Hello!! I'm back from a looong sleep...

'Hoaaahm...'
Hello guys!! I'm back... The great Kevin back into the town...

Sorry... for not online for a long time...
but.. while i'm not OL,, I got many achievements...

1. I make quiz materials for PRONG's 2008,,, It's very difficult...
2. 1st winner on quick n smart yamaha and stv,, alongside with Vera and Gian... my friends...
3. 2nd winner on quick n smart in unpas,, alongside with Vera and Gian too...
4. being one of the chief delegates from philipines in Asean economic community, although we got 3rd rank..
5. Join EJU (Examination for Japanese University) .. Unfortunately,, I don't understand Japanese.. But.. let's pray for the best!!

History of our beloved cities...

Bandung

The city history dates from 1488 when the first reference to Bandung exists. But from ancient archeological finds, we know the city was home to Australopithecus, Java Man. These people lived on the banks of the Cikapundung in north Bandung, and on the shores of the Great Lake of Bandung. Flint artifacts can still be found in the Upper Dago area and the Geological Museum has displays and fragments of skeletal remains and artifacts.

The Sundanese were a pastoral people farming the fertile regions of Bandung. They developed a lively oral tradition which includes the still practiced Wayang Golek puppet theatre, and many musical forms. "There is a city called Bandung, comprising 25 to 30 houses," wrote Juliaen de Silva in 1614.

The achievements of European adventurers to try their luck in the fertile and prosperous Bandung area, led eventually to 1786 when a road was built connecting Jakarta, Bogor, Cianjur and Bandung. This flow was increased when in 1809 Louis Napoleon, the ruler of the Netherlands, ordered Governor General H.W. Daendels, to increase defences in Java against English. The vision was a chain of military defense units and a supply road between Batavia and Cirebon. But this coastal area was marsh and swamp, and it was easier to construct the road further south, across the Priangan highlands.

The Grote Postweg (Great Post Road) was built 11 miles north of the then capital of Bandung. With his usual terseness, Daendels ordered the capital to be relocated to the road. Bupati Wiranatakusumah II chose a site south of the road on the western bank of the Cikapundung, near a pair of holy wells, Sumur Bandung, supposedly protected by the ancient goddess Nyi Kentring Manik. On this site he built his dalem (palace) and the alun-alun (city square). Following traditional orientations, Mesjid Agung (The Grand Mosque) was placed on the western side, and the public market on the east. His residence and Pendopo (meeting place) was on the south facing the mystical mountain of Tangkuban Perahu. Thus was The Flower City born.

Around the middle of the l9th Century, South American cinchona (quinine), Assam tea, and coffee was introduced to the highlands. By the end of the century Priangan was registered as the most prosperous plantation area of the province. In 1880 the rail line connecting Jakarta and Bandung was completed, and promised a 2 1/2 hour trip from the blistering capital in Jakarta to Bandung.

With this life changed in Bandung, hotels, cafes, shops sprouted up to serve the planters who either came down from their highland plantations or up from the capital to frolic in Bandung. The Concordia Society was formed and with its large ballroom was the social magnet for weekend activities in the city. The Preanger Hotel and the Savoy Homann were the hotels of choice. The Braga became the promenade, lined with exclusive Europeans shops.

With the railroad, light industry flourished. Once raw plantation crops were sent directly to Jakarta for shipment to Europe, now primary processing could be done efficiently in Bandung. The Chinese who had never lived in Bandung in any number came to help run the facilities and vendor machines and services to the new industries. Chinatown dates from this period.

In the first years of the present century, Pax Neerlandica was proclaimed, resulting in the passing of military government to a civilian one. With this came the policy of decentralization to lighten the administrative burden of the central government. And so Bandung became a municipality in 1906.

This turn of events left a great impact on the city. City Hall was built at the north end of Braga to accommodate the new government, separate from the original native system. This was soon followed by a larger scale development when the military headquarters was moved from Batavia to Bandung around 1920. The chosen site was east of City Hall, and consisted of a residence for the Commander in Chief, offices, barracks and military housing.

