second hand market

Nice thing I found in europe is good quality goods in very cheap price. Yes it's not new but it is really ok if you have taste of quality and hi-story. This place is not merely for buying and selling, but it's also a meeting point for hobbyist and collectors.

Second hand market is such a museum, but you can buy what you like. By curiosity I almost always visit this market every week, and everytime I go there I can always find something new. It's not always the case that I bought something because I need it, often merely because of curiosity, incredibly nice price or hi-story. Nice price is the most important here, though it leads to consumerism, but I've been euro wise, so I think it is time to be cent foolish now :D.

Recently I found that there are second hand shops as well. They offer better and somewhat cheaper produtc than the market. Best thing of shop is you don't have to bargain. However in market there are many human interest sides that may enrich our life,

Ebay or any online shopping site become uninteresting, though sometimes I use them for price reference.

Written on 10 years old Palm m105, you can guess from where I got it.

Urban Hiking

Yesterday we went hiking to Cercedilla. Very nice, particularly after this very tough week.

I learnt important quote. In hiking sometimes I should look back, watching beautiful scene that I've passed, that might be unseen when I moved advance. I may thankful for how far I have hiked and arrive to certain point, then finally conclude that I shall also reach the peak. However sometimes I should not force myself to reach the peak when there's a sign not to do so, for it may endanger myself or ruin the nature. I think life is just like that.

photo exhibition

Yesterday I saw a photo contest exhibition in Town center. Fascinating picture. The pictures were taken by photo journalist, and there was a Henri-Cartier-Bresson's quote,father of photojournalism.There were three pictures that I love; a woman shut out and pointing out to a policeman who beg for her apologize, a girl peeking on closed gate(it was a nice composition) and two lazy beggars. If you ask about the pictures, well a picture may be worth of a thousand words, but it consume a thousand times memory size ;^).
The most fascinating, and it was make me think deeply, braille letter describing each finalist picture. On the first time I saw it I said in my head,"what's the point?", but when I walk around and stuck on it, somehow it remind me how lucky I am, who still able to see the world clearly with my two eyes. Why weren't the blinds given a little bit of opportunity to "see" such a beautiful picture? Don't you agree with me?

Here is the "highly questioned" winner:
If you notice the empty space was "something", this picture was cooked. I didn't notice it when I saw it in town center, until I read a news about it. It was truly a flaw of a photo contest, moreover photojournalism contest.

Kupang

Recent news about starvation in east Indonesian area including the province which the capital is this city made me want to share some story about it.

I went to this city, eh town kali ye, last year. It was a very hot town. Built upon lime coastal rock, I thought it must have a rigid land support that very good for a building's structure. Blue sky upon it remind me of sub tropical sky, that I rarely found in Java. In the night it even better, stars and moon looked very clear, this lack of electricity is such an advantage for astronomers, remembering Boscha observatorium that suffers of light pollution. The air was very dry, I could not stand for more than two hours without water. The people were nice, very nice, even though some of them have a such scary appearance, like me :D.


Like usual Indonesian bureaucratic customs, it was hard to show hospitality without glorious welcome. But behind the glorious ceremonials there were many problems. Inadequate equipments, unproper place, and something about payments. I really appreciated the people who have worked very hard for the event. I saw some exausted faces but they stayed on from 7a.m to 7p.m.

Eventhough there were glorious ceremonials, I saw also an admirable humble life of my event coordinator. His office is so "minimalist", his apparels and so did his son, but I know he showed his best to honour us. I would like to visit him again if I have the opportunity. At least I plan to go Soe, coldest town in the prairie, its weather may freeze gasoline. I hope I can realize this plan, yeah after Bukittinggi of course.

Anyhow everything was gone well, very well. I did my job, and did some short course for them eventhough it wasn't my formal responsibility. Anyway I was graduated from public university, that the cost was burdened upon everyone in this country, so ....

The farewell party was also very nice, toasted fish, vegetables in such Balinese "sambel plecing" style, and the best of all I didn't afraid of everything related to pork and alcohol. I really love these people. Thank you everyone. May God reunite us again.

