Rose Sky Over The Pentagon

This dilapidated building, now fenced off and slotted for demolition, is called The Pentagon because of its shape: It has five sides and five angles. It used to be the home of The Faculty of Language and Art Education of the Indonesia University of Education (Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia), Bandung. I used to study here, so I have a lot of memories about this building.

This photo is part of the series of photos I took last Friday (see my Skywatch Friday Post of 28 November). I took about 80 shots in about an hour before the sunset, following the change of colors of the sky of that magnificent late afternoon. This is an unedited, un-retouched photo. The colors and everything in it are as taken and recorded by my faithful 3.2 megapixel pocket digital camera.

Colors of The Street # 3: Lanterns

These colorful hand-made lanterns (lamp shades) are sold at the road side of Jalan Cilaki (Cilaki Street) behind Gedung Sate, Bandung.

The young guy who owns this mobile road side kiosk and sells these lanterns says that he used to work for a bank before the 1998 financial crisis when he was forced to take a very early retirement because the bank had to downsize the number of its employees.

His lantern business began as a hobby. Now that hobby has turned him into an employer employing about 15 young people from his neighborhood. He says he's happier now because not only can he make a decent living from this small business of his, he can also help others who need job.

You might wonder how much these colorful lanterns (lamp shades) cost. Depending on the size, design, and material, they cost somewhere between 15,000 to 250,000 rupiahs (about 1.3 - 20 US dollars).

What can we learn from his story?
Skills, creativity, and entrepreuneural spirit are very important in times of crisis.

Skywatch Friday: Bandung Glorious Late November Sky

November is the rainy season in Bandung and in most parts of Indonesia in general. We had had rain almost everyday in the first three weeks of November. This past few days, however, the sky has been quite clear. Today was particularly sunny and warm and, probably as a result of this, the sunset was astoundingly brilliant amber, blue, violet, and red.

I took this photo at about 6.00 PM today (Friday, 28 November 2008) on my way home from work. This is a straight shot from my 3.2 megapixel pocket digital camera Canon PowerShot A510. I did nothing to enhance this photo in my digital darkroom except for a little cropping to remove some distracting parts and improve the compositional balance of the picture.

The building with the yellow wall on your right side is the newly constructed Al Furqon Mosque of the Indonesia University of Education (Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia), Bandung.

This post is my participation for the Skywatch Friday meme. To see other great photos of the sky posted by the participants of this meme this week, please follow the link.

Dragon Parking

Does a dragon aslo need a parking space?

It apparently does, this one at least.

I took this photo sometime ago at the basement parking of BeMall, one of Bandung's shopping centers specializing in cell phones, computers, and electronic goods and gadgets.

BeMall, by the way, is located on Jalan Naripan (street), Bandung.

Bandung Countryside # 3: Jakarta - Bandung Train Window View

I took this photo from behind the glass window of Bandung - Jakarta train.

It is believed that when God smiled, "Parahiyangan" (the Sundanse land of West Java) was created.

Jajangkungan: The Tallest Kids in The World (?)

A three meter tall human being would certainly break the record of the tallest person in the world. (The confirmed world record for the tallest person in the world, according to the Guiness Book of Record, is 2.72 meter tall, and is held by Robert Pershing Wadlow [1918-1940] of Alton, Illinois.)

These boys are slightly more than 3 meters tall, but no they are not the tallest persons in the world. They walk on stilts (Indonesian: "egrang") and are part of the "jajangkungan" performing art troupe. They don't just walk on stilts, but also play football (soccer), dance, and even race on them.

"Jajangkungan" by the way is originally a Sundanese (West Javanese people) traditional chidren game.

I took this photo at 2006 Braga Festival. As I said before, Braga Festival is one of the many annual festivals held in Bandung. It's held at the last week of December.

This post is my participation for MY WORLD meme. To see pictures from other participants around the world, please follow the link.

City of People # 18: Street Cleaner

Who keeps Bandung streets clean?

