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| Finally Woken |
| A tale about culture shock. An Indonesian who's stranded in Scotland, and has to deal with Scottish people, weather, accent, food, and football, from choosing the correct outfit for 4-seasons-in-1-day weather to the amusement of finding deep fried pizza. Let's have some fun! |
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| Unique Visitors: 244 |
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| Spoiled Local-Expatriates |
| 2008-05-08 05:33:43 |
The Writer just wrote about spoiled expatriates, "those who come from developed country and get a job in developing country and live like a king/queen". With salary which is unbelievably higher than a local standard - mostly due to ridiculous exchange rates and tax regulations - and lots of allowances, they soon embrace a lavish lifestyle with maids, gardeners, security guards, and so on. I couldn't deny that many expats are living like that. Being expats means they have to sacrifice many things: their life back home, their friends and family, their comfortable surrounding, to go to a foreign place thousands miles away from home with different customs, food, culture, temperature, and work attitudes. Many of them are reluctant to be posted overseas, especially if they have children to thin...
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| Surabaya Johnny |
| 2008-05-06 06:19:37 |
(Uncle) Nick, who's technically not my uncle but more like uncle-in-law, is a huge opera fan. He could fly to Switzerland or Germany for the weekend just to watch the performance. His and Alison's house is full of opera singers and shows posters from all over the world.One night Alison asked Nick to show me one performance called Surabaya Johnny. The song has been sung in several languages: I have seen it in English, German, and Italian that night. It's also performed by many artists, including Bette Midler.I am most fascinated by the title Surabaya Johnny. Surabaya, as you surely know, is the capital city of East Java, Indonesia. And just like any other cities in Indonesia, it still carries Dutch influence almost in every corner. But the song - a famous song, apparently - is composed by a...
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| Indonesian Expatriates Forum: Progress Update (2) |
| 2008-05-03 13:45:36 |
Indonesian Expatriates Forum (IEF), created in January 2008, has been doing very good. Bugilsnews puts IEF's widget which shows the list of articles we have published on their website (they also put a link to my personal blog there - big thanks to Bart and the team - perhaps because I constantly promote Bugil's, Cazbar and EP!), and with their perpetually growing number of readers and loyal fans, having IEF's link on their site will certainly boost IEF's popularity! Several bloggers also have IEF link on their blogs, like Jakartass (the most popular English blog according to Indonesia Matters), and my blogbuddies like Rima and Therry.IEF also has gathered almost 50 blogs of Indonesian expats and returned expats around the world. (I will elaborate the term '...
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| Greedy Green |
| 2008-04-30 03:27:52 |
I read in Tasa's that Whole Food Market encourages its customers to bring their own bags by taking 5 cents to 10 cents off the bill for each. The same policy will be applied to Marks & Spencer's customers soon.clipped from news.bbc.co.ukMarks and Spencer is to begin charging its food shoppers for carrier bags.Customers will have to pay 5p for plastic bags, with the money raised going to an environmental charity.Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose said the company wanted to "make it easy for our customers to do their bit to help the environment".Campaigners say plastic bags damage the environment. Some 13bn are given free to UK shoppers every year, and they take an estimated 1,000 years to decay.As much as I support the being green spirit, I don't think that these supermarkets are playing f...
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| Train Ramblings: How Well do You Actually Know About Your Own Country? |
| 2008-04-28 19:14:18 |
I'm writing this in a moving train that is taking us back to Aberdeen. Yes, the train provides a free wi-fi service, which helps me to endure the 7 hours journey back from London. To think that most shopping malls in Jakarta still charge their customers for providing wi-fi service is ridiculous, especially when you have to buy different wi-fi cards on different shops. Sitting down in Coffee Club might not guarantee that the wi-fi cards I buy from Starbucks would work although they are in the same mall. Starbucks Plaza Indonesia's wi-fi card wouldn't work at the one on Plaza Senayan. Go to Cazbar or Eastern Promise for a free wi-fi. No frills. You just have to buy a glass of beer and smile at the gorgeous barmaids to obtain the password, and they will let yo...
