jplus 3 nov 13

Taking the LeadDOES ARIO BAYU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PLAY

THE ICONIC FIGURE OF SUKARNO?

YOUR WEEKLY LIFESTYLE SUPPLEMENT

WANDERLUSTHONG KONG’S SIDE STREET SECRETS TREND DIALOF BARS AND BIKES TABLE OF FRIENDSTHE GRIND OF GETTING TO WORK

VOL. 1 NO. 3 I NOVEMBER 3-9, 2013

2 November 3, 2013JPLUS

mark MY WORDS

Some compare Jakarta to the prickly and odoriferous fruit, but we still need room to breathe.

IF THERE’S such a thing as a picture-perfect afternoon, that day might have seen one.

In a rolling green lawn by a warehouse, adults chatted comfortably over drinks as they enjoyed the balmy weather, shopping bags at their sides. Across the yard, adoring parents cooed as their beaming babies looked up idly from their strollers. Children played on the grass, some holding ice cream cones, while others sipped bubble teas.

Never mind that the grass is actually synthetic, and the lawn is part of a shopping mall designed to replicate a warehouse. The fact that the place is built with plenty of communal space and an endless supply of fresh air bring a charming effect. As my young daughter started giggling with a new friend and my husband sat down with a cold drink, I could only wish we were home in Jakarta, and not in Bangkok.

Used to spending our usual weekends strolling through Jakarta’s grandiose and heavily air-conditioned malls, window-shopping and café hopping, the experience was certainly a major change.

To be fair, I must admit that Jakarta does have some green spaces where you can experience occasional gusts of wind and breathe in fresh air. The one that I find pleasing, in terms of size and facilities, is located in the residential area of Tebet, South Jakarta. Since 2010, the park that was built as a CSR project of a Japanese automaker has managed to attract joggers, cyclists and families from the area and beyond. As is customary almost anywhere in this country, street food is also part of the attraction. Right by the gate, come Sunday morning, vendors form a long line selling everything from chicken porridge to burgers and, however

dubious, sushi. Nevertheless, it still

seems a far-fetched idea for Jakarta residents to fully embrace our parks as New Yorkers do their Central Park or Brooklyn Bridge Park. They tend to be reserved for a short weekend stint, where you go for a good sweat for

one or two hours. Then you go home, shower and move on to the next thing on your list, which most likely takes place at one of the city’s glittering malls, where there are obviously more things to do.

After all, this is a pragmatic city. We elected pragmatists as leaders, and our lifestyles only reinforce that, allowing room for compromise only if it fits into the delicate urban dance of work-and-life balance. One thing we also might share in common is the growing urge to seek good public places, because, in the words of Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, “It’s good for our psychological well-being.”

To prove his point, Jokowi’s administration is spending trillions of rupiah to create more and better public spaces throughout the capital, purchasing land and turning it into green areas. Those sharing the vision have already jumped on the bandwagon.

For starters, there are the wooden benches you see springing up on Jakarta’s main streets, part of a CSR initiative to create a more livable city. Other CSR programs will see corporations continually maintain, and not just build, landscapes throughout the city.

So, urban dwellers, as some of us cheer on such green initiatives, let’s also seek to better appreciate the character of our environment and set realistic expectations, which could be as simple as pursuing a clean, safe and pleasant neighborhood. Here is the message: Jakarta may be a Big Durian, but it’s certainly not a foul-smelling one.

The writer is a Jakarta-based journalist, who came to embrace life

in the big city despite her small-town upbringing and penchant

for village getaways.

Check List

4 7

Noted in passing

ON THE COVER Ario BayuSweater Galeries Lafayette Collection Pants Robert Graham Photographer Meutia Ananda MUA Tania Ledezma Stylist Willy WilsonLocation Altitude, The Plaza

Power DressingThe elegant powers-that-be who conquer all in the fashion stakes.

Pasta PointersHave a go at making your own pasta this weekend.

LANGUAGE HAS been, to borrow the name of a column in this publication, the talk of the town recently. First, we had the so-called “Vickinisasi” of Indonesian, with an alleged celebrity confidence trickster becoming a laughing stock for his penchant for highfalutin and nonsensical words.

Language, of course, is power. Those gifted with the gab can go places in life, like the aforementioned Lothario who supposedly duped many entertainers with his empty but impressive sayings. Our cover subject, Ario Bayu, spent most of his upbringing abroad, and has fluent, pitch-perfect English. He had to brush up on his rusty Indonesian-language skills when he returned here in his late teens, and now is playing none other than the famed orator and founding president Sukarno.

It’s interesting that his English proficiency from living abroad – which has led to criticism he is not “patriotic” enough to play the legendary figure” – is landing him parts in foreign movies.

After all, the learned Sukarno, proficient in many languages, sought for the Indonesian people to stand as equals, shoulder to shoulder, with their foreign counterparts. Today, we can see that happening all around us among the younger generation.

I always try to speak Indonesian; why shouldn’t I when I have lived here 24 years and made this nation my home? While I’m not Indonesian by birth, I’m nevertheless proud that Jakarta-born Theodora Hurustiati, who contributes to this edition, finished runner-up in an Italian cooking show and speaks Italian fluently. Brava!

Apart from Ario, take a look at our stories on the less conspicuous corners of Hong Kong, the latest advances in cancer treatment and aesthetic enhancement and more.

My final words to the wise: enjoy your Sunday.

Bruce Emond

WINNING WORDS My Kind of Big Durian

JPlus TeamEditor Bruce Emond I [email protected] Deputy Editor Willy Wilson Graphic Designer Budhi HartonoCopy Editor Imogen Badgery-Parker

MARKETING & ADVERTISING Sales & Marketing Director Ady P. Pamungkas I [email protected] Marketing ExecutivesDewi Damayani I [email protected] Andrianto I [email protected]

WORDS SONDANG GRACE SIRAIT

@JplusSunday SundayJplusJplusSunday

3November 3, 2013JPLUS

table of FRIENDS

How is your morning commute on Jakarta’s traffic-swamped streets?Off to Work We Go

@zoyaamirinMakeup is the big part

of my trip to work, especially eyeliner to make my eyes look sassy bigger ;) … after all, people do say the

eyes are the window to the soul, right? If I have a heavy schedule – lecturing, counseling

or group therapy at Rumah Singgah, sex education in prisons or for street kids – simple dark eyeliner will do. But if I don’t feel like wearing makeup at all, I don my

glasses and doze on the way to work, singing along with my favorite playlist. The trickiest part is with

more serious makeup (read: fake eyelashes), but in 5–10 minutes, and with a great driver getting me to work on time, I can put fake

eyelashes on both eyes perfectly intact – with liquid eyeliner.

Men, I dare you!

@edwardsuhadiI walk my three dogs to my office,

which is 400 meters away. It’s a new small habit that a Jakartan like me learned

after an entire adulthood of taking a car even for the shortest trips. One thing I practice is saying

“Good morning” in the sincerest way I can. I do it to everyone: car-washing drivers, old people jogging, youngsters on the way to the office. At first the response is awkward, even suspicious, but mostly, after a very brief pause, they smile back, almost

like a relief that in this cold and harsh city we call Jakarta,

there are still people who greet each other.

