.: SimPly Me :.

I was just about to have my dinner when my bro messaged me "Ama passed away". It was Wednesday, April 25th 2012. I lost my appetite immediately and broke down to tears. It was a sudden shocking news noone expected. Ama was such a healthy person. At her age, it is rare that she didn't have any sickness at all. Her age was slightly less than 4 times my age. She was 102 years old :)

Being a mother myself, and seeing how much my mom helped me with the baby, I realize that ama had helped my mom take care of me too in the past! Without ama, my mom wouldn't have been able to raise me as she has. I haven't shown her enough love and gratitude for what she had done, It was a little too late, I guess =( 

Ama was a hardworking woman, with a tough childhood. Before she got married, she went to the forest to cut some wood. A teen girl, off to the forest with an axe, cutting and carrying (HEAVY) wood. Can you imagine??? Then she got married at 15 years old and gave birth to her first child at 16! Hello!! A 16-year-old me was still studying in high school, having fun with friends, and my ama was already busy with a baby! All the more, my mom told me when ama delivered her first child, angkong (ama's hubby) was away and noone was home. She was screaming but noone heard, so she did it all herself. Noone probably had taught her when and how to push, but she managed to get the baby out. Then, she had to find scissors to cut the umbilical chord herself. Only after a few minutes later, neighbors started to come to help her when they heard baby sound. I could only stun when my mom told me that story. It was just beyond me.  It's really inspiring, but at the same time, it makes me realize that I'm too spoilt =(

Angkong passed away when my mom was 25 years old. It means ama had been living alone for more than 35 years. It's not easy to live alone although her kids have all grown up. She could feel lonely at times, but she managed to live on those years with a smile on her face. 

Probably the comforting news about her pass away is that she left peacefully. My mom was visiting her in the afternoon and she was still fine. Then my mom went home. As she reached home, she got a phone call saying ama was breathing very slowly, like almost no breath. Then my mom hurriedly went back to ama's house, and only to find her sleeping peacefully and not breathing already, 

Thank you ama, for everything you've done in our lives, especially in my mom's.
I love you and you will be greatly missed!! :')



- ming -
blessed with an amazing ama 

In this journey called life,
One may predict, one may plan
But it's God's will be done in the end

In this journey called life,
One may smile joyfully, one may weep bitterly
But each moment is meant for our good eventually

In this journey called life,
One may walk, one may run
But it's about finishing well and not who's number one

In this journey called life,
One may be famous, one may remain unknown
But fame won't follow us when we face His throne

In this journey called life,
One may have fair skin, one may have blue eyes
But it's at the heart the true beauty lies

In this journey called life,
One may slip, one may stumble
But falling helps us be stronger and humble

In this journey called life,
They say we have to compete hard to survive,
People killing each other with their tongue as sharp as knife,
We are deemed less valuable if we don't drive,
Work is taking our lives beyond nine to five,
Many get frustrated cause it's just so difficult to be alive.

This journey too will one day end
No one knows exactly when
No one can do anything to prevent
Cause it's in God's hand

At the end of the journey, what do we want to achieve?
What memories do we wish to retrieve?
What rewards would we love to receive?

To those people dear to our hearts, what do we give?
What do we want them to remember about us when we leave?
Did we truly love them or did we deceive?

Until that day comes, let's make our journey a meaningful one
So that God may be pleased with what we've done.

- ming -
enjoying her journey thus far

You'll never know how much you and your partner are two different people until you both are living under the same roof (in marriage, of course). During courtship, you may (or in fact, you SHOULD) start noticing some of your partner's characters or habits that are different from you. But once you become husband and wife, it's a whole new story!

Hubby and I share a lot common things, but it amazes me that we are VERY different too.
Here are some of our differences and let's play "guess who is who" :

One can't sleep when it's hot, the other can't sleep when it's cold.
One loves snacking, the other almost never snacks (this one is quite obvious =p)
One likes to eat without touching the food (so that hands don't get dirty), the other prefers to 'feel' the food.
One loves watermelon cause it's all water, the other hates watermelon cause it's all water.
One likes salty food, the other likes sweet.
One can sleep right away, the other takes minutes or sometimes hours to be asleep.
One loves fried food, the other prefers not eating fried food.


When two become one, it doesn't mean suddenly all the differences disappear. It's the phase of accepting each other, being more tolerant and understanding.

Differences only become problems when you let them.
Don't make a fuss of them.
Celebrate them :)



- ming -
enjoying married life

Movies (or I should say, Hollywood?) portray a gentleman as a guy who opens the car's door for a lady, a guy who says "lady's first" while entering a place, a guy who kisses the lady's hand before they dance, a guy who lends a lady his coat when she's cold or it starts raining. And many more fantasies...

But in reality, is that what a gentleman is?
Some guys ACTUALLY do that in real life, true. But is that the ONLY way describing a gentleman?

Being married for a while gives me a whole new definition of the term.

My hubby may not send me flowers everyday, but he helps me with the household chores!
He helps wash the clothes, boil the water, clean the bathroom, do the dishes, iron the clothes, and mop the floor.
He holds my hands when we cross the street.
He helps change our baby's diaper in the morning.
He prepares the supplements I have to take every day.
He pauses the movie show we're watching together when I have to run to the kitchen for a while.
He helps discard the trash to the chute.
He goes to market to shop for groceries.
He'd rather have meals I cook for dinner at home than eating outside food.

Sweet? I'd say, very :)

Am grateful for such a hubby.
Thanks dear for showing your care through all the works you do.
Sorry if I often demand more from you (yes, I still want some romantic surprises occasionally please =p *hint*).
Sorry for keep asking "how much do you love me?" even though I've known the answer.
But please be sure that it doesn't (never) mean I love you less.

