Embracing 2009

Friends and families, we are delighted to enter the new year of 2009. We wish you all the very best. May the upcoming year bring joy and happiness to you and your beloved.

As usual, a little reflection. The year 2008 has been wonderful. We did have one bad news early in the year, when Alfie was attacked by dengue fever and had to stay in the hospital for three days. Thanks God, he was recovered well, and actually after the hospital days, he has been picking up words and started to speak quite clearly. The best news of 2008 of course is Alwyn, the baby brother of Alfie. Alwyn was born in August 26, about a week after Alfie's second anniversary. As of now Alwyn is 8 kgs and 72 cms. So, after adjusting for time, he is a bit bigger than his brother. And boy, he cries louder too. Her nanny told us, though, that usually, the characters reverse when kids grow up; so expect a calmer Alwyn and a noisier Alfie, she went on.

A noisier Alfie? We're not sure. Because even now, he is already very, very active and talkative. His friends now has extended to Mr. Bean, McQueen from Cars, and Spiderman -- he still likes Barney, of course. He also loves to see people playing piano and golf -- and has tried both. This year, he had his first performance at school, singing and dancing that is.

Anna didn't do much traveling this year, due to pregnancy and Alwyn's birth. She only went to Bangalore for a week. Aco had some: London/Brighton, Paris, Bangkok (twice), Manila, and Amsterdam/Den Haag. In addition to that, he published four academic papers this year.

That's all, folks. Again, happy new year!

Let's go golfing

"Papa, how come you don't play golf?"
"Err, I don't know... Maybe it's not my thing..."
"What do you mean it's not your thing. This is like totally cool, Papa"
"Well... For one, it's expensive"
"But Nathan's papa said you could rent those things"
"I guess so... But it seems too tiring and time consuming"
"But you need exercise, Papa... Besides, you waste your non-working time for useless blogging... Go golfing, Papa"
"Ehm... Maybe it's not my thing, Son..."

Alfie and the snowmen

... But the snow ain't real, Papa...

Alfie's first performance

Happy new year everyone!

... And Alfie makes the headstart

Alwyn can't wait for the holiday season

Smoke gets in presentation

How often do you give a talk where at the same time is allowed to smoke? The last time I saw that happened was in a movie about Indonesian revolution. Today I find this ashtray sitting so nicely next to the microphone. Luckily the topic today has nothing to do with clean environment or climate change and all that...

Bumpy ride

"Hey, look, there's another hole!... Papa, why do we have so many holes on the street?"
"Because we're developing, Son. Holes are good sign"
"But why do they dig it again after they fix it, the street?"
"Ergh, because we're learning how to develop, Son. It's all trial and error..."

Mie ain't no food, Bu

"I think it's time now for Alfie to eat, Bu"

"Er, but he just ate mie. A bowl of noodle, all by himself"

"No, Bu, mie ain't no food, Bu... Alfie has to eat nasi, Bu. Now, that is food, rice..."

He's cool, she's hot

"Papa, what's cool really mean? And what's hot?"
"Ugh 'sejuk' and 'panas'..."
"That's what I thought. That's what my teachers say, too"
"So what's the problem?"
"This dude of mine. Whatever I do great stuff -- rolling, jumping and all -- he goes: you're 'cool', man... And one day I overheard Mr. X said to Ms. Y that Ms. Y is 'hot'..."
"Oh, I see. There's something called slang. Both 'cool' and 'hot' can mean good or great"
"That's confusing"
"I know"

Hi

Alwyn, 3 months, 7.7 kgs, 70 cms

Nursing corner

Further to the post below. Here is their "nursing room". Don't expect too much. It is actually NOT a room. It is a cubicle with wooden wall and two office chairs behind it! Have you been to the nursing room in Plasa Senayan or PIM? This one here is nowhere near it. Isn't it ironic that you have better nursing room in shopping malls than in hospitals?

And this is the best mother and baby hospital in town!

Stinky hospital

We love this hospital, mostly because it is close by and it has good doctors. But this morning it stinks. As we entered the clinic, we immediately sensed a really bad smell. Obviously somebody just threw up. It's a scent of puke all over. Some visitors were covering their nose. Of course we asked the nurses what had happened (surely it's a puke) and why they had not tried getting rid of the smell (which is very easy; if they wanted to). But this is their response: "Smell? What smell?" Can you believe it? As I'm writing this the smell is still bothering.

And this is the best mother and baby hospital in town!