Disqus - Friends of hungry_traveler

Re: Obama inauguration: Words of history … crafted by 27-year-old in Starbucks (Guardian)

javajive — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:15:52 -0000

Thanks, it should be fixed now.

Re: The "I will not post about Obama's inauguration" post

javajive — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:20:46 -0000

Thanks, Lisa. It's indeed exciting.

Re: The "I will not post about Obama's inauguration" post

javajive — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:23:41 -0000

I think this is exactly what America needed - a new leader that stirs such excitement as to persuade other countries to broadcast the inauguration, with nations across the globe tuned in. Here in Jakarta there were numerous gatherings to celebrate the event - 12,000 miles away. That's impressive. That's change.

Re: The "I will not post about Obama's inauguration" post

javajive — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:25:13 -0000

Yes, I've seen this. Pretty remarkable ya?

Re: Massive explosion and fire in Plumpang near my home in North Jakarta / followed by flooding

javajive — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:42:28 -0000

Sorry, but what does "Huff... it's screaming..." mean?

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:08:19 -0000

I'm doing the same thing, Charlene. My print sales, online sales, etc pay for my gear. I've worked all these years to build up some sort of name, but have yet to attempt this full time in any capacity.

Photography is indeed my passion. I'd love to make more from it, but would still do it even without pay.

Thanks for sharing.

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:14:58 -0000

Hi Dean,

Sounds like you've definitely found ways to make ends meet while following your interests/calling. Mystery shopping - never heard of that before. Similar to writing reviews in return for free hotel rooms, dinners, etc?

My photography gear is very expensive - thousands of dollars, BUT that's only because I refrain from spending in other areas that many wouldn't sacrifice (vacations, better cars, expensive dinners, etc). And I make sure that I do enough print sales, etc to cover the costs of my equipment.

However, I strongly feel that if you have even a glimmer of interest in photography, don't let the camera equipment stop you. You can do amazing things with a point and shoot these days - especially if you're not striving to selling your work. It gives you the freedom to play and the flexibility to not feel constantly stressed about theft, etc.

My brother often uses a $10 Holga that he picked up at Goodwill. He also uses a Canon Rebel (film) from when he was in high school - it's got duct tape all over it and looks as if it's been through war photography. (he also just bought a Canon 5D mk II as well). The point being that it's truly not about the equipment for the majority of your work; it's about talent, passion, hard work, dedication, vision, and sometimes pure luck. Get out there and take some pics, don't worry about having a nice camera.

What do I do for work? I'll let you either dig the archives or email me directly. ;)

I often have people assume I'm a full time photographer; as much as I'd love that, it's not been the case thus far. My full time job has offered me plenty of time and money to pursue photography without the strain of turning passion into profit.

I still may give it a go, but just not quite yet.

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:09:08 -0000

Mouse - I appreciate you saying that. Off topic comments are always fine!

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:13:29 -0000

Shaky - I am willing to learn if it means $100,000 in a week! ;)

Seriously though, is it out of the realm of possibility to find some people to outsource some coding with split profits? I'd definitely be keen to look into this further. Have already considered the app store idea, but without the coding skills thought I'd be hitting a dead-end.

However, there are definitely talented coders in Jakarta. Perhaps it's time to investigate this more.

Re: Solar eclipse as seen from Jakarta

javajive — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:02:32 -0000

Yes, Juergen, I'm actually terrible with taking my camera gear with me. Mostly because A) it's worth a lot of money and theft can be an issue in Jakarta, and B) because it's quite heavy and large.

However, taking Novita's 40D around with one or two lenses isn't a bad idea. Alternatively, I could use our point and shoot G7 everyday. (I carry it sometimes, but not always)

I often do miss shots because of this. :(

Re: Solar eclipse as seen from Jakarta

javajive — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:04:31 -0000

Priscilla - this is unedited except for slight upres for display purposes.

The reason the sky is so black is because I had to stop the camera down so much and use 1/2000 sec. That allows very very little light into the camera. If the sky were to appear a natural blue, the sunlight would be far too intense to properly capture anything. :)

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:07:23 -0000

Whoa. That's way over my head. ;)

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:10:06 -0000

I'd love to do a book and have had many people suggest similar projects. I suppose it could be easier and more cost effective to do in Indonesia vs the States?

I know Jerry Aurum actually, but only on casual terms - haven't seen him in over a year. Maybe I'll ask about his experience w/ publishing here. His style is much different than mine. Thanks for the advice.

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:15:15 -0000

Never tried playing in the Indonesian stock market - without a vast knowledge of the market here, was concerned about investing. Already made plenty of mistakes in the U.S. stock market. ;)

I'll ask around and see what some of my friends think about this one. Any tips you have to gain more knowledge would be appreciated. If it helped you to buy a home, there must be something to it!

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:34:21 -0000

HI Indah. You always post such thorough and interesting comments!

1. I've done pre-wedding work; actually earned quite a lot for the initial time put into the work, however the post-production that I agreed to killed my profit margin. ;) I'd consider doing more of them, but with a more clear-cut definition of expectations and time allotted. You're right - always a wedding here! I enjoy the pre-wedding cause there's less stress and the couples have enjoyed it. Have never shot a wedding before!? It's definitely something to put on my list of investigations.

