Decy and Stela made it safe to Jogjakarta ... saw the temples .... visited some of Decy's friends there ... then to bed at approx 11pm.  I think they are already up (currently 5am here) as they have an early morning flight to Surabaya .... where they will spend today (Thurs) and Friday .... returning to Jakarta mid-afternoon Sat.

As for me .... work is .... work, so I won't bore you with the details.

My back is still very sensitive although modestly (maybe) better.  Yesterday, I forgot to bring my back brace (for the chair) to the office .... I won't forget (I hope) today.

Last night had dinner at the 4 Season hotel with Nat Simpson.  I have a lot of memories about that place as I lived there 5 months in 2001 after the evacuation from Aceh (then another 4 months at the Hilton - before moving to Angola).  When I walked in the hotel door last night, I looked to a particular couch in the lobby ... the couch where I was sitting when I saw Decy for the first time (as she walked into the hotel).

I talked to Decy on the phone last night while at the hotel.  She asked me if I ordered a bowl of shrimp soup (which I didn't) .... as that is what she ate/drank for dinner that first "date" with her.  Our first date was a "double blind date" .... a guy and his girlfriend set me and my friend Danny Guilliott up on blind dates on a Sunday afternoon in late April 2001.  So, the three couples sat and chatted and snacked/ate for about 3-4 hours.  It was an incredibly difficult evening .... Decy's English at that time was probably only 5% ... thus although she could understand some of what I said ... a sentence from her was incredibly difficult (for both of us) ... just a few choppy words ... with me filling in the blanks trying to understand what she was trying to tell me.  OBVIOUSLY, we worked it out ... she is now my lovely wife ....

*** Decy just called, her and Stela have checked out of the hotel and are on the way to the airport.

ciao ciao

Well, forget the early to bed ... but today, I did arise at 245am.  Why?  Very good question.  Decy and Stela are flying to Jogjakarta today ... then on to Surabaya tomorrow, returning to Jakarta on Saturday.  They need to be at the airport by 6am ... and I need to be at the office at 630am .... and the girls need to be at school at 730am (I think) ... two cars can't be in three places at one time.  So, I will carpool with Decy/Stela ... after dropping them off at the airport, I will be dropped off at work.

Had a bit of a relapse on my back last night.  Went to bed with a bunch of icy-hot ("counterpain" - Indonesia equivalent). It has helped some.  We shall see what the day brings.

Time to go visit with Stela ... yes, it is 401 am ... she's up and Decy's getting up.

ciao ciao 

Over the past week, I have had quite a bit of back pain ... about where the rib cage stops ... on my left side.  I figured it was due to too much computer work and not having a good ergonomic set up.  Things just kept going from bad to worse and massages provided only temporarily relief.

The pain would come and go, but generally with growing intensity.  Every once in a while the pain would "spike".  Yesterday at work, in spite of a using a support pillow I was in great discomfort.  Came home and went to change clothes for going to CJs and suddenly it felt like somebody rammed a baseball bat into my back.

I went to my knees and layed down.  Felt a bit nausious too. After awhile I got up.  Went to CJs ..... and stayed out late.

Got up this morning and except for being a bit "tender" the pain is completely gone .... so, I either threw my back "into place" last night while dancing ... or I passed a kidney stone and don't know it.  Can't think of any other viable scenarios.

Guess I'm just getting old .... ciao ciao

You would think that for the good of mankind they wouldn't have a Monday morning quite so often ....

Had a good weekend and Stela arrived on Sunday. For the weekend .... did the usual massages, eating out, clubbing, resting.  Never got to do any of the work I brought home ... YEAH !!!

Sunday AM, bright and early at 7/8 am Decy took off for the airport to get Stela.  I couldn't wake up.  Apparently my alarm (phone) was beeping and vibrating and eventually just fell off the end table ... I never heard it.  Stela arrived with Decy about 1PM ... we chatted, relaxed, showed Stela the house.  I swam for a few minutes.

Nat Simpson came over, we chatted about work and stuff ... then all of us did Karaoke until 10pm.

I'm getting old.  My back is in quite a bit of pain ... I think from sitting at the computer at work too much.  I will put a back brace in my chair at work (I have one). Don't know what I can do about the home set up.

