Daud the Indonesian Californian

Say It With Flowers

2011-11-06T23:26:00.000-08:00

One Flower, Thousand Words

How gentle is the rain

That falls softly on the meadow,

Birds high up in the trees

Serenade the flowers with their melodies

By Linzer and Randell

Dear friends,

Monday, November 7 morning, I happened to see (not watched) Family Feud game on TV. The question to the contestants was (if I remember the line correctly) “what do you do to make up with your wife if you messed-up things with her.” The no. 1 answer was: “Give her flowers.”

This post is all about flowers. I like to share some of my video and photos with you, and talk briefly about the meaning and influence of flowers in our life as I see it, where a universal love of flowers exists.

I wonder when did people start presenting flowers to others to express their feelings toward the other person; to express love, sympathy, joy, sadness and all other kind of feelings. But for certain, the important role of flowers in human exists since centuries ago.

Flowers are also used for decorations, to add color, to create and enhance certain moods to its surroundings. And look around us; is our life not surrounded by flowers, real or just images, paintings, drawings on walls, murals, porcelain, fabrics, clothing, carved or painted on furniture and so many other things. Flowers for personal beauty, head-wear, brooch, or tradition like Hawaiian lei to welcome visitors.

And more important than just decoration, flowers is a very important part of all kinds of rituals, religious or human traditions, and parties and celebrations.

So many special milestones in peoples life can’t just go by without the presence of flower, starting with welcoming the new baby, celebrating birthday, graduation, wedding, death, and after death when people put flowers at their beloved ones grave. Florists also get business when people want to send flowers to cheer their sick family or friends. And don’t forget the creation and commercialization of special days in the year to create demand for flowers: Fathers’ Day, Mothers’ Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

My dear friends,

I always see flowers as the most beautiful art and creation of nature; colorful, subtle, intricate, and that’s why I think flowers deserve to be handled artfully in our flower arrangement. We bring the beauty of nature from our gardens into our rooms and what a shame if we just dump it into just any ordinary vase.

And as far as I know, Japan is one of the nations that since many ages ago, has the tradition where people are in great harmony with nature. The Ikebana art of flower arrangement demonstrates the strong bond and intimacy of the Japanese with their natural surroundings. It is not just putting flowers in a container. It is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together.

My dear friends,

Following are my video collections to share with you great samples of floral art.

Every year one week long during spring, the de Young museum in San Francisco opens the door for a big flower event, “Bouquets to Art.” This is a fantastic display of the super creativity of floral designers that transforms the museum into an awesome garden full of color and beauty, where visitors will get a deeper understanding and appreciation of fine art and floral art.

Here is Bouquets to Art 2006:

Another impressive display of flower garden and floral art that is well known worldwide is Keukenhof in Holland, claimed as the world's largest flower garden. According to Keukenhof Park, approximately 7,000,000 (7 million) flower bulbs are planted annually in the park, which covers an area of 32 hectares.

Keukenhof is open for public annually from the last week of March to mid-May. They say that the best time to view the tulips is around mid-April.

Talking about tulips make me remember Alexander Dumas’ novel "La Tulipe Noire" – "The Black Tulip," telling about growing a black tulip. The story takes place in the year 1670’s. The city of Haarlem, Netherland, has set a prize of 100,000 guilders to the person who can grow a black tulip, and this sparks competition between the country's best gardeners to win the money, honor and fame.

The story of a competition hundreds years ago to grow a special variety of tulip that is black becomes again interesting for me after I read an article about flower business today. Today growers continuously need to create new varieties of flowers, especially tulips and roses, because there is a point of saturation on the consumer sides. That is why there is an unbelievable number of tulip and rose varieties now; hundreds of them.

Keukenhof attracts millions of people all over the world, and I think that Keukenhof is one of the backbones of Netherland’s flower industry that makes the country the world’s largest exporter of flowers.

Watch Keukenhof 2010.

The garden

The Glass house

The Orchid pavillion

My dear friends,

When we talk about flowers and Holland as the biggest flower exporter in the world, Aalsmeer is the place to see.

In the past, flowers was cultivated and sold close to home. It was the time when flowers could not have survived a long journey like today. Because of airfreight and high tech cooling systems today, flowers can be shipped long distances. Even the most delicate flowers can be boxed and delivered fresh in many places in the world. According to statistics, more than 70% of cut flowers bought by Americans now are imported.

Who is the biggest cut flower exporter? Netherland. Those flowers mostly pass through Aalsmeer auction house.

Aalsmeer is the largest flower auction in the world. The auction building is considered the 4th largest building in the world in terms of floor space, covering 990,000 m² (10.6 million sq ft). Flowers from all over the world are traded on a daily basis at the Aalsmeer facilities. Around 20 million flowers are sold daily with a 10% increase around special days such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Every day Bloemenveiling (the Dutch word for “auction”) Aalsmeer sets the world price for flowers and plants.

Here is a youtube video of Aalsmeer flower auction

Ambon, Batak, Dayak, Madura, Manado, Sunda…?

2011-10-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Who or what are they?

Komodo Reef-scape (Photo: Indonesian Consulate General)

My dear friends,

Many of my close American, Chinese, Dutch and other friends told me when they read my blog title “Daud the Indonesian Californian” they wonder about the names “Daud” and “Indonesian.” If somebody tells them “I am a Californian” they immediately know, I am somebody from California. But “Daud?” They guess: this should be a person’s name. And that's correct.

How about "Indonesian?" Who is Indonesia? What is Indonesia? Where is Indonesia?

And then it’s my turn to wonder that there are still people who come with those questions.

What if I add some other names like: Ambon, Batak, Dayak, Madura, Manado, Sunda. How about Bali, Java, Papua?

Yes! That’s Indonesia!

Those are all names of Indonesian ethnics out of the more than 300 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups in Indonesia. They are considered as the native Indonesian ethnics, each with their own language and dialect.

Not only Indonesia's people are diverse, but also the land and regions. Following is a short video showing the diversity of Indonesia's land and seascape that I put together with photos courtesy of the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco.

Another video of other regions in Indonesia:

My dear friends,

Aside of the native Indonesian ethnics, there are also Indonesians immigrants. And I am one of them.

I am Chinese, belonging to the foreign ethnic groups whose forefathers emigrated to Indonesia and became Indonesians. Other foreign identified groups in Indonesia are Arabs, Asian Indian, and smaller groups of Japanese, Koreans and Philippines.

My name is Hanafi Daud. This is the name that I choose when the late Indonesian president Suharto encouraged Indonesian-Chinese to change their names to Indonesian names.

Hanafi (left) & Suharto

Indonesian-Chinese? Normally or usually and anywhere else, people who emigrated to another country will be called by their country of origin first, followed by their new country’s name such as African-American, Chinese-American, Indian-American, and so on.

So why Indonesian-Chinese? For a fully satisfied answer we need to go back into the social-political panorama of Indonesia during Suharto’s time. We don’t have to do that. Enough if we just look for a simple explanation: It is in line with the name change policy; to emphasize that you are Indonesian, coming from China.

I and my wife, Bertha Wulandari, now live in California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our photo below in our traditional Indonesian batik dress was taken when we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2009.

My dear friends,

Now that I live here, should I call myself Chinese-Indonesian-American? This will distinguish me, a Chinese from Indonesia, from Chinese immigrant, the Chinese-Americans.

Something interesting happened in history; let's call it a “two-steps immigration.” A few generations ago, Chinese emigrated from China to Indonesia. After World War II some of their descendants started migrating again from Indonesia to other countries, to continue their study at foreign universities or for other reasons.

Around the middle of last century, in the years of 1950-1960, there was a big exodus of Chinese Indonesians. First choice was moving to Netherland. People felt comfortable to move to Netherland because they were most familiar with the culture and the Dutch language of the ex colonialist of Indonesia. Second choice seemed to be Australia-New Zealand, closest neighbors of Indonesia, then some other European countries like Germany or England, and later choices were Canada and USA.

As far as I know, what I call the two-steps immigration happened only to one other nation: the Asian Indians, who started emigrating from India to Fiji and New Zealand, and their descendants later moved to USA.

My dear friends,

Am I Indonesian-American or Chinese-Indonesian-American? It doesn’t matter for me. Indonesian-American is OK, but for those who want more specific, I am Chinese-Indonesian-American. But for sure I am not just Chinese-American.

My blog “Daud the Indonesian Californian” is my auto-assignment to tell you, fellow Americans and the world, of my wonderful experience living in Indonesia and also to write about other happenings related with Indonesia, America, California.

I am just one of the 237,556,363,260 Indonesians (2010 census) who happen to live here in California, USA. Three great countries influence my life today: Indonesia, United States of America and Netherland.

