Camera Lens Mugs

If you use DSLR cameras like Nikon or Canon and collect mugs, you may find these to your liking. Aren't they adorable? *swoon* You can buy these mugs and sip your favorite drink while editing your photos:) A friend posted those photos in Facebook and I really like them. Unfortunately, they don't have the Pentax K-x lens cup (Argh! Why? *dramatic queen mode*)

I found these cups here. But she's actually only a reseller. If you want to see more stuffs on camera lens cups, click here.

The Girl With The Red Camera

My lovelies, meet my red Pentax K-x camera, Merah.

A few weeks before I went to South Korea last September, I decided that I would buy myself a DSLR camera. I consider that an early birthday gift. So I asked my cousin LB since he just bought one earlier. Being a true Canonian, he strongly suggested a Canon camera. I tried to find a second opinion, but I got more confused since the second person suggested a Nikon.

To make a final decision, I decided to go online, keyed in "digital slr camera" and jumped into this site. And that's how I found out that there is such thing as a red camera in this world. Well, actually, it came in four colors at that time: red, white, navy blue and black. The camera has all the specifications I need, and it can also record in video mode. And the last straw is it's red! Since Pentax is not a popular brand here, I checked the online stores, and found that only Oktagon had this camera in stores.

When I went to the store and asked the man behind the counter for a Pentax K-x, I heard the most beautiful question I could get in a camera store: "Which color do you want?" Ahh, it's like shopping for a dress. So I got that red camera and have been snapping photos with it.

Upon seeing my red camera, people usually comment/say/ask: (a) "What a beautiful camera!", (b) "It looks like a toy. Is it a real camera?" (c) "Did you buy it in South Korea?". D, the person who always criticizes my choices, even approved my decision to buy this camera. He says it suits me. Aww, thanks D.
 

I read that Pentax would release this K-x cameras in the colors of rainbow. But I needed to buy the camera before August ended. So I had to to settle with red. To tell you the truth, I prefer yellow or orange. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Found here

If you think the idea to make a series of camera in rainbow colors is amazing, you should see the limited edition of Pentax K-x Korejanai, which is only sold in Japan. Wow! Be still my heart.

Found here

If you can choose, which camera will you take? What kind of camera are you using?

#FlirtingFriday

I forgot the image's source. Anyone can help me?

Warning: this is going to be a long post. By 'long' I mean longer than my usual three or four paragraphs post. It seems a writing bug just bit me. Er, no, it's because I had a more relaxed week this week.

My lovelies, remember my post on pick-up line? After a while, composing a pick up line is as challenging as composing a quatrain. My girlfriends see my newfound hobby as interesting. So I dedicate some of the pick-up lines to them. Now I have a hashtag (#flirtingfriday) for the pick-up lines:) However, a Facebook friend who does not know about the existence of this blog asked why I sent pick-up lines to my girlfriends. He thought I had gone to the other side. That's so ridiculous, LOL. 

Anyway, here are the pick-up lines I posted in Facebook. Hope you like them.

- Loving you is just like playing Rubik, will be easy to solve if we know the trick (--for my friend Wendy)

- If you were sin x and I was cos x, then together we'd make one (--for my friend Donny and everyone who likes Mathematics)

- Roses are red, violets are blue, how would you like it, if I came home with you?

- Lavenders are purple, lilies are white, I like your dimple and your pearly white (I tried to make it in quatrain, but doesn't come out as good as I expected ::sigh::)

- Me without you is like Converse without lace, a geek without brace and a sentence without space (and a school without recess --for my friend Ika)

- Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?

- I must be a raindrop because I'm falling for you (made during a rain)

- Even if there are earthquake, tsunami, flood, volcano eruption and desk rotation (!!!), I'll be alright as long as I have you (made after the MEs told me that I would be moved to the National)

- I can write 1000-word article a day, but there's only one alphabet I need: it's U (made during a deadline, this is what I call productive procrastination, LOL)

- I know you don't like to hear people swear, but I swear I love you

- Like eyes are made for seeing, you are my own excuse for being

- Your smile is dewdrop, your laughter is rain, but your eyes are an ocean and I'm lost in it (made this one when i longed for a holiday by the beach)

- Never have I wanted someone as bad as I want you

- It is under this dark volcanic ash cloud that I see the light in you (for brothers and sisters living near Mt. Merapi)

- I would cross seven oceans and five continents just to be by your side (to welcome president Barack Obama)

For more inspiration on pick-up line, I usually have a look at Le Love (warning: contain adult photos). And now, let me share some info for this week's Weekender ideas.