@mrshanantoWhen I lived in the

suburbs, it was a four-hour roundtrip to the office – two in

the morning, and two at night. But no complaints really. During the long trip back and forth, I listened to the radio, got into the habit of tweeting or wrote on my laptop. I moved into the city about a year ago. Now my trip to work is 10 minutes. I cannot say I miss the traffic jams of commuting from the suburbs, but I must also

acknowledge that I don’t spend much time on radio, Twitter or my laptop like I

used to. Now, is that a good thing or a bad thing? ;)

@iwetramadhanI only spend 10 minutes

on my daily trip to work. Nothing much happens really, but these moments are the most crucial time in my day. And I

believe it will affect the whole of Jakarta. As my mission is to boost the mood of Jakartans

through a morning radio show, I have to be very careful with this 10 minutes in

the morning. And here is my list of things I do during my 10 minutes

trip to work: Breathe … breathe … breathe …with no sounds inside the car. I need to listen to my

own breath. Achieving focus is the main goal.

Join us at the table: send your feedback to @TOFChat and @JPlusSunday

@ReneCCThank God I don’t have a dull

and uninspiring 9–5 routine! I work when I need to work and that takes me around the city. I get to see a lot, experiencing different kinds of traffic – all of them are bad but providing different flavors. In North Jakarta, your car is among massive container trucks … adrenaline junkies, this is the place for you. Notorious angkot (minivans) and motorcycles mostly dominate East Jakarta traffic – no fun at all. West Jakarta traffic is always terrible but no complaints since they have a fantastic array of food joints and other earthly delights. Central and South? Well, let’s just say they have some of the best dealers to check out new and fancy cars. Your trip to work can always be fun, or not, depending on where you are and where you want to go :p


FASHION DIPLOMACY

Jorg Gray 6500 Series Chronograph

A. Lange & Sohne Tourbograph

A la MODE

NOTHING ENCAPSULATES Princess Diana’s style – and personality – quite like Lady Dior. Both are made of delicate features, supported by robust construction, and the result of years of meticulously studied craftmanship.

Created in 1995, the padded stitched leather bag in a rectangular shape was presented by then first lady of France, Bernadette Chirac, as a gift to Diana, who was opening a Cèzanne exhibition in Paris.

Two months later, Diana was photographed carrying the iconic bag during a visit to a children’s home in Birmingham. She sported Lady Dior again in an official visit to Argentina a few weeks later. In 1996, in honor of the self-proclaimed “queen of hearts”, the bag was named Lady Dior.

Each part of the bag – the topstitched cannage pattern, golden rings that connect the body to the arching handles and dangling gold letters, a nod to Christian Dior’s fondness for lucky charms – is exquistily executed. The stitching pattern is inspired by the Napoléon III chair, used by Christian Dior to host private clients viewing his show in 1947.

In this series of exclusive photographs, see what has made Lady Dior an iconic accessory in the last 15 years.

TONY BLAIR’S smartest political move may have been the purple sartorial picks he donned in the mid-1990s, reflecting Labour’s lurch to the center from socialist red. Present PM David Cameron’s lime green and blue ties may look blah, but some argue they show an environmental concern.

In America, watches are a timely political statement. Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr. both proudly wore Timex, a no-frills brand. Clinton’s was the plastic Ironman LCD model, priced around US$50.

When Vladimir Putin met Barack Obama at the G20 meeting in July last year, the former wore a $500,000 Tourbograph piece by A. Lange & Sohne and the latter a $350 Jorg Gray 6500 Series Chronograph. Who’s the capitalist again?

Obama’s most lavish timepiece is a vintage TAG Heuer Aquaracer which, in the luxury watch pecking order, is appropriately among the most utilitarian.

While the leaders of 10 Downing Street and the White House go for accessories, no one wears his suit like Kofi Annan. The Vanity Fair International Best-Dressed List regular’s signature pin-stripped, double-breasted suits by Brioni and Ferragamo are a stylish hit from Accra to New York.

Former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi was always effortlessly elegant and quirky, wearing a tailcoat at the celebration of Japan’s newborn princess in 2001 and sporting oversize gold-rimmed sunglasses once worn by Elvis Presley at the late crooner’s Graceland mansion.

Making style waves in diplomatic circles today is our very own Marty Natalegawa, with his shock of gray hair, kooky glasses and impeccable double-breasted suits. On a recent visit to Myanmar, the foreign minister made a winning statement with a khaki suit with matching pants and wayfarer sunglasses.

The Politics of Fashion

The Bag Lady

Fashion has always been a way to win friends and influence people. WORDS WILLY WILSON


Michelle Obama, 49 Mrs. Obama, with her enviable toned physique and gorgeous bone structure, is at her best when wearing simple cocktail dresses.

She’s fearless when it comes to colors and patterns, but she keeps her look timeless with classic silhouettes. The US First Lady wowed all and sundry with a sequinned Michael Kors number for her husband’s inauguration in January. But not too shabby was the US$169 Talbots dress that she wore in August. She also favors up-and-coming designers such as Doru Olowu, Doo Ri Chung and Cushnie et Ochs.

While not all her fashion choices are winners, she has defined a new feminine but strong look for First Ladies.

Fashion moment Donning a floral Tracy Reese frock and J. Crew pumps in matching color at the 2012 Democractic National Convention. Key pieces Cocktail dresses in bold prints and bright colors. Get the look Alleira and Parang Kencana

A la MODE

Leading Ladies

Christine Lagarde, 57 IMF’s silver-haired managing director is one of the most powerful women in the world, and is also touted as one of the most stylish. The Frenchwoman’s fashion cred includes a spot in 2011’s Vanity Fair Best-Dressed List, a collection of fabulous silk scarves and head-turning suit-and-pants combos.

Her go-to bag is a brown Birkin, ideally suited to her fashion-forward and, above all, practical and professional look. Among the most notable outfits she wore are the American flag printed scarf and sea foam-gray Chanel gown at the Qatar State Dinner.

Fashion moment Lagarde sported an androgynous look at Jackson Hole economic symposium in August 2013. Key pieces Well-tailored pants and suitsGet the look Jeffry Tan and Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan

Kate Middleton, 31 The princess’ sense of style has been picked over in the media since she was first spotted on the arm of Prince William in 2004. Over time, she has evolved from a conservative society girl to a style goddess in her own right.

Her biggest fashion statement thus far is her divine McQueen wedding gown. And how could anyone, Kate included, maintain a fashion momentum after wearing that gown? Well apparently she can. The Duchess of Cambridge turned to little-known British designer Jenny Packham, whose regal yet understated style is a perfect fit for the young princess. Of course it helps that she’s a model-slim beauty. Packham’s “safe” dresses go perfectly with the obligatory royal hats Kate wears to different functions.