How about this: Chinese blood, born and raised in a mixed society in Indonesia, Dutch educated, coated American. Anyhow and whatever, like I said in my Komodo post two weeks ago, I am Son of Planet Earth, or similar as what my friend Lian said in her comment: I am Daughter of the World.

My dear friends,

This is my 17^th article, telling a little bit of me and Bertha. And I like to hear from you. Please use the comment box below if you want to say anything about “two steps immigration,” “Indonesian-American” or “Chinese-Indonesian-American” or other suggestions. You can also email me at: shdaud2@gmail.com.

To my Indonesian friends here in USA, or in Indonesia, or wherever you are, if you like to say something, you can write in English, Indonesian or Dutch, whatever works for you.

K O M O D O

2011-10-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

NO comparison = NO competition

Why V O T E ! ? !

My dear friends,

My BIG question: Why do we have to vote for Komodo?

The title of my post on August 18, was: "Vote Indonesia's Komodo! Vote! Vote! Vote!"

After going over the New7Wonders of the World competition more in detail, one BIG question pops up in my mind.

Look at the 28 finalists. What are they? They all are really Wonders of the World of Nature. Here is the list of category of the finalists.

The only one single finalist that is unique is Komodo. Komodo is an island group in East Indonesia, and inhabited by Komodo Dragons. The other 27 finalists are just landscapes or seascapes. Nothing more. Komodo is the only finalist with something very exceptional, very extraordinary: the prehistoric giant lizard, the Komodo Dragon.

My dear friends,

The uniqueness of Komodo Islands and it’s Komodo Dragons is undeniable after I watched videos and read about the only prehistoric giant that still exist in our world today.

Please stop reading and watch the three You Tube videos before you continue.

The first two videos are: "Komodo, the Land that Time Forgot" part 1 and part 2. You will see that even without the presence of the Komodo Dragons, the Komodo Islands are breathtaking and awesome.

The 3rd video is a National Geographic video.

Komodo is not just one of the World Wonders of Nature. It is a great heritage and we do not need to vote for it! NO! Komodo is the NUMBER 1 Wonder of the World of Nature today and forever unless or until the Komodos are extinct!

But alas! It is in the competitors list of the New7Wonders of the World. (Sorry, I never understand how it got landed there).

There is the well known saying of “Don’t compare Apple with Orange.” That's what is happening here. The right thing that should happen is compare the other 27 finalists with each other and just vote for the number 2 to 7. Because we already have the Number 1: Komodo.

But again, fact is that Komodo is one of the 28 finalists. SO, UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE TO VOTE!

Now please don’t apply your slogan “Right or Wrong my Country,” or in this case maybe “Good or Bad my Wonder of Nature.” Don't let yourself being boxed by your continent Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Europe, or your Country, or Fatherland, Homeland, and so on. We are talking about “Our Beautiful World,” “Our Beautiful Planet” with the land and sea, and the air around and above us.

For example, I am writing this not because I am Daud the Indonesian Californian, or because I am Indonesian or American. I am Son of planet Earth.

Now, since we are facing the reality, we have to Vote, Vote, Vote Komodo! Shower and let the ballot boxes overflow with Komodo votes. It is less than 1 month left now. Voting trend lately shows Komodo's position is going down!

Go to http://www.new7wonders.com/ and vote Komodo!

Former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla asks Indonesians to support Komodo

(By Eamonn Fitzgerald on October 4, 2011 in Komodo)

Former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla and a group of more than 70 businessmen, public figures and journalists are visiting Komodo Island today to support its candidacy in the New7Wonders of Nature.

Indonesians simply need to type KOMODO and send it to 9818 via Telkomsel, XL and Indosat to cast their vote.

The Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis, is found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family
(Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard.

Photo: Jusuf Kalla (centre) gets up close to a dragon on Komodo Island: http://bit.ly/m1daeL

If you like legends, here is a lovely one.

Long long ago, a mythical princess lived on Komodo, whom people called Putri Naga or Dragon Princess. She married a man named Najo and bore him twins: one was a baby boy, and the other a baby dragon. Her son, named Si Gerong, was raised amongst men; the dragon she called Orah, and reared it in the forest. Neither knew anything of the other ...

Years later, manly Si Gerong shot a deer whilst hunting in the forest. But as he stepped forward to take this quarry, a large lizard appeared from the thicket and seized it hungrily. Si Gerong tried hard to chase the beast away, but in vain. It stood firm over the carcass, warning him off with bared teeth and hissing sound.

Si Gerong raised his spear to kill the lizard, when suddenly a radiantly lovely woman appeared: the Dragon Princess. Swiftly, she pared the foes, telling Si Gerong, "Dont kill the animal, she is your sister Orah. I bore you together, consider her your equal because you are "Sebai" (twins)."

From then on, the inhabitants of the island treated the Komodo´s with kindness. Old Komodo´s who could no longer fend for themselves were fed by their human "brothers".

The name of the cave where the egg hatched is LOANG ATAWINI, "Woman´s Quarters". It is situated on the Southern part of Komodo Island. It is also the place of the grave of Najo, the man who was the husband of the Dragon Princess. The tomb is sacred, and the Dragon Princes is supposed to be there at all times ...

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What Did We See in Two Weeks?

2011-10-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Junipero Serra to Sonora,

Calistoga to Columbia

My dear friends,

Four of my previous posts recorded our recent trips with our guests to Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe and Monterey Bay Aquarium. Of course those were not the only places where we went. In those two weeks, we traveled, saw and experienced many many interesting things. Not all are new for us, but definitely new for our guests.

They are not used to travel long hours in their country, driving long distances, except when they travel abroad to other countries in Europe.

In Indonesia it's the same as here in US. And driving from one tourist destination to another in Indonesia can be impossible overland if the two places are in different islands of the archipelago.

This post is more pictorial, showing highlights from the two weeks trip. It's quite a collection, so you have to scroll down deep to watch it. We like to share it with you, starting with greetings from our friends.

Excuse me. Do I know you?

I found a nice image of The Great Seal Of The State Of California. Eureka! Automatically, as Daud the Indonesian Californian, "Click" real quick, and there is the seal. Do you know where I saw the image? If you don't, look for the answer at the bottom of this blog.

And do you know the location of this old bridge? Again, if you don't, maybe you'll be rurprised after seeing the answer below.

In the one go Santa Cruz-Monterey-Carmel, we took the time to drop by "Mystery Spot", just to try to demystify the mystery. And we think we did. Do you?

Another mystery, the "Winchester Mystery House" in San Jose. Nothing mysterious for us human. It is supposed to be mysterious for ghost, right?

Why did Sarah Winchester build the world’s strangest home, containing 160 rooms and costing more than $5,500,000? The mystery remains unsolved to this very day.

Miles of twisting hallways are made even more intriguing by secret passageways in the walls, and the story goes that Mrs. Winchester traveled through her house in a roundabout fashion, supposedly to confuse any mischievous ghost that might be following her.

Old Faithful is a cone geyser in Yellowstone Park. We did not go to Yellowstone Park. But we went to see Old Faithful in Calistoga. Not that spectacular as Yellowstone's but still impressive. They say there are only three Old Faithfuls in the world. I don't know where the third one is. If you know, please tell me.

Most of the world's geysers are in five countries: 1) the United States, 2) Russia, 3) Chile, 4) New Zealand and 5) Iceland. All of these locations are where there is volcanic activity and a source of hot rock below.

And what about Petrified Forest nearby Calistoga's Old Faithful? No way of human hands turning those giant old trees into solid rocks.

In the Sierra Nevada Foothills, called the heart of California’s “Gold Country” lies Sonora. Known as the “Queen of the Southern Mines”, this city still holds on to its historic charm with many of its existing buildings dating back to the 1800’s.

Here are two photos: 1. Front of a gold panning shop. 2. Preserved historical Branch Jail building.

Below is another historical structure, a portal of the past Sonora Chinatown. Here is the text:

This monument is dedicated to the memory of the Chinese pioneers who for years made this section their home. It was a city within a city whose residents where isolated from their surrounding neighbors by a barrier of language, custom and religion. Originally known as the "Tigre" for years this area bore a somber reputation noted for the Fondas and Fandango houses that catered to Sonora's rougher element. In the 1860's, the Tigre began to assume an Oriental character and during the next century became known as Chinatown.

Tuolumne Historical Society 1974.

Rededicated by the Sonora Redevelopment Agency 2002.

Another town, neighbor of Sonora with much more historical sites is Columbia.The Gold Rush to Columbia, California, began on March 27, 1850 by a small party of prospectors. News of the discovery spread and they were soon joined by a flood of miners.

Unlike many settlements that have changed with the times, Columbia, California, seems to be frozen in the 1800's. Today, Columbia State Historic Park is the best preserved of California gold rush towns. (Columbia California website)

First thing we saw in Columbia was this. Well, not the bank we know today.

