Decy and I often talk about health and security issues - its just part of our lifestyle living overseas. One health element we have talked about numerous times is the "3 day fever rule", which is .... if somebody has a fever for 3 days they promptly go to the doctor. This is something that is taught by the medical group in our company. This rule has been important and has proven effective over the last couple weeks as our staff have suffered through three cases of Dengue Fever.

Yesterday, Decy went to Ciputat (suburb of Jakarta, Indonesia) to visit her family. While there, her mother mentioned that Decy's sister Debbie was ill and had been running a fever for 3 days. The family thought everything would be ok. Decy went over to see Debbie ... she was running fever ... her stomach was bloated ... her stomach was extremely sensitive to touch. Decy told the family (and Debbie's husband) that Debbie needed immediate care. There was discussion on that and finally Decy's logic won out - and Decy promptly took Debbie to a GOOD hospital.

By 3pm Debbie was at the hospital undergoing tests. First, they found Typhoid. Second, they found complications in the intestinal area but weren't sure. About that time, I put Debbie on the prayer chain in the US through my family in Florida. More tests were run and by about 7pm it was determined that emergency surgery was needed. Surgery began at 9pm.

Decy made it home around mid-night. Surgery was a success - and the prognosis is good for recovery. As for what they found ... I don't know all the details (language translation issues) but the appendix was about to burst ... and something else had already ruptured as fecal material was in the intestinal cavity and it was only a matter of time before infection set it.

Debbie was truly in a life threatening situation. Decy's quick response and the prayers saved her life - I am certain of that.

Selah

Ciao ciao

... its just impossible to post pics on Phusebox (from overseas) ... so I have my own site.

ciao ciao

.... see ya there .... ciao ciao

http://www.oldmanmorgan.com/wordpress/

You can finde me at .... www.oldmanmorgan.com ...

I guess that is ok - really don't have much to blog about today ... days are starting to blur as I push hard at work ... to come home exhausted and then on to bed after relaxing a bit with Decy and the girls - then back up at 330am.  This week, I haven't even stepped out of the house for any social/personal activities .... last time out was Friday night ... BORING !!!!

No sense in just babbling, so I will close and try to do something productive.

ciao ciao

So, I told the meeting attendees exactly what I was thinking and what I thought the go forward plan should be.  Interestingly enough, it was like a sigh of relief for the folks ... as they had sensed they were "lost in the wilderness" but didn't know how to admit it nor to fix it.  Now and soon, unfortunately, I will have even more work to do ... to help these folks ... but it is something I must do.  I hate building emergency plans ... but I know how to do it ... know what needs to be done ... and embrace its importance.

** Che, about your audition .... we will wait for the results.  Making a mistake on sight reading is not the end, nor is it the only factor being considered.

As for our interviews for a replacement driver, none of the 3 showed up - seems only 1 called and requested a rescheduled, because he couldn't get off work to come interview.  The other 2 were "no shows" and without saying anything to us.  Decy told the 2 not to bother coming for an interview.  The other 1 (that did call) has another chance. Guess we better go hunting for a few more folks to interview - so we have some choices.  Wish this wasn't "dumped" on Decy - but I am not much help in this area.

Gotta run ... ciao ciao

About the driver interviews ... they were "no shows" yesterday.  Didn't get a chance to find out why from Decy ... it was a very hectic day.

As for work ... no story there ... just a bunch of meetings that will clearly demonstrate that some folks don't know what they are doing ... as the saying goes ... it is better to not say anything and for people to think you are a fool, than it is to open it and dispell all doubt.

Keep Chely in prayers ... she has an ACT exam on Saturday.  She's nervous ....

Thasya also has her fashion show practice on Saturday (it was supposed to be on Sunday)

...  its going to be a very hectic Saturday doing all this and getting ready for the opera.  Plus, there are a couple of events at the school Friday night - I think we will attend only one of them.

Well - I better get to work on some stuff .... its ALREADY 440am ...

ciao ciao

In reality, not much to blog about right now.  Wiwi, our maid left on 6-9 months maternity leave (no story there).  Regarding drivers, we are still at 1 plus using Decy's brother part time.  Decy has several interviews scheduled today for a new driver - I'll keep you posted on that.

