Due to all the rain and flooding, internet access has been dead for about a day ... it is very slow right now. Don't know when we will lose it again.

We are fine. House is high and dry. Just a little bit of roof leakage in the maids area.  Many parts of the city are under water - lots 2-3 feet deep. Some 10 feet deep.  Chris and Paul will recall the Sabang area where we ate porridge at night on the street - its 3-4 foot deep in water.  Canals are overflowing.

More rain is coming.

As for Decy (Stacy, thanks for asking) - she's doing better.  I think it was the fact that they gave her 4 or 5 medicines to take at the same time.  After she finished 2 of them ... she started feeling better.   Don't yet know how her chlosterol is doing ... but she it taking the medicine, eating differently, exercising, and losing some weight (not that she had much to lose).  Presume in a couple of weeks she will go back and have things rechecked.

Need to hit "enter" before I lose the connection again.

ciao ciao

Two weeks ago the media were complaining that the low amount of rain associated with this year's "rainy season" would cause drought conditions.  They were bemoaning the dropping level of a key reservoir/lake south of town.  Fast forward 2 weeks ... after weeks of severe and heavy rains we now have tens of thousands of folks flooded out of their houses.  Some are under 10 feet of water.  Thankfully our house is not in a flood prone area ... and ... it sits about 3-4 feet above street level.  Now people are complaining about folks on the south side of town developing in areas that affect the water shed and water absorption rates ... which then reportedly pushes the water towards the city.

Of course, hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into water handling projects over the last 10 years ... most projects are incomplete, behind schedule, and over budget.  Some reasons are just due to inadequate planning ... some due to cultural issues. No matter the reason ... many folks are suffering.

Well ... today is Friday.  YEAH.  I know Decy has a number of social plans for today and tonight .... weather permitting.  As for tomorrow, we are considering going hashing - could be interesting in the rain.  And, unfortunately, on Sunday ... I have to work on TAXES !!!! yuk.

ciao ciao.

Decy and I have been slowly working into a modest exercise routine.  This is a bit challenging because with typical Jakarta traffic ... NOTHING is close by ...  unless we were to have a membership at the Kristal hotel.  Even if we did, with the hours I work, it just wouldn't work out for me.

So, over the weekend Decy did some shopping for a treadmill.  She found a pretty good one (treadmill) and an "Elliptical Bike".  The EB is like a stand-up biking machine that also works your arms in an arobic way.  The pedals travel in an elliptical fashion and are shaped more like a cross-country machine vs a bike pedal.

As for the treadmill, its a typical programmable one. Has approx 12 pre-set "courses" ... motorized inclination adjustors ... calorie burner estimates .... etc etc etc.  Anyway, she negotiated a pretty good price, which was about US$1,600 for both.  Stuff was delivered last night.

If I use the treadmill like I did back in 2001, that was when I lost 40 pounds - clearly I won't do that again.  However, when i did that my stamina and running ability increased dramatically and clearly improved my performance on the hash - which I could have used last Saturday.

Received an email from PricewatershouseCoopers, regarding 2006 taxes - which they do on my behalf (paid for by the company) because of my expat assignment. I know there will be extra work to do this year because Indonesia has a "property tax" that will likely impact me. I dread the added paperwork ... but have to begin the process this week.

Ciao Ciao.

Really not much to write about ... just a bummer day all around.

Got up at 2am to call Aetna insurance.  Seems they are trying to deposit money into my closed Amsouth account.  The lady on the phone made a comment about not being sure if they would be able to "resend the money" to my Bank of America account.  I quickly responded that they could and would ... as they have sent over $1,000 to Amsouth which has been rejected. I will need to work this via email

This AM, I sent an email to Money Magazine in response to an article about whether or not parents should be able to take cash gifts given to children (from others) and use it for the "common good".  The magazine said "No, it was wrong".  I agreed and told them that.  Then, I went on to tell about the boys' accounts and how it has grown over the years - there's a lesson to be learned by long term savings ... even if small at the outset.

ciao ciao.

