Alterity | Jakarta and Bali

Mall Taman Anggrek is one of the largest shopping malls in Indonesia, but being located near the major traffic intersection at Grogol, it's an absolute bitch to get to, and horrendous traffic jams build up outside. But the irony of naming the mall "Taman Anggrek" after the Orchid Garden that had to be cleared to make way for the mall was apparently lost on the mall's developers it seems. Current tenants include Timezone, Matahari Department Store, Metro Department Store, Fitness First as well as Zara and Aigner among many others. There is also a four cineplex studios and entertainment center called Inul Vizta but what the mall is really famous for is its indoor ice rink, the first in Southeast Asia and a major draw to residents across the capital.

  Instincts that can still betray us, A journey that leads to the sun, Soulless and bent on destruction, A struggle between right and wrong. You take my place in the showdown, I'll observe with a pitiful eye, I'd humbly ask for forgiveness, A request well beyond you and I.    ~Ian Curtis, Joy Division

Touted as the next dangdut diva, Mela Barbie Anjani (20) is creating a huge wave in hyperspace thanks to her outlandish stage performances that are so hot they make Dewi Persik look like a nun. Her most popular video – which was uploaded three years ago – is called Dangdut Mencari Mangsa and has already racked up an astonishing 2,363,390 views on YouTube! Lovely Mela became a sensation when she participated in an event to mark Loper's Day at Pantai Karnaval Ancol, Jakarta on 30 July, 2008. The then vice-president Jusuf Kalla (JK) was in the audience and Mela Anjani was on her best behavior. But JK left the show early, and that gave Mela the green light to whip off her long black and white dress (much to the delight of her many vocal fans!) and leave her wearing just a pair of super tight hot pants and a sexy black blouse! Mela Anjani also has 1,532 friends on Facebook - but we expect that to increase in the months to come. What a performer and what a prospect. Mela Anjani can only ...

It’s been quite a laborious task, but I’ve managed to go through a fair chunk of the many hundreds of cables emanating from the US Embassy in Jakarta. A lot of it is fairly standard stuff but there are some notable gems. Here are my favorites! 1.“SEMI-UNHINGED PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR ALLEGES "EMBASSY COUP D'ETAT" … The hijinx continued in an April 18 press conference in which Awad brandished a pistol, glowered at a pack of chortling journalists, and demanded that he be accorded ambassadorial status until he departs Indonesia, a day that apparently cannot come soon enough for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. http://bit.ly/piGJps Satire at its very best! 2.Minangkabau reject Abu Bakar Ba'asyir http://bit.ly/qgK2q0 3. YES! Very important this one – LAPINDO MUD FLOW CLEARLY A MAN MADE DISASTER!!!! http://bit.ly/okKrqx 4. Sinar Mas does not have responsible management, says the Embassy, criticizes Greenpeace http://bit.ly/oqGREO Another blow for APP? 5. More satire. CUPI...

Oh dear. It looks like Garuda Indonesia are making right tits of themselves after they allegedly asked aspiring flight attendants in Korea to take off their clothes and have their breasts examined for implants.  The unnamed applicant told AFP that several dozen candidates for 18 female flight attendant positions were required to strip down to their panties for the check-up last month. The women were told to lie on a bed while an Indonesian male doctor examined them, reported Yonhap news agency .  Garuda does not deny the outrageous allegations. And a Garuda official even claimed that "the breast examination by hand was held since those with implants can have health issues when air pressure falls during flights".   Yet what’s good for the flight attendant (why don’t they call them stewardesses anymore?) should also be good for the passenger. Although one can only imagine how female passengers would respond if they had their breasts fondled before attempting to b...

Indonesia’s full of WTF moments. Here’s another from Manado, North Sulawesi:  Is that really what you think it is?  Yep it sure is. The world’s largest menorah!  A new, 62-foot-tall menorah, possibly the world’s largest, rises from a mountain overlooking the Indonesian city of Manado, courtesy of the local government. Flags of Israel can be spotted on motorcycle taxi stands, one near a six-year-old synagogue that has received a face-lift, including a ceiling with a large Star of David.    A menorah - which is a seven-branched candelabrum made of gold and a symbol of Judaism since ancient times - is the emblem of the modern state of Israel and certainly not the thing you’d expect to find in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation.   But is the construction of the huge menorah really so surprising? Well, perhaps not. Because Indonesia and Israel, while not having diplomatic relations, have nonetheless discreetly shared military and econ...

