Astoria Park in January

One snowy day is all it needs to get us out and have fun!
NYC has been bombarded by snow lately, although it usually is followed by rain so all the pretty white snow is washed away.

But last weekend, we have extra as it started snowing in the middle of the night until around 5 PM! And we all had one thing in mind: Astoria Park!

Last year, we had Jonas storm coming in January and yes, we went out to the same spot and took pictures. I even wrote that we had to do after the storm.

Snowy, windy and cold day apparently did not stop us from heading to Astoria Park, having fun with the snow and taking pictures :). The sky was grey and gloomy but hey, it's the winter sky!

enjoying the cold, kiddos?

So, do enjoy the snow as much as we do as well?

all white and grey, even the sky..

Stay warm, everyone!

Join us on Skywatch Friday and get lost with the  sky from all over the world

Pokemon Hunting in New York City

Enjoying Pokemon Go? 
I do! 
And don't give me that look LOL. 
Or saying..duuuh, where have you been, Indah? :).

Some of you might think that it's a bit to late to write about this phenomenal game dubbed as the most popular location-based game ever.

Now that summer break is over and the school time is here, I can actually have some times to sit down and write about it. 

If you feel like you gotta catch 'em all, then you're not the only one as approximately 
I know that this game has somehow created a new world of Pokemon-chaser.

it's purple and it's cute :)

My family has been using Pokemon Go as one of our get-together summer break activities. Don't get us wrong. We do other sport and outdoor activities as well, but occassionally, we play Pokemon Go together. Why together? Because the kids don't have their phones so we set the accounts in my hubby's and my phones. That means my kids can only play when we allow them to use our phone.

Last year we were privilege to have our road trip during summer but this year, I am still caught up with works so we just stay around the City and enjoy more quality time with the kids. One of the simplest and easiest way of doing it is by heading to the nearest parks. Usually we spend so much time in Astoria and Central Park. And as you know, many people chased those cute digital pocket-monsters with their smartphones. For us, it proves to be fun!

So, is cashing Pokemon good for you? 

I read about all those negative impacts and crazy things that happened to people absurdly playing Pokemon Go all the time. Some had accidents as they did not pay enough attention to their nearest surroundings. Some had trespassed others' property and got trouble with it. Some even got mugged because of snatching Pokemon at night. And many discouraging stories surrounding this game.

But as we manage to control the time we're using for this game, we also have benefits deriving from chasing Pikachu and friends.

These are some of the good things we truly enjoy from playing Pokemon Go with my kids.

Bonding time

Every morning, my kids wakes me up earlier because they want me to walk with them to the Park. We discuss different kind of pokemons, their combat power, and more details. This is one game that unites us all.

Frankly speaking, I don't like it when my hubby and Bo play games in their consoles. Looks like they have their own world and don't care about others. Call me jealous but I always feel like those games rob our fun time together.

But as we play Pokemon Go together, the four of us enjoy this game a lot as a family.
And for us, it's 

One selfie amidst the stampade at Central Park :)

Walk a lot, exercise more

Have you tried hatching the eggs in Pokemon Go? 
They have choices of 2, 5 and 10 km walk in order to hatch those eggs and be rewarded with some pokemons, including the rare ones. 

Thanks to this game, we walk a lot and exercise more!
Every morning, during the summer break and now on weekends, my kids will eagerly wake us up and take us to Astoria Park. One hour morning walk and we feel super fresh plus get more and more pokemons. 

Occasionally,  we spend some times in Central Park and join the stampede :).
Boy..look at all those Pokemons you have in there. 
We use this additional digital map, Poke Alert,  showing the type of Pokemon you'll find in one particular spot plus the remaining time they are there. It's very handy indeed. 
Once we have one player saying that there is one particular or rare pokemon, like Gyarados, Snorlax, or Pikachu, the next thing I know, everyone is rushing to that sighting place and try to catch it! 

Well, with all the walks, plus running sometimes, and the excitement of catching the additional collection to our Pokedex, I can call it a great cardio!

Pokemon stampede in NYC

New friends, practice english

For us, non-English speaking people, playing pokemon proves to get us new friends while chasing pokemons and practice our English in fun way.  For my kids, it's good for practicing English as well, particularly the spelling! Hearing them spelling Gyarados, Polliwag,  Aerodactyl, or even Abra. See...there are many fun ways to learn English with Pokemon Go.

Have fun

And the most important thing is let's have so much fun.
For us, the FUN is when you share the joy of what we have with the loved ones.

So, that's our little note on Pokemon Go. 

How about you? 

Do you like Pokemon Go as well? What's your story? 

WW: Snowy Astoria Park

Astoria Park after Jonas, our winter wonderland :)

Look who's having fun here ..

Is that you Olaf? 

Really love our snowy Astoria Park :)

ready? 

1.

You're first!

WW: Brooklyn Bridge with love

This is truly the season of joy and love..

To stay blessed and be grateful :)

And Brooklyn Bridge is a perfect place to share precious time with your loved ones :)

one of the latest addition to NYC;s landmarks :)

 Really thank my hubby, Rudi Frakarsa,  for immortalizing these moments for us :)

Brooklyn Bridge with love...

