It’s almost halfway through the year, and here I am living a life which I consider to be normal life during this recent period. Life at home with all this comfort and time to spare is okay only for a brief time, but it sort of taking its toll right now. Looking back on the months before I moved back to my home country, my final year of school that is, I made the acquaintance of Associate Professor Richard Brown and research student Jahirul Islam. My friend; Jagad and I worked on the final project related to biofuel properties under their supervision. We had a lot of work to do in only a short amount of time which was surely daunting and at the same time exciting and challenging. At the end, we were able to deliver our final presentation quite well to the audience. Of course I appreciate those moments even greatly today, counting in all the supposedly annoying assignments during uni life, and the 4 months of summer work at oil and gas industry. I somewhat miss the rush feeling of handing in assignments in the last minutes and also the sweat and joy of working in office and field. These days, I apply for jobs online and have to regularly put up with enforced idleness. With any luck, I feel this joblessness coming to an end pretty soon. The thought of writing this was just for the not-so-old times’ sake.

post-final project presentation | 2012

so long astronaut…

"[He was a] reluctant American hero [and had] served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves."  - Armstrong's family

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum | 2001

With the smell of barbeque in the air, I took the shot.

In attempt not to distract those who are fasting, I exclude the juicy beefs and sausages from this post. Brisbane, a barbeque-friendly city which we really take advantage of. Many free barbeque areas can be spotted at parks across the city, an example would be the Kangaroo point. While eating, you can enjoy the view of Brisbane city skyline, watch the rock climbing guys and girls, or.. just cheer up some random passing joggers. The picture below, wouldn’t be possible without my friend showing up with his Nikon coolpix s6000. Yes, it has much better quality results than my camera; Kodak Easyshare V1003, which is responsible for the 99% of the pictures in this blog (as of this moment). Despite not being the owner of the camera, I still have the privilege to publish this picture, since I took the shot.

 

 

Kangaroo Point | 2011

Look up, it’s the…

London eye?
Nope, it’s the wheel of Brisbane, which is located in the Southbank parklands, near the cultural center. This ferris wheel is approximately half the size of the London eye. I heard that it’s not a permanent attraction and according to Wikipedia the wheel will be removed sometime in 2013.. but who knows.. Although I may not ride it due to the expensive price, I still hope that it stays longer, at least until my graduation. The lighting at night makes it stand out, so It is a bit weird to imagine the area being empty.

Queensland’s capital

I owe this blog a few updates and since I can’t really describe how life has been like these past two years, I’ll just throw in several pictures I have on the hard drive. Introducing the early pictures after arrival…..ladies and gentlemen, Brisbane city panoramas.

First picture was taken from the goodwill bridge, which connects Queensland University Of Technology and Southbank parklands. The second picture was from a friend’s apartment in West end and finally the last picture is a view from mount Coot-tha.

This is Scenic Sunday

The Sears Tower

Chicago is one of the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited, I really thank the Hall family (Dan Hall, Verdellh, Jacob, and Statia) for bringing me there for the weekend in March 2001. This tower is now called Willis Tower. However at that time its name was still Sears Tower, so I used that name for the title. I was on the other side of the road and was using an analog camera, so I didn’t know how the shot would look like. As you can see, the angle is a bit messy. It was the world’s tallest building until 1998, when Petronas Twin Towers surpassed it.

This is [scenic sunday][skywatch friday]

Karanongko

Again, this is from my old archive. This is how the village of Karanongko looks like in the morning, the village where my father spent his childhood. The empty field is the children’s playground, this is where they all have fun together. We only visit this place once every 2 or 3 years. This village is located in the Klaten Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.

[scenic sunday], [sky watch friday]

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

emptiness, darkness, that came before dreams

Hello Darkness, it was always late at night, when everything and everyone else was quiet, that those voices would rise like ghosts, soft and haunting, filling your mind until sleep finally came.. In restless dream I walked alone in the narrow streets of cobblestone, Neath the halo of a street lamp. laughter, festivities have ended and I was on my way home. This dream, it’s not just a dream. It is a memory..

Back to the yellow campus

Vacation’s over. I’m gonna see a lot of yellow for the next few months.. because I’m back to the yellow campus. There are 2 main campuses, one is in Jakarta and another in Depok, which is where I study. Overall, Depok City can be called as 'youth district', since the importance of the number of students. Students also enjoy green and fresh-air provided by more than 250 hectares of forest inside UI's campus in Depok.

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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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.

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..