#752 - Mid Year Holiday : Singapore & Penang (Part 1)

ENGLISH

So, I'm now back!! hehe... :) It has been really quick that now one week has already passed. So, here we go, the story of my vacation this mid-year to Singapore and Penang.

Day 1 (22 July 2009)

We departed at 6 AM from our house to Adisucipto Int'l Airport Yogyakarta. Well, it was my first direct international trip from this airport, haha. Anyway, finally we boarded Indonesia AirAsia's Airbus A320-216 reg code PK-AXC flight no. QZ 7138 heading for Singapore. Our plane took off from runway 09 at 7.45 AM. Two hours later, at 10.45 AM local time, we landed at Singapore Changi Airport. It was raining when we landed tho, hmm. Btw, when we were taxiing, I saw three Singapore Airlines' Airbus A380s!! Finally I saw the gigantic aircraft with my own eyes!! haha

Anyway, after passing immigration and taking our luggages, we caught a cab to go to the city of Singapore. After about thirty minutes cab-ride we arrived at our hotel, Grand Central Hotel, near the well-known Orchard Road. It was kinda exciting for me since it would be my chance to practise my verbal English after a long time, haha, but apparently the receptionist could speak Bahasa Indonesia, zzz. Then, we walked to Orchard Road.

Actually, we spent all of our first day at Orchard Road. We went to several malls, like Ngee Ann City, Takashimaya, Ion Orchard, Paragon, Tang's, Center Point, Lucky Plaza, etc. Nothing much I could tell here. Anyway, finally I got the t-shirt I had been wanting since last June!! YEAH!! haha... . Anyway, meals in Singapore was incredibly expensive (compared to meals in Indonesia)! At least we had to spend around S$ 5 which is equal to around Rp 35,000.- (that's very very cheap) for a meal.

Day 2 (23 July 2009)

We got up pretty early to catch our next flight to Penang Island, Malaysia this day. After catching a cab to the airport (and entrusted some of our luggages at our hotel since we would be back there in three days), we arrived at Singapore Changi Airport's Budget Terminal. We checked in at Tiger Airways' counter and had breakfast after that. Budget Terminal was a lowcost terminal, so there was no travelator. Our gate was at Gate 2 which was really far and we had to walk, haha.

Anyway, at 9.50 AM we boarded Tiger Airways' Airbus A320-232 reg code 9V-TAB (yea, it was my first foreign plane-ride after my trip to Malaysia last early 2005) flight no TR 422 to Penang. We took off from runway 20C after queuing for some time. The pilot of this flight had a sense of humor. Personally, I think that flight was one of the best flights I had ever flown on, hehe :).

At 11.33 AM, we landed at runway 04 at Bayan Lepas International Airport Penang. After passing immigration, we went to Batu Ferringhi Beach. It was really hot (I mean it, REALLY HOT) in Batu Ferringhi. Weirdly, it was really crowdless, not like a tourist destination. We had lunch at a Lebanon Restaurant which apparently was run by Indonesians, haha. Because of the damn weather, we decided to wait until the sun went down a bit.

At around 5 PM we walked to the beach. At the beach, the tourist atmosphere was a bit more dazzling. There were so many tourists and beach activities which kinda were a bit expensive (almost as expensive as in Bali). After walking in the beach for some hours and the sun set at 7.30 PM, we had dinner at a chinese seafood restaurant just located by the sea. One of the waitress was Indonesian Worker from Godean. She had been working there in Penang since 1996, hehe. The food was delicious, hehe. At 10 PM, after having our stomachs really full, we walked to the main street to see the night market. Nearly midnight, we went back to our hotel.

Day 3 (24 July 2009)

After having complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we all left Batu Ferringhi and went to downtown Georgetown, the capital city of the State of Penang. Georgetown was only about 25 minutes away from Batu Ferringhi. At first we planned to stop by at the Toys Museum but then canceled it (and later on I regreted it because apparently there was a manequine of Seven of Nine there, damnit!!). Instead, we went to two temples, the famous Wat Chayamangkalaram (Reclining Buddha Temple) and Dhammikarama Temple (Burmese Temple). Some said that the Reclining Buddha Statue there was the biggest in the world. Well, I have been to the other Reclining Buddha Temple once I was in Bangkok, Thailand five and a half years ago, but I'm not sure which one is bigger, LOL.