I'm taking Tuesday off .... tonight (Monday) is CJ's grand re-opening (following a major remodelling).  CJ's is probably Jakarta's nicest club (out of a city of 20 million). We like it a lot ... and the 9 person band (from S. Africa, Colombia, Canada, and Indonesia) is fantastic.  We know most of the folks by name ....  Anyway, tonight Kelly Rowland from Destiny's Child was going to join the band for the evening.  Unfortunately, we received a call from the manager last night ... Kelly cancelled.  REASON - On Saturday some idiot partially blew himself up with a small homemade bomb while at an A&W fast food place at a mall on the far east of town (a long way from CJ's).  So, that hit the press .... and she cancelled.

Funny thing about the "bomber" ... sounds like he wasn't too smart ... just a little bit of gun powder and some buck shot  in a box ... attached to a handphone.  Apparently he was in A&W ... with the bomb on his lap, and the phone rang.  Press says he's at the hospital getting the buckshot cleaned out of his groin area ... OUCH.

Now, back to CJ's, the party is still on ... they are bringing in a very famous Indonesian singer (so I'm told).  We shall see ... I'll let you know ... but don't expect a blog at my 430 in the morning on Tuesday.

ciao ciao

Yesterday was just another stressful day at the office.  So many challenges, so few resources.  Won't bore you with the details.

Stela, our friend from Angola, begins her vacation today (Fri).  She departs Angola today ... overnights in Johannesburg S. Africa ... leaves there Saturday PM ... arrives Jakarta on Sunday morning.  Stela will be with us about 2 weeks.  During that time, Decy will take her to Yjogakarta (I think I have spelled that wrong) and Surabaya .... two cities here on the island of Java.  I've never been to either place ... although the plan is for us to take Chris and Paul to Yjogakarta in December.

sorry this is short ... really nothing of interest yesterday .... ciao ciao

Our curtains (almost all sheers) arrived and were installed yesterday. They look really nice and lighten the house ... I love them.  BUT, the company has made us put up so much security/perimeter lighting around the outside of the house .... night time looks almost like day time.  Hmmm, its going to take a while for my body to adapt to sleeping in the "half light" ....

Got some news on the shipment ... it should land in Jakarta next week, maybe the 15th.  The company thinks they can deliver the items by 23/24 Nov (almost exactly my guess [1-Dec] back in June.  Of course, we shall see if they truly can clear customs in 1 week.  It takes 6-10 weeks in Angola !!!

ciao ciao

FINALLY, received the errant phone bill that caused my company handphone to be locked out.  Total amount ... $4.82.  That was for the 11-30 Sept period, which covers the 1st month I took over the phone.  What is interesting is the 1-10 Sept bill has been lost in yaya-land and nobody knows where it is.  It was for $22 ... I paid both (which are reimburseable by the company) and the phone was unlocked.  Given that this phone is a critical piece of the backbone for our Warden Emergency System ... you would think we'd have some type of agreement in place with the phone company so there wouldn't be a lock out .... you would think .... anyway.

What's 2+3 ??? 5, of course.  Actually, that represents the number of vehicles in our garage .... two cars ... and three motorcycles.  The motorcycles are from our drivers and security guard .... never would have thought I would have 3 motorcycles in my garage.

"Final inspections" are underway at the house.  The owner has only two things left to do:  (1) install the curtains (I think that starts today), and (2) buy two pool side lounge chairs.  As for the alarm system, generator, and stablizer ... looks like we are going to get saddled with servicing and maintenance costs on something we don't even want (but is a requirement of the company) ... not sure how much that will cost us.  AND, I understand we have to buy some plastic containers and store backup diesel (for the generator) on the property ... now that sounds safe !!  Thankfully its not gasoline.

As for the house ... well, still waiting for our shipment before we do the final decorating ... but next on the agenda for purchases is (1) entryway couch/chairs, (2) pool table [depending on price], (3) patio dinette set.

Nothing interesting to report about work ....

ciao ciao

Monday was just a day of work, work, work for me.  Sorry ... boring stuff.

For Decy, she's not feeling well; catching a cold.  She went to the hospital to get a vitamin shot.  That always helps here.

Didn't see Chely last night (up in her room) so I don't know how her health presentation went .... hopefully ok.

>>> Still no company handphone .... don't know why the bill was never sent to me ... the company knows I have the phone.  Supposedly a copy will be sent to me soon ... so I can pay it and then get reimbursed (odd way to do it, huh?) ... in the meantime, still can not call out on that phone ... but SUPPOSEDLY the number is being unblocked in "good faith" that I will pay.

ciao ciao

First, regarding grandma Suzy's question ... a phone is each front pocket is much more comfortable than two in one pocket ... plus it looks better.

