HOCKEY

HOCKEY. It's all about the hockey. And lots of it. It's definitely Hockey time here! Go Vipers Go!

It's still cold. FREEZING cold. And I do mean freezing. I think the term "Wind Chill" was invented here - or at least this is where it was named. Yeah, it's cold. Welcome to winter. Minus 29 this morning (Celsius). And all the cars, at all those who had somewhere to go this morning, were plugged-in. I'll explain PLUGGED-IN another time.

I have to admit - I'm getting rather tired of all the coats and sweaters. Yes, 1 person can wear 4 sweaters at one time. Trust me I've figured it out. It's called layering - and I have become a master of that.

TODAY: Almost done again. Posting on the BLOG here, has turned into an evening time thing I think. Just way too busy right from the get go in the morning. THIS IS A BUSY HOUSE. And it doesn't really stop or slow down.

TOMORROW: Tomorrow, is the start of the AIRPORT RUNS. Believe it or not - 7 people flying in, all at different times and days. And the leaving part is almost the same. We should have a shuttle service I think. Next time maybe we should co-ordinate. In this house, tomorrow, the Christmas Season starts. Looking forward to all of it, and seeing everyone that comes.

SPECIAL NOTE: To the other Me. I think it's almost time for you to get out of there. Time for you to have a break. Besides all that, I think it's time for you to hook up with the real me and everyone else around here that's waiting for you.

P.S. Bring long sleeves and warm winter socks. You're going to need them. Bring LOTS. See you soon.

Ok, time for me to curl up in a nice warm place. I'm off to bed.

Good to Go!

MINUS MINUS

MINUS 27° C and getting colder. Wholly, it's COLD! Wholly, I'm COLD! My feet are COLD, my legs are COLD, my hands are COLD, my arms are COLD, I'm just COLD. I need some Balikpapan weather.

It has been a very, very busy week. People here have managed to get me busy with a whole bunch of stuff. Even got to shovel a bit of snow. Yes we've been through a couple blizzards this week. Not the DQ kind either. Was thrilled to get to go to the Winter (Christmas) Concert on Wednesday. Very cool. Has been awhile since I got to do that. Good job Austin - you rock.

So check out the poem (below). Written by my current favorite poet. I think he must have been thinking of me on this one. My view of winter at least - for sure.

The Power of the Scary Wind - by Austin

Wind
Whistling through the prairie grass.
Wild wind,
Tossing fallen leaves,
Flying, falling,
The breath of death arrives.
The green grass turning into
Brown, dead grass,
Flowers are dying.

Stay warm everyone. Good to Go!

SNOW DAY

................and then there was snow. And lots of it. 15 centimeters - at least. The law of probability - let it snow. And it did. And absolutely everything, everywhere right now, right here - is WHITE.

SNOW DAY. Temperature: Zero. Not above or below. Today was - the perfect kind of snow. White + slippery roads + fender benders + shovels + scrapers + mitts. It's definitely a SNOW DAY.

Wholly, weather warning - I forgot about that. And driving in snow - forgot about that too. The perfect parking lot donut day. No doubt. No, don't worry - I didn't do that. It was SO temping though.

TODAY: Well, today is almost done. Today was one of those SNOW DAYS when you have to re-adjust. Re-adjust to driving, what you're going to do and where you're going to go. A good day for hockey and see what's on TV (real TV) and goulash and home-made soup. Gingerbread houses and French Vanilla Cappuccino (lost count on those) and hanging out in the house. Today was the perfect SNOW DAY.

TOMORROW: Who knows? First we'll have to see about the snow.

Night everyone. Good to Go!

WEATHER WARNINGS

LET IT SNOW

SNOW ............. not. Com'mon, bring it on I'm ready. Bring on the snow. I've got gloves, and a scarf and I can even find a hat if I need it - where's the snow? There's no snow where I'm at.

NO SNOW .............. not yet, but I'm sure it'll be here. I'm betting on December 18th.

So my trip out of Balikpapan - well, if you want to get outta town quick - get on a plane with someone who needs medical attention. You know when the steward on the plane asks "if there's a doctor on board can you please identify yourself", you're gonna have an interesting trip. And there were in fact 2 doctors, what were the odds of that? I think we got to Singapore in half time. And zero waiting time on the runway. That was a quick trip.

Ok, I've been here ..... hmmm, 2 weeks + a bit. Sorry, all you Blogger folks. Guess I took a holiday for a bit. Times flies by, even on this side. Talk about B-U-S-Y. Yes, I have been busy, there's been a lot of everything going on here.

I've done the GREY CUP (that's real football folks, not soccer), the hockey thing, helped with move-outs and move-ins. Put up Christmas lights and Christmas trees, helped with Christmas Cards and a whole bunch of other get ready for Christmas stuff. Have driven all over the place (yes, I got my licence back - long story - but I got it). Helped with a block heater that really does exist (another long story) now that was funny - wasn't it Scott? .............. and loads, loads of other stuff.

It's real nice to be here. Nice to be with everyone. Will be even better once the other Me gets here too. Yes, I miss you. I also miss sunshine and warm. Minus 1 sucks. It's cold. (I'm in real big trouble if the real winter comes.)

The news from Balikpapan: I've heard the Hypermart has opened and the A&W too. Now doesn't that just figure. I sure hope they save me some. No news about the new Starbucks yet. I'm getting all the Tims coffee in here while I can (that's real coffee).

TODAY: Today, well it's actually 11 o'clock. P.M. and it's still Saturday where I'm at. But tomorrow is more hockey, more cooking and probably still no snow.

Stay warm everyone. Good to Go!

SUMPAI JUMPA

No time for a post today everyone. Time to go.

Sumpai Jumpa - that means later folks. And yes I'm going to miss you, Balikpapan too.

TODAY: Off on the big trip. Off to the other side ....................... see you in awhile other Me. Miss you big time too.

PASAR INPRES

Lets go to PASAR INPRES. Pasar Inpres had a fire Sunday night. Now we wonder what's left. Not the first fire and surely not the last. Pasar Inpres has a bit of a history when it comes to fires, but thats another story all in itself - one I'm still trying to figure out. Good thing I got the photo last time I was there - all these fruit stalls - well today they might not be left.

PASAR INPRES. (Pasar = market) A note about shopping at Pasar Inpres: you need to be there early if you want to get the good stuff. The markets are fascinating places. There isn't much you can't find here. If you're going to find it in Balikpapan - this is going to be place.

The Art of Buying in the market. There's no fixed price in this place. Note: Fixed Price, means it has an actual sticker on it - with a price. Not here. Here it's all about bargaining. And in Balikpapan, bargaining is just another part of life. A combination of patience, a whole bunch of cheerfulness and always with a smile. And usually you get a bit of "where you from?" a bunch of "hello mister"s (regardless of your sex) and lots of folks just looking for someone to practice their English with. Some days, it can actually be a bit of fun I guess.

TODAY: This morning have maintenance at the house - hoping they fix the holes that have appeared in the roof. The ceiling. Too much rain happening these days I think. Good thing we have maintenance. They are fast - but we'll have to wait and see how long their patch job is going to last.

Busy, busy day today. Loads to do. Sun's out - and that makes for a good day to be a busy day. It's a no umbrella day. Lets go!

Good to Go!

