Mahkota Lamps and Antiques, Jakarta Indonesia

It has taken me nearly 3 years to get around to it, but I have finally made time to visit this lamp shop. I drive past at least once a fortnight and have always wanted to go in and shop till I drop browse.

The lamps start out a shinny yellow brass and gradually age to a wonderful dark colour and I want one of each lol! Small lamps start at about 200 000RP (US $21) and go up to 2.5+ million RP for the giant ones (US $ 260+), bear in mind that this is the ‘blonde’ price- it’ll will vary with the colour of your hair i.e. the lighter the hair the higher the price lol

I saved these images a couple of months ago when they were featured on one of my favourite design sites, as they suit a Queensland, Australia tropical home. These photos show what can be done with a well chosen lamp, or two or three……

Ben Stiller’s home for sale, www.hollywoodspanishestate.com
Photos by Everett Fenton Gidley, www.efg3.com

There are no marked prices and the price fluctuates every 2-3 minutes so be prepared to bargain. The shop assistant speaks good English, much better than my Indonesian.

The address is JL Pangeran Antasari # 64 (close to the JL Cipete Raya intersection) Cipete, ph 021 7590 2663

  These photos were all shot on my mobile phone, the colours were much more vivid in real life.

iPod Touch

I am a late starter to technology. I have only just got the hang of sms!
I mentioned back in 2007 that I still got up and changed the CD in the player to listen to music.
It all changed at Christmas 2007 when the kids got a Wii. This was the start of a new era of embracing electrical devices.

Then GJ bought me a iPod for listening to my uni lectures and it was a hit, and so the girls got one for their birthdays.
For Christmas 2008 the kids got a Nintendo DS, now they don't have to be the "only kid in their group of friends with no technology".

Disclaimer: no DS at home or at school, only during travel time and when all homework and sport is done, yada yada yada.....

GJ did a little upgrade for me as a surprise Christmas present...an iPod Touch.

I did not think I needed this at all...but the more I use it the more I heart it lol.
I think GJ is also a little in love with it too. The iphones are still far too expensive for us to justify one, but it certainly is on GJ's wish list for 2010.
This model has wi fi so I can read and send emails, surf the web, share my photos as well listen to music and uni lectures (as long as I can connect to a wireless network, they are not 3G). I just have to work out which of my 16 204 stored songs I can cull down to the 7000 I can load at one time. I also need to find a decent cover, the only one I could find was a shocking pink one, I look like a socialite wannabe when I get it out.

I read a very interesting article in a Sydney paper about a school in Singapore using iPods as a teaching tool. Here are some information about schools trialling this new technology.

http://ipodject.pbwiki.com/schools
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=98595
http://www.apple.com/au/education/ipod/lessons/

When I looked around for a university to do a teaching degree with, I wanted to find one that was not stuck in the past with its methodology. Whilst I think the basics of literacy and numeracy are of crucial importance in education, I think the style of teaching needs to change to reflect what kids are like in the current digital age.
The uni I attend stresses the importance of understanding the world we currently live in as well as keeping up with the changes that are shaping the future.

I did some interesting subjects last year on how many current schools are designed and managed often the same way they were 50 to 100 years ago.

Here are some excerpts from my work:


There was a diverse array of information included within this topic. The first reading for topic six (Reimer, E.1971) was very startling. Reimer was comparing schools to total social institutions such as prisons, armies and insane asylums (pp: 24-25). ..


I realised that there must be a point for me to have read this chapter so I started to Google. I wondered how old Mr E Reimer was when he wrote this book and if his own education had coloured his perceptions on the role of schooling in society. Once I found the book reviews from amazon.com (appendix) I started to appreciate why we needed to read this chapter. Reimers view of schooling, while extremely radical, is very thought provoking and encourages the reader to look at schooling from a society’s point of view and rethink why we educate as we do. Reimer states that schooling promotes an institutional mindset, which stifles real learning. The school becomes a dominant force in the lives of students, conforming the student to society’s values and social hierarchies. One point of this article, a reference to data from Jerome Bruner, tied in well with the topic of motivation; the data suggests that the more relevant the environment is to the concept/lesson, the more effect it has (Reimer 1971). This relates to making the lesson more authentic, i.e. more relevant and interesting to the student in a real life situation. ..

