Today I was supposed to go to the hash with my friend Hubert, but he can't make it.  Probably just as well ... and I won't go either ... although I am feeling much better, the road to recovery is slow and (a) my strength clearly is down, and (b) my weight still hasn't stablized (down another 1.5 pounds) since Thursday ... in spite of Decy shoving tons of food in me yesterday.

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

So I get this strange SMS from Decy right in the middle of an all day meeting.  Something is clearly wrong, she is upset and she needs to talk about it - Read on.

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.

As some of you know, yesterday I was able to activate and test Yahoo Voice. Overall quality is pretty good with about 80% of the time a near perfect sound (even calling from Indonesia to a US handphone) ... the other 20% was garbled, but not a particularly big deal.  For the garbled times, that generally was associated with times when my PC fan came on ... so it may have been due to background noise - a headset should help in this regard. Cost of calling is about $0.01 per minute.

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

After a long (4 day) sickly weekend, I am heading back to work.  This was, once again, not the way I had planned my weekend.  Argh. I finally threw in the towel about taking some medication.  Somewhere between getting the tux worked on (and finding out my measurements are changing (ergo shrinking) ... and just getting sick of being sick.  Anyway, I'm on antibiotics.

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

TGIT ... I am very thankful it is Thursday.  I am going to take Friday off and Monday is a holiday.  I am looking forward to the 4-day weekend.  Hopefully I can enjoy it more than the last one.  I think (moment of hesitation) I may finally be at the end of my stomach issues .... just in the last day or two (won't know for sure for a few more days).  Unfortunately, however, this issue took so much of my energy and stamina to fight I am now fighting off a cold.  Ugh !!

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

For 6 months I have ridden back and forth to work with Pak Yono (the tortoise) and Pak Mustafa (the hare). Each driver is very different in driving styles and personalities.  As you can tell from my "labelling" in the first sentence.

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

... spent too much time working on college finances and now it is time to go to work.  Nevertheless, we are all fine and moving forward here in Jakarta.

Survived the hash ... barely.  Or at least that is the way I felt when I finished.  After being ill for nearly 2 weeks and weight dropping off of me ... and stomach cramps yadi yadi yadi ... it was probably suicidal to think I could run a hash.  But, no one has ever accused me of being overally intelligent.  So ... off I went.  Did pretty well the first 35 minutes ... then all of a sudden ... I was running on fumes ... so I quickly geared down to a very fast walk ... lots of puffing and panting and aches and pains (thought I would lose my stomach at one point).  After about 1 hour ... I was dieing ... but didn't stop. Finally made it in after an hour and a half.  Surprisingly, I had beat over half the folks in .... not quite sure how that happened.  The true (and healthy) runners candidly beat me ... but I seem to have beat most everbody else ... guess it was that first 35 minutes that gave me a head start.  All evening Saturday and all day Sunday I paid for my sins .... had to go get a massage to work out all the aches and pains.  Oh well ....

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.   

Just a quickie ... going hashing today ... we shall see how I do ... the treadmill workouts should help ... but I haven't done much (any) of that the last two weeks since I had the food poisoning.

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

Woke up this wonderful Friday morning to the sound of pouring rain.  How could that possibly be?  The religious advisors had said the rain would stop by 8-March ... and now it is 9 March .... hm, perhaps it was based on the US time zones.

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 

Ah the joys of language translation .... so ... a few days ago I find a gift on the counter and ask Decy about it .... she says she is going to a Baby Shower (a first time for her) and that it is a gift.  Last night Decy told me how she was visiting with some of the ladies about the Baby Shower - yes, it is a baby shower ... but Decy was thinking it was a baptism where they "shower the baby".  Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), this baby is not yet born.  I LOVE MY WIFE !!!  She makes me smile and makes life more enjoyable.

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

ciao ciao

The literal translation of the above saying in Bahasa Indonesia is "chicken sleep" ... the meaning is "cat nap" .... go figure.

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

Monday's are tough enough ... but after a 4 day weekend that didn't go as planned (due to illnesses) it was very frustrating to see all the emails waiting for my return.  However, I did manage to get through the day.

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 ...

Hard to believe I just completed a 4 day weekend - of course, being sick really knocked the wind out of my sails ... and pretty much put a damper on things.  I guess that overall, I accomplished much of what I wanted to do (visit Chely's counsellor, see Thasya's play, take the family to 4 Seasons for Sunday brunch) ..... but I just feel empty and listless today.

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 ....

Based on the time of this blog you and probably surmise that I slept in ... yep !!

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.

