Mia and Her Collection

Hello Minahasa

2014-06-09T13:55:00.001-04:00

Until now almost all the houses on the edge of Wakeke Road has become a small shop to enjoy a bowl of Tinutuan. Wakeke road whose length is less than one kilometer was crowned the traditional food Tinutuan tourist area, in the year 2004. - See more at: http://manado-tour-hotel.blogspot.com/2010/05/breakfast-in-wakeke-tinutuan-manado.html#sthash.essTJTAG.dpuf

North Sulawesi Bound

Menado is the capital of North Sulawesi. Mainly used by tourists as a stopping off point for spectacular diving and snorkeling in the Bunaken Marine Park.

After years of dreaming about this trip, we finally made it to Menado. This short visit has brought back some good old memories that somehow faded. I was only about 7 years old when my parents took us to visit North Sulawesi. 42 years later, here I am back to visit North Sulawesi, the province well known for their agricultural commodities such as nutmegs, copra and clove spices. This province is also known for their vast coconut plantations and they are also called the land of waving coconut palms or "Tanah Nyiur Melambai". Not only they are rich with their agriculture and coconut plantations, but most of all it's a popular dive spot known for its unbelievably reef wall.

Menado, here I come!!!!

Our short trip to Timbuktu today has brought back memories from when I worked in Mali in the early 1990s. - See more at: http://www.hki.org/blog/2013/07/our-short-trip-to-timbuktu/#sthash.50J9lfjF.dpuf

Our short trip to Timbuktu today has brought back memories from when I worked in Mali in the early 1990s. I - See more at: http://www.hki.org/blog/2013/07/our-short-trip-to-timbuktu/#sthash.50J9lfjF.dpuf

Manadonese food is famous throughout Indonesia for two things: the Minahasa eat absolutely anything, and the flavor of choice is very, very spicy. - See more at: http://www.tourgarage.com/destinations/manado.html#sthash.ro4hUPan.dpuf

First thing first, after we arrived, Sam Ratulangi Airport, was to try their famous rice porridge made with a mix of corns, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, cassavas, kangkungs and a few others, known as Bubur Tinotuan. We were then taken to Jalan Wakeke, where I saw numerous restaurants along the street. The restaurant that was picked called Dego Dego. The dish is usually served with salted dried fish, but here at Dego Dego, it was served with ikan Nike or cakes made from the tiny fish called Nike, found only in Lake Tondano, mixed with flour and deep fried.

The famous "Dego-Dego" at Wakeke district

After breakfast we were taken to The Hill of Prayer or Bukit Doa, a small but peaceful hill located at Kakaskasen, overlook a beautiful mount Lokon.

Bukit Doa with my aunt, sis and bro

Off we went to Kolongan, Tondano, located in the south east of Menado. The village of Kolongan is a place where my grandparents from my mom's side used to live before they moved to the city of Jakarta. Sadly, the narrow, hilly and curvy road to the village has been damaged and left unrepaired. Huge potholes were found all over. It was more disappointed as we enter the village, I acknowledged this village considered undeveloped and lack of infrastructure. Whereas Kolongan is known as one of producing a high quality clove. The hills in the inland are covered in clove trees, definitely this village are not poor, but lack of development has ensured that Kolongan remain undeveloped.

We stayed one night at my nephew's huge clove plantation. The house style is very unique. It is typical Minahasan stage house made of wooden craftmanship by the people of Woloan. This type of house can also be purchased online and easily assembled. Cool huhhh .... !!!!!

Traditional House at the plantation

We left early morning, and my nephew drove along some part of lake Tondano toward Bukit Kasih or Devoted Hill. Along the way, we saw many churches, as Menado is predominantly populated by Christians, whose inhabitants co-exist happily with its Muslim minority. Every few meters in town you will see churches and places of worship and they are very committed to their faith. As we drove along each town, we saw four different churches in a block.

First stop was Bukit Kasih, located in the village of Kanonang, Kawangkoan. This hill was built in 2002 as a spiritual center where religious followers from various faiths can gather, meditate and worship side by side in peace. Up on the hill, there are 5 worship places that represent the five religions such as: Mosque, Catholic Church, Protestant Church, Buddhist and Hindu Temples which can be reached by walking up the stairs. In addition, this place is believed to be the original place of Toar Lumimuut, the original ancestors of the Minahasan tribe. His faces was carved on the hillside beneath the second peak. Due to the hot weather, none of us willing to go all the way up, so off we go.

Monument at Bukit Kasih

On the way to Tomohon, we stopped at restaurant Ragey Kawangkoan, where they served a famous sate ragey. It's a damn good kebab that one must try. We realized after eating, that we haven't take any pictures :) Soooo ..... there you go!!!

We stopped at Lake Linow, Lahendong, where my father originally came from. Lake Linow, that changes its colors throughout the day, is a water-filled volcanic crater. It changes colors depending on the release of gas from the vents underwater and the movement of the current.
It's a beautiful scenery, just to seat by the crater surrounding by grassland, and spend some time paddling just to see the boiling mud. In my opinion it is lack of attraction and places to hang out.

Linow Lake

As the sun goes down, we drove straight to Bitung, where we stayed the rest of our vacation at my aunt's beautiful house. The city of Bitung is located on the east side of Manado, approximately an hour drive.
My aunt's house located at the green hills slopes of Mount Dua Bersaudara, stands charming overlooking the port of Bitung and Lembeh Island. A quiet, peaceful private retreat with a large porch overlooking the harbor, perfect sanctuary for the body, mind and soul. It relaxes, disconnects and definitely inspires me to build a house over the hill ... if we hit a jackpot .....

The siblings with Mommy Dearest

Our trip included a day to Bunaken island, known as one of Indonesia's most paradise for divers that draws visitors from all over the world.

Bunaken destination

With a speedboat we reached the island within half hour. But before we reach the island, we were transferred to a submarine where we directly were under the water surface. Sights from the submarine is certainly stunning.

Bunaken Submarine

Over looking Manado Tua

As we were closed to the island, I saw the crystal clear water with visibility at least about more than 10ft.

Welcome center at Bunaken

My husband, my brother and my cousin went under water for snorkeling experience. My regrets was that I don't make an effort to go. It's just because the place has no decent place to change clothes. And I saw how they clean the snorkel gear, especially the goggles. My only suggestion is to bring your own equipment.

Snorkeling at Bunaken

We also explored this pricey subdivision called Citraland residential estate, where we found this new icon of Menado city, almost similar to statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, but here in Menado it is called Christ Blessing, in a flying position.

Ria Rio was our next destination, located along the Kalasey beach. With families from Menado, our long table was served with a fresh and flavorful seafood dishes. Some fish was grilled traditionally in a piece of coconut shell and simmered with different kind of herbs. Some was

Don't ask what was ordered .... delicious meal

Before living Menado, we visited a mini zoo located at Aertembaga Village Bitung, where we found this smallest monkey in the world called Tarsier or Tarsius. The length of this cute species is about 5 inches with a huge brown eyes.

A Tarsier is resting on a tree branch

That's concluded our visit to Menado, North Sulawesi.

Next stop helloJogjakarta!
Stay tune!

OURS named HERSHEY

2014-03-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

A playful DOG

I fell in love with Hershey the first time I laid my eyes on him. He was the most adorable puppy among the litter of 5. The owner (my neighbor) offered me another puppy, but I refused and said I will only take Hershey if they let me. And after two days they agreed for me to take Hershey. I was overjoyed to learn the news, and prepared the arrival of Hershey on my daughter's birthday. It's like a gift to her birthday but also a gift to myself too, because our birthday fall at the same day. I had talked to my husband about the news, but he refused to have a dog in the house.

nce his seizure was over, he seemed normal laid back down and went to sleep. - See more at: http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/dog-seizure/#sthash.Wj43qAZS.dpuf

Once his seizure was over, he seemed normal laid back down and went to sleep. - See more at: http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/dog-seizure/#sthash.Wj43qAZS.dpuf

But my obsession with dog wouldn't stop me from taking Hershey home on our birthday. After work, I picked Hershey up from the neighbor's house and surprised everyone in my house with this 5 weeks old puppy. My husband was shocked but also excited to see him. Well, he was never really much of a dog person and he refused to have a dog in the house. But I convinced him otherwise, and I was glad I did. Now, he thinks dogs are the best animal ever. It was one of those things that you adjust to once you actually get a dog and realized just how fun and sweet and cute they are.

Up till now we called him Hershey, Booboo, Boy, Baby, BaDog (aaaahhh we call him whatever we felt at the time). When I call him Badog and raised my voice, he understood what that means. And him with his tail down will come to me and plead "guilty" and give a sorry face. If only human admit their mistake, there is no need law enforcement.

Hershey is a mutt, he has a mix golden retriever, german shepherd and a coli. He turned 13 last November and yes, many times I thought of getting rid of Hershey, because I was to tired cleaning his fur. But he's been our loving companion up till now. He is not our whole life, but he makes our lives whole. He knows basic commands, such as sit, sit pretty, down, go out, bad boy, etc. His appetite still remain the same at this age. Don't even try to tease when he is eating, he will growl and protect his food.

