It’s been two years since I was last in Jakarta and it did not take me very long before I ended up in the large shopping malls there. It seems like every time we stop in the malls Lia asks me “mau kopi nggak?” (Want coffee or not?) to which the answer is always going to be yes and in Jakarta malls, like so many places around the world, coffee means Starbucks.

As I went to about a dozen different Starbucks outlets during the few days I was there it seems only fair to put some photos here.

Starbucks Saranah

Starbucks – After dinner

Starbucks – With family

Starbucks was not the only place I indulged in my addiction though. I did get to enjoy some really strong Javanese coffee served the traditional way, bitter, delicious and heavy with grinds in the bottom of the cup.

When we got to Bali we stayed in Legian, just up the road from guess where!

While it's not my only source of information I often read the news.com.au website to catch up with the happenings of the world. One of the best things about this site is many of the articles allow reader comment.

If anyone reads the letters to the editor section of the paper you're probably aware of how entertaining and yet how frustrating these letters can be.

It's kind of like watching an episode of Faulty Towers. It may be hilariously funny but at the same time you just want to scream at Basil.

While some articles will get a couple of comments if any, there is some material that is a sure fire way of getting many comments. These are usually the more emotive writings that include things like road safety, climate change and juvenile behaviour.

Myself, I tend to stay away from commenting on articles with a large amount of comments. It seems somewhat futile to attempt any constructive argument as it will only get lost in a sea of irrationality.

That's OK though, because I have a blog and, if I want to, I can use this place to be incredibly irrational or I could be a beacon of sanity.

When push comes to shove, the biggest thing about allowing the masses to post on the Internet is that comments are opinions and opinions are subjective.

Of course, I could be wrong… 

It is due to the fact that I have been far too busy to write that this site has been sitting and stagnating for the last 4 months and so, as way of a resolution I am posting again.

I have quite a lot to write about and no idea where I am going to start so I will just stick with this post for now.