Today Wells Fargo Bank keeps the stagecoach image, like what we saw (photo below) parked in front of the historical building. We took a short ride for a small fee. So don't expect we go far like the bank's slogan: With Wells Fargo you Go Far.

But whooaattt! A holdup!

Let's take a closer look. Don't worry! Call 911! (You bet!)

The Chinese drugstore museum.

And blacksmith

Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel by the Sea, commonly known as Carmel Mission was founded June 3, 1770. Junipero Serra, a Franciscan missionary, said mass under a spreading oak tree and planted a cross on the shores of the new land. Below is a painting of the historical event. I took a photo when we visited Carmel Mission.
The photo below the painting is the Serra Cross in the inner courtyard of the Mission, on the original foundation of the cross raised by Junipero Serra.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo or Carmel Mission became Father Serra's Headquarters. He founded 9 missions. Another 9 was founded by his successor, and total there are 21 missions in California. Photo below shows Father Serra's bedroom.

My dear friends,

Those are the places where we went in the two weeks, and of course sightseeing San Francisco and some other places. It was a very tight schedule, covering many many places of interest. In Netherland, our guests will never find beautiful panorama like what you see below, because Holland (Netherland) is just flat land. But every country, every land, have it's own beauty. For sure, panorama like this, mountains, volcano, always remind me of Indonesia.

Let me close the postings of an episode of two weeks travel impressions with a beautiful postcard from "Tulip Land" with the message:

"Bedankt voor de mooie vakantie en gastvrijheid. Wij hebben er erg van genoten. Hier in Nederland regent het op het moment pijpestelen. Dat is wel weer wennen na die prachtige weken in California met zoveel zon."

(Thanks for the nice vacation and hospitality. We enjoyed it very much. It is raining cats and dogs here in Netherland. Well, we have to get used again after the wonderful weeks in California with so much sun).

And here are the answers of the questions:

1. The California State Seal is etched on the glass doors in
the hallway of California State Capitol, Sacramento.
2. The bridge is at Santa Cruz, next to the amusement park.

Aquariums for Kids Only?

2011-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Seahorse to Seahorse: "Shall we dance?"

My dear friends,

Is going to Aquarium for kids only? Do adults go to aquariums just for their children?

In my earlier blogs “Daud the Indonesian Californian,” on September 2nd I mentioned that we went to Yosemite with our guests from Holland, and on September 15th I wrote about our trip to Lake Tahoe. I am happy with the nice comments from our friends about my Lake Tahoe visit that inspired me to post a comparison with Lake Toba in Indonesia.

Again, is going to an Aquarium watching big fish or small fish just for fun and let kids learn a little bit about the water world? Like taking kids from the city to a farm to see and learn about horses, cows, goats or chicken?

We offered our guests to go to Monterey Bay Aquarium. We know that it will not be just for entertainment, but more for learning and exploring nature and creation of another world that we don’t see much in our daily life. After our visit, we agreed that the entertainment side is just a small part. The Aquarium broadened our knowledge and understanding of marine life. Through the giant glass windows we saw how beautiful, colorful and interesting under water life is.

Just a few hours spending there is too short, and my photos and video that I brought home and post it here, are just a small part of the exhibition. We had the same experience a few years ago in Indonesia when we went to Dunia Fantasi Aquarium, Jakarta, Indonesia. Before we absorbed enough of what is exhibited, time is up.

For many of you, maybe the photos and video here are nothing new. But I think that it is always nice and interesting to watch marine life. Why do people love aquarium in their living room? Why do people like aquarium computer screen savers? Because it is so soothing and relaxing.

Here is the slideshow that I uploaded to You Tube with Angklung music background, the Indonesian bamboo music orchestra:

My dear friends,

We love the show of Seahorses. I saw the following explanation from the Monterey Bay Aquarium publication:

Something's Fishy about this Family

With heads like horses, tails like monkeys and pouches like kangaroos, these fascinating fishes are anything but ordinary.

We’ve got more than 15 species of seahorses and their kin—one of the nation’s largest collections of these charismatic animals.

Meander through four multimedia galleries and discover how these shy and secretive animals grow up, attract mates and give birth—this is the only family in the animal kingdom in which the males get pregnant!

Learn how you can help save seahorses and the vulnerable marine habitats they call home.

Seahorses, sea dragons, pipehorses and pipefishes come in many shapes and sizes, but beneath the surface they’re all fish, with fused jaws and bony plates in place of the scales normally associated with fish.

Perhaps what most distinguishes seahorses from the rest of the animal kingdom is their unique life history—the males become pregnant and give birth. Seahorse fathers shelter their young in protective pouches, while sea dragon and pipefish fathers carry their young on spongy patches on the undersides of their tails.

No one knows how many seahorses actually exist. That’s because identifying seahorses is difficult. The smallest known species, discovered in 2008, is the half-inch-long Satomi’s pygmy seahorse; the largest species is the potbelly seahorse, which grows to about 14 inches long.

Now watch my video and some still-photos of sea dragon and pipefish, what they call the Fishy Family. Background music of the dancing seahorses is from the movie "Shall We Dance."

Aha, Jelly Fish!

Beautiful to watch

Itchy to touch

My dear friends,

Let me end this post with some interesting facts about aquariums. The smallest world record aquarium measures 30x24x14 millimeter with 2 teaspoon of water. Watch following You Tube video

And the world's largest aquarium is Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA, with more than eight million gallons of water and more aquatic life than any other aquarium. Check it out at http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

What's Behind and In Lake Tahoe?

2011-09-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Universal Aspects of Tourist Destinations in the World.

My dear friends,

My last week’s post, September 15^th, talked about Tahoe Toba Blue. Just to refresh your memory, Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world, located in North Sumatera, Indonesia.

I am not finished yet thinking about Lake Tahoe.

Watch this You Tube video:

I think most of you know the popular slogan “Keep Tahoe Blue,” the ongoing appeal to the public and visitors of the lake.

Not every visitor, not every tourist, is aware or has the understanding, or has the feeling of responsibility, to help protect and preserve the places. Without the efforts from tourists and visitors, and also local people, natural wonderful and beautiful places could quickly deteriorate. But more and most important is that tourist destinations need to be well managed and maintained.

Management and maintenance by a management board, committee or other kind of management body will not suffice. The entire population of the area needs to cooperate. Lake Tahoe, both California and Nevada side, is so highly commercialized. Nevertheless, the place is very well taken care of. Kudos to the people who live there, the various management teams and organizations. I wonder if this is also the case with Lake Toba in Indonesia.

In the publication “Lake Tahoe – Skier’s and Boarder’s Winter Vacation Guide 2010-2011” I read the following:

“Lake Tahoe is one of the largest, deepest and clearest lakes in the world. And we’re committed to making sure it stays that way.

Safeguarding the beauty and clarity of Lake Tahoe has long been a top priority. Area resort and or organizations are fiercely dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint and improving the region’s ecosystem. Focused on a pristine lake, healthy forest, and protected fish and wildlife, they hold fast to the vision of preserving these natural wonders while enhancing recreation and transportation.”

And some paragraphs in “North Lake Tahoe Bonanza” Thursday, August 25, 2011, written by columnist Bruce Afari:

“It seems like every day now there is some new account of an invasive species issue. Two weeks ago it was all about the boat that got stopped coming in to Lake Tahoe from Lake Mead that was infested with quagga mussels.

Last week, there was the confirmation that smallmouth bass are in Lake Tahoe. Smallmouth bass are a non-native species that could threaten the established trout fishery in Tahoe. According to scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno, these fish pose the most serious threat to native biodiversity.

Smallmouth pose a significant threat to the native forage fish in the lake. The Lahontan redsides, suckers and chubs are all highly susceptible to the predacious bass.

The list of non-native introductions seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. An uneducated boater may introduce some, like the quagga mussel. Others like the smallmouth bass are the results of what many call environmental terrorism.

A person that is deliberately and illegally introducing a species to the detriment of the existing species really has no regard for the law. These individuals should be caught and prosecuted to the full extend of the law.”

There are many bodies, organizations and ongoing efforts to protect Lake Tahoe, such as the Invasive Species Program (ISP) that manages invasive species issues in the Tahoe Basin and consists of two sub programs: Terrestrial and Aquatic. The overall goal is to protect the Lake Tahoe Basin from invasive species by education, outreach, research, prevention, early detection, rapid response, and control.

There is also the Watercraft Inspection Program. Watercrafts are the largest factors for spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS), such as Quagga and zebra mussels, making boat inspections a vital aspect of protecting Lake Tahoe .

Photo: Tahoe Boat Inspections

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is the bi-state (CA and NV) regulatory agency which established boating ordinances, enforced by the TRPA Watercraft Team. It operates a patrol boat on the Lake seven days a week from May through September each year.

