Senin, Desember 17, 2007

The Naruto Fever

My son, Salman (now almost 10), is enjoying the Naruto’s series on TV. Every evening he spends about an hour, watching his favourite series. His sister, Lia, and his brother, Akbar, often accompany him watching the series, for they’re also like the story. And when the children start to watch the TV seriously, I try to join them. Soon, I get involved in the story of the ninja boy Naruto Uzumaki and his fiends Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara etc. Sasuke and Naruto become Salman’s idol. Lia likes the ponytail hair Shikamaru and Akbar becomes the fan of Kakashi Hatake, Naruto’s teacher. Actually it’s interesting story. When we’re watching the series, the scene of the fights are not interesting to me. But not for Salman. He often watchs the fists in detail and then practices them. One day he’s watching the series, beside him I was reading the newspaper. The episode was about the fight of Naruto and Ghara. Salman had watched this episode on the other TV chanel. ‘Look mommy, look at the fist….’. I put the newspaper in my lap and watched the TV, Ghara started to attack Naruto. ‘What fist?’, I asked him. ‘Wait for a moment, mommy, look when he fights back Ghara….look…see…it’s incredible fist…’. For me it’s just ordinary fist. When the show was over, Salman started to practice the fists, he fought against the sofa. I sometimes wonder what’s in the mind of ten years old boy…..

Jumat, Desember 14, 2007

Lesson to Sell

I and my husband agree, we have to teach the children not only how to spend money efficiently but also how to earn money. In 1999 when my daughter Lia collected many kinds of letter paper (a piece of paper where the letter used to be written on), she insisted me more often to buy her many sets of letter paper. Knew this, her daddy suggested, ‘There are 12 to 30 pieces of paper in each set, and you just keep one piece in every set as your collection. So what are you going to do with the other pieces? Why don’t you exchange them with your friends’s collection? So you don’t have to buy new sets to add your collection, dear’. Lia said, ‘I did, daddy, but sometimes my friends didn’t want their collection to be exchanged’. ‘So why don’t you sell the other pieces to your friend? Maybe your friends don’t want to exchange their collection because like you, in each type of paper they just keep one piece. Exchange the collection means that they don’t add their collection. If you sell the rest of the paper to them they can add their collection without losing one. Try to sell dear’. Lia, was 8, said, ‘OK daddy, I’ll try’. A few days later she reported to her daddy. ‘Look daddy, I got 9200 rupiahs. In average I sold each piece of paper 250 rupiahs, if the type is my favourite I sold it 500 rupiahs. And when Regita said this one is very pretty, I raised the price for her, any price won’t be a problem for her. But daddy, you know Rully, everyday she brings only 250 rupiahs to school. So I sold 6 pieces of paper for only 100 rupiahs. I said thye’re a gift but she insisted to pay 100 rupiahs’. I and my husband smiled. My husband huged her, ‘Very good dear, mommy gives you only 1000 rupiahs each day, and in a few days you can collect 9200 rupiahs. That’s very good. Now you’ve learnt how to earn money. You also have to learn how to spend them efficiently. Keep selling dear….’

Rabu, Desember 12, 2007

Easy Mover

As PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk’s employ my husband’s tour of duty can be all around Indonesia. In 2003, after 13 years of marriage we had moved from Palembang, Bandung, Ujung Pandang, Madiun, Surabaya, before returned to Bandung. We came to Palembang in 1990 with 2 suitcases, mine and my husband’s. We started to buy things to fill our house. In 1991 our daughter, Lia, was born. In October 1992 we moved to Bandung. Still in Bandung our son, Akbar, was born in April 1994. We flied to Ujung Pandang in July 1994 and stayed there until July 1997, when we became the resident of Madiun. In February 1998 when we were visiting our parents in Solo, my youngest son, Salman, was born. In March 2000 from Madiun, we moved to Surabaya, and at last since July 2003 we returned to Bandung. We decided to stay in Bandung. Experienced as a frequent mover had made me and my children gained many kinds of skill. In their new school Lia and Akbar became easy adapted children, they could built relationship with their friends as soon as they joined the new school. They also learned the local language easily. And I gained the skill and art of packing before moving and also strategy to make up the house after moving. Want to know one of my tip? If you are going to move while you still have children under 5 years old, pack the things and code each pack with the content. Give special records for pack with code ‘Children Toys’ and ‘Our special hobbies’. In your new house prepare one room specially to open the pack of ‘Children Toys’ and ‘Our special hobbies’. In average it needs about 2 weeks to make up the new house perfectly. Let the children play happily in that room while the house is being made up. They will not disturb you when all of their toys are there. When tiredness come, rest in the same room and do what your hobbies. For me, reading is my hobby. So I can rest and easily look for the book I want to read in that room. For my husband, he just plays his guitar and sings his favourite song. When almost all of the things have placed at their place so you can move the toys and things of your hobbies to the place where they have to be and arrange the content of the special room. Children generally don’t realize they’re in new environment when all of their special things are in the reach of their hand. This help you for they will not bother your activity in making up the house. And doing your hobbies will erase the stress caused of chaotic situation of the new house, when it doesn’t made up yet. So, yau can happily make up the house…..

