Birthday and the loss of someone dear

I’ve been meaning to write this post since the day of my birthday on the last 4th of July. But with everything that has been going on: the travelling, my mom and little sister visiting, and some down episodes from my health problems, I just couldn’t find the right moment to write about what I feel about my birthday this year.

Unlike my previous birthdays, this year, mine was full of mix feelings. I was happy because I could celebrate it not only with my husband and my boys, but also with my mom and sister who came all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia. However, at the same time, I was also mourning the loss of my other mom who was my parent during my stay and study in Canada. Right on my birthday at 12.30 am Vancouver time, she lost her battle with cancer that has spread from her bone to her brain.

When my dad called me that she had passed away, I broke in tears. Had he not been so calm when telling me this, I could’ve gone worse in sadness. All I could think was how I love her and miss her so much and wished I could be there with her on her last moment. Have I thanked her enough? Did I ever make her sad or angry for what I’ve done that I don’t know of? All those questions were haunting me dreadfully.

She taught me a lot when I was only 17 years old back then. It was my first trip and experience living abroad without my family and friends. Among many things we did together, I still remember how she taught me patiently on how to cook and to paint my nails and to trim my eye brows correctly. How happy we were when we walked her lovable dog out in the evenings, or when we painted her sewing room with sponges, or when we jumped into the jacuzzi in the back yard, or even when we made jokes on dad. I also remember how busy she was when she prepped me for my prom night with the hair, the dress and such. We had so much fun doing all those things and I’m so grateful having her as my mom then.

I am still in shock and I miss her dearly. But I’m glad that I had a chance to tell her how much I love her in my emails to her few short months before her death. I’ve never lose someone dear to my heart before. And with her passing, I feel like I’m being reminded that life is short and precious. Cherish what you have and spread enough love to your love ones before it’s too late.

Rest in peace, mom. You’re the angel among us now. I love you. And starting next year, I'll be blowing the candles for the both of us.

P.S.: Much love and hugs to dad, Holly, and Teddy. My heart goes out to you all.

Fun day out at the park

Fun..fun..fun..!! :)
Seeing their happy faces like that is like having the greatest feeling on earth.

Snapshots of the sleeping boys... :)

Aren't they cute in these photos? My boys were so tired from our long drive from Boston to Buffalo, NY. And as soon as we arrived at the Marriott Hotel where we stayed, booommm!!…nothing could keep them from falling asleep right there in the hotel’s lobby.

So peaceful and innocent. Love them so much.

Stormy summer

It’s summer now…but the weather here has been unbelievably awful with thunderstorms and rains almost every day in the past three weeks. Yucckk..!! Good thing we had spent the first one and half week of it travelling in the Midwest which was much sunnier than here.

Talking about stormy weather, I found this video of a glorious choir that uses hands and voices to create the sound of a storm. Everything is brilliantly put and very soothing to the ear. Love it.

The face of a dream campus

During my recent visit to California, I’ve made a quick stop to see this prestigious Stanford University campus located halfway between San Francisco and San Jose in Palo Alto. I’d say it is one of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever seen and definitely a spot-on warm-weather alternative to those Ivy League’s campuses. I love all those palm trees standing tall all through the main driveway up to the entrance roundabout area with gorgeous landscaping. So open, welcoming, yet serene. Went further inside, I could see the red tile roofs, the white stucco exteriors, and the Spanish arches all over the campus buildings … what a true portrayal of Californian architectural flavor. All these are completed with the graceful old chapel in the center of the campus, the Rodin sculpture garden, and the grand Hoover Tower with the background of bright blue sky. Another thing I noticed about this campus is that the whole compound is for pedestrian only and everywhere I looked there were students strolling on their bikes. Walking around the campus was a bliss and I wasn’t bothered looking like a tourist with a camera on my hand… :-)

After seeing the actual built of the campus and knowing its undisputed world-known excellence in academic, the only thought I had when leaving the compound was that I wish my kids would be able to go to this school one day. Wishful thinking…but that’s perfectly ok, right? :-)

Ayyayyaa…moi, awesome?

Oh, gosh…Katadia has referred me as one of her chosen ‘awesome’ fellow bloggers. Me? Awesome? Errr..well (*blushing mode*)...thanks Kat! Not only that, through my facebook, she also asked me to ‘reveal’ my awesomeness. It took me awhile to decide whether or not I should do it. Other than in job interview situations, it has never been easy for me to talk freely about my awesomeness (if there’s any..). I believe that kind of citation should really come from people who know me. But come to think about it, heck…why not try just this once. A little reality check from my own perspective won’t hurt, right? :-)

Ok, so here some of them:

