Palembang, little Venice from east

I think every people would admit that my hometown Palembang is a perfect comparison for Venice in Italy or Amsterdam in Netherland. Previous centuries ago Palembang was built above of the water ( Musi river ) and swamp areas by king of Sriwijaya and the Sultans of Palembang Darussalam. Until now there are still lots of small rivers ( sub river of Musi ) flowing through the city. Palembang is absolutely awesome! With lots of cultures and arts, special handicrafts, languages (unification of Melayu and district language ), and also special foods. I’m advising you to pay a visit to Palembang oftenly.

Commotion feeling

Commotion feelings has approaching me as I Arrived in Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II ( SMB II ) airport - Palembang last week around 15:46 pm on a beautiful bright and clear afternoon’s sky on one side of the plane and a glorious nearly full of the evening rise on the other. Then I walked across the terminal’s hallway, which always makes me imagine I'm deplaning in 1996 or something. Merpati has taken me back to hometown again. My little sister Myra ( I call her Mimi ) and her mates were picking me up. Myra met me and we went on a hilarious streets series of Palembang’s inner city and new roads. There were so many alteration and huge development, since I was leaving this city more than 10 years ago.

Last time I was visiting this my hometown on last religious feast day of Idul Fitri end of last year, but I already miss ‘em again. Ow…Man, I just can’t believe that I will attended to the places which I’ve been visited in my childhood. The river bank, the downtown with wide road, the train tracks, motorways, transportations, busy traffic line where peoples chasing with the time, and the bookshops. This city growing much bigger and bigger. And you know, this homecoming journey has became an unforgettable emotional journey for me. Makes me always desiring home and home again. Even I’m only being here just for a week for my furlough, then immediately going back to Bandung.


If I should to leave this city for my dream’s reason, then I promise to myself to run into this city again someday. And I always want to get back, even if only on my mind.

But Taxes and airport fees,…never change! He he…he…

The adventure on the making of organic tea’s video profile

This is my adventures on the making of organic tea’s video profile production in Rancabolang’s tea plantation. Actually this production and shooting day of this video was executed on November 14th-15th 2007, and the video was already done since December 2007.

Before I’m narrated and telling you about my fascinating adventure in Rancabolang’s tea plantation, it is preferable for you to get little bit understand about tea. Tea was found unintentionally 5000 years ago in China. Since then tea has been familiar as a fresh natural drink, full of benefits and is placed second after honey as the classic taste of willpower. In 1865 an Englishman, W.E. Gladstone wrote about the characteristic and compliments of tea in a unique and exact way as follow : If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, tea will cool you. If you are depressed, tea will cheer you. And if you are excited, tea will calm you. Maybe now you are just realized the benefits of tea which is always we drink almost every morning.

Oke, this is the summary of my trip to the location of video shooting in Rancabolang’s tea plantation. We were drove our car from our office’s headquarter in Setrasari Mall complex after maghrib at 18:10 WIB to down town. Down strive to Prof. Dr. Sutami street aiming to our first destination : Cihampelas. Because some of our crews ( Mas Luky our D.O.P, Mas Khaidir and Ridwan our lighting man ) wants to buy jackets for their safety sake concerning to the freezing and extreme cold weather in Rancabolang. We were passing by Prof. Dr. Sutami street – Sindangsirna street – Setiabudhi street and then Cihampelas street. After establishing the choice we finally drop in to Korek Api Jeans store, Mas Luky, Khaidir and Ridwan jump in to the store selecting plenty of jacket. On our trip to Cihampelas, our driver Mas Nanang told to us that the weather in Ciwidey and mountain range of tea in Rancabolang so cold and freezing moreover at night and dawn up to mid day. So the story from Mas Nanang was frightening our crews that dwelling from Jakarta, and they hurrying to buy jackets because that’s better than dying coldness.

After we were finished about this jackets complication ( he he…he… ). We quickly moving up to Pasteur, striving to Pasteur freeway. We drove our car all along freeway and then exit to Baros 2 freeway’s gate. To avoid the jamming in Kopo street, we decide to take the road track to Cimahi right after we were exit from Baros 2. We getting drove our car on the road track of Cimahi, drove along Jln. Raya Nanjung ( Cibodas ) penetrated to Soreang, passing by the Jalak Harupat stadium and continuous straight to Ciwidey. There were lots of strawberries garden and then we were entering area of luxuriant forest with narrow land track and misty quiet night. Finally we were arriving to the location of Rancabolang’s tea plantation at 22:25 WIB. Oh my God, the weather and the air was so cold. That was freezing me to the bones, it was like in Siberia. To be honest we can not take the shower at night because ….Bbbrrrrggrr….grrrr! so maybe we can take the shower in daylight. But unfortunately the water was kept same cold in daylight. What…! Oh my God! I think we were caught suffering for our physical treatment. Ha ha…ha..ha….

Oke deh, lupakan aja penderitaan kami dalam hal mandi-mandi, airnya berlimpah tapi dinginnya itu yang minta ampun. Tapi menurutku keseruan dan keindahan alam pegunungan Rancabolang yang diselimuti oleh kebun teh ini jauh lebih berarti daripada penderitaan akan dinginnya air. Sejauh mataku memandang pegunungan itu seolah-olah dibentangi karpet tebal berwarna hijau. Keesokan paginya kami langsung beraksi. Pengambilan gambar di lokasi Rancabolang ini harus selesai dalam 2 hari.