On Saturday, we finally received our remaining 5 chairs back from the furniture maker.  They refinished the chairs and they look better.  Decy is unhappy about the "feet" ... the chairs squeak when you move them.  She had asked them to put rubber feet on the bottom.  On half of chairs they used soft rubber/foam ... on the others they used hard plastic (which still sqeaks).  Decy will just go buy the supplies she needs and fix the chairs herself.  We decided to close out this saga (after 6 months) ... and she paid the furniture manufacturer in full.

I think it was a quiet weekend here in Jakarta - there, however, some concern about the holiday weekend and potential attacks on churches.  I did not receive an emergency warden call, so there must not have been any major problems ... but I'll know more when I get to the office today.

Lately (as in the last 2 months), Decy, the girls and I have been watching the TV series Gilmore Girls.  They like it a lot ... for me ... its ok .... we made it through Season 5 ... which was all we had ... so I ordered Season 6 from Amazon.com.  It arrived last week ... so we spent quite a bit of time relaxing and watching it.  Not exactly what I had planned for the weekend ... but I was relaxing nontheless.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I have a telephone conference with folks in Houston.  The person who set this up must not be thinking about commuting ... as the call is at 6am our time .... which means you either come to work incredibly early or incredibly late.  If you come early - commuting time will be 20-30 minutes ... but you have to leave at the house at 515am - to be in the office, at the desk, on the phone by 6am.  If you come late ... it will be a 60-90 minute commute.  MORON.  Of course, having to use a driver means my driver (Yono) will have to get up as early as I do ... 330am ... to get here in time.

The opera at Hotel Mulia is this weekend ... we have the dresses and tux ready ... as you can appreciate ... Saturday will be "hair day" at the salon.

Really not much to say ... so I will quit rambling and take care of some other business.

ciao ciao

It amazes me that so many people waste so much time trying to argue why they are special and shouldn't have to follow the rules.  What is particularly annoying is when you have an "ugly American" who thinks they don't have to follow the "stupid" Indonesian rules and then berates and yells at people for months like a spoiled brat.  We have one such individual at my office.

We have an issue where somebody when against specific and direct guidance from our country manager - and broke a rule.  Upon getting his hands slapped he immediately hurled the problem (Liz - notice I used the word hurl ?) over the fence to several other departments.  Yesterday, things came to a head and he started telling me I was causing problems and I just needed to fix things and move on ... of course, that is not in my power to do.  We had a VERY STRONG conversation and I made it very clear that I was not responsible for cleaning up his mess.

This man sent a one line email that (although not vulgar) gave the impression that everybody is stupid and he is the in the right.  He made the mistake of copying one of the highest people in our company in Indonesia.  That recipient, who I report to, knows exactly what is going on ... so he sends some instructions regarding how we are supposed to deal with this ahem "gentleman" and copies our country manager.  This issue (which didn't have to happen) is becoming explosive and divisive ... thing is, this man is so arrogant he still thinks he is in the right .... and that it is everybody else's responsibility to clean up his mistake.  I suspect he is going to soon be doing a "mea culpa" in front of the country manager.

Stay tuned ... gotta get to work.

ciao ciao

Speaking of contest, Thasya has completed her modelling classes.  Long ago (last Oct) we paid for the classes.  Classes ended a few weeks ago, with the only remaining step being to participate in a fashion show.  Seems that for Thasya to participate we have to pay $60 ... which will include her receiving her "class certificate" and seats for 2 to watch the show.  Extra seats (for, say, Chely) is another $20.  Here's the catch ... if she doesn't participate in the fashion show ... to get her certificate she still has to pay money.  Either way she has to pay this "exit fee" to get a certificate for something we have already paid for.  Of course, they didn't tell us all this detail up front.  Its not the money that upsets me, its the principle .... see below.

We've a similar issue with Kaplan's (tutoring company) with Chely.  Prior to starting SAT training with Kaplan's, Chely took a test ... the course was to start the next day and they promised the results would be ready the day of the test.  Well, that was on a Friday ... no results ... we called Monday ... no results, supposedly the "next Friday".  We went around and around for 3 weeks trying to get the results - finally, after threatening that I could come in there and make an "ugly American" scene they gave us the test results.  Now, I recognize that a 1 day turnaround is "quick" but why did they promise it if they were going to fight us on this for 3 weeks.  And you know what?  Does anybody want to wager whether or not Kaplan's will charge for the "exit" exam too?

