A good reminder :)

Got this post from my friend Eva's FB status. It's a good reminder for all of us :)

“The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.”

― David Orr, Ecological Literacy

Graham Hill- Weekday Vegetarians

 

 

I've been doing it too :)

Just a thought...

Went to one of the hospital here in Jakarta this morning with my friends Zack & Maya. We spent some time there with the kids (who are less fortunate than we are) at the children's cancer ward.. This is Alikha (one of the kids who stayed there), she's 11th month old...already got 1 chemotherapy...9 more to go. She got tumor on her blood vessels.

I might be wrong...but for me, instead of complaining about traffic, Jakarta, religious differences, traffic and so on....those things are nothing compare to what she (they) feels.

Little things do count...if we can help, why not?  I have some links here and you can check CountMeIn website if you want to help others and you can always volunteer too.

Like  Mother Theresa said "We can't do great things in this life. We can only do small things with great love." 

6 Ways Kids' Yoga Differs From Adult Yoga

Pic by me

I like this article by Sarah Herrington from Mind Body Green. I'll copy paste it for you.

"Kids' yoga is definitely different than adult yoga. And here's what teaching kids yoga is really like:

1. Kids' Yoga Isn’t Quiet: Sure, there are quiet moments. From my experience, kids really love Savasana and will be especially quiet and still if they know a foot rub is coming, or are listening to a favorite song or story. We often begin class with a collective OM or an “OM Song.” We often sing Sun Salutation instructions together to help us remember the poses and to keep us all moving and at the same time. But when it's time to practice the poses of the day, there can be chatting, laughing, down dog barks and cat-cow meow-moos. Kids are full of life and personality, and your class will be too! Don’t expect to just hear breathing.

2. Kids Don’t Sweat Like Adults, But Things Can Get Grubby: It wasn’t until I completed my first adult teacher training that this fact hit me hard on the head (or in the palms of my asana-adjusting hands): adults can sweat a lot in yoga,but kids generally don’t. There’s no need for towels or mopping up the floor after an active class. But an active kids' class can stir up other things, like germs. I sometimes hand out scented hand sanitizer as a “treat” to awesome yogis before or after class. Sometimes we do a “Karma Yoga” project and collectively wipe down the mats. You’d be surprised how much kids love to help out and keeping the space tidy together is an awesome way to teach kindness and impart the spirit of the Yamas, or social values, to kids. Kids aren’t afraid to roll around and get dirty, and though its great to encourage that adventurous spirit you don’t want to necessarily encourage the actual “dirt” bit.

3. Classroom Management Is Key: While it's fun to keep kids' yoga classes playful, a definite structure has to be in place to keep everyone safe and learning. You may want to choose class guidelines together and then collectively sign your own yoga classroom contract so the rules are self-generated and not just imparted. It's a great idea to have a “Peace Place” where a kid yogi can take a break if one is needed instead of disrupting the class. And as the teacher its important to remember that strong and loving boundaries are part of yoga. Its a great practice of Patanjali’s sthira sukham asanam, or the idea that it takes both steadiness and softness to achieve yoga. See if you can supply both for your kid students.

4. Poses Are Better in Twos, or Threes: Kid yogis love to work together. While in adult classes everyone keeps their eyes to themselves (for the most part) and their bodies on their own mats, kids like to link up their trees into forests and their chair and tabletop poses into complete kitchen sets with their friends. Kids love to learn collaboratively, and it's a great opportunity to practice cooperation, friendliness, and compassion -- which are all big yoga lessons.

5. Kids Keep it Real: You will know immediately if your kids' class is working or not. Kids keep it very real, and will tell you what they love and don’t love about your class. Don’t take it personally, take it as information. In fact, I’ve gotten so used to kids' honesty that I find it a bit unnerving to look out into a class of adults practicing with straight, unreadable, faces!  I’m used to smiles or tongues sticking out, laughter or tears, and just knowing exactly what my kid students are feeling.

6. It's Not Playtime: Kids need to stay challenged to grow, and they learn quickly. Challenge them by teaching the Sanskrit names of poses, if appropriate, and teach the differences between Surya Namaskar A and B. Talk about similarities and differences between poses. Do a book report on famous yogis, or draw and decorate mandalas. Kids' yoga doesn’t need to be a playtime free-for-all, and learning a lot can be a lot of fun.

Two key words in kids' yoga are Love and Listening. If you love yoga, that will shine through and the ever-perceptive kids will read that in you and respond. If you listen to your students and stay flexible in giving what is needed at the moment, you will have a class where kids both learn a lot and have a lot of fun. And hopefully, seeds for future yoga exploration will be planted!  And you will grow, too."

By Sarah Herrington from Mind Body Green.

Eggplant Mozzarella Parmesan

Got the recipe from this site. 

Ingredients:

• About 1.2 kilos tomatoes
• About 1.5 kilos of eggplants
• 400 grams Mozzarella
• 8-10 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• About ½ cup chopped onions
• Some basil sprigs
• About ¾ to 1 cup of olive oil (this includes oil for frying)
• Salt and pepper to taste.

