Chinese consumers’ growing appetite for cheese has offered another avenue for innovative local businessman.
US dairy exporters have started to feel the pinch in the past two years when they witnessed diversified flavors of cheese products being introduced by local players.
“We definitely see this trend that Chinese dairy producers like Bright Food (from Shanghai) and Sanyuan (from Beijing) are upgrading their formulas to include chocolate- and cherry-flavored cheese,” says Jiang Yan, vice president of PR Consultants, which represents the US Dairy Export Council in China.
In the United States, cheese is supposed to be salty, Jiang notes. As the association tries to educate the market abut how American cheese preserves the most nutrients, she admits that domestic counterparts have edged ahead by catering to local tastes.
“Foreign foods in local packages” by He Wei and Xie Yu, China Daily Asia Weekly, May 18-24, 2012.

Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah (Eng: Grand Mosque of Central Java) is located on a street called Gajah (Eng: Elephant Street), a very perfect name for a street where this giant place of worship built. I’m not sure when and where I saw a picture of the mosque, but it was beautiful enough to make me decide the mosque will be worth a visit. So during my recent visit to Semarang about two weeks ago I went there with my sister, who despite her study in a university in Semarang has not yet seen the mosque as well.

The mosque is quite far away from the center of Semarang, so if you take public transportation – like we did – most likely you’ll be forced to change the vehicle three to four times. Taxi could be a better choice, unless you are absolutely free from any time pressure during your trip (thank God we did!).

To me and my sister the most interesting parts of the mosque – architecturally  speaking – are the super wide plaza and a series of “signage” consisted of five basic foundations of Islam (Ind: Rukun Islam) welcoming the visitor after the main gate. Other than that I think we found the mosque is only slightly different from any big mosques in Indonesia. As you may know, it is nothing special as an Indonesian to have gigantic great mosques in almost every city you could visit in the country.

We spent about an hour outside and inside the mosque and were happy enough that after a long and adventurous trip trying to locate it, we could finally take a pray, have a rest in the serene room, snap some photos and enjoy the scenery. In general I would say, from a worship place you need nothing sophisticated but flowing water, fresh air, decent lights, and of course enough time to think about why actually now you are (t)here.

  

Vibrant colors of Klenteng Sam Poo Kong in Semarang, Central Java. The touch of grey from the animal figures and other made of stone elements smoothly blends with red and yellow as the more dominant chord.

Q: Do you think that content in Internet-based media is still imbued with masculine overtones as compared to something more gender-neutral or sensitive to women’s issues?

A: National politics drive current affairs and news. It just so happens that most politicians are male. It is still a question whether such content is apt for women. Thus in determining what content would be attractive for our audience we conducted research on the most desired content. We then held a small focus group discussion to see what content women would like to see from a website. The results of the research pointed to beauty, fashion and health issues.

Yahoo! Indonesia country editor, Dodi Ibnu Rusydi, in an interview with The Jakarta Post’s Mariel Grazella.

The Jakarta Post, Monday, April 2, 2012

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most charming men in the history of mankind! (ok, that’s too much! noo, really nooo!).

But every time I see him talking in front of his audience (even here in YALE!), I know he’s so smart, warm and yes, sexy and desirable! (Chubb Fellowship of YALE dancing Chammak Challo!!). Ough!

Shah Rukh Khan at Yale University as Chubb Fellow (official video) (by YaleUniversity)

Hadis sahih dari rasulullah menyebutkan, “Kullu mauludin yuladu ‘alal fithrah,” atau “Semua anak manusia terlahir dalam keadaan suci” (Hadis Riwayat Bukhari-Muslim). Al-Quran menegaskan, “An laa tanziru waaziratun wizra ukhra”, yang artinya “Seseorang tidak bisa dipikuli dosa orang lain”. Pernyataan senada berulang-ulang tertera di Surat Al An’am ayat ke-164, Al-Isra ayat ke-17, Fathir ayat ke-18, Az-Zumar ayat ke-7, dan An-Najm ayat ke-38.

Dalam konteks inilah kita bersepakat dengan putusan Mahkamah Konstitusi yang memberikan hak kepada anak di luar nikah. Anggapan bahwa putusan ini menjustifikasi perzinaan sama sekali tidak relevan. Perzinaan tetap perzinaan, dosa besar yang wajib dipertanggungjawabkan pelakunya. Jika perzinaan sulit dibuktikan di dunia, hukuman pasti berlaku di akhirat. Allah tidak alpa: “Barangsiapa berbuat baik, walau hanya sebiji zarah, akan menemukan pahalanya; barangsiapa berbuat dosa, meski hanya sebiji zarah, pasti bakal menemukan balasannya” (Al-Quran Surat Az-Zalzalah ayat ke-7 dan 8).

