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“Arsène Lupin: Gentleman Burglar” by Maurice Leblanc

September 12, 2025 5:15 pm

“What a pity that I am not an honest man!

Yesterday, I just finished reading “Arsène Lupin: Gentleman Burglar” by Maurice Leblanc. Lupin is one of the powerhouse names in the world’s literature, although I was quite confused seeing that there are not a lot of online discussions about the stories considering how famous he is. Even when it did, the only discussion place I could find is the Reddit’s channel /ayearoflupin. That said, there are ample mentions of its Netflix adaptation, a series with the same name, even shorter: “LUPIN”

As much as I would love to yap about this series (you have to watch it!), this post would be about the classic stories, the ones that inspired the Netflix series.

At first, I thought the story would be the usual Agatha Christie-ish: One book for one story, so I got pleasantly surprised when I found out the book is more similar to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous “Sherlock Holmes”: One book, comprised of short stories! While I enjoy reading detective stories, I admit that this type of arrangement of having short stories in one book is one of my favorites, too, since I don’t have to hold my focus for far too long and can easily hold my pace (yes, looking at you, Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose”.)

Since this work is such a classic, I don’t think I have a lot of comments to share, other than Arsène Lupin has been such an icon that inspired so many characters, even in anime and manga.

Lupin the Third (Lupin III)

Kaitou Kid from “Meitantei Conan“

What I love about “Arsène Lupin: Gentleman Burglar” is how we also see this gentleman thief got caught, jailed, even fooled. I didn’t expect this because I had already grown accustomed to the main protagonist of the story always having the upper hand and consistently getting away unscathed. Perhaps this is the charm of classic works, as we also see the characters as human, as us. Just like Sherlock Holmes said, “I have been beaten four times — three times by men, and once by a woman.” I love how we also see the main character on their low points, and sometimes I caught myself thinking, “Lupin, you are being careless, my friend.” Another side of Lupin that I love is how sassy he is. The sarcasm is dripping, a jab to the riche nouveau, or those with money easily fooled with glitz and glam.

Arsène Lupin, the eccentric gentleman who operates only in the chateaux and salons, and who, one night, entered the residence of Baron Schormann, but emerged empty-handed, leaving, however, his card on which he had scribbled these words: “Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar, will return when the furniture is genuine.“

I also found it amusing seeing Sherlock Holmes — yes, that Holmes — appeared in one of the stories (“Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late”). Unfortunately, Conan Doyle’s lawyers asked Leblanc not to proceed with the character, which made Leblanc create a similar-ish detective character with the name “Herlock Sholmes”. Monsieur Leblanc, sir, the Gen Zs would call you “cringe”.

The only gripe I have about this book is my lack of knowledge and understanding of French and its history. I know I must have missed some important context on the story, which made me unable to appreciate the work on a deeper level. I got annoyed at myself when I saw someone on the subreddit channel mention Lupin’s disdain for the French class differences. The comment also made me realize that Lupin usually robbed from the rich and powerful, a bit of Robin Hood, if you will. That said, I’m not sure if we have a book about Lupin — and I wish we did — so I would allocate some time for myself to scour the Internet, looking for discussions and comments about our gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin.

Also, to continue on the next book.
Eight weeks

August 29, 2025 8:47 pm

Apparently, it was only for eight weeks. Well, eight or ten, I’m not sure.

That said, it was back on Monday, almost two weeks ago, when the doctor scanned me, and as she put down the scanner stick, she looked at me with such a look — a look that somehow my gut was already telling me that yes, I knew it, too — and with a really low voice, almost a whisper, said, “I’m so sorry.”

I could understand her sorrow, and at the same time, I knew. With my previous pregnancies, even when the pregnancy was as young as 5 weeks old, I could always sense that something was there, something alive, with a heartbeat. With this little one, for some reason, I could sense they left with a faint good-bye as my body decided not to continue the process.

In Islam, it is believed that the souls of children who have passed away are taken care of in the High Heavens by Prophet Ibrahim AS (Abraham) and his wife, Siti Hajar. I’m not sure if this little one is there, but I would love to think that way. Perhaps they are there, perhaps they are not.

