New kitties

Mummy puss and the two newbies. Haven't got names for them yet so any
suggestions gratefully received.

Pain in the arm

Will try and give you the short version. Had heart palpitating type thing going on so called ambulance. Spent the evenin in Southampton General Hospital to be told that they have no idea what caused it, but not to worry! Anyway, woke up this morning and this was the mess my arm was in.
More later when I feel a little more enthusiastic.

shifting cactus

Had to move my cactus from my ex-house in the centre, to storage until I have new place to live. It was about 25km in the pissing rain. I will just leave you with the film, as it sort of shows all.

Food fiasco

I realise that these entries are not in any particular order, I still haven't posted about how I turned a barman gay! Anyway, back to the point. Yesterday was desperately hungry, but could not decide what I wanted. Finally plumped for sausage and mash. Went back to my suite to wait for it, and after half an hour, it still hadn't arrived, so I needed something from reception so went to wander down there. Got to the lift, and it isn't moving from ground floor. A french guy I drink with comes up the stairs, so I ask him if there is a problem with the lift. He says it should be fixed now, a waiter was getting into the lift and the doors closed on him, throwing the tray all over the deck. Just then the lift doors open, and we were greeted by the delicious smell of onion gravy, normally associated with sausage and mash. Sure enough, my fucking meal has been elevatored. Descending to the lobby, mouth a-watering, I wondered how much longer it was gonna take. I strode through to the restaurant just in time to see my food being brought out of the kitchen. Delirious with hunger, and gratitude, we returned to the suite, where I scoffed in no uncertain terms.

Later that day, I bumped into the French bloke, who informed me, that when they were cleaning up the mess, they were chucking the food back onto my plate. So, not only did the little fuckers feed me lift floor food, but they charged me 15 fucking dollars for the privelege. Pissed off!

P.S. Since Barney left, weather has been great. Ain't that about a bitch!

A bit of catch-up

Not too sure where to start, so will attempt some form of logical order.
Ok, couldn't think of any logical way of doing it, so will just crack on regardless. Firstly, Barney has been over for a visit. I made the schlep over to Singapore to meet him from the airport, and I hired us a limo to have a mooch around the city. The driver was nice enough and was a good tour guide, although it would have been nice if he had occasionally paused to take a breath. I bet he would be a wicked didge player. Got ourselves onto the ferry, for the magical hour long crossing to Batam. About halfway across it started pissing down, so we sat under cover, while the locals asked Barney if he was David Beckham and got their photos taken with him.
We arrived in Batam, blagged our way through Immigration, hopped into the car and headed straight for the hotel. Ten minutes into the journey, Barney went to get something from his bag, when we remember that it is still at the ferry terminal with the porters there. Had to race back down to the ferry, bribe the porter chappy and try again.
We got to hotel and got Barney settled in to my lounge room and partook of a quick beer or two and some grub, we headed off to a local joint opposite the hotel, which was really nothing more than a shed, some plastic furniture, and some pretty al fresco toilet arrangements. After an undisclosed amount of beers and Barney falling off his chair, we adjourned to a pleasant seedy collection of bars on the seafront. Being about 2am by now on a Monday night, they were closed, but a load of the staff were sat outside a shop having a beer. As a couple of them recognised me, they called us over, and we had a beer with them. After half a bottle, they decided to open up the bar for us. We sat by the sea getting quietly mashed, while all the staff decide to go swimming. In the middle of the night. On a rocky beach well known for its cobra infestation. In a sea you could fry chips in. Barney and I did not join in. Bit of a grey area, memory-wise, but ended up back at hotel with a bundle more beers.

New Cactus

One of these is one of the pictures of me trying to get my new cactus back to my house in Puri Legenda. I was originally just gonna put it in the car, but when I went to pick it up, it was a shit load bigger than I remembered it as being. So they had to deliver it. It was balanced on the back of a flat bed, with a guy holding on to it as we motored from the nursery place to my house. Fucking amusing sight plodding down the road followed by a gigantic cactus on a truck!