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| Frustrating |
| 2008-04-27 06:29:39 |
A combination of a scheduler who pays a great attention to details and a natural worrier would be the worst. It's me. Me. Me. I am such a pain in the butt to those who think that birds are chirping and the world is smiling and everything is perfect even though your life is not planned. I would stand by their door and tell them that it's going to rain and they're better to take the umbrella and next time read the weather forecast before taking too many tank tops.And if it's my event, it's double worry and double attention to details. It's frustrating to see everyone takes everything very easy, while I'm sitting down and drafting schedule for everybody on hour basis. Only to a reply that they haven't even booked the flight, or they don't know what to do - but as long as beer and girls are in...
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| Caucasian vs. Indonesian Men (2) |
| 2008-04-21 00:27:08 |
My previous post sparked lots of heavy comments. First came Oigal, who said I was nasty and too personal. He asked me to remove my reference regarding his family from my blog.I did reply to his comment, saying that I was in rush to go to funeral (and it was Good Friday for goodness sake), I will come back with a proper response after I have time reading all the comments from him and Rob at Unspun, and after reading Rob and his posts altogether. They are lots of them, and I should take time to read them all, otherwise I would be accused to having quoted them wrongly, again. After lots of engagements since yesterday, I came back home and found out Unspun has clipped my last posting, and yes, Oigal and Rob have posted new articles respectively. Without giving me a chance to rephrase my previo...
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| Spring? What Spring? (2) |
| 2008-04-21 00:22:22 |
It's mid April. It's supposed to be spring. Summer should be around the corner. With a high spirit we headed down to Edinburgh. We planned to visit several places. The sun was glowing even with the dark cloud above us. But then God thought it would be funny to blow some cold.Back in Aberdeen, where snow wasn't present, I was dropped off to do some shopping. After two hours it was started to rain so I was ready to go home. I found out they changed the bus route, I didn't know which bus I should take, no warning whatsoever. Number 11 was just off. I waited for another bus, but it's Sunday and they turned up every 30 minutes and I already was soaking wet. I decided to walk home with two big bags, and after 5 minutes the rain turned into windy snow. The wet br...
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| Great Scottish Castles (1) |
| 2008-04-21 00:19:47 |
Scotland's turbulent history has left an enduring mark on the landscape in shape of the many castles, fortresses and tower houses that pepper the countryside. Some - such as Edinburgh or Stirling - rank amongst Europe's most impressive structures while other less grand examples provide a stark insight into darker times. The first time I landed in Scotland, one of my goals was to visit every single castle. That until I found a book that lists them all. There are thousands castles scattered in Scotland! Even to visit all castles in Aberdeen and Grampian area will take years, unless if I do it every day. Maybe.In the mean time, I set my goal to be a simpler one: visit all famous castles first. Here are 5 of them: Edinburgh Castle, EdinburghScotland's most important and famous castle. I can't...
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| Without Prejudice |
| 2008-04-16 08:04:02 |
For the past two days I attended a settlement course in a very gorgeous hotel. It's rather late, considering I have been here since last June and know most of the absolute essentials, but it's still worth to attend, and I got to see new people and had free lunches, yay! The course is done to help people settling nicely in a host country. Unsettling employees and partners could jeopardize their posting, their unhappiness threaten their productivities because they are worried about other matters rather than their jobs, and the company could loose their valuable resources. So 2 days course in a very nice hotel with free lunches is worth spent.For those who just come to a new place, or even those who repatriate back after spending years in other countries, this course is very helpful. In fact ...
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| On Fitna, Bloggers vs. Hackers, and Computer Illiterate MPs |
| 2008-04-12 07:37:51 |
Fitna is a short film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, which explores Qur'anic motivation for terrorism and Islam in the Netherlands (explanatory stolen from Wikipedia). On April 7, Indonesia has blocked access to YouTube and a couple of other websites such as MySpace and Multiply. The Minister of Information and Communications Muhammad Nuh has passed a bill that forces 146 ISP's in Indonesia to block access to YouTube. Kompas has confirmed that the reason for the block is Youtube's refusal to remove Fitna from their servers.After a week of public debates and overwhelming protests, Nuh has apologised for ordering the blocking of Youtube, Multiply and a few other sites which host the video Fitna, and the virtual community in Indonesia can relax, sit back, and exhale for a while. Ther...