Selasa, Desember 11, 2007

A ‘Seeking for Diamonds’ Dance

This story happened in 1985. My daughter Lia was in the kindergarten. One day said to me, ‘Mommy we are going to dance on the stage. Mrs. Nurmi had made me and my friends practice the Rainbow dance’. ‘Was it? How’s the dance?’, I asked her. While singing the song she practiced the Rainbow dance in front of me. Several days passed, and she said to me, ‘Mommy I wasn’t in the Rainbow dance anymore. Mrs. Nurmi chose me to join the Happy dance team’. ‘Its OK honey, can you?’. Again, in front of my eyes she practiced the Happy dance. Two days later she informed me, ‘Mommy finally I joined the Seeking for Diamonds dance (in Indonesian: Tari Mendulang Intan)’. She practiced the last dance everyday. When the time to the stage came, she, with a peasant costume, was very eager to go to hall where the stage was. At the hall her teacher told me and my husband to take a seat while she asking Lia to sit with her dancer friends near the stage. The show had begun. Seeking for Diamonds dance was placed as the fifth dance. When the second dance was over, Mrs. Nurmi asked me to go to the back stage. ‘She said that she will not dance…’,Mrs. Nurmi told me. I bent to Lia, ‘Why honey, you had practiced everyday….’ She whispered to me, ‘Mommy I want to dance the Rainbow dance..’. I wondered. ‘Why honey…?’. Lia sobbed, ‘I want to wear necklace, drop earrings and golden bracelets just like Laura. I like the Rainbow dance, mommy, why Mrs. Nurmi switched me to another dance? If she didn’t switched me I will wear costume just like Laura’s’. Mrs. Nurmi asked me to force Lia to the stage when the time came. ‘See honey, you have to come to the stage and dance the Seeking for Diamonds dance. After that we can go to the shop and buy anything you want, OK?’, first she didn’t react. She still sobbed. I told her, ‘You can buy the new shoes or back pack…or such a costume with necklace, drop earrings and bracelets…’. She stopped sobbing, ‘Really mom? I want such a costume..’. ‘OK honey, go join your friend, the dance will start soon’. So, there she was, on the stage, dancing the Seeking for Diamonds dance, but with lazy, angry expression. After the dance was over we went to the mall looked for the costume, as there weren’t any, she decided to have a new backpack, visited the KFC restaurant and came home happily. It was very realistic. A girl age 5 like Lia prefered to wear glamorous costume, with necklace, drop earrings and bracelets than a simple one, a peasant costume. But she would not insist to dance the Rainbow dance if from the start she didn’t chosen as a Rainbow dancer. This should be a lesson for kindergarten teacher……

Minggu, Desember 09, 2007

News and Letters from Surabaya

My family moved to Bandung (from Surabaya) in July 2003. That was our fifth move. My daughter, Lia, start to enter the first grade of junior high school (SMP Negeri 5 Bandung). Akbar swicthed to the fourth grade at SD Muhammadiyah 7 Bandung. They were actually very sad to leave Surabaya, for they had to leave many friends, several of them are their close friends. I said to Lia and Akbar, ‘Don’t worry, you can still contact them, by phone or by letter. Twice a week at night Mom permits you to phone your friends for half an hour. And Mom will stock many stamps if you want to write letters to them’. Soon, they did what I told. One night, Lia told me. ‘Mommy, tomorrow is Gita’s birthday. I want to send her a special book. Can you buy it for me?’ I said, ‘Sure honey,what book?’. Another night she said, ‘Mommy Ines had broken up with Vito’. And one night she sobbed after phoning her friend. ‘Mommy, at last we lost Novan. He passed away three days ago. Poor Novan…’.
Novan, her classmate had suffered from leukemia for months. She and her classmates visited him in his house several times. She felt sorry that Novan, the nice guy, had to have disease like that. Akbar, once sent his friend, Daniel, a letter. Soon, Daniel wrote to him. I smiled as I read his letter. ‘Bar, your left uniform was given to Adam. He took your position as central midfielder. Yesterday we at last had beaten our rival from SDN Karah by 3-1’. That’s all what Daniel’d written. Below that there’s a schema of footbal playing field, with names that were in charge on each position, Adam as central midfielder 1, Daniel as striker 1, Fathan as left midfielder, and so on….
Akbar once received a letter from a girl, Hasniar. She wrote ordinary things. ‘Write to her, honey’, I said to Akbar. ‘No, Mom, I will not..’. ‘Why? It’s good to have boy friends and girl friends too…’. He looked very ashamed. ‘No Mommy, I will not…..’