The older I get, the more convinced I am that weekends should be 3 days long instead of two.  Seems I just can't accomplish all the things I want to do on the weekends - - - hmmm, maybe that is what retirement is for.

On Sunday, Decy and I went and got a massage then ate Nasi Padang.  I (unfortunately) did some work and Decy took the girls to Pondok Indah mall to get some stuff.  Later, a good friend of mine Nat came over and visited.

Nat use to be an expat here in Indonesia, went back to the US, worked on a bunch of Angola stuff, and now will soon relocate back to Indonesia.  Its a "small world" in my business.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I noticed I had a big golf-ball sized bruise on my right hand (round in shape).  I figured I had gotten it from the mini-massage by Mimi the night before .... but maybe from the hash.  All during the day, I watched the bruise - it has lightened a bit, with the center turning a little lighter (but not white) ... there was/is just a bit of soreness.

Mimi was out all day (her day off), so we didn't see her until evening.  In talking to her (I was teasing her about brusing me) she advised that I had it on my hand when I came home from the hash.  The only thing I can figure out is I must have gotten poked by a sticker bush.  Of course, that would have been pretty easy when you are running through the jungles not on a trail .... I also have a thousand grass cuts on my leg ... actually not a thousand ... but it feels like it.

Time to close - need to work on some financial stuff.

Ciao ciao

Just a quickie while others sleep.  Went on the TGIF hash yesterday (Saturday).  Its one of the hashes I use to go on - back in 2001.  Also, brought a friend of mine that I knew in Angola that was also transfered to Indonesia.  The TGIF hash use to be on Friday's (duh) but traffic forced them to move to Saturday's (can't run in the dark).

The run was good - through the jungle, rice fields, through a few kampungs (communities).  While running by myself I got off the trail and couldn't find it for 15 minutes.  However, I was following a river and knew that if we crossed it once ... we would have to cross it again (to close the circle).  So I kept running up river.  Finally found the bridge and the trail again.

All in all it took me probably 1 hr 20-30 minutes.  Decy didn't run, and said I was about 10 minutes behind the leaders. There were many folks after me, so I don't feel too bad.

As for the festivities before and after the run, I was sorely disappointed.  Virtually nothing before the run ... no joking, no welcoming visitors ... just "here's what the paper looks like on the trail, have fun".  Afterwards, we waited around for nearly an hour - but the closing circle was even later than that - so we left.  I know there was an "on-on" (dinner & party afterwards) but obviously we didn't go.

As for the folks there, there were many still from 2001.  The group was very small (maybe 25-30 folks).  And hardly any younger, higher energy folks - primarily a bunch of old geezers that looked like they had been on too many hashes.

So - although I loved the run - the group dynamics left something to be desired.  There are 3 or 4 other hash houses in Jakarta and another one that runs on Saturday's also.  I need to find that group and check it out.  I want to run !!!!

*** also, please pray for Decy - she's getting quite a few headaches lately and recent blood work showed her chlorestorel to be quite high (not sure why).

ciao ciao ...

Another week bites the dust.  Lots of wonderful work challenges ... but nothing I can really write about.  Glad today is Friday ... I'm looking forward to going out with Decy tonight.

There's a 75% chance of going hashing tomorrow.  I am looking forward to it ... although I know the Indonesian hashes are always much harder than the Angolans.

... otherwise ... not much to write about today. Sorry.

ciao ciao

In bahasa Indonesia can be interpreted as ... its the same ... or "back to you" ... really not much to report about today ... just lots of work and very frustrating internet access ....

There are moments when the access is good ... but it lasts about 10 minutes ... then everything freezes and absolutely no connection ... then it reconnects and continues.  I'll still try to upload some pics ... but I probably won't be successful until the Taiwan fiber optic cables are repaired.

Still haven't hashed since I've been here ... but I think I will give it a try this weekend.

ciao ciao

... I hate surprises at work - because surprises tend to be negative.  Got hit with three surprises yesterday ... all negative urggghhh.

