Sunday, September 30, 2012

Butterfly-Pea

Centrosema or butterfly-pea is a wild legume from tropical America. 
It is a climber or climbing plants or vines. 
The plant grows by twining their stems around a support. 
Uniquely shaped purple flowers appear along the contrast green leaves. 
It is a treasure in a wild bush.

Centrosema



After a while passing the purple butterfly vines near the street, I eventually stopped to take their photos. 
It looks familiar and my guess was right.
The butterfly pea has a close relative calls the blue-pea or 
Clitoria ternatea or kembang telang. 
My father in law used to wash his eyes using rinse water made from kembang telang. 
Kembang telang has been domesticated and used as decorative plants.

Kembang telang

Pekanbaru,




Friday, September 28, 2012

A lonely mail box

It is important to have a catchy mail box when you live far away from city. 

The mailbox is located next to the highway, so it is accessible for the postman.

Omarama-Twizel Rd

When we took this picture, we didn't see any house nearby. 
That means, the owner needs to drive for a while to reach this mailbox and get his mail or package. 
You can imagine, would it be safe to leave your personal mail and packet in the box out of people sight?
May be not in Indonesia:)
 

Pekanbaru,


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

My Babies

We had this joke when we were working on our samples. We called them 'our babies'. 
They were my babies: the geopolymer samples.
I kept them for more than one year to study their behavior under some circumstances. 
Need to measure their performance everyday in a year, even on the weekend. 

I remember vividly when I and hubby had to take a bus on a very shiny and hot summer weekend to measure their changes. What a sacrifice!


They were measured. Their photo were captured. Their story was published. 
Eventually, they were thrown away from their storage in the curing room. 
My babies were gone.

Pekanbaru,



Monday, September 24, 2012

Golden Sunset

Picturesque view is everywhere, even in a crowded city centre! 
I have been walking in a pedestrian cable-stayed bridge that across Swan River when I saw this stunning view. 
The sunlight hit the trees and apartments. The water has reflected yellow buildings. 
 Things were glowing. It was not real.

East Perth

I stood for a while to admire that 'not everyday' sight.
Just when my sister called my name, 
I knew I had to leave this temporary romantic feelings behind.
 
 Pekanbaru,
 
 

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Wooden Cabin

In one journey, we were staying in this comfortable small wooden cabin. 
It was located in a holiday park that overlooking to the hills and Shotover River.
The outside view was visually charming. Trees, benches, flowery plants were everywhere. 
I want to stay there for weeks.

Holiday Park in Queenstown, nz

When the night has come, the holiday park was suddenly quiet. 
Then it was time to take a rest in that cabin and enjoy the sound of cricket chirping.

Pekanbaru,


Thursday, September 20, 2012

Cross stitch

You know, I love flowers. Everyone knows it, including my mom in law. 

She made this beautiful cross stitch herself for our little house few years ago. 

It took months for her to stitch the flower bouquet in a jar. 

I know this was a hard work, and the bouquet looks exquisite.



I gave a big appreciation for her masterpiece. 

We put this in the frame and hung it on the wall. 

This spot is so nice and warm now. 

I really enjoy this sight. Thank's ibu!

Pekanbaru,

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Plums

Reminded by a part of book from Laura Ingalls Wilder with a title 'On the Banks of Plum Creek', I bought many types of plums in one summer. Laura and Mary had to pick the plums along Plum Creek, while I just went to Swansea Market in Perth to pick them.

In that book, it said 'There were many kinds of plums. When the red ones were all picked, the yellow ones were ripe. Then the blue ones. The largest of all were the very last. They were the frost plums, that would not ripen until after frost.'

'That day the frost plums were ripe. They were large, purple plums and all over their purple was a silvery thin sheen like frost'.


That summer I was lucky to collect all kinds of plums. Green plums were sweet and crunchy. Blood plums were a bit watery. Red and purple plums were quite sweet, too.

Prune was my favorite. This might be called the 'frost plums' in Laura's book. It has a thick flesh, sugary and nice aroma.

Pekanbaru,

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Our simple halal traveling menu

When we were traveling in far away countries, we had a special menu. 
This is related to our lifestyle diet: halal and low in fat. 
By cooking our own food, we guarantee it is halal, cheaper, and healthy.

Our typical daily breakfast/lunch/dinner consists of fresh vegies like slices of cucumber or cherry tomatoes, fresh cooked rice and canned fish. 
Tired of fish, we ate  smoked oysters, boiled eggs served with chili sambal 
or Indomie Goreng! 
To get this instant noodle, just go to Asian groceries in Chinatown in the world, but not in China. Bought some when we were in Queenstown, Sydney and Toronto!