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| Shannon Matthews: Bizarre Case |
| 2008-04-11 06:28:19 |
Shannon Matthews is only 9 years old when she failed to return home from swimming trip on February 19. Her disappearance didn't hit the news as big as Madeline McCann. Missing Madeline gets full coverages from media and attracts celebrities ' attention (on her 100th day missing, both Sunderland and Tottehnham Hotspur teams walked on to the pitch in white T-shirts bearing Madeleine's photograph and the words "Don't You Forget About Me", and the energetic campaign mounted by the McCanns to find their daughter has raised millions in donations and reward money and involved celebrities like David Beckham and Richard Branson). But the news of Shannon's disappearance could be found somewhere on the tiny corner of the newspapers. No celebrity jumped to help. No football team players wear the pictu...
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| Haggis, Black Pudding, White Pudding |
| 2008-04-09 01:14:07 |
Haggis, a traditional Scottish dish, is - according to Wikipedia - made of the following ingredients: sheep's heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for about three hours. Today the dish is prepared in a casing rather than an actual stomach. MacSween (picture, right) sells cooked haggis, and we only need to remove it from the outer plastic bag, wrap in foil and re-heat it.Traditionally served with neeps and tatties (cooked turnips and potatoes), haggis is always present on Burns Supper, when Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, is commemorated. In Jakarta, you can find it in St. Andrews Ball. I can't remember seeing it in Highland Gathering, but check the chief's tent, probably they ha...
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| Friends Abroad |
| 2008-04-04 05:25:52 |
Last night I found out that Bugilsnews displays Indonesian Expatriates Forum (IEF) link and its widget on their site. With a few thousands of subscribers (I was told they had 10,000 readers a couple of years a go and it was when Bugils Group hasn't been crazily expanding - to how many bars now, five, six? - like nowadays, so the number might be bigger now), having the link there will hopefully spread the news about IEF. Despite what people think - especially our Indonesian friends and family back home - that life is glorious, the future is bright, and everything is nothing but sweet love if we live abroad, being away from home is always a lonely (and most of the times, shocking) journey. Only people who are in our shoes, ...
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| Spring? What Spring? |
| 2008-04-01 17:42:37 |
On Sunday we had to adjust our clock back to 6 hours behind Indonesia. Spring has come, apparently. Everybody's mood has lifted when the week has started with a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the sky was blue, the flowers have been starting to reappear, and the sale has begun. Today when I looked outside the window, I saw what I have seen yesterday, so I bravely put on a short-sleeves top - the first time in 5 months, probably - and a jacket. I was so looking forward to put my normal (read: tank top, jeans, and jeweled sandals) clothes back on, rather than having to think about the whole colour arrangement against gloves, scarf, coat, and boots. But the digital thermometer showed 14.5 degree (Celsius). That wasn't convincing, ...
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| The Mighty Boosh |
| 2008-03-31 16:36:55 |
Billy came and stayed with us on Friday night a few weeks a go. He brought two rucksacks, one contained his laptop, and the other contained his stuffs for the night. Inside his laptop, he had a DVD of The Mighty Boosh. On Saturday morning he made us sit down and watch the show. I mean shows, plural, since one DVD contains at least 10 episodes. After a moment that felt like eternity, I was practically and literally hypnotized. The Mighty Boosh might be the weirdest TV series. Ever. It's not funny ha-ha. It's funny but something stops me from laughing. It makes me uneasy, like rather than laughing at them, it's the other way around happening. It's a surreal dark comedy that plays around with what you might have dreamed in your sleep. The characters are equally bizarre. If you see the picture...
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| Tunnock's Teacake and Tablet |
| 2008-03-28 16:48:07 |
I blame Scotland for my weight gain. This country seems to have endless collection of sweets and savouries, and none of them are healthy! It seems that all sin ingredients are mixed together to create devilish, high calorie deserts. I thought STP and deep fried Mars bar are the only bad sweets, but everyday I find new things. I met my first Tunnock's Teacake on last Good Friday. Without a shame, I scoffed down 3 pieces in front of everyone. The teacake, which is made by the company which has been around since 1890 (!), consists of a small round shortbread biscuit covered with a half-dome of a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow. This is then encased in a thin layer of milk or plain chocolate and wrapped in a distinctive red and silver foil paper for the more popular milk...
