WW: Fearless Girl NYC

This is a long overdue post about me and the Fearless Girl of New York City.

Have you heard of it?

The Fearless Girl of New York?

So what's the story, girl?

Cheers from me and the fearless girl of NYC

Right in front of the Charging Bull of New York, stand this awesome Fearless Girl.

Standing a kimbo with determination on her face, Fearless Girl, a bronze statue made by Kristen Visbal, is originally made to send the message regarding gender diversity and equality in work place. Well, she is commissioned by State Street Global Advisors via McCann in New York and installed in Bowling Green in the Financial District in Manhattan, where you have NY Stock Exchange and many important trading companies as well as financial institutions. Hopefully this statue will be a constant reminder that women can be strong and brave to do similar works done by men. Noting that the financial world is dominated by men, I think this strong signal is so appropriate!

I love to see the figure and the characters depicted in this statue.

This girl is strong, brave, and so ready to face the world.

Look at her chin and determined eyes! 

Up in the air, yet not turning her as a boastful nor belligerent one.

She's just brave, fearless.

Love it!

Fearless girl

By the time I visited this girl, back in July 2018, she was still standing tall (although she is only 50 inches or 130 cm tall) in front of the Charging Bull, another landmark we have near the area. I heard that she is now relocated to New York Stock Exchange in November 2018. When I visited NYC last October, she was still standing at the same spot. Well, I need to go back to NYC again and check it out, I guess :).

And if you want to see the Charging Bull, check out this photo as well. 

Will be back with his story some other time.

He looks so fierce!

The Charging Bull and me :)

So, what do you thin about the Fearless Girl and the Charging Bull?

Do you like them?

Which one do you prefer?

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and check out the link party!

WW: Astoria Park Carnival

Fun carnival under the RFK bridge :)

Astoria Park Carnival, 2016

have fun..

lovely afternoon

firehouse, anyone?

oh the merry of carousel...

are you ready? 

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun bloghopping 

Stepping Up Ceremony

"Mama, can the first grade student eat candy?" 

"Am I a big girl now?"

"When am I going to be 6?"

As always, my daughter Obi bombarded me with questions. That morning we were rushing to one of the highlights of her days in Kindergarten.

After almost a year learning and enjoying her days in kindergarten, here comes the day when she will be ready to be the 1st grader.

Or as abang Bo said, to be "the real student."

The Stepping Up ceremony started at 8.30 AM.
Early? Not really.
If only you saw the queue that morning.

Well, the invitation said so but we had to line up outside in order to get into the hall. And what a queue we had that morning! I started lining up at 8.10 and already I was way in the back >_<. Some might start lining up at 7 or 7.30.

the lining up..

At 8.45, parents and all invitees were filling up the room. The Hall is big but everyone was trying to get the best spot to witness this important milestone. Surely not easy to decide one until you were there in the room, stucked in the middle of squirming and screaming, super-excited parents and grandparents. But we managed to sit happily in the middle row :).

the invitation

We waited for a while before the students entered the room. The Auditorium had been transformed into a big stage which will accommodate 8 kindergarten classes. And while waiting, the assistant principal had reminded parents to stay at their seats and not to move forward to the stage during the performance as it will make the kids nervous and surely disturb others. We would get plenty opportunity to take pictures later after the ceremony.

before the ceremony..

So we sat tightly on our seats, enjoying the performance. After the processional march (the theme song chosen for this is You've got a friend in me from Toy Story.. Love it 💜), we have the opening part which included salute to the US flag while singing along America the Beautiful and God Bless the USA. Then a short welcoming remarks was given by Ms. Anna Prea, the Assistant Principal.

Then there came the performances.

Lovely to hear the performances of all the kids singing some of their favorite, beautiful tunes like Hello to all the children of the world; All we're meant to be; Big,big dreams; This little light of mine (one of my fave!); Who do we appreciate (2,4,6,8... Who do we appreciate? You..:)); Everybody has music inside; Sing and a wonderful rearrangement of the famous New York, New York, First grade, First Grade.

