MIKI MINI Playgroup and Kindergarten

advertorial from Miki Mini Playgroup and Kindergarten

When is the best age for my child education?
The brain cells of a child is on their max to the age of 3. On their first 2 years, the brain cells has grown to 75% of a full-grown brain. When it reaches to 5 years old, it has grown to 90% of a full-grown brain. From this fact, it shows how important to start early education as early as possible.

What can my children learn at this early years of their education? A child with early education will develop a positive thinking in their social living be it at school or in the community in the future. And more, a child will learn things faster and will view study and reading are a very joyful things to do rather than duties from their parents and teachers. They can socialize and interact better, adapt skills in analysing, more tolerate and passionate towards others. And the more important thing is that the child will have more confidence on themselves.

What education will be taught in the school?Knowledge: learning on facts, concepts, ideas and vocabularies.
Skills: inclusive of learning in developing motoric sensor or agility
Disposition: to analyze and respond to certain situation
Feelings: controlling emotions and expressing how they feel to others

Why Miki Mini Playgroup and Kindergarten for your child?
Because, at MM we teach your child with a learning while playing system. Your child will be given knowledge and skill in 3 languages, which are English, Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesia. And we also provides facilities like:
1. Class Room
All fully air-conditioned room with a capacity not more than 20 students per class with 2 experience teachers. With our one to one teaching concept, each child development will be more monitored.
2. Music and Arts Room
With their early introduction to music (violin, piano, vocals) and arts, we expect to discover the child potential and sharpened their talents. We understand that with music and arts, a child will be more passionate and tend to control their emotions better and also helps them in developing high self confidence.
3. Computer and Audio Visual Room
Introducing children with IT worlds and occasional learning from educational audios and videos in order to enhance their learning interests and concentration.
4. Cooking Room
Introduction of tools and cooking ingredients they can find in the kitchen. The purpose is to let the children learn on the usage of every tools and tastes of every food, like sugar is sweet and salt is salty. And we will teach some simple food recipes for the children to make. Something such as sandwiches, cookies or salads.
5. Sempoa (Abacus) and Flash Cards
6. Library
We have hundreds of useful and colorful children book for the children to read. introduction to book in their early years in hope of developing reading as a habits.
7. Playing Ground
8. School Transport Facility
We will provide transportation with an experience and caring driver and accompanied by teachers.

How much do I have to pay?
With these facilities and a national plus school standard, we can claim to be the fairest priced school in Batam with no compromising in our passion and affection towards giving the best knowledge to your children. And special on this April, we will subsidise 25% from the registration. Please do call us for price and bring your children to the school and we can arrange trial class for your precious to join for few days with no obligation.

call us for more informations:
Kompleks Ruko Accelence Blk A no. 18-19
tel. +62 - 778 - 748 3458 - 702 6321
web: www.miki-mini.com
email: sekolah_mikimini@yahoo.com
Pasir Putih - Batam Centre Core

LAND FOR SALE

Bintan is one of the island included in the Batam Free Trade Zone. Investing on land while the price is still low will give you good profit in the near future.

There is a piece of land of approximately 20hectares are on sale on Busung, in the northern part of Bintan Island, close to the Bintan Resorts area. The land is circled by a 30metre wide asphalt road and is ready for buildings and factories.

The owner is willing to let it go at a price of Sin$.10.-per sqm (US$. 6.70 psqm) with documents all in.

All inquiries are welcome.

2009 BATAM EVENT CALENDAR

BALI & BEYOND
• Time : 22 s/d 26 April 2009
• Venue : Nagoya HILL
Activities on introducing Bali's tourism and cultures. Participated by all sub-provinces and cities from all over Bali.


TRADITIONAL DANCE PARADE
• Time : 27 – 28 April 2009
• Venue : Batam City Square (BCS) Mall
An event on Malay traditional / contemporer dance contest.


TENNIS BATAM JUNIOR OPEN
• Time : …… Juni 2009
• Venue : Lapangan Tennis Pemko, Persero dan Shangri-La
-Fixed event by PB-PELTI
- National junior atheletes open with concestant from Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.


FOOD VEGETARIAN FIESTA ‘09
• Time : 6 Juni 2009
• Venue : Vihara Metriya Batam Centre
An exhibition of vegetarian cuisine and traditional dances from Malay, India and Chinese culture.


