Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, December 19, 2004 Exhibitions * Photo The Master Class Klavdij Sluban, Oktagon Gallery, Jl. Gunung Sahari Raya No. 50A, Central Jakarta, until Dec. 22. * The Hungry Box: the endless interiors of MVRDV, Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kav S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta (Tel. 5241069), Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., until Jan. 7. * Arts by Canadian artist Ken Pattern, at Four Seasons Hotel (Regent), Jl.

Price of LPG, high quality gasoline hiked The Jakarta Post, Jakarta State oil and gas company PT Pertamina announced on Saturday it will raise the retail prices of its high quality gasoline brands Pertamax and Pertamax Plus by 63.3 percent and 52.7 percent, respectively. It also increased the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by 41.6 percent. The new prices will be effective on Sunday. Motorists will now have to pay Rp 4,000 per liter for Pertamax and Rp 4,200 per liter for Pertamax Plus.

Restaurants, cafes gear up for year-end festivities Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarat Post, Jakarta As the year is almost coming to an end, people start to think of how and where to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, while public parks, hotels, restaurants, cafes and other entertainment centers are busy preparing different kinds of parties to welcome the memorable day. People have their own ways of celebrating welcoming in the New Year.

Akbar, Kalla near expected showdown The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali Although the Golkar Party congress organizing committee cleared four contenders on Saturday for the election of the party's chairmanship post, the expected showdown between Akbar Tandjung and Jusuf Kalla is playing to script. A prolonged debate between supporters of Akbar and Kalla on requirements imposed on candidates forced an almost 10-hour delay in the voting, which was originally scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.

Testing the waters Calm on the surface, the glorious richness of Bunaken's underwater life is revealed to those who come from far and away to Manado, North Sulawesi. For those who take the plunge, there awaits fascinating marine life, especially coral reefs and thousands of fish of different species, sizes and colors. Even for those who are water resistant and do not want to go diving, a glass-bottomed catamaran from Manado port to Bunaken National Park will reveal the underwater sights.

Juventus pitches in to help Turin MILAN: Serie A leader Juventus will don shirts with Olympic logos and fill its pitch with mascots to help the cash-strapped organizers for Turin's 2006 Winter Games drum up some publicity, a government official said on Friday. The club, drawn earlier in the day to play nine-time European champion Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League, pledged to take over some Olympic advertising after Turin's committee said it was short of the necessary funds.

Feeling strong-armed at the charity counter How does one ask for charity? Does one plead one's case earnestly, trying to coax out the good Samaritan from underneath cynicism and/or indifference? Or, does one just take the money and run? If you've been to the movie theater in the past week, it seems the Indonesian Red Cross decided on the latter approach. This has been an ongoing scheme -- some might say scam -- for decades.

Xmas goodies from near and far Suryatini N. Ganie, Contributor, Jakarta All over the country, from northern Sumatra to easternmost regions like Papua, Christians will celebrate Christmas according to regional customs. The Manadonese of North Sulawesi, for instance, are accustomed to celebrating Christmas with the food they love most -- hot, spicy and prepared with the products of their region. For visiting guests, a buffet of food will always be set on Christmas Day.

Hendra's works a big hit at Sydney auction Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Melbourne Although Hendra Gunawan's works celebrating the beauty of ordinary life have fetched handsome prices at an Australian auction, there is a poignant story behind them. It seems that in every segment of life we cannot avoid the power of trends.

Sweet and spicy flavors * Panada For a typical northern Sulawesi touch of Christmas.

RI extremists influencing Thai Muslims: Thaksin Rungrawee C. Pinyorat, Associated Press/Bangkok Militants behind the ongoing violence in Thailand's Muslim- majority far south have been indoctrinated by extremists in nearby Indonesia, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Saturday. Separately, police tried to quell concerns that major attacks have been planned to take place around the country -- including in the capital Bangkok -- early next month.

Indonesia dominates pencak silat world c'ships Indonesia on Saturday dominated the martial arts division of the 2004 world pencak silat championships by collecting three gold medals out of six contested at the Bedok Sports Hall in Singapore. The gold medals were presented by Hamdani and Mohammad Yusuf Effendi in the men's pair; Ni Nyoman Sutriwati and Kadek Wulandari in the women's pair; and Suryani, Pudji Dwi Riyanti and Mila Lusiana Megawati in the women's team.

