coriander in pho

  • Life update and Bandung trip

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    It has been, like… 3 weeks (?) after my last post of having hospitalized due to an accident, and I can say that I’m recovering. I’m pretty happy with the progress, although I must admit there are some aspects that I have strong opinions on.

    First is the cane. The walking cane. Or stick. Whatever. The walking cane was a two-edged sword. I enjoyed VIP treatments thanks to the walking stick. People looked at me with worry on oh how this young person (39 years old) needed a walking stick already, and it felt like Prophet Moses, you know? You walked, and the crowds in front of you dispersed to give you way.

    (I still haven’t got the chance to go Gandalf-mode, though.)

    The annoying side is how walking cane can be really restrictive. I’m clumsy, and I almost tripped on my feet and cane multiple times. I admit it was a great relief when I managed to walk with my own two feet and no walking cane involved.

    Second is wound recovery, which means that you are recovering, hey, that’s great, but with wound recovery comes The Itch. That terrible, eating-you-from-the-inside, you-want-to-crawl-back-inside-you-and-scratch-it itch. Especially when I had to wear a wound bandage, and I had to hold myself not scratching it to avoid messing the bandage.

    Also, if anyone wondering, it hurts more when sitting than standing.

    Anyway! Things are waaaay better now, and I’m glad. Also, I went to Bandung last week. We had a long weekend, and Ari attended his campus reunion in Bandung. We stayed in Kartika Lodge, a B&B located on coffee plantations (they also produced their own coffee!) owned by our dear friends Aldo and Alfa. We also met with The Babybirds: Ing, Nyanya, Rinjani, and Gili.

    I also recorded the trip using my Insta360 Go, but I have yet to find the motivation to edit the video. I will share it on this blog when I finish editing and uploading.

    In case you are planning to go to Bandung and stay in Kartika Lodge, you can contact them on their Instagram: @kartikalodge and check their location:

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  • How was my weekend?

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    My husband called it a “freak accident”. We were on our way to our usual cafe in the Bangsar area when I slipped and fell — and somehow, even up to today, I didn’t know what made me slipped and fell. Whenever people asked, my answer has always been: “I walked, I fell… et voila!”

    Everything was alright except my right knee. My knee was cut open, leaving a huge gnash. Interestingly, though, my pants are alright. It felt like something specifically “attacked” my knee ?

    Anyway! We went to the ER and the medical team decided that considering how huge the wound was, they need an orthopaedic to work on the wound with me under general anaesthesia.

    I had to stay in the ER section for a couple of hours while the admins are getting me a room/ward. At first, we thought we could get me to the surgery room ASAP, but then since the doctor was not ready yet, I got my lunch.

    I’m generally okay with everything. I didn’t suffer any wounds or bruises on any other areas of my body (like I said, only the right knee took the cut ?) and I could still respond to everything. What I hated most was: The IV. And the blood test. I hate syringes. With all my might. I asked the staff, “the one that got hurt is my knee but why do I have to wear IV too? ?” They explained to me that the IV is to keep me hydrated and to make it easier for them to administer medicine — which, it hurts like hell.

    My mortal enemy

    Come afternoon, I got moved to my room. It was 30 minutes later when the nurse entered and commented, “if you want, we can do the surgery right now,” which… hell yeah.

    I got rolled down to the surgery room and they gave me the anaesthetic — BEST SLEEP EVER.

    I got woken up from a sleep that felt just like 5 minutes, and got wheeled up again to my room and I spent the next 2-3 hours sleeping. I finally gained full consciousness at 10 PM, and I spent time scrolling Tiktok and IG Reels until 2:30 AM.

    On the next day, I had a visit to the doctor/orthopaedic and he informed me that I’m terribly lucky. “Your knee only suffer from the wound. Your tendons are all alright.” According to him, I should be alright after 2-3 weeks ? The only problem is that I couldn’t do my usual exercise for the duration of my recovery — oh well, see you later, cats.

    And now I’m home and I’m using this.

    I feel like Ian McKellen’s character (Sir Leigh Teabing) in “The Da Vinci Code” movie. “AH, ROBERT! WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?!” ?

    Hafiz suggested me something even way better.

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  • The temple’s guardians. Sort of.

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    Just like many buildings in Malaysia, our apartment has a Datuk gong shrine for the residents to pray. This is specific to Chinese descendants in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Datuk gong results from cultural assimilations of Chinese Taoism and Malay Islam.

    And in front of the temple is this guardian.

    Sometimes there are a couple more chilling on top of the metal drawers.

    I named one of them “Sapi” (Cow)
    Morning annoyance
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  • New project: Impromptu Journal

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    Several months ago, I mused the idea of having a blog/website where I collect and publish Q&A with my friends on many things. Some people say it’s “curiosity”; some Indonesians, Malaysians, and Singaporeans will call it “kay-poh.” Nevertheless, I am (hashtag) blessed with a circle of friends who are always ready and kindly answer my questions, from “How did you make your own noodles?” to “What made you pursue yoga professionally?”

