A Sunday Full of Stories

Still in the afterglow of Saturday’s “meeting myself” at the Alphasmart Training Session, Sunday morning I was back on my porcelain throne (yes, the toilet). Experimenting with Meta Business Suite to schedule some content, when my husband surprised me with a full brunch spread for the whole family. Especially crispy chicken nuggets, golden and glorious. How wisdom may feed the soul, but food feeds the mood :D

After filling our stomachs, we headed to church for Sunday service and Holy Communion. For me, worshipping in person hits differently compared to online. When the praise songs started, I got chills more than once, and yes, I cried. It’s like the difference between watching a live concert and watching the recording. You just can’t bottle that energy.

After service, my husband and I joined “Cobain Date Yuk!”, a trial program for our church’s small group communities. The idea is to get us rooted in smaller circles, so we have a solid support system. We got grouped with two other couples, all parents too. For an hour and a half, we introduced ourselves, shared about our families and God’s word, and prayed for each other. With everyone’s own struggles, we found strength together. This is the kind of community I’ve been longing for. For years I’d invited my husband to join a Date group, and there was always some reason to skip. This time, no escaping, my dear.

From church, we dropped our eldest at home and drove our youngest to her classmate's sweet 17th birthday party, in the lavish 5 star hotel, Fairmont Senayan Jakarta. Kids these days… makes me wonder, where will they celebrate their weddings? :) While waiting for her, I’d booked a table at Motion Blue for some live jazz. But as soon as we got there, ouch! The cigarette smoke was unbearable. Last time we went, it wasn’t this bad. Oh, if only Indonesia had Canada-style no-smoking rules inside clubs!

So we bailed and strolled through the connecting tunnel to Plaza Senayan. After wandering aimlessly, we ended up at the food court. And here’s the kicker: that’s the very place my husband and I first met 23 years ago. It was July 25, 2002, at a Blogbugs Gathering I organized, and he came… with his girlfriend at the time. LOL.

Over food, I told him about my first-ever visit to this mall back in 1996, when I was still in high school. My cousin, who worked as a Sales Promotion Girl (SPG) at Sogo, brought me here. The moment I walked in, I felt so small. Everyone seemed so polished, stylish, well-dressed, and flawless. Meanwhile, I was scrawny, messy-haired, and very much not mall-chic.

But over the years, with a little glow-up and self-upgrade, I started to feel like I belonged here. In fact, Plaza Senayan became my basecamp with my MIRC and blogger friends in the early 2000s. Every week we’d hang out here, and my days of feeling out of place were long gone.

Mid-meal, my husband noticed a guy at the next table. Turned out it was our friend, Mas Goenrock, happily devouring nasi padang from Sari Ratu. We had a quick catch-up before parting ways again.

Before heading back to Fairmont to pick up our daughter, we stopped by Kinokuniya. I browsed through so many tempting books, but resisted. My “to be read” pile at home is still towering, and I’ve just subscribed to Headway. So I just took photos for later.

Once the party was over, did we go straight home? Nope. We pick up my mom, who flew back from Bangka as soon as she heard I was going to have surgery. We finally reached home around 11 PM, a little bit exhausted. No blogging last night. So here I am, Monday morning, publishing this post dateback while, well… back on my porcelain throne.

And that’s how my weekend wrapped up. Saturday was about meeting myself, Sunday was about meeting others, and both days reminded me that connection (whether inward or outward) is what makes life rich.

Love,

Nuniek

Going Home with a 270 Million Bill and a Prayer

Thursday, August 21, 2025 This is it! The day I finally got discharged after 10 nights in the hospital. After surviving ESWL for kidney stones + laparoscopy for appendix + mini laparotomy for myom and uterus removal. In the morning, Dr. Eko came by with the golden ticket: “You can go home today.” And previously, Dr. Ong team also said the same. Finally! I’d been waiting for that sentence like a kid waiting for recess. Of course, it’s never as simple as “the doctor said I can go home.” Nope. There’s a whole backstage performance involving the nurses, admin, pharmacy, and let’s not forget the insurance company. Meanwhile, my husband was busy running back and forth between the hospital room and the car, carrying bags, while I reminded him, “Don’t forget to buy bread for the nurses and staff.” Doctor on duty replaced the dressing on my laparoscopy wounds, but left the laparotomy one alone. Too wet, too risky. I didn’t even argue, I’m just glad someone else was brave enough to de...

