Man’s Underwear for Woman

I guess I have been living under a rock lately, I just found out there’s boxer-type underwear for women being sold out there. Not those sexy ones made of satin/silky material with ruffles on the edges from Somebody’s Secret. I’m talking about the cotton, manly ones like Michael Jordan the guys wear. Hanes called it ‘boy shorts’.

What’s this? Do we women not satisfied with ‘briefs’, ‘bikinis’, ‘hi-cut panties’, ‘hipsters’, and ‘thongs’ anymore? But wait a minute… aren’t there lots of guys (gay men, mostly) now wearing thongs? Even in a public beach and swimming pools (yes, what a scary thought). Who’s the pervert who woke up in the morning one day and thought, “Hm, I like seeing a woman in a man’s underwear. Maybe I should pitch that idea to an undergarment business owner.”

So yeah, I bought a pack of Hanes’ ‘boy shorts’ to try. I thought, “Hm… with winter coming, maybe this will help me to be warmer.” The reason I was thinking that way was because both my husband and my son do have boxer-type of underwear. They are a few inches longer than the brief ones. And they did say they’re a bit warmer. But guess what, after I try them on, it only covers my butt cheeks and probably just below them. “This is not going to help me warm at all. Longjohns (long underwear) would be the only answer,” I thought. Plus, they’re not very comfortable. The seam that goes in the middle on the front and goes down almost to the private area is really not a 100% crotch-friendly. If you know what I’m saying. It kind of gives you ‘camel toe’ impression. Yikes!

So functionality was not the legitimate reason why boxer-type panties were introduced. Practicality? Well, an underwear is an underwear. It goes under your clothes anyway. I could see why hipster panties are practical. For those girls who like to wear hipsters (pants that sit on your hip rather than your waist), of course. So panties won’t peek out. Thongs, I could also see the practicality. If you’re wearing a skirt or pants and don’t want the lining of the panties showing from outside.

Another theory.  If the ‘founder’ was not the pervert guy, it was probably a feminist bitch. After all, we women have been wearing pants for centuries, and a group of these feminists had come up with another way of wearing something that men usually are. And they were the ones who pitched the idea to the fashion/undergarment industry.

Which theory would you go with? Or do you have your own theory?

Don’t You Wish Your Boyfriend/Husband Is Perfect Like This? Dream On!

My Big Dilemma of the Year: Listen to the Travel Warning or Risk the Kids’ Life?

Now that the Bali Bombers are dead (executed last night, or Sunday 11/9 at 00:15 am Indonesia time), I am regretting something. Not that I regret they’re dead, I solely believe they deserved it. But I’m regretting the fact that our family travel plan to go home to Jakarta was cancelled. This year, my plan to bring my hubby, children and my father-in-law to experience Jakarta and meet my biological family was demolished.

As you may know, Indonesia’s always been notorious with travel warning ever since… forever. Umm, let me take that back. Approximately since 1998, if I’m not mistaken. But as an Indonesian, living in Indonesia, in the capital city, Jakarta, I didn’t really see what the hoopla was about. When I was still a citizen of Jakarta, I used to feel frustrated to read about what the international media say about Indonesia, and more spesifically, Jakarta. As an insider, I don’t think Jakarta’s situation was a ‘red alert’ or as scary as they said in the news.

My attitude was forced to change a little bit when I married an American and now have two interracial children. I can no longer say, “Who cares about the travel warnings, it’s usually just to scare you away from going. Nothing bad would happened.” I bet that was not what the casualties from the Jakarta Stock Exchange bombing (2000), the Christmas Eve Indonesia bombings (2000), Bali bombing (2002), JW Marriott’s bombing (2003), the Australian embassy bombing (2004) or again the Bali bombing (2005) would like to hear. An by the way, those bombings were courtesy of the Jema’ah frickin’ Islamiyah. Which lead me to question, why doesn’t the Indonesian government ban J.I. like they do Ahmadiyah?

This year, I was being tested. We had planned, around May this year, to go to Jakarta as our annual family vaation. It was a Mother’s Day present from my kids to me that they’ll join me to go home (originally I was going alone). The excitement was built up, as I, as a mother of half Indonesian children, am longing to bring my children to the place I was born and grew up at. I made detailed travel plan and itinerary on places we’re going to. I wanted them to see and experience the difference of living, eating, studying in two places (Iowa, USA and Jakarta, Indonesia). I announced to all of my families and friends about this and promised to some to meet up and introduce the two parties. My mom was in tears when I called her to let her know about this and how she’s been longing to see and touch her grandkids. I was drooling over thinking all the food and drinks that I’ve missed. Everybody was so psyched.

Until the announcement of the execution came along, and sparked the travel warning again. Most intensively, from the Australian government:

 

We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack.

The Indonesian Government announced on 9 November that the three individuals convicted for involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing were executed on 9 November. The executions could prompt a strong reaction from their supporters such as demonstrations, acts of violence and reprisal attacks.

We continue to receive credible information that terrorists could be planning attacks in Indonesia. You should exercise great care, particularly around locations that have a low level of protective security, including where Western tourists gather such as beaches, bars, malls and other venues associated with foreign interests. We continue to receive credible information that Bali remains an attractive target for terrorists.

We are aware that many young Australian school graduates may be travelling to Bali in mid-late November and early December. We urge these young Australians and their parents, like other Australians, to exercise heightened caution at this time. Australians should register their travel with the Australian Government on www.smartraveller.gov.au and take out travel insurance.

If you do decide to travel to Indonesia, you should exercise extreme caution.