Sunday was pretty much a complete loss .... was out late ... then woke up at noon to the handphone ringing .... several minutes of panic (trying to figure out which of the 4 hps were ringing (Decy's 2 and my two), then a "dropped call" ... then realising I had to call back on the contingency phone.  Finally got that all worked out ... a business associate visiting from Houston (Nat Simpson) wanted to come out to the house .... it had been planned for 4pm but he was bored in the hotel ...... Nat arrived at 1pm ... we chatted, ate.  Nat left at 6pm .... I crashed.

RE the house ... Decy worked on the 2nd wave of furniture this past week.  Some of it was delivered on Saturday:  Telephone bench/stand, cabinet with mirror, another mirror (for upstairs), mirror set with wood "sunshine" frame, two end tables, one coffee table.  On Sunday a traditional hand carved L-shaped couch with pads arrived for upstairs.  Still have a few more things coming from these last purchases.

Supposedly our shipment arrives in Jakarta this Friday.  Don't know how long it takes to clear customs here ... could see the items in 2-6 weeks ...

One of our Angolan friends (Stela Amaro) is coming to visit us.  She arrives Sunday morning and will be here two weeks.  This is her first trip to Asia.

Wonder what challenges this week will bring ...

ciao ciao

Good questions, grandma Suzy ... well, if I do end up using the contingency phone ... I can buy a new number for $3 .. and go "private" again ... not too bad.

As for carrying 2 phones. I put one in each of my front pants pockets.  My keys are now the problem ... but there are only 3 ... so (at least for now) I am putting them on a belt clip.

ciao ciao ...

Background Item #1:  I am part of our company's emergency warning system in which if there is an emergency I have to call all of our visitors (20-40) in the hotels and advise them of the emergency.  As such, that requires me to carry a handphone 24/7 and never turn it off.  Plus, I have to carry all the phone numbers for those folks.

Background Item #2:  There is a scam process going on here where somebody calls a spouse and advises of a serious accident regarding the other spouse.  Then there is a request for an immediate transfer of money to a bank account to help pay the medical bills (hospital bills are usually paid in advance).  This is getting so sophisticated that often the allegedly injured spouse also gets a phone call being told not to use his/her phone ... and/or the phone company (inside job) starts blocking all calls.

*** Because of Item #2 ... Decy and I have purchased an inexpensive set of "emergency hand phones" ... if something happens and we get sucked into a scam and our phones are blocked .... we will have the "private" numbers that we can still reach each other with (clearly these numbers are private only if we don't share them with others).

*** Now, move to today.  I am trying to call Decy with my handphone ... cannot ... I am trying to SMS her .... cannot ... Finally a computerized message tells me my phone is blocked (5pm on Friday).  I call Decy from the office phone.  Decy quickly calls the "custodian" of my hand phone ... "oh ... sorry, maybe the bill hasn't been paid".

Bill ? What bill?  I've never seen a bill?  You mean the company doesn't pay it?  .... and, obviously, it being Friday evening and everybody being gone ... it is impossible to find the telephone bill, much less pay it.

*** Fast forward, ok ... start talking to folks in the office ... start communicating with them that I will not be able to call from my company handphone ... but can receive calls (at least that way if any of the 20-40 guys need to call me they can).  BUT, if there is an emergency, and I can't call them ... the guys are clueless.  Ok ... got it ... I can use my personal backup phone ... that's fine but I only have $3 worth of pre-paid on it .... hadn't gotten it fully activated and "charged up" ... quick call to Decy ... Decy calls sister Dolly (who sells pre-paid cards) .... 10 minutes later my backup phone is beeping me telling me that it has been "topped up" .... thank God for family and friends .... and people who can do something ... and do it well ...

Back to the present ... the company clearly has an issue if such a critical phone (such as mine) can go dead without warning.  Thank God I have a back up phone .... and thank God, HE was pressing Decy and I to get the backup phones and quickly ... I received mine just last night ... and the company phone "went dead" less that 12 hours later.

... as you can appreciate, with a "dead phone" not only would the 20-40 visitors been at risk ... but so would I ... because if I, personally, had an emergency, I could not have reached anybody .....  HE watches over even the sparrow.

ciao ciao ....