The Waiting Room of Life

There are few things in life that test our character more than waiting. Not the kind of waiting where you’re stuck in traffic with your favorite playlist on, but the heavy kind; waiting without certainty. The waiting that weighs on you because you don’t know if it will end tomorrow, next month, or next year. I’ve been thinking a lot about this today because something big just wrapped up. A long-awaited promise was finally fulfilled. And in the process, I witnessed firsthand how differently people behave when placed in the uncomfortable chair of “ the waiting room of life. ” Imagine a waiting room where everyone has been told their name will be called someday, maybe soon, maybe late. You’d see at least two kinds of people. Some people sit quietly, open a book, maybe start a new project on the side while glancing occasionally at the clock. They don’t need to narrate their suffering to the entire room. They choose dignity over drama. They know that patience doesn’t have to be ...

What I Learned from Timothy Tiah - Founder of Nuffnang

Last Sunday when I entered VIP room at JWEF , I was introduced to this guy with his mini version boy on his lap, and his pretty wife with white top and red skirt. We had chit chat and he told me he’d be in Jakarta this Tuesday, and I told him that we’d have 57th #Startuplokal Monthly Meetup on Tuesday night. To be really honest, only a very few did I know about him until he shared his amazing story on JWEF stage a few minutes later, and get inspired that I took note and now share this with you all. Timothy Tiah founded Nuffnang with Cheo Ming Shen at 2006 when he was 22 years old, with 150k RM startup capital, partly borrowed from his father. He simply founded it because there’s nobody built it before, while the demand was actually there. The site was launched in February 2007. Sales ≠ cashflow On earlier years, although Nuffnang sales highrocketed, the cashflow was poor. At one point he only has 5k left in bank, while there were invoices need to be paid out urgently. He came to Hon...

Stone-Free, Heart-Full

Last night I slept like a baby at the hospital. Woke up feeling fresh, and no toilet struggles this morning. First win of the day! Around 7 a.m., I emerged from the bathroom to find my mom and my in-laws already there. They’d left their house at 5:30 a.m., picked up my mom on the way, and arrived bright and early. Today’s main event was ESWL treatment to blast my kidney stones into dust. It was supposed to happen at 8 a.m., then moved to 9 a.m., and finally got pushed to 11 a.m. because my doctor had another procedure. Which meant the parents had been there for hours, and I got to nap on and off like a cat waiting for dinner. But maybe that delay was divine scheduling. Just minutes before the nurse came to take me in, my pastor arrived to pray for me in person. He drove 40–50 kilometers to be there. That’s not just kind, it’s humbling. Thank you, Pak Pendeta. And earlier, another “pastor” (in quotes because she’s actually my friend Detha) prayed for me over the phone. Add in the ...

I'm Alive!

Yes, after 10 days in hospital and surviving three major operations, thank God I’m still alive, guys! I know, I know, I’ve been absent for a week from this blog. Not because I don’t want to write, but because life gave me a little detour called “hospital survival mode.” And let me tell you, survival mode is no joke. Imagine trying to juggle post-op pain, a stubborn IV line, doctors coming in at odd hours, and me negotiating with nurses for one more round of painkillers like I was bargaining in a flea market. Add in Netflix running in the background, half-watched movies I don’t remember, and me dozing off mid-dialogue. That was my week. See? Even my fingers had a medical leave. Who knew something as small as an IV placement could make me feel like a baby bird learning to type? But apparently, while I was away, statistics showed hundreds of people were still peeking at this blog every day, as if to check if I’d left a heartbeat here. That thought touches me deeply. So now that my ha...

