The Architecture of Ms. Charmeur

A fishy question that has been around after the release of The...

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:58:39 +0700

A fishy question that has been around after the release of The Great Gatsby and its magnificent set of soundtracks:

Will you still love when I’m no longer young and beautiful?

Lana Del Rey “Will You Still Love Me”

Photo: http://screenrant.com/carey-mulligan-daisy-the-great-gatsby-mikee-87867/

Is there anything greater than The Great...

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:51:00 +0700

Is there anything greater than The Great Gatsby?

pestisampon:

THE GREAT GATSBY

Banana Society I could say my (paternal) family owed almost its...

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:26:00 +0700

Banana Society

I could say my (paternal) family owed almost its entire existence to BANANA! My father and my grandmother are the most important fellas of my life who loved banana so much so that I and my sisters cannot live without banana too. We need banana like we need air to breathe…or maybe let me put this way, we need banana more than we need new shoes (girls suppose to love shoes!).

So one day, I had this moment of truth, that banana is still the most crucial reason of my being when I saw my desk and there you go…three snacks all made from banana-heaven! Dried banana from Thailand, the real banana and a piece of banana cake. My friends and colleagues know they always have someone to eat any thing banana-ish. It’s ME!

Jakarta…Madness

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:51:18 +0700

Jakarta…Madness

I am overwhelmed by terror, confusion and grief whenever I see...

Sun, 05 May 2013 12:51:00 +0700

I am overwhelmed by terror, confusion and grief whenever I see someone who is (allegedly) responsible for the loss of thousands of lives tells the story of his/her atrocious crime with calmness and confidence. Documentaries like The Act of Killing (Joshua Opppenheimer) I saw couple months ago or Duch, Master of the Forges of Hell (Rithy Panh) I saw just yesterday showed me that kind of individuals.

I don’t see pain, regret nor a trace of feeling guilty on their facial or body expressions. At some scenes they might look wary and vulnerable, but in the rest of the films they look like nothing but old men with power and dignity just like the days when they tortured and eventually killed their fellow humans without any doubt or whatsoever, led solely by the belief that they were holding the truth and looking forward for the new world that is greater than the humanity itself.

During my trip to Phnom Penh earlier this year (thus the three pictures) I learned how it is still painful for many Cambodians to look back at their history of the Pol Pot’s era and to see that there is no justice to be paid in the near future. The loss of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons or teachers are more than just numbers. The grief is silenced as the time goes by, but how could you ever forget the last day you saw or even just hear something about the dearest people of your life whereas you have never fully understood why that must happen?

Seeing Duch and his ex-subordinates talking and describing about all the horror they did in the film (most of them revolve around the S-21 prison, now known as Genocide Museum Tuol Sleng) makes me sick. It is beyond my comprehension how one could see himself entitled to take someone else’s life.

I wonder if God ever regret the existence of human.

Links on the film and Tuol Sleng:

http://en.unifrance.org/movie/32409/duch-master-of-the-forges-of-hell

http://www.tuolsleng.com/history.php

Coffee…Bar/Coffee Rosa Mocha. There were real petals....

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:12:28 +0700

Coffee…Bar/Coffee

Rosa Mocha. There were real petals. Weird enough really.

Bar Coffee (B/C)

Senayan City / Asia Afrika Lot 19 / Lower Ground

Jakarta, Indonesia 10270

On the Street…..6:30pm at Union Square, New York

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:18:44 +0700

On the Street…..6:30pm at Union Square, New York:

I and my colleagues have been watching and discussing a film called “This Ain’t California” for a while, a film about skater life in late 80s of East Germany. A fascinating theme, very well made film, a controversial production whether it’s a documentary or fiction, whether it’s romantic or political statement.

This photo of The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman captures and represents my whole impression of the movie about the great adventure in the lives of those skaters, the great sense of freedom when you are feeling young and the belief that you can be anything you want to be…

Happy 30th Birthday Mr. Tj! Mr. Tj was the latest addition in...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 10:07:24 +0700

Happy 30^th Birthday Mr. Tj!

Mr. Tj was the latest addition in our so called high-school-friends-turn-extended family. He is a very fine gentleman, a talented artist (illustrator, book designer, photographer, maybe even dancer or fashion director, I have yet to discover more of his talents!), reliable driver (remember: it is very important to have friends who can drive! If you can’t drive!), dog lover, travel enthusiast, food connoisseur and last but not least: an Indonesian with a mix of cultural heritage in blood, so rich you have to be able to know words like “kenyang” or even “scheiße”! ha-ha!

I sincerely want to wish Mr. Tj an exciting new decade of life, love, health, warmth and endless inspiration to celebrate life and its layers of wisdom and challenges.

I hope he will continue to wash dishes while doing his illustration works (this dude is crazy eh??!) and as he always lovingly does it, think twice before going out to eat because I am the mean-plant-based-diet-lady in team who can be dangerous most of the time (I blame my hormones for this! anger management class would do?)!

This picture was taken by another lovely lady I know, Ms. Dl. She took it while we were doing a kind of boutique rambling in Ubud last November. I love the picture so much, the object is cute, the hats are super cute, and even the photographer is cuter than everything on the picture! You can say, I love everything that’s “cute”!

