Discussions

I had to attend Catholic school from kindergarten through the eight grade. It was my punishment for foolishly allowing myself to be born into a Catholic family.

Despite the assortment of mixed nuts (misfit…

A few years ago the security department at my company decreed that I had to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel while I was in Jakarta on business. The Four Seasons was regarded as having…

Medical advice often falls on deaf ears.

Most people hate listening to advice in general. They are particularly resistant to unsolicited health warnings delivered by people they don’t know, don’t trust and can’t relate to. What…

This is a common mistake. I’ve made it repeatedly.

For most men it’s almost a reflex. “Nobody messes with my woman (or women)!”

The average guy’s attitude is, “she remains mine until I say otherwise!”

It…

I can’t remember who it was, but someone said the best test of a man’s character is to shower him with good fortune.

I was tested in this way.

I flunked the test…

The company’s security department always counseled that if we were ever confronted by muggers, we should cooperatively hand over our wallets, watches and cellphones. “NEVER put up a fight,” we were told. “It’s not worth…

I met Putri (pronounced “Pooh-tree”) in 1996. She was standing alone late at night in front of a disreputable bar in an even more disreputable part of Jakarta. Putri looked out of place. She appeared…

I don’t consider myself an exceptional male specimen. I am not exceptionally tall. I am not unusually handsome. I’m certainly not memorably suave, debonair or romantic. My pecker is, so far…

I know of four instances where I was nearly killed or at least where I could have been badly injured.

I wonder how many other close calls I’ve experienced without ever realizing it.

1. Bombing…