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| Table Manners - Eating Without Prejudice (?) |
| 2008-03-28 15:45:56 |
In Indonesia, when we go to restaurants, there are no other ways to grab waiter's attention but calling {this can go from mbak (sister) or ibu (ma'am), to unnecessary flirtatious remarks like sayang (darling) or cantik (gorgeous)}, waving (hand or napkin), or - these are extremely rude manners - whistling, clapping and flicking your fingers.I am told that in UK you should not do anything but engaging eye contacts (and souls, perhaps), until they realize that your plate is empty and you are ready for your second course. Rather than eye movements, any gestures will be considered rude. No calling "xcuse me!", no frantic waving, and don't you dare to whistle, clap or flick your fingers if you want to be ignored for the rest of the night, or worse, have your soup tasted like feet because proba...
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| American I-Dull |
| 2008-03-19 06:55:01 |
I am embarrassingly watching American Idol now. I have never been a fan, and only saw the show on and off, if it happens to be on telly, but since a few weeks a go I decided to tape it so I wouldn't miss it (people in Indonesia would not be familiar with Sky TV; but in short, I could program the telly to record the show or the series, and I could pause the live show if I need a toilet break, it's like Tivo in the US). I don't really follow the whole show history. I only know Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry. I certainly don't remember who won the contest last year, let alone 2 years a go. I rarely watch the show up until the Top 12 anyway.And then yesterday when I was watching the show, I got so annoyed with Ryan Seacrest, the host. Few years a go I thought he was ok, very confident and command...
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| When Indonesian Goes Shopping |
| 2008-03-16 15:45:25 |
I have landed on a blog written by an Malaysian expat who now lives in Jakarta. Some of her articles tickled me and I just realized that is how people see us, Indonesians. One that makes me smile is to read her amazement to see the ladies who go to shopping malls with big hair and dangerously high heels, and they look like they are ready to go to a gala dinner rather than buying detergent or having coffee with friends.I couldn't agree more. God forbid if Indonesian matrons turn up with unwashed hair, or a pair of flip-flops - unless they are a bejeweled pair - or without make-up, even on weekends or at the shop's closing time. It's better if they are accessorized with designer handbags and shoes, at least one nanny for each kid (one to push the trolley,...
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| What A Difference A Nationality Made? (3) |
| 2008-03-15 11:58:05 |
There are two occasions which urged me to think seriously about giving up my Indonesian passport and becoming a UK citizen. One of my friends asked if we're interested in going somewhere on Easter break, and she quite fancied Switzerland and Austria. While another one immediately said yes, I had to tell her that it's not that easy for Indonesian. We can't just hop on the plane and fly to European countries. The other occasion was when Joan and I were talking about an impulse of spending the weekend, say, somewhere in Portugal, or Italy. I told her, that of course, for Indonesian, we have to plan in at least a month in advance. At least.Being Indonesian, we are only allowed to set our foot into 11 countries without visas. For other countries, we have to embark on a long journey of collecti...
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| Bloody Eejit |
| 2008-03-15 09:38:10 |
My friend Anja has just arrived from Holland a couple of months a go. She learns that even though she speaks impeccable English, she still can't understand what Scottish people say half of the time. Well I couldn't blame her, I've been here for over 8 months and I still don't get it sometimes. And even though I've known Stuart for several years, there are times I have to ask him to repeat what he's saying, especially when the weather gets too cold and it freezes the tiny cells in my brain. One time some guy was trying to sell something over the phone and I had to stop him by saying I'm not Scottish and his accent was too strong and I had no idea what he's saying. He took it hard and put the phone down without saying anything more.Well I found few Scottish dialects as below. Let's see if I...
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| On Anonymous Bloggers |
| 2008-03-10 05:23:53 |
Since last week I have been following closely the intense debate among expats in Indonesia about anonymous blogger, an issue raised by Fatih Suyud when he awarded Rob Baiton as the blogger of the week and praised Rob as one of the few Western bloggers who reveals his own true identity. Fatih actually has written a lot of postings about what he calls ghost bloggers - 7 actually including the Rob Baiton's posting - but this time he has successfully attracted many comments and ripostes, perhaps because he specifically targets 'foreign expatriates who blog on Indonesia' under the pseudonymous.Unspun reacted at the same day, and clipped Fatih's post on his blog and said that he thoroughly agrees with Fatih. John Orford, Jakartass, Oigal and Treespotter contr...
