Holiday pictures

Here are some 'photo sessions' of my vacation. From the first picture below; left to right: Me, Iyo, Nikha, Uthew. We were in the same High school, now studying at different Universities.. These photos were taken at Total Housing Complex Sepinggan Balikpapan, Indonesia. Thanks to Iyo for providing the camera.

Sorrow

(to download, please click on the image)

This is a traditional painting made by me in 2006 and was added to my DeviantART. I painted this in my room, not outside. It's an imaginary landscape, suddenly popped up in my mind. The title of this painting is 'sorrow'. In the painting we can see a man walking alone in the woods, he's leaving the house. It seems he has sorrow at the loss of someone/something he loves. Yet he is strong when he thinks there is no strength left and he's trying to leave his sorrow behind..

B!Blogger Ngeblog bareng

Dalam rangkaian acara ultah B!Blogger, kami melaksanakan acara ngeblog bareng pada tanggal 28 Desember 2008 di Dapeen Cafe Ruko Bandar, Balikpapan pada jam 16.15. Awalnya, acara ini akan dilaksanakan di cafe kilang, tetapi setelah dicek oleh mas Alfa, ternyata hotspot di cafe tersebut rusak, maka lokasi acara dipindah ke cafe dapeen ... Saya sendiri baru datang sekitar jam 8 malam bareng Iyo ama Koko, soalnya sore masih ketemuan ama temen2 alumni Smansa: Iyo, Nikha, Uthew. -_-

Painting: Artful expression

Painting is an art done by putting paint in a liquid solvent to a surface such as paper, canvas, walls, and multiple other surfaces. Painting is a mode of expression, it's also one of many ways to celebrate life. Many artists express their feelings through painting. Today, we have digital painting which is an art done by a computer, pen tablet, and software. Digital painting software such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, and Adobe illustrator give artists a similar environment to a physical painter: a canvas, painting tools, etc.. These tools give people freedom. Freedom to express themselves through the digital canvas. We do not have to worry about making mistakes. We can always erase and redo.

Going Home

The third semester has ended and I finally got the chance to go home. On 24 December 2008. I went back to my hometown Balikpapan in East Borneo/East Kalimantan. The flight from Jakarta to Balikpapan took 2 hours. In the plane I spent few minutes sleeping and the rest of the time reading a book and looking outside the window. The sky looked beautiful in the early evening. 

The 31st Jazz Goes To Campus Festival

The event was held on Sunday, November 23rd 2008 at the Faculty of Economics, University Of Indonesia. It started at 10.00 and ended at 24.00 Western Indonesian Time. There were 3 stages: Stage A, stage B, and stage C. Jazz Goes To Campus ( JGTC ) is a routine event, held annually since 1978 in University Of Indonesia at the Faculty of Economics.


STAGE A
FEUI Band, Jazz Competition 3^rd winner: Eight Soul1, Jazz Competition 2^nd winner: Buy Three Get Four, Imam Pras Quartet, Bibus, Arie & Gruvi, Devian, Tripp!, Nita Aartsen QuatroGugun & The Bluesbug, The Groove Reunion feat. RiekaRoslan, Yuke Dewa19 & Ali Akbar, TaoKombo, Maliq & D’essentials

STAGE B
Sonny Akbar Trio, Intensive1, Sekapur Sirih, Komunitas Jazz Chic’s, Sketsa, Beben Jazz & Friends, Drewm, Tiga Mawarnih, Indo Crossover Jazz:, Four on the Floor’

STAGE C
Jazz Competition 1^st winner: New Season, Zinia, Waditra Ganesha Big Band (ITB), Twentyfirstnight, Idang Rasjidi feat. Margie Segers, Big Band (Unpad), Lica Cecato (Brazil), Ireng Maulana Jak Jazz All Stars feat. Afgan, Ermy Kullit, Didiek SSS, Barry Likumahuwa Project feat. Benny & Utha Likumahuwa, Mus Mudjiono & Canizaro, Kul-Kul, Tompi, Tohpati

Photos by: Ady

Home sweet home

Home.. I'm not there yet. But soon I'll be able to enjoy vacation there after the final exams. The house's not big, just small space where I can relax. Yeah, big or small, it doesn't matter at all. Home is simply a place of comfort and happiness..

