Friday, January 2, 2009

A HAPPY NEW YEAR'S WISH TO ONE AND ALL

I wish everyone a very happy, safe and successful 2009. Last year has been a very interesting year and I believe that this year, what with the global recession going on, more interesting stuff will happen.
Right now, I am with my family in Jakarta. We are staying at the very elegant and nice service apartments Somerset Grand Citra in Kuningan.
When the New Year's celebration came, we were at the Grand Hyatt with thousands of other revelers. In the lobby of the Hyatt, they converted it into a make shift concert hall and we were lucky that the hotel decided to invite Malique and the Essentials to perform there til New Year. But most of the time we were in Burgundy, Hyatt's lounge looking over the famous Jakarta roundabout facing the historical H0tel Indonesia (now Kempinski). Fireworks lit up the night sky as early as 11 pm local time and by the time the clock ticked midnight, it was full blown.
I had my wife and four kids with me, and it was quite magical.
We will be in Jakarta til Sunday helping out the Indonesian retail market. So far, I think we've paid at least some of the cabinet members' salary.
We have visited all the important landmarks - the shopping malls of Jakarta. The Grand Indonesia and Senayan City. Huge bloody malls with grand cineplexes.
Today, we plan to hit the new Pacific Palace Mall and maybe try out the new Megablitz cineplex which boasts of the only cinema in the region to have sofa beds. It costs Rup250,000 a bed (for a couple). Interesting concept isn't it?
It has also been a trip putting on much kilograms - eating the best of sundanese cuisine and also fast food. The kids loved Hot Shots burgers and Frankfurter hotdogs.
Well, I will write more about this trip soon enough.
I will also list of my best of 2008 - movies, entertainments news and other events.
Til then, enjoy the first few days of 2009. Hey, more holidays to come as Chinese New Year beckons with the Year of the Ox.
Cheers!

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