GOODBYE WEEKEND

Weekends, always go way too fast .................. doesn't seem to matter where you are.

Nothing better than some beach. Good beach day yesterday. Good company. Good food. Good sun. Good day for fishing too. Everyone was out fishing it seemed. And check out the new carving - from a friend. That was really nice. What a great surprise. Awesome. That's just way too nice.

So, looks like tomorrow is shaping itself into a very busy day. Long story, but ................ just need to adjust the WHEN part of the list. Need to move things around a bit.

TODAY: Getting the final done on all the stuff I'm taking with. ( The big trip is not far off.) Not as bad as I had originally thought. Reality check. How many sweaters can I where at once? It's gonna be cold. I already miss the beach.

Good day everyone.

Good to Go!

LAZY DAY SATURDAY

Sorry folks, but not too much today for a post. I think this is my LAZY DAY. Actually - I just have a load of other stuff going on. No, that's actually not the truth - let's just go with LAZY. L-A-Z-Y.

The photo. The blue van - that's a local city bus. And yes, they are small. But there are lots and they come in all colours too. A kind of colour coding system in fact, depends on where you're going to. And they're cheap and they're fast. You actually only pay for the distance you travel. And there are no real bus stops. You just wave one down, jump on, and tell the driver when you want to jump off.

Traffic really does get that close. Really, really close. 2 lanes easily becomes 3 or 4. 6, 8 and even 10 if it's all motorcycles at a red light traffic stop. Not sure why they bother with painting all the lines (by hand), job creation I guess. And yeah, the sides of your vehicle do have a few scuffs. The plus to having a motorcycle - you can squeeze into almost any empty spot.

The usual BBC thing last night. Good to see you Joe. Joe was away for the past month. Tonight not sure - but something will most likely come up. And tomorrow maybe a BBQ at the beach. Lets get the rain over with today folks.

TODAY: Need to really get at those suitcases. And get the other Me started too. Time to start zipping things up. And, I'm staying home today, all morning and afternoon - I've been out every day and night this week. It's my time to just RELAX. Ok - that explains the LAZY.

Go ahead everyone - be LAZY. It's the weekend.

Good to Go!

MOTORCYCLE MADNESS

2 sun days in a row. Gotta like that. And it's a Friday!

Motorcycle Madness yesterday. Maybe I just noticed them more or something like that. Balikpapan is full of motorcycles. Everybody's got at least one I think. Way more motorcycles than cars here for sure. Too bad I didn't have the camera. Would have made for some really good photo ops. It amazes me to see the stuff that gets hauled around on a motorcycle here. These guys (above) I think might be electricians - maybe, the driver has a spool of electrical wire wedged between his knees. How in the world can they even drive like that? ........... I need more photos. How much can one carry on a motorcycle? LOTS.

Yesterday, all the bills are paid up, and the list, checked a bunch of stuff off. The house phone - CAN NOT pay in advance. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Maybe might get cut off. Took 4 months to get it turned on in the first place - might be without that when we get back. Pisang Gapit - bananas with red sugar (gula merah) sauce. It's awesome stuff. Not too sweet - just right. It is definitely worth trying if you ever get the chance.

Me and the other Me had a really nice dinner out last night. Good food - the biggest ribs I've ever seen in my life - just like Fred Flintstone; good company - some really good friends; maybe too many beers - I had 3 - I don't like beer - ???? YUCK - what was I thinking; and some really good laughs - SMS-ing to KL - total silliness, but it sure was fun.

Can't let today's post go without a big CONGRATULATIONS to a couple of friends. After a long, long wait, a new baby girl has finally arrived (UK) in their family. Congrats guys - now get some sleep.

TODAY: Ok, Friday go ahead - surprise me - I'm ready for that. I have no idea. But it sure is noisy outside the house. I think they're cutting the lawns with whipper snippers again. Today might just be a good day for surprises. Pool Day to start - OK off to the pool. Time for some pool and a little bit of sun.

Have a great weekend everyone. Good to Go!

RED LIGHTS

You know you're in Balikpapan when ........ you find stuff like this. The things you find in Balikpapan - it just amazes me. (except for CREAM CHEESE - is there any out there yet?) These are actually Christmas lights. Happened across these when my friend and I were checking out the Christmas decorations at the ACE Hardware store a few days ago. And on sale to boot - guess not every one's into maple leaves around here. Very cool. Do you think, by chance they sell these in Canada? Probably not. Think I'm saving these for July 1st.

The rain/flood yesterday. Well, no news is good news I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary anyways. No land slides - this time, at least. Not really much of an impact. Big rains and flooding here, unfortunately - here, it happens a lot. Amazing how everyone can keep their smiles on, when everything they own is lost. Balikpapan + Home Insurance = NOT. Balikpapan + Big smiles = LOTS + LOTS.

Good day yesterday - got lots of stuff (stuff I put off) DONE. And that feels great. Maybe that's what rainy days are all about. And once you get started there's no turning back.

TODAY: Sun's out. And I'm off on the big ERRAND run. Need to pay some phone bills and few other things too. Today I just might try some more street food - Pisang Gapit. And tonight, maybe me and the other Me - should be dinner out tonight.

Ok, time to go. Good to Go!

FLOOD?

FLOOD? Maybe? Maybe not? Not at my house - but I'm sure it happened (happening), some where in town.

The thing about living in the tropics - sometimes it rains. And sometimes it really, really, really RAINS. And sometimes it floods. We had a real good one this morning, and some really big thunder boomers too. Guess we're probably NOT doing the pool. But, at least now I know the drip, drip outside the patio door is fixed. Good test.

Great day yesterday - starting with the Fortnight Lunch. Note: Fortnight lunch - usually involves a little bit of shopping too. We checked out a whole bunch of spots yesterday and even found time to hoof it around in Klandasan Market for a bit. I love the markets here - that's like the only way to shop. And ended up at a place along the coast for lunch. Dapeen Cafe & Lounge. Tag line: Cozy Place In Town. Very nice, Good lunch. I'll give it a 3.5 I think. By the way, Cheese Fries are French fries with little bit of Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top - not exactly what I thought.

The Book Club get together last night was great. (And I wasn't the only one that didn't read the book.) What a great bunch of ladies - that was fun. We had fun. Next book - "Mister Pip" by Lloyd Jones.

TODAY: Number #1 on the list - We have the INTERNET back. Now that's a bonus. And the electric's on too. In another hour or 2 the sun might even come out. Love it.

Have a zillion things to do today.

Good to Go!

NOVEMBER 11TH

Well, I have to admit, until I came to Indonesia - I knew nothing about WWII outside of Europe. Did I completely miss that part in the history book?

So, it turns out "The Battle of Balikpapan", is very significant in fact. Might have a look on the Internet (If you actually have Internet - we're on day 2 without.) First a couple of interesting facts. Fact: the Japanese did invade Indonesia, and it wasn't nice. Fact: Balikpapan, even at that time was a big deal oil spot on the map. Fuel for for all those warplanes and ships. The Oil-fields, turned Balikpapan into a strategic war target.