1. I’ve always tried to live life as best and as meaningful as I could. And now, having such an awesome husband and kids, I feel complete.
2. My parents have thought me to be a strong and independent person. With only one suitcase in hand and my own self, I flew out from my beloved country Indonesia to study abroad when I was only 15 years-old. The experience I had during that point in life was somehow became a major eye-opener for me that there so much things I could do if I could just set my mind to reach them. Came back home when I got my degree and have been working professionally (and get paid well..ehem..) since then.
3. Throughout my school years, I’ve always been in the honor roll-list student.
4. Believe it or not…I’ve collected almost 30 trophies from the singing competitions I’ve won between my kindergartens to high school years. But unfortunately, it seems like those singing days are long gone with my voice now going berserk… :-)
5. I kinda have this six-sense thing where I can ‘screen’ people just by looking and talking to them during first encounter. And most of the times, what I ‘see’ have been proven right.
6. I’ve been fortunate to have lived in 5 different countries and travelled many places in the world for work and leisure.
7. I’m a self motivated and a ‘can-do’ person. Thankfully, I’ve been able to get what I want most of the time.
8. Although deep down I’m an introvert, I can easily transform as an extrovert.
9. I have two most wonderful sisters in the world. If I could just spend more time with them than ever before…that would be the day I’m longing for.
10. With much determination, my kids have been progressing to become such a smart, jolly, kind-hearted, and responsible children. Teaching and loving them have been the most difficult, roller coaster yet self-enriching and the best job I've ever experienced.
11. I’m a passionate lover…hehehe..just ask my husband. Yeah, right.. :-)
12. I’m a loyal friend, but can be so fierceful and vengeful when betrayed and hurt.
13. Would shaking hand with my favorite actors such as Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Mel Gibson be regarded as something awesome? Might sound corny....but hey...not everybody had the chance to do that, right? :-P
14. Last but not least, I’m awesome because I finally dare to ‘brag’ about all the above …*wink*

In order to spread awesomeness, I’ve chosen six other bloggers that I think are all awesome in their own unique ways.

• My awesome BFF Julie Qurbana.
• My awesome high school buddy and loving-busy mom who enjoys teaching kids Jennifer.
• The funny and talented writer Sandy in Momisodes.
• Almy, one of my smartest and kindest friends from the old days.
• Lola, my SAUC friend whose blog I enjoy reading but need to be updated often.. :)
• And back to Katadia since I truly believe she’s such an awesome mom, wife, and a great teaching professor. Gee..see what you’ve made me do? Hope you like it.

The best present ever

Right after he got off from his school bus yesterday, my 6 years-old youngest son Danis, ran looking for me with his hand-made flower on his little hand. “Mama, I have something for you. This is a Mother’s Day flower I’ve made for you at school”, he said. The flower was so beautiful and neat. And he put his name on one of its blooms. “In case you forget that this is from me, mama”, he said as if I can ever forget it.. :-)

Then, all of a sudden, standing right in front of me, he sang this “On Mother’s Day” song:

On Mother’s Day, on Mother’s Day
Oh, how I love you, Mommy…
You give me Joy and Happiness…
I give you Love, a Hug and Kiss…
On Mother’s Day, on Mother’s Day
Oh, how I love you, Mommy…

Right there and then, he truly swept me off my feet. I was down with tear of happiness. He’d always been so shy to sing any song as perfect as yesterday before. It looked like he really tried to pull this one as best as he can be. And I adore him so much for that.

I’d never expected any special ‘treatment’ on Mother’s Day from my kids, like breakfast in bed or crayon-scrawled cards and such. For me, everyday can be a mother’s day. Simple things like doing something together, finding out that they’re doing good at school, behaving nicely at home, or looking at their big smiles could easily make my day – all happy and full of gratitude. And this year, Danis really pulled-it off perfectly and made my day. Seeing and listening him sing yesterday, was by far, the best present ever…

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers – especially to my dearest Mom, my sister Lily, and my long-time BFF, Yuli. Love you all so much.

Don't judge a book by its cover

Well…I think this saying is truly represents what happened to Susan Boyle when she auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent last Saturday. She’s not the typical pop-star-want-to-be who usually young and ‘representable’. She’s a 47-year old woman who has always wanted to be a singer since she was a teenager. The audience, including the judges Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan, were snickering and rolling their eyes the moment she entered the stage. But all this changed once she unleashed that first note of “I Dreamed A Dream”. Her beautiful and powerful voice has put everyone on their feet, clapping their hands throughout her performance.

No one can laugh at her anymore. I’ve been watching her video over and over again. And all I can think of is how she reminds me not too quick in judging a book by the cover. Her poised and innocent performance has shown me her ‘true beauty’ and I really think she has given a performance that was humanly and spiritually uplifting. Can wait to see more of her talent, she’s such an inspiration…

Women vs. Men: not so different anyway..:)

Oh, my gosh…this new Heineken commercial I saw last night, is by far one of the greatest commercials ever!! It’s just so hilariously funny and entertaining. The generalization of ‘women love shoes’ is just as funny (and true?) as ‘men love beer’. They can react exactly the same way to a very opposite thing.

