Thought via Path

Week 28, hasil kontrol pagi ini.

Dokter: mba ini posisi bayinya belum bener yah.

Aku: oh jadi saya harus senam hamil dok? (Baca dimana nek senam hamil bisa benerin posisi bayi)

Dokter: jangan. Nungging aja sehari 1 jam.

Aku: 😑😑😑😑 – Read on Path.

My Pasar Mayestik experience

So my mitoni is around the corner and i think all preparation are almost done, thanks to my very helpful in laws and parents.

Hehehe i guess all four parents are just so excited because junior will be their first grandchild.

Even so, hubby and i still need to do one thing on our own: making our own matching outfit, traditional javanese kebaya for me and the sorjan for him.

We cant afford trips to go back and forth to Jogja, so we decided to just buy the fabric and make the outfit here.

I choice the infamous Pasar Mayestik after years of blog walking about Kebaya fabric. It is famous for its wide price ranges and choices.

Last week on Saturday morning at around 8.30 a.m, we drove there. Thankfully the traffic was still okay. But the parking was not 😞😞

When I arrived there, I was a lil surprised. I thought I will be looking for fabric in a mall building, like in Tanah Abang or Thamrin City, but I wasn’t.

Apparently all the famous fabric stores I read on the blogs, like Fancy and Mumbay, are located outside the center big building. So this pregnant lady had to walk around the market area with all the pollution and heat (both from the sun and the cars) for the fabric.

Usually, sorjan is made from fabric with big flowers pattern on it, which was ssooo hard to find there. I went from the famous stores to random stores to look for it, still no right flowery fabric.

Until I saw the Silk Route. I learned from many blogs that it was famous and quite expensive (I had very very small budget of Rp 200,000 - 300,000 for 4-5 meters of fabric). The store looks more luxurious than other store, so I didn’t feel like going in…considering my budget. But hubby said what’s the harm in looking.

And thank you hubby for that 😍😍😍

Who knew the store had the fabric I wanted and the price was in my budget.

We bought 4 meters of fabric, 2 for my Kebaya and 2 for his sorjan, for Rp 260,000. And then we went back to the big center building to look for (cheap) designer/seamstress which scattered in the second and third floor of the building.

After super quick scheming through the floor, I saw this store which had many sewing machines and workers, too many that they took over some spaces outside the store. The name of the store was Elegant.

I chatted with a lady there who I believe was the owner. Loved the price and quick processing time, and I decided to just make my Kebaya there.

I spent Rp 250,000 for Kebaya kutu baru that was scheduled to be done within one week. Awesome!!

As for hubby, we decided to send his fabric to jogja and make his sorjan there. Simply because we didn’t see any sorjan sample in the Mayestik and, even with the additional shipping cost, the price in jogja would still be cheaper (I believed he said around Rp 90,000 - 150,000). Besides, he didn’t need specific measurements as I did with my growing belly.

Week 24, preparing mitoni

My 24th week. The bump is getting bigger, slightly.

And now i’m preparing my baby shower, which will be held in a traditional javanese event called mitoni.

Honestly i dont really know what or how the event will be because i never see or attend any mitoni my whole life.

What i know so far are,
-the time for mitoni is when the mother is 7 months pregnant.
-it is only for the first child, so i guess this is my only mitoni for the rest of my life?
-there will be a siraman, in which i am showered with some special water (i believe it come from different sources/places)
-and somehow i have to change clothes 7 times. (I really need to read more about this 😣😣😣😣)

Since the event will be held in jogja, i really cant do much here from jakarta. My parents handle all the hustle hustle in jogja.

We already have the dukun which understand the mitoni and will guide us through the whole process.

The same dukun will also set decoration for the siraman, which i believe will be filled with jasmine.

Hubby is still looking for photographer.

And we still need to get matching outfit, kebaya and sorjan, for hubby and i.

Thought via Path

Seneng banget deh datang ultahnya spupu… Ditraktir makan enak n dapet kue. Bonusnya, ada beberapa yg bilang mukaku kayak anak sma ☺️☺️☺️, pada kaget pas tau hamil. Hamdalah 😇😇😇 – Read on Path.

