Adisutjipto Airport Yogyakarta after Merapi Volcano Eruption

This afternoon (Oct 31th, 2010) I went to Adisutjipto Airport (IATA:JOG) because my sister go to Kupang for social work duty from Bethesda Hospital, Yogyakarta.

Airport surface clean from Merapi sand, because airport authority cleaned it in the morning after eruption that cover Yogyakarta with volcano ash (30/10). The airport authority closed the airport for 2 hours. All flight operated normally except all Garuda Indonesia flights diverted to Adisumarmo (IATA:SOC) airport, Solo.

Eruption of Merapi Volcano, Yogyakarta

This early morning at 2.00 GMT+7, our family wake up because ash rain of Merapi Volcano eruption. My house is about 20km north west of the volcano mountain.

A lot of people around Merapi in radius of 3-5 kilometers lost their home because of hot cloud from Merapi. More than 10 killed in the accident, including Mbah Maridjan, the legendary gate keeper of Merapi.

Merapi is nice mountain to visit when in silent condition. I hope everything is fine and everything will be back soon.

Read Book About Medical Tourism

I very interested with Medical Tourism the topics. Western patients are increasingly traveling to developing countries for health care and developing countries are increasingly offering their skills and facilities to paying foreign customers. This is more than 20 billion dollar business and the expert said that the amount double in 2010. From simple health care like spa to big surgery. In Thailand they offer sex change surgery! OMG!

So, if you want to do a Medical Tourism, or you just want to cure your sickness together with traveling, I recommend you to read these books before booking a seat:

Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value ofAny Asset Aswath Damodaran

This day, Friday Pon, is my lucky day. After put and paid the order last week, I got the book Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value of Any Asset Second Edition, written by Aswath Damodaran.

I use this book to learn business valuation. I hear that many business appraiser using this book to valuing a company or business. This book explains the valuation process from the ground up and offers you some of the most flexible approaches to valuing assets.In fact, the valuations will be constantly updated online, so you can have a closer link to real-time valuations.

The book is printed in black and white, so everyone can easily to copy and there are so many soft-copy of this book that can downloaded on the Internet. But, to respect Mr. Damodaran's work, I advise you to buy the original version at the local bookstore or buy online via website.

This book is a paperback with 992 pages published by Wiley, 2nd edition (December 21, 2001). ISBN-10: 0471414905 and ISBN-13: 978-0471414902.

Get the book at Amazon:
Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value of Any Asset, Second Edition, University Edition

Herbal Medicine to Cure Cough and Pneumonia

The main secret and miracle of sickness is on the medicine located near of us. So, if you got cough in Indonesia, the natural herbal medicine / remedies is just around your house.

Mayana (Scientific name: Plectranthus scuttelarioides (L.) R. Br.) is ornamental plants that growing around the house in Sulawesi and Philipine. With the beauty of it's leaf, the leaves have potential ability as a drug. Researcher said that Mayana leaf works to heal bruises, contusions, swellings, and headache (Source).

Toraja people eat the Mayana leaves as a vegetable for everyday meal. If you have severe cough and pneumonia, you ca try eat Mayana leaf. It has bitter taste, but efficacious to cure the cough and lung disease. Some people cured with just one week, but some people with severe disease can took up to 3 month of consumption.

Why Miracle Happen in Chile but US Economic Still Heading to Failure?

Too skeptic with my question? I have two different stories to share with you about this week. First, story about successful rescue to 33 miners at Chile. Thirty-three miners were found alive after 17 days trapped in a collapsed mine. Hopes are high on the ordeal of 33 trapped gold miners. The result, all of 33 trapped miners successfully evacuated from the depth of 700 meters below ground.

Second, US Financial Crisis resulted in the collapse of large financial institutions and downturns in economic growth around the world. Some of economic actors too greedy. They want more money without supported with the fundamental by created system that generate economic bubble. Then it created big economic disparities between rich and poor countries because they use almost all money in the bubble schema then it blew up.

So, what is the moral of the stories? The main keyword is hope. In the first case, hope are high, everyone pray for successful of the evacuation processes. The second, not all nations agree about US to be recovered when they still greedy and arrogant to other nations.

Urban Development and Urban Management Course

Urban growth and the concentration of people in urban areas are creating societal problems. Today I learn from Dr. Socia Priharwanto about urban economics. The problem with urban development and urban management lies on characteristics of the urban society itself.

The main characteristic of urban environment are:

Horizontal growth exceeds vertical (urban sprawl)
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses (e.g. stores and residential), and various design features that encourage car dependency.

Center of urban activity (CBD: high density, traffic jams, pollution, industrial)
A central business district (also called a central activities district) is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. Thamrin, Sudirman and Kuningan District is the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia. This area began to be developed by the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno around the year 1950, together with the Jakarta plans to host the Asian Games in 1960.

