Monday, April 30, 2007

Dhanin's Birthday Party




Date: Saturday, 28 April 2007
Location: Satya and Non's residence, Regent Park, Clementi

On a Saturday morning, we went to Satya and Non's residence at Regent Park, Clementi, not far from our place, to attend Dhanin's second birthday party. Dhanin is the second son of Satya and Non. At the moment, Non is expecting their third child.

We also met Pambudi and Dini's family there. Inka and Irza were having a great time playing with Dhanis, Nadia and Adrian.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Meeting Tata and Wati's Family




My fellow Indonesian bloggers from Geneva, Switzerland, Tata and Wati, came to Singapore together with their two daughters, Annisa and Nadia. They came to Singapore about two weeks ago and had the chance to go back to Indonesia last week, before returning back to Geneva next Friday. They will be migrating to Singapore next July.

We met them at the children playground on the second floor of VivoCity, before having coffee together at the Starbucks cafe nearby. After which, we had lunch together at Banquet before going to the SkyPark at the third floor of VivoCity. Inka and Irza were having a great time playing with Annisa and Baby Nadia.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Irza's Creations




Not only drawing using the normal pencils or markers, Irza is now able to draw using Adobe Photoshop software on our home desktop computer. Some of his creations are below.

The Central, Clarke Quay




Date: Saturday, 14 March 2007
Location: The Central, Clarke Quay, Singapore

It was on a nice Saturday afternoon. While waiting for my wife shopping at her favourite beads shop at the junction of Carpenter Street and South Bridge Road, I took Inka and Irza to The Central, a new shopping mall near the area, which is located directly above the Clarke Quay MRT station.

Being a newly built shopping mall, everything's still a bit empty inside. Nothing much to see and do there. There are some eateries at the ground floor and the basement floor. Since Inka wants her favourite fish and chips, we proceeded to Long John Silver's, which is located at the ground floor of The Central, facing Eu Tong Sen Road, next to the Starbucks Coffee.

The carpark is located above the shops, on level 5 onwards. From there, we can have a great view of Clarke Quay and Singapore River.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

New Look of Planet Indra


I encountered quite a lot of problems when I used the Blue Horizon theme for Planet Indra. The sidebar.php file is not really easy to modify, making it difficult for me to add some widget scripts there. For example, it's a bit difficult for me to add the scripts to show the Kronologis sideblog and Oggix shoutbox there. Well, I can still add the widgets there, but the whole sidebar layout will become very messy. My friend JaF even told me that he always sees the sidebar dangling (is dangling the correct word for "melorot" in English?), using either Firefox or Internet Explorer.

In view of this, I decided to give a new look for Planet Indra. After searching and testing various WordPress themes, I decided to use the Golden Grey theme, by William Pramana. Well, of course it's not because William is sharing the same last name as I am :) , but because I really like the layout design. And, the most important thing, it's much easier to modify the sidebar.php file to insert the necessary gadgets that I want. The Kronologis box also fits nicely in the sidebar, resolving the dangling problem.

Both JaF and Rani introduced Twitter to me, which has features similar to what Kronologis offers. I have signed up for an account there, but so far I haven't been fully making use of it. At the moment, I'm quite happy to use Kronologis for my sideblog, and so far I haven't had a plan to switch. :) Well, I might want to use Twitter for my sideblog in English, since currently I'm using bahasa Indonesia for my Kronologis sideblog. We'll see. :)

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Syndication Problem Resolved, Aggregators Now Showing Full Articles

At last, I have managed to find a workaround to the syndication problem on my aggregation sites such as Planet Indra and Planet Singapura, thanks to Alarix and Isman. As reported earlier, the syndication sites, which are actually Wordpress engine using FeedWordPress plugin, were only showing the titles (instead of the full articles) of articles being syndicated from Blogger-based weblogs, especially after the blogs were being upgraded to the new Blogger.

A discussion on a Blogfam forum's thread revealed that one of Blogfam's system administrators, Alarix, encountered the same problem when he's launching Rumah Blogfam, an aggregator site for Blogfam's members, which happens to also use FeedWordPress. Another Blogfam member, Isman, also looked into this matter and he managed to find out that the problem was due to the incompatibility between FeedWordPress and the Atom feed published by the Blogger-based weblogs.

