How old am I?

I just had my birthday, which for most of the day had me convinced I was 45 (I am not the best at math) but actually I am only 44. Still, there was cake and beer and silence and time off from work so the age became less important.
I have had some time off recently and have more coming next week and then a week off in July for the Idul Fitry Muslim holiday so that's good. This means I can spend more time with Jeremy and the family and do stuff I need to do and also do nothing, which I need to do more.
So on my birthday, Jeremy was sent off to grans as normal and then I went off out for a haircut and some random shopping and what with it being Ramadhan the malls were empty, the streets still full of traffic but that was OK.
I then spent the afternoon and evening with family eating cake and drinking beer and it was a quiet day.

I took Jeremy to work on the Saturday because he hadn't been for a while and once he remembered where he was he was off exploring and climbing up and down the stairs. He spent time with the giant Interactive whiteboard and played some of the learning games we have but he was far too restless to do anything else and so carried on running about. Once home, he passed out for a few hours, probably due to the amount excitement and energy produced through the morning. This meant he slept fairly early but at 3.30 am we were up and sat of the sofa because for reasons unknown he was wide awake and full of life. He managed to be like that until gone 1 pm when after shopping he fell asleep in the taxi and then slept for 2 hours in the afternoon.

Messing around

Climbing stairs at work

It was also haircut day for Jeremy. He is not a fan of this and although he kind of liked Kiddie cuts and did not scream the place down, he was not that happy there. The last time we had his haircut round the corner from the house (15,000 idr vs 100,000 at Kiddiecuts) he screamed and stressed everyone one out so we left. This time we never left. Jeremy had already said no to a haircut prior to us taking him but he did need it so we once the queue has gone it was his turn. With both me and Yovita holding him still and going deaf in the process due to his wailing and protesting, he had his hair cut. It was even almost finished and I am sure the barber was happy with that. We paid him twice as much as normal for his efforts which hopefully showed we knew it was hard for him. Strangely enough with young children once whatever they don't like stops, they stop and we had him singing and waving goodbye to the barber almost immediately. We stopped off at Indomaret for ice cream and a bubble maker to make him happier and went home.

New Hair

Both of us have 'new hair'

Jeremy now has less hair and wont need to go back for a few months. He did sleep well again Sunday night, I guess the stress made him tired but his happiness never dipped for long.

The next challenge will the booster vaccination in July he needs. I will bring earplugs for that!

Artotel Jakarta

I do like my random nights in hotels across the city or Indonesia (If I get the chance) but the nights out in a hotel in Jakarta make it a short trip away from reality for me and the family and it keeps Jeremy busy and engaged. This weekend was one of those trips away with a nights stay at the Artotel in Thamrin. The hotel is sort of purple and 'arty' from outside and is behind the KFC and McD at Thamrin Sarinah,  or it is next to St. Theresia church.

from Agoda.com

Its not cheap and booking through Agoda only gets you the smallest room option but it was still a good deal (over 60% off the Hotel website price) and so we opted to stay.

Inside the hotel is a lot of art. It is themed around the idea that local artists display their wares I guess inside the hotel and to be honest some of this looked better than the usual patterned wallpaper and gold leaf mirrors and lamps and thick carpets.  It being a small building we were on the second floor. There are only 7 floors, the highest being an bar area which sadly due to having a 3 year old we never got to see, maybe next time.

Lobby area

Our room was small but OK. There was a view of pretty much nothing and very limited storage space and no fridge. Instead of a kettle there was a Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine which after some training could provide us with hot water as well as coffee. That said, the room was quiet and with a good bathroom.

By the bed

In the Wardrobe

on the door

random in the room

near an elevator

The walls were covered in arty drawings as were the ones in the halls and were interesting to look at. The service was good and quick and the room service food was nice. Interestingly when we checked in at 4.30 we still had to wait for a room even though we were expected. Jeremy was presented with an Artotel Rhino soft toy which was great.

Dinner was provided in the mall and Jeremy does seem to like eating anything we give him, which is good. The evenings fun was TV and beer with Jeremy watching You Tube and then sleeping around 8.30pm.

Breakfast was free but with a very excited 3 year old, it was short. The coffee took forever to come and the food was limited probably due to the amount of guests but I ate as much as I could.

As it was a Sunday the area of the city we were in was full on car free day so in the morning we took some time to join the masses and wander about for a bit but there were still too many people so we went back to the hotel and sat about.

So that was the hotel. The rest of the day involved shopping in Lotte with 4,000 others (like Christmas food shopping) with everyone over buying everything and then once home, we had the AC serviced and fixed to hopefully stop the constant drip and the bad water smell. That seemed to work but then the remote would not work so we slept in 20 degree chill with the fan full on last night. This morning the AC guy returned and fixed that.

Another chilled out'ish weekend and things repaired at the house and now to enjoy the fasting month.

Ramadan Murabak