Home-Design Videos Invade YouTube

In addition to silly clips of family pets, cult-film trailers and practically every music video ever made, YouTube users can now watch a home design show called “Your Place Is a Deal Breaker.”  In the first episode, a woman moves into her boyfriend’s apartment, which has a Barack Obama poster...

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Indonesian Designer to the Stars Offers a Peek Into His ‘Secret Garden

Singer Syahrini, the former duet partner of Anang Hermansyah, stood before her audience at a fashion show in Jakarta, looking dainty in a pink cocktail dress with lace, ribbon and a long train of soft tulle. “She’s my beautiful princess; she’s my muse,” said Indonesian fashion designer Hengki Kawilarang,...

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Old Cantonese opera players strive to keep tradition alive

Salim Tan is a 68-year-old Cantonese opera player who has performed for more than 50 years to preserve Chinese cultural heritage. He is aging, but that is no deterrent to keeping his passion for opera performances alive.  After performing the classic Shi Jin Kwi war epic over the weekend, Salim...

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Raden Saleh’s masterpieces on display at National Gallery

Over 40 paintings and drawings by Raden Saleh, the colorful artist often referred to as the “father of Indonesian modernity” will be displayed in the National Gallery, Jakarta, starting this Sunday amid allegations of widespread forgery of the works of several Indonesian masters. According to the...

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Adventures in the domestic sphere

The domestic realm can be both a labyrinth and treasure chest, although it is at times seen as second best to the outside, which is seen as foreign, exciting and full of lure. Take for example the emotions and associations that the words “home” or “family” conjure. Even a single object such as an...

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The gossamer curtain

The idea of death is promptly buried out of sight in the west, a state of forever gone.In the east, death is another story entirely. In Bali, it is cremation season, a time to raise loved ones perhaps long dead or recently passed from mossy beds; to wake sleepy spirits in preparation for their...

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