Barbara Cartland

Barbara Cartland lahir pada tanggal 9 Juli 1901, di awal abad yang penuh dengan pergolakan. Sepanjang hidupnya ia telah menghibur jutaan orang dengan buku-bukunya, baik fiksi maupun nonfiksi. Selain menjadi penulis, ia juga ahli sejarah, penulis skenario, dosen, pembicara di kancah politik, dan tokoh televisi.

Sebagai penulis yang sangat produktif Barbara Cartland telah menghasilkan 723 buku, yang terjual lebih dari satu miliar kopi dalam 36 bahasa di seluruh dunia. Buku pertama ditulisnya pada usia 21 tahun, dan setelah itu ia sangat piawai menulis buku sehingga dengan tenang dapat mendiktekan bukunya pada sekretarisnya, sementara ia hanya berbaring dengan santai di atas sofa. Ia biasa mendiktekan 6.000 sampai 7.000 kata per hari dan bisa menyelesaikan satu novel dalam tujuh hari.

Pada tahun 1927 Barbara menikah dengan Alexander McCorquodale, dan setahun kemudian melahirkan Raine, yang kemudian menjadi ibu tiri Putri Diana. Mereka bercerai tahu 1933. Tiga tahun kemudian Barbara menikah dengan Hugh McCorquodale, sepupu mantan suaminya. Mereka memiliki dua putra, Ian dan Glen.

Barbara Cartland juga ikut berjuang memperbaikai kehidupan para bidan dan perawat. Sebagai ketua Pendidikan kebidanan Kerajaan ( Cabang Hertfordshire ), ia orang pertama di Inggris yang menyumbangkan lencana kehormatannya kepada para bidan itu. Barbara juga memperjuangkan para lanjut usia dan membentuk Romany Gypsy Camp yang pertama di dunia.

Tahun 1991 Barbara mendapat gelar “Dame of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem” dari kerajaan Inggris. Ia yakin gelar itu bukan karena jasanya dalam bidang sastra, tapi karena usahanya dalam bidang amal dan memberdayakan kaum gipsi.

Barbara selalu mengabulkan permohonan wawancara yang diajukan padanya. Ketika ditanya wartawan Associated Press dari mana saja ia mendapatkan ide untuk buku-bukunya, dengan sederhana ia menjawab “Doa”.

Dan setelah sembilan puluh sembilan tahun berkaya, pada tanggal 21 mei 2000 Barbara Cartland meninggal dunia.

Buku – buku yang dikarang antaralain :
Love at the Helm – Bahtera Cinta
The Poor Governess -Guruku Malang
The Golden Cage – Sangkar Emas
The Goddess of Love – Dewi Cinta
The Wild Cry of Love – Panggilan Cinta

Agnes Jalankan Tugas

Di antara yang hadir di American Music Awards 2010 adalah Agnes Monica (24). Dia didapuk sebagai salah seorang international host karpet merah. Agnes tidak bekerja sendiri. Ada beberapa orang yang juga seperti Agnes. Salah satu tugas mereka, sepertinya, mengabarkan kepada penonton di negara mereka masing-masing tentang acara tahunan tersebut. Agnes terlihat mengenakan gaun berpotongan pundak asimetris hitam. 

Beberapa jam sebelum karpet merah, Agnes bernyanyi dengan Christian Chavez. Dari video di YouTube, terlihat acara preshow itu tidak terlalu megah. Agnes dan Chavez duduk berdampingan dengan dikelilingi pemain musik di ruang terbuka. Lalu, di sekelilingnya berdiri orang-orang yang menonton. Pelantun Karena Ku Sanggup itu juga terlihat santai mengenakan tank top putih dan rok jins. Berdua Chavez, Agnes melantunkan En Donde Estas.

Lagu tersebut milik Chavez yang seorang penyanyi dan bintang telenovela Meksiko tersebut. Hanya, dalam penampilan itu, lagu digubah ke dalam tiga bahasa. Yakni, Spanyol, Inggris, dan Indonesia.

SOURCE : JPNN.com

Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton sarjana lulusan Universitas St Andrews tahun 2001 beruntung karena tahun depan akan menjadi istri Pangeran William, pewaris tahta Inggris. Setidaknya hal itu sudah ditandai dengan tunangan.