Speaking of charging, we had to get the girls passports renewed (the then current ones were good for only 5 years).  The basic costs was ~$30 each.  However, there were some issues with Thasya's because of her age and we didn't have a permission letter from her natural father.  Of course, because of that, there was an "added charge" of about $25 .... does it surprise you that they would not give a receipt for the $25? Care to guess where that money went?

And finally, there is the still open issue on the dinnette chairs.  Decy is having them refinish the remaining 6. Its now been about 2 weeks, not sure how much longer that will take - but we do have some power in this .... Decy is withholding final payment on the couch and two chairs they finally delivered (~$900).  The furniture manufacturer understands he won't get his money for the couch and chairs until he returns the dinnette chairs.

*** ah, ain't it a wonderful life here?

About our x-driver, Mustofa, seems lately we've been hearing a lot about his past experiences (other jobs) and some of the things he was doing on his off-hours while working for us.  I won't go into the details - but clearly, sooner or later, things would have come to a head.  So, it is just as well the relationship ended when it did.  We are working thru a canvassing / interviewing process for a replacement driver. In the meantime, Decy's brother Dona is helping us out.

Recall one of our maids, Wiwi, is pregnant.  She will be leaving for her home town in about a week.  We have a temporary (6-9 month) replacement maid.  Her name is Wartini (we call her Tini).  She's small, quiet, and polite like Wiwi and Sumi.  This is good - we don't need strong personalities.  We (shall I say, Decy) will need to train Tini (Wiwi is helping too) and it will take some months to really get her up to speed ... but we will manage. Also, to help out, Sumi is taking on a greater role ... and with that comes an increase in salary for her.

Well, need to take care of some things before I leave for work .... so ....

ciao ciao

I talked to most all the family over the weekend using Yahoo Voice at $0.01/minute ... thus, there isn't anything new and newsworthy to write about today .... thus, I am just babbling.  So, I will close today's blog and do something productive.

ciao ciao

ciao ciao.

Well even a blind dog finds a bone once in a while ... I did a quick internet search ... carefully read some descriptions then downloaded a test version of ImTOO .... man that is some slick decoder ... no more than a couple of clicks and presto-mundo ...three files converted from m4a .... to mp3 .... YAHOOO !!!!!!

... bye ... gotta go see my honey ....

Speaking of staying busy, this has been a horrible, emotional, long week at the office.  After 2 days, I feel beat up ... rode hard / left wet ... and drained.  Thankfully I am taking Thursday and Friday off ... to enjoy time with Decy and the girls - that will help.

Received a call from Beni the manager at Club CJs.  Our tickets/invitation to the Opera are ready.  We will collect them today or Friday.  Unfortunately, 2 folks cancelled out on us so for our table of 10 we only have 8 people so far.  We are trying to flog the other 2 tickets - if we can't, we are out of pocket $300 .... uuuggghhh.

Here's one for you ... about 2 weeks ago, one of Decy's brothers (Dewa) was riding his motorcycle at night (note:  in that part of the city there isn't much street lighting and streets are small).  Anyway, in the middle of the road squats an old homeless lady.  Dewa doesn't see her and she doesn't move.  He hits her with the motorcycle.  Police come - seize Dewa's motorcycle and license.  Dewa takes the old lady to the hospital and pays for her medical care - minor injuries. Police give Dewa back his motorcycle but not his license - they tell him that he must care for the old lady in his home until she is able to take care of herself again (rhetorical: wonder when the last time she was able to take care of herself?).  So, for the last 2 weeks (more or less) Dewa has been caring for the homeless lady - clearly she has no incentive to get better or to leave.

