In a Daze
The scene is all too familiar; the waving of a pocket-watch back and forth, followed by the mumblings of ‘Yes,...
Outreach
Yuningsih : The Bakso Lady
I met Yuningsih in the middle of Ramadan. Business had slowed down considerably for Ungingsih, due to the fasting month...
Abdul: The Guitar Man
I met Abdul on a street near Block M, while he was taking a break from singing. The self taught...
Sex, Drugs and Other Diversions
If Jakarta is the city that never sleeps, not least because of the rousing pre-dawn call to prayer blaring from...
Hero to Zero
“Oy! Elvis! It’s your round!” The words sent shivers down my spine. Not because I was in a pub with...
Yasirly : The Sewing Machine Man
Yasirly works away on his sewing machine as the trains go thundering past his little workshop in Kebaron Baru, oblivious...
Run for Fun, Run for the Kids
Running to some frees the mind and to others is a painful chore best avoided. Running on a treadmill indoors...
How to Know If a Scam Is a Scam Before You Are Scammed
As I sat in my Jogja hostel after another long day of slaving away in front of empty Word documents...
Making Sense of the Climate Change Debate
The health of the Earth’s environment and the sustainable management of its organic (carbon-based) and non-organic (non-carbon-based) resources is at...
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Green is not just another colour, these days everyone’s talking green; not US Dollar-green but green as a synonym for...
A Beer for a Stray
I had the pleasure of drinking myself to a better conscience as animal lovers gathered together on Sunday 2nd of...
Saiful : The Bird Seller
At 40 years of age Saiful knows a lot about the value of birds. He has been selling a...
Sheep Two, Sheen Zero
I had been in my local pub watching the now legendary 1979 Silverstone 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix and I was...
Bule Yogya
8 months ago, after my controversial column about Bali, I received some very nice emails from you guys. Thanks a...
Dian: The Plastic Bottle Collector
Dian’s story is one of survival. I visited her one morning in her temporary dwelling in Kampung Bandan near Kota,...
Sheep Two, Sheen Zero
I had been in my local pub watching the now legendary 1979 Silverstone 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix and I was...
A Ghost In The Backyard
It used to be a house in Menteng but had been converted to an office. In many instances, the old...
Indonesian Citizenship Concerns for Children from Mixed Marriages
The topic of mixed marriages in Indonesia is riddled with a considerable number of legal liabilities, regulations, and concerns. As...
Rosidin : The Mobile Broom Shop
Rosidin is a very happy man. He has a cheerful nature and takes great delight in walking the streets of...
Surviving Summer : How to enjoy being ?home? without going ?home?
Summer, the time of the year where the biggest event in the expat community takes place: the Expat Exodus. Most...
Right Place, Right Time
In 1987 I bought my dream car. No, it wasn’t a Ferrari or a Porsche, it was a five-year-old Mark...