A Piece of Manhattan

Some snaps I took while welcoming myself to Manhattan!

clear blue sky and UN Building at far right..

It always gives me a wonderful feeling looking at the majestic blue sky.

Some mornings, my hubby drops me at the office.

So we drive around Gueensboro Bridge, taking us from Queens to Manhattan, where the Mission and the UN are located. 

While we are slightly stuck in the traffic, I took some snaps with my smartphone.

my hubby drove me to work :)

Do you enjoy looking at the sky like me?

Join us on Skywatch  Friday and immerse yourselves 

 

Making Strides against Breast Cancer - the Walk and the Prep

October is here!
One of my favorite months, during my favorite season, and with my favorite cause!

MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER!

Cheers from the three of us

 
Dan artinya, kita siap-siap ikutan Making Strides against Breast Cancer lagi di Central Park!
Acara jalan tahunan ini memang selalu saya nantikan.
Rasanya gimanaaa gitu kalau ngga ikutan.
It feels like I’m joining other fighters and recalibrate our spirit to fight!

Menjadi penderita kanker itu memang tidak mudah.
Bener-bener life-changing experience deh!
Setelah divonis dan menjalani rangkaian pengobatan yang tidak mudah dan tidak murah, kami dihadapkan pada perjuangan seumur hidup untuk menjaga agar sel kanker tidak kembali lagi dan juga melawan aneka dampak yang dirasakan akibat kemoterapi dan aneka terapi lain yang dijalani.

Well, being diagnosed with breast cancer really sucks!
I’m not complaining here.
But for sure cancer changes my life!
That's why, after all the procedures and struggles I have to go through, I feel like I need to share those positive vibes and spirit to those who are facing the same battle, or those who accompany their loved ones fighting breast cancer, or simple those who need some moral boosts :).

And here I am... joining Making Strides against Breast Cancer at Central Park, for the 4th time. 

my #pinkhero cap

Boleh kan sekali-kali bilang perjalanan melawan kanker ini berat!
Makanya harus selalu semangat, ya kan?
That’s why, setiap ada kesempatan untuk berkumpul dan berbagi dengan para survivor lainnya, saya tidak sia-siakan kesempatan ini.
Saling bertemu, saling mengingatkan, saling menguatkan.
Betapa bersyukurnya kami karena diberi kekuatan untuk berjuang.
Dan sembuh!

So, dengan semangat 45, saya mengundang keluarga, teman, kolega dan siapa saja yang berkenan meluangkan waktu sejenak untuk berbagi di acara ini.
Good thing many people have decided to join me this year.
I have around 20 people signing in already.
Not bad for an adhoc group I just set up recently.
And that SUnday morning, we all gathered at 8 AM in Central Park.
Ready to stride and contribute to the fight against breast cancer.

My dearest team, not yet complete, IndonesiaCeria & Beyond

Alhamdulillaaaah banyak pula yang berkenan berikan donasi lho.
Super happy to see people are willing to share to those who need this support and assistance.
I personally gathered USD 435 dan total dari tim adalah USD 678.
Asyik kan!
A bit more than last year but still the highest record I have made was 2015, when I got around USD 1200.
It feels sooo good to do it for a great cause!

So, long story short, Making Strides against Breast Cancer was a great success and I was happy many of my friends (and my bosses ;)), showed up and joined me.
Seneng banget bisa berbagi semangat dan harapan untuk sembuh dan 'bersih' dari kanker!

Di balik keseruan acara ini, ada beberapa tips sederhana untuk persiapannya nih.
There are alot of preparations we have to do for this walk.
And let me share it here for you.

1. Check my team member

First thing first, make sure you have your team. 
Pastikan kita punya tim!
Eh, sebenarnya ngga papa sih, tapi akan lebih seru kan kalau ramai-ramai bersama sahabat, teteh, uwa, temen, or ayang tercinta.
Setiap tahun saya selalu woro-work sana sini untuk ajak keluarga, teman-teman dan juga kolega kantor. Atau siapa saja yang mau ikut :).
Biasanya sebelum hari H saya akan sampaikan email untuk mengundang mereka ikutan jalan. Mereka akan dapatkan link email untuk gabung dengan timku yang lucu, IndonesiaCeria & Beyond :). Kalau mereka ngga sempet klik link, mereka bisa langsung cek website Making Strides against Breast Cancer dan join the walk et join my team.

Kali ini, jumlah tim saya 21 orang.
Jumlah terbanyak yang pernah saya kumpulkan.
I have 21 people in my team and I am so blessed! 

Pastikan teman-teman tahu persis kapan acara akan berlangsung dan juga rute yang akan ditempuh. Daripada salah jam or tanggal, kan :).
Setelah semua konfirmasi, beberapa informasi mendasar seperti tempat, tanggal, jam, rute jalan, dress code dan meeting point.

