duets…

Duet means a piece of music for two performers. I call this duet because these people must have some kind of connection to be able to appeared in one frame in harmony. They can be friends, family or co-worker. Whatever they are, they created a beautiful art for my viewfinder.

The Red team…
The Poetry Contestant…
The Beautiful Receptionists…

The mother and daughter…
The thumbs up guys…

The friends in good and tough time…

The Librarians on duty…

The father and daughter…

The short hair ladies…

Notes: these pictures taken at SLI Family Fun Day on Saturday, January, 28, 2012

How’s your weekend?

Friday after work I had a great time meeting friends at the mall
but caught in bad traffic on the way home.

Stop by at a store to buy present for our guest speaker tomorrow.
but forgot to buy a pair of black socks for my daughter.

Happy to see my husband already home with the kids.
but dissapointed for nobody help cleaning the doggie cage.

Took a hot bath and apply red nail polish on my toes
but missed spending time with my kids

Wake up late on Saturday morning try to catch more sleep
but rush to prepared my daughter for an event at her school

My husband wake up earlier
but busy preparing his speech

Have a nice conversation with my sister
But cleaning and washing tons of clothes are waiting for me

Cooked for lunch
but running out of time to cook a meal I was planning to make

Went to pick up my daughter
but it’s very hot outside and the traffic was so bad

Pick up my daughter on time.
but didn’t get a change to get money from ATM

Get home and eat lunch
but my friend call she might not able to come to the meeting.

Take an hour nap
but my kids are bothering me with their plays and fights

Get to the meeting place on time
but other friends who live closer are late

The food was great
but it take ages before we finally eat.

the lesson at the “ladies only” meeting was excelent
but we’re running quite late

My friend still want to have a Bible Study
but her husband asked her to go home soon!

Sunday Service and the Message was a heart warming.
but is not easy to walked with God and trust Him completely

Happy to meet a friend who just came back from out of town
but sad coz another friend was crying and rush to go home.

A friend buy me an ice cream and keep me company in the foodcourt
But wait a long time before my husband get out of his class.

Finished reading “slumdog millionaire” and love the story
but my mobile phone was run out battery, cannot make any calls.

Yudi kindly took me to visit a friend and help me talked
but then asked me to go home by myself for he still has a wedding to go.

Got home safely and eat my mother’s delicious fried banana
But have nothing prepared as I was planned

Have a prayer meeting with my family
but some people were absent.

Made it to bed before 10
but I felt really, realy, really tired
Even now…

happy birthday mom…

 

Today, September 22,(I wrote this a week ago but had trouble to upload it) is my mother’s birthday. What can I give to this lovely woman whose been loving me and taking care of me since 1966? I thank God for letting me have a mother till this age. Every single minute become so essential for me to shows my gratitude, respect and love for her. I admit that for many years I have not done that, and I don’t want to waste more time.

When I was a child I felt sorry for my mom, she seem to have a collection of sad stories in her life. First she didn’t graduate from high school because she had to help her mother who was a dressmaker to take care of her siblings and the house. She also lost her older brother whom she loves dearly in the young age. Then when she left her hometown and moved to the Capital, she stayed with a relative who treated her like a maid. With a determination she got accepted in a Bank after took some course in English and Typing. But again after few years of working she had to leave her carrier and followed my dad moved to other place and be a full time house wife.

When I was a teenager, I felt like my mom is my # 1 enemy. I hate her for always told me to do this and that or to wear this and not that. I was irritated when she told me “Don’t bring shame to your family” to warned me from doing bad things. I became rebellious toward her and recalled one day saying to her “I would never become a mom like you”. I felt like she was only concern about my sisters and brothers, and never really pay attention to me as her eldest. I was so mean to her, I realized now that it was not easy for her to take care of 6 children, plus all the cousins and adopted kids who were stay with us. I would never survive in her position.

Now after I have my own family, my mother becomes a dear tutor and friend to me. I grow to understand that raising up kids, handling the money, taking care the house, maintaining the relationship with your spouse is not as easy as I thought. I was ashamed with my bad thoughts, words and attitude toward her in the past, because God shows me how much she loved & blessed my mom for all the sacrifice, teaching and hard work she has done. I, who thought my self was so smart again must admit that I need to learn so many things from her, cooking, gardening, saving, investing, loving even forgiving.

I love spending time with mammy. Sometimes I came to the house to do some cleaning, or help her arranged her photos collection or just to drink her handmade tea which is somehow so special, but my favorite time is when we sit down in her porch and talks about life, news about our relatives and about God. It’s the time I will always treasure in my life, as I see this simple woman revealed some wisdom she gathered from her sad and happy moments. I wish I still have many years of these.

Happy Birthday Mom! 

I made you a Lychee Pudding last night

who says relationship is easy?

Me….. last month, even 2 weeks ago, but today I found it Challenging with the capital C . Just this past week I faced 2 problems about relationship. One is my sister with her kids. Man! isn’t that the closest relationship on earth? mother and child, it should be come naturally, yes but they seems to repeat the same mistake over and over again, she got so frustated with them. I kind of feel for her because her husband is working out-of-town, and come home once awhile, is not easy at all to handle 3 kids, 2 boys and a girl. The boys gave her so much trouble, hardly study, play at friend’s house all day, come home really late, the house is always messy, etc.  I will be smoking if i am her. I hope and pray things will get better soon.

