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2016: A life, travel, tech and entertainment retrospect
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A look at 2016 in Life, Entertainment, Tech and Travel (Shutterstock/Blueboing)
T
he verdict on social media is that 2016 continues to surprise, and not in a good way. We have seen some deaths, ranging from rock-star David Bowie to TV's most beloved dad, Alan Thicke. But was it all bad? Let’s see the overview of the year to cherish what we may have missed.
January
David Bowie left us on January 10, just after his birthday and the release of a new album Blackstar. Fans said goodbye to Ziggy Stardust as his ashes were scattered in Bali, in reminiscence of his love affair with Indonesia.
On-demand Internet streaming and DVD service Netflix finally made its way to Indonesia, only to face being blocked from state-owned internet provider Telkom.
February
Apparently 2016 has not been too kind to international brands in Indonesia. Dealer of iconic motorcycle Harley Davidson closed down due to weakening currency and non-conducive government regulations. Swedish furniture giant IKEA lost a trademark battle to its local rival, Intan Khatulistiwa Esa Abadi aka IKEA, too. In September, France-based Pierre Cardin lost a similar lawsuit to Indonesian owned business with the same name.
On the other hand, Vietnamese coffee was in high demand following the highly-publicized cyanide coffee murder case.
March
After his Oscar win, American actor Leonardo DiCaprio visited Mount Leuser National Park in Sumatra as a part of his environmental activism. Another visit by political scientist and Indonesianist Benedict Anderson took a sad turn when he passed away while staying in Batu, Malang.
A concert of popular Korean group EXO was tainted after fans complained about sexual harassment committed by security. A chicken-eating contest offering mouthwatering total prize money of Rp 5 billion (US$384,117) also turned sour when a contestant died after choking on a chicken wing.
April
The Jakarta Post launched a new website, offering a Life channel to share lifestyle news.
Indonesian rejoiced as Bali was recognized as the best island in Asia and acknowledged as the fifth best in the world, according to travel website TripAdvisor. More good news came from Google, whose photo editing software, which previously retailed for $149, became free to download. Meanwhile, Emmy Award-winning series Silicon Valley was set to return for a third season with some new guest stars.
May
Indonesians were very proud when mother-daughter duo Ana, 43, and Fia, 18, wowed the judges and audience of world-renowned TV competition Britain's Got Talent.
Amid social media’s beauty enthusiasm for lipsticks, our editor recommended five local lipstick brands to try. Because beauty is not complete without knowledge, we recommended 12 Indonesian books you should add to your reading list. While you’re at it, check out new health and fitness interests of Jakartans.
June
The Conjuring 2 successfully continue the legacy of its predecessor. Revisit our exclusive interview with Patrick Wilson regarding behind-the-scenes tales of The Conjuring 2 while sipping a cup of coffee at coffee shops in Jakarta you might not know existed.
Bonus: a cool road trip story with Timor Leste’s very own José Ramos-Horta by Indonesian novelist Okky Madasari.
July
Indonesians continued to dazzle international audience as The Resonanz children's choir came out as the overall winner, or Winner of the Grand Prix, at the Claudio Monteverdi Choral Festival and Competition held in Venice, Italy.
Popular is an understatement when we talk about ‘Pokemon Go’, which debuted in July. It quickly became the most downloadable app and helped boost the stock price of Nintendo by up to 25 percent. Also, humans' dominance of Go must end with the arrival of AlphaGo an artificial intelligence Go-playing program designed by Google DeepMind, a British artificial intelligence company.
August
As the Rio Olympics began, the Indonesian uniforms received global attention and praises despite criticism at home.
Grab a book: A study by Central Connecticut State University in the US revealed Indonesia’s low reading interest, ranking at 60th out of 61 countries. While feeding your soul with some good reads, grab some food to feed your stomach in these places for delicious fried chicken.
September
Before hallyu, there was Meteor Garden. F4's Jerry Yen's surprise appearance at bandmate Ken Chu's wedding in Bali brought a wave of nostalgia for Taiwan drama lovers.
News broke that Hollywood would turn Indonesia's Bre-X gold mining scandal into movie, starring Matthew McConaughey. The movie was shot in Thailand despite being set in Kalimantan. In related news, see our contributor’s take on why American tourists don't come to Indonesia.
October
Every Oct. 2 Indonesia celebrates National Batik Day, which has become more popular as daily attire. See our take on the issue of batik: a cultural dilemma of infatuation and appreciation.
Food trucks were the it place to buy your 2016 grub, and an Indonesian has actually started a very successful food truck business away from home. Having lived in the US for more than two decades, Hilda Hilman promotes Indonesian food through Bumbu Truck. Meanwhile in Indonesia, netizens complained about Garuda Indonesia and Citilink flights not showing up in search results on travel site Traveloka.
Kang Gary of hip-hop duo Leessang was confirmed to be leaving his position as co-host of SBS variety show Running Man, a beginning of the end for the highly popular show.
November
Thailand mourned the passing of beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) issued a list of recommendations for visitors. Some would find refuge in music as Coldplay added Bangkok to its upcoming Asian tour. Far across the Atlantic Ocean, Cuba marked the death of Fidel Castro.
K-Pop fans cried over the news of the disbandment of its girl group 2NE1 and announcement that Nam Tae-hyun had officially left Winner.
December
Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and American hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa bickered about a canceled performance during the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards. The end of an era: Running Man officially announces it is ending and George Michael, British pop superstar who reached early fame with WHAM!, died at the age of 53.
As holidays are here, visit Labuan Bajo, chosen as the favorite destination in a recent international poll conducted by the Tourism Ministry. Air travel intelligence company OAG names Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) as Asia Pacific's most connected airport.
At last, we must thank 2016 for giving us the heartwarming trend that is 'Om Telolet Om'. (asw)
