Rogers Creek Park

One of the joys of living in Canada is there are plenty of excellent trails available for outdoor enthusiasts where you can enjoy the fresh breeze, the quiet moment, being as close to and with nature as one can be. One of the nearest trail from my place is Rogers Creek Park, a 4 kilometers long trails with the beautiful scenery and cool air. I love nature walks because it is relaxing, it gives me a chance to explore the landscape around me, a cheap workout for my body and an activity that everyone can enjoy. In most nature parks here you are also welcome to bring your dog with you as long as they are on leash. What I like most about the trails here is they are very easy to follow, the markers is easy to read, it is well maintained and there are not any trash at all. They also keep the area in great shape for walking/hiking and maintain informative signs like you should leave the area if the wind blows too hard as some of the trees might fall to the ground. They really encourage visitors to be responsible, something that we in Indonesia should learn about. Here is pictures of the trails from Rogers Creek Park, hope you all enjoy them as much as I do.

Bikin roti sendiri

roti isi daging (ayam cincang)cinnamon buns sebelum masuk ovencinnamon buns setelah dioven

Tinggal di negara orang paling repot kalau sudah menyangkut urusan perut, apalagi di kota kecil seperti tempatku tinggal ini. Kadang tiba-tiba kepengen makan roti isi seperti yang banyak dijual di toko2 roti di Jakarta, tetapi disini mana ada yang jual. Pilihan roti disini kecuali roti tawar paling2 tidak jauh dari bagels, scones, atau cinnamon buns. Nah yang terakhir disebut aku lumayan suka, cuma kalau beli di toko gak tahan sama manis toppingnya, blenger! Orang sini sepertinya suka sekali dengan gula karena kue2nya menurut lidahku manisnya keliwatan. Kalau sudah begini terpaksa browsing resep di internet cari tau kira2 kalau bikin bagaimana ya rasanya? Tentunya gak bakal sama persis seperti yang dijual di toko2 roti, tetapi demi memuaskan keinginan hati sekali2 boleh dong nekat bikin roti sendiri! Berikut foto roti yang aku buat bulan lalu...belum seperti yang aku harapkan hasilnya, tetapi lumayanlah untuk pemula :)

Neko loves the camera more than Suneo

Ever since I owned my first digital camera I spent a lot of times taking photographs of my late dog, Fatso. But it is not always easy to hold them in position. Suneo for example, whenever I started taking his pictures he will walk away or runs toward the camera. I think Suneo sees the lens as one big eye looking at him that`s why he doesn`t like them! I have better luck (sometimes) taking photos while Suneo is distracted or when he is about to fall asleep.

Neko, on the other hand is an easy target and doesn't mind having her picture taken.
She cooperates, she does not look away as long as she feels relaxed and you be very very quiet when you take her pictures. My experience photographing animal is using a zoom lens, be patience and try to use the natural light (no flash). Here are some recent shots of Suneo and Neko. Enjoy!

Snapshots from Port Alberni

Updates and tails of two kitties

Hi everyone, sorry I haven`t been around much lately. I also have not visited or commenting on your blogs , I just have seemed to withdraw into myself lately. I guess I have been trying to deal with too many things all at the same time. My permanent move to Canada, coping with the cold weather here, marital life, living in a small town and of course the never ending stories about Suneo (my cat) and Neko (the resident cat)here.
Now talking about the two kitties. Neko is a big fat furry laid back female adult of about 9 years of age, she is a good people cat and has been the only cat in the house for many years. She is grumpy and very very hissy and has viciously swatted at Suneo for the first two weeks we were here. Neko is also on a diet under her Vet's order, which she doesn't like and often get jealous when Suneo eats his treats. Neko has this special radar that she would awake from her sleep the moment she hears a treat's bag is being opened!

Suneo the bad boy is a 2 1/2 years old male Siamese who has an excess of energy and no where for that energy to go. He is a talker (he meows a lot), when I say meowing he really can meow at any time of the night or in the wee hours of the morning. He loves to run around the house and bouncing from one place to another, he is very active and probably too much for an older cat like Neko. The introduction phase did not go well at first, esp. when naughty Suneo would dare to go near Neko...the hissing and growling ensued, to be sure. The third week was the major turning point when Suneo's tail was accidentally get squeezed by the bedroom door and I got scracthed and severedly bitten by him because of that. Suneo thought he was being attacked by Neko who constantly hissing and blocking his way while I tried to separate them from attacking each other. I got an anti tetanus shot and had to take a week of antibiotic because of that but the good news is ... since that incident Neko began to warm up to Suneo although she still won't let Suneo to get too close to her. The above picture is one of the rare moment where the two of them can share the same spot together. Suneo is usually the one who creates the trouble by stalking Neko and he seems to enjoy it even if it means Neko would chase him down.