How to make: 

- Slice eggplants lengthwise (about 4-5 mm thickness). Eggplants should not be sliced too thin to prevent them from burning while frying. On the contrary, if eggplants are cut too thick, they will absorb too much oil.

- Toss eggplants with salt and place them in a colander. The secret to a liquid free recipe is draining enough water from eggplants. Some recipes suggest to let eggplants drain for about 1 hour. I let them drain overnight.

- According to Neapolitan tradition, eggplants should only be fried in olive oil, long enough to acquire an intense golden brown color. Fry 4 to 5 slices at a time. In other Italian regions, eggplants are previously dipped in egg batter or/and flour before frying.

- Once fried, eggplants are transferred to a plate and covered with paper towels to drain excess oil. Make sure to eliminate excess oil: there is nothing worse than a Parmigiana drowned in oil.

- To prepare the sauce, the most recommended type of tomatoes are fresh, ripe San Marzano or Piccadilly. Many Italian cooks consider these kind of “plum” tomatoes to be the best sauce tomatoes.

In a pot, boil water and add tomatoes, and blanche for about 1 – 2 minutes, the necessary time to soften them. The more time you boil tomatoes in water, the more water they absorb.

- Once blanched, tomatoes are passed through a hand-held vegetable mill.

- This useful tool besides from speeding up the process by easily removing skin and seeds (which determines acidity in tomato sauce) from tomatoes, it produces a sweeter and better quality of sauce

- In a saucepan, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and sliced garlic. Add chopped onions and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add sauce and simmer for about 1 hour or until sauce is thickened.

- Add some basil leaves and salt and pepper to taste.

- Arrange eggplant slices in the bottom of a baking dish, overlapping slightly if necessary. Spread over tomato sauce. Cover with Parmigiano Reggiano. Continue layering with remaining eggplant, sauce, Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, and basil. Bake at 200° C uncovered, until cheese is melted and golden, about 30-40 minutes.

- As for the purple sweet potato, I just roasted it with olive oil and herbs (rosemary, oregano.

Miles Davis Quartet - My Funny Valentine

One of my fave of all time :)

Cat shaped pre-school :)

I love cats! Well I love animals basicly. And looking at this cat shaped pre-school...oh wow...all I can say is...cool, cuteness!!

Got these pics from Pinterest and Magazine.

15 ways to say goodbye to a child :)

Got this cute words from Pinterest :)

The Cook's Atelier

From Tiger in a Jar, a film production company run by husband and wife, Matt and Julie Walker. The joy found in simple activities.

I love everything about this...the images...beautiful music...love love love :)

Hari Anak Sedunia / Universal Childrens Day :))

20 November 2012, Hari Anak Sedunia or Universal Childrens Day :))

“My hope and wish is that one day, formal education will pay attention to what I call education of the heart. Just as we take for granted the need to acquire proficiency in the basic academic subjects, I am hopeful that a time will come when we can take it for granted that children will learn, as part of the curriculum, the indispensability of inner values: love, compassion, justice, and forgiveness.” The Dalai Lama

Hannah Brencher: Love letters to strangers

"The World Needs More Love Letters"


Check this out :)

Cinnamon toast french toast

Got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen's blog. I'll copy paste it for you :)

All you need:

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
16 slices (from a 1-pound or 450 gram loaf) white sandwich bread
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (710 ml) whole milk
6 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Whisk the cinnamon and sugar together in a small dish. Line two large baking sheets with foil. Place the bread slices on the baking sheets in one layer. Spread each slice of bread with 1 teaspoon of butter, then sprinkle each slice with one teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

- Toast the trays of bread in the oven until the bread is golden, and until the cinnamon-sugar makes a caramelized crunch on top, for about 7 to10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and let the toast cool slightly.

- Generously butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. (You might have a little butter leftover but I wanted to build in some leeway in case, understandably, you weren’t buttering your bread with precise teaspoon measurements!) Cut two slices of the cinnamon toast in half horizontally. Arrange the cinnamon toast down in two rows along the width of the pan. Begin with the bottom half of one slice of toast, then fan 7 more slices in a row, finishing with the top half of the slice. This ensures that those served the end pieces of the baked.

- French toast are not stiffed with thin slices! Repeat with another 7 full slices and 1 halved slice of cinnamon toast in the second row. Whisk the milk, eggs, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl and pour evenly over cinnamon toast in baking dish. Let sit for 15 minutes (or overnight, if you’re preparing this ahead of time) so that the custard absorbs a bit.

- Before baking, if you’ve got any extra cinnamon-sugar (you’ll likely have a tablespoon or two), sprinkle it over the French toast. Bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and golden and until no liquid seeps out of the toasts when they are nudged about in the pan. Cut into squares and serve plain, or with a dollop of plain yogurt and fresh berries, or maple syrup.

