misc

We've been noticing those black ovoid grain-of-rice size unwanted gifts in our kitchen drawers. Our friends warned us that rodent colony must have been hijacked our house, yet we doubted it. There's no suspicious noise, unlike when our house got attacked by mice. Church people set a mouse trap months ago but never caught any. About a month ago, hubby put the same trap and surprisingly got one. Our kitchen was in peace afterward. Until recently, mouse activities had come back to life. Their droppings were everywhere especially in kitchen drawers - place for all of our and the church' kitchen utensils. Thus, we had to wash those hundreds stuffs with hot water.

Got super annoyed, hubby got two a new traps and set them in the drawer. We pull out one drawer that contains cleaned stuffs, stuffs that we use everyday after we finish dinner every night. The other drawers were still unwashed, until our kitchen is mouse free. After putting a drop of peanut butter as a bait, we went upstair hoping to catch two. At night when hubby checked the drawer, there a mouse got trapped and died. He put the other one on the drawer. About an hour after, there was another pity mouse. Gotcha! Like me, he is disgusted of mouse also yet has no choice. Thanks mice, now I feel unsecure for entering my own kitchen.

This morning when I went down getting my cereal, I jumped and screamed. There was a mouse in the sink. Our sink is deep so the mouse couldn't get out. Killing mouse nor taking it out alive wasn't a choice. So hubby dropped a mouse trap that had leftover peanut butter in the sink. It could be fooled. We got one more. Disgusting indeed! After telling my friend about our disgusting experience, my friend told me his experience when he was still living at his old apartment. He was so annoyed with mice, just like we are. Then he put two traps, and caught the total 20! I told hubby about my friend's experience and he said, "So, we have 17 more to go!

It was a beautiful spring day, Winny and I couldn't wait until noon to have our lunch outside. She had PB&J (peanut butter and jelly) day, while I was having a soto day. After she prepared her PB&J and I warmed my food, we headed to the amphitheater - the best spot on campus to have outdoor relaxation. Approaching that place, we saw many people gathered around focusing on 2 or 3 people at the middle bottom part of the theater. Obviously it wasn't a regular spring fever where people laid around reading, chatting or hanging their hammock on the maple trees to take a nap.

Not far from the focus of the crowd, there's a person holding a big banner. Those people in the middle spoke loudly, while people sitting or standing on the amphitheater shouted back repeatedly. The rest of people applauded and cheered when one that they supported could verbally attack the other side. We sat on the amphitheater, opened our lunch and listened to what was going on. People in the middle was a Christian group that was preaching out loud about (at least when we were there) sin/condemnation toward people committed adultery/sex before married. People who shouted back were the other extreme.

I wasn't comfortable sitting there then we moved to another place. There were shouts back and forth about who would go to hell. Obviously that wasn't a pleasant discussion to listen to, and It wasn't because of my atheist friend nor my disagreeing with adultery. But I think that's not what Jesus taught us to do. I recognized one person from that group who always stands on the main pedestrian mall adjacent to the amphitheater. He preaches out loud (close to shouts) to people passing by. I don't see what his purpose was since pedestrian will hear several sentences and I believe most of them wouldn't get the meaning. He likes to have argumentation about what he believes offensively. I admire his courage, but I think there a best way, way that doesn't require "confrontation", judging and shouting. I believe in evangelism that shows love in words and deeds. I believe also that evangelism that is done wisely, will reach people more effectively.

From my stand point, that moment looked like a commotion. It went on until I left studio, about 5 hours from lunch time. Police came watched from afar did not dismiss the crowd. My friend reminded me that it is the United States, a free country where people have freedom to speak.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, [a] where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
-John 8:9-11

My driving license has expired last year; and I don't like going with driver nor taxi. That means I have to go through all the government's bureaucracy. I imagined waiting in a long line; or if I want to beat all of that hassle by ask the insider, I have to pay bunch of money. Sometimes, even though we already follow the procedures, we still have to pay some you-know-where-it-goes money.

Dad asked me to ask our assistant if he knew someone that know how to extend the license. Dad asked me also to bring 'enough ' money, because my license has expired a year, I might need to make a new one. Today our assistant said I could renew my license at several police offices, and the fee is 200 rupiah. I didn't believe him but tried to come anyway. I came to the office with hesitation. I waited in the car while he asked the officer if they serve renewing driving license.

We came to the booth that says "renewing". I was asked to submit two copies of ID and the old driving license. I was asked also to go to polyclinic on the back of the booth. I guess the purpose is to make sure everybody who drives is healthy and not color blind (I saw color blind test on the table); but the 'nurse' didn't ask nor do anything except asked me to pay 25,000 IDRs, and gave me a note to be given to the officer at the booth.

The fee for renewing is 60,000 IDRs, but I was asked to pay 85,000 IDRs. He said the 25,000 IDRs was fine for late renewing. He refused to give me the receipt, and I let it go. The process was fast. I filled in the form, had my picture made, and the license was done in a minute. I was surprised. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Not at all. It took about 15 minutes from when I came till I walked out from the office.

I thought I was the only one who got impressed with the progression of one of government's public service; apparently my family was too. I hope this is a sign of a better country.

The header picture above was taken when we were on the way to Goshen, IN last early fall. The cloud was photoshop-ed though.
I like the hilly scenery between Tennessee and Ohio. There are many farms beside the interstate, and rocky hills that are sliced to place the road.
When hubby was concentrating on the road, the wife was busy taking picture and... sleeping!

My friend and I were having conversation on her car when we were on the quest of floral supplies for our friend's wedding. My friend told me that she gave away her alive chickens for her friend. I asked if her friend would slaughter and eat the chickens. Marian, a first grader who sat on her car-seat interrupted hastily that those chickens are not the same as chicken that we usually eat. When I asked why, she explained lightly that those chicken are alive; and have beak, feet and head. She summed that chicken that can be eaten are different, period. Hearing her statement, her mom and I laughed out loud.

Several days before, we came-over to my friend's house. When we had conversation about salmon, my friend told us that one day she and her husband brought a whole salmon home. When their children saw that fish, they were shocked that fishes that they usually ate were the same as fishes on the pond or sea. After that mind boggling occurrence, they became vegetarians for five years

My friend's American housemate screamed "that's cruel!" after she saw grilled fish on the oven. My friend didn't understand why and her friend said "there's head!".

Here in US, especially in my area, seafood is not very common since my area is far from any sea. We do have seafood but it's pricey and already frozen. The fish that commonly sold on the grocery store is already filleted or headless. The whole fish can be found on oriental market or fish market. Chicken that is sold on the poultry section on the store is already classified to thigh, wing, breast or drumstick. Whole chicken that still has head and feet is barely found. No wonder kids don't get the connection between meat that they eat and animals that they see.

Everytime I tell my friend about us eating liver, tripe, brain, maw, frog, head, feet, intestine, butt, even seafood, it will be followed by a long "eewww.....".

Listening to people's reaction toward several stuffs that are usual for me, make me cackle. Apparently I grew up with bizarre foods there in Indonesia.