do it, or spend time to do it, or for the cliché-est reason: ideas just blew away everytime I start writing.

These days, I’ve been asked to write an article for a newsletter of a programme I attended almost 2 years ago. But then…, I stuck in front of my lab computer, staring empty at the monitor, forcing my brain to work for at least write a paragraph. You know what, this article is actually an easy article, not as difficult as the research proposal. But it is very difficult to make even a sentence.

I should blame the winter that freezed my brain that bad for the last 4 months. Yeah, now the weather in here become warmer, but my brain melts down so slow.

Now I start to blog-walking again, see many pages I’ve been missed for so long. Many bloggers still keeping up their posts, managed the appearance nicely, and got more follower. In the other hand, there are also blogger left their page, just like abandoning stuffed room. I feel a bit pity about this. I also left my “room” for a while, then back again everytime I want, having less responsibility in managing it properly. This page is just an unimportant page for the world, but it’s still my OWN room. A room of expressions and thoughts of mine, to share with people in the world.

Sometimes I feel envy to the others that having many followers in their page. It means that many people are interested in reading their stories. But my page… hmm… I can’t say no one wanna read (or at least see) my post, but less people read, less interactions, it seems pointless… Or it is just my thought.

Okay, I felt (and still feel) very sad of losing my Multiply page, with many precious posts and friends (that is now spreads in many social media). I missed the spirit of posting in there, where people were kindly responded to everything I posted, even the crap-est one.

Multiply, or any kind of media may close or stop, but I shouldn’t stop writing. I feel like writing a blog post is one of the ways to develop writing skills. And to make a good writing, I should read any good (or not good, too) other posts. It sounds similar to write scientific report… I need to read more to write a good report. That’s my conclusion.

So, what I wrote today? Hehehe… another crap, but I still want you all to read (and please leave comments).

Kyoto is cloudy with little shower today, Katsura campus got a windy day and my cubicle is still the same this semester, hehehe… ah, also, my baby dance a lot today (inside).

Welcome spring… may it gives me more motivation to read and write more (both blog and report).