7 Days Sketching Challenge

On last holiday, instead of running around the house do some silly movements, I challenged my son to do 7-days sketching. He agreed, and he started with Sydney Harbour Bridge -he fond of his memories of spent time sitting on the Harbour did nothing but sketching, he was 4 back then- and I believe Sydney colored his character. 

He finished off  with Pasopati Bridge in Bandung-West Java, which he would spent hours looking at it from our hotel room, last time we holiday in Bandung.

I love to share this with you, as a proud mom -of course- and I believe aspiring artist should be nurture with  love :-)

Blame it on the rain

Blame it on the rain

"Sorry mam, the gate closed and the aircraft moving already."
What???

This trip intended to be a short trip for me, 2days and 1 night, to visit my mum that undergo small surgery recently. I completely aware this is holiday season, so I opt for cheapest flight -that not so cheap anyway on holiday season- and choose earliest outbond flight to Semarang. Flight was 5.40, with previous experienced traveling early, I assume 4.30 start from home buy me enough time.

I miscalculated the rain and how it affected the traffic. And roadworks just inside the airport. Needless to say, 15minutes extra I spent inside my taxi cost me an extra $200 from ticket price I already paid on the net - for getting two new tickets for next available flight. That the price I initially refused to pay as I thought it is to pricey for such a short trip.

Never happened in my life before I missed my flight. 5.25 arrived on the airport, getting rejected on check-in desk, frantic phone call to my pilot-cousin, texted my husband -with my shaking hand, you bet, and I believe I just gave him early minute headache before work- then sprints from one tiket counter to another tried to get next available flight, with no result.

As my husband told me last night, I haven't been traveling with my kids only for a while. He kept asking to make sure that I got all prepare and kept saying that I need more practice -he thought I'm getting rusty with all this flying thing.

Oh well.
Here I am now, with my daughter that super cool -she had no complain at all, all they way I dragged her here and there to process the ticket- ; on waiting lounge, and will be here for another 3hours at least.

Bad luck really cost a lot.

Ayu HUSODO
www.strawberrypatch.biz

Traveler tummy

I've been tortured by diarrhea in the past few days with bathroom sprint inclusive. Traveler diarrhea I may call it, as it's not only me who got the bugs but my husband also, and we traveled out of Jakarta last week. We consciously eating local food we rarely ate, assuming after three years live in Indonesia our tummies are adjusting well. Apparently, is not.


I got the luxury to stay at home -completely at home- in the past couple of days so this tummy trouble thing seems not a big deal. When it comes to unavoidable event today -a friend wedding reception- I went out with worry. How if it will kick me during the reception? Or how if we trap on traffic when my tummy calling in?


Fortunately, things I worried most did not happen.
Not without sacrificed, as I had to say no to myself every time I looked into array  of great foods on the reception. Our friend happen to be from Padang, and the traditional food from West Sumatra definitely present.  Dendeng Balado never looked so good. I force  myself to say goodbye to Dendeng Balado. It was disappointing. 


Lesson well learn for me, for never push myself off my limit -in term of eating-   , that the consequences are hard to bear (read: tummy cramps and bloating). Suddenly I remember the day I tease my expat friend when she got spice-shock with Indonesian food. What goes around, comes around -I guessed-. 
For you my bule friend, if you read this, I sincerely apologize for my misbehavior in the past  :-(

Project "Nasi Kuning"

It was not the first time I made Nasi Kuning, but it is a very first time my son, Big R helping me with all the preparation.

It was not in grande-scale of nasi Kuning. We only did a bit of 'verkadel or perkedel' -a tiny fried potato ball-,sliced omelet, beef shredded and cucumber playing part on salad side. We left original sambal goreng and fried chicken away. Fresh Parsley and slices of red-chilli balancing the colors just perfect.

His school had an event called "United Nation Evening" last Friday, and we decided to share our nasi kuning side by side with other food our fellow Indonesian brought on Indonesia Booth.