Thank you, Little One.
We just got a brand new Discman

August 17, 2025 9:40 pm

My eldest, Wira, has been fascinated by the technology from the 80s and the 90s since years ago. I’m not sure how it was started, but I remember it was one fine afternoon during the global lockdown when he asked, “can we trade our TV?”

I looked at our flat-screen LCD TV, perched proudly on the living room, serving only football matches and cycling race. I’m more of a handheld gadget girl as I prefer my streaming services there.

“With…?”

“You know that big TV, from the olden days?”

My son called my childhood as “olden days”. Okay, we need to accept the reality, right? I mean, it’s much more preferable compared to when he was younger than this and asked me, “did you live alongside the dinosaurs, mum?”

“What… TV?”

“You know, that type of classic TV.“

“Are you referring to CRT TV? Cathode Ray Tube TV? THAT type of TV?”

“Yep. Can we? 😀”

“Boi, there are reasons why we have flat TV today.”

(Also, to answer the question: No.)

A couple of months ago, he got himself a CD player. He saved up his pocket money, and he got a CD player, shipped from China. It was quite surprising to see the price, though. I thought the price would be cheaper because the technology can be considered outdated, but I guess it’s about scarcity, hence the price.

I did ask him what’s wrong with streaming services and his phone, and he said that, “the vibe is different. There is something cool about listening to an album and you know exactly what you will listen to next. Especially when the artist specifically composed the song to “connect” with the next song. Also, we have been robbed of album art.”

That, I must agree. I miss seeing album art, artist’s comments, and printed lyrics.

Today, Wira showed me his new Discman. Well, Discman is the brand name for Sony Discman, hahah. His is Panasonic, so, mobile CD player, I guess?
Little Blob update and dietitian visit

July 27, 2025 10:05 pm

I once saw someone, an Indonesian, wrote on Threads: “It always feels easier to journal things in English as it’s not our primary language, and it makes us detached from our feelings,” and it stuck with me ever since. Perhaps that’s the reason why I have been feeling so frustrated with my blog (for the umpteenth time), but somehow, it feels weird to write in Indonesian.

Anyway! I’m doing quite well here. I already had several visits with the obstetrician, and from our past 3 visits, the baby is looking great — as great as a, uh, blob. There was some kind of bloodied scare, though, but it was super minor (even though we took midnight trip to the ER because we were so worried!) and the obstetrician prescribed me progesterone hormone supplements to ensure my uterus stays strong and healthy.

One of my biggest fears when we got the news was that this pregnancy can be considered as a high-risk pregnancy. I told my obstetrician, “I’m so scared of this high-risk pregnancy. I’m 40 years old, and according to BMI, I’m obese.”

Surprisingly, at least for me, the obstetrician looked so… relaxed (?) Definitely less worried than I did, hahah. She assured me that it’s now super common for 40 years old women to be pregnant, even with first child. As for obesity, she mentioned that the concerns are due to possible complications that might happened, notably: High blood pressure and diabetes. Since I don’t have any history of both high blood pressure and diabetes on my previous pregnancies, she assured me that things should be alright. “Besides,” she said, “those things are actually manageable. You don’t have to worry about them.”

Right now, the pregnancy age is 5 weeks-ish, according to the latest USG. So far, I have been having nausea, but not super extreme (yet). I do have some cravings, though, usually in forms of warm jasmine rice and tempe goreng. I found myself enjoying Asian food more (rice rules ✊✨), and have been avoiding sourdough bread like a plague. I also found myself feeling tired more than usual, but I always try to squeeze in a 30-minutes super mild super relaxed treadmill walk.

Also, fun fact, I have been visiting a dietitian. This was a funny coincidence, though. I decided to consult with a dietitian several weeks before I found out I was pregnant. The reason being: I don’t know how to stay healthy. Sure, I can scoured the whole Internet and social media for tips and recommendations, but without an expert’s help, it might be hard. I really don’t want to pull myself into self-wallowing vortex and body image issues. Been there, done that.