OUT BOND TOUR
• Time : 26 s/d 28 Juni 2009
• Venue : Batam
Joint activity of students from Singapore and Malaysia in Batam with a social charity activities to school, orphanage and sport facility.


INDONESIA FOOD FESTIVAL
• Time : 26 s/d 28 Juni 2009
• Venue : Golden Veiw Hotel
Exhibiting indonesian traditional cuisines as well as live cooking demonstrations and traditional cultural performances. This event is prioritized to international tourists (Singapore and Malaysia)


ASIA PACIFIC VOLLEY BALL TOURNAMENT
• Time :16 – 19 JULI 2009
• Venue : OCARINA/NPM
An international beach volley ball tournament with contestant from Asia Pacific as a tryout event for national atheltes.


FAMILY TOUR
• Time : 18 & 19 Juli 2009 (Tentatif)
• Venue : Golden View
A gathering event for tribes families of Bawean, Banjar, Minang, Bugis and Jawa which resides in Singapore and Malaysia with their communities from Batam. Performances from each tribes.


SEA EAGLE BOAT RACE
• Time : 18 & 19 Juli 2009
• Venue : BELAKANG PADANG
Annual international event with many audiences. And also proclaming Batam as one of the strongest team in rowing section.


SAMPAN LAYAR TOURNAMENT
• Time : Agustus 2009
• Venue : Kecamatan Belakang Padang, Pulau Buluh, Tg. Riau
An event to celebrate Indonesia independence day with sampan races and various traditional games.


BATU AMPAR 10K
• Time : 02 Agustus 2009
• Venue : Kec. Batu Ampar
Sport event participated by national and local athletes and residents.


TEO CHEW OPERA
• Time : 6- 8 AGUSTUS 2009
• Venue : KTM RESORT
Teo Chew Chinese opera performances on folklores.


BATAM POS TOUR RALLY
• Time : 10 Agustus 2009
• Venue : Jalan Protokol Kota Batam
Car rally participated by locals.


PAWAI BUDAYA / CULTURAL PARADE
• Time : 18 Agustus 2009
• Venue : Kecamatan Lubuk Baja, Batam
Parades from various arts and cultures.


PESTA ANAK PULAU / ISLANDERS PARTY
• Time : 20 Agustus 2009
• Venue : Sembulang
Traditional games event.


SMILING MORNING
• Time : 23 Agustus 2008
• Venue : Kecamatan Bengkong
Mass morning aerobic, traditional games tournament.


JALAN SANTAI / LEISURE WALK
• Time : 23 Agustus 2009
• Venue : Kecamatan Batam Kota
A local event participated by locals.


LINTAS ALAM / NATURE HIKE
• Time : 24 Agustus 2009
• Venue : Kecamatan Nongsa, Batam
A local event participated by locals.


SEPEDA SANTAI / LEISURE BIKING
• Time : 30 Agustus 2009
• Venue : Sei Pancur, Batam
A local event participated by locals.


BARELANG KOLEK RACE
• Time : 30 Agustus 2009
• Venue : BARELANG
• Narasi :
Tournament of traditional sail boat.


CHINESE FESTIVAL
• Time : 27 September 2009
• Venue : Batam
A chinese culture festival.


FESTIVAL MESJID ASEAN / ASEAN MOSQUE FESTIVAL
• Time : Oktober 2009
Festival in exhibiting historical mosques all over ASEAN countries.


4TH ASIAN VEGETARIAN CONGRESS
• Time : ….November 2009
• Venue : Batam
Congress participated by members from ASEAN countries.


BATAM MARINE EXPO
• Time : 11 – 15 November 2009
• Venue : Batam
Marine exhibition about marine life and tools. This is the first international scale maritime event held in Batam.


DEEPAVALI
• Time : 14 NOVEMBER 2009
• Venue : Batam
A Indian Hindu celebration to worship Siva God with parades of god statues and also Indian folk dance and music. Every Hindus will be given a blessed coin.


BATAM CULTURE & MUSIC PERFORMANCE
• Time : 21- 22 NOVEMBER 2009
• Venue : Batam
An event with international DJ (Disc jockey) from Indonesia, Philipines, Malaysia, and Singapore, etc.


KENDURI SENI MELAYU (KSM) / MALAY ART FESTIVAL
• Time :10 – 12 DESEMBER 2009
• Venue :Batam
An annual event of Batam Tour and Culture Department displaying various arts attractions.