Rice is not difficult to find. It is an international staple food now. 
A bowl of salad from McD can substitute the vegies. 
Canned fish or seafood are considerably cheap in any stores. 
Seasonal fresh fruits like cherries, strawberries, blueberries, plums, or apples, are really nice treat. For side dishes, I prefer black olive pizza, french friends or traditional bread without emulsifier.

It is important to remember that to get halal food while in foreign countries is a huge priority.

Pekanbaru

 

Friday, September 14, 2012

Lyttelton View

It was a beautiful day in Chrischurch, nz, November 2010. Our friends took us riding a gondola uphill to the top station. 

The view of Lyttelton Harbour from up there was so breathtaking. 
The contrast view of sea, hills, sky and long grass everywhere was marvelous.



I was not tired to scurry around the station to capture lots of scene at that time. 
The other sides of the station offers Christchurch city and the Alps scenic views. 
 But, I have made a decision. 
This side was the best. 

Pekanbaru,

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

I Got it, I Got it!

This catch was quite a lucky one. I hurried to get my camera and took this photo. 

Two red dragonflies were flying around the white flowers. 
One scurried to perennials and could not be caught. 
But this one, stayed calm and hold on into the bud nicely.

A red dragonfly captured my attention

May be, it was drinking a fresh morning dew from the bud's surface. 
Or, posed like a singer... was pretending to use that single bud as its microphone:D

Pekanbaru,

Monday, September 10, 2012

Who's Just Making the Mess?

Zephyrantes Rosea is clearly a beautiful flower. They were blooming cordially that morning in my backyard. Inside the flower looked very fresh and tidy. Stamens with yellow pollen were contrast to the pink petals. Overall, it was a breathtaking view.

The clean flower head

When I moved into another flower, I regretted the messy flower head. It has bloomed, so I was left with this scenery. The pollens were spread around the petals. Stamens lied down to the petals. What a mess! I guessed the bees, ants and flies should be the convicted of this crime.

Messy flower head

Pekanbaru,


Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Nearly Finished Stadiums


The nearly finished stadiums have raised people's eyes in this nation. National Sports Week (PON XVIII) in Pekanbaru, will be held in the next few days, but those stadiums are not in good shape, yet. 

Athletic Stadium, Rumbai

Wushu Venue, Rumbai

As Pekanbaru citizen, I am a little bit ashamed. In one hand, it is good that finally some modern and catchy stadiums were built in our city. But, on the other hand, it is a lesson on how a bad construction management has been applied in this case. Those stadiums require lots of effort to complete before the D-day!

Main Stadium, Panam
Pekanbaru,

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Maka, Pintar-pintarlah...


Saat mendiskusikan kenakalan seorang keponakan kecilku, semua yang ada mendesah khawatir. Ia memang suka bikin onar. Tapi memarahinya selain tidak membuatnya jera, hanya akan mengecilkan hati orang tuanya. Hingga kini, sulit juga membiarkan sesuatu tergeletak begitu saja tanpa diusik atau disembunyikan olehnya. Akhirnya seorang ipar mengingatkan bahwa keonaran si kecil dapat dihindarkan, asal kamipun mau pintar-pintar. Maksudnya, jika tak mampu mengatasi kenakalan si kecil, maka kami sendiri yang tidak boleh sembrono keluar kamar tanpa menguncinya.

Saran sang ipar itu melekat kuat di benakku. Apalagi setelah beberapa lama berdomisili kembali di Indonesia, aku sering kena masalah karena masih juga tak pintar-pintar. Mungkin aku terbawa kebiasaan gaya hidup di tempat mukim sebelumnya. Misalnya saat tinggal di Australia, tiap ada masalah dengan barang atau jasa, maka pihak yang dikomplain akan memberikan solusi atau pengembalian. Aku tidak perlu khawatir dengan penyerobotan atau penipuan, karena semua jelas dan sesuai aturan hukum. Cukup hanya memberitahukan, masalah segera ditindak lanjuti. .Meskipun berstatus sebagai seorang pemukim tak tetap, mereka tak mau mempermainkan. Hukum memang berkuasa.

Tetapi di sini, aku punya pengalaman sedikit menyesakkan dada di tempat perawatan kecantikan dan beberapa orang dokter. Setelah cukup lama menggunakan sebuah produk, akhirnya wajahku sedikit masalah. Dokter klinik yang dulu menerimaku hanya bisa bilang, “Memang begini resikonya”, tanpa memberi solusi apapun. Lah, kalau pasien sudah memberitahu begini, mbok ya ada jalan keluarnya. Si dokter hanya bisa tersenyum prihatin. Setelah diingat-ingat, sepertinya sebelum perawatan sang dokter pernah menyarankan agar aku tetap meneruskan perawatan wajah seperti biasa. Maksudnya, tetap menggunakan busa pembersih sama seperti 24 tahun yang lalu. Sayangnya, saat itu ‘kepintaran’ku melorot karena terlalu bernafsu punya wajah kinclong bak artis Korea. Memang wajahku lebih berkilau, tapi hanya untuk 6 bulan saja.

