Showing posts with label MAMA BO & OBI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MAMA BO & OBI. Show all posts

Indahnya Bulan Suci di Tanah Air Tercinta


Assalammualaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakatuh..

Apa kabar semua...
Semoga selalu sehat dan dalam lindungan-Nya.


Let me extend my warmest greetings to all you, my dearest friends and family. who observe Ramadhan, wherever you are. I hope it's not too late to do so considering that we have reached almost at the end of Ramadhan!

Every year, My family and I are blessed to be given the opportunity to once again observe this wonderful, holy month. We are joyfully welcoming Ramadhan, the auspicious month where our soul is spiritually awaken.. This is the very moment where forgiveness, humility and benevolence are the spirit we all keep within ourselves and reflect them on our daily deed. Hoping that it will make us a better person.

kesempatan beribadah di Masjid Istiqlal Jakarta saat Ramadhan 1445 H


We are super grateful that we can definitely enjoy Ramadhan this time at home. Kami sangat bersyukur karena bisa menikmati indahnya bulan suci di tanah air. Frankly speaking,  nothing beats the feeling and the vibe of being at home, especially for Ramadhan. Setelah menjalani ibadah puasa dan merayakan Hari Raya Idul Fitri maupun Idul Adha di banyak negara, beneran tidak ada yang mengalahkan keseruan dan kebahagiaan saat merayakannya di Indonesia. 

But don't get me wrong ya. di mana pun berada, kami sekeluarga tentu saja senantiasa bersyukur dan berusaha untuk menjalankan ibadah di bulan suci sebaik mungkin. But then again, kalau boleh memilih, nuansa Ramadhan di tanah air Indonesia memang tidak tergantikan.

Saya ingin berbagi indahnya Ramadhan di Indonesia yang selama ini kami sekeluarga rasakan. Terntu saja, buat banyak teman - teman semua, menikmati Ramadhan setiap tahunnya akan selalu istimewa. Buat kami, semuanya terasa lebih istimewa karena kami memiliki kesempatan untuk merayakannya di temapt atau negara lain di mana muslim adalah kelompok yang minoritas.

Suasana dan dekorasi Ramadhan di salah satu pusat perbelanjaan besar di Jakarta, Indonesia
Satu hal yang pasti, indahnya Islam dan kebersamaan menjadi semangat terbesar di bulan suci ini, ditambah dengan berbaia niat baik dan keinginan untuk selalu berlomba-lomba berbuat kebaikan, berbagi dengan sesama, saling mencintai dan mengasihi sesama, terutama mereka yang kurang beruntung. 

1. Quality time dengan keluarga besar

Salah satu kenikmatan terbesar yang saya nikmati selama Ramadhan adalah menjalankan kebersamaan dengan keluarga tercinta. Mulai dari bangun sahur dini hari, makan bersama saat sahur maupun berbuka puasa, hingga beribadah bersama secara berjemaah dan mempersiapkan hidangan bersama. 

Kami yang biasanya sibuk jadi bisa duduk bersama di banyak waktu. Begitu juga dengan anggota keluarga lainnya yang belum tentu bisa bertemu di hari - hari biasa, jadi bisa meluangkan waktu untuk berbuka puasa dan beribadah bersama. Karena kantor - kantor di Indonesia menerapkan jam kerja yang sedikit lebih pendek saat Ramadhan dibandingkan hari - hari biasa, kami pun bisa pulang lebih awal punya cukup waktu untuk berada bersama keluarga besar.


2. Beribadah dengan lebih khusuk

Alhamdulillah, saat di tanah air, saya dan keluarga merasakan betul indahnya berbagai ibadah di bulan suci. Pastinya, kami bisa beribadaha dengan lebih khusuk karena memang suasana dan prasarana sangat mendukung, dan tentu saja karena hampir semuanya menjalankan ibadah yang sama. Suasana Ramadhan sangat terasa di mana - mana.

Panggilan sahur di pagi hari, merdunya adzan, indahnya murrotal pengajian dan gema beduk yang bertalu - talu menandakan waktu berbuka mungkin terdengar biasa saja untuk banyak orang, tapi kami sangat menikmatinya karena keindahan ini tidak selalu bisa kami nikmati saat tidak berada di Indonesia. 

menunaikan Dhuha di Masjid Is

Selain itu, karena sebagian besar masyarakat Indonesia menjalankan puasa, godaan dari yang tidak berpuasa juga lebih sedikit. Lain halnya ketika hanya sebagian kecil dari kita yang berpuasa sementara yang lainnya tidak ketika berada di negara yang penduduknya banyak non-muslim. Walaupun sebenarnya juga hal ini tidak mengurangi semangat ibadah dan berpuasa, tapi kembali, suasana yang mendukung akan membuat kita bisa lebih fokus dan khusus beribadah pada-Nya.

