As green, and good, as it gets at Melrimba Garden By Mehru Jaffer PUNCAK, West Java (JP): Next time hubby waves yet another business-class air ticket to where ever, do not despair. Forget the flying and concentrate on the advantages of having feet firmly and forever on the ground. The plan is to spend a restful weekend with the family.

A look at Bank Muamalat Indonesia's journey As long as there are no funny moves, being a solo player in a market often bears fruit. This is one of the important lessons to take from the journey of Bank Muamalat Indonesia (BMI). As we know, BMI is the first (public) bank to adopt the Syariah (legal code of Islam) system, and for the moment it is the only player in this market. On the one hand, its market position is advantageous because BMI has the chance to build customer loyalty.

Understanding 'Syariah' banking Perbankan Syariah, Perspektif Praktisi; (Syariah Banking, Perspective of the Practitioner); Written by the Muamalat Institute; Published by the Muamalat Institute, November 1999; xiii and 162 pages Why is Syariah banking, (based on Islamic law), so unpopular in Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population?

C. Java wrestlers eye golds at PON SEMARANG (JP): Central Java wrestlers are eying two golds in the 15th National Games (PON) in Surabaya, coach Rubiyanto Hadi said on Saturday. The golds are expected to be won by free-style wrestlers Ngabdi M. (63 kgs) and Sukahar (67 kgs). Haryanto (85 kgs) has a chance to also earn the gold in the Greco-Roman style. "They might face tough challenge from wrestlers from East Kalimantan, Jakarta, West Java and East Java.

What's up, Doc? (Dealing with quack doctors) JAKARTA (JP): Rizal's graduation from medical school left his parents flat broke. The poor traditional farmers had sacrificed all their properties, including the only rice field they had. All for one purpose: to make Rizal the first doctor in their village. They did not mind living in poverty and working as farm hands to make ends meet. They didn't mind eating cassava in place of rice just to save money.

Bonit, Sulistyo go to Futures final JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian veteran pair Bonit Wiryawan and Sulistyo Wibowo have marched on to the final of the US$15,000 Indonesia Futures-2 at Kemayoran Tennis Center, Central Jakarta. Bonit and Sulistyo, former national players, beat South Korean pair Chung Hee-seok and Chung Hee-sung 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinal on Saturday.

Living in the present is key to happiness By Rahayu Ratnaningsih JAKARTA (JP): A friend of mine recently complained about feeling trapped in his present job. He apparently doesn't like the job, yet he doesn't have the courage to leave to start doing what he really likes. Sound familiar? Recognize the repulsive feeling of knowing that we have a choice yet feeling too paralyzed to make the choice that we really want?

PSIS should not give up, mayor says SEMARANG (JP): Semarang Mayor Sukawi Sutarip and head councilor Ismoyo Subroto expressed hope on Saturday that financial difficulties would not force the city's top club PSIS to quit the national Bank Mandiri soccer league. Sukawi said he would try to set up a business enterprise to fund PSIS. "Don't disband the club just because of financial shortages. Let's find a solution. We have to seek more funds to keep PSIS alive.

Disaster on Bogor-Jakarta train From Sinar Pagi On Feb. 2, my son, on his way to school, boarded the Bogor- Jakarta train in Depok at noon. The train arrived at the Cawang tunnel at 12:20 p.m. Suddenly, from outside, somebody threw a stone into the train car. My son tried to avoid the stone but it hit his eyes. He was bleeding. Concerned and in a state of panic, fellow passengers rushed him to a hospital. At the hospital a doctor treated him immediately and he was operated on in the evening.

Spotlight Photo A: Garuda JP/msa QUALITY SERVICE: PT Garuda Indonesia president director Abdul Gani (right) and Principal Maintenance Inspector FAA Dame Wood (left) talk seriously, while the strategic business unit director of Garuda's maintenance facility, Hadinoto Sudigno (second right), and U.S. Embassy secretary of science and technology in the environment Robin K. McClelan look on. The Garuda maintenance facility received an FAA certificate on Feb.

Fowl-friendly salon is definitely for the birds By Bambang Tiong YOGYAKARTA (JP): Beauty parlors are not only the domain of people to spruce themselves up. Makeovers for dogs and cats have become commonplace but this town boasts a special place to tend to the needs of birds, particularly roosters. Surachman, 59, has run his clinic-cum-beauty parlor in Terban, Yogyakarta, since 1965. He can care for damaged feathers or change their color.

Guess What? KLa Project When you are at the top and fall, it really hurts. Which happened to the popular group KLa Project when their seventh album, Sintesa (Synthesis), received a cold response from fans. "We're very sad because only a few people bought Sintesa," the group's lead singer Katon Bagaskara said prior to a show at Fashion Cafe. Despite the flop of the 1998 album, the group did not give up on the creative process.

PBSI accused of leaving juniors development JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) West Java chapter chairman, Lutfi Hamid, has accused PBSI of abandoning juniors development after the organization declined to finance them to compete in the German and Dutch Junior Opens. Lutfi, a former team manager for the Thomas and Uber Cups, said his chapter and Central Java chapter preferred not to send their athletes to serve as a warning to PBSI to pay more attention to juniors.

