A bigger kite

Today, Eben's class went to the kite museum.. and Memere joined in on the fun!  We figured we'd better keep her busy while she's here--and what better way than to send her off with 22 four-year-olds??

We had been to the kite museum when we first got there as a weekend excursion and had a great time (see posting in November).  As mere visitors, we didn't get to make the monster kites (we got to make small paper ones).. and WOW are these big ones great!!

Of course all Eben wanted to do once he got home from school was to go fly his kite (Mary Poppins music here), but it was raining.  He waited until Zeric came home and then spent almost an hour outside.. it was sheer joy! And he even shared with his sister :)

Flutterby

Beautiful! And just outside our kitchen window.

Huitres.. redux

We did it again. We ordered oysters. It was supposed to be a special Christmas thing because it costs about as much to bring in oysters from France as it did to bring Theda and Olivia from Washington, relatively speaking. It must be the "LIVE ANIMALS" thing.

These oysters were really good.. I'm glad Julian and Zeric twisted my arm.  We were unsure of the arrival time, but our friend Stephane pulled through and the oysters and the challah were ready at about the same time.

Cheers to a great Saturday lunch (and to having survived the birthday/sleepover party)! 

Jaffa turned SIX!

On Friday, Jaffa turned SIX.  I'm not exactly sure how it happened.  She's tall and pretty and sassy and smart.  She's an artist and a mommy to all of her dolls.  She's pretty brave, too.  She's a terrific, loving daughter and grand-daughter... and a generous sister to humans and dogs alike. 

We mostly let her decide how to celebrate.

Forty-five is a lot of kids to invite to a party.. thankfully, we have a pool in our compound with a lot of space around it.  And a Pammi who is better with kid games than anyone else I know.

Jaffa was not really diggin' the idea of a pool party largely because she does not like swimming.  But that was the deal as she wanted to invite both Grande Section (aka kindergarten) classes--which is 30 kids--and some other friends as well.  Unlike most of our friends here, our house cannot fit that many people.. so we took over the pool space.  She was a good sport about it. 

Of course, we had lots of cake.. and lots of snacks.

And then we had a sleepover with six friends.  The first ever for Jaffa and most of the others who joined in. We had pizza, played hide-and-seek in the dark, and watched a movie. 

Around 10, everyone was getting sleepy.. so they went upstairs and crashed.  Except for one who needed to her own bed, everyone slept through till 6:40am.  Woohooo!!

Pancakes for breakfast,lots of playing.. pick ups from parents.. and then a nap for all of the Breslar-Smiths.  Overall, a successful party for Miss Jaffa Jingle Jelleybean.  Who is SIX. 

Maybe she'll stop growing so fast if I stop feeding her....

Memere's is back in Jakarta!

 


Waiting patiently

Hooray!!  Memere is back! We went to the airport to meet her.. but her plane was an hour late so we read some Dr. Seuss and waited some more.  FINALLY she walked off the plane.



Yay!! the moment we've been waiting for!

 

Then, we waited an hour at baggage claim. <sigh> We were all pretty wiped out.

Her red bag appeared on the belt and we grabbed it! Then we had another two hours to go in the car to get home.  Finally, we made it home.  Phew. We opened memere's suitcase and ta da!  Look what she brought for us from France.  Yippeeeeee!!

We are so happy to have her here again.  And not just for the cheese and saucissson!

Madeleine Bistro

 

If you didn't order the Balinese wine (I did, it's the kind that gives you a headache while you are drinking it), you might have been able to think that you had stepped out of Jakarta for an hour.  Maybe not to France, but perhaps a little closer in that direction anyway. 
Madeleine Bistro has high ceilings and great decor.  The food was good, the service was good.  My only complaint is that they didn't have everything on the menu... actually, it was more like that they didn't have what I wanted on the menu.  Three times. 

Zeric really liked his food.. fois gras and lamb.  Meat, in true French form!

This does NOT mean, however, that we are skipping our trip to France this summer.

Zeric, Democracy and Governance Rock Star!