Such a wonderful song itinerary.

And Mrs. Robinson, the music teacher, surely has done fantastic jobs in preparing the kids for the performances.

Kuddos!

Nadine, in the middle of her classmates..

After the ceremony in the auditorium, all students (and parents) were invited to join the presentation of the certificate in the school yard. It was crowded but beautiful. 

in the schoolyard..

The certificate was presented by Ms. Honahan to all the kids and it was really a bittersweet moment. All the kids love Ms. Honahan and we will surely miss her. We can't thank her enough for helping Nadine exploring her passion and learning a great deal of fun at school. Thank you so much, Mrs. Honey.

Our dearest Mrs. Honahan..

Then there came the ice cream!

Yaaaay.. Ice cream, as the kids screamed with joy.

Surely the ice cream was only for the kids as we were fasting as well.

Nadine was spending some times with her girl friends before we were heading home. It was so touchy to see all those smiley faces, Nadine, Zoe, Daphne and her twin, Eleni. And how fast they have grown up! I feel like crying again :).

the girls :)

So Nadine, ready for the 1st grade?

I bet you are!

How do you feel when you see your kids' graduation?

Fun Saturday at Rocket Park Mini Golf

The weather gets colder indeed here in NYC but we just don't wanna miss the fun outside while we have the sun.

We had some birthday party outside and after that we decided  to visit New York Hall of Science. It is a lovely place you would love to spend some time with your kids for sure but I am going to give you the details on the Hall of Science on another post. 

But let me know how fun it was when we spent some times at the Rocket Park Mini Golf at Flushing Meadows. It is located inside the park of the New York Hall of Science.

clear blue sky..but cold :)

Bo et Udi, my hubby really enjoyed the mini golf...

the mini golf was fun..

As the member of the NY Hall of science, we got USD 1 discount and we paid for  USD 4 for kids while adult is USD 5. 

As I said, my boys really enjoyed it while Obi and I laughed out loud looking at their frequent attempts - and mostly-failed shots :).

let me try it again :)

For Bo, it was the first time for him to try golf. And boy, he is super excited ;)

Udi showing Bo how to do it priperly..at least according to him :)

And my hubby really enjoyed teaching Bo as well.

Well, golf is not really his thing but apparently he got the knack of it :)

the nine courses of the mini golf..

As usual, it has 9 holes with different levels of difficulties.
And it has 2 NASA rockets adorning the course as well :).
Another unique thing here is that the kids are introduced to many concepts related to the spaceships, gravity, launch window and many more.
Super cool indeed :).


So if you happen to be around, don't miss Rocket Park Mini Golf :)

New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Flushing Meadows, Corona Park
Queens, NY 11368
Phone : 718-699-0005

Giant Ferris Wheel in Times Square

You might be wondering where exactly this giant ferris wheel is in Times Square.

As if Times Square is not crowded enough with those huge billboards, blinding lights, street performers and constant noises.

Aha...in Times Square indeed ..
The intersection of the world :).

We finally got a chance to try it in one of the long weekend days we enjoyed some time ago.

Originally, I promised Bo et Obi to get Sponge Bob's toys, but then we ended up lining up for this lovely giant ferris wheel in Toys' R Us Times Square. 

Yes, Ferris Wheel :).

the giant ferris wheel

We have come to this store many times but never really tried it.

and we realized that it would be fun indeed to try it.

So, we went to the lower floor, bought the tickets for USD 5 per person (kids 2 y.o and under are free) then lined up waiting for our car.

the ticket

There are several cars in there, including toys story, megablocks, fisher price and my little pony, Obi's favorite. She really wanted to ride the wheel on that car but we couldn't choose the car. So whatever we had in front of u will be ours. That's the rule.

At that time when we lined up, it was not very crowded, so the kids were okay and not really that crancky for queueing too long.