Fashion Means Business | Garance DorÃ© and Scott Schuman - BoF - The Business of Fashion

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:18:03 +0700

Fashion Means Business | Garance DorÃ© and Scott Schuman - BoF - The Business of Fashion:

The Business of Fashion featured Garance Dore and Scott Schuman, two bloggers I’ve been following since ages and since a couple years ago also become partners in life.

I sincerely think Garance and Scott are two very talented photographers who can do business but at the same time still relate to their original readers, who just like me are interested mostly in their pictures and the stories behind them.

My level of acute follow-ship for Garance and Scott is now really terrible, so I’m afraid they will one day not lovers anymore. hoho, shallowness!

"“Huang Fong, Menguning Seperti Padi” Mengapa Anda seperti tak berubah, sejak lebih dari..."

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:33:15 +0700

“

“Huang Fong, Menguning Seperti Padi”

Mengapa Anda seperti tak berubah, sejak lebih dari 30 tahun selalu mengeksplorasi Bali? Kan Bali juga berubah?

Saya tak mau macam-macam. Prinsipnya saya melukis apa yang terdekat. Daripada saya bikin unta bisa-bisa jadi kuda. Saya lebih enak gambar apa yang saya kenal sampai wataknya. Pelukis itu ada tiga: ada yang pakai tangan saja, itu tipe pelukis yang terima order; ada yang pakai otak dan tangan, itu yang ikuti zaman; dan ada yang three in one, hati, otak dan tangan.

Anda masuk yang mana?

Saya mungkin yang ketiga, he-he-he. Itu pilihan saya. Kalau cuma pakai tangan, besok dilihat bosan. Kalau pakai hati, otak, dan tangan (karya) abadi.

”

- “Huang Fong, Menguning Seperti Padi” oleh Putu Fajar Arcana. Kompas, Minggu, 21 April 2013.

J Crew 360° Tour – Jenna Lyons’ Office :: 360° Panoramic Photography

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:47:46 +0700

J Crew 360° Tour – Jenna Lyons’ Office :: 360° Panoramic Photography:

360° Virtual tour of Jenna Lyons’ office at J Crew in New York City

For the next event of my office I just watched Mahler on The...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:36:52 +0700

For the next event of my office I just watched Mahler on The Couch. A very fascinating movie about a piece of life of many great men and women, most of them are really true artists and geniuses we owe them so much for their artistic visions and works until now . The film is for me a synergy of intriguing stories, lavish visual aspects and of course musics.

I’m glad this happens again, that the work I do leads to the new love for me, or at least a never ending curiosity on the subject. I’m pretty keen to hear more Mahler now.

Mahler: Symphony No. 8 / Rattle · Berliner Philharmoniker (by BerlinPhil)

an anniversary.

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:13:30 +0700

three years of the coming back to the city.

Coffee…Liberica Liberica Coffee Central Park Mall Shop...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:33:22 +0700

Coffee…Liberica

Liberica Coffee

Central Park Mall

Shop Unit TGF 01-01AGround Floor

Jl. Let Jend S. Parman Kav. 28

Jakarta 11470

http://libericacoffee.com/home

Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 12:37:40 +0700

Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions:

Shot over a period of 18 months, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti’s project Toy Stories compiles photos of children from around the world with their prized possesions—their toys. Galimberti explores the universality of being a kid amidst the diversity of the countless corners of the world; saying, “at their age, they are pretty all much the same; they just want to play.”

Phnom Penh…Luxus Lexus

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:57:03 +0700

Phnom Penh…Luxus Lexus

Got a right to be wrong

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 11:42:20 +0700

I am responsible for posting a rant (or was it actually just a doubt in my mind?) that the biggest jazz festival in the country I live in will have Craig David as one of the biggest stars (I don’t consider David as that STAR and that JAZZ. Sure, we can discuss this) and be sponsored by a giant tobacco company. The combination sounds ridiculous to me so that I am thinking about not going there this year, even though I’ve been religiously become one of their serious loyal patrons of the festival since its second year (this year is the ninth festival). The problem was, in the sense of my doubtful character, there will be also Joss Stone and Gregory Porter on this year festival, which, I believe, are great musicians, not quite JAZZ though but they are the STARS, at least now in my comprehension. So that was the rant all about. I know, shallow.

But then, this is the most intriguing part of the story, I hope, a friend of mine sent me a short whatsapp message asking whether I would be interested to go to the festival. To be exact, she wrote that she has one daily ticket (this is three days festival, for your information) and one special show ticket for the March 1 which means I could watch Joss Stone and Gregory Porter who are scheduled for that very day.

Is that what they called “the theory of universe conspiracy” or something like that?

When you got that kind of offer, giant tobacco company seems secondary and the price of the tickets which was due to our years of friendship not really discussed either, I think it’s understandable that you become more vulnerable about forgiving Craig David performing at a jazz festival. You won’t see him anyway and Joss Stone was not a queen of jazz the last time I checked. So, I considered it was a 50-50 chance of being a good friend and loyal festival-goer and someone who can be called hypocrite.