There have been recent arrests of high level terrorist operatives in Indonesia, but we assess terrorists are continuing to plan attacks. These attacks could take place at any time, anywhere, including in places frequented by foreigners. Previous terrorist attacks against Westerners in Bali and Jakarta indicate these areas are priority targets. You should take particular care to avoid places known to be terrorist targets.

Hubby and I got into a hot argument. I was trying to assure him that nothing bad would happen; that the Indonesian authorities made announcement that the threats were just a hoax. Tried to assure him that by the time we got there (late November), those three men would be a dead meat and the situation would winding down. He went berserk. He asked me is I was a 100% sure, that I thought the political experts were just making the travel warnings up and that I would risk our children’s life. That’s when I stopped and finally regain my rationality. Do I really want to risk their life being bombed, kidnapped, or even slightly injured in this situation? Just because my kids don’t look white at all, their father is (along with my father-in-law), and that they both have a big target on his back.

I apologize to families and friends that we can’t meet up with you guys. Melly and Juinita, sorry guys. Maybe next year when I go home alone. Now that we have everything booked for Thailand, I just found out that those bastards were executed and [for now] everything seems to be okay. If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Would you go to a place where some people hate you because of your nationality? Let’s say you have a family in Baghdad or Rwanda, would you go there with your spouse and children? Or are we just whimps?

Halloween and All That

Forgive me friends, for I have sinned.
It’s been a while since my last post for this blog.
Life’s been hectic.

Anyhoooo… I need to tell you something about last Halloween. After living here for 8 years, this is the first time I was involved in it. Started with ‘Boo Buddies’; which I was not familiar with at first. But again, I wasn’t born in this country. And the country I was born in and lived in, Indonesia, is not a big Halloween fan (at least not in my era). Then a coworker said, “It’s just like the Secret Santa. Only it’s for Halloween.” Again, not familiar with that either. Being brought up in a Moslem family and all.

So, the concept for ‘Boo Buddies’ is to secretly give Halloween-related gifts (not to be expensive) to another person on the week of Halloween. Everybody who’s interested in playing wrote their names on a piece of paper and put them in a bowl. Then we all picked one name out, and that is your assigned Boo Buddy. Mine was my favorite nurse (the person that I gave my presents to), so it was cool. The keyword is ’secret’ and this was rather hard. Everybody (receptionists, medical record clers, nurses, and lab technician) were pretty much sitting in front of their computers all day. You just have to be sneaky when you see somebody left their station (rooming a patient, looking for a chart, etc), you dashed to their station and leave your gift at their desk. Or you could use a ‘messenger’ or a delivery person. I had received a lot of cute stuff from my Boo Buddy. Day one was a Halloween-y picture frame, then a cute orange candle holder with ghost and pumpkins on it, then a bag of a pair of Halloween socks and a small ’Too Cute To Spook’ sign, a bag of Cheetos (yes, we did make a list of things we like), and a big sign for the lawn saying ‘Turn Back Now’. Just adorable.

On the fifth day, right on Friday October 31st, we revealed who our Boo Buddy was and I guessed it right. It was our lab tech, Melissa. That day we dressed up, my first ever Halloween involvement. I came in to work as a cow girl; pair of old jeans, boots, a Western-style shirt, and a borrowed cowboy hat. A fellow receptionist came in as a surgeon, dressed in blue scrubs. One of our doctors groaned, “Oh from all costumes, you just have to pick that. I hate surgeons!”
Four nurses and one doctor were kittens, and the most impressive one was Melissa. She dressed up in a Lady Vampira outfit, with the fake black long hair and full make up. Her choice of costume was really appropriate because her job is to get the blood out of you.

I worked half day that day. Then off to school to be the party helper for my kids’ Halloween celebration. Only they called it ‘Harvest/Fall Party’. Whatever. Dante’s Kindergarten teacher was kind enough to let the kids wear any costume they like as long as they leave the scary masks and weapons at home. Dante chose Darth Vader this year. Davi’s second grade teacher, on the other hand, sent home a notice a week before Halloween that they’re doing a Fall/Harvest theme instead. So after we purchased her chosen costume (Vampire Princess), I had to come up with a different idea so she won’t be in trouble coming in as a vampire. Just one day before Halloween, I walked to a nearby Goodwill store and bought a pair of old baggy jeans (couldn’t find an overall, unfortunately), a plaid shirt, and a pair of old boots. I found a farmer’s hat at Kmart that night, and I also bought fake Fall leaves that I stapled on the shirt and jeans to give that ‘farmer look’. Further enhancement was a trip to our backyard and rubbing the jeans on the dirt for that ‘dirty look’.

The night of Halloween, it was my turn to stay at home to answer for the trick or treaters. Again, bigger kids had no courtesy at all. No more eagerness of the shriek “Trick or treat!!!”. When the door bell rang, I automatically grab the candi bowl, then open the door. The bigger kids would just grabbed the candies and go away with a quick mumble of ‘Thanks’. How polite.

Hubby took the kids walking around the neighborhood for the trick-or-treat. Davi finally got the chance to wear her vampire costume, while Dante’s still on his Darth Vader outfit. Hubby did report that the kids were very polite and say ‘Trick or Treat!’ properly along with ‘Thank You’. Dante even said ‘Gracias!’ at one point. They left the house about 5:45pm and returned at 7:00pm. After supper, they asked us how many candies they could have. Hubby and I looked at each other, we really don’t want them to eat all the candies, but we also hate to be the meany. Hesitantly, hubby said, “Five” and the kids instantly replied, “Thank you Mom and Dad! You’re the best!”

Wow… we must’ve done something right raising the kids. They didn’t try to bargain for more at all…

more pictures click here…