He suggested to use the RSS 2.0 feed published by Blogspot to be used as the feed source, instead of the Atom feed. The URL format of the RSS 2.0 feed in weblogs under Blogspot (after being upgraded to the new Blogger) is:

http://(blog-name).blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

On top of that, he also suggested to use FeedBurner to burn the feed source, instead of syndicating the feed source directly, similar to what Fatih has suggested to me earlier.

So, these are the steps of workaround I've performed:
  1. Use FeedBurner to burn the above RSS 2.0 feed (instead of the Atom feed);
  2. Configure my FeedWordPress to syndicate the Feedburner feed address, i.e. http://feeds.feedburner.com/(feed-name); and
  3. Upgrade my FeedWordPress to the latest version 0.981.
And, voila, the above steps resolved the problem. You can see the results on the new posts being syndicated by Planet Indra and Planet Singapura, it's now showing the full articles instead of the titles only.

Again, thanks to Isman, Alarix and Fatih for all the hints and suggestions. Really appreciate it. :)

Saturday, April 14, 2007

VivoCity




Date: Sunday, 8 April 2007
Location: VivoCity and Sentosa, Singapore

Last Sunday, I and Inka went to VivoCity to collect our new personalised Sentosa Islander membership cards. With this new card, each family member will get their own card (instead of one card for the whole family), and we can tap this card on the Sentosa Express gates to board the monorail train to the island.

I and Inka also took the opportunity to try the new cards to board the Sentosa Express train into Sentosa, and back. It's free, anyway. :) That's why I would think that the Sentosa Islander membership is actually worth it. With $50 family membership fee for up to 5 members (I bought it for $41 during last year's promotion), we can get unlimited access to Sentosa for the whole year, with free bus rides and train rides on Sentosa Express. Furthermore, we also can get further discounts on almost all Sentosa Express attractions. For example, a Sentosa Luge ride will only cost us $5 per ride (instead of the normal $8 per ride).

We then went to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on the second floor of VivoCity, just below the Sentosa Express train station. We ordered a slice of tiramisu cake and a regular cup of ice pure chocolate. Yes, you guessed it, Inka finished all the cake by herself. Well, it's good for my diet, anyway. ;)

Inka also took her time to play at the Sky Park, located at the third floor of VivoCity.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Al-Azhar Eating Restaurant




Date: Saturday, 17 March 2007
Location: Al-Azhar Eating Restaurant, Cheong Chin Nam Road, Upper Bukit Timah, Singapore

One of our favourite eating place is the Al-Azhar Eating Restaurant, which is located on one of the many shophouses along Cheong Chin Nam Road, just opposite the Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and Beauty World Centre.

It's located very close to where we live right now. The kids' favourites are the cheese egg prata and milo dinosaur, however it also sells other wide variety of food, from Indian food to Thai and Chinese food. Moreover, it's considerably cheap.

Coffee Club




Date: Friday, 13 April 2007
Location: Coffee Club, Raffles City Shopping Centre, City Hall, Singapore

Last Friday, I and my wife went to Coffee Club, which is located on the third floor of the bright and airy Raffles City Shopping Centre, which is located just above the City Hall MRT station, Singapore.

Coffee Club itself is a chain of coffee shops located throughout Singapore, similar to Starbucks and The Coffee Bean. However, usually we don't go to Coffee Club for the coffee. Our (especially my wife's) favourite is the fresh fruit fondue, some fresh fruits such as strawberries, mangoes, kiwis and bananas served with hot thick chocolate.

I also ordered the muddy mud pie, which is actually ice cream cake served on top of oreo-based cake layer. The only drink we ordered was the ice rambutan, which is much similar to Al-Azhar's rambutan spin.

Adam Road Food Centre




Date: Saturday, 14 April 2007
Location: Adam Road Food Centre, Singapore

Adam Rood Food Center is a hawker centre which is located in the junction of Adam Road and Dunearn Road/Bukit Timah Road, just opposite Serene Centre. We seldom go there even though it's quite nearby our house, only 15-20 minutes' drive.

