I'm back in the blog...

The pixes below should be after the text. Since I'm not good at downloading pixes I kinda got them all over the page. Sorry about that. But don't forget to read the text, OK...

At Malioboro, the famous night market street in Jogja with my sis and colleagues.

This mosque in Semarang was built based on the design of Masjidil Nabawi in Madinah. So beautiful and grand...

My sister and I with our Borobudur tour guide, Atin

Me, almost reaching the nirvana. I'm on the 6th level of the Borobudur. Behind me are the stupas where can find statues of Buddha in them.

No, not the railing. The main object in this pix is the mountain at the back. It's Gunung Merapi, one of the few active volcanos in Indonesia

One of the restaurants where we had our dinner while in Jogja. Very cozy but the food was nothing near Sintok's worse!

Outside the Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik (FISIPOL), Universitas Gadjah Mada in Jogja where we had our half-day seminar.

My sisters and adik tiri on the Keraton ground. Behind us is one of the several "balai" used for royal audience or any other ceremonies.

Outside the Keraton, a royal palace. The royal aton family still leaves there.

It's been so long since my last entry. Gosh, with the facebook that was introduced to me by my closed friends, I temporarily found that updating the blog was a burden and I stopped doing that for a while. But then, one can only depend so much on fb, which I've just discovered off late after having difficulty getting access to the chatspace for the past few days. Don't know why. So much for broadband! Fb is a nice space to hook up with friends and even some long lost friends. In fact I have several friends from the past who had dropped by. So nice...

Anyways, I guess writing in the blog gives me more satisfaction as I'm able to write and share more. Maybe not many of my friends read my blog anymore but that's ok. However, if they want to know more about my whereabouts and whatabouts, then my blog would the best source.

Eversince my last update, quite a number of interesting things have happened. I was in Gemia Island in Terengganu for a short but wonderful vacation. The tiny island itself was beautiful. Clear water, colourful fishes, tiny but clean beach, cosy room and some gorgoeus food. I have to say, that was my first island holiday and it was a blast for me. I have never had an island holiday before although I live just an hour away for Langkawi. Surprise? Don't be. I was never tempted to go to Langkawi because I felt the island was so commercialised that it has lost its beauty. Most of all, I hated salty sea water. But then how would I know if I've not been there, I mean really there enjoying what the island's natural beauty could offer? I have been to the island but only for a short time, mostly as a shopper, not a tourist. So I don't know how much satisfaction Langkawi can offer a person like me. Gemia was different. It has no shopping outlets only the nature for you to savor, and I certainly did. A friend said to me, if you've been to Gemia, you wouldn't want to go to any other island. Well, maybe. But I would love to go to Sipadan. And I just might some day.

Back to Gemia. It was really a fantastic experience for me. I went on a trip to "candat sotong" or catch cuttlefish. I caught seven big ones... that was after feeding them with a good "bait", hhahahaha. I also tried snorkeling, a first after much coaxing from friends. It was fun except that being in the sea with a life jacket and not knowing how to swim gave me a creep. I always have a fear for deep water. Anyways, Gemia was a first for me in many ways - my first island getaway, first experience being on a fishing boat in the middle of the sea, first "mencandat" experience and first time snorkeling. Thank you to those who have made this holiday a happening one.

A week or so after Gemia, my UUM colleagues and I went to Indonesia on official visits to several universities there in Jawa Tengah. We visited Universitas Gadjah Mada in Jogja, Universitas Diponegoro in Semarang and Universitas 11 Maret in Solo. A very interesting trip this time, I must say. We had a similar trip a few years ago to Bangkok but to me, it was not as enjoyable as this one. In fact it was not enjoyable at all. In Gadjah Mada we had a joined half-day seminar with the faculties from the FISIPOL. Although a few of UUM papers were good, but those from UGM to me, were fantastic and very well-defined. Maybe partly because those papers were about cultures, a topic that I like so much.

On the way to Semarang, we stopped at one of world's famous heritages - the Borobudur. I got the chance to climb the temple. Although it was not something that I looked forward to doing during the trip, but hey, it was already right in front of me! Should I just ignore it? Of course not! I managed to reach the nirvana, the topmost level of the temple and snapped some pictures as proofs that I was there. Not bad for a 40+ woman with bad knees huh!

Well, those two trips kinda filled up my leave from the office. It's nice to be able to get away from the books and the computer for a while to do things that I hardly get to do. And now the thought of doing all of those again or something of the similar surely turn me on. Ask me if I want to go for another getaway and I will surely say YES! .... if the time and price are right.

Right now I am embarking on a new project. If everything goes well, I'll be doing a lot of deco-hunting within the next few months. I guess this year, although has been a hectic and heart-aching one where work is concerned, it has also been a happening, fulfilling and rejuvenating one so far. I surely hope for more wonderful things to come my way in the next few months...