I was told that the best idea at the time was to wipe Balikpapan off the map. And so they tried, apparently not a single tree was left. Lots of reminders here too, there's the Civilian Heroes Monument (above), the Japanese Cemetery, the Australian Memorial, a Japanese fighter plane sitting like a prisoner of war out at the Military Barracks, a couple of Japanese cannons, and a bunch of sunken war ships off the coast. And just to make things a little more interesting - someone happens across another un-exploded bomb every now and then.

A World War. Yes. Lest we Forget.

TODAY: Still NO Internet. And this morning - Oh shit I forgot about that - NO electric. (Maintenance is here doing some sort of electrical check??) And any minute now - NO water. Today is the official day to turn all the water off in the complex. Time for the big FLUSH I guess.

An Interesting Note: there are actually 23 light bulbs in our living room/dinning room, and thats not including any of the lamps. No wonder the electricity in this town is always OUT.

Fortnight lunch today - and so it turns out to be a really, really good day for that. (maybe they'll have electric?) Suns out - 9 a.m. and my thermometer reads 35°C - oooooh, it's already HOT. No electric - that means NO AC in the house.

Book Club get together tonight. Too bad I didn't finish reading the book. Sorry girls, but I just don't like the book. Too big, too slow, too boring ............ and I just keep getting lost in this book. Ok, I'm ready for the next one - bring on the next book.

The other Me is off today on a road trip. His once a month trip to Handil, 2 hours there and 2 hours back, on a very, curvy and twisty, bumpy little path (road). At least it's paved - rather, most of it. And you probably have AC in that car this morning TOO!

Good to Go!

AND NO - WE STILL HAVE NO INTERNET. I'm at the BBC borrowing from them.

NEIGHBOURS

Another NO Internet day. Rained out AGAIN I guess. Another one of those "Welcome to Balikpapan" things. Oh well - life could be worse I guess. Will post this up as soon as I can.

Ok, so anyways, regarding the NEIGHBOURS - and yes, that is the correct spelling - it's not a typo or a mistake. The new NEIGHBOURS are all of the bovine type. COWS. And lots of them. I'm quite sure there are well over a hundred there by now. New arrivals every day (actually I think it's more like over night). I'm told they're mostly imports from Sulawesi.

So what's up with all the cows you ask? Ok, well for starters you need to know that next door to us is an empty lot - a big empty lot - with nice green trees and lots of tall grass - the perfect place for a bunch of cows to hang out. All these cows are on display (waiting to be bought) Waiting for Idul Adha on December 8th. Idul Adha (Red Calendar Day) is a big holiday here. Probably second biggest, next to Idul Fitri.

All these cows, will eventually, be bought up by all the Mosques. All the Mosques then distribute all the meat amongst all the locals. And all the empty lots - go back to just being empty lots. In the meantime we have a lot of cows next door. And trust me that's a whole bunch better than all the billy goats. Baaaaaa.

Note: 1 cow = 3 - 5 million Rupiah. Today, that's about $300 - $500 US.

We had a great weekend. Some really nice quiet down time and a whole bunch of fun on Saturday night. Weekends go by way too fast I think.

TODAY: Well, today will most likely turn into tomorrow - waiting for the internet to come back. Have a bit of a busy day ahead. A meeting early this morning and need to get some bills paid up in advance of the big trip I'm getting ready to take. Paying bills ahead of time? In Balikpapan? Yes a credit. Hmmmm. We'll see how well that works out.

Come on Monday. Let's go. Good to Go!

PISANG GORENG

Pisang Goreng. Street Food. Fried Bananas. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine put me on to this little Pisang Goreng stand next door to the new Maxi Shop. Might be the best Pisang Goreng spot in all of Balikpapan I think. And yesterday was a fried bananas kind of day. I love these things, they're great. And they only cost about 10 cents. My favorite are the ones on the right. Bananas wrapped in strips of a really thin dough and then fried. Crispy and sweet and just plain yummy.

Dinner party last night - great. Actually, it was really nice. Maybe a little too much of that Russian Vodka stuff. By the way boys, yes we were all right, potatoes or grain (wheat). And apparently potatoes - is not the good stuff. Wikipedia says "It is a clear liquid which consists of mostly water and ethanol." Ethanol? OMG. Ok, now I get it ................ the headache. And by the way other Me, did we say we're organizing a pool party for next week?

TODAY: Another one of those, "not sure just yet days". My favorite kind of Saturday. Just let things happen, and see where we end up.

I really should start packing a suit case I guess. (Big holiday, coming up.) I mean really start, not just piling things all over the place. I think I need a list. Actually I probably need two. List #1 - what to take with, and, List #2 - what to bring back. I LIKE LISTS. Ok, I think I'll start with that. And the first item(s) for the list - long sleeves. Oh yes, I'm heading to a colder place. Brrrrrr. Actually probably more like BRRRRRRR. But I am excited!

Not sure if we'll manage to get up at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow to listen to the Rider match. (CFL) That might be just a wee bit too early for us. That's like our only sleep-in day. But we'll be sure to check as soon as we get up. Go Riders Go!

On my TO DO list this weekend - grab the camera and set out to get some pics of our new neighbours. I'll post some for you next week.

Happy weekend all. Good to Go!

CONSTRUCT

Wow, well some really exciting stuff happening in town for us. Yesterday they started putting up the big huge sign for the new Hypermart Store. Hypermart what? Hypermart is a very big, big supermarket - and in Balikpapan we could sure use that. (I wonder if they'll have cream cheese?) Very close to where the A&W is going to be. And there's a new sign up for Starbucks too. "1st in Kalimantan." (We're getting close Jan - it's almost coffee time.)

Wholly, options? Options? In Balikpapan? Wow! Go Hypermart Go! And A&W and Starbucks too. Now that's cool! Now that we've got signs - hmmmmm ........... we just need them to open up.

Balikpapan, I think, should be called the city of cranes. Balikpapan is a totally happening place when comes to construction. Malls, hotels, houses, offices, and apartments. And the people that make the bricks for all this - they might be at their busiest yet. Yes, almost everything here is made of re-bar, cement and bricks. First a cement frame and then filled in with bricks. And a bit more cement on top of all of that. Amazing to watch, especially the guys way, way up on top.

TODAY: Friday. Hari Jumat. Batik Day. Big Mosque Day. End of the week day - for most, for everyone else - almost.

Busy day ahead - starting with the pool. ATM - time to re-stock Rupiah (Everything here is cash or Not.) Need to do a drop off. Maybe a bit of shopping. And a dinner party later tonight.

Ok, busy day, lets get going! Good to Go!

TIDE'S OUT

Tide's in. Tide's out. And in this pic - it's way out. And I just happen to like this pic.

Watch out for when the tide's in. And when it goes out, it goes way, way out. But when it comes in, IT COMES IN. And if you happen to go for a walk down the beach, and stop for a spot ................... you might not be getting back the same way you came.

TODAY: A total rain day I think. It's been raining for hours. Started sometime last night. And now, we need to get maintenance in. We've got a bit of a drip, drip thing. A leak in the roof and wet ceramic tiles - not good. Makes for a really good SLIP. Ok, so on the plus, the drip, drip is at least on the outside of the house (over the patio). This time. Or so far. (Yes we've had the indoor type too.)

This morning have a little coffee thing to do. And sometime today need to search out something that resembles Tums. Note: If you plan on coming to Balikpapan - bring Tums. Lots of Tums. You might need them to help with all the spicy stuff.