Enjoy! :)

Kutakatik at Sirkus-sirkusan :)

Come and join Kutakatik Art Craft Class this Saturday kiddos :))

 

Thank you Backyard at Museum Layang-Layang

How do we fall in love?

I love Jeanette Winterson's poetic response...

"You don’t fall in love like you fall in a hole. You fall like falling through space. It’s like you jump off your own private planet to visit someone else’s planet. And when you get there it all looks different: the flowers, the animals, the colours people wear. It is a big surprise falling in love because you thought you had everything just right on your own planet, and that was true, in a way, but then somebody signalled to you across space and the only way you could visit was to take a giant jump. Away you go, falling into someone else’s orbit and after a while you might decide to pull your two planets together and call it home. And you can bring your dog. Or your cat. Your goldfish, hamster, collection of stones, all your odd socks. (The ones you lost, including the holes, are on the new planet you found.)

And you can bring your friends to visit. And read your favourite stories to each other. And the falling was really the big jump that you had to make to be with someone you don’t want to be without. That’s it.

PS You have to be brave."

via Brainpicking

Simple joy :)

Simple joy...got to spend 1 day with my bestie's (Yarra) newborn son Kai...and spent another 1 day with my cousin's (Don) newborn puppies from his beagle, Kerry :)

Amazing :)

Simple happiness :)

Qisha's (my niece) simple happiness (and my simple happiness too) > Puppet play with my DIY boneka handpuppet, my DIY shadow puppet and 2 handpuppets from Pak Oteng. She made her own story too :)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Got the recipe from easy-cookies recipes.

All you need:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

How to make: 

 

Preheat oven to 180-200C.  Mix together butter, sugars and the eggs until well blended. Combine baking soda, salt and flour and add to the creamed mixture. Add in the oatmeal and the chips stir. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie

Got this recipe from my bestie's blog Yarra :)

All you need:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar (or mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar)
1 egg

How to make:

Preheat oven to 180-200°c. Mix all of the ingredients altogether. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes to 10 minutes (or according to your oven).

Very simple! :)

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

Got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen website. I'll copy paste it for you :)

You need:

8 ounces (1 small-to-medium bundle, 225 grams) fresh broccoli (3 cups chopped)

1 large egg

1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (30 grams) finely grated parmesan cheese (or to taste)

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste (or to taste)

A pinch of red pepper flakes or several grinds of black pepper

Olive or vegetable oil for frying

How to make:

- Prepare your broccoli: Separate the florets from the biggest stem(s). Cut the florets into 1-inch chunks. To prepare the stems, then slice them into 1/2-inch lengths. You should have about 3 cups of chopped broccoli total.

- Steam your broccoli until tender but not mushy. Drain the broccoli, then set it aside to cool slightly.

- In the bottom of a large bowl, lightly beat your egg. Add the flour, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Then, add the somewhat cooled broccoli and, using a potato masher, mash the broccoli just a bit, 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks that you can press a mound of the batter into a fritter in the pan. Once mashed a bit, stir or fold the ingredients together the rest of the way with a spoon. Adjust seasonings to taste.

- Heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, add a good slick of oil (I usually use a mix of olive and vegetable oil), about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Once the oil is hot (you can test it by flicking a droplet of water into it; it should hiss and sputter), scoop a two tablespoon-size mound of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spoon or spatula. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple inches between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.

- Transfer briefly to paper towels to drain, then to a serving plate if you’ll be eating them shortly or a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven if you’d like to keep them warm for a while until needed. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as needed. Serve with some of the suggestions listed in the head notes, above.

To serve:

With 1 cup plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tiny minced clove of garlic, a bit of zest and salt. It would also be good with this homemade ricotta, with or without additional lemon juice. They’re also good simply, with just a squeeze of lemon juice. I think I’d also enjoy them with a little crumbled feta on top. Oh, and of course, you can put a runny fried egg on top of it 

DYSKOGRAF

Got this article from The Kids Should See This website. 

"DYSKOGRAF is a graphic disk reader. Each disc is created by visitors to the installation by way of felt tip pens provided for their use. The mechanism then reads the disk, translating the drawing into a musical sequence.

The installation is above all a tool, which allows the creation of musical sequences in an intuitive way. The notion of a loop, closely linked to electronic music, is represented here by the cycle of the disk. The disk passes indefinitely in front of a camera fixed onto an arm. This substitution for the needle converts the drawing into sound by way of a specific application program (software). Through this system, the sequential ordering of music is learnt in a playful way, at the same time creating a unique object, souvenir of the musical composition.

The numeric world is a world of binary choice. The object of DYSKOGRAF is to give room again for accidents in numeric creation, accidents that often favour creativity."

Cool right? Feels like sharing it with my students and let the kids enjoy & explore :)

KidsYogArts is back :)

Happy :))

More pics here

What I've learned from my autistic brothers

"Normality overlooks the beauty that differences give us, and the fact that we are different doesn't mean that one of us is wrong. It just means that there's a different kind of right. Autistic or not, everyone's got a gift inside of us..." - Faith Jegede :)