Traveling Back Home by Train

On last week Tuesday afternoon, I and my husband traveled back home from Surabaya (East Java Province, Surabaya) by a night train. The Bima train departs from Gubeng Train Station in Surabaya.

Together with my niece and nephew, we rode a taxi to the train station. Their father -my brother- would come later from his office and fetch them. When we arrived, the station was rather empty. We came earlier; the departure time was still more than one hour ahead.

I saw lots of blue things in the train station; from the entrance to the train itself.

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White Furniture to Beautify Your Home

All wood furniture in our home is dark brown. I don’t have any intention to change it until I saw elegant and classic white furniture at  NewEnglandLifeStyle.com. Wow, I’m really impressed with the coolness, calm and classic sensation that can be felt by placing white furniture into a room. White is a neutral color that gives peaceful and classic mood. White items in a room can create lovely light and space; no wonder why some people are becoming white furniture lovers. Moreover, it will always match with your wall color and other home decoration items.

I’m not ready yet to have a white house; perhaps I’ll try to create only one room first, a white dining room. New England Life Style is a white furniture specialists, you’ll get any white furniture that you need; from white round  dining table and chairs for a dining room, to various white furniture for living room, bedroom, home office, and also white home accessories. If white isn’t your favorite color, how about the idea to place a great white  console-table in your hall or entry? Not only to add classic style, but you can also use the console table for displaying home accessories, adding light by putting on a small lamp, placing your small items that you bring as you enter the home.

Well, now it’s your turn to browse the lovely, quality and timeless white furniture at New England Life Style website. If you live in UK, you can straightly visit their new showroom at Unit 15 Ford Lane Business Park, Ford Lane, Ford, Nr Arundel, West Sussex.

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Birds at Airport Garden (2)

From a big glass window at the Soekarno Hatta airport (Jakarta, Indonesia), I also saw this bird. Indonesian people call it tekukur bird. The common names are Spotted Dove, Chinese Dove, Mountain Dove, or Lace-necked Dove.

The head and underparts are pinkish, shading to pale grey on face and lower tummy, the legs are red. There’s a black neck patch finely spotted with white. The voice is a low and gentle coo-coo-croo, with the emphasis on last note. The sound occasionally is “coo-coo krrroo, kroook!” I love their sound!

source:wikipedia

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3 Ways to Make Sure Your Holiday Pleases the Whole Family

So, school holidays are rolling around once more, you’ve got some time off coming up and you’re trying to plan a family holiday that ticks all the boxes. Somewhere fun, affordable, safe, exciting, and most of al, somewhere that is guaranteed to give every member of the family—regardless of age---a good time.

Sometimes it can seem like a mission impossible to find the perfect family holiday destination, but believe us, there are a few options out there, if you give it a bit of thought! Whether you choose that idyllic Fiji holiday package you’ve been dreaming of or the adventure trip to New Zealand, it’s as much about how you plan it as it is about the destination itself!

1. Compromise

Obviously we don’t have to tell you that the modern family is made up of a wide range of personalities and tastes, which means that not everyone is going to have the same interests—thank goodness! When planning a family holiday, obviously activities that are going to be really exciting for some members aren’t going to be quite as fascinating for others, but a good way to get around this is to make sure everyone feels as though their needs are being met. For example, if the little ones have their heart set on visiting an amusement park, make sure they know that as a trade off they’ll also be accompanying mum and dad to a museum. Knowing that they’ll be able to have their fun too will make them much less reluctant to visit attractions they might not be so interested in.

2. The Great Outdoors

The best thing about holidays that incorporate outdoor activities is that there’s no age limit on enjoying nature. Whether you’re setting off to explore a local rainforest, kicking back on a beach or strapping on the skis and hitting the slopes, the Great Outdoors are fun for everyone. What’s more, you can each engage in different activities while you’re in the same place!

3. Cruising

One of the best family holiday activities is taking a cruise. Not only do cruises stir up a lot of excitement in kids (of all ages), but once you’re onboard there are facilities to keep everyone entertained. The kids can learn new skills and play with other little people their age in a supervised kids club, leaving mum and dad to relax by the pool. Then, when it’s time to disembark at a local port, everyone is revitalized and ready for some quality family time and exploration. Whether you check out a Fiji cruise for a tropical getaway or perhaps something a little more off the beaten track with an Alaskan or Antarctic cruise, the combination of a ship, good food, constant stimulation for the kids and effortless relaxation for the parents is a family holiday favourite.

