Views around Bogor Katulampa Dam

These photo series were captured about one month ago. The Dam is located in my city (Bogor, West Java, Indonesia); it takes about 30 minutes car-ride to reach the place. Allow me to mention again a little information about the Dam here. Built in 1911; the Dam becomes so crucial in rainy season; because it controls the flood (from Ciliwung River) that comes to Jakarta (capital city of Indonesia).

The dam starts its alert condition since the water surface level is above normal height (80 cm). Can you see the colored water-level board? If the water level continues high (red color water level), it can be predicted that the flood will arrive at Jakarta in eight hours ahead.

My entry for Watery Wednesday

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Changing Life of a Parent – Just a Joke!

It’s said that being a parent can change your life totally. A baby’s presence in a family affects every family member. As you have baby 2, and then baby 3, the way you deal with the child also changes significantly.

It’s just jokes about changing life; that you will experience as becoming mother/parent. Don’t think, just read and smile.

Your Baby's Clothing:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed.
2nd baby: You wear your ordinary clothes for as long as you are able.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes are your ordinary clothes.

Getting Ready for the Day of the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing as often as possible
2nd baby: You don't bother practicing your breathing because you remember that last time, breathing didn't help at all.
3rd baby: You accept an epidural injection as soon as it is offered.

Diaper :
1st baby: You change your baby's diaper every hour whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if required.
3rd baby: You change their diaper when others start to complain about the smell.

What Activities Do You Do with Your Kid?
1st baby: You take your child to the Clinic, the Gym, the swimming pool and the Library for story time.
2nd baby: You take your youngster to the Clinic.
3rd baby: You take your child to Hypermart.

Baby Sitters:1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter you call home 4 times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

How You React When at Home with the Baby:1st baby: You spend a great deal of time every day just gazing lovingly at your baby.
2nd baby: You spend some of everyday keeping an eye open to ensure that your eldest child isn't squeezing, poking or hurting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend some of every day hiding from the children.

Source: guy-sports.com

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Black Marble Angle Fish

It’s a beautiful name for fish, right? We have several angle fish in our fresh water aquarium. Sorry for unclear photo, I still need more learn and practice, hehehe. I love seeing their movements in the water, so graceful.

I share here a little more information about this fish (source: petpig.com). Angel Fish are named after their calming and graceful motions. Their body, if seen from the side, looks like a broad arrowhead. Their dorsal fins are long and narrow, and they have little pectoral fins. Marble Angel Fish get their name from the marbled spots of silver, black and white on their scales.

The Marble Angel Fish is one of the most good-looking freshwater fish available. Their delicate fins and slim, flat body are very nice to look at. Don’t you agree? They have good temperament. If raised in a community tank/aquarium, the Marble Angel will accept other fish well. If you put into your aquarium at a mature age, Marble Angels will try to dominate smaller fish. This may effect in fighting and injuries. However, the Marble Angel Fish will seldom kill another fish. So, buy the younger ones!

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CC: I will Do It Tomorrow

How many times do your hear an answer,”Okay, I will do it tomorrow” from your spouse? I hear it often from my hubby, hahaha.

“I will do it tomorrow” or “I will do it later” has become my hubby’s habit. Sometimes I just let it; but when it comes to urgent things, I must remind him often, before it’s getting worse. If you have the leak in pipe at home, it can’t wait until tomorrow, right? When it comes to urgent things, he seldom says, “I’ll do it later”. He usually fixes the problem right away.

In our early years of marriage, this attitude can make me so annoyed. But it’s not anymore now. I guess like other wives, I get used to it. Though it’s not as often as him, sometimes, I say that as well. So, both of us, do the same ‘mistake’; if it can be assumed as one of our daily mistakes.

I think as long as we can decide the priority of things that happen in our marriage life, it would be all right if we postpone do something, as there’s more important thing that needs to be done first.

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Splash Moment

It’s nice to see playing children. I captured these photos at a water channel near Katulampa Dam, Bogor, Indonesia. The weather at that afternoon was so bright. Several boys were playing and swimming on the water channel.

One boy is brave. He loves jumping into the water; he did it several times. What a splash! For them, there’s no need to go to swimming pool to have fun with water!

My entry for Watery Wednesday

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Beware of Cyber Stalkers in Facebook!

If you’re an Indonesian, perhaps you followed the news about Devi Permatasari, 13 years old, a second grade Junior High School student in Bandung who has been kidnapped for about two weeks by a guy that she met in facebook. I’m so glad it ended with happy ending. Police can successfully save the girl at the kidnaper’s house at Oct 21th 2010 and now he’s in jail. It was the right time operation, as the bad guy – Taufik Hidayat- wanted to sell Devi to other bad men.

This crime can be assumed as cyber stalking, a new type of computer related crime going on in our society. In general terms, cyber stalking is when a person is followed and pursued on line. The victim’s privacy is assaulted and their every move is watched. It’s usually occurs with women, or children who are stalked by adult predators or pedophiles.

Cyber stalkers meet or target their victims by using search engines, online forums, bulletin and discussion boards, chat rooms, and more recently, through online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and many other more. In this case, Devi met the cyber stalker in facebook. Taufik Hidayat (23 years old) faked his identity and pretended as a student of a favorite senior high school named Reno. Cyber stalkers will do and offer anything to attract the victims!

Devi is still a naive girl and she has no idea what really happened. She believed every thing ‘Reno’ said. She is more attracted to ‘Reno’ after he promised to buy her a blackberry phone and give money Rp100.000, - (about $10-11) every day. That’s why – when ‘Reno’ asked her to meet for the first time at Oct 5th- Devi felt very happy and told one of her friends that she will meet the great and kind guy. Based on her friend’s information about ‘Reno’, the police can catch the kidnapper.

As parents, you can’t watch and protect your children, especially your daughters, every minute. I think Devi’s parents don’t know much about internet and facebook so they don’t give related and enough information to build their daughter’s self-awareness.

If your daughter has been told to be always aware and alert while doing online and every where, the kidnap won’t happen. She will keep personal information, won’t be easy to trust someone that met online, won’t be easily attracted to any interesting offer, and won’t be brave to meet the guy just alone.

Always remind your daughter/child to use internet technology with smart and high self awareness. Alert, alert, and alert!

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A Little More about Ants

We, human, love and also hate ants. Why? Ants perform many ecological roles that are beneficial to humans, including the control of pest populations and aeration of the soil. For example, these ants in the photo are ‘eating’ pests on our guava tree. But on the other hand, ants can become trouble when they attack buildings, your homes, your foods, or cause other economic losses.

Like all insects, ants have six legs. Each leg has three joints. The legs of the ant are very sturdy so they can run very fast. If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse. Ants can pick up 20 times their own body weight. An ant brain has about 250 000 brain cells. A human brain has 10,000 million so a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same size brain as a human. Interesting fact, isn’t it?

The regular life expectancy of an ant is 45-60 days. Ants use their antennae not only for touch, but also for their sense of smell. The head of the ant has a pair of large, strong jaws. The jaws open and shut to one side like a pair of scissors. Adult ants cannot eat and ingest solid food. Instead, they swallow the juice which they squeeze from pieces of food. They throw away the dry part that is left over. The ant has two eyes, each eye is made of many smaller eyes.

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