Movie night returns

Monday, October 12, 2026
I catch a half-hour nap before an evening meeting. It takes me hours to unwind enough to sleep, this time until 10:30. With friends and mentors in opposite time zones, getting together is not always convenient. But staying in touch is important.

Tuesday
On the walk, I notice a strange flower poking out of the gardenia hedge at the Padma Hotel. When I bend over, it flops down. Someone has tucked it between the leaves.

W and I agree: it's too soon for him to be prepping such a big event. He's stressing over tech, not speaking, and more. We'll evaluate before the next scheduled gathering. "Shall we cancel?" I ask. He's done enough work on getting the screens running that he doesn't want that. 

Mid-morning, I make a final shopping trip for movie night: eggs, fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy. I come home at noon and cook lunch, a curry with leftovers. An hour later, we're working on the seating layouts.

W decides on a screen layout that's easier for him to set up. The tradeoff is more furniture and rugs to move. I point to the new locations but being understood takes a while - or doesn't happen. I don't care enough to maximize the space, which we have in abundance anyway. We have lunch outside, meeting a friend who shows up after W leaves.

Wednesday
I'm cooking by 5AM. I scribble the menu on the fridge whiteboard, making sure everything is covered.

It should be an easy 4-hour morning, wrapping up before my 9AM meeting. Except that our two air fryer ovens keep overloading the circuits. It takes me at least an extra hour, running back and forth to the breakers and resetting the temperatures and time. Instead of wrapping up before the call, I restart the kitchen after the call ends.

The helpers arrive at 3 while I'm napping. They have their own checklist but it's slow going. They're so far behind that I pitch in for the setup. We have to be ready when the movie night crowd shows up.

The helpers keep an eye on the buffet with me, restocking the containers from a table to the side.

There's enough left over for takeaway food for the helpers and a few meals for the house. "I don't have to cook for 2 nights and my grandkids are looking forward to this food," says one.

At intermission, the young people enjoy baked goods and fruit cups.

We ask how many places of origin they come from: 14 countries! Students from the -stans (former Soviet Union satellites) and Africa are especially appreciative of lots of food and the chance to make new friends.

The consensus is that guests love the movie. They ponder two questions afterward: "Who is my shepherd/?" (Who am I following?) and, "Am I a good sheep?"

They rev their motorcycles away or call motorcycle taxis to take them back to their homes and dorms. At the end of the night, all is quiet.

Thursday
Neither W nor I get enough sleep. We're hiking in the mountains for a change of pace and to de-stress. On the way, we pass groups of military recruits carrying weapons and heavy packs up the slope.

The hike has mixed terrain. Parts are very dusty as the dogs run ahead.

Parts are gravel and rough trails. There are as many dogs (7!) as humans. It's short (7km/4 1/2 miles) but steep.

We pass several bundles of grass and ferns moving above legs (below) or motorcycles. In dry season, men cut and haul heavy loads from the forests for livestock.

Bruno stays at the car with PakG, going on his own walk. When we return to the car, he snarls as the other dogs try to jump into the back. I put a quick stop to that, twice. We're having NONE of that = no fighting on my turf. My reflex is a smack which surprises him out of his violent growling, and then a comforting chest rub.

He lets the others in after the second correction. They lay down together, resting in the back on the bumpy roads home, a pack at peace.

We decide on Sideng Reret for lunch. The food is plentiful and tasty.

Wax candles are wrapped in table napkins so they burn with a bigger flame. Ours are practically flamethrowers, keeping the flies (mostly) off the food.

Lew takes us to supper at Miss Bee nearby. The new menu includes a cauliflower salad, complete with pomegranates, feta cheese, and young greens. It hits the spot.

Read more:
* The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. Lamentations 3:25

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me. Revelation 3:20

Moravian Prayer: Lord, we thank you for entering our world and our lives. Let us continue to hear your knock on our door so that we may open it to allow you in. May we join you, gracious Savior, at the table you set before us, to quench our thirsty souls and fill our lives with good gifts. Amen.

So much beauty each day

Saturday, October 10, 2026
My mom's Black Forest cake was famous at my brother's office. She used to bake the torte and send it along for all to celebrate him. Norm's admin used to send a note to the realtors: the cake is coming tomorrow, and everyone would show up for a slice.

