Eid Mubarak - Eid al Adha 1439 H

Eid Mubarak

Happy Eid al Adha 

Eid Mubarak! source: pinterest.com

Eid mubarak to all family, friends, brothers and sisters who celebrate it all over the world.

This is the perfect time to be with our beloved family.

Posing with our family after Eid prayer

Eid al Adha is special as we celebrate the wisdom as well as the values of sacrifices and sharing with your fellow sisters, brothers, and families, particularly the less privileged ones.

Our sacrifice

Through the ritual of sacrifice, we learn more about the beauty of sharing and believe in God's willing, as well as sharing the joy of this festive celebration with others.

With my mom, brother and nice :)

We went back to Lampung, my hometown, and sacrificed one goat this year.

We had this ritual done in the local mosque and celebrated the rest of the day with big families.  

It was really nice to meet everyone after all those years.

Hope you all have a great Eid as well.

WW: Welcoming 2018

Wishing you all a wonderful 2018!
I sincerely hope 2018 will be a much better year for everyone.

We stayed at home welcoming the new dawn since NYC was dangerously cold at that time!
I was warmly cuddling with my kids as my hubby was on his way back home to meet his ailing father.

Times Square the day after the NYE party :)

We are still mourning for our loss as my father-in-law, my kids' Datuk or grandparent in our local dialect, passed away on the 2nd of January 2018.
May Allah SWT keep his soul in his jannah.

I found this lovely photo of  Datuk when he was young, posing with Udi, my hubby (the small, chubby one), with Abang Ai, my brother-in-law, and Mama Yos, my dearest mother-in-law

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi roji'un

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and link up!

Hanya Pada-mu Ya Rabb

Hanya Pada-mu Ya Rabb

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ‎

We belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return

We start 2018 with a very sad news from home, as my father-in-law, our dearest Datuk (grandfather) Lukman, passed away on January 2nd, 2018.

In loving memory of Bapak Kemas Lukman Syafiei

Our dearest father, wonderful uncle, and great grandfather

May he rest in peace

Allaahum-maghfir lahu warhamhu, wa 'aafihi, wa'fu 'anhu

Oh Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him and give him strength 

and pardon him

Thundering Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

"Ma, what is that thundering sound?", Obi was pulling my hand as we crossed the street from  the parking lot. 
"That's the Falls, dek" answered Bo, my son.
"So we will see the Falls now?  This close? Can we swim as well there ? Obi bombarded me with questions as we got closer.
No, dek. You can not! The Falls is so huge and there are millions of cubic of water falling in seconds" claimed Bo, who definitely was reading the booklet we got from the Park's officer. 
As Bo finished explaining that, we saw the source of the thundering sound.
Welcome to Horseshoe Falls, Niagara, Ontaria, Canada.

***

The American Falls and Bridal Veils Falls at the US side

By the time I wrote this story, I was in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, missing my munchkins, attending one of the Seminars held by the UN. I started drafting my 5-day  experience in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, when I just realized that I had another draft to finish :). Well, stopping in many cities and enjoying so many attractions along the way do provide me with endless stories and interesting notes. And here I am, bogged down with my own drafts :).

So allow me to get back to our spring break road trip.

We just arrived at Niagara Park, so ready to see the magnificent Horseshoe falls, the Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. After driving  approximately 4 hours, straight from Bon Jovi - This House is not for sale concert at Air Canada Center, Toronto (yes, I know.. I will share that as well later >_<), we arrived at around 1 AM in the morning at the hotel. Directly headed to our room, we had good sleep indeed so that we can enjoy the thundering Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, the day after.

Enjoying Bon Jovi Concert in Toronto :)

Here's the short videos of one of the hits Jon sang for us in Toronto.
Lay your hands on me!

We stayed at the Oakes Hotel overlooking the Falls during our visit. 
Waking up slightly late after our extremely long day at Toronto, we promised the kids that we would enjoy that day's trip like they wanted it. But Bo et Obi were happily chatty about the Bon Jovi concert, although obviously they were not familiar with the songs at all :)).
After a hearty breakfast at Applebee's nearby, we headed directly to National Park Commission at Niagara Falls and ready to start our adventure!

The Niagara Parks Commission, Ontario, Canada

 The plans were to spend the whole day at Table Rock, the area surrounding the Falls to see Horseshoe falls, the biggest Falls with obviously the shape as the name suggested. This, together with American Falls and Bridal Veils falls in the American side, is well known as Niagara Falls. 

As I said, we asked Bo et Obi decided what to do, as they had given me and my hubby a great time watching the concert a night before. Apparently, besides ice cream lunch and swimming pool time, they both were eager to see the Falls and got on a cruise.

