Mama Says Relax
OK, I’ll admit it; I’ve been on a bit of a Will Meyrick-athon of late. He’s a busy guy, so...
Arts/Entertainment
Jalan Jalan – A Novel of Indonesia
Mike Stoner Tuttle Publishing 2016 ISBN 978-0-8048-4629-5 The dozen or so books about Indonesia that I’ve reviewed, most for these...
Filling the Grill
In the early ‘90s, I was working in sales and marketing at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel in Jakarta. Our...
A Brief History of Indonesia
A Brief History of Indonesia by Tim Hannigan pub. Tuttle 2015 pp.288 ISBN 978-0-8048-4476-5 (pbk) ISBN 978-0-4629-1716-7(ebook) The sub-title is far...
A World of Tradition
I love traditions. Family traditions, national traditions, anything that is traditional in the true sense of the word. I guess...
Serving the Greater Good: Meet Michael Franti
Michael Franti is an internationally-acclaimed musician and lead vocalist of Michael Franti and Spearhead, who is also a global activist...
Heads Up, Tourist Extortion in Bali Still Business as Usual
The island’s image as an attractive holiday destination may be marred by a tradition of local authorities taking cash off...
Jakarta Jive, Bali Blues
Living through interesting times and recording them as an observer, albeit with a strong attachment, offers a value not only...
Theatre with a Difference: The Jakarta Players
Breaking the monotonous routine of movie-bingeing and mall-hopping, Jakartans have the opportunity to watch a highly captivating play for a...
All That Jazz
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” ? Louis Armstrong En route to the eleventh annual Java Jazz...
They’re Playing Our Song!
Every couple has a song which means something special to them. Maybe it’s the song that was playing when they...
The Death of the Movie Star
Of all the great technological advancements that have taken place in the history of mankind, the ability to record things...
What do you pack?
Roberto Di Marco was born and grew up in Rome, Italy. He attended a liceo in Rome, earning degrees in philosophy, psychology,...
Dancing to Disney This Christmas
In our bustling metropolis, where temperatures are consistently set to ‘tropical’ year-round, it can be hard to find some Christmas...
See You in 2015!
November 2014 was the busiest month the Jakarta Comedy Club has ever had. We had four events in 15 days,...
Senyap – The Look of Silence
After the critically acclaimed and controversial Act of Killing, American documentary director Joshua Oppenheimer is back with The Look of...
Indonesia’s Opportunity at 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair
The country’s aspiring writers are aiming to make a big splash at the world’s largest book festival next year. Did...
Status: It’s Complicated
Relationships are full of drama. And nobody brings drama across better than the not-for-profit community theatre group, Jakarta Players. This...
Capitalism vs The Climate
We are entitled to look back at 2014 with some pride. Recent achievements include democratic elections where the old political...
Tesla Manaf Effendi
I haven’t asked Tesla why his parents gave him that name, but it fits the latest guitarist to have an...
A Roof for Street Musicians
It was a busy night at the Yoga Barn Ubud, when my fellow journalist friend and I went last month....