I have just cooked and eaten the worst curry I've made in living memory. In footballing terms it was like Aston Villa on bad day. It wasn't inedible, just poor. I can make lick-plate-at-the-end curries. This one I really struggled with. Got loads left in the pan too. And rice.
Just had the misfortune to hear some mature, though fawning arsehole DJ talk to Kirsten Dunst about her record vinyl collection inherited from her parents. She said she had every Beatles album and the DJ went WOW. I mean come on. It's not a big deal. I have practically every Beatles and Beach Boys record album. I'm not looking for a medal. One of the reasons I still have them as I wasn't stupid enough to believe the hype that CDs were the be all and end all.
Well, just got recently got back from my first ever visit to Bali. Loved the relaxed atmosphere and the nightlife scene was brilliant, but it was blatantly obvious that you're in a 3rd world area. Some of the poverty, corruption and caste hierarchy on display was absolutely shocking. Only time i saw police any presence was when they gave us a shake down near the beach and after spending 30 minutes making up laws that we had infringed upon. Finally got around to accepting our bribes to let us go and as were leaving we see them wave over the next group of white people coming up the road...quite surreal.
It takes an even bigger leap of faith to imagine police in many countries (including some in Europe) refusing a bribe.
A Harley Street doctor hid a woman's terminal cancer from her so he could carry on billing for 'unconventional' treatment, a tribunal heard. Dr Mark Bonar gave the inoperable woman false hope when he should have been recommending proper end-of-life care , it is alleged. Instead, it is claimed the 38-year-old GP gave her ill-deserved confidence in the potentially dangerous intravenous feeding treatment he offered her. Dr Bonar - who reportedly charges private patients £150 for a 15 minute appointment - also allegedly claimed the American woman could not receive emergency NHS treatment as she was not a British citizen and said contact could only be made with public health officials "after a long delay." http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/harley-street-doctor-hid-womans-6986419 Disgusting.
Its pretty well known that the cops in the area target tourists for money and the way they behaved seemed to indicate it. They made all kinds of threats from detaining us to impounding our scooters...the lieutenant even squared up to me like he wanted to fight me (which was hilarious as he came up to my chest) but they never made any move that could be considered follow through. Lots of threats and the like but they were beyond reluctant to actually do work. Pro Tip: Keep your money in 2 separate locations on your person. If they see you open a full wallet they will take all they can so never have more than like £10 in local currency visible to them.
Anybody seen a series called 11.22.63 [the US unfathomably puts the month ahead of the day, but it's their culture and series] ? Quite interesting. Just watched the first episode. It centres around the assassination of John F Kennedy, with a teacher from modern day being asked to return into the past through a time portal [you'll have to watch it for an explanation] to stop JFK's death taking place. However, because of the confusion as to who really killed Kennedy, the teacher has to return 3 years prior to the shooting and do research while living in the past. He is informed that the total time he'll take will amount to barely two minutes of his time in present day. However, the dangers he encounters along the way include not giving himself away by idle talk, like modern day references; appearing to know too much; tracking the very people he finds himself drawn to; and lastly the phenomenon that history pushes back because it doesn't want to be changed. It's an interesting premise which, so far, is very well realised. The booming 1960 USA is convincingly portrayed right down to the trilby hats everywhere, the mega winged cars and local segregation. There appears to be 8 episodes in all, so the story has proper depth. Adapted from the book by Stephen King. EDIT: Found a trailer for you:
Whilst watching Ant & Dec last night they sometimes do a section called little Ant & Dec (two 6y olds do this) where they interview celebrities,and last night they played tennis and interviewed Andy Murray. And I must say I didn't realise Andy had a sense of humour and was actually quite funny.
Andy Murray has a dry wit and can be amusing....just not right after a loss He also is apparently a really nice guy who has plenty of time for British youngsters coming through.
Did you have international driving licences, were wearing helmets and otherwise complying with local laws? Even so its difficult to avoid paying an "on the spot fine" to avoid losing valuable holiday time. I've listened politely to the lecture and paid the bribe several times, usually for not having a valid licence, less aggression best. I hope your experience doesn't put you off returning There is an anti corruption commission which is under attack by the police see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Eradication_Commission , this link gives a guide to complaining after you've left Bali http://www.travelforum.org/bali-lombok/police.html and http://www.fugly-bali.org/police.html gives a guide on responsible tourism. I've lived and worked in Indonesia and met my Indonesian wife whilst working in Jakarta 2007 and yes corruption is rife in all walks of life as it is worldwide at varying levels. That said Indonesia is a wonderfull country well worth a visit. We're currently living in The Hague and look forward to splitting our time between here and Indonesia as I ease into retirement.
