It's a rainy Sunday afternoon here; kind of unusual to have a light, steady rain instead of an intense downpour. We had hoped to go see "Hugo" this afternoon, but maybe later.
It's been a good week or two for movies. We've seen "The Artist" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". We much preferred TTSS, although I doubt that anyone under 30 would enjoy it.( Which includes most moviegoers in Indonesia, so I doubt it will stay long. We are just a short walk from the theater (which, BTW, has the cleanest bathrooms in the city). The prices are great- just $2.00 midweek and it's a brand new theater. We do have long stretches where there is nothing we want to see. We missed "Iron Lady"- here and gone.
My title is Musings from the 20th floor and I wanted to note how much I am enjoying living in a high rise- this high rise at any rate. For someone who enjoys her garden as much as I do, it's a surprise. I do have two outdoor areas, a balcony off the living room, where I am growing a couple of pots of basil, and a "backyard" utility area where I have my washing machine and laundry drying rack and my toaster oven. I keep it outside as my kitchen gets warm very easily, so it's nice to release the heat outside and it's only a few steps away. I like my birds eye view of the neighborhood and my ability to see storms coming and seeing the lightening. We have had several Indonesians lately ask to see the apartment and to them it is so incredibly luxurious that I have realized how nice it really is. The quality is very high with marble floors and baths. We rarely hear or see anybody else on this floor (4 units on this floor). The staff are all very responsive, even though there are sometimes language issues with maintenance staff.. My housekeeper comes three times a week and cleans thoroughly. His English is very good and we communicate easily. This building was built ten years ago before the property boom and the quality and space would not be duplicated now. We looked at one so-called 2bedroom unit that would fit in our master bedroom here. Today they build them small and cheap and encourage average Indonesians to buy as an "investment". The kitchen is a challenge for me, but it's much more than most people have.
We're off to Hanoi this week. I've just been thinking that it's been almost 40 years since the war has been over. How can that be?. Where did the time go. We are staying at the Hanoi Hilton (!) although that term will only resonate with those of a certain age.(For the rest of you, ask John McCain). Actually it's called the Hilton Hanoi. I guess we didn't bomb Hanoi back then and the city is supposed to be quite charming and European-a good walking city. There is supposed to be good eating and shopping and one of the other spouses and I plan to explore while the guys are in meetings. The country is still decidedly communist, although I am told US dollars are widely accepted and we'll be warmly welcomed. I wish the Republican presidential candidates would remember that war as well as the debacles in Iraq and Afganistan. I can't believe they are talking about bombing Iran. It would be a disaster. Loose lips sink ships (and raise the price of gasoline)
I am very busy this month with my various talks. I have a variety on my flash drive and use them as necessary. I've done three of my essay writing workshops, one TOEFL prep, and one on choosing a college in the US and its only the 12th. I have one more after we get back from Hanoi. One of the downsides to growing older is feeling perhaps irrelevant to younger folks, so it is very nice to be so much in demand.
We experienced the proverbial Chinese fire drill the other day. We were invited to international Day at a Middle School to talk about life in America. When we arrived all the kids were dressed in some kind of traditional outfit. Nice and the kids were adorable. Most of them are Chinese but we had a little Dutch girl and several American cowboys. But...it was being held outdoors in a courtyard in the heat and the kids ranged from k through 8 (600 in all). There were special foods being served and utter chaos reigned. Tom and I looked at each other and mouthed, "disaster". We had prepared a PowerPoint with slides but there was a small screen and it was so bright outside that there was no hope of seeing the screen and so hot that balloons were exploding on the stage. We put on our game faces and mentally retreated into the zone we go to when stuff like this happens. There were several student performances and fulsome welcoming remarks and then it was our turn. We put up the slides and talked as briefly as was polite. The kids were walking back and forth in front of us and I swear the only person listening was the principal. Of course afterwards we received the requisite plaque and had numerous pictures taken. At least the car that took us back was air conditioned!
Enough stream of consciousness for today.
A few more thoughts. We went to see Hugo last night. It was marvelous and for any age.
We return from Hanoi on the 19th and I just read that a general strike is being called for Mar. 20 to protest the government's planned reduction of the fuel subsidy. I learned in my geopolitics of oil class that subsidies are bad for a number of reasons and one of them is that a crisis is provoked when they are removed. This is generally not a strike-happy country, but rising fuel costs affect everyone. We'll see. Let's hope we are safe at home by then.
We have been getting some fabulous salmon lately. The store tells me it is wild Alaskan salmon and comes in fresh every day. It is clearly not farm raised as it is very oily (all those good omega -3 oils), but how and why it gets here so fresh and at the reasonable cost of $14 a pound I can't figure out. We will continue to enjoy it as long as it lasts.
Well I am ready to post, but only have one picture available. Tom took several good pictures of the middle school event, but somewhere between him emailing them to me as an attachment, me opening them on my iPad, saving them to my pictures, and uploading them to the blog, there is a glitch. I want to post this before we leave for Hanoi tomorrow and I don't have time to hunt down the problem. Maybe later.