The second one is between two friends of mine. They are in-laws, their husband are brothers. Surely they are different because they came from a different background, etnics group, but they live closed to each other ever since they were married. Maybe that’s the reason, when you live too close friction easily sparkle. Little thing about her daughter doing this and her daughter saying that caused this 2 moms hold grudges toward one another. And even though they are old enough to talk maturely they were not, instead bitterness had rooted in their heart. On the top of that, the husbands didn’t give much of a help either. I feel bad for them, i didn’t hope they will become best friend but at least they don’t get mad to each other like that.

Should I share to you about husband and wife relationship? I was quite surprised because even a couple like my parents whose been married for 40 years still argue with one another. I didn’t try to open their secret here, in a way I feel it’s funny, but feel bad at the same time because my dad was just joking about something that actually my mom is very sensitive about. suddenly mom cried and pour out all the hurt inside of her and my dad went very quiet. I end up counseled them, told my dad to listen to mom by looking at her eyes when she’s talking, not while reading newspaper or watch TV.

I believe a relationship can work when both people play their part. I remember try to make friend with one of the girl in church. At first she didn’t really care, I invited her for dinner, called her to study together, she did came but she never initiate. It take s a long time before she really understood and return my friendship. Now even though we’re far apart she always remember to e-mail me. Relationship must be woven by 2 people whether is between mother and child, 2 friends, husband and wives, 2 brothers or any kind. Sometimes one person must take a bigger role at first, but in the long run, if the other did not respond and play her/his part, it will be wither.

Even a great relationship can be broken or falling apart. That’s why there are divorces. Husband and wife who were once so in love to one another turned to hate one another. Nowadays people believe and depend so much on the thing called “chemistry” I am not against this, it does feel good when you have it, but we’re all created not with the same quality, so there will be people who are totally different from us, and it’s hard to get along. We have choices, either to give up or as we realize our differences, we work on how to win over him/her and grow in our relationship. Yes relationship is not easy, but we can make it, especially in the family!

i wrote this cause i owe my father my life…

 

There are lots of things that annoying me about my father. For example, in the past he was so authoritarian (he still is sometimes), he wants us to do what he says. He always have to be the one who wrap up the conversation, so whatever we say become less important compare to what he said. He’s advising people in prayer, he say things over and over again. Basically he love to talk, but for me he talk too much. Despite of those demeanors,  there are 3 things I want to imitate from Daddy (that’s how we called him):

1. Pray..pray..pray. In any situation, good times or bad times, in the house or in the public place, near or far (on the phone too), he always pray. When I was a teenager, I feel boring (ashamed sometimes) with this ritual, because my father always wants us to pray together and when he pray his voice is so loud. Imagine in a restaurant with many people there, but he always said never ashamed of what we believe. Now as i have my own family, i realize  how true it was, i can’t even do one thing right without go to God and consult from Him. My daddy taught me to rely on God.

2. Education is VERY important. I am glad to have a father who has a deep conviction about education. He’s not only pray and push his kids to finish college, but he himself gave us example to never stop learning. I remember he took law as a major in a university many years ago, even though he never finish it but it’s a great experience for him. After retired from his previous  job, he works as a lecturer in a banking academy in Jakarta. I can finished my master degree not because i am so smart and motivated but because my dad always encourage and support me.

3. Saving!!! maybe because he used to work in a bank so he know what’s the meaning of saving or investing. My siblings and I would never go study abroad if my dad didn’t save his money for that. When other people still in la..la.. land, he already invest his money in the insurance. He never go crazy spending money for pleasure even if he can effort it, but he put it into saving. I remember when we were small we went to eat in a restaurant, 2 kids must share 1 plate of food. He never gave us much money for allowance. It was upsetting at the time, but now i understand the meaning.

My dad came from a simple if not poor family, He’s working so hard to make it as he is today. He truly start from the bottom and make it to the top. It was not easy to working full-time and raise up 6 kids at the same time (of course my mom played an important role here), but I really believed he’s success because of these 3 convictions. I can’t imagine  stand in his shoes and stay strong like him. But everybody has their own path. I pray that I can inherit some of his best trait to help me to go through mine. I love you Dad, Thanks a million!

Love or Duty?

 

This is the question I asked myself last night.

I promised my friend to go visit her, because my husband and I are helping her and her husband with their married problem. After work I get some housework done, try to relax by watched silly program on TV, and then took shower, but somehow I still feel sleepy and tired. Beside that I also have to wait for my kids to come home from my parents house. The clock is ticking, my body and mind didn’t want to go, but we finally left the house at 10 to 8.

On the way I keep asking this to myself, why would I sacrifice my time with my kids, my time to sleep, my energy, to do this? So that I can look good in people’s eyes? I can’t lie but yes In the past that’s one of the reason. So I can gain more friends and acquaintance? Well this people is not the kind of people I used to hang out, we’re so different. Or so I can get point for reward? what point?

Is Love or duty? I would say both. I do love these people. I met them  first almost 4 years ago, when they still have the first child. Now they have 3 kids. We went through thick and thin. I see their kids grow, they become part of our life. Other than that, they are my brother and sister in Christ and even though I am not perfect I know that God wants me to care for them and take the responsibility to make sure that they are staying in His grace and grow spiritually.

God has loving me so much and forgiving me abundantly, so it’s hard to say no when it comes to do His will to help and care for other.