Table Rock is the area where you can see Horseshoe Falls from quite a close distance.
Here we can just see the Falls and take pictures for free. When we arrived, it wasn't really packed with people. But I can imagine how it will be during the peak season. 
And the weather at that time was still a bit chilly, especially as we were so close to those millions of cubic of fresh, cold water. 

Cheers from the Frakarsas :)

There are a few angles you can take as you walk along Table Rock Welcome Center from one end where you have Behind the Falls Journey attraction, to the other end where you can get on board Horn Blower, the boat taking you even closer to Falls. So do take a chance to walk along 

on our way to the Horn Blower Cruise, with Maid of the Mist, the US boat in the background

There are several choices and attractions that you can choose here.
Some of them are the Journey Behind the Falls, Niagara Furry, White Water Walk, Floral Showhouse, Butterfly Conservatory, Horn Blower Cruise, Fort Eerie and more.
You can have a package, including with WEGO Bus which will take you to those places, or you can pay the ticket separately.
The package consists of classic (CAD 56.95 per adult, CAD 36.95 per kid) , nature (CAD 56.95 per adult, CAD 36.95 per kid) and plus one (CAD 90 per adult, CAD 59 per kids).
As we didn't really plan to see everything, we only chose 2 and bought ticket separately. You can check NPC website for more accurate information.

We chose the Journey Behind the Falls, where we walked around a tunnel underneath the Falls. The ticket is CAD We saw some pictures and stories about the Falls, including one incident that happened way in the past where one visitor, a boy, fell from the boat near the Falls but he survived.

We walked under a wet tunnel, saw how it was built, and felt the thundering Falls right above our head. Some of the tunnels are closed but we do have one open which is so close to the Falls.

So close to the Falls!

Actually, there is a balcony with stunning view to the Falls, but too bad when we were there it was closed for renovation as many rocks were falling down to that balcony. Scary indeed!

As close as we can get...the balcony is right behind it.

After Journey of the Falls, we went to Horn Blower Cruise and took our chances to get closer to the Falls. We got a free poncho but even that didn't succeed in keeping us dry! It felt like you are riding in a rain with some extra strong wind as a bonus :). The tickets are CAD for adults and CAD for kids 

Get cover :)

After those two attractions and tons of photos, we went back to hotel, had late lunch, and came back when it was dark to see the light show.

We heard the light show is something you CAN NOT miss when you are in the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

In blue...

Yes, at night, you will see Horseshoe Falls in blue, red and white hues.

Interestingly beautiful.

Red and white... just like the colors of my country's flag, Indonesia :)

On our way back home that night, we came across Niagara Falls Lock Bridge, right behind TGIF restaurant where we had our dinner.

Lock Bridge

Have you locked one? :)

If you drive, you will have to pay CAD 15 for parking while you're visiting the area.
The parking lot is spacious but I bet it will be packed during the peak season. WEGO bus is one good option and you can get the pass together with the ticket for other attractions at the welcome center.

Another thing that you use is the funicular.
It takes you down directly to Table Rock welcome center and it happens to be right behind out hotel. The Oakes. The price for one trip is CAD 2.75 per person. 

Using the funiculaire from our hotel down to the Table Rock Welcome Center.

So, I hope you find this post beneficial, especially if you plan to go to witness the thundering Niagara Falls, Ontaria, Canada . We are also visiting the one on the US side and happy to share it on the next post.

Welcome to the Falls

Enjoy Niagara Falls and till the next adventure :).

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 :)

Before winter comes...

At the end of fall like this, nothing makes me happier than having sunny days.

here come the sun...

Sungguh, hal sederhana seperti menikmati hangatnya sinar matahari di wajah bisa menjadi kemewahan yang mahal harganya saat musim dingin datang menyapa.

A few last weekends, New York City and the surrounding areas were blessed with balmy weather. My kinda weather :).

Tanpa ba-bi-bu, saya, Udi et anak-anak sudah sepakat untuk menikmati udara hangat ini di luar. Memanjakan 4 pasang kaki gatal dan tangan iseng yang bawaannya foto ke sana ke sini. A weekly dose of nature's wonders, I call it. Bon.. Pourquoi pas? 

Dan meskipun banyak tempat yang belum kami jelajahi di belantara New York City yang terkadang memekakkan telinga, kami lebih tertarik untuk menyusuri Hudson River. Ceritanya We're in a New York state of mind :), kalau kata Om Billy Joel #cieciecie #gegayaan. Sooo.. Long story short, Udi and I pinpointed the surrounding areas which are worth a visit.

