Motivated by not knowing what to do with the numerous wedding souvenirs that ended up collecting dust in random corners of the house, I went slightly out of my way to find these.

These fragrant jasmine soap wedding souvenirs were purchased from Sekolah Kami, a non-profit school for under-privileged children and scavengers.  Aside from normal curriculum, the school also teaches vocational skills, such as making these pretty little soaps.  Sekolah Kami can be contacted via their patron, Ibu Irina Amongpradja (Ina), at +62816831507. Please have a look at their inspiring website at www.sekolahkami.web.id.  

The batik wrappings were self-wrapped by yours truly (helped by Mom), inspired by the Japanese paperless tradition of wrapping presents the furoshiki way.  In my opinion, batik wraps are a natural way for Indonesians to wrap presents!  The wraps can be reused as handkerchiefs.

{Behold, the citizens of Roman Jakarta shall be safe under my ever-vigilant wings}

This residential house in Kemang is a source of endless entertainment whenever I drive by.  Is that an eagle or a garuda or a vulture? Is it about to lift-off or land? Are the six pillars a coy symbol of the Islamic rukun iman or an echo of the glorious roman ionian legacy on the other side of the world?  What distressed damsel lives in that lonesome turret right underneath the claws of the gigantic bird? 

I saved this suffocating lemper from four layers of redundant wrapping.

And we

are still

quite stuck

figuring out

which forests

go on

which map.