Saturday, August 24, 2013

Garuda Wisnu Kencana

Trust me ... in real life He is way more magnificent.



I've always wondered why they only made the bust version of Him, but was too ignorant enough to find out why. Turns out, they didn't! The plan is to make the full body version but the project got halted for almost 16 years, which means it's already started in 1997! I didn't know that, eventhough I'm Balinese and live in Bali. I visited GWK for the first time when I was in 9th grade, I though it was new stuff. Haha.
Garuda Wisnu Kencana is the creation of I Nyoman Nuarta, a legendary Balinese sculptor. His masterpieces include Monument of Proclamation in Jakarta and Jalesveva Jayamahe Monument  in Surabaya.



Both are very famous, both are also unknown to me as the creation of Mr. Nuarta.

I should be embarassed.

Anyway, I browsed around and found out that GWK was supposed to be Mr. Nuarta's gift to Indonesia. It was built on his own money, on his own land. Of course if somewhere along the way one or two investors ask to contribute, it would be more than fine. Sadly, the goverment interrupted him with tax (or supposed to be tax) money and stuff like that. Bali Bombing in 2002 was also the reason; no investors want to invest anything after that. So yeah. 

But gladly, the project is going to be continued. It is planned to be 126 m in height, higher than Lady Liberty which is only 93 m. The material used are brass and copper, the total weight is almost 3000 tonnes. Just like her, parts of the statue is made in Badung, then transported to Bali and built there. When finished, He's going to look like this:

 


Can't wait. It is going to be magnificent. 

Friday, August 23, 2013

(15) Writing Task 2: Sports in curriculum

Some people believe that competitive sports both team and individual have no place in school curriculum. How far do you agree or disagree?

Many argument arises nowadays on how competitive sports no longer have role in school curriculum. Personally, I am quite supportive with this statement.

Sports, especially competitive ones, do not exactly help children develop themselves for their future career. Unless they aim to be an athlete, but even if this is the case, it is more about talent than schooling. Some even do not consider athlete as a career. Moreover, sports cost a lot and considering the previous argument, it is not worth the expenses.

Futhermore, sporst are also thought as encouraging violence among children, especially male student. Active boys are usually considered as though, while the others, especially the studious ones, are considered to be lame. This creates negative stigma which in turn will prevent kids from being themselves. Some kids may stop doing what they are passionate about since it is considered unattractive by society, and sports-oriented kids may bully their friends. The athlete student potrayal in movies or other popular culture does not exactly help either.

Yet, some people argue that doing sport is the best way to make children learn about team work and to give them chance to do some physical activities. This can be solved by doing uncompetitive sports, so the kids will gain benefit without creating gaps and discrimination.

In conclusion, I agree that sports might have become obsolete in school curriculum. It does not shape any preferred quality in a child, it is expensive and it encourages violence. School will benefit more if they emit the competitive side of it and focus more on being active and having fun.

Wordcount: 266

(14) IELTS Writing Task 2: News Editor

News editors decide what to broadcast on television and what to print in newspaper. What factors do you think influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad news? Would it be better if more good news was reported?

Being a news editor means having control on the spread of information throughout society. This cannot be done at random; a lot of factors contribute in a news editor’s decision on what to print or broadcast.

First are actuality and reliability. As the source of the information spread in society, the company’s name is being put on stake. Delivering false or misleading news can result in distrust toward the company. However, one cannot deny that the news company also serves as living source of its employees. Therefore, comes factor number two; the selling point. Some news will be prioritized if it can catch public’s attention. History has seen so many cases and events were being over exploited while others were ignored, merely because the former sold more than the latter.

The last is the benefit they can gain from it. Often, it is not the matter of revealing the truth but more about shaping public’s opinion. Governments have been known to cooperate with publication and broadcast for this purpose. Despite the controversies, this practice continues to happen until today.

The current concern though, is the over-exploitation of bad news. People secretly love suffering, and news editor use this to boost their sale. Personally, I think too much bad news brings a lot of negativity into society. People start to lose faith in humanity and in turn, this can create even more chaos. More good news will be better for the situation in society.

Overall, news editor truly have great control on what going around in society. It is irrefutable that in modern society, media is the most important tool to control the people. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

(13) IELTS Writing Task 1: da Eiffel Tower

IELTS Writing Task 1


This diagram describes the Eiffel tower, its surrounding and the plan to extend it underground. Five levels will be added, on which several facilities will be build to support the Eiffel tower as tourist destination.  