The next reading, Re-Thinking Today’s Secondary Schools (Groundwater-Smith 2008), was a very different viewpoint: schools haven’t changed much over the last two hundred years, the look of the schools and even the subjects taught are the same. Styles of teaching come and go but learning still goes on. I have just completed an assignment on the effect the micro chip has had on society in the areas of communication, information and education for FDN115. In the last fifteen years micro chip technology has redefined how our society communicates and the amount of information that is available is astounding. For example, I was able to learn the relevance Reimers chapter in about two minutes using the internet. Even though technology has redefined most parts of society, schooling is still relatively the same as it was fifty to one hundred years ago in regards to its core subjects of literacy and numeracy...


The students of today and tomorrow need to be educated for careers that don’t even exist yet. Careers that a student might decide on early in their schooling could be obsolete before they graduate. Teachers of today need to set up strategies to encourage the students into a pattern of life long learning. The days of leaving school and getting a job and staying there for the whole of your career are gone. I discovered this six years ago when my highly sort after and extremely specialised, work skills were rendered useless by the advent of the digital camera. A once iconic company, Kodak, is now a mere shadow of its former self due to not keeping up with the rapidly changing technology. ..


As times change, schooling needs to change. Teachers need to be digital natives not digital immigrants. With all these new technologies the basic need for literacy is still present, but the understanding of the new applications is needed as well. The theme of the classroom still being the same as in the previous centuries has weaved through this entire unit. The slides from this lecture showed actual examples of how the classrooms are set out, the similarities are obvious. I think that by the time I graduate there will be a lot of changes. Most of the readings and references of the last few topics have all been written in the last few years, the focus of current research does seem to be shifting towards embracing the technological age. Embracing the future, becoming a ‘futurologist’ is the key to engaging students in life long learning and making them want to come to school every day. Modern schools need to embrace the new technologies into new multi-modal lessons, using technology to adapt traditional learning outcomes to outcomes that are suitable to a rapidly changing future.

It feels quiet strange to put some of uni papers on my blog. I have an invitation only blog that I publish all my uni work on, but I have been encouraged to share a bit more here by my two best proof readers/ critics/ experts lol.


So, using my female logic I have managed to justify my love of my new iPod touch with a genuine need for it, for educational purposes of course!

iPod Nano

I have mentioned before that we are not quick to embrace new technology....

I have about 7 hours of lectures a week to listen to as well as many hours of research at my desk.

My bottom is protesting......and spreading........ So GJ surprised me with an iPod.

Georgia is pea green with envy.

There is just one problem...oh my goodness there is no instructions...well there is, you have to go on line to get them and go from page to page following links. With the annoying little question all the time of "did this help/answer your question" LOL

Once I work out how to load it, I might be able to work out how to listen to it. Then I might be able to get off my arse!


MMMMM I wonder if GJ can build a desk on my treadmill???????

GJ got the drill out

I have had a few things framed over the last six months and GJ finally had time to get them all hung. Most of this is in our bedroom, I have run out of wall space downstairs.
The batiks are old, sourced from around Indonesia by my regular dealer Pak Anis.
Anis attends most of the ladies bazaars around town and can do a private showing if needed.
The little acrylics are from a street vendor in Jogjakarta, I think I paid 14 000Rp each, around $1.55. They are exquisite and quite textured.
The little shelf is from ibu Sabine and is just perfect next to my desk.

Thin bookcases

I have had some bookcases made, and I am most impressed!
Roberts furniture made them for only slightly more than road side vendors quoted. They are made from aged teak and come with a guarantee.
I have made them the exact size for books and DVD's. No wasted space or dust collection areas.
The cases are only 20cm deep and shelves are 25cm apart for paperbacks and DVD's, 30cm for hard covers.

I am now 32+++

This was my surprise birthday presents.
I have long admired these over-sized goblet ice bucket and now have my very own!
I was asked if it was for a very large greedy serve of champagne.... I have been to a few parties and seen these filled with ice with a few select bottles!
The picture frame was also a nice surprise. I was fascinated when I first saw these months ago and set about folding paper to achieve the same look at a fraction of the cost...to no avail.
I can not make my hands do what my brain wants them to do, they are craft challenged fingers!

The ++++ in my title refers to the practice of adding a ++ after the price on just about everything in Indonesia.

In Australia we are used to the advertised price being all inclusive. Here the final price can be over 21% more than the advertised price......sales tax as well as service charge need to be added.

I have decided to adopt this practice for my age, every year is just another +

Ibu Sabine

I was introduced to a lovely elderly German lady last year, Ibu Sabine.
Sabine and her husband moved to Indonesia in 1962 and have the most amazing collection of Indonesian art and furniture. Sabine's dream was to retire with a business restoring and selling furniture and objet d'art.
Unfortunately her husbands failing health has made this impossible. Sabine is selling off her collection to finance a move back to Germany to get the appropriate health care for her husband.

Most of the building materials:- original carved doors, stained glass, teak windows etc have been sold. There are still many chairs tables etc. Every time I visit there is something new to look at.
As it is still the rainy season most of the art is still in storage. Come March Sabine is going to get out the art and batik for viewing.
Sabine has had a man working for her since she arrived many years ago and she has trained him in restoration. Once you decide on purchasing something Pak Atmore will schedule the work and call when finished.

Before shots

After shots

Ibu Sabine is relying on word of mouth to get customers and lives in South Jakarta, in the vicinity of the zoo. If you, or someone you know is interested in being introduced to Sabine please email me and I will pass on the contact details. Sabine, naturally, is fluent in Bahasa Indonesian, German and English.

Nikon (Nikkor )18-200mm AF-s DX VR lens

I received a combined Valentines and early birthday present!!!!!! (March the 5th...)

I got i!!!!!!!!!!!! I got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and it was a surprise!!!!!!

GJ bought me my dream lens, the 18-200mm.

This means no more changing lens, this lens does it all!

I have had only had about 5 minutes to play with this lens so far...these are the results.
I did take photos of the kids, all with their eyes closed or closing and a very sharp emphasis on runny noses....I will try again later.

First opinion......

• A heavier lens than I expected, the weight was the first thing I felt; however this is a very big lens and is to be expected. This is considered to be one of the lightest lens around.
  

• Focusing: slightly different to what I am use to, when I viewed these results the focusing point was different to what I was aiming for. This will only take a short while for me to get use to.
  

Once again the best deal was from JPCKemang

The great Wii saga.......

Shhh don't tell this story to my in-laws and Robbie in Brisbane. I will explain why later.



We decided to enter the game console market this Christmas and after much MUCH discussion we decided on a Nintendo Wii and then let Santa know.

The reason we went with the Wii is that the operator has to move, there is not much sitting down and vegging in front of the screen. There is a sensor that picks up movement that sits on or below the TV screen. The kids play golf, boxing, bowling dancing and many other games and they are moving at all times!


We started to investigate units here in Jakarta and found 2 types, the Japaneses model was cheaper but set up was all in Japaneses, although games played in English. There was an US console which was far more expensive and requires a power thingy as the power was different to Indonesia. With all these products I would have no idea whether or not I was buying an original licensed product, that worked and had a warranty.....



Then there was the good old Target Australia Christmas special games bundle. We went with it, Dear in-laws family A purchased it for Santa and Robbie delivered it to us, sans any clothes because there was no room left in his luggage after loading up 3 large boxes......


The kids were delighted!!!!!!!!!! they had a game console...Santa was VERY clever.
We soon ventured out to get some more games, the unit only came with 2. We stocked up and found out that no games in Indonesia play on our unit.....real or copies.

It has something to do with Pal/Nstc regions........or gobbledygook. My options were to give my unit over to one of the shops and leave it with them for a few days to "modify"it and then hope that the games would work.


Based on previous experiences in Ratu Plaza I was not overly fond of that option, who knew what I would get back!
Plus there was no guaranty that any games would work.


I checked up on the trusty Australian Target web site and found games retailed between $50 and $100+ EACH. Even the original, authentic games in Indonesia cost much less than that.
To buy 4-5 games in Australia would be the same as buying a new unit.


So we have been sitting on this information for 2 weeks now not knowing what to do.
We finally made a decision yesterday on what to do...


This is the bit where you can't tell SHHHHH

My in-laws gave up a Sunday morning to face a CROWDED Westfield Mall 2 weeks before Christmas to purchase the unit.
Robbie gave up clothes in his luggage to deliver unit.....


I went out and bought a whole new American unit yesterday, and games and dance mats and power converters...we now have a Wii that plays games and that the kids are ecstatic with and a forlorn Wii that will sit in a box in my cupboard until I can work out what to do with it.

I feel cranky and sick about the wasted time, money and effort and I want to blame in on someone or have a hissy fit. But who?

Chillies by Nikon DX40

I am just loving my new Nikon.
Even GJ is getting into it.
I was always the one who took all the photos, now I have to ask for the camera while we are touring.

I would really recommend this camera. I do want the 18-200 mm lens though, it would be so much more versatile (I don't like changing lens while out, I am paranoid about dirt and damage).
Maybe for next Christmas.

Nikon D40X, 18-55 +55-200 lens

The girls and I had another practice session with the new camera.
I love the results.
I always like to do a practice run to see what background works best as well as to see how light is working.
Now I need Ben awake and in the mood to cooperate!

Guess what I got yesterday....

Click here to find out the answer....
I wasn't even trying with these, I just was getting a feel for the lens.
The girls are already groaning in anticipation about the hours they will have to sit through.

Nikon D40x verses Canon Rebel XTi DSLR

I have decided to get a new camera.....
I had at least 4 SLR's at home in Australia which I never used as they were film styles.
My Nikon f301 in particular was magnificent and I had some great lenses. But the lens were manual focus and besides who wants to shoot in film any more.

Its all about digital.

It is very funny that I should say this as digital is the reason that GJ and I don't work for Kodak any more......The Film Superstar company is now a washed up has been........You can read my post about it here

I also had 4 digital cameras before we left...we are down to three now.
My latest is not bad, a Casio Exilim EXZ60. The size is EXCELLENT as it fits in my handbag and I take it everywhere, but the quality is not as good as my Kodak DC 6490 (older version of this). The Kodak camera has a Schneider quality glass lens.....and 19yrs @ Kodak taught me that it is all about the lens. The lens gives you the clarity and colour. Cheap glass is like looking through grimy windows, you just can't see clearly.

Now that we are living in one of the most diverse and beautiful countries in the world I think I need a bit of an upgrade.

I have only got two in mine, unless someone else can suggest an alternative.

Nikon Dx40 probably upgrading to the 18-200mm lens....from experience I don't change lens.

Canon Eos 400/Rebel XTi


I started this post yesterday, and have spent lots of time researching and looking for links and am pretty sure that I have decided on the Nikon D40X with the standard kit of 18-55mm + 55-200mm, with an option to upgrade to the 18-200 at a later date.

The Nikon used a SD card, which I prefer over a compact flash card. My laptop only has a sd port, and this is an advantage when traveling.

I used Canon cameras many years ago when I shot studio portraits (before digital and even auto focus lenses had been invented) and used Nikon for outside work; I like the feel of Canons but the results of Nikon's. I have been outside the industry for too long and have not kept up with the technology; so I need some help.....I also don't take photos like a photographer any more, I take photos like a mom with a good eye...LOL
Please fell free to leave a comment or drop me an email with your opinions.




Edit: I got it...Its GREAT, FANTASTIC. I went with the Nikon twin lens kit. First photos here. When the first shoot is done I will link here as well

Credit card fraud in Indonesia......at Ratu Plaza

It has happened again.....if my card is used to purchase jewelery worth $5500. I want to be the one wearing it!

We are hyper vigilant about using our cards in Jakarta.

I only use them at Sogo, Metro, Hero, Kemchicks, Ace and Duty Free.
I think that will now stop as well.

This time we are pretty sure where the cards were swiped. GJ went out on the weekend and picked up a web cam microphone set and didn't have 700 000RP, so carded it........

Computer shop+Indonesia+ Credit card
= $5 500 worth of jewelry

So my best advise is.....be careful at Ratu Plaza

Once again our credit card bank has been excellent.
The bank stopped the card and was on to us within an hour of the transaction being made.
Now we have to have new cards issued and work out a collection point that the bank is happy with (hard in Jakarta).
We need to fill out all the paper work etc etc.
And then we will be reimbursed.
Luckily I use another bank for our cash.....and NEVER use its card in Indonesia.

Antique Java rice hopper / Antique Teak Jodang (Dowry Chest)

We have bought a new coffee table; our first ever good one.

We have made do with a cheap and nasty one for years while we waited for the perfect one.

This one is magnificent and has a dual purpose.

This is an antique Java rice hopper, a storage bin for rice OR a Jodang, a dowry chest. It is made out of teak and has heaps of interesting bangs and dents. It is big enough for many, many pizza boxes and drinks. It is also great for sitting on to watch TV, or so the kids think!

The dual purpose is also magnificent, it is our new naughty corner...........it can fit all three kids inside.

It was a hit at the party where all the kids had to have a turn locked in!

I think that if GJ is naughty or needs time out I could fit him in as well!

Shameless show-off

I can't help my self from showing these off, I just got them from the framers today.

I bought these antique fabrics last month at a private showing at Mrs A's house. They are from Sumatran wedding pillows. I am still researching the exact names, origins and uses.

The first photo is a Tirai cloth from Sumatra, it is still being finished (I will post a photo in all its 2.3m glory next week)

I had them framed properly as they are so beautiful and I want our kids and grand kids to have a beautiful piece from our life in Indonesia.

The photos don't do the colour and vibrancy justice. Now I just need GJ to get out his drill and hang these on our solid brick walls.

TIRAI CLOTH OF SUMATRA

This information is from Mrs A

Tirai are found especially in the Lampung coastal region and in central Sumatra, but show up throughout most of the island. Tirai are wall hangings, usually about 30 to 60 cm wide, and ranging from one meter to 10 meters in length - though this last is unusual. A very common size will cover the top frame of a standard window, about 1 1/2 meters, or a door, about 1 meter. They're often red, with covered with elaborate embroidery. Many have a row of richly decorated hanging strips (shaped very much like the end of a man's necktie), in reds, blues, yellows, greens and white. They have a vivid, festive grace.


Ornamentation on a tirai is often of metallic threads, couched onto the fabric base. Flowers and birds are favorite designs, as are geometric patterns. The base is often velvet, stiffened with layers of newspaper, coarse stiff fabric, or simply multiple layers of muslin, and then backed with either plain cloth or a piece of batik which hides all the embroidery stitches and stitches securing the stiffening, sequins and other decorative items on the tirai.


Tirai were hung for both ceremonial and festive occasions. Honored guests would be met in a home hung with tirai, as would college graduates, wedding parties, etc. The house would be decorated with tirai also for selamatan. Not every homeowner would have enough; so they were often borrowed for special occasions. For this reason many tirai have the owner's name in indelible ink on the reverse side.


Tirai are an interesting example of 'travelling cloths'. They look very like the mirror work so famous in Gujarat, and mimic very neatly the toran door cover and chakla window covers popular there. The original cloths, and possibly many still found in Sumatra, came from India. Their popularity and the difficulty in getting a steady supply of cloths from far-away India, however, ensured that they were soon produced in Sumatra as well.

Flower sellers at Kemang

These aren't very good photos as I took them out of the car window as we were driving past. It does however show you the colour and vibrancy of what is available. One tip is that the lily's are imported and the seller wanted 300 000RP or $50 for a double bunch, so stick to local grown varieties.

Freakonomics

Wednesday 16th May 2007

I know what I am, but I do struggle with not being stuck in a box so to speak.
I am an Australian mum of three surviving on one wage, paying off a nice home in the suburbs, trying to provide our kids with all the opportunities we can. But I don’t want to just be the sum of this; I still want more out of life.
I like to do things that challenge, make me think and get outside the square and live a global life.. (Although the blonde streaks and giggling after only one glass of champagne could refute this). One e.g. of this is our move to Jakarta
A quote that I found a while ago sums it all up for me,

"Twenty years from now you will be more
disappointed by the things you didn't do than
by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."
--Mark Twain

I am not interested in TV that makes me think; to me it is for escapism and light entertainment. I like reading things that make me think. I like blogs because I get other peoples real life thoughts, feelings and views. I also have a very eclectic taste in books.
I have just read a book that is amazing for its difference-ness. Although I no way draw all the same conclusions that the authors do, I did find it SO compelling and fascinating.
Their author’s conclusion that pro abortion laws are the most indicative reason for the falling crime rate in USA is fascinating.
Some of the chapter titles are
What do School teachers and Sumo wrestlers have in common?
How is the k* klu* klan like a group of real estate agents?
Why do dr*g de*lers still live with their moms?
I recommend this book just for the “turning on your brain’ aspect, as well as the interestingness.

One of the things I admire most about GJ is his very logical, lateral thinking. I am always mad as hell when I analyze a problem and miss the lateral solution and then he walks in and solves the problem. (When I get it right over him, you will hear me roar with joy across the planet, it does occasionally happen LOL). We are a good mix, I am very empathic, I feel the needs, and he sees the problem and the solution so usually we fix the problem and the needs, so to speak. This is a book that is like lateral thinking, it makes you take a sideways step and look at things differently.
I have really enjoyed reading it and are delighted to find out that the authors have a blog, which WHEN I FINALLY HAVE THE BLOODY INTERNET BACK ON, will explore fully.

My beautitful birthday present from Janny and Tan Tan

Thursday 17th May, 2007

This is my birthday present from Janny and Tan Tan. We have named it Pondok Indah (beautiful hut). Jan and Tan wanted to get me something for my special birthday which I could keep for years to come.
I had been admiring this chair for weeks each time I drove past the shop and decided it would be perfect.
The kids love it, last weekend both the girls slept in it for the whole night. We have tied a sheet around it to make it into a fairies home!
I finally got my turn alone in it yesterday. Every time I go to sit quietly inside the kids see me and come and join in for party time. Ben was engrossed in Thomas the tank engine, the girls were on the computer, dinner was cooked so I seized the chance-a good book and chilled glass of wine with the internal light on. Yes, Pondok Indah has a light built into the top!
I had half an hour of bliss me, me, me time.

Edit, I have had another half an hour in Pondok Indah......