Montauk Point Lighthouse, Long Island...traveling to the "end"

Have you traveled to the 'end'?
To the end of one island, in this case.

Yuup.. Long Island in this case.

Long Island has been long known for its famous beach and strips of well-established town like the Hamptons.

Saya ingat waktu kecil suka curi-curi baca novel Barbara Cartland #huaaahketahuanumurnya punya tante yad genrenya romantis gitu. Dan banyak banget ceritanya yang mengambil setting di Long Island. Tapi ini beda yaaa dengan Thousand Island yang kondang sebagai dressing salad :).

Last long weekend *I know, it's been a while ago :), we traveled to the very end of the Long Island to see the Montauk Point Lighthouse. 

Jadi ceritanya, kami tinggal di Astoria, yang termasuk dalam Borough Queens, atau 'kecamatan' Queens yang merupakan satu dari 5 boroughs di New York City. Selain Queens, NYC terdiri dari Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx dan Staten Island. 

Queens terletak di pulau Long Island, yang memang sesuai namanya panjaaaang bangeeet :)

Kalau diilustrasikan mungkin seperti ini ya..

taken from here

Tuh kan, panjang bangeet yang pulaunya :). Dari 5 borough di NYC, Brooklyn and Queens terletak di Long Island. Dan Montauk Light house benar-benar terletak di ujungnya Long Island :).

When I say the end, it is literally the end of the island :)..

It took around 1.5 hours drive from New York. You can either go there by car or train. If you drive, several routes can be used, including East on I-495 through Long Island Expressway, East on Route 27, East on Southern State Parkway and East on Route 27. All heading to Montauk Point. If you take the train, hop on Long Island Railroad from Penn Station, NYC, to Montauk. Then take taxi to Montauk Point which is about 6 miles from the station.

At that time, the weather was still a bit cloudy and cold. We have been staying at home for the last two days of the holidays as the kids were not in their fit condition, but we decided to go out while we have the sun. Not too many, but warm enough. So, although it was slightly late, but we managed to arrive there and make it right on time. Thirty minutes before the Light House was closed! 

Lucky us :)...

So we used our limited time to stroll around, climb the light house, buy some souvenirs and take pictures here and there...
After paying for the entry tickets (adults 10 USD, children 4 USD), we hurrily headed to the Lighthouse tower. 

Not easy...
Especially as we needed to climb around 137 iron stairs to go to the top :).
But if you have enough time, it would be a great experience for sure...

It's a historical landmark that is still actively used until now. As the first lighthouse built in New York State, Montauk Point Lighthouse was commissioned by President George Washington in 1796. Way before that, this specific spot used to be utilized by the Montaukett Tribe to watch fires in order to guide their traditional canoe home safely. Pretty much doing the same thing until now...Standing tall as beacons to make sure those passing this area can do so safely.


On top of the light house, you will see incredible view of the Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean from the Watch Deck. Too bad it was cloudy at that time..but we still enjoyed it.
And it was only the two of us, Bo and I, were up there.
Well, with one staff of the tower, of course :).

Good thing we found out about Abigail, the famous ghost (what a minute....a ghost, you said?? ) of the Montauk Point Lighthouse, when we were downstairs. Otherwise, we might not fully enjoy our lonely time up there :). Or perhaps the other way around...we would hear her whispering and greeting us up there. Ooow, now that's creepy :).

And the Lantern Room is awesome indeed..

Too bad we didn't manage to check the museum as they ushered us directly to the souvenir shop :). 

some parts of the museum that we saw..

Well, would love to back here again one day..

They have many events conducted in the area, including the sprint thriathlon, music festival, lighting the Lighthouse and of course christmas at the Lighthouse.

Check out more details on their website, including hours, admission, and more.

We really enjoy our visit to Montauk Point Lighthouse, Long Island...traveling to the "end" :). Have you been to the Lighthouse before? How do you like it?

Rose Garden at the UN Headquarters

Being locked in the meeting room discussing serious matters impacting the world amidst beautiful day can be frustrating sometimes.

And that's what I had last week.
Well..last two weeks, to be precise.

Burying  myself in reports, documents and drafts, while at  the same time committing myself to back-to-back radiation treatment, is not that easy. Fresh air is urgently required and for the first aid to this, I got Rose Garden.

Yuuup...Rose Garden at the UN Headquarters here in NYC.

Located in the back of the General Assembly building, stretching along the banks of East River, this spot feels like the lungs of the UN. Where fresh air is the luxury you deserve. Although ironically, it is also the designated area for smoking.

At this point, the roses are still hiding.
They' re not yet blooming.
Waiting for warmer days.

But the garden is beautifully adorned with lines of cherry blossoms.

