Opinion

A few years ago I was hosting shows in Kuala Lumpur for British comedians Mike Best and Steve Gunn. After the last show we fought the temptation to party and went to bed early because we had a very early flight to Jakarta the next morning. Photo illustration by Eric Nopanen. Unsplash/NOW!JAKARTA Just before dawn

It was dawn, a bleak, grey morning was appearing out of the eastern sky. It had been a dark night, despite the full moon of Passover. Dark in the sense that many temporal and divine rules had been broken. Temporal, when Jesus was tried before the High Priest in the hours of darkness, without real

Welcome to crunch month, when the country decides who will lead it for the next five years. The debates are over, the pollsters are making money – sorry – predictions and forecasts, everyone has become an expert on government, on the economy, the leaders, the powers behind the thrones, the spouses behind the powers, the

It’s amazing how much affect the built environment has on us and just how little attention we pay to it here in Jakarta. I have written here many times about the absolute delight of walking through a beautifully designed, built-and maintained-city. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, Paris and Rome are

“What’s love got to do with it” asked Tina Turner many years ago. The answer: everything! Love should be a part of every single thing we do or think. But so often it simply is not, and we struggle on more hating our jobs then loving them, more putting up with our places where we

While I was on holiday in Malta with some friends a few years ago we booked a boat trip to the neighbouring islands of Gozo and Comino. The package deal provided all food and drinks for the day, including breakfast, so we woke up early and set off for the harbour under a bright morning

NOW! Jakarta begins a groundbreaking series called “My Journey to Work” which will combine a real look at the city’s arteries but also help the Jakarta City Government realise that almost every commuter suffers from a myriad of small but solvable problems on their journey every day. Jakarta commuters are not stupid, they are long

Welcome to 2017, a brand new year and another step in the great advance towards the era of technological dependence. That sounds a bit negative, doesn’t it? After all, these advances in technology are a huge benefit to mankind, are they not? Don’t they greatly enhance our lives, making them more efficient, more worthwhile, somehow

One of the great things about being in the media business is the fact that it brings me into contact with professionals in so many fields: airlines, taxis, hotels, retail, schools, apartments, art and culture, and of course restaurants! Food is such a pervasive element in our lives (being rather essential to our health and

As I slide at break-neck speed down the slippery slope of life, I can’t help but notice that things are starting to change. For instance there are pills, potions and creams in my bathroom cabinet now. Vitamins, skin creams, herbs. Even emergency gout medicine. All undeniable signs of my increasing seniority, along with the grunting

“Everyone likes to do their New Year Resolutions. So do I, but this year’s are very serious, and not very personal,” says Alistair Speirs, who is thinking about how to make Jakarta a more enjoyable place to live in 2017. 1.Ban noisy vehicles – especially motorcycles – from the streets. Why do we have to

Modern technology means that we can organise almost everything we do down to the last detail from the comfort of our own homes. Even going on holiday, which used to take weeks if not months of planning, is now a simple process. Book the flights, book the hotel, book the rental car, check out the