One of the others is of Sri, an admin from where I worked, who helped me find a good reputable cactus purveyor, and translated if I was unable to fully understand the sales guy. She is 7 feet tall, but even she looks like a midget compared to Kate the cactus.

And of course, yours truly. What an enormous bit of kit. You really have to be there to realise how damn big the thing is. They had another huge plant there, that makes this thing look dwarf. It was really odd looking and had a bit of a smell to it, and was loads of money. So I asked the guy more about it, and the reason it was so expensive was that it protected your house from magic! So if you want to fuck the arse off of Hermione Granger, this is not the plant for you.

Map of Batam

I live at the far east of Batam Centre and I work in Tanjung Uncang. It is quite a haul to travel every day!

Quick bit of weirdity

I had taken a nap after work to dispose of a headache, and when I got up to make some food, I sat down to a bit of telly, I noticed my drink glass.

 

He is still sat there even now I have photographed him and am writing about him.

I don't know what it is, but it isn't a fish

Went out yesterday to buy a new bass amp for Harry, so he could upset his neighbours by turning it up very loudly in the back garden, which is, of course, what we did. But to the point, on the way to the music shop, I was driving in and out of the motorbikes who were weaving all over the road, and one of them was calmly shaking a fish at me with previously unregarded nonchalance. It is a common gesture from motorbike pillions, who lazily flap their arms when they are basically cutting you up or pulling out into a stream of traffic that is moving at a good 80 mph, as this stops anyone from hitting them!?! Why this is, I have yet to discover, although it does seem to work, after a fashion. Pedestrians also use this amazing life-saving trick, and I was no slouch at using it myself when in Surabaya. In fact I got so used to just stepping out into moving traffic and just waving my hand a little to protect myself, that when I got back to the UK I walked out onto St George’s Street in Winch attempting the same procedure, and was luckily dragged back out of the road before I was mown down. But I have to say, that I never felt the need to add a fish to my repertoire to maintain my road safety.

I wish I could have got a picture of the guy, but I nearly ran myself off the road where I was laughing so much.

 

Ok not the most interesting  item in the entire world, but you had to be there.

 

J

 

More excuses

I know I haven’t posted for ages, but I have had a dose of terminal bird flu, and have been dead for a while. Well, not exactly dead, more high as a bastard on the anti-cold medication I have been taking. Sort of a cross between heroin and Benylin. I thoroughly recommend the stuff. Have been swapping between night shifts and day shifts and both shifts, so a bit dazed and confused, just for a change. Have included a vid of how weird and noisy the yard is at night.

Came in this morning to the site office, just in time to see one of our guys leading the workers, who were arranged in rank and file, through calisthenics! I always thought that morning exercises were an urban myth, but I am obviously mistaken. I have a new car, but whilst picking people up this morning, we discovered that the passenger door handle fall off, and the back seat won’t stay up. But it is big enough to cope with the shitty roads here, rather than keep grounding itself like the last car did.

I have a new house as well, apparently, although I haven’t been inside it or held the keys or anything that normally indicates the handing over off cash for property. Want to get a look at it so I know what work has to be done on it. Probably won’t have any air conditioners and certainly won’t have hot water. I will stay in the little house for the time being until the new one is prepped and ready for habitation. May have to get an HD telly for the place, although may wait until next month, and put up with the projector.

 

Ooh, ooh, while I was in KFC a couple of days ago, watched an indo guy, who was obviously loving himself, don his dark reflective sunglasses driving gloves with a flourish, only to completely miss the top step and tumble like a fallen log down the whole flight of concrete stairs. It’s moments like that one that make life so much more bearable.

 

Incidentally, the second picture is of a wad of indocash. Just over one of those bundles has sorted out getting me the new BIG house, and the rest is for fitting it out. Can’t wait until the Jacuzzi arrives! 13mill for a corner Jacuzzi bath. Maybe I ought to concentrate on getting hot water first though. About the same cost to fit solar water heating, so may have to wait until next month for the bathtub!

 

Anyway, I will try and post more regularly, but very busy and may be starting yet another blog, so it is all a bit weeiirrr, a bit woooeerrrr, a bit waaaoooeeiiirrrr.

 

Peace out

 

J