Without going into to many boring details -

Surprise #1:  Just finished (27-Dec) assembling a 2 volume 20 chapter reference manual including CD disk.  Yesterday received an email from a department advising they have just added a new chapter (to be placed somewhere in the middle of volume #1).

Surprise #2:  6-Jan completed a key letter to our VPs in Houston discussing the state of our internal controls.  Just found out yesterday that something might have been overlooked (or perhaps not disclosed to us) - still researching that.

Surprise #3:  Was invited to an health emergency response planning meeting.  Learned that weeks of work I did in November was entirely ignored - they don't even remember receiving the data.  Also learned that they would send out a new request for information (sometime this week, maybe) and would request new information within a week.

Well .... at least it is hump day.

Speaking of hump day ... not sure what is going on with our water heater.  I think the breaker is kicking at night (and I'm the first up every morning).  Have now taken 5 cold showers in a row .... I MUST talk to Decy about this ...  bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrr ....

RE the dogs and cats, no mom, I don't want any of yours ... have enough challenges here.

Internet access is still sucky ... and today seems worse than others.

Ciao Ciao

They say the sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different response.  They say the sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different response.  They say the sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different response. 

So why do I continue to waste my time tryng to upload pics into Phusebox?  Because I am a dreamer and and cautiously optimistic that it will be successful someday.  I believe (think ?) that the issue is the rerouting of internet access via Australian satellites .... but, I don't know for sure.  Supposedly (according to world press) the fiber optic cable repairs in Taiwan will be completed about mid-Feb.  If that is the case ... things should be back to normal a week or two afterwards .... urrrggghhhh.  In the meantime ... $7/day +++ ($8/day when you include taxes) is pretty much being wasted on very limited UNLIMITED access.

As for me and my family, we are doing ok.  Was able to get online "enough" to order some SAT study guides for Chely via Amazon.com ... only took 1 hour .... was afraid I'd lose the internet connection altogether before I completed the transaction - it stalled a number of times ... but didn't die.

Work is coming along - finally getting on the backside of my YE reporting.  Building a new excel- based database application for tracking controls related issues.  It will replace an old highly inefficient spreadsheet.  The new models include a lot of customized drop-down menus (to improve consistency and reduce key strokes), numerous data validations (including some to limit the number of characters in a text (so people don't get too long winded) ... and a really neat security tool where I protect the sheets and cells ... but allow certain, pre-specified users to be able to edit the LOCKED cells without having to use a password.

Thasya has been accepted into a play called Flappers.  She is the singing and dancing line.   Rehearsals (4+ each week) start this week.  The play is in March ... she is going to be busy busy busy ... and will have to stay on top of her studies and rest when she can.  Her modelling lessons end this week.

As for Decy - she's spending time organizing the office and starting to work some business plans RE what she wants to do.  Now that we are pretty much done furnishing the house (a few odds and ends left) she has time to focus on other things.

The dog and cat are doing fine and successfully survived the YE sacrifice period.  Its amazing watching the two of them play.  I can't believe the dog will actually let the cat climb on the dogs back and then get carried around the house.  Hey, wait a minute .... I don't have a dog and cat.  Gotcha !!!

Enough of this for now ... connection might die any minute.

Oh before I forget .... I love my mother ....

ciao ciao

As per world press ... 7 of 9 fiber optics lines were damaged during the Taiwan quake in late December.  Much of the world's internet accesses have been rerouted - - and ships are in place fixing the cables as I blog.  In the meantime time, internet access to US based systems will suck ... including Phusebox.  Supposedly this will abate in mid-Feb.

In the meantime, things seem to suddenly be getting worse here (internet-wise).  We called the service provider about the sucky service.  They said they have re-routed access via a satellite based in Australia ... and according to them ... the Australians are hogging all the bandwidth and causing instability.

While what they say is probably true ... doesn't make me any happier .... we have to pay $7 a day for this unstable, unacceptable access ... and its very frustrating.  Can't even get into Amazon to buy a SAT study book for Chely .... uuuurrrrgggghhhh !!!!