Last Saturday, I and my wife went there for a quick breakfast. I noticed that stall number 1, which sells nasi lemak, has the longest queue so I joined the queue there. I bought myself the sutra nasi lemak set, which is a set of nasi lemak with chicken wing and otah. Not bad.

We also bought some mutton's meat and brain soup from a nearby mutton soup stall, for lunch. It was wonderfulicious.

Bali Trip (Bagian 3): Jalan-jalan ke Ubud dan Kuta

(Lanjutan dari Bagian 2)

Setelah acara jalan-jalan ke Bedugul pada hari Minggu, 25 Februari 2007, praktis kita tidak mempunyai banyak waktu untuk berjalan-jalan lagi, mengingat saya sudah mulai mengikuti konferensi APRICOT mulai hari Senin-nya (26 Februari 2007). Istri dan anak-anak lebih banyak menghabiskan waktu menikmati fasilitas hotel dan jalan-jalan di sekitar kompleks perhotelan di kawasan Nusa Dua, termasuk ke Bali Collection, satu-satunya pusat perbelanjaan di kompleks Nusa Dua. Istri juga tidak terlalu berminat untuk mengajak anak-anak keluar Nusa Dua (misalnya ke Kuta) tanpa saya.

Situasi ini berubah dengan sebuah kejutan yang tidak terduga bagi anak-anak: pada hari Rabu, 28 Februari 2007, orang tua saya, Aki (kakek) dan Ene (nenek) mereka, datang menyusul ke Bali. :) It was really a delighted surprise to both Inka and Irza, mengingat saya dan istri memang sengaja merahasiakan rencana kedatangan mereka sampai mereka datang. :) Langsung pada hari yang sama, Inka dan Irza mengajak Aki dan Ene-nya untuk berenang di kolam hotel. :)

Pada hari Kamis esoknya, saya menyiapkan mobil Kijang lengkap dengan supirnya, untuk membawa kita jalan-jalan keliling Bali. Tujuan kita pada hari itu adalah Ubud, pusat kebudayaan Bali. Acara ke Ubud dimulai dengan mengunjungi sebuah galeri lukisan bernama Muji Painting Studio, yang terletak di desa Mawang, dekat Singapadu, selatan Ubud. Cukup banyak lukisan-lukisan yang dijual disana, tapi harganya relatif mahal sehingga tidak ada satupun yang kita beli.

Dari sana, kita melanjutkan perjalanan ke Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, atau Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana, sebuah kompleks hutan kera yang terletak di Padangtegal, Ubud. Istri, yang tidak suka dengan monyet, tidak ikut masuk ke kompleks hutan tersebut dan lebih memilih mengunjungi banyak toko-toko suvenir yang berada di depan pintu masuk kompleks. Tiket masuknya kalau tidak salah sepuluh ribu rupiah saja, per orang.

Menurut petugas yang menjual tiket, monyet-monyet disitu tidak agresif dan tidak pernah mencuri barang-barang pengunjung, seperti kacamata atau handphone. Ini berbeda dengan monyet-monyet yang ada di kompleks Pura Luhur Uluwatu atau Alas Kedaton/Sangeh, misalnya, yang suka agresif dan aktif mencuri barang-barang yang terlihat berkilau.

Memasuki kompleks, kita akan berjalan menyusuri jalan setapak beton dengan banyak monyet-monyet jinak di sekeliling kita. Inka dan Irza senang sekali berfoto dengan monyet-monyet itu. Di tengah-tengah kompleks, ada sebuah bunderan dengan kolam yang dilengkapi dengan air mancur di tengah-tengah bunderan itu, dengan banyak monyet-monyet yang mandi, bahkan terjun menceburkan diri ke kolam! Seru sekali.

Di bagian lain dari kompleks hutan tersebut, terdapat sebuah pura yang dinamakan Pura Dalem Agung. Kita pun sempat berfoto-foto di depan pura tersebut. Walaupun gerbang utama pura tersebut ditutup untuk umum, sebenarnya kita bisa masuk ke dalam pura tersebut melalui jalan samping, setelah membayar sedikit donasi ke petugas disana. Tapi kita memutuskan untuk tidak masuk dan berfoto-foto di depan gerbangnya. Foto-fotonya bisa dilihat disini.

