Savor the Moment.

In a world of planned obsolescence and instant gratification, I find immense pleasure in people that have an acute appreciation for history. While over for tea (yes, very British I know) my friend James told me the story about these spoons that he inherited.

His grandmother worked in the RAF as a nurse during WWII and was charged with counting and sorting the silver every night. Apparently, 41 spoons is just as bad as 39 and one night she was instructed to get rid of the additional spoon. She ended up taking it home with her.


The other spoon belonged to his grandfather, which he had engraved with his initials and carried throughout the war. He ended up wounded, sent to RAF hospital and fell in love with a beautiful nurse that ended up taking care of him for the rest of his life.

Two generations later, the matching spoons have found their way to Hong Kong and are kept safe and used often.

I'm always fond of keeping and using things with a past history, especially when it involves the people you love. It makes life richer, more dynamic and also makes you appreciate the lives of those that came before you. I hope that my life story echos that of the silver spoons; and that perhaps one day my great-granddaughter will use an article of mine steeped in love and history.

Thank you James for sharing your wonderful story, I wish you luck with your recent engagement.

Living in a new city, especially such a vibrant metropolis like Hong Kong has encouraged me to open my eyes a little more. I realized that people almost naturally look at the pavement when they walk, instead of keeping their head up and looking around.

I've been making a point to look up, which has allowed me to see the richness and depth that this city has to offer. For example, while walking down towards Soho I saw this magnificent tree, growing out of the wall at a extreme angle - a tree with gumption, ambition and personal resolve who said "Hmmmm... I'm going to puts roots down here."

It's become my local hero of sorts, as it reminds me that when you've put your mind to it - anything is possible. I walk past it everyday and it reminds me of the goals I have yet to reach and the dreams I've yet to pursue.

Caroline Myss once said that "You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone, which can become a watered-down, occasional hope that you'll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless." The little tree that could looks down on me some days, as says "my very existence stems on me holding myself up, having built a strong root structure... I've endured typhoons and I'm still growing and prospering... what have you done today?"

You're thinking to yourself, does this girl ever stay in one place? Seattle, Prague, London, Dubai, Shanghai, Bangkok, Sydney... and now Hong Kong. Difference is I'm moving to this New York of the East and so far I'm loving every minute of it.

I spent the last couple of days roaming the crowded yet colorful streets, tasting the local noodles and marveling at the cool collection of skyscrapers and old colonial buildings. I love that it's a city on the harbor, that the sky darkens with the torrential downpours (I love rain, must come from my days in Seattle) and that the transit system is fast, cheap and reliable.

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress, but just wanted to share the news and also post a photo of the amazing view. Hi from HongKong. =D

One thing I love about Indonesia is the random pairings I see. Somehow Cantonese seafood and an English furniture shop makes perfect sense, right? =P

People have been asking me if I took them off my mailing list - which means I haven't been writing at ALL in the past... whoa... few months. Sorry folks. Lots to catch you up on.

It was my 26th birthday a few weeks ago and I spent in the mountains of Bali with Andrew, who had decided to visit for a short but much needed vacation. As I grow older, I realize that I need to balance myself more. I love the hustle and bustle, cocktail parties and city life, but I also need to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book once in awhile. Fortunately for me, my birthday week was packed with lounging around the pool, eating copious amounts of delicious food and contemplating the universe. It was my kinda birthday. Here are some of the highlights.

Summer time... and the living is easy. In America my friends are chomping down on blueberries, kayaking on lake Washington and going for ferry rides across the sound. Lucky bastards.

In order to console myself, I decided to take a last-minute trip to Bali for the weekend - as sand, sun and surf sounded like just what the doctor ordered.

And so I did. I enjoyed salmon sashimi at Ku De Ta and listened to the peaceful sound of the ocean all weekend. I came back rejuvenated and relaxed.

It's summer in the states, but as I came to realize... the weather is always sizzling in Indonesia. =D

Inside, I'm just a fat kid that loves food (and unfortunately starting to look like it). Inevitably everything comes down to the gastronomic arts for me, as I love to seek out those savory tidbits that keeps the hungry-hippo in me happy.


While in Dubai, my favorite meal of the whole trip was the Disco Sandwich (oh yes my friends, it's so good, it needs to be capitalized). Many of the small Indian-shops in the souks (سوق markets) make these to order, accompanied with a paper cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice. It consists of a fried egg, bad American-processed cheese, onions, garlic and spices on toasted white bread. A simple meal, and for 3 dirhams (a buck) you get the privilege of chowing down on some good grub. So if you're ever in the land of sand, grab yourself one of these. They are quite excellent, up there with the Euro-dog and Mozzarella sandwich with Mayo from Prague.

