Scene & Heard : Dee's Delights

Singer-cum-author Dewi Lestari is best known for her Supernova series of novels. Eight years after the release of Petir (Lightning) in 2004, she recently released the fourth novel in the series, Partikel, and is now on the road again, promoting the book across Indonesia.

“The tour runs until September with 15 events in total. But I will take a break during the fasting month of Ramadhan in July and August as well as during Idul Fitri,” Dee, 36, said. Although the tour forces her to travel from city to city for days, Dee said it did not affect her weekend because she normally had free time on weekdays.

“It happens that jobs often come on weekends, like most of the schedules of this book tour. So weekends mean work for me. At the same time, my husband [holistic-therapy practitioner Reza Gunawan] also teaches and gives workshops on weekends. So we have a similar pattern of activities,” she said.

My weekend as a kid…
I went to Sunday School when I was little. After all, we went to school on Saturdays, unlike nowadays. My weekend ritual… There is no specifi c ritual. If there are jobs, then I work.

Favorite food…
I enjoy any type of food made from tofu, tempeh and mushrooms. Since I am a vegetarian, they are my main sources of protein.

And as a kid…
I loved Indonesian food and snacks. My taste was pretty traditional. I specifi cally loved simple Sundanese dishes with many raw vegetables.

Picks of restaurants …
Our favorite vegetarian restaurants are Dharma Kitchen and Loving Hut. For a vegetarian menu, these twos are categorized some of the best in Indonesia.

Top holiday destination…
Ubud in Bali. The area has a rich Balinese ambiance and the weather is not as hot as it is at the beach. I enjoy its restaurants, valley views and rivers. Apart from them, Ubud’s spiritual ambiance is still very thick.

Casual wear…
My weekend outfi ts are similar to my daily outfi ts. I love wearing relaxing and comfy clothes. For daily wear, I do not like wearing high heels and make-up, or too many accessories.

Guilty pleasure…
Instant noodles! I know they are not healthy but I occasionally eat them.

Things people do not know about me…
I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). If I see an inclined object, I will become impatient and place it into a “proper” position.

Beauty treatment…
I wash my face twice a day and use moisturizer. I do a facial once a month. If I had more time, I would go to a spa. Lately I’ve rarely had a chance to do this.

Favorite books…
I read books based on topics I’m interested at the moment, not based on the authors. Currently I’m reading books on alternative archeology written by Graham Hancock and Andrew Collins.

Favorite movies…
I do not have any favorite movies. If I had time, I prefer watching various television series. At the moment I’m watching Criminal Minds, Fringe and Castle. +Frederica Ermita Indriani