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| On Anonymous Bloggers (2) |
| 2008-03-10 05:22:25 |
There was a big hoo-ha a while a go when Fatih raised an old issue about anonymous blogging. He particularly dislikes those who blog anonymously on sensitive issues, like politics or religions, and suspect that they have hidden agendas. Fatih's post generated ripostes and comments from expats in Indonesia.Unspun, stands firmly behind Fatih, showed how bad anonymous blogger can be, by clipping an article from The New York Times about a suicide of an advertising agency's creative director in Chicago, allegedly after couldn't handle the harsh criticism from AgencySpy and AdScam, two blogs written by advertising industry insiders. clipped from www.nytimes.comVisitors to AgencySpy and AdScam, two sharp-tongued blogs written by advertising industry insiders,...
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| Kilt |
| 2008-03-08 18:25:45 |
One of the Scottish national symbols is kilt, a traditional garment of modern Scottish and Celtic (more specifically Gaelic) culture typically worn by men (from Wikipedia).clipped from www.macgregorandmacduff.co.uk The original kilt was known as the feileadh mhór (philamore) or "big wrap". After the ban and during the 1800s the kilt evolved into something like what we wear today. This is known in Gaelic as the feileadh beag (philabeg) or little wrap.The top and bottom parts were separated, the top half (the plaid) being worn over the shoulder and detachable for comfort. The bottom part was now tailored with sewn in pleats but no hire companies were on the horizon just yet.Originally the apron of the garment (the front part) was left unattached but one story, possibly apocry...
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| Shortbread, Oatcake, and Rowie |
| 2008-03-05 19:08:21 |
Shortbread is a Scottish-origin biscuit which is made from white sugar, a lot of butter, and plain white flour. These sweet cookies are usually served with tea (hot tea, I may have to add, since for Asians tea sometimes is served cold) in the afternoon, or for a snack.Due to its popular demand, shortbread is also made in other countries like Denmark and Sweden, but of course the Scottish version is the most popular one.Walkers Shortbread Ltd is Scotland's largest shortbread exporter, and thank to them, you could find these cookies in Jakarta, at least I've seen them displayed in Sogo supermarket. Dean's is also another nice brand. But of course the best shortbread I've ever tasted would be Stuart's grandma's homemade ones!Oatcakes are made almost entirely of oats and make the perfect accom...
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| Animal Cruelty on Lobster |
| 2008-02-29 01:46:46 |
We went to The Prime Cuts last night with another couple, and the restaurant specialties are steak and lobster. Nearby the maître d' stand there was a big tank parading huge, healthy lobsters (thank God they did not show live cows too). I asked one of the staffs when we were collecting our coats back, if the lobster are for a show or they actually use (cook) them. She said that they do use the lobster in the tank if someone orders it. But the patrons are not allowed to pick the lobster by themselves.Why?Because it's considered as an animal cruelty.So you can order the lobster, but you can't point one of the inhabitants in the tank and tell the chef that you specifically want that lobs...
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| Irn Bru |
| 2008-02-25 09:33:54 |
Scottish people are very proud of everything they have, so imagine when I tell them that Irn Bru tastes like Fanta Orange to me!Irn Bru (pronounced iron brew) is carbonated soda drink, made by A.G. Barr plc, a soft drink manufacturer from Glasgow.clipped from en.wikipedia.orgIrn-Bru is famous for its eccentric bright orange colour (something it shares only with the glucose drink Lucozade). The formula for Irn-Bru is a closely guarded trade secret, known only by two of Barr's board members, with a written copy held in a Swiss bank-vault.[1] As of 1999 it contained 0.002% of ammonium ferric citrate, sugar, 32 flavouring agents (including caffeinequinine) and colouring (E110, E124). It is advertised as having a slight citrus flavour, but many have differing opinions of the exact taste of Irn-...