3. Ziarah kubur ke orang tua dan keluarga tercinta

Saat berada jauh dari tanah air, kebiasaan ini yang tidak bisa kami lakukan. Namun saat berada di Indonesia, terutama jika kembali ke Lampung, kami berkesampatan untuk melakukan ziarah kubur ke orang tua dan anggota keluarga tercinta yang telah mendahului kita. 


Makam almarhum kakek dari almarhum papa yang kami kunjungi di Lampung


Tentu saja doa bisa dikirimkan kapan saja dan dari mana saja, namun ada perasaan yang berbeda saat bisa berada di kuburan Papa, ayah ibu mertua, kakek nenek dan keluarga besar yang telah mendahului kita semua. Ziarah kubur juga mengingatkan kita bahwa ada kematian yang akan menunggu kita semua, terlepas kita siap atau tidak. 

4. Menikmati masjid dan mushola, tempat beribadah umat Islam

Indahnya mendengar suara beduk bertalu - talu dan kumandang adzan di setiap waktu sholat menambah syahdunya bulan suci Ramadhan. Ini juga hal dasar yang begitu mudah ditemui di tanah air, namun menjadi kemewahan tersendiri saat berada di luar negeri karena memang tidak semua negara memperbolehkan berkumandangnya adzan sebagai penanda sholat bagi umat Islam. 


usai beribadah shalat Isya dan tarawih bersama keluarga besar di Jakarta

Ramadhan kali ini, saya berkesempatan beribadah di Masjid Istiqlal, beberapa mushola di hotel dan malls, serta tentu saja di rumah. Ada rasa bahagia dan nyaman tersendiri saat bisa menundukkan diri pada Sang Maha Segala di tempat - tempat ibadah ini. Senang melihat banyak tempat ibadah yang bagus, nyaman dan sejuk di Indonesia. Nah, saat berada di negara - negara lain yang pernah kami datangi dan tinggali, tempat ibadah bagi kaum muslim untuk publik memang tidak terlalu banyak.

5. Takjil War, Berburu makanan minuman untuk takjil 

Takjil War, atau saat berburu makanan dan minuman untuk takjil, menjadi salah satu keunikan yang dijumpai di Indonesia. Hampir bisa dipastikan, setiap daerah memiliki tempat- tempat dan pusat jualan makanan minuman takjil yang selalu ramai oleh para pemburunya, seperti saya.


hidup gorengaaaan... godaan setiap berbuka puasa 

Takjil sendiri, dari beberapa sumber terbuka yang saya baca, sebenarnya berarti mempercepat atau menyegerakan dalam berbuka puasa.  Takjil kerap diartikan sebagai makanan atau minuman berbuka, padahal artinya berbeda.
Well, yang pasti, keseruan untuk berburu makanan minuman takjil itu yang menjadi kegiatan khas saat Ramadhan. Aneka makanan dan minuman khas Indonesia maupun dari berbagai daerah dan belahan dunia lain bisa dijumpai. Banyak makanan dan minuman favorit yang diminati banyak orang, sehingga antriannya mengular. Tapi saat makanan dan minuman yang diinginkan bisa didapatkan, rasanya bahagia banget. 

Menu berbuka bersama di RM Patin H. Yunus saat di Pekanbaru, Riau

7. Kehebohan buka bersama atau Bukber

Kegiatan buka bersama atau biasa disebut bukber kerap menjadi bagian dari kegiatan di bulan suci Ramadhan. Memang waktu berbuka bersama kerap dihabiskan bersama keluarga dan teman - terman, termasuk biasanya dengan rekan - rekan kantor. We did the same thing, dan kali ini saya sempat melakukan buka bersama dengan rekan - rekan kantor dan juga kolega kerja. 

buka puasa bersama teman - teman sekantor


Walaupun tidak terlalu sering, tapi kegiatan buka bersama memang seru meskipun perlu persiapan yang baik. Paling tidak jika di Jakarta, perlu booking tempat jauh - jauh hari dan pastikan berapa orang yang akan ikut maupun menu yang akan dipesan. Bahkan di beberapa restoran, waktu untuk makan pun dibatasi. Karenanya kita harus betul - betul mempersiapkannya. Untuk keluarga, kami lebih memilih untuk melakukannya di rumah supaya bisa tenang berbuka dan juga melakukan ibadah sholat bersama.

