Contest brings couples cheek to cheek<\/p>\n
Withstanding the pain and boredom, and as their competitors
\ndropped off all around them, four couples in Bandung kept their
\ncheeks pressed together for over 40 hours to celebrate
\nValentine's Day.<\/p>\n
Held at the Bandung Trade Center, the couples pressed their
\ncheeks together (see photo) for 47 hours, 32 minutes and five
\nseconds.<\/p>\n
Theo Rettob, 20, said he felt sore and weak after taking part
\nin the contest with Iwan, his 33-year-old uncle. But he said it
\nwas all worth it after he and his uncle, along with three other
\ncouples, were declared the winners of the contest, the first of
\nits kind in the country.<\/p>\n
The contest began on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. under the watchful
\neyes of four officials from the Indonesian Museum of Records
\n(MURI). It ended on Valentine's Day.<\/p>\n
The three other winning couples were Sabarita Bangun and
\nPameria Ginting; Mardiah Zulfitri Boru Perangin-angin and
\nSindawati Boru; and Suyatno Sudihardjo and Lilis Widowati.<\/p>\n
One of the MURI officials, Arini, said the couples beat the
\nworld record for the longest kiss, which was set by Louisa
\nAlmedovar and Rich Langley, who kissed for 30 hours, 59 minutes
\nand 27 seconds. The couple set the kissing record on Dec. 5,
\n2001, in New York.<\/p>\n
In the contest in Bandung, participants could have family or
\nfriends bring them food and drink, or massage their shoulders and
\nbacks. They were also allowed to dance and sing, as long as their
\ncheeks never separated.<\/p>\n
Alvan Faslah, the head of promotion at the Bandung Trade
\nCenter, said the idea for the contest was arrived at jointly with
\nMulti Kreasi Cartoon Studio.<\/p>\n
Two weeks after it was announced on radio stations and in
\npapers in Bandung, 20 couples had signed up for the contest.<\/p>\n
\"But after they underwent checkups by appointed doctors, only
\n13 of them were able to take part,\" he told The Jakarta Post on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Since the contest involved close physical contact, the
\ncommittee decided not to allow boyfriends and girlfriends to take
\npart. Only friends or relatives were allowed to join in the fun.<\/p>\n
\"We didn't want couples being intimate for fear of protests by
\nthe Indonesian UIema Council,\" Alvan said.<\/p>\n
The winners received certificates from MURI Foundation head
\nJayasuprana, and will receive a Rp 50,000 shopping voucher every
\nday for a year from the Bandung Trade Center.
\n-- JP\/Yuli Tri Suwarni<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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