Expect the best possible outcome

Having a complete confidence, trust, and belief, are exactly what we need to have to go through life. Each one has his/her individual preferences and talents. Before starting your day, make sure you have the faith to go through the day. You must have a belief that your day will be completed as you imagine they will. There is no use of being anxious, that will just kill your confidence, you'll lose the courage to be the best of you, lose that quality that helps you go on through life. By believing that your day will be completed as you wish, you make yourself closer to achievement. You will work effectively, without worrisome thoughts. Confident thoughts have a direct effect on how you feel and work, and at the end of the day you might just expect the best possible outcome.

( photo by: Nabilah )

Featured Artist: Mew

Mew are a Danish rock band. The song 'Comforting sounds' (released in 2003) from album 'Frengers' was their first major success and that's the first song I heard from them. Just like the title, this song really gives us comfort. In 2006, they released another great song called ' The zookeeper's boy' and for me this is just another comforting sounds. Like a surreal rock music, but that's just their nature of music. When I read the lyrics, I was really confused.. I read it over and over, but still didn't get the whole meaning. I think it's about a boy with the animal instincts inside of him, how he sees today's world, and when he fell in love. Really hard to digest but they made great sounds anyway. "are you, my lady are you..."

Refreshment of body and mind

When you are having a hard day, full of environmental pressures, then stress isn't far away from you. And I hope you already know how dangerous stress can be. It can trigger depression and affect your physical health. For that reason, it is important to know how to deal with stress. There are probably many things to feel really good about each day, but it's easy to miss out on enjoying a day in our life if our minds are filled with worries and our bodies are tense with stress. You know that we can't go back in time, so you can't have a day to waste. After work perhaps you can have a relaxing pastime such as walking, reading, or listening to music which I do the most. Everyday you should give yourself a break even if it's only for a few moments, get enough sleep, and work off your stress with activities like jogging, painting, or photo hunting. Just make your environment comfortable and suit to your needs.

Featured Artist: Kate Nash

Kate Marie Nash is an English singer and songwriter. The first song I heard was 'Mouthwash'. I saw the video clip on TV a few months ago and since then I began looking for her videos on YouTube. The songs I like are : skeleton song, pumpkin soup, mouthwash and foundations. I really like her accent from her UK background. She isn't very vocal but I like her, she's different. In this video she covers Arctic Monkeys 'fluorescent adolescent' and you can actually see her reading Arctic Monkeys lyrics. The one sung by Kate has faster tempo than the Arctic's.

Indonesia’s Independence Day Celebration

August 17th – Indonesia’s Independence Day. Really glad the day has come. Our flag is hoisted all across the nation and ceremonies are held everywhere. On 18th August 2008 Total held the annual celebration with various shows. It was held on a soccer field in Total housing Complex. A lot of food there.. Popular food from all over Indonesia. The funny thing is that they displayed this giant poster '40 years celebrating energy for all'. I didn't expect this one.. we can say the event was still part of Total E&P’s 40th anniversary celebration. The shows were not so bad, they got theater, traditional dances, poems, etc.. But the best part is Project Pop's live performance. They made the whole crowd dance to their songs..

 

Back home, after all these celebration somehow I remember question like.. 'are we fully liberated?, apakah kita sudah benar- benar merdeka??' posed by anybody who doubts about their freedom. We all know The Indonesian declaration of Independence was proclaimed on August 17, 1945. But for many people in this country, we are not independent in the real meaning. While from reading Butet Kartaredjasa's blog, I found these words that had me thinking about this country's condition.
”Lomba Makan Kerupuk dan Panjat Pinang itu kan sindirian rakyat terhadap cita-cita kemerdekaan.” Maksudnya? Itu kan ejekan kepada para pemimpin, bahwa untuk sepotong krupuk pun rakyat masih harus berjuang keras untuk bisa mengunyahnya. Itu artinya para pemimpin yang dipercaya menjadi nakhoda bangsa ini masih konsisten menyelenggarakan kemiskinan rakyatnya.