- Today (yes, this evening!), there will be a garage sale from several fashion bloggers at fX shopping mall. It's quite near my office. If my bosses permit, I will slither to the mall pronto.

- After a drama over its funding, Jiffest is finally here! Yay! Click here to read the schedules and this year's movies.

- As if one film festival is not enough, we can also go Science Film Festival! And the good thing is it's free!

Have a nice, flirty weekend, people!

Mating

Butterfly Garden In Changi Airport

When I saw Terminal, a movie starred by Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, I could imagine myself doing the same thing, but in Singapore's Changi airport. I mean, the airport has almost everything we need., such as toilets, showers, restaurants, movie theaters and free internet access!

Besides the essential facilities, we can also find gardens in the airport. There are sunflower garden, orchid garden and cactus garden. My favorite is the butterfly garden in Terminal 3. If you have a chance to land in Changi airport, you'd better pay it a visit.

Snippets In Singapore

Having traveled to Singapore for several times, I am quite familiar with the airport, the transportation and even the Singlish. During those journeys, I had encounters and conversations that lingered in my head.

#1. Singapore is a well-being city, but does well-being create a vibrant city?

“What do you think about Singapore?”

I was at an Indonesia cuisine restaurant on Orchard Road with a group of friends and the man sitting across the table popped out the question somewhere between the main course and desserts. He was waiting for 'es cendol' while I for 'es teler'. I held my answer until the waitress left our table.

“It’s very neat,” I said.

He smiled, stirring the ice topping to melt it.

“That’s what I also feel. Our city is so neat. Everything is properly placed, almost reaching the level of boring,” he said.

“Isn’t neatness good? I think people prefer doing shopping in Singapore than in Jakarta because everything is neat here."

"Not really, shopping is about having a unique experience. I once went shopping to Bangkok just because it's more interesting there."

I suddenly remembered a coverage about the changing face of expats. In one of the articles there, the expats say that they enjoy living in Jakarta as it provides them with different experiences everyday. Ok, so Singapore is the most neat city in Asia. But when I went there, I missed Jakarta with all its hustle bustle activities. I missed the smiles on people's faces, the motorcycle-taxi drivers in every alley who would give a quick ride and all comfort I can get in Jakarta.

Jakarta may be a tough city to live in, but it has the nice and friendly people. If you ever get lost in Jakarta, all passengers in the public minivan you're riding in would tell you which bus you should take. It's quite vibrant. I remembered pulling out a map inside the MRT, no one offered suggestion and when I finally asked the person sitting next to me, he seemed a bit irritated. Everyone in Singapore seems to be on the run.

"Are you happy with your life here?" I asked carefully.

He remained silent for a brief period.

"Happiness is a complicated word. I will say that we have a very competitive life here."

#2. Being mistaken for a local


- I was walking around with a map in my hands and snapping photos (it really sends the message that I'm a tourist, isn't it?), but still a man asked me for directions. I guess I emanate confidence:).

- When I had my lunch at a McDonald's, two women asked which menu I ordered. They were surprised that I could have a burger, a pack of french fries and a glass of drink for a lower price compared to what they have: a burger and a glass of drink. 


"How do you know about the menu? Because I couldn't understand what the girl behind the counter was saying," one of the women asked.
"I just pointed to the pictures," I said.
"Oh I see. We didn't know that," she said.
"So where do you come from?" I asked.
"Oh, we're Singaporeans," she said.


Moral of the story: (a) when traveling abroad, go to a restaurant that has their menus photographed, (b) Singlish can be confusing, even for Singaporeans

Have A Nice Weekend

Via Beritajakarta.com

Mes amis, what are you up to this weekend? Now that I'm in National desk, gone are my Saturday-Sunday days off, boohoo. But since I have flexible work schedule, I am sure that I can squeeze a bit of fun here and there.

This morning, I saw several banners about the Betawi Old Era tourism event along Jl. Sudirman on Nov. 20-21. The event will take place in Thamrin City and Monas. More information here. I'm not really sure what kind of event it is, but I'm willing to take a peek. 

