I'm talking about that mysterious door you always pass by on your way to the ticket counter. A door with a certain glow from inside that stands so arrogantly, as if proclaiming itself a portal to a better world. A world of spacious, reclining seats, blankets, your own personal waiters always ready at your bark...more

At a New York gathering around 1952, John Cage, the Zen avant-garde of that moment, declared, "Beethoven was wrong!" It was a declaration that showed both Cage's bold determination to step outside of what he considered 'the European vogue of profundity' as well as, one sense, his anxiety with this very unshakeable influence...more

Motion picture soundtrack engineers have an enviable job. They attempt to craft a score of what is essentially a mixed tape for the masses. While it is often hit and miss, a good soundtrack translates into a memorable fix of a meaningful movie that renders further into your own life as one's own soundtrack unfurls. Sex and The City's Carrie Bradshaw and Co...more

This small yet famous restaurant-chain first opened its doors in the small town of Cianjur in West Java. After enjoying much success there, the restaurant expanded its branches in Jakarta, opening its 'flagship' restaurant three years ago...more

I have no idea what it's like to be 40, but if it's anything like being Ananda Sukarlan then my quitting smoking to actually live that long will have been worth it. I mean "goodness me!" I know there are lots of people out there, often somewhere above us, who make us wonder if they ever sleep or something, but with this guy the wondering seems to have become a conclusion...more

The question "what does luxury mean to you?" completely baffled me. I never really thought of it and I am personally not very interested in luxury or what people usually consider luxurious...more

You have all the money in the world – the time – the power. You are allowed to sinfully indulge in your most delicious, most hedonistic and sinfully decadent desires. You could have a couple of critically endangered Amur leopards skinned and made into car-seat cushions; eat one of the last 50 Crested Shelducks...more

What is luxury? Obviously it's a very subjective question but according to the Oxford dictionary, 'luxury is the state of life in which one has and uses things that please the senses. E.g. beautiful and comfortable surroundings with good food, beverages and service'...more

After living in Albania, much of life in England seemed luxurious: 24-hour electricity, potable tap water, heated towel rails, the existence of milkmen. But a luxury one day, can become ordinary the next. Melanie delves deep into luxury shopping this month and discovers what “branded” really means! ...more

Wherever you live, whatever your tastes, from time to time one comes across something special in foods or food ingredients. These delicacies are to gastronomy what haute couture is to fashion. For some, they constitute a 'must have', for others, an occasional taste of luxurious living...more

With the continuous on going debate about supplements and their effectiveness and the never ending queries I get from clients, I have decided finally to enlighten readers about the necessity of supplements. There are so many supplements on the market at present and so many brands promise that their products can achieve wonders...more

I'm sorry but we've decided not to stay in your flat because we can't carry our luggage up the stairs". This was the most important sentence of a conversation my sister had recently with an Indonesian friend of mine who had arranged to stay with her (also Indonesian) husband in a flat my sister and I own in London...more

It was a packed ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton Pacific Place on Saturday 14th June where the rugby faithfuls had gathered to celebrate the great game – and have some fun!...more