At Central Park

Me: mas, ladies parkingnya di mana?
Mas2: naek aja mba, di P8
Me: (buset, tinggi bener 😨😨😨). Saya gak bisa nyetir naik mas.
Mas2: yauda, turun aja mba.

Moral of the story: plis jangan bikin ibu hamil go all that way up. I’d rather lie about it. – at Central Park – See on Path.

Thought via Path

Him: sayang, kamu kalo lahiran nanti jangan pas closing yah.
Me: yaahhh HPL nya akir bulan hon.
Him: dimundurin aja jadi tanggal 5…

Derita punya suami #workaholic 😭😭😭😭 with shifa, yosita, and Failasufa – Read on Path.

Thought via Path

Jadi tadi pagi pas lagi masak sahur, my beloved husband nglilir and bilang mau nemenin sahur, walopun dia gak puasa. Minta dibangunin pas makanannya udah jadi.

Heran… Kok tumben baik banget??

Ternyata abis nemenin makan saur, dia buka laptop buat ngerjain kerjaannya. 😑😑😑😑

Ini sih bukan nemenin saur, tapi minta dibangunin buat kerja. Once a #workaholic, always a workaholic. 😒😒😒😒 – Read on Path.

Thought via Path

Being pregnant at the same time with my lil sis has been awesome so far. Until… you realize the gender of the two babies are probably the same.

Me: dek aku udah nemu nama nih, xxxxx, tapi popo blum manteb.

Her: eh apik kui, ta'pake aja ya.

Me: … (Seriously, no emoticon can describe it)

Ini kayak situasi rachel and monica deh. 😑😑😑
Dibs on the name yah dek!!! with shifa – Read on Path.

Week 16, flu, bed rest, and oranges

I’m entering my 16th week of pregnancy by having a severe influenza. I had a fever, cough, and runny nose. It was ugly. 

It is a common knowledge for expecting mothers that we cannot take any medicine. My doctor even said “there’s no safe medicine for expecting women, so please make sure you’re not sick.”

After suffering 2 days with fever, I went to see my doctor a week early from our original appointment. As usual, I went to Jogjakarta International Hospital (JIH) to see dr. Enny.

It’s been like my fourth and fifth time seeing her and i like her. She did gave me a lot of donts but somehow I feel safer that way, if that’s even make sense. 

Anywho, she told me to take some medicine and to eat fruit more. Yes, she is always telling me to keep consuming fruit, which is great because i prefer fruit than carbs during my pregnancy (somehow the carbs just make me feel nauseous).

And as detail as she always is, she said to consume more oranges. “Consume like 1 kilogram of oranges per day for three days. So Mrs. Grandmother (my mom) please buy 3 kilograms of oranges and blend them so the mother can consume it easily as juice.”

This is my third day with 1 kg of oranges and now I feel nauseous seeing oranges :(

But, hey I do feel a lot lot better in my third day. I dont know if it was the oranges, or the medicine, or the bed rest thing. It just worked. Hhhmm… fruit rather than medicine?? nice touch doc…

Dr. Enny also told me to get 2 days of bed rest, meaning I can only get up if i need to go to bathroom or to eat. I cannot do any work, even housework. My mom, who sat next to me,  leered at me and smirk as if she says “yeah, like you do any housework.” Ehehehe… love my mom so much deh mah…

And of course I just had to disobey that advice. In the evening at the very same day, I went out with my parents for dinner. And guess what, I felt like passing out after a couple of hours. We ended up canceling our dinner and went home directly. 

Then I realized I misunderstood the concept of bed rest. I thought it was for the safety of the baby, but it turned out it was for the mother. 

Despite everything, my baby is super healthy, said dr. Enny. She said my baby was very active as he/she kept moving in my belly. Alhamdulilah is all i can say because, honestly, sometimes I forgot to take my vitamins and I also ate junk food. So sorry baby, and thank you for being so healthy for me and you daddy. 

Week 15 and (still) no bump

I don’t know about other places, but here in my home country Indonesia. Women should get married before getting pregnant. 

And for those who got knocked up and hide their pregnancy, I guess having no bump like me is a good thing. 