Oh, yeah - and congratulations - Obama. You won! Today's headline in The Jakarta Post "Obama Fever Hits the World"

NEWS SPECIAL: US ELECTION

Finally - the US Election. Seems we've been waiting a long time for that. And it's on every News channel we have. And even the Jakarta Post. Amazing - seems the whole world is watching. Watching and waiting.

The Melbourne Cup - was great. So many funky looking hats. Yes, even I - the hat hater - donned a hat. Didn't win any money on any of the bets I placed - not even sure how that all works. A horse race better I am not. But there were a few lucky ladies amongst the bunch. And some pretty good prizes up for grabs in the pot.

TODAY: Well we had the rain yesterday - so today should be sunny and hot. Seems we've been going through the every other day thing for the past week. That's good. A little rain every now and then to cool things off. Right now the thermometer says almost 33˚C. Yup, today is going to be HOT.

Good to Go!

LOOK UP

Look up. Look way up. Imagine a job like this. No strings (or safety) attached. Looks like these guys are painting (re-painting) the frame for a new billboard. Balikpapan is full of billboards. I think you could almost call it billboard pollution - trust me there are lots.

TODAY: Today is the Melbourne Cup. An Aussie thing. The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major annual thoroughbred horse race. "The race that stops a nation." A public holiday for them in fact. So, the International group here is putting on a Champagne Brunch - complete with a big screen TV so we can all watch the race. (And place our bets.) It's a dress up affair - complete with a hat. A HAT. (YUCK - I hate hats.)

Ok, well, better get ready to go. Good to Go! Wish me luck.

GEMS + GEMS = MORE GEMS

Here's to Monday - and the start of a brand new week.

A very quiet weekend in Balikpapan for us. Good weekend to clean up all the office mess. And yesterday, Sunday, was a good day for that. And it looks great.

TODAY: This afternoon, heading out on that long trip across town. Off to see Mr. Blue Sapphire. (Riyad) Need to pick up my order from last week. There's not a whole lot of shopping in Balikpapan - but the diamonds and gem stones here, sure are great. Every colour, shape, and size. A person could easily start a collection with that. hmmmm - might have to think about that?

Ok, pool time. Good to Go!

KAKI LIMA

A little late with the post today. Had a pretty busy morning - out delivering the NEWS. I even managed to do the whole zig-zag circle loop in 2 hours today, and stop by and see K to pick-up fresh milk.

So this is Jalan Mulawarman. My street. But quite a ways down the road on the way into town. Just before the curve and the dip in the road thing near the Sepinggan local market. (Balikpapan is almost all curves and little hilly bumps) I took the pic this morning on my zig-zag circle trip. What a great sky today. Big time BLUE. The construction in back is something that's been going on, out at the airport since we got here. No idea what it is - it's one of those "On Again - Off Again Projects" I think.

That funny little cart thing in the front - it's called a KAKI LIMA. These little carts are everywhere and sell all sorts of things. Mostly food or little snacks, weird coloured fruit drinks, newspapers, and a whole bunch of other stuff. So - KAKI LIMA. Well, if you add the guy that usually pushes it, that makes 5 feet. LIMA = 5. KAKI = foot/feet. 2 wheels + 2 feet (from the guy pushing) + one pole (at the front) = KAKI LIMA or 5 feet.

TODAY: Today in Balikpapan - well, just not sure yet. Anything can happen - just have to wait and see. (Maybe we'll watch SKATE CANADA this afternoon. Live from Ottawa - imagine that, it's on our TV! - WHOLLY!) Happy weekend everyone.

Good to Go!

EAT CAKE

Eat Cake? Happy Birthday Ali! SURPRISE! Yesterday afternoon, we had a little party out the back of our house. Didn't know which kind of cake to get - so we just got lots. I sampled the green one, and just in case you thought it was coconut on top - as I did. It's not. CHEESE. Cheese? Yeah, guess that's an Indo twist on cheese cake. Any ways it was good. The party was good. We had fun, took loads of photos, and this afternoon need to print copies for everyone. (more photos for Ali's wall of fame)

NOTE: The cake in the middle - that's actually some weird sort of shredded meat on top. I have my limits - I didn't try that.

The billiards tourny last night. No, we didn't get the big prize. 3 MILLION. (actually it was the other Me) and it's Rupiah not dollars - but it's still a lot.

TODAY: Nothing like jumping around in the pool with thunder and lightning all around you. Not to mention Cyndi Lauper's - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun playing in the foreground. My God - I must NUTS.

The other Me - got to start Friday with a nice cold shower this morn. Isn't that NICE. Yeah outta gas now on the other side of the house. Hey all you people that have big hot water tanks - don't ever, ever complain about that. And just to let you know, I really don't think we're getting a full tank. There's something a little weird going on here. I THINK.

So everything I had planned for the day - is a NOT. Plan B. Not sure what Plan B is yet. But give me another hour and I'll figure it out.

Good to Go!

TAP WATER

Check this out. No, this is not at my house. This is in my friend's house - her kitchen tap. TAP WATER IS NOT DRINKABLE. Funny to have a sign like that? Not here. In Balikpapan there is no drinking water from the tap.

TODAY: So far is all about sunshine. It's going to be a hot, hot day here in Balikpapan. Maybe we'll get a good rain this afternoon or later tonight. Maybe. OH OH. Too bad I can't figure out how to draw a line through that. Nix, the sunshine. It's pouring rain. That cloud must have been hiding at that the back of the house. Just in time for the driver to get on his motorcycle and head this way - I think you're going to get WET.

Today is the driver's Birthday. Must get a little cake and some goodies for that. A trip to Roti Boy this morning I think. And maybe we'll make some Ice Cappuccino and a few other treats. Happy Birthday Ali.

Today, need to once again, clean-up the mountain on the desk. I sure am making a big habit of that. (Making a mess - and not cleaning it up.) Have a job, that needs to get finished TODAY first.

Tonight is the BBC Billiards Tournament Final. And I'm thinking it's going to be a late night tonight. (This afternoon - better have a nap.) Top prize is $300. Wouldn't it be nice to win that.

Well, on with the day. Good to Go!

NOODLE STIX

NOODLE STIX. Noodle Stix - like the sound of that. That's where we ended up. And all by accident of course.

Option 1 - even though the sign says "OPEN DAILY 12 - 12 " It was not. TUTUP. Closed. Option 2 - TUTUP. Closed. Closed we were told and never opening again. Maybe they just didn't like us - or just didn't want to cook - or wanted the afternoon off. (That does tend to happen around here.)

Oh well, so now that we were car-less, "no problem, just drop us off" (already sent the driver off to get his own lunch), we wandered the parking lot. A pretty darn big parking lot, over at the mall, in search of an open restaurant. I might add that yesterday was probably the hottest day we've had in more than a month. Figures. Oh well. So ended up at this new little place called NOODLE STIX. Nice spot. [Different Taste at a Different Place] No idea what anything on that menu said, but took a chance and had a really great lunch. Noodle Stix - yeah I like the sound of that - great name for a restaurant. Good food too, nice staff - and cheap.

So in all that wondering around in that great big parking lot - we found a really nice little FAKE flower shop. Cool spot. Stopped for some PISANG GORENG on the way home too. (Sorry Scott) Too bad we didn't have some ice cream to go with that.