Bandung's Favorite Hangout Places

What are Bandung's most favorite hangout places?

That depends on a lot of things: age groups, economic groups, etc. But like in any other big cities around the world, the trend for a favorite hangout place here, especially among the youths, has been cafes and malls, and more specifically, those cafes and mall where there are cozy rooms with sofas and hotspot internet access like the one on the above photo.

This cafe on Jalan Purnawarman (street), Bandung, is locally owned. Modelled after the worldwide success story of that American coffee shop francise (you know what I mean), this cafe offers more local varieties of coffees and other beverages and foods at prices more affordable to the locals than that other one. That is one thing that makes this place popular. The amenities of cozy spaces, comfy sofas, and high speed hotspot internet access add more value to the money you'd want to spend in a place like this.

Globalization may have created a cultural and economic hegemony that benefits huge multinational corporations, but it has also nurtured local creative forces and economic potentials through the adoption and local adaptation of ideas coming from different corners around the globe.

Bandung Street Theater: Silverman

Being a creative city, Bandung nurtures and encourages a lot of creative groups. This silverman performing a theatrical act at Braga Fest is a member of Pasundan University's LISMA student art and performance club.

Braga Fest, as I said before, is one of Bandung's many annual cultural festivals. It's held every year at the last week of December.

Bandung Electronic Center (BEC): The Foodcourt

Foodcourts are the same the same everywhere. I mean, it's usually a huge hall with restaurants or food shops around it, often occupying a floor of its own, in a shopping mall. What makes them different is probably the "local content" - the local foods and beverages, and a little bit of decorative architectural features, like this one. The roof structural decoration at this food court located on the fifth floor of Bandung Electronic Center is, I think very attractive.

Barbie Party of The Street

Probably only in Bandung do Barbies have a street party of their own like this.

Well, may be this party's guest lists are not those real doll celebrities called by their legendary brand name: Barbie. But their likeness to the real thing is pretty obvious: their body shape, hair style, their choice of fashion, etc.

Barbie doll, by the way, was created by an American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916 - 2002) and is produced by Mattel, Inc. She was born on March 9, 1959 (the date she was officially introduced to the market) in New York City (the venue of American International Toy Fair, where she was introduced). The name Barbie was picked by Ruth Handler after her daughter's name, Barbara.

Here are some interesting tids and bits about her:

- Although designed by an American, the insiration for Barbie came from a similar doll of German origin, Bild Lili, which Ruth discovered and purchased on her trip to Germany in 1956. Bild Lili was first made available to the market in 1955.

- Although produced by an American company, the first Barbie dolls were not manufactured in the United States, but in Japan, and their clothes were home-made and stitched by Japanese home workers.

- 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold in the first year of production.

- Barbie's given full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Her parents, George and Margaret Roberts, are said to be from a fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.

- Barbie has six brothers and sisters: Skipper, Tutti, Todd, Stacie, Kelly, and Krissy.

Bandung Suburbs # 1: Waiting for The Train

Yes, Bandung is a modern city with a lot of amenities you can find in many other cities of its size. But, a lot of its suburbs and countryside are still rural, and some of them are still even contrastively underdeveloped.

Bandung and its suburbs and beyond are connected by different modes of transportation. But the favorite among them is still the train. It's cheap and has a lot of space for ... well, almost anything, like this bicycle and big bags full of farm produce. The level of comfort on this kind of train is of course not for everyone. But if you are adventurous enough and want to experience what it feels like to travel back in time, you may want to try it.

Bandung Street Documentary # 8: Responsible Street Behavior

Can cell phones kill?

Yes they can, do, and have killed many. According to the results of a recent study published in the Journal of Human Factors and The Ergonomic Society, cell phone distraction on the road, i.e. talking on cell phones while driving, causes approximately 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year. The reasons, as found by the study, are actually quite obvious: Talking on cell phones while driving slows the driver's reactions and retards their alertness. It was found, for example, that cell phone use while driving makes the driver's reaction to brake light 18 percent slower.