Blurring the sexes with sexy scents By Agni Amorita JAKARTA (JP): What would Al Pacino say in his Oscar winning movie Scent of a Woman if the leading lady, Gabrielle Anwar, followed Indonesian actress' tendency in using perfume? Many local actresses say that branded perfumes for women are too sweet and "hard" for Indonesia's tropical climate, which makes them tend toward lighter and fresher fragrances, such as eau de toilette instead of perfume, or just pick pour homme perfumery.

Paddler Anton gets Olympics berth JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian men's singles table tennis player Anton Suseno qualified for the Olympic Games in Sydney in September after finishing 15th on Friday in the Asian Championships, which also served as Olympic qualifiers. Anton, who finished second in the championship's group C behind Chinese player Wang Licin, is the only Southeast Asian player to qualify for the Olympics.

Confusing certificate service From Pos Kota On Feb. 26 we applied for our child's birth certificate. When it was completed it contained a misspelling. Instead of our child's name, Fadly Putra Nurama, it had Fadly Putra Nurmana, and we were told to pay Rp 25,000 for the certificate. We asked the officer in charge of records at the Cempaka Putih Barat subdistrict office in Central Jakarta to have it changed. The officer rejected us saying he did not make our child's certificate.

The Indonesian business landscape 2000 By Hermawan Kartajaya, Finally, we are leading ourselves into a new century and a new millennium safely and smoothly. Y2K worries are behind us and temporarily unproven. But this does not mean that we can be complacent because there are big and fundamental changes happening to Indonesia's business landscape.

Blind Yogyakarta couple find light from their love By Ali Budiman YOGYAKARTA (JP): Love is blind, so they say. But for a blind couple, Suwadji and Ramini, blindness has been no obstacle to their mutual love and having four healthy children. They have been married for 11 years and Ramini, 35, is now eight month pregnant. The couple said they did not use contraception. "I get sleepy when taking the pill and become 'confused' after an injection," Ramini said.

Midplaza offers information technology Looming over Jl. Sudirman in the heart of Jakarta's Golden Triangle, Midplaza may look no different from the surrounding buildings in this exclusive neighborhood. But there is a difference, a very large one, in the same way there is a difference between the Stone Age and the Space Age. For Midplaza is a building of the future, where technology reigns supreme and the entire world is connected.

Pramoedya speaks out about Buru Island The Mute's Soliloquy; By Pramoedya Ananta Toer; Translated by Willem Samuels; Published by Hasta Mitra in cooperation with The Lontar Foundation, Jakarta, 1999; 375 pages; Rp 150,000. JAKARTA (JP): It's August 1966, and somewhere in the Banda Sea the Adri XV is bound for the island of Buru. Eight hundred men, many severely malnourished, are stuffed into its cargo hold.

Quakes hit PNG, Banda Sea HONG KONG (AP): An intense earthquake hit Papua New Guinea early Saturday, followed by another in the Banda Sea near East Timor, seismologists in Hong Kong and Australia said. There were no reports of damage or casualties, nor was there evidence of tsunami, the huge waves that can be generated by earthquakes.

Virtual offices are here for real Virtual and serviced offices are still relatively new in the country, but there is a growing demand for the service. The Jakarta Post's contributor Rudy Madanir takes a close look at the trend. JAKARTA (JP): Be a guest of Michael Sinjorgo. This means that you will be warmly welcomed by two beautiful, smiling receptionists as soon as you step into the reception area.

President visits Habibie, plans to meet Soeharto JAKARTA (JP): After having dinner with Gen. Wiranto on Friday night, President Abdurrahman Wahid continued his visits on Saturday by having breakfast with former president B.J. Habibie, with plans to meet Soeharto in the next few days. During the visit to Habibie's residence in Patra Kuningan, South Jakarta, Abdurrahman offered to give Habibie a house. Legally, as a former president, Habibie is entitled to be given a house by the state.

A bride's interpretation of the apocalypse By Chandra Johan JAKARTA (JP): In contemporary art, especially in the genre of installations, the work of art, the exhibition room, the artist and the curator are inseparably intertwined. Take the installation project of Pangaradeon Ni Oroan (The Bride's Preparation), which is at the Lontar Gallery in East Jakarta until March 17. The artist, Alce Ully Panjaitan, cannot be separated from the exhibition room, the objects and the curator, Jim Supangkat.

More awareness needed of 'Syariah' banking By Taufik, Associate Consultant, MarkPlus Strategic Consulting Two and a half years after the crisis hit Asia, a great majority of Indonesia's banks are still not acting like the mediators of recovery they should be. Economic indicators show that Indonesia's economy is, at last, on the mend, and the banks are already experiencing overliquidity.

Jakarta property sector inching out of economic crisis By Bruce Emond As the dark days of 1997 drew to a close, Jakarta resembled a modern-day Pompeii, scarred with eerily desolate construction sites where activities had seemingly stopped in midstream. But it was not a volcano which blanketed the city and brought it to a grinding standstill, but, instead, a meltdown of the economic variety.