Anyway, after that we went to our hotel in Georgetown and checked-in. Our hotel was located next to the (supposedly) well-known site in Georgetown: KOMTAR (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (Tun Abdul Razak Complex)). It was a famous shopping centre some years back. However, when we got there, it was really pathetic. The shopping centre was really 'old-fashioned', and we even couldn't get to the top floor of the tower to get the scenic view of the island. Damnit!! At first we thought (which I had already doubt in the first place) that Komtar was a 58th storey shopping centre, haha.

Therefore, we had plenty of time to spend in the evening. That's why we decided to make our own city tour. With local map in our hands, we went from one site to another site on foot around the city. It was tiring tho but also fun to see the city, hehe. We went to some temples, old church, and finally we went to Fort Cornwallis, an old Britain fort in Georgetown located at the northern beach of the city. Then, we enjoyed the beach scenery there sitting at the plaza located at the beach.

At 7.30 PM, after the sun set, we wanted to go to Gurney Drive. Gurney was a place with many foodstalls. I googled it before going there and I think it was interesting, so Gurney was our next stop. It was already dusk and we concerned about getting a transport there. It was clearly not within walking distance. Then, a cab came dropping passengers at a park nearby and we caught it. I think we were so lucky. The driver, Mr. Francis Xavier, was really really kind and nice that we decided to hire him for our trip the next day. Anyway, then we arrived at Gurney and went to Gurney Plaza first. After that we walked to Gurney Drive Foodstalls and had dinner there. After that we went back to our hotel.

To Be Continued ...

Next on Mid Year Holiday : Singapore & Penang
- Air Itam (Kek Lok Si Temple and Penang Hill)
- Some Other Places in Penang
- Marina, Singapore (some more malls, Singapore Flyer, Merlion Park)
- More of Singapore


L: Indonesia AirAsia's Airbus A320-216 reg code PK-AXC flight no QZ 7138 bounding for Singapore was ready for boarding
R: cloud at 38,000 feet


L: Landing at Singapore Changi Airport
R: a Singapore Airlines' Airbus A380!! Finally I saw this aircraft with my own eyes! :D


L : First Meal in Singapore which cost S$ 6.50
R : Ngee Ann City, Orchard Road


L : Orchard Road
R : first dinner at Orchard, at Din Tai Fung Restaurant


L : Singapore Visitors Center
R : Changi Airport Singapore's Budget Terminal's Check-In Area


L : Tiger Airways' Airbus A320-232 reg code 9V-TAB flight no TR 422 was ready to fly to Penang
R : a busy morning at Changi Airport. Singapore Airlines' Boeing 777, Royal Brunei's Boeing 767, and a privat jet were lining for take-off at runway 20C.


L : Bayan Lepas International Airport Penang. Lion Air's Boieng 737-400 and Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 737-400 were also there.
R : Batu Ferringhi Beach as taken from our hotel.


L : Batu Ferringhi Bistro, Chinese Seafood.
R : Jalan Batu Ferringhi Sign


L : at Reclining Buddha Temple
R : Buddha statue at Burmese Temple


L : KOMTAR
R : blackpepper sirloin steak as lunch


L : Little India at Georgetown, Penang
R : St. George Church


L : Fort Cornwallis
R : the beach next to Fort Cornwallis


L : Gurney Drive Foodstalls
R : omelette oysters

BAHASA INDONESIA

Jadi, aku sudah balik nih!! hehe... :) Benar2 cepat yah tak terasa seminggu sudah berlalu. Jadi, mari dimulai deh cerita liburan tengah tahun keduaku ini ke Singapore dan Penang.