Come on link up with me and have a lovely bloghopping in this blessed Wednesday :)

WW: Boo.. Getting scary with Bo et Obi

Alrite..

Halloween has just left us ;).

And we had fun..

Yes, we really enjoyed preparing the costumes and the make-up for that yearly event ;).

This is our second Halloween here in NYC. And the kids have been waiting for it excitedly.
Halloween Last year I was in the middle of my chemotherapy when Halloween hitthe street with kids screaming trick or treat in front of our door.

Well, last year I just put on my feather Boa and sat on the porch with the kids and a bucket full of chocolate and sweets.

This year, we went out trick or treating around the blocks, met some friends and gave out chocolate and candies as well.

Obi et Isabella :)

Bo was dressed as silver cobra ninja and Obi chose Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony this time.

the three of us :)

aaarrrgh....

And I? I became a witch..

Or a vampire?

Or Hulk? Lol...

My hubby just teased me as I painted my face all green and put some blood red lipstick plus fangs, but look awfully full in my costume like Hulk :)

happily posing before going out for trick or treat :)

it's getting dark in here...

Halloween in Astoria is fun for sure..

Boooo....

How's the Halloween night in your place?

Kaastengels a la Obi :)

yummy kaastengels

Cooking with kids can be fun!

Well, the kitchen might be messy but the joy of tossing the ingredients, stirring the dough and cracking the eggs is so overwhelming...
At least in my case :)...

Saya seneeeng bangeeet masak dengan anak-anak. 
Soalnya seruuu...dan mereka memang benar-benar bisa membantu lho. 
Walaupun resikonya adalah dapur jadi amburadul, waktu memasak relatif lebih lama dan seringkali hasilnya jadi tidak seperti yang kita harapkan hehehe.
Tapi melihat Bo et Obi antusias memecahkan dan mengocok telur, menakar tepung, atau menambahkan coklat lagi dan lagi ke dalam adonan kue, rasanya mengharukan hehehe. Bahagia melihat muka celemotan dengan tepung dan meja makan yang meriah dengan hasil karya mereka :). Belum lagi kehebohan dengan pernak-pernik memasaknya, mulai dari apron alias celemek sampai cetakan kue yang lucu-lucu :).

Yang pasti, anak-anak bisa membantu memasak dengan tetap memperhatikan keamanan. Safety first...
Jadi jika mereka membantu, ekstra hati-hati dengan benda panas, tajam dan yang berbahaya lainnya, seperti pisau, baki panggangan yang panas, api kompor atau oven dan sejenisnya.

Dan kali ini, kita mau share pengalaman waktu masak kue keju alias kaastengel.
I know..baru juga mulai puasa tapi boleeeh yaaah share resep favorit kami sekeluarga :).

My family really enjoys hearty meals and yummy munchies. As I need to be careful with sugar and preservatives, I usually cook myself. Well, if I arrive from the office a bit late, Bo et Obi can be very handy in the kitchen. But we usually cook a lot during weekends. And sometimes, Bo et Obi know exactly what they want, so mommy has to stand ready :p.

One of our favorite munchies is kaastengel. 
Cheesy cookies..or some might say, cheese stick. 
Kaas means cheese in Dutch and Kaastengel is quite popular in Indonesia, especially for Eid ul Fitr or Christmas.

But since we love them sooo much, we don't always wait for those special moments. 
We just bake them regularly...enjoying the cooking time with my kiddos.

Including now, as we are about to welcome Ramadhan, the holy month..

I was simply laughing out loud as they started measuring the flour and counting the eggs just like the professional chef. Let alone when they start rolling the dough and sprinkle more and more chocolate or spill the butter. 

For sure the kitchen will be a bit messy but we can always clean it :). But the joy of laughing and creating something together is beyond words. 

But don't forget to make sure everything is safe for them. 
Watch out for sharp, hot, and dangerous objects while cooking with the kids.

So, as Kaastengeel or the cheese cookies are ou favorite, we decided to bake them :).

And here's our simple recipe for Kaastengel from Nenek Lilies, my mom :).
Perfect for any ocassion, particularly Eid Fitr, after the holy month of Ramadhan.
Or even now, for your Ifthar or any occassions you like.

Oh my, we haven't even finished fasting for the first day yet :) 

Ingredients : 

Flour 400 gram (or as needed)
Cheese 250 gram or more, grated 
I usually have Swiss Gruyere, Edam and/or Parmesan...you can also use Gauda et Cheddar of course, whatever you love :). I love the matured cheese because it tas really good and smell wonderfully.
Egg yolks 4
Butter 350 gr 
I usually mix Wijsman, the Dutch canned butter that my mom loves to use soooo much, with margarine or buttery spread, such as I Can't Believe It's not Butter :))
Milk powder 200 gram 
If you like..to add the creamy taste) 
Corn starch 100 gram 
For extra crunchy cookies..

For garnish:
Grated cheese 150 gram or more, depending how generous you are garnishing the cookies
2 Egg yolks, whisked and mixed with butter (2 spoonfull)
Clean brush

You will need baking trays, dough roller, cookie cutters and parchment paper.

