The Acne Prone Wife

It's tricky to define Dubai, and my definition might be too early because I've just been here for a month and a couple of days. However, for sure, although Dubai is in Arabian peninsula, you will be disappointed if you look for Arabia world here. For one thing, 85% of the people here are expatriates (and most of them are India and Pakistani). Another thing, Dubai is like a showcase of its country UAE to display how modern and rich the country is. In my humble opinion, the showcase is somewhat tacky and lots of times over the top. "Literally" over the top, right? :D You can browse the Internet and read the history of Dubai, but to make the story short, it was in around 1970 that Dubai started to build fast and tall. So it is like in the Arabian 1001 nights. This modern city was built "magically" overnight . No wonder not much ancient culture can be found here. But if you insist, you can still see such things (click for bigger picture): Left: Traditional Dubai...

The beauty of just-married couples is how they do everything together. They sleep together, they shop together, they solve problem together, they laugh together, they pray together, they cry together, they cook together. And they eat together. And we realized that our cooking is crap. Yuck. Image is from here . I shared about this with a best friend back in the home country, and he was exceptionally sympathetic. Best friend: Poor you. What are you craving now? I'll take pictures of it. Me: Ha. Ha. Very funny. Now is 4 pm. And I have to think of something to cook for dinner. *sigh* Lesson learned: Learn to cook and actually do cook when you're still in your mom's house!

I don't know if this rule is worldwide or only in Indonesia, but to travel abroad you have to have return ticket. I believe it is to avoid people to work illegally abroad and not coming back to their home country. No country would want this to happen. Image is from here . Anyway, when I wanted to leave for Dubai, UAE to be with the husband who's working there, I called several travel agents to purchase a one-way ticket because I needed not a return ticket (and of course to save some money :D). But those travel agents insisted that they could not sell a one-way ticket. It's against the rule, they said, although I had tried to explain that I would have some kind of a visa. So the husband decided to make a residence visa sponsored by the husband (not by the company) and here is the process: Prepare a copy of the marriage certificate (translated into English by a certified and sworn translator, legalized by Kementerian Hukum dan HAM RI, Kementerian Luar Negeri RI, and Embassy o...

Bahan + bumbu: Kerang / udang / ayam / lauk apa aja deh Bawang putih Bawang merah Lombok besar Daun jeruk Garam, gula Kecap manis Cara masak: Campur lauk dengan garam dan gula Gongsong bawang putih dan bawang merah Tambahkan lombok, daun jeruk, dan lauknya Ketika air sudah sat, tambahkan kecap manis Masak sebentar, matang deh Looks easy peasy! *Resep diajarkan oleh Mama kepada anaknya si Acne Prone Wife yang sedang merantau dan lebih sering dimasakin suami ini

Bahan: Kaldu (ayam/daging) Potongan tahu halus Wortel Kocokan telur Sawi / Pochai Bumbu: Merica, garam, gula 1/2 sdt minyak wijen Tumisan bawang putih (cincang) dan daun prei (potong tipis) Cara masak: Didihkan kaldu Bumbui dengan merica, garam, gula Masukkan potongan tahu halus, wortel, kocokan telur Terakhir masukkan potongan sawi/pochai Tambahkan minyak wijen, tumisan bawang putih & daun prei Setelah mendidih langsung angkat supaya sayur tidak layu Selamat mencoba! *Resep diberikan oleh Suci kepada sepupunya si Acne Prone Wife yang sedang merantau ini

Between my flight from Surabaya to Dubai, I had an eleven-hour-layover in Bandar Sri Begawan, Brunei. It wasn't a lot of time but I managed to snap these few random things (click for bigger pictures): How streets and building look in Bandar Sri Begawan A traditional market by the river. We can ride on the boat, but the smell of the river was too much. The hotel where I stayed for a couple of hours. I like the logo. For lunch I went to a shabby food court next to the hotel. The sign made me pay attention to where I stepped. If you're not an Indonesian, you might not find this picture amusing. Indome - ayam - telur Indome - cornbeef Indome - mata lembu Indome - skramble Bandar Sri Begawan airport. Everyone in Gate 5 wanted to go to London. It seemed that I'm the only one heading to Dubai. Interesting things I found about Brunei: The cars are very polite. They always stop when people want to cross the street. (Unlike in Surabaya/Indone...

Today I feel like writing in Indonesian. So, here it is. Akhirnya saya menyusul suami juga setelah enam bulan menjalani long-distance-marriage, setelah setahun lebih sebelumnya menjalani long-distance-pacaran. Jujur, saya merasa seperti Siti Nurbaya yang dikawinkan melalui perjodohan (untungnya tanpa paksa). Semacam akan menemui orang baru yang cuma saya kenal lewat chatting. Tapi semoga ini bisa bikin banyak sparks seperti orang baru pacaran yang lagi hot-hot nya gitu ya. Anyway , ini bukan kali pertama saya ke luar negeri, tapi jujur dodolnya mirip orang yang belum pernah naik pesawat. Sepertinya ini dikarenakan setiap kali bepergian saya tidak pernah sendiri. Dan itu membuat saya "seperti kerbau dicocok hidung," ngikut aja tanpa ngerti. Dimulai dari kelebihan beban, membongkar koper di hadapan petugas demi mengeluarkan 3kg dan gawatnya lingerie macan (haummm) pemberian teman kok paling atas *plak*. Lalu salah jalan ke sana sini (ini sih biasa buat saya). Yan...