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Jakarta Holidaze 2012

January 10, 2013

I’ve been in this holiDAZE and so out of it lately! After December 23 I went on hyper-mode and had to whip up something for Christmas and New Year. One of the things about Diplo-life is holidays spent abroad away from family. Usually spending it in the Philippines automatically  gives the holidays structure for us. Last last year we had Christmas Eve Noche Buena with TD’s family in Manila and then traveled on December 25 to spend Christmas Day with my family in Mindanao. Since we were left in Jakarta this year, we had to create our own celebrations with friends who didn’t end up going home either… even our non-Catholic friends celebrated with us! Thank you! There were many get-togethers and tons of food with Jakarta friends old and new! After the jump is a photoblog of what we did over the holiDAZE!

Salu-salos at TD’s office

We had several salu-salos at TD’s office. It was a chance for me to go to the wet market in Mayestic (which is now inside an air-conditioned mall!) to buy seafood. It’s pleasant and quite clean, it doesn’t even smell like fish or meat (only smoke coz the vendors still smoke inside). Check out the size of that fish head, and I love that they used really old-school weighing scales! Fresh seafood at great prices!00-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta-121

Mussels, chicken inasal, sinigang soup and butter prawns.01-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta1

Practicing for the Christmas party song23-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta

Pinoys in J-Town Christmas Party

Early in December we got together with our Pinoy group in Jakarta (including our honorary Pinoy Chris!). It was a great way to catch up since we haven’t seen each other in a while. Why J-Town? It was the name Orange gave our BBM group and I learned that it’s what Indonesians call Jakarta. We were so caught up in catching up (no pun intended) that nobody took pictures until the end. Group pic!

Pinoys in J town

Thanks for hosting the shindig in your beautiful home, Or and Nara! Fun times with these guys as always. Yummy pinoy food and fun games. The exchange gift game was a blast!

M’s Christmas Party

I met M at Stumble Abroad’s fab sailing away party for Joshua, and I knew I met a kindred soul! Thanks for inviting us to your lovely home. Awesome Christmas party, exchange gift and giveaways! I still cannot believed what you whipped up in the kitchen! Amazing.22-holidaze 2012 in Jakarta

M got my gifts! Yay!

03-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta3

I got a kiss from the cutest lil elf!

02-Holidaze-2012-Jakarta

I went home with some amazing gifts as well. Philosophy Amazing Grace which smells amazing, some Famous Amos cookies from the exchange gift; some delicious smelling Bath & Body works goodies from the host! Thanks M!04-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta4

Baking, baking, baking…

I did tons of baking over the holidays as well. Friends ordered banana bread, chocomallow cupcakes and banana chocolate cupcakes. I also made my signature Tiramisu cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes for gatherings! Below is my first attempt at chocolate cupcakes, for giveaways to guests at our Christmas Eve dinner! (M gave us waaaay too many candy canes for me and TD to possibly eat so this was the perfect way to use them!)05-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta5

Potluck Christmas Eve Dinner

The guest book was out, the house was decorated & all lit up and the party favors ready!

07-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta08-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta10-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta-116-holidaze 2012 in Jakarta11-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta15-holidaze 2012 in Jakarta14-holidaze 2012 in Jakarta

Here’s what we had and who made it:

  • Sangria – TD’s special recipe
  • 333 Vietnamese Beer – Thuan (All the way from Vietnam)
  • Pomegranate Salad – Sarah & Zak
  • Fried chicken wantons – Sun & Ome
  • 2 kinds of Paella – made by TD and our maid. The chorizo was all the way from Spain, sent by the MIL!
  • Vegetable and chicken soup – Van & Jed
  • Bihon  – Van & Jed
  • Cheesecake – Rada
  • Kek Lapis (Indonesian layered cake) – Rama
  • Tiramisu cupcakes – me

You wouldn’t believe how yummy all the dishes were! I am still salivating over the salad and the fried wontons. =P

12-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta13-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta17-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta

We played some games. I won a whopping IDR 100.000 – LOL! Z has all the luck coz he won 2 out of the 3 games! It was all fun and laughter throughout the night!18-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta19-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta

I also gave away some handmade snowflake coasters and decor as a prize for one of the games, which Z won for Sarah.

20-Holidaze 2012 in JakartaAfter the guest left, I realized that I completely forgot to dress DiploDog in his Santa suit! Oh well… I’ll have to remember it for next year then. I took pictures of DiploDog and took it off because he was so sleepy and yawning already. We opened  presents and went to bed. 21-Holidaze 2012 in Jakarta

Christmas Day Dinner at Sun & Li’s

We were also invited to casual dinner at S & L’s. It was another crazy yummy foodfest! Cheeses from Europe paired with yummy orange fig spread, microwaved queso de bola from the Philippines, crackers with Yummy blackpepper dip (this dip is so addicting and it’s locally made)….