One might argue that with the hands-free device, such a thing does not necessarily to be the case. However, two studies at least have found that hands-free cell phone use still do distract drivers. The reason is that the cell phone conversation makes the driver absent minded (they look but don't see).

There have not been any similar studies in Bandung - or in Indonesia for that matter - about how dangerous it is to use the cell phones while driving, let alone riding a motorbike. Referring to the above studies, however, it makes a lot of sense that such a street act is indeed very risky. Unfortunately, I have seen more and more drivers and even motor bike riders doing it here. In that regard, this guy on the photo, I think, deserves a thumb up.

I took this photo a couple of days ago on a Bandung street. I was walking from a bank to a service station when I saw this guy stopped his motor bike to pick up his cell phone and received a call just a few meters in front of me. I was very lucky that I had my pocket digital camera with me when this happened - and so, voila, another street photography photo op caputured.

Street Photography # 7: Courage and Determination

A junior high school student braving the rain and traffic on his bicycle on his way home from school. What's more inspirational than the courage and determination he shows?

A fresh from the oven (camera) photo, taken this afternoon on the street of Bandung.

This photo is my participation for the Monochrome Maniacs meme. Please click the link to see other participants' wonderful black and white photography.

Bandung Emerging Creative City

Bandung may not be perfect as a city. Despite its many flaws, however, it is a vibrant and lovable city; and one of the many things that its residents as well as visitors love about it is its creative atmosphere.

Bandung is home to some of Indonesia's top art and design schools, e.g. Bandung Institute of Technology's School of Art and Design, STSI (Indonesia's Academy of Art), to name but a few. Many of Indoesia's top artists, actors, actresses, and singers and music groups are also from this city. In addition to this, Bandung is also considered by many as Indonesia's fashion capital and trend-setter. What happens in this city in the ways of art, culture, design, fashion, and lifestyle is fast spreading to other parts of Indonesia and beyond.

As a recognition for its contribution to Indonesia's and the region's development of creative industry, Bandung was recently named as one of the two pilot project cities for the development of creative-industry-based economy in East Asia by an international conference of cities with creative-industry economy. This sculpture on the junction of Jalan Dipati Ukur (Dipati Ukur Street) and Jalan Ir. H. Juanda at Dago is one of the markers installed throughout the city to celebrate Bandung as an emerging creative city.

Street Photography # 6: Street Camera

It was not long ago that a video camera (camcorder) was an expensive gadget that only a few could afford. Now, it's everywhere. Thanks to the revolution in digital technology, video cameras have not only become more affordable to more and more people, they have also become smaller, more versatile, and easier to operate.

Did you know who invented a video camera? When it was invented? How much the first video camera was sold for?

The first practical video camera - the early ancestor of today's camcorder - is said to be invented by a group of scientists working for the Ampex Corporation in the early 1950s. Three of them were credited for the invention: Ray Dolby, Charles Ginsberg, and Charles Anderson. The first model of this camera was introduced to the public on April 14th, 1956 and was offered for approximately US$75,000 (seventy five thousand US dollars) per piece. Because of its bulky size and price, only large television companies could afford to buy it.

The real camcorder (or video camera) that was designed for personal use began to be offered to the general public in 1980's. Even then, the size and price were still bulky and heavy that only serious and wealthy few could afford. Since then, and thanks to the revolution in digital technology, however, it has been possible to reduce the size and prize of this wonderful gadget. By the 1990's it was not only small and portable enough to carry around, but also cheap enough for the average people to want to have one. Who would have thought then that in slightly more than a decade, it has become so small that it can now be incorporated into a cell phone?

All that aside, I took this photo at a recent street festival held in Bandung. I was amazed at how many cameras - both still and videos, carried by pros as well as amateurs - were there to cover the event. This young man was busy trying to get the best angle for his shot. Amused by what he was trying to do, I snapped a couple of shots. Technically they were not good ones, I'm afraid, but I like the action captured here.