At about 3 o’clock in the morning, this morning my 11 year old dog (who sleeps on the bed) sat up, his body got stiff, his tongue dropped out of his mouth, he started drooling, his head bobbed to the side and his eyes and pupils shook up and down. He was suffering from his first ever seizure. - See more at: http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/dog-seizure/#sthash.Wj43qAZS.dpuf

He got seizures when he was about 6 years old, his body was stiff, his tongue dropped out of his mouth, he started drooling .... Once his 2 minutes seizures was over, he seemed normal again. Poor dog!
We took him to the vet, and done some blood work, but have found no real causes. The doctor said it might just be something he was born with, and will just have them from time to time. From then, he has to take a lifetime medication.

Hershey suffered from thunderstorm phobia, specially when the thunderstorms are accompanied by dark skies, changes in air pressure and humidity, and wind and rain. His anxiety level raises and he will starts breathing heavily and going nuts around the house.

Our dog suffered with "thunderstorm phobia"

Once his seizure was over, he seemed normal laid back down and went to sleep. - See more at: http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/dog-seizure/#sthash.Wj43qAZS.dpuf

Once his seizure was over, he seemed normal laid back down and went to sleep - See more at: http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/dog-seizure/#sthash.Wj43qAZS.dpuf

One thing I knew about our Hershey, that his everyday life is always full of excitement. He can't wait to eat, he loves to the word "wanna?" That means you wanna walk ... wanna eat ... wanna go out? He got so excited when we came home, he greets us and any visitors. Loves to be among people. They are the only creature that is genuinely, demonstrably excited to see you every time you come home.

What a wonderful world

In the middle of a crowds

But Hershey also steal food from the trash can and counter top. This opportunist dog will steal our food even though he was well fed at home, his instinct might still be to grab whatever around when we are not home. Not only stealing, but he destroys all my pyrex.

This rascal got caught stealing

Too late

My last pyrex

Hershey has a lot of personality and makes our family complete. I can't imagine not having one now that we do! Getting him was one of my best decisions, he is so super sweet. He has surely brought laughter and happiness back into our home and we would not wish things any different.

Hershey has earned his place as our family's best friend, thanks to his loyalty, unconditional love and his great ability to fill our lives with lots of fun and joy.

*****

Waiting patiently under the dinner table

Don't mind to get tortured for a a treats

He celebrated Christmas

Was forced to be a Giant fans

Mia and Her Collection: Venice - Nice - Toulouse - Paris - Rotterdam

2013-08-04T23:04:00.001-04:00

Mia and Her Collection: Venice - Nice - Toulouse - Paris - Rotterdam: It was our 25 Year Wedding Anniversary!!! Should I have expected 25 roses from my husband? Not gonna happen, my husband is not really...

Venice - Nice - Toulouse - Paris - Rotterdam

2013-08-04T20:07:00.000-04:00

It was our 25 Year Wedding Anniversary!!!

Should I have expected 25 roses from my husband? Not gonna happen, my husband is not really a genuinely romantic kind of man. Every other anniversary we always ended up eating out at a restaurant, like any other day :)

But he said yes to one of my dreams:) ... a European adventure that is!!!

DAY 1 - Buon Giorno Venice

We finally arrived in Venice after about an 11 hour flight from New York City via Amsterdam.
Venice was our first visit. The city is known for their beautiful grand canals, where you can take a scenic gondola ride, as well as their architecture such as the San Marco Basilica. During our stay, we did not stay in Venice but instead, opted for the Hotel Plaza in Mestre which is only 10 minutes away from Piazzale Roma, Venice. We didn't really mind staying there, because we spent all of our time in Venice and only stayed in Mestre for the purpose of sleeping.

From our hotel we took a bus and arrived at Piazzale Roma. Just about everyone enter the city using public transportation other than water taxi has to enter through Piazzale Roma, which is a bus station/train station/parking lot (but it sure does sound super fancy). As soon as we stepped out into Venice, we felt the cultural awakening. WELCOME TO VENICE!! In order to explore the lagoons and canals in an inexpensive way, we took the vaporetto (water bus) line 1 to San Marco Square which took us about 40 minutes to get there, but it was worth the view on the enchanting Venetian palaces of the past centuries. -- No we didn't take a gondola for 3 reasons. One, they are quite expensive. Two, as I stated before, my husband isn't very romantic. Three, I'm almost positive, especially after this trip, that my husband isn't a fan of boats.

Piazalle Roma

Grand Canal

Vaporetto

A Gondola along the Grand Canal

Santa Maria De La Salute

We passed the famed Rialto Bridge, one of the most photographed places in Venice. Such a unique design compared to the other bridges in Venice. The bridge itself makes a great picture.

The famous Rialto Bridge

San Marco Square is beautiful, surrounded by nice restaurants, street vendors, shops, but San Marco Basilica and The Campanile (bell tower) is a sight to behold and it's just a great place to take pictures. The sound of music was playing and yes, the Piazza could have been one huge dance floor. Though it was a bit chilly when we were there, we still enjoyed walking through the square.

San Marco Square

Found a perfect cafe around San Marco Square.

Yes! They do sell fake brand, lots of them around Venice.

On the way back to Piazzale Roma, instead of taking the vaporetto we took a walk and simply lost ourselves. We explored aimlessly through the narrow, cobblestone streets and alleys where you can find lots of small restaurants and local shops. We admired the magnificent cathedrals and palaces over the city's romantic renaissance architecture and meandered over the charming bridges while contemplating the intriguing sculptures along the way.

One of the many bridges

The alley

Passing the famous Rialto Bridge, the view was magnificent. Well worth the stairs up:) We couldn't resist a stop at a restaurant and to have some linguine and white clam sauce. Of course when traveling to Europe, opt for the house red wine which is dirt cheap compare to a bottle of water... Now that is a culture shock!

View from the bridge of the restaurant we picked.

Linguine and white clam sauce with house wine

DAY 2 - MURANO ISLAND

The island of Murano is just a short vaporetto trip from Venice. So, the second day we went to visit Murano. The island itself is much like Venice, with colorful buildings lining the waterfront. We went to a factory store and saw how the artists worked their magic with glassware. Their showroom also features authentic pieces at varying prices depending on the size and uniqueness of the design.

The island of Murano

The artist

DAY 3 - NICE, FRANCE

We took Trenitalia from Santa Lucia Venice to Milan and then changed trains to Ventimiglia. The train was packed with people standing along the aisles. Thank God we purchased our tickets and booked a seats ahead of time. It took us about 7 hours to get there and transfered to another train toward Nice. The views along the French Riviera are stunning with mountains coursing skyward on one side, and the blue Mediterranean sea on the other side. Overall, if you like to enjoy the landscape, Eurail is the best way to travel, but if you're short on time, it's best to take an airplane.

Bonjour!

Nice, known as The Capital of Cote D'Azur, situated between mountains and the Mediterranean sea at the heart of the glamourous French Riviera, makes it our second perfect holiday destination. We got our charming small hotel in the heart of Nice, called Hotel Univers, a block away from Place Massena and Rue de France with its plentiful of restaurants, cafes and shops to choose. The weather was lovely, perfect for walking around and seeing the sights. We spent the first day just wandering around Promenade des Anglais and Rue de France. Pictures really don't do it justice, it really is one of those places that you have to see with your own eyes.

Promenade des Anglais

Rue de France

Place Massena is the center of Nice. It's an attractive square surrounded by shops and restaurants which are concentrated along the Rue Massena and Rue de France.

DAY 4 - MONACO

We went to explore what may be Monaco's most striking, historically-significant palace and casino. We took bus no. 100 from Nice to Monaco. It cost us just 1 Euro per person, thanks to our good friend who told us not to take a costly tour bus. It was very crowded but the bus rides along the coastline with a beautiful view of the Cote d'Azure, the French Riviera.

View from the bus overlooking Promenade des Anglais.

We were dropped at Place de Moulins right across from the famous Casino de Monte Carlo. The casino looks very gorgeous from the outside. We sat at the cafe outside Monte Carlo Casino which we found as a great place to hang out just to admire the passing Ferraris, Porches, Bentleys, etc.

Monte Carlo Casino

We hopped on a local bus to the Palace of Monaco which is home to the Grimaldi family, located on a hill above the harbor. Part of the Palace was open for tours which gave us the opportunity to see the lavish interiors. In my opinion, this Palace is not one of Europe's most elegant castles, but still very much interesting. Outside the Palace we found neat piles of cannonballs and we sat down and enjoyed a panoramic view of the entire city.

In front of Palace of Monaco

View from the Palace

Another view from the palace

We stayed half a day in Monaco which wasn't enough. We went back to Nice to visit the Old Nice area. When we were strolled down Old Nice, we came across an open air market full of restaurants and bistros. We found out that the place was called Cours Saleya. Its a large open market place where they sell flowers, fruits, vegs, meats etc, in the morning, but in the after noon, the restaurants, bistros and creperies that flank both sides of the market expand outwards, setting out their tables under the striped awnings. We checked menus that were offered to us by waiter/waitresses who tried their best to make us eat at their restaurant. The prices really weren't that bad considering the norm for Nice. It was an enjoyable area to have dinner.

Oh, and what I like about Nice, the people speak two languages, Italian and French.

