Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls

Hello everyone..
Enjoying spring so far? Me, too.
NYC is blooming beautifully with balmy weather.
I was strolling around the Rockefeller Center in one of my lunch breaks and how I love to see the tulips there.

beautifully orange :)

We have several colors as well there...

I also manage to visit some Museums here. Including Museum of Modern Art..

And the American Museum of Natural History, for the third round, as the kids love this place so much.

I just can't wait to stroll around the city during this wonderful season.
Spring is certainly brightening up our days.

And now, we are soooo ready for another Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls....

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♥Co-Host Kelly LaFollette / Raising Samuel's Home-School / Having a Martha Home the Mary Way (Book Review) Whether you are a Mary, Martha or somewhere in between, there is something in this book for everyone.

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♥Co-Host Sarah Hamlin / Living Intentionally Simple / Eliminating The Unnecessary 2000 Things In 38 Weeks/ Get decluttering under control with this simple challenge.

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♥Co-Host Indah / My Purple World / Sayur Asem - Indonesian Tamarind Soup with Veggies Let's try Sayur Asem, Indonesian Tamarind Soup with veggies. A lovely medley of great veggies in a fresh tamarind soup Tw | Fb | Pin | In

♥Co-Host Tracy / Turnaround at 50 / All it Takes is Simple Sweetness / People think of long lasting romance as "work" but in reality all it really needs is a little simple sweetness.

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♥Co-Host Maxine White/ Studio Paint Design / Creative Storage Office Boxes and Moroccan Inspired Carpet My office project is well on it's way to completion. This week I have some creative storage solutions and stylish carpet I chose for this area.

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Sayur Asem - Indonesian Tamarind Soup with Vegetables

Spring is here and how I truly enjoy the balmy weather. 
Besides all the blooms, we also have more and more spring veggies.

So, I guess it's time to cook more vegetables :).
And I directly remember one Indonesian soup that we love so much back home.
Sayur Asem - Indonesian tamarind soup with vegetables.

If you have visited Indonesia, you will see how popular sayur asem is.
Usually we have that as a complement to a bowl of steamed rice and other main courses, particularly ayam panggang or Indonesian roasted chicken. Or deep fried gurame, gurame goreng, and other seafood. Even a plate of tempe goreng or tempe bacem, fried and sweet Indonesian soybean cake. In short, it will be perfect for almost every course.

And to prepare is super easy.
Sayur asem is basically a medlay of vegetables in tamarind soup. So, again, feel free to use any vegetables that you deem fit for this soup. What I use here is what we usually have back home in Indonesia. But of course, I make some adjustments as well.

Okay, let's hit the kitchen..

Ingredients:

Sweet corns - 2 cobs, cut in pieces

Chayote or labu siam  in bahasa Indonesia - peeled, cored and cut ot pieces
Long beans - or in this case, I use green beans. Both taste delicious for this soup. Cut around 15cm
Green jackfruit - I usually buy it in can at oriental shop. Cut in smal pieces
Peanuts - some boiled, some ground
Tomatoes - cut in dice
Green pepper
Chillies
Onion - thinly sliced
Shallot 
Garlic - crushed and ground
Galanghal - crushed
Bay leaves
Candlenuts - 3 pieces
Coriander - 1 teasponful
Salt - as needed
Palm sugar - as needed
Tamarind - as needed
Shrimp paste or terasi - if desired. It gives a bold flavor and distinct smell, so perhaps not everyone will like it.  You can easily find it in oriental stores or those selling Indonesian spices and stuff.

How to cook:

First we grind the spices. Put shallot, garlic, red chillies, a bit of peanuts, candlenuts, and coriander. Also add terasi or shrimp paste if you like. Then boil a pot of water, put the thinly sliced onion and shallot as well. Once boiled, put the tamarind, ground spices and sweet corn cobs first. After the corns are a bit soft, then put the veggie. I usually start with the peanuts, chayote and green jackfruit as it takes a while to cook them. Then put the rest of the veggies and bring it to boil. Put salt and palm sugar as needed. Once all the veggies are cooked then  the soup is ready. 

ready to eat..

Eat sayur asem with steamed rice and other main courses like fried or roasted chicken, tempe goreng and sambal.

Bon appetite.

Commuting..

"Step aside..

And let the customers off the train first.."

I move aside as line N at Astoria Boulevard station comes and will take me to the 

good morning :)

Setiap pagi, dan juga malam sekembali dari kantor, sambil bergegas menaiki tangga stasiun Astoria Boulevard, saya selalu menyempatkan diri melempar pandangan ke kanan ke arah jembatan Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy or RFK.

Selalu ada rasa syukur yang membuncah karena keindahan ciptaan-Nya.
Syukur masih diberi kesempatan untuk melihat segala keindahan ini.
Syukur karena bisa sehat dan berjalan setiap harinya.
Syukur karena paru-paru ini penuh dengan oksigen dari-Nya.
Alhamdulillah.

