Taj Mahal

What is the taj mahal?

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.

Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion rupees (U.S. $827 million). The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". Described by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as "the tear-drop on the cheek of time",  it is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India's rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year. In 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007)

why am I discussing about taj mahal? because my friend (Alwan Muhammad) and I
really wanted to get there. if you are curious why me and my friend want to go there
check our video on the youtube.

Here's the link!!

https://youtu.be/KoRN0F_Phcg

Gathapraya, A Culture-Themed Festival

Gathapraya!!!

So what is Gathapraya? Gathapraya is a culture-themed festival hosted by my school, SMAN 3 Bandung. Actually, every year our school hosts a culture-themed festival and the name of this year's festival is Gathapraya. It was hosted on the 30th of sptember 2017. I myself had the pleasure to come to the festival with my friends. Even though the festival was a open-for-everybody event, the targeted audience were teenagers and young adults. It was hoped that through this culture-themed festival, the people who came would go home having more nationalism and patriotism towards our country, Indonesia. The event's commitee are students of SMAN 3 Bandung itself and they worked very hard two months before the event to ensure the success of the festival.

So what does this culture-themed festival called Gathapraya offer? The festival opens for entry at noon and can be entered until up to 17.00 PM.  Inside, there are various different foods and beverages for sale but it is quite pricey. from noon to around six there were various performances by the school's bands, angklung, TST, and a few other lesser known bands. And after six o' clock the main event started which featured performances from famous and well known bands Elephant Kind, Hivi!, and Nidji. It was very enjoyable and lively. 

At the end, Gathapraya turned out to be a very very good event. The hardwork of the commitee payed off because the festival was very neat and organized, and there were no accidents or unwanted occurences. I had a very good time in Gathapraya and wish to come to next years culture-themed festival from SMAN 3 Bandung!!

What Mahira will Do On The Holiday

One day, during the break, a few days from school holiday. Zachary, a 10th grade student met his friend Mahira. They then talked about what they'll do next holiday

Zachary: Hey Mahira!

Mahira: Hi Zachary! How's it going?

Zachary: Im doing great! What about you?

Mahira: Great too

Zachary: So, holidays are coming up, what do you plan to do?

Mahira: I plan to go to Japan

Zachary: Wow, thats awesome. What city?

Mahira: Okayama

Zachary: Cool. What do you plan to do there?

Mahira: Well, I used to live there so i think im gonna go visit my old house, for old times sake.

Zachary: Oh wow, you used to live there? thats cool! with whom will you go there?

Mahira: With my family of course

Zachary: How will you go there?

Mahira: By Airplane

Zachary: Do you have like a backup plan or something? you know, just in case it doesnt work out?

Mahira: Sure, of course. I plan to go to California.

Zachary: Why California?

Mahira: Why for the beautiful beautiful beaches of course

Zachary: Okay then, Good luck on your holiday!

Mahira: Thanks! you too!

Lost In Kepri Mall

Hi!

Its Zachary again, this time im going to tell you about my embarassing and devastating experience.

So, I was still in Batam at the time. I was in the 1st grade. It was just a normal "go out with family" Saturday. We went to this newly opened shopping mall called Kepri Mall since it had this sort of opening ceremony where there were bands, door prizes and the usual stuff. 

We arrived there at about noon, so we had lunch first in this Padang restaraunt. After that, we decided to go watch the ceremony. The first few performances were great, but as the cermony went on, my mom and my sister got bored, I however was far from bored since there was this Karate performance. So, we decided to separate from each other, my mom and sister went shopping while i stayed and watched the show. When we were going to be seperated, my mom strictly said "Dont go anywhere and wait for me here even if the show is finished"

So, I just stayed and enjoyed the show, but it turns out the performance finished faster than expected. So i was alone in front of a now empty stage and i didn't know what to do, and being the little kid i was, i decided to go look for my mom. But after a few minutes of unsuccessful searching, i started panicking, so i decided to go to where my mom's car was parked hoping that my driver was there, but when i arrived my driver wasnt there, so i panicked even more.

So, i just wandered around trying to find my mom, and somewhere along the way i started crying because i still couldnt find her, but luckily, while i was busy bawling my eyes out somewhere in the mall, a friend of my sister saw me and recognized me. She then called my sister's phone and they came to get me.

Turns out my mom was just in a store right beside the stage, and when she came out i wasnt there anymore. In the end, all that i got from that day was embarrassment and a long lecture by my mom about listening to what she says.

Thanks for reading!!

Meeting A New Friend

One day, during the break in a school in Bandung, a 10th grade student named Alex is walking in the canteen when he spots a student he has never seen before. He then walks up to the student.

Alex: Hey!

Bob: Hi!

Alex: I've never seen you here before, are you new here?

Bob: Yes im new. My name's Bob, nice to meet you!

Alex: Im Alex, and nice to meet you too! So where did you move from?

Bob: I moved from Batam, you know, the city near Singapore?

