HIDDEN PARK JAKARTA EVENT

Living in Jakarta, you're faced with hundreds of malls, and whether you like it or not, when you have kids, you sometimes have to resort to going to a mall on the weekend as there's not much else to do. I've tried going to Bogor on weekends just to find some fresh air and a park, but honestly the distance is really a problem.

Now a few weeks ago, we received an email at the office from an organization called HiddenPark and they were interested to collaborate with the YUM Organic Farm in their upcoming event, which focuses on the hidden potential of parks in Jakarta. Their first event was last year and they did it in Taman Langsat, which is a park near Barito, a park I have passed through but never entered! Can you imagine? And this year, their event takes place in Taman Tebet. The photos below are from the event last Friday when the YUM farm taught 75 school children how to plant seedlings and how to maintain them for the next month, until they're able to be harvested.

Anyway, long story short, I'm really amazed by this program, which will last for a whole month. I think it's awesome; every weekend they have activities for the whole family, from yoga in the morning, to a library in the park, to various different activities. So I think we should all go!! And even when the event has passed, I think we should all make the effort to reduce our visits to the mall and try to visit Jakarta's parks, 'cause yes, Jakarta has parks! :)

JAKARTA NATIONAL MUSEUM | MUSEUM GAJAH

I haven't been to the National Museum for at least a few years.... I can't quite remember when was the last time I set foot there. But one thing I do remember is how low the entrance fee was, and trying to understand how exactly they were able to survive with such low prices. I also remember that the museum was building a new annexe and it looked really good, but at that time it wasn't open yet.

Now cut to about 2 weeks ago when I met a friend who told me the museum is currently organizing Weekend Events or what they call "Akhir Pekan di Museum". These activities are targeted at children and usually consists of storytelling and arts & crafts sessions, but I think all ages can enjoy. So I took Amal and my good friend Tarra & her kids last Sunday. We went quite early in the morning, took the TransJakarta since it was car-free day and arrived there around 9am. We were there to hear the storytelling session called "Samurai Bersepeda" performed by actors from Teater Koma, and I can honestly say it was really good! I think we all enjoyed the storytelling session and had a look around the museum after that. Here are just a few of the things I thought were really awesome: 

If you're interested to check out the schedule for "Akhir Pekan di Museum", you can go to their facebook page :)

DIY TOILET TUBE OWLS

I don't know about you but I like collecting toilet paper tubes because I know there must be something we can create with them, instead of just throwing them away. And one day on Pinterest, lo and behold, I found a cute image of owls made from toilet paper tube! So I tried them out with Amal and his cousins and they were a big hit:

I don't think any explanation is necessary except to first paint the tube in one color, then fold the top center part of the tube and use a marker to make the faces, feathers and other fun drawings. Here's the website if you want to see the original idea :)

MAKING A KALEIDOSCOPE

This was a simple but fantastic gift from our trip to the Art Garden exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum: a do-it-yourself kaleidoscope! I didn't think making a kaleidoscope would be this easy, but it is, and it got me thinking of making them with the kids from Desa YUM Cipanas; that would be so much fun! I just have to figure out where to find those mirrors :)

Step 1: color in the drawings

Step 2: double tape the mirrors

Step 3: fold the kaleidoscope

Step 4: et voila!

ART GARDEN AT SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

I know the school holidays are coming to an end, but for some schools in Jakarta, the kids will once again be on a long break during the Idul Fitri holidays. So here's an idea of where you can bring your kids: the Art Garden exhibition at Singapore Art Museum. It's still open until 1 September 2013 so you still have almost 2 months to go and check it out. If you want your kids to experience art, and unfortunately it's not that easy here in Jakarta, take a short plane ride here cause it's worth it :)

Walter the bunny - probably the best part of the exhibition if you ask me :)

Hansel & Gretel malay style in the "Enchanted Garden City"

Doing activities in "Around the Day in Eighty Worlds" - felt like being in Alice in Wonderland

LANDscape in the box - boxes filled with familiar landscapes of Singapore

SUMMER HOLIDAY IDEAS

The "summer" holidays have started... Clearly in Indonesia you don't really feel the difference in the weather but if you check some popular blogs, you'll see many many posts about summer inspiration, and I love reading them! I haven't had the chance to browse for a really long time, and I'm so happy I finally got to do it today while helping my dad play host to a family gathering for my uncles and aunts. While they were busy having amongst themselves (and my son was busy with his dad), I found some really great ideas:

This is a picnic inspiration post by Design Mom. Love the idea of fruits and salad in a jar! She also talks about other things besides food, such as location, cutlery, etc. My parents are building a pool in their backyard, and I can't wait to get some friends over and have a picnic!

This one came from the uber talented Jordan Ferney, a post about flavoured lemonades, which of course is the drink of choice for any hot day!

Doesn't this look awesome? Instead of watching a movie indoors, you hang a white sheet outside, put some blankets, make popcorn and lemonade and watch the movie outside with your friends. This post was from sfgirlbybay.