Just look at their faces and reactions when they open their (different) idea of a dream come true walk-in-closet. It's just, sooo…me! :)

Click and enjoy.

Spring hopping

Although it’s not totally ‘out’ yet, but the signs of spring are here. Above freezing temperature, brighter morning sunlight cuts through our windows, no more hassle from putting on those thick coats, and longer days with bright sky hanging over our heads for us to spend more time outside. I like all these and soooo looking forward to make the best out of them.

And ‘by making the best out them’ for me would mean:

• House spring cleaning and interior painting.
• Flower planting. I’m thinking yellow daffodils and pasque flowers for this spring.
• New acquaintances and new work projects. Finger cross..
• Adios boots and bulky sweaters...welcome back cute sandals, capris, and colorful short sleeves. Yaayyy..:)
• Few out-of-state trips. Chicago and Buffalo..here we cooommeee...
• Softball practice for Faris, and tennis for Danis.
• Me exercising to shed some of those winter pounds..err..if I can..(pleeassee God give me the strenghts to do so).
• Round and round looking for picnic areas, ice-cream, cool drinks, and outdoor concerts.

Just thinking about those make me all excited and happy. Let’s see whether we could really tick all those 'things-to-do' points off before moving on with another-yet-to-be-planned summer ventures…:)

Oleh-oleh… oh…Oleh-oleh..

Kaya’nya sebelum bener-bener pindah dan menetap di negeri orang seperti sekarang, belum pernah rasanya gue ngerasa pengeeeennn banget di oleh-olehin…apalagi oleh-oleh yang asal-muasalnya dari Indonesia. Tiap kali keluarga gue mau datang kesini, pasti sebelumnya gue udah kasih list pesenan yang panjaaanngg banget. Pokoknya ngidam, sengidam-ngidamnya ama oleh-oleh dari Indo...apalagi sama makanan-makanannya. Abis gimana lagi dong, namanya aja udah jarang-jarang bisa ‘nikmatin’ semua yang bercita rasa Indo disini :). Walaupun bisa masaknya (ciee..) tapi tetep aja rasanya beda. Atau, walaupun barang2nya ada juga yang bisa dibeli disini..tapi tetep aja lebih afdol rasanya kalo dibawain dari Indo. Aneh mungkin, tapi yah… begitulahh..

Nah…ceritanya, suami tercinta baru aja pulang dari Jakarta dan walaupun disana cuma seminggu, tapi bawaan oleh-olehnya bo’… sampai tiga koper gede! Siapa lagi yang buat ‘gara-gara’ kalo ga’ gue yang udah ancang-ancang pengen dibawain apa aja semenjak sebulan sebelum kepulangan dia ke Indo dan udah nitip beli dan masak ini itu ama nyokap ama adik2 gue tersayang. Of course gue juga udah nyiapin macem2 buat dibawa untuk mereka semua disana dari jauh-jauh hari…pokoknya something special yang mereka might like it dari sini (mudah2an beneran pada suka). Bener2 kaya’ orang yang mau mudik lebaran deh pokoknya (padahal sebelum pindah kesini, I hardly done that.. even saat dulu gue sering bolak-balik Jakarta-luar negeri untuk urusan kerjaan atau waktu lagi sekolah, atau pas pulang ke kampung halaman gue nun jauh di Padang sana, ga’ pernah rasanya gue itu bawa2an se-bombastis kaya’ gini…). According to suami gue, dia itu sampe dipandangin bingung sama staf airline waktu check-in di Logan International Airport, Boston. Pada mikir kali ya..orangnya satu tapi bawaan kok fantastis, laki lagi! Bener-bener typical orang Asia kali ya (apalagi orang Indonesia), yang kemana2 bawaannya pasti se-ngebludak ngebludaknya…hehehehe. Tapi ya itulah, demi istri tersayang, suami gue dengan rela dan siap dipandangin (nista) kaya’ gitu sama orang-orang bule disini…:) Makasih ya, my dear.

Eniwei...pas suami balik lagi ke Boston kemaren, gue dan dua krucil gue...happy se-happy2nya. Mulai dari makanan kaya’ ayam dan daging suwir (yang endang-nya bikin gue merem-melek pas makannya), teri kacang balado, keripik padang balado (gue lupa apa lagi yang balado2-an yang dibawain…), sampai dengan lapis legit coklat, pisang bolen and kecap manis cap bango plus meises ceres yang warna-warni. Makasih ya mama dan tante fenny-ku sayang…:). Belum lagi ditambah oleh-oleh lainnya seperti mainan Lego buat Faris yang baru aja ulang tahun ke-8 tanggal 20 Maret kemaren dan monster truck buat Danis dari grandpa-nya (makasih papa..), plus mukena cantik, sandal2 dan tas lucu untuk summer, dan CD lagu2 Indonesia buat gue. Pokoknya, puas sepuas2nya. Ok banget untuk ngilangin rasa kangen sama Indo.