Mom would cut a circle around the central whipping cream for the person being celebrated. Then she'd cut 3 pieces between each cherry. It went a long way and was so rich that each person had enough. The last time I had some was 5 years ago when she baked it for Canadian Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful for a good heritage. I bake bread in the air fryer since our ovens don't get hot enough. There's too much dough - it rises and we can smell the crust burning as it rises. Hey, I'll cut it off. Distracted, I reversed the ratio of water to flour (2:3) and put in 3X water to 2X flour instead ... so the loaf is bigger than usual. The crust is very crisp and the inside still damp-ish.

We cross the street for lunch ($4, below and $3) at Ayam Balarasa. I have a hard time remembering Indonesian restaurant and street names. W's better at it. This eatery is easy to remember because all 6 vowels are "a"s, interspersed with consonants.

When the kids arrive for English lessons, the Project fills with children's laughter, shouts, and chatter.

PakG parks the car away from the carport where the kids register. The group is smaller: 60-ish. It had grown too big to handle; the volunteers have split it in two, alternating weeks with the children. The moms' class is on one of the porches.

When you get up at 4AM, evening events are a stretch. By 6PM, W and I are winding down. Instead, I head for the IES Bandung worship gathering. We eat the fresh bread for supper. W stays home, relishing extra rest in recovery. As requested, I take along banana bread for the potluck.

A good group shows up.

The high school reunion at the hotel across the street turns its speakers to full blast (110+ decibels - as loud as a jet runway, if not louder). Talk about competition. Such volume is the norm. I put in earplugs any time there's music or someone speaking/shouting through a microphone.

On the walk home, I pass out banana bread to motorcycle taxi drivers and the security guard. There is abundant food on the potluck table for snacks after the evening's singing concludes.

Sunday
We grab the dogs from around the yard.

On our walk, a vining wall is a mass of red.

Vendors have begun to rebuild their booths -> shops -> homes where the government removed them last week. The rule is that stands must be portable. This one's already become a lean-to.

We schedule appointments for the week ahead before heading to the Gathering. Look at what Titik has created this week!

She drops it by after the Gathering.

W and I have lunch at NaraPark, where adults are getting horse rides around the courtyard. Usually it's just the kids who ride around the neighborhood. Horses and runners wait outside eateries and hotels for clients.

There's always something going on -  

After yesterday's evening out, I'm happy to stay in this afternoon.

Monday
The early call is just after sunrise so W walks the dogs by himself. He makes a cup of tea for me cooks porridge. The dogs flop outside the open window while I'm online, checking periodically to make sure I'm still there. Bruno has begun to come to the bedroom door, checking the handle to see if it's unlocked. he likes to sneak in and explore the house when we're not paying attention.

We're off to the wholesalers at 8AM. The first stop is for a new kitchen faucet. The one installed is such rubbish that it leaks from multiple places after 9 months of use. (W installs it when we get home.) Then we head to two food wholesalers. W gets a warm greeting from the second grocer, who hasn't seen us in months. We check out with everything we need for movie night, except the fresh food that I"ll pick up tomorrow morning.

Chacha comes by for a few hours, starting with a late lunch across the street, followed by tea and cookies on the Porch.

Read more:
* It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty? Isaiah 50:9

* It is Christ who died, or rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Romans 8:34

* Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:3-10

Moravian Prayer: Gracious Savior, through your life, suffering, death, and resurrection, we are forgiven. Thank you for interceding on our behalf and for removing our sin. In your precious name, we pray. Amen.

Typical rhythms of life

Wednesday, October 7, 2026
The day ends with a meal at #WaerongEthnic, a neighborhood favorite. Lew takes a break from his studies and treats us to dinner. Thanks!

We walk by a new tourist destination. How many more can the hill support?

The groomers are just wrapping up. Bruno is making the transformation to a traditional poodle clip like Anton's. The dogs come by for hugs and pets - they know they look good.

I cut off Bruno's nose Mohawk so he could see, earlier this week.

The two guys give him a clean muzzle but don't wash or groom him. His topknot will grow in.

Thursday
Our first hike in a half-year? WONDERFUL. We take two dogs, Anton (black standard poodle) and Juno (labradoodle). Bruno, the tender-footed newcomer, hops in the car but he doesn't have enough muscle for a hike. Anton gets a quick hug from Evva before we set off.