In short, this writing is about the confession of going to the Java Jazz Festival 2013, on March 1. I admit, I visited the event sponsored by a company who most probably will kill thousands of people due to cancer and poverty, I drank bottled mineral water (which usually a big taboo in my life since the last two years), I ate in Styrofoam packaging, I let random men smoking around me (without asking why they look so ugly and they actually seem don’t have enough money to be burnt everyday until the death comes) and I let a legion of amateur photographer displaying their improvisation talent. More on the bad side of the story, the lighting of the shows was too much for my eyes and the air conditioning in the concert halls makes a Sweden feel at home.

Yet this short note is also about seeing many great musicians on stage. David Helbock from Austria, Magnus Lindgren, Gregory Porter and of course the ultimate show of yesterday, Joss Stone! I am grateful that they come to Jakarta and even without so much publicity (except for Ms. Stone, I guess), they came to the audience with their finest works and performed without pretension. Mucho Respecto!

If you are now considering to go to the next two days of the festival the rules of thumb of the festival in my humble opinion are still the same: no high heels, no foods and drinks from outside, make sure your ticket is real (expect several screening points), no violence and bring money as much as you got at home.

Inside the courtyard of the National Museum, Phnom Penh

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:04:18 +0700

Inside the courtyard of the National Museum, Phnom Penh

rectoverso

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 11:25:00 +0700

I wonder how blessed one must feel to be such a multi-talented person like Dewi Lestari a.k.a. Dee. First known as one of the singers of the Rida Sita Dewi Trio, she surprised many with her high caliber literature debut Supernova in 2001 and made this as a start for a series that became a huge hit until today with the latest episode called “Partikel” released last year. Still in 2012 one of her books, “Perahu Kertas” was interpreted and took another form of art that is a film.

You cannot underestimate a writer whose works attracted book lovers and film aficionados alike (and film producers, screenwriters, and other sponsors). Not even a year after the release of “Perahu Kertas”, the next movie version of Dee’s work “Rectoverso” is now on many theaters in Indonesia to please our eyes and ears. Yes, ears. This particular work has been dubbed since its beginning as Dee’s hybrid piece because it is at the same time a book (an anthology of 11 short stories) and a record (11 songs with the exact themes and stories like the book). For the screen version, some musicians joined the project and sang the songs of the selected stories (not all 11 stories were developed, of course, you would need like 5 hours for all of them?!), whereas in its original record Dee sang all of the tracks.

“Rectoverso” was first released in 2008. After reading the book and hearing the CD that year, I wrote a short note on the two works, which now I found a little bit too lighthearted and definitely not as sad as the atmosphere of the film. It would be too banal to copy and paste the whole note again (was published in my now deactivated blog), but there is one passage I still find relevant to be remembered and quoted (at least for me):

Lirik-lirik lagu Dewi menurut saya selalu sederhana, dalam artian tidak terlalu berbelit-belit untuk dipahami, tetapi pada saat yang bersamaan kata-katanya juga puitis dan tidak murahan, sehingga untuk menyelami keindahannya kita perlu sedikit berusaha menjalankan fungsi otak. Dewi mengumbar cinta bukan dengan kata-kata yang naratif. Dewi, saya lihat, selalu memilih untuk menulis lirik yang imajinatif. Kisah tentang sebuah cinta yang tak sampai (topik yang sangat menarik, bukan?) misalnya, disampaikannya dengan jenaka sekaligus pilu dalam lagu CICAK DI DINDING: Kadang benda mati yang memenangkan tempat di sisimu/Atau hewan kecil yang luput dari pandanganmu/Kuberserah dalam ketakberdayaan/Berbahagia dengan satu impian/Dan satu kejujuranku/Kuingin jadi cicak di dindingmu/Cicak di dindingmu/Hanya suara dan tatapku menemanimu.

The record has been my favorite since the first day, with or without the stories in the book, I believe. It was supported by so many great Indonesian musicians, Andi Rianto, Tommy and Fe Utomo of the late JINGGA, Sandy Winarta on drums and Nikita Dompas on guitar, just to name a few. They were indeed sort of a Dream Team, as Dee wrote in her thank you lines.

The movie is in my opinion a wonderful omnibus, but I must say it won’t change my mind that the record (and the book) were/are the most beautiful creations of Dee that I could hope for to be on the same level of perfection for every word, every note. A rarity.

"The struggle to liberate animals from oppression is a moral campaign comparable to the struggle to..."

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:22:10 +0700

“The struggle to liberate animals from oppression is a moral campaign comparable to the struggle to end human slavery. Indeed, the enslavement of animals, for labor and for food, is more pervasive and more central to our way of life than the enslavement of other humans ever was. With some isolated and short-lived exceptions – for example, in India under the Emperor Ashoka and in Japan under the Tokugawa shogun Tsunayoshi – laws to protect animals from cruelty are less than 200 years old.”

- Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne, is one of the world’s most prominent ethicists.

Read more at http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/progress-on-animal-rights-in-the-europe-and-the-us-by-peter-singer