Terus, suami gue juga bawain beberapa lipstick YSL kesukaan gue yang dibeli di duty free airport Hongkong. Gue juga dibawain segepok buku2 agama, komunikasi politik, fiksi dan non-fiksi Indonesia. Dari yang lumayan serius seperti buku Fiqih, buku “Dari Soekarno Sampai SBY”, novel “Maryamah Karpov”-nya Andrea Hirata, sampai dengan cerita2 hilarious dan yang udah buat gue ngakak habis dua hari ini nge-baca “Miss Jinjing” dan beberapa seri buku komik dan komedi karangan Raditya Dika yang judul2nya sepintas ‘mengerikan’ like “Kambing Jantan” dan “Babi Ngesot” tapi ternyata top banget untuk bisa buat hati senang saking lucu dan gokilnya. Lumayan juga ganti2 suasana dari yang biasanya baca buku bahasa inggris mulu, sekarang bisa baca buku2 dalam bahasa negeri sendiri.

Singkatnya, pesan moral dari posting ini adalah: oleh-oleh itu emang membahagiakan..:) Apalagi dapetnya dari orang-orang yang kita sayangin. Sering-sering aja yaaaa….

Happy 8th Birthday, Faris

The mists of hope and tear of happiness are in the air
Because you’ve reached your 8th year today

What an amazing boy you’ve become
Because you’ve been living the world full of love, joy, and discoveries

Hold my arms and heart in your every step of the way
Because you can always count on my life to pillow your falls and to embrace your highs

Believe in yourself and the supports around you
Because you still have many bright years ahead to conquer and look forward to

(Happy 8th birthday, my dear Faris. These poem and video are dedicated to you.)
Turn the speaker on to listen to the song by Vina Panduwinata, titled "Anakku" ("My Child").

Why didn't I think of that?

I found these cool bunches of creative and high-usability inventions on the net. Hats off to those people who invented these things, especially in this slumping economy where only the ‘fittest’ and those who know how to create opportunities for themselves (and for others) that can stay afloat.

Just look at this Flash Drive Dispenses Post-It Notes…how cool is that?! USB drive with a twitter-size Post-It notes, I totally dig this..!

And what about this Paper Clip Tower Warmer and Radiator? Wouldn’t be nice to have this during those cold winter days when we just get off the shower? The design is also pretty neat to beautify any bathroom.

This Bra Dryer could be the answer for women like me who always try to keep my favorite bras and lingerie stay in shape. It’s said to be adjustable for any style of bra and is made in range of sizes. Niiceee…:)

Next item is the Walkstation Treadmill Desk. Although it’s a bit pricey, but I think this is a great solution for people to stay productive and healthy at the same time. Instead of seating (and accumulating fat from snacking) for hours doing works, we can now actually burn some calories while working. Ain’t that cool if we could earn some dough and look good at the same time?

Obviously, to actually produce and introduce inventions to the market would take a whole lot more than just coming up with ideas. We can either do all the process by ourselves, or sell our ideas to big brand names for a patent and cash. But whatever it is, it must start somewhere, right? I guess we just have to ‘open’ our eyes and ears much wider now. Who knows…we might be able to come up with something unthinkable and unavailable but is actually needed by everybody. And it could be something as simple as a self-cleaning shoes-mat (can you imagine going into your house without all the mess coming from shoes full of dirt and snow? I’ve been searching for one…but none found yet), an instant butt-firmer (like an adjustable cast that sticks to your butt for some period of time and when you take it off, tadaaa…you have yourself a good looking butt), up to something more advanced like a Cheater-o-Meter. Pretty cool, eh? :)

Another feeling-good-day..:)

By the look of the weather today, looks like the winter blues will be over soon…yayy. And hopefully this time, for real…no more of those horrible snow storms for the next, err, 8 months!

Anyway, I’m pretty much happy the whole day today after seeing Faris’ school report filled with the ‘high’ and ‘high average’ scores on all goal performance areas in math and reading. From what I’ve read in his report, he basically scored above the test norm for the 2nd grade students. I’m just so proud of him. His hard works and love of reading seemed to be paid off and hopefully he will continue to do so. Sayangnya mama…semangat dan berdoa terus ya, nak. Never stop trying to do your best…because I know, you can.

