2014 IN REVIEW

Finally it's 2015! Below are my best reviews in 2014. Hope we get much better in 2015.

Latvia, became the first nation who join EUROZONE in 2014.

EBOLA outbreak begins in West Africa.

image source: nbcnews.com

Viktor Yanukovych, former Ukraine President, removed, amidst heavy riots protest. This protest lead to annexation of Crimea.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 missed around the Gulf of Siam. But, lately, in the end of March, Malaysia Airlines announced that MH370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

image source: en.wikipedia.org

The South Korean ferry, MV Sewol, capsized and killed more than 200 people. This accident made the Prime Minister Jung Hong Won resigned.
Hongkong protest following the decision of Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on electoral reform regarding future Hongkong Chief Executive and Legislative Council election.

Windows XP update program was ended this year. XP officially died on April 8th.

Thailand's coup after Royal Thai Army overthrew the caretaker of Thai government.

Islamic State in Iraq and Syiria (ISIS) founded. ISIS' getting stronger this year.

image source: nbcnews.com

Another Malaysia Airlines, MH 17 crashed near Ukraine-Russia border. All the passengers and the crews were died. The Ukrainian government didn't shoot the plane neither did the separatist rebels. As the result, Ukraine closed all the routes in the Eastern Ukraine airspace.

Fuad Masum was elected President of Iraq

Jokowi was elected as President of Indonesia.

image source: msn.com

El-Sisi was elected as Egypt's president.

Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel died after being in a coma for the past eight years.

One World Trade Centre opened in September 11th ground zero.

Janet Yellen succeded Ben Bernanke as a new chairman of FEDERAL RESERVE (The Fed).

It's a 25th anniversary of Berlin wall and Tiananmen Square massacre.

source: msn.com

Such a grimp year for aviation. Indonesia Air Asia flight disappeared en route to Singapore from Surabaya. It crashed around Karimata Strait.

IMAGE SOURCE: thehackenews.com

SPORT

2014 Winter Olympic was held in Sochi, Russia.

image source: blogs.wsj.com

Luis Aragones, former SPAIN national team coach, died on the first day of February. He won the UEFA EURO 2008 Cup with the team. That moment became the beginning of Spain's success recently.

Alfredo Di Stefano, Real Madrid's legend, died at the age of 88 due to cardiac arrest.

Zanetti and Veron announced their retirement this year.

Eusebio, a Protuguese legend, died in the age of 71.

Real Madrid won Copa Del Rey Barcelona 2-1. Real Madrid finally made their 'La Decima' dream come true. They beat Atletico Madrid in UEFA Champions League final.

image source: article.wn.com

Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Ajax Amsterdam, Manchester City, PSG, Juventus won the league.

Amazing FIFA World Cup 2014! Germany was the best in this tournament; devastating Brazil 7-1 and becoming the champion for the fourth time.

image source: blog.wsj.com

All England 2014 result gave a great memory for Indonesia; Tontowi and Liliyana made their hattrick (3 years in a row) while Ahsan and Hendrawan was successful in destroying Japanese couple.

David Stern, former of commissioner of NBA, resigned on February 1. He'd been making name for NBA.

Wimbledon Championship's titles were won by Novak Djokovic in men's single and Petra Kvitova in women's.

image source: sportsworldnews.com

San Antonio Spurs defeated Miami Heat in 2014 NBA Finals with 4 wins.

ASIAN GAMES 2014 Incheon with China as the champion collected 151 gold medal.

Marc Marquez won Moto GP twice in a row.

Lewis Hamilton became the champion of F1 this season. Been a great year for Marcedes, too.

image source: blogs.wsj.com

THE AMAZING TRANS STUDIO BANDUNG

Ever been in Bandung yet?

Were you visiting Trans Studio Bandung?

So unlucky if you miss this site. Just so you know, Trans Corp. built Trans Studio in Makassar before. It means, this is the second Trans Studio. It's officially opened for the first time on June 18th 2011.

This theme park is unique. I know it's not any better than Ancol Dreamland (it's just my opinion). Still, it's indoor and unique. Well, it's something like an integrated theme park. It has 27 rides and other facilities. Well, it's divided in some regions; Studio Central, The Lost City, Magic Corner, and some restaurants and especially merchandise stores.

The main attraction is the roller coaster, of course. But, it will be closed at 18.00-18.30. Are you a kind of daredevil? Try Giant Swing! You'll surely feel the tension. What about 'Dunia Lain'? It's the name of TV programme, Trans TV's programme exactly. Yes, Trans Studio is one of Trans Corp's subsidiaries, besides Trans TV. Dunia Lain is a horror ride. It's a worth visit.

If you search something spectacular, I can suggest you to visit The Special Effect Show (Open in certain day), Superheroes 4D, or Kong Climb. You can also take your children here to improve knowledge. Yes, take your children to Science Center.