I will keep you all posted on how things are progressing.

Mengapa orang Yahudi banyak yang pintar ?

Minggu lalu ketika sedang membaca Kompasiana online, sebuah judul tulisan bertajuk "Mengapa orang Yahudi banyak yang pintar?" mengusik keingintahuan saya untuk membaca lebih lanjut. Ternyata penulisnya adalah Pak Chappy Hakim, mantan Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Udara 2002-2005. Saya tidak begitu hafal siapa Kasau, Kasal atau Kasad yang menjabat pada tahun ini atau sebelumnya, tetapi nama Chappy Hakim sangat familiar pasca jatuhnya pesawat Adam Air yang menewaskan seluruh awak pesawat dan penumpangnya beberapa tahun lalu. Komentar dan ulasan beliau mengenai menjamurnya budget airlines dan kurangnya keselamatan penerbangan di Indonesia membuka borok yang selama ini mungkin tidak diketahui masyarakat banyak. Tulisan berikut tidak ada kaitan sama sekali dengan dunia penerbangan, tetapi ada kaitan dengan sumber daya manusia. Saya meminta ijin untuk mengutip postingan obrolan ringan beliau yang saya kira cukup menarik untuk diketahui. Blog Pak Chappy Hakim bisa dibaca di sini.

Tanpa bermaksud untuk mendramatisasi tentang orang Israel dan atau orang Yahudi, saya ingin berbagi informasi yang saya peroleh dari membaca terjemahan H. Maaruf Bin Hj Abdul Kadir (guru besar berkebangsaan Malaysia) dari Universitas Massachuset USA tentang penelitian yang dilakukan oleh DR.Stephen Carr Leon. Penelitian DR Leon ini adalah tentang pengembangan kualitas hidup orang Israel atau orang Yahudi.

Mengapa Orang Yahudi, rata-rata pintar ? Studi yang dilakukan mendapatkan fakta-fakta sebagai berikut :

Ternyata, bila seorang Yahudi Hamil, maka sang ibu segera saja meningkatkan aktivitasnya membaca, menyanyi dan bermain piano serta mendengarkan musik klasik. Tidak itu saja, mereka juga segera memulai untuk mempelajari matematika lebih intensif dan juga membeli lebih banyak lagi buku tentang matematika. mempelajarinya, dan bila ada yang tidak diketahui dengan baik, mereka tidak segan-segan untuk datang ke orang lain yang tahu matematika untuk mempelajarinya. Semua itu dilakukannya untuk anaknya yang masih didalam kandungan.

Setelah anak lahir, bagi sang ibu yang menyususi bayi nya itu, mereka memilih lebih banyak makan kacang, korma dan susu. Siang hari, makan roti dengan ikan yang tanpa kepala serta salad. Daging ikan dianggap bagus untuk otak dan kepala ikan harus dihindari karena mengandung zat kimia yang tidak baik untuk pertumbuhan otak si anak. Disamping itu sang ibu diharuskan banyak makan minyak ikan (cod liver oil).

Menu diatur sedemikian rupa sehingga didominasi oleh ikan. Bila ada daging, mereka tidak akan makan daging bersama-sama dengan ikan,karena mereka percaya dengan makan ikan dengan daging hasilnya tidak bagus untuk pertumbuhan. Makan ikan seyogyanya hanya makan ikan saja, bila makan daging , hanya makan daging saja, tidak dicampur. Makan pun, mereka mendahulukan makan buah-buahan baru makan roti atau nasi. Makan nasi dulu baru kemudian makan buah, dipercaya akan hanya membuat ngantuk dan malas berkerja.

