You break, I cry
I cry, you buy



I believe you are all familiar with this "warning" as you bump into this sign in many department stores in Jakarta. Luckily, they don't say such thing in Akachan Honpo, a specialized store for kids, babies, and mothers. If they did: matilah awak!!!

Sunday, August 28, we went to Akachan Honpo to get a sling for Akira because I can't use the jarik for 5-kg baby anymore. My shoulders hurt and I can't move my hands freely while shopping.

Wisnu, as usual, was sooo excited. He touched every item he had never seen before. When we were in the raincoat's corner, Wisnu disappeared. I called out his name and voila... he carried two elmo cups and proudly said " ibu, minum" (mom, drink). Oh darling, you might break those glasses and we'll have to pay. Let's put them back.

Wisnu kept doing the same things for several times and I said the same thing over and over again until I started to raise my voice and .... "cling" the cup was slipping out of his hands. I was soo speechless and Wisnu was surprised. He stood there and looked tensed waiting for my reaction.

I heard the footsteps of the shopkeeper approaching us and I was trying to put all the pieces and find the tag price. At the same time I was praying that the cup would not cost a lot for me to pay. I was busy with my thought and trying to find what to say. The shopkeeper kneeled down and panickedly I said, "Gomenasai. I'm very very sorry. Where is the tag price, let me pay that". She friendly smiled to me and said something in Japanase but the tone was very comforting. I despertely said , "I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese". She said the Japanese words again, but this time she pointed at the broken pieces and my son's feet. I guessed she was worried whether my son got injured because she checked my son's feet. I said again" Let me pay the cup first". She said"no,no, ok,ok". In my disbelief I asked again, " Are you sure?", she said "ok,ok".

She picked the broken pieces and took them away. I waited there. Unbelievable. I did not have to pay?? Really?

My husband approached us and asked what had happened. He was about to find out how much the cup costs to pay for that. When I told him that the lady said it was ok, he was frowning. I said, " I know, I can't believe that either, but that was what she said. She's more worried about wisnu than the broken cup".

That's it, Wisnu broke the cup, no body cried, I did not have to pay for the damage.







picture :www.holograms.bc.ca

Wisnu's b'day (2nd sequel)

We decided to go to Izu Peninsula, somehow. Hurray!!! It was not really a smooth trip, though.



The night before the departure, I could not sleep. Not that I was too anxious about this trip, it's just that I had planned to fume our room to kill the cockroaches while we were away for two days. I had to make sure that all the food will not contaminated by the fume, and I need to put all the clothes and kitchen utensils in sealed plastic bags.

The result is? We failed to get to Yokohama station by 7 o'clock. Hiroko said we missed the JR train which goes to Shibuya. It means we might miss the bus to Yumigahama. Somehow we tried to catch the bus. We ran !! I pushed akira's cart, and sandy pushed wisnu's stroller, while hiroko tried to make calls to other friends in the bus to to make the driver wait for us. Japanese won't wait. So, we missed the bus and went out of breath in Shibuya.

Hiroko said it costs 50,000 yen to go to Yumigahama by train. Then we said to her: we had to give up our hopes going to Yumigahama then. If there is a bus, it might cost cheaper. Hiroko made phone calls to the agent: they said they did not know about any bus going there.

Sandy said to me ' Perhaps we should not have planned for this trip at all'. Sigh. Still, Hiroko had to go there: she had the bus tickets and the receipt for the room with her. Our friends could not go into the room without her.

Hiroko decided to find information from the train station officer about the cheapest way to go there. We waited at the park outside the station-- Sandy sat hopelessly, Akira was sleeping peacefully in his cart, while I was trying to cheer myself up by feeding Wisnu and singing with him.

When Hiroko returned, she said it costs 4,500 per person by train from Yokohama to Shimoda station and from there we can take a bus to Yumigahama. To go or not to go? Not going means we would have to spend 30,000 for nothing and still we have to bear the responsibilities for Hiroko's expense to get there. To go means we have to spend more money. We did not have many choices.We did decide to go. Be it.

We went back of Yokohama and bought the ticket there. The train was full, so we got 'standing ticket' which is cheaper. Standing ticket means we should stand up if all the seats are taken.However, if there are some available, we can always take the seats. Lucky us! We got seats and paid cheaper tickets.

We managed to get to Yumigahama. After lunch, we went to the inn and get prepared to swim.

Looking at Wisnu's facial expression, we were happy that we decided to go anyway.

It was his first time--swimming at the sea. It was his 2nd birthday.
No birthday cake, only plain bread.
There were candles on the bread for breakfast and fireworks to celebrate.
Happy birthday,son!!!