A month after my trip to Dubai and I'm still finding sand in my pockets, as well as in my shoes and even my handbag. The fine grains linger like a bad haircut and it reminds me of Dubai's sea of construction, dirty-gray skies and most importantly, the heat without humidity. (For a girl who grew up in the tropics, heat without humidity is a very strange sensation. I like my warmth to hit me like a brick wall, thank you very much).

Why so much sand you ask? It's because Dubai was established in the land of red-planet-like deserts as far as your eye can see. The sand is everywhere, even piled up curbside - like snow in the colder regions of the world. (Between the sand and the extreme heat, it's a wonder that cars function there at all.)

The sand in my pocket, I suspect also comes from taking part in a desert safari. You see, I was hoping for Khaki pants, a white hat, binoculars and yelling "tallyho!" in an English accent until I realized it wasn't that type of safari. So instead, I indulged in rolling around in the sand, delighting in climbing the sand dunes and generally covering myself with the coral-colored particles.


See? Bad Riani.


In the moments that I wasn't burying myself in the dunes, I'd look across the desert and marvel at the pockets of vegetation - bushes of pink flowers and palm trees scattered about. In such a dry land, nature has still be able to plants that can survive such climates. (Oddly enough, I also recalled seeing fruit and vegetable farms on the outskirts of town. If you consider the cost of nutrient-rich soil and potable water in such barren land, you'll realize that with petro-dollars, you can do anything.

I had asked Arian (one of the guys I work with) what he wanted from Dubai - "sand" was his response. So after emptying the contents of a peach-flavored water bottle in my stomach, I filled the container with high-grade Emiratean sand. It's still sitting on his desk. Sometimes I wonder if I should add the sand currently occupying the bottom of my purse to his collection, but I figure he already has plenty.

Alright, I must get back to my reports ... God knows I love to curl up in an excel spreadsheet once in awhile. I'll be posting a series of blogs about Dubai in the coming week, please stay tuned!

Most people dream about visiting Bali, spending a glorious 8-10 days in island bliss far away from anything and everything. I'm lucky enough to live on the island next door and have made the trip twice in the 4 months I've been back in the country. I'm determined to keep that trend up.

Since I'll probably be blogging about Bali a lot in the next few years, I'll try to capture different parts of the island culture for you to peruse. Here is my trip in 5 pictures.


PDI is a political party in Indonesia - these were (very large) flags that were flying all over the island. My friend Jason and I got lost trying to get to Uluwatu, but did manage to snap photos of these impressive flags along the way.

Ahhh. Riani's are known for being like cats... We climb trees in the dark, swing from the branches and have a great time frolicking in the vegetation. But like all cats, Riani's forget that once you get up, you need to find a way back down again... Oh dear.

I opted for the quickest (and safest, I felt) way down, which was jumping in the pool from the tree. Hey man, works for me. My dress was dry by the time I woke up the next morning. And no, I didn't have (that much) alcohol in my system.

Like puppies? I made a point of visiting a friend's pups in a Ubud villa, (a gorgeous mountain town north of Kuta.) Don't let the puppy eyes and sweet kisses fool you! This is a savage beast waiting to devour you!

Lunch at the Four Seasons in Jimbaran Bay was splendid, ask to take the buggy down to PJ's cafe on the beach. The Mahi Mahi with grilled tiger prawns is AMAZING, the best I've EVER had (and that's saying a lot). Stay the afternoon and enjoy the sights... Those of you interested in aviation can watch the plans take off and land from the airport in the distance. (Don't worry, you can't hear a thing). Karl, Dad, Jeremy - it was a beautiful 2/8ths the day I was out. =)

That's all for now folks. Happy begining of summer! =D

Nothing interesting happens at work really, an occasional box of cereal goes missing or on a good day - a demonstration occurs outside the office (since we share the building with five embassies). But for the most part, we're a happy group typing away and discussing Indonesia's forestry industry and the implications of the carbon credit market. Riveting.

Yesterday was an adventure packed day though, as we had a bona-fide fire in our midst. (And not in some office on the 26th floor, but in our humble four walls!) An odor of burning plastic filled the air, causing alarm amongst everyone. A quick trip to the kitchen revealed a melting water cooler engulfed in flames. Super-star Matthew-the-research-analyst ran to get a fire extinguisher and before you know it - the whole office is encased in pink powder. Boo-yeah!

I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I'm expecting a full explanation from my host dad, Dave Townsend in Seattle (who is a retired electrician specializing in electrical fires). I thought you guys would enjoy a couple of photos though.

Happy Wednesday my friends!

