tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85724855447402347882012-02-01T11:19:04.464+07:00Travels in the Indonesian archipelago: Bali, Java, Jakarta and beyondTempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.comBlogger5501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-13767238282867184462012-01-04T18:04:00.005+07:002012-01-04T18:16:05.098+07:00

Beware of geeks bearing formulas. ~Warren Buffett5 years ago someone pointed out to me that one single US tech company - the behemoth internet stock Google – was worth more than ALL the companies listed on the Indonesian stock exchange!This is an incredible fact: that one single company from the US - which operates in cyberspace and with no “real” assets - is worth more than all the listed

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-44677435050495995692011-12-23T12:02:00.005+07:002011-12-23T12:17:48.614+07:00

Get drunk and stay that way.On what?On wine, poetry, virtue, whatever.But get drunk. ~BaudelaireVodka may be the tipple of the proletariat but the plush Red Square vodka bar at Plaza Senayan will certainly be beyond the reach of the masses - one drink here costs around 10 bucks, or considerably more than Jakarta’s daily minimum wage!Rather, admission is reserved for card-carrying party members

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-29127933100947252292011-12-15T12:06:00.003+07:002011-12-15T12:11:06.460+07:00

Japanese food is great. But it’s also very expensive. So are there any affordable alternatives to the very pricey Japanese restaurants that are usually located in the city’s five star hotels or fancy office buildings?Well, yes there are. And one of them is Zenbu, a bright and cheerful little restaurant located in the new extension to the venerable Plaza Indonesia shopping mall.The restaurant is

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-29757225112923651112011-12-07T12:04:00.003+07:002011-12-07T12:13:07.146+07:00

What’s your favorite man made seven wonder? The Taj Mahal? The Colosseum? Or the Great Wall of China, perhaps?Yes, these are all impressive feats of human endeavor but the tourism authorities in Jakarta are not happy and believe that there should be a new addition to the list.The Semanggi Interchange at rush hour!!!Source: Enjoy JakartaThe Semanggi interchange - perhaps the most congested in

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-70581927404646626872011-12-03T23:01:00.013+07:002011-12-04T10:33:20.503+07:00

Heading back from the “Big Mangga” along Jalan Gunung Sehari and I see this:WTF! You must be thinking what I’m thinking, right?Certainly enough to make ole Steve Jobs turn around in his grave a few times before he’s on the blower to one of his writ-loving lawyers.And you can be sure that his lawyers would be onto this in a jiffy.In fact, why aren’t they? Is it cos Apple Indonesia don’t care? I

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-82702309756353801532011-12-03T14:43:00.010+07:002012-01-11T22:17:32.726+07:00

May you - Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like no-one is watching, screw like it's being filmed, and drink like a true Irishman.~aNONOn the shores of North Jakarta, you can find South East Asia’s largest integrated tourist “resort”. It’s called Ancol Dreamland and draws kids in their thousands, especially at the weekends. Rollercoaster rides, water park

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-24687289728145824492011-11-17T12:10:00.004+07:002011-11-17T12:15:13.028+07:00

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India is one of the world’s most awe-inspiring architectural achievements, so to name a rather rundown little eating establishment after the great mausoleum is - as we say in England - taking the piss to say the least.That said, the Taj Mahal Jakarta is located in an interesting part of town – right on the northern fringes of Pasar Baru, a down-to-earth and historic

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-32331091373033838332011-11-12T20:04:00.007+07:002011-12-23T22:42:18.752+07:00

A journey along Jalan Gajah Mada doesn’t just take you from the center of Jakarta to bustling Chinatown. It takes you back in time – from the gleaming business district south of Monas all the way up to the crumbling colonial Dutch quarters at Kota.It’s an area of Jakarta I like a lot. You have the history, the shopping and the insalubrious delights of Manga Besar’s nightlife. What else could you

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-59088875707166383192011-11-07T23:19:00.005+07:002011-11-07T23:40:42.391+07:00

We came across a lad from A company. He was ripped open from his shoulder to his waist by shrapnel and lying in a pool of blood. When we got to him, he said: 'Shoot me'. He was beyond human help and, before we could draw a revolver, he was dead. It's an image that has haunted me all my life, seared into my mind.~Harry Patch (1898 – 2009)Not many people know it, but nestled behind Jakarta’s Park

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-63182244824356227072011-11-06T22:19:00.002+07:002011-12-06T22:36:44.693+07:00

There are bars you go to get pissed and there are bars you go to be seen. Needless to say, the extremely plush and fancy Face bar in diplomatic Menteng is firmly in the latter category.Managed by the Face Group, this bar is actually one of the oldest in Jakarta and has TWO fine restaurants in the same building – the Lan Na Tai (Thai) and Hazara (North Indian).So there’s no excuse to drink on an

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-48865987287483534602011-11-06T22:11:00.000+07:002011-12-06T22:18:10.495+07:00

On a recent sojourn around the Pasar Baru area of central Jakarta and I came across this old post office on Jalan Pos:And tempo dulu, in 1947:About the only visible difference appear to be that the post office used to have a clock!Notably, this is the first post office to be built in Jakarta (around the mid-1850s) - and with its huge arch the building bears a close resemblance to the marvelous

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-17478836489934992552011-11-05T09:00:00.000+07:002011-11-05T09:00:02.013+07:00

Who doesn’t crave a raw and tender steak now and again? An urge, no doubt, that can be traced back to primordial times, when we were still hanging from trees and the dinner didn’t just magically appear on the table every evening.But those days are long gone, and even though there are tribes out there who still go hunting with spears and blowpipes, the rest of us will have our carnivorous

