My life with papa

The Ocean

2007-11-24T20:45:00.002+07:00

A bright saturday morning in November.
Papa drove me to Ancol, said he want to show me the ocean, the beach, and go swimming in sea water.

We boarded to a small prahu, the seaman said the cost only fivethousand rupiah per person. And like many other vendors in Jakarta, he wasn't honest. In the middle of the sea, he asked for ten thousand per person.

Look at my face. I didn't enjoy the trip, although it should be a new and exciting experience. The ocean frighten me, papa and other passengers didn't succeeded in effort to subdued those feelings.

When landed, we searched for a nice spot on the beach.
To his surprise, there are none.

How shameful. There are no public beach there. A tiny three-meter-wide beach for public, in this famous island?
Really a strong punch in the stomach.
Papa stood there, motionless. Being there is like a nudist in the middle of city. All other part of the beach are part of business properties, from street vendors, restaurants to hotel, full of anything almost like traditional market, no, more like kakilima market.

Then we go to Atlantis, the expensive way to swim...
Along the way we take some photos. Here a giant bedug at Pasar Seni. In the inzet was comparison between my height and the bedug.

Atlantis II

2007-11-24T19:37:00.000+07:00

This is the second time Papa brought me to Atlantis. I forgot when was the first. He told me that it was the very first session about swimming and pools. That I was so exciting at first, then I lost the excitement —when I slipped from papa's shoulder and almost drown in the half-meter deep pool.

But today was marvelous. I was so enjoyed exploring every pool —below level one meter only. So many happy hours with papa.
We loved the waves pool. Every time we heard the announcement, then we raced there cross several pools, of course running not swimming, and me always the winner.

Later on at the shower, he showed me —to my surprise, the big colour difference on my skin before and after swimming.

City walk

2007-10-14T21:50:00.001+07:00

He loves Kota Toea. The old part of the town wasn't pretty enough, but he loves it. He was planned to take a city walk when I asked to see him this morning.
So he took me and having an old city walk together with me and his friend, oom Sebastian.
Here I am with oom Sebastian on an old cannon in front of the museum of Jakarta. He was so nice, smiley, and talkative. I like him, and he likes children.

The old city wasn't so interesting to me, but I was happy being together with him. Seeing how he looks fascinated by many details that I wouldn't notice. He would stop by an old street lamp, happily examined the details and took pictures. Or stood in front of an ugly and dirty old building, after a very long time to me, with a slight sadness he would pull away to another building.

Maybe Papa forgot that I am just a six year old little girl. My little foots couldn't stand this long city walk. But I didn't want to disturb his excitement. When oom Sebastian noticed that I was tired, in seconds I was on his back.

Tablod's Office

2005-05-05T17:23:00.001+07:00

Once he brought me to his office. The office is situated in Gedung Gajah. No, not the famous museum, but a block of office buildings —once before a tile fabric, its brand was "Gajah".

A few months before, he proposed a cover design and they liked it. Then he worked for them as a page designer, from the first edition till the seventh, the he was transfered to the other company from the same group.

Here I am, looked so happy coloring Spongebob. Spongebob was a cartoon character, a funny underwater creature, a living foam rubber...

Papa use my image as desktop wallpaper on his computer. Pretty me, eh?

The first smile?

2001-10-20T06:05:00.001+07:00

Is it a smile from me at two-days age, or me wondering how beautiful it is, the life outside of the womb?

Papa told me that he was waiting for any beautiful expression on my face to catch with his old Canon A1. At that time digital camera still only on the news, and cellphone has no camera.

It seems that I was recognized his voice that I heard when I was in the womb —then, every night he talked to me or reading a story, before playing "The Mozart Effects" or Al Quran.

My first footprint

2001-10-19T03:42:00.000+07:00

The hospital issued some documents about my birth. Among other things, there is a print of my feet. Hehe... very interesting.

Papa named me "Shakira". He was searching the adequate name for me, from books and internet. At first he wants a unique name from the Holy Quran, but there are no more names that unique enough.

So he searched for Quran related word, and choose "syukur" — hoping that I will be a person who always grateful to God for whatever happen to my life.

Not bad, eh. He found the word "shakira" somewhere in the old list of arabic names. It is unique. At least in Indonesia. There was Sakerah, a hero from the Betawi legendaries, a male name.

But, later on, Papa said when I was six months old, a beautiful singer with my name, was emerged from Columbia, and has raising great popularity around the world. So my name could not be unque anymore. Many parents will name their babies with pretty and well known celebrities.

Maybe Papa only make excuses for giving me her name, I will googling her, is she known at the time I was born...

Hooray... I am citizen of the earth

2001-10-18T00:11:00.001+07:00

Papa said it was a little minutes past zero hour. He was nervously helped the "bidan" and Mama since 23:00, said I was too big for Mom's opening.

After an hour screaming and heavy breathing Mama succeded in pushing me out. And me crying, in my ears Papa read me the moslem prayer call...

Thank You God for giving me a life.

More USG picture

2001-06-16T20:02:00.001+07:00

This was in June, 2001, four months before I can see the world.

Papa told me that he used to put some music fom the classical album "The Mozart Effects" and recorded Al Quran recitations, hoping that I will getting used to hear those sounds and beyond that.

I hope so, i heard that "The Mozart Effect" affects the child's brain, and the Al Quran recitation? I wish it could affected too.

My very first picture on earth

2001-04-03T18:42:00.000+07:00

This is me in my Mom's stomach...

It is still long way to my birth, half a year more...

Papa kept this picture for me, said that when he was in similar situation there is no way to take his picture in grandma's stomach. But he have some pictures from the day he was born last century...