Hari 1 (22 Juli 2009)

Kita berangkat jam 6 pagi dari rumah menuju Bandar Udara Internasional Adisucipto Yogyakarta. Hmm, waktu itu adalah kali pertamaku naik penerbangan internasional langsung dari bandara ini, haha. Singkat kata, kita kemudian naik ke pesawat Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320-216 kode registrasi PK-AXC nomor penerbangan QZ 7138 tujuan Singapore. Pesawatnya tinggal landas dari runway 09 pada pukul 7.45 pagi. Dua jam kemudian, pukul 10.45 waktu lokal, pesawat mendarat di Bandar Udara Changi Singapore. Ketika mendarat ternyata sedang hujan, hmmm. Btw, waktu pesawat sedang taxiing, aku melihat tiga pesawat Airbus A380-nya Singapore Airlines loh!! Akhirnya aku melihat pesawat raksasa ini langsung dengan mataku sendiri!! haha

Ngomong2, setelah melewati imigrasi dan mengambil bagasi, kita naik taksi untuk pergi ke kota Singapore-nya. Setelah perjalanan selama kurang lebih setengah jam, kita tiba di hotel, Hotek Grand Central, didekat Jalan Orchard yang terkenal itu. Aku bersemangat karena akhirnya mendapat kesempatan menggunakan bahasa Inggris verbalku setelah sekian lama, haha, tapi ternyata resepsionisnya malah ngomong bahasa Indonesia, zzz. Trus, kita pergi ke Jalan Orchard.

Sebenarnya sih ya kegiatan hari pertama ya cuma terpusat di Jalan Orchard saja. Kita pergi ke beberapa mall seperti Ngee Ann City, Takashimaya, Ion Orchard, Paragon, Tang's, Center Point, Lucky Plaza, dll. Nggak banyak deh yang bisa ditulis disini. Ngomong2, akhirnya aku mendapatkan kaus yang sudah aku ingin2kan sejak Juni lalu!! YEAH!! haha... . Btw, makanan di Singapore mahalnya gila2an yah (dibandingkan makanan di Indonesia)! Setidaknya kita harus keluar minimal S$ 5 yang kira2 sama dengan Rp 35.000,- tuh (udah yang murah banget nih) untuk sekali makan.

Hari 2 (23 Juli 2009)

Kita bangun lebih pagi untuk mengejar pesawat selanjutnya menuju Pulau Penang, Malaysia pada hari ini. Habis naik taksi menuju bandara (dan menitipkan sebagian barang kami di hotel karena kita akan balik dalam tiga hari) kita tiba di Bandara Changi Singapore di Budget Terminal. Kita check-in di konter Tiger Airways dan makan pagi setelahnya. Budget Terminal adalah terminal biaya rendah, makanya tidak ada travelator. Gerbang kami adalah Gerbang 2 yang lokasinya sangat jauh dan kita harus berjalan menuju sana, haha.

Ngomong2, sekitar jam 9.50 pagi kami menaiki pesawat Tiger Airways Airbus A320-232 reg kode registrasi 9V-TAB (ya, itu adalah kali pertama aku naik pesawat beregistrasi asing setelah perjalananku ke Malaysia awal 2005 lalu) nomor penerbangan TR 422 menuju Penang. Kita tinggal landas dari runway 20 C setelah mengantri untuk beberapa saat. Pilot pada penerbangan ini benar2 lucu tuh. Aku rasa mungkin penerbangan ini adalah salah satu yang terbaik yang pernah aku naiki, hehe :).

Jam 11.33 pagi, kita mendarat di runway 04 di Bandar Udara Internasional Bayan Lepas Penang. Setelah melewati imigrasi, kita pergi menuju Pantai Batu Ferringhi. Cuaca waktu itu benar2 panas (beneran nih, PANAS BANGET) di Batu Ferringhi. Anehnya, suasananya juga sepi tuh, tidak terasa seperti destinasi turis. Kita makan siang di Restoran Lebanon yang ternyata dijalankan oleh orang Indonesia, haha. Karena cuaca sialan, kita memutuskan untuk menunggu sampai matahari turun sedikit.

Sekitar jam 5 sore kita berjalan menuju pantai. Di pantai, atmosfer turis jauh lebih terasa. Disana ada banyak sekali turis dan banyak aktivitas pantai yang harganya mahal juga (hampir semahal Bali tuh). Setelah berjalan-jalan di pantai dan matahari terbenam jam 7.30 malam, kita makan malam di rumah makan chinese seafood di pinggiran pantai. Salah satu pelayannya ternyata TKW asal Godean tuh yang sudah di Penang sejak 1996, hehe. Makanannya enak tuh, hehe. Jam 10 malam, setelah perut penuh, kita berjalan menuju jalan utama untuk melihat pasar malamnya. Sekitar tengah malam, kita balik ke hotel deh.

