Thursday, December 31, 2015

7:30 PM 0

2015 Best Nine

Dec 2015

Seru-seruan ikutan #2015bestnine


Here it's my 2015 Best Nine on Instagram, please follow my IG @ika_andayanie

Thank you...Happy New Year Eve..

xoxo
iKa.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

9:54 AM 0

Hari Ini, Setahun Lalu

Dec 2015

Tepat hari ini, setahun lalu saya menikah...ga terasa saya sudah jadi istri orang selama 1 tahun sodara-sodara!

Puji Tuhan sampai hari ini, dalam menghadapi masalah-masalah, kita berusaha jadi satu team yang solid. Drama-drama kecil rumah tangga mah pasti ada, marriage takes hard work, its like a roller-coaster ride but doesn’t mean its not worth it.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

9:10 PM 0

Discover Hongkong : The Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

Aug 2015
The Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery was actually in my itinerary last 2 years but I cancelled because we were so tired and exhausted. Plus the weather was freaking hot, no wonder shopping in Citygate Outlet is more interesting. 

We went to Ngong Ping in the noon time after having Sunday Mass at Rosary Church. The best way to travel from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping maybe is by cable car, however we took bus No. 23 form Tung Chung Bus Terminus, which is cheaper but takes longer times.

There are no obvious signboards form the Citygate Outlet to the bus No.23 terminus. Turn out the terminus is in the corner, behind Citygate Outlet and next to Cable Car terminus. The bus terminus is outdoors. 

One hour bus journey from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping was very scenic with beautiful hilly island, lush-green forests, and beaches. The bus makes several stop between Tung Chung Town Centre Bus Terminus  and Po Lin Monastery Bus Terminus.

Arrived the Tian Tan Giant Buddha (free entrance fee) in main entrance, there was a series of giant statue of The Twelve Divine General, each represents 2 hours of a day. First thought, I think it was Chinese Zodiac Statue :D

When I arrived, the Buddha was invisible, the fog swallowed up the Buddha Statue. The fog actually gave the statue a haunting image.

The Buddha is ringed by six smaller statues known as the “Offering of the Six Divas”. There were signs in front of every Deva statue telling people not to throw coins in several different languages, however there were a lot of people trying to get the coins into the statues’ hands.

When we finally got down of the Buddha steps, I thought of going straight ahead to The Wisdom Path. Wisdom Path traces a series of 38 wooden steles (upright monuments) containing verses from the centuries-old Heart Sutra (source http://www.discoverhongkong.com). 

We just follow the sign to the Wisdom Path, after 5 minutes walked in the wilderness, we couldn't saw anybody else walking on this path with us, moreover it's rather silent at some point. I was worried that we might have lost out way somewhere in the wilderness..haha..so we decided to went back to the Ngong Ping Village :D

It says ‘village’ because it was a collection of shops and restaurants. Starbucks and Subways also available here. We went back to Tung Chung by taking the same bus number.

Bus No. 23  
Tung Chung Town Centre Bus Terminus - Po Lin Monastery Bus Terminus
Fare Weekdays : HKD 16/person
Fare Weekend : HKD 25/person

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

8:10 PM 0

Disneyland Hongkong : Flights of Fantasy Parade

Aug 2015

When the Lion King Show was done, we rushed to  Flights of Fantasy Parade at Main Street. We were late, so we got a crappy spot and relied on our camera’s zoom function to take photos.

This parade combines classic and new Disney characters with 7 parade floats, accompanied by cheerful dancers. The entire parade will take place for about 30 minutes and they make two stops to perform to the waiting audience along the way.









Location : Main Street, U.S.A.
Time : 3:00 pm
Duration : ± 30 min

Monday, October 19, 2015

2:15 PM 0

Disneyland Hongkong : Festival of the Lion King

Aug 2015

Hong Kong Disneyland has a lot variety of shows, one of the much watch show is Festival of the Lion King - Circle of Life. It’s a performance of music, dance and amazing acrobatic, a mix of Lion King animated story and Broadway Musical production. 

All artists are great, they sang all the songs from the movie. The highlights of the show has to be the fire effects when Simba confronts Scar in the final battle, taking the story to its climax and foreshadowing Simba’s victory.

