8º of latitude

August 19, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Aug. 20, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Trash Can be Beautiful A month or so back we dropped in on a Green Drinks meeting in Ubud organized by organic food guru and long-time Ubud luminary Darsih Gede. It was an interesting and inspiring occasion. The presentation was on the then forthcoming Bali… Continue reading

Bali, Indonesia, Politics

Art of recycling, Bali Creative Reuse Centre, Edwina Blush, Indonesian Independence Day, Jilbabs, Joko Widodo, Ngurah Rai Airport blues, Prabowo Subianto, Susi Johnston, Villa Kitty
August 7, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Aug. 6, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Let’s Hear More from Her Nafsiah Mboi is a very impressive person. This is immediately obvious to anyone who hears her speak, reads what she says, or takes an interest in the febrile nature of global health challenges. As Indonesia’s health minister, she is… Continue reading

Australia, Bali, Indonesia, Politics

Australia Network, Farewells, HIV/AIDS, Justice Michael Kirby, Nafsiah Mboi, Oops – sorry about that, Qa, Ubud Jazz
July 9, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, July 9, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences So Nearly the Big Chill This edition of the diary comes to you from the chilly depths of wintertime southern Western Australia, for reasons that really don’t matter. What does matter is that The Diary inadvertently left its wallet in seat 9C on AirAsia flight QZ536… Continue reading

Australia, Bali, Indonesia

BAWA, Benoa Harbour, History on record, Indonesia AirAsia, Merritt Clifton, Pasqualino Barbasso, Perth International Airport, Pizza Tossing, Sami Sami Restaurant
June 24, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Jun. 25, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Browned Off PLN is up to its old tricks again. No, we’re not talking about the sharp round of rises in its tariffs. It’s the lingering brown-out after its triumph in the 2010 globally unplugged championships that’s focusing our mind. PLN said then that there… Continue reading

Bali, Indonesia

BAWA, Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Green School, Jane Goodall, Janice Girardi, Made Wijaya, PLN, rabies, Super Yacht Charity, Vancouver, Wishbone Bali Dogs
June 10, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser Jun 11, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences No Place for Mugs Airlines operate on razor-thin financial margins, the virtual space between the cost of operating a flight and the net revenue gained from it. That’s no bad thing, since it is evidence that competition benefits people who want to fly, which is… Continue reading

Australia, Bali, Indonesia

Bali Marathon, Bali Pink Ribbon, Problem Passengers, Street Crime, Ubud
May 27, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser May 28, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Bad Burghers A new Facebook group has appeared in cyberspace, dedicated to curbing crime in Ubud. This is an unpleasant sign of the times. Ubud may be where everyone goes to commune with the fairies, go Vegan, try to find anything that remotely resembles the… Continue reading

General Interest

Australia Network, Bali Marathon, Celia Gregory, Coral Reef Art, Majell Hind, Ross Fitzgerald, Ubud Crime, Women Weavers
May 16, 2014

The Day That You Were Born.

Originally posted on Lottie Nevin – The Red House Diaries: Isabel helped to bring you into the world Theo. She was my midwife. When she wasn’t delivering babies, she’d be delivering lambs or calves on her own farm. She was a large, strong, Yorkshire woman, down to earth and practical. I reckoned that if she… Continue reading

General Interest
May 13, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, May 14, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Intriguing Art One measure of a country’s social maturity is how it responds to and interacts with those within its society whose culture is a minority expression. Most countries have minority populations. Mostly, let it be said, they do not demonstrate cultural maturity in their dealings… Continue reading

General Interest

Arif Billah, Australia-Indonesia Emerging Writers Exchange., Australian Aboringinal Art, Bali Pink Ribbon, Dephine Robbe, Diana Shearin, Gili Islands, Legian Beach Hotel, Melbourne, Ni Ketut Sudiani, Nigel Mason, Ole Beach Bar, Senggigi Lombok, Trash, UWRF 2014, Vyt Karazija
April 29, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Apr. 30

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences A Shocking Disgrace Someone made a video of quarantine officials killing 31 dogs by cruelly amateurish injection at Gilimanuk on Apr. 15 (it looked like strychnine from the way the dogs died). It doesn’t matter that the video was made by someone who had… Continue reading

General Interest

Alistair Speirs, Clean-Up Day, Damon Galgut, Dog Killings, E.M. Forster, Jimbaran Beach Club, Lombok Ikat, Made Wijaya, Muggers, rabies, Robin Osborne, Street Security, Ubud, Villa Sayang, West Timor
April 15, 2014

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Apr. 16, 2014

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Well, We Hit the Roof We got a lovely invitation from the new RIMBA – we think it still qualifies as “new” since it hasn’t yet been open for a year – to attend a svelte bash on Apr. 12 to launch its Unique Rooftop… Continue reading

General Interest

Ayana, Bali Hotels Association, Bali Revealed, BIMC, Candi Dasa, Le 48, Pondok Bambu, Rabies (again), RIMBA, Robert Epstone, Sanglah, Schapelle Corby, SoleMen, Trucks and road rules, Unique Rooftop Bar, Vincent’s

About Me

Former journalist now confined by age and indolence to blogging about this and that, now from Western Australia, previously from Indonesia (that’s the 8 degrees in the title) and before that, Queensland. I don’t do a newsletter so ignore that prompt below.