Yang istimewa lagi adalah : Di Isarel, merokok itu tabu ! Mereka memiliki hasil penelitian dari ahli peneliti tentang Genetika dan DNA yang meyakinkan bahwa nekotin akan merusak sel utama yang ada di otak manusia yang dampaknya tidak hanya kepada si perokok akan tetapi juga akan mempengaruhi “gen” atau keturunannya. Pengaruh yang utama adalah dapat membuat orang dan keturunannya menjadi “bodoh” atau “dungu”. Walaupun, kalau kita perhatikan , maka penghasil rokok terbesar di dunia ini adalah orang Yahudi ! Tetapi yang merokok , bukan orang Yahudi.

Anak-anak, selalu diprioritaskan untuk makan buah dulu baru makan nasi atau roti dan juga tidak boleh lupa untuk minum pil minyak ikan. Mereka juga harus pandai bahasa , minimum 3 bahasa harus dikuasai nya yaitu Hebrew, Arab dan bahasa Inggris. Anak-anak juga diwajibkan dan dilatih piano dan biola. Dua instrument ini dipercaya dapat sangat efektif meningkatkan IQ mereka. Irama musik terutama musik klasik dapat menstimulasi sel otak. Sebagian besar dari musikus genius dunia adalah orang Yahudi.

Satu dari 6 anak Yahudi, diajarkan matematik dengan konsep yang berkait langsung dengan bisnis dan perdagangan. Ternyata salah satu syarat untuk lulus dari Perguruan Tinggi bagi yang Majoring nya Bisnis, adalah, dalam tahun terakhir, dalam satu kelompok mahasiswa (terdiri dari 10 orang), harus menjalankan perusahaan. Mereka hanya dapat lulus setelah perusahaannya mendapat untung 1 juta US Dollar. Itulah sebabnya, maka lebih dari 50 % perdagangan di dunia dikuasai oleh orang Yahudi. Design “Levis” terakhir diciptakan oleh satu Universitas di Israel, fakultas “business and fashion“.

Olah raga untuk anak-anak, diutamakan adalah Menembak, Memanah dan Lari. Menembak dan Memanah, akan membentuk otak cemerlang yang mudah untuk “fokus” dalam berpikir !

Di New York, ada pusat Yahudi yang mengembangkan berbagai kiat berbisnis kelas dunia. Disini terdapat banyak sekali kegiatan yang mendalami segi-segi bisnis sampai kepada aspek-aspek yang mempengaruhinya. Dalam arti mempelajari aspek bisnis yang berkaitan juga dengan budaya bangsa pangsa pasar mereka. Pendalaman yang bergiat nyaris seperti laboratorium, “research and development” khusus perdagangan dan bisnis ini dibiayai oleh para konglomerat Yahudi. Tidak mengherankan bila kemudian kita melihat keberhasilan orang Yahudi seperti terlihat pada : Starbuck, Dell Computer, Cocacola, DKNY, Oracle. pusat film Hollywood, Levis dan Dunkin Donat.

Khusus tentang rokok, negara yang mengikuti jejak Israel adalah Singapura. Di Singapura para perokok diberlakukan sebagai warga negara kelas dua. Semua yang berhubungan dengan perokok akan dipersulit oleh pemerintahnya. Harga rokok 1 pak di Singapura adalah 7 US Dollar, bandingkan dengan di Indonesia yang hanya berharga 70 sen US Dollar. Pemerintah Singapura menganut apa yang telah dilakukan oleh peneliti Israel , bahwa nekotin hanya akan menghasilkan generasai yang “Bodoh” dan “Dungu”.

Percaya atau tidak, tentunya terserah kita semua. Namun kenyataan yang ada terlihat bahwa memang banyak sekali orang yahudi yang pintar ! Tinggal, pertanyaannya adalah, apakah kepintarannya itu banyak manfaatnya bagi peningkatan kualitas hidup umat manusia secara keseluruhan.

Jakarta 5 Februari 2009
Chappy hakim

25 Random Things, tagged by Lalita

Here they are in no particular order :

1. I prefer savory over sweet. If I had to choose between potato chips or a bar of chocolate, I would choose chips! ...but there are times that I crave for something sweet, yet I don't really eat sweets all that much. I also like sour taste.

2. I’m not really much a jewelry person. My friends say its odd, but I do not like to wear any jewelry at all. A watch is ok.

3. Gasoline/petrol smell nauseates me.

4. I am an autodidact.

5. I'm not afraid being in the dark room, listening to ghost stories or watching ghost movies but I'm very scared of street crimes esp. purse snatcher on motorbike. They are ruthless people.

