Jakarta - The Reality!

Taken by an artist friend of ours, this is from a series of photos she is taking to document why, in last weeks 'Telegraph', Jakarta was announced the third most polluted city in the world. ABOVE Beijing!! I think it must be on water and ground pollution rather than air, as I know the air here is not anything as smoggy as Beijing.

Us & The New Hairy Thing

A rare picture of the both of us taken last night. He had to start growing a beard after his trip to Krakatoa where he got so burnt on his chin that it blistered and bled and so he has kept it to see what it's like. What do you reckon? Should it stay or should it go?!!

Fun Night Out At 'The Oasis'

We had a truly wonderful night out last night with NJIS's new headmaster, Gary Lafoy. He took a select few of the staff out (no idea why we were chosen but we weren't complaining!). We went to this absolutely magnificent old colonial house down in Mentang where they serve the most amazing food and wine and ambiance. I wish we'd known of it sooner, because, WOW! What a wonderful place to take guests and family. It was very expensive as we found out at he end of the night when we decided to go for a nightcap after the boss had left and 4 drinks cost 55 dollars! (Luckily, dinner and previous drinks, of which we had very many) had been on the Headmaster!)

A great night out.

Although, Juliette is now sick with some sort of cold/cough/fluey thing as well. So yet another night of little sleep.

We had an absolute ball, including singing and dancing to these wonderful singers from Sumatra.

Annalise's Transformation into a Hamster

Annalise had been feeling a little off the past few days, had a temperature on Wednesday, then slept really badly on Wednesday night, so I kept her home from school thinking she needed to just sleep it all off. But when I came back at first break to check on her, the whole right side of her face had swelled up like a balloon and she had a raging temperature again. I called the school nurse up to look at her and she said she either had mumps or an ear/throat infection and we needed to take her to hospital to get checked out.

The ENT specialist took a look at her and with some strange electronic machine, managed to record how much pressure was in her inner ear and showed us on what looked like a 'contractions graph' and it was off the charts - he says her inner ear is filled with fluid and her right tonsil is swollen and given her antibiotics and painkillers etc, saying it was just an inner ear and throat infection.

The strange thing though, is Annalise is in no pain - the puffyness doesn't hurt, and her throat, which is obviously swollen, does not hurt.

Yesterday, the other side of her face has started to puff out as well, but again, with no pain.

All the symptoms seem like mumps, (and I've been googling all her sympotoms!) but the Dr seemed to think not. I would have thought, with that much infection in an ear, she would be in excrutiating pain! hmmmmmm.

And now Juliette is sick.

aghhhhh!

Drink the Bar Dry Party At The Becks'

So, yesterday afternoon after school we had a 'drink all the booze in the bar party' and 'bring a dish from the country you're going to' party, mixed in with 'watch the American Idol final' party. It was a great, boozy afternoon, the last people leaving just after 11pm so not a bad effort. Andrew was completely wasted.

I have been up since 8am with the girls and have spent most of the morning cleaning up the devastation....only to find we have actually ended up with more spirits than when we started! People must have brought their stuff as well! DOH!!

We had Japanese sushi and sashimi, New Zealand roasted sweet potatoes, Tunisian beef salad, American artichoke hot dip, Middle Eastern chicken and date tangine and Lentil dhal (I made them), Polish strawberry dumplings, Vietnamese spring rolls, Chinese something or other (!), Indonesian sweets and savoury snacks, Kenyan chicken yellow curry.....all pretty yummy!
It was a great night.

Although Annalise has been sick the past few days. (notice the right side of her face?) We ended up at the hospital with her yesterday during school....more on that to follow.

Those funny things that kiddies say...

I knew I should have written them down as soon as they said them as I've forgotten most of those wonderful things that the girls say. Not a day goes by usually without them saying something that will crack me up.

Here are some I can remember off hand... In Melbourne at Christmas time, on our way to St. Kilda (to the beach), Annalise asks:
"Daddy, why did he kill her?"
"Who?"
"Saint"

Annalise, on entering Doha airport and seeing the men in their dish-dashers and headdresses:
"Mummy, why does everyone look like Jesus?"