I truly enjoy the scenery.

Saat rona jingga mewarnai horizon.
Lengkap dengan kelap-kelip kehidupan dari mobil yang tidak henti lalu lalang.

Atau ketika awan biru yang cerah mendominasi.

taken from Astoria Boulevard subway station

To me, looking at a clear blue sky in the morning will indeed clear my mind as well. 
Very peaceful and therapeutic.
Working and living in the fast lane sometimes does not allow me to enjoy this slightest joy of the beginning of the day.

Dan ini semua bisa saya nikmati karena commuting. Alias jalan menikmati transportasi publik. Satu kebiasaan yang sudah saya jalani sejak di tanah air.

Sudah bukan rahasia lagi jika transportasi publik di NYC memang sangat membantu. Semua titik penting dari 5 boroughs di NYC terhubungi dengan baik. Jangan heran kalau saya pun cinta setengah mati dengan subway dan bus di sini. 

Well, we sometimes have some delays and problems on the way, like when there are technical issues or someone who needs immediate medical attention in one particular train or station. There times when subways and buses are so full of passengers. And we do have some homeless staying in the subway.But in general, I truly enjoy riding my subway to the office, home and other places as well.

Satu lagi yang saya nikmati saat commuting adalah foto.

Iya, foto sana-sini.

Seperti biasa, mengandalkan iPhone 6 plus tercinta dan kamera Ztylus, saya coba mengabadikan 'hidup' yang saya saksikan on my way around NYC.

Ada banyak warna dan hal menarik yang bisa saya rekam. 
Yang selalu membuat saya ingat betapa saya diberkahi banyak rahmat-Nya. Merci yaaa Rabb. Betapa semua kemudahan yang saya nikmati saat ini idealnya bisa pula dinikmati teman-teman di mana pun berada

Tapi jangan salah ya.. 

I'm not a professional photographer :). 
Just a person with her smartphone camera and extra energy to click it.
Jadi buka foto a la Humans of NYC yang akan ditemui di sini, walaupun saya punya banyak 

So, Here are some of them.

on my way home...

one fine afternoon near Grand Central Station

How about you?

Do you like commuting too?

Join us on Skywatch Friday and enjoy beautiful skies from many parts of the world

8 Oleh-oleh Lampung yang Wajib Dicoba

Disclaimer: postingan ini asli dibuat dari lubuk hati yang paling dalam,  murni tanpa fasilitasi dari produsen produk-produk yang saya sebutkan, namun karena memang saya suka dan menikmatinya. All opinion expressed is based on my own experience and the food displayed in this post is given to me as the tokens of love from my dear friends and family. Dan dilarang ngiler ya :).

ada yang mau? :)

Lampung.
Kampung halamanku tercinta.

Cerita tentang kampung halaman memang selalu membuatku sendu.

Ada rasa sesak di dada saat ingat cantiknya Lampung, tanah kelahiranku.
Belum bosen kan kalau aku curhat soal rasa kangen ini?
I know I have posted several posts about it..
How I miss my big family, the great outdoors and adventures I have back home, the stunning beaches and the yummy culinary havens we have here and there plus refreshing massages and 
Bahkan saya juga kangen naik angkot dan busway andalan tercinta di Jakarta hehehe.

Lagi-lagi..semua bermula dari media sosial dan group Whatsapp.
WA keluarga besarku di Lampung dan juga teman-teman SMP dan SMA di Lampung asyik membahas duren, pempek dan pantai indah yang bertebaran di Lampung.

Repeat: Duren, Pempek, dan Pantai.
Repeat: Pantai, Pempek, dan Duren.
Repeat: Pempek, Pantai, dan Duren.

Lupakan urutannya, tapi resapi ketiganya.

Tuhaaaan.
Rasanya pengen langsung pesen tiket, pulang liburan ke Lampung dan puas-puasin ketemu keluarga, teman, wisata kuliner sampai kembung dan diving to my heart's content.

Kalau punya pintu ajaib Doraemon and perusahaan multinational yang menghasilkan keuntungan bersih M-M-an (yeah rite, Indah :)), mungkin saya akan saat ini sudah duduk manis di JFK airport menanti boarding. But what did they say about life? It's so unfair, rite...so instead, I am pouring my heart out here on my blog at one coldy corner in Astoria, NYC :).

Kenapa jadi panjang sekali ya intronya. Padahal saya hanya mau berbagi kebahagiaan karena baru menerima paket kejutan of the year yang isinya oleh-oleh kuliner Lampung yang wajib dicoba.

ada yang mau?