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At Home Again

I was reaching home this Wednesday morning. From Gubeng train station in Surabaya (East Java Province, Indonesia), I and my husband rode Bima the night train. The journey was running well; the train arrived at Jatinegara train station (Jakarta, Indonesia) this early morning. To avoid Jakarta traffic jam, we hurriedly rode a taxi that brought us home.

For Watery Wednesday, I share here small rivers that I saw inside Surabaya city. Kali Surabaya (Surabaya Small River) looks clean and beautiful. On another small river that I forget the name, there are rafts that used to cross it. I captured it from a moving taxi, that’s why the pics aren’t good quality ones.

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5 Ways to Really Say You’re Sorry

With so much going on in our daily lives – and our work, social life, home life all competing for our time – it is only natural for promises to be forgotten, things to be said without thinking, and oversights to be made. As life continues to get even busier, and we struggle to keep up with our commitments, it seems ‘sorry’ is becoming one our most commonly uttered words. But doesn’t it start to get old? Doesn’t it start to become just a word?

If you’ve worked too late, forgotten an important date, overlooked something you said you would do, or disappointed someone, can you really get across that you’re sorry through one simple word? Are you one of the many people who say ‘I’m sorry’ and all of a sudden you’re accused of not really meaning it? This small thing alone – saying it and not meaning it can often severely escalate arguments between you and your partner and make things a lot worse than before.

So if you’ve been accused of being one of the many who don’t mean it, consider how to better get your message across.

1. Mean it
First and foremost, you can’t argue you mean it if you don’t. It’s not that you don’t think what you have done may have been hurtful or disappointing, it’s that often everything is so busy we don’t get time these days to consider how we feel about something. So how can you mean sorry, if you don’t have time to feel it. If you take the time to consider what you’ve done and how it impacts that special person, you may be able to get across the sentiment you’re intending.

2. A gesture
Giving flowers is a trend that is disappearing these days. But people underestimate the message that a beautiful bouquet of roses can send on an anniversary, a simple bunch can say to someone grieving, or importantly, the apology a number of bright flowers can convey. Consider going traditional, take your apology with you – and mean it – and present your special someone with a token of your words. If you live far away, you can still send flower by post UK to say you're sorry in one of the most beautiful and thoughtful ways.

3. Fix it
Often there’s no point in saying sorry if you don’t try to rectify the situation. The best way you can apologise is to really think about the issue and go in with a plan to make it better. If the person you are apologising to knows you have taken the time to devise a plan to help rectify the situation – or even just try to make it up to them – it speaks volumes for how sorry you truly are.

4. Don’t repeat it
It might be obvious, but if you make the same mistake twice, it indicates you really don’t regret it, or feel bad for doing it the first time. Make a concentrated effort not to put yourself in a situation where you need to apologise twice in a row for the same mistake – it won’t help your case!

5. A gift

If all else fails, try a gift! Many people make the mistake of giving a gift, or flowers like red roses as they apologise, this makes it look like a bribe. Wait for a period after your apology and buy her that diamond ring, bracelet or earrings she’s been eyeing off – but make sure it’s something she has hinted at wanting. This sends the message that despite your mistake, you pay attention to her and give significance to things she wants and says.

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Weekend in Surabaya

Accompanying my father, we traveled to Surabaya. I’m in Surabaya (East Java, Indonesia) since last Thursday; at my brother’s home. I plan to go back home next Tuesday; but I still haven’t yet searched for the ticket. I prefer to travel by train this time.

If there’s no changing plan, my father will stay longer in Surabaya; perhaps until the hajj departure date. Well, it’s all up to my father’s decision; but I can’t accompany him, I must go back to our home in Bogor (West Java, Indonesia).

Last Saturday, my father, my brother and SIL conducted hajj training. I had different occasion to attend.

My lower secondary school and high school days were in Surabaya. July 10th 2011 was the lower secondary school reunion date that I wanted to attend. Unfortunatelly, I can’t come as my father must be hospitalized.

But I’m not disappointed anymore, as on last Saturday, I can meet several old friends and had lunch together. It’s not only ordinary lunch, as we decided to keep the good communication and relationship more seriously.

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