Indonesia unite. :) October 26, 2010

recently, Indonesia got a really hard time with peace. Especially that caught the nation attention right now is natural disasters that happened one after another. Two days ago, my Twitter’s timeline is flood with all my Jakartan friends complaining about traffic and flood. Flood and traffic are one common thing in this nation capital, but wait, this kind of traffic jam and flood are stated to be the worst ever happen in years. One of my friends took 7 hours to get from office to her house, which usually takes about 1-1,5 hours. The other one had to paid about 150 usd for taxi. The government blamed the drainage system the city has, it said was built 40 years ago where there’s much less citizen and buildings. (well, of course the people blame the government for an unreliable city drainage, who else they’re going to blame? the rain?). Many lost their home because of the flood and needed to be evacuated.

then, the next day, a natural disaster happened in Mentawai, an island located in West Sumatra. An earthquake at 7.5 richter scale shook the island, a tsunami was feared was going to happen, there is warning for evacuation. But last night, the government stated that tsunami threat is not gonna happen, but this afternoon, it did happen. As I writing this, 108 died and another 502 are lost.

and then, another hours, a volcano is erupted in Merapi, Central Java. The volcanic mountain, Mount Merapi has been on monitor to be erupted soon, so there’s warning and evacuations by the government. But still, it took life. One baby is dead, probably because all the smoke in the air and other 15 are burnt bad. As I writing this, a journalist reported dead when he tried to help the victims. How many is dead and lost is still unsure.

this last years, we encounter series of earthquakes and floods. In Sumbawa last August, and the unforgettable is in Padang, last year where it took 1117 lives and caused great damage to the city. The biggest probably the tsunami in Aceh that caused by the 9,1 Richter scale earthquake in Indian Ocean, 2006. 226.000 people were killed and went missing in the disaster, more than 500.000 were left homeless.

At time like this, some said God punished us for our behavior, some said it was us who neglected the mother nature and too selfish to care, some said well, things just meant to happen.

I said, let’s be thankful for what we have. For our brother and sister as this moment maybe lost their families, crying for death relatives, starving for food, uncertain of the future because earth took their home, and hurt.

let’s be thankful and help. Fellow Indonesian can help by donate to the account numbers below :

Palang Merah Indonesia: BCA KCU Sudirman . Account number : 035.311223.3 a/n Kantor Pusat PMI

Act for Humanity : Mandiri, account number : 1010005634264 and BCA 6760302021 both a/n Aksi Cepat Tanggap

 

Pieces of Semarang September 10, 2010

this is also my first time too here, the city was amazing, the food was incredible, the Prana family was unbelievably welcome. I had the time of my life there.

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Kota Lama, Lawang Sewu, Pasar Burung

Pieces of Jogja September 10, 2010

this is my first time in Jogja, glad I’m going there with my friends and make new friends too!

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Malioboro Street, Borobudur temple, Ullen Sentalu Museum

Pieces of Bali September 10, 2010

I’m too lazy to post it all in Flickr, I will someday tho.., but here are some pieces :

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all pics taken in Kuta Beach, the most beautiful beach with sunset I’ve ever seen.

make chance happens May 22, 2010

Maybe someday it’s not just a post-it

But meanwhile, I try my best to help you stick it to your head,

that everything is possible, even if it means, you have to defy gravity.

Kids, I love you.

on my sunday class

lesson: jobs vocabulary

Sri Mulyani for World Bank May 5, 2010

May 5 (Bloomberg) — Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who has been a candidate to head her nation’s central bank, was selected to be a top adviser to World Bank President Robert Zoellick.

Sri Mulyani will start June 1 as one of the Washington- based bank’s three managing directors, the highest rank under Zoellick. She “brings a unique set of skills and experience to the World Bank Group, from the vantage point of an advancing middle-income country that still faces significant challenges of poverty,” Zoellick said in an e-mailed statement.

The selection highlights the rising global role of Indonesia, the fourth most-populous nation and a member of the Group of 20 emerging and developed countries. It may also affect Indonesia’s economic leadership, as Sri Mulyani was one of two candidates proposed last June to head Bank Indonesia, an appointment stymied by a parliamentary probe led by factions within the governing coalition and members of the opposition.