Regular Lake Tahoe boaters know what they have to do, but most visitors won’t. They even may not be aware of such existing rules. Here is an example of a guideline for boaters: Preparing your boat : Clean, drain, and dry your watercraft. Drain your bilge, ballast tanks, live wells, and any storage compartments. If you have an out-drive, lower the out-drive on the engine to release any residual water.

If you are a new Lake Tahoe boater you better study the Consumer's Guide to Boating Lake Tahoe - Clean Boating Practices Mean Better Water Quality

Studies have shown that carbureted two-stroke engines may discharge up to 20-30% of their fuel, unburned, into the air and water. In order to reduce the impact of motorized vessels on water quality, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has adopted new regulations restricting the use of certain marine engines on lakes in the Tahoe Region. This information was published as part of a cooperative effort among TRPA, the State of California, and the State of Nevada, to inform boaters about rules and help them determine whether their watercraft can be used on affected lakes, including Lake Tahoe.

Some of the examples above clearly show that the slogan “Keep Tahoe Blue” is not just an empty slogan. Let’s take Tahoe region as an excellent example to understand how important it is that each and every natural tourist destination should be strictly managed and maintained lest it will get destroyed in no time.

Indonesia has hundreds of natural wonders with very strong tourist potentials, not only Lake Toba and Bali. Bali in the East of Indonesia is one of the top tourist destinations in Indonesia.
I wonder if I can see Lake Toba, North of Indonesia, become a tourist attraction as strong as Bali or Lake Tahoe.

Below are some photos of tourist destinations in Indonesia.

(Photos: Ministry of Culture and Tourism Republic of Indonesia)

A big maintenance job to protect and preserve lakes in the tropic is fighting against a deadly enemy, the water hyacinth. Water hyacinth grow super fast and very dense. In no time the water surface will be totally covered. Watch the following You Tube video: Save Rawa Pening from Water Hyacinth attack!

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Tahoe Toba Blue

2011-09-15T23:04:00.000-07:00

What Shades of Blue?

Shades of Tahoe Blue ;

Marine Blue = Tahoe Blue

Emmerald Green = Tahoe Blue

Brown = Tahoe Blue

Yellow =Tahoe Blue

White = Tahoe Blue

Black = Tahoe Blue

Other shades= Tahoe Blue

That’s what I personally like to call the ever-changing shades of the clear pure blue water of Lake Tahoe. I don’t mind if people say I am color blind…I know I am not. Or people call me crazy blue tahoe-er.

Watch my short video showing the many “shades of Tahoe blue.”

My dear friends,

Before my last week’s post: World Youth Day, I wrote about our trip to Yosemite National Park (posted 9-2) where we went with our guests, my nephew and relatives from Holland. Where else did we go? Of course Lake Tahoe, another “must see” destination for our visitors.

Every time I went to Lake Tahoe, is it in the winter, spring, summer or fall, I am always fascinated and in awe with the beauty of Tahoe, a beauty that is sometimes indescribable, that had inspired so many writers and poets to praise Tahoe. And for me, seeing Lake Tahoe always reminds me of a similar lake in Indonesia, Lake Toba in North Sumatra. I think that Indonesia's Lake Toba is as beautiful as Lake Tahoe. The big difference is that Lake Tahoe is considered an Alpine lake while Indonesia's Lake Toba is a Volcanic lake.

Here is a comparison table of those two lakes:

	Tahoe	Toba
	Alpine Lake	Volcanic/Crater Lake
	Largest in North America	Largest in the world
Elevation:	6,229 feet	2, 969 ft. (905 m)
Length	22 miles	Max. 62 mi. max. (100 km)
Width	12 miles	max. 19 miles (30 km)
Depth	Average 989 feet	Max. 1,657 ft. (505 meter)
Shoreline	72 miles
Surface area	193 sq. mi or 122,200 acres
Volume	39 trillion gallons or	240 km³ (58 cu mi)
	122 million acre ft. of water
Surface water	Maximum - 68 degrees F,
temperature	Minimum - 41 degrees F
Temperatures	Maximum - 47 degrees F,
at 200 feet	Minimum - 41 degrees F

The Toba caldera is the only super volcano in existence that can be described as Yellowstone's “bigger” sister.

Here are some photo comparisons of those two lakes:

Tahoe

Toba

Now let's watch my 2:44 minutes slideshow, strolling along the beach of Nevada Sand Harbor State Park with the breathtaking views of Tahoe.

And You Tube video Tao Toba Natio:

My dear friends,

Maybe some of you do not know or don't remember why the name Tahoe (by the way, Tahoe, or new spelling in Indonesia Tahu, means Tofu or soybean cake). There is an interesting history about the name. At Sand Harbor beach I found the information board with the heading: What's In A Name? That reminded me of my post on July 19th with the same title, quoted from Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Let me quote for easier reading:

Modern interpretations are many: “big water,” “high water,” and “lake of the sky.” One scholar, the Reverend Thomas Starr King insisted the correct pronunciation was “Tache (much water) Dao (blue water).” Other versions common in the late 1800s included Taw-who, Tay-how, Tay-ho-ee, Ta-joe. Even Pah-hoe and Da-au.

Nearly one hundred years (bold by me) of debate over a suitable name followed the first Anglo discovery of the lake in 1844, before the California Legislature convened in 1945 to rescind an earlier name in favor of Lake Tahoe.

This action reinforced the opinion of one early settler regarding Indian place-names in the region, “Their names are on the waters and the land, and we may not wash them out.”

Interesting, isn't it? 100 years without a definitive or official name!

So many other interesting things around Lake Tahoe that I love to share with you. For now, just remember this: Keep Tahoe Blue, Keep Indonesia's Toba Blue.

And I would like to emphasize the message from the Tao Toba video: Save Toba!

What I Want to Know about World Youth Day, Madrid 2011

2011-09-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

How Many Attended? When and where is the Next WYD?

My dear friends,

After my last week's blog: “Magnificent Yosemite, Was it a Good Choice,” I would share other trip experiences with my nephew from Holland. But before I do that, I would like to continue my blog “World Youth Day 2011, Madrid” posted on August 2nd.

World Youth Day 2011 is now history. But for the 2,000,000 youth who attended the big event in Madrid, Spain, on August 16 - 21, including one Indonesian from the Indonesian Catholic Community in San Francisco Bay Area, I believe the great and wonderful experiences still live strong in their hearts and mind, and will be one of the awesome experiences they will never forget in their lives.

I myself really like to know how it went and I have some questions. Because at the time of WYD 2011, I was traveling around with my guests and I did not follow any radio, TV or printed news.

To satisfy my curiosity I browsed You Tube. Here are the answers that I was looking for and now like to share with you. Let us start with watching the video clip: "Best images from World Youth Day 2011."

Now my questions: How many youth finally gathered at WYD 2011 Madrid? What was the cost to organize an event with such magnitude? How about other statistics?

My other question is: What was WYD 2011's results and what were Pope Benedict’s comments?

My next questions is: When and where will be the next WYD?

2013 World Youth Day slogan:

See you in Rio 2013!

My young Indonesian friends, my young Indonesian friends in California and USA, and all my friends, will you be there two years from now?

Your friend, Daud the Indonesian Californian.

Yosemite, to go or not to go!

2011-09-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

My dear friends,

Our nephew and his wife from Holland came to visit us and spent their vacation with us here in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. He knows the East but they were here in the West for the first time. As Indonesian Californian what are the good places in California for me to chose and show them? Too many interesting places to cover in two weeks of their vacation time and limited to convenient distances from the Bay Area where we live.

Number 1 on a travel agent list for foreign tourist visiting San Francisco area is of course San Francisco itself, followed maybe by Las-Vegas-Grand Canyon-Hoover Dam, Disney World Anaheim, Sea World San Diego, Reno-Lake Tahoe, and many more.

We picked Yosemite National Park and its surroundings.

Going to Yosemite Park with our guests was the 5^th time for us. I don’t know if 5 times is too much or never enough. But amazingly, every time I am in Yosemite Park, I am impressed and fascinated by the grandeur of Yosemite, the beauty of nature, even if it is just a tiny showcase of our magnificent globe.

Let the photos that I took speak for themselves.

My dear friends,

As Indonesian Californian, I can tell you that you can find the greatness of nature also in Indonesia and all over the world. It is not a monopoly of one country or one nation. Anywhere you go in our world, you’ll find great and awesome places that is there for us, and also for us to preserve.

The Yosemite brochure published by National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior describes “Yosemite’s natural beauty can be found in things big and small, from towering granite cliffs and giant sequoias to diminutive wildflowers.”