Alhamdulillah kegiatan buka bersama lancar semua dan senang bisa berkumpul dengan banyak anggota keluarga besar yang ada di Jakarta dan sekitarnya.

buka puasa bersama keluarga besar di Jakarta..

Pasti teman - teman juga punya banyak pengalaman berburu makanan dan minuman takjil serta buka puasa bersama kan? Boleh share di komentar ya..

Berbuka bersama dengan anekan makanan Korea halal di Jakarta, Indonesia


Itulah sebagian keseruan dan berkah Ramadhan yang bisa kami nikmati di tanah air. 
Beberapa tahun sebelumnya, saya sempat berbagi keseruan saat menunaikan ibadah puasa di negeri lain, terutama di Selandia Baru, New York dan Geneva,  di mana kaum muslim adalah kaum minoritas.

Berkah  Ramadhan di tanah air memang begitu banyak. Rasanya tak henti-hentinya kita perlu terus bersyukur dan bersyukur atas nikmat-Nya. Semoga semangat tinggi untuk beribadah dan berbagi kebaikan, serta refleksi diri atas segala tindak laku selama satu tahun berjalan, bisa terus dilakukan dan dipertahankan, meskipun bulan Ramadhan berakhir.

Semoga Ramadhan teman - teman menyenangkan dan izinkan saya dan keluarga menyampaikan Selamat Hari Raya Idul FItri, mohon maaf lahir dan batin.

Wassalamammualaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakatuh




Happy Happy New Year

Hello, 2024!

Wishing everyone a wonderful year of 2024, filled with blessings, endless joy. health and happiness!

Cheers for brighter days ahead. Semoga kita semua selalu dikaruniai yang terbaik dari Sang Maha Segala. 

Cheers from the Frakarsas


It's been an unforgettable 2023 for #thefrakarsas, as we enjoyed our last year in Aotearoa, New Zealand, before moving back to Indonesia.  So many things have happened and for sure, many places visited and wonderful people,- those who became parts of our family,- we met along the way. Pertinent decisions were made in 2023 as well, including those that will change and heavily impact the course of our lives.

2023 has taught us many things as well, including how we, the Frakarsas, all depend on one another, while at the same time supporting each and everyone of us. 
one of our wonderful trips at the South Island, New Zealand

We made many important decisions this year, especially those related to the future of the kids. We have arrived at the point when we will be physically separated in order to pursue our dreams. Bo and Obi are growing up and my husband and I have to definitely work on next phase of our lives. 

will certainly miss my boy..

The plan is for Bo to continue his study in Aotearoa New Zealand and Obi for the the time being will stay with us in Indonesia. Obviously, with the help of technology and all the facilities we can utilize nowadays, space and distance won't be problems anymore. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, insya Allah semoga semua jalan dilancarkan dan mohon doanya ya teman - teman. 

first time touching the Llama :)

I have been blessed with so many great things that I might not be able to dwell on one by one. For sure, we started 2023 at that time with a great vibe and unforgettable trip to the Northern part of New Zealand. 

Then along the year, I managed to visit 9 countries, without me realizing it. I managed to visit, among others, Samoa (for the very first time!), came back to Cooks Islands, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Turkey, Switzerland and of course, Indonesia! Not to mention many parts of beautiful Aotearoa, New Zealand.



At the same year, I also have to move to 3 houses! One of the records during my existence and career. And for the first time ever, I travelled back home with my mom and my son with 17 luggages as the same time! Hah... never have I thought it would happen to me ever!  For the first time, the Frakarsas went on 6-hour hiking and tracking. For the first time as well, we cooked layers cake or lapis legit, and it didn't work well LOL. Well, so many 'first time' that we experienced here in New Zealand and beyond. Well, so many 'first time' that we experienced here in New Zealand and beyond.



So, that's a little story I have in the beginning of 2024.

I will certainly share more about all those experiences and hope to see you around on the next post!

ASEAN Matters - The 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta

 And I'm back!

Pheew.. it felt like ages since the last time I post here on my blog.

So, happy to be back and I sincerely hope everyone is fine, wherever one is.

These couple of months have been super crazy for me. Starting from August the September, we have series of meetings hosted by the Government of Indonesia. As you are probably aware of, we are holding the chairmanship for ASEAN this year so I was assigned to go to Jakarta together with my Ambassador. The Prime Minister of the Cook islands as well as the Foreign Minister of New Zealand were joining us at the 43rd ASEAN Summit and its related meetings. 


