To Do List

The Jakarta Post - WEEKENDER   |  Sat, 08/23/2008 1:22 PM  |  To Do List

TAKE a trip down memory lane, as Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Stellan Skarsgård do in the movie musical Mamma Mia. A girl seeks out the identity of her father by bringing three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island they all met at two decades ago —all set against those glorious ABBA disco ditties like Take A Chance, Dancing Queen, and SOS. Delightful, we think, but don’t take our word for it. The movie adaptation of the musical beat out last year’s Hairspray setting a new record (US$27.6 mil) for the biggest weekend premiere for a movie musical when it opened Stateside in July.

GET a rush sliding down the Almostphere at the newly opened fX Lifestyle X'nter on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman. Only in a concept mall which marries work and play would you find a giant indoor slide that takes you from the mall’s topmost floor to its ground floor in an adrenaline pumping 12 seconds. The Almostphere is also only the third indoor slide in the world, after Austria’s and Israel’s, so be sure to claim your bragging rights after the cool tumble.

MARVEL at the skills of some of the world’s best women’s tennis players and enjoy a day at the beach during the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic from September 7-14, the only Southeast Asia stop on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova, last year’s losing finalist to American Lindsay Davenport, returns to the courts at Nusa Dua, Bali, along with perennial favorites Patty Schnyder of Switzerland and 2006 finalist Francesca Schiavone. Although Davenport is giving the tournament a miss, Asia is well represented at the event, with China’s surprise Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie, resurgent Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn and Zheng’s compatriots Li Na and Peng Shuai all scheduled to compete. Voted one of the tour’s best tournaments by players, it’s also a real treat for tennis lovers.

TEMPT your wanderlust at the Indonesia Tourism & Travel Fair 2008. From September 11-14, the Jakarta Convention Center becomes a hive of activity, hot deals and inspiration for your travel plans what with folks from the museums & cultural interest groups, tour operators, travel agents and more setting up shop at the center’s Hall A and B.

INDULGE in a little voyeuristic snooping into Madonna’s life – the legit way. Life with My Sister Madonna by Christopher Cicconne earned some precious pre-release publicity when news broke of how the Queen of Pop was none too pleased with her little brother’s tell-all. Is it as dishy as we’d like it to be? Reviewers have pegged it neither too slanderous nor salacious, but concede it’s still a compelling read, lending fascinating insight into one of the most powerful women in showbiz. Celebrity memoirs not your cup of tea? The Marriage of True Minds by first-time author and playwright Stephen Evans about an environmental attorney that plots to win back his ex-wife has been lauded an “unconventional love story”. Any book that opens with the protagonist filling the mayor’s pool with live lobsters can rightly be described as so.

DIG into your favorite Nippon dishes at Ootoya Restaurant. The popular Japanese restaurant chain has made its debut on these shores at Senayan City. On the menu are a variety of a la carte and set menu dishes comprising all your favorites, including sobas and udons, rice dishes and grilled fish and meats. Unlike the plastic and prefabricated feel that too many franchise restaurants sport, Ootoya boasts comfortable and pleasant interiors, accentuated by the pretty Japanese pottery and handmade wooden trays your food gets served in.

+ Chan Hse May

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