Finally, in desperation, Decy's mother Doortje (and yes, the family is full of "Ds" .... Doortje, Decy, Dolly, Debbie, Dewa, Dona, Dino, etc) takes the bull by the horns and takes the old lady to an old folks home.  The OFH won't accept the lady unless she gets medical clearance.  They take the old lady to the hospital, they check her out - clearance received.  Then the OFH doesn't want to accept the lady because she has no money (duh !!).  Finally after careful and persuasive talking Doortje convinces the OFH that they need to take the old lady because the old lady cannot possibly continue staying with Dewa ......... because ............  Dewa is a Christian and it would be impossible for the old lady (a muslim) to worship and live in that house. NEXT STEP - Get Dewa's license back.

Not much else and no new developments are going on.  Need to close.

Ciao ciao. 

The "protection" issue might seem odd, but it is not.  In fact just last week Jakarta had an incident where a dismissed driver and maid were implicated in the kidnapping of a child. And some dismissed drivers have tried to retaliate by damaging or stealing vehicles.  Its sad - but its a risk that has to be taken.  Hopefully, by treating Mustofa with respect during his employment, and respect during his termination this will not become a bigger issue.

To help close the circle and help the other driver Pak Yono save face ... Decy met with him and gave him a written warning about his involvement in the issue.  Such was not necessary (from our perspective) but allows him to save face as he can say he was disciplined too for his role in the matter.

Decy will meet with the remaining domestic help and give them a clear message that "majic will not be tolerated in this house".  Also, for any future employment contracts, we are going to add such a clause - for the avoidance of doubt.

Now - to find a new driver.

Also, Wiwi the primary maid/cook will begin maternity leave in about 10 days - maternity leave will last 6-9 months.  We think a temporary replacement will show up for an interview this week .... we shall see how that goes ... another transition.  urrrggghhh.

Gotta go ... ciao ciao

I was wanting to take most of the week off and go out of town.  However, between shifting workloads and recent transportation catastrophe's here in Indonesia, we elected to stay in town.   Nevertheless, I am taking off Thursday and Friday.  We have (free) vouchers for 4 nights at hotel Le Meridian (2 we won, 2 were part of a "priority club" pkg).  So, Decy, the girls and I are going to stay at Le Meridian on Thursday and Friday nights .... relax, eat out together, do something different.

As for this past weekend, I did not hash.  Just didn't have the strength in me to go running for 1-1.5 hours especially without someone going with me.  Picked up my tux on Saturday, the sizing and cut is perfect.  But, its a bit big on me in the waist due to recent weight loss - but it is fine and I will "grow into it" over the next weeks and months.

As to the saga of our driver Mustofa, Decy and I have been in long conversations.  We have carefully reviewed his employment contract.  It is not clear that we could suspend him without pay ... and common practice is suspension with pay during investigations .... so, he will be paid his base salary for the past 4 days .... but not any overtime he might have earned.  Decy and I have talked through all the issues - we have determined that the trust that he broke/lost is irreparable.  The emotional trauma he has put Decy through is substantial and not something she will easily get over.  If he is willing to use "majic" to manipulate his job situation, then obviously he is not focussing on doing a good (being safe, and providing a quality service).

Pak Mustofa has been asked to be at our house today (Monday) at 9am for a meeting.  Decy will have 1 or 2 family members here as witnesses (I'm not much good due to the language barriers).  Decy will give Pak Mustofa:  (1) his 3 month evaluation (Jan-Mar), (2) a summary of the situation and showing how he violated 3 of the employment requirements - resulting in termination, effective immediately, and (3) a document that states that he has been fully compensated for his work and has no financial claim against us.  Decy and Pak Mustofa will sign documents #2 and #3.  Document #2 will also have a witness.  As you can appreciate - Decy had a lot of work to do pulling together the appropriate documentation.

** not sure how the meeting will go; it will clearly be stressful and emotional.  Please pray for Decy.

>>> I need to wrap up so I can go to work in a few minutes.

ciao ciao

I hear the tailor is done with my tux - maybe we will pick it up today.  No doubt it will be a bit big on me ... but that is fine by me ... I won't be at this weight forever (at least I hope that). Yesterday I read on the internet that vests with tuxes are in ... and cumberbunds are "so 80's" ..... hmmmm .... my tux doesn't have a vest.

I may go for a massage today ... to loosen up my sore body.

