tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19501805523134157972024-10-06T20:50:58.698-07:00travel the world to enjoy the diversity of culturesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-71625436053563118292014-02-28T00:09:00.000-08:002014-02-28T00:09:57.290-08:00

East Timor hopes improved infrastructure will entice more visitors to sample its rich Portuguese heritage and the untouched beaches that ring the island. (JG Photo/Eduardo Mariz) With coastlines washed by 13 seas and more than a hundred active volcanoes dotted over thousands of islands, the geography-minded traveler will find Indonesia anything but a disappointment. Yet in the vastness

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-21666136129851141622014-02-28T00:06:00.000-08:002014-02-28T00:06:15.502-08:00

Tweeter Street is a photo project that photographs Twitter users; where they tweeted, with what they tweeted, created by Michael Hughes, left. (Photo courtesy of Michael Hughes) Only a decade ago, the word “Twitter” most likely didn’t ring any bells for most people. Today, however, the social networking and micro-blogging service is as much mainstream and part of contemporary, popular

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-50160517587249704262014-02-24T11:13:00.001-08:002014-02-28T00:26:59.231-08:00

Eight people carrying two huge piles (gunungan) of kue keranjang were recently seen running along Jl. Urip Sumoharjo to reach Tien Kok Sie Chinese Temple in Pasar Gede in Surakarta (Solo), Central Java.  People scrambled to grab sweet sticky-rice cakes from the piles as the litter bearers ran by, eventually overwhelming the men. Dozens more then descended on the gunungan, the cakes now

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-67588947006243656552014-02-15T09:56:00.000-08:002014-02-15T09:56:03.261-08:00

Style is an expression of self.  But has the world of fashion turned on its head? Women’s fashion is becoming more masculine while men’s clothes are taking clearly on feminine lines. At this year’s London Fashion Week, the gender debate is likely to be much heated. london fashion week The New York Times’ fashion critic, Suzy Menkes declared that some fashion shows, especially that of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-19209716721590727202014-02-11T11:22:00.000-08:002014-02-15T10:12:53.473-08:00

When in 1990 East and West Germany reunified to become one country again, seven leading photographers from the East decided to start a new journey in their lives by founding a photo agency. Ostkreuz, named after one of the busiest suburban railway stations in Berlin where the new agency was located, has since developed into one of the most successful agencies in the country with currently 18

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-64223792786909977432014-02-11T11:07:00.000-08:002014-02-15T09:37:14.476-08:00

A common saying in Indonesia — “ kalau jodoh, mukanya mirip” — implies that your significant other will most likely be your soulmate if your faces show similar features. This notion is by no means exclusive to Indonesia alone. In fact, scientific research has shown that couples began to resemble one another the longer they have been together. Our Soulmates, Our Selves Based on this

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-47103220167843553412011-09-23T17:13:00.001-07:002014-02-15T09:38:56.149-08:00

‘Motion/Sensation’: An exhibition of kinetic art The Kinetic Art Exhibition titled “Motion/Sensation” organized by Edwin’s Gallery at the Jakarta Art District in Grand Indonesia reveals that Indonesian artists have been making kinetic art long before the term became an understanding in art creation. Heri Dono, for instance, is known for the low-tech devices that he uses to attract

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-40383285624903933302011-09-20T19:34:00.000-07:002011-09-20T19:34:42.432-07:00

Members of world music ensemble Debu became quite a familiar sight for Indonesian television viewers during last fasting month.  Nearing the breaking fast time, they would appear for around seven minutes to carry out a form of soliloquy accompanied by music. Kumayl Mustafa Daood, the US-born lead vocalist, would tell tales of wisdom in fluent Indonesian before picking on his glama-a Turkish

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-60516471706896278062011-09-17T20:06:00.000-07:002014-02-15T09:40:47.256-08:00

‘Birds’ Inspires a Flight of  Nostalgia In 1963, filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock not only changed the way we look at movies, but also painted a not-so-tender picture of our feathered friends with his horror classic 'The Birds.'“Birds,” a new solo exhibition by Eunice Nuh, the artist otherwise known as PinkGirlGoWild, is anything but a scary sight. In fact, the young artist clearly misses birds in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-1586021163544004502011-09-17T19:59:00.000-07:002014-02-15T09:46:23.881-08:00

Japanese Culture After a full week of touring schools across Jakarta and Yogyakarta, the Geiso cultural performance group is due to arrive back in Japan today.  Based at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Japan, the group is made up of Japanese and Indonesian students committed to sharing their cultures and traditions at home and abroad.  “ ‘Geiso’ literally

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-82761503051415621382011-09-15T08:42:00.000-07:002014-02-15T09:44:15.208-08:00

Desert Dreaming in Morocco There are many opportunities to experience Berber culture in Morocco, which also has French and Arabic influences. JG Photos/Nadia Bintoro. As a lone female traveler, making my way through the crowded alleys of Marrakech, one of Morocco’s imperial cities, turned out to be a real battle.  I had to acrobatically twist my body to avoid getting hit by

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-67075906599203248272011-09-13T12:34:00.000-07:002011-09-15T23:00:24.276-07:00

Jason Powell went to the US Capitol recently to photograph not the politicians, the architecture or the tourists. He went to photograph a photograph.  The scene taking a second turn in front of the lens was one worth revisiting 70 years later: a bevy of beautiful California girls dressed to represent the state’s fruit crops. They smiled from the Capitol steps in a photo discovered in the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-56673375018594004622011-09-13T12:27:00.000-07:002011-09-15T23:07:34.388-07:00