”Lha soal panjat pinang,” sergah saya. ”Lihatlah orang-orang yang menyangga di bawah yang menjadi tumpuan orang yang memanjat ke atas. Yang di bawah meringis kesakitan menyangga beban, sementara yang di atas tertawa kegirangan karena berhasil memetik hadiah.”

The quotes above mention two traditional games that are regularly played during the celebration of independence day; lomba makan kerupuk (crackers eating competition) and panjat pinang (pole climbing).

Crackers eating competition that's held every year on our independence day is 'maybe' a mockery to our leaders.. only for a piece of cracker, people still have to work hard to eat it. So, MAYBE when this competition stops, that's when our nation really can celebrate REAL independence day..

photos by Fadil

TOTAL E&P INDONESIE'S 40th Anniversary

Total E & P Indonesie (a multinational energy company) was established in Jakarta on 14th August 1968. And now Total E&P has reached 40. The celebration of Total E&P's 40th anniversary was held in Balikpapan. There were music and dance performances. I Wayan Balawan was a guest star in the event. He performed last and the best ( That's what I think). Well, he was the one I've been waiting for in that event. Balawan is a very talented musician from Bali, Indonesia. I'm proud that this country has a great artist like him. He played some kind of Jazz Ethnic on the stage with his 8 finger touch style. The music is combination of Balinese Gamelan and Jazz, and that was amazing. His performance made a great closing for the event.

photos by Fadil

This is Scenic Sunday Post

Balikpapan Art Festival 2008

BALIKPAPAN ART FOUNDATIONS held a cultural event with the theme of Public Green Space. The event called Balikpapan Art Festival was held in Komplek Ruko Bandar Balikpapan on 14-16 August 2008. The Artists collaborated to promote Public Green Space through their art works. Lack of awareness on the environment has caused a flood disaster and landslides in East Kalimantan, which caused loss of material and casualties. For that reason, Balikpapan Art Festival promoted the theme of 'Public Green Space' or 'Ruang Publik Hijau'.

There were show dance, theater, monologue, poetry, short films, Keroncong music, and etc. There were also painting, photos, and graphics exhibitions. Balikpapan Art Festival was absolutely free of charge. We could enjoy the workshops with nice near the sea environment.

photos by Fadil

This is scenic sunday post, mellow yellow monday

The morning pastime

Sunday morning at around 8 am I went outside. It was a great morning for a walk, nothing really bothered my mind and seemed far from the hectic world. The morning oxygen gave all the freshness, everything just went great. At the park, I had the quality time to spend with the greenery around, observed around and I saw many flowers with great colors. I took a few pictures of them. That was a really relaxing time..

"There is however, a true music of nature - the song of the birds, the whisper of leaves, the ripple of waters upon a sandy shore, the wail of wind or sea." - John Lubbock (1834-1913)

photo by Fadil

( location : Total Housing Complex Sepinggan, Balikpapan)

this is scenic sunday post, today's flowers

Good morning Balikpapan

Good morning Balikpapan,
It's vacation, I woke up at 4.45 am and went out for jogging.
the air was cool, yet still it was dark. Everything was calm, no cars and motorcycles passed by. Maybe the best view of the city and the oil refineries looked more beautiful early in the morning..
Then I got my tripod and pocket camera out of my bag. When everything was all set, I started taking pictures... The picture shown above was taken around 5.45 am - 6.00 am.
I added the pictures I just took into my vacation album, this will make me feel close to my hometown by the time I go back to Depok to continue my study..

Photo by Fadil