Gorgeous..

Don't you think?

And that's what I love about the UN in spring :)...

Perfect combination of clear blue sky, colorful bursts of flowers and fresh air never fail me.

Will get back with more stories about the Rose Garden :)

Join us enjoying the sky wherever you are in Skywatch Friday

WW: Spring days at NYC

Yes, indeed...
I am still celebrating  the colorful spring here in NYC.

Warm days come around, with windy and drizzly days in between. Can't complain...as rainy days bring more blossoming flowers afterwards. Such beauty..

So here I am..

Taking the liberty of enjoying God's masterpiece with gratefulness :)...

Happy Wednesday, people..

In front of Bo's school...such a morning feast for us ..

On my way to the office...

Right in front of my Cancer Clinic..

The cherry blossoms in Flushing Meadows, Queens

Smiley Bo et I :)

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have a fantastic blog hopping experience 😊😊😊

Music that Heals at NYU Clinical Cancer Center

I believe you all agree that music heals.
Yup, music does heal :).

I personally love music. Love it so much, to be exact :).

I love singing, playing guitar, listening to all kinds of music and not to forget, watching music concerts. My hubby loves it, too. Well, he's an avid bassist, guitarist and drummer. And we do sing and play music together. Perhaps, I guess music brings us together since the very beginning as I joined his band before we were dating :). Aaaah...such sweet memories :).

Musik memang selalu memiliki efek menenangkan dan menyenangkan buat saya.
Rasanya bahagia. Kalau bisa bermain musik, bernyanyi sesuka hati...apalagi kalau duet dengan suami :).

Lately, I have been visiting NYU Clinical Cancer Center on daily basis.
Every day, from Monday to Friday, for my radiation therapy.
I am obviously tired, but I have to go through this therapy uninterruptedly. 
And amidst my fatique thanks to the radiation and the trip I have to make, nothing makes me feel more relaxed than sitting down at the lobby for a while and enjoying some cool, refreshing music.

Truly Music that Heals :).
Co-founded in 2007 by Kathy Lord and Susan Weber, both are musicians, Music that Heals has inspired seriously ill adults and children in 25 hospitals, clinics, and various health facilities all over New York City, in its 5 boroughs. My Clinic at the NYU has them, too. Involving professional performers from a wide range of music genres, they have brought joy, happiness and pleasant environment to patients and those around them amidst the rigorous treatments and procedures that we have to go through.

And I am lucky. During my painful chemotherapy, I managed to get a chance to enjoy those mini concerts from Music that Heals. 

One Wednesday, I saw this cool lady with her guitar playing all those great songs from John Denver, Stevie Wonder, and many more. I was transfixed to her alluring melodies although I just have some doses of Taxol and Herceptin. So cool...

Sayang saya terlewat namanya. Tapi dia sempat memperkenalkan diri dan bilang kalau dia sering bermain musik di subway, Dan sumpah,,,suaran, gaya dan pilihan lagunya keren bangeeet. Just exactly like what I love :)

Then the following visit,  I enjoyed this classic performance. 
Meskipun hanya berdua, tapi musik klasik yang mereka tampilkan sangat berkelas.

Aren't they great?
Well, I only have these two videos and I would definitely make some more if I got to see them. 

Feel free to check their website and you can support them by donating or becoming volunteer to one of their programs, too.

Really enjoy Music that Heals. And I do sincerely hope it will help me through my ordeal :).

Little Orchestra Society: Cinderella and the Prince performance

Have you seen Prince Charming fight the dragon while looking for Cinderella? And forgetting  Cinderella' s shoe?

Well, we did :)..

In Little Orchestra Society featuring Cinderella  and the Prince performance.

Last Saturday, we watched this beautiful performance in Lincoln Center, NYC.

Free tickets were provided  by Bo's school and the four of us, with Aunty Nona, watched the show.

Little Orchestra Society (LOS) is the initiative of Mr. James Judd. LOS has been providing free orchestra performance for kids aged 3 above to experience, explore, enjoy and appreciate  the great performance. With live classical orchestra wonderfully performed by these talented group of people, LOS tries to build future audience by giving this exposure at the earliest stage.

So, Judy Miller, the parents coordinator at PS 122 emailed us and told us about the tickets. I grabbed the chance and we got free tickets ... yaaaay....

Then, taking the subway, Bo, Obi, and I were heading to Lincoln Center to meet Nona there. We got extra ticket for Aunty  Nona, too. Meanwhile, Bapak has decided to try the bike track at Cunningham Park, so he just dropped us at the station.

It was started by the music performance by the LOS ensemble. James Judd, the Director of LOS, and the team played several numbers of classics. 