On Saturday, there will be movie screening of "I am Sam" and discussion, photo sharing and the Read Aloud workshop at the Ministry of National Education's library. The events will start at 9.30 a.m.

You can go to a painting exhibition at Erasmus Huis about Jakarta's Old Town area. Read more here. Or an exhibition on Indonesia's music instrument angklung at Bentara Budaya.

Dear Eid, Nice To Meat You

There is one thing we will always find in every Idul Adha celebration, and that is RED MEAT. When we talk about red meat-based food, Indonesians usually either grill, fry or spice it with curry sauce. For more inspiration on cooking the red meat, let's just ask people living in the Gulf (and no, I'm not referring to Mexico).

Anyway, I did promise you I would share my articles on Ramadhan menus in Islamic countries. So here it is, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, let me present you: Jordanian Mansaf With Lamb Shank.

Courtesy of Hotel Ritz-Carlton Mega Kuningan Jakarta. For recipe, click here.

But the Gulf cuisines, and cuisines from other Islamic countries, are more than just red meat, that's for sure. We can find vegetable soup like  harira in Morocco, the delicate sweet appetizer hoşaf in Turkey and ummali in Egypt, and even fritter pakora in Pakistan.

 Harira. Courtesy of Hotel Ritz-Carlton Pacific Place Jakarta.

Hoşaf, made specially for me by Chef Sezai Zorlu of Anatolia Turkish restaurant. Thank you, chef!

Ummali. Courtesy of Hotel Four Season

Pakora. I had them at Koh-e-noor, Pasar Festival, Kuningan. Love the food.

Have a nice day, people:).

Eid Mubarak!

Muslims worldwide celebrate Idul Adha, one of Islam's big events, on Dzulhijjah 10. In Indonesia, there are two opinions, either the date falls on Tuesday or Wednesday. M&D and I chose to celebrate it on Tuesday. Whichever date you choose to celebrate the day, don't let it divide us. 

Happy Eid, y'all!

Some Conversations M&D And I Usually Have

M&D

1. My job
M : Why do you keep coming home at night??
Me : Well, it's Jakarta, M. The streets aren't clear from the traffic jams until 21.00.
M : But your cousins don't come home late?
Me : They don't work on the media
M : Then, you should find a regular 9 to 5 work?
Me : It's not that easy to find a job (inhaling a deep breath)


2. Which comes first: grandchildren or son-in-law?
M : (put some neighbor's daughter name here) has just delivered her baby.
Me : Really? That's good.
M : And when is your turn? I want to have grandchildren too.
Me : Well, I can have children first and married later. Is that what you want?
M: Noooo! Married first, and have children later.


3. The way I dress
M : Oh no, you want to go out in that?
Me : (wearing slightly tight trousers, super XL shirt and a headscarf) Yes. Why?
M : Don't wear tights please.
A few minutes later
M : You want to wear that ?
Me : (wearing super XL shirt, long skirt and a headscarf) Yes, what's wrong with these ?
M : Go and change with something less bulky, the neighbors may think you're pregnant.
Me: (slap my forehead)

4. On being ill

(When I was ill)
M: (rushing to my room like a panic mother hen) Drink this, this and this (usually some herbal medicines), and then eat this. After that, I'll take you to the doctor.
Me: Don't worry, M. I'm only tired. It will go away in a day or so.
M: No, you should see the doctor today! (her nagging will ensue until I agree)
(When she was ill)
Me : I think you should see a doctor, M. (She had gout arthritis and uric acid)
M : Ah no. It will go away in a week or so.
Me : I've Googled some articles about gout arthritis and uric acid. Here you are.
M: (after reading the articles): Okay, I'll go see the doctor

5. The weight problem
M: Have you gained weight lately?
Me: Er, no, this shirt is just too big. But I kinda like it for it feels swishy and breezy. I think you're the one who gained weight, M.
M: I think so too. This jeans feel very tight on my waist. Argh. How do you and D maintain your slim figures?
Me: (patting her shoulders) We prefer to see you gain a bit weight, because you're already small. You are beautiful, M.


