Dad, you would have turned 71 today and we [your kids and grandkids] would have planned a little surprise celebration with a candle-lit cake like we did last year and the years before. You would have acted to be surprised but genuinely showed appreciation.

Making you happy was easy. All you wished to have was us around you on your special day or any given day. I just wish that I had spent more times with you. I just wish I could make you happier and prouder of me.

Today, with tears running down my cheeks, I sent you a long prayer wishing you not to be so lonely there. I know you can hear me, Dad. You are not physically here, but I sense your presence. So I want you to know that I love you more than you had ever known. I love you 'til the end of time. Just wait for me there, Dad. Until then, I send you my love through prayers. Happy Birthday to you in heaven.

***

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Jakarta, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, is the only city that also holds the status as a Province. Located on the northwest of Java Island, Jakarta was also previously known as Sunda Kelapa (prior to 1527), Jayakarta (1527-1619), Batavia (1619-1942) and Djakarta (1942-1972).

Present day Jakarta’s land area is 664.01 km2 wide and inhabited by 9.988.495 people.⁽¹⁾

THE HISTORY

Starting out as a little harbor and military outpost at the estuary of Ciliwung River 500 years ago, Jakarta rapidly grew into an international trade center. The earliest findings of Jakarta history were collected from the hieroglyphs found around the harbor area. However, almost no record to date has been found on how and when precisely the European traders arrived Jakarta and when they eventually took it over.

A report written by a European author in the 16^th century mentioned a town called “Kalapa,” which seemed to be the main harbor for a Hindu Kingdom named “Sunda” with “Pajajaran” as its capital and located in the remote area approximately 40 kilometers from a major city presently known as Bogor.

Portuguese sailors and traders were the first sizable European occupiers to land at Kalapa harbor.

Taking exception to the presence of these invaders a young man named Fatahillah from a neighboring kingdom then attacked the town with a small army of followers on June 22, 1527, later changing its name to Jayakarta. Since then, this date had been the official birth date of Jakarta.

During the 16^th Century Dutch colonizers arrived and quickly conquered Jayakarta, changing its name to Batavia. It was strikingly similar to their country, Batavia being mostly covered by swamps, and they built canals to protect the town from the floods that have inundated it yearly for millennium. The center of governmental activities was approximately 500 meters away from harbor where they constructed an elegant City Hall which became the headquarters for Batavia Governmental Officials.

In the following decades and indeed, centuries, Batavia expanded to the south. Rapid, unregulated development soon caused environmental damage and increased flooding to the town, eventually forcing the Dutch colonists to relocate their headquarters to higher ground. This area was named Weltevreden.

It was during the early 20^th Century that Indonesian students in Batavia began the Indonesian nationalism campaign.

A historical pledge was declared in 1928, which is known as “Sumpah Pemuda” (Youth Pledge) and consisted of three pledges: One Land, One Nation, One Language: Bahasa Indonesia.

During World War II the empire of Japan attacked Indonesia, driving out the Dutch and replacing them as overlords in Indonesia (1942 – 1945). During this occupation the Japanese changed the name of Batavia to Djakarta.

In 1966, Djakarta was officially voted the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, leading to the rapid construction government offices and foreign embassies.

In August 1972, following the Enhanced Indonesian Spelling System, Djakarta’s spelling changed to Jakarta.

The rich culture and traditions present and on display in Jakarta along with the history of its dynamic development and ongoing modernisation make it one of the most interesting and exciting destinations for business investors and foreign visitors in both ASEAN and for that matter, the world.

***

Sources:
(1) Permendagri Nomor 39 Tahun 2015
(-) Kemendagri Site

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Walking down the small paths among rice fields brought back all nice childhood memories. Although I was born and raised in the city, I spent most of my holidays in this small village in Garut, West Java, where my grandparents lived. The house they owned was modest, but large enough to have six grandchildren to stay for a week or two. They made us a swing made of a used tire on the backyard. They fed us with veggies, fishes and chicken meats from their own farms.

I loved coming along with them to work on the farms, helping them picking cloves, chilies, fruits and veggies while the boys helped grandpa fishing or carrying firewood for barbeque. Life was simple back then: we just ate what we planted. And for a city girl like me, that was called luxurious.

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It's July... but Jakarta is wet most of time, which is very unusual for July. Where did that blue sky go?

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Looks like Jakarta is going to get wet yet again!

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Flood engulfed Jakarta... again. I remember the last flood I had back in 2002, just before I left for California. We had like a week off work because all access roads were covered by flood, the water was so high that we couldn't even spot the traffic light poles anymore. From the air (I just happened to fly to Singapore at that time), Jakarta looked like a gigantic brown-colored lake. No one could imagine that there were actually houses on the bottom of that 'lake'. It saddened me that I had tears flowing down my cheeks without me realizing it.

This year, I experienced the same thing: big flood. It was NOT as bad as what happened in 2002 and, fortunately, I was NOT the victim (I never had been actually), but it still saddened me to see those people affected by this tragedy.

Since all access roads were covered by flood, our office was shut down for like about a week or so. And due to power outage, we stayed at the hotel downtown. During this stay-at-home (or hotel) time, husband and I went to visit the flood victims at the nearest reachable location to lend our hands. We brought them food, clothes and most importantly: vitamins and medicines.

My husband examining a kid affected by the flood

Since the doctors and/or paramedics had not visited this location yet, my husband gave them first aids. We visited them several times until it was safe for them to return to their homes.

The flood victims at the evacuation center

* * *

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Honestly, I am one of those persons who don’t make a big deal out of New Year nor New Year’s Eve. I spent Most of New Year’s Eves getting my beauty sleep despite the deafening sounds of fireworks thrown into the air.

But this New Year’s Eve, I couldn’t get my eyes shut [thanks to Caffeinated Tylenol I took earlier this afternoon] and all these bursting fireworks clearly visible from the porch of my 22nd floor apartment were too beautiful to pass. So I set up my tripod and began taking pictures of them.



I actually had a hard time aiming the focus because those fireworks came from all directions. The shows lasted hours but the most amazing ones came around 12:00AM to 12:15AM on the first day of January 2013.



After that: nearly silence. Only the city lights remained. And I asked myself: what have I accomplished in 2012? What’s my resolution in 2013?

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Whoaaaa.... a lot of lightning strikes tonight. Rain is coming in town!

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