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

The Power of Color

The power of color. It’s unbelieveable how much colors can affect our moods. I decided to paint my house. It seems that most people feel that “white” is the best color for interior walls. It’s like they feel that it’s “better for resale“, or “nice and clean“, or “makes the room feel larger“. I’ll tell you what – coming from the all white school of thought, I now know that changing the colors of my walls has a dramatic effectRead more

Krakatoa and Indonesian Volcanoes

Most Indonesians live and die within sight of a volcano. The islands of Indonesia are a volatile part of the “ring of fire” that spans across the Pacific from Japan, California, Hawaii, and Southeast Asia. Indonesia is the sight of two of the world’s greatest volcanic eruptions, Krakatoa, and Tambora – which still have major eruptions 10 times a year. The volcanoes provide Java with some of the most fertile soil in the world! Why do you think the coffeeRead more