Our Christmas Surprise

So last Friday was a shocking day for us. We are going back to Japan, next month, for good.

This is not surprising actually, we knew this would happen last september when a new boss came here bringing his right hand, whose same position with hiro. Two men in one position?! It won't work for sure :). We just didn't expect it this early. We thought it would be like in april or may.

Anyway, we are good now. After one night drinking with our good friends here in Sorowako. Again, life is about hello and goodbye...we have a great great one year in this jungle paradise. I love my friends here, they are like my family; love all my activities here, love all the fun too for sure. I will really miss this place. But I am satisfied and ready to go :)
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Iki's first Christmas Concert

So at last Iki did it. Well, I couldn't hear his voice at all, but he was there, on the stage. Panicky trying to find my face at first, then started to move his hands, making little little movements. His other friends sang loudly and did the action excellently of course, they did an great job. Iki was shy, I knew. It was his first time and standing on a stage is a huge thing for him. But he did look very cute, trying to hide his face while doing the actions following the song :p. He was too busy trying to hide his face that he forgot to sit nicely and showed everyone his underwear instead (>.<). Preparations:



The little shepherds:



First song: Mary's Boy Child



"Trumpets sound and the Angels sing..."



Second song: We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Selamat Hari Natal



But I am so proud of him. He'll do better next time, I am sure!!

Can he make it.....?

Every year Iki's school has Christmas Concert just before the long holiday. This year Iki's class (the preschooler) will open and close the concert by singing.

The first song would be 'Mary's Boy Child" and the other one is 'We wish u a Merry Christmas' also with the Indonesian version.

Iki learnt both songs in a day and he sings while playing. So cute, that I was pretty sure things will work out well during the concert. But I am fully awared that Iki is very shy and an introvert boy so I am pretty worried too actually.

And last Friday Iki's school teacher called me. She said that Iki always doesn't want to stand up and sing together during practice so he'd better only sing one song during the concert. She thinks that singing on the stage makes shy iki stress....and also if suddenly Iki doesn't want to sing at that day, he will disturb the performance!

I was so sad and dissapointed to hear that. This is the first time in Iki's life so I am sure its a huge thing for him, for shy Iki to sing in front of many people in a concert. But shouldn't he get the chance????
And if he really doesn't want to sing, what is so difficult to move the kids formation a bit?
And why the heck she told me about this just few days before the concert?? Shouldn't it better be told before so I could talk to Iki?

I talked to Iki. He said that he didn't sing because he didn't want to get the sticker. Apparently the teacher gives sticker to every kid who could sing during practice, and shy Iki just simply is. not interested on sticker! But when I told Iki that Santa Clause won't come if he doesn't sing, then he promised me to sing! See?!

There are still 3 days practice for Iki. I am crossing my fingers now. Teacher said that she will see on Iki's performance during practice, if he really can sing on the concert or not. So I am crossing my fingers now and hope, that my shy boy would really make it....

Ganbatte ne, Iki-chan!

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At last!!!

So at last today papa-chan and Iki agreed to have mie ayam at warung pak untung for lunch!

The first thing he did was cleaning the table! Great, his first impression of my fave warung was that the table's dirty. Then unluckily while waiting, he saw some chicken climbed the wagon where our food were being prepared and ate some noodle there (>.<). The good thing was that he didn't go out right away haha!

Iki loved it eventhough he kept asking me to turn on the AC haha. Hiro liked it too, he said that it tasted like kare udon. But he loved the bakso there. He wanted me to put bakso from that warung inside oden next time :p.

Good, next time I'll try to bring them eating coto makassar or kapurung hehehe

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Helpful boy

Iki loves helping me out preparing dinner. He is very happy to wipe the dining table, to set the dishes, also to prepare drinks.

During cooking, he also loves to help me bringing the vegetables or spices I need to cook. He is very good in peeling carrot already! I plan to buy him knife for kids so that he could help me cutting the vegetables too :))

He makes his own breakfast too. Look at him making sandwich!

I hope in another three years he could prepare my lunch or help me cleaning the dishes hahaha

Banana Juice

Look what Iki prepared me for dessert. Banana Juice!!

He cut the banana, put them in the glass, put some water inside, with a bit pepper and a lot of salt. He almost forgot the sugar but then he added three pinches too. At last he put a teaspoon of honey and left the glass in the fridge for 12 minutes.

God, please help me to drink this :p

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Tree House

We got it from Maddie when she moved to Bali last August, but Paulus, our talented gardener just brought it to our house and built it last month :p

Iki was very busy "helping" him

When it was half done

And here it is. Exactly the same color as our green house. Beautiful, isn't it?

Setting a HASH

Last Monday was my first time setting a HASH. Actually I had to do it with Hiro but he can't possibly do HASH if Monday is not holiday so I asked Lynley and Mariko to help. It was Mariko's first time too to set it, but Lynley is an experienced HARES so I was pretty sure we won't get lost somewhere in the jungle hahaha

This was our point A. The pineapple monument in Wasuponda, a small city 20 minutes drive from Sorowako.

Some shots of us dropping papers for trail

With children following us

Some shots of the beautiful view

Surprisingly lots of people coming!

We walked for 1.5 hours for making this trail (for three times in total!), so we thought the trail would be long enough. How surprise we were to see the first runners coming within 30 minutes!!!!! We were pretty down at that time, but then my excuse was that my legs are half size of the first runners' legs :p. But I am happy that for many people this hash was really a nice hash. One woman even said that we should make trail every month! Whooo hooo!

