JAKARTA JAKARTA JAKARTA

The camera assistant takes care of the camera and no one else.

I just came back from Jakarta. A little business and lots golf. Four days three nights.

When I was there, I managed to drop by a friend's movie production set (A Malaysian invested-movie) entitled Teman Untuk Selamanya. Amongst the stars were Pierre Andre and Julia Ziegler.

Julia and Pierre posing with their Indon counterparts. This pic is taken from Julia's blog.

It is basically an Indonesian movie for the Indonesian movie market directed by an Indonesian with Malaysian funds.

Pierre on a phone call break.

Pierre and Julia are just two of the artistes in a big cast.

From what I heard, the movie is inspired by the films of P. Ramlee - and therefore a contemporary version of Bujang Lapok.

Crew packing up things. The movie has more than 100 personnel!!!

Why would a Malaysian invest in a movie in Indonesia? Why not? The censors are less stifling. The creative urge can run rampant. The market is bigger (reports said 7 million viewers caught Ayat-Ayat Cinta). The cost is not much different - around RM1.5 to RM2 million, but with a better return of investment prospect. The artistes (actors and actresses) are more numerous and more talented and more professional. The actresses? More beautiful. The crew? More professional and hardworking - for example - the crew on this production I visited had 100 over professionals working on it (excluding the cast).

Maybe, the investors and producers of Malay movies should follow the lead of this producer and just forget of financing movies here. Maybe we should form a consortium with the top distributors in Indonesia - pool in about RM50 million to produce movies that we have been dreaming of and that we can't over here.

The bottomline is that making movies is business. And if you want to make movies with less risk (meaning making movies in Malaysia) you should really think about making movies in Indonesia.

Now back to Jakarta. To most Malaysian golfers, Jakarta is like a little heaven for them - great golf courses - too many to count (including those in Bogor, Bandung, Tangerang and Bumi Serpong).

The quaint durian blue tee-box in Rancamaya Golf Club course.

I have friends who would demand to include Bogor Raya golf course in their itinerary - why? Because the caddies are supposed to be beauties. Yeah so what? Heck, nearly every Jakarta golf course have a bevy of beauties as their caddies - but who needs beauties who can't tell you the lie of the course properly and help you in your game? I would rather win my bets against my friend with a knowledgeable and professional caddie rather than a beautiful one who only knows how to carry the wrong clubs.

Damai Indah Golf Club in Bumi Serpong, for example, has both. Pretty caddies who are actually good in their profession as caddies.

Colorful caddies from Damai Indah Bumi Serpong.

They read the greens properly and offer you good advice on the club selection along the fairways, and they are not bad for the eyes too.

Caddies in their uniforms. These caddies are from Rancamaya.

But for Sunday golfers who couldn't care less, they should head to the courses in Jakarta where the caddies do not wear bras! Yup..really. The clubs only offer male caddies who don't wear bras. Hahaha.