GINDO 2013

A couple of months ago, YUM was invited to GINDO 2013 conference, a conference organized by students of various schools in Indonesia, to gather fellow students and discuss solutions for global issues occurring both in the local community and throughout the world. YUM was one of the NGOs that took part in the NGO Fair and in the ActionX activity where around 20 students visited our projects and did various activities with YUM sponsored kids here in Jakarta. I found this video of GINDO 2013 recently and thought it was really well done, and worth sharing (and you see a glimpse of YUM's booth at minute 1:38). Working in an NGO myself, it's important for us to know that the future generation does care and that they're aware of the importance of continuing our jobs in the future :)

SINGAPORE ZOO

Yet another small getaway to Singapore, and this time we decided to go to the Singapore Zoo. The last time we went there was about 4 years ago, after I had a small operation in Singapore, so my memories are a bit hazy.
This time around it was way better because there's a new exhibition with Kai Kai and Jia Jia, the giant pandas and also red pandas! Absolutely the highlight of the visit of course :)
The pandas were only on preview at the Singapore Zoo until March 30th, but will be part of the River Safari, which will be opening on April 3rd.

Another highlight of the day was the food: a really good chinese food place called Mama Panda, right after the panda exhibition, where we found a really cute bakpao in the shape of a panda! And also, Ben & Jerry's ice cream stalls all over the zoo. I especially love their coffee milkshake :)

SPACE SUIT BEDCOVER

Just saw this on Design Mom's blog... if they sold this in Indonesia, I would go straight to the store and buy this for Amal :)

TO THIS DAY

Just saw this video about bullying and I'm speechless... it's so beautiful and the words are so powerful. Watch it and see what I mean...

To This Day from To This Day on Vimeo.

A sample of his poem:

so we grew up believing no one

would ever fall in love with us

that we'd be lonely forever

that we'd never meet someone

to make us feel like the sun

was something they built for us

in their tool shed

Read the full spoken word poem here.

RIMBA BACA LIBRARY

So as I was explaining in an earlier post, Amal and I now go regularly to a library that's situated close to our home. I had heard of this library a while ago, but never really found the time to go until a few weeks ago when we went with a few friends of Amal's. That's when I realized just how great their collection was and I thought this would be a good weekend activity with Amal. And I think the stars aligned cause on that day, Amal borrowed his first book and devoured it in one day only (it was a 200-page book!).

Arts and crafts area

Children's books area

Adult books area

I highly recommend this library if you live in Jakarta Selatan. It's called RIMBA BACA and is situated on Jl. RSPP (Jl. Intan) no. 21B, Cilandak. It's behind Rumah Sakit Fatmawati, and you enter through a small street right across from Citos.
They have a facebook page with lots of photos so check it out: Rimba Baca.

The way it works is that you pay a one-time annual fee of I think Rp. 350,000 and you're entitled to borrow 5 books per week. I honestly think you really get your money's worth with the extensive collection of books they have, instead of having to buy all these books you might want to read :)

AMAL'S PAINTING RESTORED

Recently, Amal and I restored 2 painting that he had made when he was about 4 or 5 years old. They were made with color markers so eventually the colors faded, especially because the canvas wasn't varnished. So they were on the walls in Amal's room but sadly almost non-existent....

It took us a few days to re-color the whole thing and I bought a spray varnish which I hope will be enough to keep the colors looking good. I can't imagine losing these superb paintings that Amal made...

GIVING BACK: HELPING YOUTH FIND JOBS

Suddenly the month of February is  upon us. So I wanted to share with you another great giving back idea. 

If you are reading this, you are most probably someone who has a decent, comfortable life, and that is because either you work, or your husband works or your parents work. Work, and the money that you receive from that work, is what keeps us all able to lead a comfortable life, put our children to school, feed our family and pay for medical expenses.

Unfortunately it's not always that easy. In Indonesia, 60% of youths aged 16 to 24 are unemployed, and this is greatly due to a lack of skills. Youths are competing against each other on the job market, and if you are not able to present a university degree or a skill of some sort, it is very difficult to obtain a job. In areas such as Cipanas where we find families struggling to get by, finishing High School or even Junior High School, is already a struggle. But how can they change their fate if they don't have anything to offer to the job market? That's where a Vocational Training Center is needed; a place where youths can obtain skills such as computer, English, sewing, hospitality skills that will give them an upper hand when looking for a job.

2 students role-playing during English class

Computer class, often taught by peers

A sewing class, where students learn to sew using recycled materials

Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM) opened a Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Cipanas around 3 years ago, and since then most of the graduates who have also graduated from High School, have found a job. Unfortunately, a VTC like this is not sustainable. It's almost impossible for YUM to ask a fee to those coming in for classes, since they come from very disadvantaged families. That's why constant support and funding is necessary. It's an amazing project and I can see just how great they're doing and how motivated they are. Go here to read their stories and see what the Sewing class have been creating.