In recent years, art exhibitions in Jakarta have not been limited to galleries. This effort to bring art closer to the masses has seen exhibitions held in all manner of public places, most prominently in shopping malls.  While this approach has certainly helped artists reach a wider audience, old-school art connoisseurs have cringed at what they see as a process of commercialization. They

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-54251952470717134312011-09-13T12:20:00.000-07:002011-09-13T12:20:19.560-07:00

When it comes to cafes, most young people in Jakarta are just looking for a place to kick back, plug into the net and hang out with friends.  Young Society, a new cafe and grill in Kebayoran, South Jakarta, knows this market and goes further by providing a great menu to boot.  Word has spread about the cafe since it opened just four months ago, and on a recent visit I found out why. The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-32659327911161317642011-09-13T12:16:00.000-07:002011-09-15T23:03:09.012-07:00

New York. The fashion world stood still when the World Trade Centers came down in the middle of New York Fashion Week a decade ago, but the shows went on Sunday with moments of reflection and remembrance from the tents at Lincoln Center to venues within distance of ground zero. "On a day like this, we're all American," U2's Bono said after the spring preview downtown for Edun, the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-83108147100932529242011-09-13T12:11:00.000-07:002011-09-13T12:11:25.629-07:00

Based on Bernardo Bertolucci’s legendary film from 1972, “Last Tango in Paris: A Novel,” by Robert Alley, tells of the disturbing relationship between an American widower and a young, sensuous Parisian bride-to-be.  The movie, which starred Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, was one of the most controversial films ever released, earning both an X rating and international condemnation. The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-51074169435234795082011-09-13T12:07:00.000-07:002011-09-15T23:09:23.423-07:00

A pillar of the historical axis in Paris and bordered by the Arc de Triomphe, the Avenue des Champs-Elysee is one of the most famous streets in the world, and a vibrant center for high-end fashion and art galleries, from the massive Grand Palais to a new hidden art space by Louis Vuitton.  The Louis Vuitton Culturel Espace, located on the seventh floor of the fashion brand’s flagship Paris

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-14125974445644079772011-09-13T12:03:00.000-07:002011-09-13T12:03:29.668-07:00

Most people travel quickly through the unremarkable corridor leading from the Esplanade Theatre on the Bay in Singapore to the MRT station and Raffles City shopping center. But since mid-August, pedestrians have been stopped in their tracks by a puffy, colorful collection of moving dolls, artworks and video installations nestled under the highway.   A  titled “Circus of Life,” focusing

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-63891780818740443312011-04-10T22:06:00.000-07:002011-04-10T22:06:06.691-07:00

Dancers from ‘We Are From the East,’ choreographer Jecko Siompo’s exploration of the connection between hip-hop and Papuan traditional dance. (Photo courtesy of Goethe-Institut)   A group of 10 dancers kneel on the floor. The upper bodies of the male dancers are painted in black and white while their female counterparts

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-65724003439025880302011-04-10T21:58:00.000-07:002011-09-15T23:02:40.012-07:00

The Iwan Tirta Private Collection brings a 1920s flapper touch back, mixing it with batik to produce a modern yet sophisticated style. Long before many Indonesian designers embraced and experimented with batik, Nusjirwan Tirtaamidjaja — popularly known as Iwan Tirta — was already passionate about the fabrics. He took the beauty of batik to a new level, from one stage to another and out into

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-20980016547989434632011-04-10T21:54:00.000-07:002011-04-10T21:54:52.093-07:00

A young barber from Padang in Sumatra has been on the road for a decade. Now 25 years of age, Marcel Arde lives and works in Bali after spending a few years hard slog in the nation’s teeming capital, Jakarta.At just 15, Marcel struck out on his own to try his luck in the big smoke, carrying with him his tools of trade, scissors, a cutthroat barber’s razor and the hairdressing skills he had

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-39925695814198144902011-04-10T21:52:00.000-07:002011-04-10T21:52:07.628-07:00

Designer Edward Hutabarat was sitting cross-legged on the floor of one of the oldest Peranakan Chinese batik producer’s house in Kedungwuni, Pekalongan. Piles of colorful batik tulis (hand-painted batik) worth Rp 10 million were scattered on the ground in front of him.  Next to him, batik producer Liem Poo Hien, with a pen and paper, a nervous smile and a frown, carefully noted down

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-10583051544191668492011-01-14T00:01:00.001-08:002011-01-14T04:13:39.980-08:00

Diana Kartika Jahja’s job as a program director for the Indonesian International Education Foundation requires her to travel overseas regularly. While the 38-year-old is happy to make the frequent trips, she misses the spiciness of Indonesian cuisine while she is abroad. “It is hard because I don’t like Western food with all the cheese and stuff. I always crave Indonesian food, spicy food,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-70543367141955431602011-01-13T23:57:00.001-08:002011-01-14T00:04:51.664-08:00

For the past three years, young Indonesian designer Nina Karina Nikicio has worked hard to establish her label, Nikicio. Focusing on wearable pieces and classic styles, the label is receiving more and more recognition each year. Under Nikicio, Nina designs for four different lines that include men’s and women’s wear. On Wednesday night, Nina held a fashion show to display her new

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950180552313415797.post-15196775888936631632011-01-13T23:52:00.001-08:002011-09-15T23:08:25.107-07:00

The house at the corner of a quiet residential area in West Cilandak, South Jakarta, is not imposing. Its gray steel gates are half-obscured by the lush hedgerows surrounding the house. There is no sign or marker to indicate the gallery inside. Yet its loyal patrons, who include the city’s socialites and expatriates, recognize Srihana Batik Tulis (Srihana

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0