A day in the life ......

Ishtarl7 wrote:

Just noticed this place is only apx 3 km straight line from my office !! Just passed it on way back to office

It's well worth a visit, and I see you're Indonesian so you don;t need to care about the restrictions for foreigners.

Busy, busy, busy.
I'm building an English conversation course for a school, a wild one with a lot more than just pronunciation and conversation.
Perhaps it's time I took on a serious full time job. I hate grammar with a passion you wouldn't believe (and I'm not all that good at it) so teaching English is out for me.
However, I can teach conversation very well so I think I'm going to take a look in the "Jobs" section later and see what's around.

What a day.
I now have two houses up for sale in two countries.
One is worth a little bit more than the other.

That's really interesting. What are the selling prices of the two houses?

abdulkhalil wrote:

That's really interesting. What are the selling prices of the two houses?

One is going at Rp200 million, but that's in a small village. Nice place and it looks like we have a buyer for that. The other is expected to fetch around 200,000 Pounds sterling and will go on the market on Monday.

Cool. The one in the UK sounds good. Good luck with that one and hope it has already been paid off and that it sells quickly. It's a nice time to play with the currencies especially with pounds sterling.

The UK house was paid up years ago so there's a nice payday coming when it sells.
The Pound, in my opinion, will get stronger once the doom and gloom merchants stop bleating on about the disaster regarding the EU.
The sentence is deliberately ambiguous in order to avoid political bents showing but you might well recall the sun and UYD.

The good thing about the Pound is that it fluctuates quite a bit compared to the Yen, Euro and USD. That means money can be made and that's always good. Wonder what you'll do with £200k. If leave it in the UK you earn almost no interest. If convert to Rupiah to miss out on a potential massive increase one day but you get to earn a fairly high interest rate. Or just convert it and buy a nice place in Central Java. With that kind of money you can build a mansion with a lot of land.

Fred wrote:

abdulkhalil wrote:

That's really interesting. What are the selling prices of the two houses?

One is going at Rp200 million, but that's in a small village. Nice place and it looks like we have a buyer for that. The other is expected to fetch around 200,000 Pounds sterling and will go on the market on Monday.

If by any chance you decided to put the money on deposit, We'd be very extremely happy to offer our bank service , in my bank you can be a priority customer for 1 billion deposit, the benefits : you dont need to queue in the line, you have your own teller, customer service and "financial advisor", you can use the meeting room, your counter is separated from public customers, pleasant banking hall, birthday cake/hampers, etc...etc... you are a priority.

please consider

P.S we are one of owned state banks (BUMN)

Good day today .. except the lunch was rubbish.
I toddled off to a conference where I picked up a bunch of really good ideas, some cheap books and had a nice time.
Traffic was terrible but I bought a pizza on the way home. I say, "Bought" but it was actually free as they were late delivering last time.

I was shopping for milk and banana and met Inul Daratista !! First I saw her husband, he looked familiar, then I heard her just a meter from me, she was slim. Wanted to take picture together but I was shy. I have seen some famous people since I live in Jakarta. There was a day when I saw 3 famous people in the same place.

Waiting my apple pie is baked now....

Ishtarl7 wrote:

Fred wrote:

abdulkhalil wrote:

That's really interesting. What are the selling prices of the two houses?

One is going at Rp200 million, but that's in a small village. Nice place and it looks like we have a buyer for that. The other is expected to fetch around 200,000 Pounds sterling and will go on the market on Monday.

If by any chance you decided to put the money on deposit, We'd be very extremely happy to offer our bank service , in my bank you can be a priority customer for 1 billion deposit, the benefits : you dont need to queue in the line, you have your own teller, customer service and "financial advisor", you can use the meeting room, your counter is separated from public customers, pleasant banking hall, birthday cake/hampers, etc...etc... you are a priority.

please consider

P.S we are one of owned state banks (BUMN)

The Wonosobo place is hardly worth much of a bother so I'll bung 30 million into each of my kids' accounts, that looking after school entry fees, but I'll leave the English house cash in the UK for the moment, maybe moving the cash at an appropriate time (When the Pound hits new highs and the Euro Micky mouse money settles to its real value (bugger all) after the UK escapes the EU.