Sesuai tradisi di kerajaan Inggris atau Wales, William sebagai putra tertua dari Pangeran Charles dengan alm. Putri Diana sekaligus adalah cucu dari Ratu Elizabeth II yang bakal meneruskan tahta tersebut.

William yang lahir 21 Juni 1982 suka berpetualang dan melancong seperti tinggal di Afrika dan tempat lain sejak lulus sekolah. Ia berpangkat letnan di resimen Blues and Royals pada Household Cavalary dan tahun 2008 dilatih menjadi pilot Search and Rescue Force.

Kate dikenal oleh Pangeran William tahun 2001 ketika sama sama kuliah di Universitas St Andrews. Saat itu sama sama ambil mata kuliah Sejarah kesenian di Universitas St Andrews di Fife, Skotlandia. Dia selesaikan kuliah selama 4 tahun dengan prestasi cemerlang. 

Pangeran William terpesona ketika dirinya sedang down saat kuliah di tahun pertama kemudian Kate datang membujuk dan memberinya semangat agar tetap terus kuliah. Akhirnya Pangeran William pun lulus juga.

Kate yang bernama lengkap Catherine Elizabeth Middleton (28) mengaku risih menjadi sorotan media sejak menjadi tunangan Pangeran William. Kate lahir dari keluarga menengah, bukan darah biru, dari pasangan Michael dan Carole Middleton di Bucklebury, Berkshire. 

Orangtuanya seorang wirausahawan di bidang mainan anak-anak yang memanfaatkan pemasaran melalui katalog dan internet. Gudangnya berada tak jauh dari rumah keluarga tersebut.

Wanita cantik ini merupakan anak pertama dari 3 bersaudara, lulus dari SMA di Marlborough College. Di dikenal oleh temannya sebagai wanita yang bijaksana, kreatif,suka olahraga dan penuh bakat.

Selain sebagai pemain tenis ganda wanita, dia juga jadi kapten tim hockey di sekolahnya dan bahkan nilai kuliahnya A semua mata pelajaran. Luar biasa! 

Adiknya Kate bernama Pippa (25) juga seorang kreatif yang menjadi EO atau penyelenggara pesta hiburan pernah mendapat gelar "200 wanita kreatif paling keren" tahun 2008. Demikian juga James (21) adik laki-lakinya sukses bisnis kue. (berbagai sumber)

source : tribun news

Pangeran William Bertunangan Memakai Cincin Sang Ibu

 

Pangeran William akhirnya buka-bukaan soal pertunangannya dengan Kate Middleton. Saat melamar, William memberikan Kate cincin yang pernah dipakai almarhum ibunya, Putri Diana.

Putra sulung Pangeran Charles dan almarhum Putri Diana itu mengungkapkan hal tersebut dalam press call di Istana St. James, Inggris, Selasa (16/11/2010). William mengatakan kalau ia memang melamar dengan cincin ibunya yaitu sebuah cincin platinum dengan batu sapphire 18 karat dan bertaburan berlian.

“Cincin itu sangat berarti bagiku,” ujar William seperti dilansir Us Magazine, Rabu (17/11/2010). “Itu merupakan caraku agar ibuku tidak melewatkan kebahagiaan kami yang akan menikah,” tambahnya.

Cincin yang kini ada di tangan Kate itu dulunya diberikan Pangeran Charles saat melamar Putri Diana, Februari 1981 lalu. Saat itu harga cincin tersebut diperkirakan US$ 65 ribu atau sekitar Rp 581 juta.

William melamar Kate saat mereka berlibur di Kenya, Oktober 2010 itu. Pertunangan itu terjadi setelah keduanya pacaran selama hampir delapan tahun.

“Waktunya tepat sekarang. Kami berdua sangat-sangat bahagia,” tuturnya lagi.

Setelah bertunangan, William dan Kate akan menikah di Musim Semi atau Panas 2011. Mengenai rencana pernikahannya, Kate mengatakan kalau itu adalah proses yang membuatnya sedikit takut.

“Mudah-mudahan aku bisa melaluinya dengan tenang,” jelas perempuan 28 tahun itu.

Kate adalah teman kuliah William di Universitas St. Andrews. Ia bukan berasal dari keluarga bangsawan. Anak pertama dari tiga bersaudara itu lahir dari pasangan Carole Elizabeth dan Michael Francis Middleton. Michael, pernah bekerja di British Airways.