Setelah puas berkeliling kompleks hutan tersebut, kita pun menyempatkan diri berbelanja di banyak toko-toko souvenir yang berjajar di depan kompleks tempat parkir. Istri pun sempat mampir ke sebuah toko beads di Jalan Hanoman, Ubud, sebelum kita kembali ke Denpasar. Tujuan kita berikutnya adalah restoran Ayam Bakar Taliwang yang terletak di Jalan Teuku Umar, Denpasar, untuk makan siang.

Selepas makan siang, kita pun pergi ke Kuta. Tujuan kita berikutnya adalah toko pakaian Joger yang terkenal, yang terletak di Jalan Raya Kuta. Toko ini menjual pakaian dan juga souvenir yang cukup murah, dengan bangunan toko yang ditata dengan rapi, lengkap dengan kolam ikan koi dan spanduk-spanduk dengan kata-kata lucu. Tepat di seberang toko tersebut, ada toko oleh-oleh langganan yang menjual makanan khas Bali, seperti kacang Bali, brem Bali, dan lain-lain.

Sementara istri dan orang tua saya meneruskan perjalanan ke Pasar Seni Kuta untuk (lagi-lagi) berbelanja dan memburu oleh-oleh, saya lebih memilih untuk membawa anak-anak pergi ke pantai Kuta, tepatnya di pinggir Jalan Pantai Kuta di seberang Hard Rock Hotel dan McDonalds. Inka dan Irza pun asyik bermain di pantai, walaupun tidak berenang mengingat hari yang sudah semakin sore, angin yang sangat kencang dan kondisi pantai yang cukup kotor. Sebenarnya kita disana pas waktu terbenam matahari, tapi sayangnya cuaca tidak memungkinkan kita untuk menikmati sunset karena terhalang awan.

Foto-foto selama di Kuta bisa dilihat disini.

(Bersambung)

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali




Date: Saturday, 3 March 2007
Location: International Terminal, Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, Indonesia

At the Ngurah Rai International Airport, taking the Garuda flight back to Singapore. The flight was delayed for more than one hour, due to some technical issues on the plane. Garuda provided a replacement aeroplane departing from a different gate.

Was wondering, what would happen if the so-called technical issues were not detected in the first place...

Melia Bali Hotel Lobby




Date: Saturday, 3 March 2007
Location: Melia Bali Hotel Lobby, Nusa Dua, Bali

Last day in Bali, waiting for the minibus taxi to pick us up to the airport. We waited at the hotel lobby, with some orange juices from the bar nearby.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Attending Om eRBe's Birthday Party

On a breeze Sunday afternoon, I took Inka and Irza to Om eRBe and Tante Tyty's residence at Hougang, to celebrate om eRBe's birthday. I guess we were also celebrating tante Tyty's birthday, since it fell just several days before om eRBe's. We met Om Renatha, Om Hans and Tante Gita there. Not long after, Tante Yolli came, followed by Om Yuwono, Tante Lenny and their son Danny. Om Arrizky and Tante Enji, as well as Tante Fisty and her husband, also came and joined the fun.

The kids kept themselves busy with om eRBe's Sony Playstation. Irza was also happily playing with Danny, who is the only other kid around. This is the first time they see each other, after a "failed" meet-up scheduled at the Singapore Zoo couple of weeks ago. At that time, we finally managed to meet Om Yuwono's family at the zoo entrance on our way back, but by that time, Danny has fell asleep already. :)

There was also a cake prepared for the birthday boy and girl... erm... sorry, I meant, the birthday guy and gal. :) Om eRBe and Tante Tyty also have another good reason to celebrate: they are expecting their first baby girl, which is expected to be born some time on June 2007. Congratulations! :)

More pictures can be found here.

Monday, April 2, 2007

eRBe's Birthday




Date: Sunday, 1 April 2007
Location: eRBe and Tyty's residence, Hougang