It was beautiful indeed...and amidst the crying and some loud innocent comments from the kids, we really enjoyed the performance.

before the show started..

Then, here came Cinderella and the Prince.
Of course, as many of us know, no  more photos and cellphones during the show. And all the photos from the scene are taken from the LOS's website :)

I have to say it's a larger than life performance..wonderfully mix classical score, super ballet performance and some humor, too. We saw huge fairy god mother in the form of giant inflatable doll. 

picture is taken from LOS website

We saw Cinderella and her close friends the mice...the horrible, yet amusing step mother and step sisters. By the way, the step sisters looked like mice as they were wearing the mouse masks, too. Hilarious :). Obi noticed that and asked me why they looked like that :). 

When Cinderella rode the pumpkin carriage in her beautiful blue dress and glittering glass shoes, they came down the stage and passed near us. The kids got so excited having all those ballerinas coming to our seats. Also when the dragon roared and threatened to burn us, it came down the stage and pretended to get the kids. So amusing, indeed.

To get more ideas how the performance was, feel free to see the sneak peak here on this video.  You will see the giant fairy godmother, the dragon and the mice :)

Again, it was a beautiful musical score performed by the LOS ensemble, perfectly pairing with the ballet performance. We really enjoyed the show.

Afterwards, we bought some cute souvenirs from the show, including the glittery butterfly and dragonfly wings that Obi loves so much. 

cheeers....

Plus dragon marrionette that I love so much :)...

Well, have you watched Cinderella story on stage like this? Do you enjoy ballet performance as well?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone...

You're Grounded ..

It's been such a busy week!

Lucky me indeed...

Series of meetings haunted me, including working lunches and early morning visits to the big guy, my nickname for the radiation machine, constantly. Running around while watching the sun rises is in my agenda.

Well, didn't mean to complain ..

One thing for sure, I am lucky enough to have all these strength, patience and spirit to endure my day-to-day struggle :).

And clear blue sky...

Aaah...clear blue sky.

spending so much time here lately..UN Headquarters, NYC.

My refuge..

Always..

the sphere within the sphere at the UN..

The calming blue sky..

Join us and let's enjoy the calming blue sky from different corners of the world on Skywatch Friday :)

WW: Ringgung Beach and (more of) Tegal Island, Lampung

You know what happened when you terribly miss the fresh, salty sea breeze and pristine water?
You keep bumping up to those photos of your favorite spots back home...
Such a beautiful spot on earth..
And Happy Earth Day, people :) ...

Ringgung Beach and Tegal Island, Lampung, Indonesia...

Shall we swim now :)?

clear water...oh my...

the floating Musholla...

on our way to Tegal island...

Bo at Tegal Island

This is what's waiting for you at Tegal Island :)

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have a great bloghopping experience :)!

Nyai kami tersayang...

Saat kita menikah, ada begitu banyak kebahagiaan yang kita dapat. Termasuk senangnya mendapat keluarga baru, orang tua baru. Ya kan :).

Sebelum saya menikah dengan my munchkin, kami memang lumayan lama dekat. Lebih dari 8 tahun tepatnya :). Dan selama masa PDKT itu, saya pun makin lama makin dekat dengan keluarga Udi, soalnya sering main ke rumah dan ikut acara keluarganya  malah. Mulai dari kumpul-kumpul keluarga, arisan, pernikahan, sampai pengajian dan acara penguburan  keluarga  yang meninggal.

Di situ saya mulai mengenal  Mama Yos, (calon) ibu mertua saya (saat itu) :).

Walaupun Udi aslinya pemalu (sama seperti istrinya  kaaan #dijitaksekelurahan :)), Mama Yos justru kebalikannya. Rame, heboh, dan luwes bergaul. Pertama kali ketemu, terasa ngemongnya :), tapi tidak intimidating gitu. Asyik deeh..

Mama Yos tersayang dan Pipit, adik iparku..

Perempuan berdarah Kota Agung, Lampung ini masih aktif sebagai salah satu marketing researcher  andalan Lampung, bahkan hingga saat ini. Waktu awal kuliah, awal kenal Udi, saya pun bergabung dengan tim marketingnya beliau. Asyik gabung dengan teman-teman baru yang sama-sama menjadi tim Mama Yos di lapangan, sekalian PDKT jugaaa #teuteup.

Saya banyak belajar dari Mama Yos, terutama mengenai kerja sama tim dan manajemen. Luar biasa lho mama mertuaku...di usia 60an, masih menjadi ketua tim marketing yang langsung terjun ke lapangan dan sooo happy about it :). Pembawaan Mama yang santai dan asyik membuat kami, anak-anaknya, jadi dekat.

sebelum pulang, foto-foto duluuuu :)

Pun ketika akhirnya saya menjadi ibu mertua saya. 