DAY 5 - TOULOUSE, FRANCE

The next day we took a train from Nice to Toulouse, France.
In Toulouse, I planned on meeting up with my old high school friend Lina and her husband Denis. Lina and I had lost contact for about 35 years but started talking again through facebook. After exchanging our contact numbers, I found out that she now lives in Toulouse. Toulouse is located in between Nice and Paris, so, instead of going straight to Paris, I made plans to visit her in Toulouse. She said she would be delighted to meet me and my husband and would love it if we stayed over dans leur maison. So, on day 5 she and her husband picked us up at the train station. They are very kind people, especially Lina's husband Denis, whom we had just met that day however, he made us feel like we knew him our whole lives. That day he acted as our tour guide and took us straight to Place du Capitole and surrounding area. The weather had some rain showers, but we took the opportunity to take lots of pictures at the plaza. The plaza is filled with beautiful architecture and plenty of restaurants, cafes, and stores around the area.

We exchanged some historical information on how we got to where we are, after-all, 35 years is a very long time. It was nostalgic talking about life back in the old Cendana Caltex Rumbai school to how we chose our path of life and families. But for the most part, it felt like we had always been two friends who live nearby each other and were just catching up. We also met their two good looking grown up children, and had dinner together .... beautiful family!!!

Priceless!!!

DAY 6 - ST. EMILION, BORDEAUX & DUNE DU PYLA

Next visit was St. Emilion, one of the most historic and scenic wine areas in the Bordeaux region.
Perched on top of the steep limestone slopes which many of the region's finest vineyards are situated,
it took us about 2.5 hours to get there. The town has great views with natural settings of utmost beauty in the valley. We strolled along the ancient cobblestone streets and took a breathtaking panoramic view from Place du Clocher. We walked around the old church, ruins, and wash houses, but everywhere you go you'll see a wine store. There is something charming about this medieval city and we enjoyed the beautiful weather and atmosphere.

Imagine a landscape of breath-taking beauty

Lunch and wine tasting at Chateau La Rose C'otes Rol, Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2001

Wine stores everywhere

French delicacy food Foie Gras (liver of an overfed duck)

Breathtaking panoramic view

Bought some wines and Bordeaux prestige dessert called Lemoine Canele

After we left St. Emilion, we took another hour drive to Dune du Pyla. It is said to be the highest dune in Europe with a unique landscape and an incredible panoramic view over the coast. Not knowing what to expect (and not expecting to go up), we climbed the sandy dune which our bare feet kept sinking into. Voila .... finally at the top, we were rewarded with an amazing 360 view. Since it was early May, it was unexpectedly cool up there.

Up up we go

On the way down

We loved the time we spent in Toulouse and was so happy for the hospitality that Lina and Denis provided us. We hope to see them again soon, merci beaucoup et au revoir :)

DAY 7 - VOILA PARIS

From Toulouse we flew on an EasyJet Airline to Paris Charles De Gaule. EasyJet Air is a budget airline that flies throughout Europe, but has very strict regulations with bags. From the airport we caught the Air France bus that stopped right next to our rented apartment at Place de L'Etoile, the 40 minutes ride cost only 12 euros per person. It was great having our stop just right at the corner of Arc de Triomphe, which stands at the center of the Place de l"Etoile. Place de l"Etoille or Square of the Star is a very large traffic circle. It is the meeting point of twelve avenues including the famous Champs-Elysees.

We rented our apartment from www.Wimdu.com. Sometimes, staying in a cute Parisian apartment is much better than in a hotel, this time was no different. The apartment had a kitchen, though we didn't really use it other than for boiling water and to store some snacks in the refrigerator. There were just too many restaurants around every corner, so why bother cooking:))

After dropping off our luggage at the apartment, we took a stroll along Champs-Elysees in the rain. Thank God our apartment host had provided us with 2 solid umbrellas.

Pl De La Condorde

The famous boulevard is a nice walk after visiting the Arc de Triomphe - the wide strolling area is littered with expensive shops of the most expensive brands you can think along with restaurants and cafes. Well, I actually didn't find this place too particularly interesting, probably because the shops are a bit above my price range and there's far too many panhandlers and solicitors? We did it just to say we've done it and we got to experience the infamous street.

DAY 8 - Voila CHATEAU DE VERSAILES

Off we went to Versailles. We took a metro and transfered to an RER C train toward Versailles. As soon as we got off the train, we purchased our palace admissions from a third party company on the walk toward the palace. It did cost a little more than to purchase at the palace, but it sure saved us so much time.
Versailles is freaking gorgeous .... awesome .... and was undoubtedly the best part of my time in Paris. The front entrance of the chateau is made entirely of gold and the sheer size of the building and the amount of gold used is unbelievable. We walked through the different chambers and the extravagant hall of mirrors with open jaws .... (just kidding, but I imagine that's what was running through my mind). The gardens too are equally impressive. The scenery is just breath taking.

The entrance

The Park

Overlooking Grand Trianon

The Hall of Mirrors

Chapel ceiling

Words can't describe it ... And my pictures don't do it justice!

We spent most of the day in Versailles and then took the train back to Paris. We decided to check out Paris' nightlife in the area called the Latin's Quarter, near Notre Dame. This place looked more like the Village in New York City, but much cuter. Latin's Quarter is a nice place with their charming little streets. Lots of bookstores and cafes, filled with inexpensive restaurants. Sorbonne University lay just around the corner. It really is a great place to see a different side of Paris.

DAY 9 - AROUND SEINE RIVER

Obviously the Eiffel Tower is an absolute must see in Paris, and we set this date to explore this tower. Just to find out that there was a mile long line with people eager to go up. Not willing to wait on the line we decided not to go up. I know ... :((((.... but I was quite happy to take lots of pictures around. I am sure it is well worth the wait, but I will come again some other time and purchase the ticket online.

We walked toward the Seine river and took lots of pictures before hopping on the Batobus, or river bus. Batobus is an excellent alternative way to view all the major sights in Paris. This river bus service stops at eight spots along the river starting from Eiffel, Musee d'Orsay, Saint Germain des Pres, Notre Dame, Jardin des Plantes, Hotel de Ville, Louvre and Champs-Elysees. It is a great way to get from one attraction to another attraction in Paris along the Seine. France has so much to offer beyond Paris, that it gets difficult to choose where to go next, but we made it stop at Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame and Louvre.

I don't remember what was in my head at Batobus

Musee d'Orsay, formerly a railroad station, is located on the left bank of the Seine river and is home to France's largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art including masterpieces by big names such Van Gogh, Monet, etc. The Musee d'Orsay is by no means a hidden gem of Paris.

Notre Dame Cathedral is absolutely breathtaking in its size and grandeur. I am not Catholic, but we admired the skills of people back in the day in terms of artworks and architectures. It is an amazing piece of history. Just not sure why there is a bunch of gargoyles on the top of the cathedral?

Its a shame that we couldn't get into the museum. We came late and the museum was about to close in an hour and thirty minutes. But looking at the glass pyramid was enough for us.

The Louvre entrance

The view from Jardin des Tuileries

Ohh we made it to Moulin Rouge too

DAY 10 - GROETEN VAN ROTTERDAM

We took another train from Gare Du Nord towards Rotterdam, Netherlands. Surprisingly we got our seats next to another Indonesian group from Allianze Insurance company. It was nice to meet people who speak the same language in a foreign land. We chatted, laughed and got better acquainted during the 2.5 hour ride. And here we thought the whole cabin would be just for us ... :))

Rotterdam was our last stop in Europe, we picked Rotterdam instead of Amsterdam, because I wanted to meet my cousin Inge and her family that I had never met. We haven't seen each other for about 7 years and at the time, she was still single. Now she's married to a Dutch man named Arno and has 2 beautiful daughters, Arinda and Alexa. When we finally met at the train station, we were all so excited! They took us to their newly renovated penthouse, and my oh my, it is a lovely home and they're a lovely family.

Two adorable nieces

DAY 11 - WALKING TOUR ROTTERDAM

After having a Holland breakfast made by meneer Arno, they took us on a walking tour. Rotterdam is a modern, industrial city and home to the largest sea port in Europe. Our walk started from Popenburg area toward the SS Rotterdam. On the way there, we passed Laurenskerk and the statue of Desiderius Erasmus (the renaissance humanist).

The statue of Erasmus

Than we passed a mall called "Koopgoot" an underground shopping center.

The entrance of Gootkoop

Passing the sculpture of City Without Heart which was built as a memorial to the destruction of the city center by the Germans in the World War II

De Verwoeste Stad (The Destroyed City) sculpture

We strolled along the canal until we were closed to the Erasmus Bridge. We took our first break before we cross the bridge at the Grand Cafe Prachtig.

Overlooking the Erasmus Bridge

In this picture we were already on the other side of the bridge. Not sure how many miles we've been walking.

Cheers

After we strolled over the bridge, we went passed Hotel New York. This building was the former headquarter building of the Holland American Line Steamship.

in front of used to be HQ of HAL

We finally reached our destination at "SS Rotterdam", the giant float hotel. This prestigious flagship of Holland American Line today permanently docked as a hotel and museum at Katendrecht in the very heart of Rotterdam.