For complete article in businessweek.com click here

proud to have her there, but kinda felt ashamed on behalf of some party who took her dedication for granted. It’s somehow felt like Indonesian’s loss instead of pride.

bird day afternoon April 3, 2010

last week, I accompany my friend to the Sukahaji Bird Market, though my dad spent million times there, I never set foo in this place. So, I decided why not, maybe I could get a good shot of all the birds and chickens there. And not only a good shots, I had a great time too (not as horrible as I imagine a bird market would be), it’s crowded usually on Sunday, but on weekdays it’s relatively calm.

I finally understand why my dad love spent a whole day just sitting and talking with his peers about, well, bird. You can feel the passion of each man here, how they adore some little creature so much they want to spend a fortune on it. We visited kiosk after kiosk, and have a long chat with the owners about pigeons, starlings, magpies,cages, and more more birds, one guy even persist we visited his house to check on a starling that he acclaimed, ‘I only see this kind once in every 20 years’, the starling can says words, ‘papa mau kemana?’ (papa, where do you want to go?) and ‘mama mau kemana?’. The bird really entertain us. LOL.

inside the market

ugly duckling

mister rooster

in love

it's getting late

for more picture from my flickr click here

anyway, my friend bought me a blue black bird, the feathers color is deep black (like a suede) and metallic blue. I was awed when I first saw it. The guy who sell it says the bird name, something like ‘gogonello’ which I can’t find it in google. I guess it’s just a local name they have for the bird. And after an hour surfing the net, I managed to get the official name for the bird. It’s called Asian Fairy Bluebird (Irena puella) and it can be found in Himalayan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Oz, my Asian Fairy Bluebird

I named the Asian Fairy Oz, from The Wizard of Oz and also short from Ocean (because its magnificent electric blue feathers).

So, to sum it up, it’s a great day at the bird market! I’d like to go there again in the rush hour!

hot air balloon festival March 18, 2010

Indonesia 1st hot air balloon festival will be held in Sentul City, Bogor, 26-28 March 2010.  20 experienced pilots from Belgium, France, Dutch, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand will be participating in this event. The balloons will be flown twice a day, 9-10 am and 9-10 pm. ( I really want to try at both operating hours). They charged 50.000 rupiahs (around 5 usd) per person, I think it’s affordable for most family.

Can’t wait to be in that basket, up in the air.

Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival

NJ Hot Air Balloon Festival 2008

Reno Hot Air Balloon Festival

all images are taken from flickr.com (click the image for the photographer’s link)

the game January 25, 2010

I abandoned this blog for too long, I’m busy with twitter and tumblr. :p

anyway, for New Year I spent it with my friends in Lombok, which is great. Lombok, located in Nusa Tenggara Barat is one of the most beautiful beaches in Indonesia. We’re going snorkeling, my first experience (I’m super excited) and sunburn is a must.

Morning at Malimbu Beach

click to my flickr page for Lombok gorgeous view

Thanks to Weslie and Anggi for this unforgettable trip. I had so so so so much fun!

Back to Bandung (and Jakarta) I can’t help but feeling a little gloom. I mean, those 5 days were not only paradise, but also my escape from my school, my job, my well sorry to be corny, misserable love life.

I enjoyed bathing in the sun, sweating on the road of Gili Terawangan, soaked wet from salty water, feeding the fish underwater (ama-zziiiing), and woke up to a cottage with a beautiful view of Gili Terawangan Island. Oh and I also miss the laughter, and company of friends (thanks guys, you all are wonderful), and making no other plans than : where to eat, where to snorkel, where to take a walk, where to have fun.

I get so full of fun, it’s kinda hard to play the old game, again and again.

So, to get it straight : my job is a mess, my boss kinda lunatic, my school is a mess, I’m stuck with green architecture theory which is stressing, but that I can handle.

But what is bugging me, is that this so old game called relationship between boy and girl.

I’m not a drama person, I hate making things up just to add the sparkle, so I tend to sit and do nothing. People talk, I can’t help it and it’s none of my business what are they talking about. (yes, mostly I’m the bitch for dumped my perfect boyfriend).

So I just put a smile, and yes, do nothing about it.

