August 28, 2007

Match report for rebels cricket club

A Season Opener Shocker

Winning the toss turned out to be the highlight of Rebels new season day opener. Marty calling right, the boys padding up, chompin’ at the bit with the chance to stick it up the Ghandi School League Winners from last year.

The “tui’s” Robbie and Baldy strode to the middle confident they could hand out a batting lesson to the GMIS. The youthful, skillful Ghandi boys drawing first blood in the 5th over, Baldy (13) run out by a direct hit. The next over producing the play of the day. Robbie (9) driving at a well-directed outswinger, snicking it low and hard to first slip. The Ghandi guy taking a superb grab ankle high. Rebels reeling. Marty looked good, one Buster Douglas type upper cut and a couple of text book drives heartening the Rebels fans who’d made the early morning drive to Karawaci. Suresh’s (0) stay in the middle terminated early by a yorker and Rebels were 3 for 30 off not a lot. Yogi joined Marty and they took Rebs to the first drinks’ break without further loss.

The drinks break full with conservations about Evan and how if he doesn’t turn up soon we’ll be short. Early after the restart Marty (26) slashed at a short one only to see it snapped up at gully. Big, bad Bruce walked on the centre stage. Yogi doing a sterling job holding up his end, Bruce punishing anything short or off line. From 4 for 40 Bruce and Yogi looked capable of building a decent total.

It all went pear-shaped with one of those most controversial of all decisions an LBW. Home team umpires had almost taken this most dastardly of dismissals out of the local game but neutral umpires, nah that’s a whole new can of worms. Bruce (34) failing to make contact with “the bat God gave him” and adjudged OUT. The spray from Bruce over the decision could turn into a tidal wave of suspension in the weeks to come – time will tell. Bruce’s main mistake: twiggin’ his calf muscle when turning for a second, rendering himself unable to open the bowling.

Rebels now well and truly in trouble, one short on the team sheet, and the top 5 run getters all out with just 90 on the score board. Yogi (13) the 6th wicket to fall. Amar (3) clipped one to short midwicket, 7 down. Kookie (1) cleaned up by a straight one and Rebels were 120 with just one wicket left and 7 overs to go. Pito and Kapil only able to get Rebels to 133 in the 30th over.

Not a great total but maybe defendable – so the Rebels think tank thought. Amar opening up with venom, producing some nasty bounce from a deteriorating Karawaci track. Unfortunately for Rebs the bounce only produced byes not wickets. One of the Ghandi openers too good, the other too lucky. Pito carted early and GMIS were skipping along at 10 an over. In what was a lackluster bowling and fielding performance Robbie produced the highlight with the unveiling of his much talked about out swinger. A true gem that just missed getting a wicket not once but twice. The Ghandi openers riding their luck, many airborne shots passing or falling just short of hungry Rebs fielders. The one chance that did carry to hand, spilled.

In the 15th over the pain ended. Ghandi 134 for 0. Rebels defeated by 10 wickets.

August 23, 2007

Professional Protesters


i'm sure most countries pay people to protest for them, rent a crowd that sort of thing. But sometimes its just a little too blatant. Jakarta appears to have a crowd of professional protesters that for a small some of money can just turn on the indignant rage, regardless of what they are 'protesting' about.

A good book that has some pics of this is called Jakarta Inside out (they have made one for bangkok now also)

In it this one guy has been photographed 3 times for 3 different protests for different sides, he was even wearing the same shirt.

So imagine my surprise this morning when i'm reading BBC and see the same man's face again!

August 07, 2007

Operation : Cat Rescue

Here i am, watching tv - messy around on the internet and i hear the cat meowing.....

I look around where is he?

sounds like outside somewhere....

i look out towards a corner of my small garden....
aaah - there he is....
Mind you, after I climb up the ladder I refuses to let me grap him, perhaps he realised those bars where gonna be tricky to pull him throw....

so i left him to keep complaining, kasien loo! (in other words pity for him!)

bladdy hell, now there's another cat on the wall and they fighting,

so i climbed up the ladder stuck me arm through the grill managed to get hold of him, got bitten, then got hold of his collar and started to drag him down but the bastard thing broke!

so he still up there fightin!

ok, i'm gonna try climbing out on the roof, there's a funny little staircase and maids drying room on the second floor,

if i dont post back on this blog in the next week or so , yall know i musta fell.....

anyway - up the windy staircase to the second floor and roof!

there he is.....
a cunning plan, i pushed a piece of flattened out cardboard for him to walk over to the roof...


dont think he was all the interested..... hmmmm

Fun Indo Bureaucracy when running a school

Our school ordered some text books from overseas for the start of the new year (as we always do!). This year we had 220kgs of books sent from Australia from a supplier. After the books had been sent the Indonesian customs made a new regulation, any parcels arriving that weighed more than 100kgs would be liable for a special tax. The official price was 20 million rupiah (about $2000) plus it would take 2 or 3 months to organise.

The school realised it would be cheaper and quicker (8 days) to send the entire parcel back to Australia, repack the books into 3 separate parcels and return them to Indonesia.... crazy.

A few days later customs said 'NO!' we have already stamped the arrival of the package, it cannot leave Indonesia now......

Fortunately for us, the supplier has resent the entire shipment at their cost (properly packed) and I guess we'll leave the original shipment in the customs yard......

August 05, 2007

Fun games for the cat - or a big assed beetle!

You get some interesting insects in Asia, my cat, Smudge loves playing with small animals - geckos and so on, last night i found this big assed beetle (some sort of Rhino beetle, i think) so I brought it inside for the cat to play with!

he played with it all last night - and is still going this morning, every now and then the beetle flies around house and the cat tries to keep up jumping on furniture and up the walls to keep track of it....

thanks Dad!