Pada 1987, keluarga Middleton mulai membangun perusahaan sendiri, Party Pieces. Perusahaan tersebut kemudian sukses dan membuat keluarga Middleton kaya-raya. Ayah Kate pun kini dikenal sebagai salah satu miliuner di Inggris.rab/detikhot

Source : film pendek

Besar Kecil Normal

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Pangeran William dan Kate Middleton Bertunangan

Besar Kecil Normal

Pangeran William dan Kekasihnya, Kate Middleton. (telegraph)

Kabar bahagia datang dari Clarance House, kediaman resmi putra mahkota Kerajaan Inggris, Pangeran Charles. Putra Charles, Pangeran William dan kekasihnya, Kate Middleton telah bertunangan dan akan menikah tahun depan di London, Inggris. 

Clarence House dalam pernyataan resminya hari ini menyatakan sangat senang. William, 28 tahun, melamar Kate, 28 tahun, saat mereka liburan di Kenya bulan lalu.

Pengumuman ini mengakhiri segala rumor dan spekulasi soal hubungan pangeran William dan Kate. Pernikahan ini akan menjadi pernikahan terbesar setelah Pangeran Charles menikahi Lady Diana Spencer hampir tiga puluh tahun lalu. 

Nenek dan Kakek William, Ratu Elizabeth II dan suaminya Pangeran Phillip juga angkat bicara. "Ratu sangat bahagia bagi mereka berdua," ujar juru bicara Istana Buckingham. 

 

Earl Spencer, paman William yang juga saudara kandung Diana juga turut bungah. "Ini berita yang sangat menggembirakan, keluarga saya ikut bahagia bagi mereka berdua," katanya. 

Pangeran William bertemu dengan Kate Middleton saat berkuliah di Universitas St. Andrews pada 2001. Mereka kemudian menjalin asmara sekitar Natal 2003. Pasangan ini sempat berpisah pada 2007 karena karir militer yang dijalani Pangeran William. Namun dalam hitungan minggu mereka kembali berhubungan.

source : tempointeraktif

Lady Diana Biography

Biography of Diana, Princess of Wales

Lady Diana Frances Spencer, (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, née Spencer) (July 1, 1961–August 31, 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. From her marriage in 1981 to her divorce in 1996 she was styled "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales". After her divorce from the Prince of Wales in 1996 Diana ceased to be the Princess of Wales and also lost the resulting Royal Highness style,[1] She received the title normally used by the ex-wives of peers, Diana, Princess of Wales under Letters Patent issued by Queen Elizabeth II at the time of the divorce.

Diana was often called Princess Diana by the media and the public, but she did not possess such a title and was not personally a princess, a point Diana herself made to people who referred to her as such. Contrary to belief, being Princess of Wales does not make one a princess in one's own right. It merely indicates that one was married to a Prince of Wales. Princesses in their own right only exist by creation of the monarch or by birth. Diana was in fact the first non-princess to be Princess of Wales for centuries. Previous Princesses of Wales, such as Alexandra of Denmark or Mary of Teck were already princesses by birth when they married a Prince of Wales.

An iconic presence on the world stage, Diana, Princess of Wales was noted for her pioneering charity work. Yet her philanthropic endeavours were overshadowed by her scandal-plagued marriage to Prince Charles. Her bitter accusations via friends and biographers of adultery, mental cruelty and emotional distress visited upon her, and her own admission of adultery and numerous love affairs riveted the world for much of the 1990s, spawning books, magazine articles and television movies.

From the time of her engagement to the Prince of Wales in 1981 until her death in a car accident in 1997, the Princess was arguably the most famous woman in the world, the pre-eminent female celebrity of her generation: a fashion icon, an image of feminine beauty, admired and emulated for her high-profile involvement in AIDS issues, and the international campaign against landmines. During her lifetime, she was often referred to as the most photographed person in the world. To her admirers, the Princess of Wales was a role model - after her death, there were even calls for her to be nominated for sainthood - while her detractors saw her life as a cautionary tale of how an obsession with publicity can ultimately destroy an individual.