So an interesting thing about being an expat. Thanks to E-mail, Facebook, SMS and MSN Chat, yesterday I communicated (not sure what other word I could use there) with; 6 friends, 6 different nationalities, now living in 5 different countries. That's pretty cool. A big thanks to who ever invented that.

TODAY: Well, today is wide open. Have some stuff I should do. Some stuff I'd like to do and some stuff that is definitely on the do not. Lots of day ahead of me.

I guess I should really be reading the book. The new book for Book Club, "Girls Like Us" by Sheila Weller. Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon, now I normally like the biography stuff, but ........... hmmm, not really having a good time with this one. Sorry girls, but I seem to keep getting lost in it. Maybe it's the size of the book. I just measured it with the ruler - it's 4 and a half centimeters thick. That's almost 2 inches. Ooooh - it is a big book.

Well, Happy day everyone. Good to Go!

P.S. Just got the word - beer is back - and yeah, the price went UP.

MAL FANTASI

Yesterday, well yesterday, turned out to be pretty much just an ordinary day. A person needs those every once in a while. The GOULASH turned out great and the pool - freezing cold. I'm starting to think a POLAR DIP might be more fun than that.

Yesterday, the weather decided to change things up a bit. Usually we get all the rain in the morning and then tons of sun after that. And then HOT, HOT, HOT. Not yesterday. We never really got the hot, hot and the rain didn't come till way later than that. Thunder, lightning, wind and everything else once the sky decided to open up. Nothing like a good storm in the tropics.

TODAY: Today is a good day for a FORTNIGHT LUNCH. A friend of mine and I are heading out for what we've termed our fortnight lunch - that means going out for lunch every 2 weeks. No idea where we are going. Actually we do have a place in mind - but can always change that. Good to have an adventure every now and then and see where we end up. Any ways, we're heading towards the Mall. Go Mal Fantasi.

SPECIAL NOTE: Mal Fantasi might look good - but there's really nothing in it. Just a whole bunch of dead space. Under reno for the past, hmmm - year and a half (or more). Lots of "OPENING SOON" - but they never say what. I think they keep moving the shops around just to make us think there's something new, in what used to be an empty space.

Good to Go!

GOULASH

Today is - A GOOD DAY FOR GOULASH!

Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary in our house. WOW - did that ever go fast. And all the cracks are back. Cement walls = cracks - yeah that's what happens. Might have to move a few pictures around again. Yesterday also marked another Sunday with-out gas. I just don't get it.

So at our house everything - hot water (laundry), showers, the stove (cooker) all work off EL-PI-GI, pronounced LPG (and I love the way they spell it). Big, big bottles of gas - and on a Sunday, the office is closed, so can not replace the gas. Ok, so GET GAS, that's moved up to number 1 on the Today TO DO list. (Seems Sunday is the only day we ever run out of gas - and here's hoping they have some up at the office too. It's not unusual to wait a day or two for that.) Oh well, life's just like that.

The Darts this weekend - not. Ended up having to cancel that. The BBQ - was absolutely great. Thanks so much guys for that. Me and the other Me, we had a great weekend. Hey, and our favorite team back home won too. Go Riders Go!

TODAY: Today is a good day for GOULASH. Hey other Me at work - I bet you're gonna like that. Good old fashioned yummy Goulash.

Well, time to head off to the pool and then the usual Monday stuff. Yeah Monday, the beginning of a brand new week. Bring it on.

Good to Go!

SATURDAY POST

The picture above - that was, the yesterday afternoon view. Just a little bit of rain. Slightly more than what we'd call a shower, but not quite a flood. The water was only about 1 foot deep on this road. And thankfully, I wasn't one of those lucky enough to be trying to ride a motorcycle through it.

And now, the weekend at last. Actually it wasn't that bad of a week. Looks like it will be a busy weekend too. Have some darts to play tonight and a BBQ tomorrow. And need to get a bit of a sleep-in too. Busy weekend.

Last night, the usual place. But missing a couple of course - at least we got to do the SMS thing back and forth. (SMS - love it) Seems KL, is a really good place and will work out just right. Can't wait to visit you guys there. Don't drink all the STARBUCKS.

Regarding yesterday's post and the election - the unofficial rumor, the guy from Kalimantan will win. Whew - that's probably a really good thing. And considering the current governor has been out of town (Jakarta prison - for the last 2 years) we'll probably see a few changes in the coming months.

TODAY: Today, well for starters. Practice a bit of darts. And find a sub. Ok - that sucks, one of our players is out of town and this morning our sub was called out (offshore). Nothing like scrambling for a sub at the last minute. Oh well, we'll see how it works out.

And .............. seems now we have a beer shortage in town. Guess that means next week the price will go up.

Happy weekend everyone.

Good to Go!

YEMENI COOKING

The Yemeni Cooking Class - Hummus, mutabal, bureck, and shistaouk. That's what I learnt to cook. And, absolutely DELICIOUS. That was great. I had no idea what to expect - and of course I ate way to much. My favorite the bureck - but wow, what a lot of work. Can't forget to mention that I brought some home with me too.

Yesterday was the Gubernatorial election day here in Balikpapan - for the Regency of East Kalimantan. Time for a new Gubernaught* spelling - no idea, but it's the same as a governor. (Probably a word left over from the Dutch). So the first round of elections was held, back in May. I believe there were about 40 parties running, and if that's an exaggeration, it's not by much. The one with the most votes - didn't get enough. So, have to have a re-election between the top two parties. The two parties - Party #1 is lead by a local from Kalimantan, Party #3 (and it really is #3) from our neighbouring island Sulawesi.

Well, I'm sure you can imagine how well this is going to work out. Not sure how long it will take to count the votes. Last time I think it was about a week. Good thing most of that action will take place in Samarinda the city north of us.

TODAY: Friday, wholly, another week has just zipped past. Pool time this morning - just got back, the sun is trying to peek out. And OMG - was that ever cold. After 4 days of rain and a non-heated pool ............ brrrrrrrrrr.

Need to see a guy at Semut Graphics today. For a project, I some how managed to get myself sucked into the black hole with .........................

Happy Friday everyone. Good to Go!

LOCKED

HELP..... I'm locked in a toilet in Balikpapan, and can't get out!

First - a bit of background.
1. Toilets are called toilets here, not bathrooms, a bathroom is where you go to wash.
2. Most locks here involve keys and are deadbolts.
3. Indonesians are generally rather superstitious and they do believe in ghosts.

So last night we went out for burgers with a few other expats at one of our favorite spots. And after about 20-30 minutes we realized one of the guys was missing (we actually thought he was outside on the phone so finished his game of pool for him). Anyways turns out - after the three local girls that work there were completely freaked out (thought it was a ghost banging on the door) we realized our Canadian friend - had turned the key in the lock and couldn't get out.

Ok, talk about funny. So, with the help of a screwdriver, a hammer, and a 1.5 meter long pry bar (God only knows where he got that from - at a restaurant?), Herri, the owners brother, finally managed to get him out. Interesting note - that tiny little toilet turned into a real sweat box and yes he needed an ICE COLD BEER when he finally got out.