A Nigerian prince contacted me by email last week with a fantastic offer so traditional banks might well miss out on my cash. Seriously, the interest rate is amazing and all I have to so is sit down and watch my investment value rise whilst eating pizza.
(I'm joking)

Our bank will live longer than Nigerian Prince, he could die from ebola and you will never hear about your investment anymore (plus we are legal under OJK authority). No worries, we will wait and patience enough for the opportunity of mutual partnership in finance

I have a medium size of apple pie that could feed 6 people, then for me its a slice per day for a week. I don't know how apple pie taste should be, but this one is really nice.

Ishtarl7 wrote:

I have a medium size of apple pie that could feed 6 people

With ice cream, it'll feed one - me

Fred wrote:

With ice cream,

Mmmm good idea, should get and try with ice cream tomorrow

mal wrote:

Cute!!!

I am indeed.
I'm listening to some serious tunes on Youtube at the moment, all involving leather, large bikes and chicks dressed in ways that make me believe they might well be game for a little horizontal jogging, that assuming biker chicks are about the same as they were when I was almost cool and definitely crazy.

I've just clicked on "Highway", the raw version I recall from days I was about the scariest dude to walk down our road, more so because I used to do a lot of full contact training as well as riding large bikes at nutty speeds, drinking Newcastle brown (You have to try it to know what it does to you - Normal booze it is not), and hanging around with other people that looked and dress about the same as myself.
I recall one night when I'd just split up from a girlfriend who, as it happens, was serious energetic in many ways and really turned me on when she wore her Salvation army uniform, but had got smashed one night and bedded her mate's brother.
She was there, I wanted to go back but rules are rules, and she'd broken them so I got plastered on at least ten bottles of newkie brown ( you can't count after 10 of the things), walked home with a gang of mates but some twit jumped us, or at least tried to.
Quite what the fool was doing on his own trying to attack a gang of leather clad, pissed up bikers seems odd, but he did, coming at me first.
Martial arts leave you with something that can't be learned, an instinct that just kicks in, or in this case kicks out.
He ran at me, I landed a side kick (Yop chagi) about as perfectly as anyone that smashed could, and the silly bugger went flying into a bush and didn't get back out.
I made some comment suggesting he might be sexually active but less than intelligent, all without breaking pace.
I also remember (Well, most of the night) when a mate had smashed up his bike and written off two cars whilst he was at it (one was a Volvo so didn't matter), but we went on the razzle anyway.
Just got out of the New inn when Dave, for 'twas his name, vomited without missing a step, the most perfect throwing up I've ever seen.

Now to the thing that prompted this strange post (quite an amazing one when you consider I don't have the excuse of being blind drunk), I've been listening to 'Back in black', that making me long for the days where black leather was my thing.
These days saw me commit more sins every day than most people manage in a lifetime, enough to give a whole army of catholic priests a nervous breakdown each.

Ho hum, I'm old, boring, fat, ugly, bald, smelly, floppy on the edges, and feel like I might very well die of being a boring git at any moment.

If there is a hell I'll be going there - anyone want a postcard?

I think I'm going to have to do something really mad soon or my important bits will fall off and, if my understanding of hyperphysics is about right, the kinetic energy lost in the impact as it hits the floor will be reflected, thus everyone in Jakarta will jump around 30 cm off the ground.

By the way, don't tell anyone, but I like other stuff as well.

What an amazing life you used to lead. Most of us just go to school or university, get a job and get married, and save up money for our retirement and in no time at all we are suddenly old and have done nothing interesting in our lives.

Do you still ride one of those big motorbikes? What are they called? Hogs? Or is that name only used for Harleys? Did you own a BSA or Norton or Triumph or something cool like that? My own experience is only limited to Japanese bikes.

I owned one BSA, a load of Honda machines and a few other bits, those including a really rubbish Yam.
The best bike I ever owned was a Honda XBR 500, just the one pot and rode like a dream.
I got pissed off at work one day, booked the two weeks holiday I had coming, stuffed a tent on the back and went to the south of France.

As for Hogs, the things are rubbish so I wouldn't waste my cash on one.
No more big bikes now.

Right, I'm serious - I'm packing in work and going to find something new.
I'm sexy and highly experienced .. and can do work as well so I'll get another job.