6. The older I get, the easier to bribe them
M&D: Why are you blablabla? (angry on something I did)
Me: Hey look, I still have this (anything that M&D likes, be it chocolate, JCo donuts, BreadTalk's Floss bread, or Bubur Ayam Kebumen). Do you want it?
M&D: Oh yes. (Case closed)


7. Personal ojek driver

D: What time are you leaving for work?
Me: Er, I dunno. In one hour maybe.
D: I'll give you a ride.
(One hour later, I find him asleep on the wooden bench)
M: D, your daughter is ready for work
Me: It's okay M, I'll just use public transport.
D: (suddenly wake up) No, I'm the one who will take you to Pondok Kopi. Don't worry I'll be quick.

Three Days Two Nights On The Ciliwung Riverbanks

When I entered TJaP in 2007, I was told that the new cubreporters would get a live-in experience. Well, we had a live-in in the slum area on the Ciliwung riverbanks on March 2007 (the date on the photos were wrong). We stayed in Sanggar Ciliwung, a workshop center, for three days and two nights. 

It was a memorable experience because we really saw and experienced poverty at its core. We saw people washing clothes, taking a bath, or cleaning dead chicken (yep, they drowned the chicken and then plucked out the feathers. I was abstaining from eating chicken while I was there) right there on the river.

We tried to follow the residents's daily life. Most of them lead the simple life.  On the first day, I accompanied a gasoline vendor. Day two saw me making fritters with street vendors who live under Kampung Melayu bridge. Every time a speeding car passes, the concrete bridge above our head was rattling. It was a bit scary. I promised that I will never be speeding whenever I pass that bridge. 

Then Adt, Lln, Peeyutz and I helped the trashpickers sorting the garbage they collected. It was the most disgusting job I've ever done. Lln and I found a plastic cup filled with maggots. Yikes! You know what? After all the hardships, the four of us could not even reach one kilogram for each plastic garbage. The plastic bottles were worth Rp2800/kg, while the plastic cups were worth Rp6000/kg. What a hard life.

Day three was the the last day. We decided to give something for the community. We bought several sacks of rice for them with the hope that they could pass a few days with such little help we gave. 

During my stay there, I got a chance to try the river transportation, a small bamboo raft. I find it quite interesting. They didn't use paddles, but they tied a rope across the river and then tugged on the rope to get to the other side of the riverbank.

Berbalas Pantun*

I learned about pantun (quatrain) when I was still a kid. Blame it on D who is a Bahasa geek. I find it  exciting to construct the stanza and find rhyming words. But of course, not many people share this feeling, so I usually keep it quiet.

Luckily, when I worked for a website between 2005 and 2006, I got a boss named Mys (names are hidden to protect the innocent) who loves to send me instruction in the form of quatrain (He still does it!). I saw making quatrain as a challenge, so I would reply him back in quatrain. Then the quatrain-making virus was spreading to Rzk, a colleague. I recently re-read those quatrains (I kept some in my old blogs) and giggled to remember the joy of making quatrain.

So here are the quatrains, but they are in Bahasa Indonesia. If you don't read Bahasa, well, that's another reason why you should learn it, or you can use translation websites. For my Indonesian compatriots, (or those who understand Bahasa) have a good laugh:). Happy weekend, everyone!

(pantun dari Mys ke Tif)

buah nangka buah durian

lebih enak lagi buah rambutan

kota jakarta diguyur hujan

terpaksa berteduh di kolong jembatan

(pantun dari Tif ke Mys)

kalau pergi sama malik

pulang harus naik ojek

kalau masih belum balik

harap kanda sabar menunggu adek

(pantun dari Rzk ke Tif)

pedang melar ditendang ember

sidang belum kelar abang gak ke dpr

(pantun dari Tif ke Rzk)

awan merah di hari senin

jangan marah kalo adik cari yang lain

(pantun dari Mys ke Rzk)

kalau pergi ke Hotel Mulia

ingin wawancara anak PSHKa

kalau cuma jemput tifa

kenapa musti lama

(pantun dari Mys ke Tif)

kalau mau buat rujak acar

jangan lupa ama kedondong

kalau mau pacar ke kantor

eh kenalin kita dong

(pantun dari Tif ke Mys)

makan acar dengan asinan

bukan pacar tapi kita cuma berteman

(pantun dari Tif ke Mys)

Jalan-jalan ke kota Kuningan,

jangan lupa mampir ke pesantren Gontor,

Meskipun sudah agak mendingan,

Masih belum bisa datang ke kantor 

(Mys ke Tif)

Kalau dah sampe di puncak bukit, jangan lupa turun ke lembah

Kalau dek tifa masih sakit, istirahatlah di rumah 

(Mys ke Tif)

Mau mancing ikan selar, jangan lupa bawa kail

Kalau sudah datang ke kantor, jangan lupa baca email 

(Mys ke Tif)

Kota Padang jauh dari Kotaraja,

Dimanakah sekarang adinda berada? 