The artists speak in English, but two actors dressed as monkeys summarize and translate the story into Cantonese. 


The theater was filled with seats in a circle surrounding the stage. To get the first few rows, you have to get into the queue early, 15-30 minutes before show start. 
fire-eaters, and amazing acrobatics, Read more at: https://tr.im/zuA0R
fire-eaters, and amazing acrobatics Read more at: https://tr.im/zuA0R

Since flash photography and videotaping are allowed during the show.
Theater in the Wild - Adventureland
12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm

Friday, October 16, 2015

9:21 PM 0

Disneyland Hongkong : An Introduction

Aug 2015

Back in year 2013, it was my first visit to Hong Kong with friends and we got a promo ticket from Garuda Indonesia. Unfortunately that time I didn't had the chance to visit Disneyland due to time constraint and limited budget.

This time my second visit to Hong Kong, Disneyland is a not to be miss in my itinerary. Regardless how old you are, Disneyland is always dedicated to the young and the young at heart :D

We decided to head to Disneyland on Monday because we heard it's crazy crowded on the weekends. Weather that day was bright and insanely hot. I brought the ticket from Jacky-Comfort Guest House E (Flat C5 10/F, Block C, Chung King Mansion) for HKD 450/pax, saving HKD 49/pax from the publish rate.

Upon reaching the Disneyland Resort station, just head up these escalators and follow the crowd towards Disneyland. Before entering the theme park, we have to get our bags checked and after that the officer will scanning our tickets.

Souvenir shops selling Disney products can be found everywhere, the biggest shops is located at Main Street. We got 10% discount cause we shop before noon and you can taking picture with the merchandise without fearing that you will get scolded or stopped.

Lunch took slightly longer than what we expected as we had to queuing for food and got a seat. We took lunch at Royal Banquet Hall at Fantasy Land.

We can't manage to cover as much ground as we would have liked to. Long queue and scorching sun made us unable to enjoy the park. One day simply wasn't enough.

We met a lot of tourist from mainland here, what I do not like about them is they don't considerate us when we are taking photo. They just walk in front of the camera and queue jumping is common.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

11:00 PM 0

Hello Hong Kong Again

Aug 2015

This past August, I had the opportunity to go back to Hong Kong for the second time. One of the high point of my Hong Kong visit this time is Disneyland and this will be a simplified guide of my recent trip to Hong Kong.

When to Visit Hong Kong?

Both my visit was in July and August where is rainy, hot and humid, which makes the trip uncomfortable. Typhoon can also inhibit the trip. Typhoon season begins in May and ends in November. The ideal travel season is late Autumn, from October to around Christmas time.

How did we get around?

We simply use train and bus to get around and bought a OCTOPUS card, a prepaid card for public transportation. It’s available at airport and any train station for HKD 100 plus HKD 50 for deposit. The MTR is generally efficient, the maps and signs available within every station are very user friendly.

Where did we go?

We had only 3 days and lot of places to cover and the first day was at leisure, nothing planned considering our midday travel.

- Disneyland
Disneyland had been on the very top of our itinerary for this trip. There are a couple of ways to head to this place (cab / bus / train), yet I think the fastest and most economical way is to take the MTR.

- Avenue of Star
Since we stayed at Chungking Mansions, we just need to walked along Nathan Road, until reached Sheraton Hotel at the end of Nathan Road. Then, crossed to the other side of Nathan Road before crossing Salisbury Road. From Salisbury Road, continued walking toward Avenue of Stars.

- Jusco Living Plaza Mongkok
This shop formerly known as Jusco $10 Store (Daiso), the price is now HKD 12. We walked form Chungking Mansions to this place.

- Citygate Outlets 
A outing to Citygate Outlets is a must on my shopping list. This place basically houses international brands be it luxury, average and affordable brands all in one place. The body shop dan Giordano are my favorite shop, they had nice bargain stuff.

- Tian Tan Budha
From MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, we took New Lantao Bus 23 from Tung Chung Town Center, which takes less than 1 hour. The bus cost much cheaper then cable car but takes longer times. Just be prepare for fast driver, curvy and hilly ride.


- Rosary Church Kowloon
We joined the Sunday English Mass at 08.45.  

What did we eat?