Bandung Street Documentary # 7: Fish in Plastic Bags

This man sells gold fish and other pet fish on a cart at a street near Lapangan Gasibu (the Gasibu Square), Bandung. As I said in several of my posts before, Lapangan Gasibu, which is located just accross the street from Gedung Sate (West Java Gubernatorial Mansion), turns into a makeshift market every Sunday morning. Different kinds of things are sold here, including these fish.

Street Photography # 6: Topeng Monyet - A Close Encounter with A Distant Brother

"Topeng monyet" (literally: monkey mask) is an Indonesian traditional folk street performance whose sole actor/actress is a monkey. The monkey - who has been tamed and especially trained by a "pawang" (animal master) - performs different kinds of tricks immitating human actions, such as dressing up, riding a bicycle, going shopping, etc.

A "topeng monyet" group typically consists of one or two monkeys, an animal master and trainer, and a couple of musicians.

Bandung Road-Side Culinary: Have Order Will Cook

Bandung has a lot of road-side food stalls selling different kinds of foods. Some of them are ready to eat food, some are cooked upon order like the one pictured in the above photo. These food stalls usually open in the evening. Some of the foods they sell are really good and very popular among locals and visitors from other places in Indonesia.

Can Bread Talk?

I know I promised yesterday that I'd post another photo of Mt. Tangkuban Parahu and the legend behind this name.

My appology for not keeping the promise. Things have been a little bit hectic at work this week and I have not really had much time for my blogging. Still I'm trying to post a picture a day so that this blog will still be a "daily photo" instead of a weekly photo or monthly photo. ^_^

About the title of this post and the photo:
Of course bread does not talk (except in some fiction works or some figure of speech). This is just the brand name of a bread chain shop/francise. I think it's originally from Singapore, but it's quite popular here and can be found in nealy every big mall in the city.

The place looks the same everywhere, but quite nice. I especially like the idea of the see-through bakery, where we can see how the bread is made and how the bakers work and create those different varieties of fresh and mouth watering bread and cakes. It smells nice too. Here's how my mind connects the brand name and the idea behind the design of the shop: The shopkeepers don't really need to talk to potential customers, let the bread do the talking. And it apparently does. At this shop the bread does all the talking - promoting itself through the enticing aroma it produces.

So does bread really talk? Not the way we do (verbally) apparently, but it does have its own language: Its aroma!

Black and White Landscape Photography: Crater Trees

These crater trees grow around Kawah Ratu (The Queen Crater) of Mount Tangkuban Parahu about 45 kilometers north of Bandung.

Tangkuban Parahu, which literally means Capsized Boat, is a popular tourist destination in West Java. I'll tell you about the legend behind the name tomorrow as I post another photo of this beautiful crater. If you are a frequent visitor to this blog, you may remember that I have previously posted a distant view picture of this mountain here.

I took this photo with my pocket, 3.2 megapixel camera.

This photo is my participation for the Monocrhome Maniacs meme. Click the link to see other particpants' great black and white photographs.

Gemstones Seller

This man and his gemstones are from the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan, one of Indonesia's richest provinces and main producers of gemstrones.

Bandung is not much of a gemstone producer. However, gemstones from other Indonesian provinces are quite easy to find in this city. Aside from jewellery shops, gemstones are aslo offered at small counters that can be found at almost all of Bandung's supermarkets and malls, and even at street markets, such as Alun-Alun Bandung (Bandung City Square) and Pasar Kaget Minggu Lapangan Gasibu (Gasibu Square Sunday makeshift market), where I took this photo, etc.

Indonesia, by the way, produces quite a variety of gemstones such as onyx, ruby, opal, hematite, amethyst, zircon, and even more precious stones such as jade, diamond, and emerald.

Bandung: City of Shoppers #1

Ask any visitors of their reasons for visiting Bandung, and chances are that shopping and eating are high on their list. Bandung is indeed considered by many as a top shopping and culinary destination in Indonesia and even in Southeast Asia. To local visitors at least, Bandung is well known for its many fashion distros (distribution outlets), FOs (factory outlets), cozy cafes and restos.

