More pageantry...and a tadpole-shaped skin ailment

I moved from the Web side to the features desk yesterday; apparently I've already been pigeonholed: I'm yet again covering a pageant, this time it's a feature article as opposed to event coverage (although I suspect that happening when this new pageant rolls around in August). I'm writing a feature about Puteri Indonesia (literal translation: "Daughter Indonesia"), the other big Indonesian pageant that is often compared to Miss Indonesia (which was the subject of my first story on the Jakarta Post Web site). The winner of Puteri Indonesia goes on to Miss Universe. Puteri Indonesia is considered more popular than Miss Indonesia and has been around longer as well (for about 15 years).

My feature aims to gauge the feelings of the women who have won Puteri Indonesia and whether they feel there is great value in the program after they have gone through and won the pageant. Thankfully, all of the past Puteri Indonesias speak good if not pretty good English. I did speak to the 2005 winner today, Nadine Chandrawinata, who's knowledge of English was not ideal. Puteri Indonesia is actually supposed to speak very good English in order to represent at Miss Universe in formidable fashion.

I consider it fate, I suppose, that the features editor (named Kanis) assigned me this story. I'm not sure whether he knows about the Miss Indonesia story I already wrote, but in any case it's an entertaining aspect of Indonesian culture. Yesterday I went to a press conference for Puteri Indonesia at the Nikko Hotel. Pictures follow:


Me with 2004 Puteri Indonesia winner Artika Sari Devi. Of all the Puteri Indonesia winners sent to Miss Universe, she has gone the farthest, making it into the top 15 the year she competed. I look kind of sweaty next to her, and am wearing a lot less make up.








The 38 finalists, all from different provinces throughout Indonesia. The pageant missed two provinces this year: Aceh and Central Kalamandan. The program tries to get each province recognized in the pageant.











A welcome sign reminiscent of football field inlaid with flowers. It says "Welcome Finalists of Puteri Indonesia 2007"









Less attractive by far has been a weird, itchy bump in the shape of a tadpole. If anyone knows what kind of insect bite or allergy causes this, please let me know. It's actually healed now, but a picture I took on Thursday captured it's shapely quality:
















Suffice to say, I've been wearing a lot of pants these days despite the hot weather.