The app life

Read on The Weekender

The long plié

Read on The Weekender

Streetwise: A model showcases a gray denim ensemble from Fas Delman, a streetwear collection by Indonesian designer Vincent Mikhael of Denimitup and French-Senegalese designer Etienne Diop of Tareet, created through Pintu's Accelerator program.

Culture premium

‘Pintu’ opens a new runway between France and Indonesia

Through residencies and collaborations, designers are transforming cultural exchange into contemporary collections.

3 weeks ago

Culture premium

More than love: The real costs of owning a dog

Owners, shelter workers and foster volunteers say responsible pet ownership takes more than love, while social media is helping some dogs pay their own way. ...

2 months ago

Culture premium

A seat at a plastic table: Sungai Watch innovates sustainable design

The environmental group's river cleanup efforts are feeding a growing circular design movement, turning discarded plastic into furniture while pushing for systemic action on waste management. ...

2 months ago

The Latest

Social media sales: Firoh says that live Instagram sessions are proven to be more effective in selling the plants. (Courtesy of Hidayatun Mustagfiroh)

Culture premium

Green gold: Making millions out of plants

Costing millions, sales of plants such as monstera, aglaonema, succulents and scindapsus have thrived during the pandemic.

4 years ago

A delivery rider for Meituan, one of China's biggest food delivery firms, heads out to make a food delivery after picking it up at a restaurant in Beijing on April 27, 2021.

Culture premium

Battle the algorithms: China's delivery riders on the edge

Often the only way to complete orders on time is to "go really fast... speed past red lights, drive on the wrong side of the road," Zhuang said, or else he would be fined half of his earnings.

4 years ago

Afghan Hafiz Afzali, 34, sits in front of a computer screen at his home and models 3d characheters for his Youtube videos, on October 15, 2021 in Espoo, Finland.

Culture premium

Online Afghan humour: Laughter as resistance against Taliban

Afzali has created more than 200 comic videos that started out by targeting the deposed pro-Western Afghan government. But now his sights are set on the Taliban.

4 years ago

A photo handout on November 6, 2021 by the Pompeii Archaeological Park shows 'The room of Slaves', an exceptionally well-preserved room for the slaves who worked in Villa Civita Giuliana in Pompeii, a villa where a ceremonial chariot and a stable with harnessed horses were earlier unearthed.

Culture

Slave room discovered at Pompeii in 'rare' find

The little room with three beds, a ceramic pot and a wooden chest was discovered during a dig at the Villa of Civita Giuliana just a few hundred metres from the rest of Pompeii.

4 years ago

Movie fun: Before the pandemic, visually impaired and sighted volunteers watched movies together during the Layar Bisik program set up by Braille’iant Indonesia to strengthen the friendship between the visually impaired and the sighted. (Courtesy of Braille’iant Indonesia)

Culture premium

Braille’iant Indonesia, empowering the blind through English courses

How an online English course has helped visually impaired Indonesians navigate through their lives

4 years ago

Celebration: The KunstHausWien is a museum designed by one of Austria's most renowned artists, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. A permanent exhibition that celebrates the life and work of Hundertwasser.

Culture

Bloody toes, The Kiss and Granny’s Coffee: Exploring the streets of Vienna

Following in the footsteps of Jesse and Céline, the main characters of the movie Before Sunrise, Katrin Figge’s short city trip to Vienna offered a much-needed escape.

4 years ago

A view shows the Eiffel Tower in Paris on its reopening day to the public following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in France, on June 25, 2020.

Culture

Eiffel Tower visitor numbers climb to pre-Covid levels

The Eiffel Tower had "a good month of October", the attraction's operator said Thursday, thanks to tourists returning to Paris.

4 years ago

A visitor looks at an 'NFT digital artwork' which will be auctionned on May 20 at the Millon Belgique auction house, in Brussels. The Europeans are getting into the NFT act.

Culture premium

Crypto addiction: a hidden epidemic?

Danzico had been swept up in the global craze for trading digital currencies during the pandemic, and very quickly it had grown into an obsession.

4 years ago

Crystal clear: "Sop B1", the code name for dog meat soup, is written on the glass display of a Batak eatery in Jakarta. (JP/Radhiyya Indra)

Culture premium

Loved and condemned: Indonesia’s internal battle against dog meat cuisine

Opposition toward dog meat has been rising in recent years, but the cuisine proves to be hard to erase in Indonesia.

4 years ago

Blurred lines: The WFH scheme blurs the boundaries between office and private lives. (Unplash/Nick Morrison).

Culture

Always at work: WFH redefines the boundaries between private and office lives

When your home becomes the office, how do you ever leave work?

4 years ago

Conscientious fashion: Zulfah Nazala, the founder of Bazooku, believes that the young generation has a responsibility in tackling fashion waste through producing and busying reworked clothing. (Courtesy of Zulfah Nazala)

Culture

Twice as nice: Reworking fashion to reduce waste

Secondhand fashion, known colloquially as “reworked thrift”, is making its way to a larger audience with its attractive, affordable prices amid the pandemic-induced financial storm.

4 years ago

Everybody's friend: Pawone Arek-Arek (The Friends' Kitchen) leaves out freshly cooked food for anyone in need to take, in front of their headquarters. (Courtesy of Pawone Arek-Arek)

Culture premium

'This is protest, not charity': Community-run kitchens empower the people

As food became scarce, community-run kitchens were sometimes the only thing standing in the way of people and starvation.

4 years ago

Culture

Relaxing retirement comes from early planning

Retirement is one of those stages in life everyone is aware of but often put aside in the back of their minds.

