#100HappyDays - Day 46 - Hunting, graduations, and a whole lotta bike ridin'

Went on a mission looking for replacement DJ headphones, as my 15 or so year old Technics RP DJ 1210s have finally given up the ghost. Rode to the biggest music store in town, only to find they had just one pair, a budget model that just felt cheap and flimsy to me. No deal.

Then went and met the wife who graduated from her Indonesian university course. Yay!

Jumped on a scooter together and rode 30-odd kms to Klaten, to meet the midwife we are hoping will catch our baby. She does home births and follows a "non-intervention unless necessary" model.  Too bad she wasn't there, having gone to Jakarta to catch a baby there. Still, the place was quite nice and homely and well equipped. Much nicer than a hospital, for us, anyway.

Then rode all the way back.

Despite the sore bum and no headphones, today was a good day.

#100HappyDays - Day 44 & 45 - 'Finished' a song.

I mentioned at the start of the month (days 28 and 29) that I'd been spending some time working on music here and there. I wasn't ready to share the fruits of my labour back then, but after a couple of sessions over these two days I feel a bit more relaxed about it.

It's a dubby/reggae style track, inspired somewhat by the popular reggae soundtrack of Jogja heard in many of the city's bars.

Not sure I'd call it "finished" - but what creative project ever is? I had a really good time making this, learnt a lot, and enjoyed the challenge of making something very different in style to anything I've ever made before. Now it's time to put it out there and move on.

Enjoy!

#100HappyDays - Day 43 - Funky shopping in Kasongan

Every weekday I drive through a little town called Kasongan on the way to and from Charlie's playgroup. It is known for ceramics, but also has a bunch of funky art, furniture and interesting home and garden ware stores. Today I took Amy with me so I could show her some of these shops after dropping off the wee man. She found some cool stuff, and bought a funky memento of her stay.

Here's some examples of the cool stuff on display:

And the obligatory language goof:

#100HappyDays - Day 42 - Catching up with Amy

Spent a bit of time catching up with Amy. Was really nice to speak face to face with a dear friend from back home. It's easy to forget, living in a country where you don't speak the language and spending a lot of time with a three-year-old, how important adult company really is.

#100HappyDays - Day 41 - Amy arrives, and pumpkin soup by candlelight

A dear friend from back home came to visit today - so great to see you Aims!

In the afternoon, we had a storm roll in and lost power - not unusual here - just as I started preparing dinner.  There's a certain charm to making a homely meal like pumpkin soup by the light of flickering candles.

#100HappyDays - Day 40 - Awesome party, awesome record stall.

Rockin' mini-festival on in the village we are living in over the weekend. DJs on Saturday, Bands+DJs on the Sunday. Pretty wild for usually peaceful Tembi.

There was much to like, especially the diverse mix of funk, electronica and house on the Saturday night. But one thing that surprised me was, being in the tropics, the market stalls selling vinyl records among their tapes and other merch. I was not expecting these two gems in the record collection. I regret not handing over the cash, but I don't have any means to play them over here.

#100HappyDays - Day 39 - Watchin' Soccer

Yep - I got up at 3am (Jogja time) to watch the opening match of the World Cup. Brazil vs Chile.

And my fear of commentary being in Indonesian proved unnecessary, as the very second they cut from the Jakarta studio to the match, presto - Bahasa Inggris!

Happy boy.

(no picture - nobody looks pretty at this time of morning)

#100HappyDays - Day 38 - World Cup viewing sorted.

My many requests regarding where to watch the World Cup (soccer) had so far only yielded non-specific results - if any result at all.  "There will be lots of places showing it" was about as good as I got. No idea where specifically, or which matches, or with commentary in what language.

Eventually one of the staff here suggested buying a TV tuner and antenna. I knew from my earlier raspberry pi experiments that our host's TV/PC monitor had a tuner built in. Just needed an antenna. Our friendly electrician heard my plea, and went off to the shop to buy one.

Expecting a small "bunny-ears" antenna, imagine my surprise to see him rigging up a massive bamboo pole to mount a much larger external antenna on!

Now have two free-to-air channels showing the games in the comfort of my own (borrowed) living room.

Price - 150,000 rupiah, or a bit under $AUD15.

#100HappyDays - Day 37 - Cute kid and cute critters

Seriously - is my son cute, or is my son cute?
Here he is all dressed in red, about to jump on the sepeda motor (motor bike) to go to playgroup.

Once we got there we met this cute little squirrel-ish creature. Not sure exactly what it is, but the cat had dragged it in. It was very young, still eyes closed, and clearly somehow lost its mother. But the playgroup took it in and have been doing their best to keep it alive.

#100HappyDays - Day 36 - Language LOL

Every other day over here there's some lost-in-translation experience or other. Here was today's.

#100HappyDays - Day 35 - Proud Dad, and photo fun

The son continues to amaze us every day with his rapidly advancing mind. He's three years, and about four and a half years old. And can count to over 100 in two languages (over a thousand in English!), sing songs in Indonesian, and is already showing an ability to read and write. I've never been a parent before - perhaps this normal, I don;t know. But he certainly amazes me.