Pagi itu pengambilan gambar dimulai dengan pemetikan, PT. Perkebunan Nusantara VIII menyediakan puluhan pemetik yang hari itu bisa kami jadikan talent. Pemetikan adalah merupakan kegiatan pengambilan hasil, berupa pucuk teh yang memenuhi syarat olah. Pengambilan gambar pada pagi itu sedikit terganggu oleh cuaca yang kurang bersahabat, pada pukul 09:30 WIB sampai 10:00 WIB kabut turun menyelimuti perkebunan. Dan sialnya setelah kabut menghilang giliran hujan yang turun, meski hanya gerimis tapi tetap saja menghambat. Dari scene pemetikan ini kami harus menampilkan visual secara keseluruhan mengenai teknis pemetikan dan kriteria pucuk teh syarat olah yang mana sama dengan pemetikan di kebun non organik, tetapi Sarana pemetikan yang digunakan untuk kebun teh organik harus tersendiri atau tidak digunakan untuk sarana pemetikan teh non organik.

Setelah pemetikan selesai kemudian beralih ke transportasi pengangkutan pucuk teh organik menggunakan truk tersendiri atau terpisah dengan truk pengangkut pucuk teh non organik. Tapi sebelum pucuk teh diangkut, pucuk teh tersebut ditimbang terlebih dahulu. Lalu pucuk teh tersebut diangkut dan di bawa ke pabrik pengolahannya yang letaknya juga di perkebunan Rancabolang tersebut. Setelah pucuk-pucuk teh tersebut tiba di pabrik, maka dimulailah proses pengolahan. Pengambilan gambar terus berlangsung, dan kami harus memindahkan dan mengangkut peralatan keperluan shooting dari perkebunan ke pabrik. Kemudian memulai pengambilan gambar proses pengolahan teh organik, yang mana pada dasarnya sama dengan proses pengolahan teh non-organik, tahapan prosesnya terdiri dari : Penerimaan Bahan Baku Pucuk, Pembeberan, Pelayuan, Turun Layu, Penggilingan, Oksidasi Enzimatis, Pengeringan, Sortasi, Pengepakan, Penyimpanan Teh Jadi dan Pengiriman ke pabrik IHT di Cibiru untuk dikemas dalam kemasan yang siap dipasarkan. Begitulah garis besar dari tahapan proses produksi video profile teh organik PT. Perkebunan Nusantara VIII yang kemarin aku lakukan. Tapi untuk implementasi dan eksekusi pembuatannya sangat melelahkan. Tapi sebaiknya and melihat video jadinya aja deh. Video ini dibuat dalam dua versi : bahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Inggris.

Rumah Bagus

Rumah bagus is an enchanting handicraft store. Selling a lot of various handicrafts and gifts necessities with various prices. I love to visiting this store, I like the inner nuance of this store. Like I was being in a fantasy toy store, like I was being in Willy Wonka’s factory. The reason why I was so often being in this store, to found is there any enchant and unique things that I can buy.

And you knows,…. by chance of coincidence that this store is very close with my office in Setrasari Mall complex. Only separate by several block buildings. So sometimes I was paying a visit to this handicraft store after my lunch time. If you are looking for some gifts and presents for your girlfriends or families, you better check out this store. You might be found some nice things to give away.

Great Beyond in 2008

The glittering of New Year’s night is identical with fireworks’ festivity and trumpet. I’m actually don’t know about the purpose of why peoples blow the trumpets with high pitched sound and assembling crowded in the centre of town. But I think in here the sound of trumpets so worst, irritating my ear. I hate the sound of small trumpet, No…actually it’s not a trumpet, it is more likely I call it a thing with the shape of small tube or pipe that can be blow, and when they blew it I hate it very much.

In this city ( Bandung ) where I live, last night was rain. So I think the lustrous of celebration New Year in the centre of town was not so merry and absorbed, because splash of rain. But for me and my families the celebration of New Year kept attending a meaning of persistence and togetherness in my families. Last night we celebrate New Year by booking a place in one of resto in Dago street area, with nuance of family’s concord. We were commit a pray to Allah SWT, cheers, and enjoying the meals and banquet. We don’t pay any attention to the sounds of brawling trumpets out there.

So my friends, with my humble respect allow me to wishing you a Happy New Years 2008. peoples in here in Indonesia says “Selamat Tahun Baru”, peoples in Germany says “Glückliches Neujahr”, peoples in Italy says “Buon Capodanno”, peoples in France says “Bonne Anne”, and peoples in Holland says “Gullukkig Niuw Jar”. All those celebration expression had the same meaning, hoping for the best and good luck for the year to come.
We might hope or expecting the glittering celebration of New Year like in Times Square New York, like in Copacabana beach in Brazil, like in Harbour Bridge in Australia, like in London or Paris. But the most important is in 2008 that the world should be live in peace and become much better. The United Nations has proclaim that 2008 is the “INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANET EARTH”, with noble purpose to protect planet earth from all forms of damages that created by humans and industries.

Oke, sahabat…..selamatkanlah bumi kita ini. Sidang Majelis Umum PBB telah menetapkan bahwa tahun 2008 adalah INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANET EARTH. Tujuannya adalah melindungi bumi dari segala kerusakan yang dibuat oleh manusia dan industri.

Good luck in 2008!