As many of you know, I have been playing around with Yahoo Voice lately as an alternative to calling folks at $1.25/minute.  Overall I am really impressed - things don't work well when I'm trying to run Messenger and Voice and the video cam ... but I'm more than happy to "just talk" for $0.01-0.02/minute.  Got up this morning and found a "voice message" from Paul.   Trying to learn how he did that (not sure what he activated on his side) ... but a very nice way to get a message to me without having to type or make an international phone call .... stay tuned.

ciao ciao

As background, we pay our drivers very well relative to other drivers.  We pay them well relative to "professional" drivers, and we pay them extremely well relative to "regular" drivers.  We know this, and we've always known this.  We have set extremely high demands/expectations on our drivers and we expect them to perform.  Their base salary is based on a 60 hour week - overtime pay begins after 60 hours. They run errands for us.  They pay bills for us.  Sometimes they go shopping for us.  They do not sit idle.

People talk - doesn't matter the culture or country.  Decy has been going to some of the expat ladies teas and one of the subjects is salaries for domestic help.  We are careful what we say as we recognize we are on the upper end of "normal".  We only quote base salaries and we remind folks that its based on a 60 hour week.  But, just like the ladies talk so do the drivers .... and Pak Yono and Pak Mustafa know they are well paid.  Its their call, but they normally lie about (play down) their salaries.

Well, it seems that Pak Mustafa had suddenly decided that he needed to "protect" his salary and to ensure he always had favor with us.  So, what did he do ... he went out and found somebody who practices majic.  Don't know what all that person did ... but what we do know is that:  (a) Pak Mustafa washed one of our cars with "majic water", (b) put "majic water" in our windshield wiper fluid, (c) put "majic water" and something in writing (some type of spell or prayer) in our car, and (d) put something in writing in his wallet to link him to us.

As of right now, Pak Mustafa is suspended without pay - so much for majic !  We have replaced the windshield wiper fluid, and we have removed the thing from the car.  Additionally, we have prayed for and layed hands on both cars as well as the house and everything in and around it .... as well as the people passing thru its doors.

I don't believe in "majic" - and from what I've seen it is pretty much illusions, superstition, and use of drugs - at least here in Indonesia.  I know we have a God that is all knowing and all powerful.  What bothers me the most about this incident, is (a) the invasion on our privacy (ergo his thinking he had the right to put something in/on our car), and (b) the concept that his salary (and our minds) could be based on "majic" instead of job performance.

As I understand it, one of the things he was "hoping to achieve" was that whatever he said or did that we would "always agree with him" and that we would never reduce his salary.  With this concept, then, theoretically he could become a lousy performer, not meet the expectations, but still demand (and get) salary increases. WRONG !!

Don't know if/when we will allow Pak Mustafa to return to work.  His timing was very bad for him ... next week is spring break ... we don't need 2 drivers for most of the next 10 days.

One thing we ARE doing is sending a very strong signal/message to our staff directly (through discussions) and indirectly by our actions that "majic will not be tolerated nor allowed in our house".  We are reminding everybody that we treat them with respect and honor; we don't look down on them; we don't yell at them; we don't hit them. We allow them to eat our food, drink our water, and to be comfortable in/around the house. We allow them to worship when and how they want to (all are muslims).

What is and must always be clear is that there is no place for majic in this house - and any acts of such will be dealt with quickly and appropriately, up to and including termination of employment. From my perspective, majic and theft are the offenses that will be dealt with severely .... laziness and or incompetence can be addressed through coaching and counselling .... lack of skills can be addressed through training and teaching.

Well ... so much for this blog ... time to go to work.

Yahoo Voice also has a "call in" feature where family could call me ... basically, for $30/yr I would set up a US-based phone number (thru Yahoo) and anybody could call me and ring the computer.  There is also a wireless Yahoo phone that then allows you to "untether" from the PC.  A friend is going to test that process in a couple weeks when his phone arrives.  If it works, I may follow suit.  In the meantime, at now I have a way to call family at a reasonable price. Also, prices to other countries are nearly a cheap and typically run in the $0.02 to $0.08 per minute range.

I'm also trying to play around with sitesbygeeks.  Its not particularly complicated, but it isn't intuitive to me either. I've done a test blog and actually (accidently, sort of) posted a pic in it .... I had used the "tree" icon that Chris told me about but got confused and nothing happened ... but there was a option below that which added the pic. Adding pics to a gallery is much more straightforward to me.  Anyway, I'm learning.