So, be patient friends and family ....

And, yes, MOM ... I do love you !!!!

ciao ciao ....

As per world press ... 7 of 9 fiber optics lines were damaged during the Taiwan quake in late December.  Much of the world's internet accesses have been rerouted - - and ships are in place fixing the cables as I blog.  In the meantime time, internet access to US based systems will suck ... including Phusebox.  Supposedly this will abate in mid-Feb.

In the meantime, things seem to suddenly be getting worse here (internet-wise).  We called the service provider about the sucky service.  They said they have re-routed access via a satellite based in Australia ... and according to them ... the Australians are hogging all the bandwidth and causing instability.

While what they say is probably true ... doesn't make me any happier .... we have to pay $7 a day for this unstable, unacceptable access ... and its very frustrating.  Can't even get into Amazon to buy a SAT study book for Chely .... uuuurrrrgggghhhh !!!!

So, be patient friends and family ....

And, yes, MOM ... I do love you !!!!

ciao ciao ....

Ok, after 3 days and hours and hours of trying to upload pics to Phusebox I give up ... Day 1 wasn't too bad and I was successful in uploading about 11 pics ... since then I'm 0 for 50 ..... I've wasted a gazillion hours of my time.

During my lunchtime today I will try to upload some pics from the office.  I hate doing this, but don't have much of a choice.

Today is Friday (yeah).  Decy and I may do something different tonight (we have an invitation to a special club) or we may just go back to CJs. Haven't decided yet.  For lunch, Decy is going to visit with somebody she met here that is from Angola (surprise, surprise).

Tomorrow, we are invited to an open house. Don't know if we will go or not ... I have a bunch of work I need to do ... and Saturday afternoons is a good time to do it ... especially if I try to get a massage in the morning.

As for Sunday, one of our friends, Nat Simpson, may be coming over ... so I won't get much work done then.

As you can see ... not really much to report ... all's quiet in who'ville.

ciao ciao

What little time I have available for the internet is currently being wasted trying to upload pics into Phusebox. Not sure what is going on ... the pics are compressed ... I try uploading them ... 5 at a time ... after about 15 minutes the Phusebox screen comes back blank.  This is happening even with 1 pic.

... other than the above ... all is fine here.

I will try again.

Struggling to get the pics posted ... even with compressed files ... time to go to work. I try some more tomorrow.

All is fine .....

Monday morning ... what to write about?  Remember, I talked about the new maid Sumi (which Decy has nicknamed Mimi)?  Well, I thought that Mimi was about the size of Wiwi, except heavier by a couple of pounds.  Reality is ... Mimi is probably 1 inch shorter than Wiwi (we had them stand back-to-back to measure.  It was interesting through ... Wiwi's hips are 3 inches higher ... and her shoulders are about 2 inches higher than Mimi's.  However, Mimi's neck is longer ... and catches up most of the height difference (just in the neck).  Strange.  I don't have a pic yet of Mimi ... but here is one of Decy and Wiwi (and Paul in the background for good measure, no pun intended) ... so just take Wiwi's size and subtract a bit.

On Sunday we went to a wedding reception of a friend.  Very interesting.  As I understand it, the wedding itself is for immediate family and best friend.  Then there is a "open house" type of reception.  Basically, there is a 6 hour reception (outside, in a tent in this case) where guests come in ... congratulate the bride & groom, eat a meail, leave an envelope of money then depart. We arrived about 1230 ... and left about 130.  The B&G were beautiful and handsome in their wedding clothes.  I need to get from Decy some pics to post (yeah yeah yeah, you've heard that story before).

I hate working weekends (which I did some of both Sat & Sun) as it cuts into any free time I have on the PC ... I already spend 30-40 hours/wk keyboarding in the office ... then each morning before work ... so, weekends, I like to rest my hands ....

*** Girls return to school today.

Enough of this, let me see if I can get some photo editing done ... so i can upload some pics tomorrow.

ciao ciao.