Early years of Princess Diana

See: Childhood photos

Diana Frances Spencer was born as the youngest daughter of Edward Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and his first wife, Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp (formerly the Honourable Frances Burke Roche) at Park House on the Sandringham estate. She was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, by Rt. Rev. Percy Herbert (rector of the church and former Bishop of Norwich and Blackburn); her godparents included John Floyd (the chairman of Christie's) and Mary Colman (a niece of the Queen Mother). Partially American in ancestry — a great-grandmother was the American heiress Frances Work - she was also a descendant of King Charles I. During her parents' acrimonious divorce over Lady Althorp's adultery with wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd, Diana's mother sued for custody of her children, but Lord Althorp's rank, aided by Lady Althorp's mother's testimony against her daughter during the trial, meant custody of Diana and her brother was awarded to their father. On the death of her paternal grandfather, Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, in 1975, Diana's father became the 8th Earl Spencer, and she acquired the courtesy title of The Lady Diana Spencer and moved from her childhood home at Park House to her family's sixteenth-century ancestral home of Althorp. A year later, Lord Spencer married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the only daughter of the romance novelist Barbara Cartland, after being named as the "other party" in the Earl and Countess of Dartmouth's divorce.

Diana was educated at Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk and at West Heath Girls' School (later reorganized as the New School at West Heath, a special school for boys and girls) in Sevenoaks, Kent, where she was regarded as an academically below-average student, having failed all of her O-level examinations. In 1977, aged 16, she left West Heath and briefly attended Institut Alpin Videmanette, a finishing school in Rougemont, Switzerland (Diana's future husband was also dating her sister, Lady Sarah at that time). Diana was a talented amateur singer, excelled in sports and reportedly longed to be a ballerina.

Diana's family, the Spencers, had been close to the British Royal Family for decades. Her maternal grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was a longtime friend of, and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

The Prince's love life had always been the subject of press speculation, and he was linked to numerous women. Nearing his mid-thirties, he was under increasing pressure to marry. In order to gain the approval of his family and their advisors, including his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten of Burma, any potential bride had to have an aristocratic background[citation needed], could not have been previously married, should be Protestant and, preferably, a virgin. Diana fulfilled all of these qualifications.

Reportedly, the Prince's former girlfriend (and, eventually, his second wife) Camilla Parker Bowles helped him select the 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer as a potential bride, who was working as an assistant at the Young England kindergarten in Pimlico. It was at this kindergarten school that the famous iconic snap of a 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was taken by John Minihan with the morning sun to her back, her legs in silhouette through her skirt.

Buckingham Palace announced the engagement on 24 February 1981. Mrs. Parker Bowles had been dismissed by Lord Mountbatten of Burma as a potential spouse for the heir to throne some years before, reportedly due to her age (16 months the Prince's senior), her sexual experience, and her lack of suitably aristocratic lineage.

Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana

The wedding took place at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Wednesday 29 July 1981 before 3,500 invited guests (including Mrs. Parker Bowles and her husband, a godson of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) and an estimated 1 billion television viewers around the world. (Comment: Similarly large viewing audiences have been reported for television audiences of the Academy Awards and the NFL Super Bowl, but such numbers are not substantiated.) The acclaimed New Zealand opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa sang Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" at the wedding ceremony.

Diana was the first Englishwoman to marry the heir to the throne since 1659, when Lady Anne Hyde married the Duke of York and Albany, the future King James II (although, unlike Charles, James was heir presumptive and not heir apparent). Upon her marriage, Diana became Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales and was ranked as the third most senior royal woman in the United Kingdom after the Queen and the Queen Mother.

The Prince and Princess of Wales had two children, Prince William of Wales on 21 June 1982 and Prince Henry of Wales (commonly called Prince Harry) on 15 September 1984.

Princess Diana - Break up of Marriage with Prince Charles

In the mid 1980s her marriage fell apart, an event at first suppressed, but then sensationalised, by the world media. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales allegedly spoke to the press through friends, accusing each other of blame for the marriage's demise. Charles resumed his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, whilst Diana became involved with James Hewitt and possibly later with James Gilbey, with whom she was involved in the so-called Squidgygate affair. She later confirmed (in a television interview with Martin Bashir) the affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. (Theoretically, such an affair constituted high treason by both parties.) Another alleged lover was a bodyguard assigned to the Princess's security detail, although the Princess adamantly denied a sexual relationship with him. After her separation from Prince Charles, Diana was allegedly involved with married art dealer Oliver Hoare and rugby player Will Carling. She did publicly date heart surgeon Hasnat Khan before becoming involved with Dodi Fayed.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were separated on 9 December 1992; their divorce was finalised on 28 August 1996. The Princess lost the style Her Royal Highness and instead was styled as Diana, Princess of Wales. However, since the divorce, Buckingham Palace has maintained that Diana was officially a member of the Royal Family, since she was the mother of the second and third in line to the throne.