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-10032484303049926442011-10-13T21:33:00.010+07:002011-10-13T21:51:31.760+07:00

Very few Hollywood or foreign English language movies are ever shot in Indonesia.Even “The Year of Living Dangerously”, a real humdinger of a movie in which a still charismatic Mel Gibson forges an unique relationship with a Chinese dwarf, wasn’t actually filmed in the country (it had to be shot in nearby Philippines because of objections from Suharto’s iron fist regime).And while sections of

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-19590124303708512012011-10-12T12:08:00.003+07:002011-10-12T12:45:07.750+07:00

Many of the 5 star hotels in Jakarta put on sumptuous “all you can eat” buffets.Although prices have risen considerably in recent years, mostly they are still pretty good value, ranging in price from around Rp200,000 ++ to Rp400,000 ++.Complimentary water/tea is often provided but you have to pay for other drinks. As you can eat as much as you want, it’s obviously best to be ravenously hungry

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-54563769777608030082011-09-22T12:12:00.007+07:002011-09-23T12:17:18.447+07:00

Another one of my bugbears about living in Jakarta –A lack of Indian restaurants!I say this because as someone brought up in Old Blighty (the UK), and having lived in the curry-mecca cities of Birmingham and London, I am more than a little partial to a good Indian curry – and not only after a few beers either!I realise that Jakarta doesn’t have sizeable Indian communities like either Malaysia or

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-60651666639651948932011-09-19T21:38:00.009+07:002011-09-19T22:12:44.452+07:00

A bizarre thing happened last week.Michael Jackson’s old man – Joseph Jackson - swung by the Big Durian as an honored guest of Michael Riady, CEO of the St. Moritz & Lippo Shopping Malls Group!Quite a surprise I’m sure you’ll agree!But why was he invited?Well, ostensibly as an interested investor in the Rp11 trillion superblock project being built in Puri Indah, West Jakarta.Or that is how it was

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-90470358237422950262011-09-05T18:02:00.003+07:002011-09-05T18:07:29.867+07:00

If Wikleaks cables be the food of love, then read on.A new batch of cables have been uploaded by Wikileaks, and whilst most of them are a bit too tepid for my demanding palate, there are thankfully some really “tasty” morsels to sample as well – including some marked “TOP SECRET” (which really get the juices flowing!)So without any further ado, here they are:1) James Riady finances the travel of

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-33246818894682808532011-09-01T22:15:00.006+07:002011-09-01T22:31:32.939+07:00

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever. ~George Orwell It was the 1960s. A time when the hippie mantra of free love was being spread in the west by LSD loving rock groups like the Grateful Dead. Over here in Indonesia things weren’t quite so lush however, and an increasingly bitter struggle between leftist (communist) groups and their nationalist

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-66891545328295287842011-08-30T20:37:00.005+07:002011-08-30T20:46:42.379+07:00

Instincts that can still betray us, A journey that leads to the sun, Soulless and bent on destruction, A struggle between right and wrong. You take my place in the showdown, I'll observe with a pitiful eye, I'd humbly ask for forgiveness, A request well beyond you and I. ~Ian Curtis, Joy Division

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-11209351897107584042011-08-27T21:09:00.005+07:002011-09-05T18:06:54.714+07:00

It’s been quite a laborious task, but I’ve managed to go through a fair chunk of the many hundreds of cables emanating from the US Embassy in Jakarta.A lot of it is fairly standard stuff but there are some notable gems.Here are my favorites!1.“SEMI-UNHINGED PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR ALLEGES "EMBASSY COUP D'ETAT" …The hijinx continued in an April 18 press conference in which Awad brandished a pistol,

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-40081361349548444062011-08-25T12:02:00.007+07:002011-08-25T12:15:33.394+07:00

Oh dear. It looks like Garuda Indonesia are making right tits of themselves after they allegedly asked aspiring flight attendants in Korea to take off their clothes and have their breasts examined for implants. The unnamed applicant told AFP that several dozen candidates for 18 female flight attendant positions were required to strip down to their panties for the check-up last month. The women

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-25823434944166371862011-08-22T21:28:00.017+07:002011-08-22T22:01:21.080+07:00

Indonesia’s full of WTF moments. Here’s another from Manado, North Sulawesi: Is that really what you think it is? Yep it sure is. The world’s largest menorah! A new, 62-foot-tall menorah, possibly the world’s largest, rises from a mountain overlooking the Indonesian city of Manado, courtesy of the local government. Flags of Israel can be spotted on motorcycle taxi stands, one near a

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-9348118929746289932011-08-15T12:25:00.003+07:002011-08-15T12:33:19.988+07:00

When I was a kid I never had pictures of the so-called great revolutionaries on my bedroom walls, opting instead for pop art, female movie stars, Ferraris and Salvador Dali. Unidealistic I know. But I’d much rather look at Jemma Jameson’s fine figure than Fidel Casto’s ugly mutt any day of the week. Anyway, it’s years on and I’m in Ubud - and what the heck’s that? Wow! A bright red-and-white

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-79905877558000058132011-08-07T21:23:00.004+07:002011-08-07T21:28:50.350+07:00

Ceningan Island is a small island located just a stone’s throw away from the increasingly popular island of Lembongan.So close, in fact, is Ceningan to Lembongan that a suspension bridge has been constructed between the two islands which allows you to get across on foot, by bicycle, and even by motorcycle.So is the island worth a visit?Absolutely!It’s pretty much unspoilt and offers fantastic