6. I am grateful for all the blessings that I have been granted in my life.

7. Two days ago (Feb 4) marks the two year anniversary of Fatso's (my dog) passing. I still cry when I think of that moment.

8. I used to dislike cats until I took Suneo in. For some inexplicable reasons he acts like a dog sometimes. Suneo wags his tail like a dog and comes when he's called or when I talk to him. He also likes to play fetch like Fatso. I believed my dog spirit lives in Suneo.

9. I spoiled Suneo as much as I spoiled my nephew/nieces. He is free to sleep on my bed or anywhere he likes in the house, he can claw things or tear up the furniture and I won't get mad at him. I did the same thing to my late dog, Fatso.

10. I've been attacked and bitten by dogs many years ago, once through the back coz I lied face down and covered my head and once on the hand. I still love dogs as you can tell by Fatso stories but I get nervous around dobberman.

11. I do not fancy roses. I'd preferred daisies.

12. I have 10 moles on my face and body and all in the left side (strange huh?).

13. I always eat my food in order. For example if I eat salad that consists of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and mango or strawberries, I would eat tomato first, follow by cucumber, lettuce then mango/strawberry.

14. I like veggies, herbs etc...except coriander leaves. I just do not like the smell and the taste of it.

15. I love to bake and cook, I find it relaxing.

16. I can’t go a day without eating fruits. If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be fresh fruits, any kind except durians!

17. I'm more scared of fire than water (flood). When I was little my parents house almost get burned from the fire that started from a neighbor's house. I'm not a traumatized person but big fire really scares me.

18. I don't listen to music very often or keep up on the new bands/songs.

19. I love traveling but I hate being in the flight or car too long to reach the destination.

20. I do not pray enough or go to the church as much as I used to but I always carry a rosary and a small book prayer on my purse.

21. I can't draw, can't sing, therefore, I take pictures. Photography gives me the means to capture what my eye sees and preserve it to relive and share.

22. I love collecting batiks, cushion covers, bed covers, curtains, crafts. I almost always buy things from crafts expo.

23. Zillions of motorbikes in Jakarta scare the crap out of me when crossing the street.

24. I like being a neat freak. I don't like to let dishes pile up in the sink. I go through my desk, personal things and other stuffs with some regularity, tossing things I haven't used in a long time.

25. I google everything. If I’m going somewhere, get medical prescription , or doing something I haven’t before, I seek information as much as I can about it first.

26. I dearly love the sound of water from the pot fountain that is used for home decoration. It gives a sense of peacefulness.

There you go. Instead of tagging people I'll just leave it open to whoever would like to do it! :)

Tagged

Ecky just tagged me with this one that kinda long and personal like filling in a form for applying visa to the foreign embassy :)...so here goes:

001. Real name → Elyani Gunadi
002. Like it? → sort of...
003. Nickname(s)→ Ely, bawel, mak lampir, bibi titi teliti
004. Status → taken
005. Zodiac sign → Pisces
006. Male or female → female
007. Elementary → SD Fransiskus Xaverius Lampung
008. Middle School → SMP Fransiskus Xaverius Lampung
009. High School → SMA Stella Duce Yogyakarta
010. Hair color → black
011. Long or short → medium
012. Eye color → dark brown
013. Weight → 50-51kg
014. Height → 156 cm
015. Righty or lefty → righty
017. Sweats or Jeans → jeans
018. Phone or Camera → Camera for sure!
019. Health freak → absolutely
020. Piercings → ears (when I was a baby) they are not visible now
021. Do you have a crush on someone? → no
022. Eat or Drink → eat and drink (can you eat and not drinking)?
023. Purse or Backpack → purse
024. Tattoos → no way, never for me
025. Do You Like Yourself? → I have to :)
026. Current worry? → a few things, but I'd prefer to keep it for myself

THIS OR THAT:
027. Orange or Apple Juice? → freshly made green apples juice (a must)
028. Night or Day? → day
029. Sun or Moon? → both
030. TV or Internet? → internet
031. PlayStation or XBox? → don't play and don't care (not my kind of things)
032. Kiss or Hug? → hug
033. Iguana or Turtle? → turtle, they are cute!
034. Spider or Bee? → both, they are cute in different ways
035. Fall or Spring? → spring
036. Limewire or iTunes? → I'm music clueless!
037. Soccer or Baseball? → soccer, definitely!