Alex: Ohh you're from Batam? my uncle used to live there for a few years, i used to visit from time to time. Its a very beautiful city isnt it? Beaches everywhere and that warm weather.

Bob: Yup yes it is, but i have to say, even for a city as beautiful as Batam, you'd get bored living in the same place for years.

Alex: I couldnt agree more, its getting boring here in Bandung. So I take it you were born in Batam then?

Bob: Actually, no. I lived in Batam since i was a baby but i was actually born in Bandung.

Alex: Oh really? So can you speak sundanese?

Bob: Just a little, my parents tend to use sundanese alot so i know a few words.

Alex: So what do you usually do in your free time? You know, your hobbies and such?

Bob: Well i really like listening to music and reading books, and I absolutely love playing Badminton when i have the time.

Alex: Oh really? What a coincidence! see, this saturday me and my friends are going to go playing Badminton, you should come too!

Bob: That would be great! But i should check my schedule first just in case.

Alex: Okay, just let me know if you can or cant.

Bob: Of course. Hey alex, what class are you from again?

Alex: Oh, I'm at X Science 2. What about you?

Bob: Well we're neighbors then, I'm from X Science 1.

Alex: Oh you're at Science too? Let me guess your favourite subjects are Math and Natural Science?

Bob: hahahaha, no. I get why you'd think that since I'm a Science student. But actually my favourite subjects are Arts & Craft and P.E. What about you?

Alex: Well I'm the stereotypical Science student, and you guessed it! Its Math and Natural Science.

Bob: Oh man, I forgot something!

Alex: What is it?

Bob: My little sister asked me to buy her some French Fries today, but i forgot that i didn't bring enough money. She'd be devastated!

Alex: You want to borrow my money?

Bob: Are you sure, Alex?

Alex: Yeah sure, i brought extra.

Bob: Thanks man! I'll repay you tomorrow, i promise!

Alex: Dont mention it! So, what's your sister's name?

Bob: Oh, her name's Amelia Earhart.

Alex: Okay then. Hey Bob, Recess' almost over, i think im going to go back to my class now.

Bob: Oh sure sure, but wait, can we exchange numbers so i can call you to confirm that i can come with you to play Badminton?

Alex: Yeah sure, its 081214790553. And yours?

Bob: Its 081990940532. Whats your full name? There are like a ton of Alex's in my contacts.

Alex: Oh, its Graham Bell, Alexander Graham Bell. And you?

Bob: Oh im Sadino, Bob Sadino.

Alex: Okay then, see you later!

Bob: Bye!

This Is Zachary

 Basic Things About Me

Hello there!!!
My name is Zachary Adam Hidayat and this is my blog, people usually can't pronounce Zachary correctly and it ends up sounding stupid so you can call me Adam. I go to school in SMAN 3 Bandung and my hobbies ar reading books, playing badminton, listening to music and playing the guitar. my favourite subjects are Physics and Mathematics. I want to be an electrical engineer when i grow up. I have an older sister named Shafira, a step brother named Naufal the same age as me, and a half sister named Varisha who is still a baby. There's nothing really special about me, im just an average guy with no amazing talents or anything. Thats all the basic things about me, and now im going to tell you about my life until today, the day i'm writing this post.

I was born on a Tuesday on the 5th of march 2002 in Bandung, even though i was born in my hometown, i spent most of my childhood years in Singapore because my dad worked there, till i was 5 years old to be exact, when i was 5 and a half years old, i moved to Batam, a city a ferry ride away from Singapore. I lived there for 7 years. In those 7 years my dad has been moving all around the world due to his work, and sometimes when im lucky, my dad takes me, my sister, and my mom with him. In those lucky times, ive went to China where i stayed for 2 years, to Brazil for 9 Months, and back to china for another year. During those times i was abroad, i only went back to batam a few times a year to participae in final exams since officialy i was still going to school in Batam. It was a great experience going abroad and staying for such a long time.

On 2012, when i was in China, my parents decided to get a divorce, so we went back to Batam. There, my parents went through all the legal stuff etc. to get the divorce and on February 2012, my parents were oficially divorced. After the divorce, my mom moved to Bali, my dad continued working in China, and my sister and i were left to stay at Batam for the time being.

Later on in 2012, my dad was engaged to a woman in bandung who would later on be my step mom, which is why we sold the house in Batam and moved to Bandung. On the 1st December of 2012 , my dad and step mom were oficially married they later on had a daughter, my step sister. My mother however stayed single till 2013 where she married a man she met at Bali who is now my step dad. My mom decided to move and marry in Bandung so she could be closer to me which would be the first time i saw her again after the divorce.

Since then, i went to school SD Merdeka 5 Bandung with my now step brother Naufal, and continued to SMPN 2 Bandung and now in SMAN 3 Bandung. Theres that, a short summary of my lfe till today. Things went quite normally from that day on. Thanks for reading, bye.