Just a quickie today .... as part of our "fleshing out" the house Decy has bought some automatic air freshners.  These are not the kind that evaporate ... or you stick on the wall ... or you stick in a socket ... but ones that you mount on the wall, install batteries, and set a timer regarding how often you want it to do its thing. Its sort of an industrial strength.

Anyway .... when the machine starts to do its thing ... its does two "sprits" .... because its mechanical (there it goes right now) ... it has to pump the freshener ... so you here this .... phft ffttt ... phft ... fftt ...Now you may ask "how do I prononce" phft .. fftt ... phft .. fftt ... well, just think of the sound a cat makes when it sneezes.

And so, one night at the dinner table the freshner is doing its thing and I blurt out "there goes the cat again, sneezing" ... Decy breaks out laughing as that was precisely her thoughts at the moment ...

Have a good day ... God love you ... and so do I ....

ciao ciao

Well, it looks like our Senior Maid (the one that does the cooking) is going to quit.  She says that it isn't working out her living in the house with us ... while being away from her husband.  We knew this might be an issue - and offered to let him stay in her room a couple of nights a week and she could go home on the weekends ... BUT .... there has been a "trust" issue there with him ..

Other than needing to find a replacement we aren't too worried about it.  We weren't thrilled with her cooking style anyway (it was ok, but not what we wanted) and because of her experience level ... she thought she didn't need to be trained on how to cook for us .

Wiwi and Nunung the Jr. maid and gardener (wife/husband couple that also live with us) want to try to take on the responsibility of the whole house between them.  Decy told them we would give it a try ... we would talk about "money" after the probation period.  Although I think that W&N can grow into the positions and do a good job ... I think they are going to be overwhelmed with the workload.  Just doing the laundry and associated ironing for 4 folks is a pretty big job ... and this is a big house.  For now, Wiwi will do the morning cooking and Decy & Wiwi will share the evening cooking.  Obviously, Wiwi and Nunung will need to share the laundry and cleaning ... we shall see ...

*** Had dinner with Paul Sanchez, friend from Houston.  Paul and I go back to 2000 when we met right before I transferred to Indonesia the 1st time.  Then, ultimately, he was the one that selected me to come to Angola in 2002 - and I worked for him for 3 years, before he transferred to Houston.  Paul and his wife, Chris, are very good friends of ours. It is good to see him.  He leaves to return to Houston on Friday.  Today (Thurs) Decy will take him shopping .... and all going well, bring him to the house for dinner tonight (last night was at a restaurant).

ciao ciao

Recall the issues of the electrical stablizer, genset, and alarm system ... all demands by the company .... Well all were finally installed just hours before we left for Unjung Pandang.

When we returned we started turning on A/C units ... breakers started popping left and right ... reset ... start again ... pop pop pop ... reset .. start again ... yadi yadi yadi.  Finally, had to just bypass the stablizer.  WHY?  Because when it was calibrate it was calibrated with "no A/C" .... yeah, like a MAROON from the US would live in an Indonesian house with A/C and never turn it on.

So, brought out the service people .... seems the stabilizer doesn't work.  And the breaker box they installed is faulty.  And the alarm was wired into the stablizer ... and the genset was hooked up also.

So, where are we?  Have a new (used) stablizer ... genset doesn't work (has to be checked/repaired/replaced) and alarm system has to be rechecked and perhaps rewired.

*******

Rainy season has finally arrived ... had a nice 1 hour down pour last night. Noticed no leaks in the house (YEAH).  Air pollution should be much lower tomorrow ... although traffic becomes worse in the rain.

Speaking of traffic ... during the Idul Fitri holiday ... commuting was down to 15 minutes each way.  It is creeping back up ... and soon will be 1.5 hours at night ... TRAFFIC DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

*******

Speaking of difference, how many layers of security is enough ??? ... at work ... (1) auto inspection to get into building complex, (2) brief case and metal detector at building entrance, (3) security check on 29th floor (where my office is), (4) magnetic card to get into office suite, (5) locked door to get into my office.

