It used to be at Diwali that families used to meet, however given the schedules and the year end propensity for winding down and travel, it seems the year end is the preferred choice for getting together. 

Missed the 25th school re-union this month. Hope to make it to the next one - interesting how these get better with age - like the cliche 'wine gets better with age'. Teetotalers - you can enjoy this wine too! 

Very nice place for family picnics and to learn about the culture and people in Indonesia - Indonesia has more than 700 languages. Very diverse and geographically spread out - hence amazing that it is unified under the 'pancasila' or five principles

Beautiful view from hotel window. Observed a new concept - paid rides - riding in cars for a fee so that cars can drive in car pool lanes to get to work quicker. Watching some TV now - see many discussions about financial crisis - how about a discussion on going back to the basics - hard work and honesty?