By the early 20's the need for skilled professionals drove the establishment of the technical high school that was sponsored by the citizens of Bandung. At the same time the plan to move the capital of the Netherlands Indies from Batavia to Bandung was already mature, the city was to be extended to the north. The capital district was placed in the northeast, an area that had formerly been rice fields, and a grand avenue was planned to run for about 2.5 kilometers facing the fabled Tangkuban Perahu volcano with Gedung Sate at the south end, and a colossal monument at the other. on both sides of this grand boulevard buildings would house the various offices of the massive colonial government.

Along the east bank of the Cikapundung River amidst natural scenery was the campus of the Technische Hoogeschool, dormitories and staff housing. The old campus buildings and its original landscaping reflect the genius of its architect Henri Maclain Pont. The southwestern section was reserved for the municipal hospital and the Pasteur Institute, in the neighborhood of the old quinine factory. These developments were carefully planned down to the architectural and maintenance details. These years shortly before World War II were the golden ones in Bandung and those alluded to today as Bandung Tempoe Doeloe.

The war years did little to change the city of Bandung, but in 1946, facing the return of the Colonial Dutch to Indonesia, citizens chose to burn down their beloved Bandung in what has become known as Bandung Lautan Api, Bandung Ocean of Fire. Citizens fled to the southern hills and overlooking the "ocean of flames" penned "Halo Halo Bandung," the anthem promising their return. Political unrest colored the early years of Independence and consequently people flocked to Bandung where safety was. The population skyrocketed from 230,000 in 1940 to 1 million by 1961. Economic prosperity following the oil boom in the 70's pushed this further so that by 1990 there were 2 million inhabitants.

Present day Bandung is thriving. As home to more than 35 schools of higher education, there is a vibrant collegiate atmosphere. The excellent fine arts offerings have produced an artist colony of great repute and excitement. The textile industry is the largest in the country and contributes to a vigorous business climate.

In 1987 the city extended its administrative boundaries toward a Greater Bandung Plan (Bandung Raya) Plans for the city include higher concentrations of development outside the current city centre, in an attempt to dilute some of the population density in the old core. These days Bandung Raya is still years ahead, yet the land has suffered deeply. Commercial activities run amok, only God knows who can take control. The city core is practically uprooted, old faces are torn down, lot sizes regrouped, and what was idyllic residence is now bustling chain supermarkets and rich banks.

Tasty Risotto.. I recommend it!!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup rice
3 cups boiling vegetable broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; cook and stir until it begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Pour in the rice, and stir until the rice is coated in oil and has started to toast, 2 to 3 minutes. Let it cook until it has mostly evaporated, then stir in one-third of the boiling vegetable broth; continue stirring until incorporated. Repeat this process twice more, stirring constantly. Incorporating the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all.

When the rice is mostly tender, but still has a very slight crunch, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute to heat through then stir in parsley and butter, and serve immediately.

Greek Scrambled Egg!!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup chedar cheese
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Beat eggs and water together, then pour into pan. Add cheese, and cook, stirring occasionally to scramble. Season with salt and pepper.

Scrambled eggs!!

INGREDIENTS
8 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Break eggs into mixing bowl. Stir in water, garlic powder, mayonnaise, white wine, salt and pepper. Mix well with a wire whisk. Stir in cheddar cheese.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until well cooked. The eggs should be firm, but not hard. These eggs will have a softer texture than normal scrambled eggs. Serve warm.

Scrambled Tofu!!

INGREDIENTS
15 ml olive oil
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
336 g firm silken tofu, drained and mashed
ground turmeric to taste
salt and pepper to taste
70 g shredded Cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and saute green onions until tender. Stir in tomatoes with juice and mashed tofu. Season with salt, pepper, and turmeric. Reduce heat, and simmer until heated through. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese to serve.