Fashion moment A Jenny Packham floor-skimming nude gown with sequin detailing at The Ark charity gala in June 2011.Key pieces Glamorous evening gowns with classic cut, romantic colors and feminine materials. Get the look Mel Ahyar and Liliana Lim

FOLLOWING IN the footstep of such well-heeled first ladies as Jackie Kennedy, we round up five stylish women in today’s political world – and show you which local designers can help you get their looks!

Jeffry Tan

Patrick Owen Poppy Dharsono

Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan

AlleiraParang Kencana

Mel Ahyar Liliana Lim

Peng Liyuan, 50 With the exception of the Soong sisters, nobody from the middle kingdom had mastered the fine art of mixing fashion and politics until the much heralded arrival of Peng Liyuan, the second wife of China’s newly appointed president Xi Jinping. Her regal style earned her a spot on this year’s Vanity Fair International Best-Dressed list. Peng’s go-to designer is Exception de Mixmind, a homegrown label that champions asymmetrical necklines and organic fabrics.

Fashion moment Making a stylish entrance at the 2013 APEC CEO Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali. Key pieces Stately blazer and dresses with mandarin collar. Get the look Patrick Owen and Poppy Dharsono


discomfort when the laser rays penetrate the epidermis. This discomfort can be alleviated using a topical anesthetic so that the only sensation is warmth.

“[The laser] can go very deep, depending on the wavelength of the rays – it can even

remove tattoos and that’s why it has to be carefully preset,” she says.

As patients demand higher levels of comfort, Dr. Monica aims to imbue clinical treatments with the feel of a spa visit.

“Sometimes people don’t feel comfortable and they think that being beautiful has to be painful, when in fact it doesn’t,” she says. “There is a lot of great equipment nowadays that doesn’t cause pain. People like to relax, so we combine it with a spa treatment.”

She enlists soothing music, hot stones, acupuncture and facial and upper body massages as pampering bonuses during laser treatments.

“Indonesian women are more educated now about beauty treatments – maybe because their social environment pushes them to learn more about ways to look their best.”

well BEING

WHEN IT COMES to cancer, people often live in fear or denial. However, certain cancers can be easily prevented and cured if detected early, and colorectal cancer is one of them.

Dr. Goh Hak Su, a colorectal surgeon at Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore, describes colorectal cancer as a cancer of the large intestine, which often begins as polyps, or non-cancerous growths, in the lining of the intestine.

Symptoms include changes in bowel movement habits, such as diarrhea, constipation and the frequency and consistency of the stools; unexplained weight loss and a feeling of bloatedness or persistent abdominal discomfort, including pain, cramps and gas.

Causes include genetics and age (it is most common in people over 50). Certain bacteria also cause inflammation in the colon, which is one of the ways in which colorectal cancer develops.

Dr. Goh says the only factor affecting colorectal cancer that can be controlled is lifestyle (US research shows living right reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 45 percent). Major contributors are diet, smoking, alcohol, chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes and the amount of exercise. Dr. Goh suggests consuming less than 500 grams of red and processed meats

per week, and including unprocessed fiber in one’s diet.

Screening is the next crucial step as it allows for detection in the early stages; 90-95 percent of Stage 1 cases are curable by surgery alone, but that rate falls to 3 to 5 percent for Stage 4 cases.

The recommended age to begin screening for colorectal cancer is 50. It is important to be screened for the disease even if you are not suffering from any symptoms because colorectal cancer does not present with symptoms in its early stages.

One method of screening is the Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) where stool samples are collected over two days and then tested for the presence of blood that cannot be seen by the naked eye. A FOBT picks up only about 10 percent of colorectal cancers, and can produce false negative and false positive results.

The colonoscopy – where a scope is inserted into the anus, then up into the rectum and colon to allow the doctor to examine the lining of the intestines for polyps, bleeding and other abnormalities – is a more accurate method of screening for colorectal cancer.

Earlier screening is recommended for certain groups of people with heightened risks, especially those with a family history of colorectal cancer, breast or uterine cancers.

So take the first step in protecting yourself against colorectal cancer by going for a colonoscopy today!

Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore Patient Assistance Centre (Jakarta) Suite 908 Tamara Centre Jl. Jenderal Sudirman Kav.24 Jakarta 12920, Indonesia 24-Hour Helpline: (62) 811 942 720 Email: [email protected]

Cancer: It Can Be PreventedSCREENING IS KEY TO PREVENTING COLORECTAL CANCER.

Pristine PearliesEven braces are now considered

cosmetic, with the option of diamond inlays and wires in rainbow colors. Whitening, veneers and crowning are the most sought-after cosmetic dental procedures, in the experience of Dr. Monica Prasari, owner of The Aesthetic Skin & Dental Center at Pacific Place Mall, where patients can seek dental care and skin treatments under one roof.

Made of porcelain or resin composite, a veneer replaces deteriorated enamel and can whiten nicotine-stained teeth while helping to realign the smile by closing any gaps.

In this respect, it can be a quick-fix alternative to braces, or it can be used to deal with an orthodontic relapse for those who didn’t diligently wear a retainer after their braces were removed.

“In one week you can tidy up all the teeth and make every single one even,” she says. “With a veneer the patient must be careful because it’s a thin layer. So when the patient eats he has to be careful – the retention is only at the front.”

A crown, although more invasive, is stronger than a veneer, says Dr. Monica, and is a more secure cure for patients with an orthodontic relapse. The crown, which is a “cap” applied to a cavity-damaged or chipped tooth, typically follows a root canal, in which the nerve root is removed when a cavity breaches the nerve chamber.

Anti-aging: Basic Still BestSkin brightening and skin tightening

are the most popular skincare procedures at her clinic, says Dr. Monica, adding that

for younger people, skin maintenance is a better bet to ward off the scourges of aging.

“What’s important is to be diligent, so every two months undergo microdermabrasion,” she says of a treatment involving the application of tiny grains to the skin to slough off dead cells.

Why microdermabrasion? “Because we wear makeup and our skin is exposed to the sun and AC,” she says, underscoring the need to buff the topmost layer of the skin to allow new cells to regenerate. A peel achieves similar results but by “chemical” rather than “mechanical” means, she explains.

Before hitting 30, cleansing and moisturizing are sufficient maintenance, says the clinic’s aesthetic medical doctor, Rimenda Sitepu, adding that skin is in the best condition at age 25 because that’s when hormones are optimally balanced.

For those younger than 30 who want to take control early, a single treatment suffices, whereas older patients will need five procedures one to two weeks apart. For very deep-set wrinkles, dermal fillers – combined with laser treatment – may be the answer. Hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring sugar molecule, is injected beneath the skin, where it is suspended in purified collagen gel and settles so as to smooth out wrinkles.

