Another Weekend Full of Extravaganzas

Last weekend it turned out I couldn't make it to Butet's monologue performance, but I still made it to make a visit to Indocomtech and Indonesia Book Fair on Sunday. I did not make any purchase at all at the two exhibitions, yet the visit was a satisfying one in terms of the fact that I managed to attend to several agendas that day.

In a couple of days, another weekend will arrive and many exciting events already line up in the list of choices of activities to do in order to spend weekend in a different way. "Different" by my definition is doing something other than slugging into a chair and watching TV all day (and all night). Anyway, the events I'm talking about here is certainly limited to those living in the Great Jakarta area. So those of you who come from area outside Jakarta and happen to visit Jakarta this weekend, this information serves as a guide for you so that you won't have to regret wasting your weekend for "ordinary" activities.

Firstly, I must mention the JakJazz Festival, because the promotion has been under way since even before the month of Ramadan kicked in. The annual jazz music festival will start tomorrow (November 23) and end on Sunday, November 25. Jazz enthusiasts should come to this 9th festival which will be held in Istora Senayan, or regret for not watching the performance of great local and international jazz musicians. Of course you should be ready to pay for the ticket. It's only Rp300,000 for daily performance, but if you want to watch the special performance, prepare to dig into your pocket for another Rp250,000 (for more complete information, please visit the JakJazz website). Jazz aficionados will say the price is reasonable, as to me I find it is disturbingly pricey. *sigh

Next on the list is Adira Kenduri Kuliner Nusantara. The event will be held on Saturday (November 24) and the following day in Gedung Arsip Nasional in Jalan Gajah Mada, Jakarta Barat. If you want to have a taste of almost all Indonesian delicacies there exist, this is the right event that you shouldn't miss. Not only will you see a tremendous variety of Indonesian culinary being presented there, but also you will get to see an exhibition of tea and coffee from all over Nusantara (another name for Indonesia) and traditional toys of Indonesia. A music band playing kitchen utensils as the music instruments will also perform to entertain the visitors. With an entrance ticket of ONLY Rp20,000, this event does suit me perfectly (and my budget, particularly). *grin

There will also be another wedding exhibition, after the Ragam Pernikahan Nusantara I mentioned to you last week. This coming exhibition will be held in Senayan on November 22-25, if I'm correct, so put it down on your agenda if you find this event worthwhile to go for.

Last but not least, I received an e-mail this evening which informed me of an event called "Free Market". It is held to celebrate the No Shopping Day on November 25 (hm, this is new to me). Come to Taman Sambas on Jalan Panglima Polim Raya at 10 AM if you feel like getting (and giving away) second-hand goods for free. Yup, you read my words right: for free.

Oh, one more thing. If you like Andrea Hirata, you should come to Gramedia Matraman this coming Sunday at 12 noon because he'll be there to meet and greet his fans. If you don't know Andrea Hirata, he's an Indonesian book writer who earns his popularity from his Laskar Pelangi tetralogy.

There, you have it. So where are you going to this weekend?