My choices are:
work as a call boy (I'm an import so should get a good price)
Teach the spoken word (English) in a school
Teach the spoken word (English) in a private course I'll start in some smaller town or another
Write a hugely successful blog
Wait to see if my mum wins the lottery and gives me a couple of million quid.
Rob banks/set up a skimming business.
Take that Nigerian prince up on his offer

I am still at work

Thinking to change career

I want to be a shopkeeper in my own shop or farmer in my own successful modern farm, I have all the organic plants and free range animal and I eat from my farm

Wild day, or week, or month, or year.
Work is rubbish and I've decided enough is enough, so I'm hunting for alternatives.
I have three options on the go, one in Jakarta, the other two in Java or where ever.
I need an English speaking school for the kids, a fair internet connection, and a place where rents aren't crackpot so I can set up a little English conversation course and actually make money rather than the profits dispersing amongst a bunch of people that aren't me.
No problem with anywhere really, but not places full of drunken tourists as they'd drive an ex massive drinker mad.
I'd need access to tech shops as I can't live without them.

Why don't you get a job with EF? You can earn Rp20 - 30 million a month easy peasy.

abdulkhalil wrote:

Why don't you get a job with EF? You can earn Rp20 - 30 million a month easy peasy.

They advertise 11 and I don't fancy that sort of thing. Not my cup of tea, and I'd be useless at grammar stuff anyway because:
I can't remember most of the rules
I hate it

No point moving from one place I can't stand into another at less money.

11 is ridiculous.

As you say, much better to do something yourself, even employ people if it works out.

If I go down the road of a les Inggris, I'd probably employ a local teacher to do the text book work.
Not sure which books I'd use but probably one of the Singapore sets, likely "My pals" for primary.

I'd stick with Cambridge if I were you.

abdulkhalil wrote:

I'd stick with Cambridge if I were you.

Two reasons:
The Cambridge books are higher level, that meaning the work is very likely to be too difficult for small town kids
The books are politically too English, containing stuff that just doesn't make any sense in this country.

I've been meaning to mention the latter to the Cambridge writers, this prompting me to do so. I have a copy of the checkpoint one set so I'll note a few examples and point out their lack of meaning to pupils here - come to think of it, the majority of non-expat teachers won't have a clue what some of the stuff is about.

Nah, with all due respect, I disagree. It's like saying that kids from Haltwhistle have less ability than kids say from Newcastle or kids from Minehead are not as smart as kids from Bristol. You might be underrating the ability of kids. A lot depends on the teacher and their teaching ability. Kids can learn anything if their teacher is good.

So you're going to write to the Cambridge writers and tell them that their method is too difficult for kids who live outside cities and ask them to make their books easier or perhaps come out with a series of teaching books for children who live in rural areas of third world countries? And that their books don't take into account different societies around the world? 

Concerning "non-expat teachers having no clue about what some of the stuff is about", if the teacher is good, as many are, then there isn't a problem. If they are lousy or under-qualified then there is the problem. Of course an easy solution is to have western English teachers in schools who do understand what the stuff is about but that would take jobs away from Indonesians.

Cambridge is important because it is recognized globally. But what you could do is to open your own English school for kids and write a series of books that are easier to understand for both teachers and kids using your idea of incorporating music into teaching or something like that. If it catches on, you'll become successful.

Rather than write to the Cambridge writers, I suggest you write to the CEO of Cambridge Assessment International Education who will soon be returning back to Asia to develop education programs for China. Perhaps guide him on how he should develop a proper education program for developing countries from a non-teacher's perspective. Maybe he will incorporate some of your ideas into his planning.

I have taken a careful look at the books in question, and seen them in use.
The set is clearly very good but they are high end, something a lot of local teachers and kids with insufficient exposure to English are going to find hard work, and that's bad business.
A conference last week took us deep into the abilities of local teachers, a good number having problems teaching from far lower level books so the top end Cambridge stuff might as well be in Greek for them, and the majority of local English teachers.
Indonesia has many excellent English teachers, and a new generation that'll knock the socks off this group, but this country is still very limited so, outside the international schools, there are few with the ability to run a course based on Cambridge books.
Even a lot of national plus type schools can't manage Cambridge English language assessment because they don't have people with skills even close enough to teach that material.
I know a lot of English teachers here, and many would have trouble passing 'Flyers', not having so much as a hope of going as far as KET or PET.
The cultural stuff in Cambridge, apart from not meaning much over here, is a million miles over most teachers' heads.
The books might well be fine for top end international schools, but bugger all use for what I need.

And yet many Independent (international) schools and semi-private schools naively and irresponsibly choose to follow the Cambridge system.