I know, the picture above (a little traveling local shop) .............. has absolutely nothing to do with today's post. Sorry but I didn't have the camera with me last night. Or yesterday afternoon when a truck loaded with styrofoam coolers (iceboxes) full of live crabs - lost half the load on the road near the airport. Broken bits of styrofoam everywhere. Not to mention all the crabs running about. Only in Balikpapan.

TODAY: Today I'm on my way to Lubna's house. She's giving us a lesson in Yemen cooking. ............ gotta go.

Good to Go!

LUNAR LAUNCH

LUNAR LAUNCH. I had no idea India was sending a satellite to the moon this morning. What a refreshing start this morning - instead of MORE election (US) and MORE financial crisis stuff.

Well, I figured out the hardest part of doing these posts - is finding the perfect picture. The perfect shot. Sorry but no, I have no pic of the Lunar Launch. Yesterday I was asked to put together a CD with some of my photos of Indonesia for a calendar that's coming up. I think this is one of my favorites. It was taken in April - from the ferry looking towards Lombok.

TODAY: Maybe a good day to just hang out in the rain and get WET. Yes, it's raining again. I think it's official - RAINY SEASON. Too bad we missed the dry. Almost all of Indonesia experienced a drought this year - except for us.

Today is a good day for deliveries ............. all that stuff I picked up yesterday at the printer's shop.

Good to Go!

JALAN

No ... this is not my street. This is the street (Jalan) I take to get to the other side of town. Somewhat of a connecting road I guess. Believe it or not, it is actually a main street. And it is very skinny. And it really, really sucks when too many people park their cars on the side of it. Especially when it's big truck. Note: there seems to be no rules here for big trucks.

Another rainy day in Balikpapan. Yes I am, getting a little tired of that. Maybe the rainy season has really begun. Back again to the power on, power off thing again too. Seems lately there's a bit of a correlation with that. Rain vers. electricity. (And the Internet)

TODAY: Well for starters - this post, is late. Today we had KFC for lunch. All 4 of us. Me, the other Me, Semmi and the driver. No fries today though - instead only rice. I was once told that KFC was the first western world restaurant to open in Indonesia. That's amazing - cause they are everywhere here. They are like the Gods of CHICKEN & RICE.

Today I need to get to the printers and pick up all my stuff. That means a trip down that skinny little connecting road. And later tonight, me and the other Me are going for a massage. A one hour full body traditional massage. Yes! One hour for 110,000 Rupiah - that's like $11. So looking forward to that. And to celebrate after our trip down that skinny little road again for the second time in one day - Chef Boyardee Ravioli tonight. And sad to say, but one can of that stuff, cost me almost 4 bucks.

Good to Go!

SLAMET?

SLAMET? Slam what? E.T.? I have no idea what this means. But ..........................

I wonder if they ran out of paint? Or maybe just using it up? I checked for Slamet in my Bahasa Indo book - nothing. Maybe they missed a letter or got them a little mixed up? SELAMAT - means Safe and Sound. It could be that.

Saturday night - We had a great time at the Birthday Party on the beach. You guys are such good hosts. ........... and talk about food. No shortage of that.

TODAY: Woke up to a really, really dark sky. And it's raining of course.

So - no pool this morning. Good day to get on to some other things that have piled up on the corner of the desk. I have a newsletter to get started this week and a new Menu for a little Cafe down the street. Better get at it.

Good to Go!

JUMPING SPIDERS & OTHER STUFF

We like to call these guys THE JUMPING SPIDERS. It's really not as bad as it looks. Ok - truth is, I didn't realize how bad this thing looked until I took this photo. Ewwwwww. Yuck. But at least it's not that big. And they are kinda cool. They JUMP. They really JUMP. Every time you try to put your foot down on one of them they JUMP. It's takes a couple weeks to get the hang of squishing these things. Now that I know how hairy and ugly they really are ............. I'll be getting better at that.

Yesterday's Post. It's a close up picture of these cool little balls and holes in the sand that the tiny little crabs make on the beach. These crabs are tiny, tiny. Not much bigger than the JUMPING SPIDERS. There are thousands of them. All over the place. The beach looks like a giant canvas that someone went graphic on. It's so cool. All sorts of swirls and neat little patterns. And in about 12 hours the tide comes in and washes it all out of place. And then of course they start again. Oh, for the life of a beach crab - and we thought we had it tough.

Looks like we're not getting the get-away this weekend. The other Me - is just way too busy at work. Oh well, those Gili Islands aren't going anywhere. We'll get there yet.

Ok, just about had enough of the US election stuff. HAVEN'T YOU? I'm am sooooo done with that. We have 5 news channels here, from all over the world. And the presidential debate - was on all of them. Get over it people - just hurry up and vote. Note: If there are any McCain supports in Balikpapan - they are not sharing that.

Yesterday I paid the phone bills. And did it in record time. No queuing - imagine that. I should go on the last day all the time. Wholly - walked in and just paid. That is not the norm. Everyone must have gotten there ahead of me or there's going to be a lot of phone service cut off next week. This usually takes way longer than that, sometimes hours. There's a reason why they have (English with Bahasa sub-titles) HBO on the TV. It's certainly not for the staff. I once watched a whole movie in that place.

TODAY: Seems everyone is having a birthday this week. Have 2 birthdays to celebrate tonight. And one of our favorite guys back home is having his tomorrow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY everyone. HAPPY BIRTHDAY everyone. Happy Birthday to Todd. HAPPY BIRTHDAY everyone. Eat cake.

Good to Go.

TGIF IT'S HARI JUMAT

TGIF. Friday. Yes, it's Friday.........but not quite the same effect as the rest of the world. Or at least some of the world. This is not the end of the week. Or rather not the same sort of end as you'd expect. I think maybe, Saturday noon, is when the real official weekend starts. There's no real clear answer to that. There's still school tomorrow. Some offices are open till noon and some are not.

Fridays, are BATIK days. All the school kids wear the batik shirts part of their school uniforms today. It looks pretty neat. All different colours depending on the school they go to. I especially like the PINK. And in Balikpapan, the boys (men) are not afraid to wear pink.

Last night was BILLIARDS night. The pool competition is back on. Need to get back up to speed on that. Things were on hold for the month of Ramadan. Was nice to see everyone again. And it sure looks like some people were practicing.

TODAY: Need to get to the pool .............. like right away. I can't believe it's not raining.

Today - need to get out and pay the phone bills. Due on Monday and there is ZERO grace on that. No late fees, or overdue here. If it's not paid on time ........... it's gone. So need to get down to the offices, different office for each phone of course and get the fancy little stamp on the bill. Now here is something that will amaze ......... The house phone (land line) is like 56,000 Rupiah a month - that's like $5.60 US. And my Hand Phone (cell) bill this month is 89,000 Rupiah. That's less than 10 bucks. Can you believe that?

Ok, well. Time for me to HURRY, HURRY, and get over to the pool.

TGIF! Good to Go!

SUNSHINE + KUDA-KUDA

What a difference some sunshine makes.

The photo above. Winged kuda-kuda at the Balikpapan Super Blok. Kuda is one horse and kuda-kuda is more than one. There are no plurals in Bahasa. All over Balikpapan you can find these kinds of things. Horses, sun bears, monkeys, soldiers, all sorts statues, you name it. I should mention though, that the "Lonely Policeman" has disappeared - all that's left are his boots. And as far as horses go, I've never actually seen a real one here - they tell me it's too hot.

