Masuk Angin?

Ok, can someone please explain what this means? I know what it translates to – “masuk angin” = “enter wind”. Ok, I get that part, but if anyone is not feeling well, and you ask them what’s wrong, they reply with, “masuk angin”. I’ve been here going on two years, and I have yet to find anyone who can explain to me what the hell that means. Wind is entering your body? People who ride motorcycles often will put somethingRead more

Bird Flu, Photoblogs, and Ramblings

I found a few very cool websites devoted to weblogs… one in particular that I thought was clear, concise, with refreshing content was photoblogs.com. It’s nice to stray from the traditional “text” weblog into some that offer more of a photographic intention. I admired the entire list from welldesignedweblogs.com – they provide inspiration for me to finish my own site – thejavajive.com – yet the list makes me realize how much I’d like to improve this blog. I’ve been askedRead more

State of Who's Union?

I guess once again, both of my “homes” are in the world’s spotlight. President Bush had the courtesy of naming them in Tuesday’s State of the Union Address. We made the top of the list apparently by order of threat. “Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September the 11th, 2001 – over two years without an attack on American soil – and it is tempting to believe that the dangerRead more

Volunteer Hit and Run

Ok, so get this. In Indonesia, if a person is driving down the road, obeying every law, they can still go to jail or get sued for everything you are worth – even if they did nothing wrong. Why is this possible? Because, in typical fashion, there’s a law that makes no sense to an expat. If I’m driving down the street, minding my own business, and a guy walks out in front of me, drives his motorcycle into me,Read more

Starbucks, Terrorism, and Samurai

Have you seen that flick? I saw it last night – sorry, but everything takes a bit longer to reach Indonesia. What an awesome movie! I was surprised to see Tom Cruise take up this role, but in the end I think he did a much better job than I would have predicted. Maybe I’m a sucker for these “male pride/honor comes first/wish I was there” type movies (Gladiator, Braveheart), but it really was well done. The main opposing character,Read more