No Pain, Still GainPainless, non-invasive means to beauty

are now protocol, says Dr. Monica, made possible with laser technology. Skin treatments can now be performed needle-free, but there is still peripheral

GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN A FACIAL TREATMENT MEANT LOOKING THROUGH THE FRIDGE OR SPICE RACK. A VISIT TO THE DOCTOR’S CLINIC IS NOW THE ORDER OF THE DAY FOR GLOWING SKIN AND NEAT TEETH.

WORDS KINDRA COOPER

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A Spot of Intervention


taste BUD

FRESH CAPPELLETTI PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND WALNUTS

Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making stuffed fresh pasta from scratch. It does require patience, but it’s not that difficult. And you can

easily turn it into a great weekend activity that involves all family members.

Here we have cappelletti, meaning little hats, as the shape suggests. They are traditionally cooked and served in capon broth, but some melted butter with grated Parmesan will do, too, as capons are pretty thin on the ground in Jakarta. (the walnuts are my addition for crunch).

Makes about 35 pieces (serves 2 to 3)

Fresh egg pasta100 g flour1 egg

Filling125 g Ricotta cheese50 g Parmesan cheese, grated20 g shelled walnuts, finely chopped A pinch of grated nutmeg2 tablespoons milk2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilSalt, to taste

Garnish5 g shelled walnuts, chopped15 g Parmesan, grated25 g butter, melted

Place the flour on a flat working surface. Create a well in the center and crack in the egg. Whisk lightly using a fork and rotate in circular motion to gradually incorporate the flour.

Once the egg is absorbed, work the dough by bringing it together into a ball. Knead with the palms of your hands for 10 minutes, until it’s smooth and pliable.

Sprinkle with flour if it’s still too sticky or, if it feels too dry, add more liquid by dampening your hands with water while kneading. Cover with cling film and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl to form a paste.

Divide the pasta dough into two balls. Cover one with a dampen kitchen cloth and flatten the other with a rolling pin. Flour the working surface lightly to prevent it from sticking. Continue rolling to obtain a large sheet of pasta of

1.5-mm thin. It should be slightly transparent but it shouldn’t tear easily.

As you need to work fast before the pasta starts drying, it’s now time to call in some help. Cut into 5-cm squares and ask your spouse or a helping hand to place half of a teaspoon of filling in the center of each one.

Your children, blessed with their tiny fingers, can then fold them into triangles and pinch the two ends together to form little hats. Brush the edges with some water if they dry too much, this should help sealing them. Keep the folded ones on a lightly floured tray to prevent them from sticking.

Once they’re all ready, cook in salted boiling water, about 10 pieces at a time. Wait until they come to the surface and simmer for another 3 minutes before scooping them out of the pan.

Gloss with the melted butter. Serve with grated Parmesan and chopped walnuts.

Jakarta-born chef Theodora Hurustiati, a 10-year resident of Udine, Italy, was the runner-up in the TV

cooking program La Scuola – Cucina di Classe (The School: Classy Cooking) in 2010.

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WORDS THEODORA HURUSTIATI


WORDS BRUCE EMOND I PHOTOS MEUTIA ANANDA

ACCLAIMED AS ONE OF THE BEST YOUNG ACTORS TODAY, ARIO BAYU IS

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF PLAYING THE NATION’S MOST ICONIC FIGURE.

LEADING MAN


cover STORY

Ario Bayu is the first to poke fun at himself, whether it’s his receding hairline, his spreading midriff (hardly noticeable) or, in his opinion, his lack of

anything interesting to say. “I’m not giving you much to work with,

am I?” he quips. Being self-deprecating and unaffected

are all part of his Mr. Nice Guy charm, which may be attributed to his laidback New Zealand upbringing. But the 28-year-old noticeably tenses up when asked about the controversy over Hanung Bramantyo’s upcoming biopic Soekarno: Indonesia Merdeka (Soekarno: Free Indonesia).

Some members of the founding president’s family, particularly middle daughter Rachmawati, have taken issue with the film, including the casting of Ario – who spent 11 years of his youth abroad.

“I don’t want to comment. I don’t feel that I need to defend myself at all,” he says, his response uncharacteristically terse.

He clearly smarts at the furor and criticism. “I didn’t say those things,” he says of alleged comments displaying a lack of nationalism. “What can I say if people think I’m not nationalistic because I lived abroad?

“You can ask anyone from my generation, and of course we don’t know our history because it was hidden from us during the Soeharto regime. That’s why we think by wearing Burberry shoes or eating McDonald’s that we have an international identity.”

There were bound to be mixed reactions to whoever landed the role of Sukarno, who died in 1970 at age 69. Despite concerted attempts by the New Order regime to sully his reputation and diminish his role in history, the intelligent, charismatic and mercurial Sukarno remains omnipresent in Indonesian society, his handsome image gracing billboards and, of course, the Rp 100,000 banknote.

“I was a bit apprehensive at first because he’s such a big figure, probably the most beloved figure in Indonesia,” Ario admits of playing Sukarno from his early 20s to mid-30s. “But I was focused on the work. I didn’t really think about what would happen, or what people would feel when they watched the film.”

He studied archival footage of Sukarno’s famously animated speeches to capture his gestures. That was the “easy bit”, Ario says. Much tougher was to gain an understanding of Sukarno the man.

“I wanted to understand him as a person, his idiosyncrasies in daily life, and try to understand what was in his mind. Why did he want to be free? That’s the simplest question but it’s what drives us instinctually, in not wanting to be oppressed.”

The film is scheduled for release in December. Does Ario hope the Sukarno family will ultimately accept his performance?

“I always focus on doing my best, and in that sense I want to give my best performance for them, too, because

they’re his family. But Sukarno belongs to everybody with his ideology. In fact, it’s his ideology that I admire the most. In a way, I was trying to encapsulate the ideology and principles. If I can assimilate that into the film, then that is what I want.”

The harshest critic of all may be Ario himself, who says he only watches his movies once – “it’s weird looking at yourself on the screen, you’re either too subjective or objective about yourself” – and ponders whether he succeeded in capturing the essence of Sukarno’s personality.

“I’m always dubious about the things I play. To have 100 percent certainty would be too robotic, I think.”

World ViewBorn in Jakarta to Javanese parents,

Ario and his younger sister spent most of their formative years in the small New Zealand city of Hamilton, where their father studied and then went into business. He told me in 2010 that he grew up playing rugby, pursuing his love of music (punk and free-style jazz) and acting. Averse to math and the sciences, he took drama classes and won a theater scholarship as a teenager to study at The Globe in Stratford-upon-Avon.

At the age of 19, in what he has described as a

spur-of-the-moment decision, he returned to his homeland to pursue his acting and music ambitions. He reluctantly modeled at first to make a living, but the acting roles began coming steadily following his debut in 2004’s Bangsal 13. He has also appeared in director Joko Anwar’s Kala (Dead Time, 2007) and Pintu Terlarang (Forbidden Door, 2009) and the Merah Putih trilogy of films about the Independence War.

His screen presence and rugged, swarthy good looks – appealing to women without being threatening to men – have set him apart from the ranks of light-skinned pretty boys in the local entertainment world. Unlike many of his peers, he always wanted to be an actor, not a celebrity.

