Hulk and Alfie

Alfie's new buddy, The Incredible Hulk

Vulgar Bahasa or Bahasa Vulgar, whatever

I know we have taken this for granted since long time ago. We say "banjir kanal" while what we mean is "kanal banjir" or flood channel (or better yet "saluran air" or water channel). We all know that the right Bahasa Indonesia structure follows noun-adjective or noun-adverb order like that of French and unlike that of English. But of course we have violated this here and there. We see people selling "pisang goreng" or fried banana but the sign on the cart says "goreng pisang".

I guess I shouldn't care too much either.

Baby Barack

The New York Times reported that there has been an increasing number of babies named Barack, after the president elect.

It reminds me of an email from Neil McCulloch over at Sussex some time ago. "How are the boys? Since you name your kids after great economists -- Alfie Marshall and Alwyn Young; would the third be Paul?" The email came a week after Krugman got his Nobel.

Actually I've been thinking of Armand -- after Armen Alchian.

But of course Anna says enough is enough.

Don't underestimate kids

We've been irritated by Alfie's new hobby: fridge inspection. Too bad our fridge comes without lock key. Every now and then Alfie opens the refrigerator and takes stuff out or simply reorganizes the things inside, the way he likes it.

So I came up with this brilliant idea. Put a security mechanism on the door. I bought one of those Japanese made household thingies. Then I put it on.

And it took only 5 minutes for Alfie to figure out how to get around the system. Now, instead of a lock he sees it as yet another new toy...

Greetings from Bogor

Papa, will they destroy this statue? You know I heard they just passed a law that prohibits things like this?

The Gas Chamber

This is actually a class room. It so happened the uni got some funding from State Gas Company. As a token of appreciation, the room is named "Ruang Gas Negara" or literally "state gas room". Which always reminds me of gas chamber in those stories about Auschwitchz...

The Troublemakers

Alfie vs Alwyn (inflation adjusted)

Top: Alwyn, October 26, 2008 (~ 2 months old)
Bottom: Alfie, October 28, 2006 (~ 2 months old)

Alwyn 2 months old

Alfie's favorite Beatle

I just noticed. Alfie's favorite Beatle is that of Ringo Starr. That makes him another non-mainstream Beatlemania. Before in the house there is one. Me, who prefers George Harrison to the other three.

Wishing you a happy 1429th Eid Day

... from all of us.
Anna, Aco, Alfie,Alwyn

For Alfie

Alfie, I apologize that I was mad at you.

You are sleeping now. I am busy reading and sending short messages regarding the Eid Day. When you grow up, you'll understand what that is, the SMS, the Eid Day. But that's beside the point now. I just want to explain that what I did to you, slapping your wrist, was not cool. And I'm sorry. Even more so, as I am watching you sleeping so peacefully.

Once ago, I don't remember exactly when, I told myself that I would follow your grandpa's way: never punish his children physically. I guess I failed today. Yet, to make me feel better, I insisted that it was just the slap-on-the-wrist slap on the wrist. You, on the other hand, were surprised nevertheless and cried "Papa, that hurts!". I admit I was being a bad father who lost his temper. Maybe it was the nanny's absence that made me exhausted and in turn loosing my cool. Maybe it was the culmination of a series: you drew pictures on table, you almost broke a glass plate, you poured water into my laptop. All those finally led to the slap as you were yelling so loudly just an inch from your sleeping baby brother's ear.

While admittedly, these are probably your happiest days: free from the nanny and spending all time with your otherwise office-working parents. You had probably looking forward to a time like this when you could see your papa and mama every minute and second. When you could ask him or her to read any story you like. Or simply to show them how advance you were as a two year old. You, in other words, deserve to be spoiled this week. And I blew it.

I am sorry for two counts. First, for slapping your wrist (and thus ignoring those books' advice of never-slap-your-child-just-talk-to-them). Second, for not being able to tell you my regret directly in words, even though I knew you forgave me right away; as 15 minutes afterward you asked me to read you Clifford -- which in fact amplified my guilty feeling.

So here it is. While everybody is asking forgiveness one another in the eve of the Eid Day, I tender mine especially to you. You would not give a damn to this post of course. But someday you'll read it and know that once when you were two, your father was mad at you, slapped you, then regretted it.

I'm gonna sleep next to you know. So when you woke up, I'll be there telling you what I wrote here in plain words. Of course you (and your mother for that matter) will think I'm nuts. But I'll do it anyway.

Alfie's gig

 

 

Alfie: Hi, I'm Alfie. Mind if I join?
The girl: Not at all. What do you play? I'd like to sing
Alfie: I'll do piano
The girl: Alright. What do we sing?
Alfie: Yellow submarine?

Anna's three boys

or rather: two boys and one shameless older dude...

Doc Oc and Alfie

Anna texted me over to Manila. She was teaching English to Alfie.

Anna: What's this [pointing to a picture of octopus]
Alfie: Ehm... gurita! [that's Indonesian for octopus]
Anna: Yes, it is also octopus
Alfie: No, it's gurita!
Anna: OK. In English it is octopus
Alfie: But Doctor Octopus is in Papa's Spiderman comic!
Anna: ?

Picture taken from Wikipedia

Meet Alwyn

Alwyn

Dear friends,

We're delighted to inform you that Alfie now has a baby brother, Alwyn. He was born Tuesday August 26, 2008 at 0821 am in Bunda Hospital Jakarta. Birthweight is 3.7 kgs and birthlength is 50 cms. (Anna opted for waterbirth and it was cool, by the way).

The name is Alwyn Yang Patunru. Some of you would think I was inspired by the Chicago economist Alwyn Young (whose research on learning by doing I used for my undergraduate thesis). Yes, partly, maybe. But it was also because we wanted a middle name that goes in-sync with Alfie's "Shan". "Yang" (pronounced 'young') means sunny place (as in yin-yang). I was told, it can also mean "mighty".

Alfie is now with his grandma. But from what he sounds over the phone, he seems to have a mixed feeling on Alwyn's presence: a fun buddy but also a competition.

Pictures and all will be posted soon.

Ready to go...

Alfie's looking forward to his cocktail party

Salute to the country

Alfie is saluting the country's 63rd Independence Day. His second birthday is one day after.

Alfie's update

It's been awhile. So many things have developed.

Alfie now has become the most talkative person in the entire house (population size: 4). He even proudly calls himself a "burung beo" (mockingbird), because he picks up on whatever you say. Now he can sing three or four songs from Barney's (usually his memory fails him after halfway through in which case he would mumble some alien words). His favorites include London Bridge is Falling Down and Ring Around the Rosies (is that the correct title?). He has his own version of ABCD song: he goes a-b-c-d in English pronunciation then e-f-g in Indonesian pronunciation, then he deliberately spells the remaining very vaguely to avoid criticism from his parents -- he only makes it clear when it comes to m-m-m-o-p (his version of "l-m-n-o-p"). He can count from 1 to 9 even if the objects are only 3 or 4. And he memorizes TV commercials way better than his mom. For example, he recognizes Indomie Seleraku commercial just by listening to the very first two tones.

He also started to like characters other than Barney's and Tom-and-Jerry: Spiderman, Spongebob, and SBY.