22-Christmas Day Dinner at the Sun and Li…Ensaymada from the Philippines, cute Christmas cupcakes from Jed and some chocolate ones I made for the kids.23-Christmas Day Dinner at the Sun and Li

Minette made the uber creamy mashed potatoes, while Sun made this amazing sundried tomato pesto pasta. But the star of the dinner was the homemade crispy pata (crispy pork leg) and the relleno that came all the way from Manila brought to Jakarta by Tita Menchu (it’s a family recipe passed down generations!).
24-Christmas Day Dinner at the Sun and Li

It was super fun hanging with Sun & Li’s family and guests. Too bad I only took pictures at the beginning of the party…when the food was served, I totally forgot about pictures-taking and focused on the food and great company! 25-Christmas Day Dinner at the Sun and Li

All in all Christmas and New Year in Jakarta wasn’t too shabby at all! There were many times when I felt pangs of loneliness and missed family and friends in the Philippines, the craziness of Manila in Christmas time and the quiet family bonding time in the province. However our Jakarta friends made the holidays lovely and memorable in our home away from home! Thank you so much to everyone who celebrated the holidays with us!

DID YOU KNOW?

(CNN) — Where would you find the most Christmas spirit in the world? It’s hard to say for certain, but if a global competition were to be held, the Philippines would have an excellent shot at winning.

The southeast Asian island nation has the world’s longest festive season — and pulls no punches in its celebratory zeal for the period, with lavish light displays, masses, and festivals held throughout the country from September until January.

5 Comments · What's Happening

Comments

  1. Ana Gaby says

    January 10, 2013 at 12:39 PM

    You were super busy!!!! Looks looks like great times! I love the pic of Evan with you! My boy is growing up to be a ladies’ man ohh no!!!!

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      January 10, 2013 at 2:30 PM

      Haha it took a lot of effort to get that kiss! He’s the cutest… and I loved how at the end he was deciding on which of the cars/trucks he liked the most so he could ask your permission to take it home. So sweet! I’m sure he is gonna be a future heartbreaker. ;P I cannot believe he picked his own outfit – he has great style to boot!

      Reply
  2. Wander Woman says

    January 10, 2013 at 9:58 PM

    Happy new year. Looks like you had a great 2012. Just moved to Jakarta 2 weeks ago and loving it here so far. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Tala says

    January 11, 2013 at 9:16 AM

    WOW! This is amazing! I’m happy you had a wonderful holidays in J-town! Hahahaha! I miss you! What’s new? We have to catch up!

    Reply
  4. Kaho says

    January 30, 2013 at 12:41 AM

    Great photos in this post and I love the way you decorate your home with holiday decoration!! So welcoming and beautiful!

    Reply

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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DISCLOSURE

I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

One of the things people love about the Philippine One of the things people love about the Philippines is the warmth & heartfelt friendships of the Filipino people.

And was reminded about that when @pattylaurel & her wonderful family took the time to meet up with us on their last day in Geneva.

Though we’ve only seen each other in person once before… lifetimes ago when I was handling marketing for @beautybarph and she was our gracious model for Dashing Diva, hanging out with them felts so warm & natural. 

Even @diplobaby was so happy to have such quick friends and playmates.

Thank you Patty for letting me use your photos. You & @patrickfilart take such amazing ones! Perfect combo of influencer & IG husband 🤪🤪🤪

And thank you for bringing the warmth of the Philippines 🇵🇭 & the Filipino people with you. ✨🤍✨ sobrang saya!

We had such a beautiful day together… the kids (and us) didn’t want it to end so we went from playground/dinner to a walk about in our neighborhood Château & even to the house! 😂

Thank you for the epic day Patty, Patrick, Theo & Astrid. Till we meet again! More adventures in Switzerland I hope!

#udwingeneva #pattylaurel #diplofriends #diplobaby #diplofamily
TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL One of the things we miss TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL

One of the things we miss about living in the Philippines & Indonesia is having a bidet in our bathrooms.

Here we have a MUJI TABO & TOTO PORTABLE BIDETS (dm for link if you want), but nothing beats the water pressure & convenience of a handheld bidet that’s connected to your plumbing IMO.

When I was in @jumbo.schweiz recently I saw a bidet that can be installed with the sink.

It only works if your sink is near your toilet so sadly it won’t work on our master’s bathroom.

I wasn’t sure our faucet was the correct size but I took a risk for CHF20.

Today I finally had the time to install it. I was # #mariomama again LOL!

The only time you might need a tool (pliers) is if you can’t loosen the AERATOR to remove it from your faucet.

HOW TO INSTALL HOLDER WITHOUT DRILLING

As a renter, I want to avoid making holes in the walls whenever I can. Even if I weren’t a renter I don’t recommend putting holes on tiles coz they might crack.

So I used the strongest @tesa_de  double sided tape on the bidet holder. You can see how I did it step by step on the video. Be sure to use Teflon scissors so they don’t get damaged by the adhesive. Clear monster tape will also work well for this.

*** Amazon affiliate links on my bio under BIDET HACKS ****

WHY CANT YOU INSTALL IT IN YOUR TOILET

The toilets here are all built in. There are no exposed tubes to connect bidets to like in Asia. 

