Dian Krishna Mukti sits primly across me in the patio of her south Jakarta home, smoothing out the wrinkles on her flower-print Contempo dress. She has a busy day ahead of her, but that doesn’t stop her from expending energy at a rate that would probably burn out others. It’s a little after ten in the morning, and already she is quietly insightful by saying “The beauty industry and media need to band together to propagate a strong image of Indonesian beauty” and unsuspectingly hilarious “I’m into raw foods like beef tartare and salad. Not because I’m trying to be healthy, but because I’m too lazy to cook!”. Not terrible traits to have for a former Puteri Indonesia.
For the uninitiated, Dian won the Puteri Indonesia title in 2003. Following her reign as a beauty queen, she managed stints as a reporter, presenter, and model, so I was surprised by how laid back she was in manner; she didn’t exhibit the classic ADHD symptoms so common among people who have stuck their fingers in so many pies. She is away from her home in Hong Kong, where she is based and lives with her Malaysian husband and three year-old son, to promote The Apprentice Asia, in which she competes for an apprenticeship to Tony Fernandes, founder of Air Asia.
