Minimalist Interior Design

This is the minimalist interior design of Baso Karapitan restaurant at Jalan Merdeka, Bandung.

One of the most prominent features of the minimalist (also called reductivist) architecture or design is, as you can see in these pictures, the emphasis that it places on the outline, or frame, of the structure and the use of colors and lighting to emphasize those elements.

Baso or bakso, by the way, is a popular Indonesian meal of meatball and noodle soup.

Street Documentary: Petty Street Transaction

An old woman is looking at a persian cat offered by a pet street vendor in front of Bandung Indah Plaza (BIP) on Jalan Merdeka (Merdeka Street).

Bandung has quite a few locations where street vendors sell different kinds of pets. BIP area is one of them. The pets sold here are usually cheaper (and of course normally of poorer quality) than those offered by pet shops.

More black and white photographs from participating blogs at The Monochrome Weekly Meme.

The Cimanuk River

Having its spring in the Papandayan Mountain in Garut and crossing four regencies (Garut, Sumedang, Majalengka, and Indramayu), Sungai Cimanuk (The Cimanuk River) is one of the longest rivers in West Java. I took this scenic section of the river at Wado area in the border of Sumedang and Majalengka about 100 kilometers east of Bandung.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in Scenic Sunday meme. To see other participating blogs, please click the logo picture underneath.

Even Debris Speaks Art

Some creative minds and nimble hands have turned the debris of Pentagon Building at the campus of The Indonesia University of Education (UPI) Bandung into some sort of art work.

Pentagon Building was demolished as part of the campus rejuvenation program to make room for the university's new business center.

Skywatch: Asia-Africa Flag Poles

These are the flag poles in front of Gedung Merdeka or the Museum of Asian-African Conference.

As some of you may already know, Gedung Merdeka or the Merdeka Building was the venue for the Asian-African or Bandung Conference in 1955.

29 countries attended the original conference. 109 countries attended the golden jubillee in 2005. Consequently there are more flag poles now than there were in 1955. Here is what the building looked like in 1955.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation is the weekly meme Skywatch Friday. Please see other skywatchers's posts by clicking the link.

Pins and Buttons

Pins and buttons sold by street vendors here. The variety is endless, and they are inexpensive. I only collect unique ones though, particularly those that commemorate a historical event.

Kue Nastar, Indonesia's Pineapple Cookies

Different cookies are served during the Eid ul Fitr holidays. Kue nastar or the pineapple cookies is one of them.

If you are interested in learning how to make it, here is a good video link of the recipe and demonstration of how to make it that I found at You Tube.

A Smiling Bus

When the traffic is bad, it pays to learn to smile and not let it eat you up from the inside.

It was a hot day and the traffic was heavy when I was driving out of the city to visit some relatives. But the smiley face painted behind this bus reminded me that a smile would just make things easier to bear.

Happy Eid Mubarak - Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1430 H

Today is Eid ul Fitr. I went to the field near where we live to perform Eid prayer. (Unlike the daily prayers that can be performed at home or in the mosque, the Eid prayer and sermon are preferably performed in a field.)



At home we ate ketupat kari. Ketupat is steamed rice cake wrapped in young coconut leaves (see left picture below). We cut it open, slice it, and usually eat it with kari ayam (chicken curry) and sambal goreng ati (liver in dried chily souce).





It is also the traditon here that people decorate their homes with fragrant flowers like bunga sedap malam (polianthes tuberosa) - the white flowers on long stems in the picture - to welcome their guests. I forgot to buy it until late this morning, so when I got to the nearby florist, we didn't have much choice.

Lebaran (Eid ul Fitr) Travel

Tomorrow (Sept 20, 2009) moslems in Indonesia as are those throughout the world are going to celebrate Eid ul Fitr or Lebaran as it is popularly called here.

Lebaran is the largest and most festive holiday here, probably comparable to Christmas in many other parts of the world. (Christmas is also a big holiday here but not as big as Eid ul Fitr.)

One of the most important traditions of the Lebaran is that people would visit their parents, families, and relatives to ask for their forgiveness and improve ties. For those who live in the cities, this means traveling back to their hometowns and villages. Done by a huge number of people at about the same time, the travel imposes a huge logistical burden on the country's public transportation system which, I must admit, is not in a very good shape. Train tickets would normally be sold out a month ahead of the holiday, so are bus, airline, and ship tickets.

Those who have cars would travel with them. Others would just try about anything to get to their destinations, including riding motorbikes and other means of transportation like trucks and bajaj (a three-weeler motorbike taxi).

Skywatch Friday: Magnificent Trees #1

The branches of some old trees against the sky on my campus one late afternoon last week.

Please visit other skywatchers this week HERE.

Ramadan Treats

This woman is selling kolak (an Indonesian sweet delicacy typically made from banana, palm sugar, and coconut milk) and other sweet stuffs that people here eat/drink to break their fast at iftar time.

This woman is one of many like her who becomes a seasonal food vendor during the month of Ramadan.

Tukang Buah Potong (Sliced Fruit Vendor)

Don't have time to peel and slice the fruit? Don't worry! This vendor (and manly like him) have it done for you.

Vespa MP3 250

I snapped this photo on the road side parking of Jalan Braga sometime ago.

Vespa MP3 250 is a real beauty among the ordinary motorbikes and scooters parked beside her.

As the name indicates, MP3 250 is packed with 244.3 cc single cylinder QUASAR 4 stroke engine that enables it to comfortably run at 120 kilometers per hour. It is also equipped with CVT automatic transmission which makes it easier to handle in frequently congested city traffic. Its emission and exhaust noise, according to its manufacturer, is also quite environmentally-friendly. It meets Euro 3 standard. The price tag, however, is not very friendly to many Indonesian motorbike and scooter users. Priced at about IDR 110 million (USD 11,000) this Vespa model is about 4 times more expensive than its Japanese counterparts with the same engine capacity. But for fashion and comfort, I don't think I would mind paying more for this beauty.