Hari 3 (24 Juli 2009)

Setelah makan pagi di hotel, kita meninggalkan Batu Ferringhi untuk pergi ke Georgetown, ibukota dari Negara Bagian penang. Georgetown berlokasi sekitar 25 menit dari Batu Ferringhi. Pertamanya kita berencana untuk mampir di Museum Mainan tapi kemudian membatalkannya (dan setelahnya aku menyesal karena ternyata ada manekinnya Seven of Nine disana, sialan!!). Lalu, kita pergi ke dua kuil, yaitu Kuil Wat Chayamangkalaram (Kuil Buddha Tidur) yang terkenal dan Kuil Dhammikarama (Kuil Myanmar). Beberapa orang bilang bahwa Patung Buddha Tidur disana adalah yang paling besar di dunia. Yah, aku sih sudah pernah pergi ke Kuil Buddha Tidur lainnya ketika berada di Bangkok, Thailand, lima setengah tahun yang lalu, tapi ga yakin juga mana yang lebih besar, LOL.

Kemudian kita pergi ke hotel kita di Georgetown dan check in. Hotelnya terletak di sebelah tempat yang (seharusnya) terkenal di Georgetown: KOMTAR (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak). Itu adalah pusat perbelanjaan yang terkenal beberapa tahun lalu. Namun, ketika kita kesana, koq menyedihkan sekali yah. Pusat perbelanjaannya benar-benar 'kuno' dan bahkan kita tidak bisa naik ke lantai atas untuk melihat pemandangan keseluruhan dari pulaunya. Sial!! Pertamanya sih kita kira (yang aku sudah ragukan sejak awal nih) bahwa Komtar adalah pusat perbelanjaan berlantai 58, haha.

Makanya, kita jadi ada banyak waktu untuk dihabiskan sorenya. Itulah mengapa kita memutuskan untuk membuat tur kota sendiri. Dengan peta lokal di tangan, berjalan-jalanlah kita dari satu tempat ke tempat lain di dalam kota dengan jalan kaki. Capek sih, tapi menyenangkan lho untuk melihat-lihat kota gitu, hehe. Kita pergi ke beberapa kuil, gereja tua, dan akhirnya tiba di Fort Cornwallis, sebuah benteng tua peninggalan Inggris yang terletak di pantai utara dari kotanya. Trus, kita menikmati pemandangan pantai dengan duduk-duduk di plaza yang ada di pinggiran pantai.

Jam 7.30 malam, setelah matahari terbenam, kita mau pergi ke Gurney Drive. Gurney adalah tempat dengan banyak warung makanan. Aku nge-google-nya sebelum pergi dan kayanya menarik, makanya Gurney adalah tujuan selanjurnya. Hari sudah senja dan kita agak pusing juga memikirkan transpor menuju Gurney. Gurney jelas tidak dalam area yang terjangkau dengan jalan kaku. Trus, sebuah taksi datang dan menurunkan penumpang di taman dekat lokasi kita dan kita menyetopnya. Rasanya kita beruntung banget tuh. Sopirnya, Mr. Francis Xavier, ternyata sangat baik sampai kita memutuskan untuk menyewanya untuk perjalanan kita keesokan harinya. Yah, akhirnya kita tiba di Gurney dan jalan2 di Gurney Plaza dulu. Kemudian, kita pergi ke Gurney Drive Foodstalls dan makan malam disana. Setelahnya, kita balik ke hotel.

Bersambung ...

Selanjutnya dalam Mid Year Holiday : Singapore & Penang
- Air Itam (Kek Lok Si Temple dan Penang Hill)
- Beberapa Tempat Lain di Penang
- Marina, Singapore (beberapa mall lagi, Singapore Flyer, Merlion Park)
- Lebih tentang Singapore

#751 - Short Break from Vacation

ENGLISH

So, after going to Semarang last long weekend, I was in Jogja on Tuesday. Today, I'm going to Singapore. My flight is scheduled to take off at 7.35 AM so I think I will be off from internet for a while (well, maybe I still can access Facebook tho using my cellphone).

