Mummynista!

Are you looking for a gynaecologist/obstetrician in Jakarta? Perhaps you may find this post useful for your research or contemplation on which gynae you should go to. The moment the pregnancy stick indicated that I was pregnant, hubby G and I were eager to find a Gynaecologist/Obstetrician in Jakarta to confirm the results. The first place we thought of finding a gynae for me was Jakarta Women and Child Clinic as we have been taking our toddler to the paediatrician there and we were quite happy with there (Read about our experience with JWCC's paediatrician  here -  Part 1: Finding a Pediatrician in Jakarta ). *Warning*  This is going to be a lengthy post so please bear with me. I found there's a lack of information on gynaecology care and childbirth in Jakarta so I thought a post on our experience would probably help other moms like myself. **All written below are also based on my own experience and personal thoughts, and it could be subjective to different individ...

I totally forgot about this. I did this interview with Expat Arrivals (www.expatarrivals.com) when I first moved to Jakarta (like 7 months ago from the date of this post) . Hopefully this may help to shed some light to those who are considering to relocate/move to Jakarta or those who has just arrived. And well of course some thoughts and feelings have changed after being here for a while, I'll write a part 2 really soon.. Taken from: http://www.expatarrivals.com/indonesia/expat-experiences-in-indonesia About Cassandra   Q: Where are you originally from?  A: Singapore, and my husband is from Canada.   Q: Where are you living now?  A:  Jakarta, Indonesia   Q: When did you move to Indonesia?  A: September 2013.   Q: Did you move alone or with a spouse/family?  A:  We moved here as a family; with my husband and one year old toddler.   Q: Why did you move to Indonesia; what do you do?  A: ...

Our friends were telling us to visit Potato Head Garage when they learnt that we were visiting Bali; the food bloggers are also raving about this place in their blogs...so we decided to check it out. Arriving ten minutes prior to Potato Head's opening hour at 11am, we were refused by the security as well as the restaurant staff to enter the restaurant. I was trying to explain that we have a toddler who was very flushed from the heat and that we would just like to take a seat in the restaurant till they can take our orders at 11am...which is like 10 minutes away... No, we can't take a seat at the restaurant while we wait and the staff wanted us (G, a pregnant woman and a young toddler) to stand under the scorching hot sun for 10 minutes until the magical clock strikes 11am. The chairs, which were in the shade were just couple steps away, and NO..WE HAVE TO STAND UNDER THE SUN WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE MAGICAL OPENING HOUR.   I thought it was pretty ridiculous. I asked fo...

Anyone who has been to Seminyak Bali would probably face the dilemma we have- too many choices, too little time. It's like entering a Disneyland of cafes, restaurants, boutiques and spas. On our last day of Bali, we decided to make very wise decisions about where to have our final meals. (Haha..sounds very sombre!) With great determination and a better functioning GPS this time (after our failed attempt to find this cafe the day before), we found this treasure cove of coffee- Revolver Espresso. Raved by many bloggers as the best coffee joint in Bali Seminyak! Situated in an alley at the busy streets of Seminyak, one would never know such a quaint and great cafe exist. The easiest way to identify the particular alley is to notice Bali Clinic which on the opposite street. Seminyak Square is also just a stone's throw away. Amazing ambience for a 'hole-in-the-wall' cafe. Opted for a iced Latte after such a long walk.  So yummy! Some blend of scrambled eggs...

There's no lack of spas in Jakarta, therefore the task is to differentiate a good spa from an average spa. Spas in Jakarta are also relatively cheap as compared to cities like Singapore and New York but one would still want the best value(both quality and experience) for the money you pay and also safe products ( especially facial products). If you are looking for a place where you can immerse in a pure blissful indulgence- without the frustration of staff not understanding your requests, or being overcharged a 'Bule' (means foreigner in Bahasa) price, then you may want to check out the SPA Intercontinental at InterContinental MidPlaza.  Thanks to Intercontinental team for reaching out to me, as I would otherwise not know the existence of such a good spa option.  Arrival at the Spa's entrance. Interesting rustic decor greets one at the waiting area. I was pleasantly surprised how welcoming the entrance of SPA Intercontinental is; maybe it's just m...