Really want to come in here? Go to Gatot Subroto Street no. 289. The location is integrated with Trans hotel and Trans Studio Mall. 

#VisitIndonesia #VisitBandung #VisitTransStudio

A GOOD DAY TO ENJOY BALEKAMBANG PARK

Another tourist destination in Solo! It's a great opportunity to join the Management Student Summit in Solo last year. We had a field trip to Balekambang Park, a huge park located in Ahmad Yani street. This park's opened at seven o'clock and will be closed at six in the afternoon. You can consider this park as a city forest because it's green everywhere. But it's not only about plants. You can find animals, too. I think this park is like nature, education, and  art combined.

Two thumbs up for this park! I saw the great balance between ecosystem and recreation. Deer and turkeys are the example of the goodness of the habitat. And it has a pool at the back named PARTINI TUIN. Based on what I read on the internet, Partini was one of KGPAA Mangkunegara's daughters. The pool's beauty was completed with Partini's own statue. You can also enjoy the pool by boat.

There's one more statue; PARTINAH's statue. It's located in PARTINAH BOSCH, an area in which the trees grow well. I admit it, I liked the park simply because of the trees. Talking about art, this place has a little amphitheatre. There was a traditional dance practice when I was there. Since it's a multi-functioned place, we can even had a wedding party here. So, if I ask you "what are you going to do at Balekambang Park?", what will you answer me?

SEMARANG, THE CITY WHERE I WAS BORN (part 2)

Wow, it's rainy here. Flood's everywhere, including Semarang. Rainy season hits Indonesia for months but Semarang won't let you down with some spectacular tourism destinations. And now, we'd tell you about Lawang Sewu. Why Lawang Sewu? Because it's the icon of the city and the location is easily accessible; it's in downtown of Semarang. The entry gate faces Tugu Muda roundabout. Yes, lawang sewu means thousand doors. Some said that Lawang Sewu is  scary especially at night; it will fill you with extra horror.

Let me tell you the truth. This "haunted house" was once a Netherland railway company office. So, no wonder if this place now exhibits the history of railway evolution in Indonesia. The classic-style building gives an advantage for the photographers. I think the building is perfectly complete. It has large attic and complicated underground tunnel system. The guide said that the underground tunnel was used for something like cooler. It worked out only when rainy season came.

Everything changed when Japan invaded Indonesia. Japan turned the basement into a horrifying prison plus the execution place. As the time goes by, after a rejuvenation, it's now one of Semarang's tourist attractions.

Nowadays, you'll need more than a word to describe this site; spooky, beautiful, complicated, sophisticated, and historic, of course.

HOW TO REACH BANDUNG WHITE CRATER (KAWAH PUTIH)

HOLA!

Greeting from Paris Van Java!

This was an unforgettable moment to visit Kawah Putih (White Crater) in Southern Bandung. We just couldn't stop feeling of awe enjoying the panorama of Kawah Putih. The sites impressed us. We arrived in Bandung via KIARACONDONG Station and made a trip by public transportation.

We firstly went to Leuwipanjang to get another transportation to Ciwidey, you can easily find this transportation outside the railway station. Yes, Ciwidey is the name of a region where Kawah Putih located. But, you will have to get another public transportation to go to the gate of Kawah Putih (See the explanation below). Want to know how much money did we spent to get there?

1. From Station to Leuwipanjang costs Rp 7.000,- (less than one US Dollar)

2. From Leuwipanjang to Ciwidey costs Rp 10.000,- (around one US Dollar)

3. From Ciwidey to the gate of Kawah Putih costs Rp 9.000,-

4. Last, the entrance ticket costs Rp 28.000,- (except you bring your own vehicle)

It's something unique, we learned that we had to go to the crater by Onthang-Anthing, the traditional transportation. That's why we paid Rp 28.000,- to enter the site. BTW, the charge can't be compared to the view. You can stay there for hours for taking some pictures. So, when will you get there?

CHENG HO'S ANOTHER LEGACY

Still remember one of the great legacy of Cheng Ho in Semarang? Sam Poo Kong! A muslim Chinese admiral, Cheng Ho had left some mementos to us to remember his merit.

Now, in this post, we'd like to tell you about his another legacy. Let's go to Surabaya, capital of East Java. Here, we have Cheng Ho mosque. This mosque is so beautiful. You can use some words to describe it; amazing, colourful, and it's quite oriental. You'll find many Chinese-style decoration here.  You can see the greatness of Cheng Ho painting beside the mosque. The point is, you should visit this site if you're in Surabaya. The location is accessible, it's in the middle of a residence in Genteng or to the north of the city hall.

Nowadays, since the mosque is small, they expands the area that it has larger capacity for Friday prayer which involve a big number of people. It turns out Palembang has a similar mosque to Surabaya. By the way, if you pray here, you'd find numbers of muslim Chinese.