Eiffel tower is located between Seine River and Ecole Millitaire. There are several tourist attractions nearby, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d’Orsay. It stands on the height of 324 and weighs 10,0001 tonnes in total. There are two viewing platforms, connected by 1,665 steps.

On the plan, all the five levels will be connected by two lifts. Fifth and fourth level are preserved for parking spots, while the third level is for cinema and museum. Rest area consisting of shops and restaurant is planned to be built on the second level, and for the first level, it will be for ticket office and access to tower. A glass ceiling will give the visitors clear view of the tower from the bottom.



Wordcount: 157

Thursday, August 1, 2013

(12) Writing Task 2 : Controversy about Death Penalty


By punishing murderers with the death penalty, society is also guilt of committing murder. Therefore, life in prison is a better punishment for murderers.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?




Capital punishment or death penalty has been a major source of controversies for years. Many deem it barbaric; others declare it essential to control crime and violence in society. Caught between the need for secure, strong society and a human basic right to live, it is clear that this sort of matter need thoughtful consideration. 

Objections against death penalty often are stemmed from the dreaded fatality of killing innocent people. Court can only go so far to defend justice and it is unbearable to think that a misjudgment can end with someone’s death; bearing the burden of other people’s fault, nonetheless. Not to mention that history has seen many innocent people purposely sent to the gallows for political means or being  perceived as a threat for the current corrupt system. 

However, it is undeniable that no punishment can possibly be as effective as death. Besides ensuring that the crimes will not be done for the second time, it can also teach the society not to do the same thing. The government will gain control over its people if they can show that some crimes are not going to be tolerated, thus guarantee a safe and secure society.

Furthermore, one has to admit that some crimes are downright unforgivable. It would be unreasonable to avoid killing someone for the sake of their lives while they do not hesitate to end others themselves. Most people will reconsider death penalty for the sake of pity, but for the victim’s family, there are no other acceptable options. (My tutor wrote a big remark in red ink : "You mean revenge?!" I think she thought I'm a psycho. So don't use line like this)

Overall, even though death penalty might seem cruel and barbaric, I agree that it is needed in order to preserve peace in society.

wordcount : 276

(11) Writing Task 1 : UK citizen travel abroad and reason









The first table shows the trend in the purpose of abroad visit by UK residents. The data were taken from 100.000 respondents between 1994 and 1998. Holiday constantly dominated each year, easily five times or more the figure shown by business which came as second. It was followed by visits to friends and relatives, while other unspecified reasons took the fourth position. 

The second table shows the trend in the destination of abroad visit by UK residents, taken from the same amount of respondent and at the same period. The number of visit to Western Europe each year far outnumbered those to North America. Although other regions were not considered individually, the total number of visit each year nearly twice the number of North America visits, yet still far below western Europe.

It is evident from both the table that Western Europe was the major holiday destination for UK resident between 1994 and 1998. Overall, regardless the purpose and destination, the total amount of abroad visit by UK resident show gradual increase over the years.


wordcount : 175

(10) Writing Task 1 : Australian Family monthly expenditure



You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The table below shows the monthly expenditure of an average Australian family in 1991 and 2001. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.



1991
2001
Australian Dollar Per Month
 Food
155
160 
 Electricity and Water
75
120 
 Clothing
30 
20 
 Housing
95 
100 
 Transport
70 
45 
 Other goods and services*
250 
270 
 Total
675
715
*Other goods and services: non-essential goods and services
  

The table shows monthly expense in daily needs for average Australian family. The data were taken from year 1991 and 2001. It is obvious from the table that monthly expense obtained quite a rise in the span of ten-year period. At $715 a month in 2001, it increased nearly 10% from $675 in 1991.

Some necessity definitely leveled up in its monthly expense. Food climbed up slightly from $155 per month to $160. Similar case happened for housing which rose from $95 a month to $100, also for other unspecified necessities which rose from $250 a month to $270. The needs for electricity and water, however, rocketed quite sharply. From $75 per month in 1991, it almost doubled up in 2001.

In the contrary, other necessities showed the opposite trend. The consumption for clothing definitely decreased, from $30 a month to $20. The more extreme case happened for transport. Average Australian family needed $70 a month for transport in 1991. In 2001, this figure was reduced to almost half of it, which is $45 a month. 

Word count: 176