I cannot explain what happened to me when I was in Leiden last week. Perhaps it was the combination of the Dutch weather (it was raining like crazy), my lack of rest, my wild brain, and being with a partner in crime (who requested such crazy music) The result of such combination is the recording of some children songs — sung in a no-shame drunk mode :p

Unfortunately those who didn’t grow up in Indonesia wouldn’t understand the humor behind all of this craziness. But anyway…… please enjoy two of some songs I recorded….. they are about a dog and meatballs…. accompanied with a stolen guitar :p

The Heli Dog of WineHouse

The Meat Ball of Edith Piaf
(more…)

I have many stories from my adventure in the land of midnight sun, but currently I have no energy nor time to write them except this particular one. Cannot help but writing about Московское метро.

Both St Petersburg and Moscow are beautiful. Remarkably beautiful. They are gorgeous! As I mentioned somewhere else, though, these cities, unlike Western European cities, were really designed in inhumane scale aka gigantic scale, a very common style adopted by great (authoritarian) rulers who wanted to make ‘people’ feel small.

Russia really impresses me. The people, food, architecture…. One thing that impress me most is their Metro system. Not only it’s remarkably efficient and well designed, it’s architecture is also impressive, especially the Moscow one.

(more…)

Here I am, in another city with very unique Russian architecture. Beautiful? Of course. This city is just gorgeous. Remarkably beautiful, really.
Like Petersburg, Москва́ too, was designed in a gigantic scale.
Amazingly, it’s still very walkable… but not for disabled ones! Too many stairs, too wide, too big, too tiring!!!

(more…)

“a butterfly”
photo by mer, dessert botanical garden of phoenix, may 14, 2007
(more…)

I was walking under the sun when I saw an old lady sitting down alone. On the bench, under the tree. Calmly opening her brown bag and enjoying her lunch. Wise and smart, that’s how she looked. She was old, but looked content. (more…)

A friend of mine, TJ, sent me email today. He told me that he is touring the Netherlands with his friends. Then he said, “.. last night we were eating diner in Dordrecht and found your name!!”

I was always told by Hispanic guys I met that Merlina (usually spelled Marlina or Marlena… and well, my name actually is Merlyna) is a Hispanic (Spanish/Mexican) name. But this isn’t (more…)

(more…)

(more…)

A flock of birds were joining the MayDay march at MacArthur Park, Los Angeles.

More pics of the march, see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/olohok/tags/noborders/