Mother's Day

On Monday 5/11/2014 is Mother's Day in United States, in Indonesia we might call it Hari Ibu. It said that the Mother's Day is 3rd biggest celebrate day after Valentine and Easter. On friday my son brings his craft from school, i think that day on lots of elementary students will give their mothers the craft for Mother's Day. It's very nice gesture to come home and see your son crafts and what he thinks about you. 

He gives me the World's Best Mom, for that i take it :). He also makes poem and tell me that i love to sleep! Every mother will be thankfull if they have a whole day for sleep without worrying about every thing. 

Since as usual my hubby have to work on weekends, we end up walking to Giant Eagle to have our lunch. Is actually a very nice day to walk! I know that is spring but on other part in US, we still have snow. 

 

and i also take a selfie! A Mother's Day selfie, i bet lots of mom will putting their pictures with their moms or their kids too. At the end of the day, when i search my pictures with my mom, i realize that i don't have!! Since i lived in different country than her! This is i make from my mom and me picture.

On my personal notes: got to take my pictures with my mother soon, just me and her! Oh missing you mom a lot

How is your Mother's Day? Do you have special crafts from your son? Did you find out that maybe you don't have your picture with your mom?

Pemilu/Election 2014

On April 9-10 2014, Indonesians is having the legistative elections. The parliamentary election is before the presidential election in July. Since i'm Indonesian living abroad, i got a letter to indicate that i have to choose to elect by mail or go to the Embassy in NY to cast my election. Since NY is about 6-7 hours from Pittsburgh, i prefer to send my vote.

I never vote through mail, and as i remember i just exercise my right for maybe twice. The first time is to elect Megawati Soekarno as a president and this time. As for why i don't want to exercise my right for other past election is maybe because i really disappointed on other elections either for the chosen candidate or the parliment. 

There's a lot corruptions and miss management in Indonesian Goverment. So with this condition lots of people choose not to vote, doesn't care about the election, or even when they come to vote they couldn't decide which political parties they want to choose. But this time around i see lots of changing in the Indonesian politics. I see lots of emerging young people tried to exercise their rights. Lots of social media such as Facebook, BBM, Path and Twitter that being use to gather the young people. As I amaze for this, maybe this also because lots of movement in the world now start or being reports by young people straight from the social media. 

For this time around, i wish that many people specially the younger generations go to vote and exercise their right, because every vote is count to be a better Indonesia. Here is some the of the plamphlet and the sitution in Indonesia during the Election Day

Quote : John F. Kennedy " ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" Vote!!

Putu Ayu Indonesian traditional steam cupcakes

To everybody who just stumble to my blog post and who actually request about this recipe just notice that I'm Indonesian, and i want to introduce to you one of Indonesian traditional cake. It is an easy to make, i promise you. I'm not a very good cook so i always find ways to make lot of our traditional food as easy as possible but still delicious. This recipe is also a modification since i substitute grated coconut with grated cheese

Without futher chit chat here is the recipe:

Putu Ayu Indonesian Steam Cupcakes

Ingredients

125 gr all purpose flour

150 gr sugar

3 eggs

150 ml coconut milk (you can use the can one, and find it at Chinese Store)

1 tbsp vanilla 

1 tbsp baking powder/cake emulsifier

1/4 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp green food coloring (optional)

1/3 cup of grated cheese/coconut

Directions

1. Grease 15 cupcake mold ( i use olive oil )

2. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs on high speed until pale and creamy

3. Pour the flour in to the mix and then coconut milk gradually, stirring until it blended well. Put salt and baking powder into to batter, stir well.

4. Put the green food coloring and stir it well

5. Heat the steamer, make sure it hot before you put the cake mold

6. Put the grated cheese into each mold, press firmly into the base

7. Put the cake mold to steamer, wait a bit before you pour the cake batter until the mold is full

8. Close the steamer and reduce the heat, then steam for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick into the centre comes out clean

9. When the cakes are cooked, leave to the stand for 5 minutes. Run a dull/butter knife around the edge of each mould, then ease the cake out onto a plate.

And your steam cupcakes done.

Here is the recipe in Indonesian and few of the pictures from my niece on step by step to make the cupcakes.

and here is my finish PUTU AYU and love having it with my cup of green tea

I hope that you can make the cupcakes too. Happy steaming!

Got A New Gift from Sephora and Victoria Secret

I'm so excited that i got a few freebie for my birthday from my favorite store Sephora and Victoria Secret. If you live in US, and a member of your favorite store such as Sephora and Victoria Secret, usually if you have a birthday they'll send you an email or coupon voucher to redeem at your favorite store. This what i got from Sephora gift set from Smash Box contain lipstick and small mascara. I love this gift set, since i love lipstick and also they come in travel size. So convenient since travel a lot and i love to try on sample. At Sephora too, if you buy online you going to get sample pack usually 3 sample (it came a sachet or perfume vial). You can enroll to be come Sephora VIP member for free. Remember they have different kind of sale and you can get free sample too.

As for Victoria Secret, well this one always going to give you free panty and different kind of coupon for free if you become a member too! For my birthday they gave me a $10off single purchase that i use to buy perfume mini 2 for $15, so like getting 2 perfume mini for $5!!

