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Jakarta Floods 2007

Wow. What an experience that turned out to be. My last posting was written during the first day of rain when Kelapa Gading (my area in the north side of Jakarta) was flooded but still functioning. Things went quickly downhill from there. That night, torrential rains began falling and continued throughout the night. My wake up call came in the form of my air conditioner shutting off due to the power being cut. My initial reaction to that is toRead more
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Floods in Jakarta

When I heard the downpour around 4am this morning, I had no idea how bad it really would be. The city is drowning as we speak, under the torrential rains of these past two days. Some areas of Jakarta are under more than 6ft of water. People are using rafts to get around, and some have become stranded. One of the worst things is that the vile canals have mixed in with the floodwaters, creating a potentially toxic, soupy messRead more
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The Monk, my Neighbor, and a Celebrity O.D.

So the other night I pulled into my neighborhood. Driving down the palm lined street, I came to an intersection loaded with people, media vans, and police. I had no idea what was going on, but living in Jakarta for half a decade has taught me to hide my white-ass when I come upon such a scenario. I put up the heavily tinted windows of my Honda, and after I arriving home forgot the entire thing. The next night, IRead more
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Bali Bomb Cleric Freed From Jail

Nice to know this f***’er is only a few kilometers from me. Absurd decision-making. Absolutely absurd. From the BBC: “A Muslim cleric convicted over the 2002 nightclub bombings on Indonesian island Bali, which killed 202 people, has been released from prison in Jakarta. Abu Bakar Ba’asyir was found guilty in March 2005 of conspiracy in connection with the bomb plot, but he was cleared of more serious charges. Security experts say the cleric is a founding member of a regionalRead more
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Yogyakarta (Jogja) Earthquake

I appreciate everyone’s concern in regards to the Yogyakarta earthquake. Fortunately, we’re all safe and sound, but thousands have perished in this terrible crisis. Due to the earthquake occurring in the early morning, many more people were still indoors than would have been later in the day – causing many more deaths. I feel as if Indonesia simply cannot get a rest from crisis these past few years. In only the 4 years I’ve been here the country has beenRead more