About "Wild Yosemite" it says: "Congress has designated over three million acres of the Sierra Nevada for protection in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness is meant to protect forever the land’s natural condition, opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation, and scientific, educational, and historical values as well as watershed, air quality, and wildlife habitat.

John Muir wrote: “It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was permitted to enter.”

Who is John Muir? He was a Scotsman, scientist, writer, conservationalist. When he arrived in San Francisco in 1868, it is said that he asked for direction to anywhere that is wild. He was pointed toward Sierra Nevada, and the story goes that John shouted with joy when he saw Yosemite. His message:

”Climb the mountains and get their good things. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

Going to Yosemite Park was after-all a perfect choice for our guests who are real Nature Lovers.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt (left) made a historic visit to Yosemite.

Here he is seen with John Muir. (Yosemite National Park booklet 2001/2002)

2011-08-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

New7World Wonders

Komodo

Vote Indonesia's Komodo! Vote! Vote! Vote!

Dear Friends,

Seven Wonders of the World, Eight Wonders of the World, Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Seven Wonders of the Underwater World, Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Today’s New Seven Wonders of the World....... and so on and so on.

I wonder, and do you ever wonder what is what, which is what, what is which, which is which?

I thought that Borobudur Temple in Indonesia belongs to one of the Seven World Wonders, ancient, medieval, or whatever. But I could not find Borobudur in any list. If you do, please let me know.

If Indonesia’s Borobudur Temple never belong to one of the many Seven Wonders of the World list, or if anything Indonesia never was and is in any World Wonders list, now here is a BIG CHANCE, that something Indonesia will shine in one Wonders of the World list, the New7Wonders of the World.

When I did Google search I found this: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the first known list of the most remarkable creations of classical antiquity, and was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only include works located around the Mediterranean rim. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenty. Since then many similar lists have been made.

In 2001 an initiative was started by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation, a not for profit organization, to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments. Twenty-one finalists were announced January 1, 2006. Egyptians were not happy that the only surviving original wonder, the Great Pyramid of Giza, would have to compete with the likes of the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House, and other landmarks, calling the project absurd. In response, Giza was named an honorary Candidate. The results were announced on July 7, 2007.

New7Wonders of Nature now in a contemporary effort to create a list of seven natural wonders chosen by people through a global poll, organized by New Open World Corporation (NOWC), which ran the New Seven Wonders of the World campaign.

We are now near the end of the Global Voting Participation Programme. Indonesia’s Komodo National Park is amongst the elite 28 Official Finalists that were chosen by the people of the world from more than 440 nominees.

If you look at the list and images of the 28 finalists below, you will notice that all are awesome natural wonders, landscapes, seascapes, waterfalls etcetera, but the only one with a living being is Indonesia's Komodo National Park AND the prehistoric Komodo dragon, the giant lizard

The race to choose the Official New7Wonders of Nature is now in its final phase. Voting is open until 11.11.11!

So my friends, vote, vote, vote for Indonesia’s Komodo!

There are many ways to vote. Register, email, by phone or via what they call a dedicated microsite — http://participation.new7wonders.com .

New7Wonders President and Founder Bernard Weber said, “The New7Wonders of Nature campaign is primarily a historical occasion for the world to vote for their natural wonders.” He added, “New7Wonders sees its commitment extending beyond its campaigns to elect wonders, and towards encouraging and stimulating everyone everywhere to join the online world. The passion and excitement our campaigns generate are an ideal vehicle to empower people through the internet.”

Telephone voting enabled anyone with a telephone or mobile phone, from anywhere in the world, using the organization’s dedicated phone lines. Each vote cast using the international telephone voting line, or via SMS, counts as one vote. Said Eamonn Fitzgerald, Head of Communications at New7Wonders. “It is very easy, and takes about one minute to do: call one of the international voting numbers, listen to the short message, put in the code for your Finalist — that’s it, that is a vote!”

Giant dragon urges Indonesians to vote

Komodo has proven to be a strong performer in the weekly New7Wonders of Nature rankings published every Tuesday.

A giant-sized ”VOTE KOMODO!” poster adorns a skyscraper

in downtown Jakarta, Indonesia.

Commenting on this ranking, Eamonn Fitzgerald, Head of Communications for New7Wonders says “Fans of Komodo are behind this fantastic ranking success, and we congratulate them.”

On May 13, 2010 he wrote in his weekly newsletter: The campaign for Komodo toured central Europe over the past weeks. In Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Hamburg, amongst other stops, masses of people voted for Komodo on laptops.

Dragons take the Champs Elysée, splash Manneken Pis and tour Hamburg’s waterfront

New7Wonders fan Zeby Febrina shows the gentle side of the Komodo dragon

By Eamonn Fitzgerald on April 19, 2010.

A young Indonesian woman has made it her mission to promote Komodo, and in doing so, gets up close and personal with fierce Komodo dragons.

Zeby Febrina, an animal lover since childhood, has been campaigning fervently for the lush homeland islands that make up Komodo National Park, the most important habitat for the dragons. The giant lizards can reach three meters or almost 10 feet in length and weigh up to 70 kg or 150 lbs, and their saliva contains toxic bacteria.

Zeby says, “My goal in volunteering for the New7Wonders of Nature Finalist Komodo is to raise awareness of the endangered dragons because they are fascinating prehistoric monsters.

The former Indonesia model recently visited the Jakarta school attended by U.S. President Barack Obama, where she called upon the students there to vote for both Komodo and the American Grand Canyon, also one of the 28 Official New7Wonders of Nature Finalists.

Zeby calls her support of the fierce dragons “my destiny” and has been traveling throughout Indonesia to encourage people of all ages to discover the magic of the Komodo dragons that so moves her.

The 28 Finalists

28 Finalist locations map

SMS voting now live for Komodo Island

By Eamonn Fitzgerald on August 13, 2011 in Komodo

One of the world’s leading mobile texting countries is now switched on to vote for the New7Wonders of Nature. Indonesians can send KOMODO to 9818, and with that vote for Komodo Island to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature.

SMS voting works across the leading networks of Telkomsel and XL, with more networks coming on stream in the next days, and each text costs IDR1000 to send. More details are available in Indonesian on the website www.pilihkomodo.com.

The Komodo dragon is found in Indonesia on the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang. Watch all the interesting videos below and start voting for Komodo Indonesia!
(Note: Click the cross sign if an advertisement bother you)

Rally your friends and whoever you meet, and vote Komodo!

Indonesia's Komodo - vote! vote! vote!

2011-08-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

Merdeka atau Mati!

Hiroshima 8/6 - Nagasaki 8/9 - Jakarta 8/17

Indonesia Independence 1945

Why not August 24, 05? What happened November 10, 1945?

Hello my friends,

66 Years have passed since 1945.

One generation has past since 1945.

Many of us may have forgotten what happened in Indonesia after Japan’s surrender in World War II, or remember just vaguely.

What happened in Indonesia at that time? What were the circumstances that lead to the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia? Why August 17, 1945, and not August 24, 2605? Three and a half years occupying Indonesia was Japan friend or foe? And what happened on November 10, 1945?

Only to my fellow Indonesians who live here in USA,

Before you read any further, dig deep into your memory, and see if you have the answers to the questions above.

If you don’t, what do you think of our kids or grand-kids knowledge about the history of Indonesia’s independence? From school? Are they reading history books? Or you tell them?

For my Indonesian friends to refresh your memory, for the younger Indonesian generation here in America, and for my Californian friends and everybody else who are interested, here’s a little bit of the history that I put together from my knowledge, from what I remember, and from different sources.

My dear friends,

If you have any comments, want to add some more information or say something, I encourage you to do so by writing it in the comment box below. Click the words "comment" (in blue). You can write in English, Indonesian or Dutch, whatever is convenient for you.

Thank you.

Now, if you haven't done it yet, let’s open the yellow colored clip above, a video of Indonesia’s Proclamation of Independence by Soekarno and Hatta.The yellow image is the paper that contain the text of the Proclamation.

And here is the text (note the old spelling):

PROKLAMASI

Kami, bangsa Indonesia, dengan ini menjatakan kemerdekaan Indonesia.

Hal-hal jang mengenai pemindahan kekoeasaan d.l.l., diselenggarakan dengan tjara saksama

dan dalam tempo jang sesingkat-singkatnja.

Djakarta, hari 17 boelan 8 tahoen 05

Atas nama bangsa Indonesia,

Soekarno/Hatta.

Why the year 05 and not 45? They followed the Japanese’s Imperial calendar at that time, and the year was 2605.

Here is the translation of the declaration published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of October 1948 (Wikipedia)

PROCLAMATION

WE THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA HEREBY DECLARE THE INDEPENDENCE OF

INDONESIA.