How to make an omelette...

Introduction
I don't really want to brag, but I'm going to anyway. I know how to make a pretty amazing omelette and have been continuely asked the age-old question.. "how?" I figured a how-to guide on how to create the best of the best in brunch fare was necessary.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need

1. Eggs
2. Frying Pan
3. Milk
4. Beater
5. Cheese (I prefer Dubliner or sharp Cheddar)
6. Sun-dried tomatoes
7. 2 whole Mushrooms, sliced
8. Quarter of an onion
9. Fresh spinach
10. salt, and pepper
11. Hungry people who want omelettes helps, too

Steps

1
Step One
First off, you want to saute the ingredients together. Start Cut up about a quarter of an onion (either in strips or diced, whichever you prefer) You'll want to add a little olive oil to the pan before you throw it in. Saute until the onions start to brown.

2
Step Two
Next, Add enough to saute the mushrooms in. Saute until the mushrooms have soaked up most of the oil. Add your fresh spinach and sundried tomatoes (you can subsitute other ingredients here if you like, you don't have to be all fancy like me but I really don't see why you wouldn't want to be). Saute these together until the spinach starts to dry up. Put these ingredients aside.

3
Step Three
Beat two eggs with about 1/4 cup of milk. Add some salt and pepper into the mixture as well. Set your burner on medium to medium high and pour the mixture into a frying pan sprayed with cooking spray. Place a couple slices of cheese to cover half of the omelette.

4
Step Four
When the omelette starts to fluff up a bit and solidify a bit, you'll want to add your ingredients on top of the cheese. Next, using a spatula, gently flip one side of the omelette to cover the other half. Flip omelette over and cook for about two minutes (or until eggs are cooked).

5
Step Five
Slide the finished product onto a plate. Serve with bacon or sausage or by itself! Enjoy!

Overall Tips & Warnings

For lighter fare, use 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs (ps- If you have a dog, you can feed him the egg yolks and it will make his coat nice and shiny!)

If you screw up the omelette flip, you can just make a scramble instead. Don't worry if it takes a few tries before you mastered it.

How to make a delicious fried rice!!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need

1. Measuring spoons
2. Rice cooker
3. Groceries
4. Measuring cups
5. Wok or large skillet
6. Chef's knives
7. Stirring spoon
8. Cutting board
9. 2 tablespoons peanut, sesame or other oil
10. 2 cloves garlic, minced
11. 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)
12. 1/2 cup diced onion or 4 green onions, thinly sliced
13. 1/3 cup diced carrot, cooked
14. 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
15. 4 cups cooked white or brown rice, cooled completely
16. 1 cup chopped, cooked shrimp or beef
17. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
18. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
19. Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps

1
Step One
Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.

2
Step Two
Add the garlic, ginger and onion and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

3
Step Three
Reduce the heat to medium, and add the carrot, peas, rice and meat and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

4
Step Four
Use your stirring spoon to make a well in the center of the rice and pour the eggs into it. Let the eggs cook for 1 minute, then slowly start to stir and incorporate the egg into the rice.

5
Step Five
Add the soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring and tossing with the spoon.

6
Step Six
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7
Step Seven
Serve immediately.

Tips & Warnings

The amount of oil you use is up to you. You need only a tablespoon or so to keep the rice from sticking.

You can put anything you want in fried rice: leftover vegetables, stir-fry or anything that seems interesting. Try fried rice with ham and eggs for breakfast.

Traditionally, fried rice is seasoned with salt instead of soy sauce, because soy sauce turns the rice brown. Whichever you choose, be conservative when you first add it. You can always add more, but you can't take too much back.

Try a few drops of sesame oil in the egg before you cook it.

For a spicy fried rice, add crushed red pepper flakes to the wok with the garlic.

For an added touch of flavor, serve the fried rice with hoisin or oyster sauce on the side.

