Known professionally as d-associates, Maria Rosantina and Gregorius Supie Yolodi, are often mistaken as a married couple. "We're not; Maria is married to a very good friend of mine." These two architects, both 35 and graduates of Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, are working hard to add to the architectural fabric of the Indonesian capital.

By far one of the most glamorous constructions in Jakarta, The Papilion building in Kemang, is hard to miss. It is a four-storey-high glass case with straight and striking lines. "People probably look at it and think it's just a big hot building of glass," says Gregorius, but actually it's quite the opposite.

In 2003 when Gregorius was awarded the project he swiftly began pulling together ideas with a dream to design and construct something different and idealistic: "What we wanted was something elegant, that blended well with the surroundings," he says.

"The glass is about character, it reflects the sky, the sun, and what's around .. and at night it's two-faced with the light letting people see inside the building."

Golf is an escape from Jakarta’s concrete jungle where parks are not a usual part of the landscape. Within an hour of the city there are more than 40 courses and each is as spectacular as the next.

Matt Harter, a man the size of an NBL basketball player, is now perched upon a pair of crutches with one leg in a brace nursing a broken tibia, and he seems a little frustrated that his injury has held him off the green for four months. This is understandable, considering the 53-year-old from Arizona usually squeezes in 80 games of golf per year.

Matt's interest in the game spiked when he made the move to Jakarta 18 years ago. A natural thing, of course, for an expatriate in the oil industry: "Golf is big among the 'oilies'", says Matt. He is also a member of the Tee Set golf society, one of the longest-established societies in Jakarta whose members have been getting together on a Sunday for a day on the fairways for more than 25 years.

The golf societies of Jakarta are mostly membered by the expatriate community with a handful of Indonesian elite and the odd golf-savvy wife. "It's just a good way to get around to the courses and get in a game of golf. It's social," he says, "but it’s definitely a wealthy man's game".

Behind her beloved masks, Lilian Khaw takes on a different persona. The Venetian masks she collects and sells at her thoughtfully and artistically decorated shop in Pacific Place can often transform the person who wears them.

A mask says a lot about the person who adorns it and Venetian masks in particular reflect the character of the face behind it. It can be seductive or jovial. It can hide the entire face or just the eyes, revealing the wearer’s mouth and chin, adding to the allure.

Venetian masks first appeared in Italy centuries ago and were worn during the Carnevale but have been used for many other occasions in the past, usually to hide the wearer’s identity or status. The mask would permit the wearer to act more freely and interact with other members of society outside the bounds of social norms.

"The glow, the mystique, curiosity and beauty of individual masks says something to me and moves me," says Lilian. She first began collecting her masks on her frequent travels to Europe and very soon her friends were asking her for them.

"People buy masks to use during theme parties or even at weddings," she adds. "My customers started requesting them more frequently and that’s when I realized that there was a growing demand."