The Acne Prone Wife

 THIS PICTURE IS A LIE pic is from fotosearch.com  We all know that waking up in the morning does NOT look like the picture above. Not in a thousand year. Trying to crawl out of the bed with one eye shut and the other covered in gunk sure does not give you a refreshed, happy face. And then you decide to creep back into the blanket. Soft. Comfortable. Going back to sleep is an unavoidable decision. And then you are late. Haha. Anyway, have you ever noticed that actually after crawling out of bed, we only spend five heavy-eyelid-disoriented-minutes? After those dreadful five minutes, usually we already turn fully awake. So really, all we have to do is push ourselves to get out from the bed, getting adapted to the waking world. We tend not to do it, I know :) Is not life like that? We do not want to leave our comfort zone and embrace changes. When I moved from Indonesia to Dubai last year, I thought I would not last. For the first few weeks, all I wanted...

The weirdest feeling came to me that evening when I was downtown last weekend. Sitting on a motorcycle (my husband rode it), having nothing much to do, I looked around and felt utterly strange. How can I put it? It was like being sucked into a weird oldie movie. And a slow motion one. A motorcycle passed by and the rider sported a pair of knee-length boots. Boots in Surabaya are a rare sights, even in malls. And here was a guy with stylish boots in a shabby motorcycle. Following him was a lady in a motorcycle with very wide boot cut jeans. It was an amusing sight, as she could be a shadow from the past. As she passed by, the stores along the street started to catch my attention. Stalls selling dusty cheapo firework. Ancient stores with fading signs and interior full of dust. Grandpas with hooded eyes stood behind their displays, trying so hard to keep awake. Short time hotels with tacky old-fashioned lamp signs. It was as if the whole sleepy street tried so hard to keep awake, tr...

What is the must visit tourist destination/attraction in Dubai? People say it is desert safari. Well, where else can you experience a life in the desert rather than in a desert country? If you google the images of desert safari, yummy pictures like these show up: I got pretty low price on the desert safari package tour deal from the Internet. Basically they promised to give us: Pick up and drop from and to our apartment Dune Bashing (that car bashing in the desert sand) Sand Skiing Camel Riding Falcon Show Henna (getting your hand painted) BBQ Dinner Buffet We were so excited! I mean, look at those pictures from the Internet. The day came and our high expectations started to crumble bit by bit from the first call of the driver who was supposed to pick up us at our apartment. "Your apartment is too far, we are going to be late. Let's meet up at Deira City Center Mall." My husband then told him that we could reach Deira City Center in 2 hours by bus (th...

Walking down a street in Deira area a couple months ago, we stumbled upon this little store that specializes in selling Indonesian hair care and body care products. Weird. There are not so many Indonesian people here. So we went inside the store, talked to the store owner and asked his permission to take a couple of pictures. We were fascinated. The store owner said that business is quite good. There are always people who come looking for Indonesian products. I suddenly remember that I've been looking for hair tonic in numerous department stores in Dubai with no luck at all. They only have hair oil (sounds yuck). They do not have any knowledge of hair tonic at all. I should go visit this store again. Rudy Hadisuwarno. Who in Indonesia doesn't know him? Balsem Otot Geliga! Pegal Kembali Lega! You can even see the POM number :)) The infamous Citra (or Citra Hand Body as we know it) The store. I also heard that Sharjah (a town next to Dubai) has Indomaret! ...

It is such a cliche to say don't take anything for granted, be grateful instead, bla bla bla. The fact is that we hear sayings so many times a day (blame Blackberry Broadcast Message for that) they feel so lame and worn out. I hate cliches. And I take things for granted. But a recent stroll to the supermarket changed me. A bit ;) These pictures (all prices are approximate) show how fruits that I got so easily (and cheaply!) in Indonesia cost an enormous amount of Dirham that I don't want to spend. Papaya. IDR 67,500 per kg. In Indonesia: IDR 3,000 per kg. Coconut. IDR 20,000 per piece. In Indonesia: IDR 5,000 per piece. Rambutan. IDR 42,500 per pack. In Indonesia: IDR 10,000 per kg (less for that pack!) Durian. IDR 90,000 per kg. In Indonesia: IDR 20,000 per kg. Crazy, eh? They say that all fruits here are imported. But look at the prices! Fruits from Southeast Asia are so exotic and expensive here in the desert. No longer will I take fruits for granted when I go back to Indon...

I just want to share my Christmas service. Christmas at United Christian Church of Dubai (UCCD). No decoration at all. And the sermon went something like this: Christmas is to remind us of the deeply disturbing, the ugly: our sins. No one deserves Christmas. If we realize we are sinners, then indeed, merry is the news of Christmas. The one who we should be saved from is the one who saves us: Christ. My effort to hold my tears almost would not let me sing "Amazing Grace" after the sermon. Why can't Christmas be celebrated like this every year, in the whole world? Lord, have mercy on us. Kyrie, Eleison. Christ, have mercy on us. Christe, Eleison.

Because this is a blog belongs to an acne prone wife, I think it's about time I talk about acne :) I had to say goodbye to clear skin since the last year of senior high school. My acne started to run havoc on my face since I was around 17. Since then, I have tried to get rid of those bumps by getting drugstore products, seeing the doctor, going to skin clinic, etc. They sometimes got better, they sometimes got worse. But I would consider my acne mild. It's nothing a little powder cannot cover ;) Anyway, in these last couple of years, I have found an HG (holy grail) facial wash that has kept my acne at bay. May I present: Himalaya Herbals Neem & Turmeric Soap . Image is from the website Gently cleanses. Keeps skin soft & smooth. Fortified with Azadirachta indica (Neem) and Curcuma longa (Turmeric) that remove problem causing bacteria and protect your skin keeping it refreshed and healthy. It is not specifically designed for facial wash, but when I first bought it in Si...