Banyak kisah-kisah lain yang menuntut situasi pintar-pintar ini. Orang-orang yang kehilangan koper mereka saat penerbangan, harus berani menerima resiko tersebut. Sudah tahu tata kelola bandara masih morat-marit, berani meletakkan barang berharga di koper berarti harus rela kalau kehilangan. Letakkan barang-barang berharga dan bawa secukupnya saja dalam tas kabin. Sedangkan di koper, letakkan barang-barang yang tidak akan kita sesali saat koper tak ditemukan. Jangan sampai harus menyerah untuk memberikan koper tersebut kalau tak lewat keamanan gerbang untuk boarding. Pintar-pintar menganalisa situasi. Letakkan dahulu di koper atau kirim via titipan kilat. Kalau sempat hilang, keluhan hanya bisa disampaikan, ditampung, tapi tak tahu bila dapat penyelesaiannya.

Biar jengkel, hidup di tempat yang tak ada hukum kuat ini memang harus pintar-pintar. Jika otoritas saja tak laku, apalagi hukumnya. Jika uang bisa memperdaya semua orang, maka tak ada yang bisa menegakkan hukum. So, sebelum meneken kontrak proyek yang besar atau terlibat sebuah kegiatan kerjasama, ada baiknya pikir-pikir sekeras mungkin dahulu. Pikirkan seberapa besar mudharatnya dan apa yang dapat mengontrolnya kalau terjadi sebuah pelanggaran. Saat hukum di sinipun tak akan mampu mencegah orang tersebut untuk menzalimi dan memperdayai kita, maka tinggalkan pekerjaan itu. Pintar-pintarlah. Jangan pernah mau terlibat di dalamnya.

Pekanbaru,

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Tourist Map


I like to take a map of specific tourist area and other catchy brochures at Tourist Info Center.

I learn that in a good tourist area, the center provides maps and brochures of many tourist attractions that you can visit within the allocated time.

We were late to arrive in Albany, Western, Australia that day, so I could just grabbed one big map and one brochure to check the location of Natural Gap Bridge and Albany Wind Farm.


Albany, WA, Nov 2011

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Rusa di balik pagar

Pagi itu aku dan hubby jalan-jalan ke depan sekolah masa kecilku di Minas. 

Tempat tersebut merupakan gerbang masuk ke lapangan golf yang membentang hingga ke beberapa kompleks perumahan. 



Aku jadi ingat kebiasaan kami, yaitu aku dan teman-teman putri semasa SD yang suka menelusuri lapangan golf tersebut untuk pulang ke rumah. Banyak hal menarik di sana, selain rumput halus seperti karpet dan aneka pohon-pohon menarik. Beberapa tempat tergenang di dalam selokan air yang besar, kami kerap menemukan kecebong berenang-renang, ganggang hijau dengan daun mengkilat dalam air, serta ikan gobi yang mirip ikan sapu-sapu pembersih akuarium. Seperti sebuah pelajaran Biologi langsung mengenai hewan dan tumbuhan air bagiku, saat-saat aku mengamati isi selokan jernih tersebut. Tempat kedua yang suka kami kunjungi memiliki sebuah jembatan lengkung besi berwarna biru di bawah barisan pohon waru rindang berbunga kuning. Entah berapa kali kami bolak-balik dengan sepeda menjajal jembatan mungil tersebut. Merasakan kekuatannya dan getarannya saat kami berpacu di sana. Kupikir, jembatan itulah konstruksi lengkung pertama yang kulihat dalam hidup.

Sekarang sepertinya tidak mudah lagi bagi siapapun untuk menyelinap masuk ke lapangan golf tersebut. Tempat itu telah dipagar rapat-rapat oleh pemiliknya.

Di depan pintu masuk tadi, kami melihat sebuah mini zoo yang berisikan delapan ekor rusa, yang konon merupakan hibah dari Kebun Raya Bogor. 



Rusa besar yang paling dekat pagar berdiri menyongsong kami sambil mengendus-enduskan hidungnya. Sayangnya tangan kami kosong, tak ada makanan. Lagipula makanan yang ada di mobil hanya satu toples kerupuk Palembang. Kuyakin rusa tak doyan kerupuk.



Keadaan mereka terlihat cukup baik dibanding hewan-hewan di zoo lain. Lapangan luas, ada rumput yang diberikan secara teratur dan tempat bernaung di bawah pepohonan memang sangat ideal bagi mereka. Pagar tinggi di sekelilingnyapun dapat melindungi rusa-rusa tersebut dari harimau liar yang masih sering mengintai mereka di daerah itu.



Pekanbaru,