I would hope that  you could change that and encourage these International schools to follow a Singapore English teaching system, a difficult task which might involve holding English teaching conferences to put things straight and meeting with the Minister of Education in Indonesia to show him how English teaching should be done. As an Indonesian citizen, you would be in the perfect position to meet with him and to explain where this country is going wrong in it's English teaching, as you have experienced English teaching in both England when you were at school and in Indonesia as a parent and teacher of that language.

It might also be interesting to discuss teaching English through music as I recall some months ago you telling us that you had developed the idea.

But it just goes to show that for the rest of us who mostly know very little about Indonesia and who mostly only hang out with other expats in bars and do not learn to speak Bahasa Indonesia and do not pay attention to our kids progress at school, that we can be enlightened from this forum and from your expertise.

And yet many Independent (international) schools and semi-private schools naively and irresponsibly choose to follow the Cambridge system.

Not at all irresponsible if they have staff able to teach the content effectively.
I suggest your comment is a tad harsh.

abdulkhalil wrote:

But it just goes to show that for the rest of us who mostly know very little about Indonesia and who mostly only hang out with other expats in bars and do not learn to speak Bahasa Indonesia and do not pay attention to our kids progress at school, that we can be enlightened from this forum and from your expertise.

It's always a good idea to get out, meet locals and interact with them on a social basis, just as learning the language is a very good idea.
If I might be so bold, perhaps taking an interest in your kids' education is a good idea, but that's entirely up to you.
By the way, I would generally discourage going to bars, mostly because the places are very expensive and expats who frequent them without other interaction with Indonesians from other social groups tend to get a very twisted view of Indonesia. However, it's perfectly legal so it's very much whatever floats your boat.

Again you are spot on. Even at my own children's school the standard of English teaching is excellent. Kids all the way up to senior high school speak perfect English as they would in a typical school in the UK say in Sussex or Surrey, and that impressed me and was one of the reasons I chose the school. If I wasn't happy with the system then I wouldn't be paying  Rp200 million a year tuition fees per child.

I don't have experience of government schools in Indonesia but trust you that many of their English teachers may not be up to scratch.

abdulkhalil wrote:

I don't have experience of government schools in Indonesia but trust you that many of their English teachers may not be up to scratch.

I have been to many SDNs and SMPNs, noting most English teachers struggle with much that they try to teach. It isn't their fault as they simply don't have the training to do as they need, and many schools have very limited access to resources, even text books.
That means my target group, people who have enough cash to pay me but can't afford a top end school, very probably won't be able to cope with Cambridge stuff (at least at first).

My pals (international) or Hang outs are most likely to be of use to the target group, thus it would be good business to use a set of books of that nature.

Fred wrote:

abdulkhalil wrote:

But it just goes to show that for the rest of us who mostly know very little about Indonesia and who mostly only hang out with other expats in bars and do not learn to speak Bahasa Indonesia and do not pay attention to our kids progress at school, that we can be enlightened from this forum and from your expertise.

It's always a good idea to get out, meet locals and interact with them on a social basis, just as learning the language is a very good idea.
If I might be so bold, perhaps taking an interest in your kids' education is a good idea, but that's entirely up to you.
By the way, I would generally discourage going to bars, mostly because the places are very expensive and expats who frequent them without other interaction with Indonesians from other social groups tend to get a very twisted view of Indonesia. However, it's perfectly legal so it's very much whatever floats your boat.

I think the visiting a bar part mostly comes down to your location within Indonesia and of course lifestyle. I would agree that if you want to solely embrace the Indonesian way of life then yes away from that lifestyle is possibly the better option.
Typically in my location we meet on a Sunday afternoon in a bar, at least 50% (not including staff) are Indonesian punters, last Sunday of the month I would say 75% are Indonesian  (Harley Davidson clubs etc)
In my experience and is minimal compared to many on here, many Indonesian here speak ok English to excellent and they thrive to improve this, whereas I've experienced quite often reluctance to be taught or corrected with my Bahasa, even the wife has a similar attitude towards my Bahasa, plus I'm probably one of the worst students anyway, but learn the very basics as a minimum without a doubt
I will say one very common ground I share with Indonesians is our children during conversations and he's (my son) a pretty cool ice breaker also

Well hope it all works out well and do keep us informed about what you decide to do in the end. Seems like you're a bit bored with what you've been doing. Nothing like a big change to recharge the batteries.