Anyway, I hang out with my friends last Tuesday. First we had lunch at Warung Steak. It had been quite awhile for me since last time I had meal there. Well, it's still not my favorite restaurant because I don't think the steak is "steak", haha... :) Then, we had two options: karyokeing or bowling. After takin a quick vote, apparently karyokeing won, so that's what we did next. Surprisingly, it was so crowded and we had to wait for 40 minutes for the small room. Because of that, we decided to take the medium one. Note: Hmm, I just realized that apparently the room fee is cheaper in Jogja than in Bandung. With the same prize I paid yesterday, I could only afford small room in Bandung, hmmm. After that we went to Mirota Batik since my friend wanted to buy some souvenirs for his friends, haha. Then, we went back home.

Well, that's pretty much what I did yesterday. Now, it's vacation time!! hahaha... :)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Jadi, setelah pergi ke Semarang ketika akhir minggu panjang kemarin, aku berada di Jogja di hari Selasa. Hari ini, aku akan pergi ke Singapore nih. Pesawatku terjadwal untuk berangkat jam 7.35 pagi nanti jadi kayanya memang aku akan absen dari internet sebentar deh (yah, mungkin aku masih bisa mengakses Facebook sih memakai hp-ku).

Ngomong2, aku kemarin jalan2 sama teman2ku. Pertamanya kita makan di Warung Steak. Udah agak lama sih gak makan disana. Dan memang aku ga terlalu suka sama masakannya karena steak-nya tuh bukan "steak", haha... :) Trus, aku ada dua pilihan: karaokean atau bowling. Setelah voting sebentar, akhirnya karaoke yang menang, ya udah itu yang dilakukan. Mengejutkan, ternyata tempat karaokeannya bisa penuh lho. Kita harus menunggul 40 menit untuk ruangan yang kecil. Ya udah daripada nunggu mendingan ambil yang medium sekalian aja lah. Note: aku baru menyadari lho ternyata karaokean di Jogja koq lebih murah daripada di Bandung ya? Dengan uang yang aku keluarkan kemarin aku cuma bisa mendapatkan ruang kecil lho kalo di Bandung, hmmm. Habis itu kita pergi ke Mirota Batik karena temanku ingin beli oleh2 untuk teman2nya, haha. Trus, kita balik ke rumah.

Hmm, kurang lebih itu sih apa yang kulakukan kemarin. Sekarang adalah saatnya berlibur!! hahaha... :)

#750 - Mid Year Trip : Semarang

ENGLISH

As you can read at my previous entry, these last two days I was in Semarang. Well, we went on this trip because my parents decided to buy a new car (and as a result, sold one of my older car).

So, on Sunday we went to the church first in the morning, just as usual. We departed at about 11 AM and planned to take a slow ride since we had so many time to spare. We stopped by at a coffee house about 15 minutes before Ambarawa. It was quite large and I ordered a puyunghae which was not tasty at all, haha. Then, we continued our trip and stopped at Kerep Cave at Ambarawa. Kerep Cave is a Mary Cave, mainly visited by pilgrims. Surprisingly, we met some of our relatives there! haha... . After spending about an hour there, including eating bakso and sate (LOL), we left Kerep Cave and proceeded to Semarang.

In Semarang, we went to my parents' friend's house first. There, we left our car there and took our new car beside also did some guesting stuffs, LOL. This friend has been really kind to help us find this car. Then, we went to our hotel to check in and took a rest for a while. We then had dinner at S2 Restaurant which apparently was in their last day of their promotional campaign: only Rp 1,- for 1 appetizer, 1 main course, and 1 desert!! WTF!! S2 is an exclusive restaurant, and of course this campaign attracted many people to come. The restaurant is big but many people still had to stand in line to get tables. Lucky my parents' friend had a special invitation so we didn't have to queue plus the invitation meant free meals for anything you like! We could order anything for free until our stomach 'blowed out', LOL. We were there until about 9.30 PM then we went back to our hotel.

On Monday, we left our hotel at about 9 AM and I firstdrove this new car. I was kinda nervous at first but after getting adjusted to it, it was just fine, haha. We went to some places to get some gifts, then we went to DP Mall. After that, we went to my parents' friend's house and had lunch at a chinese food restaurant after that. Then, at about 2.30 PM we left Semarang and went back to Jogja, hehe.