I’m not complaining, I myself agree that what I did it’s purely a selfish act. And at times, I miss him so badly so much so painfully that I rushed to my phone just to send him a text. (Which stay on my draft and never get send) I know it will lead to another painfull things either for me or for him.

But at another time, I remember the beach, the sun, the sand, the sea and I feel, you know, it’s very liberating.

It’s the feeling a single girl could only feels.

Freedom. Unattached. Relax. Happy. And the feeling that you can do whatever you want, because you are old enough to decide anything you want and not old enough to have so much responsibilities.

This kind of freedom is, well, dangerous.

Partly because I’m not used to it. And before I realised it, I’m back to the game. But I’m not the player with the same cards as before, and you know, it’s fun.

But like everybody said, you need somebody to love

True.

I guess I did not deserve my old boyfriend, because he’s too nice, too perfect, too kind. While others think I’m looking for somebody new, the truth is no.

I like being single (at least for now)

*sorry about this emotion flood, I just listened to Can’t Help This Feeling by REO Speedwagon, and you know music is a powerful emotional tool. :p

#indonesiaunite July 17, 2009

Sad and terrible thing happened this morning, at 7.55 a bomb exploded at JW. Marriot, 5 stars American hotel located in Mega Kuningan, Jakarta and two minutes later, another bomb exploded at Ritz Carlton hotel, only 50 meters from Marriot. The cruel terrorist act killed 6 people on the spot and one victim died on the hospital (there will be more, but police still trying to locate all victims in the ruins).

It was suspected a suicide bomb, because at each hotels (the two explosion happened at the restaurants, where people getting their breakfast) there was found a body, headless and the legs was served from their body, which is  the same condition happened to a suicide bomber, CNN said.

The explosion was considered a minor (comparing to the one happened also in Marriot in 2003) but the incident took place in the restaurant where the interior consist a lot of glass. Eyewitness said, the explotion in Ritz Carlton are much bigger than in Marriot. When the accident happened, one eyewitness also said, all of sudden everything was become silent for a couple of second. Nobody speaks and moves, just until a seconds later they realised that it was a bomb that went off.

The victim from both hotels are 7 injured, the hospitals received 12 body bag, which consist 7 whole body and the other bags only some parts. One dead victim, identificate as Mr.Timothy McKay, Holcim Cement Head of Director, an Australian citizens. There are no reports yet how many exactly the victim are.

Clearly, this terrorist act was an American/foreign citizens hate act. This is put Indonesia President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at rage. He swore he will do everything to put this terrorist act to an end.

This tragedy happened only a day before The Manchester United teams arrived (they were planned to stay in Ritz) for a friendly match with Indonesia National Team (Indonesia Allstar) which will be held on Monday, 20th of July at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The tickets were already sold out weeks before the event and all Indonesian were eagerly to meet and see their soccer idols. Sadly for MU fans, the match they’ve been waiting for so long, will be cancelled. It said the loss because of the cancelation are about 30-50 billion rupiahs for the promotor.

But the real losses here are, for nobody else, but Indonesia people and economy. These past few years, after the bombing in Bali and Marriot (2003), the traffic in Indonesia travel are increasing because the goverment work hard on their campaign on promoting Indonesia on Visit Indonesia Campaign. But now with the travel warning, the fear, the terror, we stepped back near to where we start years before.

When the news broke this morning, many of my friends in Facebook are cursing the terrorist, distressed by this tragic events. It will make us look bad, a dangerous, full of terrorist country.

As I write this story, my blackberry blinking with many tweets from my friends, all saying one message :

#indonesiaunite

if there is one thing positive we can take from this tragic event, is that we must remember, we are one.

The terrorist are not us, and never will be one of us.

Indonesian people are consists of thousands of islands, many races, languages and religions. For hundred of years, we still stand together.

And to the terrorist, we said it aloud : we are not afraid, because we are one and we are big.

To the world, we hope you see the real us. We are not a haters, nor a fanatics. I really hope this tragedy will not made you thought less of us, because inside we’re fighting for a better Indonesia, a better home for us and for our guests.

And to my friends, Indonesian people, we are united. No matter what color our skin is, our religion is, our politic side is, our language is, we are one.

were, still, and forever will be.

JW Marriott after the bombing. Image courtesy of www.kompas.com