last month, on 27022010, and in my 29 weeks of pregnancy to be exact, tingkeban ceremony was held in our parents' house in jakarta. tingkeban ceremony, also known as mitoni or nujuh bulanan, was done as prayers and rituals are meant to keep the pregnancy safe til the mother give birth to the baby. our tingkeban--which was held in yogyakarta style--was truthfully, a very exciting experience for me, for i've never watch any tingkeban ceremonies before... and now when i saw it for the first time, it was me as the main actress!! teehee... ^^ and the differences from the rituals held during the wedding, tingkeban ain't that serious--it was mooore fun, exactly.

the first of all interesting things in tingkeban ceremony for me were the ritual offerings. there are more than 30 kinds of ritual offerings!! and most of them are 7 in counts (7 ~ pitu ~ mitoni).

in the top above, there's a cone-shaped white rice surrounded by 7 kinds of red'n'white javanese porridge; (1) red porridge, (2) white porridge, (3) half red'n'white porridge, (4) white porridge poured over the red porridge, (5) red porridge poured over the white porridge, (6) white porridge crossed over the red porridge, and last (7) red porridge crossed over the white porridge. in above left, there were traditional cakes, all 7 in counts ;)

in the morning, together with our family from both sides, prayers were done firstly before the tingkeban ceremony. hopefully both the mother & the baby--which is my baby berucil and me!! :D--are stay healthy and safe til the laboring process, and for the ceremony itself so that it'll done smoothly.

after the prayers were done... then it's time for the show!! :D i changed my clothes into green jimpitan cloth--the same cloth i wore in my siraman before our wedding months ago--and hubby wears his dark-green beskap. and, yes, honey... you do looked handsome :)

before the siraman was started, first we did sungkeman process to our parents, asking for blessing for our upcoming baby, and as for me, i also did sungkeman to my hubby--the soon-to-be daddy :)

siraman process started with hubby as the first person to bathe me. siraman in tingkeban is indeed different than siraman in pre-wedding events, still according to the 7-rule, there are 7 spots to be bathe in tingkeban; (1) the head, (2) the right hand, (3) the left hand, (4) front body, (4) back body, (5) right leg, (6) left leg. fyi, the water dipper used in siraman tingkeban was made from a-halfed coconut fruit with a tiny hole in the bottom, and the bather must bathe the soon-to-be mother--which is me--quickly, resembling a pray so that the laboring process will be quick too.

the next bather were our parents, but there's a special task for my mother-in-law and my mother before they bathe me; they must scrub my body with 7-colored body scrubs, resembling a pray so that the baby will be born as a clean, enlightened, and bright child. after our parents, 7 aunties from our family who already had at least a grandchild also bathe me. 7 in javanese was 'pitu', and these 7 aunties were meant to give 'pitulungan'--literally means help, but i think it's more to the prayers for the laboring process.

after siraman, my mother and mother-in-law poured water from a jar for my wudhu, and after that the jug was broked down into pieces--and being examined... for what? ^^ for the jar funnel itself, is it intact or broked in pieces too as the jar body?? surprisingly, it is intact!! means the baby was possibly a boy--according to the 4D USG i'd done several days ago, it was correct!! :D, because if the funnel was broked into pieces, means the baby was possibly a girl. phewww... then the 4D USG was a waste after all ;p

7-colored cloths wrapped; (1) white cloth, resembling that the baby will be born as an innocent & pure child, (2) red cloth, resembling of how God creates human from blood, (3) purple cloth, so that the baby will be an obdurate person and won't be easily cast down, (4) green cloth, so that the baby will bring such a cool breeze for everyone's heart, (5) yellow cloth, so that the baby will be a noble person, (6) blue cloth, so that the baby will be a loving person, (7) brown cloth, so that the baby will be a 'down to earth' person. they were such beautiful hopes for my baby... *touched*

*as far as i can remember, the thing called 'sea' never scared me, not until...