It's sure been an interesting, busy and unusual week. SO FAR. We're trying to book ourselves a little get-away this weekend. Hoping to leave tomorrow night. Still waiting for Yuyu at the Cakawala Travel place to get back to us. See what our options are. Maybe a trip to Bali or the Gili Islands is the perfect way to spend the weekend. We'll see I guess.

I think I finally got the FORTNIGHT thing figured. What a weird saying. Who counts days by 2 weeks? Apparently the Fort part means fourteen. I had to check that out. Ok, now I know what all you UK guys are talking about...............

TODAY: Today is wide open. No plans, YET. And anything can happen around here. Have a whole bunch of emails to catch-up on now that we have our Internet back - maybe that's what I should be doing ............ we'll see.

Later. Good to Go!

BANANAS

BANANAS. That's how the last couple of days has been. Our Internet was BROKE for three. Monday's post ended up being Tuesday's. Tuesday's got lost and today's is almost tomorrow. BANANAS Eh?

Sorry Ali, but your no rain for a week if Friday has none theory - is definitely not. It's rained the last two mornings in a row and last night we had one of the wildest thunderstorms ever. That one shook the place. I wonder how many of PMC's 35+ newly installed lightning rods were hit.

Last night the Book Club group got together at my house. We had a great night. Good snacks, some really yummy chocolate with hot fudge sauce and a few too many bottles of really hard to find wine. And yes, we did discuss the book ....... along with a whole bunch of other stuff. Great night - thanks girls.

Yesterday was BIWA morning - Riyad from the diamond shop (GEMS BLUE SAPPHIRE) came by and gave us all a good lesson on diamond and gem shopping. The 4Cs - colour, cut, clarity and of course carat. Riyad has been in the business for years, and gets most of his gemstones direct from the mines south of here. His shop is pretty impressive. Every colour, shape and size of just about everything you can imagine and a whole bunch you've never even heard about. A good place to go when you have too much money..........maybe.

Yesterday was also a sad goodbye day for me, and the other Me and a few other people too. I HATE GOODBYES. Five years - times up I guess. Some very dear friends have moved on from here. We'll miss you lots. See you in KL. Be safe and have fun.

Monday? Hmmmm .......... I already forgot. Oh yeah, that was the "go to the printers day". And finish reading that really, really, hard, hard to read book. Good book, but a really hard read.

And then for TODAY: Today I took a friend out for lunch. We went to a new place - rather, a new place for me. D'GRILL. It's her 28th birthday. AGAIN. How does that work? And how come everyone seems to know she's 28? How can that be? Ok, it's her story - Happy 28th Birthday. Maybe we're all 28. Hmmmmm......could be?

Good to Go.

OK DEH!

Ok deh. Pronounced; oh-ke-day. Translation; all right then or okay. Bahasa Banjar, and widely used in Balikapan.

Ok deh. I like the sound of that. And our yesterday certainly was an ok deh kind of day. We spent the whole of our Sunday afternoon hanging out at the beach. Local friends invited us to the beach near their house, Some kids, some dogs, a BBQ, a few go carts, a new thatch roof on the deck, great sunshine and nice cool breeze. Everything we needed for a day on the beach.

What a great Sunday.

The internet in our compound is BROKE. Has been since yesterday afternoon in fact, No idea when they'll get that running again. All I know is it's BROKE. So I decided I'd get this ready and as soon as I can I will post.

TODAY: Today, another busy Monday. Seems all the Mondays here are busy. Have the pool this morning. Yeah - sunshine. Sorry Ali - but it rained last night. I think your prediction was 5 days short.

I need to go way across town this afternoon to the printers. Have to drop off a bunch of files to get done this week. It's sooooo easy here. No waiting. They'll get all these jobs done in less than a week. And probably deliver them all for me too if I like.

Need to get organized for tomorrow night. Book Club get together. At our house. Need to make snacks, some kind of cake and try and find some wine in this town that has gone dry. We're suffering through the after Idul Fitri effects. Might be 2 or 3 more weeks before the shipments of just about everything start flowing in again.

And need to finish reading the book.

Ok deh. Time to go. Good to Go.

THE HAPPY SHIRT

Last night - a Friday BBC Night. A Mie Goreng night for me. BBC's famous Fajitas for almost everyone else though. Some good conversation sitting out under the stars and enjoying the nice breeze off the ocean on their new deck (good thing they built the deck - we all love the deck).

And last night, my friend finally got to put on his HAPPY SHIRT. A happy shirt? He's had a really rough last couple of days. I mean weeks, no actually it's probably more like a month. Talk about a planning, management, arrangement, administration, orchestration, coordination, execution, handling, logistics nightmare. Anyways - it finally all came together for him yesterday ....... and the packers are actually there. This morning in fact. And now I'm told it looks like a bomb went off in his house.

Now about that HAPPY SHIRT. And he really does have one. His HAPPY SHIRT ........ has a picture of "Tigger the Tiger" bouncing around on his tail. You know that light hearted, carefree orange cat that hangs out with Winnie Pooh. Ok, so who could you possibly pick that isn't happier than that? Good on you Peter! I hope you get to wear it lots.

Hey, well we've actually had a whole row of sunshiny days for awhile now. I row I think means more than One. Maybe the Dry Season switched with Rainy. Yesterday, I was told if it doesn't rain on a Friday - means it won't rain for a whole week. I'll guess we'll see about that.

TODAY: Today is Pizza Hut. It's been a long time since we did that. Yes, there is Pizza Hut in Balikpapan. One. But they don't deliver out to our house - we're way too far down the road for that. So have to make a trip into town this afternoon. We have lots of KFCs too (they won't deliver either). And it looks like the brand new A&W is going to open up soon. I'm guessing at least another month - I'll keep you posted. Mmmmmmm onion rings.

....... and then there's the rumor about a STARBUCKS. So sorry Jan, but I'm just not so sure about that? But hey, if it really does happen - we're there - I'll buy.

Ok, a whole weekend ahead of us now. Canadian Thanksgiving in fact. Happy Turkey Day back home everyone.

Ok, it's pizza time. Good to Go!

LIGHTS OUT

The internet - on again, off again, on again, off again, S-L-O-W, on again, off again, OUT.

The lights are out in Balikpapan. Here's the story I got. Seems sometime, in the middle of the night (Wed-Thurs), someone, somewhere, on the other side of town, drove a truck into something, that caused a small explosion - and now all the lights are OUT.

I'm not actually sure if that's the real story, but in the mean time - there's no electricity in town. No street lights, no radio and no AC for most people. At our house - means the compound has to run the GENSET (generator) 24/7. The genset runs on diesel - fingers crossed they don't run out of that. Mostly business as usual though - malls are open with limited lights, hand written receipts and they do have AC. Hmmm - Ok, now that explains why it seemed like the whole of Balikpapan was there yesterday.

TODAY: Friday. Half way gone already and it's a BBC Night tonight. Later - enjoy the weekend. Good to Go!

BUDDHA

Yesterday - BUDDHA moved in. Buddha comes from Thailand. It's a long story, but yesterday, Buddha and some other paintings needed a place to stay. Not sure how long Buddha will be with us. Maybe we've adopted her?

