20,415 yen in 1,5 years of saving.
Congrats, Raisa & Ken !

We were in a big city festival in Komagaya last weekend, where one of the event was the pro wrestling. A wrestling club in the town, built up a ring in the middle of the ground, surrounded by hundreds of old and young bystanders, a wrestling games (or should I call it show?) were on.
I never like such a fighting game, ever. I can still tolerate martial arts like karate, judo and the alike. But boxing and specially wrestling which the rule seems to be: no rule, is a big no no for me. Not only I can’t enjoy them, I feel troubled to see people being beaten, bloodied, collapse to sometime unconsciousness, or even death. I can’t understand why people cheers on the knock-out. Why celebrate one of the cause of Parkinson? Though not a boxing fans, hubby still can enjoy Ali. I can’t.

But the ring was set in the middle of the ground, surrounded by many booths and vendors, including one of the international booth we were supporting. So, the view to the ring was unavoidable.
Raisa and Ken were so interested to the cheering crowd. Though their vision level was too short to see the ring, the sound of cheering and clapping really invited their curiosity and they kept asking me to go near to see the game. I kept rejecting, but at a point I think, oh well let’s give five minutes of it, give exposure in sake of experience.

Raisa and Ken was able to sneak between bodies until near the front line. I stayed back, but kept my eyes on my two tiny bodies from distance.
Two men in bright color tights, big bodies (but it looked like fat rather than muscle) covered with sweat. One in blue. The other in pink. A smaller body so-called referee between them which role seems to be no more than a joker, beaten by the two fats every now and then. Blue and Pink keep on pushing and slapping each other faces.
At one point, Blue was able to put Pink on his shoulder, throw him on the air and smash him down to the mat. Once Pink lay on the mat, Blue started to kick all over Pink body, non stop. Though audience cheering that, for me it was so disturbing scene.
But I was not the one feel most disturbed at that point.
Raisa was shock to see what happened in front of her. Her eyes widen, mouth open. Her first reflex was to put her both hands covering Ken’s eyes. She tried to protect the small brother from the cruel scene. Ken started to cry as he was not able to see. Raisa right away pull Ken’s hand and struggle to walk back toward me. She shouted at Ken “No matter how you cried, I will not allow you to see that bad things! “.

I was there right away to offer them my hugs. Brought them away and try to distract them with many interesting thing the festival had to offer. Ken stopped crying once he got the chocolate banana. But Raisa still in the shock mood even after we left the festival. She just so quite. I tried to cheered her up and explain that the wrestling game was orchestrated. The hit and kick will not really hurt the player. Still she can’t understand why people so happy to see the other being beaten up.
She vowed, she choose not to see fights game anymore.

I recall when I went to Indonesia two years ago. Some wrestling program called Smash Down or something like that was hit in the channel. Kids, including my young cousins were so much into it. Everybody enjoy the beating up game. I heard, the games took a victim. Not in TV, but just normal elementary boy. It took the life of a child who was beaten by his friend in the school who copy the act as it penetrate in the brain.
How sad, sad, sad.
So blessed that my kids not into that. So glad that Japan government doesn’t put the rating that the show is appropriate to be air at family time.

Too lazy and dizzy to write a nice post. But family back home wants to know what’s we’ve been up to. So, interim update every now and then.

