A Christmas PuddingDaniel PopeDecember 2, 2020December 2, 2020 by Daniel PopeDecember 2, 2020December 2, 20200405 I’ve met only one chimney sweep in my life. It was when visiting my aunt’s old-fashioned house some years ago....
One in a MillionDaniel PopeOctober 7, 2020October 20, 2020 by Daniel PopeOctober 7, 2020October 20, 202001379 “Who wants to be a millionaire?” “She’s one in a million.” “I feel like a million dollars.” A million is...
Folding Phones, LolIndonesia ExpatMay 23, 2020 by Indonesia ExpatMay 23, 202001681 In light of the recent introduction of folding phones which, like wireless charging, once sounded like a joke (and continued...
Top 10 Times Asterix was Relevant to IndonesiaKenneth YeungApril 29, 2020April 29, 2020 by Kenneth YeungApril 29, 2020April 29, 202001554 Kenneth Yeung looks at why Asterix is enduringly popular in Indonesia. French comic book hero Asterix was first translated into...
Beyond ConversationDaniel PopeJune 18, 2019June 18, 2019 by Daniel PopeJune 18, 2019June 18, 201901342 It’s March 10, 1876 in Boston. Alexander Graham Bell is seated before his newly invented telephone. Surrounded by hushed witnesses,...
Santa Claus is Coming to TownIndonesia ExpatDecember 19, 2018 by Indonesia ExpatDecember 19, 20180999 Christmas 1991 was my first in Indonesia and the first of my life outside England. I had not given any...
In Praise of Pedestrian TastesDaniel PopeNovember 21, 2018 by Daniel PopeNovember 21, 201801036 Daniel Pope prods his proletarian fork at a few Indonesian favourites. “Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard! While we’re...
Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Daze of SummerIndonesia ExpatJuly 4, 2018 by Indonesia ExpatJuly 4, 20180979 The summer of 1976 was (and still is) the hottest and driest in the UK since records began, with the...
Going at Home and Going AwayDaniel PopeJuly 3, 2018 by Daniel PopeJuly 3, 20180923 I had only been back in the UK for a day and already I was in a public lavatory watching...
Jakarta’s First Comedy Club Celebrates 17 YearsIndonesia ExpatApril 11, 2018 by Indonesia ExpatApril 11, 201801229 April 21st, 2018 will mark 17 years of live international standup comedy in Jakarta. To celebrate, there will be an...
England’s Got Talent TooEamonn SadlerFebruary 28, 2018 by Eamonn SadlerFebruary 28, 201801239 While my friend Sean and I were touring northern France and Belgium in my Datsun 260Z, we found ourselves, for...
The Games Children PlayBrian AylwardFebruary 13, 2018February 13, 2018 by Brian AylwardFebruary 13, 2018February 13, 201801705 I used to be a kindergarten teacher. Not on purpose of course. I graduated university with a degree in community...
Maid in IndonesiaZack R. BazaarNovember 8, 2017November 9, 2017 by Zack R. BazaarNovember 8, 2017November 9, 201702368 One giant sweep for mankind… Maids, domestic helpers or pembantu as they are known in Indonesian can hold their mops...
Government Puts a Bounty on Local Rat HeadsLeighton CosseboomOctober 19, 2016October 28, 2016 by Leighton CosseboomOctober 19, 2016October 28, 201605773 In what might closely resemble a future dystopia in the capital, Jakarta provincial government has asked locals to kill rats...
Famous Beggar Benjamin Holst Arrested in SurabayaCaroline WinataSeptember 14, 2016September 14, 2016 by Caroline WinataSeptember 14, 2016September 14, 201604346 World renowned beggar Benjamin Holst is a folk hero with an abnormally large leg. He has been able to travel...
Almost the Last LaughEamonn SadlerJanuary 25, 2016 by Eamonn SadlerJanuary 25, 20160752 Three British expats share a near-death experience on a trip to Kuala Lumpur… A few years ago I was hosting...
Health and Safety Indonesian-StyleEamonn SadlerJanuary 11, 2016 by Eamonn SadlerJanuary 11, 20160500 A few years ago my father told me that he would like to come and visit me in Jakarta. Wonderful,...
Coincidental ChristmasEamonn SadlerDecember 15, 2015 by Eamonn SadlerDecember 15, 20150576 As I write this I am sitting on a Cebu Pacific flight back from Manila, Philippines, having just attended...
Marching OrdersDaniel PopeDecember 15, 2015 by Daniel PopeDecember 15, 20150429 An army marches on its stomach and so does an English teacher, as Daniel Pope found out. Despite my earning...
He Who Laughs LastEamonn SadlerNovember 30, 2015November 30, 2015 by Eamonn SadlerNovember 30, 2015November 30, 20150575 In the winter of 1990, I was working in real estate in London with my business partner, Steve Collins. One...
App Fap: App-Based Transport SolutionsSimon PitchforthNovember 16, 2015November 16, 2015 by Simon PitchforthNovember 16, 2015November 16, 20150572 New application-based transportation solutions are taking Indonesia’s jammed boulevards by storm. Last time out, I gnashed my teeth at the...