Friday, January 2, 2009

Ask The Googly




Dear The Googly,
The issue of Global warming is of great concern to me. As my outdoor tropical plantscape withers of frostbite, the heating bills for my palatial mansion escalate, and my recently acquired collection of hand-embroidered Nepalese hot-pants remains unworn, who (or what), may I blame this on?
~SemiPrecious Jones


Dear Semi,
You are not alone, this winter many of us have suffered the sub-zero horrors of Global Warming. The cause of this inconvenience is not (as some believe) caused by human industrial off-gassing, but is (as evidenced in the chart below) the result of a precipitous drop in the population of pirates. (For more timely research on this and other vital topics, pasta philosophy and numerous objets d'art, visit the Venganza site and its noodly appendage.



Armed with this new knowledge, The Googly hopes you will stop writing your congress people; return to buying large recreational vehicles; and search out any and all available pirates in your neighborhood and procreate with them.
Yours truly, The Googly
Send your burning questions to The Googly, click the contact button

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Insect Entrepreneurs




This shop must be owned by a friend of Roberto the Insect Architect, (one of Paisley's favorite books).

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Salon Nasty









Although Salomé takes great delight in the accidental muddling of the English language in Balinese signage, she is sure it pales next to her own butchery of Bahasa Indonesia. For more happy accidents, check out this post by Paisley's friend Richard Hancock.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Extreme Fruit




Resembling a Medieval weapon, the durian fruit is renowned in South East Asia. The odor is formidable, "No Durian" signs are often found in public transport stations and hotels. Paisley has found there are two camps, those who love its pungent custard-y taste and those who despise it. (Paisley's in the "love" camp) The fruit can grow up to 12 inches long and can weigh up to 7 pounds, which makes being a durian picker one of the most dangerous jobs Paisley can think of.







In Paisley's opinion, the Mangosteen is the "Buah Raja", or king of fruit; so delicious its rumored Queen Victoria offered knighthood to anyone who brought her a fresh one. Break one open yourself and inside you'll find a fleshy white cluster of fragrant, sweet, citrus-y fruit.

Until 2007, the fruit was banned from the US because of the Asian Fruit Fly that sometimes lives within its thick skin. Now that irradiation techniques have been approved by the USDA, the fruit is available in the US, but can often fetch prices of up to $45 a pound. (Just one more reason to come to Bali)

Sunday, December 28, 2008

"A Celebration of Indonesia Vespa Culture"




More fun was had at the Dewata Scooter Club Rally this weekend. Live music, contests, parades, and even the planting of 500 trees took place amidst the usually more reserved town of Ubud. Salomé commented on how pleasant, friendly and respectful all the "Scooterists" were. "They may look edgy, but they're sweet as pie".














A little night music



Last night Paisley and Salomé took in a show, and saw the greatest living delta blues guitarist in Jakarta, (he says there's one other guy but he's not as good). Check out Adrian Adioetomo's MySpace page for a flavor.