it was last saturday, on 13022010, right after i had my lunch with hubby, there were suddenly crowds surrounding the primary health care in front of our homestay house, we could hear some of them cried, scream, or even yelling something unclear. it was a fine day at first, yet it's still rainy season, where the clouds covered the land and all you can see was the greyish shadow.

he went to the primary health care afterwards, carrying our medical bag as usual, while i'm washing the dishes in the kitchen. the crowds outside were just getting more crowded. they said there were a group of medical students went for picnic to lihaga island, there were 9 of them, and they must be very happy at first--of course, who doesn't??--for having their friends around and have fun together, not until the bad weather came with waves and strong current. and unfortunately, it takes one of them away...

he was a medical student, the only son in his family, in about 2-3 years he'll be a medical doctor like his sister do, and today was supposed to be a usual happy-day-for-picnic with his friends and his girlfriend. but no one could predict God's will. one of his friends was already gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation--but my hubby said, it was done in wrong manner, and she stopped doing it after exhausting 10 mins of cpr-ing, alone (why, for God's sake, when there were 8 medical students there, only 1 person could thought of doing the cpr??!)--but it doesn't bring the poor boy back in life.

i was waiting in my room when i clearly heard more people are coming they started crying, yelling, and screaming again and again. hubby said they're his family. father, mother, sister, others... and his girlfriend too--who saw his dearie went off right in front of her eyes.

.....

ou, dear sea... i never thought i could've scared of you :(

*missing my high-heels soooo much!

i'm currently in my 26th week of pregnancy, and no matter how often the baby kicks--even sometimes it does hurt me--i enjoy it very much. but y'know... sometimes there are small things that you can't do while you're pregnant, mine's very simple... i can no longer fit in some of my fave dresses, since my bust enlarges naturally and i'm soooo-over-waist ;p the other thing is, i can't wear my high-heels! i'm a small-size and a short-stature female, so that i need heeled shoes or sandals to make me look better in my height--not forgetting i've a husband with 185 cm tall, whereas i'm just 150-something cm, ughhh...--and as a woman, yes i do loooove high-heels. nowadays i spend most of my time in front of my laptop browsing--and drooling--some beautiful high-heels, of course, only to be seen, and not to be worn. phew phew phewwww... (-_-)

and here comes my most favorite from today's browsing... this lovely miss polkadotty from tabitha simmons... tada!! :D

but then again, i won't be able to wear those... well, at least until next june... oooohhhh i wish i had the patience for that!! i'm bored already with just flats flats and flaaaaaaats everyday... but hey, if someone bought me the flats below, mmmaaaayyybeeee i'll forget about those heels above... how is it?? *battlingeyelashes* ;)

*you won't understand how it feels unless u have allergic rhinitis

yesterday i just came back from jakarta, definitely happy with my short-holiday attending my cousin's wedding in kebumen and preparing few stuffs for my mitoni (traditional baby shower) next month. this morning i already go to work, meeting all the 50 patients after a week holiday is actually fun, but not--definitely not--with this runny nose. yes, the allergic rhinitis attacks me again and again!! T.T i slipped some handkerchief tissues in my pocket, yet those don't accomodate my runny nose enough 'til i back home... ugggghhh... God, please oh please don't let my baby have this allergic problems like me... T.T

yep yep yep, ain't the title came crystal clear?? i'm currently in my happiest part as a woman, to be exact, i'm positively pregnant ;) in my 22 weeks. it was around 5 days before aidil fitri when i took the strip test, and when it shown double red line, it feels like i just wanna scream in flooded happiness!! my Graceful God... this was the greatest gift of my life, ever!!

