Better than silence, better than quiet.

(From The Jakarta Post)

from THE JAKARTA POST -- SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2006 -- PAGE 1 Some time ago my husband Tim and his friend Alister were in Bukittinggi, having dinner in a local restaurant. Loud pop music was blaring through a very bad, cheap sound system. Suddenly there was a power cut. A universal sigh of relief went through the room. The staff brought in candles and the atmosphere was suddenly transformed. It was a rare moment of peace and silence for an Indonesian restaurant -- or any public place in Indonesia, for that matter

However, the tranquility did not last long. One of the staff came out with a guitar and started playing and singing as loudly as he could, belting out a mangled list of rock and roll classics. Both guitar and voice were out of tune

Finally he stopped. There was a deafening silence …