MATTERS WHICH CONCERN THE TRANSFER OF POWER AND

OTHER THINGS WILL BE EXECUTED BY CAREFUL MEANS AND IN THE

SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME.

DJAKARTA, 17 AUGUST 1945

IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA

SOEKARNO—HATTA

The monument in Jakarta commemorating the

Declaration of Independence (Wikipedia)

What happened before

On August 6, 1945, America bombed Hiroshima. On August 9th a second atom bomb destroyed Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. August 17, 1945 Indonesia declared independence.

Days before proclaiming Indonesia’s independence, Soekarno and Hatta flew to Dalat, Vietman, to meet Japanese Marshall Terauchi. On August 12 Marshall Terauchi told Soekarno and Hatta that Japan will give freedom to Indonesia and Indonesia can proclaim independence in a few days, depending on Indonesia, but Japan would like August 24^th.

Some prominent Indonesian political leaders were suspicious. They expressed their feelings saying that Japan’s promise is just an empty promise. After the Japanese surrendered, and after many discussions and considerations among the political leaders, Sukarno unilaterally proclaimed Indonesian independence on August 17.

World War II ended August 15, but for Indonesia it was the beginning of another war. The War for Independence. Indonesia had to fight for their freedom, in the battlefield and around the conference table.

Netherland wanted to come back and regain their colony. They wanted the Japanese army in Indonesia to "preserve law and order," and this started the independence revolution to prevent the return of the Dutch.

Merdeka atau Mati! Freedom or Die! was the battle-cry.

Indonesian youth (pemuda), armed only with bamboo spears, some grenades, guns and machine guns fought against enemy’s heavy arms, tanks, artillery. They fought bravely and fiercely. Pemuda took over government offices from the Japanese, and often succeeded in seizing the arms of the demoralized Japanese.

After many sporadic bloody warfare, some heavy fighting, the independence war culminated in the big November 10 battle in Surabaya.

After four years of guerilla warfare, the Dutch, who initially was backed by the British but facing strong armed resistance, and later strong diplomatic fight, officially recognized Indonesian sovereignty. They officially acknowledged Indonesia's independence in 1949 and in 2005 accepted August 17 1945 as Indonesia's independence date.

The Republic of Indonesia ultimately prevailed through international diplomacy as it did through Indonesian determination in the armed conflicts.

November 10

The Battle of Surabaya, largest city after Jakarta, was the heaviest battle of the Revolution and became a national symbol of Indonesian resistance. Pemuda groups in Surabaya seized arms and ammunition from the Japanese.

Hari Pahlawan (Heroes' Day) is celebrated annually on November 10 in Indonesia to remember the Surabaya big battle. Watch the video below (5:15 min) and additional historic facts and figures.

Battle of Surabaya 1945

There were Japanese soldiers who symphatize with Indonesia's independence war. One of them was Tomokazu Kaneko. After WWII Indonesia awarded him the most honorable Nararia medal. Watch the next you tube video (6:35 min).

Japanese Samurai

To commemorate Indonesian independence on August 17, Indonesian embassy and consulate offices abroad are holding flag ceremonies. The following video shows August 17 flag ceremony by the Indonesian consulate general in Los Angeles, on August 17, 2010 (5:15 min).

Dirgahayu Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan Indonesia 2011 - Happy Indonesia Independence Day 2011!

2011-08-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

World Youth Day

Madrid August 16-21/2011

Rome 2000 (Wikipedia)

One single Indonesian from San Francisco Bay Area.

Dear friends,

Daud the Indonesian Californian has a wish. To make it easy for the blue fairy, she may choose which one is easier for her to fulfill his wish. Either whoosh him back to his youth days, or change history and initiate World Youth Day sooner, around the early nineteen fifties.

Why the wish? Because World Youth Day is phenomenal! And he wants to be there to participate in the awesome world movement and be part of history.

Just check the video below that was released 100 days before World Youth Day 2011 to realize how big a movement World Youth Day (WYD) is. 100 Days before D-day WYD 2011, officially more than 340.000 already registered to participate. Biggest participants registered were from Italy, Spain, French, USA and Germany. Total of 1,5 million is expected to congregate in Madrid.

What is World Youth Day (WYD) and how did WYD begin and when?

The late pope John Paul II began World Youth Day in 1985. The very beginning of the history started during the Jubilee of 1983-1984. The Jubilee is called the Holy Year of Redemption. This was in memory of the death of Jesus Christ. Among the various celebrations dedicated to youth during the Jubilee, the most important took place at the Palm Sunday Vigil in Rome. More than 300,000 young people from all over the world participated in the International Youth Jubilee, where the Pope presented them with a wooden cross.

When the United Nations declared 1985 the International Year of Youth, the Catholic Church organized another international event on Palm Sunday, March 31^st. More than 350,000 youth gathered together in St. Peter’s Square. Following this event, the Pope instituted World Youth Day.

World Youth Day was a great desire of John Paul II fulfilled.

World Youth Day in many parts of the world.

After 1985, WYD was held in the following places and years:

1987 in Buenos Aires attended by one million young people

1989 in Santiago de Compostela with more than 500,000 young people

1919 in Czechoslovakia, 1.6 million

1993 in Denver, 600,000

1995 in Manila with a record breaking 4 million

1997 in Paris, 1.2 million

2000 in Rome (2000 Jubilee), 2 million (Photo on top of page)

2002 in Toronto, 800,000

2005 in Cologne, 1.1 million

2008 in Sydney, 400,000

Now this year, 2011, in Madrid, Spain.

Average age of WYD participant is between 16 – 25 years. WYD 2011 age requirement is 14-30 years of age. Participants under 18 must travel with a group. Those over 30 years of age can accompany groups as leaders and observers.

WYD participated by Catholics and Non Catholics

Word Youth Day is open to all. Invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions. Its message is relevant to all people and all are welcome. Many non-Catholic have taken part in previous World Youth Days.

The patron saint of World Youth Day is Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Since his beatification, Pope John Paul II who started the event, has become its co-patron.

History of World Youth Day

Toledo

Dear Friends,

If you miss the chance to go to WYD 2011 this year, prepare yourself to go three years from now. And I feel sad that this year only one person from the Indonesian community in San Francisco Bay Area will be participating. But I think and I hope more Indonesian youth from other parts of USA are going.

Vaya Con Dios, my friend.

P.S.

I am still waiting for my blue fairy with her magic wand.

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2011-07-28T22:33:00.000-07:00


Indonesia - Bhinneka Tunggal Ika = Unity in Diversity

My Fellow Indonesians and friends of Indonesia,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Indonesia Day 2011, one of the major events in commemorating the 66^th Anniversary of Independence Day of Indonesia, August 17 here in San Francisco.

On behalf of the Consulate General of Indonesia in San Francisco, I wish to extend my highest appreciation to Mr. Teddy Usman and his team, comprising of Indonesian community in the Bay Area, for their hard works and endless efforts in managing all resources to make Indonesia Day 2011 a great event.

This year we are proud to present you – Paguyuban Citra, a dance group that has come all the way from our beloved country, and will be presenting a small taste of the “Ultimate Diversity” by showcasing cultural performances from different regions in Indonesia. Please join me in extending a heartfelt appreciation to Bapak Agum Gumelar and Ibu Linda Agum Gumelar, founder of Paguyuban Citra, for bringing this special performance into fruition.

Our highest gratitude to the sponsors: Chevron, Marvell, Top One Oil and Contact Singapore, vendors, volunteers, friends, and local talents and performers such as Prisa, Gamelan X, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Gamelan Pusaka Sunda and Harsanari.

My friends,

At Indonesia Day 2011, you are invited to see a glance of the richness of Indonesia’s Treasures. For the whole day you are invited to enjoy some of the traditional dance performances and music performances. Not to mention, do taste the delicious Indonesian cuisine available here, I am sure you will fall in love with.

This event is certainly a celebration but it is also a place to expand your knowledge about Indonesia and the place to meet your new Indonesian friends. I believe that understanding our culture and heritage is a good foundation to explore other fields of cooperation between the people of Indonesia and the United State.

My dear friends,

Indonesia Day was held on Saturday, July 23, at Union Square, San Francisco.

In this 2nd part of my posting on Indonesia Day 2011, I am sharing more of my photos above, and following below are my videos of the gamelan music and dances from different regions that were performed at the Indonesian festival.

Average running time of those videos are 1-2 minutes long, except the two last ones. Duration of the actual performances on stage was between 4 - 6 minutes. The fashion show was about 18 minutes, and I shorten the video to about 10 minutes. I edited the grand finale that shakes Union Square to it's foundation to about 8 minutes long. Scroll down to the bottom to watch those two videos and enjoy!