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| What A Difference A G'Day Makes |
| 2008-02-25 09:27:13 |
The Sunday Times Magazine yesterday featured an article about more and more Britons are emigrating to Australia. I have found several interesting facts that I will share with you.Australia now becomes the most popular destination for British emigrant, and British people now make up almost a quarter of foreigners applying for Australian citizenship. ButNot so long ago the British and Irish were forced or bribed to go there. From the day the first white settlers landed in what became Sydney in 1788m through to the early 19th century, Australia was a huge prison, the bloody and terrible terminus for thousands of British and Irish convicts, most transported for petty crimes, such as theft and prostitution.The former prime minister, John Howard, when campaigning for the second time, was hit by ...
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| Facebook Can Ruin Your Life |
| 2008-02-23 05:38:08 |
Isn't it funny that we live behind closed doors but our private lives are wide open to the entire world? We cautiously block the window with thick curtains so people wouldn't see what we are doing. We lock the door so no one could enter without permission. But then we sit comfortably on the settee and pouring ourselves and everything we have got out. Our next door neighbor wouldn't know that I was away for 2 months, back to Indonesia and Vietnam. But the rest of the world can find out easily.But we are not aware that information we share can be used against us. clipped from www.independent.co.ukFacebook can ruin your life. And so can MySpace, Bebo...People will post just about anything on social networking sites. And the information can be used against t...
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| You Know You're in The UK When... |
| 2008-02-18 01:59:47 |
I was ordering a new wardrobe at John Lewis. It's sort of custom made; we could choose size, colour, model, and additional bits according to the given catalog. After settling all the major parts, like size and colour, I began adding the elements like lights, drawers, and tie hangers. The cheery shop assistant happily took notes and presented the price for each item.Up to the point where I told the her that I wanted to add the pants hanger. She looked at be, bewildered."Pants hanger?""Yes, please.""I don't think we have it.""Oh yes you do." I opened up the catalog and showed it to her. "Here. Pants hanger, for 5 pants.""OH!" she chuckled. "You mean trousers hanger!"This time it was my turn to look at her, "Yes, trousers hanger. What's the difference?""I thought when you said pants, you mean...
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| Dying to Take The Call? |
| 2008-02-18 01:09:17 |
In Indonesia, we drive cars, motorcycles or vehicles as we please. The police are more interested in keeping everybody driving straight and God forbid if you cross the straight white line (although it's ok to park underneath the sign 'no parking'!). There is no awareness about road safety whatsoever.I mentioned very briefly about drink and driving, but there is more important issue that almost car drivers do in Indonesia: taking calls while driving, and worse, sending and receiving text messages when they are behind the steering wheel.Since 1st February the UK Department of Transport launches a new campaign about the danger of receiving or taking calls when driving.Quoted from The Road Safety Website:It is hard to do two things at once and research has shown that if you are using a mobile ...
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| Celebrating Valentine's Day... At The Football Stadium |
| 2008-02-14 13:26:13 |
When the chairman of the West Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Clerics’ Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI), Buya Mas’oed Abidin, urged people to stop the Valentine's Day celebration and accused it as a part of capitalist-Jewish conspiracy (see Indonesia Matter's Jewish Conspiracy), 12,000 km away from my home country I get to see how Aberdonian people celebrate it: by having one of the most important football matches in Aberdeen football history, Aberdeen vs. Bayern Munich. Around the city there were several guys walking fast with flower bouquets in their hands, mainly red roses. Clinton Cards, Thorntons, and Ann Summers were swamped with people who were buying last minute's cards, chocolates, and l...
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| Tantrum Injury: A Massage Experience in Saigon |
| 2008-02-11 04:32:58 |
Have you ever been in the situation where you were so mad you did something silly that hurt you back? It happened to me last Saturday in Saigon, which generated tantrum injury term from Stuart. Here's the story.After wandering around Ben Thanh Market in a hot, humid temperature to buy oleh-oleh, we ended up in New World Hotel for a drink. After a tiring, serious, deep conversation about conquering the fridge magnet world, where two of the guys were determined to penetrate and be successful entrepreneurs, we decided to go for a massage on the place next door called Le Lai. I insisted very hard that I did not want a naughty massage, so one of the guys went there first to make sure that it is a descent, respectable place. ...
