Six Degrees South

As I arrived at the extravagant Lotte Shopping Avenue to visit the well-stocked pharmacy there to pick up necessary supplies, I noticed a Ruth's Chris Steak House in the adjacent Raffles Hotel Complex. Ruth's Chris is an uber high end eatery chain. It is amazing how many high end outlets operate in Jakarta, establishments you wouldn't find within hundreds of miles of Spokane. Then again, Spokane isn't a high end place, fortress of Middle American tastes that it is--a city whose residents think the Olive Garden represents the pinnacle of authentic Italian cuisine. Spokane bumpkin that I am, I had only visited a Ruth's Chris once before, in Seattle, about 25 years ago, guest of someone else, of course. After picking up my Vitamin D, Aspirin, and foot lotion, I decided to go big, treat myself to a massive Saturday Splurge and invade the Ruth's Chris, Mr. Spokane Barbarian, dressed in my olive green t-shirt and tan jeans, hoping it would pass for formal wear. Nowada

Late in the afternoon, during the time between after I officially logoff my work computer and sunset, I go on a walk, taking three laps around the compound in which I live. Usually the air has begun to cool and a soothing breeze accompanies me along the way. I am transfixed by the blanket of greenery that seems to be growing everywhere. I can almost hear all the plants extending their leaves and tendrils, there is such a riot of flora in this tropical land. Unlike my home in the Pacific Northwest, where I know the names of most trees and plants, I cannot identify a single Indonesian species. Like a child just learning to speak, linking words to things, I can point and say "flower" but can't be more specific in my words of identification than that. It is the fate of the person living in a new land, lost in a swirl of the unfamiliar.  All I can do is turn off my unknowing brain and take in the novelty of what I see and be glad that I have been fortunate enough, through the

Haven't had any untried fresh fruit stocked until a few days ago. Purchased a little package of small fruit called soonkit oranges. After doing a little research, I discovered the fruit is more commonly referred to as calamansi or Philippine Lime. Evidently this fruit plays a prominent role in Phillipine cuisine and is commonly cultivated there, though it is also native to the islands of Sulawesi and Borneo here in Indonesia.  The calamansi is a hybrid between the kumquat and a species of mandarin orange. I was not surprised to learn that fact as that is exactly how the fruit tastes. Enjoying another of my amateur pomological discoveries.

How the view changes when you shift your perspective downward from the horizon.

Just concluded our two day TEDx at Sampoerna. It was originally planned as an in-person event last October, but, of course, COVID always wins. True to our theme of "Perseverance" our student affairs team and student organizing group, didn't give up and this weekend they put on an awesome, online two-day TEDx event. Inspirational speakers. Entertaining singers and performers. Flawless technical execution. Amazing sponsors. Thank you to everyone for making the SU TEDx a spectacular success. I guess COVID didn't win in the end after all. The power of perseverance! 

Lounging on my couch, gazing at the setting sun like a purring cat.

Most people I know, who are tea drinkers, tend to sample a very narrow range of teas: basic green and basic black. Or many who live in the Southern U.S mainly gulp gallons of sweet iced tea. That's fine, but the world of tea has so many varieties and diverse flavors, that I prefer exploring and sampling even the most obscure tea outliers. Fortunately, I stumbled across an outlet of Singapore-based TWG Teas when I visited Pacific Place Mall. Happily, I was able to find some magnificent pu'erh tea, which is a tea made through a process of fermentation. Pu'erh is an  ancient tea from China, though it has only recently arrived in the U.S., that is often aged upwards of 20 years. I purchased the Golden pu'erh, which costs about $25 for 50 grams. If you judge me extravagant, please know that I did not buy TWG's more luxurious pu'erhs which run at about $85 for the same paltry quantity. Pictured here is a cup of the pu'erh I brewed for myself after I returned to my

Living outside the U.S. these past several years, I've gotten into the habit of cooking without recipes. It was a necessity, rather than a choice, when I lived in Kyrgyzstan as I seldom had access to even half of the ingredients required to complete the most basic dishes. So, for most meals, I would jump on the culinary high wire and take whatever ingredients I had and would make the best-tasting dish I could conjure up, inventing as I went along. Though my current home in Indonesia has wider access to ingredients, because of COVID I cannot wander to the grocers at a moment's whim if I suddenly discover I am lacking something, as I try to limit my trips out. Tonight I was contemplating making Chicken Biryani until I realized I was missing a few ingredients, including one of the two essential ones: proper rice.  To make Biryani without basmati rice, using the organic brown rice I had in my cupboard, would have created an unimaginable culinary atrocity. So, what to do? I cut up a