His fluent, unaccented English is also taking him places internationally. He played opposite Mickey Rourke in 2012’s Java Heat – “he’s the ****, really great” he says of the oddball American – and is currently in the HBO Asia series Serangoon Road, with an international cast that includes Joan Chen.

“It’s quite fresh to be working in that environment, with guys from Australia, Singapore, the US. It’s really a good kind of collaboration,” he says of the latter shoot.

“Joan Chen is really cool, very humble. She’s there for the work, and you still see the passion.”

The acting jobs abroad are

being offered for more than his English-language ability, he says. Eyes are turning to Indonesia, for its robust economy and emerging film scene; he notes that Michael Mann and Oliver Stone both made recent trips to Jakarta.

“Speaking English helps, but look at Joe [Taslim], his English is not as good as mine, but he has presence,” he said of the star of the international hit Fast and Furious. “The same may be true for Iko [Uwais, The Raid: Redemption], he has the skills and acting ability.

“We are exhibiting our films abroad, and getting noticed and for me it’s a breakthrough. HBO Asia is growing, Fox Movies is growing in Asia, and in Batam we have the biggest studio in Southeast Asia [Infinite]. We do have the apparatus to boost us on the international scene. Hopefully, incrementally, we will get there.”

He considers vehicles such as Java Heat and Serangoon Road stepping stones to exploring new projects and developing his craft as an actor. He has toughed it out – “you just have to suck it up when you’ve had three hours of sleep and have an early morning shoot – and is now reaping success, even if there were times he considered “selling out” for the lucrative world of soaps.

“I’ve come pretty far,” he acknowledges of the past nine years. “The hard work is paying off, but my conviction is also that if you don’t have a passion for the work, you can’t do it. There were days when I felt, I have no money, what am I doing? I’m not trying to be a ****head about it, but it’s the passion that has sustained me to this day.”

“I’M ALWAYS DUBIOUS ABOUT THE THINGS I PLAY. TO HAVE 100 PERCENT CERTAINTY WOULD BE TOO ROBOTIC, I THINK.”

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wanderLUST

IT MIGHT NOT SEEM POSSIBLE TO GET OFF THE BEATEN TRACK IN A PLACE AS CROWDED AS HONG KONG. BUT THE WORLD’S BUSIEST PORT DOES KEEP A FEW SURPRISES UP ITS ALLEYS. WORDS WILLY WILSON

We tend to think of Hong Kong as a city, but it is in fact an archipelago of 260 tightly clustered islands. Yet with a population of more than 7 million crammed into

1104 km2, the former British colony is one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world. Once home to fishermen and farmers, modern Hong Kong has become such a concrete web of high-rise bridges, malls and tunnels that you can go around the city without

setting foot on the ground. But the true charm of Hong Kong lies not in the

abundant upscale boutiques and gleaming skyscrapers. Certainly, you can enjoy the ease of its majestic airport with city check-ins, integrated and reliable public transportation and a well-educated and affluent population to boot.

But the real magic sparks down in the narrow alleys lined with modest food stalls and old residential buildings.

Hong Kong embodies contradictory forces that are evident in its social, historical and political disparities, which give it just the right amount of chaos and neglect to make a trip there exciting and exotic.

Sleepless in CentralNavigating the city can be confusing at first, but it’s

pretty simple once you get the hang of it. For urbanites wanting everything glossy within reach, then Central is

HIDDENPLEASURES


the place to go. In this trendy neighborhood packed

with designer hotels, cool bars, art galleries and fashionable boutiques, life revolves around Lan Kwai Fong (better known as LFK) and Soho. Central offers a seemingly endless array of hedonistic pleasures, but this thriving district is also a fascinating melting pot.

Random shops selling everything from wigs to wonton noodles choke LKF’s narrow arteries, just steps away from Vera Wang, Comme des Garcons and Christian Louboutin. Weather-beaten residential buildings stand next to glass-and-steel offices.

LFK and Soho have an amazing urban energy, especially on the weekend, when be-suited businessmen, backpackers and locals party their way across the bars and clubs of the hilly terrain.

Don’t just take my word for it. In the words of chef-turned-food editor Grace

Gao: “The amazing thing about LKF and Soho is the use of the ground floors of the old residential buildings as commercial venues, while people still live in the same buildings. This juxtaposition builds up such a great energy.”

Kenneth Wong, a self-confessed local hipster and LKF regular, offers the following tips: “Azure Bar on the top of Hotel LKF by Rhombus is arguably the fanciest club in the block. Alternatively, you can go to Dragon-i, the perfect place for locals, expats, models, celebrities with a common affinity to see and be seen.”

If you have friends in high places, you have a good chance of getting in to the members-only Kee Club in Wellington street. But if you prefer laidback joints, then The Globe, an old-fashioned British pub in Graham Street, isn’t a bad place to start.

wanderLUST

According to Wong, the house specialty is hand-pumped, locally brewed cask ale.

Food Note A particularly sharp and pungent aroma

wafts through the streets of Hong Kong, best described as an odd combination of Chinese plum sauce, old warehouse and construction dust.

Although not everyone smells it that way. As Grace Gao put it: “Hong Kong simply smells like money.”

Azure (Hotel LKF by Rhombus) 29th & 30th floor, 33 Wyndham St+852 3518 9330

Dragon-i60 Wyndham St+852 3110 1222www.dragon-i.com.hk

The GlobeGarley Building45–53A Graham St+852 2543 1941www.theglobe.com.hk

Yung Kee32–40 Wellington St+852 2522 1624www.yungkee.com.hk

The ChairmanKau U Fong, Hong Kong+852 2555 2202www.thechairmangroup.com

Tim’s Kitchen GF and 1F84–90 Bonham StrandSheung Wan+852 2543 5919www.timskitchen.com.hk

HK HauntsThe local Cantonese food, Gao reckoned,

isn’t for everyone. It isn’t spicy, although it is definitely salty (pickled cabbage, dried beancurd and century-old eggs are very popular) and oily (fish oil, scallion oil and sesame oil all in one pan). It also incorporates one too many sauces (oyster, plum, lark, hoisin, black bean, sweet and sour, and the list goes on). The meats of choice include goose, pork and frog. Seafood is popular, but very expensive. Enter the wrong restaurant, and rest assured your appetite is ruined. Fortunately, Gao knows exactly where to go.

“You simply can’t visit Hong Kong without trying the roast goose at Yung Kee,” said Gao.

Located on Central’s Wellington Street, the 70-year-old restaurant’s roast goose – crispy on the outside, tender on the inside – is world famous. But roast goose isn’t the only specialty here. Try the preserved duck eggs with pickled ginger, deep fried beancurd and the wonton dumplings. And yes, the good old suckling pig is simply delicious.

A few blocks away is the discreet and quiet The Chairman. Opened in 2009, The Chairman offers delicious Cantonese cuisine for the health-conscious foodie.