A day at the magical kingdom of Disney

While searching for some images from my laptop for work today, I stumbled upon these family photos taken during our trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, California last January. Looking at them, I remembered how happy the four of us that day when we spent the entire 11 hours enjoying all the rides and those amazing shows. It wasn’t my first time to Disneyland, but it was my first time there together with my family and somehow the whole experience was just much much better than before. The boys were ecstatic with joy, while my husband and I felt like kids again…:)

Some rides were just so interesting and addictive to be on, and they made us keep coming back for more. The whole target shooting actions at the cosmic world of Buzz Light Year Astro Blaster got the boys compete with each other on who can shot with the most points. We were shouting and laughing our ass off, as if no one around. And when we went to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, we were amused by the details of what we saw throughout the ride. The moving (and talking) mannequins representing different characters in that movie, the different elaborated settings – from the real war setting, the ruined villages full of drunkers, the cave full of treasures, to the whole ambience...everything were just so exhilarating and authentic. I just hope I didn’t make too much (and loud) ‘uuhh’ and ‘aahh..’ sounds during the whole ride…:) The Astro Orbitor was the personal favorite of my husband. Not really sure why though, maybe because he liked the height and the breezy air on his face when he was up there on the sky…:) He kept wanting to ride it with the boys until I have to stop them before they went back to that long line of people for the third time. Myself, aside from the Pirates ride, I personally liked the Mickey’s Toontown. Felt like we were in a totally different world at that toontown. The mini-crooked-cartoony buildings, the details within each house, and the colorful town amenities were all look and feel as if we were in a la-la-la-la land.

I also remembered how excited the boys whenever they bumped into their favorite Disney characters. Danis was jumping here and there when he saw his favorite Buzz character…and couldn’t stop staring and poking at him during picture taking. So glad to see his happy face at that time. And as we made our way back to the main gate, among many other rides, we also got onto the Mark Twain Riverboat ride and enjoyed the Indiana Jones Adventure. What a fun and educational way to teach the boys about the wild and adventure life.

All in all…that day turned out spectacular. Full of fun…and somehow felt like we were in the far far magical world. Felt really good to let loose and enjoyed things like this with the whole family. Such a happy place to be.

Some lessons learned

Just had an interesting chat with some of my girlfriends about things in life that make us happy, feel empowered and loved, proud, devastated, and irritated. It made me think about what’s real and what’s certain in life. Things that become the essence of who I am and what I stand for. I’ve come up with my top 17 list:

1. You define your own life.
Nobody else knows your strengths, limits, and dreams better than yourself. Work on them. Believe in them. You observe, you try, you fall and you try again until you find what you really want and be in life.

2. Believe in God
You’ll always be in peace knowing that something great out there (and inside you) will always look after you ... to be your powerful source of guidance and strengths.

3. Expectations can be depressing and dangerous.
You can’t control everything. There would be times when you just have to stand back and flow with it.

4. Trust your instinct. Intuition doesn’t lie.

5. Aging is undeniable.
Embrace it. Don’t cuss (like I always do) whenever you see gray hairs on your head that keep appearing in an alarming rate ... :)

6. Love is a blessed and can have profound effects on your life.
I was raised and surrounded with family and friends full of love. It made me strong and gave me the base and reasons to give and to feel love. At one point in my life, I’ve also had my share of failure in love. It was painful, but in a way, it has awakened me to be more sensible and honest to myself. And now, I’ve found my true love and I feel really good in mind and soul.

7. Doubt means: don't rush, re-think.

8. Being a mother is the toughest job on earth, but I wouldn’t change it any other way.
It’s true. Before, all I think about was how to be the best in my career. I’ve worked my ass off to make my way up the corporate ladder. I thought it was the hardest thing to do. But now…I believe that no jobs can beat motherhood. It’s tough, but I love it like nothing else matters … :)

9. Be passionate in whatever you do.
It could overcome stressfulness and positively contagious to the people around you. It could also make you feel empowered and ease your way up to where you wanna be.

10. Opportunities don’t usually come often. Grab it and score!
Like my father always said: ‘Always be mindful to the things around you. Opportunity will not sit there long waiting for you to come. Grab it and make the best use out of it.”

11. It’s OK to have an opinion or be different.
If you decide something that goes against what everybody else thinks, it’s not gonna be the end of the world.

12. True friendship exists.
It's rare but it shines through. I thought I lost one, but I found it back and I'm not gonna lose it again. Miss you, J.

13. Gossipers and backstabbers are like cockroaches.
They’re small (brainless and heartless people), unbelievably annoying with nothing to do other than getting to your nerve, and can be found anywhere. If you cannot ‘terminate’ them, just ignore them. They’ll get bored and will prey another. Just hope that karma will get back to them hard…haahh!

14. Not healthy means no life.
I’ve had some problems with my health not long ago, and believe me..it wasn’t fun at all!

15. Misery and trouble won’t last forever.
These things can happen in life at some point or another. Being a drama queen won’t help. Deal with it.