Our "tummy issue" has been growing, but I am hopeful we are on the mend.  After another one of us got sick we finally had enough information to get to the root cause.  I had originally thought it was because of sate Decy bought from the street - but when I got sick - that theory went out window (b'coz I didn't eat any).  Then Nunung got sick .... so what was the common denominator .... well it is a vegetable salad made of papaya leaves, green beans, and coconut.  The dish was not properly prepared ..... some of the salad was still in the frig ... the staff didn't want to throw it away ... but Decy insisted ... as it is "not wasting" food if the stuff is making everybody sick. Thankfully, Chely never ate any and Thasya only had a very small portion.

Need to take care of some things and work on taxes.

>>> Oh, BTW, RE who was right (CNN weatherman or the local religious advisors) ... it rained everyday (nearly 2 weeks) since the "contest".  However, it is now March and the rainy season should end soon.

ciao ciao 

Just a quickie to let you know we are ok - starting 4 day weekend, but with a bit of a hiccup ... seems there is something we ate that has caused some "tummy problems".  Decy ended up going to the hospital yesterday to get a shot, and a cocktail of 4 medicines - anti-inflammatory, anti-bacteria, pain reliever, and something else. Interestingly enough, I'm in much better shape than Decy and have not had to go to the Dr.

Thasya's play starts today ....

This morning we go to JIS to meet Chely's counsellor about college planning.  Afterwards we go to the tailor for the "1st measurements" on my tux.

Oh - supposedly the rest of the furniture and our dinnette chairs will be ready for delivery on Saturday - we shall see.

ciao ciao

As mentioned, I am taking Thursday and Friday off from work.  A long weekend is needed badly, especially after the last few days events at work - which I cannot talk about.  Time for a refreshing, some R&R, some catching up on "home work", etc.

Decy and I continue to sort through the options and issues associated with getting me a tuxedo.  The fundamental concern is that there is just a wide range of prices and qualities available ... and each is hand made; thus, there is a potential for making a mistake. Its not that I need the best quality tux - its just that (a) it must be on time, and (b) it must look neat and professional (not like something I found at the thrift store). I think we are getting there - Decy will probably buy the material today (bless her heart, this issue has been really tough on her).

The school play that Thasya is dancing in is called Flapper (a 1920's theme).  It begins on Thursday and there are two performances each night for 3 nights.  She's wearing down (especially after having to do a band performance last weekend) .... but the end is in sight.  I offered to take the family to Sunday brunch at 4 Seasons - and asked Thasya if she would have enough energy to go.  She quickly responded YES - and we joked that she might just spend all her time at the dessert area eating chocolate - he he he.

Well, I see the stock market took a gut wrenching 3-4% plunge yesterday.  Its not a surprise and long overdue .... you can't climb virtually non-stop for 9 months ... there has to be a pause and a set back / correction from time to time.  Depending on what the market does on Wednesday (US time) I might jump in and buy something "on sale".  The way you make money in the market is to do the opposite of the crowd - but remember, for every buyer there is a seller - and the other person thinks they are smarter than you.

As you can see, not much to write about .... been working on pulling some music together for the mini iPod Decy inherited from Thasya - I'm getting there.

Oh, we're having some handphone challenges right now.  First, when Decy fell last weekend at Hotel Mulia her handphone went flying.  There is no damage to the insides, but some damage to the casing - and it needs to be repaired. And, it appears that Thasya's phone (which was a gift from a friend) is pretty much dead - can't hold a charge and overheats.  So, we are thinking through the options ...

BTW, recall the company's "employee appreciation event" where Decy and I dressed up?  The company put together some photo albums (professionally done "books" where the pics are printed onto the cardboard pages).  Anyway, there are two different books ... and there are many pics of Decy and I throughout both - one is particularly funny as they caught her singing to me while we were dancing - you can tell by the look on her face and the position/shape of her mouth ... plus she is pointing a finger at me as if she is saying "I love you" ... he he he.

Well, time to close ... have some things I have to work on.

ciao ciao

... at least as far as going to work - received approval to take Thursday and Friday off.  Now, I just need to line out all the activities I need to do ... or, should I say, Decy needs to help me.

Sounds like the tailor work on my tux is going to be more expensive and more time consuming than I expected ... I'm having a hard time understanding that, given that this is Indonesia.  But, I have often found that "upper end" activities and items are very expensive relative to other prices.  The thing that concerns me the most is their completing the tux on time.  They claim it will take 4 weeks - which is fine if it is, in fact, when they complete the work.

If the tailor is like the furniture maker who made the dinette and entry way furniture then I won't see the tux until July .... for example on the dinette it was supposed to be delivered at end-November but was delivered 20-Dec ... then Decy returned the chairs for "touch up" and 7 of them have been gone for a month.  The same company is doing the entry way furniture - we ordered it in November and it was supposed to be delivered 1st week in January .... still no delivery to date ... supposedly because of the rain ... but that doesn't jive as it hasn't been raining non-stop since November !!

