Adventures of Isabel

It was lovely getting out of the city for a few days.

It’s been quite a busy week.  I’ve been bouncing between two desks at work — features and online — and it was getting to be a bit too much.  Next week, I’ll officially transfer to the online desk, to help train reporters in basic multimedia skills, and to develop new online features for thejakartapost.com.
I’ll miss [...]

I can write stories.
I can take pictures.
Sometimes, I can even write stories and take pictures simultaneously.
But I can not write stories, take pictures and keep track of a lens cap all at the same time.
(And don’t say ‘just use a UV filter.’  Because then I would just say:  I can not write stories, take pictures [...]

Gado-Gado vendor in BenHil, Jakarta. On a heated stone, he mixes together peanut, citrus, sugar, chili, and your choice of vegetables, rice cakes, tofu and tempeh to make a delicious lunch.

Hallway of a Rumah Kost in Tebet, Jakarta.

In today’s Jakarta Post:
An interview with Argentinian artist Jorge Canale.  The interview was conducted by email, and his answers were originally in Spanish.  Working on a tight deadline to translate this kind of “art talk” from Argentinian Spanish to a form of English accessible to Indonesian readers was definitely a challenge.
A write-up of a lecture [...]

Another shot from my balcony. (Sorry for all the snapshots, but I can only upload very low-res images without breaking the internet, so I’m saving the good stuff until I locate the magic connection.)

Two things of note: The azhan, the call to prayer, rings out five times a day. I actually find I [...]

So, my first serious, hard-hitting piece for the Jakarta Post will be…a review of the Pussycat Dolls concert.  I only wish I was kidding.

I believe this is called paying your dues.  Though actually, there is something interesting about a group that’s (pretty much only) known for being sexually provacative performing in the capital of a [...]