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When the Sun Comes Up

I was going to write about this weekend’s experience, but seeing as Treespotter did such a wonderful job of it, I’ll refer you to this post on his blog. I may still throw my perspectives out there, but he pretty much covers it with style. The sound of progress as concrete poured and metal hammered in place. The huge cranes crawled and spun removing impossible loads. Neon glitters show where things are and hide the uncovered walls. It camouflages darkRead more
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“Medan Merdeka is dominated by the towering National Monument. Local wags have taken to calling the Russian-built tower commemorating Indonesia’s independence “Sukarno’s last erection.” Some of this bitterness may stem from the fact that the World Bank supplied funds for 77 pounds of pure gold to coat the “flame of freedom” atop the column while many Indonesians starved.”Read more
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Penchant for Life

A Balinese girl cleanses herself in a ceremonial Hindu temple. It was one of those moments where you feel truly in touch with the vibrance of life. This has been one of my favorite images, and yet I’ve been almost afraid to use it – afraid I can’t possibly convey the way it felt to be there, experiencing this. Like the last sip of wine, you keep it, savoring, holding on to one last taste in hopes of remembrance. IRead more
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Tsunami Survivors Tell Tales

I forgot about this article in the Guardian following the Asian tsunami of 2004. I guess in the pandemonium, I never thought of passing it on at the time, even though this blog was mentioned. But perhaps the saddest site I’ve visited today is javajive, written by another expat who has been waiting on news of friends in Phuket. At the time of writing this post he’s still waiting, although a commenter on his blog tells of their heartbreak atRead more