We had our lunch at the deck of the ship. One could only imagine this ship powering across the Atlantic back in the 50's. Loved the deck with the views of the port and city.

On the way back to the city center of Rotterdam, we took a water taxi, and it was a perfect end to our visit of this amazing historical ship.

Kubus house in the background

As we proceeded home, we passed this interesting yellow cube houses on the Blaak area, people do live in this confused looking tilted cube. Just looking at them makes me wonder what living inside would be like.

A walking tour really does offers an excellent opportunity to experience Rotterdam first hand. Rotterdam is such a different city, unlike other European city I saw, its architectures here is very new due to the fact the city was flattened during the world war II.

Finally, our adventure ends here, and I hope there will be another adventure that I can share with all of you. All that is left to say is thank you to Arno, Inge and kids, it was not the time we spend together that really matters, but the moment together that makes a memory. Love you guys!

TOT ZIENS EN DANK U WEL

Till then!

Thank you for reading, and may you have a blessed day.

SCATTERED INDONESIAN WAROENG IN SOUTH PHILLY

2012-03-03T22:18:00.000-05:00

So, one boring Saturday we decided to get some sun exposure at the park. We left the house around 12 PM, and the weather was a mix of sun and clouds. It was a very cloudy day and we were scared it was gonna rain but we decided to drive down to Philadelphia anyway. The city of Philly Cheese Steak ... city of The Liberty Bell .....

Entering Philadelphia

We drove down to South Philly where approx 10,000 Chinese-Indonesian immigrants who escaped persecution were living. Some arrived as refugees seeking asylum after fleeing turmoil in Indonesia. In fact, many of these immigrants left their successful businesses and careers back home. Some of those who gain permanent residency thru asylum have established Indonesian restaurants, small stores (called warung), etc.

Entering South Philly

Located on Snyder, just off of Passyunk, we found a decent Indonesian Restaurant called Indonesia Restaurant. http://www.loveindonesiarestaurant.com/

Indonesia Restaurant

The food they offered was typically East Javanese. We ordered tahu berontak (fried stuffed tofu) and martabak (a crepe-like dish with egg filing) as our starters, sate babi manis (sweet pork satay) and sop buntut (oxtail soup) as our main course, and two orders of es dawet (a cocktail of rice flour, jackfruit with coconut milk and palm sugar) as our desserts. The food had an authentic and exotic taste. Considering its generous portions, the prices were within a reasonable price too.

Our lunch special

After Indonesian Restaurant, we walked a few blocks over where we found a small take out place called Fan's Cafe. LOL .... don't get to exciting with the name Fan's Cafe. There weren't any dining tables, chairs, or a wait staff. When you walk in, there is a bullet-proof window with a menu posted on it and you can place your order thru the window. Unfortunately, when we got there, which was around 3ish, they were running low on food. I was only able to order one nasi kuning lengkap (yellow rice), 2 orders of nasi padang (padang dishes), 2 orders of batagor (crispy tofu and wahoo fish dumpling in peanut sauce), mpek-mpek and nasi goreng ikan asin (salty fish fried rice). I have to say, despite the aesthetics, the food is a must try!

Fan's Cafe

Place your order here

I've dined out at several Indonesian restaurants in the New York area, but I'm not sure if their dishes can even justify the rich and savory flavor of these 2 places.

We promised ourselves that we will return as soon as possible, even if it does take 2 hours to get there.

Yum .... Yum ...... Gobble ... Gobble .....

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mia and Her Collection: Memory Lane @ Ogilvy & Mather

2012-01-24T13:49:00.000-05:00

http://miaandhercollection.blogspot.com/2012/01/memory-lane-ogilvy-mather.html?spref=bl: It's been a while since my last blog, and I need a boost to start writing again. So many things have happened since my last blog and I ...

Memory Lane @ Ogilvy & Mather

2012-01-23T13:39:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since my last entry, and I need a boost to start writing again. So many things have happened since my last blog and I couldn't bring myself to sit and think of what I was going to write ... so a long pause was my best solution.

Soooo ... here is the story ..., last August we received big news that our parent company, The WPP Group Advertising Agency, decided to send their finance related departments to India, and my job at Ogilvy Advertising Agency will be effected as soon as March 31, 2012. I had to act cool when my manager and human resource rep delivered the message. Some employees couldn't hold their emotions and cried, while some experienced shock, panic, a sense of identity loss, and fear all at once. But in the back of my mind I felt that my dreams ... my plans were being pulled away from me, not to mention thinking of my financial stability. The positive part of the layoff is that the agency gave us 8 months notice, that way we could prepare and make necessary adjustments.
Oh .... hold on!!!! ......, the agency retained us long enough for us to train their cheap foreign replacements .... yeah ... its a take and give game... That's fair though ..... not like I am being laidoff and need to gather my belongings into a big box right away, that makes it obvious to everyone.

With the Holiday season passed by, so as my time at Ogilvy. At times I felt unmotivated, in fact, sometimes I would fall into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seemed to difficult. But this is not the story I had intended to tell. I still have two and a half more months left to lighten my mood ... :)))

Things happened during holiday season at Ogilvy was Market Place ... Holiday Party ... and our Dept Party ...

As a result of last year's feedback, Ogilvy coordinated another holiday market event. The date was December 1, from 12 Noon - 2PM. The event was a bit bigger and better this year. Some were put on a waiting list, but since I was a former participant, I was reached out first and I thought to myself ... "why not" ....

I really had no goal that day, since I had a bad experience with last year's market. The display was simple without being cheesy. Some good friends from my department came along and helped me set up and sell. The selling was not bad at all, since I haven't really changed my inventory with the exception of my fashionable eyeglasses holders.

Me with some of my creations

Buy ... Buy ... Buy ...

Ogilvy holiday celebration was happened on site, Thursday, December 15, 2011. Life jazz band was performed at the cafetaria ... the buffet dinner was served at the Theater ... and DJ and dance floor was at the 2nd floor Atrium. For some people, the office holiday party was just to have lots and lots of food. For me its time to enjoy my last year together and get a chance to spend time with co-workers and others outside of work. Nothing wild, we just chat, we dance and we had so much fun while networking on the side. After all, we've been working hard all year and it's time to bring the happy face.

The Inside Tent Dance floor

Live Jazz at the Cafetaria

Some office buddies

In the midst of our lousy news, our department still managed the end of year functions, but this time it was held at one of the office conference room. The event usually to celebrate staff achievements and of course to share the joys of the season, but this time we celebrated our last holiday gathering. The room was decorated by a well-meaning co-workers. Our dinner was ordered from BB King Restaurant. Nothing fancy .... no games .... not much laughter ..... and not much to say. After dinner we all can't wait to go home ..... sad eeerrrggg .....

Well that's the story.
In my next story I probably talk about how's life being a house wife ..... LOL .... maybe :))

Have fun in life and remember you only live once so make the most of it as long as you don’t harm others and enjoy your journey.

God bless you all…….

Mia and Her Collection: Mia's Collection Fall Edition

2011-09-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

Mia and Her Collection: Mia's Collection Fall Edition: In the market, many kinds of brand name jewelries to choose, from the latest European styles, while others prefer American’s. As anyone wh...

Mia's Collection Fall Edition

2011-09-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

In the market, many kinds of brand name jewelries to choose, from the latest European styles, while others prefer American’s. As anyone who has shopped for fashion jewelry and other accessories knows, keeping up with trends can be expensive. For some people, brand is very important, and that's fine as long as they're happy and they can afford it.

Nowadays, people are getting more attracted by the handcrafted jewelry, because they are unique and innovative and they are made by a local artisan. The wonderful thing about handmade jewelry is that they are one of a kind. The design cannot be compared to those you see in stores.

Jewelry trends come and go, but traditional styles you will wear for many years. My fall style jewelry is stick to a simple conservative and the color inspired by the beauty of the season.

Fancy jasper beads are the basis of this necklace. It is hand-cut and well-polished with color range from mauve, green and brown tones, and it is strung nicely between honey and deep green Czech glass for a warming style.

Antique pewter are used for spacers and toggle.

This necklace measures approx 20 inches in length.

These 22/24 mm round mosaic beads are made of dark yellow multiple layers of mother-of-pearl and dark yellow amber resin. Complimenting the beads, I've added yellow amber hollow glass, amber quartz and red Czech fire-polish rondelles as a variation.
This necklace measures approximately 19 1/2 inches.

A highly unusual stone, lepidolite varies in color from light pink/purple to salmon, with inclusions ranging from pale yellow to dark . This teardrop lapidolite natural stone is strung nicely in between lime/green turquoise beads stone and sterling silver spacer, and it is secured with a double-sided textured antique pewter toggle.
This necklace measure 18 1/2 inches in length.

*** Necklace and Earring ***
This lustrous teardrop style black onyx is strung with twisted smoky quartz beads and gold Czech fire polish glass. Very elegant style and can be worn with any low cut blouse or dress.
This necklace measure 17 1/2 inches in length.
Earring measure approx 2 1/2 inches in length.

Feel free to email me with any questions and please visit my jewelry site at www.Pragajewelry.Etsy.com for even more handmade jewelry!