• Dian received the second package of Eid clothes from Wah Cantt. The first shalawar-khamis she received just three days before the day was not fit. This time, perfect! Thanks to Baji Malika and Shazia.
• Also, some other bells from the takyubin/courier guy: pleasant surprise Lebaran package from Dhita and Donny, Delicious Grapes from Shuka, brown tartan heel perfect for autumn has arrived from e-bay. Love them all !
• Last night, for the first time Ken “red” the book for us. He told page by page of  “Hajimete no Otsukai”in his own words for the three of us. Well done, big boy!
• Raisa had several picnic trips in just two weeks: Chiba Dam (with school), Kaihin Park (with kodomo room), Andersen Park (with us), Kasai Rinkai Park (with us and Pakistan association).
• Akhtar brings back the stressfull entertainment to home: Prison Break season 3. Why would people get entertainment from such dirty setting and stressful plot? Why would people can’t stop watching? Love hate.
• But the news channels, offer no less stressful program. Crazy dive of stock price. World economic crisis. Worries over too high and now too low oil price. And we are not talking about the war and blast, and pirates, and tainted milk side yet. How depressive.
• Autumn is in. Hello boots, bye-bye shorts.
• Rain, rain, rain. Got six loads of laundry undone.
• Raisa wants cotton candy maker machine as her 8th birthday gift. Dian thinks it is a wasted and try to persuade Raisa for something else. Price is about 9000 yen, too expensive.
• Raisa and Ken break their first full piggy bank. Two years of saving: 24,425 yen. Raisa wants to open an account in a bank with this money and get ATM card.
• Saw “The Namesake” and love love love this movie. Tranquil plot. Down to earth. Perfect detail. It connects to us who raise kids not in our home country. Another great job of Mira Nair. Indian movie without sing and dance.
• Both Ken and Raisa got front hair cut at our own bath room.
• A bit tired of party, party, party. Longing for an onsen getaway just the four of us.

Was the world this crazy some quarter century ago when I was still in my childhood?
Why didn’t I hear anything? Was I just happily immune from negative news in my innocent days, or the world really was a better place?

Never I heard there was a hole in the ozone layer. Let alone, the hole getting bigger.
Never I heard this month people worry that oil price was too high, the next month people worry that oil prize is too low.
Never I heard a crazy hunting of one wanted person wrapped in a never ending war in a faraway land.
And in another faraway land, though another wanted person was executed, the war still continued.
Never I heard a crime convicted man became a president. Is the people now blind?
Never I heard people anxiety of loosing jobs.
That have been exported to cheaper country. People seem to happy to give job opportunity to their own fellow citizen.

Never I had to open my shoes in any airport.
Never I had to line up long in any embassy to ask for visa.
It felt just as simple formality.

I still remember, my routine task from my father, everyday read the headlines of the newspaper.
I can’t remember it was depressing. Never desperate for good news.
Yes there were explosion, but it was not daily, one followed by another as if they were fireworks in a celebration.
Using religion and belief as excuse.
Yes Ethiopia was full of hunger but look, now 30 years later famine still occurred. Even broader and worst…

Never I heard my parents worry of value of world money. Crumbled stock market. World bankruptcy.
Never I felt my parents worry to let me go anywhere by myself. World seem a safer place back then.
Never we worried of the food we consume. The melamine I know, was my orange cup my mother pour in chocolate milk to drink every night.
Never I imagined the melamine now is poured into the milk.

Was I blind?
Was I in a bubble of imaginary life?

If there is a day which one feel really fulfilled, for us, that was yesterday.
Our Idul Fithri this year was indeed a happy day.

Started very early in the morning left home shortly after 6:30 AM, picked Fithri and Indri, and by 7:30 we were already in Hiroo Mosque.
The Mosque provide a very nice section for women on the second floor. Wall-to-wall carpeted, clean wudhu place and toilet, spacey, good system of audio and video too. Indeed it was a nice decision to choose this Saudi Arabia’s government sponsored Mosque as the place for Eid prayer this year, much better than the always too crowded prayer in Indonesian Embassy. As a bonus, there were a small after prayer party with lots of food, and  biggest bonus was starting the day with close friends living in different part of Tokyo (Tari, Yuni, Dhita).
Leaving the Mosque, we were already full though felt awkward to eat that much in the morning after a whole month of fasting.

Next destination was Pakistan Embassy, where Uncle Wahid and family live in the embassy compound. He is the only real relative in Japan, so surely his place is our affirmed destination. We spent good time there with family and friends with Pakistani Eid Fitr’s must-have so hubby got the taste of Pakistani Eid. Raisa and Ken was lucky to received some of Eidi (money that kids received from adult on Eid day). I was surprised that they got it even from unknown person to us. When we left, kids brought home 30,000 yen! (oh, I should stay longer as guest = Eidi kept on coming , but a huge party prep is waiting at home..) and I was happy to get the Pakistani special whole roast chicken, a definitely a nice addition to our home Eid party menu tonight.