"Nandak Ganjen" Betawi (= Jakarta) dance

by Paguyuban Citra

Gamelan X world music ensemble, playing Indonesia Bali music

Introducing Indonesia Gamelan Sekar Jaya group

Gamelan Sekar Jaya playing Indonesia Bali music

Sumatra, Indonesia - "Rantak" dance

by Harsanari dance group

West New Guinea, Indonesia - "Tifa" dance by Paguyuban Citra

West Java, Indonesia - "Mask" dance

Aceh, Indonesia - "Zapin Hasanah" dance by Paguyuban Citra

Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia - "Giring Giring" dance

by Paguyuban Citra

West Java, Indonesia - "Jaipongan" dance by Harsanari

North Sumatra, Indonesia - "Tor Tor" dance (1)

by Paguyuban Citra

North Sumatra, Indonesia - "Tor Tor" dance (2)

by Paguyuban Citra

Indonesian dangdut singer Rhido Irama and the Sonet2 band

Top attraction - antique Indonesian fabrique - fashion show

Grand Finale - young and old rockin' and shaking'!

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2011-07-26T00:22:00.000-07:00

(Part 1)
What a Day!

Dear friends.

Did you go to Indonesia Day 2011 in San Francisco? If you didn’t, you really missed something, and you have to wait for another year to make up for what you have lost.

Indonesia Day that was held on Saturday, July 23, at Union Square, successfully gave us what was promised: “Indonesia Treasures: Thousands of Islands, millions of treasures.”

You don’t get the thousands or millions, but you get a very nice picture of Indonesia, full of bright colors, songs, music and dances, rich Indonesian culture, and of course Indonesian cuisine that everybody savored. Long lines in front of the many food booths were the undeniable proofs. People did not go to one of the hundreds of restaurants around the Square, instead they choose to stand in line in front of the food booths even if it took ages to get the Indonesian mouthwatering food.

What a Crowd!

The Indonesian festival conquered Union Square; visitors who could not get seats had to stand elbow to elbow, Indonesian music sound and strong percussion vibrated the air, hitting the walls of the skyscrapers surrounding the Square, and smell of Indonesian food filled the air that made everybody hungry. The whole day was full of exciting experience, and before you know the festival was over. At dusk Union Square resumed its normal life.

My Indonesian friends,

Did you go to the Indonesia Day 2011 festival? If you didn’t, definitely you missed the great opportunity to refresh your memory and update your knowledge about your homeland that you can be proud of and tell your friends and neighbors here in America what and how Indonesia really is and what she has to offer.

Read what San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee wrote in Indonesia Day program book:

Let me quote the first three paragraphs.

Dear Friends:

On behalf of the City and County of San Francisco, I am pleased to join the Indonesian American community in Northern California and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in welcoming you to the 18^th annual Indonesian Day.

San Francisco is enriched by the diversity of our people. Our history as a City of immigrants is part of what makes San Francisco strong, and today, we celebrate the vibrant heritage and culture

Indonesian Americans have brought to our region.

Indonesia Day 2011 provides an exciting and important opportunity for Indonesian Americans to share their proud culture with the Bay Area. Today, you will be treated to the vivid sights, lively sounds and superb tastes of Indonesia without having to travel further than our very own Union Square.

Please enjoy yourself and all that Indonesia Day 2011 has to offer.

And for all you, my friends, who went to Indonesia Day 2011, AND who did not go, following are some snapshots and video clips of the event that was held to celebrate Indonesian independence August 17. Enjoy!

Indonesian National Dress Parade (1:22 minutes video)

Indonesia Betawi Dance

Top attraction, Indonesian antique fabrics.

A 2 minutes sneak-preview.

Indonesia Day (Part 2)

videos follows very soon.

Photo: Mask Dance. The video will follow in Part 2, where you will find

other Indonesia Day video dances and more photos.

If you have questions or comments, use the comment box below, or click on the blue “comment” word and a window will open for you to write your message. If you like this blog, sign in as follower by going to the right side of this page: Followers - Join this site - and click on the “sign-in” link.

Invitation to Indonesia Day and my appeal to be followers

2011-07-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Californian friends and everywhere in the world,

A blog is just like a publication, a daily newspaper, a weekly magazine, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annual. It depends on the person who publishes the blog what the blog will be like. If the person uses it like a diary and post it every day, then the blog becomes like a daily publication. Or if the person post just once in a while, then it is not like a regular publication anymore.

This is the 4^th posting in my blog since I started this blog, “Daud the Indonesian Californian,” on July 12th.

I plan to post articles, photos, videos, on a regular basis, once or two times a week. While waiting for my next post, I like to take the opportunity to appeal to you all to be followers of this blog. Please join the three followers of this blog!

Becoming followers is just like subscribing to a regular publication, except that this is FREE! Just go to “Followers - Join this site” and "Sign in" link on the right side of this page and start signing in. Simple and easy! If at some time later you want to discontinue, it is just as easy to unsubscribe!

By being a follower, you help support my blog as a platform for lighter reading of useful, interesting, and informative information on Indonesia and other general topics and human interests, and you can use it also as a communication medium between us all.

If you have a blog or website, let’s open a beneficial two-way link. Give me your web address and I will add it to the link list below.

See you in my next post that hopefully will talk and show photos and video clips of Indonesia Day, the annual big event to celebrate Indonesian independence August 17.

Invitation

“The Indonesian American Community in Northern California and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, in cooperation with the City and County of San Francisco, invite you to join us for the 18th Annual Indonesia Day on Saturday, July 23rd, 2011, from 10 am to 5 pm at Union Square, San Francisco.”

Indonesia Day is a festival and showcase of Indonesian culture and cuisine. If you are interested and have the time, visit Indonesia Day! A lot of fun and entertainment!

Thank you for becoming a follower of “Daud the Indonesian Californian” blog and to visit Indonesia Day 2011.

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What’s in a Name?

2011-07-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

Datsun, NO! – WKICU?

Dear friends,

(An 1870 oil painting by Ford Madox Brown

depicting Romeo and Juliet's famous balcony scene.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Shakespeare wrote: “What’s in a name.”

This is one of the many famous quotes from Shakespeare’s (†1616) numerous works. What’s in a name is from the well known Romeo & Juliet tale, where Juliet says:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

In Shakespeare's lyrical tale Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and that she loves the person who is called Romeo Montague, not the Montague name and not the Montague family.

Written about 400 years ago people now still use the phrase but in different interpretations according to the particular situation they are in when they say that.

I am Hanafi Daud, Daud the Indonesian Californian. I love my name, my wife loves me including my name….. So, don’t mess with Hanafi Daud (person or name… :) .

In our world today a name is certainly much more than just a name of a person or an object’s name. After a certain time, after aging, a name become historical, can create emotions, accumulates economical value, builds goodwill, can become symbolic, and more.

If you buy hamburger fast food franchise, what do you buy? The system? Yes, but system is not the big factor. What is the difference between one system of one franchiser and another franchiser? Almost no difference. The big difference is in the brand name. You pay for the brand name. The more famous the brand is, the higher the franchise fee.

A good case study about brand name is what happened with Datsun brand name. Datsun is produced by Nissan Motor Company. This Japanese car manufacturer in Indonesia was Indokaya Nissan Motors, working with Indonesian partners.

In Japan, Nissan’s president Kawamata regretted that Nissan Motors did not imprint its corporate name on cars the way Toyota does. Ultimately, the decision was made to stop using the brand name Datsun worldwide, in order to strengthen the company name Nissan. In Indonesia at that time rumors that went around was that American consumers hate the name Datsun. Maybe this was also one of the important reason Nissan changed Datsun cars to Nissan cars. The same manufacturer, the same cars.

So, What’s in a Name?

Warga Katolik Indonesia California Utara has been around 20 years. (Refer to my first post, 7-14 about who and what is WKICU). WKICU does not cover the whole North California. In reality it covers only a small part. The three Sunday masses in three different cities are all in SF Bay Area: the 1^st in San Francisco, the 2^nd in Santa Clara and the 3rd in Union City. Membership-wise, as far as I know, WKICU members are spread from the (San Francisco) Peninsula to San Jose to the South, to the East up to Pinole, to the North and Northeast reaching Petaluma and Antioch.

Practically WKICU covers only SF Bay Area. Maybe that’s why a couple of years ago Indonesian Catholics in the state capitol Sacramento formed their own group, KKI Sacramento.

Now, in 2011 after 20 years, more and more WKICU members suggest for a name change that reflects the actual WKICU area and some even suggest change to KKI since the majority of Indonesian Catholic groups in USA use KKI followed by the name of the state or region. But as we see in my first posting, there are some groups who use the English abbreviation ICC (= Indonesian Catholic Community) instead of KKI and even totally different name such as Paguyuban Katolik Indonesia Chicago.