In 2004, seven years after her death, the American TV network NBC broadcast tapes of Diana discussing her marriage to the Prince of Wales, including her description of her suicide attempts. The tapes were in the possession of the Princess during her lifetime; however, after her death, her butler took possession, and after numerous legal wranglings, they were given to the Princess's voice coach, who had originally filmed them. These tapes have not been broadcast in the United Kingdom.

Princess Diana Charity work

Starting in the mid-to-late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support of charity projects, and is credited with considerable influence for her campaigns against the use of landmines and helping the victims of AIDS.

In April 1987, the Princess of Wales was the first high-profile celebrity to be photographed knowingly touching a person infected with the HIV virus. Her contribution to changing the public opinion of AIDS sufferers was summarised in December 2001 by Bill Clinton at the 'Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on AIDS', when he said:

"In 1987, when so many still believed that AIDS could be contracted through casual contact, Princess Diana sat on the sickbed of a man with AIDS and held his hand. She showed the world that people with AIDS deserve no isolation, but compassion and kindness. It helped change world opinion, and gave hope to people with AIDS with an outcome of saved lives of people at risk."

Princess Diana also made clandestine visits to show kindness to terminally ill AIDS patients. According to nurses, she would turn up unannounced, for example, at the Mildmay Hospice in London, with specific instructions that these visits were to be concealed from the media.

Princess Diana and Landmines Campaign

Perhaps her most widely publicised charity appearance was her visit to Angola in January 1997, when, serving as an International Red Cross VIP volunteer [1], she visited landmine survivors in hospitals, toured de-mining projects run by the HALO Trust, and attended mine awareness education classes about the dangers of mines immediately surrounding homes and villages.

The pictures of Diana touring a minefield, in a ballistic helmet and flak jacket, were seen worldwide. (In fact, mine-clearance experts had already cleared the pre-planned walk that Diana took wearing the protective equipment.) In August that year, she visited Bosnia with the Landmine Survivors Network. Her interest in landmines was focused on the injuries they create, often to children, long after the conflict has finished.

She is widely acclaimed for her influence on the signing by the governments of the UK and other nations of the Ottawa Treaty in December 1997, after her death, which created an international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines. Introducing the Second Reading of the Landmines Bill 1998 to the British House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, paid tribute to Diana's work on landmines:

" All Honourable Members will be aware from their postbags of the immense contribution made by Diana, Princess of Wales to bringing home to many of our constituents the human costs of landmines. The best way in which to record our appreciation of her work, and the work of NGOs that have campaigned against landmines, is to pass the Bill, and to pave the way towards a global ban on landmines. "

As of January 2005, Diana's legacy on landmines remained unfulfilled. The United Nations appealed to the nations which produced and stockpiled the largest numbers of landmines (China, India, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States) to sign the Ottawa Treaty forbidding their production and use, for which Diana had campaigned. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that landmines remained "a deadly attraction for children, whose innate curiosity and need for play often lure them directly into harm's way".

Death of Princess Diana

On 31 August 1997 Diana was involved in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, along with her friend and lover Dodi Al-Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul. Fayed's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones is the only person who survived the wreckage. The death of the Princess has been widely blamed on reporters, that were reportedly hounding the Princess, and were following the vehicle at a high speed. Ever since the word paparazzi has been associated with the death of the Princess.

source : biographyonline.net

Obama di Indonesia

Menanyakan kabar adalah hal pertama yang dilakukan Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama begitu menginjakkan kaki di teras Istana Merdeka, Jakarta, Selasa.

Ucapan itu terlontar sesaat setelah dia disambut oleh Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dan Ibu Ani Yudhoyono di beranda istana.

"Apa kabar," katanya kepada semua orang dalam bahasa Indonesia yang boleh dikatakan fasih.

Tentu saja, pertanyaan itu dijawab serempak, "baik pak". Jawaban itu memang tidak salah, meski pada kenyataannya, rencana penyambutan Obama di kompleks Istana Kepresidenan berubah total akibat hujan.

Lebih jauh lagi, jawaban "baik" itu tidak selaras dengan kenyataan bahwa ratusan nyawa melayang dan ribuan warga Kepulauan Mentawai, Yogyakarta, dan Jawa Tengah terpisah dari kampung halaman karena terpaksa menjadi pengungsi.