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-55689976011076607992011-08-04T12:08:00.010+07:002011-08-04T12:56:09.466+07:00

Heading along the path to the beach in Tulamben, East Bali and I see this:Be a men? Well, that's not an easy thing to do! Because unless you are some sort of schizophrenic wacko with multiple personalities, then you are gonna find the role of “being men” very difficult indeed. But even so, the graffiti does raise the interesting question of what it means to be a man in today’s world. Sure it’s

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-16471811186762750882011-07-20T12:23:00.002+07:002011-07-20T12:29:54.929+07:00

What goes around comes around.There are good and bad people wherever you go but it’s never nice to be forced to “eat a bowl of shit”, especially when all you really want is to live a peaceful and quiet life.But such experiences are common among expats living in Indonesia - whether it’s dealing with the mafiosi in Bali or keeping clear of those who believe they are above the “law” in Jakarta (

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-28137351435106966432011-06-20T22:14:00.002+07:002011-06-20T22:18:02.680+07:00

In one of my favorite books, the cult classic “Fooled by Randomness”, an unforgiving deconstruction of financial markets’ forecasting, Nassim Nicholas Taleb relates an interesting little anecdote concerning an inexperienced and naive philosopher asked to observe the setting of the sun over a period of time.This particular exercise goes on for much longer than expected – about 2 years - and when

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-40473197726753904272011-06-14T22:46:00.010+07:002011-06-15T12:09:29.544+07:00

I’m in search of a coffee boost and I’m on Jalan Sabang. I rub my eyes. But there is something very wrong: all the little roadside stalls - known here as kaki lima (meaning “five legs) - have gone! Disappeared. And nope they haven’t been dumped in the Java sea like the becak were in the 70s. And it ain’t Lebaran either – the holiday period after Ramadan when many of the city’s residents make

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-11255409906875972152011-06-06T21:55:00.011+07:002011-12-23T22:43:47.343+07:00

In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom! >J.G. BallardNothing better encapsulates the American Dream than a sleek automobile cruising on an open highway.But here in Jakarta things have gone pretty much pear shaped, and instead of any such eye-pleasing image what we get is a dystopian nightmare unfolding in front of our very own eyes as the traffic monster grows exponentially

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-32971144802349311962011-05-05T12:07:00.010+07:002011-05-05T12:24:42.677+07:00

One of the great culinary experiences in Jakarta is the “all you can eat” buffet.They are most common at:1) Jakarta’s over-the-top wedding parties where the gargantuan amounts of foods prepared at just one of these events could probably feed all the villagers in Lombok for a day or two; and2) The restaurants located within Jakarta’s 4 and 5 star hotels.Although many people jump at the chance to

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-35452270207600978822011-04-13T12:26:00.006+07:002011-05-06T12:33:18.805+07:00

I feel we are all islands - in a common sea. >Anne Morrow LindberghI used to think the ultimate culture shock trip from Jakarta was the flight over to saccharine sweet Singapore but equally as eye opening – and for all the right reasons – is a trip to the Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu) northwest of Jakarta.Boats leave Muara Angke at 7.00am, and unless you happen to live near this skuzzy and

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-45748817542693657042011-03-20T21:40:00.011+07:002011-03-25T12:11:17.830+07:00

I was at the gym the other day, flicking through one of the sports tabloids, and then I came across the page on Indonesian football. And without really thinking about it, more by second nature than anything else, I started to study the Indonesia Super League table.I’ve always had a thing with stats and numbers and a close analysis of stats like this can help identify certain probabilities that

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-84195195683926737152011-03-13T20:50:00.003+07:002011-03-13T21:00:49.976+07:00

There’s an old saying in Indonesia that hospitals are places you go to die, but be that as it may, the Cikini Hospital on Jalan Raden Saleh is well worth a quick visit if you happen to be in the area – perhaps after enjoying a meal in one of the Middle East themed nosh houses in the area like my favorite - the excellent Al-Jazeera restaurant which we had just visited.From the front the hospital

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-27934762193020967822011-03-11T12:04:00.004+07:002011-09-05T18:07:18.058+07:00

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently> Friedrich NietzscheSo Wikileaks finally deliver the big one and accuse SBY of “abusing power”.The cables say Dr Yudhoyono has personally intervened to influence prosecutors and judges to protect corrupt political figures and pressure his adversaries, while using

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-58689125200016512622011-03-08T12:32:00.007+07:002011-03-10T12:50:02.020+07:00

1. eat nasi padang using your fingers2. piss on the bathroom floor rather than into the toilet closet3. Have the aircon on all the bloody time4. keep durian in the fridge5. drive while texting - no problem lah6. invite your sister and her three wild kids over on Saturday evening7. leave the lights on all night long in the other rooms (to keep away the ghosts?)8. insist that smoking is good for

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-21217646245434238212011-02-23T12:05:00.004+07:002011-02-23T12:28:11.527+07:00

Lake Bratan is Bali’s second largest lake and a peaceful retreat away from the beer-swilling hordes who stay in Kuta and other places in the south of the island.It’s cool up here as the lake is over 700 meters above sea level but, to be honest, it’s a bit of a disappointment overall and not a patch on the much more spectacular Lake Batur, which is not that far away.The problem is that there is

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-40449644174761513352011-02-21T12:05:00.006+07:002011-03-05T18:37:10.853+07:00