When I had the first meeting with the dietitian, we chatted about my eating patterns and habits. Surprise, surprise, she told me: “You are not eating enough.”

“… … … … excusemewhat 😀”

“You are not eating enough. Your breakfast only consists of two boiled eggs. This is not enough. You need to have two slices of toast and a cup of fruits.”

“Also,” she continued, “do you think you can squeeze in a snack time?”

I had to process her words. Snack time? I’m, uh, shaw-rey 💅 I don’t snack. I rarely snack. I usually eat just three times a day. That’s it. That should be considered as healthy, no?

Apparently, nope. What happened is: My body is lacking nutrients, so it has been running on “survival/panic mode”. Every nutrient that it gets being kept as fat reserve as Just In Case We Need To Face An Apocalypse. My body literally going, “oh, are we running from the Dutch Indies, my dear? Not to worry, I will make sure you are plump to be ready to fight the colonizer!”

To combat it, the body needs more food to ensure the body that everything is alright. To ensure the food is being used properly, daily 30 minutes exercise is recommended.

Anyway. I just started with the new meal schedule for a week when the pregnancy news came out. As expected, the dietitian grinned and said, “alright, two snack times: Morning and afternoon. You think you can do that?” So, yeah, in case anyone wants to know, I have been grazing for the past week. I might in the process of depleting the nation’s peppermint tea and chamomile tea’s reserve.

Obligatory pics for you all, online uncles and aunties:
Another Little One

July 18, 2025 10:15 pm
It was last week, when my precise-as-clockwork period schedule suddenly missed for four days. At that time, there were three things on my mind:
- Perimenopause, since I’m 40 years old already,
- “IS THIS A CANCER?” — a very good reason why doctors all over the world discourage us to Google our symptoms, and…
- Pregnancy, which, “I don’t think it’s possible? I suppose to be on perimenopause, no?”
Then again, I decided to do a test, just to eliminate one possibility — until I saw a faint second line.

It was midnight, and Ari already fast asleep, but he still got awoken when he heard my “huh?”

“What happened?”

“Is— is this a second line?”

“Huh,” he rubbed his eyes and squinted it with hope it could ward off the sleepiness, “I honestly not sure. How about we check it again tomorrow morning?”

In the morning, I tested again. I did found it weird when the pharmacy cashier insisted that I should take another test pack when I bought it the day before. “Buy one get one free,” she said, and when I said I only need one, she repeated her words: “Buy one get one free, ma’am.” Well, I did use both of the test packs.

“So, how was it?” Ari popped his head on the bathroom door.

“Is this a second line?”

“Huh. Let me see. I… think so? Do you want to get a USG scan?”

“Yeah. We can also check with a doctor. Let’s go to the clinic nearby our house before we go to the hospital.”

In the clinic, I told the doctor that I wanted to check if I’m, indeed, pregnant. The doctor listened, and said, “I know you have tested it yourself, but you aren’t sure. Let’s test it again here, and if the result is negative, we can do a scan.”

I agreed, and I took another test. We waited outside the doctor’s office for several minutes and when the doctor called us back, she pushed a pregnancy test and said: “Congratulations.”

“Is it—?”

“Yes. It’s more prevalent now. The line is clearer.”

I must admit, my first thought was fear. It’s not that I’m not happy about the pregnancy, it’s just that I’m so scared if I couldn’t provide for the baby. I mean, in this economy? In this kind of world??

Both Ari and I talked about it in depth. Also, yes, I used contraceptive (IUD), that was why the news was such a shock. We then decided to contact our obstetrician and inform her this news. I remember our obstetrician muttered, “but it’s 99% success rate.” I hear you, but sometimes the 1% can make the whole lot differences. She then pulled out the IUD because the procedure requires her to do so, and let us discussed our next steps.

Long story short, we decided to continue the pregnancy.

Quick blurbs

Saw this site mentioned the other day on Slack: neocities.org.

Scroll down and you will see “Featured Sites”. Never knew it brings back early 2000s, and it makes me so, so happy.

April 23, 2026