4 years ago

Former miss France Camille Cerf (C) rides her horse during the fourth stage of the Gallops of Jordan at the Wadi Rum desert, 300 kilometers south Ammam, on October 28, 2021.

Culture

Epic horse race gallops through Jordan's desert

Galloping across the red sands of Jordan's Wadi Rum valley, more than one hundred riders on horses swept through the lunar-like desert as part of an epic long-distance race.

4 years ago

European tourists, escorted by security personnel, visit the old town of Ghadames, a desert oasis some 650 kilometres (400 miles) southwest of the Libyancapital Tripoli, on October 19, 2021, during an organised tour in the town.

Culture premium

Libya welcomes back tourists after years of war

Thanks to a year of relative calm following an October 2020 ceasefire and a United Nations-led peace process, the first group of tourists since 2012 were able to visit Libya.

4 years ago

Pumpkin time: Witches hat and dark angel wings for rent, at Ubud Fairy Village. (Courtesy of @Ubudfairyvillage / @halloweencostumehirebali)

Culture premium

‘Spooky’ Business: How Halloween helps artists survive the pandemic

The ongoing pandemic inevitably affects make-up artists and costume makers who usually generate income during celebrations such as Halloween. For some, however, it is not just about the money - but also the joy they find through brushes and fabrics.

4 years ago

Still believe: Many Indonesians still hold some beliefs passed on by tradition. (Unsplash/Saso Tusar)

Culture

Superstitious minds: Indonesians share their enduring supernatural beliefs

This Halloween, The Jakarta Post delves into superstitions that remain in Indonesian culture

4 years ago

Addictive drama: Many viewers feel emotionally invested in their favorite soap operas. (JP/Hengky Wijaya)

Culture premium

Better than 'Squid Game': Young Indonesians still love local 'sinetron'

Younger Indonesian viewers swoon over local soap operas, once considered tacky and made for the lowest common denominator.

4 years ago

Strong fanbase: A group of creators working under the banner of Moccatune was among the first to join local monetization platform Trakteer. (Personal collection/Moccatune)

Culture premium

Actually getting paid: Platforms help local creators monetize their work

Lack of monetary support can hinder artists in their creative pursuits. This is where two local creator platforms come in.

4 years ago

In this file photo taken on April 12, 2019 actor Alec Baldwin attends the 'Exploring the Arts' 20th anniversary Gala at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Culture

Calls to ban guns on movie sets grow after Baldwin shooting

A petition on the website change.org calling for a ban on live firearms on film sets and better working conditions for crews had gathered more than 15,000 signatures by Sunday.

4 years ago

Worn out: A traveler naps while waiting to board her flight on Sept. 3, 2019 at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali. (Unsplash/Joyce Romero)

Culture premium

Long road to 'paradise': Are strict travel rules discouraging visitors to Bali?

While Bali has reopened its doors to international flights from selected countries, the strict travel requirements in place mean that making a trip to the resort island remains challenging.

4 years ago

Long nights: Santy has to endure countless sleepless nights due to the nature of her work, but she enjoys it nevertheless. (Courtesy of Santy Sianturi)

Culture premium

Behind the puns: the long nights of Indonesian subtitle translators

From vintage operas to K-drama, subtitles bridge the language gap for entertainment seekers. But the profession is increasingly getting challenged by the rise of A.I. translations.

4 years ago

To ease tension: Officials who supervised the civil servant enrollment test (CPNS) at 17 August 1945 University in Surabaya dressed up as the pink soldiers from the South Korean hit series Squid Game. (YouTube/Courtesy of Kompas TV)

Culture

'Squid Game' soldiers ‘entertain’ CPNS test participants

The officials who supervised the test dressed up as the pink soldiers from Squid Game, famous for their merciless execution of those who fail at the show’s lethal games.

4 years ago

Culture premium

Perfectly imperfect: model Clara Tan empowers the internet to #ShowYourFlaws

No longer subjecting herself to unrealistic standards of beauty, fashion editorial model-turned-body positivity advocate Clara Tan throws caution to the wind and waves her flag of self-love with confidence.

4 years ago

Free to decide: More Indonesian millennials are choosing to delay their marriage. (Unsplash/Adita Saxena)

Culture premium

Marriage? Not now: The rise of 'waithood' in Indonesia

An increasing number of Indonesian millennial women are embracing the concept of "waithood" by choosing to delay their marriage.

4 years ago

Culture

Having financial plan crucial during uncertain times

Procrastination is known to be a habit that many people have, for example, procrastinating on work, medical check-ups and financial planning. These habits should be avoided given the drawbacks they may cause in the future.

4 years ago

Ian Brackenbury Channell, known as the Wizard of New Zealand, waves in front of a memorial at the Botanic Gardens in Christchurch on March 21, 2019, six days after the twin mosque shooting massacre that claimed the lives of fifty people.

Culture

New Zealand to cast out its official wizard

The 88-year-old wizard, also known as Ian Brackenbury Channell, has been a popular tourist attraction for more than three decades. But the Christchurch council has told the sorcerer he has to go.

4 years ago

Industry in trouble: Models showcasing Muslim attires by IFC designers at the press conference of Muffest 2020. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)

Culture

Fashion issue: Indonesian diaspora and fashion designers come together

The pandemic has hit the fashion industry hard. As the government encourages everyone to stay at home to remain safe, people have less need for new clothes, bags, shoes and other fashion items – which has resulted in plummeting sales.

4 years ago