Alright I've already shared the other day on where you can get cheap and good imported meat ( read post here if you have not).  Now I'll complete the meat loop and share where you can get great and fresh seafood in Jakarta without damage to your wallets! You'd have to check out Everfresh Seafood. Sounds cheesy? I know right..but who cares when you can finally stop buying old stale fish from the supermarkets in Jakarta or stop being ripped off at 'Bule' stores. You will probably need a good driver and sharp eyes to spot the place. Very inconspicuously hidden. An array of fish and other seafood. You can pick your seafood, how you want it cooked and they'll cook it on the spot! When you enter the place, you will notice that there's mostly locals, which is a very good sign that the price will not send you a panic attack.  Besides the seafood on display(as shown above), there's also aquariums keeping the live fish and prawns which you can...

I was searching for a spa near the city or Senayan and chanced upon Bale Bale Traditional Spa/Massage which has a branch at Gandaria; they also have a branch in Cipete. I wanted something not too expensive and a quick fix- a massage and a scrub. I was also hoping to find something not so clinical, I usually dislike spas in shopping malls or chain spas. We drove by Gandaria City and cut through a lane on the side towards a residential area; we found Bale Bale Spa amongst the houses. The spa entrance. A down-to-earth Balinese ambience greets one when entering. The first impression of the spa was good as the space smells nice and looks clean. There were couple of ladies doing the hair creme bath, a popular hair treatment/head massage among both locals and expats here. The menu is comprehensive and prices are cheap as compared to average spa standards in Jakarta; so I decided to try all three- the traditional massage, lulur (body scrub) and waxing on the legs. I was led to...

Looking for great western food with a bit of an interesting twist? And also a less horrifying bill and a nice ambience?  Check out Koi Kemang or Koi Mahakam, and you won't regret. It's been a month since I arrived in Jakarta, and I would say Koi Kemang is one of the best restaurants in Jakarta and also my personal favourite. I like here way better than Union . Pretty art pieces filled up the textured walls. A great selection of wine. I like the classy yet laidback ambience of the restaurant; the couple times I went it was also full but not overly noisy so it's a great place to relax, have a good conversation over great food. My personal favourite is the Melted Brie on Beef Bacon and Potato Crisps Salad(below), the combination is simply amazing. It is great as a starter for sharing. I don't have the pictures here but the Escargot on Pastry starter is great as well, if you like snails like I do. You have to try this. Melted Brie on Beef Bacon and P...

The last that I checked, I am not a hermit, at least I don't look like one so...I kept myself surprisingly busy by trying to find myself some new friends in this new city. I think meeting like-minded people is one of the most important thing for someone new in town especially if you are a stay-home-mom or temporarily not working. As much as I love Alex, it is a one way conversation; at least at this point of time. And talking too much to Alex's nanny or the apartment's concierge is also not the best thing either. I realised I needed friends (of the same frequency)..if you know what I mean..so that I can sustain my sanity in this lovely yet crazy place. And I also know that I don't possess some super magnetic powers that I could just sit at home and people will come knocking on my front door, "Hi C, I am your new friend." So I decided to take a proactive approach to this and here's couple of channels that I've used or reached out to: 1. Fri...

We were visiting the cute barber shop  around Blok M when we realised that the Japanese Grocery store, which another Japanese expat-Kaho blogged and recommended before, was just a minute walk away. Was so delighted to spot this. The frontal of the shop. A small mart but with all things Japanese you may wish for. I was really excited to see the various Sashimi available at reasonable prices. We didn't get much as it was our first time shopping here and we wanted to try out the freshness of the products.  Remember to ask them for Wasabi and also ice to keep the Sashimi fresh if you are going to travel a while in the car. We arrived home after an hour and half later (as we proceeded to shop at Indoguna Meat Shop); I quickly sliced up the salmon Sashimi and dug in with G. It was really not bad at all! In fact better than what we had in Ritz ( read more here ) the other day. We will definitely return again for all our Japanese supplies :) COSMO Jala...