While in Dubai, I found this great mural on the wall of the airport arrival hall representing all the great buildings of the world. From the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Gerkin in London, the Pearl Tower in Shanghai to Teipei 101, many of the greats are there...

But what about the pyramids? The Eiffel tower? Which ones would you have included?

Bakso my friends, is Indonesia's version of Grandma's chicken soup. It consists of two types of noodles and balled-up ground beef in a steamy broth laced with garlic and onions. I usually add some sweet soy sauce and sambal for a little spice. There are many great Bakso houses around Jakarta, but stick with the established ones - the street vendors will give you a stomach ache you won't soon forget.

The delicate fragrance of the broth, the slippery noodles and the spice of the chili reminds me of my childhood. Danielle (my twin sister and I) would run to the front gate with bowls in our hands when we heard the Bakso man go by with his Bakso cart. Everyday we'd chant "Bang Bakso, Bang Bakso" (Bakso Man) and push our bowls through the front gate for him to fill. We'd then enjoy the noodley goodness on the front steps of the house.

Inevitably, Bang Bakso would approach my mother at the end of the week with a bill. "What's this for?" She would ask. He'd look at her with wide eyes and reply, "The twins, Ibu, the twins!" Ahhh, that was my first experience with charging to an account.

So while you're in Indonesia, please make sure you try this delectable treat!

Cool huh? I came across these Muslim dolls today at a craft fair, and I loved that they came with matching clothes and multiple outfits, in a plethora of colors and fabrics. They even had them dressed in traditional clothing from the different provinces! I almost bought them to send to my niece for Christmas, but then wondered what my brother would say. (Hell, children could do with a little cultural exposure, right?)

Playing with them reminded me of a story my friend Arian told me... Every year he used to return to Washington D.C to lobby for better Indonesian-American relations, banging on Senator's doors and meeting with Congressmen. He made a point of always leaving a token thank-you behind, one that illustrated Indonesia's impact on American culture. That year, they chose Kebaya Barbie.

You probably don't know this, but a large majority of ALL Barbie Dolls are made in Indonesia, (as are your shirts, Nike shoes and Gap boxers). With all those Barbie's, Mattel also produced local Barbie's, like Sumatra Barbie. Kebaya Barbie went to D.C that year and was a instant hit with the politicians (and probably their children). Arian said the greatest part was putting 70 Kebaya Barbie's through the security screening, imagining what they must have looked like through an X'ray. Freaky.

For those of you interested in the dolls pictured above, please check out their website.

That's all folks!

Have you ever met magical people? Ones that could charm the spines off a cactus or have a whole Russian gulag singing Kumbaya? I seem to collect them, like pieces of eight that I place into my treasure chest, hopefully to be revisited at a later date (arrrrrg matey!). These navigators of high seas, these guiding stars in darkness have helped me chart my path and find the strength to dive into the deep end... Although we often come from different countries, backgrounds and travel in different circles, I always have faith we'll see each other again.

One such unicorn of a human-being is Camilla, otherwise known in Patagonia as the special girl that sees pumas*, and she's even more of a crazy breed than I am. Try half Spanish and half Filipino but growing up in Saudi Arabia for size! Having met in London, we've been keeping in touch via e-mail, facebook and *gasp* even phone calls. Camilla was "in the neighborhood" (Thailand) and we decided to meet up in Kuala Lumpur.

*Camilla went to Patagonia last year and hung out at a park that is famous for its pumas. Ironically, no one hardly sees the pumas - her guide had only seen them a handful of times in the years that he's worked there. Camilla saw them 3 of the 5 days she was there, and the locals nicknamed her the lucky little girl that sees pumas.


I had imagined the two of us rendezvousing for a few days of female frolicking, but to my delight, our party of two became a party of four super-women running around causing a ruckus! The Perryer sisters came from England for a two-week vacation and joined us for 4 days of continuous binge-eating and tea drinking... These platinum blonde bombshells are special in their own right, but they also have stardust: they RANDOMLY met my twin sister on the beach in Hawaii last year, after having met me in Asia. Really.

Here are a couple of great photos outlining the wonderful adventures we had:

One thing I love about working here in Jakarta is my ability to leave the office. I remember plenty a summer day in Seattle, longingly looking out the window from my desk.. counting down the hours until I could be outside. I thankfully don't have that problem here in Jakarta. I came to Payon, a great Indonesian restaurant in Kemang for lunch this afternoon and didn't leave. It's 8:10pm and I've been hanging out here all day, working on projects and coming up with templates for some reports.

