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!

ANOTHER RED CALENDAR DAY

Ok, turns out............it wasn't a quiet day after all. After a zillion SMSs (text messages to all you North Americans) and phone calls we finally gave in and joined with friends and their families and other friends to take part in Idul Fitri celebrations. It was really nice. Made some new friends and tried some new food. Just like a Christmas dinner - and the food. Yummy. But wholly hot. I mean PEDAS!!! That's spicy hot. Many thanks Ina and Elias.

TODAY: Today is another Red Calendar day. Yeah!! We don't get too many of those here. Not even going to pretend it's going to be quiet day. It was a great morning to have a bit of a sleep in though. Yes, did get the office cleaned up yesterday. We'll see how long that lasts.

And today, we are cleaning out the storage room. It's amazing how quickly one can come here with next to nothing, and in a very short time manage to find enough stuff to throw, give or just put out. Including a funny little cat named Nu Nu that somehow learnt how to open the side door and come in whenever she wants. Nu Nu is a local, and she is the house cat. That means outdoors (most of the time) and she's NOT my cat. But she did get a new collar for Idul Fitri.

Yeah Red Calendar Day! Good to GO!

BALIKPAPAN

I'm an Expat and I live in a place called Balikpapan. Pronounced Ball-ee-pa-pan, silent "K" and no this not Bali. Nor is the view. Balikpapan, is an Indonesian city (small) on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo (big) or Kalimantan as the locals call it. We are almost on the equator, just a little south. 1.15°S And yes it's warm (hot) here - all the time.

Balikpapan does have an international airport - but only 1 flight a day that gets you out of here and the only international place we can go, is Singapore. But it's fast and there are loads of other places we can go with-in Indonesia. Like Manado and Jakarta and Surabaya and Lombok and Bali. Love Bali. (I'll have to post some Bali pictures - later)

It's a pretty cool place to be an expat. We like it here......and for now it's home. At least for the last 16 months and 4 days it has been. I should have started this blog when we first got here. After a while things become norm and not quite as interesting (or unusual) as they were to start. Like a family of 4 or 5 on 1 little, little motorcycle. This isn't paradise - but it's a pretty good place to be.

TODAY: Today is a quiet day - at least so far, but most days start out that way. Today is a red calendar day. A holiday. IDUL FITRI. Idul Fitri is the first day after Ramadan - the fasting month for Muslims. Today is a day for everyone to enjoy the day with family and friends. Unfortunately it is also a rainy day. We've had lots of those days lately. Somehow the dry season missed us. (Just like all the weather reports - those usually miss us too.)

All the shops, the markets, the restaurants and pretty much everything is closed up for the day. Most people celebrating Idul Fitri are gone. By plane, by boat, by bus and by any other means to their home towns. (If they were fortunate enough to get a ticket with a price that's double or triple the norm.)

It's a quiet day in Balikpapan and not much for a view. A good day to sort through emails and clean up the office. Kick back and watch some really bad TV, listen to my favorite radio station www.radioparadise.com and try to finish reading a really boring book.

Good to GO!