this is it... the final day aka the wedding reception. truthfully, i can't thanked my parents enough for this... it's definitely the wedding of my dream; rich in yogyakarta atmosphere, completed with soldiers and opening traditional dance, got my favorite band 'romantic 4' as the wedding band--you should watch'em on stage every monday nite in pisa cafe menteng, trust me, they're lovely!!--also classic style of our make-up and wedding clothes, flowers and foods, family and friends all around... i couldn't have a better wedding than this, it's so perfect! :)

the wedding vendors:
wedding organizer >> purusatama (they organized the wedding of agus yudhoyono and anisa pohan)
traditional make-up and kanigaran wardrobe >> mrs. tari donolobo from sanggar sri renggo sadono, visit her website here
parents and siblings wardrobe >> busana jawi, bara, and sri djaja (most beautiful batik cloth i've ever seen! also sultan's favorite)
pre-wedding pictures >> kenvin pinardy (his works were awwwweeesome!! view his portfolio here)
decoration >> k'jogja
catering >> gandrung (good price came as good food too)
venue >> balai samudra

...and so the next morning, the "ijab kabul" of akad nikah or wedding solemnization process started...

as moslems, our wedding solemnization called "ijab kabul" of "akad nikah" was the main part of the wedding itself. the father of the bride will officially spoke the ijab words in the bride's name and the groom replied with qobul words. in our faith, it is better if we don't repeat the ijab kabul until 3 times... well, since i'm not my dad and i'm not him also, i can't feel the nervousness speaking those words, but of course they do! and they made me sooo proud at that time for they've made ijab kabul process done in once! i love you sooo much, daddy... :')

as we're officially married, next "panggih" is a process of how the groom and bride met in front of the door house. first we will throw betel leaves tied with a white knot--4 for him, and 3 for me--on each other, then i will wash both his feet with waters and flowers to show my devotion for him as his wife. pssst... i do tickle his feet while i washed'em, teehee!! :D

next the traditional make-up artist will take an egg from inside the water jug, she'll get it touched to our forehead, then breaks it down. in yogyakarta tradition, the groom didn't stepped on the egg, different with surakarta's. the broken egg means that the bride and groom are no longer virgin since they're already became husband and wife.

"tampa kaya" or "kacar kucur" is a process when the groom give the bride a package of uncooked yellow rice, some seeds, and some moneys in a red cloth. the bride will accept in different red cloth, tied it tight, and then ask her mother to keep it. means that the groom must be ready to fulfill his duty as a husband which is to earn a living for his wife, and the bride must be a wise and thoughtful in keeping his husband's earn.

"bubak kawah" is done when the first daughter of the family get married, whereas "tumplak punjen" is done when the last daughter of the family get married. since i was the only daughter of my family, both processions were done. "bubak kawah" done as a man, a member of the family came in to the venue carrying a load filled with 80 cooking utensils hanged in the load. then the female guest on the venue will snatch away those utensils. it was really fun seeing snatching this and that!! "tumplak punjen" done as my mom carrying a bowl filled with uncooked yellow rice, seeds, and moneys in coins and bills and threw it away around the guests. we were laughing watching these 2 processions, never thought it could be so fun!! :D

and in the middle of the day when the males were prepared to do jumat prayers, and so i hoped for tomorrow night's reception will be carried away smoothly and safely...

*the one i've ever dreamed of...

it tooked 3 whole days to complete all the wedding process, since me and him came as javanese in yogyakarta traits, we need to do some traditional rituals before we were pronounced as husband and wife. it was tiring for us, of course... but surely those were the happiest moments in our life, once in a lifetime, and gladly we enjoyed all with unstoppable smile and heart that palpitates fast... :)

held in each of our house, as we're born in moslem family, we gathered our families, friends, neighbours, and colleagues altogether that morning. we all prayed so that all the wedding process could be done entirely safe and complete...