Went on antibiotics on Sunday - just couldn't overcome the stomach bug on my own.  Can't recall if the issue has been ongoing 3 weeks or 4 weeks ... but enough's enough.  Antibiotics are working - stomach is sensitive but stablizing ... now if only my weight would - it has continued to drop all week.  This thing has cost me 10 pounds ... which has made getting a tux made quite a challenge as my size keeps changing (shrinking) so the tailor doesn't know whether or not to "tighten up" the tux or not ... I've told him to leave some room for when I "return to normality" otherwise, I'll end up with a beautiful but too small tux.

Gotta run ... time for work.

ciao ciao

Have a hectic week coming and next week is "spring break" here ... I was hoping to take off most of the week, but will only be able to take Thursday and Friday off.

I'm tired of paying $1.25 a minute for calls to my family. So, I am going to try Yahoo Voice, a VOIP calling system.  I have most things set up and think everything is ready to go ... but STUPID Yahoo ... sent a "small" (<$1) charge to my credit card as a test ... I have to confirm the amount before the account is activated.  Frustrating part is that Yahoo has used that credit card before ... including just a week ago ... so here I sit for days and days waiting for the posting of the charge ... so I can "confirm" the amount and activate Yahoo Voice.

Once activated, the calls are free pc-to-pc and about $0.01 to $0.02 per minute into the US pc-to-phone.  Hopefully the quality is ok - this is Indonesia and the infrastructure isn't always that good ... many folks cannot use Vonage nor Skype .... so I'm trying this.

That's all ... gotta run.

ciao ciao

As for the special event .... Club 30 (Tiga Puluh) is having "emergency room" tonight.  Not sure what all they are planning ... but Decy and I are going tonight dressed as a Doctor and Nurse. he he he.

Chely's working on her SAT preps ... and not getting to have too much fun ... although she did get to spend some time last weekend with a girl friend.  This Saturday there is a College Fair where a bunch of US colleges will be hosting a "get acquainted event".  We will go to that.

Thasya is recovering from all her band and play activities.

Our "spring break" is the week of 26-30 March.  I'll take some days off (probably 29 & 30) but we won't go very far.  There have been a lot of accidents lately (planes, trains, and ferries) so ... there is a bit of nervousness around.

Oh - I go to the 2nd fitting on my tux today or tomorrow.

... going to log off now ... need to try to do some more work on sitesbygeeks.com

ciao ciao

At times I get very frustrated with Pak Yono because it seems that it takes him "forever" to get anywhere. On the other hand, I feel like I have been on a roller coaster after a ride with Pak Mustafa.

I normally do not eat lunch ... so when I get in the car (on the way home from work) I try to eat a quick snack ... which is usually finger food with some "dipping sauce" which has the consistency of water, but has some chilies in it.  What I have learned is that with Pak Yono this is not an issue - I merely put the bowl of food and sauce on my lap - and eat away while he drives.  For Pak Mustafa, however, I have to keep the lid on the sauce (so it doesn't slosh all over the place) ... and I often either miss my mouth or give myself a bath as he starts/stops, turns, swings, etc.  Yesterday after only 5 bites ... I was already wearing 3 splashes of sauce.

Oh and by the way, the actual travel time between the two drivers is pretty much the same .... Pak Yono goes slower but takes a shorter route (using short cuts and back roads) while Pak Mustafa takes longer route but travels faster (when there isn't traffic).

And so ... the winner is ... the Tortoise ...

ciao ciao

Really not much to write about other the above ... working on vacation planning and reservations for June.  This vacation is a road trip .... which is always very hard to plan.  In total over 30 reservations to make ... I think I have about 15 done so far.

Also, "in my spare time" trying to get some pics loaded at sitesbygeeks.com .. if I can get that up and running (with Chris's help) then I should have something for folks to look at ... I've given up on phusebox RE pic-loading ... wasted no less then 6 hours trying to load xmas 2006 vacation pics.

Gotta run ... and work on other things.

Ciao ciao.   

For the avoidance of doubt ... had inches and inches of rain yesterday.  So much for the religious advisors .... maybe they need to sub contract to CNN.  Current weather forecast is that the rain should end on Tuesday.

