Red cabbage

Recipe adapted from the Asian Food Channel.

After scouting the isles for red cabbage and finding that there are none available, I decided to try making it myself. The only obstacle? Marcel. Granted the recipe I found was not from an authentic German site (which Marcel insists on for German food) but it ended up quite well and it passed the German test. Marcel liked it!

part-A-y

phil's house

a fellow Berliner

Surya's back!

full house

spilled red wine oops

a vandalised bathroom...

Ahh that poor bathroom, I'm sure it has seen better days. But more on that later...
A friend of mine who vowed to leave Jakarta in another 12 months (unlikely) has just been offered to move into a new apartment so...houseparty! Marcel hasn't had the chance to collectively meet with some of the people I used to hang out with regularly before we got together so what better way than this night. Surya was one of the first people I met here in Jakarta and he was back in town for a week visiting his parents. He has been heavily promoting his new place of work..a tea plantation in a remote part of India and trying to convince us to visit him there.

Shortly after I had taken this picture in the bathroom, Surya went, and moments later I heard a loud crash...and Surya appearing a little fazed and uttering the words "..I just went to the bathroom". I looked in and found that he had completely taken the door off the hinges and the piece of wood that was covering the top part of the sliding device had also been ripped off the wall. I asked him..."Surya how did you do that?" to which he replied sheepishly "I thought it opened out...not a sliding one"

The host of the party was not impressed...and the party ended not long after. Great party though.

lunch break

I had the opportunity to grab some lunch with some old friends during their lunchtime break and, well, it seems I'm somewhat of a distraction or perhaps an excuse to procrastinate. Lunch ended somewhat a couple of hours (or more later) but it was great fun and long overdue.

Ladies day at Citos

I'm loving Ladies Day market in Citos (Cilandak Town Square). It happens every Wednesday arvo. The good thing about these markets are that some of the things they sell are not massed produced so there are only probably two or three of the same thing but on the other hand, most things are handmade, which means when you're not a "one size fits all" kind of gal then that pretty much eliminates clothes and shoes. Because Citos has quite alot of expats (and their wives) coming for the lunch rush, these stalls don't generally do discounts so the price on the tags are somewhat non negotiable (or can be discounted by 5%).

I came across this jewelry stall last time that had some fun little rings and bracelets that weren't too kitschy and although two out of the three rings I had been eyeing last time were no longer there I did managed to see one Swarovski ring that was somewhat cute. I mostly liked it because out of all the rings I saw in other stalls, it was the neatest in terms of the craftsmanship. I'm not too keen on the colour combination to be honest, I think it would be nicer if it was only two-toned, white and champagne but I tried bargaining to see if I could get it for less and after a while I got it for the price I wanted, so I took it.

I also saw a stall that sold a small three tiered cake holder made from gold and pale pink which could be cute for a jewelry holder but I forgot to take a picture of it. I was tempted to buy it but not so sure whether it was cute or tacky so I might need a second opinion on it.

Farewell...

I received a disturbing call from a friend today. He told me the bad news that a friend of ours had passed away yesterday after a game of futsal. I was shocked. In disbelief. He was 33 and died of a heart attack. We are all a little in disbelief about this, especially the boys who played on Sunday and who took him to the hospital. Our condolences to Ben and his family.

Another relaxing day at the spa

Jan, a former Jakarta resident, recommended to Marcel of this spa place some time ago. It is right next to Die Stube in Kemang. From the outside it kind of looks like an old abandoned office building so we were hesitating to come in but we decided to give it a go anyway. Inside was another story, it looked a little like a Bali spa resort.

I went for a sea salt deep scrub because as we are living in Jakarta, there is a tendency, especially when you walk around outside, to have dirt and dust getting stuck to your body. The local women regularly do this also but, of course, at local spas where you come in, get it done, go out again...so...not so relaxing. They call it a "lulur".

In the end we were a little too relaxed and sleepy to do anything else so maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do something like this in the middle of the day.

Meat in a jar

I'm not a fan of meat in bottled jars but the price of this German wurst are a little ridiculous don't you think?

A new Abu Dhabi resident

Tonight we are saying "see you later!" to Stephane who will start his posting in Abu Dhabi soon. We missed his first farewell dinner but he thoughtfully had another for those of us who were not in the country for the first one. The food was great! Always the case in Hacienda, but the staff are quick, and if you have a little left on your plate and are taking a break for digestion, the waiting staff will come in and swoop your plate away at a moment's notice, so eat fast...or slow but continually.

I think everyone had a bit too much daiquiris to drink because all were so chatty and getting a little loud, ok that was because Michael had a video of the Germany games from the World Cup on his laptop and decided to play it, and you know boys and soccer, they tend to get a little excited.

Hopefully our paths will cross again, somewhere else in another country perhaps.

Hitching a ride to Bandung

While Marcel fulfilled his duties for work in Bandung I hitched a ride with him to do a bit of shopping. I was on foot today because I didn't want to be so far from where Marcel's work commitment was. But it turned out great because I came across some awesome outlet shops, including an accessories one.

A coin purse, which I use to store my earrings for my handbag so I don't damage them

Some cute earrings

Germany vs. Spain (0:1)

macet at 1am

The Germans at the front, the Spaniards at the back...cheering

anxious

sending some vibes over to the German team

We decided to not only get up to watch this game, but to go to Eastern Promise and watch it. By "we" I mean, Marcel announced that we go to watch the game. I don't have work the next day so, I didn't mind going. The night was enjoyable...because I got to catch up with people whom I haven't seen in donkey's years and Marcel got to watch his match. Sadly, Germany lost and as we left the venue to catch some shut eye, the Spaniards celebrated.

Note to self

Note to self: check World Cup schedules before booking flights.

I don't know whether it was bad fate or God's cruel joke on Marcel for us to be flying back to Jakarta at the exact time Germany plays in the World Cup. As soon as we sat on the plane he was already hassling the cabin crew to see whether the captain can give him an update on the score. Needless to say the flight to Abu Dhabi was a tense one for Marcel. He was, however, relieved when the captain announced that it was victory for the German team and the rest of the flight was a little more enjoyable for me.

As soon as we landed, Marcel was anxious to find an internet station so he can get the full report on the win.

As we sat by the internet station we heard some loud shouts and screams. We looked up and saw three men in their German jerseys hugging and high five-ing each other. I guess they had just learnt of the score and were celebrating by shouting "Deutschland, Deutschland..." as loud as the can. Soon enough security came to quieten them down.

The second leg of the flight went by quick and uneventful, just the way I like it.

The most important meal of the day

After several nights of not such a good sleep (due to Marcel's snoring from the allergies) it's nice to stumble down to a great brekky.

A quick bike ride

Don't really believe a German when they say "lets go for a quick cycle" because it usually means "lets go for a 2 hour bike tour". Marcel thought that it would be lovely to go for a cycle around the local lake, although, he failed to tell me that the local lake was about a little over an hour long to get there by bicycle then an additional hour around the lake...we then had to cycle back...another hour. It was knackering.

A day in town