School starts

Ok....a week after I bragged about enjoying summer, I was done. Yeah 3 days before the school started I was actually ready. They started on Thursday and today is actually just the 3rd day of school, I don't know what's gonna happen with a full week of school for my 4 years old. The heat is not helping either, my son came home tired, and all that he wants is playing with his toys. Now, I have another challenge, homework, yeah it's not due until Friday, but I would like him to do it everyday so it won't be too much for him in one day. I was so nervous, after some snacks and play a little bit, I asked him to go up and do his homework, he looked me and said "I'm very tired". In the beginning he scared the heck out of me, he looked like he didn't know anything, I was shaking, I was scared, I'm thinking too myself, this is why all the other parents hold their kids for another year when they are too young. But somehow he slowly picked up and even gave me a smile and said "Are you sure I only need to color the flowers? not the vase?" wow....I was a happy clam again, let's see what's gonna happen tomorrow and the rest of the week, I'm still crossing my fingers that everything 's going smooth. Happy Monday!!!!

He posed after he's done with homework.

Summer party

So, actually I planned this party in the beginning of the school vacation, but my daughter got sick, with fever and all, so I didn't have a chance to re invite the friends until a couple of week ago. I promised my daughter and her little brother that it will be a party, so I started to browse around, looking for some free printable tags, labels and some ideas for food and decoration (I found a lot from www.partyblog.mygrafico). Printed all the freebies, cut, glue and stick. These are what I gathered, the kids had fun swimming, the moms were basically chit chating and was enjoying one of the dish that one of the mom brought. It was a persian rice dish with yogurt and pickles.

Concert

Hollywood sign from Hollywood Bowl

 Ok so this friend of mine is a big fan of Maroon 5, she was desperate enough when she found out they were doing the Europe and Asia Tour that she was asking me to go to Ireland for the concert, and of course I just say yes, yeah I wish we went, it was just crazy talk. A month later she found out they are playing at the Hollywood Bowl, perfect. I wasn't expecting anything much but I was kind of excited for the girls night out, been a while the three of us find time to go just us. This afternoon she picked us up, we all dolled up, loaded with some drinks to be enjoyed there, she got the info from the Hollywood Bowl that we can bring alcohol as long as in a plastic bottle, and camera too. Heading there around 2, no traffic, by 3pm we were in that area, stop by at a sushi take out, bought some sashimi bowl, and also some scones from Brick and Scones in that area, then head up to the Bowl. Only 3.30 and cars started to stacked already, luckily we got in the very front of one of the aisle. And  found out thru the flyer no alcohol, no cameras. Open up our early dinner in the car, load ourselves with some booze then head up. None of us been to the Hollywood Bowl, turned out we could eat inside the picnic area, and they also had some vendors (kind of pricey) too. It's a beautiful place to hang out. Got in and just figured out that the line up is Gavin DeGraw, Train and Maroon 5. Yeay, I like couples of the DeGraw's songs and love Train. And also my friend sneaked in her camera and her camcorder. My big camera stayed in the car, so couldn't really get any good picture of the stage.

Pre-concert, we were just people watching and gossiping

Train-I couldn't get anything good since no cameras are not allowed

We had couple of surprise guests, Javier Colon from The Voice, I had no idea who he was until came home and check it online. Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5 did the duet with Colon singing Man in the mirror, Michael Jackson, love it, and Stevie Nick performing Leather and Lace with Levine, very cool. 

Pat Monahan, Train, did a duet of Haven't found what I'm looking for from U2 with a local girl. I had a very great time, now I feel guilty since I know my husband likes both Train and Maroon 5, and he had to watch the kids at home, came home browsed around try to check their other tour and see the possibilities of taking him next time.

The concert was done by 11 and come home around 12.30.

Happy Monday

Summer trip

We are all up at 1 am right now, except for my husband, he has to go to work right after the day we came back from our trip to Indonesia.

The kids always enjoy the jet lag, my daughter always thinks stay up late is just so cool.  Usually it will take them about at least 5 days before they are completely in sync again with the time here.

Looking at the pics I have so many I want to write, but I guess I will have to break them into couple of posting later. The 3 weeks trip was short and sweet, I have to say 3 weeks is perfect. My nieces and nephews are back to school too by that week we left and everybody else can go back to their normal routine again.  We arrived on Wednesday and by Thursday we did a little trip to a city called Jogyakarta, the driving is unbelievable, in a bad way though, it took us 15 hours and it actually only about 300 miles. Jam here and there, big trucks, plus maybe we just thru an 18 hours flight 2 days before.

The Sheraton Jogyakarta

Got there around 11pm, settle down and snoozed until 5am, the kids kind of woke me up with their giggles and chats, went out to the balcony, the view was beautiful, this city just got hit by earthquake a couple of time last year, a volcano called Merapi been active and coz a lot of damage to the little town nearby Jogyakarta. I was trying to see if I can spot the Merapi from the balcony, but the fog kind of masked it. We stayed at the Sheraton, the property is sitting a little up with good landscape, and nice breeze.

The bottom rooms have their semi private pool, a balcony with door the take you step right into the pool.

The Merapi we finally spot it the next day

We didn't get to enjoy the resort itself since we only have 2 full days of visiting the other places.

So early that morning we went to Keraton, Jogyakarta is one of the unique city that is ruled by the Sultan not governor. He's a king with palace (Keraton) and all. I'm not saying a fancy palace, but it's a very sacred and traditional palace.  People who live and work in Keraton has a very rich culture and tradition, a mix of religion and believe makes the people different. They adore and admire the Sultan, which is the recent one is the tenth.  

We went to the museum with all the horse carts they use for any Keraton event, and then to the Keraton itself. We parked our car on the parking lot and bargained with couple of Becaks, a traditional transportation that I grew up with and it's my favorite. 6 adults and 4 kids hopped on into 5 becaks, 2 people is all it can take. 

Becak

One of the cart they use in Keraton

I swear my two kids tried so hard to understand the tour guide, at the end they gave up and just ask me what is it about. 

@ Keraton

In the old days, here's where they bring people who needs to be executed.
I have no idea what's with the statue, but my son feels the urge to kiss it after we took this pic.

Keraton

The Sultan usually gives speech in this particular place, no speaker,  and somehow the combination of  echo  and  openness helps people to hear him speak.  My brothers and the kids tried it with clapping their hands.

Jogyakarta has it's special food called  Gudeg, basically, rice, with chicken cooked in cooconut, some young jackfruit that's cooked with I don't know excatly what, a krecek which is beef skin cooked  in some spices, a little spicy but just a good combination to eat with the chicken.  The other staple is lesehan, this one is not  the name of the food but more of the style of the eating. There's a street calls Malioboro, a regular shops along the street during the day, and at night full of more stalls of handicraft and souvenirs, plus place to eat. They scattered some mats and put a couple of very low tables,  something like a japanese style but less fancy. The food usually either fried chicken, fried fish with rice of course, and Gudeg. So my Brother took us to this particular one in front of a store called Taman Batik Terang Bulan, so the name of the place called SBTB Sebelah Batik Terang Bulan, which means next to the Batik Terang Bulan, very clever huh. The Fried Chicken, my oh my, we came back the next day for the second time, my husband couldn't have enough of it. The place was crazy crowded, you had to wait for the table in front of the people who were still eating.  The first time we came, with so empty stomach my husband almost gave up on waiting for the table, he asked my brother why have to be this aprticular one since the others were pretty light, he's glad he wait for it.

Gudeg

I will continue with our trip to borobudur next time, hope I won't be too slow to write that one.