Allah SWT memang Maha Adil. 
Di saat kami hanya bisa menatap nanar seliweran makanan enak asal kampung halaman yang keukeuh nangkring di timeline FB, Path, IG, dan bahkan chat WA dan Telegram, ternyata bisikan lirih dalam hati untuk bisa ikut menikmatinya didengar oleh-Nya.

Dan thanks to Nchoe, Novie Herawati Zein, teman koboyku sejak jaman SMP, SMA, kuliah, sampai sudah berbuntut ria, aneka kuliner khas Lampung ini pun mendarat dengan manis di NYC.

Saat membukanya, hati sudah deg-degan, lalu terharu. 

Apa saja sih oleh-oleh khas Lampung yang wajib dicoba dan dinikmati?

Ini dia 8 oleh-oleh khas Lampung yang wajib dicoba a la saya. Abaikan urutannya ya, karena saya yakin teman-teman memiliki selera yang beragam. Yang pasti semuanya enak, semua enak. Lagi-lagi menurut saya.

1. Pempek Lampung

Buat saya, pempek memang yang paling juara. Meskipun pempek identik dengan Palembang atau Sumatera Selatan, namun pempek di Lampung ngg kalah nikmatnya. 

Indonesian fish cake, that's what we call it. Different from the one from Thai, our fish cake is exquisitely tasty due to the fish meat being used and the special sweet-spicy sauce, cuka, that complement it. We use ikan belida or the king fish for the dough. And surely it gives you the wonderful taste.

Saat saya menulis ini, terbayang lembutnya adaan dan lenjer dari ikan belida yang baru digoreng ataupun dikukus. Ditambah cuka yang pedasnya buat ketagihan dan irisan timun segar. Masya Allah, nikmat-Nya mana lagi yang kau dustakan?

Dan kali ini, saya titip Pempek 123 yang lumayan top di Lampung. Namun sepanjang daerang Kupang, Teluk Betung, banyak tersedia toko-toko pempek yang juga terkenal sejak dulu. Ada pempek 88 dan pempek

2. Kemplang dan Kerupuk Ikan

Bisa aku habisin sendiri lhooo..

Can't get enough of it.

That's it :).

Kerupuk dan kemplang ini benar-benar membuat hidup lebih nikmat. Buat yang sudah pernah mencicipi kerupuk ikan dan kemplang Lampung biasanya ketagihan. Paling tidak beberapa teman asing saya di PBB yang pernah mencicipi langsung suka dan minta lagi. Kalau sudah begini, saya yang rugi bandar :).

3. Keripik Pisang

keripik pisang enaaak...

Lampung rasanya selalu identik dengan keripik pisang. Saya ingat, sejak kecil, kalau bawa oleh-oleh dari Lampung pasti pilihan pertama adalah keripik pisang. Karena memang enak dan sejak dulu ada perusahaan terkenal di Lampung yang menjual keripik pisang enak. Dulu rasanya hanya manis dan asin. Sekarang? Hmmm.. You name it, you got it.  Mulai dari rasa coklat, keju, sampai jagung manis :). My favorite? Yang asin dan keju. Coba deh..

4. Keripik Nangka

Ini adalah salah satu varian terbaru di perjagatan oleh-oleh khas Lampung. Apparently, Lampung punya stok nangka yang banyak dan jadilah keluar ide buat keripik nangka. Enak juga lhooo.. Kriuk kriuk dengan manis dan aroma khas nangka. Ngga percaya? Grab one and try it yourself.

5. Kopi Lampung

kopi legendaris :)

Kopi dan lada itu Lampung bangeeet.

Langsung ingat salah satu lagu daerah Lampung yang judulnya. Di salah satu liriknya disebut bahwa Lampung memang surganya kopi dan lada. 

Dan memang kopi Lampung itu asli mantap. 
Kopi Lampung asli ya. 
Masih ingat jaman kami sering main ke Kotaagung, kampungnya Rudi, dan dioleh-olehi kopi Lampung yang hasil gilingan sendiri. Kalau diseduh, wanginya serumah :). 
Jadi, kopi Lampung wajib dicoba juga nih.

6. Sambal Yen Yen

Dulu, Yen Yen terkenal sebagai toko yang menyediakan oleh-oleh khas Lampung. Komplit, plit. Aneka oleh-oleh yang aku sebut di sini ada semua, malah lebih lengkap lagi. Dan sekarang, Yen Yen juga mengeluarkan sambal khasnya. 

Pedasnya? Juaraaaa! 

Dijamin makan dengan sambal ini penuh dengan sound effects.. Bisa "ya ampun, pedesnyaaa.." Atau "gila enak beneer ini sambel.." Sampai.. "Uh, ah, uh, ah.." Karena rasa pedasnya memang sampai ke kuping dan bikin nyandu :).