"Kabar buruk" tentang perubahan mendadak rangkaian acara kunjungan kenegaraan Presiden Obama terjadi sekitar pukul 16.00 WIB, atau beberapa saat sebelum Obama dan rombongan tiba di Bandara Halim Perdanakusuma. Saat itu, tiba-tiba hujan deras mengguyur ibu kota Jakarta.

Alhasil, kompleks Istana Kepresidenan diguyur hujan lebat, tepat ketika segala persiapan menyambut kedatangan Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama sedang dilakukan.

Akibat hujan, sejumlah perlengkapan yang akan digunakan untuk menyambut Obama di halaman Istana Merdeka basah kuyup.

Panggung kehormatan yang tepat berada di depan istana tak luput dari guyuran air hujan. Sejumlah penyangga kamera televisi yang sudah disiagakan juga basah.

Para pekerja istana dan beberapa wartawan nampak sibuk memindahkan peralatan itu ke tempat yang tidak terkena hujan.

Rencananya, Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono akan menyambut Obama dalam upacara resmi kenegaraan di halaman depan Istana Merdeka.

Sesudah menggelar pertemuan bilateral, rencananya kedua kepala negara akan menggelar konferensi pers di halaman tengah komplek istana. Untuk itu, panggung berukuran besar dan deretan kursi untuk menampung 300 wartawan telah disiapkan. Lengkap dengan karpet merah tentunya.

Rencana pun gagal total. Upacara penyambutan akhirnya digelar di teras Istana Merdeka. Presiden Yudhoyono, Presiden Obama, Ani Yudhoyono dan Michele Obama beserta puluhan pasukan pengamanan dan wartawan "berjubel" di teras itu.

Panggung "raksasa" dan karpet merah di halaman istana juga basah kuyup dan sia-sia, karena konferensi pers akhirnya digelar di dalam istana.

"Kabar buruk" lainnya muncul tepat saat kedua presiden bertukar harapan tentang hubungan baik kedua negara, di tengah hamparan berbagai hidangan jamuan makan malam kenegaraan. Saat itu, gempa mengguncang Tasikmalaya dan daerah sekitarnya, serta membuat warga di daerah itu panik.

Gempa dengan kekuatan cukup besar itu berlangsung beberapa detik namun hampir sebagian besar warga merasakannya dan berhamburan keluar rumah.



Romantisme

Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama bersama Michele Obama, berada di Jakarta untuk melakukan kunjungan kenegaraan dan sejumlah agenda kerja lainnya.

Obama tiba di Istana Merdeka Jakarta, Selasa sore, dan langsung disambut oleh Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono bersama Ibu Negara Ani Yudhoyono.

Belasan mobil yang tergabung dalam iring-iringan kendaraan yang mengantar Obama tiba di Istana Merdeka tepat pukul 17.00 WIB.

Setibanya di halaman samping Istana Merdeka, Obama dan Michele disambut langsung oleh Presiden Yudhoyono dan Ibu Negara.

Keempatnya tampak akrab dan saling berjabat tangan. Sesaat kemudian, keempatnya menuju teras Istana untuk upacara penyambutan.

Sebagian orang menganggap kedatangan Obama ke Indonesia adalah "kabar baik". Bahkan, sebagian orang mungkin menganggap kedatangannya ke tanah air adalah "berkah". Setidaknya hal itu bisa dilihat dari setumpuk harapan kerjasama di berbagai bidang yang dibahas dalam pertemuan bilateral kedua negara.

Presiden Yudhoyono berharap, kerja sama itu bisa meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat Indonesia.

Namun, hal yang pasti menjadi topik pembicaraan dalam kunjungan Obama adalah "romantisme" masa lalu. Maklum, Obama menghabiskan masa kecil di Jakarta.

Harapan itu pun tidak terlalu muluk. Hal itu terbukti benar karena Obama memang kembali mengurai untaian kenangan yang menghiasi benaknya selama di Jakarta, puluhan tahun silam.

Barack "Berry" Obama terkenang masa lalunya ketika dia berada di Indonesia terutama tentang "becak" dan "bemo", kendaraan khas Jakarta yang sering dia jumpai pada masa kecilnya.