Last but not least, find a way to express your creativity through accessories.

Thank you guys for reading.

Mia's Collection

Mia and Her Collection: Before and After

2011-08-19T20:17:00.000-04:00

Mia and Her Collection: Before and After: When we bought our first home 13 years ago ... our living room was primed white, so its stay white until last month. I decided that I was s...

Before and After

2011-08-19T15:48:00.006-04:00

When we bought our first home 13 years ago ... our living room was primed white, so its stay white until last month. I decided that I was sick and tired of the boring and dull color living room and having it feel like in a hospital cave. I wanted to warm up the living room and make it feel a bit cozier and make it more minimalist, means everything serves a specific function. …. less clutter and more appealing.

Since make over is not in our budget, I am trying to keep costs extremely low by Do-it-Yourself (DIY). To reduce spending to much nick-knacks, I thought some accent wall will bring extra drama and color in a living room. One dark color on a shortest wall because it’s the only wall that doesn’t join to another room, and lighter color on a longer wall. My first choice was deep red wine, almost like burgundy. There’s something so inspiring about that color, but my final choice fall to deep green. Green reminds me of nature. Green also has a calming effect when used as a main color for decorating.

Preparation

I took off summer Friday to start painting the ceiling white. After clearing all big objects from the living room, I started painting the ceiling white. Painting the ceiling requires great efforts and patience than the walls. It took me hours to finish the ceiling, it was very doable, but it sure did hurt my arms, my neck, my shoulder and my back ….. ARGH!!! Having done it once, I will never paint the ceiling again.

Living Room Area Clear = CHECK

Light Fixture Covered = CHECK

Repair holes with spackle = CHECK

Thanks to daughter of mine who helped me with the wall painting.
She had fun painting walls using some of her techniques like this picture ..... Please don't ask me where the men of the castle are? ...... ??? ...

Good techniques

Due to the house layout, I foresee us using the kitchen primarily to cook and guests can remain seated at the bar area or in the adjacent living room. The bar seating area being opened up to the living room also allows for the cooks to interact with guests in the living room. Our goals were to open the spaces to each other and to reorganize and upgrade the kitchen in a warm and elegant entertaining area. Therefore, a dated and save energy appliances are needed, since the oven didn't work for almost 2 years, old refrigerator been around for over 13 years and already make some noise, the over-the-counter microwave was greasy, and they all screamed for a change. Also, needs to create a pleasing flow of the rooms into each other.

And ... oooohhh, I almost forgot I still need to get rid off the smelly, worn and nasty light blue carpet on the stairway. But, whose gonna do it???? I am sure no one willing to help with this one, since none in the house was aware of the smell and the color rejection. I convince myself that light sage green wall will look just fine with the light blue carpet .... ja ... ja ... ja ... and I kept saying that to myself over and over, until one day, I came home from work and can't take it anymore, and start reaping the carpet. My best tool was my knuckles, yes!!, I used my knuckles to pull off the carpet because I can't use my weak nails. Youtube on "how to" was my best friend around that time.

OMG .. I started it and I gotta finish it ....... have no idea how ..... YET!!!

Next .... I scrape the paint on each side of the stairs and realized that's not necessary cuz the side won't be varnished.

Voilaaaa ...... ready to paint the riser

Did I tell you that I didn't realize dusts will be all over the living room???

Of course NOT!

But after a hard work and long night, the living room - kitchen - stairway make over combo is completed. Seeing the results can be very satisfying. Like I said, this DIY make over does not breaking much of our bank account, instead I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I followed a lot of recommendations for getting stuff off the wall, dumping fake flowers, ditching a lot of knick-knacks, removing a third of the furniture. Less stuff means less to clean!!!

Less clutter, warmer living room

The adjacent kitchen view from the living room

The save energy appliances installed and same color paint flow from the living room to have a smooth continuity

Big art painting was chosen, and that's going to be the only piece of art that will fill one side of the living room wall. I let the flow of space and light create much of decoration without the confusion of ornamentation.

No more clutter wall!

Proudly saying "I DID IT MY WAY .... MYSELF"

Once I simplified the room, I Sit back, I relax, and I enjoy, took a moment to look around and enjoy it and feel the satisfaction. This is the reward for a hard work.

Ahhhh. So nice!

Now, I can start focusing on my jewelry :)

Wowww ......... you made it till the end of this blog?? Thank you guys for reading.

Mia

Mia and Her Collection: OUR BALI - JAKARTA TRIP

2011-06-30T23:48:00.000-04:00

Mia and Her Collection: OUR BALI - JAKARTA TRIP: "I began writing my blog soon after my short vacation and there was quite a lot to mention about our trip to Indonesia; however, my first dra..."

OUR BALI - JAKARTA TRIP

2011-06-30T23:30:00.000-04:00

I began writing my blog soon after my short vacation and there was quite a lot to mention about our trip to Indonesia; however, my first draft vanished, and my second and third dissapered too, and it took me a while to remember what I had written. Is something wrong with blogspot???

Anyways, the trip was short but we all had a lot of fun. Our bags were packed and we were ready to go. Our excitement was through the roof as we've all been working long and hard and we haven't visited as a family for nearly 17 years.

When we got to the airport, we learned that our flight had been delayed due to technical difficulties on the plane. It seemed like a bad joke but that was exactly what happened to us. We had about a 4 1/2 hours delay at JFK, which meant that we missed our connecting flight from Taipei to Bali. Instead, we had to catch our next flight to Bali through Hongkong and total 36 hours to fly from NYC to Bali, Indonesia. We arrived Ngurah Ray, Bali at around 1:00AM early morning, the day of the wedding.

4.5 hours delayed @ JFK

Hongkong awaiting connecting flight

GREETINGS FROM BALI

Statue of Ramayana

Our primary reason for visiting Indonesia was to attend my nephew's wedding in Bali. The ceremony and reception were held at the Villa Phalosa, a modern, architectural beach front-setting located at the Batubelig district of Seminyak. The ceremony proceeded smoothly and wonderfully, accompanied by the sounds of the waves and the cool sea breeze. Prior to dinner, we were entertained by the Balinese Kecak Dance. The dinner that followed was just simply remarkable. We all had a good time:)))


The venue

The food stall

Beautiful set up

Exchanging sacred vows with each other facing the grand Indian Ocean
The couple looking absolutely happy

Smiles, joy, and laughter filled their face .... saying "I DO"

The sisters in their modern yet traditional outfit

The Waworuntus and their Momma Bear

The Korompis Family

The Kecak Dance
Best known of the many Balinese dances

Taken from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, tale of Prince Rama and Princess Sinta

The background choir of men who provide the "bek-ti-bek-ti-bek-ti instead of "chak-a-chak-a-chak" noise.

jajajajaja .........

POTATO HEAD CLUB, SEMINYAK

While in Bali, a friend of ours took us to the Potato Head Club in Seminyak. I was pleasantly surprised with the set up of the place. It was a funky building with a rustic, vintage wood shutters all over the exterior and the entrance. The scenery was amazing, great for chillin' out. Since we came a little late, we were only able to get a bed lounge by the poolside (which felt even better to see as the beautiful pool overlooks the fresh-breeze ocean).

The left side wing

Our bed lounge by the pool

The right side wing

LAKA-LÉKÉ RESTAURANT in UBUD

Next we went to LAKA-LÉKÉ Restaurant in Ubud. LAKA-LÉKÉ means “hideaway” in Balinese, and is appropriate name since the place itself is literally “hidden away” from the main road. This place offers beautiful views of gardens, lily ponds and rice field. Since we came in a big party, we chose to sit at the big pavilion in the back of the restaurant, which facing a fantastic scenery of paddy field. Food that I ordered is no other than “The Famous Crispy Duck”, served with rice, vegetables and of course hot spicy sauce … taste delicious … yummyyyy ……….

Beautiful landscape and huts

Eat with a hand is a MUST!!!!

JAKARTA

We visited Jakarta for a short trip. It was great to be in my old hometown again, such a warm feeling to say "HALLO" to my mother, my sister and my brother. On my last trip to Jakarta in 2007, I still had a chance to say goodbye to my father and whispers into his ear "till we meet again". But unfortunately, I have no chance of meeting him again, but I believe God has a better place for him.

Upon my midnight arrival in Jakarta, I was excited by the smooth traffic ... wooohoooo ..., not until the next morning when we left the house and caught up with the extremely... I meant extremely high traffic congestion. Narrow streets and busway contribute to more traffic jams. Every where you go, you will see hundreds of motorcycles around you. Their ability to beat the heavy traffic has made them one of the most effective modes of transportation in the city of Jakarta. But it cost the city a bad air pollution and air quality.

Without Any Doubt

1) Jakartan are famous for their skills driving on a zig-zagging manner and have a very little respect for the rule of law.

2) New luxury malls everywhere, but quiet and deserted.

3) Antibiotic can be purchased with no prescription around the corner.

4) Almost every Jakartan carry more than 1 cellphone and they are addicted to BlackBerry.

5) In Jakarta you can find many cafe offering Shisha with a various kind of flavors, and children under 18 can legally or freely smoke them ....... right on Indon .... heheheh ....

Daily commute

Daily commuter

Four in One .... NO PROBLEM!!!