The journey home was rather unpleasant. I was really angry at a beatiful stewardess who yelled at a migrant woman worker. I would like to point my finger and yelled back at her "Watch your manner lady, we're the same customers, you should serve us equally!". But I couldn't, I just faced her beatiful face angrily and said "you should be taught about manner". Fortunately she changed her attitude, and serve these women nicely. I didn't know this thing brought me into an undeterministic emotional feeling, remembering many sad story about these migrant women worker who might also financing some portion of my education cost. May God give them and their family bless, strength, courage and luck. I sat on the middle seat, between a migrant women worker and my fellow, but I could still look at scene outside the window. There were so many inhabitated mountain islands below us, brown without vegetation. Sometimes I saw grey plain dried grass and bushes islands, depicting how dry these islands. Such a beatiful scene for me who live in green Java for the entire life, but also scary, imagining I were there.

Visiting one of the poorest Indonesia province made me concious that there are many things to be done, to fight for, that what Mohammad Yunus said about living in developing countries.

Masjid along Jakarta Busway Lane

During some visit to Jakarta, I found it is rather difficult to find an easy access sanctuary along busway lane. Here are several of them:
1. Istiqlal, instead of taking istiqlal bus stop, it is better to take juanda bus stop, since Istiqlal gateway which is nearer to Istiqlal bus stop is usually closed unless it is praying time, but you can still enter it after walking some hundred meters to the main gateway.

Actually, this Masjid is not easy to be accessed from busway lane quickly, since there is usually long queue in harmoni busway central terminal. If you arrive in Gambir, this masjid is really near iff the pertamina gateway is opened.

2. Kebun Kacang. It is rather far from Sarinah bus stop. But if you hear adzan from sarinah probably it came from this Masjid, because the masjid is located exactly behind RRI building. Just walk to RRI building opposite of sarinah shopping center, walk to BI direction turn left, you'll find small road on your left "Kebun Kacang Road" turn left walk several hundred meters and you'll find the masjid on the left, near river bank.

3. Blok M. Actually it is not on busway lane, but it is really near from Blok M busway station. If you get out from Blok M terminal take Mabes Polri direction, ask someone you'll find it, it is very near from Blok M.

4. Al-Azhar. This is really my favourite. It is really on easy busway lane and near from blok M. Beatiful scene of Al-Azhar university students would be your bonus. For a Jakarta noob I highly recommend this sanctuary.

For me Jakarta is strange city, sometimes it makes me boring, feels ignored, but I also miss it, particularly Palmerah area. If somehow you feel its cruelty just go to the mosque, it is really a nice sanctuary.

Mt. Arjuno Hiking Guide

Panduan pendakian gunung arjuno.

Daripada ilang keformat dlsb, mending ditaruh disini. Gambar lumayan besar, maaf kebalik, bisa lah ya nanti diputer.

See you there, but never hope to see a "luthfi was here" there.

Istiqlal

Istiqlal, masjid yang aneh

Keanehan2nya:
1. Tidak ada kantin, bahkan toko kecil sekalipun. Semua kebutuhan jamaah disediakan oleh pedagang asongan. Payah... Mau melindungi ekonomi rakyat kecil(pedagang asongan)? Walah,.. kasih tempat dagang yang layak sekalian napa? Gimana bisa jadi contoh penggerak ekonomi kerakyatan?
2. Jalan masuk ditutup-tutup, bahkan untuk pejalan kaki sekalipun. Kalo dari gambir mau masuk istiqlal musti muter sampai jalan masuk juanda, jauh kan... Apalagi yang namanya halte Istiqlal ada di bilangan gambir, depan pertamina. Pas turun situ pintu dikunci...
3. Barusan renovasi pintu gerbang, buat apa gitu? buang2 duwit aja. Jadi berpikir ulang buat infak di mesjid ini, eh gak jadi ding malah.
4. Penjaga sandalnya gak ramah, sering minta uang, mending kasih tulisan nitip alas kaki sekian ribu rupiah. Padahal di depannya ada kotak infak, kalo kita mau masukin ke kotak dia akan minta kasih ke dia aja. hahaha.
5. Mesjid ini dilewati kali yang baunya minta ampun, warnanya item pekat.... Ealah gk ada inisiatifnya takmir mesjid ini buat membersihkan ini kali. Begitu angin berhembus, bukannya angin segar, tapi angin bauuuuu. Gimana bisa khusyu' berada di mesjid ini.

Yahh apakah memang harus selalu berantakan gini sesuatu yg dikelola pemerintah?