I have long enjoyed reading the newspaper nearly every morning, enjoying a coffee and a smoke at the same time. Typically, nowadays, I will read the Jakarta Post and Kompas. I'm not saying that I read every little thing in the papers. There are subjects which really just aren't interesting to me. Like the sports news, for instance. But I read the parts that stand out for me--politics, international news, crime reports, movie reviews, social commentary and such-like.
Of late, however, I have noted that I can no longer see the damn newsprint, often enough stopping at the headline because the smaller print is just too challenging and I end up getting ink smudges on my nose.
So today I said 'Enough is enough', and went upstairs to the spectacle outlet at Plaza Renon.
"I'm looking for reading glasse," I proclaimed. "Ada?"
"Oh, yes!"
By 'Oh yes', they meant to say that they wanted me to step into the back room, have an eye examination, and get prescription glasses.
"No, no--I can see all right with the glasses I have--the ones on my face. I'm talking about reading glasses. Magnifying glasses. Ada?"
Disappointment.
"Oh. Iii … yaa."
The two employees escort me to an obscure glass case containing reading glasses.
"The highest magnification you have," I suggest.
"Gitu," the woman answers, squinting in sympathy. "How old are you?"
"Sixty-five."
"Ahhhh."
"Sudah tua, ya."
"Yah!"
Semangat.
"Really, I'm sixty-four," I amend. "I'm not really sixty-five."
This earns a brief noncommittal stare. As if I had made a random comment about the difference between an inch and an inch worm.
"Try these," the woman says. "It's the highest number we have."
Well, the good news is that these rather flimsy little glasses did indeed make a decided improvement in my ability to see the newsprint. It is still necessary to hold the paper rather close to my nose, but at least the print doesn't go scurrying off the page like armies of ants. As long as you focus on what you're reading and avoid looking up, you're fine. If you look up, you can't see a damn thing.
Of late, however, I have noted that I can no longer see the damn newsprint, often enough stopping at the headline because the smaller print is just too challenging and I end up getting ink smudges on my nose.
So today I said 'Enough is enough', and went upstairs to the spectacle outlet at Plaza Renon.
"I'm looking for reading glasse," I proclaimed. "Ada?"
"Oh, yes!"
By 'Oh yes', they meant to say that they wanted me to step into the back room, have an eye examination, and get prescription glasses.
"No, no--I can see all right with the glasses I have--the ones on my face. I'm talking about reading glasses. Magnifying glasses. Ada?"
Disappointment.
"Oh. Iii … yaa."
The two employees escort me to an obscure glass case containing reading glasses.
"The highest magnification you have," I suggest.
"Gitu," the woman answers, squinting in sympathy. "How old are you?"
"Sixty-five."
"Ahhhh."
"Sudah tua, ya."
"Yah!"
Semangat.
"Really, I'm sixty-four," I amend. "I'm not really sixty-five."
This earns a brief noncommittal stare. As if I had made a random comment about the difference between an inch and an inch worm.
"Try these," the woman says. "It's the highest number we have."
Well, the good news is that these rather flimsy little glasses did indeed make a decided improvement in my ability to see the newsprint. It is still necessary to hold the paper rather close to my nose, but at least the print doesn't go scurrying off the page like armies of ants. As long as you focus on what you're reading and avoid looking up, you're fine. If you look up, you can't see a damn thing.
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