Museum Ceria Family Weekend 10 Niewslezer

After a few conflicting schedules for previous events, we finally participated in Museum Ceria Family Weekend. The event this time is called Niewslezer, teaching the children about communication and journalism before the internet era. So it’s like showing Andrew what news was like when Mama was a little girl.

We arrived at 9 AM for registration and the program started right away. As this is our first time participating at a Museum Ceria program, we didn't know we can start right away after given the mission. We thought there were a briefing or introduction from Museum Ceria. But watching other participants eagerly completing the mission, we decided we can start.

This is what Dudu has to say about out date: 

"Today, me and Mom went to Museum of Communication at Indonesia Miniature Park. When we arrived there, we line up to get out mission by the museum door. The mission is to find items spread out in the museum like Morse code machine, golden pen, old TV camera, famous people statues and others. We also have to read using the old Indonesian spelling, like my grandpa! The old spelling is like code! I also made a bookmark using magnet and reading a story..."

The story is a radio drama. Each kid got a role in a fable and they have to act out like they’re playing a drama. It’s a great way to introduce today’s children with how the parents enjoyed radio back in the days. Aside from displaying items from the old days of media and communication, there are also some history, pictured through diorama spread out in the museum.

The smaller children got a storytelling, singing and dancing while going around the museum and seeing different artifacts. Andrew totally enjoyed the adventure – never been to Museum of Communication before. I found this fascinating too as I couldn't recall if I ever been to this museum. But, here in Indonesia, we often need a reason and an extra push to visit museum. And the Family Weekend Program gives us just that.

Contact Museum Ceria at:
Twitter: @MuseumCeria
Web: http://museumceria.blogspot.com/

When: December 28, 2014
Where: Museum Penerangan (Museum of Communication) at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Indonesia Miniature Park)
Fee: Rp120k for kids and Rp20k for the accompanying parent, excluding TMII entrance fee. There’s also a fun storytelling program for younger children with different registration fee. 

(This post is also available in Bahasa Indonesia: Museum Adventure, Museum Penerangan TMII) 

Loka Indonesia

Curiosity sparked by a radio commercial brought us to Alam Sutera to pay this bright yet kids friendly supermarket a visit.

Our Story
My first impression with the visit is how this supermarket reminds me of the ones I found abroad. The bright-colored trolleys and baskets take us by surprised and get Dudu excited. Even better, it comes in children size. Without hesitation, Dudu goes with his favorite green. 

Holiday Inn Express Semarang

While Semarang is our second hometown, it's always hard to find a place to stay.
This time we decided to go for something new.

Our Story
We arrived at 9 AM and the hotel check in is 12 PM, but the receptionist let us put our luggage up front so we're free to walk around. The hotel is 5-minute walk to the city center (Simpang Lima), and it was early enough to explore the city without the traffic and the heat. We returned in the afternoon, to find the room beyond our expectation: It was bigger and nicer than expectation. The view is actually great, but the development next door obstruct our view to Simpang Lima.

Jakarta Kids Run 2014

Our second participation sees more excited kids, more enthusiastic adults and a crowded route.

While the first Kids Run was awesome, the second was a little disappointing. We're super excited to know that the registration has opened and signed up right away. The fee had tripled from last year, but we thought it was worth it. The T-shirt has brighter color and the medal is a lot nicer. I picked up the race pack without Andrew and was excited with the fresh orange uniform. It matches Andrew's shoes too.

The Biggest Timezone in Indonesia

Game center has always been one option to go on a date with Andrew. We usually visit the small one near out house. But this time, we decided to go take the toll road and visit the biggest Timezone in Indonesia, located just off the Karawaci exit.

Our Story
I used to visit this mall when I was a kid and Jakarta traffic jam wasn’t this horrible. The Timezone apparently got a revamped back in March and turned an indoor theme park. The shoe-shaped roller coaster is still there, but now there are more fun things to do than just the indoor roller coaster. Andrew had fun. 

Jakarta Toys and Comic Fair 2014

This is our second time going to such event, and this time we know better to come before the gate is open and on the first day. 

We lined up at 9, and got our ticket at 10. Apparently it was faster to buy the ticket on the spot rather than pre-order it at Indomaret. The line was shorter. We go around pretty quick and settled on a booth where all toys are discounted. It’s a little hard to shop because you have to ask for the price every time you want to buy something. The space is small too and the cashier is manually done.

Tanamera Thamrin

A small coffee shop hidden behind the city's skyscrapers turns out to be one of the best place to do homework.

Our Story:
In the boredom of chain coffee place, a friend of Mama suggested Tanamera. We visited the place right away and arrived on a quiet Sunday afternoon when the crowd was just leaving the place. We sat in the middle, right across the food bar and ordered drinks. Unfortunately, we just came from late lunch so we didn't try the food (next time for sure). Free lemon-infused water are served along with the drinks.