"bleketepe" is a form of coconut leaves assembled together into a criss-cross pattern in rectangular shape. in javanese traditions, if a family is hanging the bleketepe in the frontgate of the house means that the family is about having their daughter married. whereas "tuwuhan" were some earthy products suah as wheat, rice, banana, coconut, etc which were assembled also in the gatefront of the house, means as a hope for the marital process could be done safely and for prosperity of the family. my parents also mixed a jug of water compiled from 7 watersprings for my "siraman" process which comes next, and send a bowl of the water for the groom, called "tirta perwita adi" which will be used for his siraman.

as the duta tirta from my house arrived in his house, he started a process called "pelangkahan". since he's the last child and his brother--the 1st child--hasn't married yet, he needs to ask permission and blessing from his brother for getting married before him, and also giving him some gifts as a hope that he will gladly give the permission and blessing.

"siraman", or the last bathe, was done in order to clean up ourselves physically and mentally. our parents became the first to bathe us, continued by several aunties (for me) and uncles (for him) who already had at least one of their children married, and their counts must be odd.

before "siraman", it is a compulsory for us to asking for apologize and blessing from our parents and the elderly. i want to make this moment special for me and my parents, so at that time i decided to read my 9-verses poem as i found it will be touchful for us. fyi, many of my families said that it is indeed a touchy poem, so you may click here to read it ;)

at night, all of his family came over to my house for "midodareni". "midodareni" in javanese word derived from "widodari" which means a beautiful fairy. there was a javanese folk story telling that when princess nawangsih is about to get married, his mother--a fairy goddess--dewi nawang wulang came over from heaven to beautify her beloved daughter looks one night before her wedding. so it became a faith in javanese people that in midodareni night, fairies will came down from heaven to beautify the bride-to-be looks, so she'll looked much more beautiful than before.

his family brought me "seserahan" or love gifts in odd counts that will be given through my mom, but before that my parents will "tanting" or ask me again, for the last time, whether he was the man i chose to be my husband, and whether i was ready to be married. once i replied, "yes", i will also ask my dad to read "catur wedha" for him, which implies the duties of a husband to his wife and his family.

after my dad reads the "catur wedha", my mom broght him a drink; a glass of water, which he must drink in once and left not even a drop of it. he's not allowed to eat--whereas his family were allowed to--and he also not allowed to see me during this midodareni, it's a patience test from the bride-to-be parents for him to see his sincerity to marry me tomorrow.

as a thank you for the "seserahan", my mom giving "angsul-angsul" or some gifts back for him through his mom. he also be given "kancing gelung" or the fashion and accessories he'll need to wear tomorrow for the wedding solemnization. yes yes yes... once the night became the day, we will be pronounced as husband and wife ^^

on 22 to 28 march 2009 i went to manado together with my fiancee, there we gathered up with my soon-to-be sis-in-law with one of her friend. me and him planned to get some recommendation letters to do our compulsory work there, as well as holiday, and we also planned to learn scuba diving ;)

i love beach and sea sooo much since i can't even remember, and last year when i went for a holiday (also in march) in manado, i already fell in love with its sea... especially the view of bunaken island, above and below sea level. but last year all i can do was snorkeling, and i'm sure diving will be much more exciting!!

me, him, and his sister spent 4 days to complete our open-water course, on our 1st and 2nd day we learn the theories in class and practice in the swimming pool, but on 3rd and 4th day we went to the "real" class, the sea... and just as i thought before, it was much much moooooore exciting!! here some of the pics taken on our 3rd and 4th day, enjoy ;)

*the greatest birthday gift ever...

12 march 2009 was my 24th birthday, and it was 2 days after, on 14 march 2009, his family came to my house, brought a couple of rings--one of'em sparkled with a diamond in the middle--as the proof of our pre-vow. and there i am, waiting in flooded happiness when i saw him extraordinarily handsome--well, he is always handsome to me... teehee ^^--wearing a black tux--which i almost couldn't believe it, he wore a tux!!--with a white flower buttoniere accompanied by his family. including his sister that came all the way from s'pore to witness our engagement. i was happy... he was happy... our family was happy... everyone's happy!! :D all i can remember is that i slept that night with a smile in my face...

so... i thought you could guess what could be in the next me-update post, ryt?? just wait ;)