That’s why this hack is a God send! No plumbing experience or tools needed! YAY!

WHERE TO BUY

https://undiplomaticwife.com/bidet-install-hack/

Feel free to dm me if you have any questions!

#DiploHome #diplohomegeneva #diy #bidet #bidetlife #expatlife #expatliving #genevaexpats #genevaexpat #genevaexpatwomen #expatinswitzerland
HUMIDIFIER HACK Did you know that each home shoul HUMIDIFIER HACK

Did you know that each home should have humidifiers whether it’s in winter or summer?

Yes! It should be in
- closets
- caves
- storage lockers
- basements
- attics
- bathrooms
- any other area that doesn’t have through air or air conditioner 

To prevent molds from damaging your property!

Here’s the hack: Don’t throw the container because you can buy refills. 

DM me on where to buy wherever you are!

#diplohome #homehacks
WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO GO TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAG WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO GO TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE?

The concern going to Rovaniemi is that it’s too cold 🥶 I’ve heard of people going in winter & didn’t enjoy it coz they felt like frozen popsicles. You have 2 options:

1. Go in SPRING like us so prices are lower, no long lines/crowds & no need for super thick snow suits, but low chance of seeing Aurora Borealis & some places might be closed/melted. 

3. A friend who lived in Scandinavia told us for Aurora Borealis, the best time is SEPTEMBER coz it’s not too cold yet. Though some resorts might only be opening in OCTOBER like @glass_resort.

FOR US:

❄️ End of first week of April: We didn’t really know  that we picked the perfect time. We were there for only 3 days & 2 nights because that was all our budget would allow. The lows were -3/5 C but the week before it was literally -18C YIKES! 🥶

❄️ At lows of -3/5 and 0-3 highs it’s manageable layering our @uniqloeurope Ultra Light Down Jackets. We didn’t end up using our waterproof snow jackets.

 ❄️ bring waterproof shoes/boots so you don’t get sick if melted snow gets in. 

❄️ If you will touch snow/have snowball fights, waterproof gloves are a must

❄️ Ask hotel if sleds are free to borrow

❄️ Bring SPF coz snow reflects sun

❄️ As you can see in the reel on our first day it was winter wonderland. The day after things started melting. On our last day things were starting to puddle. After I imagine rivers!

❄️ there was this gigantic snowman & I was too tired to take a pic. It disappeared the next day to my disappointment.

❄️ The SNOWMAN WORLD was already closed when we arrived. It would have been so cool to see the ice resto/bar, slides & disco!

❄️ We found out that the day we were leaving was also the last full day of our hotel. So though Santa Claus Office is open 365 days a year, check with the hotels to see which ones are open.

☀️ Summer activities are different. For example the huskies pull sleds with wheels.

🌈 BONUS TIP: If you pick a resort inside @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi, 3 days is enough. Because of the perfect location of @glass_resort we were able to make SO many wonderful memories in such a short time.

#udwinsantaclausvillage
PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife + OUR FIRST TIME TO PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife

+ OUR FIRST TIME TO HOST AMBASSADORS IN OUR SWISS #DIPLOHOME
(Except for my FIL of course)

This has to have been the most hectic weekend in recent memory here. Each day @diplobaby had a kid’s party to attend. (Thankfully here you leave the child for 2-2.5hrs & parents can do errands while waiting)

TD & I also had commitments for both days. We were hosting a lunch, attending a lunch/ playdate with #diplofriends & meeting up with a fellow Pinoy @remfelrem who has just arrived in Switzerland. 

Last Saturday, TD and I were hosting a lunch for his boss & also a little farewell for the boss of the other mission. And as you guys know we were really stressed with a clogged kitchen sink drain. Not the most convenient or sweet smelling when you are having people over.

So thankfully with the help of a friend I got tips on how to dismantle the pipes to clean them. Guess what? It was still clogged in the pipes inside the wall!

Cleaning the pipes under the sink might NOT HAVE RESOLVED the problem, but at least our home did not smell! Also I learned to do something new! Win-win! 

TD told @diplobaby that I’m #MarioMama (from Mario Bros) 😂🪠

And I am quite relieved that TD & I managed to pull off a lunch in our little home with not just one, but TWO Ambassadors. Having one’s boss is always somewhat nerve-racking right??? I’m so happy we finally did it! 

We had pork adobo with mango, tomato & cilantro salad. And our fave spaghetti bolognese. I bought small cakes from our favorite boulangerie in the little French town next door. 

P.S. 
For those of you were asking if we finally had to call a professional for our kitchen sink. In a way yes we did. After all our best efforts, we finally had to ask for help. We feel so lucky to have such a lovely landlord who came and had the knowledge to remove the clog from the pipes that were built into the wall. We are ever so grateful to him for coming on his weekend.

This is #diplolife guys… PARTIES AND PLUMBING! LOL!!!

#UDWinGeneva #undiplomaticwife #diplofamily #thediplomat #thediplomaticwife
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