That was all the story of my short trip to Semarang :) Btw, it had been really a while since I last visited Semarang. Probably the last time was when I was in elementary school, hmmm

::: soto Kridosono

::: not tasty puyunghae

::: Kerep Cave

::: a park in Kerep Cave

::: bakso at Kerep Cave

::: sate at Kerep Cave

::: the city of Semarang

::: some of our meals at S2

::: I firstly ordered "Devil's Advocate" ice cream but it was sold out so I got this instead, something like "Shaky Boom Boom" something ice cream, LOL. Unlukcy the waffles which was supposed to be its 'plate' was sold out.

::: a unique ice: crunchy bakso ice

::: the city of Semarang (2)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Seperti yang bisa dibaca di posting sebelumnya, dua hari terakhir ini aku pergi ke Semarang. Yah, perjalanan ini dilakukan karena orangtuaku memutuskan untuk beli mobil baru (dan sebagai hasilnya, menjual sebuah mobil yang udah lama).

Jadi, di hari Minggu kita pergi ke gereja dulu, seperti biasa. Kita baru berangkat jam 11an siang dan berencana untuk santai2 saja karena ada banyak waktu. Kita berhenti di sebuah rumah kopi kira2 15 menit sebelum Ambarawa. Tempatnya besar dan aku memesan puyunghae yang rasanya sih untukku tidak enak sama sekali. Trus, kita melanjutkan perjalanan dan berhenti di Goa Kerep di Ambarawa. Goa Kerep adalah goa Maria, yang biasanya dikunjungi peziarah. Tak disangka, kita ketemu saudara disana! haha... . Setelah menghabiskan waktu kira2 sejam disana, termasuk makan bakso dan sate (LOL), kita meninggalkan Goa Kerep dan menuju Semarang.

Di Semarang, kita pergi ke rumah temennya ortuku dulu. Disana, kita meninggalkan mobil lama kita dan mengambil mobil barunya dan tentu saja bertamu dulu dong, LOL. Teman ini baik banget udah membantu kami mencari mobil ini. Trus, kita pergi ke hotel untuk check in dan istirahat sebentar. Kemudian kita makan malam di Restoran S2 yang ternyata sedang dalam hari terakhir promosi mereka: hanya Rp 1,- untuk 1 makanan pembuka, 1 menu utama, dan 1 pencuci mulut!! WTF!! S2 kan restoran yang lumayan eksklusif tuh dan tentu saja promosi ini menarik banyak orang datang. Restorannya besar lho dan walau begitu sampai ada banyak orang yang harus mengantri dulu. Untungnya temennya ortuku mendapat undangan khusus sehingga kita tak harus antri dan ditambah lagi kita bisa memesan menu apa pun gratis! Kita bisa pesan menu apa aja deh sampe 'muntah2' juga, LOL. Kita disana sampe sekitar jam 9.30 malam kemudian balik ke hotel.

Di hari Senin, kita meninggalkan hotel sekitar jam 9 pagi dan aku pertama kalinya nih menyetir mobil baru ini. Pertamanya agak grogi juga cuma setelah membiasakan diri sih nggak masalah juga koq, haha. Kita pergi ke beberapa tempat untuk beli oleh2 dulu kemudian mampir di DP Mall. Habis itu kita pergi ke rumah temennya ortuku kemudian makan di restoran chinese food. Setelahnya, sekitar jam 2.30 sore, kita meninggalkan Semarang dan balik ke Jogja, hehe.

Itulah cerita perjalanan singkatku ke Semarang kali ini :) Btw, udah lama banget lho aku nggak ke Semarang. Rasanya terakhir kali waktu masih SD deh, hmmm

#749 - Over the Week

ENGLISH

Well, nothing much really happened lately. Even so, I have been kinda busy these last few days, haha. It's because I had to go back and forth to a car aircon service center which apparently is located pretty far from my home. The aircon of my car had been in trouble since our trip to Surabaya two weeks ago.

Anyway, today I'm going to Semarang. We have decided to stay a night there. Wow, it's gonnabe interesting, hehe. On Monday (tomorrow) we are going back to Yogyakarta and on Wednesday we are going to Singapore.