Last Friday, Zeric did a little schpeil at @america (PR for us here in Indonesia, aimed at convincing people that we are cool and friendly--we are, right??).  Officially, @america is "a cutting-edge, 21st-century cultural center where you can explore and experience the United States, and express your thoughts and ideas about America.  At @america, discover state-of-the-art technology and learn more about the United States. Through discussions, webchats, cultural performances, debates, competitions, and exhibitions, you can experience the best of America - its ideals, creativity, and diversity. Ready to visit the U.S.? Chat with an educational advisor to learn more about studying in America."

To see Zeric in action promoting civil society, here's the link to the video:

http://www.atamerica.or.id/video/detail/144/Civic-Education-with-Professor-Charles-White-Boston-University

If you don't speak bahasa Indonesia and just want to get straight to seeing Zeric in his batik shirt, start watching at around 3 minutes and 30 seconds..

Awheemawhep

Caught Eben singing his brains out to 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' so went to see what was going on .  Apparently it was a rock concert where the band arrived in a police bus and were performing on stage.

Not sure where he got that idea, but thinking twice now about taking him to the Lady Gaga concert here in June.



Makin' challah with friends

Nikki and Nat - team 5 (strand)!

It's my standby for bringing to events here, and there were some people asking me to teach them how to make it.. so finally, I put together a 3-hour challah class and invited seven great women to come learn.  We had a great time!

We started with some dough that was ready to go, and we learned how to make 4, 5 and 6-strand loaves--and a round. We used raisins, sesame and poppy seeds.  The results were gorgeous! While the bread was baking, we learned how to make the dough and then everyone had some to take home--and they didn't have to spend the night waiting for it to do its 8-hour rise in the fridge.  Now we'll all have to coordinate who bringing the challah to the next dinner party!

The best part was sitting down to lunch together and choosing from the THREE great loaves to eat with wonderful salads that everyone brought to share.  I will definitely be doing it again!



Erlis and Emilie braving the 6-strand



Jacqueline, Ouafaa and Lou('s arm) at work!

yum!!

Hamantashen!

We celebrated Purim last night with friends.. and I was in charge of bringing hamantashen. 

Here's my first ever attempt!

"Hamantaschen" is a Yiddish word meaning "Haman’s pockets." Haman is the villain in the Purim story, which appears in the Biblical Book of Esther. In the story, Haman is the Grand Vizier of Persia and a rabid anti-Semite. When Mordechai, a Jewish member of the king's court and relative of Queen Esther, refuses to bow down to Haman, the Grand Vizier plots to have all the Jews in the kingdom massacred. However, Queen Esther and Mordechai discover Haman's plot and are able to foil it. In the end, Haman is executed on the gallows he planned to use on Mordechai.  Jews eat hamantaschen on Purim as part of the celebration of the holiday, which commemorates how Jews escaped Haman's dastardly plans. One explanation for the triangular shape of these pastries is that Haman wore a three-cornered hat. Another explanation is that the three corners represent Queen Esther's strength and the founders of Judaism: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

(from http://judaism.about.com)

More soccer pix, and a jellybean

Eben's still at it!!  Here are some action shots..  

Meanwhile, Jaffa plays on the playground and hangs out with me :)  Beautifil, happy girl!

Carnival celebration at school

For the Carnival celebration this year at school, each of the classes chose a country to represent. 

 Eben's class chose China, and made a huge dragon!!  Nice hats too :)

Jaffa's class chose Brazil and did a capoeira demonstration. Wow!!

Lady Liberty and Pizza Man

Out of the blue, our children decided to turn into monuments.  It must have been inspired by the clear air in Singapore.  The lady on the left you know.. the man on the right is a monument in Jakarta called Patung Pemuda, affectionately called Pizza Man.

Patung Pemuda: This immense statue was erected to symbolize the contribution of youthful courage in the development of the country. A bare-bodied young man is depicted holding a saucer containing an eternal flame up over his head. The flame represents the eternal spirit of youth, while the figure's animated expression captures the enthusiasm of youth. The monument stands on a two-meter pedestal in the center of a pond surrounded by small flowering trees. It was created by a team of artists headed by M. Pamuncak and was donated by Pertamina, the state oil company (from Yahoo travel).