If this is the sort of project you would like to help, this is another project where YUM is working together with GlobalGiving so you can donate via their website: Provide Skills For Indonesian Unemployed Youths (or you can go directly by clicking on the widget on my right sidebar)

GIVING BACK: INSPIRE KIDS WITH BOOKS

I've been thinking about my second project recommendation and it has to be about books! Amal has been reading non-stop for the past 2 weeks, and it came so sudden.... Before that, he would only look at books with images! And I can see how much he's enjoying it, how he starts imagining what he's reading and I'm so happy that he's finally opened that part of life where children are able to roam free with imagination just by reading a book...

I remember when I was 7 and I had just moved to Boston with my family, and my mother took me and my brother to the public library. I was hooked! I couldn't stop reading, I even read at night (in secret) with a small night light. I was devouring Judy Blume, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, and even until this day, I feel so happy curled up reading a book.... and every child should feel that way!

That's why I feel it's so important to give that opportunity to every child. Unfortunately in Indonesia, reading is not part of the culture, especially in the rural areas. Besides that, buying a book is not an option if you live on less than $2 (Rp. 19,000) a day. That's why in Bukit Batu, Central Kalimantan, Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM) created a community library where now more than 500 visitors come every month to check out the books, and also participate in other educational activities such as the English Club, arts and crafts, watching movies, dance classes, etc. It's not just a place to borrow books, but it's become an educational facility.

If you want to help this project, YUM is working with GlobalGiving, a philanthropic site, to receive donations from all over the world. Here's the link: Help Promote Good Reading Habits in Kalimantan 

There are many other organizations who work in this direction and with the same goal such as Yayasan Pustaka Kelana (which my mother and aunt founded by the way), "Drive Books, Not Cars", Taman Bacaan Pelangi, and countless others...

So if you're a book worm like I am, and you realize just how precious a book is (and a library), try to find out how you can help, either by donating money or books or your time at a nearby library for disadvantaged kids :)

GIVING BACK: SPONSOR A CHILD

Ok so here's my first recommendation for you to start the year by giving back.

Did you know that over a quarter of a million poor primary age children in Indonesia aren't going to school even though it's supposedly free? And did you know that only 55% of poor children complete junior high (SMP)? That means, almost half of the these children have to start working or getting married at age 14-15!!
I bet you didn't know that...

Now, there are many organizations who help kids find sponsors, and Yayasan Usaha Mulia is one of them. But you can start even closer to home, with your staff's own children, or the children of the person collecting your garbage or the security guy in your compound. It really isn't much money at all; I'll give you an example. At YUM, our Sponsorship Program helps primary school children and secondary school children. For primary school children, we ask donors for Rp. 1,500,000 per year and for secondary school, we ask Rp. 2,500,000. Now, this may seem a little more than you expected, but we deal with children from a very poor background, so besides the school fee, we also give for books, uniform, exam costs, extracurricular, transport, bi-annual medical check-ups and bi-monthly parenting and health workshops for the parents. We also have a full-time staff who monitors these kids and makes sure they stay in school...
Now think about it, if you think in terms of monthly cost, it's only between Rp.130,000 and Rp. 200,000 approximately.... Come on, that's one meal at a nice restaurant or a t-shirt :)

I myself started sponsoring a girl last year, together with my aunt and uncle from France, and added another little kid a few months ago. I'm happy to know they can stay in school and hopefully one day, acquire some skills to be able to find a decent job and live a decent, happy life.

One more thing I'd like to add and this is really important: once you start sponsoring a child, think about seeing through until the end of his or her studies. It's great to help for a full year, but it's a dreadful feeling for the child to know that her or his sponsor has dropped him/her and the child doesn't know whether he/she can stay in school...

Read Kukywa's story about sponsoring a child on her blog :)

LOVEBOTS APP

If you, like me, have a little boy who's crazy about robots or maybe you are, you have to try this new app on iPhone and iPad! It's called Lovebots and I think it costs $0.99 on iTunes. Loads of fun fun fun! Amal has made more than 20 so far, and I even tried to make one myself (pink background, of course!)...

INSPIRATION # 9

I'm going to be very random and just post some things that I've been pinning on my Pinterest page. Somehow, running between my job at YUM, tutoring kids, gym and being home before Amal goes to sleep has not given me time to relax and update my blog. But that's fine; that's life and this is what I'll see when I look back on these past few months: a very hectic busy yet satisfying schedule :)

I thought this cat shaped pre-school in Germany was really, really cool...The kids must be ecstatic to be in a school like this.

My eyes keep coming back to this outfit on my Pinterest page.... love the orange skirt paired with that flowy grey top..

I wish Amal were still at an age where I could dress him up.... This is an outfit that would totally fit him!

What can I say more than what the quote says? :)

HALLOWEEN ARTIST KIDS COSTUMES

Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day has done it again... I can't believe she thought about these costumes and made them happen! These are really cute :)

I doubt Amal would want to dress as Andy Warhol for Halloween (actually, he said he wanted to be a box! Seriously...) but these could maybe inspire other moms out there...