Uluwatu is a large limestone peninsula, connected to the rest of Bali by a narrow stretch of land just south of the airport.It’s a dry place, best known for: 1) its rugged coastline and surfer beaches; 2) a bizarre statue which, if ever completed, would be the world’s largest; and 3) a wonderful temple which teeters precariously on high cliffs with rocks and boulders far below.One slip, and

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-3988165072371320512011-02-16T12:05:00.005+07:002011-06-07T12:32:54.594+07:00

Well, well, well. Jakarta’s Potato Head has made it onto the international scene by getting a review in that most illustrious of American finance rags, The Wall Street Journal!And it’s a pretty good review too! Sure not perfect - but good enough nonetheless to swell Potato Head’s head to some humongously large size, or, barring that, make steam come out of its ears!The review lauds Potato Head’s

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-4432935953227484352011-02-07T21:46:00.003+07:002011-02-26T07:58:43.948+07:00

“No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.”>Mahatma GandhiNusa Dua is a “gated” resort area in South Bali where well-heeled holidaymakers are pretty much guaranteed that they don’t have to rub shoulders with the local riff-raff – other than those employed at their luxurious 5 star hotels of course.A pretty bizarre notion I’m sure you’ll agree. After all, isn’t travel supposed to be

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-71844897541559925042011-01-24T12:03:00.002+07:002011-01-24T12:07:34.910+07:00

Conservation of Indonesia’s priceless rainforests may be important but it doesn’t generate cash, so I wasn’t too surprised to see this banner advertising furniture at the Forestry Ministry:So that's where the forests end up!We can only hope, of course, that it’s all being done in a “sustainable” manner – whatever that means when it comes to hacking down rainforests which have been there for

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-91707282658476423682011-01-18T22:08:00.006+07:002011-02-01T12:47:32.415+07:00

Oh death please consider my agePlease don't take me at this stageMy wealth is all at your commandIf you will move your icy handOh the young, the rich or poorHunger like me you knowNo wealth, no ruin, no silver no goldNothing satisfies me but your soul>O Death by Ralph Stanley from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? SoundtrackWe’ve all gotta go sometime and most of us will probably end up in a

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-17639949797639332432011-01-13T21:39:00.009+07:002011-07-16T23:26:47.124+07:00

South BaliKuta/LegianOriginally put on the map by Aussie surfers, Kuta has been transformed from a sleepy Balinese village in the 60s into a chaotic tourist destination in just two generations. Yet for all its crassness, Kuta’s appeal is surprisingly far-reaching. Not only will you find the ubiquitous Aussie surfers but also backpackers from around the world, grossly tattooed chavs (of both sexes

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-61753697848939258082011-01-12T12:21:00.005+07:002011-01-12T12:44:10.467+07:00

1) Sunbathe too long – especially around mid-day. This is the tropics remember, and unless you want to know what it must have been like to be a survivor in Hiroshima, then cover up, use copious quantities of suntan lotion, and, better still, just get out of the sun!2) Drink cheap Bali booze. It may be cheap but there’s a bigger difference between ethanol and methanol than you might imagine: any

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-88222752225679804632011-01-10T12:22:00.001+07:002011-01-10T12:25:31.802+07:00

Let’s say you’re standing 1 meter away from a door and you want to walk to the door.But before you arrive at the door, you must reach the halfway point. But to get to the halfway point you must first reach the quarterway point. And so on, ad infinitum.So to travel to the door you must travel these distances: ½ meter, ¼ meter, 1/8 meter, 1/16 meter, 1/32 meter, 1/64 meter etc etc.So Zeno argues

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-15871996127464853142011-01-09T14:32:00.008+07:002011-01-09T15:12:56.304+07:00

Mbah Maridja - the heroic mystic who took on a powerful volcano and lost - lives on.His legacy, ads on dirty Jakarta buses for the energy drink Kuku Bima.But will the legacy last?Well, at least until he's painted over.

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-24489383377812887752011-01-03T22:33:00.004+07:002011-01-03T22:39:54.662+07:00

Logic presumes a separation of subject from object; therefore logic is not final wisdom. This is Zen. This is my motorcycle maintenance.> Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)Back in 1997 Honda launched the single cylinder 197.00 ccm Tiger 2000.I bought one straight away.Over the years, this trusty motorcycle has served me well and saved me many

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-80810979877667848922011-01-01T19:58:00.004+07:002011-01-01T20:04:27.427+07:00

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill VaughanOnly 5 years ago, it was pointed out that one single US tech company, the behemoth internet stock Google - which was valued by the market at more than US$130bn - was incredibly worth more than ALL the companies listed on the Indonesian stock market with total

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-65966244234803882582010-12-22T12:17:00.004+07:002010-12-22T12:25:21.756+07:00

“Indonesia” is the big, older brother who didn’t quite make it, living in a cheap rented house on the outskirts of Jakarta, and twice divorced.His little brother “Malaysia”, in contrast, is nuevo-rich, stylish and confident – some would say cocky - and owns a luxurious apartment in uptown KL.No wonder there’s no love lost between the two countries.Sukarno didn’t like Malaysia much either and

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-46853148996341139202010-12-14T12:32:00.003+07:002012-01-11T22:18:09.745+07:00

It’s late at night and you need some help to clarify the meaning of a business proposal written in one of those esoteric Eastern European languages. What do you do? Well, you could always try to track down someone at one of the embassies of course. But if that proved fruitless it might be better to head over to Jalan Pencongan in the Pasar Baru district of Central Jakarta and seek out the garish