Distros and FOs are a kind of shop that sells fashion and apparel products directly from factories. This marketing model that cuts short the distribution chain (and hence significantly reduces the prices of commodities) began to emerge in the early 1990s. Now you can find them in many parts of the city, with those on Jalan Dago (Dago Street), Jalan Riau (LRE Martadinata), Jalan Cihampelas, and Jalan Dr. Setiabudhi being the most popular.

Bandung shopping experience, however, does not stop with distros and FOs. In fact, they may be just the beginning of it. For those of you who like high-end, branded merchandize, Bandung also has a large number of internationally branded chain shops to choose from. Or, if you are the kind of person who enjoys adventure and does not mind haggling/bargaining, the various specialized traditional markets and the streets are the way to go. Not only do these markets offer the same range of merchandizes you can find at distros and high end branded chain shops, they also offer them for much much less.

I took the above photo of colorful t-shirts and blouses at King's Shopping Center on Jalan Kepatihan (Kepatihan Street). And how much do they cost? At the current rate, they cost US$5 or less. Very cheap indeed for well-made and beautifully designed blouses like those.

Skywatch: Bandung's November Sky

This is what Bandung's sky has been like this past week. It has either been rainy or heavily cloudy. The rainy season has set in and seems to be in full swing now.

The tower in the above photo, by the way, is the minaret of Bandung Grand Mosque (Mesjid Raya Bandung) at Asia Afrika Street. And oh, the baloon next to it is an advertising baloon. It advertises "PT. Pegadaian" - Indonesia's state-owned pawn shop.

To see other great skywatch photos from around the world, please click here.

Bandung's Zebra Crossing

We all know what zebra crossing is and why it is named after that horse-like, native African animal. What most of us don't probably know is when and how this sign for pedestrian crossing began.

According to wikipedia, zebra crossing was first used in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1949. Originally, the stripes of the zebra crossing were not white as we now know but alternating stips of blue and yellow.

This true-to-name zebra crossing may not be the first in the world, but I personally think that, considering the name, this is what zebra crossing should look like.

I took this photo on Jalan Dipatiukur (Dipatiukur Street) at Dago, Bandung. This zebra-"zebra crossing" was painted by an artist to go with a sculpture that was put in place as part of the celebration of Bandung Creative City (BCC) project.

For your information, Bandung was named and chosen as East Asia's pilot project of crative city at an international conference of world cities with creative-industry economy at Yokohama, Japan, in July this year. The choice was made because Bandung was considered as a regional trend-setter in this kind of industry. In the past ten years, Bandung's creative industry products have set the trends among millions of young people in many other cities in the region.

Street Photography # 5: Life at Bandung's Commuter Train

Bandung's commuter train, the KRD (Kereta Rel Disel), is quite probably unlike any other commuter trains you have ever seen, had a ride on, or even imagined. It is not only a means of transportation, but also virtually and quite literally a mobile market place. On board, you can find almost anything you would normally find in a market and more. Different vendors offering different stuffs like candies, drinks, cigarettes, foods, fruits, newspapers, and magazines are only some examples of what you can meet on board. You can also find street musicians, and even dancers performing for tips from the passangers on it.

Needless to say, comfort is not the key word on a KRD ride, but it's the cheapest and speediest means of transportation that connects Padalarang, a subburb town about 15 kilometers west of the city of Bandung, and Cicalengka, another subburb town about 17 kilometers east of Bandung, through the city.

The photo above is of a newspaper man offering newspapers to passangers on board the KRD.

My world: Jaipongan, A West Javanese Cultural Heritage

"Jaipongan" is a relatively new creation dance. The correography of this dance is attributed to Gugum Gumbira, a prominent Bandung artist, musician, dancer, and correographer. It became popular in the early 1980s.

