(Garda Cuci)

This is one of my favourite moments at work: getting a team of guys in jumpsuits (and a huge machine) wash my car. The machine is not a water-pressure type but rather an old-fashioned jungle of whirring bristles. I don't get scratches in the car, though, as the machine has been in constant use for some time by now. Taken by the new mobile phone... otherwise I would've forgotten about it... the car wash costs quite nominal and it was quick, too. Pity I can't do it too often since I would most likely lose the luxury of parking my car under the shade while my car is being scrubbed clean.



The spinning bristles look like bulu babi (sea anemones?) from the inside of the car.

Drawing Me Closer

Tired, but happy!

It's been two-and-a-half weeks since the pattern-making evening classes start. The schedule is a big burden on me physically (imagine working/being alert from 7:30AM to 8PM). Ponky even told me not to die too soon :q I won't, there are way too many things to finish before I can take a long rest.

Yesterday evening I went back from the design school with G (a work colleague who can't pronounce rolling r). While I was driving along a major road, we got stopped by the police. It turned out G didn't put on his seatbelt until the police caught him red-handed not putting it on (fyi, G has been doing the car-pooling thing with me for some time, and he knows well I demand everybody in the car to be belted up.) Given the car I was driving, the police wanted to fine me big time, but I snapped back at him and told him to finish up whatever business he's up to with G and not me. He agreed and asked me to park further down the road (to which I agreed.) Before I let G out, I gave him a dose of... well... I don't know what to call it... it was all too clear to see I was angry big time with him.

Okay, enough with the police business. I got a new mobile phone! ^^ It's nice, and the expandable storage's capacity included in the purchase is quite generous. I wonder, though, whether guys feel the need to upgrade their tech toys three days into using it (I'm already contemplating the purchase of another Memory Stick.) Also, now that the drama is finished, I have a greater likelihood to succeed in moving to Hartadi and Hero's youth fellowship.

And oh, if someone's wondering how I'm faring with homesickness, I'm just surviving. I miss Melbourne. Even my friends at work say that my mudik ke kampong (homecoming) is going back to Melbourne (glad they acknowledge it :)) )

Good night, everybody. I don't want to be late to work tomorrow morning. Take good care, since we all will be responsible of how we use our time on Earth. Bye!

What would I be, if not for You
movin' me?

It's the hope I know
The grace You show that's
drawing me closer
It's the peace I feel
It's Your love so real that's
drawing me closer
And my heart's filled with pure amazement
everytime I feel the tender touch of Your love
Drawing me closer

All Around

There are many things I can be grateful of:
1. Ability to blab here *points at blogger.com*
2. Jesus is personal
3. Having a fair boss at the office (his boss is fair, too, which is just plain good.)
4. Being able to study pattern-making
5. Driving myself around in a car under relatively safe conditions (then again, Jakarta's so-called 'safety' is different to what I grew up with)
6. Earning good income (for the standards here though) and having PayPal
7. My room! This computer! The sewing machine!
8. A colleague's generosity to let me toy with her fabrics in order to make her daughter some dresses
9. Air conditioning (dead without them, I'm as good as fish in the market without it.)
10. Cable connection
11. The latex mattress - it's better than springform mattresses!
12. Brownie for keeping a watch
13. The physical exhaustion I'm having

I'm going to have a good sleep soon... I don't mind studying in Esmod other than the fact short course students are unable to borrow books from its library. If the library's open during normal daytime business hours Mondays to Fridays, short courses' students are unable to borrow books and they students have project on which they may require the use of library books... then the fact that you're able neither to borrow nor to read it during the library hours are a bit of a Catch-22. That's okay, I'll figure out a solution soon.

For my friends who are currently blogging... thank you for letting me put your blog addresses here. It gives me an insight of how you're faring - well, a minimum of 8% effective communication [through literal words] is better than nothing at all, isn't it? As I get to know people, this 8% figure increases accordingly... hehehe... I miss my sister, she'd be telling me to go to bed now. I miss Bandit too, as Brownie is a bit too smelly/dirty to be hugged around.

As for the drama... I'm going nuts as one of the coordinators (i.e. my quasi-supervisor) requested a prolog be inserted into the beginning of the drama at under 48 hours from the scheduled recording session. The play is to be acted out within nine days. The answer is simple: no thank you... but presenting the answer is one of my weaknesses.

Okay people, my eyes are about to give up! Take care, and love you all.

Let the nations sing, let the people shout
Let Your kingdom come, pour Your Spirit out
Manifest, manifest Your love
Manifest, manifest Your love

All around, all around
Everywhere I look Your love is all around
All around, all around
Everywhere I look Your love is all around
Everywhere I look Your love is all around

What Can I Do

It's a step towards reaching my dream... or realising that it isn't for me.

I'm going to learn pattern-making starting from next week. The classes run between 5 to 8PM Monday to Friday, which means rush rush rush away after work, since work finishes at 4:30PM. I was lucky since this class means I don't have to throw away my Saturdays... there was this other class slightly further away from my office which runs on Saturdays between 9AM and 7PM (with a one-hour lunch break) - this would be hell! Asked my boss and he said okay already. So it's a matter of convincing my mum... she was okay with me planning to attend the Saturday classes, so I guess she'd be okay with this one.

Secondly... I feel rather ordinary. And excited. It won't be very soon, but it won't be a distant dream to make my own clothes! Yay!! ^.^

Last weekend was a long weekend, starting from Friday - thank God the calendar year in Indonesia is dotted with a cornucopia of remembrance days, religious holidays and so on. Out of the blue, I decided to abandon the ubiquitous 'sleeping in' rituals (i.e. wake up at 8:30AM at the earliest) for a swim... well, let's credit it to my mum for successfully dragging me out of bed just before 6AM. To cut things short, we (me and boknyok) went for a swim at the local pool. Got out of pool before 8AM... then had something to eat... then went home for a decent shower before heading off to TA. The bathroom at the local pool was grubby and spooky. Some of the shower boxes have neither door nor a shower curtain, and the dry change area is located across the corridor (now you know why I took another shower afterwards ^^; )

I went ice-skating at TA mall on my own. I think you just get past the I'm-feeling-lonely stage after some time because you get used to the proverbial silence. So, I skated on my own... and I fell! On my bum!! Ouch... it hurts even though the initial moment of impact felt like nothing. Then I got up, brushed myself dry and continued skating... hehehe... I think what makes the difference for adult skaters is they realise that falling may hurt (yes)... and that falling is dangerous (no, as long as there is proper gravity, you fall down and not up). Nothing further than that, really...

The last time I went ice-skating was either in the southern hemisphere's summer of 2003, or when I went back to Indo at the end of 2004. Can't really remember. Both were memorable, though.. the earlier for the sloppy rink and the latter for the ice grooves.

Anyway, before the connection drops again... I think I better submit this blog, and go to bed. Tee hee. Take care!

Maybe there's nothing more to say
And in a funny way I'm calm
Because the power is not mine
I'm just gonna let it fly