Photo Exhibition in Boston Area

After a hellish amount of preparation, the photo exhibition is finally coming together. The show starts today and will finish tomorrow night (the 17th and 18th). I managed to send 100 prints from Indonesia, 72 of which will be up for grabs. Matted, signed, etc. I truly hope it’s a success, as this is the first time I’ve shown my work without actually being there. I’ve come across many obstacles, yet all will surely lead me to a smoother journeyRead more

Vacation in My Mind

If you’ve noticed, I’ve strayed from the world of prose lately, posting only photos. Reason: We had a 9 day break for the Muslim holiday, Idul Fitri. Only, um, I didn’t go a.n.y.w.h.e.r.e. ADUH! I did manage to really concentrate on ways to improve my photography. Am I a geek? Probably. I lived on the ‘net self-educating as much as I could. More about that later (tomorrow maybe). A few days I went around taking pics in the kampung (village)Read more

Gunung Gede Volcano – Panorama

The view from Gunung Gede – one of Java’s largest volcanoes. My friends and I hiked it in May; truly an amazing experience. From the top of this giant, the skyscrapers in Jakarta looked like Legos. Both the north and south coasts of Java were visible, as were many other major volcanoes. More information on Java’s volcanoes and photos from my explorations may be seen here. This image was the result of stitching 5 photos together and using Photoshop’s PhotomergeRead more

javajive Blog's Four Year Anniversary

Well, it’s been quite a ride. Four years ago, I first started laying down my thoughts, photos, and ramblings with digital ink on this blog. October 2002 was a completely different time for me. I had only been in Indonesia a few months, and everything still held that glistening sheen of wonderment and interest. The Bali bombing (first one) had just happened, the mess in Iraq had not yet begun, bird flu was basically unheard of, and the hearts ofRead more

Western Men, Indonesian Women.

Thang D. Nguyen has written an interesting post and subsequent discussion in regards to Western men and Indonesian women. I’ll leave my own thoughts out of this one, but would be interested in hearing how Indonesian women feel after reading this. Here’s an excerpt from his post: As my friend and I sipped our coffees last Sunday afternoon at Plaza Indonesia, he asked, “Don’t you think that many of the Indonesian women that white foreigners (buleh) go out with orRead more

Doctors Diggin for Gold

Acupuncture is only $5 here, so I’ve gone a few times recently just for kicks… As I took a seat in the waiting room, I picked up a magazine to pass the time. There were only a few other people around, and most were absorbed in the Indonesian Soap Opera on the waiting room’s television. Glancing up, I noticed that the guy in jeans sitting across from me was eagerly engaged in some serious nose-picking. I’m not talking about theRead more