Haram Jadah di Mata Syariah oleh Masdar Farid Mas’udi (Rais Syuriah PBNU)

Majalah TEMPO, 15 April 2012

It’s been always a wonderful feeling to find something you love without any expectation. My usual trip to the library (just few steps away from my own room at the office! a luxury indeed!) brought me to a record with double CDs from MAX RAABE & PALAST ORCHESTER. Without anything on my mind actually, neither Raabe nor Palast Orchester, I picked up the record and found that this is definitely “my music”! I am a big fan of this kind of old tunes, swinging you from 21st century to the days of eternal elegance belong ony to the real ladies and gentlemen of 20s-50s. Oh, i’m so happy!

Max.Raabe Heute nacht oder nie! (by tommytulipo)

One of the scenes from the “Sweeney Todd” that I think I will have forever in my mind is the scene when this song was sung. “I feel you. Johanna. I’ll steal you.” Sweet, don’t you think?

Johanna- Sweeney Todd (Movie) (by midevilfreako)

Menurut Yustinus Kesaryanto, hasil penelitian ahli dari Papuan Agriculture Develompent Alliance (PADA), sebuah lembaga yang didirikan untuk mengembangkan perkebunan di Papua, kopi yang dalam kemasannya disebut dengan Mapiha Mountain itu termasuk jenis oldbryd. “Kopi ini tergolong kopi asli yang tumbuh di alamnya sendiri, Mapiha, tanpa ada proses penanaman atau perkawinan silang dari jenis kopi daerah lain,” ungkap Kesaryanto.

Berdasarkan penelitian PADA, papar Kesaryanto, kopi mapiha sejenis dengan kopi di Etiopia, yaitu arabika yemeni. Ciri daunnya bewarna kekuningan seperti terkena fungus (jamur) dan cabangnya berjuntai pendek. Buahnya tidak lebat tapi kaya rasa.

Wahyu, pendamping Program Pelatihan Perkebunan dan Pertanian mengatakan, kopi mapiha memiliki rasa antara lain dark chocolate, bitter dan moka, tetapi rasa dominan adalah sweet chocolate.

“Cita rasa itu dijaga sedemikian rupa dengan cara menyangrainya secara manual untuk memperoleh kematangan yang rata. Saat digiling pun, prosesnya dilakukan secara manual, tanpa mesin,” jelas Wahyu.

Kualitas kopi tersebut kian prima karena sejak awal sama sekali tak tersentuh pupuk kimia apa pun. Kawasan Mapiha di Pegunungan Tengah Papua membuat kopi kian terisolir dari jamahan pestisida.

Kompas, Rabu, 4 April 2012
something from the archive.

something from the archive.

// on being alone//

recently i read two online articles on being alone. the longer and more serious one was the article on the guardian and the shorter funnier one was an old post from my all time favorite blogger garance dore. both are very much my opinion on living alone or at least enjoying so much my life as single woman. strangely but true, in the last weeks i often thought about my life and that i feel so lucky and even grateful that i could spend so much time only with my self. it may sound egoistic, but i think i am an egoistic person in many ways and that human is basically egoistic creature. so, i don’t mind. but, being alone to me means more than running my own independent (egoistic) life. it could mean as simple as going home after the tiring 10 or 12 working hours without worrying thinking about anything or anyone. it could be as melancholic as crying alone without any reason, shamelessly loud while releasing all the tenses i have had for some times. i don’t need a shoulder, nor sweet words to calm me down. i just need to cry or to scream or, well, to write couple words about my ups and downs. being alone is to me also about having time to think about my life and its connections to others’ lives: my sisters, my friends, my colleagues, my country and, believe it or not, my god. as much as i still want to find someone that i can call my love or my forever-partner-in-this-horrible-but-wonderful-chance-to-be-alive, i think there are so many good points of going solo and therefore i should never be less content about it.

// survival-tools-that-you’ll-never-leave-the-house-without//

Small bags version

wallet

cell phone + earphones

glasses + case + cloth

spoon + fork + chopsticks

umbrella

name cards holder (full!)

keys (house + office)

reusable shopping bag

compact/loose powder

lip balm

lipstick

hair brush

hair clips

moisturizer

Normal bags (large handbags) version

wallet

cell phone + earphones

glasses + case + cloth

spoon + fork + chopsticks

umbrella

name cards holder (full!)

keys (house + office)

reusable shopping bag

hair brush

hair clips

tooth brush-toothpaste

nail clippers

compact/loose powder

lip balm

lipstick

moisturizer

body lotion

band aid

mascara + eyelash curler

pen + post it

book/magazine/newspapers

menstrual pad

Glasses, if I’m going out wearing contacts. Just in case.

USB Sticks

Conclusion: I know, it looks like I have a very demanding life. But hey, I’m sort of always prepared for anything.

This post is inspired by Garance Dore