Only 9 (or maybe 10) of the letters on this page were written by his mum. The rest - all Charlie.

I accidentally took this photo in our bathroom, playing around with depth-of-field. I like how this turned out (without any editing at all).











When I corrected the camera settings, here is actually what I was trying to shoot.

#100HappyDays - Day 34 - Final breakfast with the Gramps, welcome home beer

We had a final breakfast together with the grandparents. Charlie amazes everyone by perusing the menu, and confidently requesting poached eggs and juice.









On returning to Jogja, the can of Beer-That-Is-Not-Bintang someone left in the fridge was certainly a nice welcome home present.

#100HappyDays - Day 33 - More Ubud: cute kid, retail therapy, and farewell dinner at a sensational restaurant.

(Evidently I am not great at catching up on these posts!)

Again, many happy things to choose from on a busy but lovely day in Ubud.

Charlie building a "bucket princess"



















Shopping in Ubud market - in some ways an unpleasant experience, with the harassment from taxi drivers and market peddlers - but I did purchase a very nice Balinese sarong. (Sadly don't have a photo handy)

After a much needed sleep, the adorable son told us he was calling his Cousin Leo in Germany on the hotel room phone.








Our last night together before parting ways, so we wanted to do something special. Sadly, Poppy's tummy was still not good so he stayed home and slept. The wife, the son, the mother-in-law and I went for a sensational dinner at Bridges Restaurant. Very expensive by Indonesian standards - but very fancy, and thoroughly delicious. With beautiful ambience - and white wine!

And capped it all off by finding a tailor/clothes hop open late at night selling some cool clothes, including red thai fisherman pants, dark blue thai fisherman shorts, and a nice shirt to match - all for about $13 and coming home with me. I'll find a photo later.

#100HappyDays - Day 32 - Holiday in Ubud, and visit to the Birthing Centre

Flew to Bali for a 'farewell Nanna and Poppy' holiday. Sad to be saying goodbye after having them around for two weeks. But nice to have a holiday with them, especially somewhere other than Jogja as it gives a bit of perspective.

Ubud is nice, but like much of Bali it is hugely impacted by tourism in a way that makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. The all-too-frequent harassment from private taxi drivers and souvenir merchants - "no, I do not want to buy a carved wooden phallus keyring, thank you - and I don't care how much good luck my buying it will bring you - kind of made me appreciate the absence of the same in Jogja, at least in the areas I frequent. And wow, everything - especially food - is SO much more expensive in Bali compared to Jogja! Definitely finding happiness in the reminder of how much I like my current home.

Poolside sculpture, D'Omah Hotel, Ubud.

One reason for choosing Ubud is the existence of Bumi Sehat, a fantastic birthing centre focussed on natural birth and an absolute inspiration for my wife, in the early stages of her midwifery career. It clearly meant a great deal to her to visit Ibu Robin Lim and see this place that models my wife's ideals. With our new addition due in early September, this place is certainly an option for us, and having visited and like the place is a huge relief for my wife and for me. Of course, due to restrictions on flying late in pregnancy we'd need to move to Ubud for a month or so. I just don't know if I'd cope!

#100HappyDays - Day 31 - Morning views and student chews (and motorbike safety lose)

Woke in the bungalow to a beautiful Tembi morning. Sunlight streaming into the courtyard, a gorgeous view out over the sawah, a spider basking in the warm rays while the light glints off its glorious web.

Rather at odds with the hustle and bustle of the University Gadjah Mada food court where I joined my wife for lunch. But yay for different experiences. And delicious food plus a fresh blended fruit juice for about $1.40 AUD - what's not to be happy about?






(Perhaps not so much happy days material, but this guy, riding his scooter bare of foot, noggin protected only by a toy helmet, and wearing a girdle of massive saw blades.... ummm... yeah, I'm in freakin' Indonesia, baby!)

#100HappyDays - Day 30 - Wedding Anniversary

Mark and Kai get married - June 4, 2011 - Photo by Rangga Purbaya

June 4, 2011, right here in Tembi - my wife and I celebrated our marriage. Amazing that three years on we are living here. Not-so-amazingly, we are as much in love as ever.

Thanks to Nanna and Poppy for babysitting Charlie for us, and to Dave and the Yabbiekayu team for letting us have a romantic evening together in one of the lovely bungalows. It was heavenly.

#100HappyDays - Day 28 and 29 - Music makin'

In the interests of actually catching up on these updates, I'll merge these two together. Sorry if this is boring.

Travel music studio

With Charlie's Nanna and Poppy here, there have been some extra ears around to listen out for the boy. This has given me the freedom to spend a little time on a hobby I don't often get to spend a lot of time on - making music. Over these two days I spend a lot of time practicing my production skills, making two of the strongest tracks I've ever made. I still have a lot to learn, but having the time and headspace to work on it has made me extremely happy.

Not quite ready to share the results of my efforts, but hopefully that will happen soon.

#100HappyDays - Day 27 - Home Invasion 2 (reciprocation)

It was only a matter of time.