I sit way in the back of the compound, on pillows at a table low to the ground... The thatched roof is held up by carved wooden columns, and the outdoor dining room is lit by lanterns that look 100 years old. There is a slight breeze which catches the scent of garlic, cinnamon and spices being used in the kitchen. If I look out into the courtyard, the lush trees are back-lit with twinkling lights. Payon looks like a Balinese villa, only tucked away in the busy habub that is Jakarta.

For those of you in Jakarta, I'm usually here on Sunday afternoons... Reading, writing and chatting with friends over a strong cup of Chai Jahe. Come stop by!

I currently have to leave Indonesia every 30 days, since I'm on a tourist Visa... So this "visa run" I decided to visiting the Kingdom of Thailand, specifically the original City of Angels (Bangkok).

Since I was there over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to be around for my favorite brunch - an event so obnoxiously extravagant I had to document it. This gentleman here is in waders, in the pond serving caviar from a platform also in the water. There are Koi that swim around him, making the whole experience even more spectacular.

So...If you're in Bangkok, indulge yourself and go to brunch... Which occurs every Sunday from 12:30pm to 3pm at the Four Seasons Hotel on Rajadamri Rd. Be sure to enjoy the live jazz, the lush surroundings and sample the dishes available from around the world!

Super Tuesday started a lot earlier for me this election year and I had the great fortune of voting in Jakarta with the Democrats Abroad. While you all were lining up in stinky school gyms across the United States, we had a cocktail reception, media coverage, phone calls from Gen. Wesley Clark and Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng at a swanky 5-star hotel.

Barack Obama's victory amongst our small but informed group of individuals tickled me, but there were other interesting things about Dem's Abroad. In particular was the schwag many Democrats left with - among them being this brilliantly marketed package that at first glance looks like a butter-packet. I thought I'd snap a quick photo and share it with you... enjoy!

Fitting isn’t it? A year ago today I embarked on some crazy journey around the world, hoping I would be sated by months of nomadic existence. Apparently it wasn’t enough though, since I’m at 39'000 feet and headed to Singapore to seek my fortunes. It seems my life has once again spun on its ever-unpredictable axis – I hope to keep you updated this time. But for now, let me play catch up.

The Emerald City
I returned "home" to Seattle in late November, but initially found the city small and unimportant compared to the hob-nob of London, the bustle of Bangkok and the sheer size of Shanghai. Without a job or sense of adventure, I had to (not so successfully at times) change my attitude to better enjoy Seattle’s off-beat pulse. Although difficult at times, I’ll look back remembering these things:

• Walking around Greenlake: This time with a 140 pound puppy that disliked both rollerbladers and guys with Mohawks. The lake was semi-frozen too, resulting in the comedic dance of ducks sliding across the ice.

• Spending time with friends. This time involving intimate and elaborate dinners, dress-up Christmas parties and board-game nights which required crazy hats, good wine and fantastic company.

• Seeing my sisters. This time, they’ve grown stronger and more resilient. Even while tackling their own daunting challenges, they built a foundation of love and unwavering support that gives me the courage to chase my (ridiculously crazy) dreams.
• Theater. This time a slew of performances, from Arabian Nights (amazing) to The Breach (awful) I still enjoyed the elaborate concoction of costumes, the set design and the stirring of the senses.
• Inspiring change in others. This time, that by-the-books Midwest bean-counter is giving me a run for my money. He’s traveling to Botswana and Tanzania next month while planning Christmas in the Philippines. Talk about inspiring people who then inspire you!
  

What about my old work?
Yes, I did visit my old workplace in the dark ominous Tower of Doom. The strange clinical smell and the harsh lighting added to the sense of despair that hung like the ghosts of lives unfulfilled. Coffee with an old colleague confirmed that Amazon still ran a totalitarian dictatorship built on slave labor. They still work 90 hour work-weeks while banging their heads against their cubicle walls - which begs the question; where is Amnesty International when you need them? Amazon Anonymous anyone?

What Now?
My year of travel was life changing - so much in fact, that my DNA has been permanently altered and I cannot bear conducting unproductive busy work everyday from 9-5 again. My resolution this year is to follow my heart, and I am unafraid… I’m moving to Jakarta to build my own empire, the details of which I’ll reveal as my ideas begin to take shape. But for now, please take this poem into consideration…. I hope you all find the courage and the faith in yourselves to have the audacity- to ask “Why the hell not?”

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry go-round?

Or listen to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don’t dance too fast,

Time is short,
The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?

When you ask: How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
Do you lie in your bed

With he next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You better slow down.
Don’t dance too fast,

Time is short,
The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time
To call and say “Hi”?

You better slow down.
Don’t dance too fast,

Time is short,
The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower.

Hear the music
Before the song is over.

David. L. Weatherford.