But I kinda wish for the bump to show up. So i can ask for special seat in a bus/train, or i can ask people to not smoking near me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind standing in a bus or train, but pregnant women don’t lie when they say they don’t have many strength as they’re used to.

I still throw up every morning and it is hurrrtttt. I feel like the baby punching and kicking my stomach that I almost can’t stand up. Maybe this is a coincidence, but after i rub my belly and said “baby, mommy is hurting here. please stop punching me.” The pain stops. 

Second trimester, week 13

Feeling super happy because my baby is healthy. My doctor, dr Enny Pamudji from JIH, said that the baby is very active which meant i drank enough fluid and took good care of myself.

okay, honestly,,,, i didn’t really ate healthy food like all the time. Sometimes I ate junk food and indomie. Some people were surprised, but i guess the baby is really really strong. saying Alhamdulilah seems just not enough for my baby’s health. Please keep being strong lil kid.  

the frequency of me puking has been decreasing. but i still have no appetite. and dr. Enny told me to gain at least 2 kg every month. or around 12 kg in total. hhhmmm… not sure how i can do that. 

my doctor also limited my travel time to twice until the labor time. so i guess i’m going to go back to Jakarta in April and spend my second trimester there with hubby. before going back to Jogja in my third trimester.

Owh, and my belly is more likely the same. don’t have the bump yet. 

First trimester

First of all Bismillah…

As a javanese, or Indonesian… not so sure about this, there is this saying about not announcing or talking about pregnancy until it reaches 3 months or around 12 weeks or “else.” I’m on my 11th now so.. *finger crossed.*

Usually I’m not the type of person who believes in superstitions. But this is for my baby, so i just dont wanna risk it. 

Anywho, I’m in the mood to write about it.  

So in the very first week:

I was actually on my super late honeymoon in Bali. I didn’t know I was pregnant so hubby and I just went ahead to enjoy our holiday. I rode motorcycle from morning until evening, going from one tourist spot to another. Not a good example for pregnant women. Thank goodness nothing happened. As for my body, I didn’t feel nausea nor did I vomit, which explained why I didn’t realize I was pregnant. I was just, hungry, like all the time. i ate twice as much and I must say I also didn’t aware of that. Not until hubby kept saying he was full while I was still hungry. Then I thought, maybe I just had a thing with balinese food :p

Second to around Fourth week:

We went to the doctor and it was positive. I’m pregnant. Still no nausea and vomit. But i did fart a lot. I also felt sleepy most of the days. And I was still hungry but had no appetite for any food in Jakarta. I wanted to eat many food in my hometown, Yogyakarta, instead. So I decided to stay with my parents for a while. It was good as I had my appetite back.

Fifth to tenth weeks:

This is where it gets tricky. I just dont feel like eating. And somehow I had no energy. Since I was so bored at home, I went outside just to freshen up. I went to my campus, met some friends, shopping, and other activities. But after around 2-3 hours, I just felt so sleepy and had no energy. So I started keeping snacks in my bag because, apparently, I need to eat something every 2-3 hours.

Tenth to eleventh weeks:

The nausea finally kicks in. I vomit daily. Still had no energy and no appetite. My weight is actually decreasing by 2 kg. My doctor said it was normal. She also said I didn’t need to eat a lot if my nausea got worse. Just make sure to drink at least 6 glass of water or juice and the baby will grow just fine. I actually tried once to push myself to eat despite the nausea and i vomited immediately after I ate, so i stopped doing that and just listen to my doctor’s advice.

I’m about to enter my second trimester in a week or so. Hopefully I will get my strength back because I hate doing nothing. And I wish i can eat some of the foods that I cannot eat right now. I really really want to eat durian pancake, but durian is bad for expecting mother. 

Thought via Path

Mama: pah, keluar yuk beli buah.
Papa: lah itu ada pisang kok.
Mama: emang papa beli pisang.
Papa: itu di meja ada pisang goreng.
Mama: …. Kan itu udah di goreng pah, udah berminyak.
Papa: tapi kan dalemnya pisang.
Mama: …… with shifa – Read on Path.

Interviews

So now that i am jobless, i’ve been applying jobs after jobs. Applying is rather easy. It’s the next thing that hard, the interviews.