While the rest of us tackle the tea fields, PakG takes Bruno on a short walk.

All 4 dogs hiking today are from the same breeder in Bali. The #BaliPoodleDoodle dogs are unmatched in temperament and athleticism. We highly recommend them.

The dogs are sure-footed on steps, trails, and bridges.

They splash in the pools under a waterfall to cool off. Juno finds ditches along the way to play in.

The views across the tea fields are stunning. The dust on the trail has settled with the occasional mountain rains.

Our dogs walk every day but haven't hiked for months, just like us. No problem. They know what they're doing. They run ahead and come back (sometimes reluctantly) to a whistle.

We eat at a roadside cafe which we call Warung Angie. Angie, formerly the hiking leader, loved to eat there so we nicknamed it in her honor. They have an innovative tap in lieu of a faucet: a hose, bent over a sink, stopped with a custom stick. To wash your hands, you pull out the stick.

I pack the fish scraps and chicken skins for a dog treat when we get home. (They love it.)

This is a major tourist road up the mountain to many resorts. It's barely one lane wide, plus shoulders. There are carts, pedestrians, little shops ...

and trucks squeezing by. And I mean squeezing by. 

We turn as far to the left as we can without hitting a shopfront. The driver pulls in the side mirrors for a few extra inches of room.

Vendors zoom by with their wares customized on motorcycles.

I shower off the hike before reviewing an article for an academic journal. The guys pick up the garden fences that are not yet stained or attached: it's supposed to rain today. The first mango drops off our tree, half-eaten by pesky squirrels.

We get news that a friend's coworker (24) has died after collapsing during a marathon. And we read that both parents of an acquaintance have died a quarter-mile apart, hiking in Death Valley. There's much grief to offer our Master, who understands pain and sorrow. May God console these families and friends as they mourn.

Friday
W is testing the setup for movie night, either this week or next. His stack of electronics is a marvel.

I read Lew's notes (excellent work) before he heads back home to celebrate Monica's birthday. You can't miss your wife's special day! Walking around the yard, I note things for the yardman to prune, to move, and to replant. 

PakG stains 4 of 10 fence posts and bamboo panels that they've completed. "It takes a long time to split the bamboo into sections," he observes, "but it takes even longer to sand all the edges so that they won't cut anyone." He goes to the mosque for an hour, something he hasn't often done since he started working for us.

Although this is technically a 6-religion country, schools, government offices, and many businesses close Fridays for Muslims to meet at noon. Sundays, it's business as usual. I don't know if employers are required to give Christians and Catholics equal time off for their religious gatherings. There are many public holidays since everyone celebrates the days off for everyone else's religions.

Saturday
It's a full day. The dogs sit near W, looking forward to their walk. 

When we come in the gate, Bruno gets a walk on the wide side, the woods in front of the Project. His feet are getting tougher. Juno walks along for the fun of it.

Even with a few rainfalls, plants have begun to erupt with flowers.

Purple 2" blooms are spread across the pavement as we walk by.

There's a pause at a 1 1/2-lane-wide crossroad. A big tourist bus is turning left from one narrow street to the other. People walk behind and around it. 

"Can you imagine pedestrians walking behind a moving bus in the USA like that?" I ask W. We shake our heads. When there's a niche, motorcycles zoom beside it as it swivels.

It reverses and pulls forward five or six times to avoid the trees growing across the limited paving.

Another long-tailed lizard has met its end. It's bright green skin begins to fade.

I cook porridge and cut the most delicioius! golden mango for breakfast. Replant orchids. Make calls. Review books. It's a quiet morning.

Read more:
* Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. Psalm 102:1-2

* Seek good and not evil, that you may live. Amos 5:14

* For there is still a vision for the appointed time. If it seems to tarry, wait for it. Habakkuk 2:3

* See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 1 Thessalonians 5:15

* The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. James 5:7

Moravian Prayer: God of justice, as we face the evils of the world that threaten us, give us the strength to overwhelm that evil with the good that comes from you and your love. Let us seek your kingdom every day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. 

Lord, give us the patience that we need: patience to wait for you, patience to trust in you, and patience for our souls to be still and know that you are God. Amen.