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-68401746666352349882010-12-13T12:06:00.000+07:002011-12-13T12:10:52.012+07:00

It’s a sad indictment on Jakarta’s public planning – and spatial planning in particular - that about the only open spaces left in this madcap city are the graveyards!But with land becoming increasingly scare and prices rocketing ever higher, even the graveyards may not be safe from the clutches of opportunist property developers.I can just imagine how the marketing literature would go:Welcome to

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-6574250429549628502010-12-08T12:25:00.008+07:002011-02-01T12:55:35.372+07:00

Some years back I lived in Surabaya, a large city in East Java whose melodious name belies the rough and somewhat sleazy character of this industrial port city.A bit like Liverpool really.But one hell of a lot hotter.From Surabaya, Madura is just a stone’s throw away, but only a very small number of tourists ever visit this poor and arid island compared to the hoards who make their way to the

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-87194908973308578552010-12-02T12:05:00.004+07:002011-03-25T12:14:31.534+07:00

Who the hell is that in the red shirt? I thought Indonesia were playing Malaysia tonight? So I’m wrong! Well, this must be an Indonesian Super League match then. What else could it be? After all, the Uruguayan Christian Gonzales is playing. But why is he in a red shirt? Doesn’t his club Persib Bandung play in blue?But Christian Gonzales was playing for Indonesia of course. Cos he is now

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-53849423407067324252010-11-24T23:39:00.002+07:002011-08-23T23:35:43.576+07:00

Hell, this is classic! An advert warning parents to monitor their kids’ internet activity and TV viewing habits by depicting a… @#(#$!!!! Well, I ain’t sure what you can see – but to me it looks like a woman’s eye on its side! This highly creative advert is for Malaysia (of all places!) but was created in… … Jakarta, Indonesia! Advertising Agency: DraftFCB, Jakarta, Indonesia Creative

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-85093158019762482442010-11-23T12:07:00.003+07:002010-11-23T12:15:08.287+07:00

I've seen everything imaginablePass before these eyesI've had everything that's tangibleHoney you'd be surprised>Rocket Queen by Guns N' Roses“Every dog has its day” goes the old saying.Yep, that’s certainly true for Tanamur - although in the case of that legendary establishment a more apt expression might be “every bitch has its day” considering that the disco’s goodtime girls of the late 1990s

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-39845241314627769782010-11-18T12:03:00.004+07:002011-02-16T12:27:35.059+07:00

Take a goat, kill it and skin it (no I ain’t gonna provide a picture)Using a machete chop up the meat into small chunks and thread them onto wooden skewers.Mix sweet soy sauce with oil, and dip the meat on the skewers into this mixture.Grill over hot charcoal until golden brown.Serve immediately with chilies, sweet soy sauce and copious quantities of ice cold Beer Bintang from the fridge!!!Sate

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-91053713918499933702010-11-15T21:23:00.004+07:002010-11-15T21:41:48.792+07:00

Sanity is not statistical.>OrwellI was over at the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations and spotted one of those huge propaganda-type banners that Indonesia is still very fond of producing.A throwback to more autocratic times perhaps, but always good for a bit of critical deconstruction.This particular one shows SBY doing a bit of gardening, or more precisely planting a tree:Not that SBY would

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-86655320758490149122010-11-13T23:03:00.001+07:002010-11-13T23:05:07.998+07:00

Having cut short his trip to Indonesia after Michelle’s humiliating public molestation, President Obama has had strong words with his best pal SBY:

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-49528376153557531702010-11-11T12:04:00.004+07:002010-11-11T12:12:56.485+07:00

Good timing this: I need a new bike and it’s the third day of the Jakarta 2010 Motorcycle Show. So I head over to the Jakarta Convention Center last Saturday evening with the intention of finding out from the good people at Honda whether they are actually gonna stop pissing around and finally release a decent motorcycle in Indonesia.It’s jam-packed as you can imagine and the main assembly hall

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-76006916879938023722010-11-09T12:07:00.008+07:002011-01-09T14:29:51.437+07:00

For indolent blighters like myself, street food is our savior. After all, we can’t live on pizza forever and there are times when even a journey to the kitchen to rustle up an omelet is too much hard work. Thankfully, though, we have plenty of street foods to choose from in Jakarta. Here are some of ‘em:1. Nasi goreng. Back home in Blighty the Scots like to clog up their arteries by pigging out

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-58511107582087405572010-11-02T21:50:00.005+07:002011-02-17T12:33:35.595+07:00

In an astute move which is expected to make him even more popular in Indonesia than he already is, US President Barack Obama has announced that he will be accompanied on his upcoming trip to Jakarta by the delectable Pamela Anderson!The sexy showbiz star is taking the opportunity to visit Indonesia so that she can hand over the US$25,000 of funds she raised (by modeling nude, what else?) to the

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-48060222696387381482010-10-26T12:02:00.008+07:002010-10-26T12:20:41.824+07:00

Yesterday it rained a lot and Jakarta flooded.Picture: ReutersThousands of commuters were stuck for hours in Jakarta’s gridlocked streets as heavy rain caused floods, paralyzing road traffic and holding up trains on Monday.Massive traffic congestion was mostly concentrated in areas that are regularly flooded by heavy rain.Yudi Purnomo who works in Kuningan, South Jakarta, said it took four hours

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-23625664729659454302010-10-25T12:05:00.008+07:002010-11-14T00:34:40.188+07:00