How to cook 

Here comes the fun :)

Mix the butter and egg yolks well using mixer, then add the grated cheese. Mix them well.
Then knead the mixture with flour and cornstarch, gradually, until they all mix well and become soft, well-blended dough. The best way of doing it is using our clean hands, so you can really feel it. But of course you can always use the spatula or wooden spoon.

Then roll the dough and cut them using cookie cutter you like.

The traditional shape is rectangles but as you can see, we choose the heart-shaped cookie cutters for this.

Place them onto the greased baking trays.

Then preheat the oven to 420 degree F while you brush the cookies with whisked egg yolks and butter and sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Some extra sprinkles will be fun :)

Once everything is ready, put the trays  and bake till they are beautifully done for around 20 minutes.

Oh my, it looks yummy indeed :).

What's your favorite family recipe? Do you like cooking it with your kids as well?

Culture Night at PS122, Astoria, Queens

And here comes the Culture Night at PS122, Astoria, Queens. .

welcome to the Indonesian table :)

It's the annual international gathering at Bo's  (and soon will be Obi's, too ;)) school here in PS122.  Well organized by the Parent-Teacher Association, or famously known as PTA, this event has been conducted for 10th times and what a fun night it was! Celebrating the  rich and diverse cultures of PS122, the culture night soiree surely attracts many.

It all started with the invitation sent to all parents in PS122 informing about this event as well as inviting to those who are interested to participate in the Culture Night by organizing a table, donating food and raffles prizes. The date planned was May 15 with May 29 as raincheck. By the time I saw that email, I immediately registered and planned to have Indonesian table there. Well, we don't have many Indonesians in that school but that doesn't stop me from joining it. Well even perhaps that's the reason why we have to join, so they know there are Indonesians as well in this international - setting public school. And it is indeed the first time that Indonesia joins the crowd. Yaaaaay...

the goody bag :)

So I decided to organize a table, bring some Indonesian food, and donate three goody bags filled with Indonesian handicrafts  and food products for the raffles.

The event started at 6.30. Parents and everyone were welcome. They only need to pay a $5 entry ticket where they would get a plate and cutlery. Raffles ticket is $2 each or $12 for 10. All the proceed will go to the school.

That Friday evening was a windy one, so we were getting ready slightly before the door was open. Obi and Bo were all wrapped in Lampungnese traditional attire while I decided to wear my fuschia kutu baru kebaya and purple-and-gold Songket Lampung. I know I'll be busy serving food but I just can't help wearing those colorful costumes we have :)

Lampungnese attire and Songket Palembang :)

Getting all our stuff ready, Bapak took us to the school and helped us with the preparation. We had all our colorful handicrafts to be displayed on the table as well as some mini souvenirs for those who come to our table, thanks to Tante Chichi :). Not to forget my wastra collection, to show how colorful Indonesia is :). We actually brought a special background with Komodo dragon picture on it, but the wind was so strong so we decided not to use it. So was my gawangan, as I was afraid the strong wind would break it.

Of course, food are the essential part of this display and I have my home-made nasi uduk or the typical Indonesian rice cooked the coconut milk. lemon grass and bay leaves, as well as Indonesian fried noodles. I have to admit I stayed up late cooking 3 batches of nasi uduk and mie goreng :). Luckily I got Udi staying with me watching stand up comedy :).

I have also ordered pastels and krokets from a friend. So, we were okay in food department as I have 7 trays of food :). Oyeaaaah...

As the door opened, the fun started... 

Visitors were coming, roaming around deciding which food they wanted to taste and asked around about the countries. 

Obi and I were so busy chatting and serving food for those coming to our table. Some knew Indonesia  already, some came there for vacation, some knew it from TVs. We have Bo's teachers coming and  the Principle as well as other teachers, too. We also met some Indonesian families as well...one just came less than a year ago, just like us, and one had been in the US since they were born :). Too bad I didn't take picture with all of the them.

After approximately an hour, most of our food were gone, only nasi uduk left :). Then we managed to sneak out and browse around ourselves before they cleaned the tables! 

Well...most if the food were gone, but a we still enjoyed exploring the various display of cultures. Everyone got creative...not only displaying food but also wearing beautiful, traditional dresses with all those amazing accessories. Some, like us, also displayed some traditional handicrafts, fabrics, books and many interesting objects related to our beloved hometowns. We saw dolls, tea set, jewelries, heirlooms, traditional costumes, toys and many more.

We saw those from Spain, Italy, Afghanistan, Peru, India, Bangladesh, Albania, Poland, Finland, Haity, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Romania, and so many more. It was very fun indeed...

Heirloom from Albania..isn't it gorgeous...

They also had some performances in the middle of the yard. Too bad we watched them from a far, from our table hehehe...But we are determined to come back again next year! With more yummy food, more goodies and more fun :). 

We went home feeling tired but with happy, full tummy :). 

Thank you, PS122....see you next year :)

Have you joined similar event? Did you enjoy it? What did you like most... the food, the costumes, the crafts or else?