16. Two heads are better than one
Cliche but true. When you don’t know the answer for a question or problem that you’re facing, it’s OK to ask. You might be blown away with some unthinkable answers.

17. Surround yourself with positiveness.
It’s energizing, inspirational, motivating, and can definitely be the source for happiness.

Flaming sunset

Seen from the Berkeley Hills - CA, I couldn't resist not to take this beautiful shot of flaming sunset over the Bay Bridge. I also love the look of the sunset taken from the I-80W on the way back to San Francisco, with what seemed to be a speck of balloon plane floating on the sky. The sky was so magnificent and striking in those deep red, orange and yellow sunset colors. What a glorious way to end the day.

Loving San Francisco

After our recent first visit to San Francisco, I think the city has become one of my favorite cities in America. I just love everything about it. It’s so beautiful and I think the city is a perfect marriage of natural beauty and charming architecture. And the weather…gosh...it’s just wonderful at this time of the year. Windy but not as cold like where we live here in the east coast in winter. Always sunny (with the on-and-off fogs) and definitely no snow..! :) The sights and smells of the ocean and the mountains…they could really take your breath away.

I’ve spent the first day in SF with the kids since my husband was out all day for a conference… and we spent it good by shopping around the Union Square :). From our hotel at the Grand Hyatt, we could basically get around to so many interesting places in downtown SF, including the famous SF’s Chinatown district – the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. The place kind of reminded me of what many areas in Hong Kong look like: the unique and authentic shops, the restaurants, the not-so-friendly people (well, most of them), the hanging laundry over the windows, and the over-crowded alleys with the mix smells of food and garbage at some their dirty alleyways. But still though, it was a worthwhile experience especially to my kids who seemed to be enjoying every single thing they saw there.

On our second and third day (with my husband presence this time), we visited basically almost every single attraction there is in the Bay area and some parts of Berkeley. We took the cable car ride from Powell to Hyde St. and went to what to be said as the crookedest street in America, the Lombard St. From the top of the street, we could see the Alcatraz, Telegraph Hill and the Bay Bridge. I was almost out of breath walking up and down those hilly and steep roads near that street – well, maybe it’s time for me to shape up *wink*. We also went to places like the Nob Hill (the home of the riches in the city), Coit Tower, and the Fisherman’s Wharf. We started our walk on the wharf from Pier 39 all the way to the end of the block where among the fun Rainforest Café, the Wax Museum, and the Aquarium of the Bay, we found this Boudin Bakery & Café that produces all types and shapes of bread, including the shape of crocodile that exactly looks like roti buaya that is commonly presented in one of cultural festivities back in my origin city Jakarta.

When we crossed over to Berkeley, before making some quick stops at UC Berkeley, Berkeley Marina, and Tilden Regional Park, we got a chance to meet with our old friends (Nday and Nang) and their two beautiful girls for lunch at an Indonesian restaurant called Jayakarta. Had a great time there, especially with all those Indonesian yummy foods around. One thing we like about SF is the fact that it has so many Indonesian restaurants to choose from, like the Borobudur and Indonesia restaurants, to satisfy our ‘crave’ for some of those authentic Indonesian food delicacies.

On the fourth day, since my husband and I needed to meet some people and do some works that day, we had to take turn to be with the kids. But in the end, we’ve managed to continue our tourisy voyage to places like the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio – a beautiful and neat large residential and office compound that used to be a US military base, the City Townhall, and the charming iconic pastel colored Victorian houses (also known as the Postcard Row or the Painted Ladies) along Steiner St. on Alamo Square. Too bad the weather was not good that day for us to take good pictures around…it was foggy and wet. But hey...as long as we could experience everything that we wanted to do there….that’s all matter. We ended the day by strolling along the Palace of Fine Arts (remember ‘The Rock’ movie when actor Sean Connery met his daughter for the last time before taken away by the FBI agent Nicholas Cage?) and the Marina looking out to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Alcatraz. The area is truly beautiful not only because of those breathtaking views, but also because of those beautiful houses with big windows facing the ocean…for a second it made me think maybe it’s a good idea to move to SF :).

It was truly an awesome time we’ve had in SF and I’m definitely looking forward to another visit soon. As we drove away from the city headed to LA the next day, just like an old saying said: ‘I left my heart in San Francisco”. And I really did.

The wild west road trip

I’ve finally made it to do one of my many travel adventure wishes: to see first-hand on how the surrounding of the west looks like. After we left our hotel at the Renaissance in Vegas, we went off to our 10-hour road trip to San Francisco. From the moment we hit the highway, all we’ve seen was desert and more desert! It was kind of driving in the middle of nowhere on long winded roads with the views of sandy dry hills full of cactuses and giant rocks with the background of mesmerizing blue sky and gigantic whipped-creamy clouds all the way. Along the way, we passed through the Ghost Town and Death Valley that looked kind of creepy with all those abandoned houses, wrecked cars and motor homes spread everywhere… can’t imagine how they look like at night. Not far from the place we had our quick bite inside the old train in Barstow food court, we drove through the famous Mojave Desert. So serene, mysterious…and yet remarkably beautiful and peaceful. We even got a chance to spot a rainbow towards the end of the desert. Love it.