My wife’s brother has a huge house in the historic Central Java town of Jogyakarta, and from the balcony on the second floor, you get a view something like this:But the monkeys are already scrambling down from the slopes of the volcano to lower ground.They know something is up.And if they are right, this might be the view from my wife’s brother’s house anytime soon:Merapi eruption 15 May 2006,

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-30036540904372873862010-10-22T18:11:00.005+07:002010-10-22T18:19:28.022+07:00

God, I hate Honda. I really do.It’s only a few days away, and they’re gonna launch the Honda VTR250…… in Thailand! Arggg!!!!But why not here in Indonesia? Hell, it’s not as if there wouldn’t be any demand; there surely would.And I’d be the first to put my name down on the waiting list!But so far, the big Japanese motorcycle manufacturers – with one notable exception, Kawasaki – have failed to

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-45357654162948753212010-10-19T12:12:00.007+07:002010-10-21T12:13:32.931+07:00

To save the 33 trapped miners in Chili cost a lot of money. US$20 million to be precise. So was the money well spent or should it have been used for other purposes – like on life saving operations for the poor, for example?Welcome to the red hot academic mini industry.Trolleyology.It all goes back 20 years to one of the most famous dilemmas ever devised in philosophy, which, as I remember, put my

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-30380911976973985282010-10-15T23:11:00.001+07:002010-10-15T23:20:56.495+07:00

Yes, they do send people to Coventry in Indonesia! And in the most unlikely of places: Bali!!!! No it doesn’t sound too bad I know, but being sent to Coventry in Bali is actually a far worse proposition than being sent to Coventry in England.But ostracism anywhere is of course no fun at all and according to psychologists is actually a form of mental abuse (you’ll be well aware of this if you’ve

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-53422312069496149182010-10-14T18:02:00.008+07:002010-10-15T12:07:50.801+07:00

This is from the Jakarta Globe:Jakarta. With 3,000 candidates vying for just 164 positions at the Ministry of Trade, getting the right answers on the recruitment test was always going to be vitally important.Imagine the surprise of many of the applicants, therefore, when they were confronted with the following multiple-choice question in the general knowledge segment of the exam: “Which one of

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-56794580033684008232010-10-12T12:03:00.007+07:002010-10-12T12:21:04.859+07:00

As time passes by - making way for new history to be created - it is inconceivable to think of history ever coming to an end.But what if there is an end of history in the political sense? What if Western liberal democracy really does signal the end point of political development and the final, everlasting form of government?After all, can you imagine a better form of government than liberal

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-43325202455891481652010-10-08T12:28:00.005+07:002010-10-08T12:33:19.551+07:00

If you’ve ever passed through the insane maelstrom that is Jatinegara, you’ll probably have noticed a fine old church at the major hairpin intersection.It was built in 1911-1916 by the Dutch and originally known as Gereja Bethel/De Betelkerk:Wot, no traffic?!!!And as it looks today, nearly 100 years later. From an architectural aspect, the church makes use of gables (triangle wall sections where

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-54114706296469551132010-10-07T12:17:00.003+07:002010-10-07T12:37:21.332+07:00

Time is the justice that examines all offenders.>ShakespeareWith evidence mounting that parts of North Jakarta are sinking fast (*), I decided to check out the old Dutch quarters of the city before it’s too late. To get there, I took my chances on Jakarta’s now infamously dangerous busway and the lunatic bus driver made a couple of very close calls as he trashed his red-colored potential

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-43687704075951406422010-09-27T22:13:00.003+07:002010-09-27T22:20:50.175+07:00

I’ve never believed that religious people have better morals or ethics than non-religious people and my experiences in Indonesia only serve to confirm this feeling.Now, I’m not saying that religious people are bad. Or even that religion doesn’t make some people do good. But overall, when we look at the larger picture, there really doesn’t seem to be any evidence to believe that people somehow

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-9655358293368230192010-09-24T12:01:00.007+07:002010-10-21T12:15:27.670+07:00

One of the first places I stayed in Jakarta - for any length of time - was Kebon Kacang (Peanut Plantation!), an extremely densely populated area around the back of the plush Plaza Indonesia shopping mall.The low rise tenements had been constructed to house the proletariat rabble evicted from the slum areas along Jalan Thamrin, but ironically many of these poor people couldn’t afford the rents

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-30988097972074206512010-09-20T12:18:00.001+07:002010-09-20T16:39:19.675+07:00

It would be nice to report on having uneventful Ramadan holidays, but the truth is that while millions risked life and limb in a treacherous journey back to their hometowns, I was abducted by Aliens and fortunate to make it back alive. Freaky time on the mothership mind you – could have sworn that one of the green buggers said his name was ET – although he didn’t look very alien to me – looked

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-35625086712604756202010-09-12T11:10:00.005+07:002010-09-12T11:45:25.055+07:00

If I had the choice, I'd jump onto one of the old, battered pinisi at Sunda Kelapa harbor, fingers crossed that I’d end up being taken to some far flung island where aquamarine seas lap fine golden sands…Problem is I don't have the choice :(

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-54728944298755614042010-09-10T16:53:00.000+07:002010-09-10T16:55:25.988+07:00

The things you see...

