i am going to kill centrelink

well guess what- the tribulations just keep coming- i just checked my bank balance and centrelink, true to form, have not kept the half of the bargain which involves depositing money into my account. Yes, thats right, the money I am supposed to live on. Luckily, I anticipated this happening, and have enough in my bank to last weeks, but still, I am will go to sleep tonight thinking of the many ways that i could cause serious harm to the idiots who have stuffed my payment. Its hard enough to deal with Clink from Australia, let alone from a developing country with unreliable phone connections. Mum!!!!!!!!!!! I am giving you a task!

Anyway, my kos problems sorted themselves out eaily. Rather than move to a different place I am staying in the same place and just switching rooms twice before I get my own room. No problems! It is so good there that I don't even care- I am going to upload some pictures soon.

I had a conversation in Indonesian today with my Ibu Kos and another girl that last for one hour. Actually, for the first time I have probably spoken more Indo than English in a day!! Bad Indo of course, but I can make myself understood eventually. Gesticulation helps, a lot!

Anyway, what else? I have been out the last 3 nights in a row. The best night was on Tuesday, where we went to this dodgy looking warung (little outdoor food stall with benches) to meet friends- 4 aussies and 2 indo's, near Jalan Malioboro, the main shopping, tourist area in Yogya. Anyway, we were just talking and drinking the fabulously addictive Javanese coffee that abounds here (might even meet your standards Keith) and eating various food that I thought might make me sick but hasn't (yet- apparently street food is good here cos of the high turnover- have eaten at 3 warungs now and so far am healthy!) Anyway, this pengaman- busker (also REALLY common here- they weave between motorbikes at intersections with their guitars) came up and started playing, we gave him 1000 rupiah (about 15 cents) for one song, and then he asked if we had requests. Of course we did- so we spent about an hour singing, yes singing, at this warung, with this pengaman and his friend playing to us. It was so much fun, and not even an overly late night! Oh and we tipped the guy about 7000 rupiah, about a dollar, which the Indo's we were with said was really high, even for all those songs.

The nightlife here is really good, and it is going to take so much self-discipline not to go too OTT with going out- especially when at about 6pm every night about 5 ppl send me messages saying "ngaipain?"; what you doing?- "mau ke mana?" where you going?, "apa acara mu nanti malam"- have you got a program (plans) tonight. Gee I would think I was popular, except some people I know get about 20 messages a night!!!

Anyway, what usually happens is that at about 8pm someone somewhere makes a decision, and the SMS flow thru, and people converge at 9. Tonight everyone is doing karaoke, but would you believe IT- I am not going because not only am I absolutely tired, I have a really croaky voice from all the pollution (I swear my lungs must resemble 30 year old, dried sea sponges right now) and therefore would make a bad frist singing impression. ;-)

Ha ha, so here I am. I am going to be very un-Indonesian in a minute and find somewhere to eat, alone! I will then go home, and read a book.

I find out whether I managed to con my way in the advanced language class tomorrow, so stay tuned. I also enrolled in 3 politics suibjects yesterday- Globalisation, International Security ( a new terrorism subject) and Japanese Foreign Policy. Its going to be great, I won't understand anything!!!!!!!!! That is why you make friends with people and ask to borrow their notes. ;-)

I have so many cultural observations that I want to write on here, but I might wait till another night because I am tired, and this blog is already too long. So you will have to wait for Adelle's Intro to Indonesia 101. What a shame.