“The food here is without MSG. The sauce and condiments are made in-house,

and the menu changes according to seasons. As such, The Chairman arguably offers the freshest local dishes in town,” said Gao.

Gao suggested the steamed flower crab, marinated in Shaoxing wine and chicken oil. We also tried the smoked baby pigeon and the slow-cooked pork spare ribs.

If you are still up for some Cantonese fare, take a cab to Sheung Wan and visit Tim’s Kitchen (Tim Ho Wan). Legend has it that Tim’s Kitchen is the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. And it isn’t hard to understand why. The kitchen staff masterfully cook bird’s nest, sea cucumber, snake soup and abalone in an inventive way.

“If you’re not feeling adventurous, then try the braised pomelo skin with shrimp roe, roast pigeon or pork tenderloin,” Gao said. “And guess what – they won’t break your wallet.”

LFK AND SOHO HAVE AN AMAZING URBAN ENERGY. ON WEEKENDS, BE-SUITED BUSINESSMEN, BACKPACKERS AND LOCALS PARTY THEIR WAY ACROSS THE BARS AND CLUBS OF THE HILLY TERRAIN.

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actor, I was in this, I was in this, I was in this’ right when they meet you. And it’s kind of like they have to validate themselves.”

Yet ostentatious, peacock-plumage displays of wealth are still universal in courtship, Browning has observed from watching men at the bar.

So has he fine-tuned his pickup strategy from observing what not to do?

“Sure. Like, be yourself, you know what I mean? Say ‘Hi, my name’s Ben’ – whatever. If you spit lines or spin games, girls are too smart, they have too much intuition, they know what you’re trying to do,” says Browning, who grew up with three sisters.

Riding HighBrowning is a motorcycle fanatic whose

hobby of disassembling motorcycles has had modest realization as a business idea, with Zero Drag Customs, which he established with a friend, John Marciano. Still unattained is Browning’s dream of a round-the-world motorcycle tour.

“I want to start from North America, like, Alaska, and go all the way down to the tip of South America and then I wanna ride through Africa, I wanna ride through Europe and I think I’ll avoid the Middle East because I like to keep my head,” he laughs.

“I think I would just like to take a year and do it. Just really get lost. I think that’s the best part about riding a motorcycle.”

In Los Angeles, he was one of the founding members of motorcycle club the Whiskey Boys, an alliance he defines a “brotherhood”.

trend DIAL

In faded jeans and a red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show the gridlock of tattoos on his forearms, Ben Browning may seem like the all-American bad boy. Add to that his unceremonious departure from reality TV show Survivor: Samoa back in 2009, and the gleam in his icy blues could easily be misconstrued as conceit.

However, having worked in the hospitality industry for 13 years, and now the mixologist and bar manager at the upscale watering hole Otel Lobby in Kuningan, Browning is better versed than most in the subtleties of social graces – and the lack of them. In his role – part behind-the-scenes, part figurehead – Browning makes a point of getting out from behind the bar to mingle with patrons.

“Being in the bar business, you get to watch people’s interactions all the time,” says Browning, a former resident of Los Angeles. “I get to see a lot of stuff – business meetings. If you’re overhearing a lot of that stuff, you pick up a lot of pearls of wisdom that you wouldn’t get anywhere else. Men and women – hilarious. Men and men, women and women. The whole dating situation? I hear every line, you wouldn’t believe.”

Browning, who you can glimpse on a potato chip commercial, appreciates not only Jakarta’s international crowd but also that the pecking order is less discernible here.

“My girlfriend’s Indonesian and she always laughs about people from LA always saying what they do. Like, ‘Oh I’m an

FROM A STINT ON REALITY TV TO

SCOOTING AROUND JAKARTA ON HIS

MOTORBIKE, BEN BROWNING IS AN

EASY RIDER. WORDS KINDRA COOPER

PHOTOS MEUTIA ANANDA

“YOU HAVE TO TAKE PRIDE IN WHAT YOU DO – YOU MUST

TAKE CARE OF YOUR GUESTS AND MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE

THIS IS THEIR HOME”


trend DIAL

“They do a lot of charity rides and do a lot of good for less fortunate people. It’s not like a criminal enterprise,” he says with a smile.

“Every year we do a bum pie rally where we go down to Skid Row in LA and we pass out pies that we cooked for all the homeless people. And it’s always a big hit. We also do letters for soldiers. We basically collect letters that we’re gonna send to troops overseas, just to let them know that we’re thankful […] If somebody is in an accident or if somebody has a disabled kid or anything the club always comes together and really, really pushes to help.”

Rules of the JungleBrowning was scouted for reality TV

show Survivor: Samoa while on a beach in Venice, California. The game show follows contestants as they get by as castaways in a desolate locale – to which they are ferried blindfolded in a utility van. Tasked with constructing shelter, finding food and water and maintaining a fire (matches are not provided, Browning notes), at stake is not only sustenance but the title of “Sole Survivor”, accompanied by a US$1 million cash prize and sponsor-provided car.

Browning, who grew up fishing, hunting and camping in his Kirksville, Missouri, hometown as well as in Mount Pleasant, Texas, felt ready for the

challenge, but he was kicked off the show after a falling out with other contestants.

“My fault in that game was [that] I wasn’t playing the game. I was surviving. I was going to get firewood, I was getting crabs every morning, I was walking around getting food, finding limes and lemons,” he says.

After bidding goodbye to the wilderness, Browning went back to the F&B business. He relishes the interactivity of bartending; when he likens mixology to both an art and an alchemy, it is clear that, despite his laidback mien, on the job perfection is paramount.

“You have to take pride in what you do – you have to really take care of your guests and make them feel like this is their home. Knowing people’s name – calling them by their first name – is huge […] Your friends will be like ‘Whoa, everybody knows you’ and people want to be a part of that. I think people always want to be a part of something.”

As for those quick to moan that a traffic-plagued city like Jakarta is not conducive to a prolific social life, Browning will have none of it.

“You kind of control your own destiny when it comes to meeting people. You can go out and be social and choose that or you can say [affecting a high-pitched whining voice] ‘Oh it’s hard to meet people, there’s too much traffic’. That’s an excuse.”

START WITH a mysterious, mega-rich, wine-loving Indonesian entrepreneur living in Singapore. Then tap a talented young Australian winemaker known for his silky, savory pinot noirs. Add in a property in the Yarra Valley north of Melbourne that once belonged to the father of flamboyant 19th-century opera diva Nellie Melba.

The result is one of Australia’s most ambitious if polarizing new wine projects, Thousand Candles. The A$100 ($110) price tag has been widely criticized in the UK and Australian press.

William Downie, who also produces pinots under his eponymous label at his farm in West Gippsland, is one of a half-dozen young vintners there with serious ambitions and fascinating wines.

In late 2009, the Indonesian entrepreneur’s Melbourne-based representatives enlisted Downie’s help to find a wine property near the city. When he got a tip that 1,100 acres of the Killara Park estate was up for sale, he “knew this was the only one that would do.” They hired him to run it.

