I spent the past Saturday night at a private dinner in Changchun. Unsurprisingly, the dinner consisted of Chinese food. It included seafood, for instance rose fish and mackerel. We washed the seafood down with Chinese beer and Chinese wine. I can’t honestly claim to be into alcohol. Yet sipping a glass of wine or a […]

(Photo opposite: Bedugul in Buleleng where Bruce lives with his family.) I’m known for the lack of traveling that I do. Usually, I stick to driving one of my daughters to school, going to one of the local stores for shopping, visiting the bank once a week and snorkeling in front of the […]

(Photo opposite: Panama’s official Presidential residence: Palacio de las Garzas) As the 2009 Panamanian presidential election approaches, and as the presidential candidates campaign across the country, a lot of people are wondering what it will take for one of the candidates to pull ahead of the pack and become the next president. The answer […]

(Photo opposite: Campus where Jurgen teaches in Changchun, China) There’s another university quite close to “my” university campus in Changchun. Even though “my” campus looks spacious, the other university’s campus gives the word “vast” a new meaning. There’s a reason for it. Whilst “my” university’s private, the other one’s a public outfit. That public […]

The 20 Minute Rule
(Photo opposite: My Panamanian car papers.) I waited until the very last day of the month to renew my car papers; that wasn’t the way to do it. We ran from car shop to car shop to get the car inspected but most were closed because of the Jewish holiday. We finally […]

(Photo opposite: Changchun Times Square Mall) A couple of days ago, I went on a shopping spree in Changchun. I needed proper clothes for the upcoming winter in Northeastern China. The business is sorted out now, fortunately. Shopping doesn’t even remotely signify fun for me. On the contrary. Shopping implies work and stress for me. […]

Three unique and distinct Central American nations lying between the tourist and retirement meccas of Mexico and Costa Rica, all three nations have been through civil wars in the 1980s through the early 1990s and all three are now well into reconstruction and economic recovery, with tiny El Salvador, the most densely populated country in […]

I can presently enjoy a one week holiday in Changchun. The reason for that one week holiday comes down to China’s National Day. My present stomping ground China celebrates its National Day on 1 October. To do so in style, China’s National Day stretches over a week. Over that week, all schools and universities are […]

(Photo opposite: Antonio in Burma among the Shan) “When I fled the village I had to leave my baby behind, because she was too small to survive in the jungle.” Says 25 year old Nang Ga, a Shan tribeswoman who was driven from her home in Shan State by SPDC soldiers of the Burmese army. […]

(Photo opposite: Panamanian Immigration) The laws to obtain Panamanian residency can be very complicated as they change constantly. Recently, the Panamanian government changed the residency laws: look for the laws to change again after the May 2009 presidential election. The biggest change in the new laws is the increase in the amount of money […]

(Photo opposite: Ficus religiosa under its spreading limbs Buddha found enlightenment) The City Botanic Gardens in Brisbane have a history which parallels that of the Company´s Garden at the top of Adderley Street in Cape Town.
Both started as giant vegetable patches to feed local inhabitants – in Cape Town it was for the early […]

(Photo opposite: Jurgen with class in Changchun, China) A few days ago, “my” university gave a little welcome reception for the new international faculty. All in all, there are plenty new faculty faces around for the unfolding academic year. The university’s vice - president gave the welcome address in Chinese. It was fortunately translated into […]

I knew John McCain had been born in Panama because I had read tons about Panamanian history; his name would every now and then appear in Panamanian history books. In 1989, President Bush sent McCain to Panama as an election observer during the May 1989 Panamanian presidential election which was held during the last year […]

(Photo opposite: Jurgen stands in center of photo) You see me in the photo with one of my classes in Changchun. The photo pretty much projects an ordinary class at our university. There are plenty more female students than male students in that class. Across the board, girls outnumber guys at our university by […]

About My Exposure To Filipino Language
(Photo opposite: Antonio Graceffo) For four months I studied emergency medical technician (EMT) and volunteered on an ambulance crew in Quezon, City, Philippines. I was the only foreigner in my class, although the head instructor was Irish. On the ambulance crew I was the only foreigner. This was my third […]

A new survey that was conducted in August 2008 shows that the average Panamanian citizen is most concerned about inflation: 32.8% said it was their top concern. Right behind inflation at 32.5% is the fear of crime, violence and instability. Panama’s workers are looking to have their salaries increased in order to lessen the harmful […]

When setting out as a lawyer, I zeroed in on stuff along the lines of international mergers and acquisitions as well as international commercial arbitration. It didn’t make me an expert in financial markets. Yet financial markets have managed to draw my interest, in the course of time. By subscribing to the right sort of […]

Over the summer holiday, I put Chinese literature aside. Since the winter semester’s got under way, I’ve reverted to Chinese literature. I’m presently reading the novel “China Men” by Maxine Hong Kingston. In fact, I’m reading the German translation of that book, which is titled “Die Soehne des Himmels”. It makes no hoot of a […]

A few years ago the Panamanian government contracted out the responsibility of issuing driver’s license to a private company called SERTRACEN: over night it became much more difficult to obtain a driver’s license in Panama. In the days when the government was issuing driver’s license it was too easy to get a driver’s license: the […]

(Photo opposite: Antonio Graceffo) Since earliest childhood I had the dream of being a movie star. I wanted to be rich and famous. When I read that Elvis had to rent out an amusement park, just so he wouldn’t get mobbed by his fans, I said, “that is exactly how famous I want to […]