Juliette, in Bahrain:
"Mummy, why are the women dressed up like black ghosts?"

Juliette and Annalise had a concert earlier on in the year where they had to sing 'Heal The World' by Michael Jackson. Well, they are always singing it, but only three months later did I realise that Juliette was singing the wrong words when she asked me:
"Mummy, why do we have to 'kill the world'? Will that make it a better place?"

Just last week.
Something to boost the old ego....
Andrew: “Hey, my girlies. Why will you only cuddle Mummy, and not me?”
Annalise: “Because you’re fat and hairy.”
Juliette: “and Mummy’s just fat.”

More to come. I have forgotten loads.

Sassy Girls On The Stage

Posted a little late, but these were taken after the last 'Little Shop Of Horrors' performance as we were deconstructing the set. They spent the last month attending all the rehearsals after school so knew the play inside out. Annalise got a Chorus costume and joined the cast each night - even getting up on the stage with the Lower School Grade 4 & 5 chorus and singing and dancing with them! I was busy playing the keyboard and directing the singing but they did a great job.

Annalise during finale - sitting on stage.

Blonde Curls a'Swinging

Golden ringlets and curls everywhere!

How cute is she? (And isn't J'J's hair getting long?!)

Now, how amazing is this pic with Juliette's hair flying in the wind?!

They look so gorgeous now, but I know all too well how much both girls will grow to hate those curly lots as they get older and dream of straight tresses!

Watching a not-so-exciting Upper School dance number at the fun fair with their friend Tyla!
The Three Grumpy Butterflies.

Hospital Visits

We snuck (is that a word?!) out of school early today to go to the hospital to finally get vaccinations for the girls. We didn't give any vaccinations at all last year, so in my guilt and efforts to cross off another one of my list of things we have to do before we leave, I decided today was the day.

The visit ended up with me having my first ever mammogram; I have been putting it off since I turned 35 in November and finally sucked it up and went to the radiology department after getting the girls' vaccinated today at the local hospital.

I thought I would be just making an appointment, but they said they could do it there and then, so I sucked it up even more and did it. I AM SO BRAVE. Agree?

The Dr telephoned about 30 mins ago to say that it was all clear. YAY for me!!! Very relieved. Not that I was worried, but you just never know.

It was incredibly easy, relatively stress free and in all honesty, didn't hurt THAT much. I thought it would be very painful but I think four and a half years of continuous breastfeeding and having my boobs pulled, stretched, bitten, pinched, grabbed (you get the picture) made having a mammogram a piece of cake in comparison! Perhaps the fact that I most probably have 'National Geographic boobs' as a result might have helped!! (Your boobs do really get squished...)

I thought this cartoon was quite apt..

The girls on the other hand.....you'd have thought they were going to be tortured the way they carried on when we went into the Dr.s office.

Actually, that's not being fair.

Juliette was very brave and only screamed after two needles were simultaneously jabbed into her two little thighs. I think it always hurts more on the leg. The Dr. said that she was a little too 'little' for the arm this time. (Do you know, Juliette has only put on 4 kilos since June 2008? 4 kilos in 2 years!! She now weighs, as of today's hospital 'weigh-in', 14.1 kilos. My little fairy - I wish I had her genes!)

I would be so happy if all I've put on is 4 kilos in 2 years.

Our other little monkey, Annalise, well, she was kicking, screaming, crying, punching, biting even, before the needles were brought out - she wouldn't even let the Dr. look in her ears or her throat. However, with Daddy, Mummy, a Nurse and a Dr holding her down, she had her injection in her arm and then she said 'Oh! That didn't hurt at all!' after all the trauma! Yes......

Perhaps I shouldn't warn her next time.

We have to go back in a month for one more injection each. The very controversial MMR (second dose) for Annalise and Chicken Pox for Juliette which we forgot to give her at 15 months. (oops.)