2. Double check the donation

Salah satu tujuan utama dari event ini adalah mengumpulkan dana untuk berbagai kepentingan terkait pengobatan kanker payudara. Mulai dari riset untuk pengobatan terkini sampai bantuan pengobatan bagi penderita kanker payudara yang kurang mampu.

Karenanya, donasi sangat diharapkan.
Mereka yang hadir maupun yang tidak bisa hadir diharapkan bisa membantu mendukung kampanye ini dan berkenan menyisihkan sebagian kelebihan rezeki mereka untuk mengurangi dan bahkan menghapuskan  kanker payudara dari muka bumi.

So, saya pun penuh semangat membantu kampanye ini.
Walaupun saya harus akui kalau saya tidak bisa fokus penuh dengan upaya kampanye, tapi alhamdulillah di sela-sela pekerjaan yang lagi lucu-lucunya di UN, terkumpul juga USD 678, dan sebesar USD 435 dari personal campaign yang saya lakukan.

3. Prepare for the walk

Making strides itu lumayan lho!
Jalannya sekitar 5 miles atau kurang lebih 8 km.
Buat yang tidak terlalu biasa jalan kaki atau kondisinya tidak memungkinkan untuk jalan sebaiknya ngga perlu memaksakan diri memang. 
But for me, making strides is more than just a walk.
Karenanya, saya juga harus siap lahir batin, terutama untuk jalan di Central Park, yang dimulai jam 8 pagi, dengan jarak yang lumayan.
Persiapan paling penting buta saya adalah sepatu!
I have to make sure that I put on my most comfortable shoes.

Dan untuk urusan sepatu, suami saya lebih serius lagi. 
Sepatu pria terbaik dan ternyaman adalah pilihan dia untuk menemani saya menyusuri Central Park miles demi miles hingga finish line.
Dan percaya kan kalau urusan sepatu ini suami saya bisa menghabiskan waktu lebih banyak daripada saya masak nasi kuning lengkap dengan lauk pauknya!
Details banget deh pokoknya.
Mulai dari memastikan ukuran yang pas dengan kaki dan kontur kaki, ketebalan dan jenis solenya, panjang tali sepatu (supaya yakin ngga kesrimpet :)) dan warna sepatu yang matching dengan seragam kami di hari H.
Ribet ya :).

And that's the shoes. 

Jangan lupa juga cek cuaca di hari H supaya tidak ada cerita salah kostum.
Apalagi Oktober sudah mulai dingin-dingin manja di New York City.
Salah kostum bisa-bisa bikin sakit dan menggigil kedinginan, atau dompet jebol karena mendadak harus beli jaket hangat on the spot. So, double check dan pastikan pakaian yang dipakai pas dan juga keren plus sesuai dengan semangat pink di hari itu.
You know what I mean, right.

4. Logistics, logistics, logistics

Logistik nih penting banget! Sama pentingnya dengan lipstik dan pinsil alis #lho :).
Selain keperluan untuk jalan, ada banyak properti yang khusus saya siapkan untuk acara MSABC kali ini. Seperti biasa, semuanya didominasi dengan warna pink dan ungu (of course).

Ada properti untuk dipakai tim, ada properti yang saya siapkan khusus untuk foto.
Untuk properti tim, saya siapkan kalung mainan, kacamata, kumis palsu, topi, wig dan feather boa pink! Plus wig ungu dari Comic Con kemarin :).
Untuk properti foto, selain properti di atas, saya juga siapkan frame foto warna pink dengan segala hiasan pink dan ungu, warna favorit saya.

Untuk makanan dan minum saya tidak begitu khawatir karena setiap miles ada minuman dan di finish line ada refreshment lainnya, seperti chips dan licorice serta cemilan lainnya. Khusus di tenda survivor, ada kopi dan roti, plus air kelapa kemasan.
So, untuk urusan perut, insya Allah aman :).
Kalau mau bawa sarapan sendiri tentu saja dipersilahkan lho.
Dan pssst, saya sama mama bawa macaroni schotel dan martabak sayur hehehe.


5. Get ready to have fun and say cheers!

Last but not least, jangan lupa untuk ENJOY THE WALK.
That’s the reason why we all gathered at Central Park that day.
Enjoy the blessed life you have and the opportunity to help others who are fighting the same thing.
Enjoy the love you share with others and positive spirit you get around.
Together, we can finish this fight!

So, meskipun tahun depan saya sudah kembali ke tanah air as I am scheduled to go back home for good in , this positive vibes and great spirit will stay within me.

Selalu sehat-sehat ya teman-teman.
Dan semoga kita pun tidak perlu berurusan dengan kanker!
Cheers!

How to Use Stopover Flight to See More Countries

How to Use Stopover Flight to See More Countries

Image source: here

If you’re a passionate traveler who is constantly on the road, then you probably fly a lot. 
Especially as holiday is coming!
You experienced the struggle of airport processes and long waits, but have you ever asked yourself could you use time spent on an airport in a better way? Imagine you can use time spent on the airport to explore the city where you’re waiting. If that sounds like a thing you'd like to do, then we would like to tell you it’s possible to explore the city where you’re waiting for a connecting flight almost free of cost. 

