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Losing sleep over kids, work, travel & photography |
If you find yourself in the city of Bandung, Indonesia, do make it a point to make a quick trip to Tangkuban Parahu, an active volcano located some 30 km north of the city. It’s interesting because the main crater can easily be accessed without involving any climbing and is wide and not that deep, thus offering a good view of its depths with the naked eye. Contrary to what you see in movies, you won’t find red hot molten lava in its centre; only gray sand and a thin wisp of smoke in one corner.
I was in a small town somewhere in Lembang, Indonesia last week and I was desperately searching for an apotek (pharmacy) or toko optik (optical shop) that sells contact lens cleaning solution. By small town, I mean really small. As in, shops specialising in pet supplies or donuts were nary in sight.
I went from one apotek to another in vain, getting more and more frustrated with each one. The only toko optik that I found had closed for the day even though it was a good one hour before their usual closing time. That’s when I went from desperate to frantic…
You see, the bag that held my contact lens all-in-one solution, contact lens case, and my eye glasses (‘spectacles’ to my Malaysian readers) was somehow left behind in Jakarta, a good 3-hour drive from the town where I was in. I had my Bausch & Lomb lubricating eye drops with me but that was about it. I briefly considered chucking my contact lenses into the garbage bin rather than risk contracting an eye infection (assuming no contact lens solution was to be had)…but quickly changed my mind, thinking of how my astigmatism would seriously impair my photography vision.
I didn’t have the luxury of scouring the entire town either, as I was in a bus with 20 other people who were all tired and hungry.
Finally, just when I was about to give up, the kindly shopkeeper of a small apotek suggested a feasible solution for me — sterile saline solution!
“‘Bu, buat darurat, yang ini, bisa dipakai jugak.” (Ma’am, for emergencies, this can also be used.)
That sure made sense. The saline solution might not be able to remove protein buildup, but it would be good enough to tide me over until I could resume my search in Bandung the next day.
The joyful chorus of ‘Hallelujah’ rang through my head as I hurried agreed to the purchase — Rp10,000 for a 500ml plastic bottle. Roughly, less than RM3 or USD1.
I clambered back into my seat in the bus, grinning from ear to ear, proudly showing off my find. The guy sitting behind me — incidentally a medical doctor — laughed out loud when he saw it — 0.9% sodium chloride intravenous infusion! It was still saline solution, it was still sterile…the only difference was that it came in packaging meant for an IV (Malaysia: ‘drip’; Philippines: ‘dextrose’)!
Buat darurat indeed! :D
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like when twins cry at the same time, wonder no more…
Video taken when my twins were 3 months old. Twin1 on the right, Twin2 on the left.
School holidays have come again in Malaysia. It’s only for a week but it’s already wreaking havoc on offices as hordes of their staff file for leave to take care of their children (if they have problems secure a babysitter) or go on a holiday with the entire family.
You can expect flights to and from KL and hotels all over Malaysia to be fully booked at this time of year, and airfares to be higher than usual. So don’t be surprised if KL-Jakarta-KL ticket on AirAsia now costs RM927 when it usually costs below RM500 if booked at the last minute.
With the current economic downturn, however, more and more families are opting for a staycation, i.e. staying at home or taking day trips to nearby attractions. So I thought it only fitting to list down a few inexpensive ways of keeping the children entertained without creating a significant dent on your bank account, without need for any special expensive equipment, equestrian apparel, or special running shoes.
1. Visit a nearby park. It’s best to go early in the morning before it gets too hot and before the children are too tired or cranky. In Malaysia, most housing areas have small parks located within walking distance. Never mind if they only feature a couple of slides, a few swings and a mini monkey bar. What’s important is to get your children to go out, breathe some fresh air, and release all that energy outside. If you want a bigger park, Taman Tasik Perdana is a nice place to go. So is Taman Tasik Titiwangsa (Titiwangsa Lake Gardens), whose children’s playground was recently refurbished. Bring along the children’s bicycles. And the badminton set that’s gathering dust in your attic.
The newly upgraded children’s playground in Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. Click on the image to see a panorama photo taken with my Nokia N82. Photo quality is not that good but it will give you an idea of what the place looks like.
On weekdays, I’m so absorbed with my work that I tend to overlook small things that need looking after at home, such as the case of 18 books borrowed from the National Library, now 4 days overdue. Tick-tock-tick-tock, the overdue fees are adding up — 10 sen x 18 books x 4 days = RM7.20. Still manageable…
On weekends, it’s the complete opposite. I’m so absorbed with family matters that by the time I get to work on Monday, my mind needs to take a moment or two to switch to work mode.
For now, my desk is inundated with paperwork…but can you blame me if I find myself dreaming of Machu Picchu travel?
The weekend can’t seem to come fast enough.
Selamat datang (welcome)!
I am Mimi -- mother, careerwoman, incidental world traveler, photography enthusiast, self-confessed gadget geek, and aspiring linguist (7 languages to date).
I'm a Filipina married to a Malaysian. Kuala Lumpur has been my home since 1993.
You may reach me at mimi[at]sleeplessinkl.com.
