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  • “The Maid” by Nita Prose

    “The Maid” by Nita Prose

    I was checking my blog when I remembered I tried my hand at writing in the Indonesian language once recently — and quickly decided to revert to English. That said, I wanted to re-write the post now, in English. The post was Bahas Buku: “The Maid” oleh Nita Prose. Not exactly rewrite word by word, though. I wanted to rewrite the blog post in English with the usual style.

    This is the first book of the series by Nita Prose, and when I read the book’s blurb, it reminded me of Agatha Christie’s quote (was it her? I think it was her), “no-one paid attention to hotel maids. They are free to roam, go inside the rooms, and go out unnoticed.” And this is what the book’s main character is all about. A hotel maid.

    I love unassuming characters. Those who are usually overlooked at, and the whole fiber of their being only have one objective: To blend in the background. Those who are supposed to support the main characters, and they are so goddamn good at it. They are not The Chosen One(s), they are those folks you see on your daily commute, grocery runs, or some familiar strangers sweeping the front door of their store in the morning. This novel has exactly that: A housekeeping staff, and I presume they are neurodivergent (which made this novel even more endearing because YES INCLUSIVITY YES DIVERSITY YES MEDIA REPRESENTATION AND VISIBILITY), that got caught in the middle of a murder investigation.

    (Why “presumed”? Because, even though it’s never stated explicitly in the novel, the breadcrumbs are scattered here and there. Molly (the character’s name) being called “Robot”, or “Roomba”, and being made fun of for her habits in ensuring everything is tidy and clean. Sounds familiar?)

    It feels like reading “Forrest Gump” in a hotel setting with a housekeeping, and less (waaaaay less!) crass humor, hahah.

    Murder mystery-wise, the build-up of the mystery itself is taking its pace nicely. I don’t want to dwell for too long on the murder mystery part because it would spoil things (also, I suck at it.) What I love most, though, is how we see Molly’s life and daily activities unfold. We know her past, her memories, and how those memories carried to the present as Molly wiped her shoes whenever she arrived home. We can sense Molly’s earnestness as she ensures everything is clean and in its proper place. In some ways, I learned about ensuring things are in order from Molly.

    The author, Nita Prose, shared that the character Molly and the novel came to be from her experience on a business trip in 2019.

    “It happened on a business trip in 2019, during which I stayed at a hotel in London.

    …

    After a meeting outside the hotel, I returned to my room and startled the maid who was folding the jogging pants I’d thrown in a tangled mess on the bed.

    It occurred to me in that moment what an intimate and invisible job it is to be a maid. Simply by cleaning my room every day, this maid knew so much about me.

    But what did I know about her?“

    Those who prefer action-packed stories with twisty twists as many as pretzels that you could gobble in one sitting would find this book insufferable, so I advise you to steer clear of this book, hahah. But if you are looking for a change in pace, or a bit of a warm cup of tea with scones by the window is your forte, then this book is for you. This book is not for one of those Great Literatures out there, and honestly, I don’t think this book aspires to be the next Murakami. For me, though, this book is one of those comfort books. This book does not aspire to be the zenith of the literary world, but it has been a good friend for me, and for me, that’s enough.

  • The Liebermann Papers on BBCPlayer

    The Liebermann Papers on BBCPlayer

    Sherlock Holmes was my entry point into the murder mystery genre, then kids-friendly-sans-murder mysteries such as Enid Blyton’s “The Famous Five”, Robert Arthur Jr.’s “Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators”, and Stefan Wolf/Rolf Kalmuczak‘s “TTKG”. Afterwards, there were some names, some were new, obscure, and some even haven’t got their well-deserved international recognition.

    One of them is Frank Tallis’ “The Liebermann Papers”. Now, perhaps saying that this work is obscure would be an insult. The man has a Wikipedia page, so he should have some kind of recognitions at the very least (yes, I’m shallow like that.) At the same time, the books never really took off in Indonesia. I rarely seen, if ever, The Liebermann Papers series back when I was still living in Indonesia. I only ever got two books from the series: “A Death in Vienna” and “Vienna Blood”. Both are translated to Indonesian and I got them years and years ago.

    So imagine my surprise seeing this on BBCPlayer.

    Double that with “THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO BOOKS?!” Yes, I just found out there are more than two books about Max Liebermann and Oskar Rheinhardt.

    Anyway. Another series that I’m looking forward to! Might be another hole for me to dig as I’m (mindlessly) spending money to buy the books at Kinokuniya.

  • August in pictures

    August in pictures

    I was on a blogwalk when I saw James’ post: August 2025 in Photos and you can rest assured that I’m berating myself for not thinking about it and got myself in my usual what-should-I-blog limbo.

    Last month, we had an early morning rainbow — and more rainbow sightings for the next couple of days, both in the morning and in the afternoon. Lucky!

    We also enjoyed a splendid strawberry harvest from Malaysia’s very own Cameron Highlands‘ farms. I’m so impressed with the quality of the harvests as they are getting better and better.

    I just realized I haven’t taken a lot of pictures lately. I’m not a selfie person, so you can be sure that you might see my face less and less, but looking back, I kinda regret not taking a lot of pictures. As we all know, August and September are The Months of Splendid Sunsets.

    Here’s to capture more memories.

  • “Arsène Lupin: Gentleman Burglar” by Maurice Leblanc

    “Arsène Lupin: Gentleman Burglar” by Maurice Leblanc

    “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

    Eight weeks

    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

    We just got a brand new Discman

    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

    Little Blob update and dietitian visit

    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:

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