Wiwid Gunawan gives another quite simply scintillating performance in Mudik Lebaran, a Multivision Plus production scheduled for release on 8 September 2011. In this movie, which bizarrely comes to the big screen a week or so after Lebaran, Wiwid plays the role of an unhappy village lass called Wulan who finds herself in a totally “unsatisfying” contractual marriage to an older guy living in the Big Durian. But things soon change when Gunadi appears on the scene, and Wulan’s previously repressed femininity melts away as the young beauty engages in a host of flirtatious and sexy antics in a bid to get noticed. That’s something the viewing public will certainly appreciate. Especially since the sin-free days of Ramadan are now but a passing and fading memory… Contract marriage: who wouldn’t want to partake of the services of a very fit and charming Wiwid Gunawan?

When I was a kid I never had pictures of the so-called great revolutionaries on my bedroom walls, opting instead for pop art, female movie stars, Ferraris and Salvador Dali. Unidealistic I know. But I’d much rather look at Jemma Jameson’s fine figure than Fidel Casto’s ugly mutt any day of the week. Anyway, it’s years on and I’m in Ubud - and what the heck’s that? Wow! A bright red-and-white 1950s Cadillac.   This amazing old car is parked in front of one of those fancy tourist cafés that are so ubiquitous in Ubud - this one called Havana - and with my curiosity sufficiently piqued, I wander in.  Welcome to Cuba! Or at least it looks that way - like they’ve taken a little chunk of the revolutionary island – a bourgeois chunk that is – and plopped it down smack bang in central Bali! It’s all very nice but the best is saved for upstairs where, at the very fancy “Castro's Table”, (and I’m quoting from the website here):  …you are transported to another time & place - a...

1) Indonesian women first look at your clothes. Colorful shirts are not ridiculed as they are in the west but shorts are most definitely a no-no (unless you are a pramuka or boy scout). Dress well and you should be okay. A nice quality shirt is a safe bet and, a sharp business jacket really turns them on! Good shoes are also very, very important – don’t wear crappy footwear – flip flops, trainers etc. You can still pull with a bright shirt in Indonesia 2. The second thing an Indonesian woman notices is how you walk. In this regard, westerners have a big advantage as they tend to walk briskly and confidently, taking big bold steps. 2) You can’t cheat the truth. Spend your spare time aggressively working out! Also eat well to maintain a health complexion. 3) Learn a few good pickup lines . 4) Be confident. Indonesian girls love that. That doesn’t mean be rude or pushy but don’t bullshit either. Many Indonesian girls are naughtier than you think :) 6) If you really are...

Ceningan Island is a small island located just a stone’s throw away from the increasingly popular island of Lembongan. So close, in fact, is Ceningan to Lembongan that a suspension bridge has been constructed between the two islands which allows you to get across on foot, by bicycle, and even by motorcycle. So is the island worth a visit? Absolutely! It’s pretty much unspoilt and offers fantastic views of some of the most rugged coastline that you will ever see if you go for a holiday to Bali.   As there are hardly any accommodations on the island, it’s best to stay in Lembongan and make a visit to Ceningan Island a day trip. Simply hire a motorcycle (around Rp50,000), or, if you are the environmentally-aware sucker-for-punishment type like me, a mountain bike for not much less (about Rp25,000).  To get to Ceningan Island from the main village on Lembongan, just head down to the south coast, and then follow the coastal road until you arrive at the suspension bridge. Apar...

Heading along the path to the beach in Tulamben, East Bali and I see this: Be a men?  Well, that's not an easy thing to do! Because unless you are some sort of schizophrenic wacko with multiple personalities, then you are gonna find the role of “being men” very difficult indeed. But even so, the graffiti does raise the interesting question of what it means to be a man in today’s "feminist" world. Sure it’s tough and sure it’s expensive. But while there are rules to be followed – never go on an expensive date and expect the woman to pay half, for example – there are also a lot of misconceptions. Here are some of them: 1. Must have a big, manly, fancy car (or wants one ). To psychologists, the car is one of five objects that can be routinely linked to penis anxiety syndrome (the others being the cigar, the phallic looking national monument (such as Indonesia’s Monas ), unproven sexual performance medication (such as Pasak Bumi ) and, of course, the handgun). But does car s...