What an exhausting loong day. But I’m glad that at last … we got to see the glimpse of the marvelous wild wild west.

A not-so-fabulous Vegas

Finally, my family and I are back from a two-week trip to Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Anaheim. I’ve been meaning to blog during those trips … but seemed like everytime I tried to start write something, I was already too tired from all the things we did for the day.

Honestly…we didn’t find Vegas as enjoyable and interesting as what we thought about the other two cities. Yes…we were amazed with the beautiful neon lights everywhere we looked, the giant-size hotels throughout the Strip of Vegas, the gondola ride at the Venetian, the world-class entertainment shows that are available in every major hotels, and not to mention…the stunning building architectures (loovvee that miniature of the Eiffel Tower, it’s so cool..). But that’s about all. Other than those buildings, the attractions, and the people-watching on the Strip…we didn’t find anything else that was interesting in Vegas.

I don’t know, maybe it was because we were there for two-short nights only and we didn’t go there looking for party or gamble (which obviously, could’ve been the right place to go for the sort of things). We were there merely to fulfill our curiosity about what the city is all about. And although it was not all as fantastic as I thought, I’m glad we visited it. At least now we know what we could ‘really’ expect from the city, especially when we’re travelling with kids. By the way…I wouldn’t want to come back to that Circus Circus place. We went in there looking for a circus show…but to our surprise, we were too caught up with the icky and stuffy in-door arena before actually found the show area. It didn’t take us long to finally decide that we needed to get out of that place. It was so filled with smokes and all kind of smells...and seemed like not enough air available for so many people in there. It was like a mad fun-house…definitely a no-no.

If what's in Vegas is supposed to stay there, that's fine with me. We're done with Vegas and next...on to San Francisco…:)

New Year Wishes

It’s now New Year’s Eve and we’re on our flight to Las Vegas. By the time we land there, it will be few minutes before the start of 2009.

What a year 2008 has been to me and my family…full of blessings and I’m thankful for all of them. Like what life should be, of course there have been some ups and downs. But mostly, things have been in our favor… in terms of our health being, kids’ schooling, our works, as well as family and social life. Can only hope that the new year will be better and enriching in all sorts of the ways.

Wishing everyone a happy, prosperous, peaceful, and blessed new year.

(Our special wish to my little sister back home...hoping things will all go well with her tomorrow.)

Morning after the storm

What comes after the winter storm? A freezing day, bright blue sky, ice spikes hanging from my roof, and high piles of snow. Like an Indonesian saying: "habis gelap, terbitlah terang.." (after darkness, let there be light). Beautiful...

Set..and go!!

Who said that innovative and inspirative marketing communications can only be expected from the world of product or corporate marketing? More than ever, the face of marketing communications in politics is changing with Barack Obama's creative, tasteful and brilliant ways of communicating throughout his presidential election campaign. My writing on this has been published in the latest SWA magazine. It's in Indonesian, but it's basically the elaboration of what I've written previously here in English.

Can't wait to witness his inauguration in DC on January 20. Well...in the crowd with thousands other people of course...:)

Snow madness

Today is the official first day of winter and it's already been snowing heavily for over 48 hours. 10-12 inch of snow is piling up all over. Staying home seems to be the coziest, safest and warmest choice under this circumstance. We had to go out for some errands yesterday afternoon...and it was a real mess outside. Could hardly see the roads we were on. Everything seemed so dark and gray.

See how contrast the look of our front yard now compare to the one from last spring? Makes me yearn for warmth and colorful sights right this minute..! Really looking forward to that holiday trip away from this bitter cold.

It's ON again..!!

Although we didn’t experience power blackout at home like many families out there after the awful ice storm last week, we did got hit on our main communication channels: internet and phone connection. It went on for 6 straight days, until the technician from Verizon finally came to fix it today.

My husband and I work from home a lot…so having internet is like a major, major tool for us to get things going and done. This internet breakdown made me realize several things. I’ve become so accustomed with internet in our day-to-day life, and when I don’t have it on the tips of my fingers … it sucks big time. It almost drove me nuts!! On the contrary, without it, I could spend more time doing something else – like finishing the two books I’ve been meaning to read since October and Lego building-marathon with the boys (who've been enjoying their school winter holiday early due to the bad weather..).

Anyway…it’s good to be ‘back’ again. Have lots of catching ups to do now. Hope everything can be done before everyone is away for the holiday.

