Nadiah Alwi

Breakfast in my country is somehow important. Not simply because we care about how breakfast can make you energized during the day, but also because we have various food to enjoy on the list.

So, what’s on the menu today?

Mine is ketan urap. What is ketan urap? It’s sticky rice with grated coconut topping as shown on the picture below:

Normally, people eat that with nut sauce like 0n this picture below — the way my husband likes it:

But, my grandpa made my enjoying sticky rice more colorful. He ate that with rendang (delicous meat with coconut milk cooked for a long long time ’til it’s dark brown — but not burnt out), empal or dendeng (yummy meat cooked twice, first with coconut milk — how we Indonesian love coconut milk, then fried ’til it’s dark brown — but, again, not burnt out), or fried salted fish.

Yesterday I ate it with rendang. Let’s see how I mix the sticky rice today. Only with nut sauce?

With fried meat?

With fried salted fish?

Or, with both fried meat and fried salted fish?

You’re right! Both. But not at the same time. Once the sticky rice got into my mouth with the fried meat, and the next with the fried salted fish. Both are yummy!

What did you have on the menu for breakfast today?

Totally missing it. Blogging.

I used to blog to let go of my tense. And, now, I am tensed. So, I blog.

What to write? Honestly, I still don’t know. Have some ideas in mind but none of them seems to be good enough. And, to be honest, that’s why I don’t blog much these days — plus, of course, the facebook thing, you know…

So, now, I want to go back to my blogging life. Here and the other blogs I have. Now, at least, I have like 4 of them — my daughter has 3, so…my having 4 blogs is nothing compared to hers.

Blogging — or writing — is a part of me I can never get rid of  — bcoz, of course, I don’t want to and I love it. Every time I write, I feel this certain feeling which is both fulfilling and relieving. It’s like I fly to the moon doing it — it’s too much, isn’t it?

Mostly, I write fiction. I even blog some of my fiction work. Yet, I actually love both, fiction and non-fiction. However, I am a bit picky when it comes to non-fiction — both while writing and reading it.

By the way, I love reading, too. As much as I love books. I guess, I love books more than reading ‘coz I have so many books, yet about 2 out of 5 of them are still on the waiting list. I just don’t have enough time to read them all.

I used to have an online book store — it still exists now, I just don’t have time to take care of it the proper way. Do you think I just sell those books there? I used to sell second hand books. It was lovely providing people with books they love. Bcoz I know exactly how they feel. I feel it, too, whenever I have new books.

Hm…seems like my talking here is not about missing my blog anymore — which is the title of this post. But, hey…it’s my blog, it’s up to me how I express myself. Plus, not many read this blog anyway. If you happen to be one of those not many people, hope you don’t mind all my brag here. If you do mind it, well…sorry — I was about to say ‘I didn’t ask you to come over, you came here on your own call,’ but then I thought about it and it wasn’t polite enough, so sorry seems to be a better choice.

Anyway, gotta go. I have a 6 years old who needs help to get ready for bed. See you on the next blogging session — if there was a you.

PS: The pic doesn’t say anything about my missing the blog, but it shows how my daughter and I love to be on the same frame.

Normally, when it comes to parenthood, I write it down at my other blog about kids and parenthood (in Indonesian). But, now, it’s not me being my baby Hana’s parent, but more like me being a parent…or other people being parents.

Nothing is more important than the child(ren)’s happiness for parents. At least, every time I see my daughter’s smile, I feel like everything is okay.

Parents would do anything to make their kids happy, to protect their kids. Anything.

And, I kindly did that within these few days. And, seeing my Hana smiled and looked so happy, nothing was more important. No matter what I had to go through, it was nothing compared to that beautiful smile.

Yet, I can’t expect the same thing from other people. So, being a parent differs from one person and another. No expectation is a lot better than the contrary.

What makes me happy about being a parent might be something that make other parents irritated. And, what they find enjoyable being parents might also be something that I can’t stand.

So, being a parent, you can’t be judgmental about other parents’ opinion or decision. No, you can’t.

By the way, I like the new series, Parenthood.

Frankly speaking, this is not my first, yet I can’t tell you how many teeth had gone out of my mouth though. Yes, I’ve just got my tooth taken!

One thing for sure. Getting your tooth taken is worse than giving birth — talking about the take and give here ;). After a labor, you have a gorgeous little baby with you. Yet, this…no baby. No tooth! What you’ve got is only gum that hurts a lot. And, yes, of course, blood.

Now I’m eating rice congee. Not actually eating it, I simply swallow it.

Mom made her famous delicious risoles and sent some for me. And, there is no way I can eat them. Not even one!

Too much complaining, aren’t I? But, hey, I think I have the right to do so. Considering that I have just lost a tooth. Oh my, it still hurts. Hm…yes, I have taken the pills that the dentist gave me. Hope they do their job well. They did this afternoon.

Now, will you excuse me, I need to take a rest — although, to be honest, writing and/or working helps get rid of the pain a bit.

[Picture by Tory Byrne]

I need to grumble.

I dreamed of my grandma last night and it was kinda painful bcoz, again, we had to be separated. We both cried. And, I miss her so much now. You know what, an Indonesian psychic, Mama Lauren, just passed away. And she did look like my grandma. Well, I don’t know what seems to be the connection between the two facts that I wrote just now. But, I just happened to watched on TV the news about her passing.

And, I just did what I always hate to do. I had to teach my daughter a lesson that buying snacks, of which you don’t know the ingredients, from the hawkers might be dangerous. I wished I didn’t have to be that angry, but it was for her own good. Yet, before she went to school, I kissed her all over and she hugged me.

And, I’m reading this wonderful classic book translated to Indonesian by a good friend and published by Orange Books — of which my other good friend is the CEO — titled Pollyanna. I’m glad that they decided to translate and publish this book.

The main character, Pollyanna — of course it’s her, otherwise the title would be someone else’s name — has this wonderful game, the Glad Game. About being happy and grateful about your life even if there are some misfortunes ahead of you.

Frankly speaking, there are things that I’m not grateful about. And, now I learn a lot from that girl, Pollyanna. I’ll be trying to play the Glad Game so my morning posts at this blog won’t be all about me grumbling. But, hey, I’d rather spill it out, than carry them all out like the kid on the picture.

Oh, I miss my grandma and daughter now. *sigh*

[Picture by: Asif Akbar]