The answer lies down in using and combining stopover flights when buying the plane ticket. Agness and Cez, two best friends who started with full-time traveling, have an extensive experience in air transportation and they would like to share with you some tips how you can explore more places taking advantage of stopover flights. 

 

What is a Stopover Flight?

No more long waiting hours between connecting flights. source of image is here

When you’re buying a plane ticket, you probably want to spare some money on it to have a bigger budget during exploration of a new destination. To get the cheaper tickets, you shouldn’t look for direct flights, but instead connecting flights. The ticket will always drop in price that way, but you’ll probably have a layover or stopover at the connecting airport. Why it’s a good thing? Well, if you need to wait more than 12 hours for a connecting flight, you can ask to get a stopover deal from airlines. 

Stopover is the option major airlines offer to their passengers while they’re waiting for the connecting flight. You can usually stay for a few days in the city where the airport is located and airways will cover a transportation and accommodation costs. It means that you’ll have time to explore new destinations on your way to reaching a final destination. It’s a perfect way to explore and experience more. Imagine you have a flight from NYC to Bangkok with the connecting flight to Dubai. If the connection wait is too long, you can have a chance to explore Dubai for a ridiculous amount of money.

How to Plan a Stopover Flight?

Always inform yourself directly with the company about the stopover options. Image source: here

Before buying a plane ticket, let us give you some travel advice. 

We recommend you to check the official airways websites when looking for the best deals. Majority of these sites has detailed search options with many filters, so you should set the filter to check the flights with connecting flight and wait that is longer than 12 hours in connecting city. That way, you’ll get the list of tickets that could probably lead you to interesting adventure even before you reach the final destination. Some airways will give you a free stopover, while others will provide you everything with a huge discount applied. Before planning a stopover destination, it’s a good thing to ask yourself and make a list of cities you’d like to explore. There is no point of taking advantage of stopover flight if you arrive in the city you don’t have an interest in exploring. Always combine your ticket the way that will give you a chance to explore the city you actually want to experience. When you’re checking different airway websites, it will be hard to navigate stopover options, so we advise you always to call their office and kindly ask them if they have a stopover option available. 

Just think about how many cities and different cultures you can experience if you start getting flight tickets that offer a free stopover!

Airlines That Offer a Free Stopover and Amazing Places You Can Visit Along the Way

Many airlines offer free or low-cost stopover options for travelers who have to wait more than 12 hours for a connecting flight. Each company has different policies regarding stopovers and we would like to list a few and show you the amazing cities you could explore on your way to the last destination.

Icelandair

Explore this beautiful Nordic island country. Image source: here

Imagine exploring the beautiful island country Island on your way to final destination. The country has so much to offer and listed as the most peaceful country in the world. Icelandair offers travelers a completely free stopover that can last up to 7 days. They will cover the costs of transportation from and to the airport as well as accommodation fees. You’ll have enough time to explore breathtaking Geysers, delicious food and beautiful culture. 

Emirates

Stay in Dubai for up to 4 days and explore the city and culture. Image source: here

If you fly with Emirates, then you’ll pass through Dubai every time on the way to the final destination. They have many different stopover packages available, and they are actually encouraging people to explore the city for a few days. Once you bought a flight ticket, you should contact their local office to add a stopover option to your ticket. Emirates will add some fees depending on the level of service you’re looking for and you’re ready for the exploration of Dubai. Emirates has a deal with major companies that offer different activities and attractions to see, so if you get a stopover through them, you will get significant discounts on these attractions. That’s a perfect way to explore this desert city for an affordable price.

Qatar Airways

 Qatar Airways offers a totally free visa, accommodation and transport Image source: here

If you’re traveling to Asia or Europe, then you should check Qatar Airways as this company has the highest quality service and often low-ticket prices. Also, they are offering different packages of stopovers that can last up to four days. A stopover includes a free visa, transportation and hotel stay for a one night if you’re flying in economy class. Doha is the very exciting city to explore and all the architecture with lights will attract you to explore and experience more from their culture. Also, if you don’t have an option to apply for a stopover, the company offers daily free tours through Doha along with a free transit visa. Ask the airport staff about it and you’re all set. It’s a perfect thing to spend your time if you have a long layover. 

Have you ever took advantage of stopover flights? 

Which airline companies do you recommend?
Happy traveling :)

Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls

Happy to share my pinky weekend!

As I have indicated, loudly and clearly, the second week of October is dedicated to Making Strides against Breast Cancer, as the full month of October is celebrated as the breast cancer awareness month.

We had a blast, as always, walking together with probably around tens of thousands of people honoring the fight against breast cancer.

Cheers to all the survivors and the fighters!

 

On the following Monday, I went to my clinic to have my mammogram. 

The fourth one I have since 2014! 

Good to know that "everything looks great", as I quoted the doctor who examined the result of my test.

With all this great news,  let's party, shall we :)

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