Don't use hot rice, or you'll have a gloppy mess. Cooling the rice makes the grains separate.

Wolf

Carnivore related to the jackal and domestic dog. All wolves are characterized by powerful teeth, bushy tails, and round pupils. Certain characteristics of the skull distinguish them from domestic dogs, some breeds of which they otherwise resemble.

There are two species of wolves: the gray, or timber, wolf, once widely distributed but now found only in Canada, Alaska, and northern Europe and Russia, except for a few isolated packs in other regions; and the red wolf, found only in Texas and the southeastern United States.

An adult gray wolf measures up to 2 m (6.5 ft) in length, including the tail (less than half the body length), and weighs up to 80 kg (175 lb). The fur of the gray wolf is red-yellow or yellow-gray with black patches on its back and sides, and white on its chest and abdomen. There are also black or brown gray wolves, and those in the far north may be pure white. The red wolf is smaller in size and usually darker in color.

Wolves are equally at home on prairies, in forest lands, and on all but the highest mountains. In the winter they travel in packs searching for food. Small animals and birds are the common prey of wolves, but a pack sometimes attacks reindeer, caribou, sheep, and other large mammals, usually selecting weak, old, or very young animals for easier capture. When no live prey can be found, wolves feed on carrion (decaying flesh of dead animals). They also eat berries.

The den, or lair, of a wolf may be a cave, a hollow tree trunk, a thicket, or a hole in the ground dug by the wolf. In the spring, females have litters of one to eleven pups. Adult wolves sometimes feed young pups by regurgitating partly digested food for them. The pups normally stay with the parents until the following winter but may remain much longer. Parents and young constitute a basic pack, which establishes and defends a territory marked by urine and feces. Larger packs may also assemble, particularly in the winter.

The pack leader is called the alpha male and his mate is the alpha female. As social animals, wolves exhibit behavioral patterns that clearly communicate dominance over or submission to one another. The communal howling of a pack may serve to assemble its members, communicate with other packs, advertise its territorial claims, or it may be simply a way of expressing pleasure. Visual and scent signals are also important in communication.

Although gray wolves are still abundant across northern Europe and Asia, only remnant populations exist elsewhere in Europe. Their numbers in North America also have been greatly diminished. They are fairly abundant only in Alaska and Canada; smaller numbers exist in the Pacific Northwest and upper Midwest, primarily in Minnesota. Under the Endangered Species Act, the gray wolf is listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as threatened in Minnesota and as an endangered species elsewhere in the United States except Alaska. The red wolf, also listed as endangered species, was the first species for which the USFWS developed a recovery plan.

The decreasing numbers of wolves are the result of encroachments on their territory by humans, who have long regarded wolves as competitors for prey and as dangerous to livestock, pets, and people. However, few if any healthy wolves have attacked humans, whom they instead try to avoid.

Wolves are valuable predators in the food web, and their decimation has led to the overpopulation of certain other animal species in various areas.
Active efforts to reintroduce wolves to national parks in the United States are now underway, although such efforts are controversial. Because coyotes have hybridized with some red wolves, an attempt to reintroduce red wolves to parts of North Carolina has involved identifying red wolves that are not part coyote. The success of this project is not yet clear.

In 1995 and 1996 the USFWS reintroduced Canadian gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the Sawtooth Mountain region in central Idaho, despite protests from nearby ranchers and some biologists. The reintroduced wolves are producing more offspring than expected. When ten breeding pairs reside in these regions for three years, the gray wolf will be taken off the list of endangered species in the northern Rocky Mountains. These reintroduction efforts have been highly successful, and wolf biologists expect that the status of the gray wolf will soon change from endangered to threatened in all lower 48 states.

Scientific classification: The wolf belongs to the family Canidae. The gray, or timber, wolf is classified as Canis lupus. The red wolf is classified as Canis rufus.

Source :Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Hello...

Hi...
This is my first posting!!

I hope that I can make many writing in this blog!!

Wish me luck!!