Why is it that I have more difficulties reading now than before krismon? The newspapers are shrinking because paper has become too expensive, but the prints must also have become smaller and they must be economizing on printing ink too, because the letters are less clear. The other day Tanya said that I was shrinking because I held the piece of paper that I was reading so far in order to be able read it, but found that my arm was too short!

No, I don"t think I am shrinking, but we do not get the proper light. Because of krismon the electricity board gives us light of poor quality and during the day it is the pollution that causes the sunlight to stay away.

Tanya said that if I have difficulties reading, I should ask somebody to read it for me, but I don"t think it would help, because people just mumble a little bit and I have to repeat ÔWhat did you say?" all the time. They probably have no money to go to the dentist.

Only music is loud nowadays, especially in the malls and that is why I hate to go shopping. The floors in the malls are slippery and the escalators go so fast. But staying at home becomes quite eerie these days, because my things keep disappearing, especially keys. Sometimes I am sure that I have put my keys at one place, but after a while I have to look for them again. Who replaced them? It may be some dukun santet (sorcerers), like those now at work in East Java. I have to admit that it is weird to stay at home, because the Ninja's may come to fight them, while they are at work in my home.

So from time to time I venture out on slippery floors and have lunch or high tea with friends. I actually don"t enjoy the food so much anymore. It is usually tasteless, because the restaurants are trying to save on the spices to keep the prices low. The meat is usually so tough, it must be because of krismon that they don"t serve us the good quality meat we are used to anymore. And don't talk about chicken! these are usually so tough and dry. Not only human beings, the chickens too are suffering from malnourishment because of krismon!

Well, going out can be exciting because I like to hear the latest gossips and jokes. The real news in Indonesia do not come from CNN or TVRI, but from the people themselves and that is why it is important to go out and listen to what they have to tell. However, sometimes we can get into arguments.

One day I went out with Tanya for a lunch meeting. On the way we had to stop at a moneychanger to change some dollars, because she changes dollars to rupiahs when the dollar is weakening and she changes rupiahs to dollars when the dollars is strengthening. All was well until Lydia came in clutching her mobile phone to her ear, but covering the mouth part and said:

"The dollar has gone up, by three hundred. It is now 7500, luckily I bought some for 7000 yesterday. I made a profit of 500!"

"What", Tanya said, I just changed mine for 7200 this morning, so I lost 300! She was not over her feelings of regret, when Nani came in and said:

"Goodness me, the rupiah is weakening, I changed my dollars this morning for 7000 and now it is 7800!"

Tanya felt better because there was someone else who lost more than she did, but Nani continued and said. "Well, they say it is good for the export."

We were all speechless and concentrated on the food that was tough and dry until Lydia broke the silence by saying:

"Is it also good for us and for the people? Can we eat export?"