BTW, if any of you see the news on the "mud volcano" in Indonesia ... at is in Surabaya ... one of the places we visited during vacation.  We drove right by it.  A real tragedy.  Sad part is, most "knowledgeable" scientists, engineers, and geologists believe it was caused by the drilling (for gas/oil) activities.  But, somehow, the govt assembled some folks that have stated it was/is a natural disaster ... which then presumably takes the responsible company off the hook for paying damages .... now, folks are trying to lower concrete balls into the crater to slow the mud flow ... sounds to me like they are just going to "choke" the throat of the volcano which will either (a) cause an explosion, or (b) cause the mud to begin flowing from somewhere else.  To me, lowering concrete balls into a mud volcano is like trying to put a car on the railroad tracks in an attempt to stop a train.

Well, I better close this blog and get some other stuff done.

ciao ciao

Well, here we are bright and early on a Monday morning ... 430am.  I'm running a bit behind on starting my blog.  First, I set my alarm back 10 minutes to 320am ... then I exercised ... then I listened to Josh's song to determine if he was crazy or not.  Actually, I think he is a bit crazy ... anybody that thinks listening to one song for a 1/4 second squeal at the 11th second of the song ... and if you hear it "he's not crazy" but if you don't ... he is .... well anyway ... I just don't think that is a robust enough of a sanity tests ... which is why I think he is crazy.

About this week, I am going to try to take Thursday and Friday off.  Aside from needing a break and needing to work down some vacation .... Thasya has a play performance during the week (in the afternoon) ... and ... we are going to try to have a another meeting with Chely's counsellor about college ....

As for posting pics on Phusebox ... I just don't know what the problem is.  Could be my computer, but I think it is the link/access from here in Jakarta.  All I know is that when I needed to post the flooding pics and prayed a lot about the posting ... it worked ... other pics ... failed.

Didn't do a whole lot this weekend ... actually did, but didn't feel like I accomplished what I wanted.  We went out CJs Friday night - met a young couple (he's Irish, she's Indonesian) ... he needed somebody to talk to .... we made it home about 6am ... so that pretty much shot Saturday .... after getting up later in the day, I worked.

On Sunday, did some more work .... and did some exercising.  Then went to JIS (Jakarta International School) and listened to the bands play (Thasya's in the beginners, 1st yr, band - flute).  Came home, did some karaoke - Decy got a massage on her shoulders and arms (more about that later). Then we headed off to bed ... approx 10pm.

About Decy's shoulder - last Friday night (er Sat morning) while leaving CJs ... at the bottom of the stairs there was a wet spot on the marble floor.  Unfortunately, Decy's legs went flying and she came down pretty hard.  No serious damage/injury but still some bumps and bruises.  Sumi, one of our maid's, massaged Decy on Saturday and Sunday trying to work the kinks out.

Don't recall if I mentioned it or not, but at the Company party last week I won a 30 gig iPod.  Chely has a 60 gig ... and Thasya has Chely's old mini.  So, we gave Thasya the 30 gig ... and now Decy has inherited the mini ... of course ... it will be me that has to do the music transfers.  I still don't have an iPod (yeah, I know, I'm old school) ... but my stereo still blows away anything that is available today .... and as Chris knows ... hooking his music up to my stereo is an awesome combination.  Hot.

Speaking of hot ... last night while doing karaoke, somehow Decy and I scored a 99 on the Titantic theme song .... I think our machine is broke ...  and on that note ... I think I will close ... (no pun intended ... well, actually, there was a pun intended)

ciao ciao

Ok, so I never hit my stride this week.  It was a complete and absolute "muddle through" week. Nevertheless, there were accomplishments and it is now Friday.

Speaking of accomplishments ... remember that I mentioned that the religious advisors said it would quit raining on 18-Feb ... but CNN said otherwise. Well, there's been 4 days since Sunday (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu) ... and it has rained every day. Enough said.

Decy has been doing a bit of shopping for material this week - she is going to have a dress made for her and a tuxedo made for me for the Opera in April.  I've never owned a tux before (I've rented some, but never owned).  And, haven't had much of a chance to use one over the years ... but I suspect I will have a number of chances here in Jakarta .... soooo .....

BTW, been getting harassed at work (as follow through on the Saturday company party award) .... I've been called one of the Blues Brothers, the man in black, Tony from the mafia, a pimp, and who knows what else.

As for this weekend, I have some work I will need to do ... plus taxes ... plus catch up on my finances a bit .... I doubt I will hash on Saturday ... but one never knows.

Gotta go ... sorry .... its "already" 442am ... and I have some things I have to take care of before leaving for work.

ciao ciao