I had acouple of interviews since i left my previous office. And it went terrible… ＿|￣|○

I forget how to sell myself. For the past two years, i was surrounded by smart and briliant people in the office with so many great achievements that made me so… small. Not to mention my new friends outside the office are overseas graduate or work for top knotch mnc companies. I was, perhaps am, a nobody in comparison to any of them, just a graduate from a university in Yogyakarta. So to be honest, i was not, or couldn’t feel, any confidence walking into my interviews

So not cool people!! Confidence is an important factor to get a job and i hate myself for not being able to have more confidence.

One of the example was when the panel asked me about my achievements, and i was stoned. I felt like i have never achieved anything. Thirty minutes after the interview finished, i remembered that i worked and studied super hard to earn my two bachelor degrees while writing essays to get my exchange scholarship. 

And when they asked me how i managed to study at two majors at the same time, i forgot how i paid so much attention to my schedules at the beginning of every semester, just to make sure that i didn’t have two classes at the same time. I forgot how i ran from one class to another just to make sure i signed the attendance lists, and then catch up the lesson later at night. 

Instead of answering that, i went blank… 

I guessed that led to my other mistake: i focused on the wrong practices of interview. Unlike two years ago, this time I aim to work on NGOs instead of corporate companies. And prior to the interviews i practiced to answer some questions I faced during my corporate interviews.

You know, questions like:
-why do you quit your last job?
-why do you wanna work in an NGO?
-this NGO focuses on environment, how will you do this job with no background on that field?

And none of those questions were asked during my interviews. 

Apparently they asked different kinds questions from those in corporates, though few questions were similar.

IMO, these NGO workers focus more on my personality, my story, instead of how I can benefit to the company. They really read my resume all to the tiny details and asked me to share my experiences at that time.

It’s funny how I couldn’t handle a relax interviews better than i dealt with formal interviews.

Enjoying my jobless time

So it’s been around 2 months since i last worked. It’s sad to say that i’m getting used to it. 

What I did first after being jobless was going on a quick vacation with Popo.

Then I temporarily moved back to Yogyakarta because Popo had to go to Kalimantan for few months. 

Then, I am enjoying Jogja to the fullest. I met up with my old friends, is still trying Jogja’s new cafes and restaurants.

My friend asked to work on some translation project, so sometimes I work at home or coffee shops. It’s kinda fun…

As the project is not that hard, I have a lot of spare times, which I use for sleeping, eating, and wandering around Jogja. 

One day I just slept throughout the whole day.

Other days I turned into couch potato with snacks next to me and 20 episodes of Korean drama The Heirs. The drama was quite good, I just don’t understand how the girl manages to make Lee Min Ho crazy about her without doing anything.

I guess my family is worried as I haven’t gotten any interviews, but deep down, i kinda enjoy this.

fashion show

So I went to a fashion show event last night. It was the first time in my life to go on such event, considering that I am not a socialite, not that fashionable and not a princess.

How did I get the invitation as a nobody? Well, my designer mba Alma invited my mom and I to the event and she was one of 21 designers that joined the fashion show.

My comment, the fashion show was great, the big ballroom, the food, in general I had a lot of fun.

But after around dozen designers showed off their collections, I got bored and left after I watched mba Alma’s collection.

Besides the fashions show, I was very curious with the audience. I read Cosmopolitan and many fashion blogs, so I expected fashionable crowds and at the same time I was worried with my own outfit. (FYI, I wore a batik dress from Bringharjo market and my ankle boots).

It turned out that the crowds were not as fashionable as I thought. Well some people did dressed up, but many others wore simple batik dresses like my mom and I. I guess the ones that dressed up were either designers or Yogyakarta’s socialites.

Well it’s Jogja, so it’s obvious that the fashions show was somewhat a little humble, at least for me.

Other things that glimpsed my eyes were some people in casual attire of jeans and shirts with backpacks. Yup, they were the media.

Back when I was a reporter, every time I attended such glamorous events with formal dress code, I always looked for other reporters who usually wore casual clothes like I was. I guess it become a habit to automatically spot reporters on the field.

