Elvi's new house

Only in Indonesia...

I came home from work to my hotel room, and look what I discovered in the bathroom. Such a sweet touch by the cleaning lady...

Cafe Batavia in Kota

This restaurant is a remnant of Dutch colonialism (the one and only?). It is located in the old capital of Indonesia named Kota in the north. I once met a Dutch lady who had lived in Kota and reminisced about it. Too bad that the city of Kota looks quite different today. But I was happy to hear that one can go to Goteborg in Sweden to reminisce, given that the two cities were built by the same architect.

The front and back streets of Jakarta

This is what I usually see in Jakarta...



But you can venture into the smaller streets that are hidden between the massive number of houses...



And meet the kids in the back streets.

Not for drinking

The ever so beautiful Alila Uluwatu

I have finally made it back! All the good stuff of Bali is giving me so much energy.

My favorite of the day was of course the combo of visiting Dreamland Beach and Alila Uluwatu. The crazy choppy waves and the body board made me so hungry, I could eat the entire menu at Alila Uluwatu's special Balinese restaurant. How perfect it is to be in the safe hands of the clifftop hotel after a ride on the crazy blue waves (literally).

Bali Dreamland

Beach baby

Photo credit: Elvi Nasution

Miss you beach weekends

Today was a holiday in Indonesia, and many friends sent me minutely updates of their island trips. I was reminiscing over the nice beach weekends I used to have, all day... But I'm happy that I will go to a HK beach this weekend with friends I met in Indonesia!

Jakarta is happy

I came shortly to Jakarta for a few meetings. My goodness how everyone looks happy, ready to make money here. Compared to a year ago when I left, there are way more visitors and they look way more prepared to profit from the growth story. During the few hours I worked from the hotel in the club lounge, the table next to me was interviewing for a new CEO for this Singaporean woman's outlet in Indonesia, and the table next to that was a group of Australians looking to dig natural resources. Happy days...

Pulau Seribu

I went diving to one of the Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu) near Jakarta. It's an hour or so boat ride from Ancol, a dirty port in the northern Jakarta. It's unimaginable how these islands are world's apart from the city of Jakarta. It is like the Galapagos Islands, left back in time and in modesty...

Fashion First

If I only had a chance to visit one store in Jakarta, I would go here. This store is the perfect one-stop place to see modern Indonesian fashion. It emphasizes on presenting fashion as art - there is only one piece shown per design, and the price ain't cheap.

Of course, all the necklaces are like size XXXL and the clothings (they show works by about a dozen designers) have so much on it, that none that I found so far are anything but out there! But I feel that if I do find something, it surely will become and will remain extremely special to me, thus I continue to visit.

Fashion First
Senayan City 1F
021 7278 1444













I liked this dress - at around $500.














Cute wedges.

Teguh Ostenrik

There was a small gallery event last November (this was a busy month for Jakarta) for an Indonesian artist named Teguh Ostenrik. It was a collection of near 100 of his mini paintings (10 cm x 10 cm) that could be purchased in whatever order or however many pieces you like, each costing approximately $100.

His usual work is not my favorite kind of art, but I thought this one was rather pretty, very straightforward, perhaps because it was targeted at the younger Jakarta crowd, and nicely presnted.

The theme was his broken heart and the NYC Subway. The artist had painted this series at a subway station right after someone broke his heart - which gave the art work a sense of beaten-ness and shakiness. Very literal.

The work was very 80s. Literally painted in the early 80s but also perfect that the artist's playground is Berlin, where it seems everything will be eternally preserved in the 80s. Jakarta seems to also keep the 80s trend for a while.

As the artist chose to have his work displayed at, and by the owner of AOD art space and Koi Restaurant & Gallery (a favorite expat hangout in Jakarta), I felt it came out really simple, approachable, and easy to absorb. I would like to see more of these exhibitions here, and I am looking forward to buying something nice too.

Jakarta Fashion Week

Last November, Jakarta had its second ever Fashion Week, held during the week of November 11-14th. I love that Jakarta would have such an event, and that Jakartans are incredibly conscious of fashion. The ritzy malls are always thriving with girls carrying Chanel bags (not sure if authentic) strutting in front of (but not inside) Harvey Nichols and Christian Louboutin.

My overall impression of this Fashion Week was that it was great fun. It's extremely approachable unlike the Paris or NY fashion shows. While it says invite only on Wikipedia, my friends and I easily self-invited ourselves. If anything, the only scary part is that once you are emersed in Jakarta's crazy over-the-top fashion, you get so used to it that nothing is enough!

I always ponder whether Jakarta's OTT mode is coming from true artistry, local taste, or some negligance? In the fashion shows, many of the clothing were heavy sparkles, on sequins, on a golden fabric, made into a flower shape, pasted on a rainbow colored dress. I would someday like to figure out why it is so over the top (yet completely wearable, so you would actually see people in them at regular events)... or the moment I figure out will be when I have already adjusted my views?