MEET THE FAMILY

Fabiola is my cousin who lived in the middle of the Jakarta. She and her husband has been so kind and generous to let us stay at her huge house in Jln. Bangka. And not only that, she dedicated her whole 12 days taking us around and getting things done. The first night we stayed, we had Korompis family (from my mother's side) get together at her house. Terrific menu had been served and some family members brought their own special dishes. We all had a good time eventhough the weather at that time consider steamy. After dinner, kids were ready with karaoke and poco-poco dance.

In my husband family reunion, they were talking about how to develop a family reunion culture that will pass to their kids and their next generations. I would say about 80% of the whole huge Martokusumo's clan showed up. Unfortunately, I don't have pics to put up.

Meet the cousins

Karaoke and poco-poco

Karaoke is on

BANDUNG

Our next destination was Bandung. Bandung is not only known as the center of high education, but it is also known for its many shopping malls, factory outlets, and their fried gourame of course. As soon as we arrived in Bandung, we went straight to Sari Sunda Restaurant. The food is traditional Sundanese food and it was pretty tasty. The ambiance is a typical Sundanese restaurant with rattan decor, suling bamboo instruments playing in the background, and some huts located behind the restaurant.

Sari Sunda Restaurant

Fried Gourame

Grilled Tilapia

Sambal (spicy hot sauce)

Sator bean known as pete

Fish with yellow sauce ..... hhhmmmm delicious

Bandung is really a shopping paradise. With so many factory outlets, you can shop till you drop. After lunch we went straight to Rumah Mode, one of the top shopping outlets located at Jalan Setiabudi. As we drove into the parking lot, instead of seeing a usual outlet store, we saw something more interesting. It was like entering a resort because of its beautiful landscape. It was very welcoming to all shoppers. It is by far the most beautiful outlet I have ever seen and apparently the most popular one in Bandung. In addition to the main shopping area, there is a cafe where you can sit and relax while waiting for others. I was excited to see just how much shopping I'd end up doing, but in the end, I found myself not emptying out my wallet ......only because I kept reminding myself that I came to Indonesia to buy nothing other than Indonesian Batiks. So, after browsing around and purchasing a few shirts, we had our dinner at the cafe.

Front entrance of Rumah Mode Factory Outlet

We literally stayed until dark, than drove up to Kampung Daun for dessert. Kampung Daun is located about 30 – 45 minutes away from Bandung. This is another must-try place to anyone going to Bandung. It’s a village-style restaurant built into a slope and consists of individual huts scattered around a valley with a stream flowing by in the background. There are different sizes of huts available according to the number of patrons per party. They are nicely decorated with comfy pillows, spaced, and covered to offer privacy. The view from each hut was stunning, especially those nestling on the hill side. Overall, the atmosphere made you feel like you were somewhere in the middle of a rain forest. The best time to come to this restaurant is during night time, when you'll be surrounded by traditional lanterns.


The entrance of Kampung Daun

The path leading to each huts

Our comfy hut


Our dessert of the night ... poffertjes, pisang goreng

REUNION

Our small get-together was held at Score, Citos. The theme was dubbed "3G," which stands for Galak-Galak-Gadang, the equivalent of English Internet Slang "LMAO" (Laugh My Ass Off) or "LOL" (Laugh Out Loud).
Although only about 40 classmates showed up, it was a great feeling of nostalgia to see familiar faces from one of the happiest periods of my childhood. The weather cooperated, the venues were great, the live band was entertaining and renewing old friendships were wonderful. The big and crowded room was filled with friendship, laughter, good cheers and fond memories. Some classmates flew from Pekanbaru, Jogjakarta and Balikpapan. One thing we had in common was that we are all leading happy lives. Some have their own businesses, some became professors, some work in corporate, some are stay-at-home-mothers, and of course some are still single and available. And I'm already planning of how soon am I able to collect my social security for my retirement …. LOL … Our reunion committee (Elly Aritonang, Novi Sibuea, Reinhard Harianja, Verdy Armin, Wiwied Rahagung) have been busy doing a lot of “behind the scenes”planning and made efforts to reach as many members as possible.

The member of Cendana 82

The poco-poco lead by Ray

Still going and going ...

Lovely posed with Nedi, Novi & Elly ..... booooyaaaaa .... LOL

The gathering ended at 12:00 midnight, and most didn’t want the night to end. So, off we went to a karaoke place and my night finally ended at 4:00 AM in the morning.
Thank you to all who made the night so memorable and thank you to those who sponsored the event.

Karaoke after midnight

DREAM HOUSE of RANCAMAYA????

So, after visited my father's grave, we went straight to Rancamaya Golf Estate. Situated just about 45 minutes away from Jakarta (in normal traffic conditions). The estate offers crisp fresh air, this very inspiring Rancamaya has a beautiful view of Mt. Salak on the other side and Mt. Pangrango on the other side, and Bogor City

Beautiful picturesque

My dream

That concluded my busy and enjoyable vacation in both Bali and Jakarta.
Here I stood saying goodbye to my mom, God willing I will still able to see her again somehow, someday .... who knows ......................

Our Indonesian goodbye ..... LOL ...

Last peak from China Airlines ... auf revoir Indonesia

GOODBYE INDONESIA ..... TILL WE MEET AGAIN!!!

Leave a comment if you like guys .... and thank you for reading my story:)

SWAROVSKI PEARL

2011-04-13T13:57:00.000-04:00

About Pearl.

A diamond is forever, but pearls have been recognized as prized jewels in the history of pearls for centuries longer than any cut stone. “Pearls are like a woman. Once you discover her, you will never stop loving her.” Yvonne Hammouda-Eyre

There are real pearls and there are fake pearls called faux, plastic, resin, glass, simulated, manmade, etc. For genuine pearls, there are cultured pearls and natural pearls. Natural pearls have formed natural without human intervention at all, in the wild, and is very rare, but cultured pearls is formed in a pearl farm, using human intervention as well as natural processes. The value of the pearls in jewelry is determined by a combination of the luster, color, size, lack of surface flaw and symmetry that are appropriate for the type of pearl under consideration. Among those attributes, luster is the most important differentiator of pearl quality according to jewelers.

Now, since real pearl is not in everyone's budget, I offer a Swarovski Crystal Pearl. They are affordable and perfect imitations of natural pearls. Swarovski made the finest and most magnificent manufactured crystal pearl in the world. These pearls look lustrous and feel natural, are scratch resistant, will not peel and are resistant to sunlight, alcohol, soaps, perfumes and perspiration. The core bead is genuined Swarovski crystal.

My collection of swarovski crystal pearl is including necklace, bracelet and earrings. Most of my Swarovski Pearl collection consist of mix semi-precious gemstones or hand blown glass. With my pearl jewelry you can dress up the most boring outfit and make you feel and look elegant.

THE LUXURY PLATINUM SWAROVSKI PEARL

This luxury style necklace is made of 14 mm crystal platinum swarovski pearls. It is further decorated with red twisted cut glass and smoky glistening Czech fire polish glass in between. It is complimented with a matching set of earrings. Perfect as a gift to a friend, a loved one on your Silver or Platinum Anniversary, or simply to treat yourself!
Measures 19 1/2 inches in length.

EXQUISITE BEAUTY OF SWAROVSKI PEARL

Made of brown Swarovski Pearls and three big, round, dark purple hallow glass artisan beads. These big and beautifull hollow glass beads serve as the necklace's main focal point. To add more contrast, antique silver plated beads were used in between each Swarovski pearl and glass bead.
This necklace measures 17 1/2 inches in length and finished with antique pewter toggle.

FLAWLESS TAHITIAN & DARK GREY SWAROVSKI PEARL

This 16 1/2 inches beautiful necklace is made of dark grey and tahitian Swarovski pearl. The pearls used in the Swarovski fashion jewelry collection are simulated, not natural pearls. Crystal Pearls by Swarovski are pearls made with a crystal core.

MODERN BUT SOPHISTICATED MURANO SET

This necklace measures 23 inches in length, is a combination of an oval 35 x 12 mm murano hand-blown glass, maroon/dark brown swarovski pearl and decorated with orange agate and moss green czech fire polish rondelle. Spacer and bead-caps are made of silver plated beads and Bali silver beads. The earrings compliment the necklace however it does not consist of the murano glass.

NATIVE SIGNATURE

This 17.5 inches necklace is strung beautifully with green and brown magnesite tube stones. Between each beautiful magnesite lays a chocolate swarovski pearl and two smoky Czech rondelles.
The matching 1 3/4 inches earings consist of a chocolate swarovski pearl, a smoky Czech rondelle, and finishing silver components.
Antique pewter is used for all silver components in this set including the necklace toggle.

THE SWAROVSKI AND CULTURED PEARL

This simple elegant style necklace is made of 14 mm round dark purple swarovski pearl and mauve cultured freshwater pearl. Bead cap are made of bali silver and spacer component are made of silver plated.
It is measure 18 inches in length and closes with a simple screw-type clasp.

SPICE IT UP WITH BORDEAUX

This is a handcrafted light green and pink lampworked glass beads with vibrant colors and artistic rose design. I spice it up with 14 mm bordeaux color Swarovski pearl, this romantic color necklace can be worn in any function.
Measures approximately 24 inches in length is decorated with silver plated beads and toggle.