U.S. warns of terror attacks in RI INDONESIA: The U.S. State Department warned on Saturday that terrorists were planning more attacks against Western targets in Indonesia over Christmas and New Year, and reiterated advice to its citizens not to travel to the country. The U.S. State Department's move follows similar warnings by other foreign governments earlier this week that militants belonging to the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah terror group were plotting more bombings.

Activists say SBY's navel ire a case of bellyaching Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Observers on Saturday lashed out at President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his statements regarding certain TV programs, which he said were inappropriate because they showed the bare navels of women. They said the President paid too much attention to minor issues while his administration had a myriad of far more important problems to address, ranging from poverty to widespread corruption.

Philippines begins to rebuild flood-hit areas Manila, Reuters Hundreds of army and civilian engineers have begun massive construction work in the northern Philippines to rebuild flood- hit areas that have been cut off from the rest of the country for weeks. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on Saturday that the reconstruction was in full swing.

December, another big shopping season Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After being crowded by shoppers purchasing goods for the Idul Fitri celebration, stores in shopping malls are now gearing up for another big shopping season. Although there are still several more weeks to go until the Christmas and New Year holidays, the atmosphere of Christmas is beginning to be felt, with Christmas trees and colorful ornaments decorating the interiors of several modern shopping malls.

Ade Purnama a natural-born history lover Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta Many historic buildings in the capital have fallen victim to the wrecker's ball. Even though some older citizens with bitter memories are glad to see their demise, Ade Purnama argues that the remaining ones are "living museums" that should be preserved. For many people, history is a subject that sends them to sleep. Ade Purnama, better known as Adep, the founder of Sahabat Museum (Friends of Museums), thinks otherwise.

TV Program: Sunday, December 19, 2004 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Cartoon: Maya The Bee 7:30 Children Show 9:00 Music: Delta 10:30 Sports: Antar Gelanggang 11:00 TV Drama 12:30 p.m. English for Fun 1:00 News: Berita Siang 3:00 English News Service 4:30 Documentary 5:00 Robocon 6:30 Documentary 7:00 News: Berita Nasional 7:30 Music 9:00 Italian League (Live) 11:00 News: Dunia Dalam Berita 11:30 Traditional Performances TPI 5:00 a.m.

Catch the wave of 'Ocean's 12' Ocean's 12, the sequel to 2001's Ocean's 11 starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, will premiere in Jakarta on Wednesday. Star Movies, in cooperation with Warner Bros, is offering opening night tickets to lucky readers of The Jakarta Post. The first 10 readers to correctly answer the following question will each receive a pair of tickets to the showing at 7:30 p.m. at Plaza Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Special holiday packages for hotel guests T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta If you open an old English dictionary and take a look at the meaning of the word "hotel", you will see that it more or less means a building where travelers get meals and lodging. But along with the development of the hotel industry, a newer edition may explain that hotels also provide entertainment and various personal services for the public.

Harry Darsono: Some standouts but mostly same old, same old designs Syahmedi Dean, Contributor, Jakarta What do members of Jakarta's upper crust expect when a designer celebrates 30 years in fashion? At the very least, he is called upon to present creations that are a cut above those of other designers with less experience in the profession.

Taufik advances to Indonesia Open final against Chen Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Taufik Hidayat and Chen Hong will meet in the finals of the Indonesian Open badminton championship for the third consecutive time after winning their semifinal matches here on Saturday.

Filmmakers highlight short films Hera Diani , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta While Japanese and Korean cinema have been enjoying growing popularity all over the world, Southeast Asian films remain bit players in the big picture of Asian cinema. Even among neighboring countries, the exposure is still small, although the production of the countries is no less interesting.

Would-be bus bombers 'from new group' Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung Police suspect that a man who is believed to have stashed boxes full of explosives in an intercity bus on Friday was not part of a group recruited by fugitives Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh. Top. West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Edi Darnadi said on Saturday that their suspicion was based on the differences in the explosives being used.

Hofker's Bali paintings make their way back home Pragmatic parents often advise their artistically-inclined offspring to equip themselves with other skills since they cannot live on art alone. There is no money in art, they say. That may be the truth, but certainly not the whole truth. Go to a successful art auction and you will see the affluence that art attracts. A recent two-day auction by Australia's Deutscher Menzies in Sydney sold 14 paintings for a total of A$6.5 million.

Activists say SBY's navel fuss mere bellyaching Fabiola Desy Unidjaja The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Observers on Saturday lashed out at President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his statements regarding certain TV programs, which he said were inappropriate because they showed the bare navels of women. They said the President paid too much attention to minor issues while his administration had a myriad of far more important problems to address, ranging from poverty to widespread corruption.