While waiting, we were looking at those cars and hoped for the little pony one. But I have said to Bo et Obi that whatever  car we have, that's what we'll take.

Once you are hopping to your car, the staff from the store took your photo that you can purchase after the ride. Perfect for souvenirs for those who just come to NYC, I suppose.

colorful cars..

We managed to get the M&M's car and it's super cute as well :).

Once we buckled up, we were ready to go up ...

Bo was slightly nervous when we were on top but I said stop looking down and tried not to move around. It was a bit wiggly, but if we stayed still, it's pretty nice and safe.

These are some snaps from above :)

Obi was enjoying the ride :)

cheeers....look at Bo's face :)

Hellooooo Mr. Superman :)

Do you like Ferris Wheel as well? or you prefer other attractions?

Welcome to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC #2 Islam

Hellooo and welcome back...

As I have promised before, I will get back with some more stories and details about the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. I feel like there are so many details that are too good to pass. And as we are in the middle of Ramadhan, the holy month for Muslims all over the world, I feel like sharing some segments of the AMNH about Islam.

So let's see what we have here :)..

Welcome to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC #2 Islam 

Awalnya saya tidak menyangka ada bagian khusus yang menampilkan Islam  di American Museum of Natural History ini, karena saya pikir akan banyak display mengenai alam dan kekayaannya. But of course I was wrong.. Dan display mengenai Islam sangat menarik lho, bahkan buat saya yang juga muslim.

Being part of the Gardner D. Stout Hall of the Asian Peoples, we found many interesting facts about the journey of Islam in many parts of the world. Especially in the beginning of the 7th century onwards. Even for a moslem like myself, I feel priviledged to know and learn more about Islam here in this museum.

Some of the artifacts being shown are hand-written Al- Quran, the holy Koran, that was found and brought from Africa. Some other artifacts, the old ones I should say, including elaborated swords and handicrafts can be witnessed here as well. One that caught my attention was the sword and something that looks like a club to me. 

As it says on the display, "Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia harbor relics of a cult of crocodile scabbards for ritual swords and knives...".  So the scabbard was made of crocodile . I have to say it looked like on as well :). Interesting... Have a closer look...

Do you see the croc in there..

On the same area, we also have more display of  the chart of Prophet Muhammad SAW (PBUH) and the Kulafaur Rashyidin, or the great khalifah after Prophet Muhammad SAW (PBUH) passed away.

There is sort of an introduction of the architecture of mosque and its minaret (tower), mihrab (niche) and courtyard. It makes me miss the many beautiful mosques we have back home.

And the music of Islam... How's that for another interesting  face of Islam. 

Too bad I didn't really catch the details of it. Do you see any familar musical instruments here? 

Another colorful spot we have here is about women of Islam. 
Some traditional yet beautiful costumes from different part of the Islamic countries  are there to see. Love to see them.. So elaborated and fashionable. Some even looks like haute couture to me :)...

Women of Islam

As we walked along the hall, we found the replica of the pillars and the windows of La Alhambra's famous Nasrid Palace. I just remembered our own journey to this amazing place of La Alhambra as I shared here.

I found this part of the displays very informative. Not only for us Muslims who like to know more about the journey of Islam in many parts of the world, including here in the US, but also those who are not familiar about this religion.
The basic 5 pillars of Islam, for example, is also explained here.

it was a bit dark but the information is clear..

And the display is superb as well...
Clearly depicting  the Islamic spirit and cultures ... 
in beautiful patterns and bright colors :).

I took all the photos using my smartphone, so some of them are not very clear.

This very segment also displays the rise of other religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. 

So, what do you think? Do you find this part as interesting as I do?


American Museum of Natural History  (AMNH)
Central Park West, 79th Street, New York City, New York, 10024-5192
Phone: +1 212 7695100
Open daily from 10 AM - 5.45 PM, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas