The Batik Crocodile

 This batik crocodile from Thailand

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tsunami hits japan (photos)

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Devastating quake, tsunami hit Japan

The biggest earthquake to hit Japan since records began struck the Pacific coast in the country's northeast. Tsunami waves are hitting a wide-ranging area from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south.

The Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific side of the country. It is also urging people to stay on guard against aftershocks.

The agency says the magnitude 8.8 earthquake focused off the Tohoku region hit at 2:46 PM at an estimated depth of 24 kilometers. The quake is the largest Japan has suffered since records began about 140 years ago.

The quake triggered huge tsunami waves. A tsunami higher than 7.3 meters crashed into Fukushima Prefecture. Tsunamis higher than 4 meters were recorded in other districts of eastern Japan.

The agency says tsunami waves over one meter high were observed repeatedly on Saturday morning.

Some tsunami data remains unknown due to equipment glitches. The agency says it is possible that tsunamis higher than 7 meters could have engulfed the coastal region.

Friday's massive earthquake has been followed by what are believed to be aftershocks with a magnitude of around 7, mainly on the Pacific coast of Japan's main island, Honshu.

A strong quake and aftershocks hit central Japan early Saturday morning. Nagano Prefecture experienced a quake with an intensity of 6 plus on the nation's scale of zero to 7. A quake with the intensity of 6 minus jolted Niigata Prefecture.

Seismic experts say the series of quakes on Saturday are different from those on Friday along the Pacific Coast.

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How to Keep Healthy and Be Happy

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• Exercise at least three or four days a week.
• Get your body accustomed to healthy food, and eat moderately!
• Sleep at least seven to eight hours every night, and go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
• Be positive.
• Keep busy.
• Be social.
• Stop worrying.
• Steer clear from gossip and slander!
• Avoid anything that disturbs your health and happiness!

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Tex Saverio, A New Rising Star in Fashion World

Upon entering Tex Saverio’s workshop, one is struck first and foremost by its grandeur. The high ceilings accommodate large mirrored walls and the numerous mannequins show off an assortment of imposingly elaborate gowns. One, in ashen grey and charcoal black, resembles hell fire licking the body from its long train to its enclosed throat, conjuring up images of Dante’s Inferno. Each of the gowns is as unique as the designer who created it.
“I want to design for a woman with a strong sense of character, one who knows what she wants and would not be overwhelmed by the dress,” said Saverio, who usually goes by his nickname, Rio.
With his petite frame rigged out in rocker black, shaggy crop of hair and pale, vampire-like skin, Rio defies expectations. He may resemble a rock star, complete with a vivid phoenix tattoo on his arm, but he designs clothes solely for the female form, inspired by his love of fantasy.
Rio first burst onto the scene at a joint fashion show called Rejuvenate in July 2010, sending shock waves through the Jakarta fashion world and the international fashion blogging community. Although he had already worked as a costumier for four years, Rio hadn’t felt ready to show his designs to the public until Rejuvenate.

Tex Saverio and a few of his designs

“I was invited to the show,” said Rio, who is as soft-spoken as his clothes are flamboyant. “If they hadn’t asked me, I would have just stuck to working with my clients. But it was an opportunity.”
Based on the collection he showcased at Rejuvenate, Rio was invited to create a collection for 2010 Dewi Fashion Knights, the most prestigious event of Jakarta Fashion Week.
“I was given two months to create a collection and had to work overtime every night to finish it,” Rio said. “Here I am, a new name, and I’m joining the ranks of the Dewi Fashion Knights. People do not know who I am or what to expect! I’m showing my work off to these senior designers and I had to create a collection from scratch.”
Creating a collection for such an events is no easy task, even for someone as imaginative as Rio. He said a dress usually takes an average of two to three months to conceive. “It is the process of finding the details, researching what materials to use, and how to make the dress fall just right. That takes a while,” he said.

a unique design of him

In his workshop, Rio is aided by a staff of 20, ranging from tailors and pattern-makers to those focused on finishing details.
Rio’s best seller is a ruby-red off-the-shoulder dress with an asymmetrical cut, fashioned out of shantung silk mixed with organdy and tulle.
Rio’s clothes are born of his fantasies. He said that, when he designs, he always pictures the woman who will end up wearing the dress. For the Rejuvenate fashion show, he imagined a sensual and sultry woman.
For the Dewi Fashion Knights show, Rio went the complete opposite with his pale Ice Queen-themed collection. “I wanted to see if I could do something different and still keep my unique character,” Rio said.

Tex Saverio

The singularity of a Tex Saverio gown comes from its design and the materials used in its creation. Rio likes to experiment. So far, he has adorned his gowns with feathers and faux leather with ornate details crafted by graphic designers. His style embraces a melange of technological and theatrical techniques.
“In the future, I want to use metal, earrings or crystals on my dresses,” Rio said. “Fashion should not be bound to fabric.”
That kind of outside-the-box thinking may stem from Rio’s informal background in fashion. He learnt from experience. Once, during a short course, a teacher told him that lacking a formal fashion education is a kind of blessing.
“She said it’s good to have references, but its also important to create something unique on your own,” Rio said.
His style has developed over the years. When he began working as a professional fashion designer in 2006, Rio described his clothes as much simpler.
“People wouldn’t have noticed me before because I thought that was what people wanted, so I was more influenced by the market,” he said.
Rio now describes his style as “more dramatic,” and he intends to stay true to it.
“There are a lot of young designers who are more into the business side whereas the senior generation is more into the art,” he said. “I’ll stick with the art side.”
On average, a piece by Rio goes for Rp 15 million ($1,700). Rio reasons that he is still a new name in the market and wants to let people become more accustomed to his style before releasing clothes for the general public.
But as his style evolves, so do his clients. Whereas he previously dealt in made-to-order gowns for middle-aged Chinese women from North Jakarta, the area where he lives, he now caters mostly to upper-class women.
“It’s easier because they understand fashion and what’s good. My previous clients only knew about glamor and sequins. Bling, bling, bling all the way. I couldn’t steer them to my own style,” Rio said. “After the fashion shows, however, they know what my style is like and what to expect from me.”
Indeed, the upper echelons of society are flocking to swathe themselves in Rio’s evening and bridal wear. Though clients are still finding Rio via word-of-mouth, his customer base has tripled since the shows.
“We have been doing overtime, even after the festive season. We have a lot of returning clients and brides. Previously, brides had to book six months in advance. Now, it’s one year,” he said.
It is to be expected from a designer who was featured in Cocoperez.com, the fashion blog of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
Referring to a statuesque gown of silver flames and feathers featured during the Jakarta Fashion Week show, Hilton wrote: “We can’t help but think of [Alexander] McQueen when looking at this dress.”
Rio was mostly pleased by the comparison. “To be likened to McQueen, who is an iconic designer, is nice. But my idol isn’t actually McQueen. It’s Valentino — more toward the classy side. Classy with a bit of crazy.”
He is set to take the international fashion stage by storm, but first, he has set his sights on conquering Indonesia. In the works is a ready-to-wear line, a more practical take on Rio’s extravagantly lush creations. “But,” he said, in reference to the future pret-a-porter collection. “I still want to create a line that is true to my character.” That classy with a touch of crazy.
News Source : The Jakarta Globe

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11 World Heritage Objects in Indonesia

Until this year there are 11 Indonesian objects out of approximately 890 objects around the world which are awarded as World Heritage by UNESCO. These World Heritage objects may get sponsored by World Heritage Fund under certain conditions. The World Heritage objects located in Indonesia are listed as follows:
World Heritage of Nature
Indonesia has 4 World Heritage of Nature Objects.
1. Ujung Kulon National Park
Ujung Kulon National Park is the very first park in Indonesia that is inaugurated as national park and later on it is recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage of Nature in 1991. This national park is located in the westernmost part of Java Island. Covering Krakatau and several small islands surrounding it such as Handeuleum Island and Peucang Island, this park has an area of about 1,206 km2, in which 443 km2 of it is sea. At first, the land where this park is now located was an agricultural area which eventually destroyed and the population were diminished because of Krakatau eruption on August 27, 1883. This event causes this area back to forest.

Currently the area is used as a protection area for endangered Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and other endangered animals such as bull (Bos javanicus javanicus), ajag (Cuon alpinus javanicus), surili (Presbytis comata comata), lutung (Trachypithecus auratus auratus), deer (Cervus timorensis russa), leopard (Panthera padres), stone cat (Prionailurus bengalensis javanensis), owa (Hylobates moloch), and giant clams (Tridacna gigas).
2. Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park received the recognition from UNESCO in 1991. The park is located between Sumbawa and Flores and it consists of three major islands, namely Komodo Island, Rinca Island, Padar Island, and also several small islands. This park was established in 1980 to protect komodo and their habitat. In addition to komodo, there are 277 species of other animals which are coming from Asia and Australia. Also, there are 253 species of coral reefs in the water area which is known as one of the best diving place. At the moment, this national park is nominated to be one of the seven wonders of the world.

More information about komodo and its national park can be read in an English article here.
3. Lorentz National Park
Loretz National Park, West Papua, is recognised by UNESCO in 1999. With an area of 25,000 km2, this national park is the largest one in Southeast Asia. It is also one of three places in the world which has glaciers in tropical area. This park has amazing biodiversity. There are approximately 630 species of birds and 123 species of mammals that have been identified in this park. Bird species two species of cassowary, four megapoda, 31 species of pigeon/dove, 30 species of parrot, 13 species of kingfisher, 29 species of sunbirds, and 20 endemic species such as long-tailed bird of paradise (Paradigalla caruneulata) and snow quail (Anurophasis monorthonyx). Mammals recorded include long snout thorn pig (Zaglossus bruijinii), short snout thorn pig (Tachyglossus aculeatus), four species of polecat, wallaby, wild cat, and tree kangaroo.

4. Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatera (Mount Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park)
Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatera which consists of three national parks was recognized by UNESCO in 2004.
Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL) is one of nature conservation area which administratively located in two provinces, namely Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatera. TNGL includes native ecosystems from coast to high mountains covered by dense forest, a typical of tropical rain. In this TNGL area, there are rare plants such as giant umbrella leaf (Johannesteijsmannia altifrons), raflesia (Rafflesia atjehensis and R. micropylora) and Rhizanthes zippelnii which is the largest flower with a diameter of 1.5 meter. In addition, there is a unique plant which is fig or strangler plant.

Rafflesia arnoldi flower in Kerinci Seblat National Park
Meanwhile, Kerinci Seblat National Park is the largest national park in Sumatera. This park lies on four provinces, namely West Sumatera, Jambi, Bengkulu, and South Sumatera. This park consists of Bukit Barisan, which is the highest plateau in Sumatera, hot springs, rushing rivers, caves, highest waterfalls and caldera in Southeast Asia, Mount Tujuh. This national park also has a diverse flora and fauna. About 4000 species of plants grow in the national park area including the largest flower in the world, Rafflesia arnoldi, and the tallest flower in the world, Titan Arum. Fauna in the national park includes Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Sumatran Elephant, Clouded Leopard, Malayan Tapir, Sun Bear and about 370 species of birds.

Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park is located on administrative region of West Lampung and Tanggamus where both of them are part of Lampung Province. This park is very rich in biodiversity and is home to three species of the most endangered mammals in the world: the Sumatran elephant (less than 2000 survive today), Sumateran rhinoceros (total of global population of about 300 and is diminishing drastically) and Sumateran tiger (total of global population of about 400). This park is listed on Global 200 Ecoregions, which is a list of ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as priorities for conservation. According to the WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a “relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their species, dynamics, and environmental conditions (Dinerstein et al. 1995, TNC 1997).” This park is highlighted as a priority area for Sumatran rhinoceros conservation through Asian Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy (AREAS) program of WWF. In addition, IUCN, WCS and WWF have identified Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park as a Tiger Conservation Unit (Wikramanayake, et al., 1997), the most important forest for tiger conservation in the world. Finally, in 2002, UNESCO has chosen this area to be nominated as World Heritage Cluster Mountainous Area along with Gunung Leuser National Park and Kerinci Seblat National Park.

World Heritage of Culture
Indonesia has three World Heritage of Culture objects. Those objects are:
1. Borobudur Temple

Borobudur temple is recognized by UNESCO in 1991. It is a Buddhist temple located in Magelang, Central Java. This temple was built by Mahayana Buddhist circa 800’s AD in the reign of Syailendra dynasty. This temple when viewed from above forms the structure of Mandala, the symbol of the universe in Buddhist cosmology. Borobudur temple does not use cement at all in its construction. Instead, it used interlock system like Lego blocks that can be attached without glue.
2. Prambanan Temple


Prambanan temple is recognized by UNESCO in 1991. It is the largest block of Hindu temple in Indonesia. Located 17 km from Yogyakarta, this temple was built in the 10th century during the reign of two kings, namely Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. This temple block has three main temples in its primary yard, namely Wisnu temple, Brahma temple, and Siwa temple. All these temples are the symbol of Trimurti in Hindu belief.
3. Sangiran Site
Sangiran site is recognized by UNESCO in 1996. It is an archeological site located in Central Java, administratively located in Sragen and Karanganyar districts. Initially research found that Sangiran is a dome called Sangiran Dome. The top of the dome is then opened through the process of erosion so that it forms a depression. In this depression we may find a soil layer that contains information about life in the past. In this site, we could find lots of information about the remains of past life. In addition, there is complete information about the history of early human life with all things surrounds them; living place, life pattern, animals that lived with them, and the process of landform within a period of not less than 2 million years ago.
World Heritage of Intangible Culture
In this category, Indonesia has four objects:
1. Wayang


It is an Indonesian traditional art which is mainly developed in Java and Bali. Sunan Kali Jaga and Raden Patah are instrumental in developing wayang. Wali in Java has organized wayang in such a way into three parts. First, Wayang Kulit in East Java. Second, Wayang Wong or Wayang Orang in Central Java. Third, Wayang Golek in West Java. They are very depending on each other: “Where is the content (Wayang Wong) and where is the skin (Wayang Kulit) must be sought (Wayang Golek)”. Wayang show has been recognized by UNESCO on 7 November 2003 as amazing cultural work in Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity category.
Nowadays, wayang is not only in the form of wayang kulit and wayang orang, there is also e-wayang in which its developing process employs digital facilities. E-wayang can be viewed at http://e-wayang.org/
2. Keris



Keris is recognized by UNESCO in 2005. Keris that we know now is the result of long evolutionary process. Modern keris known today is a unique belati penusuk with a variety of forms. Besides being used as a weapon, keris is also often considered to have sueprnatural power. This weapon is often mentioned in many traditional legends such as keris Mpu Gandring in the legend of Kend Arok and Ken Dedes.
3. Batik


Batik is recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2009. To celebrate it, Indonesia has set 2 October as batik day. Indonesian batik has various motives depending on regions. More information about batik can be read in this article.
4. Angklung


Angklung is planned to gain recognition from UNESCO on this coming 18 November. This bamboo musical instrument that produces very beautiful sound is well known overseas. More information about the history of angklung and its development can be read on this article or this.

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