Sejak awal, kami tidak pernah punya masalah klasik mertua - menantu, termasuk saat menyiapkan pernikahan dan segala tetek-bengeknya. Mungkin karena at some point, Mama Yos dan saya ada kemiripan, jadi alhamdulillah sejak awal kami pun cocok. Sama ramenya, sama semangatnya, dan sama-sama doyan masak hehehe. Salah satu masakan mama Yos yang bikin kangen adalah kue tusuk gigi dan sambel goreng tempenya yang sedap bangeeeet :).

Semangat yang sama juga ditunjukkan mama saat kesehatan mulai menurun. Rematik dan darah tinggi mulai mengganggu kesehatan Mama Yos tapi dengan tenang beliau menghadapi semua dengan semangat untuk sembuh. Juga ketika Bapak, ayahnya  Rudi, makin menurun kondisinya, Mama Yos yang selalu menjaga kesehatan dan semangat Bapak untuk terus berobat.

Kami, anak-anak, menantu dan cucu-cucunya, kini memanggil Mama Yos dengan panggilan sayang Nyai, yang artinya nenek :).
Dan pastiny, Mama Yos sudah menjadi Nyai favorit anak-anak dan cucunya.

Nyai yang selalu bersemangat memanggil cucu-cucunya untuk nonton film kartun kesayangan.
Nyai yang selalu memasakkan makanan favorit anak-anak dan cucunya.
Nyai yang sering ketiduran di depan tv tapi tidak pernah absen menyuruh cucu-cucunya mandi.
Nyai yang kalau cerita suka heboh sendiri :)

Aah, jadi kangen Nyai niiih...
Semoga Nyai dan Datuk sehat terus yaaaaa...
Doa dan sun sayang kami semua dari jauh :).

Strolling around Murray Hill, NYC

I have been running back and forth to my clinic lately.
Well, everyday...
For the next 16 days as I have a back-to-back 25 visits for my radiation therapy.
Strolling around Murray Hill, NYC.

Bored? 
Naaaah....
Tired?
A little bit....

I've passed that point where everything in my #roadmaptowellness is actually part of a painful process. But hey, here I am. Standing tall and smile to the world :)

So, visiting the clinic everyday is not a big deal.
Luckily, the weather is so nice I really enjoy my walk from the office to NYU Clinical Cancer Center. Welcome, spring :)


Clear blue sky, here and there.
My favorite...
Really takes my mind off things :)

And here's what I captured more with my Samsung S5 :). 
Wanna come and join me strolling around Murray Hill, NYC?

Join us on Skywatch Friday :)

Food Festival at Obi's School

We just had Food Festival  at Obi's UPK. 
It was an annual gathering of all the parents and the kids as well as the teachers at the UPK. And since we all are coming from different parts of the world, it was indeed a great opportunity to know more about our friends' cultures.

cheeers....

Lots of great food were served during that time. And from many parts of the world.
We have Bengali sweets, cheese puffs from Colombia, different types of biscuits, macaroni schootel, caramel pudding, vegetable samosa, Indonesia fried noodles and sooooo many more! 

some of the food we had....one of the three tables filled with yummy food :)

Too bad I didn't really catch all the names of those glorious food :)
But you can imagine how fun it was!

It was breifly started by Ms. Linly's remarks welcoming everyone. Then we all sat in those tiny colorful chairs and started distributing food for everyone.
When us, the parents, arrived, the kids already got their beautiful plates filled with the food of their choices. 


Big laughters were certainly heard here and there as we enjoyed the food and chitchat among teachers, kids, and parents.

Obi enjoying the chips, despite all the yummy food we had :)

We discussed a lot about the food being served. It was fun to discuss the traditional food, the way they were  cooked and how delicious they were. We had fun discussing about our childhood backhome as well. How I miss my home town :).

The kids were having fun, too. They ate a lot, chatted a lot and asked a lot about this and that. They certainly loved to have their parents around among friends :).

cheeers...Obi with Tatiana, Rowan, and Tina

One month before this gathering, parents were asked to fill the form, informing what we would bring and we needed to write down the ingredients as well to ensure those food were safe for the kids. We didn't need an allergy attack while enjoying this fun time...

who wants some moreee...

I decided to bring Indonesian fried noodles, garnished with carrots, sweet corns, green peas, and eggs. I was glad the kids loves it! I brought two big packs of it and all gone. Obi loved it and so did her friends :).

After enjoying our early lunch, the kids were having one game together and dancing to the music.

They asked the parents to join the dance, too!...

It was indeed a fun day for all of us...

And I love to see those happy faces at school!

Hope they will have more gathering like this soon :).