Specialization and segregation of land use
1. Innovation of technology and transportation systems
2. The separation between the residence to the workplace
3. Rapid development of CBD

Stability and land-use change
Land use in urban area changed from it's first use to another. For example, farm field modified to be a residential, or industry area based on urban planning. Historical land use patterns together with current trends in a region can be used to create model of future land use.

Create Small Business and Home Business Idea

I want to spark-up you mind with question from me about small business is: why small when you can create big home-based business?

Many of family wish to have home-based business to create added value and revenue. But, without good planning and management, the business will go to the great destruction. Not all home-based people know about business and management, or maybe know business and management but won't start because fear of failure. That should not become obstacles to starting a business.

So, what is the business idea from my mind?
1. Agency / Reseller
You can sell everything from your home using internet or sell anything to your friends and neighbor. You just find what they needs, then you creating or find products that match with their requirement. You can get some fee from the sales.

2. Handicraft
My neighbor at Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta do some handicraft job. They get material from the agent, create the handicraft (wallet, imitation flower) at home then the agent will pick it up and they get fee from the job.

3. Writer
You can write a book or articles then send it to publisher and you get some fee. Or maybe write good articles and put it on you blog. If your article is good, you will get many readers and you can get revenue from advertising.

That just some small idea. My answer for my own question above: do not be greedy, start with small things, then stepped into a big thing, but the main key of business is start now.

How Can Yogyakarta Citizen Enjoy Thailand Without Having Travel to Thailand

Thailand is one of exotic destinations in Southeast Asia. The government is improving their support in Manufacture Industry and Tourism.

Some of real estate developers at Yogyakarta give family travel package for their customer as bonus. Few years ago, they offer free travel to Singapore and Malaysia for everyone who bought their real estate products. But now, with price war or airline tickets, and free fiscal for Indonesian citizen (registered tax-payer) who want to go abroad, travel is cheaper. Then, the trend in 2010 is a free travel to Thailand.

Special Region of Yogyakarta Province have 3185.80 km2 area and about 3.4 million population. Yogyakarta also have main revenue from educations service and tourism. There are so many students (domestic and foreign) studying at Yogyakarta.

Got Free Google Adwords Voucher Code Indonesia

Yesterday I got mail (not an email) from Google with information about Google Adwords. I already have Adwords account few years ago to promote Global Intermedia. The fun thing, Google gave me free advertising voucher in the amount of ID 400,000. I think Google have my address from Google Adsense account.

After I read carefully the steps inside the mail to enter voucher code in the Adwords account, I dissapointed, because it written that voucher can only used on a new account (maximum 14 days old).

Anyway, thanks to Google for offer me free voucher.

Our Family Go Green by Using Electric Bicycle

Electric motorcycle is one of a wide range of electric powered vehicles. For automotive enthusiasts who follow the development of technology has certainly know that almost all the leading automotive companies compete to create vehicles with alternative power sources other than gasoline or hydrogen fuel cells.

This morning our family have new member, a Betrix The Ice. The Ice is an electric bike made in Taiwan. The seller said that by using this bicycle, I only cost me IDR 500 (USD 0.06) a day for maintenance. Compared with our car daily use (IDR 25000 / USD 2.7 a day for just gasoline) and after did some math and calculation, I got cost about IDR 4000 a day until it's my-own-estimated terminal value. We finally decided to buy this electric bicycle for daily use, because my home to my workplace is only about 7 km and I promise to reduce the cost of car use to compensate with daily cost of Betrix. I hope it will reduce the total of my our family spends each month.

Betrix have so many variants, including electric scooter. But, I prefer using The Ice, because it's like a bicycle, rather than scooter or motorcycle. After I tested the cycle, it have maximum cruising speed 40 km/h and maximum cruising range for about 60 km.

Before decided to buy electric vehicle, our family decided to buy a conventional bicycle, but after knew that the pricing is almost same compared with Betrix, we decided to buy this. I think we have no problem with conventional use of Betrix by cycling it using our foot because our family do routine exercise using 'bike simulator' (this is an fitness/fat burner toolkit but I call it simulator) everyday and burn about 50-100cal.



With my Electrical Engineering degree, I have crazy mind that someday after the guarantee card is expired I'll put some solar cell charger into its body, so it will charging in daylight without need external power except 'hybrid power' with my foot.

Integrated Underground Map of Indonesia

Everyone know that our governments (central or regional) have lack support for asset management. This including planning, development, and maintenance.

What is in your mind when I said the word 'underground'. Underground community? Underground music? NFS Underground game? I don't talk about them. Since I got real estate valuation an asset management course from MEP UGM, I want to start idea about asset management in public sector of Republic of Indonesia.

