A Self-Help Model for Aid that Really Works: The East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP)
When writing about aid projects words like ‘uplifting’, ‘inspirational’ or ‘downright bloody fantastic’ rarely, if ever, enter the vocabulary of...
Outreach
I Hate St. Valentine
That’s the most stupid fake date on earth! When I was a teenager in Europe, it even didn’t exist (or...
The Unnecessary Fire
We call the magical device we have in our pockets a “phone”, but it really should be called a “communicator”....
Enlightenment from my Chinese Friends
I have been living here for a while now, but I realised that I am totally ignorant about the Chinese...
Straight From The Heart
The Family at Lestari Sayang Anak Orphanage I think a lot of us, although we may not like to admit...
An Expat’s New Year’s Resolution
I told my Facebook friends that I was writing an article about New Year’s resolutions, and asked them for inspiration....
A Rare Christmas Treat
I woke up early on Christmas day 1984, seriously hung-over after an inpromptu party the night before. The planned party...
Are you Mr Magoo, too?
As I slide at break-neck speed down the slippery slope of life towards the age of 50, I can’t help...
Party Animal
One Friday night when I was 15 years old I persuaded my folks to let me go to my first...
Blind, Bamboozled and Big
For me, travelling is as much about the journey as the destination. One of the things I enjoy most “en...
The Battle of the Beer
It was Christmas Eve 1984, and, just like I did every year in those days, I was running around the...
The Bargain Tree Hunter
If you plan on walking into a department store this week and dropping Rp 3.2 million on a six-foot tall...
Have Yourself a Grumpy Little Christmas
Guys, I am back to my grumpy old self. In the last article, “Solution to the Global Crisis”, I tried...
Deck the Malls
Criticising Jakarta’s shopping malls for their ostentatious Christmas displays is too easy. We can feel sickened by the crass commercialisation...
Darryl Patton: Godfather of the Expat Bars
Darryl Patton, 1941-2011 Englishman Darryl Patton was the innovator behind many of the early expatriate bars in Jakarta, pioneering much...
I Hate Spas
Most people like massages and spa treatments, but I am not one of them. All those ‘SPA-aholics’, addicted ladies, always...
Le Souq C’est Chic
Literally translated as “Arabic Market”, Le Souq captures the young and vibrant spirit which is somewhat lacking in Jakarta’s interior...
I love Indonesia
I was on my way to Jepara (the biggest jungle furniture centre in the world, around 2,500 different small, medium...
Living a Greener Life in the Big Durian
Imagine if you could turn your home in Jakarta into a modern tropical paradise. Imagine it was like staying in...
Disneyland Bali
I know, I know, the expatriates in Bali are such an easy target to laugh at, but still… As I’ve...
Understanding Today’s Young Indonesian Consumers
Let me start with a big disclaimer- the following commentary on today’s young consumers of Indonesia is not based on...