Well we had to drink anyway. Hares had to drink, and someone found out that we took photos while setting the hash :p

Iki and Computer

He is taking over my computers now!!!

If you guys see me online but give no response or replying with an unknown language, there must be someone else using it (>.<)

Mie Ayam Pak Untung

It's a public secret that I am a HUGE fan of Bakso. I always try to find the best Warung Bakso wherever I live in Indonesia. So far nobody could beat Bakso Pak Salam yet, but life must go in here, I must move on with another warung :p

My blog friend Yuni was the one who introduced me to this Bakso Pak Untung when I was just a newbie in Sorowako. I had been trying lost of another warung bakso afterwards, but apparently Pak Untung has the best Bakso soup in Sorowako! Now I go like at least twice a week there, bringing some friends and introduce them to Indonesian cheapest yet the most delicious culinary treat!

The thing is, Warung Pak Untung doesn't only serve Bakso. It has this addictive Mie Ayam!!! It's boiled noodle in Chicken and Ginger broth soup.

The noodle is homemade, fat (yet not too fat) and chewy. The soup is thick and tasty yet not salty. It is based on braised chicken and ginger with sweet soy sauce, with sliced leek and fried onion on top.

Simple and cheap food but OH SO GOOD!!!

HASH

The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH, H3, or referred to simply as Hashing) is an international group of non-competitive running, social and drinking clubs. An event organized by a club is known as a Hash or Hash Run, with participants calling themselves Hashers. - Wikipedia. - Read Wikipedia if you are by any chance interested to know more about HASH ;-)

In Sorowako it is held every Monday afternoon, starting at 16:45 sharp. We run in the jungles, through the hills and paddie rice, cliffs, mud, river, even cemetery. Under the hot sun or very hard rain. Even during National holidays or Christmas. They said that nothing can beat the HASH's spirit, even demonstrators in Sorowako haha!

People start to run after someone blows a horn as a sign that it's 16:45 already. We have to find and follow the shreded or rice paper. Sometimes we are lost in a faulsie and have to find the "hidden" paper that bring us to the right trail.

Most hash events end with a group gathering known as the Circle, or less commonly as Religion. Led by kennel leadership, the Circle provides a time to socialize, sing drinking songs, recognize individuals, formally name members, or inform the group of pertinent news or upcoming events. Circles may be led by the Kennel Grandmaster, the group's Religious Adviser, or by a committee. - Wikipedia

At circle people get their HASH name too, since using a real name is discouraged during HASH. My HASH name is "Dua Wobbly Bits", Hiro's is "We don't need another Hiro", and Iki's is "Playboy". People earned their own names - means they get the named after they do something silly or stupid or extraordinary.

This was when I got named :d

After 25 times runs, someone will get a bip as a reward. After 50 times run, he will get a beer mug. After 100 runs, people will get a mug and a HASH T-shirt with HASH name written on it. Believe it or not, there is a guy had completed his 800th run!!

This is me after completing my 25th run (^__^)

Except a HASH Flash, everyone is not allowed to bring camera during HASH. If someone found out guilty bringing a camera during HASH, he/she then has to drink during circle as a punishment. I know...I know....I'm naughty sometimes :p - hopefully no Sorowako hashers reading this post or I'll get drunk next time :))

Most of the photos here were taken, Sorowako's HASH House Harriers website. Thanks to the HASH flash, MP :)

HASH is not only for running and getting some exercise for me, but also for socializing and refreshing. I saw lots of the world's most breathtaking sceneries during my runs :)

The BOO Party

Was held last on the Halloween, 31st October in Sorowako. It was originally to say goodbye to our friends Sarah-Dwayne and Janice-Terry.

Almost every wife in the community took part to make the party success. It was a small yet very nice party :)

Psssst!! We were nominated as one of the best costumes that night!! (^_____^)

Pumpkin carving

Yesterday I had my first pumpkin carving ever here. It was sooooo much fun

Look at my first carved pumpkin ever (^__^)

AS cute as Iki haha!

Halloween for kids

Was celebrated yesterday because 31st of October is Saturday = no school. And mostly because there will be adult's big party tonight hahaha

Iki went to school in Teru Teru Bozu costume, little Japanese traditional handmade doll which is hang to wish for good weather. I fell in love with this little doll when my niece and nephew in Japan made and hung some by the window to pray for good weather for a trip to Fuji mountain the next day. Our family's halloween theme this year is Teru Teru Bozu. Because I am SCARED of ghost so I don't want to decorate or dress up in scary stuffs :p

All the kids wore costumes yesterday morning. They were all very cute or 'scary'.

And they had Halloween lunch together. I brought this salad and spent the whole morning carving the pumpkin and carrot hahaha

Late in the afternoon they went trick or treat. I walked with Iki meanwhile my maid stayed at home giving out treats. Some Indonesian kids also joined, they were all dressed up too.

And most of the kids cried at Bobby's house, the last house, because they got really scared.

At first Iki was not scared at all. He tried to scare the people there with his teru teru bozu costume. But then he realized that they were really scary so he backed off, and started to cry hahaha

This is what was left when I got back home. Teru Teru Bozu lollipop :p. My maid got her treat too then haha

Iki got a looooot of treats. Now his small refrigerator is so full I believe I won't need to buy him any treats for 6 months haha!