Saturday, January 31, 2009
Video (16): The soundtrack of Mission Impossible with Angklung
A great angklung performance by the Indonesian university students from Bandung Institute of Technology in West Java, Indonesia.
Video (14): Indonesian children playing angklung
These Indonesian children were playing an Acehnese song, Bungong Jeumpa. They were playing in Saung Angklung Udjo (Udjo's Angklung house), Bandung, West Java.
ANGKLUNG: A Special Musical Instrument from Indonesia
Angklung is an Indonesian musical instrument made of bamboo. It is originated from West Java. It
makes sound when the instrument is shaken. The bamboo tubes are attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved and tuned to particular resonant pitches.
Each angklung instrument only has one particular note, so we have to play angklung together in order to play a song. Angklung demands excellent teamwork. In addition, each player can only play the instrument when his or her note is played. This requires attentive listening, sensitivity, and patience.
The angklung is played by shaking the instrument side to side. One hand is holding the angklung firmly, and the other hand shakes the instrument.
Angklung is a versatile musical instrument. It can be played with other musical instruments, such as bass, piano, drums, etc.
We can play many different types of music using angklung, from the old Elvis Presley songs to the current hits, such as Rihanna's Umbrella song.
It is fun to play angklung! In this picture, the President of Indonesia, Mr. Yudhoyono, and the Japanese Prince Akishino play angklung together.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
INTRODUCTION TO BATIK INDONESIA
Batik is an Indonesian national art form. People have used and produced Batik for centuries in Indonesia. Batik has been the trademark of the Indonesian clothing apparel.It is a wax-resist dyeing technique that is
usually used on textile. Melted wax is applied to fabric before dipping in dye. The dyeing color will not
penetrate the waxed areas. When many colors are applied, the batik artist has to do a number of waxing, dyeing, and drying.
There are three types of batik:
- Batik Tulis, or handmade batik. It is made by handwriting with softer motive. Wax is applied using a small dipper called "canting."
- Batik Cap, or stamped batik. It uses a stamp, which made of copper, as a tool for putting the wax on the cloth.
- Batik lukis, or painted batik. It uses wax for painting spontaneously and rapidly.
Batik patterns can be divided into several categories:
1. Geometric motives.
2. Non-geometric motives (floral or animals patterns).
3. Pinggiran motives (edges ornament, border ornament, corner ornament).
2. Non-geometric motives (floral or animals patterns).
3. Pinggiran motives (edges ornament, border ornament, corner ornament).
Batik was first known in old palaces in Java, especially Yogyakarta and Surakarta palaces. The artists only used the handmade batik, and the coloring materials were the natural ones, either from animals or plants. The colors were first limited to soga (reddish brown) and nila (indigo-blue). Later Batik spread out to other parts of Indonesia, not only in Java, but also to Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Video (10): An excellent badminton RALLY
An Indonesian badminton's mixed double is showing great defense skills against the Chinese opponents. What a great rally!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
BADMINTON AND INDONESIA
Badminton is a very popular racquet sport in Indonesia. It is the sport where many Indonesians feel very proud of because we have
won many major international championships from this sport, such as the Olympic gold medals, world championships, and other major badminton tournaments.
In a badminton game, two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court divided by a net. Players collect points by striking a shuttlecock with their racket so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. A rally ends when the shuttlecock has struck the ground.
Badminton has been an Olympic sport since 1992. It plays five events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles.
Badminton demands good eye-motor coordination and excellent fitness. Players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed, and precision. The strength and agility of the wrist helps develop sophisticated racket movements.
Indonesia is the badminton powerhouse. Indonesia has produced a great number of top male and female badminton players in the world. One of the Indonesian great badminton players, Taufik Hidayat. He won the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta, 2004. He became the World Champion in 2005. Let's watch one of his great games.Saturday, January 24, 2009
THE RAFFLESIA ARNOLDII
One of the most famous plants of Indonesia is Rafflesia Arnoldii. It is the world's biggest flower. Like orangutans, you can only find this special flower in the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. This flower can reach 3 feet in length, and weigh 24 pounds. It is also known as the "corpse flower" because it smells like rotting flesh. This attracts insects to come to the flower, and they can be trapped inside it, and then the flower will consume the animals.
INDONESIAN FLORA
Locating between two continents, Indonesia is one of the largest biodiversity in the world. It has about 40,000 species of plants, and at least 15,000 are only found in the Indonesian islands. Speaking about diversity, there are about 2,,500 different orchids in Indonesia!
THE ORANGUTAN
Another endangered species that native of Indonesia is orangutan. They are large apes that live in the islands of Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sumatra. Orangutan means "the man of the forest." They have a large body, long and strong arms, short legs, and no tail. they are about 2/3 size of a gorilla. They are shy, solitary, but very intelligent animals. About 97% of its genetic components are very identical to humans.