The correography of "jaipongan" is derived from/inspired by older West Javanese traditional folk "socialization" dances such as "ketuk tilu", "kliningan", "bajidoran" and some movements of "pencak silat" (Indonesian traditional martial art). It is called a socialization dance because it is primarily performed as an entertainment (as compared to dances that are performed for rituals or other ceremonial occasions) where members of the audience are invited to take part and interact with the dancer(s) and other members of the audience.

"Jaipongan" by the way is a very dynamic dance with swift, quick, and rhythmical motions and music.

This post is my participation for the meme MY WORLD.

Bandung Street Documentary: The Largest "Bedroom" in The World!

So, you have bought the most expensive and comfortable matress the market has to offer, taken the sleep-help pills, and still have a problem having a good night sleep?

Not for this boy!

He may have the smallest "matress" in the world, but he has the largest and the most comfortable "bedroom" you can ever imagine. So, sleep tight and have a nice dream!

This Bandung Street Documentary photo series is brought to you by Bandung Daily Photo!

Bandung Braga Festival: Rope Walker

The rainy season has set in. It's been either cloudy or rainy the past few days. I haven't been able to take outdoors photographs for a few days now. So, today's photo is not exactly a recently taken photo.

I took this photo at The Braga Festival last year.

Braga Fest is one of Bandung's many annual cultural events and festivals. It is usually held towards the end of the year. Last year it was held from December 29 through 31. I have yet to find out the exact dates for this year's event.

November 08 CDPB Theme: Books - My Blogging and Internet Reference Books

These are some of the blogging and internet books I have been reading. Honesty, this kind of books never was my cup of tea. I never was interested in technical stuff simply because - I thought - they didn't contribute much to enlightening the mind. I would prefer reading literary works, phylosophical/religious books, biographies of great personalities, history books, and books about arts and photography. All that, however, changed when I got to know blogging and became hooked to it. At first, I bought and read these books out of necessity, that is to find answers to my questions and help me solve the problems I had with my blogging. Then, as I began to grasp the basics of it, I began to want more of it - not in the addictive sense, but rather because I began to see the possibilities of using the internet and blogging for my teaching, which is my job, and my photography, a hobby which I call "a love affair" because of the joy it has given me.

Anyway, this kind of books still are not the primary kind of books I would read. My home library (and my wife's and my children's), which I can proudly say quite sizeable, are still dominated by my cup of tea's books.

Just in case you are curious: How many internet and blogging books have I read? Not many. I'd say about 20 something.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants of this month's CDPB theme.

Or, you can also click any of the following direct links to the participanting blogs.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by freefalling, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Aurora, South Africa by shelagh, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Bali, Indonesia by Anak Dokan, Bandung, Indonesia by Eki Akhwan, Bandung, Indonesia by Bunyamin, Bandung, Indonesia by Harry Makertia, Bangkok, Thailand by UberSand, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Baziège, France by PaB, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Birmingham (AL), USA by VJ, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Ilse, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boulder (CO), USA by A Sterling World, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cavite, Philippines by Steven Que, Chandler (AZ), USA by PattheAZRealtor, Chapel Hill (NC), USA by missleah, Château-Gontier, France by Laurent, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Chateaubriant, France by trieulet, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chennai, India by Ram N, City of the Blue Mountains, Australia by Richard, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Edinburgh, UK by Dido, Evry, France by Olivier, Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA by Gigi, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Gliwice, Poland by prado&fio, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Helsinki, Finland by PPusa, Herne Bay, Great Britain by Han, Lil n Caz, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Honningsvag, Norway by J., Islip (NY), USA by Bettye, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jakarta, Indonesia by Santy, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by Susie of Arabia, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Karwar, India by Yogesh, Knoxville (TN), USA by Knoxville Girl, Knoxville (TN), USA by hope, Lakewood (OH), USA by mouse, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lodz, Poland by wikiyu, London, UK by Ham, Madrid, Spain by Tr3nta, Mainz, Germany by JB, Manila, Philippines by Hilda, Manila, Philippines by Heyokity,