After that, Annalise will be finished until her Rubella jab pre-teen and Juliette will have a year or so reprieve until her next MMR. Poor things.

We took the girls to have frozen yoghurt after their 'bravery'.

Frozen yoghurt is our new found delight and I am encouraging it ten-fold as the girls adore ice cream so much but it is soooooo not healthy to have it every day! So frozen yoghurt is a happy alternative - I am actually adoring it more than the real thing!! Here, they serve it with dollops of fresh fruit - kiwis, passion fruit, strawberries - yummy!!!!!!!!!!!

Boozy Arabian Night Out

Cerita at Sunset

More Krakatoa

Andrew's Krakatau Trip 2010

Pony Rides at the fair on Saturday

We had our NJIS family fun fair on Saturday - the girls had a ball as there were heaps of games for them to play like bowling and sponge throw and darts and bean bag toss etc and PONIES!!! So, the girls got to ride on both Zena and Dusty - a little bit taller ponies than they were used to so a bit scary at first but like true troopers, after a minute or so they were saying 'Lok Mumy! No hands!'. I had to work for two hours on the face painting stall - but it was good fun.

Happy Mother's Day!

I have had a very restful one.
The girls were sick last week with a stomach vomiting virus and so guess what I received as my present from them about 2 am this morning? Yes, you guessed it.
I spent most of last night throwing up and have spent most of today slobbing around the house feeling sorry for myself.
Hope all of yours (those who celebrate it today) were far more pleasurable!
Lots to catch up on, I know. Will do so soon - but computer is still playing up.

Computer Issues

I am having major problems with my computer at the moment - any photo file, video, image, seems to be crashing the computer. And as soon as I open my Picasa photo storage file, which is the programme I use to make all my collages, the computer coughs and dies. Thus, the slackness of posting. I am writing this from my little HP notebook as the PC has crashed once again for the what must be the 15th time in 2 hours. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
I have so much to update you on. But it's pretty boring without piccies! And I have some great photos to show!
Ok. So what have we been up to?
Andrew was gone for a week over in Cerita - visiting Krakatoa volcano with his Grade 9 and 10's and so I held the fort as a single Mummy for the week here at home. The girls and I ate out every night at Japanese and Chinese restaurants that Andrew won't usually go out to. Yum. We got our nails done and had girly make-up nights. It was wonderful!
I missed Andrew badly at night time though. Even with his farting and burping.! So did the girls. Juliette cried herself to sleep the first night he was away 'Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!' was all she'd cry, hiccuping and finally passing out.
Andrew has some beeeeeeautiful photos of the volcano and the crystal clear turquoise waters and white sand of the National park. Gorgeous. I wish I could have seen it.
The night Andrew came back, we both went out with friends for drinks at a really cool bar down in the south, followed by an Arabian meal. I have some nice shots of that. But it may be some time till I share them due to bloody comoputer crappy issues!
I have started a list of hilarious things the girls have said lately - I will post these if the photo issue lasts much longer!
We have booked flights now for summer - we go to Bali for 6 days from 17th June till 23rd and then we fly to Dubai for a 2 night stopover on the 25th June and arrive in Birmingham on the 27th. If anyone can recommend a cheapish but nice hotel in Dubai, we'd love to know. Things seem to have changed dramatically since we were last there in 2006.
Can't wait for summer. Very excited.
School is slightly tough at the moment. I think it always is when you know you're leaving and have so much stuff to organise, and also with the up and downs of the school's future this year, I think things are more tense than normal. I've been finding it a struggle to stay positive - and usually I'm so good at it. I think I am getting swept up into negativity of other staff members and I need to break free from it all: Step back, and choose to say nothing if I can't think of anything positive to say. Little things are niggling me and I know that they would not usually do so.
Maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy.
That's crap. I know that's not true.
I just need to get some sleep I think! Or eat more chocolate. Or go for a spa. Now, we're talking!
Will hopefully Post some photies soon.