Not quite sure what was going wrong yesterday ... browser was unchanged ... and was still using slow dial-up connection.  Today, I am on "Indonesian broadband".  Its not too bad all things considered.

Now, to improve readibility, I am re-posting the Opa (b)ule blog.

***********************

This will be a long hodge podge of commentary … please be patient.

ONE.  About the title.  Ok, as you know Decy, the girls, and I were in Unjung Pandang (“UP”) over a long weekend.  There, I got to meet Decy’s son, David; his wife, Anna, and their 2YO son, Rain.  Rain and I hit it off pretty well … language didn’t create any barriers … so what is “Opa (b)ule” ? Well, Josh and Liz know that “Opa” is the name I have chosen for “grandpa” … which is a dutch heritage word, but used often in Indonesia … as for (b)ule … well … Rain can’t yet say “bule” which is Indonesian for “albino” and slang for American and “white colored” folks … so, Rain calls me “Opa Ule” … so I am … “white grandpa” to little Rain.  And, by the way, Dave and Anna have a second baby on the way … due in January (Josh/Liz … don’t get any bright ideas !!).

I got to see where Decy grew up as a child.  The house was small and simple.  It reminded me of the house in Nevada (that use to freeze up in the winter) and also of the house in Casper, Wyoming …. Grandma Suzy will fully understand. BUT BY THE GRACE OF GOD …. Each and every one that believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life … but by the grace of God … what I saw was Decy’s past … and a reminder of my past.  Step-by-step … walking in His grace.

We ate a lot in UP … mainly in un-A/C restaurants.  It was incredibly hot … sometimes I could handle it … sometimes I could not … food was absolutely fantastic … I cannot possibly describe the flavor of soup, noodles, meatballs, and Soe Mei (kinda like Indonesian ravioli with pork meat).  As for costs … most meals (on the street ) were about US$2 per person.

Also, in UP we spent a lot of time with Decy’s childhood friend “Daisy” … yep … Daisy.  I have met Daisy before.  Daisy is an incredibly nice young lady that has worked hard to have a good life and not given in to the temptations of life.  Someday the right man will come along … she’s single and has never married.  Daisy came to Jakarta with us.  Don’t know how long she will stay here. She’s always welcome.

SECOND.  Remember the broadband we were supposed to get last week? Well, after hours and hours of waiting and being repeatedly told “he’s on his way” … we call the installer directly.  Answer:  Installer was never even told he had a job to do.  I HATE BEING LIED TO !!!!  Anyway, by that time it was too late … so we went to the airport … supposedly the broadband (well, Indonesian broadband) will be installed on Thursday.

Today, we went for a drive to an area called Tangerrang … consider it a faraway suburb of Jakarta.  There we had lunch with an Indonesian friend (Omalia) that we met in Angola (her and her husband live in Angola) and she is here for the holidays.  We ate local food (of course).  Omalia’s husband arrives in a day or two and we will probably see them this Saturday.

Also, we have another friend (I posted her pic once), Shairifa, who is coming to Indonesia and I think she will stay a few days with us … .AND, Stela a very close Angolan friend of ours (I’ve blogged about her before, including her pic) will be spending a couple of weeks with us in November … now if only we can get Tom Rapson here … and introduce him to Daisy ….. he he he ….

THIRD.  The company finally hooked up the backup generator and power stabilizer … as well as finished installing the alarm system.  All that was done the day we were leaving … what a bunch of chaos … and they were wanting to test things …. And show us how to do stuff … as we were leaving for the airport.  We still haven’t activated the alarm.  As for the stabilizer … well, it was “calibrated” when all the A/C units (we have 11) were off … soooo … when we came home … and started turning on the units .. breakers were kicking left and right … finally we bypassed the stabilizer …. They can come recalibrate it … with the A/C units ON …

FOURTH.  It is incredibly hot in the maid’s / drivers’ / guard area … and the fans are insufficient … plus, I thought they had a TV but they don’t  …. So we rushed to the store today …and bought another fan to move the air … and two 14” TVs for them (US$60 each) …. The staff are thrilled that we thought of them !!!!

Also, while at the store, bought the downstairs stereo …. 5 CD, surround sound, 7 –speaker system … that reads DVD, MP3, VCDs, etc … and can feed the TV … as well as take the karaoke from the TV … total power …. 12,000 watts.  Total cost … notionally US$550 …. Actually, in checking it out … its really a media PC … Che and Daisy are currently doing karaoke on it now … as I type … NICE !!!! (music and voice).

Well enough blogging for now.  I need to rest and relax, tomorrow will be a stressful day … maybe I’ll sing a bit … eat a bit … and then jump in the pool …

I LOVE MY FAMILY …and ESPECIALLY MY WONDERFUL AND PATIENT WIFE … DECY ….

Ciao ciao