Now .... tell me folks, how do you like my Swarovski Crystal Pearl collection?????

Your comment or input is greatly appreciated.

'Till next subject :)

Mia

BALI STATE OF MIND

2011-03-22T13:57:00.000-04:00

The Archipelago

Lyrics of Bali State of Mind

by unknown.

Some folks like to get away

Take a holiday from the neighborhood

Hop a flight to Miami Beach

Or to Hollywood

But I am taking China Airlines

Transit over Anchorage and Taiwan,

I'm in a Bali State of Mind.

I've seen all, snow, sleet/freezing rain

5 PM as dark as 9PM

New York City slushy mess

Been driving on ice covered road

But I know what I'm needing

And I don't want to waste more time

I'm in a Bali State of Mind

It's still cold outside, but I can't wait for my next month getaway vacation. I convince myself to start prepare what need to bring, who should I meet, where am I going to stay, what am I going to wear and not to mention the most important think how much funds available to bring. I love vacations ... who doesn't???? ... I sometimes think I live for vacations ... waaakakkkkakakakk .... The ability to suppress reality for a few days ... no bills due dates, no time lines, no project plans, no alarm clocks, no cooking, no cleaning, no rushing here and there, definitely no obligations of daily living ...... just thinking about it brings a sense of vacation state of mind!

One of the places that I have always wanted to visit again and again has been Bali. I went to Bali four years ago and don't know why I felt so drawn to go there again. And yes, this spring I am traveling abroad to Bali, Indonesia to attend my nephew's wedding. Surely, the best and unforgettable destination for a romantic wedding. Accommodation checked! Rental car checked! Party gown checked! Bathing suit ....... wait a second ...... that's not on my list ..... need to loose some inches to bring my sexy back ...... hahahahahh ..... Well, I have to remind myself that I will have to live in the moment.

Little that I know about Bali.

In 2009, the Island of Bali was rank #1 World's Best Islands by Travel + Leisure Magazine. This Island of the Gods is part of the 13,700 islands that make up Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world. Bali always a favorite destination for me and those in need of a little relaxation. Green and lush, rich in culture and scenery, their kindness and hospitality are legendary, this tropical island continues to attract visitors from around the world including domestics. Even after the 2002 bomb attacked by this Radical Islamic organization, Bali stands up and rebuild its tourist industry once again.

After Bali, we are flying to Jakarta, capital of Indonesia and the largest city in Indonesia. Jakarta is located in the island of Java. All my relatives and good old friends lived in Jakarta. Some relatives already make plans for a family gathering on behalf of us, not to mention my childhoods friends from Caltex, class of 82 already start making plans for our small reunion. After all, its been 30 years apart, some of them I met 4 years ago, but I am looking forward to see others. And I can't wait to write a story about that.

My flight is next month ...... doo wop doo wop .......wish me luck .... I am kinda scared of flying ...... :((((

Till next time folks,
Warm regards,
Mia

2011-02-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

http://www.playlist.com/playlist/21482868747

Mia and Her Collection: NO CELLPHONE ETIQUETTE THIS DAYSSS???

2011-02-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

Mia and Her Collection: NO CELLPHONE ETIQUETTE THIS DAYSSS???: "Can You Hear Me Now???? (Verizon quote) 'YES, For Pete sake..... WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW!!!!!!!!!' (My quote) Have you overheard a hal..."

NO CELLPHONE ETIQUETTE THIS DAYSSS???

2011-02-23T11:56:00.000-05:00

Can You Hear Me Now???? (Verizon quote)

"YES, For Pete sake..... WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW!!!!!!!!!" (My quote)

Have you overheard a halfalogue or overheard one-sided cellphone conversation on a public transportation? "Hi" ....... "What's up?" ....... "I'm on the bus" ..... "we can talk" ....... "oh my God" ..... "you kidding????" ...........

Halfaloguers seems to ignore the fact that when they talk to someone on a quiet bus, it destroys the ability of anyone else to read a book or even to sleep until the person finishes it's conversation. Is it necessary to discuss about relationship issues or worse, yet, to talk about what was happened last night? "Hi" ..... (giggle) .... "yes" .... "last night was ..." As a result, my brain will try to fill in the blanks when I hear half of this conversation ....... LOL, yeah .... you will do the same, would'nt yaa?

Last week, this woman was sitting behind me, for the whole 45 minutes I was forced to listen to her halfalogue conversation about the other woman they don't like. Seriously woman ..... its annoying, I am sure half load of commuter gritting their teeth listened to her personal conversations. Why can't she offer to call the person back, or the least she could do was try to tone down her voice. Or the other day, some dude was discussing about some kind of enterprise campaign ..... I meant .... discussed about work related on the bus???? I was like ..... "Dude, what's wrong with office desk ... and/or ... private line .... ???" Was he tried to impress people surround him about who he is or his accomplishments? Ten years ago, what was it like sitting on the bus with no noise irritating our ears??? It must be pretty quiet and comfy .....

What is today's etiquette in a human society? Some 30 years ago, etiquette was part of my school curriculum. I am sure nowadays, those are obsolete ...................

Just me, daily commuter :)
Mia

FIND THE PERFECT GIFT FOR YOUR VALENTINE

2011-02-03T13:10:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and with it comes an opportunity to extend some love and kindness.

God sent His love to us through His scriptures that full of mercy, kindness, love and compassion. But what ideas or what message will you send to your loved one? Love is the most precious gift that one can ever think of on Valentine's Day. But, some cute bouquet of Valentine's Day roses is not a bad idea to express it to your loved one :))))

Here are several suggestions without breaking your budget:

Show your love by sending a handmade gift. All kinds of arts and crafts are becoming more popular gifts these days. Think of the fun by creating your own Valentine's gift exchange to your teachers, classmates, or simply gift to your favorite dog. Here are some pieces of handcrafted gift that I found from Family Fun website.

For your teacher, a clap hand and a tube of hand lotion.

Puppy Love Locket for your dog

For your classmates

Black, white and fuchsia (hot pink) matchbox for your coworker
picture from Etsy

There is a variety of other options to shop other than a bouquet of flowers.
Have you ever thought of a cake? Like this cake?

White Chocolate Rose Mousse Cake

from http://www.thebleedingheartbakery.com/ ........ hmmmm yumm ....

OR, you may want to consider the permanence of a gift. Flowers, cakes or a box of candy will be enjoyed for the short term, whereas jewelry will last a lifetime.

Browse and shop a lovely selection of jewelry for Valentine's Day gifts from www.Pragajewelry.Etsy.com. Affordable assortment of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets in sterling silver, silver plated, gemstones, glass and more.

This beautiful necklace measures 18 inches in length.
The color is a combination of plum and amethyst and is made of enameled pewter with swarovski crystal, cat's eye glass and amethyst rondelles by Czech fire polish.

This vibrant red coral charm bracelet is sure to spice up any outfit.

Measures 8 inches in length

This is a two stranded coral/magnesite necklace measures about 28 1/2 inches in length.

This 17 3/4 inches necklace is made of red twisted tube glass,

round cherry quartz and it is further decorated with silver plated flower accent.

This chic necklace is made with a 19 x 13 mm white magnesite rondelle,

accented with red quartz and bali beads spacer.
Measure 18 1/2 inches in length and finished with a fancy toggle clasp.

Matching bracelet

Measure 8 1/2 inches in length with 1 1/2 inches extender.

This pink hearts shaped glass are bursting with playful metallic shimmer and lovely copper swirl.

The combination color of pink and amethyst is separated by a silver plated beads.
Measures17 1/4 inches in length

This is a stylist bracelet made with a vintage-style light green and pink lampwork glass beads,

with vibrant colors and artistic rose design.
Measures approximately 8 1/2 inches in length

This piece is made of opaque red rondelle and twisted oval glass beads.
Measures approximately 26 1/2 inches in length.

Again folks, please visit my jewelry collection at www.Pragajewelry.Etsy.com

Last but not least ............ here is the greatest love and kindness of all.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life".

John 3:16

Love,

Mia

Mia and Her Collection: EARLY SNOW BLIZZARD HITS EASTCOAST ..... CK...CK.....

2011-01-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

Mia and Her Collection: EARLY SNOW BLIZZARD HITS EASTCOAST ..... CK...CK.....: "A blizzard is a severe snowstorm usually accompanied by high winds, blowing snow, very cold temperature and the blowing snow can cause white..."

EARLY SNOW BLIZZARD HITS EASTCOAST ..... CK...CK...CK....

2011-01-21T21:36:00.000-05:00

A blizzard is a severe snowstorm usually accompanied by high winds, blowing snow, very cold temperature and the blowing snow can cause whiteout conditions that make driving and walking nearly impossible. This unexpectedly perfect storm arrived in unprepared NYC, NJ area the day after Christmas, where pretty much every retailer in the United States has outrageous after Christmas Day Sale.