He confessses that he’s never met the reclusive owner of the winery, although he knows that he ammassed his fortune from diverse investments including real estate and mining. The owner, Downie continues, wanted to make a “landmark wine” that would change how people think about Australian wine.

“The owner, who wants to remain anonymous, made it clear he would not be involved in any way,” says Downie, 39.

At the end of 2010, the A$8 million deal was done and the owner released another A$4 million so that Downie’s high-powered viticulture team could revive the soil with organic seaweed, compost and what he calls “enhanced biodynamics”,

“I believe a great wine tells one story: Who am I? In Burgundy, soil is everything,” he says. “But in Australia, it’s the size of the sky. It feels bigger, higher here. That’s what I want to capture in the wine.”

“I’m not interested in varietals,” says Downie, “I’m interested in a true expression of the site.”

Downie actually makes the wine at a nearby winery, where he takes minimalism to an extreme. “We put whole bunches of grapes in fermenting tanks and do nothing,” he says.

“Nothing?” I ask. “A winemaker should be like a recording engineer who captures music at a point in time and preserves it for the future,” says Downie, who is a member of an winemaker band called the “Yeastie Boys”.

We sample the first two vintages. They don’t make me think of the vast Australian sky, but they don’t resemble any wines I’ve ever tasted, either.

The 2011 (700 cases) vaguely reminds me of a savory barolo or maybe a lean Cote Rotie. It’s spicy and perfumed, with edgy acidity, an unheard-of blend of 87 percent shiraz, 10 percent pinot noir and 3 percent sauvignon blanc. The vintage shows in the acidity -- 2011 was one of the wettest on record -- making this a wine you savor or dismiss.

Though the 2011 is scented and evocative, I prefer the intense, elegant and complex 2012 (1,000 cases), with its subtle earth-and-forest-floor character, riper fruit and silky texture. There is a bit of similarity to the 2011, though the blend is 70 percent pinot noir, 25 percent shiraz and 5 percent sauvignon blanc.

I don’t see Thousand Candles as the latest “icon” wine to chase, at least not yet. So, is it worth the high price? If ambition, uniqueness and an operatic story deserve attention and big bucks, the answer is yes.

Breaking the RulesWORDS ELIN MCCOY/BLOOMBERG

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Opening act Club 8 was more of a too-long warm-up act to the real scene-stealers on Oct. 26 at JI Expo, but the Swedish indie pop duo regaled longtime fans with older hits such as “All I Can Do” from 1998’s The Friend I Once Had and “Saturday Night Engine” from Strangely Beautiful (2003). Several tracks were leaked off their latest studio

release, Above The City, which adopts an electronic-industrial sound textured with samplers from construction sites, Russian field recordings and children’s choirs.

“This song reminds us of Indonesia, of being in a warm place and not wanting to go home,” vocalist Karolina Komstedt said of “A Small Piece of Heaven” from the 2013 album, a driving-with-the-top-down tune redolent of carefree summer; “Stop Taking My Time” had a frantic, thumping bass line heralding a more pop-influenced, beat-driven new sound.

Komstedt’s barely-there, Dido-reminiscent vocals failed to reach stadium-level resonance that night due to too-loud backing instruments and her listless demeanor – posture slack, gaze averted from the audience and her high notes lacking power. Even melodious hit song “Everlasting Love” fell flat, Komstedt’s voice almost drowned out by three backing guitars and a thumping bass drum not heard on the record. Spectators had grown restless by the time the stage was cleared save for Komstedt and guitarist Johan Angergard for a rendition of the ballad “My Pessimistic Heart”, the stripped-down performance ill-suited for the cavernous hall on a Saturday night.

When American pop group One Republic assembled at 9 p.m., their full-on bravura was a refreshing contrast to the Danish duo. Lead vocalist Ryan

culture VULTURE

FANS SWAYED TO EASY-BREEZY CLUB 8, HEAD-NODDED TO ONE REPUBLIC AND WERE MOVED BY MEW AS BEER GIANT GUINNESS HELD A

CONCERT HONORING GUINNESS ARTHUR’S DAY.WORDS KINDRA COOPER PHOTOS RICKY YUDHISTIRA

THREE’S A CHARM

Soulful Club 8 left the chill of Sweden for sweltering Jakarta.

One Republic was the main event.


It instead promotes the social and ethical values the company stands for on car stickers and window displays of outlets. This bottom-up approach has paid off in giving the company a well-defined market position and strong identity.

But Business as Unusual is not just about Roddick’s extraordinary success. She also comes clean on failures, including when The Body Shop first entered the US retail market and when she appointed the “wrong” director to run the business, Lily said.

“This is a very honest book, and her language was so good I found no trouble at all during translation,” she said.

Her death was a great tragedy to many, but the legacy of her ways in running the business carries on.

“She was the role model for marketing 3.0; she delivered good products, she provided good services for customers, and she engaged the spirits of the people or customers in the business,” said marketing expert Hermawan Kartajaya.

culture VULTURE

The Fair GameAnita Roddick was the original social entrepreneur, long before it was fashionable to spout ethical values and embrace corporate social responsibility. WORDS NOVIA D. RULISTIA

and have-notes.She charted global companies that conducted business

by ignoring social and environmental considerations. Roddick also highlighted the deafening silence of international institutions, namely the World Trade Organization (WTO), in light of the unsustainable business practices that render negative impacts both socially and environmentally.

Excerpts from her diary, which detailed her involvement in the riot that broke out during a WTO meeting in Seattle in 1999, was her way to let readers understand her frustrations.

These frustrations led to the evolvement of The Body Shop. The cosmetics company has relentlessly lent its supports to various causes, namely environmental advocacy, animal rights, combatting domestic violence, human trafficking and even religious pluralism and gender equality.

Before launching her first outlet in 1976, Roddick and her husband Gordon Roddick ran a hotel-restaurant business. When they could not handle its demands, Roddick decided to try her luck in the cosmetics field.

It was a gutsy, some might say foolhardy decision, given that she had no background in the beauty business. But she knew what she wanted her brand to be from the get-go – she was already recyling materials and adamantly against animal testing long before others jumped on the bandwagon.

Still, Roddick was, at her very core, a businesswoman. She wanted to expand The Body Shop – and she succeeded. Unlike many other beauty companies, which rely heavily on glossy advertisements featuring their products, The Body Shop isn’t a big fan of hard-sell campaigns.

For the late Anita Roddick, her roles as a human rights activist, environmental campaigner and a businesswoman were inseparable. The founder of The Body Shop ensured that the company was known as much for its social commitments as its Tea

Tree Oil range.In Business as Unusual, published in 2005 two years

before Roddick’s death at age 64, the Englishwoman told of her adventures in taking care of her business and its relationship to humanity.

The Indonesian-language version of the autobiography was recently launched at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. Translated by Melbourne-based Indonesian writer Lily Yulianti Farid, the 343-page book tells of the history of The Body Shop through 12 well defined chapters.