FIRSTS:
038. First surgery → 2005 (endometriosis)
039. First piercing → when I was a baby (against my wish..LOL!)
040. First best friend → Shiu-Shiu from my Junior High School time
041. First Sport → badminton
042. First award → none that I could remember of
043. First crush → an altar boy...forgot his name
044. First pet → my dog, Fatso
045. First big vacation → UK back in 1997
046. First big birthday → I'd never celebrated my birthday

CURRENTLY:
047. Eating → mangosteen (manggis), I can eat 1 kilo at one sitting :)
048. Drinking → water
049. I'm about to → post a photo to Flickr
050. Listening to → nada...I'd prefer quietness
051. Singing → me? I can't bear listening to my false tones :)
052. Typing → I'd prefer typing to writing
053. Waiting for → the rains, I love the sound of the rainfall

YOUR FUTURE:
054. Want kids? → no, I already have a furry four legged baby (my cat)
055. When? → see above
056. Where Do You Want To Live? → if it is up to my choice, in Indo forever! :)
057. Careers in mind → I would love to have an online handicraft business one day!
058. What Did You Want To Be When You Were Little? → a journalist, a tour guide
059. Mellow Future Or Wild? → odd question!
060. Something You Would Never Try? → bungee jumping, too scary for me

WHICH IS BETTER WITH GIRL/BOY?
061. Lips or eyes → eyes
062. Shorter or taller? → taller
063. Romantic or spontaneous → spontaneous
064. Nice stomach or nice arms → well toned body
065. Sensitive or loud → caring, loving
066. Hook-up or relationship → relationship that begins with a hook up
067. Trouble maker or hesitant → problem solver
068. Hugging or Kissing? → hugging in public, kissing behind the door
069. Tan Skinned or Light? → tanned
070. Dark or Light Hair? → dark

HAVE YOU EVER:
071. Lost glasses/contacts → sometimes
072. Ran away from home → never
073. Held a gun/knife for self defense? → never
074. Killed somebody → not yet...LOL! what kind of question is this?
075. Broken someone's heart → if I did, I might not realize it :)
076. Been arrested → been grounded by the nuns yes, but not got arrested!
077. Cried when someone died → yes
078. Kissed A Stranger? → never
079. Climbed Up A Tree? → when I was a kid, but to no avail..I was a bad tree climber!
080. Liked A Friend As More Than A Friend? → sure, long time ago

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
081. Yourself → always
082. Miracles → sometimes
083. Love at first sight → no
084. Heaven → I believe in Hell
085. Santa Claus → when I was a kid
086. Kiss on the first date → first, second, third :)

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
087. Is there one person you want to be with right now → yes
088. Do You Like Someone? → yeah..my lil nephew, he is cute!
089. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life → you only have one life, what's not to happy about it :)

LASTS
090. Received/Sent Text Message → my sister
091. Received Call → office clients
092. Call Made? → a friend in Bandung
093. Comment On MySpace? → I don't have MySpace account
094. Missed Call? → wrong number
095. Person You Hang out With? → my friends...

Lower back pain

I am experiencing lower back pain the last few days. The pain that I am having is in the middle of my lower back, pretty close to the tail bone especially after I sit or stand for a while. It didn't stop me from doing my activity but it ached on prolonged sitting to standing. I don’t know what is causing me this pain but I was wondering could it be from the surgery last year? Is it because I started moving and being too active too soon after the surgery, it's from lack of calcium, or am I just shrinking? My pain isn’t disabling but it is uncomfortable. So I bought several calcium supplements, and promised myself that I will try walking/exercising more tomorrow. Hopefully this combo is the right cure for my problem.

Jakarta under water again

It's that time of the year again. This is the month the Jakarta residents haunted by yearly floods. Having lived in Jakarta for about 15 years, I am so used to the routine of high waters the last few years with 2007 being the worst in my memory. It is a disgrace that nothing much was done by the local authorities to deal with these problems. It's happened before, it will happen again, and there isn't much to be done that could prevent this. It looks like floods are an annual feature for Jakarta residents. The following images were taken yesterday morning in Kelapa Gading after it had rained steadily for several hours the night before. Jakarta residents warned that serious flood is on the way predicted by end of January or first week of February. Well, we all know nature cannot be controlled, only our preparedness and response. Looks like I have to stock up lots of mineral water, instant noodles, flash light and candles.

