Meet up

Selamat atas terpilihnya mas Bambang Herlandi sebagai ketua Balikpapan blogger community dan mas Imam Hojali alias Norjik sebagai wakil ketuanya. Ulasan dari mas Erwin bisa dilihat disini. Berikut adalah snapshot kolom dari Kaltim Pos.

 

The Oil City

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Balikpapan​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ‘the oil city’ is located on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia. It’s my hometown, the city where I spent my time the most, one of the cleanest city in the country and also a peaceful one. This picture w​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​as taken on t​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​op of a hill and we can see the oil refinery located on the shore of Balikpapan Bay. The road down the hill, the refinery, and the sunset, bring me back my memories of childhood, when we rode on the school bus in the evening to get back home. The scenery always makes me smile. I miss this city.. and the childhood moments.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[scenicsunday][mellow yellow monday]

In the garden

Some few shots of flowers around the neighborhood, I’ve no idea what they are called. The purple one was at the field near the tennis court and the rest of the flowers were from my home garden. These are old stock. I was browsing through my old photos, then I decided to post them here. I guess they make my blog ‘greener’.

Today's Flower

End of July

Last day of July, Friday the 31st that is. I participated in Minima urban artworks 2.0 which took place in Balikpapan Trade Center. I only knew about the exhibition 3 days before the actual event. So I quickly made this drawing and submitted to the committee. Besides this one, there’s another artwork that I submitted, an old drawing and was already shown in a previous post.

Journey into my mind, the further I have pursued my voyage the more distant they have become. In my mind, I travel toward the unknown.. don’t know where I will be heading. The imagination, I think I need to paint it out. – 08/03/09 

07/30/2009 - Sur la plage

Excitement was in the air. The realm of vacation is, by far, the most enchanting.. There was that time we’d stopped at a local beach. That place, is definitely one of my favorite. There is a food court where you can find many kinds of food. Inside, the porch, and outside.. we chose the outside part of the food court. Good place must have good food, but I didn’t eat anything there.. I was out the whole day since morning, ate chicken porridge for breakfast, 2 burgers for lunch , and in the afternoon (around 4-5 pm) we went to the beach and I was already full.  The man behind the photography is Suma. Check out his deviantart.

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Stranger in old school

I took the car and I was off again. Destination: my old school. I felt strange as soon as I arrived, because everybody there were wearing uniform and I wasn’t. I was there to meet my ex-schoolmates, I walked across the sea of high school students, looking for familiar faces, but found none. At that point I felt like I was a total stranger and that was uncomfortable, seconds were pretty much like minutes. But then, I heard someone among the crowds calling my name, I took a look and yeah, I recognized him and that gave me less pressure. He’s a friend who’s 3 years younger than me. A very talented musician, we once played as guitar duo in an acoustic event. So I waved to him and continued my way to school canteen, where the alumni were meeting.

7/20/2009 “Summer Days”

I am too lazy to actually draw since my arrival to my hometown, Balikpapan. I had plan to make a short comic, but it never happened, Probably because of the activities I have here. It’s not like I’m really busy and have more important things to do, but I have other fun things to do. What’s the best part about lazy ‘summer days’? hmm, eating some good food, spending time with friends and family, going to beach, nice weather, jogging in the morning or in the afternoon, going to gym, playing games, watching TV, and I re-visited my old teachers in elementary school, junior high school, and high school. We had long conversation, I’m glad they still remember me. And these pictures of me and my friends were taken in a restaurant called solaria, located in Balikpapan Trade Center.Thanks to Irha for bringing Nikon D90!

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Scenic Sunday: Home

Some shots of my home and the neighborhood on Sunday morning. The weather was great, definitely a great time to have a walk outside. And After having a morning walk, there is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.

Check out for other Scenic Sunday Here

Afternoon Pastime

A beautiful day captured by my camera. This picture was taken in 2007 and nothing was really special that day, I was just having a walk around the neighborhood only to have a relaxing time with the greenery.

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. ~Martin Luther

There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~Minnie Aumonier

Backyard blogging

During my vacation in my hometown Balikpapan, I got the chance to experience new blogging atmosphere. It's outdoor blogging right in my backyard. Since the wireless router was installed, I can blog just about anywhere within radius of 50 meters. It's quite peaceful out here.

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.

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. -_-

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. 

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..

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