It was indeed a special event as this year, Cook Islands is the chair for Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and  PM Mark Brown, together with his team, came to Indonesia for the very first time. 

The signing of MoU between ASEAN Secretariat and PIF as well as IORA Secretariats

So you can imagine how excited we were welcoming this delegation and showcasing the best. of Indonesia, as well as ASEAN hospitality. Prime Minister Brown has been scheduled to join many important meetings and engagement during his stay in Indonesia.



So, as you can see, we have a week packed with meetings, signing ceremonies,  lunches and dinners, as well as side events. Many of them were specifically conducted between ASEAN and its dialogue partners, like the US, Canada, Plus 3 and all. So you can imagine how busy that week was! 





My Ambassador and I managed to come and join some of the meetings, including the opening and the closing of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which was attended by the ASEAN Leaders and all the Guests of the Chair, President Joko Widodo. 


The opening session was great, with live music from Purwacaraka. It was fantastic ensemble for sure. 




The closing session was beautiful as well. I missed the viral dinner, as it was only for limited invitations. But we saw the fireworks on the street, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman to be precise.




After the closing session, on the day when PM of Cook Islands and the delegation was scheduled to leave Jakarta, we took some times to stroll around Anjungan Halte Trans Jakarta and took some mini tours as well as photos. I was lucky that by the time this place was cleared and temporarily closed by Paspampres, my mom and I were already there so we could take great photos here with the crowds.




I took him there and showed him the Selamat Datang statue as well as a little bit of history of Hotel Indonesia. Wearing his fresh teal Pacific shirt, PM Brown seemed to enjoy the scenery and took lots of photos as well! All in all, it was a successful visit.




I left New Zealand at the end of the August and stayed in Jakarta until the second week of September. I got a surprise so to speak while staying in Jakarta, as I was appointed as Director for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at Kemlu. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, wish me luck for this new position ya.  I guess I have to get everything ready before moving back to Jakarta from Aotearoa New Zealand.
Will keep you all posted!


FIFA Women World Cup in Wellington



Do you like football?

I do! Although I don’t fully understand the regulations and the latest updates from the field but I always enjoy the festivities and the vibes during big matches and competitions.

This year, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia are co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup.  Can you imagine the excitement we have here!


the match between New Zealand and the Philippines


Poneke Wellington is also selected as one of the cities in Aotearoa New Zealand which will be hosting the matches, besides Auckland, Hamilton, and Dunedin.

Obviously, the Frakarsas won’t miss the chance to see the matches! We got the tickets for the match between New Zealand and the Philippines, which was held on Tuesday, 25th of July, 2023. The match was held in Wellington Regional Stadium.  It was quite a match and we were supporting the Philippines as part of the ASEAN Sisterhood, but we also hoped New Zealand would play well on this match.


What a game indeed! For the first time, the Philippines won and beat the host New Zealand 1 - 0. There was an offside goal made by New Zealand so unfortunately it didn’t change the scores. New Zealand team was very aggressive and offensive, sent many shots on goal but the Philippines’ goal keeper or goalie is so good! No wonder she became the player of the day! 


I hope we can watch more games as the matches continue till mid August. It’s time to get more tickets. 

The three of us after the game..

Me holding the scarf of the match of the day, between NZ and the Philippines

Do you like watching football as well? How about women’s football? 

Do you like watching it directly at the stadium if you get the chance or you prefer watching it on TV? Share your experience here on the comments and see you on the next adventures!






Sensational Lunch at La Cecile Komodo Labuan Bajo

ready for Sensational Lunch at La Cecile Labuan Bajo? join me

"Let's see more of Labuan Bajo from above", said my dear friend and mentor, Mba Ani.

"More place to explore? we have enough time before our flight?" I asked with extra excitement as we got to our car after finishing our trip at Batu Cermin cave. Day 7 at Labuan bajo and we just finally had some time to explore after the successful conduct of the 42nd ASEAN Summit. We were heading back to Jakarta and our flight would be later that afternoon.

"Yes, we do, and we can even have our lunch here. Let's go to La Cecile then," Mba Ani asked our driver to take us to La Cecile straight away. 