2. I actually have lots of experience teaching. I've taught many courses on tech-related subjects and have taught digital photography as well - but not for profit on my own. I've also considered this as an option; was an idea I had when I was toying with the idea of moving to Bali. I'd definitely consider doing this one.

3. The online side of things is yet another idea I'm playing with. More about this soon. ;)

Thanks again for taking the time to convey your thoughts and suggestions.

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:42:23 -0000

Yes, as you can see, I have tons of ideas and many great suggestions from you all. The problem is the business side of things. My background is engineering, not business. I'm also a perfectionist, and tend to do all or none. If I can't make something just the way I'd like it, I would almost rather not do it at all. Need to break out of that if I'm going to do some trial and error with starting projects/business.

And I have to worry about money precisely because my setup is quite nice! ;)

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:44:22 -0000

You think I'd make a good dancer?

But you're right, ideally I should turn my interest into earnings. I think that's the only way I'll truly succeed in a venture - if I keep plugging away out of a love for it, not because I have to.

Re: Mashable on Tumblr - It’s Complicated on Facebook Facebook’s solution...

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:44:57 -0000

Awesome! I love when friends of mine have been married for a solid decade and yet still use that status. Or better yet, my friends who very obviously aren't getting any and use that to sound mysterious.

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:51:23 -0000

Damn Morgan - you wrote more in your comment than I did in my post! ;)

I do think it's possible to save a decent % of income while living here - IF I live within my means. Most of my friends have two incomes and are able to put away an entire half of that (their spouses entire salary). I don't have that option, so I have to maximize what I can.

I bike to work as well - and let Novita use the car (unless it's down-pouring) but even so, my Honda gets 35mpg and I live only 2km from work. ;) Gas is almost a non-issue for me. (in the States I had a 5.7 liter that got 16mpg)

Not following what you mean about 'keep in mind the other expats...."?

Liquor is way too hard to find this year in Jakarta. Sticking to Heineken (Bintang if I have to). Really missing red wine, good vodka, and Bailey's. Actually, buying any booze / beer sucks in Indonesia. But I do understand considering the religious majority.

I use mint.com but for whatever reason can't link my main checking account and it's a royal pain in the ass not to have your main account showing up in expenditures, etc. I'm using IexpenseIt app for iPhone. Great little app for keeping track of spending.

I can't do a 401K from here from what I've been told - and can't contribute to ROTH IRA if you're not paying into U.S. taxes. If this is incorrect PLEASE let me know. These are two HUGE factors that hurt me.

I do think saving is important, but really feel I need to supplement this with additional income while I can. This is also because I'd like a bit of a security blanket if I decide to leave my job in the (semi) near future.

Thanks for all your advice Morgan. It's very helpful and appreciated.

Re: Earning supplemental income: Part 2 – Ideas and brainstorming

javajive — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:16:50 -0000

Whether I pursue other areas or not, the stock thing may be a part of what I do. I have 50,000 photos on various hard drives - 99.99% of which have never been seen, used, or posted anywhere. Maybe it's time to put some of them to use.

Re: Solar eclipse as seen from Jakarta

javajive — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:19:00 -0000

ID - I'll bet you do - especially during brutal snow, cold, and days of scraping your windshield in Chicago's lovely winters. Summer in Chicago, winter in Jakarta? Whaddya say?

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:36:46 -0000

Comparisons are natural when disparity is so extreme and prevalent. I try not to, but it becomes inevitable when I'm biking to work and get passed by Ferrari, Jags, etc, or hear of all my neighbors visiting the 7 wonders of the world within 7 weeks.

Thanks for the info via email; will respond asap. Awesome stuff you've provided me with.

Re: Earning supplemental income: How to make money in your spare time?

javajive — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:38:53 -0000

Philip, you've been quite helpful thus far. Thanks for taking the time to explain things in such detail. I'll email you if I have more specific questions regarding how to implement some of these ideas. Really appreciate your help!

Re: Earning supplemental income: Part 2 – Ideas and brainstorming

javajive — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:12:04 -0000

Actually, 50,000 isn't a terribly large amount, considering I've been actively taking digital photos since 2002 (much more since 2004). Since that time I've owned the:

Canon 5D Mk II *
Canon 5D *
Canon 40D *
Canon 350D
Canon 300D
Canon G7 *
Canon S2
Canon S40 *

* = still own

The majority of my photos have been taken with the Canon 5D, 40D, 350, and 300. But even so, that's only around 6,000 photos per camera, which is quite light use.

Many pros have cameras that have taken over 100-150,000 photos. My Canon 5D Mk II is rated at 150,000 photos so I think I'll be ok. :)

I also treat my equipment very very carefully (many would say obsessive about care ;) )

I have these stored on about 3.5TB of hard drives at the moment and badly need more space!

Hope this answers your question.

Re: Earning supplemental income: Part 2 – Ideas and brainstorming

javajive — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:18:09 -0000

"Havoc": This is the second negative comment you've posted on my blog. If you don't enjoy my photos or writing feel free to visit any of the other expat blogs; perhaps they'd entertain a debate with you. I have neither the time nor patience to do so. Good luck with that.