The annotated budak

There were several, perhaps 8-10, of these mice running about in the knee-high hedge of dwarf variegated Pandanus planted alongside the walkway just before the town centre. A few individuals would scamper right onto the sidewalk before scooting back to the safety of the thorny herbs. I think they are mice not rats as the latter get much larger. Some were helping themselves to food from discarded plastic bags. Two little girls seem to be the only other people who took notice of the rodents. Happily they screamed not in fright but delight. Some missies do like their mickies....

For all you PIGTs

Stolen from Snail, who clearly thinks I'm a ducking fig.

I took Valuair to Jakarta last week. They charged me $50 for excess luggage, making the ticket as cheap as a regular Garuda flight. On board, they served a puff and coffee.

On the plane, they ran out of Indonesian custom forms. After landing and crawling through understaffed and severely low gear passport queues, I searched around and managed to steal a blank form hiding on one of the X-ray machines at the Green Lane.

Fast forward 4 days later: Jakarta's international airport is a nice and romantic place. It is so well lit that I had to squint to see the flight schedule. After passing the security lane, a couple of equidistant 12 inch TV sets display flight and check-in counter information in dull green type that blends well with the dark yellow-grey lighting of the check-in hall.

After half an hour, the flickering monitors still gave no indication of where I should check-in. The first passing staff I intercepted was vague. A lady at the EvaAir counter was more helpful. The Valuair check-in counter is a well-hidden little table with a hand-written paper sign tucked in between check-in rows 12 and 13. The staff took my e-ticket and cross-checked it against a sheet of names, before issuing a hand-written boarding pass. There was no belt so luggage had to be left by the table.

At least the plane left on time and landed early. I could have done without the BO from the guy on my left and the screaming toddler 4 rows ahead though. And after getting out of the taxi, I discovered that one set of wheels is missing from the Samsonite. Bah!

Just now, the ATM screamed "Amount Exceeds Balance" at me. On days like these, I don't have time to pay the bills and manage my accounts, much less feel miserable.

Sick

My duck is sicko sick (or maybe the monkey has found a Laotian voodoo duck doll and is squeezing it mercilessly). I probably should have gone to the doctor's much earlier, but I wanted to finish writing an editorial piece and so left the office only after three yesterday. Despite the medication, I spent last night moaning and groaning in bed, while my head spun and duck rolled about in agony (Angel got kicked off the bed quite a few times).

Today, I thought I could try to be a little productive at home, but after a flavourless brunch (no thanks to my blocked nasal headspace), I found that sitting upright made my duck woozy (and ooze a clear, slimey fluid) and so reverted to a horizontal position (while Angel sat on, by and above me). The way things look, I might be grounded tomorrow as well. Meanwhile, mrs budak is making pumpkin soup...

Well-wishing visitors are welcome. Please bring some chocolates for my duck.

- - - - - - - -

Went to the clinic again after a night of untoward sensations. The doctor said my duck is feverish and prescribed an antibiotic which he cheerfully added might result in the runs. To this mrs budak suggested that I take some of the probiotic powder the vet prescribed to Angel when she had loose stools.   

Yuck!

The fridge broke down while we were away and everything inside with a microbe-friendly level of water activity was busy fermenting and exuding highly aromatic compounds. Lipid-based substances also turned into a semi-sentient gunk of technicolour fluid that seeped through to the kitchen floor. The yoghurt had turned black, blue and purple. mrs budak had to throw away most of her cheeses and chocolate. But at least the beer's still drinkable.

Angel left dollops of brown stuff in her shoe box and the floor. Yuck!

Bah!!

Don't ask.

I don't seem to have the option of password-protecting individual posts here, so msn monkeys and other online fauna will have to bear with my direct gripes in the coming days.