Last Tuesday, we enjoyed our mostly-online celebration of Sampoerna's 8th Birthday. Received a small goody box with a commemorative cupcake that we all lit at the same time during our zoom celebration. Also got an e-cash card pre-loaded with a small cash gift and a nice ID holder.  Sampoerna has really impressed me with how far it has made it in such a short time. I am especially impressed with the two-degree programs we've established with our partners at the University of Arizona and the scholarship program for needy students that provides full funding for about half our students, giving students from remote regions of Indonesia the opportunity to access outstanding higher education. Very lucky to be associated with another innovator in international higher education. 

As I was wandering through Jakarta's Pacific Place Mall, I discovered the secret place where you can create happiness with those you cherish. I wish I had known the location of Love's Box years ago. Who knows how differently my life might have turned out? Sadly, Love's Box was empty today when I passed by. No wonder love in the world is in such short supply, when people can't even be bothered to take a two-minute detour to capture moments in Love's Box. But then again, even on my most loveless day, I suspect it would take several of Pacific Place's most aggressive Mall Cops to physically force me into that frighteningly pink and plastic box, to share one second of memories with any person on this planet with whom I share the deepest affection.

...if there's a Lamborghini dealership in the Pacific Place Mall I visited today. Me? I was just visiting the mall's Ace Hardware Store trying to find something to unclog my bathroom sink because the maintenance crew in my complex can't seem to figure out how to do it. (Could you imagine spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a car painted such an ugly color?) 

While my lunch, dining on sushi made from fish flown directly from Tokyo, was great, it was my visit to Kinokuniya that was perhaps the biggest treat today. One of the reasons I chose to stay in a hotel adjacent to the humungous Grand Indonesia Mall is because it houses a branch of what might be Asia's coolest bookstore chain. And I wasn't disappointed, wading through aisle after aisle of wonderful books. I even managed to muster up a modicum of self-discipline as I limited myself to a purchase of only four books, including a replacement for my deeply-missed book of Rumi writings that has been trapped in my suitcase for over seven months, in Indonesian customs, with no rescue in sight.

I knew it was no ordinary toilet when it lifted its lid to greet me when I entered the cosy, little cubicle that housed my toilet in the Grand Hotel Kempinski. I was a bit startled by the lid as it whizzed noisily into a vertical position.  Then I noticed a sheet of comprehensive instructions affixed to the upturned lid. "This can't be good," I thought, "If one must engage in a reading exercise before one can use the toilet." IMPROPER USE OF HEATED TOILET SEAT CAN RESULT IN A LOW-GRADE BURN. This warning did not reassure me. First, I did not relish the possibility of having my toilet inflict injury upon me. Then my imagination got the better of me, wondering what might constitute improper use. What if I have never been a proper toilet seat user in my life and didn't realize my dangerous ignorance? That could get me a low-grade burn before I realized it. And then how would I explain to the medic how I had gotten this low-grade burn on such an awkward region o

I decided to escape the giant glass tower, where I have spent 98% of my time this year. So last weekend I enjoyed a 24-hour vacation at the Grand Kempinski Hotel in Downtown Jakarta, wearing my N95 mask and face shield.  Ate lunch at Oku, the Japanese restaurant inside the hotel that flies its fresh fish directly from Tokyo's finest seafood market. I can say that my sushi was as good as one can obtain outside Japan. When the tuna is as smooth as butter and tastes as fresh as the treats from Neptune's table, you know your sushi is special. Add some tempura and gyoza and I attained something about as close to Nirvana one can reach on this plane of existence, with apologies for trivializing the divine with my excessively happy rhetoric, but when one is perfectly contented...

It's Friday, so I don't have to wear my batik with the official Sampoerna design on it to work. Here I am in my most-colorful batik. You can't be completely unhappy when wearing such a bright and festive design. Wishing a Fantastic Friday and a super weekend to everyone.