With his birthday was 2 days away, it is a great reason to share the joy with the whole school. Having it's history, Nasi Kuning was always a winner for Big R.

Sugar Factory & Museum , Klaten , Central Java

On our last Lebaran holiday, on the way from Solo to Jogjakarta, we intentionally stopped by on this Sugar factory, located on the roadside of Solo to Jogjakarta main road, on the outskirt of a small town called Klaten, to be precise.

Me and kiddo had been visited this place once, the main idea was we wanted to take a stroll inside this sugar factory complex using their wood-powered lorry used to carry sugarcane crops from a nearby plantation. We missed the last lorry schedule  by 10minutes, so my children were quite disappointed at that time.

So when we were passing by this sugar factory again this time,  we decided to stop and try our luck.

Me myself was growing up on small suburb outskirt Solo, near a sugar factory called 'Colomadu'. So I was no stranger to lorries carrying sugarcane, the sirens of the factory used to marks shift changing, or days of local night market setting on around the factory once a year when it's come to sweet season the factory will start to turn those freshly harvesting sugarcane into white sugar. I still remember the aroma of  cotton candy sold by food vendor on the market with merry go round on the backdrop.

I always wanted go share the experience with my little family about it. The opportunity has open its own door for us.

Just like others, this Gondang sugar factory built by Dutch when they had Indonesia as their colony. Old yet sturdy, Gondang is one of the  couples of the sugar factory still operating these days in Central Java, under government-owned company.

It cost IDR 25,000 per person to ride the lorry around the sugar factory. It was only 4 people aboard before us, another 4 passengers aboard after us, off we went around. The lorry itself was German-made, 1 loco and 3 lorries. We sat on 1st and 2nd seat row on 1st lorry, right behind the loco, once they started adding more and more wood to its loco-burner, we were chocked by smoke -literally- ; and moved to very back seat of the lorry while laughed for our poor seat choice.

Lorries run at 1 km/hour speed -I guessed- given the mechanic ran on its side faster than lorries. It's gave us good view of inside the factory. Those huge and unused machinery on its yard, many old trucks and vehicles used to transport harvested sugar cane  and they even have their own electricity power plant inside the factory.

The tour with lorries around the factory took no more than 30minutes but was really worth an experience.

I wasn't aware that my son was very much into the sugar museum as well. The museum lay on the same complex with the factory, with a couple of old locos  displayed on its front yard. We had to buy another ticket to go inside the museum,IDR 10,000 per person. The museum is not big but had quite complete information about history of sugar factories around Central Java. Some information that was framed on the wall were in Dutch language -since we don't understand at all, my son insisted to take some pictures of those information and he will show to his Dutch fellows at school and have it translate.

Apart from a usual map and mock-up they put on display, they had an old type-writing machine and sewing machine on display as well. I had no idea why it's on display. No information whatsoever. I guess it might be from one of the house occupied by head of Gondang Baru Sugar Factory.

Needless to say, 10,000 rupiah certainly worth for me, giving the experience our kids had on the museum. If it's not that we have to continue our road trip, we would stay a bit longer and have a tea break on their in house 'Banaran Cafe' . May be next time.

Pea&Pasta with Ginger-broth Soup

Quick & easy ...

For 4 serve, you will need:
1litre of chicken stock
150gr of frozen peas
200gr small-shaped pasta, cook until al dente
6 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
4cm of ginger, finely sliced
salt and white pepper to season


How to:

• Heat the chicken stock on heavy-based pan, medium heat, add garlic and ginger once its boiling.
• Reduce the heat, let it simmer for about 10minutes.
• Add pasta,peas and let it simmer for about 5 more minutes.
• Season with salt & white pepper to taste.

Hopeless Homemade....

I wonder when we in Indonesia be able to download this app :-(

http://demo.fb.se/e/ikea/homemade_is_best_app/index_en.html