This program is free and i suggest that if you love makeup and VS, join their mailing list and enjoy small surprise heading your way.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored ad, i got it for free as my birthday gifts

My Birthday 2014

Last year i didn't post any about my birthday, i was away for "Umroh". For Muslim people that's the pilgrim we do it to follow what our prophet Muhammad SW do long time ago. I'm so bless when i start my umroh, it's on my birthday. I love my Umroh, i do with all my family, include my parents too. Last year i have lot of blessing, going to Umroh and visit my parents again in Indonesia. I couldn't have it if not for blessing from God and of course a little help from my parents. 

Let me tell you why my Umroh is blessing from God. If you from US, and you want to do Umroh, you have to know that if you're a women you have to travel with your spouse or your family. In Indonesia you can perform Umroh alone even you are not traveling with your spouse or your parents. It is very strict in here US if you want to travel to Saudi Arabia. So i purchase the ticket with prayer that i can get my visas at the same time that i need to go. I plan the Umroh in exactly one month. Even my travel agent consider it is impossible. But possible with the blessing of GOD.

First, the visa officer that approved my visa is actually half Makassar and half Saudi. So when he saw my passport immediately he knows that i came from Indonesia specially from Makassar. He actually call me and try to speak to us since he was so excited to met people from Makassar. So that the 1st blessing. My visa went smoothly and arrived one day before we depart.

Second, the vaccination. You have to get certification for Meningitis vaccination. In US, you have to be at least 11y old and above if you want to get that vaccination, that if you want to get it at your doctor or local Walgreen's and CVS. But because of my son is 6y by that time. I have to search to find place that have the vaccine for my son age. Let me tell you, the place that have it, is your local Government Health Care. Call them, that's the only place that you can have the Meningitis vaccine for 2y old and above.

Third, my travel agent is World Wide Travel Agent. They actually can help you to get the visas and the ticket to go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umroh/Hajj. There's a lot of travel agent here in US that specially for Umroh/Hajj, but you have to travel with them. But for my case i just need the visa and the ticket, since I'm going to meet up with my family there and going to be with their travel agent (from Indonesia).

So with all of that, I sincerely say that i have the best Umroh and memory of the best birthday that I ever had!!. 

Here is what I have for my birthday this year! 

Still loving it though, not much but i love it and i just want to count my blessing from GOD. 

Olay Fresh Effect review

A few month ago,  i received a package from  Shespeaks.com. This package i received because i win from one of the twitter party from SheSpeaks.com. I love Olay products in general. It usually suit my skin all year round. And also because this product is available all over the world. So If i travel back to Indonesia, i can easily purchase Olay if i run out or if i forgot to bring it with me. Before i received this    Olay fresh effect package, i already use the Olay fresh effect BB cream. So i was so excited to other line of Olay fresh effect. On this review i only going to feature 3 products that I really like from this line.

1. Olay Fresh Effect BB Cream

This BB cream is sheer to light medium cover. This product is actually really good for dry skin, but not for oily to combination skin. My skin right now is dry to combination skin so this product suit me well. I just need to put a little bit powder to make it stay longer and is not to oily.  Overall i give the rating for this product a B+ because it only come for 2-3 color and also it tend to be oily if you didn't put powder. But this product is really good for dry winter skin and also it have SPF 15

2. Olay Fresh Effect VA VA VIVID

If you see from the pictures above you can see that this package is contain 2 product. The cleansing tool and the cleanser. Please don't be fool about this cleansing tool, it is small but actually quite powerful and because it small it can reach the corner that for the big bulky cleansing tool can not reach. I really like it because it not to harsh on my dry skin and it actually quite easy to use. I even use it for my husband face and he really like it too! This cleansing tool is very handy to carry, i travel a lot and i don't like to bring bulky tool with me, and this one is so small that i consider to bring it for my travelling journey. Believe me, if you like me, bulky tool is a no no to pack. So this one i give a big A+

3. Olay Fresh Effect Cleansing wipes

This wipes is so gentle and moisturizing. When you don't have time to wash your face, i consider to just use wipes sometimes i use baby wipes too! I tried this one and i love it! Usually when i use wipes or baby wipes it actually dries my skin. Maybe because there is a lot of alcohol in it, my skin feel tight and i end up have to rinse my face after it. The Olay wipes actually makes my skin feel so soft even when i wake up in the morning i can feel how soft my skin. So this product will be a purchase again in the future. I give this product an A.

I love the Olay Fresh Effect line, and i hope this review will be helping other that consider to purchase it. 

The coldest day in Pittsburgh

Today is the coldest day in Pittsburgh, it is almost 20y ago that Pittsburgh get this cold. It so freezing out there, i can even feel it while sitting on my living room and trying to record this day on my blog. 

Lucky for me, that my son didn't have to go to school today because of the frigid weather. 

I came from tropical island, usually during winter i really hate the cold here, even though lots of my friends in Indonesia would love to come and see the snow. For me, great if you don't live here, just for travelling, but to live here that another thing.

I know i bless to get around the world every year, but this come with different challenge too. Like you have to bare the cold in the winter.

But since we have to enjoy it...here what we do on this coldest day. Let me show you what is in the news right now

This is the temperature and here comes the wind chills

i take a picture to show you that the last time Pittsburgh is below 0F is Jan, 19th 1994

and here is the picture that my son doing in this morning

study..yep...please don't mind the background..since i just clean the living room ;)