- Dim Sum 
It says that dim sum can't taste any better from its root, the Cantonese. Therefore We went to cheapest one michelin star Tim Ho Wan in IFC Mall, sadly it wasn't as good as remembered, I prefer Duck King's dim sum. It quite uncomfortable to dine there as the queue is very long, moreover the space is really small and compact.

- Wanton Mee 
Wantons filled with 70% shrimp and 30 % pork,  so it's non halal. What I love is the shrimps were really fresh, and soup base are really tasty. The serving size was pretty small in Mak Ming Noodles and quite big in Prince Noodles
Prince Noodles

Mak Ming Noodles

Monday, August 31, 2015

11:23 PM 3

Travel Partner(s) Wanted

Walaupun suka traveling tapi sampai saat ini saya belum berani untuk jalan sendiri. Perjalanan akan terasa lebih seru kalau ada temannya. Selain karena tidak bisa baca petunjuk arah / peta dengan cepat dan yang paling penting takut ntar ga yang motoin saya, jadinya saya butuh travel partner at least 1 orang. Akan tetapi traveling bersama teman ini bisa berubah jadi tidak menyenangkan jika kita memilih travel partner yang salah.

Teman seperjalanan yang tepat akan sangat menentukan kelancaran dan kesuksesan acara traveling kita dan memilih travel partner yang sehati dan sejiwa itu susah. Lamanya pertemanan dan kedekatan tidak selalu berbanding lurus dengan tingkat kecocokan saat traveling. Jadi begitu ketemu travel partner yang nyaman jangan dilepaskan :D

Selama ini saya beberapa kali pergi dengan grup yang berbeda-beda. Jalan bareng temen-temen kuliah ke Bromo, liburan sama temen kantor ke Bali, Malang dan Manado, traveling sama keluarga ke beberapa kota / negara dan yang terakhir jalan-jalan sama suami sendiri. Dari semua perjalanan itu yang cukup bebas dari drama adalah saat jalan sama Jeng Vira si  Mermaid The Flaspacker.

Ketika jalan dengan teman-teman yang sudah kenal lama maupun yang baru akrab menyatukan visi dan misi liburannya itu tidak mudah, apalagi kalau tiap orang punya gaya yang beda. Ada yang maunya shopping, ada yang mau liat pemandangan alam, ada yang sukanya laut atau ada juga yang prefer stay di hotel, menikmati fasilitas hotel. Semuanya tambah ribet kalau maunya kemana-mana serombongan terus tapi dengan minat yang beda-beda itu tadi.

Setelah memilih travel partner, kita harus mengajaknya untuk membahas detail perjalanan, harus sepakat mengenai obyek-objek yang akan dikunjungi, di mana akan menginap dan alat transportasi yang akan digunakan. Membahas bersama detail-detail ini akan sangat efektif untuk menghindari konflik nantinya dan membuat perjalanan jauh lebih menyenangkan.

Kalau kalian travel partner paling pasnya siapa?

Partner bisnis yang tepat akan sangat menentukan kelancaran dan kesuksesan bisnis. - See more at: http://muhamadazhari.com/seputar-bisnis/mencari-partner-bisnis-yang-tepat/#sthash.mRCny6xc.dpuf
Partner bisnis yang tepat akan sangat menentukan kelancaran dan kesuksesan bisnis. - See more at: http://muhamadazhari.com/seputar-bisnis/mencari-partner-bisnis-yang-tepat/#sthash.mRCny6xc.dpuf

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

5:29 AM 0

Essential Oils for Vacation


Agar perjalanan liburan berjalan lancar, salah satu yang perlu diperhatikan adalah saat packing barang-barang apa saja yang harus dibawa. Sudah sekitar 3 bulan ini saya keranjingan essential oils dari Young Living, jadi pas mau traveling agak bingung memilih oils apa yang harus dibawa sesuai kebutuhan dan juga untuk P3K, karena pengennya bawa semua. 

Berikut pasukan oils yang biasa saya bawa akhir-akhir ini :

1. Lemon
Kandungan vitamin C yang ada pada lemon sangat tinggi sehingga baik untuk menjaga kesehatan tubuh. Sudah setahun ini hampir setiap pagi saya minum air perasan lemon dan hasilnya ngefek banget ngurangi serangan maag. Kalau lagi traveling susahlah ya bawa-bawa buah lemon plus pisaunya, nah sekarang cukup bawa oilsnya, tinggal tetes deh di air minum (harus pakai gelas kaca ya). Khasiatnya sama tapi jauh lebih praktis.