(Tif ke Mys)

Kalau mau ke Pulau Seribu,

Jangan lupa bernyanyi riang

Ada perlu dengan ibu

Maybe ke kantor agak siang 

(Mys ke Tif)

Kayu ara kayu ramin, masih lebih kuat beringin,

Kalaupun ada yang kengen, paling-paling juga roziqin

(Mys ke Tif)

Ke Kanada bawa kelapa,

dimanakah adinda berada? 

(Tif ke Mys)

Jalan Gatsu Jalan Sudirman

Lagi di Gatsu, macet tenan 

(Mys ke Tif)

Guci indah jatuh berserakan,

Mau cuti si dia telpon-telponan 

(Tif ke Mys)

Kalau mau membuat klepon

Pasti memakai gula merah

Kalau cuma sekedar telpon

Pasti cuma teman ajah 

(Mys ke Tif)

Beli oleh-oleh ke Singkawang,

Jangan lupa mampir ke Sampit,

Bagaimana keadaan adinda sekarang.

kudoakan selalu sembuh dari sakit

(Mys ke Tif)

Kalau ingin menang laga,

kita harus bersatu teguh,

Adinda tak perlu mikir kerja,

yang penting cepat sembuh

* means To Sing Alternating Quatrain

An Indie Band Performance And The Legendary Oxtail Soup

White Shoes And The Couples Company (Photographed by Tandun)

Dear friends, what is your plan this weekend? I hope you have a great one, but alas, I'll have to work *crying in the corner*.

If you like indie band, I'd like to suggest the concert of White Shoes and The Couples Company in Jaya Pub, Jl. MH Thamrin kav. 1-2 (across Hotel Sari Pan Pacific). The show, which will feature their latest album "Album Vakansi", will start at 8 p.m on Sunday, Nov. 14. Entry ticket is Rp. 30,000 (includes the first drink and a free limited edition of souvenirs from the band).

Anyway, it's been raining lately, it would be nice to have a bowl of warm oxtail soup. The most famous oxtail soup in Jakarta is served at around Rp 150,000 (cmiiw) in Hotel Borobudur's Bogor restaurant. 

Fortunately, the hotel recently decided to open a cafe in Pacific Place Mall. The main dish in the cafe is the legendary oxtail soup that comes in smaller serving and lower price, compared to the hotel's version (of course!).  And here are the photos:)

The restaurant

Grilled oxtail soup

Grilled ribs with hoisin

The juice is named Eternal Youth, made from strawberries, beet and sour sop. Ahh, this is why I still look young:)

(Probably) Inspired By His Childhood Memories In Indonesia's 60s Era? (Hello, President Barack Obama)

Found via Detikfoto

After canceling two previous visits, US President Barack Obama finally made it to Indonesia. The Hawaii-born president lived in Indonesia for four formative years (1967-1971). He spent six months studying in Menteng 01 elementary school or also known as Besuki elementary school (a state school) and the rest 3.5 years in Fransiscus Asisi elementary school (a Catholic school).

His schoolmates in Besuki and Fransiscus Asisi noticed that little Barry (that's how they called him) was different, but they befriended him regardless of his skin color or family background. They introduced him to local games, invited him over to try local foods and taught him words in Bahasa. I believe that those simple kindness formed his personality when he returned to the US in 1971.

When foreign reporters saw that there was a praying room in Besuki elementary school, they quickly deduced that it is an Islamic school. It is hard to avoid prejudice when you already have the bad thoughts in your head.

While Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, the education system does not enforce Islamic teachings and Islam is only taught as a subject for the Muslim students. Non Muslim students learn their own religion too at school. For example, the Catholic and Christian students have their priests coming to schools. Besides the state schools, there are religion-based schools too, such as madrasah (Islam-based schools) and the Catholic/Christian schools. Anyway, the schools accept all students regardless of the religion. When I was two or three years old, my parents enrolled me to a Catholic kindergarten because it was the closest institution near my home.

I went to Besuki elementary school a few years ago when I was doing an article on the childhood trail of Barack Obama. Here are photos of the school. Then tell me what kind of school you think it is.

At the gate

View of the inner courtyard and the praying room metallic dome on the right side

View of the second floor

The Coffee University

Remember my post on latte art? The man in the photo, Michael Gibbons, is now heading Universita Del Caffe dell'Indonesia, or simply called UDC, a place where everyone can learn how to make good coffee. I wrote an article about UDC for my last week at Sunday Post. Jump to the article here, if you like.

If you're interested to take the classes, just send an email to michael@bahanagv.co.id

Inspired By Indonesia's Traditional Fabric

 

Dries Van Noten's 2010 Spring-Summer Women Collection, Java Royal Batik

Found via skyscrapercity

 

Since this week's theme is inspiration the world gets from Indonesia, it will be very interesting to see how the world class designers apply batik into their designs:) As you can see from the photos above, Dries Van Noten use parang pattern in one of his designs. Besides the Belgian designer, other designers using Indonesia's traditional fabric as their inspiration are Michael Kors (for the 2010 resort collection) and Versace.

Inspired By Indonesia's Region Names (Ha!)

Found in my friend Windy D. Indriantari's Facebook photos

Lombok is the name of the island on the eastern side of Bali. And this signage was photographed by my friend when she was cycling across Groningen, the Netherlands. But of course, it is not a surprise since Indonesia and the Netherlands have a long history that dated back to the 1600s.

If you have the time and the opportunity, you really should go to Lombok the island in Indonesia.

Another place that bears Indonesia's region names is Suriname, an African country that also has a large number of Indonesians (particularly Javanese) living there.

Inspired By Indonesia's Volcano Eruption

Found here

Have you ever seen this painting? It is The Scream (or The Cry, created between 1893 and 1910), a painting by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch describing his feeling toward the Krakatau's eruption in 1883. The powerful volcano eruption ejected a large volume of ash into the the sky and tinted the sky blood red in most of eastern United States, Europe and Asia from November 1883 to February 1884. During that time, the painter was walking along a path with two friends, when the sky suddenly turned blood red.   

Another lesson Indonesia's volcano eruption gave to the world was when Mount Galunggung's eruption in 1982 forced Auckland-bound British Airways plane to land in Jakarta's airport. It was the first time in the history of commercial flight. Therefore, when Icelandic mount Eyjafjallajokull erupted recently, it was only proper that the authority set airspace closure for six days.

I wonder what people will learn from the eruption of Mount Merapi.

Merapi, New Desk And The Weekender

Source: here

Words can not express the feeling I have right now upon seeing the news on Mount Merapi eruption. It erupted again yesterday and then today. There were Twitter messages saying that the volcanic ash reached Bandung, West Java. I really hope everything, everyone living near Mount Merapi manages to find a safe place.

Other news: starting Nov. 8, I'll be covering news for National desk, most likely on the issue of human interests. It means that I won't have as much leisure as I had in the Sunday desk, but I'm excited anyway. There was a desk regrouping following the desk rotation, and now, I get a cubicle with a view, yay!

Although I'm no longer in Sunday desk, I'll still be posting fun events that take place on weekends:). Starting this weekend, Jakartans can go watch Europe On Screen, a film festival that focuses on European Union countries. Also on Saturday, my friend Adt will hold a garage sale on Hey Folks!, at Jl. Bumi 17, Mayestik. 

Foodienista, indulge your senses at Jakarta Culinary Festival that will last until Nov. 30. Fashionista, have a peek into next year's trend in Jakarta Fashion Week that will last until Nov. 12. There are fashion shows that require tickets, but there are some that are free for public.

I'll leave you now since I'm going to meet my friends. But if you want to do something good for Merapi victims, there will be a charity concert in Bentara Budaya Jakarta tonight. Yes, tonight! You can see 12 guitarists, including Piyu of Padi band ahem, performing there.

Have a great weekend!

