Called Waterlooplein, built in 19th century in the newly expanded area of Weltevreden during the Dutch colony era, the name was changed to what now means the Buffalo Plain in the transitional era to independence, and stayed so until the modern times of Jakarta. Continue reading THE OUTPOST IN CITY PARK
For all its heritage, George Town depends on its ubiquitous,well-preserved old buildings to present a “Truly Asia” experience, a tourism jargon created by its host country, Malaysia. Some of the epic buildings were inherited from the past British administration, located near the main harbor, but Chinese architecture dominates the greater part of the town. Continue reading George Town
Perayaan Tahun Baru China tahun ini yang dilambangkan sebagai Tahun Kuda menurut perhitungan zodiak China (shio) diliputi oleh nuansa basah dan hujan deras di bulan Januari. Namun hal tersebut tidak menghalangi semangat menyambut Imlek. Continue reading “IMLEK DI PANCORAN”
The welcoming gesture
In Samosir, the world’s biggest island that is surrounded by lake, a group of villagers performed the Bataknese traditional Tor Tor dance. The ritual dance dated back before the arrival of Christianity and Islam in North Sumatra. The versatility of the dance serves for several primary occasions such as in the funeral, wedding, blessing, and last, welcoming important guests. It was performed more frequently for the latter these days due to its increasingly important element to bring regional income from tourism sector. Continue reading “TUK TUK VILLAGE”
Amid the haze caused by poor air circulation, a man who seemed prepared for what was coming one Sunday in September unsuspectingly looked on as smoke and ash filled the air, rendering several exhaustion fans ineffective. Continue reading The defender of Mid-Autumn Festival
The article first appeared in the Jakarta Globe, 18 September 2013. Click below.
Mass culture is crucial in determining the success of a political campaign. Candidates run the campaign by employing popular art to extend their arms to as many voters as possible. When congregation in a sports hall at a particular time on a day is no longer enough, posters and stickers filled every elements seen on the streets. “Hope” poster by Shepard Fairey made its way to become the most iconic piece of art with political underpinning during presidential election in America in 2008. Barack Obama has benefited greatly from it. Even in his second presidential campaign, the poster still resonated. Continue reading “POLITICAL CANDIDATES EMPLOY MASS CULTURE TO RUN SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN”
For the past week, Jakartans enjoyed more air and space in the city as millions packed their shirts to their hometowns for the country’s longest holiday period at the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan. In just a matter of days, the air is about to thin out again as the mass exodus are now returning with new addition of newcomers. Continue reading Staycation is over
May Day is a celebration in denial. Thousands, coming out of nowhere in droves, took to the streets in a good preparation like it is a Sunday fun-walk. Many of them felt that the sights resembled that of a carnival, a kind of jubilation. Continue reading MAY DAY 2013, JAKARTA
Construction workers abandoned project site of 2.3 km Kampung Melayu-Tanah Abang flyover since municipal government led by Joko Widodo ordered a complete halt in response to fraud allegation. The scene in the file-photo below was in contrast with what was seen three months ago, of which filled one of the sections in the first edition of think!archipelago e-magazine. Then, this mega-project pumped the city’s energy round the clock. Continue reading STALLED
think archipelago 