    It was like… 2-3 days ago I mentioned the idea again on my Kakao Story, and my friends responded enthusiastically, “DO IT!” I guess they are okay with me pinging and sending them emails with half a billion questions.

    That said, please welcome Impromptu Journal.

    “But you rarely blog, and now you are doing this project–” Yeah yeah, shut up ?

    I’m planning to do this Sunday biweekly. I also plan to work on my habits. Biweekly for Impromptu Journal and biweekly for drawings (this blog.)

    That said, I always want to have that kind of “serious website/blog”, you know? And I feel that I now have something to aim for, and it makes me excited.

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  • 39

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    A bit of (fun) fact about me: After 38-39 years, I realized I don’t really like cakes. Or at least, I can only have one small slice of cake or half of a cupcake.

    The same goes with other pastries. Either one portion only, or half of it. Or harass my husband so I can take a bite from his.

    Except for donuts.

    So two donuts with a candle on it is a perfection for me ??

    Here’s for more awesome years to come, for more happiness. And please no Covid what the heck two Covids for the past two years.

    Update: If you think I’m not going to flood this post with Animal Crossing screengrabs, you are wrong.

    I’m seriously happy we have Stitch, Filbert, and Ray-freaking-Mond at the party. These three are my favorite villagers.

    AND LOOK! BREWSTER SAID HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYY!

    Also, serenaded by K.K., as usual…

    And I wholeheartedly agree with Raymond. I get cooler, wiser, and “more collectible”. LIMITED EDITION.

    I honestly thought that as I grow older, I will be more… Cynical about birthdays. I remember I was so emo about the whole thing when I was in university years, but then, I guess as you become older, you start to apply that c’est la vie-mindset, and just… YOLO, you know? To respect the time you had and will have, your experiences and adventures, and all the tears and smiles.

    To respect yourself.

    OK, Nintendo, can we change the “cake”-part to donut, please?

    The Doctor:
    “Who’s she?”

    Kazran Sardick:
    “Nobody important.”

    The Doctor:
    “Nobody important?

    Blimey, that’s amazing.

    You know, nine hundred years of time and space and I’ve never met anybody who wasn’t important before.”

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  • My favorite part of my trips

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    I’ve been living a (hashtag) blessed life as I had the opportunity to travel to different places as part of my work as an Automattician. Now that the Division Meetup in Munich, Germany is passed, I want to recap some of my favorite things from my travels so far.

    Orlando, United States of America (2019)

    This was the highlight. This was my very first major overseas trip and it was for Automattic’s Grand Meetup. I also fulfilled my childhood dream of visiting NASA Kennedy Space Center. This is a dream that was built since elementary school.

    Bonus: Another best part of this trip is the Indonesiamatticians ? I’m glad my first Grand Meetup trip was with them, as I learned how to prepare myself for more trips in the future.

    Langkawi, Malaysia (2022)

    Not exactly an overseas trip, but Langkawi fast became my favorite place in Malaysia. I love the beautiful outdoors and the island hopping activities. The beaches are out of this world: The azure sky with turquoise sea is a match made in heaven.

    Madrid, Spain (2022)

    Hands down: The Royal Palace of Madrid and Museo Nacional del Prado. One of my dreams is to come back to Madrid and properly enjoy the museum and the palace. Someday.

    Denver, United States of America (2022)

    This was Automattic’s first division meetup after the pandemic, and while Denver’s cold climate was rough on me, I enjoyed some parts of the town that “quintessentially American”: The diner.

    Some Automatticians decided to take a stroll and ate in a diner nearby (The Delectable Egg, if you must know,) and I remember a couple more of non-USmatticians joined with the same idea as I did: “We are curious about US diners and we want to try it.”

    Bonus: Nearby to our hotel is this candy store (I just found out the name of the place: Kilwins) and I tried my very first caramelized apple there!

    Japan Trip (2023) — Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka

    This is hard. Similar to Kennedy Space Center, visiting Japan has been my dream since my teenage years. There are tons of favorite parts on the trip that I hold dear to my heart, but if I got to choose one, that would be Kyoto with its temples. I wish to come back to Japan and enjoy Kyoto and its stories and beauty.

    Sapporo, Japan (2023)

    Another hard choice. I went to Sapporo for a team meetup, and there have been so many of my favorite parts of the city as I was extremely lucky to witness the transition from late summer to early autumn. If I must choose, it would be the park nearby the hotel: Sapporo Odori Park.

    Munich, Germany (2023)

    My latest trip in 2023. My favorite part is Englischer Garten (the English Garden) that located right next to our hotel. Division Meetups tend to be packed with activities and workshops, so it was really refreshing to be able to take a 15-minutes walk on the park, and realizing why Munich is one of the capital cities of fairy tales. It’s easy to imagine a magical toadstool castle suddenly appears on a turn behind an oak tree!

    Here’s to more seeing the world.

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