My Grandparents's Old Photos

Hello, friends! I'm still in the mood for old photos. This time, I want to share my grandparents's photos:) Both  my paternal and maternal grandparents were born in the 1920s, some 25 years before the independence. Photography at that time was an expensive thing and people only took photos for identification and documentation purpose. Also, during the independence struggle, they moved several times to avoid the Dutch troops. So these are the only photographs I have of them.

Meet my paternal grandmother, Grandma Ummi (she's in the middle), that's how I called her. Her real name was Siti Rubiah and she was half Bugis half Sundanese descent. When the photo was taken (I don't know when it was taken, sorry!), she was probably in her early 20s and still single. At that time, a 20-something single woman was considered as a spinster. The other girls in the photo were either her sisters or her nieces, at least that's what D told me:).

When I was around one year old, due to circumstances, M&D sent me to Bandung to live with her, so I was very close to her. She's small and slim, but she's a rock for her children. She passed away when I was 12 years old.

This one is of Grandma Ummi and Grandpa Buya (his real name was Adang Said). Perhaps this one was taken when they were newlywed. Although Grandpa Buya was born in Sumedang, West Java, D was not sure sure of his descendants. He was a schoolteacher, but when the war for independence began, he became a soldier. He could speak English, Dutch and Russian (and I don't know what other language he mastered). He passed away 10 years ago.

This last photo is of my maternal grandparents, their children and several relatives. It was taken in Jakarta, in 1955. At that moment, my maternal grandfather (we called him Mbah Kakung, his real name is Suwandi, he's the third man from the left) worked as a mantri  (a kind of medical worker) in the Army. Grandpa passed away when I was 12 years old, near the time of Grandma Ummi's death.

My maternal grandmother (we call her Mbah Putri, her real name is Hindun) was the second from the right. She was holding her sixth child, whoever that was (I have seven uncles and I can't remember who's the sixth, sorry! Ok, let me guess. Er, perhaps he's Uncle Toto?). Of her eight children, M is the only daughter. M, the fourth child, is sitting on the bench very close to Grandma in the picture. Grandma is currently living with her youngest child, Uncle Hari, in Kebumen, Central Java.

M said that during the 1950s, houses in Jakarta were mostly made from wood board for the walls and wire mesh for the windows (just like the one in the photo). Sixty years later, we can find either the towering apartment blocks or the shanties. Hmm.

Do you have old photos of your grandparents? What stories do you see from the old photos?

All The Presidents's Old Photos (With Their Family)

Ok, I've made up my mind. This week's post theme is about old photos and family photos. The above photo is of Indonesia's first president Soekarno, with his wife Fatmawati and his son Guntur (in English, Guntur  means Thunder). They looked very laid back, didn't they? If I didn't mention that they were First Family, one would think they were just a bunch of happy Indonesians having a picnic on their backyard.

Indonesia's second president Soeharto with his wife Tien and his sons (er, I don't know the sons's names, sorry!). There are many photos of Soeharto, but I like this one because he looks very relaxed and he  is reading a newspaper to his family. Hmm, I work for a newspaper, I heart photos of people reading it:) I wonder what newspaper they were reading.

I tried to find a relaxed photo of third president BJ Habibie with family. But this is the only family photo of him that I can find. BJ Habibie always looks relaxed, so it's a bit weird to see this formal family photo. It is a colored photo, but I would say it's an old photo after the passing of Ainun Habibie.

It's of the fourth president Abdurrahman Wahid (wearing batik shirt and eyeglasses), also known as Gus Dur, and his daughter Zannuba Arifah Chafsoh (wearing green headscarf and white shirt), also known as Yenny Wahid. They were very close, and Yenny was deeply shocked when her father passed away on December 2009.

One of the perks of being the president's daughter is you can play around the state guests. In the above photo, the fifth president Megawati Soekarnoputri enjoys a bike ride behind her brother Guntur, while her father, then first president Soekarno receives Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi.

Ok, that one is definitely not an old photo, because I could not find one, argh. The sixth (and current) president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (wearing red argyle-patterned sweater) enjoys a coconut fruit with his family. From his right, his first son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, his second son Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, the first lady Kristiani Herawati and his daughter-in-law Annisa Pohan. I like the president's sweater. 

For the sources of the photos, you can click on them.

So, which photo is your favorite?