CC: What do We Want from Each Other?

We have realized that our partners aren’t perfect ones; as there’s no perfect person. NOBODY’S PERFECT, right? I believe that accepting your partner’s imperfection will make your marriage happier. Too much expectation can annoy your relationship. If your minds are full of thinking on your expectations about how is your partner should be; you’ll often feel disappointed.

So, if you have expectations, don’t hide it in your mind; say it to your partner. But don’t force him to change immediately. It needs process and many times to change one’s habits and personalities. Moreover, you should be ready if in fact, your partner is hard to change or can’t change at all!

Well, here are a little bit of our wants:

What do I want from my hubby?Keeping what we already have had: our strong love; for forever!
I want that in his mind: I’m the one and only woman for him.
I really want him to stop smoking; but it doesn’t happen until now.
Always becomes a loving hubby for me.
Always becomes a funny, smart and full-of-spirit man.
Lessen his jealousy -hehehe.

What does he want from me?Of course, he also wants me to keep our love.
He wants me less stubborn.
He wants me not to leave far from home alone.
Always becomes a supporting and caring wife for him.

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A Fish Pond

On our journey back home from visiting uncle’s house in Bandung (West Java, Indonesia), we took a rest to have dinner at a restaurant. There’s a fish pond inside the restaurant. When I was nearing the pond to take pictures, the fish were also nearing me. What a nice view!

Watery Wednesday

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Is Your Child still Picking His Nose?

Mindy Berry Walker wrote this tip for you. If your child is continuously doing it; probably it’s because he feels that the habit is relaxing; the similar way with kids that love twist their hair.

Ari Brown, a pediatrician, said that children go through a sensorimotor phase. In this phase, touching everything is how the children learn. You, parents, can assume the picking nose as a problem is your child is still picking at age five or eight. It means that your child has gotten trapped in that phase.

The trick is to get his hands on someplace else. One useful option: keep a small cube of satin in his pocket or pinned to the inside bottom of his T-shirt. Touching this throughout the day will give kids their sensory fix. For older kids (more than eight years old), give them a stress ball.

No matter your child’s age, when you catch him in the act, gently take his hand out without saying a word, give him a tissue, then tell him to wash his hands.

Furthermore, rubbing a thin layer of Vaseline in the child’s nostrils to prevent picking-induced nosebleeds can work as avoidance, because he probably won’t want to touch the sludgy stuff.

Source: realsimple.com

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Albino Carabao

Accidentally, I saw these raw albino carabaos. There’s no one guarded them. They were eating grass in a grass field between two roads; not far from our home. In Solo, Central Java, Indonesia, albino carabaos are very sacred animals. They get special treatment and respect from Solo people. So, I was rather shocked to see them here (Bogor, West Java, Indonesia). I captured it from a moving car; that's why I didn't have best angle.

What is Albino? Albinism is due to various gene mutations that affect the production of normal pigmentation. True albinos lack melanin and are white with no markings and with unpigmented pink eyes. Partial (blue-eyed) albinos have some residual pigmentation. There are various degrees of patchy albinism (piebaldism) due to localised mutations in skin cells.

It’s a pity that I can’t find specific information about albinio carabao. The carabao or Bubalus bubalis carabanesis is a domesticated subspecies of the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) found in the Philippines, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and various parts of Southeast Asia. Carabaos are associated with farmers, being the farm animal of choice for pulling both a plow and the cart used to haul produce to the market.

Adult carabaos weigh seven to eight hundred kilograms—almost 2,000 pounds—and have fairly long gray or black hair thinly covering their huge bodies. They have a tuft of hair on their forehead, and at the tip of their tail. Normally, they are silent and passive, but they will give a trembling snort if they are surprised. Both male and female have massive horns. Since the carabao has no sweat glands, it cools itself by lying in a waterhole or mud during the heat of the day. Mud, caked on to its body, also protects it from bothersome insects.

The carabao eats grass and other vegetation, feeding mainly in the cool of the mornings and evenings. In some places of the world the carabao is a source of milk just like the cow, or it may be slaughtered for its hide and its meat. Its life span is 18 to 20 years and the female carabao can deliver one calf each year (Wikipedia).

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CC: Hardest Days of Our Marriage

Maintaining a marriage isn’t an easy job. It needs strong commitment from both sides to keep the marriage forever. I believe that every marriage has its own obstacles. It becomes a kind of test for the married couple; can they face and solve the test properly? Or the obstacles become the cause of their broken marriage…

Our marriage in early years was a hard time for us. I really want to share our hardest days here completely; but my hubby said that I should only mention it in general. Ok, I can understand…

I supported my hubby’s business in another town; but we had to face the business failure and got bankrupt. Finance became our major problem at that time. It’s very hard to exit from the trouble; but at least, we can survive until now.

Actually, my hubby hasn’t yet had a new business that running well. He has tried to start several different businesses; but there wasn’t yet that came with the good result. Now his activity is helping his brother to run a small new restaurant. We don’t have much money, and we live in a modest life style. But it’s not a big problem, since we have strong love and commitment to keep our marriage. Of course, we have hopes to live in a better condition.

If I have my own child one day, I really want to give him/her the best education. And it means: we need to have special budget in education. We just do our best; only God knows our future!

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Ranjeng Lake

The lake is located in my husband’s home town (Bumiayu, Central Java, Indonesia) city. From the center of the city, it takes about thirty minutes through the uphill and windy roads to arrive at Ranjeng Lake. The lake is laid under the Slamet Mountain and a part of 48, 5 hectares preserved forest.

Ranjeng Lake is different from other lakes. Thousands catfish live in this lake. Several months ago, you can see the fish in a very close distance or even touch them! The lake’s depth is about three meters but there is a narrow and shallow spot (about ten meters square area) by the edge of the lake that the crowd of catfish are used to gather. Unfortunately, according to the Lake Keeper statement; it has already been nine months that the catfish can't be seen anymore. On my last visit several days ago; I only see some goldfish.

In other water recreation objects, you are able to swim, catch fish, ride a boat around the lake and do other things you want to do. But on the Ranjeng Lake, there is no one dares to do such activities like that. Local people still believe that the lake and also the fish are very sacred. The good point is; this local faith keeps Ranjeng Lake as a natural beauty. The water is so pure and clean from any pollution.

When I was nearing the lake to see goldfish, actually I walked on the water surface. The thick grasses protected me from falling down into the lake. Watch out with your step; choose the grass spots that are strong enough to walk on. It feels like walking on a hanging bridge; but this time, your feet are wet.

Watery Wednesday

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Sheep and Carriages

Actually, it’s my first time seeing sheep that used to pull little carriages. I saw these interesting animals at Raflesia Garden in Ciamis, West Java, Indonesia. Children love it! They ride the carriage and then wandering around the garden. The carriage owner guides and walks in front of the carriage.

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