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-32951462387719372792010-09-04T19:55:00.006+07:002010-09-04T20:11:20.249+07:00

We all want a legacy, something to be remembered by. Perhaps that’s why so many people keep online diaries – or blogs – they can be read long after we have popped our mortal coil and, for most of us at least, they are the only realistic option to get a legacy; only a very small number of people will ever be remembered for being famous – as artists, writers, politicians, whatever.But for the late

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-4923571563304984812010-08-30T21:22:00.009+07:002010-08-31T21:15:36.402+07:00

In Singapore they have Singlish; a highly bastardised form of English popular among the proletariat but a source of long-term embarrassment for the Britisher-than-British Singapore govt.But not far across the increasingly effluent-filled Java Sea, here in Indonesia, we have something much, much, better.Bollockish.But while Singlish generally makes sense to those who understand the language,

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-50418924789502850752010-08-23T12:07:00.002+07:002010-08-23T12:15:55.896+07:00

Where better to watch the new Indonesian film, Obama, Anak Menteng (Obama, the Menteng Kid), than in Menteng itself?But not in one of those boring modern cinema complexes that you find in shopping malls - and which have about as much character as a Big Mac – but in probably Jakarta’s only historic cinema still standing, the wonderfully nostalgic Bioskop Megaria, originally named Bioscoop

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-55072268692806647012010-08-20T12:02:00.003+07:002010-08-20T12:14:23.783+07:00

Are Indonesians happy?Well, that looks like a big yes. But hold on a sec – a poll has just been conducted by the US market researcher Gallop to see just how happy the citizens of different nations really are. And here is a summary of the results - which I have tabulated according to the percentage of people who are “thriving” (as opposed to “struggling”).Rank, Country, %Thriving, %Struggling, %

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-58734690517991890132010-08-18T21:57:00.006+07:002010-08-18T22:24:48.521+07:00

Here’s the abstract of an interesting little academic paper I came across the other day:Gnome populations and economic prosperityBy Norma Leigh Lucid and Gene PooleAbstractPoverty levels in South East Asia have been associated with a low prevalence of garden ornaments in general - and of garden gnomes in particular. It is notable that the two most successful economies in Europe are Germany and

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-61703298651292222382010-08-13T23:31:00.010+07:002010-08-15T14:07:45.703+07:00

You are young and life is longand there is time to kill today.And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.No one told you when to run,you missed the starting gun…I’m reading Indonesia’s most popular daily rag, Kompas, and notice, there at the bottom left of the page, a little ad:Pink Floyd at @ Kempinski Grand Ballroom, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Jakarta, Indonesia (28 & 29 August

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-90436256843129719852010-08-05T23:12:00.006+07:002010-08-10T12:16:58.057+07:00

Gili Trawangan was one of the first places I visited on a trip to the Indonesian archipelago nearly 20 years ago.At that time, there was thankfully only a bamboo culture on the island and most of the accommodations would serve you three, very basic rice meals a day (that was fine for lunch and dinner but not so great for breakfast – I like my cornflakes and eggs!).There was no air-con, no fancy

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-88539567384217641332010-07-28T12:03:00.003+07:002010-08-15T20:36:00.775+07:00

Consumer rights are next to non-existent in Indonesia and it really is worth bearing in mind the old Latin phrase caveat emptor (buyer beware!) before you purchase anything of value.We all have our horror stories to tell but you have to be careful how you tell them otherwise you could find yourself in the surreal and preposterous situation where the company you are complaining about decides to

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-72836873894750495442010-07-27T12:01:00.013+07:002011-01-12T12:20:45.884+07:00

I’m in Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport and I muster up all my strength to lift the absurdly heavy baggage onto the scales at the Mandala check-in desk.60.8kg.WTF!But it’s spot on and even an airline wouldn’t be so mean spirited to charge for excessive baggage of a mere 0.8kg.But 60.8kg of luggage? That’s damn heavy. So where did it all come from?Well, it’s the oleh oleh (gifts) of

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-35802614303596576852010-07-20T12:05:00.002+07:002011-03-05T18:45:56.390+07:00

>All good things must come to an end.It’s your last day in Bali and you’ve got to check out of your hotel by 12 noon. But your flight isn’t until 8.00pm. So what to do?Well, in the old days tourists would pretty much just hang out wherever they happened to be – Kuta, Ubud, Sanur etc – but now - with the ever increasing traffic in Bali - that isn’t such a good idea anymore.Sundays are particularly

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-64794776476117300662010-07-20T12:01:00.006+07:002010-07-26T12:48:06.742+07:00

You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.>Thomas Sowell (American Writer and Economist, b.1930)Few people have anything good to say about Indonesian bureaucracy.There is no tradition of public service and the general view is that the civil servants in Indonesia are there simply to line their own pockets

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-97300364898791852010-07-07T23:00:00.007+07:002011-02-01T12:45:36.429+07:00

Gus Teja were the main act on the last day of the 2010 Ubud Festival – a musical and arts festival so laid back and unassuming that when we sat down in the front row at the time things were supposed to kick off, there were only a few other people there. But Gus Teja – a sort of Balinese version of those ancient hippies Jethro Tull – played well and soon attracted a decent crowd. Good stuff. And

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-52541435603667400412010-07-01T18:04:00.006+07:002010-08-17T00:15:15.820+07:00

Every country has its bugbears. For the English it’s the daleks. These extraterrestrial creatures are enclosed inside mechanical casing and are so terrifying that “hiding behind the sofa while the daleks threaten to exterminate their enemies” has become a ritual for many schoolchildren growing up in England.Indonesia doesn’t have daleks but it does have an equally terrifying foe – the communists

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-75975393037431584212010-06-26T20:14:00.011+07:002010-06-26T20:58:09.362+07:00