PARADE DAN GEBYAR BUDAYA NUSANTARA / INDONESIA CULTURAL PARADE
• Time :10 – 12 DESEMBER 2009
• Venue : Batam
Parades of various cultures from all over Indonesia.


FIREWORK PARTY (PESTA KEMBANG API)
• Time : 30 Desember 2009
• Venue : Dataran Engku Putri Batam Centre
Local Batam Government annual event to celebrate new year.

(info from http://www.visit-batam.com)

Protest from Hotels and Malls

"Help Batam, Help FTZ, Help Indonesia, tarif PLN Batam naik 41% - 53%. Mencekik usaha hotel & mall. Mengancam PHK di Batam."

It literally translates, "help Batam, help FTZ. Help Indonesia. PLN tariff increased to 41% - 53%. Strangelling hotels and malls business. Threatened mass unemployement in Batam."

We can see easily this banners in front of most hotels and malls in Batam. The policy of PLN to increase electricity cost to 41% - 53% invites protests from hotels and malls owners. They claimed that they can't afford to pay PLN due to this increment. And PLN have temporally cutted off electricity to 18 users.

The secretrary of PT. PLN Batam, I Wayan Jasmin said that cut off was a hard decission to make. The electricity bill which has already snowballed to a very big sum is a major problem to the company cash flow that can not be left unattended.

The general election had just finished. Let's just hope that the new legislative council will have a more favourable policy to the business and people.

FTZ Batam, Bintan and Karimun. Finally...

Free Trade Zone in Batam is officially effective on 1 April 2009. PP 63/2003 was lifted, meaning no VAT (PPN), no import tax (BM), and no more tax on luxury goods like cars and electronics (PpnBM) within the area of FTZ (Batam, Bintan and Karimun).

First few days of the FTZ have not affected the price of electronic goods in Batam. Not much of the imported consumption goods are seen on the shelves. According to the vice chairman of Kepri Chamber of Commerce, Abdoellah Gosse, prices of electronic goods will decrease to 30% within the next 3 to 4 months.

From my point of view, I think that FTZ will or might only works if:

1. the central government gives the local government the full authority for approving permits without having to go all the way to Jakarta to process it.

2. the local government have to strictly wipe off the corruption practice within the government. If all documentation still involves bribery from the lower level to the higher one, and government staff will only move their finger if cash are stuffed in their pocket, I don't think people would come and invest in this such unprofessional governed city.

3. Utility cost must be cut down from the current pricing. The cost now is too burdening the business in Batam which is more than 40% increment for electricity cost especially for Hotels and Malls, and even that, Batam is still not bright enough. If the cost is still this high while the world oil price and the Indonesian government already lower the price of oil, how can Batam competes with the neighbouring countries with better facility and offers. I believe, high cost delivers high quality. But I don't see this happen in this issue. Just after few days the FTZ was implemented, Batam is again sent to total darkness on April 3rd for almost 3 hours. I don't know what kind of excuses "again" this time.

4. Government must act as fair as their can to investors and labors. Not being like willow tree that moves when the wind blows. Saying nice words to investors when only funds are needed, and then siding to much to labors when votes are needed. The living cost if too high and the officials must find ways to lower the living cost. Lower the price of consumption goods, lower the oil price, provides more lower cost houses, NOT only by asking the businesses to pay more to cover the high living cost. Of course no business will survive with no workers. But also, no country would survive with no investors and business.

5. the efficiency of works of the government. Less talk, more works. Government must put more professional in the fields. Not by putting some senior high school graduates in the important department. Election is coming this April, but some legislative candidates don't even have the education nor the looks to govern. If you happen to come to Indonesia or Batam this month, you can "easily" see all the posters and billboards with faces of peoples you don't even sure they have what it takes for the job. It is like another version of America or Indonesia Idol audition.

Anyway, hopefully this policy will bring prosper to Indonesia, especially Batam. And the government will professionally maintain the good climate of business investment in the region. Once more, Batam will be the electronic haven in Indonesia like it used to be.


“If you hear there are still obstacles to doing business here, including illegal fees, please informed me directly. I will take stiff action against those who dare to disturb the business community here.” President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his vist to Batam recently on Riau islands FTZ.


“We are upbeat that with all the legal hurdles cleared, foreign investment will significantly rise.” Ismeth Abdullah, Riau Islands governor.

“We will now see implementation in the field. Will the islands become more attractive as planned or not?” Johannes Kennedy Aritonang, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Riau Islands chapter.