As many folks head out the door for Day After Christmas Sales ........ me and my husband Eddie, made our way to go to Macy's Herald Square in NYC. Snow was already start falling but not to heavy, so we thought its just another snow. Oh, and yes, none of us checked weather channel that a blizzard warning is in effect for New York City and surrounding. We arrived at Macy's and got a perfect parking right in front of the building. That was around 2:30PM. Soooo ..... if you think most of New Yorker will stay home watch TV and eat their hot soup, you are mistaken. Macy's was packed! My friend Grace happened to work at Macy's, so after Macy's we were heading Queens to attend the Indonesian Catholic Apostle Christmas celebration, Grace and her husband Darmo came along in our car. We stayed at the party until 9PM.

When we're about ready to go home, we were shock to see the outside blizzard. Me and Grace with our high heels tried to fight our way to the car (duuuuhhh ...... it's a party). The snow was nearly 10 inches high, higher than our heels ... LOL. After spinning and sliding in the huge unplowed parking lot, our seventh generation Honda Accord 2005 made it's way out to the almost empty street. We drove not more than 20 miles an hour due to low visibility. Once we reach Manhattan, that's where the problem began. More traffics ahead of us, some sliding, some spinning, some dancing on ice, some covering the whole street. Some taxis was abandoned in the middle of the street. A GMC Terrain SUV wheels are sliding out of control on ice, and you think how come their four wheels drive vehicle can't go. LOL, it doesn't matter if it's four wheels or two wheels, it's still just rubber on ice. So, we were about to make a turn on 57th street, hoping that wider and major street will be well plowed, but before we made a turn, we didn't realize that the snow on the side was that high. Our car got stuck just in front of a taxi that also got stuck. The car won't move, all of a sudden this Samaritan China man whose taxi's stuck in the snow bank came to our rescue. He pushed our car as much he can until finally did moved. We all thanked him, but in return he asked us to help push his taxi. Eddie and Darmo was like ...... "oh crap", they just wore a suit with no jacket, no gloves, no hat, not to mention their leather shoes. So, we told him we're going to help and again try to park the car into a better spot. Unfortunately, we got trapped again that I have to switch and seats behind the wheel while the boys tried to push the car. After all the pushed forward, push backward and push forward again, the car out of the snow bank, and I make sure look for a better spot to stop which was actually far from the China man's cab. What happen to the two boys? Their face and hands were frozen and they couldn't help to get inside the car, so we regretly left the China man behind. We all felt soooo bad to the China man, but that's what happen when you were not prepare with winter gear. So we strolled very slowly on 57th street, but all of sudden the wipers when completely off. But we were afraid to stop and fix the wipers, cuz when we stop, it will be hard to slide the wheels. With zero visibility, just depending on lights, we moved extremely slow. We thought we're not gonna make it home with no wipers. When we reached Fifth Avenue we got a better spot to stop and clean the wipers and voillaaaa ...... it works ....... so off we go.

Numerous people simply gave up waiting for bus and taxi, instead they walking down in the middle of the street. We were wondering how come Manhattan streets were not being plowed, or maybe they only did once??? Or could it be the snow just fall too fast???

Anyway, we made our way out Manhattan and facing another problem on Rt. 3. A huge truck trailer was stuck horizontally and covering three out of four lane highway. After waiting for about half an hour for the NJ trooper to haul the trailer, we finnally able to pass the trailer and traffic was moving slowly through the slushy snow covered roads. We got home almost 1 AM and not able to enter our own driveway, by then the snow was already high and the stupid snow plower dumped the street snow into our front driveway...... whaaat daaa .... We left our car on the street and we DIVED!!!!!

The next morning I put a sign "HOUSE FOR SALE 1 MILLION US$ OBO ..... OWNER MOVED TO SUNNY AND WARM STATE" ................ hehehehe you laughing ...... let me know if you are interested :)

BALI hold my hand ..... i am coming home :)))))

End of story.

The next morning, over 30 inches of snow

Free snow, feel free to pick your own

He is thinking of playing golf

Neighbor come to our rescue

No need snowboard .... slide by itself

LEMPER AS MY CHRISTMAS GIFT

2011-01-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

Christmas is said to be a time when family members plus extended family come together to spend time with each other. Though gifts are said to be a way of showing our love and appreciation for other people, but many times buying gifts for all can surely rip a hole in our pocket. Christmas shopping can get so expensive and stressful. In my case, not only I need to spend for my family, I have to think of gift giving to neighbors. With the economy being what it is, I thought of skipping this tradition. But I thought, it is wise to build a good relationship among neighbors. They will help us when we suddenly find that sugar in our house is over or babysit our dog in times of need. I figured baking for a wonderful neighbor is most suitable gift, so, I decided to bake an authentic dish from my home country and it is called Lemper.

Lemper is Indonesian sushi which we Indonesian eat as a snacks. It is made of sticky rice dumpling stuffed with tasty shredded spiced chicken and wrapped in banana leaf. Here is my own preparation method. Of course the presentation doesn't look like the authentic Lemper we have in Indonesia, but I have to say the taste is near authentic.

Here is the authentic Lemper should look like

Ingredients

750 gram sticky or glutinous rice
1 whole chicken - boil them
2 cans of coconut milk
2 stalk lemon grass
2 slices of galangga
4 pieces salam leaves
2 pieces kaffir leaves
3 spoon tamarind sauce
1 1/2 candle nut - grind
salt
banana leaves
aluminum foil

Sticky Rice Preparation

Steam the sticky rice in a steamer. Leave it until half cook (about half an hour) and remove. Boil 1 1/2 cans of coconut milk, 2 salam leaves, 2 stalk lemon grass and a 1/2 tsp salt. Add half cooked glutinous rice into it. Stir well, cook until coconut milk is absorbed. Put back into the steamer until fully cook.

Chicken Preparation

Shred a cooked chicken into small pieces. Prepare about 3 to 4 spoon oil into a heated saucepan. Saute onions and garlic until brown, add kaffir lime leaves, salam leaves, galangga, tamarind sauce, grind candle nut and 1 tsp salt. Pour in 1/2 a can of coconut milk, 1/4 cup water and shred cooked chicken into the frying pan. Stir well until cooked and quite dry. Let it cool!

Cut aluminum foil about 7 inches, and cut banana leaves for about 5 inches. Lay banana leaf on top of the aluminum foil, flatten the sticky rice on top of it, follow with the chicken filling. Roll the foil/banana leaf and secure each end by twisting the foil.
The original Lemper should only use banana leaf and a toothpick will be used to secure each end of the leaf.




The boiled chicken look like Shredded chicken while being cooked Voila ..... before wrapped After wrapped

Ooooohhh ...... didn't I tell you that I got help also from my sister

Christmas at Rockefeller Center, NYC

2010-12-22T19:13:00.000-05:00

A world-wide symbol of New York City holiday season is the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. This year ceremony was held on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 and tens of thousands crowd the sidewalks for the event, and I am part of the millions who watch the Tree Lighting Ceremony broadcast live by NBC Channel 4. The 74 foot tall Norway spruce tree was donated by Peter Acton of Ground Zero FDNY firefighter veteran and his wife Stephanie from their Mahopac, NY home. The tree will be illuminated through January 2, 2011.

Me and my friends start our trip to Rockefeller Center and we strolled down the plaza and took lots of photographs with the tree as our background. The plaza is decorated with beautiful holiday greens, colorful lights, herald angel, wire sculpted, the nutcracker statue. The picturesque ice skaters also add to the festive scene at Rockefeller Center every holiday season. The weather was freezing cold, it was about 20 degrees with wind chill. But people seems to forget about the weather. After that we walk west toward 6th Avenue passing the Radio City Music Hall, take some pictures and walk toward 5th Avenue, looking at the Christmas window of Saks Fifth Avenue and walk through the store just to see Christmas displays. We didn't get a chance to take a picture at the giant replica of the Swarovski star that located on the north side of the plaza. On the way to our parking spot, we took a few moments to stand in front of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, on 5th Avenue, which across from Rockefeller Center. Magnificent church building.

Holiday Market Place at Ogilvy

2010-12-22T13:49:00.000-05:00

I didn't do great at the market, not only because on December 17 most people already finish with their Christmas gift, but lots of competition among jewelers. Every corner you will see jewelry being decorated on each table. And they all looks good, depending on your budget and your taste. Some were sold in the amount of $1.00, and some where sold in the amount of $80.00. My items range from $12.00 and the most expensive that I brought was $86.00 in a set.

My colleagues lend a hand

Help set up

View of the market

Christmas Collection

2010-12-22T12:54:00.000-05:00

Year 2010 is a fantastic year for gifts. There is a wide variety of hot Christmas gifts, jewelry, watches, clothes, electronic and more that should make great present ideas for everyone on your Christmas list. As for women, they will not deny if they are given jewelry as a special gift. Maybe they always dream of having them. Be your special moments more lasting by giving the right and impressive gifts. Handcrafted jewelry is your best choice to give your special one. Your loved one will never forget it all her life :) Here, you will see some of my handcrafted jewelry Christmas Collection.

They can be purchased thru my online website at http://www.pragajewelry.etsy.com/

Christmas Pageant Necklace

The Luxury Platinum Swarovski Pearl set

Christmas Glam set

Green Round Magnesite set

TIS THE RED SEASON Necklace

THE CORAL MADNESS Necklace