Not only that, I also felt the urged to pay huge attention to the show and the speeches, as a preparation to write, which was totally unnecessary because I was there as an audience.

It was not helping, when a friend of mine text me asking if I was there to cover the fashions show…

It was just getting more and more sad.

I hate to admit it, but I do miss being a reporter.

Finally, some alone time

After I became unemployed last week, I was looking for some time to be alone, without TV or comic books or even Popo. Just me, listening to music and probably writing my random thoughts.

And I finally have that time here at the airport, waiting for the plane for about 2 more hours.

Not what I’ve planned though. First I thought of enjoying my alone time at my apartment, after Popo went to work. But the TV or the comics got my attention, plus all the houseworks that I had to do.

Another perfect time was when I was on my way to Puncak, highlands near Jakarta. We passed this spot called Puncak Pass, where I could enjoy the view cities and hills from the top.

 I knew it would be super awesome if I could go there and enjoy the view alone while thinking what I need to do next. Sadly we were too exhausted and ended up sleeping.

Usually every time I face troubles or difficulties, I always call my close friends or families to talk about it. Next I will listen to music out loud and reading comic books just to get my mind out of it. 

Not this time. This time I just want to sit down and do nothing. Maybe I need some kind of meditation. Its funny how I used to despise meditation because I don’t see the point of doing it. And now I feel somewhat more relax after sitting and doing nothing for only 20 minutes.

Officially jobless

After one year and three months, I’m now officially jobless.

My feeling was mixed up, still is actually, about this.

I guess I’ve always known that I don’t belong in the office, so I kinda got the vibe that this thing would come. Even so, I’m still sad that I couldn’t stay longer in that place. 

It’s just that place had been my dream since I was in college. So to realize that I stopped working there after only a year was so hard.

It’s like I like this particular dress and dream about wearing it, but after saving up an buying it, the dress doesn’t fit. Even after I try to squeeze in so hard that it hurts, the dress still doesn’t fit. So I have to let it go. 

And it’s killing me because I really really want to wear that dress. 

But, despite how cliche this my sound, I believe Allah prepares better job and adventure for me.

I said goodbye to my friends, editors, and mentors last week. It was sad but I was pretty happy because they seemed to enjoy my presence in the past year. Too bad I couldn’t find the editor in chief in my last day of working.

Anywho, last year was amazing and unforgettable. The experiences, the lessons, even the nagging changed me into a new (and I hope) and better person.

As for the responses, my parents and Popo were happy that I didn’t have to come home at night again. Sipa is still being her with no comment in general. My girlfriends were as mixed up as I was. The good thing is that all of them support me to get through this.

Rainy rainy days...

It’s been raining in days here in Jakarta. Floods hit the city repeatedly, sun rarely comes out.

I actually like rain. It’s gloomy and the air is much cooler.

Just had one tiny problem.

I can’t dry my clothes…

So, it’s Saturday, and I can’t enjoy my one-day holiday because I have to stay home and watch my laundry in case it’s raining.

Sejak kapan mau jadi kucing?

Berasa lama banget enggak nge blog… 
Lagi asik jadi wartawan amatir nih.

Berhubung internet kantor lagi mati dan enggak bisa nulis berita, mending nulis uneg-uneg lah yah.

Ini sebenarnya pembicaraan lama sama salah satu sahabat saya, Mala.

Mala itu seangkatan sama saya, dan layaknya 20 something girls yang baru kelar kuliah, yang diomongin itu berkisar: pacar, agenda nikah, and…well… jobs. 

Mala, sama kayak saya,baru lulus jadi sarjana. Trus pas ngobrol ngalor ngidul di BBM, dari mulai kerja, PNS, kawin, ikut suami tau-tau sampai ke statement,

“Aku pengen jadi kucing wae Yak,” kata Mala.

Kenapa kucing? Karena kucing itu diurusin. Semacam Garfield yang bisa gulang guling seharian.

Masih sama kayak saya, Mala juga udah punya pacar yang serius. Dan Mala udah berniat jadi istri yang bakal ngikutin kemana suaminya kerja. 