The main problem of planning is no integration between department. Public sector projects dig soil more than one time. First, they dig soil to create drinking water infrastructure that provided by local water company (PDAM - Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum). After the water company hoard the soil, then electrical company dig the soil again to put electrical cable infrastructure. This is not the end, because after that process, telecommunication company dig the soil again to put their communication cable. After that, oil company dig again to put oil pipe.

Then, the nightmare will be happen. Sometimes, because their mapping not integrated, there are infrastructure damage. One of the example, when local water company dug the soil, they accidentally cut the cables of telecommunication company. Or, property developer dug soil to create building foundation, then make damage to water pipe.

The source of this problem is because lack of planning. Every department think that every job is a project. Projects mean money. The other problem is lack of documentation. After regeneration process (maybe the old staff who created the infrastructure already retired or move to another department, the successors don't know where the cables or pipes are located.

The solution? First, every department should have coordination when do some project planning, so, they just dig soil one time and everything will put together. How about maintenance? Government can coordinate to create integrated underground infrastructure map using Geographic Information system (GIS), so each one know where is their infrastructure, so when someone late in a project, then need to dig soil again, they can know what are the infrastructures that located under the ground to avoid damage.

Did We Met Celebrities at Pesta Blogger Jogja 2010?

Pesta Blogger (Blogger Party) Jogja has been held at 8-9th October 2010. With "celebrating diversity" as main topic, this blogger party put together online and offline community to be unite.

Maybe you know Herman Saksono (with his unfamous scandal), Shrivastava Agatha (Mbakdos), Ronny Agung Rahmanto (Ronny Lantip, nearly-insane web designer/programmer), Atika N (Tikabanget, TK-25256 with 'ituh' posting), Thomas Arie Setiawan (one of first bloggers from Yogyakarta), Nurudin Jauhari (with his online revenue), and other persons who attend Jogja Blogger Party 2010.

The fun thing at the party is someone said to me that he met celebrities at Pesta Blogger. From world dictionary I got the meaning of celebrity:

celebrity — n , pl -ties
1. a famous person: a show-business celebrity 2. fame or notoriety

From Wikipedia:

A celebrity (sometimes referred to as a celeb in popular culture) is easily recognized in a society or culture. Generally speaking, a celebrity is someone who gets media attention and shows an extroverted personality.

Wikipedia support my thesis that most people at Pesta Blogger Jogja 2010 are celebrities, because most of them are easily recognized in blogger society. Maybe taxy driver at Jombor Bus Station near my house did not recognize them, but people in the blogger community may know them and became fans or follower.

Computer have screen like TV. Our unconscius mind maybe have 'automatic consideration' that every person that shown at TV screen are celebrity. Internet already make history that person can be famous just posting something unique content on the Internet. From Yogyakarta we have Tony Blank (prolove separatos!) with his video on the internet (I regret he did not come at the blogger party).

So, why did you not write on a blog or create someting valuable in the internet to be a celebrities? However, thanks to a committee of the party who've worked hard for the success of this event. Great job!

Thanks to XL123, Global Intermedia, BlogDetik, Plasa, SPBU 44.551.11, IDWebhost, Ganti Baju, Dagadu, Bakoel Tiket, Centro, Petak Umpet, Joglo Mlati, Kedai Kopi, Pino Jaket and other sponsors that support the committee.

Flood Disaster and Memory of Wasior, Teluk Wondama

I received the sad news that Wasior hit by flash floods at Monday, October 4th 2010. Flood destroyed almost all infrastructure and killed more than 100 people. Nearly 4,000 residents were evacuated to Manokwari and Nabire.

I once visited Wasior in 2006. At that time they're starting to build the infrastructure, because Teluk Wondama (Wondama Gulf) is a New Regency. Wasior is a place with beautiful sea views with a backdrop of mountains near Nabire. Wasior can be reached by ship from Manokwari with about 15 hours. Wasior has a harbor that could accommodate large ships from PELNI. This place also has its own airport which can be reached by small aircraft (Twin Otter, Pilatus Porter, Cessna Grand Caravan) from Airport Rendani, Manokwari with about 40 minutes.

I pray that Wasior will soon recover and I am sorry for the victims of flood disasters. Here are my photo memories when visited Wasior at end of year 2006.

How to Get Cheap Airline Tickets from Garuda Indonesia Airways

As national flag carrier with first class services, Garuda Indonesia offer ticket that more expensive than other Indonesian airlines. To compete with other cheap airlines, Garuda Indonesia have subsidiary called Citilink. But, from my experience, there is a way to obtain cheap airline ticket from Garuda Indonesia.

Garuda Indonesia have economy and business class. I will not review about business class. My first and last seat in business class was on December 2008 from Jayapura to Jakarta, and the price was hurting my pocket! For economy class, Garuda Indonesia have fare class H, V, B, Q, N, K, L, M, and Y. Fare class H is cheapest and class Y is most expensive.