Sabtu, Desember 01, 2007

Little Cassanova

My youngest son joined the kindergarten when he was 4. Came home after his first day in the kindergarten his daddy asked him, ‘how’s school son, any beautiful girls?’. ‘Some’, he answered calmly. I added his answer, ‘the girl with white dress was beautiful, wasn’t she? Who’s her name, honey?’. He answered, still calmly, ‘She was Tiara. But mommy I thought the girl with the pink dress was more beautiful, she often looked at me and smiled nicely’. My husband laughed instantly and said ‘that’s daddy’s son’…

Jumat, November 30, 2007

Mr ‘Tiny’ Hadi

This story happened in 1982. I was in the last grade of senior high school, SMA Negeri 1 Solo. Aged 16-17, I and my classmates were at the peak of naughtiness. We ever left the class and watched the Queen life show on the video. Freddie Mercury was our idol at that time. We called teacher with ‘special’ name, that I knew they didn’t want to hear it. We had done so many thing that had made our teachers dissappointed. Our Indonesian teacher was Mr. Hadi. His posture was short, shorter than average of us. We called him Mr. ‘tiny’ Hadi. One day we had Indonesian class with Mr. Hadi. After he had come into the classroom, one of our friend closed and locked the classroom door. The class went quietly and no incident was happened. After one hour the bell rang, Indonesian class was over. Mr. Hadi had said ‘see you’ , walked to the door and we were waiting for science teacher, Mr. Ranto. At first, we ignored Mr. Hadi that returned to the teacher’s chair and sat there. After a few minutes, one of our friend asked him, ‘Mr. Hadi why are you…?’ She stopped the question as Mr. Hadi raised his eyebrow and pointed to the door. As we knew what made Mr. Hadi returned to his chair, we did not help him but laughed, laughed loudly. Mr. Hadi’s expression was a mixture of angry, ashamed, and desperate. The classroom door lock was designed and placed at the top rail of the door. As it was locked by our friend, with his tiny posture Mr. Hadi could not reach the lock even if he raised his hand. Ordinarily it was enaugh to close the door, never lock it. My naughty friend locked the door to create funny scene when Indonesian class was over. We were still laughing loudly when we heard a knock outside the door. ‘Open the door children’, the voice of Mr. Ranto. One of my friend opened the locked door and pleased Mr. ‘tiny’ Hadi to leave the classroom. Mr. Hadi walked desperately and with suspicious face Mr. Ranto asked him, ‘what’s wrong?’. Mr. ‘tiny’ Hadi just said ‘nothing’. We laughed again and again til then with loud sound Mr. Ranto yelled ‘shut up’……

Kamis, November 29, 2007

Hear and Answer

It happened in 1996. My family stayed in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi. My daughter (aged 5) started enjoying reading. She got the ability to read when she was 4. To compensate her hobby, I bought her many kinds of books. Soon series of books become her favourites, The Nature’s Secret Series. The series consisted of 10 books, the secret of elephant, the secret of flower, the secret of earth, the secret of whale etc. At the end of each book there were several multiple choice questions about the book content. For several weeks after dinner or bed time became nightmare to me and my husband. We (included my baby son) were forced to hear questions from my daughter (acted as a teacher) and answered the multiple choice questions. She didn’t permit us to do anything except to hear and answer. The questions were the same of yesterday’s and the night before’s for they came from the same books. I still remember several of the questions are: are there flowers that bloom in the winter?, how big is dinosours?, why sea water is salty? etc. The ritual took 30-40 minutes, until she said ‘that’s the lesson for today’ and went to sleep. We followed what she wanted til then she was bored. Now (age 17, IQ 160) she still fonds of reading.

Rabu, November 28, 2007

Inspiring Teacher

I’ve finished my magister programme, and started to seek a teaching job. Knowing that, my smallest son, 9 years old asked me to teach at a kindergarten near his school, or taught at his primary school. He said, mommy, you can teach math or science, but don’t teach art or sport. I said, I will not honey, it’s not mommy’s field. Mommy wants to teach undergraduate students at school of pharmacy. Why, it’s the same teaching activity?, he asked. I explained my knowledge and skill were more useful to be shared with such students. When I started to teach undergraduate students he reminded me not to forget to bring a red pen. Why, I asked. Mommy is a teacher, a red pen is very important to score students exam, just like my teachers did. I smiled, again I heard another ‘just like my teachers did’. He’s at 4th grade primary school, and he admired his teachers so much. I thanked God. I knew his teachers, most of them taught not only with their skill but with their heart. They are not only transfering knowledge but very inspiring too. Not all teachers did like that. I want to be an inspiring teacher too.

Senin, November 26, 2007

I've made my (first) blog

Hi, I've just made my (first) blog and I'm going to write in my blog continuously.