Jakarta International Film Festival – or as we have been lovingly referred to all these years as JiFFest, is coming on December 9-18. But it is never too early to anticipate a film festival this big, especially with an impressive string of fringe events and a jaw-dropping line-up of high profile international guests to sizzle the festivities...more

Two books caught my attention while going through the new arrivals section in a bookstore. Both are books of poems, one thick and the other slim. The former, the collected poems of Sitok Srengenge, translated by Nukila Amal and Hasif Amini, and the latter a slim first book of poems by Laksmi Pamuntjak...more

Recently turning 62, Richards and Co. have proven yet again that in rock n' roll, timing is everything. And when you are the forefathers of the muse, you're undoubtedly going to be always deadly accurate. By the time the Rolling Stones began calling themselves the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the late '60s...more

One of the things I miss the most about home is the array of bistros dotted around the lanes of Brighton. You can pretty much lose yourself in the myriad of cobblestone gangways that make up the north and south lanes and be guaranteed to discover some new and exciting little French, Italian or Bratislavian joint along the way...more

Are you tired of wearing the same jeans over and over again? Well guess what? Calvin Klein jeans are back in the racks! You just cant miss their dirt effect surface-dyed jeans, over-stretched jeans with wide stitching and oversize zips, mirco-minis with oxydated metal buttons...more

Don't be alarmed! This is not an offensive piece of writing, but merely a glimpse into the world of screw cap wine enclosures! The cork versus screw-cap debate has never been greater and as the wine market evolves and becomes more sophisticated and competitive, there is a determined focus to present wine in the best possible condition...more

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has just marked his first year in office and the media have been busy assessing how well he has done. Most report cards have been favourable, although the country's first directly-elected leader is still considered to have problems...more

While we live in a tropical seafood paradise, given that a visit to local markets at 5 or 6 in the morning is an option most of us are not willing to endure, finding top quality fresh fish is still a challenge. Being practical, one of the best tasting varieties of local fish is the snapper and it’s generally easy to find in Japanese supermarkets...more

Over 500 players, supporters and sponsors crammed into the Hotel Ritz Carlton's swank new ballroom on 24 September for the Jakarta Bintangs' 2005 AFL Grand Final Function, brought to you by the club's major sponsor, Digital 1...more