Ah, wonderful Fridays.   Glad it is finally here.  After about a month of short work weeks (due to a messed up vacation schedule) it seems strange working all 5 days of the work week (excludes work I do on Sundays).  Thus, Thursday was a bit of a difficult day.  However, with it now being Friday ... and the weekend just a few hours away ... I will be fine today.

At the office, I'm slowly pounding out the presentations and submitting all the required year end data.  There is so much to do ... and so many new activities for 2007.  Seems like I am already behind.  urrrgghh.

Looks like Decy and I are finally getting into a routine on "normal spending" .... the transition from Angola to Indonesia has been difficult .... between buying cars, furniture, dealing with pent up demands (nothing available in Angola for 4 years), visitors (Daisy, Stela, boys), Christmas ... it has been very hard to get a handle on expenses.  Although I know precisely how much we have spent and and on what things, it is still hard to separate out normal vs unusual ... and then extrapolate into the future ..... its like the "fog of war".   However, Decy and I caught up on the finances over the past week ... and I was very pleasantly surprised. Doesn't mean we are over the hump and there are no issues .... just means that for once there were no "negative surprises".

One thing is very clear .... there is a substantial cost premium to live an American lifestyle in Indonesia.  Many things are incredibly cheap .... but if you want a car ($25k-$50k) ... and put gas in it ($400/mo for two) .... and air conditioning ($900/mo electricity) .... and broadband access ($225/mo) ... then you pay dearly.  Based on that last 3 months of expenses ... utilities, staffing, phones, security, gas, auto mtse, etc ... basic "infrastructure costs" are running close to $3k per month ... and that is after paying cash for the cars.  Food/groceries is running about $1,500/mo but I think about 1/2 of that is (a) buying misc for the house/kitchen and (b) the initial "stocking up" on many things.  Then, of course ... there is the dining, entertainment, gifts, vacation, medical, massages, salons, etc .... we probably need another 2-3 months of "run time" before I get a good understand of the overall cost of living here.

RE more personal things ... Decy, Chely, and I are starting to exercise a bit (each on our own) ... seems we all feel the need to "tighten up" just a little bit. For me, I am focussing on my stomach (sit ups) and some free weights.  Its not that I have a big belly (I don't) its just that a few sit ups can help tighten up what I have.  As for Thasya - well, she doesn't need to exercises ... she has a dragon in her tummy that absorbs everything she eats ..... growing at about 4 inches a year for the last 3 years .... she is now about 5' 6" and still stretching to the sky ...

*** Seriously considering going hashing tomorrow .... its been a long time.

ok, enough of this.  I need to eat some fruit (my breakfast) and wrap things up so I can go to work ... besides ... it is ALREADY 506 am ....

ciao ciao 

Wednesday ... hmm, work is moving along.   I seem to be working on about 8 presentations at 1 time .... doing lots of typing in Powerpoint but don't really seem to be doing any work. Not quite sure how I am keeping each presentation straight in my mind ... nor how I keep the messages clear and crisp ... unique ... yet consistent ... but I will get there.  In the meantime, what I would really like to do (work-wise) is focus on our new 2007 activities rather than reporting our 2006 accomplishments and disappointments.  Oh well ... it all pays the same.

If working on all the presentations aren't enough, I am getting calls again from Angola.  Seems they have some modelling issues and they need help.  Don't know why they can't talk among themselves and sort it out.  I have been gone more than 4 months ... by now they should have figured out the model and its processes ... especially this particular issue .... if you use a "river rapids" scale ... this is only a Class 2 problem ... just a big ripple.

Beginning to think about vacation plans for 2007 ... I am carrying forward 13 days of vacation ... plus 25 days of new entitlement ... plus 4 travel days.  That's 42 business days ... or TWO MONTHS.  Once again, don't know how I can possibly use all my vacation.  In many ways, I just wish the company would buy a few weeks from me.

.... as you can see ... not really much to write about today.  And, yes, mom ... I do LOVE YOU ! he he he .....

ciao ciao