Jadi sekarang dia nyantai gitu nyari kerja. Enggak kayak saya yang kesetanan, bolak balik Jakarta-Jogja, bahkan sampai Surabaya, yang akhirnya gagal juga.

Enak banget yah, saya juga mau jadi kucing. Diurusin suami, enggak usah ribet ikut tes, desek-desekan di job fair, wawancara sana sini. Tapi saya enggak bisa.

Obrolan selanjutnya beralih ke status saya yang anak pertama dan Mala yang anak ke 4 atau 5 gitu, dari 7 bersaudara.

Sebagai anak pertama, mau enggak mau saya jadi kedapetan kewajiban but membanggakan orang tua. Kalau Mala, orang tuanya juga jadi lebih santai kali yah, secara banyak kakak-kakaknya Mala yang udah jadi contoh.

Tapi tiba-tiba pas ngobrol sama Mama, kok Mama malah bilang,
“Kamu jadi PNS aja mbak, atau cari kerjaan di Jogja. Gaji 1 juta enggak apa-apa.”

Lha???

Campur-campur dong saya rasanya, tapi banyakan jengkel sih. Bayangin dong, orang udah capek-capek kuliah 2jurusan. Pas ujian lari-lari kesana kesini, karena ujiannya bareng. Sampe dibela-belain skripsi dua kali. Eh, sekarang suruh kawin, trus kerja seadanya.

Pernah pas bete memuncak, saya sampai ngomong ke mama,
“Kalo gitu dulu enggak usah susah-susah kuliah teknik kali Mah. Mending d3 aja yang administrasi.”

Maap ya Mah, esmosi.

Saya sih seneng-seneng aja jadi ‘kucing.’ Tapi kenapa sekarang??? 

Saya masih inget jaman SMP, saya dimasukin di SMP di Denpasar karena, padahal saya tinggal di Kuta, yang kira-kira 13an kilo lah. Tiap pagi saya berangkat jam 6, biar enggak kejebak macetnya jl Imam Bonjol.  Padahal di Kuta juga ada kok SMP. 

Waktu SMA, dibela-belain sekeluarga pindah ke Jogja dan Papa sendirian di Kalimantan. Biar nanti saya siap buat masuk UGM/ITB gitu.

Pas kuliah pun saya ikut bimbel super mahal yang pake garansi masuk kedokteran. Enggak masuk sih, nyasarnya di teknik. Ngerasa madesu di teknik karena IPK pas-pasan, saya genjot bahasa inggris saya di kampus sasing.

Trus sekarang…suruh jadi istri yang di rumah, atau istri yang bisa pulang sore????
And, sejak kapan sih orang tua saya yang tadinya setengah mati pengen anaknya sukses, tau-tau pengen anaknya jadi 'kucing’?

Anywhoo, Balik ke Mala, saya kagum sama dia, dan semua cewek yang memutuskan jadi ibu rumah tangga habis lulus kuliah. Menurut saya butuh pengorbanan besar buat bisa mengikhlaskan perjuangan 4-5 tahun di kampus itu.

Apalagi Mala juga bilang, ada kemungkinan dia mau nunggu si pacar lulus, trus nunggu dia kerja, trus baru deh Mala nyari kerja di kota yang sama kayak si pacar/probably husband at that time.

Berasa ditonjok deh saya. Hubungan saya sama Popo justru kebalikan. Popo akhirnya hijrah ke Jakarta hanya karena saya bilang, saya mau kerja di Jakarta. 

Baru-baru ini juga dia nolak promosi karena itu di luar Jakarta, demi deket sama saya doank.

Berasa pacar durhaka.

Saya bukannya nyepelein kerjaan ibu rumah tangga. My mom is a full time housewife and I couldn’t be more proud of her. 

Tapi ngelepasin gelar sarjana dan kesempatan buat mengaplikasikan ilmu-ilmu itu di bidangnya, itu enggak gampang, at least for me.

So here’s the crossroad, mau jadi kucing persia yang cantik dan stay di rumah, atau be a cub? 

Apapun yang saya pilih, pasti saya nyesel karena enggak milih yang satunya. The Road Not Taken banget deh.

Yang jelas, once again, salut sama sahabat saya yang satu itu, yang mau berkorban demi calon suaminya.