At home ... (1) security guard and gate getting into our part of the subdivision, (2) 4-6 meter (yes meter) high fence and security person at my house, (3) alarm system and locks at the door, (4) locks on bedroom door, (5) wife sleeping next to me ...

ciao ciao

Josh's blog on Deal or No Deal was very interesting.  I've watched the show a few times and find it quite amusing.  Regardless of who is right or wrong in the "challenge of rationale" between Josh and the ego-centric, self-centered, but immature other person (blocking Josh's email just because he didn't want to engage in an intellectual challenge) ... what is quite clear is that people are IRRATIONAL ... each one thinks that they can beat the odds.

In a world of random events and probabilistic outcomes while it is possible to temporarily "beat the odds" in the long run such is absolutely impossible .... a fair coin if flipped enough times will revert to the mean of 50% heads, 50% tails ... and each outcome is independent.

But a person on D or N-D sits there and sees $5, $100, $100,000 ... with an offer to sell out at whatever price ... yet they fixate on the "possibility of hitting $100k".  The real key to the game (aside from the discussion on mean vs expected value) ... is how many briefcases must be opened on the next turn before you get a new offer ... and that is what Josh was alluding to.  If you have $5, $100k, $400k, and a $1M on the table ... and the next step is to open just one brief case ... that looks very different than if you have to open 2 .... In a 1-briefcase scenario the expected value of the next turn would be $168k to $500k (and if the CURRENT offer is below $168k then he should not take the offer).  But, in a 2-briefcase scenario then the range of outcomes is $53k to $700k ... and that my friend is the real challenge .. with such a wide range in the NEXT round ... you would EXPECT to walk away with as much as $700k or as little as $53k ... but it really has nothing to do with the current values on the table ... only the OFFER vs the NEXT round ....

... Josh ... you agree or disagree?

... but how could there be when a person spends the entire Sunday reading company business materials .... Monday's here ... plenty of new challenges this week.

ciao ciao

Today is Sunday and should be a day of rest for me. However, I have a gazillion things I have to do at work this week .... plus deal with several company visitors - cannnot possibly get it done.  So ... I brought home some "light reading" ... about 300 pages worth ..... we shall test my speed reading/skimming skills.

Saturday, Decy and I went out for our normal massages .... then had a nasi padang lunch with the girls ... now that Ramadan is over we can get back to our normal routine.  The girl that did my massage yesterday is named Tini (pronounced Teeny).  Well, Tini isn't exactly teeny ... but she is a pretty good massager.  The more she "learns my body" ... the more she can work on the trouble areas. After getting bounced around in a car for ~ 2 hrs/day .... I have a number of sore spots in my back ....

Last night Decy and I went out ... and brought with us Daisy ... and Fairus ... and Chely and one of her friends.  Had a great time .... then went to the Sabang area and ate porridge from a street cafe (our favorite late night "restaurant") ... sadly the street band was not there last night ... I like listening to those guys .... in fact, I am anxious to take Paul and Chris there in December ..... I can visualize P&C borrowing the guitars and doing a song or two ....

WELL .... time to get on to my light reading ...

ciao ciao

What a short week at work (2 days).  However, there was enough to do and enough stress yesterday to cover a whole week's activities.

Commuting this week is a breeze .... 20 minutes to work 35 minutes home.  That will change on Monday when everybody returns to work ..... 30 minutes to work ... 1-2 hours coming home.

Work is kind of sucky right now. There's a gazillion things to do before year-end and I seem to get more dumped on me every day.  Also, I seem to be "doing" all the work ... while the others "talk" about the work.  HEY JOSH, want to give me a hand?  Sure could use some excel spreadsheet assistance !!

We now have "Indonesian broadband". Overall, its not too bad ... and about 10 times faster than dial-up.  Its a T-1 phone line type system running through a 4-port ADSL router.  Right now, have all 3 PCs hooked up directly.  I may try to network the girls' PCs so that they can access the i-net from their bedrooms.  BUT, I'm not sure I will be sucessful - the house is made of concrete and I suspect I won't be able to get a strong enough signal from PC to PC.

A couple of Houston friends are coming in next week for a business trip; Paul Sanchez and Nat Simpson.  I am looking forward to seeing them ... they are good friends (especially Paul ... as we both lived/worked in Angola).

About the electrical stablizer ... mechanic looked at it ... said it is OLD ... and it is broke .... stage right ... now back to the company ... wonder if they are going supply one that works ... I'm certainly not going to buy one ... and the owner isn't either.  For now, it is turned off.

Well, enough blogging for today .... I'm already tired and haven't even left for work ....

ciao ciao

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