I’m going to Bali again. For the third time this year. Leaving behind me the turdgit waters of Jakarta’s Venetian canals and exchanging them for the clear, aquamarine seas of North Bali. Not a bad deal huh? But there’s a catch. Because just as Cinderella couldn’t stay at the ball, I can’t stay forever in Bali. That’s just the way it works. The clock strikes midnight and before you can say “

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-76334185693292757412010-06-10T12:06:00.011+07:002010-08-15T14:12:43.616+07:00

Bizarre medical conditions. So strange you’d think someone was pulling your leg (or perhaps hacking off theirs). Yep, that’s called Body Integrity Identity Disorder and it ain’t very nice. Then there’s Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (that must be hard to come to terms with!), music-induced seizures, Fatal Familiar Insomnia and even – would you believe it – a condition affecting people who are

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-10589446954576150302010-06-04T18:35:00.010+07:002011-09-04T23:55:16.497+07:00

Money can't buy back your youth when you're old Or a friend when you're lonely, or a love that's grown cold The wealthiest person is a pauper at times Compared to the man with a satisfied mind >The late great Johnny Cash One of the strange characteristics of “developing” countries is that they tend to have “silly” money. What I mean by that is that a coffee will cost you twenty thousand and a TV

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-36230577187865435572010-05-28T23:12:00.007+07:002010-08-10T12:22:58.674+07:00

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.I'll move to Paris, shoot some h***** and f*** with the stars.You man the island and the elegant cars.>Time to Pretend by MGMTAll cities have their rhythms and a mastery of these predictable patterns is essential to a reasonably hassle free life. Good timing is

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-9864757279628559202010-05-17T12:17:00.007+07:002010-05-17T12:37:52.177+07:00

Jesus, don't cryYou can rely on me, honeyYou can combine anything you wantI'll be aroundYou were right about the starsEach one is a setting sun> Jesus etc by WilcoDuring the weekends in Jakarta, the disciples of Indonesia’s newest religion head to the shopping malls to pay homage to the Great God of Consumerism. Prayers are not necessary but the faithful are expected to sacrifice their

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-71199512852699355492010-05-13T00:01:00.000+07:002010-05-11T23:31:24.074+07:00

Ever wanted to know what it’s like to be in the middle of a full-scale riot?>>my story is hereNote: the Jakarta 13 May 1998 riots were hardly spontaneous and judging from what I saw - and also from the accounts of people I know – they were undoubtedly “orchestrated” by “certain elements” who were way beyond the reach of the “law”. The scary thing is not just that the ringmasters of the rape,

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-57070293754056640192010-05-08T14:42:00.005+07:002010-08-16T12:40:15.480+07:00

Oh ev'ry night and every dayA little piece of you is falling awayBut lift your face the Western WayBuild your muscles as your body decays… >Freddy MercuryLike many expats living in Jakarta I go to a gym. There aren’t many other options for sport in this crazy city. Sure you can go cycling or running or something, but half an hour panting and puffing outside in central Jakarta is probably the

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-64382674744387672502010-05-01T00:05:00.001+07:002010-05-01T00:05:00.416+07:00

I’ve written about this before so I won’t bother to go to the effort again.Especially as it’s Saturday and the day of rest…Labor Day in Jakarta

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-33211313200811871302010-04-26T18:01:00.003+07:002010-04-30T12:53:51.462+07:00

A short while back I wrote that some people should simply not be allowed to procreate. In that particular case I was referring to a foul-mouthed, tab-smoking four-year old from Surabaya – or rather his moronic parents – who provoked my not inconsiderable ire.Look we certainly don’t have to hurt people. And we don’t even have to lock them up. A simple state-funded operation will do – hell, a free

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-64807838373972826472010-04-22T12:03:00.008+07:002010-10-30T23:05:11.004+07:00

I am an antichristI am an anarchistThe most memorial opening lines of a rock song ever are arguably those of the classic Sex Pistols’ Anarchy In The UK, the group's debut recording on 26 November 1976 (hell, was it really that long ago?!!)I was too young to recall its release but one of my earliest childhood memories was attending a London street party to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of “Her

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-50119154509733562272010-04-15T12:19:00.008+07:002011-06-22T12:23:26.814+07:00

What is Indonesia’s best destination for nightlife?Well, many would say Jakarta. From its sophisticated wine bars and ultra-hip clubs to its massage parlors and billiard halls – there is something for everyone to enjoy in the Big Durian.Others however might cite Bali’s Kuta for its low key and unpretentious Australian surfer culture. Beach, Bintangs and babes. What more could a young man want? (

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-48529408120339564832010-04-15T12:18:00.000+07:002010-04-15T12:19:31.610+07:00

As is often the case with mob rule, the innocent get rounded up with the guilty - especially when guilt is not clearly defined. Babies get thrown out with the bath water. It’s not a pretty sight and the non-participants - who usually seek praise and honor - make grandiose speeches of reconciliation.Link

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572485544740234788.post-87683658275687602362010-04-11T20:19:00.006+07:002010-08-16T12:39:14.778+07:00

You want yourselves some fried frogs to go with them greasy chips?Well, Shame on you!“No frogs’ legs!” croak the hopping mad animal rights protestors in Sunderland (one of them even dressed in a bloody frog costume – hahaha!)Demonstrators from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) stood outside Katie Mac's Fish Bar at Pennywell shopping centre, to try to persuade the shop's owners to

Tempo Duluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09312611389484977009noreply@blogger.com2