There are few tricks to booking cheap ticket from Garuda Indonesia:

1. Do booking long time before departure date.
Book for about 3-4 weeks before departure to get seat available. But, sometimes, you can go online and do booking in before departure at 4 AM (GMT+7), because they sometimes open promo tickets in that hour, but it too risky. You even can't get a seat if in peak season.

2. Booking via internet
After open Internet booking service, Garuda Indonesia provide promo class H and V only on Internet booking. Always check best deals on the Garusa Indonesia's website, and if you have a lucky day, you can get cheap ticket. The requirement is you should have credit card that allow online payment. But, friend of mine don't have a credit card, then he book it on the website, get booking code, then call the Garuda Indonesia call center 0804 1 807807 or +62 21 2351 9999.

3. Direct booking in the local branch
Sometimes local branch can issue a cheap ticket, but it's very rare. Once again, if you have lucky day, you can get promo ticket from the branch. But, too often check fare in branch is embarassing, so to check good price anytime, check via their website. The exception, if you have relative or friend in Garuda Indonesia company, you may ask them for a cheap tickets.

Happy booking and have a nice flight!

Health Insurance for Travel Abroad

One of the problems that exist in traveling abroad is a health issue. To avoid this health problem, we must not ignore health protection.

We must provide health insurance for travel abroad. This insurance can be very useful if something happens to us. Many people who travel abroad without health care insurance, and when they fall sick, they do not have a way to pay for treatment. Health insurance for travel abroad is a must and you should never travel without one.

Health insurance for foreign travel will include medical assistance you need. This means it will take a fee like going to the doctor, pay for prescription drugs and / or hospital. You should take health insurance depending on which country you want to visit. If you go to developed countries where health care is good, you take the insurance that only covers the cost of treatment. However, if you're planning a trip to developing countries, you should make sure you take a broad health insurance which includes evacuation if necessary.

Most travel insurance on offer valid for travel around the world. There are valid for one trip for two weeks, a month, or more. There is also a travel insurance valid for travel several times within a certain time. Like all insurance, you also need to carefully read it. Is insurance included bungee jumping or whitewater rafting? Are there certain countries that at a certain time are exempt from insurance?

Some travel insurance also offer extra features, for example: repatriation of bodies, evacuation, including bringing family members to accompany you in the hospital. Some have insurance that provides cash when the departure is delayed, or lost luggage.

Medical Tourism in Southeast Asia

I have friend who regularly go to overseas to get medical treatment. In the tourism sector, it called medical tourism. Medical tourism is practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care. In the Southeast Asia, there are some countries that provide health-care for foreigner, including: Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore.

I want to review one of developing country that provide medical tourism. Thailand is a good example, because they offer world class services with reasonable rate. Treatments for medical tourists in Thailand range from cosmetic, organ transplants, cardiac, and orthopaedic treatments to dental and cardiac surgeries. Treatments for tourist also include spa, physical and mental therapies.

The main challenge for countries that provide medical tourism is accreditation. The medical service provider should obtain good reputation with international standard, so the patients can enjoy the service without fear of malpractice because the physicians hold professional certification.

Travel to West Papua and Papua New Guinea

Papua was divided into 2 area, namely West Papua (Irian Jaya, Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea. The land boundary between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea stretches for some 750 kilometers located straight at 141 degree East. Maybe border between Papua and Papua new Guineae is most straight country border in the world.



People in West Papua speak with Indonesian Language and people in Papua New Guniea speak English. So, if you want to travel to Papua, you should know where the country is. If you want to go West Papua, you should have VISA from Government of Republic of Indonesia. If you want to visit Papua island in the east area, you should have permit from Government of Papua New Guinea.

Sometimes if you accidentally landing in Indonesian area and then you want to continue journey to Papua New Guineae, you can get permit from Papua New Guinea embassy at Jayapura, so you can visit Papua New Guinea from Jayapura using car to border area in Wutung then enter Papua New Guinea with pass from the Embassy. The after entering Papua New Guinea area, you can rent a car that already standby in the border area and continue journey to Vanimo for about 4 hours. From Vanimo, you can fly to Port Moresby using Air Nugini.



The problem with straight border is, some villages in border area located in both country. So, it's very difficult to determine nationality of the people in the villages. In the border area there are tade between both country. Many people in Papua New Guineae using Telkomsel (Indonesian GSM/cellular provider) to communicate each other in border area. They also buy electronic and other goods from Indonesia in the market in Wutung. It's very easy because we don't need Passport to walk across the border in about 500 meters area. The market located inside the area. Just get permit from Army and border security by showing ID card the we can go to each other and shopping in the market.