There's never been much reason for the kids to visit Rumah Dave (Dave's house) - and I imagine that behind the gates and walls this house might have been seen with a sense of a mystery. But now that Rumah Dave has become Rumah Charlie, curiosity has conquered fear.

At first it was just a couple of girls, who approached with apparent trepidation, asking from the yard if Charlie would like to bermain (play). But today they ventured in through the gates, to door step. Chartlie wheeled over his toy box, and before long they were sitting inside on the floor, sharing his colouring books and other toys.

It's beautiful to watch him interacting with other kids despite the language barrier. But when you think about it it's not all that different to playing with toddlers back home, where they are all only just learning English.

#100HappyDays - Day 26 - Kesuma

Dinner at Kesuma Restaurant tonight. The food is so good here. Indonesian, but with a depth and complexity to it that distinguishes it from the regular fare.

When Charlie was done with his usual activity of stoning to death (or severe irritation) the fish in the pond, he took to sitting on the front step, counting in bahasa Indonesia the motorbikes as they went past. No wonder he can count well beyond seratus (one hundred)!

#100HappyDays - Day 25 - Part 3. Home-grown produce and yummy dinners

Finished off a nice day with:

SUPER fresh kelapa muda (young cocount), straight off one of the trees at Yabbiekayu;

(look closely, you'll see me in my new specs!) 

Charlie peruses the menu at Mediterranea

and dinner at Mediterranea, our favourite local restaurant when we feel like something a little fancy.

#100HappyDays - Day 25 - Part 2. Shopping Mall Talent Show

Solo mission to Malioboro Mall today, to get adjustments made so my new glasses (yay!) don't slip off my little nose (boo!). As I walked in to centre court, I found a performance taking place, called "Moms and Kids".


The first thing I noticed was that it was loud. And I mean really loud. I can only presume that Indonesian PA engineers are all already deaf, because I'm yet to find one turned to anything lower than ear-splitting. So loud was the music that I'm only 70% sure that they were singing in English - though that may be due in part to the kids' adorably accented take on the language. It sounds like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...



After the charming rendition, the hostesses appeared, their attempts to hype the crowded mall hindered because their voices were super-distorted. Both women were very attractive, if rather heavily made up. But I admit to being mildly concerned for the innocence of the kids sitting on the floor, watching the particularly short-skirted hostess strut around on stage.



After I think what scared/fascinated me most about this strange cultural experience was seeing the proud kids, after one-by-one yelling their name into the microphone before disappearing back-of-stage, re-emerge to join their Moms (and a few dads), triumphantly carrying their prize - a drink of water and a box of fried chicken! 

Indonesia: proudly increasing children's confidence AND waistlines... (and killing their ear drums).

Experiences like this remind me where I am, and definitely put a smile on my face.

#100HappyDays - Day 25 - Part 1. Charlie Sings The Call To Prayer

After a refreshing morning swim, Charlie and I sat down for a drink and a bite to eat. The loudspeaker of the local masjid (mosque) crackled into life for the midday call to prayer. And the adorable little guy starts copying the Imam, singing his own call to prayer. I only wish I'd been quicker on the draw with the camera - but I captured one of Charlie's repeated versions.

#100HappyDays - Day 24 - Education, Culture and the Beach

We were picked up early (6:30am) for a car trip to a village in the Gunung Kidul region east of Jogja.

The purpose was for a cultural experience, attending a local school to talk to the children about where we are from, to expose the children to other languages and cultures, and to hopefully inspire some of them to think about possible futures beyond the boundaries of their own village.

We began with a rousing rendition of the Indonesian national anthem sung by the kids. And then a lot of talking in Indonesian, most of which went way over my head. But the song and dance performances - almost all by the girls while the boys sat watching - were really sweet. 

We played a game, where some of the children were encouraged to ask us a question in English, in return for a prize. The questions were simple - do you like Indonesia, what food do you like here, what is your favourite food from Australia. And then I got to ask a question - and I challenged them to point to Australia on the map of the world hanging behind the stage area. IT too a few goes, but eventually they got it. I'm not sure many Aussie kids of a similar age would be able to point to Indonesia without a little help.

   

Kai and her Mum taught the kids (again, mainly the girls) how to play that clapping game with the song "A Sailor Went To Sea Sea Sea", and the kids played a game of catch that was very similar to a game I remember from my own primary school days many years back.

Some more dancing, some more singing, and the young Moroccan lady on the trip with us sang a song for the kids. There was a closing thank you, we were presented with certificates of attendance. And then it was time to go. 

We jumped back in the car and headed to the beach for the afternoon. It wasn't really a swimming beach, but it did have a cave, and with a little effort were able to source a seafood lunch.

All in all an interesting day, and no doubt something a little different for Charlie's grandparents to experience as part of their visit.

#100HappyDays - Day 23 - OPP (no boundaries)

Charlie is so comfortable here now, he just climbs on neighbour's sepeda motor (motor cycle) and tries to start it, turn on the indicators, etc. A little disconcerting - I hope he doesn't find one with the key left in. But he's clearly right at home.

(Catching up - apologies for the delay)