And after a short drive, we arrived at the designated area and once again, I was blown away by Labuan Bajo's beauty, especially from above.


welcome to La Cecile

Well, welcome back and I hope you are not bored yet with my stories from awesome Labuan bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Another place where I stopped by is La Cecile Hotel. Located in Jl. Goro, Silatey, Labuan Bajo, this hotel offers luxurious and comfortable stay with a breathtaking view of the city from above. It is also famous for its unique design, cutting-edge cafe and restaurant plus delicious Indonesian as well as international food. Perfect spot to enjoy Labuan Bajo!

A bird's eye view of Labuan bajo from la Cecile

During the series of meetings of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, this hotel has been used as one of the meeting venues as well. I just got a chance to actually stop by here after the Summit was concluded.

We came here for lunch and as we were super hungry after our adventure in Batu Cermin cave, we ordered a lot. No surprise LOL. Luckily we managed to get the table for the three of us, - me, mba Ani and mba Tika, both my darling seniors at the office. 

La Cecile restaurant

So we ordered kangkung plecing, cumi bakar or grilled octopus, sup ikan or fish soup, chicken wings, and telur dadar or  fu yung hai, complete with steamed rice and various sambals, including sambal kecap, sambal terasi, and sambal matah. Everything was super good! Kangkung plecing was fresh and spicy, as we like it. The grilled octopus was tasty, so rich in spices and perfectly grilled. The soup was freshly made and also very authentic, and for the fu yng hai or the omelet, it's always been our comfort food at home so it can never go wrong. I have to say we ate all of them! We were certainly starving LOL.

In terms of the price, it's still reasonable and manageable, considering that we are dining in a beautiful ambience.

Some of the food we ordered! Delicious..

I couldn't concentrate on taking pictures of the food anymore as I was starving!

can't wait to eat them all!

While waiting for the food, mba Ani was patient and kind enough to stroll around the hotel ground to take some pictures. As always, mini me was enjoying a pose or two at this lovely place. 

It was one sunny day!

There are specific spots you can go to while enjoying the vista, including the pool, the cafe, and the mini chapel (I guess it looks like one) here in La Cecile.

Here are some photos I took.


posing at the bell and the cross at la Cecile Komodo Labuan Bajo

Mba Ani and I..

Cheeers..


Once we were done with the photo session, the food was ready and without further a do, we started our feast. What a lovely meal! 

my drink that day...I forget the name but it was fresh!

And the fact that we were having our tasty lunch and enjoying the view, I have to say we really have a sensational lunch at La Cecile Labuan Bajo. With happy tummy and huge smiles, we left the hotel and headed to the airport. But wait.. not without shopping for more souvenirs here at La Cecile! Yup.. we bought t-shirts, Labuan Bajo coffee and bolu gulung istimewa. I have to say those are lovely merchandises from Labuan Bajo.

So, that's my little story of exploring Labuan Bajo and enjoying sensational lunch at La Cecile Komodo.

Hope you can get a chance to visit this place one day and see you on another adventure!


Diving at Labuan Bajo - Photo Album

chasing the manta...

It's diving time!

How excited I am sharing this story and as you have probably been aware of from my last posts here, I have just visited Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Well, it was done in the middle of May and now it's June already!

You have seen a glimpse of Labuan Bajo's exquisite beauty, above and under, and now I will take you deeper to its astonishing underwater world. Let's dive with me! Are you ready?

Right after the successful commencement of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, I had one free day before heading back to Jakarta, then New Zealand. So, I instantly decided to go diving, as I haven't done so after leaving Indonesia to Aotearoa back in November 2021. Been a long time, right! As I joke with my hubby and my kids, God the Almight knew I haven't wet my gills for a long time and God has kindly gave me the chance to visit one of diving paradise, Labuan Bajo. Alhamdulillah.

So, long story short, I joined a diving tour with Blue Marlin operator and got a chance to dive at Penga kecil, Makassare Reef, and Batu Bolong sites. There were 13 of us, with 9 divers from China, one from Indonesia (yours truly :)) and 3 dive masters from NTT, Sweden and France. Quite a diverse group indeed. After that, I stopped by at Rinca Island to see the komodo dragon and pink beach. Lucky me, right!

Before I spill more beans, here are the photos I took.


the manta! So graceful..
giant cuttlefish...



clear visibility...



happy me :)

healthy and colorful reefs

more colorful reef

one spot at Makassar Reef

Don't forget to check my YouTube video as well here.


I was so blessed to be able to dive in Labuan Bajo and meet amazing sea creatures in these divine nature. Hopefully Labuan Bajo will stay beautiful, clean and well preserved till many years to come.

Do you like diving and/r snorkeling too? Where is your favorite spot and have you dived or snorkeled here in Labuan Bajo as well?