We know that changing names of an entity, is it a company, organization, institution, brand, is not that simple. It will involve changing too many things like legal papers, documents, address, logo, and what not, and more important is losing history and goodwill.

If I own WKICU, I don’t want to change the name. If people ask what is WKICU short for, I will tell them that WKICU is just a name, period. Or I try to keep the name WKICU, and explain WKICU means Wahana (=vehicle for conveying thoughts, ideas) Katolik Indonesia Community, and than add SFBay Area. Even how crazy it may sound, like We are Katolik Indonesia Community SFBay Area, as long as I can keep the name WKICU.

Any suggestion?

Anyway, do you agree “What’s in a name?”

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2011-07-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

What’s in a name? (1)

Jamboree, Yes?... No!!.. Yes!!!

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -21st World Scout Jamboree)

Dear friends,

Shakespeare wrote: What's in a name?

One day I was driving my friend for a sightseeing trip. He just came from Indonesia for a short visit. I had to stop at a gas station to fill-up. While waiting at the pump my friend exclaimed: "Wow, bahasa Indonesia!" while pointing at the water and air sign where people can get water for their radiator or air for their tires.

I quickly answered: “Oh yes, people here are so friendly."

My American friend who sat behind me was puzzled and asked: “What happen?”

Laughingly I explained the joke to him: “He was surprised to see the word "Air" and wondered why the Indonesian word. Air means Water in Indonesian, and I told him they are nice here to translate Water for you.”

What’s in a name?

The first time I heard “Jamboree KKI” was in Lubbock, Texas, in March 2002, when I attended the first gathering of all KKI in America. Remember in my first posting I explained KKI is Komunitas Katolik Indonesia = Indonesian Catholic Community.

The first KKI national conference in Lubbock was in response to the US Catholic Church recognizing the historical phenomena that could not be denied, that this country consist of immigrants. At that time USA Bishop Conference published a document titled “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity.”

KKI felt they need to response to the US Church outreach and the question came up: How can the American Church reach the Indonesian Catholic communities while KKI-s are local or regional, scattered all over the country. There is no national KKI or KKI-USA. To find the answer was one of the reasons to hold the conference.

The year before, in August-September 2001, we saw the first Jamboree KKI USA and Canada. The event was considered and recognized in the Lubbock conference as a successful trial and a forerunner to unite local or regional KKI-s, and it was announced that a second KKI jamboree will be held in Washington.

Now let’s get back to the question “What’s in a name?”

When at the Lubbock conference I heard “Jamboree,” immediately the name “Boy Scouts” pop up in my mind, but I did not gave any further thought.

Then when in my earlier post I wrote about KKI America asking the Indonesian Catholic community in San Francisco Bay Area (WKICU) to host the 7^th KKI Jamboree in 2013, again the word “Boy Scouts” pop up in my mind. But this time I started thinking and asking “What is Jamboree?” And like what most people nowadays are doing, I opened Google and started looking what Wikipedia in there says:

According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the etymology is "19th century, origin unknown". Poet Robert W. Service used the term well before the first Scouting jamboree. It appears in the poem "Athabaska Dick" in his Rhymes of a Rolling Stone, which was published in 1912. At the time, the word meant a rowdy, boisterous gathering. (bold and underline by me)

Baden-Powell was once asked why he chose "jamboree". He replied, "What else would you call it?", a response that makes sense if the word already means a boisterous gathering.

Nonetheless, it is popularly believed within the Scout Movement that the word was coined by Baden-Powell. It is said that the word has several possible origins, ranging from Hindi to Swahili to Native American dialects. It is also said that the word is related to corroboree, an Australian Aboriginal term for any noisy, late-night gathering or disturbance. (bold and underline by me)

Baden-Powell chose the name as rally, meeting and gathering did not fully capture the spirit of this then-new concept. It is said that the name is derived from the Swahili for hello, jambo, as a result of the considerable amount of time he spent in the region. At the first world jamboree at Olympia in 1920, Lord Baden-Powell said "People give different meanings for this word, but from this year on, jamboree will take a specific meaning. It will be associated to the largest gathering of youth that ever took place."

Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, coined the term jamborese to refer to the lingua franca used between Scouts of different languages and cultural habits, that develops when diverse Scouts meet, that fosters friendship and understanding between Scouts of the world. Sometimes the word jamborette is used to denote smaller, either local or international, gatherings

My dear friends,

Let me quote a paragraph of what the 2011 Jamboree KKI committee wrote in the introduction:

Each year Jamboree has a different focus and theme that each of the chosen Catholic Community discerns for and shares with the whole Indonesian Catholic Community.

This event brings the Indonesian Catholic Communities together from all age groups and location in the United States and this gives them a chance to share and learn about the different life and faith experiences. Jamboree has also become an avenue to share moments of grace to share, study, and reflect the richness of God’s love, unity in diversity.

And I asked myself: How “rowdy and boisterous” are all those KKI jamborees as a religious mass gathering with solemn prayers, introspections, reflections, and other rituals?

Oh well, what is in a name?

Indonesian Catholics in USA

Where are they? What are they doing?

Hello my Catholic brothers and sisters in America!

I am Hanafi Daud and live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am a member of the Indonesian Catholic Community in North California, more known by the name of Warga Katolik Indonesia California Utara (WKICU). This year, 2011, is the all-year long 20^th anniversary celebration of the community.

WKICU does not have her own church building and from one Sunday to the next Sunday WKICU wanders like a nomad, holding mass in Indonesian language, first Sunday of the month in San Francisco, second Sunday in Santa Clara and third Sunday in Union City. On the forth (and fifth if there is one) WKICU does not have Indonesian mass. Members are suggested to celebrate mass at their own Parish.

Don’t be surprised if WKICU also does not have permanent Indonesian priest. In all those twenty years WKICU is blessed with having Indonesian priest(s) dropped by the hands of God. Most of them are priests who came from Indonesia for extension study at U.C. Berkeley. And by the grace of God, there are always one or more student-priests in Berkeley who volunteer to serve WKICU community.

Another great blessing from above is that WKICU always have a nice church building to celebrate Sunday mass, uninterrupted in her 20 years’ journey of Catholic faith.

Dear friends,

WKICU is one of the14 ethnic groups in the Diocese of Oakland’s Department of Ethnic Pastoral Centers but is recently also under the Arch-diocese of San Francisco.

Every year the Diocese of Oakland holds a big one day gathering of the 14 ethnic groups. This is a multicultural festival called Chautauqua, celebrating the diverse peoples of this Diocese

In the morning Chautauqua starts with processions and mass, followed by cultural performances and food & craft bazaar. Photo shows the Indonesian group participating in Chautauqua.

As far as I know, there are now about 18 local Indonesian Catholic communities in America. Most of the community names use Komunitas Katolik Indonesia (KKI = Indonesian Catholic Community) followed by the name of the state or region, i.e. KKI Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Colorado, DC (Washington DC Metropolitan Area), Houston, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Orange County, Oregon, Philadelphia and San Diego.

Some other communities use the English ICC abbreviation (Indonesian Catholic Community) such as ICC Austin, ICCDFW = Indonesian Catholic Community Dallas - Fort Worth, and ICC Madison Wisconsin.

As you can see, the Indonesian Catholic community in Northern California uses a totally different name (WKICU) also Chicago prefers to use Paguyuban Warga Katolik Indonesia Chicago. Paguyuban means Gathering.

We call the Indonesian Catholics universe in USA Komunitas Katolik Indonesia Amerika (KKIA = Indonesian Catholics in America) but I don’t think there is a physical KKIA umbrella organization.

One regular event organized by KKIA is KKI Jamboree, once every two years. Here’s one KKI Jamboree invitation, but unfortunately you will never be able to participate, even never able to attend…

“On behalf of the Indonesian Catholic Community of Columbus (under the St. Thomas More Newman Center), we would like to invite you to be part of the Indonesian biennial (once every 2 years) convention in the United States called Jamboree which would be held from 2^nd – 4^th of July 2011.”

The event was held at: Camp Lebanon - 4464 Emmons Road, Oregonia, OH 45036. It was the 6^th KKI Jamboree. KKIA now requests WKICU to host the 7^th KKI Jamboree in 2013.

Well my friends, that are my first reports to answer the question: Indonesian Catholics in USA: Where are they? What are they doing?

You know now where they are, and read about the two big events they are participating; Chautauqua and KKI Jamboree.

In my next postings I will talk more about the routine and non routine activities of Indonesian Catholics in USA.

If you have your stories or reports what’s happening in the Indonesian Catholic universe in USA, or have comments or questions, feel free to use the comments box below.

To my Indonesian friends wherever you are. If you have a message, don’t hesitate to write your few lines in the comment box below. If you are more convenient using Indonesian or Dutch language, please do so.

Thank you for your interest and participation.