Cold and Bold

Saturday, 16 August 2025, past midnight “Bu, bu, operasinya sudah selesai ya Bu.” “Dingin… dingin…” Those were the first words that came out of my mouth when I woke up from surgery. Not exactly poetic, but hey, when you’ve just survived laparoscopy and hysterectomy-laparotomy in one go, you don’t wake up quoting Shakespeare. You wake up asking for blankets. I remember shivering, my teeth chattering, my body completely confused about what just happened. The nurses rushed to wrap me in layers, and I drifted in and out of consciousness, half-aware that my life had just been handed back to me, stitched and stapled and sewn together. And honestly, that’s the thing about life, isn’t it? We often imagine survival arriving in big, cinematic ways. Dramatic music, bright lights, maybe even a slow clap. In reality, sometimes it shows up with a shaky whisper: “dingin… dingin…” The doctors told my husband it was quite long, delicate surgery. My appendix alone took nearly an hour, and removing my my...

Stomach Peace and Birthday Plots

Thursday, 04 September 2025 New achievement unlocked: my stomach behaved today! I mean, zero drama. No bloating, no extra gas, no rushing back and forth to the toilet like I’m training for the 100-meter dash. Just one smooth, dignified bathroom trip. My digestive system is finally acting like a responsible adult. And the secret? My self-imposed “no onion, no Yakult, no chia seeds” rule. Harsh? Maybe. Effective? Apparently yes. Though honestly, I still don’t know which of those three sneaky culprits is the real villain in my stomach saga. Is it the onions that I used to love in every dish? The supposedly good-for-you Yakult? Or those chia seeds that look harmless but might secretly be plotting against me? Who knows. All I care about is: today, I am free. Two days now without painkillers. Sure, I still have a small stash of them from the doctor, but they’re staying in the drawer like an emergency-only squad. (Hopefully never needed again.) It feels like I’ve passed a level in some strang...

Sore Sore Nonton Sore Lagi

Today was another gentle step forward: I went out again, nothing fancy, just simple errands and a bit of fresh air. Funny how even the most ordinary routines can feel refreshing when you’re in the middle of recovery. After lunch, my husband and mom came with me to Indosat. The mission is to downgrade my internet package. See, I still keep my very first number from 25 years ago, the one I got when I bought my very first cellphone. Back then, topping up credit felt like a luxury, and texting “where are you” took serious typing effort. Somehow, through all the changes (different phones, different life stages) I never let that number go. By now it feels less like a SIM card and more like a piece of my personal history. These days, I hardly use it for data. Telkomsel has taken over as my daily driver. But still, I can’t bring myself to let go of that first number. Nostalgia is a stubborn thing, isn’t it? Some people keep old concert tickets; I keep an old phone number. My husband drove, my ...

Small Joys in the Recovery Lane

Recovery days are funny. They’re quieter, slower, yet filled with little stories that feel like puzzle pieces. Each one reminding me that healing isn’t just about medicine, but about the rhythm of everyday life. This morning started with food, because of course it did. My mom has been on a mission to keep me well-fed. And by “well-fed” I mean plates of home-cooked meals that would make even Michelin-star chefs nod in approval. Sometimes I wonder if she’s secretly competing with the hospital catering team, except she’s already won, hands down. Honestly, food made by someone who loves you is the best medicine. Somewhere between brunch, my friend in Canada replied my WhatsApp status. I proudly sent him this photo of the sunrise from my bedroom: misty, soft, a little mystical. His reply came with a chuckle: “Widih burem. Polusi ya? Lol.” And then, he sent me his backyard view: wide skies, rolling hills, golden sunlight. I had to laugh, but also… I’ll admit it, I envied him a little. His b...

Waiting and Celebrating

This morning was wonderfully slow, the kind of slow where time doesn’t feel wasted but savored. Everyone in the house had their own lazy rhythm. No alarms, no rush, just soft hours unfolding. By two in the afternoon, we finally left for Pondok Gede to check our first house. We had it lightly renovated: The old, tired canopy was taken down, so the two-story house could breathe and look elegant again. The walls and fence got a fresh coat of white paint, giving it that “new beginnings” look. The cracked tiles were replaced, no more tripping hazards waiting for unsuspecting guests. The windows were repainted, catching a bit of shine when the sun hits. House for sell or rent, near Mall Pondok Gede. Contact here. Now it’s neat, clean, and... how do I say this... ready to meet its "jodoh". Although we don’t know yet if the match is a buyer or a tenant. Should we sell it? Should we rent it out? We don’t have the answer yet. And for someone like me, uncertainty is both fascinating a...

The Diary of a CEO's Wife

Search This Blog