7. Lempok dan Dodol Duren

Saya ngga punya fotonya tapi untuk yang doyan duren dan manis (unfortunately I don't >_<), lempok dan dodol duren ini juga juaraaa. Setiap saya pulang ke Lampung, sering banget membawa lempok dan dodol duren untuk teman-teman di kantor. Kaau sudah dibuka, 5 menit langsung habis :).

8. Tempoyak

Nah untuk yang satu ini, juga salah satu makanan favoritku. And I gotta admit, I was so regretful about it. Menyesaaal saya baru tahu enaknya tempoyak setelah menikah :). Thanks to my hubby, I am in love with tempoyak now. Makanan khas Lampung ini dibuat dari duren yang difermentasi dan    ditumis dengan sambal. Atau dicampur langsung dengan sambal terasi. Tuhan.. Makan ikan goreng atau tahu tempe goreng dengan tempoyak dan sambal terasi itu serasa melihat surga di pelupuk mata. Lebay memang.. Tai asli enak. Dan sayangnya tempoyak belum terkirim nih ke NYC. Ada yang mau berbaik hati? :)

Sebenarnya masih banyak lagi makanan enak khas Lampung yang perlu dicoba. Termasuk pindang patin yang seger dan nikmat, kue lapis ketan Lampung dan masiiiih banyak lagi.

Satu lagi tentang Lampung yang membuat saya selalu kangen adalah teman-teman tercintah. Termasuk di dunia blog yang seruuu. Walaupun saya masih anak bawang di sini, tapi asli dunia blogging seru abis. Dan adalah seorang Melly Felyadin, seorang selebritis blogger pertama yang saya kenal di ajang Blogger Nusantara. selebritis blogger imut kinyis-kinyis yang ternyata berasal dari Lampung. At least her family is still there in Kalianda. 

ketemuan pertama kali dengan Melly :)

Saya ingeet banget pertama kali ketemu Melly di Blognus. Berbekal selembar kertas yang harus ditandatangani para selebritis blogger itu, saya cocokkan satu per satu teman-teman blogger yang datang dengan kertas print yang ada foto Melly. Niat bangeet yah hihi.. 
Maklum kami masih blogger pemula saat itu dan dengan berbekal PD, saya tanya deh satu-satu. Waktu ketemu, rasanya heboooh beneer dan berhasil dapat tanda tangannya:). Aah jadi kangeen dengan Melly. 

keseruan Blognus ..

Coba deh main ke blognya www.melfeyadin.web.id :). Ada banyak cerita seru di sana. Sebenarnya Melly juga aktif di blog detik. Sayangnya, blog detik ngga bisa saya buka di luar negeri. I don't know why.

Karena sama-sama dari tanah Lampung tercinta,  kami pun punya hobi yang sama. Ngemil makanan khas Lampung. That's why.. Waktu saya drafting mengenai oleh-oleh khas Lampung, jadi langsung inget Melly juga.

Sekarang, Melly yang hobby banget nyetrika ini berdomisili di Bogor.mungkin berikutnya kita ngobrol soal oleh-oleh khas Bogor yaaa. Sounds good to me..

WW: Marvelous Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

How I miss marvelous Manado and Lembeh, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

at Bunaken...

on my way to Bunaken Island...

Lembeh and its crystal clear water :)

Throwback Tuesday: Bo et Obi

I decided to put more sweet, unforgettable memories and photos in my blog. I know I probably put a lot already but I guess I still have more to share here.

As you probably are aware of, I started blogging seriously in 2014. Or perhaps late 2013, if you consider moving my files from soon-to-be-close multiply account to blogspot as blogging :). But I have such incredible memories and experiences while we stayed in Geneva, Switzerland in 2007 - 2011, or even way back in 2005 - 2007 when we lived in Melbourne, Australia.

Tons of photos? Sure.

Unforgettable moments? Abundant.

Shared? Only a few :).

So I decided to start my own Throwback Tuesday series. And I would like to invite anybody to join me as well. Any pictures and/or stories that bring the good out of you, your family and friends, or simply anything that worth a share will be warmly welcomed. I won't bother with links, bloghop or anything. If you like to share it to the world, like I do, just simply post your entry and use the title, Throwback Tuesday.

So now, to start with, here's what I have.

Some mementos from Geneva, Switzerland, with the pictures of my angels, Bo et Obi.

My daughter Obi was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 2010. We took this pictures at Mas Habib and Mba Alma's house, using their beautiful antique set of chairs. Then Udi decided to use one of the apps to process the photos et voila, this is what we have.

While the following photos of Bo were taken in our first days in Geneva. Still staying at the hotel, Bo was a happy 11-month chubby boy when we arrived in the land of chocolate and cheese. Do you notice the resemblance of the two?

So, that's what I have at this point.
Do you have a lovely memory to share? Feel free to have your Throwback Tuesday as well