Ice-coated

I didn't realized how bad the ice storm was till this morning when the news on TV announced that the governor has just declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts. Went outside to see the damages and I was shocked with so many limbs down and debris along the road. Thank God nothing hit our house or any of our neighbors.

Despite the chaos it has caused, I was amazed with how beautiful the ice-coated tree branches looked after the storm. They looked like white messy strings in the sky. But still ... no matter how stunning they may look, I reeaallyy hope no storm like this ever happen again.

December in New York

Went to NYC for an appointment yesterday afternoon and for a stroll with the boys later in the evening. A bit miserable with the cold outside, but loooveee what we saw. The air of economy crisis may still be long resolved and affects everyone, but it seemed like nothing can kill the flame of holiday spirits in NYC, especially in Manhattan. Beautiful lights and amazing displays everywhere, lifting up the spirits of joy and hope in everyone.

The boys got the Lego and M&Ms ...










while I'm still hoping for this ... :)

Something to think about...

I was caught up with a moment. A brief moment of reflection to life just from looking at those little busy squirrels that were frolicking in front of me today. They’re always in motion. And although at times they often look and behave frantically, they seem to always work purposely and play delightfully.

What a balanced, full of spirit yet fragile creatures, I thought. And somehow… they got me thinking about how our lives are. Always on our toes to keep up with what’s on today and what need to be done tomorrow and the future – those that are embedded in busyness or running beneath still waters. But ain’t that nice if we can just be and feel carefree at times? If we can just pause for awhile to appreciate and enjoy what we’ve done, life, the people and the simple beauty around us? It must be very delightful to our mind and soul. It could become a means to elicit and experience more kindness, joy and gratitude throughout our ways in this fragile life.

Black Friday..Oh..Black Friday

Finally, we did it. For the first time my family and I – the Black Friday virgins – went off to experience the shopping madness along with millions other people out there yesterday - hoping to find some really, really good bargains during this current economy mayhem. But unlike those who were willing to wait in line in front of their favorite stores from Thursday afternoon or before sunrise on Friday, with the kids and the chilling cold, we chose to start our shopping quests on Friday morning.

So we woke up at 5.30am, prepared the kids and took off at 7am. And when we got to our first shopping spot, the Wrentham outlets around 8am, the place was so packed. It took sometimes for us to find a parking spot… but luckily, we didn’t have to park our car too far away or on the side of the roads like what many others did. Although not all stores offered special Black Friday discount there, we found some pretty good deals for the winter necessities like sweaters and coats at Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Ann Taylor, OshKosh B’Gosh, and The Children’s Place. We bought most of them with discounts between 40%-50%. We also wanted to check out those sales at UGG and Burberry, but decided not to since the wait line was so long outside their doors. Then, we went to our other favorite stores: J.Crew and Polo Ralph Lauren. But to our surprise, we found that the discounts they’ve put on their items were not really a discount. We noticed that they’ve increased the price of the sale items prior the discount, which in the end customers ended up paying the regular price. Why we know this? Well…it because we were there couple of times in the last two months and I know exactly their prices for those sale items. Tricky, eh? There must be many more stores out there doing the same kind of sales trick and unless we're a regular to those stores, we won't be able to spot the difference.

Anyway, after spending 5 'unconsciously-hours' there, we drove off to our next stops: Natick Mall and Target. Got myself a cute Coach handbag and couples of Zara pullovers there. We also bought the boys some new Lego and Casio electronic keyboards. What a deal. We got the keyboard complete with the stand and adaptor for only 69 bucks! Compare to the original price of 120 bucks for the keyboard only, I really think we hit the jackpot with this awesome deal..:) I’ve been meaning to encourage the boys to play some music instruments, and hopefully they’ll like and use this keyboard as a starter.

As the first timer Black Friday shopper, I think we've made it ok. We got all we needed with many good deals. Two lessons learnt: 1. Know what we wanted prior the day and check out where to get the best bargains for them (through ads and internet); 2. Shopping for bargains is fun (and somehow necessary), but comfort and safety should still be the priorities. I just wish that those horrific shopping violence at Walmart and Toys “R” Us could be avoided.

Little Einstein

…that was how Faris has been described by his 2nd grade teachers when we saw them for his report card at school today. On the count of 1 (the lowest) to 4 (the highest), his scores are mostly 3 and 4. And plus, his scores for math and reading tests are much higher than the district average score. He was said to be ‘gifted’ and we just have to keep encouraging him to do better and better.

He has come a long way from how he was before. All those hard times teaching him how to read, how to behave and how to be responsible … gosh…what a challenge. I’d say that he’s now grown to be such a happier, smarter, compassionate, and adorable little boy. We’re just so proud of him. I can only hope and pray that things will always be good with him.