Ciamis

I've been in Ciamis for nine days with Yuyun, Yomi, and Dewi (Yuyun's sister). We have a job there.

Kabupaten Ciamis is one kabupaten of West Java Province. It lies in the southern part of the province and famous for its Pangandaran Beach. The climate of the city of Ciamis is mild, almost like Bandung although Bandung is chiller. Kabupaten Ciamis has many tourism object, among others are: Batu Hiu (do you know one of Doel Soembang's song?), Karang Nini, and in Cijulang there are Batukaras Beach and Cukang Taneuh or Green Canyon.

In Cukang Taneuh or Green Canyon, you'll take a perahu along the Cicurug/Cijulang river to go to a curug or waterfall. The river is quite wide and clean; the current is calm, and the color is green. The curug? Well, you hardly find it before riding a perahu. I've never taken a perahu in the Java Island before.

Cijulang is 26 km from Pangandaran, while Pangandaran is about 90 km from the city of Ciamis. Kabupaten Ciamis has an airport, which lies in Cijulang, namely Nusawiru Airport. For the time being, there's no regular flight from and to the airport. But, it is said that before Idl Fitr day, the airport will commence its function again. The railway had stopped functioning since 1978. From Jakarta, you can reach Ciamis by bus for about 5 hours.

Here you can see us in the perahu at Cukang Taneuh. Yuyun and Dewi brought along their daughter with them. Can you guess where I am? Right, I am in the second left of the picture.

Bon Voyage Oji, Ita, Tito, Titang!

The day had finally arrived for Oji, Ita, Tito and Titang to depart to the US. Yesterday, the two big families of Oji and Ita had gathered at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, even before the departed family appeared. We could only wish you all the best!

Here you can see Ita (in red headscarf) and her husband Oji (in light colored jacket), their two sons Tito (standing next to me) and Titang (in red jacket), Endra and me, Andri--my nephew in yellow T-shirt, and Oji's brother-in-law and nephews.

Fraggle Rock - First Season will be on DVD!

Fraggle Rock - Complete First Season will be released on September 6, 2005 (in the USA). When will the film arrive in Indonesia? Can't wait to see this TV series again..

How Sweet of You

Yesterday my body temperature rised to some degrees. I didn't feel well and stayed in bed. Endra--my hubby-- coming home from work, offered me his iPod to accompany me in bed. "I don't have to bring my iPod with me. It can accompany you in bed, tomorrow." Endra said. Oh, how sweet of you, Endra dear. Thank you. That's why I call you "sweetheart" ❤.

Podcasts

For a few days this week I was busy searching podcasts on iTunes. I've subscribed to ABC News.com - Good Morning America, Newsweek On Air Podcast, English as a Second Language Podcast and The FrenchPodClass. Description of podcasting in Wikipedia is as follows: Podcasting is a method of publishing audio broadcasts via the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed of new files (usually MP3s).

Some podcasts are updated on a regular basis (daily or weekly) and some are not. Listening to podcasts is a great way to learn foreign languages from native speakers, especially English since most podcasts these days are produced in English. However, I luckily found French class, too. I think I'll check for a Nihongo class; I've noticed some titles relating to Japan or Japanese words. And what excellent with podcasts is we can subscribe to them for free!

Thanks to Apple Computer that added Podcasts feature to its iTunes on June 28, 2005. And much thanks to the podcasters(?) (podcasts producers?), too, especially from the podcasts I subscribe. A challenging question comes to mind: what can I contribute with podcasting?

12 days to go for Ita and ..

12 days to go for Ita and family to depart to the USA. Ita's husband will take post-graduate program there.

Ita is my youngest sister. She lives in Bandung with her husband and two sons. Ita is more like a friend than a sister to me. She always be there for me. I know I'll miss her (and her family) a lot. Ouch, don't be so melancholic. We're lucky; today we have the internet to help us keep-in-touch with friends and relatives near and far. Ita, as you prepare for your leaving, I (we? the big family?) prepare myself (ourselves) for the occasion, too. Good luck Oji, Ita, Tito, Titang ;-) May God bless us always!