First dates are as nerve-jangling as they are exciting. The prospect of meeting a potential soulmate can put a lot of pressure on one’s shoulders, starting from choosing the right outfit to finding interesting conversation topics to overcoming moments of awkward silence in order to make it or break it. Every date is different. It

Petty Elliott had a rare chance to stay at this jewel on Bali’s Ayung River. The patron saint of happy couples and blissful marriages would have been inspired. The word ‘love’ in all its interpretations is evident across so many aspects of this five-hectare estate on the west bank of the Ayung River, south of Ubud.

As its proponents will tell you, Valentine’s Day calls for an expression of love. That’s the one occasion where commercialization of love is condoned and couples are urged to splurge on material things to show their plus ones that they’re loved. But is Valentine’s Day reserved only for spouses or partners? Many would beg to

For those of you who are regular readers of this magazine you will know I regularly rant on about the traffic and how it adversely affects our lives, and try, in a very small way, to suggest things that could be done to improve our daily slog to and from work. We started the “My

This month we celebrate the achievement of our home city in being awarded four amazing awards by, I believe, the Central Government. Here’s the story, lifted directly from The Jakarta Globe. “The Indonesian capital’s administration has been awarded four awards, dubbed the Anugerah Pangripta Nusantara 2016 and the Millennium Development Goals 2016, for its outstanding

There are a lot of really good trekking places not that far from Jakarta for ‘over-urbanised’ people, but most people don’t know they are there and don’t get the chance to see dramatic landscapes and breathe clean air. On the other hand there are school students who are pointed at the hills and told to

As annoying as it is to remember to bring a cloth bag when shopping in a supermarket or convenience store, I fully support the recent imposition in Tangerang of the 200 rupiah fee for each plastic grocery bag. It is a small, sensible step not only to discourage the waste of hydrocarbons, but also to