“This book is quite thick, but it can be read in one sitting because I think Anita was a good storyteller. She engages the readers with her words,” Lily said during the launch.

The first chapter of the book chronicles Roddick’s journey in the United States with Danish photographer and writer Jacob Holdt. The extreme poverty in the States astounded her, leaving her to ponder the issues accompanying a sharp wealth disparity between the haves

Tedder paraded the octave range of a gospel singer – even taking on Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman”, while standing atop the piano stool, just to prove it. While the ethereal, tribal notes off the band’s latest record Native did not fully translate in a live performance, Tedder’s pan flute-like falsetto, spot-on improvisation and the changing tempos of “Feel Again” and “Counting Stars” kept spectators engaged.

The band’s claim-to-fame classics, including “Secrets”, “Apologize” and “Stop And Stare”, were nostalgic sprinklings over a dish that just gets better with age. “Good Life”, off the band’s second studio album, Waking Up (2009), was infused with a rock vibe on which its melody was lost, but Tedder’s requisite switching up of the lyrics, “Paris to Jakarta to Colorado” and “My friends in Indonesia they don’t know/Where I’ve been for the past few years or so” drew raucous cheers.

“Preacher” which he penned in homage to his 85-year-old grandfather, featured the spiritual truisms that permeate Native’s lyrics: “He was a million miles from a million dollars but you could never spend his wealth.”

“If you live to be 85 years old, I hope someone writes a song for you,” Tedder, a tad bohemian looking in a leather biker jacket and fedora, told the crowd.

“There are a lot more people than anyone tells you about,” he added of his impression of Jakarta. “The only other place I’ve been in the world where I’ve seen that many motorcycles is Naples, Italy. You guys

are crazy by the way – crazy!”When the last chords of “If I Lose Myself” began

to fade, confetti rained from the ceiling and Tedder launched himself into the mosh pit – cue an uproar – hugging a middle-aged male fan and doing the requisite hand-clasping rounds.

Danish alternative rock band Mew made for a soothing closing performance to the night, with loyal fans waiting until 11 p.m. for the final act. The stage awash with aqua blue light, Jonas Bjerre’s soft vocals seemed to reach every corner of the stadium. The band’s performance had a lulling quality that had the near-silent crowd listening raptly to “Snow Brigade” and “Apocalypso”. An unexpected medley of “Special” with “The Zookeeper’s Boy” was about all the improvisation Mew offered that night, but they worked magic nonetheless.

“THE ONLY OTHER PLACE I’VE BEEN IN THE WORLD WHERE I’VE SEEN THAT MANY MOTORCYCLES IS IN NAPLES, YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY ... ”– RYAN TEDDER ON JAKARTA

One Republic’s Ryan Tedder in his element.

Mew (also shown in main photo) brought the night to a close.


20/ 20

talk of THE TOWN

What makes me happy …Being onstage and getting caught in the moment.

And sad …When I’m in my room by myself or waiting to go onstage. It’s lonelier than most people think when we’re on the road.

My worst habit …Forgetting to eat.

What motivates me …I’m living my dream now which motivates me to sustain what I have and look for ways to expand it further.

If my house was on fire and I could save three things, they would be…My three cats, my handbag and family photo album.

Don’t ever call me…A YouTube star. I think it under-represents my journey, which had a lot of twists and turns and was not easy.

When I’m onstage …I feel powerful and I feel like somebody, like I matter.

My songwriting inspiration …Comes from a feeling that is evoked by something – it doesn’t have to be love or a broken heart. If we’re just feeling happy in general or we see something nice, like a beautiful flower, it evokes a certain feeling.

When I am down, I …Look for my support system, which is my family and friends.

People would be surprised to know …I have other passions besides singing. I love interior decorating and I’m a pretty good cook.

The talent I wish I had …The ability to play a musical instrument. I play piano right now but I’m not a pro.

Other than being a recording artist, I want …To open a store or a consulting business based on interior design. I imagine it as a mini IKEA with a concept that can inspire people for decorating ideas.

The most important social media etiquette …Taste your words before you spit them out. Be the kind of person you would want to be friends with.

Friends to me are …An anchor to remind you of who you are.

I would love to be stuck in an elevator with …Adele. I could ask her about all kinds of things and maybe she could even coach me.

I think money is important for…Enjoying life, to travel and to make other people happy.

If I could have one superpower it would be …Teleportation.

Fame is …Gain and loss. Fame means your stuff is being heard but the loss is the lack of privacy.

My guilty pleasure …Watching an entire season of a TV series in one day in bed, under the blanket, blinds closed, hand phone switched off.

The personal quality I most admire…Trustworthiness, because it can mean so much – keeping promises, honesty and reliability. + Kindra Cooper

NIGHTS OUT WITH FRIENDS AND FUN

IN SOCIAL MEDIA, TASTE YOUR WORDS BEFORE YOU SPIT THEM OUT

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HER FEATHERY vocals are sometimes compared to British blues singer Joss Stone, but Raisa Andriana is making her own very individual music. Best known for her bilingual hit single “Could It Be” and “Bye Bye”, the 23-year-old has a second album out in November, Heart to Heart, which she executive produced.

Fashion in You Show and ContestVIP GUESTS, media and fashion lovers focused on the 165-meter-long catwalk at Galeries Lafayette Pacific Place as 144 participants sporting their own threads walked in Indonesia’s biggest fashion show for non-professional models. The best look was awarded a flight to Paris. The Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) recognized the event as the largest of its kind.

Zocko Jakarta’s Top Influencers GatheringSTARTUP ZOCKO, which pledges to integrate e-commerce and social media for its clients, invited the capital’s top social media influencers for an exclusive night of networking and know-how sharing at Shy in South Jakarta. Excuse the shameless self-promotion (but isn’t that what social media is all about?) but the folks deemed to be movers and shakers in the cyber realm included a couple of members of our Table of Friends’ quintet (see page 3).

Galeries Lafayette’s Wiwiek Ekawati, French Ambassador Corinne Breuze, Galeries Lafayette marketing head Mellisa Siswanto and judges with winner Michelle Jennifer Tupamahu.

MURI deputy manager Damian Awan Rahargo, Arnolda Ratnawati, Her Excellency French Ambassador Corinne Breuze and deputy store manager Mathias Mamodbay Rene Suhardono and friends

from Comma Indonesia.

Dian Noeh, Dolly Lesmana, Dondi & Ligwina Hananto Miund & Daniel Mananta Deisy Cindy, Ben Subiakto & Carlos Puig

Dave Morin Gathering PATH CO-FOUNDER and CEO Dave Morin met some of the social network’s 4 million Indonesian fans at Publico Bar & Bistro on Friday. One in five Path users are from Indonesia, making it the most active nation for the sharing medium.

The Jakarta Post sales & marketing director Ady P. Pamungkas, Dave Morin and Yudi Wanandi, PT Bina Media Tenggara associate director

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