Males nge-blog dan keterusan...

Sudah dua atau tiga bulan terakhir ini blog ini jarang banget diupdate sama pemiliknya. Tidak seperti dulu tiap minggu paling tidak ada satu atau dua tulisan baru. Sekarang boro2 dalam seminggu nulis sekali. Sebetulnya yang mau ditulis banyak, saking keseringan ditunda...akhirnya ide2 itu menguap entah kemana. Selain itu kesibukan dalam pekerjaan juga menjadi salah satu alasan juga.

Lalu kemana saja kalau ada waktu luang? Well, yang paling sering motret2. Kadang sengaja ke mall terus ngopi sambil mengamati kira2 obyek apa ya yang bagus buat difoto. Itupun harus kucing2an dengan satpam karena kebanyakan mall tidak memperbolehkan pengunjung untuk memotret. Tanda larangan motret malah ada di setiap pintu masuk. Jadi harus pintar2 cari kesempatan. Selain di mall, weekend kadang aku sengaja pergi ke Bogor hanya buat motret! Kepengen-nya sih motret di tempat2 umum seperti tukang jual gorengan, di jembatan busway, dibawah jalan layang Cempaka Putih yang muralnya bagus2 banget. Tetapi karena faktor keselamatan niat itu tidak terlaksana. Ya namanya Jakarta tau sendiri kan? Gimana dong kalo lagi asik2 motret tiba2 kamera dijambret?

Soal jambret ini aku sedikit paranoid karena bukan saja sudah pernah mengalami kena jambret waktu sedang berada di dalam Bajaj, tetapi juga pernah menyaksikan langsung orang lain dijambret. Haduh kalau itu kamera sampai disamber bang Napi (istilahku untuk penjambret, copet dsb..) bisa nangis darah seharian kali ya! Makanya aku memilih untuk pergi keluar kota saja seperti Bogor dan Bandung kalau kepengen motret2 sampai puas. Dulu aku gak percaya kalau kamera DSLR bisa bikin kecanduan. Padahal aku gak pinter2 amat, hasil foto2 di Flickr juga kebanyakan experiment sendiri dan modal tanya sana sini ...'gimana sih kalo mau motret kayak begitu?'... misalnya. Pokoknya nekat aja dan gak bosan2 belajar. Kalau ada yang harus disalahkan karena menulari kecanduan ini mungkin Toni orangnya....hihihi! Habis dia sih yang paling getol ngajak diskusi foto. Belum lagi manas2i untuk beli lensa ini dan itu yang bisa menguras tabungan (hahaha..kayak punya aja!).

So, buat teman2 yang mungkin bosan setiap kali berkunjung ke blogku gak ada postingan yang diupdate kecuali foto2 di Flickr, maap'in ye kalau blog ini sedikit terbengkalai. Nanti pada waktunya aku bakalan sering nulis deh!

Pictures of the old buildings in Bandung

Inspired by Toni's recent trip to Bandung, I went to Bandung a day after Christmas and took several shots of the art deco heritage there. I was not really satisfied with the results but I don't like to keep them too long in my archives too. All photos were taken by Canon 450D & Tamron 17-50mm/f2.8 lens.

Happy New Year everyone! May it be happy and healthy, since it seems unlikely to be wealthy for many of us...

Sorry, long time no post!

Hello everyone...it's been a long time since I posted here. I have a lot going on this week. Just got back from a week expo (annual expo) in Jakarta, still feeling tired esp. with bad migraine that hits me all day from yesterday :( Today I try to catch up on everything possible: emails, paperworks, follow-ups etc...To all my blogging friends who have been visiting and leaving comments here, I will make it up to you soon! promise...

Recipe for an accident

Last weekend I hopped on a busway from Pulomas to Harmoni when half way through the driver (female driver) received a text message. I was quite worried when she started to read the incoming messages but became even more concerned when she started replying whilst driving one handed. She then called the person who probably sent her the text message and was having an animated discussion while having her other hand off the wheel. As if that was not enough she also speeds and honked constantly at everyone (esp. at the U-turn). Personally I find it annoying to see people using cell phones whilst driving. Whether you use the hand held or hands free device makes no difference. It is not holding the phones which is the problem, it's the loss of concentration which occurs while talking on a phone. I have truly been disgruntled by what I saw. In Jakarta we have many dangerous drivers to begin with on our streets. We have people who are given driver licenses who really should not have a license. I don't know how many times I read the number of accidents involving motorists/pedestrians along Jakarta’s busway as reported by the Jakarta Post below. Yeah...busway is quick and cheap..but dangerous too!! The picture above was taken by my cellphone from my seat.