Got the first "fitting" on my tux (the jacket part). Good progress is being made ... second fitting for the jacket and first fitting for the pants next weekend.  Decy and the girls go to their tailor today.

ciao ciao

I am very frustrated about not being able to post pics on Phusebox.  I guess the connection is just not good enough from Indonesia - I think it isn't so much as speed (as the speed from Angola was lower) but more "consistency of signal/connectivity" and .... I think the Phusebox server times out.  Anyway, Chris is helping me build / test a site at sitesbygeeks.com ....  I just posted 5 pics and am posting some more ... then I will try a blog.  If it all works well, then Chris will "flesh out" the design while I am adding content .... stay tuned.

BTW ... TGIF !!!!!  I need this weekend SO MUCH !!!!

ciao ciao 

Nothing to write about RE work .... going to close so I can work on some more vacation planning.

ciao ciao

Uggh, what a strange day yesterday (Tuesday) was ... started out with a continuation of the stomach problems from last week's food poisoning - muddled through that ... and work.  Then had to rush to the school for a group meeting about Thasya moving to the 8th grade next year - got through that then came all the way back downtown for a get together with Nathan, a friend that was visiting from Singapore.  Finally made it home at 1145pm ...and up at 330am.

** For the avoidance of doubt, we asked our driver when he picked us up to take us home last night if he slept and his response was "tidur ayam" ... at which time I broke out laughing ... and Decy and he did too ... because I understood what he said.

Really not much to talk about - RE the weather, the religious guru's finally extended their "end of rain" forecast from 18-Feb to 5-Mar ... but it kept raining ... so yesterday they extended it until 8-Mar ... I guess sooner or later they will get it right ... either through luck or through "divine guidance".

Speaking of "divine" I'm trying to work on vacation plans for June ... there's much to work through ... most frustrating, however, was the fact that there is a key regional meeting with a VP right after I return ... thus, technically, I should come back early to prepare ... not sure how I can possibly do that ... but if I don't ... the first two days in the office will be pure hell !!!

Regarding the latest furniture saga, after having the dinette chairs for about 6 weeks ... the craftsman STILL hasn't returned them after trying to "touch up" the finishing.  Also, this is the same guy/family that is doing our entry way furniture.  In early November we ordered a couch and two chairs for the entry way ... and paid 25% down ... it was supposed to be delivered in early January.  We have heard nothing but excuses as to the delays.  Finally, last Wednesday we received a message the furniture and chairs would be delivered on Saturday.  Then on Friday we received a message they would be delivered on Tuesday.  Tuesday came and went ... no message ... no information.  Woe be unto these guys when they finally deliver the furniture ... no doubt Decy will find every flaw and scratch in the furniture ... then she will refuse to pay ... then she will delay paying ... and then she will probably even try negotiating the payment.  Said another way - if these guys can't fulfill their commitments on quality, service, and delivery ... why should we on paying .... stay tuned.

ciao ciao

As for blogging, not much to blog about .... because I can't talk details about work ... and that was all I did yesterday.

Sorry ... ciao ciao ...

Decy and the girls went to get measured for their dresses on Sunday afternoon .... so, all four outfits for the Opera are underway.  I am supposed to go back to the tailor for a fitting on my tux this Thursday or Friday.

Other than the above, really not much to blog on.  Worked on income taxes over the weekend, but still have a bit more to do.

Started some preliminary vacation planning for our June trip back to the US.  We will be very time constrained to achieve all we want/need to do in the US .... but we will start piecing things together.  The first job is to anchor the start-end flights.  Decy will doublecheck with the school to see if the girls can fly on Friday 8-June (their last day of school) or if we have to wait until Saturday the 9th .... we really want to get out of here on the 8th if we can.  Once that is known, I will contact United Airlines and see what I can book ... maybe I will get lucky and can use some frequent flyer miles ... one never knows.

Well, I think I will close and will try to work on stuff .... its "already" 429am .... hah ... don't feel like working ... but don't feel like blogging either ....

Had a busy day Thursday between school meeting, tux tailor measurements and working on finances and taxes.  Have much the same today as we will go to Thasya's play this evening.