2. Di-Gize
Dapat mengatasi masalah gangguan pencernaan, masalah kram perut, mual, gas, dan kembung atau diare saat salah makan saat wiskul. Cukup oles di sekitar perut, ga lama langsung berasa enakan lagi perutnya.

3. Clove
Waktu mudik lebaran kemarin crown gigi geraham kiri saya copot, karena dokter gigi pada tutup ya akhirnya dibiarin aj tuh gigi kebuka. Karena kebiasaan ngunyah makanan di sisi kiri dan sebagai pencinta daging sejati, akhirnya nyut-nyutan itu gigi. 

Banyak yang setujulah ya kalau lebih baik sakit hati daripada sakit gigi. Clove ini jadi penyelamat saya untuk bisa lanjut makan enak, cukup oles di sekitaran gigi dan gusi yang sakit. Selain itu Clove juga dapat membantu mengatasi nyeri otot dan memiliki antioksidan yang tinggi.


4. Lavender
Lavender ini bersama dengan Peppermint dan Lemon sering dianggap sebagai first aid oils. Wanginya bisa membantu saya untuk tidur lebih nyenyak karena biasa susah tidur kalau ketemu ranjang baru. Biasa juga ditambahkan di shampoo untuk mengurangi ketombe dan rambut rontok.

5. Panaway 
Jika ada nyeri / linu pada otot atau persendian menggunakan Peppermint sebenarnya efektif, tapi secara backpain saya tuh kayanya sudah akut, butuh yang dosisnya lebih tinggi yaitu Deep Relief atau Panaway. Pemakaiannya lebih efektif dengan kompres hangat di bagian yang nyeri. Nyeri dan pegal setelah seharian keliling-keliling bisa hilang keesokan harinya.

ps. Young Living Essential Oils ini adalah alternatif penyembuhan alami dan bukan sebagai obat.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

10:22 PM 0

5 Kegiatan Wajib Ketika Traveling

Saat berlibur di suatu daerah / negara banyak sekali hal-hal yang ingin saya nikmati di tempat tersebut, berikut beberapa kegiatan yang pasti akan saya lakukan saat traveling :

1. Landscape dan Photo
Saya suka sekali melihat pemandangan alam dan arsitektur gedung. Jadi kalau pemandangannya keren pasti lama di situ plus banyak juga mengambil photo-photonya.

2. Supermarket atau minimarket
Saya suka banget masuk ke minimarket atau supermarket, bisa betah keliling hanya untuk liat-liat. Biasanya saya tertarik nyobain makanan (snack, permen, coklat, ice cream) dan liat-liat apa aja sih yang mereka jual yang jarang atau belum pernah saya temui di Jakarta.

3. Shopping
Barang-barang lokal seperti tas, scarf, hiasan dinding, fridge magnet sangat menarik mata. Dengan kepelitan saya untuk membeli bagasi pesawat LCC kegiatan shopping ini menjadi masalah karena bisa beranakpinaknya koper. 

4. Kuliner
Saya sebenernya tipe yang tidak begitu suka mencoba makanan aneh-aneh, apalagi yang secara tampilan / penyajian makanannya yang ga sreg buat saya, tetapi hanya icip-icip kuliner lokal bolehlah. 

Selain kuliner lokal biasa suka juga mencari restoran fast food yang jaringannya telah dikenal di seluruh dunia. Selain harga yang ditawarkan oleh restoran fast food ini relatif lebih terjangkau biasanya setiap negara mempunyai taste yang beda dan terkadang menu-menunya juga ada perbedaan.


5. Museum dan Gereja
Biasanya saya akan mencari museum gratis, sayangnya sebagian besar museum-museum yang didatangi berbayar. Jadi dipilih benar-benar yang menarik koleksi / tema museumnya. 

Sebisa mungkin saat traveling saya akan mengikuti misa yang diselenggarakan oleh gereja setempat. Ada beberapa gereja yang dirancang sedemikian rupa sehingga tampak mengagumkan dan indah dipandang mata.