Beautiful Bali

As you know from Part One of this posting, I was in Singapore for business (read that all expenses paid) and thought to double my pleasure by hooking on to the end of my Singapore sojourn a side trip to Bali.  Why Bali?  Well, it’s in the neighborhood, so to speak, and I’d never been there, and everyone wants to go to Bali don’t they? It’s an easy and short flight from Singapore to Denpasar (you knew, didn’t you, that Denpasar is the capital of Bali).  It’s a semi-chaotic medium sized metro area that only hints of the real pleasures and treasures to be found further afield.  I had deliberately chosen Ubud, in the central highlands of Bali, as my home base so I...

Don’t Vote, It Only Encourages Them.

If I could emulate the primal scream that ran Howard Dean out of the Democratic primary last time around, I would.  I can’t stand it any more. I know it’s not smart to talk about politics in polite company, but I just can’t stop myself.  I watched the GOP primary debates for the same reason that a moth is attracted to light.  I did it even though I knew it would cause me great mental anguish.  Two thoughts assaulted me as I watched the other night:  1)  This is the best we have to offer?  In a country of three hundred million, half of which are of the republican persuasion…this is our best?  Yikes!  2) Has any of this gaggle ever had an original...

Singapore, The Asian City State

I had been looking forward to this trip for some time.  An all expenses paid trip to Singapore is nothing to sneeze at these days, even if I had to work a few days for it.  Singapore, as you know is on the other side of the world.  Well, it’s not exactly the other side, but it might as well be.  The world’s circumference is about 24,000 miles and it’s about 10,000 to Singapore as the crow flies, but no one ever flies like a crow.  My plan, developed after far too many hours on the internet, was to fly DFW to LAX, and after a short layover, catch the Singapore Airlines non-stop to Singapore. Three hours to LA, two hours of layover, and sixteen hours of food,...

An Awe-ful Thought

I had my first encounter with a mega church last week in tragic circumstances.  We are old friends with a couple who had struggled and grieved with the protracted death of a beautiful young girl, their granddaughter.  We wanted to attend her funeral to show our love and concern for them and their family and the tragedy they had to endure. As we approached the church I was surprised, but not terribly so, at the traffic awaiting entrance to the huge parking lot.  This is a prominent family with many local branches and a large crowd of mourners and well wishers was to be expected.  Naturally they would need a large hall.  We were thirty minutes early but young...