Busway accident takes another toll
Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post | Thu, 08/14/2008 5:04 PM | Jakarta

Jakarta's famous urban transportation system Busway takes another toll on Thursday with one of its busses running over a 31-year old woman crossing the street at Jl. Otista Raya, Jatinegara, East Jakarta.

The city police reported that the woman was instantly killed during the incident and that the body was later taken to state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

"Accidents often happen at Busway's corridors," said City Police Accident Division chief Comr. Herman Ruswandi said and added that investigators were still studying the result from
field examination.

According to records gathered by The Jakarta Post, since its first inception in January 2004, at least there have been 28 street accidents involving Busway busses, killing 16 and many more were wounded. JP~

Motorist killed in busway lane
Sat, 06/14/2008 11:07 AM | City

JAKARTA: A motorcyclist was killed by a Transjakarta bus on Jl. Latuharhari in South Jakarta on Friday morning when she tried to cross a busway lane.

The City Police traffic management center reported Sri Wahyuni, from Ngawi, East Java, hit the Transjakarta bus on Corridor VI at a high speed as it was making a turn.

South Jakarta Police are currently investigating the case. -JP

Wednesday randomness

First off, thanks to everyone for visiting and leaving comments on my blog although I very rarely update them. So here is a posting for the sake of posting :

1. Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower?

2. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

3. Out of the two, would you rather be able to predict things before they happened or be able to read minds whenever you wanted to?

4. Do you believe dreams are your imagination running wild as you sleep, your subconscious showing you what’s really on your mind or something else entirely?

5. Would you rather be late to the party, or the first person to arrive? Why?

6. Have you ever honestly peed in the pool?

7. At what age did your mom or dad give you "the talk" about sex?

8. Have you ever eaten something at the grocery store while you were shopping, prior to buying it?

9. If you could have any 3 materialistic things in this world without paying a single cent for any of them, what would they be?

10. Would you rather be 3 inches taller, or 3 inches shorter than you already are?

Please share your answers, thank you :)

Random questions of the week

It's a weekend thing, let me begin:

1. Is politic a regular subject of discussion between you and your circle of family or friends? Do you enjoy political discourse?

2. Finish this line:
Politics isn't about big money or power games, it's about...

3. When you finally find a misplaced item is it always in the last place you look, or do you continue searching even after you find the item?

4. What gets you out of bed in the morning?

5. Who was your favorite Bond, James Bond?

I look forward to reading what you have to say.

Of photography, family matter and motorcycle theft

Whoa...two weeks after my last post! I used to update my blog often...but I'm so lazy these days. The problem is that I found another hobby. Of late I have become addicted to Flickr. Photography is my drug of choice. I've met some great talented people through flickr and am inspired everyday to become a better photographer. I used to have a blogging withdrawal but now I cannot put the camera down even when I go out for a cup of coffee. I'm keeping my eye on whatever pops up in or around Jakarta. Whenever I see things of my interests I always think about composition, angles, lighting, back ground etc. Hate to admit but that’s the honest truth. I don't know if this has something to do with my easily bored, yet easily intrigued traits.

Anyhow, getting back to my blog...not too much happening the last two weeks except some minor family problem. I wonder if it is a character issue or just a misunderstanding. I couldn’t see the fuss about the whole big sis/lil sis thing but both parties want me to be there and heard their side of stories. Lamenting bad language is normally not a big issue within my family, they’re always so colorful: ‘Jesus, Mary, Mother of Joseph and all the angels’ and all that stuff!'...but sometimes it’s the reaction to the swear, and not the swear itself, that causes the problem. Well, I’m not much of a role model in fact I have a mouth as foul as Gordon Ramsay. Added to that I chose not take side to either one of them as they are both my sisters. Long story short, after my visit everything was back to normal again.