"Tahun 1967, saat itu orang-orang naik becak, kereta yang dikayuh dengan roda tiga. Dan kalau tidak naik becak mereka naik bemo," kata Obama saat menggelar konferensi pers bersama Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono di Istana Merdeka, Jakarta, Selasa malam.

Saking melekatnya kenangan masa lalu itu, Obama bahkan menjelaskan apa yang dimaksud dengan bemo.

"Jadi seperti taksi kecil dan orang bisa duduk atau berdiri di belakang. Sangat padat," katanya sembari tersenyum dan disambut gelak tawa hadirin.

Menurut Obama, kembali ke tempat yang dulu pernah ditinggali adalah hal yang luar biasa.

Namun demikian, Obama mengaku mengalami disorientasi ketika kembali ke Jakarta setelah puluhan tahun ditinggalkan. Menurut Obama, Jakarta sudah menjadi jauh lebih baik dibanding pada saat dia tinggal dulu.

"Saya rasa itu luar biasa untuk kembali," katanya

Romantisme memang disinggung oleh Obama. Namun, hal itu tidak selamanya menjadi "kabar baik" bagi warga negara Indonesia, khususnya mereka yang mengidolakan atau berharap banyak terhadap Obama.

Sebab, di akhir untaian romantisme masa lalu, Obama menegaskan masa lalu bukanlah tujuan utama Obama di Indonesia. Obama memilih menatap ke depan, daripada terbuai kenangan masa lalu.

"Hari ini sebagai presiden saya berfokus bukan pada masa lalu, tapi masa depan," katanya.

Sebuah pelajaran berharga dari Obama. Dia berusaha jujur dengan berkata tidak mementingkan romantisme masa lalu, meski banyak orang akan kecewa dengan pernyataan itu.

Indonesia bisa meniru sikap jujur Obama itu dengan menyatakan bahwa kabar negeri ini sedang "buruk" akibat rentetan bencana alam dan keterpurukan ekonomi. Indonesia juga bisa memilih menatap masa depan, melepaskan dari kungkungan masa lalu, dan fokus pada usaha meringankan penderitaan rakyat yang sekarang sedang terjadi. (F008/K004)


source : antara news

Ladycare Feminine Hygiene

Quotes Of The Day

He who loses money, loses much

But who loses a friend, loses more

And who loses faith, loses all

(Anonymous)

A bell isn’t a bell before you ring it

A song isn’t a song before you sing it

And love isn’t love before you give it away

(Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Q and A with Archie :)

When David Archuleta came in second on American Idol, he had hoards of screaming girls trailing him around where ever he went.

Yet the shy singer from Salt Lake City said he was far too busy with school and music to get involved with the ladies.

But he certainly seems to have changed his tune since then!

And while David hasn’t exactly become one of the great rock ‘n’ roll womanizers, it sounds like he’s getting around a bit — in the most innocent way possible, of course.

“I’m not, like, seriously dating — I’ll go on fun dates,” he told NYTimes.com.

“I’m all about getting to know people, trying to figure out how girls are different from each other, what I like about girls and what I don’t like.

“I think there will be that girl who I really feel like, wow, she’s special.

“But I still don’t know a lot and I’m still getting that idea of what kind of girl I’d want to be with for a long time — if that makes sense?”

Watch out girls — it sounds like the next Hugh Hefner’s in the making!

source : http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/10287

LOL the Title.

THAT’S FUNNY!!!!!

David Archuleta - GOOD PLACE

David James Mayorga Archuleta
:)

GOOD PLACE

I don't know what I'm doing here
How I landed in this space
But it's a good place

And I don't wanna mess it up
Make mistakes or say too much
'Cause it's a good place

You find it
You hold it
You feel its grace

These are words I wanna say
Every hour of every day
These are words that say how good it feels
To be here with you today
I hope it's not too late (I hope it's not too late)
I hope it's not too late

I've been silent up to now
I've been going with the flow
Wherever that goes

But something's screaming down inside
Makes me want to close my eyes
And hear the echo

You find it
You know it
Don't make it wait

These are words I wanna say
Every hour of every day
These are words that say how good it feels
To be here with you today
I hope it's not too late

'Cause I don't wanna waste another summer
I don't wanna wait until I fall
I could be a memory tomorrow
I could be nothing at all

I don't know what I'm doing here
How I landed in this space
But it's a good place

These are words I wanna say
Every hour of every day
These are words that say how good it feels
To be here with you today
I hope it's not too late

Oh, yeah
I hope it's not too late