Cowboys Stadium

Chelsea and Mexican top team Club America were playing in Cowboys Stadium tonight. So I went with a few colleagues to check out the soccer stars and the brand new stadium. And yes, the new home of the Dallas Cowboys is huge.

With a crowd of 55,000 is was 75% filled, mainly with Mexican fans dressed in yellow. Many of them had picked up a brand new vuvuzela in the parking lot. Some of them even managed to bring fireworks.

We were high up. It would have been hard to distinguish the players. Luckily the stadium has the world's largest HDTV: the 600-ton Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision System. Hanging 90 feet above the field, each screen facing the sidelines is about 60 yards long and 72 feet tall.

Boat Quay

I spent the evening in Singapore on my way back to the US. I had dinner at the Satay House on Clarke Quay and walked along the Singapore river to the Esplanade. Here's a view on the river from Boat Quay with the Fullerton hotel on the right and the blue glow of the insect eye like roof of the Concert hall on the Esplanade in the distance.

Now I'm back at the airport, just took a shower, and I'm getting ready for my flight to Houston. At a distance of 9925 miles and a duration of 25 hours, SQ 62 from Singapore to Houston with a stop in Moscow is Singapore Airlines' longest flight. I'll be traveling by myself. Ina and the boys will return in a few weeks. I will miss them.

Ini Budi

Manchester United is making an Asian tour in preparation of the new season. They will stop in Jakarta for a match against the Indonesian national team. This is one of the most anticipated soccer matches in Indonesia this year. Mobile operator "3" is sponsoring the tour and launched an extensive media blitz. Billboards with MU players are all over the city.

This TV commercial shows Rooney, van der Sar, Giggs, Ferdinand, and Song learning Bahasa Indonesia. Just like for any Indonesian school kid, the lesson starts with "Ini Budi. Budi bermain bola." (This is Budi. Budi plays with a ball.)

Taman Rasuna

We moved to the Taman Rasuna apartment complex in Kuningan, Jakarta. Ina did a great job of finding an apartment to rent for one month. Four years ago, we stayed here as well, and we liked the area and the amenities of the development.

But in four years a lot has changed. Not only have two more towers been added, but there's also a huge new development under construction right next door. Builders are finishing up the 215 m, 50 storey Bakrie Tower, anchoring the Rasuna Epicentrum. Designed by the world-renowned HO+K firm, this structure is another architectural marvel in the Jakarta skyline.

We visited a minitiature of the entire development. On the picture, you can see the canceled monorail along Jalan Rasuna Said on the foreground, the Bakrie Tower in the middle with the Taman Rasuna towers to the right. Work has not started on the towers on the left, but you can sign up for a $250K condo already today.

Bubblemakers

For a few days, we made the Santika resort in Manado our base. The main attraction here are the coral reefs and marine life around the island of Bunaken. The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27-29 C) and harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world.

Yesterday, the boys and I made two snorkeling trips. The first one was great, the second one was cut short by surface trash and jellyfish. To escape these in the future, we did an introductory diving course today. Greg and Sammy received their official PADI bubblemaker certificate.

Danau Tondano

Tondano lake, 30 km south of Manado, is 600m above sea level. It is popular with Manado residents who come here for Sunday lunch. Objek Wisata Remboken has a restaurant overlooking the lake, and some gardens to wander around.

We did what the locals do. We rented a car and took Ina's mom, and her cousins Lian and Tien to the lake. It was a beautiful drive through the mountains with lush forests of banana and coconut trees.

The koi pond

The koi pond in Singapore's Changi airport is a quiet place to sit and enjoy a moment's respite from today's fast paced life. It is designed to take time to ponder the enormity of life itself, or the microcosmic perfection of a single koi fish. That is, until Gregory walked in to disturb the peace and stir up the koi pond...

The koi reigns surpreme among cold water fish held in captivity. Japan is undoubtedly the koi capital of the world from which the Nishikigoi, or koi gains its name.