PS : I used automatic posting for this entry. By this time this entry was published, I was actually in the church, hehe :)

::: home-made beefburger

::: home-made bakso

::: lamb satai and lamb soup. I really like the satai :)

::: fried javanese noodle

BAHASA INDONESIA

Yah, nggak banyak yang terjadi sih belakangan ini. Walaupun begitu aku koq lumayan sibuk yah akhir2 ini, haha. Ya itu karena aku harus pergi bolak-balik ke sebuah tempat servis AC mobil yang ternyata terletak jauh juga dari rumahku. AC mobilku sudah rusak sejak perjalanan ke Surabaya dua minggu yang lalu.

Ngomong2, hari ini aku akan pergi ke Semarang bersama keluarga. Kita akhirnya sudah memutuskan untuk menginap sehari disana. Wow, akan menarik nih, hehe. Di hari Senin (besok) kita akan balik ke Yogyakarta dan di hari Rabu kita akan pergi ke Singapore.

PS : Aku menggunakan posting otomatis untuk posting ini. Ketika posting ini dipublikasikan, aku sebenarnya sedang berada di gereja, hehe :)

#748 - Another Bombing

ENGLISH

This Friday was started with a devastating news: two hotels in Jakarta, J.W Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton, were hit by bomb explosion. There were many casualties, including some foreigners. Those bombed hotels are all luxury hotels. In fact, it was the second time J.W Marriott was bombed after also being bombed in 2003. Source: here.

The bombings also caused Manchester United to cancel their trip to Indonesia. They were actually scheduled to play with Indonesia All-Star team next Monday, July 20th 2009. Source: here. I think the cancelation was a rational decision. Who wants to go to an unsafe country, where bombs just exploded?? Well, some might think because bombs just exploded, it's unlikely another bomb will also explode in some near time. But who knows?

What do I think of this bombings? No idea. It happened today, another day not long after presidential election. Of course it surfaced the thought that it might have something to do with the election. If that's the case, actually SBY's position is getting stronger with this incident especially after some thoughts surfaced before, that the result of the election was "played". :) Even so, I think it had nothing to do with the election tho. Well, it's actually not my capacity to make any wild guess about it, just let the intelligent takes this case, haha.

Anyway, I deeply condemned this bombings and hopefully all people involved behind it will be arrested soon and be punished as hard as possible for what they have done. I also express my big condolences to all victims of this incident.

BAHASA INDONESIA

Jumat ini dimulai dengan berita menyedihkan: dua hotel di Jakarta, J.W Marriott dan The Ritz-Carlton, dibom. Ada banyak korban, termasuk beberapa orang asing. Dua hotel yang dibom tersebut merupakan hotel mewah. Kenyataannya, itu adalah kali kedua J.W Marriott dibom setelah dibom pula pada tahun 2003. Sumber: disini.

Pengeboman juga membuat klub Manchester United untuk batal datang ke Indonesia. Sebenarnya mereka dijadwalkan untuk bermain dengan tim Indonesia All-Star team Senin besok, tanggal 20 Juli 2009. Sumber: disini. Aku rasa pembatalan ini keputusan masuk akal sih. Siapa sih yang mau pergi ke negara tidak aman, dimana bom baru saja meledak?? Yah, beberapa sih bisa saja berpikir karena bom baru meledak, berarti kayanya nggak mungkin bom lain akan meledak dalam waktu dekat. Tapi siapa yang tahu?

Apa menurutku mengenai pengeboman ini? Nggak ada ide deh. Terjadinya juga hari ini kan, sebuah hari lain tidak lama setelah pemilihan presiden. Tentu saja itu memunculkan pikiran bahwa mungkin pengeboman ada hubungannya dengan pemilu. Jika itu kasusnya, sebenarnya posisi SBY malah menjadi semakin kuat dengan insiden ini terutama setelah beberapa pemikiran yang muncul sebelumnya, bahwa hasil pemilu "dimainkan". :) Walau begitu, rasanya sih pengeboman ini tidak ada hubungannya yah dengan pemilu. Hmm, sebenarnya tidak dalam kapasitasku nih membahas dan menebak tebakan 'liar' akan kejadian ini, biarlah para intelijen saja yang bekerja, haha.

Oya, aku benar-benar mengutuk perbuatan pengeboman ini dan mudah2an semua orang yang terlibat di belakangnya akan ditangkap segera dan dihukum seberat-beratnya deh atas perbuatan mereka. Aku juga menghaturkan rasa belasungkawaku kepada para korban pengeboman.