Love Story Movies

I was watching Ayat-Ayat Cinta last night with my better half. She had wanted to watch it at a cinema but we did not have the time. So we decided to get the DVD and watch it at home. I knew it was a love story and I am not always crazy about love stories but you can get hooked and I did with this one. This is the second of two love movies that I got hooked on.The other one I got hooked on was "PS

Eat Pray Love winners!

Congrats to the winners of our fantabulous Eat Pray Love giveaway, Justin Hampton of L.A. and Evimeinar Nasution of Winnipeg. Which begs the question, what's an Indonesian doing in the frozen tundra of Winnipeg, especially at this time of year? But I digress ... copies are on the way.

For those less fortunate, get Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling tale of her travels through Indonesia here, and check out her personal website here. And thanks again to the kind folks at Viking press. If you need a good stocking-stuffer for the holidays, here's a review excerpt from the New Yorker magazine:

"At the age of thirty-one, Gilbert moved with her husband to the suburbs of New York and began trying to get pregnant, only to realize that she wanted neither a child nor a husband. Three years later, after a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for "balancing." These destinations are all on the beaten track, but Gilbert's exuberance and her self-deprecating humor enliven the proceedings: recalling the first time she attempted to speak directly to God, she says, "It was all I could do to stop myself from saying, 'I've always been a big fan of your work.'"

Today's Top Stories

Today in earthquake news

6.0 blast strikes Sumatra

Indian president cuts short Indonesia tour

Heads back to Mumbai

Indonesia takes over APA presidency

Replaces Iran as head of 40-nation body

Jakarta goes jazzy

Jakjazz 2008 kicks off

Ask aseantourguide

I was on the way from the Trandie Marina Resort, Batang Duri Temburong where we held our ministry's leadership and strategic planning session, when the sms from Cuboiart came through my phone. In Trandie Marina, you cannot receive any call as there was no DST signal. We had to drive a few miles away before you can get any mobile phone reception.Anyway, on the way to the mosque for the Friday

Struggle for the soul of Islam?

Are we seeing a battle for the soul of Indonesian Islam, playing out before our eyes?

Historically moderation has been the keyword, one that espouses tolerance as well as loyalty to one's faith. But with the world going to extremes, I wonder if it's a philosophy that's in retreat, even in Indonesia.

The Jakarta Post has an article on the subject, with the news hook being the passage of the pornography bill, the emergence of shariah law in some areas, and the banning of the sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah, all of which tends towards a stricter Qu'ranic interpretation of the world.

But more interesting than the text of the article itself, is the plethora of reader comments. It's a real kaleidoscope of views, from the 'unity in diversity' crowd representing traditional Indonesian values, to the one-Islam view that hews closer to the Middle Eastern version. It's always a challenge to represent the moderate middle in a cultural debate, but let's hope the cherished Indonesian traditions of tolerance don't disappear in a world gone mad.

Today's Top Stories

Papua is Asia's worst AIDS crisis

Isolation, lack of HIV knowledge helps disease to spread

What global meltdown?

For isolated Javanese tribe, everything's good

Batik as cultural domination

Down with imperialist fabrics!

Jusuf Kalla the real president?

Wields Cheney-like power behind the throne

The Meaning of Mumbai

What makes me saddest about yesterday's Mumbai massacre, apart from the death and destruction that fill our screens, is how some of the most memorable places in the world are all being subsumed by terrorism.

New York, London, Madrid, Bali ... the connotations these places bring up are no longer the greatness of human achivement, or the timelessness of their natural beauty, but the tragedy and gore of aimless terror.

I've been to Mumbai, strolling along the grand gates of the waterfront, chewing betel nut purchased at local newsstands, drinking chai tea brewed in huge brass pots. Now I feel those days have been stolen by the Deccan Mujahadeen, replaced by images of evil and human frailty, collected around the carnage of the Taj and Oberoi hotels.

I pray for those affected by yet another massacre, and hope that my beautiful memories of Mumbai will one day be restored.


Today's Top Stories

Et tu, Yudhoyono?
Graft scandal hits president's family

Clerics with too much time on their hands
The enemy of faith is ... yoga?!

Indonesia condemns Mumbai attacks
Government reaffirms anti-terror stance

General Motors: Dead in US, alive in Indonesia
New plant to start production in 2009

Brunei Data 2009

How many of us realised that the population of Brunei in 2008 was around 398,000 just 2,000 short of the 400,000 population? 276,600 of those people are squeezed in the smallest district of Brunei-Muara and out of that number, 265,100 are Malays (Chinese made up 43,700), 105,300 are below the age of 20.More than 2,000 of us got married the year before with about 1,900 in front of a Jurunikah. We

New Dow Jones ASEAN Index

Much ado has been made in recent months about shariah-compliant investing, especially with all the petrodollars washing around the Middle East. Muslim investors are looking for someplace to stash their billions, that's in line with Qu'ranic precepts against drinking, gambling, and the charging of interest. (So how does Saudi Prince Alaweed bin Talal become a major Citigroup shareholder? But I digress.)

Anyhow, such investing has just been made easier, by the formation of the Dow Jones Islamic Market ASEAN Index. Included are shariah-compliant companies in six of the 10 ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam). It's weighted by market cap, comprises 284 firms, and will serve as the basis for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on the same principles.

All well and good. Too bad it's rolling out just as everyone is shying away from exotic investments of all kinds (and as the petrostates are running low on cash, thanks the plummeting price of oil). Niche ETFs are dying by the boatload because of their tiny size, and investors are all retreating to the safety of U.S. Treasuries, which are now yielding next to nothing. In comparison, funds based on shariah-compliant ASEAN companies are anything but a safe haven ... maybe that's why the index has only a single licensee thus far.


Today's Top Stories

Elephants on the rampage
Sumatra overrun by the ornery mammals

Chevron taps Riau for more oil
New Sumatran field kicks off production

Government wakes up, smells coffee
Asks Australia for crisis loans

Obama misses nasi goreng
Yudhoyono speaks with Barack; wants rambutan too