The only thing that still made my big sis upset was her motorcycle was stolen right inside of her house. It was a new Yamaha about one year old after the purchase. Her husband parked it next to his old Kijang and the gate was padlocked. When they woke up in the morning, the gate was wide open and the motorcycle has gone. Motorcycle theft is on the rise. The level of theft has reached worrying level, you're lucky if they do not harm you. The ease of stealing a motorbike is astounding as often it only means lifting a bike into the back of van and driving off. Having security guards in your neigborhood does not guarantee that the motorcycles would be safe from thieves.

I don't hate myself..well..maybe just a little!

I've been tagged by Rima to list 10 things I hate about me. And in light of the fact that I have no idea what to write today, I shall oblige her :) So let's see...

1. Procrastination. I have tried so much to make this change, and yet, I still procrastinate all the time.

2. I get bored very easily so what I like today I might dislike it tomorrow.

3. I'm not sure if I'm indecisive or not.

4. I can care so much about other people, I tend to forget about myself.

5. I am kind with people that I shouldn't be kind with, because I see the goodness in everybody, even if I then realize they only take things for granted from me.

6. I hate to admit when I’m wrong.

7. My hair is simply unmanageable. Everyday I have to attempt to contain it in a bun, and I hate it.

8. I hate that I have big hips so I can never get jeans that fit right without trying them out first.

9. I hate that I'm a little afraid of crossing the streets in Jakarta, I often envision myself getting run down by the crazy motorists here.

10. I'm a model example of inconsistency. I'm intrigued to try to be a vegetarian at some point, but I can't see giving up the culinary joys for a lifetime.

I tag whoever would like to share a bit of their negative side :)

More coffee, smaller boobs???

Hmmmmm...long time no blogging. That's right, it's me. I’ve been a bit tardy on my blog posts again. Of late, I seemed to get a blog constipation or something. Anyway, there was an interesting health report from the British Journal of Cancer that revealed coffee can shrink women's breasts! Here are the actual excerpts:

Coffee can make women's breasts smaller: Swedish study
Published: 16 Oct 08 18:45 CET

Women who drink a lot of coffee may see their breasts become more petite, according to the results of a new Swedish study.

Around half of all women possess a gene shown to link breast size to coffee intake.

"Drinking coffee can have a major effect on breast size," said Helena Jernström, a lecturer in experimental oncology at Lund University.

But while a regular brew appears to have a somewhat deflationary aspect, there is also one very positive effect in that coffee reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Woman with an average weight but big breasts and a high number of mammary glands run an above average risk of developing breast cancer.

Previous studies have shown that women can reduce this risk by drinking at least three cups of coffee a day.

Jernström wanted to know if there was a further correlation: If drinking coffee and breast size were both connected to the risk of developing breast cancer, could there also be a link between coffee and cup size?

Studies carried out on almost 270 women showed that there was indeed a clear connection between coffee and smaller breasts. The results of Jernström's findings have been published in the British Journal of Cancer.

My thoughts on this? The good side, the research showed drinking at least three cups of coffee a day reduces cancer risk. But I was wondering does it apply for man boobs too? Simon Cowell and former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, for example...they both have a well defined man boobs (saw the pics on British gossip online mags). Does that mean they are tea drinkers and some of the women who want to have smaller breasts must drink more coffee???

What do you think about this research? Have your say on whether or not you believe the hype.

Do you miss your hometown?

I was born in a small town in Bandar Lampung, south of Sumatra. It is a place where everyone knows everyone. A place I hated as a kid but appreciate as an adult. We didn't have relatives there because both families from mom and dad side lived in Bogor and Jakarta. My parents migrated there shortly after they got married. Me and my siblings were all born in Lampung. I lived there for about 15 years, then in Yogyakarta (3 years), Bandung (10 years) and Jakarta (14 years). When both my parents still alive, I would always go back there. Most of my trips home then were by bus, then by ferry, and bus again. It took almost 10 hours to reach home. After dad passed away in 1988 and mom moved to Bogor to stay in my eldest sis house in 2003, I never visit again. My last trip there was last year on November for mom's funeral.

One thing that most of us all have in common is that we come from somewhere. You love to hear people talk about their hometowns. What’s good about it, what’s bad about it, what they miss, etc... But thinking back I have never really been sure where my home town is. I never thought I belonged there anymore. I appreciate the memories I have of my hometown but I am better off getting out of there. Jakarta is my hometown now.

What do you miss most from your hometown? If you still live there, will you ever leave? Do your childhood friends still live in your hometown ?