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| Hang out with Fellow Indonesians |
| 2008-02-11 04:13:37 |
Why do we tend to hang out with other Indonesians, and in most of the cases, with only Indonesians, while we're abroad?I didn't spend a long time overseas. I was only in Sydney for 2 years doing my master's degree and grabbing some work experience before heading back to Indonesia. But those 2 years, combined with what I have seen here in Scotland makes me wonder.When I was in Sydney, it was not unusual to see our assignment groups consist of only Indonesians. I remember clearly that I was one of the few - if not the only one - who was in a group which had no other Indonesian fellow students in it. My group consisted of me, an Australian-Taiwanese (who spoke Australian-English with a heavy Chinese accent) and a French. On some assignments which requested more than 3 persons, we had one add...
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| Deep Fried Mars Bar |
| 2008-02-09 09:09:39 |
Yes, people. Scottish food are not particularly, ideally, healthy. I have mentioned about sticky toffee pudding (STP) in my previous post, a delicious desert which consists of moist sponge cake, dates, and toffee sauce, usually served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.Another Scottish desert, deep fried mars bar, is also delicious and super unhealthy. I briefly mentioned it in my previous post, Things That We Thought Are Normal, but I think this particular dish deserves its own review.clipped from en.wikipedia.orgA deep-fried Mars Bar is an ordinary Mars Bar fried in a type of batter used in the British Islesblack and white pudding, sausage, and often haggis. The Mars Bar is typically chilled before use to prevent it from melting into the frying fat, t...
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| Sticky Toffee Pudding |
| 2008-02-09 07:59:58 |
My friend Nirina just tasted her first sticky toffee pudding (STP) today. She has been here for quite sometimes, but has not been properly introduced to the Scottish deserts.No, wait.Just like Malaysia and Indonesia, Scotland and England have never ending debates about everything too. And sticky toffee pudding, a moist sponge cake made with dates and covered with toffee or caramel sauce, is one of the things that both sides claim as theirs.clipped from en.wikipedia.orgOriginsThe dessert's origins are considered a "mystery" according to the gastronomic journal, Saveur; however, the dominant story is that Francis Coulson developed and served this dessert at his Sharrow Bay Country House Hotelin the Lake District in 1960.Coulson's former protégé and chef, ...
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| Bizarre World |
| 2008-02-06 13:51:32 |
We live in a bizarre world. Forget threesome, forget BDSM, forget orgy, sex toys, or even sex with ladyboy. Nothing compares to these two horny guys when it comes to sex. Even pavement and bicycle can be objects of desire.clipped from news.bbc.co.ukMan simulated sex act on pavement A teenager carried out a sex act and then simulated sex on a pavement after drinking a half bottle of vodka while on medication, a court has heard.Steven Marshall, 18, of Woodstock Avenue, Galashiels, admitted the offence in his home street on 17 June.Selkirk Sheriff Court heard he got into a press-up position on the pavement and started simulating sexual intercourse.Sentence was deferred on Marshall, who takes medication for arthritis. He was put on the sex offenders register.The court heard that on the eveni...
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| Burns Supper |
| 2008-02-06 12:56:02 |
We're back in Aberdeen after 6-weeks holiday in Indonesia and Vietnam. The prospect of going back to cold, gray, wet weather wasn't really appealing; especially when we were transiting in Amsterdam and saw outside the window of Schiphol Airport. But surprise, surprise, last weekend wasn't actually that bad. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and blue, except there were no birds were chirping (they must have migrated to warmer lands), and there are no leaves left on trees. And it's very cold.But surely the cold weather doesn't stop people from doing stuffs. And here comes Burns Supper to look forward to.clipped from en.wikipedia.orgA Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems including "Auld...
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| Céilidh |
| 2008-02-06 12:55:41 |
I went to my first céilidh (pronounced kay-lee) in Aberdeen last December at The Marcliffe Hotel (which, to me personally, was a disaster, since I wore a long ball gown that sweeps the floor, very glamorous for waltz but not suitable for Scottish dance which involves lots of bounces and skips and takes so much energy, so instead of focusing on the dance, I was busy trying to keep my gown off of floors so no one incidentally stepped on it), and there is another one coming at the Hilton Treetops Hotel in February. Ms. Young from Outpost Aberdeen sent out an email informing this upcoming event, as quoted:A céilidh (gaelic word) was traditionally a gathering organized in someone's home during the dark winter nights in the Highlands and Islands. Within every community ...
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