THE KOMODO DRAGON
One of the famous reptiles that can only be found in Indonesia is Komodo Dragon. They are the biggest and heaviest lizards on earth. A grown-up Komodo Dragon can reach up to 11 feet in length, and weigh 450 pounds. There are about 3,000-5,000 dragons left in a few islands in Central Indonesia. Their population is getting smaller and smaller. In fact, they are one of the Indonesian endangered species.
INDONESIAN FAUNA
Indonesia is home to a large variety of big and small animals. 
Some of them are: tigers, 
Some of them are: tigers, elephants,
rhinoceros,
orangutans,
birds,
reptiles,
amphibians and
fish.
OBAMA IN INDONESIA
Did you know that President Obama used to live in Indonesia? After getting divorced from his Kenyan father, Obama's mother, Ann Dunham married an Indonesian student, Lolo Soetoro in Hawaii.
They moved to Indonesia in 1967. President Obama spent four years in Indonesian elementary schools in Jakarta. The first one was St. Francis of Asisi Catholic school (1 year), and the second one was the Besuki Public School (three years).
He was known as Barry Soetoro, and was a very smart, friendly, and sociable boy. He was very good at math and drawing. His friends were impressed by his ability in drawing Spiderman and Batman.
After winning the presidential election, the Indonesian current president, Mr. Yudhoyono called Mr. Obama to congratulate him on becoming the 44th president of the USA. President Obama said that he missed
nasi goreng (fried rice),
rambutan (a tropical fruit native to Indonesia, similar to lychee),
and
bakso (Indonesian meatball soup).
PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO
The current Indonesian president is Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He is a retired army general. In the 2004 presidential election, his party only won 7.45% votes. However, through a direct voting system, he decisively defeated Megawati Sukarnoputri, the incumbent president, because he was a more popular figure to most Indonesian people. He was seen as an intellectual with very good communication skills. Mr Yudhoyono spent some of his education in the United States. He took a number of military courses at Fort Banning, Fort Leavenworth, and took a Master's degree in Business Management at Webster University, Missouri. The next presidential election is in April 2009, and Mr. Yudhoyono is going to run again.
THE INDONESIAN PRESIDENTS
Since its independence in 1945, Indonesia has had six presidents. They are
Sukarno (1945-1967),
B. J. Habibie (1998-1999),
Sukarno (1945-1967), Suharto (1968-1998),
B. J. Habibie (1998-1999), Abdurrahman Wahid (1999-2001),
Megawati Sukarnoputri (2001-2004),
and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2004-present).
Megawati Sukarnoputri is the Indonesia's first female president. She is the daughter of the Indonesia's first president, Sukarno.
THE WORLD'S THIRD LARGEST DEMOCRACY
Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world. It is a republic with presidential system. in the 2004 election, for the first time the president and the vice president were elected directly by the people. The president serves for five years and may be elected for only once more. The voting age in Indonesia is 17 years old.
There were more than 30 political parties in the 2004 election, but only 7 were quite dominant. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose party only won 7.45% of the votes for parliament seats, was elected as the president. Indonesia follows a direct voting system, and Mr. Yudhoyono was a very popular candidate and ran a very successful campaign.
The next election is in April 2009.
AN INDONESIAN SONG: SATU DUA TIGA SAYANG SEMUANYA
This song is a very special song. It is about loving your family; your mother, father, and siblings. Let's learn the song and sing along!
SATU SATU AKU SAYANG IBU
DUA DUA JUGA SAYANG AYAH
TIGA TIGA SAYANG ADIK KAKAK
SATU DUA TIGA
SAYANG SEMUANYA
(One one I love my mother
Two two I also love my father
Three three I love my siblings
One two three
I love everyone)
AN INDONESIAN GAME: SUITAN
Let me introduce the Indonesian version of rock-paper-scissors game. We call it "suitan". We use our fingers, the thumb, pinkie, and index finger.
The thumb represents "gajah" or the elephant; 
the pinkie is "semut" or the ant, and the index person is "orang" or the person/human.
How to play
Face your partner with your hand in front of you in a fist. Then count to three together, and open your hand showing one of the three fingers (thumb, index finger, or pinkie). If you both show the same finger, then play again.
How to win
- Gajah (elephant) wins over orang (person) because the orang can be trampled by the gajah.
- Semut (ant) wins over gajah (elephant) because semut can crawl to the gajah's ear, and tickle him to drive him crazy.
- Orang (person) wins over semut (ant) because orang can stomp on semut and squash it.
Now, let's play and have fun!
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