We're still in the process of being the best for each other, and let's walk together hand in hand towards the goal God sets for us :)

Thank you dear for everything.
I love you always :)



- ming -
marrying a gentleman with a gentle heart

Di sebuah kelas TK nol kecil, sang ibu guru bertanya pada murid2nya.

Ibu guru: "Kalau sudah besar nanti, kalian mau jadi apa?"

Satu per satu murid yang ditunjuk mulai menyebutkan cita-cita mereka. Lalu ibu guru bertanya pada seorang anak perempuan yang duduk di pojok.

Ibu guru: "Kalau kamu A, apa cita-citamu?"
A:          "Saya mau jadi pengantin, bu"

Ibu guru pun tersenyum dan anak itu melanjutkan "karena pengantin itu cantik."

Sang anak pun akhirnya beranjak dewasa, dan dia terus mengingat jawaban polos itu. "Suatu hari nanti, aku mau jadi pengantin!"

Akhirnya dia pun bertemu dengan pasangan hidupnya dan menikah. Cita-cita masa kecilnya pun tercapai. Tapi kini dia mengerti, menjadi pengantin itu bukan sekedar karena ingin jadi cantik. "Jadi cantik" secara penampilan bisa dicapai dengan memakai make-up. Tapi jadi pengantin punya arti lebih dari itu. Jadi pengantin berarti jadi istri orang. Jadi pengantin hanya satu momen, hari itu saja, tapi jadi istri berarti seumur hidup mulai dari hari itu.

Mengapa mau jadi istri orang?
Bukan karena ingin cantik, tapi karena cinta. Mencintai dan dicintai.


***

Punya cita-cita 'tak lazim' itu boleh2 saja. Tapi apa motif di belakangnya? Itu yang penting.
Sang anak belajar dari pengalaman hidupnya selama lebih dari 20 tahun sejak peristiwa itu, dan ia membagikan kisahnya di blog ini.

Anak-anak punya cita-cita dalam kepolosannya.
Tapi orang dewasa bercita-cita dengan tanggung jawab - memenuhi panggilan ilahi atasnya.


Apa cita-citamu?



- ming -
menggapai cita-cita masa kecil di tahun 2010 :)

Christmas without Easter will be meaningless.
He was born to the world to die on the cross to bear our sins.
But He rose!
And that He is risen gives us a whole new life, hope for tomorrow, and strength to face dark and stormy days.

Thank You Jesus... for everything!



- ming -
celebrating Easter with a grateful heart

Baby Chloe is 10 months today! :) Time flies. When I look at her newborn pictures, it feels like it was just a few days ago. She was still red, tiny, and so helpless that day. Now, she is a lot bigger and stronger =) hehe... Thank God for the growth!

Some remarks during the 8-10months:

7-8 months
First flight! :) Visited Jakarta and Surabaya for CNY holiday for almost 3 weeks!
Enjoyed flying! Slept through the flight, no cranky, no fussy, pama traveled happily :)
Said 'ma' for the first time! :)
Pulled to stand - hold on to her cot then stand up on her own
Added one feeding of formula milk per day
Started smiling more often and to everyone (likely because she met a lot of people in Indo =p)
Started recognizing her name


8-9 months
Hello teeth! :) two front bottom teeth slightly appeared on 8m1w
Could clap! (8m2w3d)
Said 'pa' for the first time (8m3w4d)
Got her ears pierced :)
Could stand up without holding on anything for 2 seconds
Started solids 3 times a day
Clapped after meals
No more crying-before-night-sleep


9-10 months
Went on another holiday - to Bali :)
Walked 2 steps without holding on anything
Started cruising (walking while holding on to something)
Said 'mama' 'papa' 'apa' more often
Played peek-a-boo! (or cilukba =p)
Could sleep on her own without being rocked (for the naps only =p)
Could play with the stack-up cups (separating the cups)
Slept when I sang her lullaby (so happy this finally works! =p)
Had more lumpy and coarser food to encourage chewing
Did some acrobatic poses (i.e. head arched back while hands holding on to cot. See fb for pics =p)
Could see small objects (e.g. mosquito, necklace)
Got better at pincer grip (using thumb and index finger to take something)


It's amazing to see her growing day by day :)
It's true that I'll get busier (and more tired!), but it's surely more fun! :)

Happy 10 months!
Love you so much my little girl! xxx



- ming -
a joyful mama

Nobody wants to raise a spoilt child.
But which one of these is correct:

A. Withhold some love since he/she is a little baby so that he/she won't get used to be loved that much, which hopefully makes him/her a more independent and tough child as he/she grows.

B. Give him/her all the love while he/she's a little baby so that he/she knows he/she is loved that much, and once he/she feels secured, he/she can be independent on his/her own.


What's your take?



- ming -
still has a lot to learn for CE101

A few days ago, a thought crossed my mind.

"It's so good to be men. Their lives don't change after marriage, even after they have children. They work and live as per normal. But women? Once married, they have to submit to their husbands. After having children, they have to raise them and once more, give all their lives to their children. Everything changes! Women need to learn to be selfless, cause their lives need to be dedicated to their husband and children."

Then I realize.
Men too need to learn to be selfless, cause their lives are not theirs too!

Our lives are God's. Never ours.
We are created for a purpose, and we need to fulfill that.
We need to find out what God wants us to do in and with our lives, and we have to walk in His path.

Let's do a self checkup.
Have we lived according to His way?



- ming -
wants to live a purposeful life