Reaching home around two, in no delay I change my costume to apron. In two hours the guests will start to arrived and I still have some items in the list need to be checked.
Full list of our happy menu:
On main table:
- Lontong (Indonesian rice cake),
- Opor (Indonesian mild white chicken curry, this time I made it yellow to follow Yogya style),
- Gulai sayur (Vegetable and shrimp soup curry, made special for Fithri who spent her first Eid without her Mom, this dish the belated Mom always cook for her in the special day)
- Dendeng balado (Dried beef jerky cooked in chilly paste),
- Fried shrimp (marinade in lemon and a hint of cajun seasoning, last minutes additional when I saw big word “SHRIMP FROM INDONESIA” at my final supermarket visit before party)
- Oseng-oseng tempe ( stir-fried of fermented soy been cake)
- Daging Cacah (Mince Beef cooked with paprika, courtesy of Uum)
- Sambal Goreng (liver, potato, quail egg dried curry, courtesy of Virna and Yayan)
- Karahi whole chicken roast (Courtesy of Lily Wahid)
- Kerupuk udang (Indonesia Shrimp crackers, courtesy of Indri)

On the dessert table & drink corner:
-Chocolate Cake (a real black and moist Devil Food, baked last night…after midnight)
- Swiss Roll (courtesy of Yanti)
- Castella (Japanese sponge cake)
- Pastel Ayam (Indonesian friend chicken pie)
- Chocolate pudding and fruit cocktail sauce (courtesy of Fithri)
- Kaastengels (cheese stick cookies)
- Nastar ( pineapple tart, my first trial of the recipe)
- Mini Cheese biscuit (chewy cheese mini scone)
- Almond cookies (happily made by Raisa)
- Es teller (mixed coconut milk based drink with jack fruit, avocado and coconut string inside)
- Fruit punch (Pineapple and Grapefruit base, this time)
- Many fruits, specially seedless grapes (several of guests brought same huge package of them, courtesy of Cindy, Tasya, Poppy)
- Juice, sodas
- Kopi tubruk (Bandung’s best: “Aroma” brand coffee)
- Chai (Pakistani milk tea)

At half past three, Fithri, Indri, Tasya and Cindy came to give their kind hand on the final rep.  
We booked the party room at 8th floor that can accommodate about 60 people as house is to small to host that many guest comfortably, plus nice view from top of the area.
By 6:30PM about 50 of us, gathered to enjoy the air of happy Eid Day, good food, accompany by Opik’s song as background. Opik CD, courtesy of Nelly, an Eid’s present from her on last year’s Eid Day (tho I have to admit I just listen to it now).

Needless to say how jolly was the atmosphere, good people, old and young, celebrating the winning day of Ramadan, eating, joking, playing, networking, enjoying the time. Finding the taste and feeling of Idul Fithri just like at home.
Around 9:30 we left the party room and had nijikai (kind of second party) at home.
Chandra who just arrived from Bali yesterday performed a short Pendet dance, Doddy exercising his magic finger on the piano, cup of coffee or chai on everyone’s hand, fulfilled and warm at heart.

Alhamdulillah, this year Idul Fithri was joyful and warm.
May every one had a happy Idul Fithri just like us.
Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Bathin.

Guest list so I can keep the record of friends (some are new friends):
Fithri, Indri, Natasya, Cindy, Meta (+1kid), May (+1kid), Poppy, Alif, Shun, Yanti, Kirari, Lis (+1kid), Viany, Kentaro, Dewi, Virna, Yayan (+1friend, anybody can tell? I can’t recall, the one from Nagasaki), Bintang, Ashar, Ichi, Aya, Khalissa, Noraan, Jose, Ali, Saira, Mishall, Danesh, Hassan, Doddy, Makruf, Nita, Basyarie, Fauzan, Uum, Adi, Dini, Chandra, Bambang, Nugroho, Ani, Naveed ……………. hope I don’t miss anyone…