Yesterday was one of those days .................. my North American printer ran out of TINTA (ink).
Problem: The tiny little chip in the printer cartridges here can not and will not, be recognized by the exact same printer I bought in Canada as you can buy here.
Solution: Veneta System Refill Centre. Sorry folks; but short of buying another printer - that is the only option here. (Kinda like photocopying books - that's just the way things are done here. Welcome to Balikpapan) There is an added bonus though - it only cost $3 bucks.
Next Problem: Shop A, where I always go; well apparently this day - not possible, they can not nor have they ever been able to refill a cartridge bought in North America. Hmmm, how can this be? I've done this before.
Solution: Try the sister shop. I guess shop A has already had enough business for one day.
Moral of the Story: In Balikpapan - there is always another way.

TODAY: Well I should be going to the pool this morning, but the rain clouds just won't stay away. Oh well, that's OK. It's sort of like having a bonus day.

Today, I need to get to the bank. Need to replenish the Rupiah supply. Last week all the banks were closed the whole week and most of the ATM machines went dry. Just something you get used to here. Like the shipment of fresh milk that didn't come in. No sour cream for 2 months. The BENZIN HABIS sign at the petrol station (means out of gas) and temporary shortages of just about anything. But, just like ink cartridges, in Balikpapan - there is always another way.

Time to do some printing and enjoy my day. Good to Go.

BLUE SKY

Blue Sky this morning. No clouds - just lots of sunshine. It's going to be a hot (35°+) day in Balikpapan.

Yesterday, myself and some other ladies from the BIWA group were invited to a lunch at the Blue Sky Hotel. www.blueskybalikpapan.com. BIWA is planning a Chinese New Year celebration for January. Great experience, and we really enjoyed sampling the menu. My favorite was the Fish with Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce.

Balikpapan is a great place to experience culture. It's all around us - no avoiding it. Imagine 7 of us enjoying a Chinese lunch, from 6 different countries and not one of us are Chinese. We were shown the proper way to do a Chinese salad. Mix + dress + serve. And of course those darn chop sticks had to get in the way. How in the world do they manage to do that. I am not a fan of Chop Sticks. And by the way - Indonesians don't use chop sticks either.

And about BIWA. Balikpapan International Women's Association. It's a big group, we have lots of fun, come from all kinds of places, have loads of social activities and lots and lots of charity work too.

TODAY: Have a bunch of errands to run today, a Coffee morning in PMC and lots of odds and ends to get done. Need to clean up that desk again too. How does that always happen anyway?

Ok, it's time to put on the sunglasses and GO!

CHEEZ WHIZ

For the love of CHEEZ WHIZ............ my jar's empty.

What a way to start a day and a new week. So far this morning; my Monday changed to Tuesday, Tuesday changed to Friday. Now I'm back on for Monday, next Monday? Maybe. I think. Hmmmmm ...... and I'm out of Cheez Whiz. A brand new jar of Cheez Whiz - boy, would I ever appreciate that. There is NO Cheez Whiz in this country.

We had a great weekend. Nice weather; sunshine and a marvellously cool tropical breeze. A BBQ with friends on Saturday. Great company and great food, including the improvised/re-invented Triffle they made with Glayva Liqueur. And we still have half of the half of the chicken you sent us home with. Thanks guys. In Balikpapan they call that TAKE AWAY. Hope we made a dent in the foodstuffs you're trying to get rid of before the big move. We're really going to miss you guys.

TODAY: On with today. Busssssssy. Pouring rain this morning so cancel the pool thing at 10:00 a.m. The goodbye lunch I thought I was going to go to - postponed until the stress settles down and the packers are out of the way. Going to miss you too Katheen. Way too many people moving this month.

So, guess now I can go to the other lunch with the BIWA girls and still make it to my mini-meeting this afternoon.

Have to pick up the copies (and I do mean copies - photocopies) of the book for this month's read in the Book Club. Unfortunately there are no English books here in Balikpapan so have to get creative if you really want to read something. Need to get them all dropped off too. This month we are reading "Saman by Ayu Utami" an Indonesian novel translated to English. Should be a good read. Last month we did "Into The Wild" by Jon Krakauer. And just so you know - Scott, we did not have to make photocopies, everyone has one and everyone loved the book. Made for a great discussion too. Thanks for bringing the book.

Ok, time to get this week on the go. Good to Go!

HELLO SATURDAY

Hello Saturday. Goodbye week with 2 red calendar days. I just checked the calendar and I don't see another red day until December. Whoa - long time.

Things are slowly starting to get back to regular life here. The stores (although the shelves are basically empty) are all getting back to the norm. Restaurants are opening up again ............ and all the bars and clubs and karaoke spots that were closed for the last month (Ramadan) will be open for business again. It's going to be a busy night in town tonight.

We had a really nice dinner last night. Thanks Emi, for having all us girls for one last get together at the BBC. The guys enjoyed themselves too. And Oxtail soup, (despite the name) - OK I can do that. Oh, and by the way Emi - the new beach side patio you have, it's AWESOME.

AWESOME - apparently I have a really cool way of saying that. Must be my accent.

TODAY: A BBQ with some really good friends. And we're really looking forward to that. See you this afternoon.

Going to hang out in the office this morning and listen to what will hopefully be a really good football (CFL) game. I'm taking tomorrow off - no posting on Sundays. That's the rule - that's my lazy day.

Ok, Happy Saturday everyone. Good to GO.

GO Riders GO!

MIX IT UP A LITTLE

Ok. Yesterday felt like Sunday, today feels like Monday. This is a whole day and tomorrow is a half. Hmmmm. That's what happens when you have a holiday. I guess by middle of next week things will come around again. That's OK. Good to mix things up and have one of those remember when......... Good to Mix it Up a Little - makes life more interesting.

Yesterday afternoon we found ourselves at one of our favorite places. The BBC. Batakan Beach Cafe. It was a great afternoon. Saw some friends we haven't seen for awhile. Sun was shinning, watched the guys play a whole pile of games of KILLER (billiards) drank Es Lemon Teh and ate Onion Rings and Cumi Cumi (talk about spoil yourself) and was just a really nice afternoon.

I'm hoping the garbage guys are working today. We have a pretty big pile of STUFF (mostly boxes) out front that really needs to disappear. The best option for a box to store something in here is from Anchor Beer. In the mad frenzy of cleaning up the storage room yesterday we developed a pretty good size pile of those. Looks like all we did for the last 2 days was drink beer. PLEASE come and take them away!

Oh... and I finished that really boring book. "The Birth of Venus" by Simon Schama. Not sure how it got on the Chapters best seller list - not my kind of a read. Hopefully the next book will be better.

TODAY: Semmi is back. Just when I was about to start the laundry myself. Boy am I lucky. She had a nice holiday with her family (sister) in Samarinda. A 3 hour bus ride north of Balikpapan. Good to have you back. Missed you Semmi. So did Nu Nu.

Today is go to the pool morning. Sun is shinning and looks like it will be another HOT day in Balikpapan. Time to get some exercise. See you in about an hour Fendi. And tonight I have a dinner with friends thing to do. A BBQ tomorrow. 8 Business cards to design by Monday. Some letter heads, envelopes and cards to get ready for the printers next week .................. Ok, I'm busy.

Good to GO! Better GO!