And this time, Yonkers came out of the map :). Using Trip Advisor as our guide, the number 1 on the list in this area is Untermyer Parks and Garden, while the next one is Hudson River Museum.  The review says it's lovely but need more tender loving care. Well, let's find out!

About 45 minutes drive, we arrived at our destination.

And as I set my eyes on this gated garden, I fell in love with this Persian-style mixed with Grecian elegance. Perfected with the bella vista of the Hudson River. Tres maqnifique!

I know.. Extra maintenance will be more than welcome but even at its present state, the park is a beautiful spot that worth a visit.

We strolled around the covered park and no doubt we took tons of pictures. The Grecian temple, the couple of sphinxes on top of the marble columns, marbled mosaics, the vista, the temple of love, and more. Of which, if you don't mind,  I will share in the next post.

But another interesting part of our journey at that day was the trekking. 

We were practically the only groups in the woods that day. And how happy we were spending our time sitting on top of the piles of leaves, positioning our camera on the dirt and taking pictures. In the middle of the pathway :)

Aaah..kalau sudah begini bahagia memang sederhana.

Bisa menghabiskan waktu bersama keluarga tercinta, tertawa lepas di alam terbuka, saling membantu menyemangati kala hiking sudah mulai menghabiskan nafas, dan santai duduk di atas tanah lembab yang penuh dengan dedaunan menikmati indahnya sekitar. 

posing before the Hudson River at the back

Speaking of dedaunan, I was also on a special mission at that time.  Collecting some dried leaves for my dearest friend, Siti Hairul Dayah.

                                     

a special package..

I know fall folliage is probably over but its beauty lingers and I want to capture that and send this special package to Mak Irul. There, on the other side of the world, in a hot, humid, yet magnificent Jogjakarta, lives a great family that I adore. For being so modest, for being so real, and highly committed. 

Bagaimana tidak... Mbak Irul, panggilan sayang Siti Hairul Dayah, dikarunia 6 orang putra putri. Dan semuanya homeschooling. Itu juga yang membawa perkenalan kami pertama saat menjadi salah satu finalis Srikandi Blogger KEB. Homeschooling...mungkin banyak yang sudah tidak asing mendengarnya dan banyak yang sudah menerapkannya pula. Di tengah hiruk pikuk dunia pendidikan saat ini, saya mengerti sekali mengapa banyak yang memutuskan untuk mengajarkan langsung pada anak-anaknya hal-hal penting yang akan menjadi bekali mereka kelak di masa depan. Untuk itu saya salut dengan Mba Irul. Butuh dedikasi tinggi, disiplin luar biasa, dan kreatifitas yang tidak putus untuk bisa memastikan anak-anak menikmati dan terus berkembang lewat homeschooling. I got to admit I guess I won't beat that. Dan saya menikmati berbagai proses yang dilalui anak-anak Mba irul untuk terus memicu potensi diri dan membangun karakter mereka lewat catatan si emak. Mulai dari trip ke pantai, blusukan, sampai pencak silat dan masak bareng :). Thanks for sharing it yaaa mbak :)

ini dia Mba Irul dan kesayangannya...punten saya ambil dari blog Mba Irul http://catatansiemak.com langsung :)

Well... Benar kan...keindahan alam  bisa membawa kita menjalin silahturahmi dan belajar banyak. Selembar daun bisa membuat perjalanan biasa menjadi seru bersama keluarga :). Sederhana..tapi semuanya membuat kami makin memahami makna keluarga dan juga mengingatkan kita betapa luar biasa ciptaan-Nya. Alhamdulillaaaah...

Stay blessed, people :)

My Little Obi...

Entah kenapaaa ... saat sedang mengecek beberapa dokumen dan sisa -sisa pekerjaan dari kantor kok mataku malah tertumbu pada folder Obi di komputer tercinta...

Dan saat saya buka..
Voilaaa....

Senyum imutnya menyambut saya...

Ini foto Obi saat berusia 1 tahun..
Beberapa bulan setelah kepulangan kami dari Jenewa, Swiss.

I guess we went to Mutun Beach in Lampung where we took all there photos :)

Cheeers...

And I think I haven't put it here before :)...
I just love to see her expressions..

And you know what?  
She pretty much looks like her mom and her brother Bo hehehehe..

This is me when I was around her age :)

Mama Bo et Obi 

and this is Bo, her big brother :)

While daddy looks like this when he was a little :)

What do you think? 
Don't we all look alike :)
Do you have the same case as well in your family :)?