Experimental home gives room for the personal touch Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta Young architect Daniel Sandjaya's dream was to have a custom-made house that would be entirely personal, but still allow the opportunity to experiment with design ideas. The dream was realized in the form of a minimalist, experimental house that he designed on an 8 m by 24 m plot of land in Bali.

English first? Spanish gains ground among young Indonesians Mar Centenera, Contributor, Jakarta "Where do you come from?" When the answer is Spain, the response is, almost always, the same here: The quick mention of at least one famous soccer player or Spanish team, the title of a popular South American telenovela aired on local TV or an entertainer.

Coffee culture in Bengkulu The pungent aroma of coffee filled the afternoon air in Curup, a cool hill town some 85 kilometers northeast of Bengkulu, the capital of the province of the same name. "Bengkulu coffee is 100 percent pure, not mixed with corn flour or anything. It tastes even better than Lampung coffee," boasted Sudiyono, my driver and guide.

Culture vultures in for a feast at GKJ festival Stevie Emilia The Jakarta Post Jakarta A ballet performance by Namarina dance company launched the 7th Gedung Kesenian Jakarta International Festival 2004 on Friday, kicking off what promises to be a two-week cultural feast for arts lovers here.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, August 22, 2004 Exhibitions * Korean Art Exhibition featuring 90 pieces of ceramics and 15 oil paintings by Maestro Kim So-sun, 30 pieces of Hangul calligraphy by In Shik-shon, 20 pieces of Susek, 15 pieces of Hanbok, at Shangri-La Hotel (until Aug. 23), South Jakarta, and at National Museum (Aug. 23 to Aug. 29), Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12, Central Jakarta. * Sintang Textiles at Textile Museum, Jl. K.S Tubun No. 4, West Jakarta (Tel. 5606613), until October.

Taufik mesmerizes Shon to strike Olympic gold Agence France-Presse, Athens Unseeded Indonesian Taufik Hidayat produced a silky display which oozed class and confidence to win the gold medal in the Olympic men's singles badminton here on Saturday. A quarterfinalist at the Sydney Games, Taufik overpowered South Korean seventh seed Shon Seung-Mo 15-8, 15-7 in the final in 44 absorbing minutes at a packed and noisy Goudi Complex.

No respect: Our heritage sites go to waste Andre Vltchek and Rossie Indira, Contributors, Surakarta, Central Java The central highway between Surabaya and Surakarta (not numbered, of course) passes through some unmemorable and polluted market towns and agricultural centers. Next to the small city of Trowulan, some 70 kilometers from Surabaya, the Periplus map shows a hardly readable mark: "Remains of Majapahit Kingdom and Site Museum".

Legislator dies during ceremony INDONESIA: A senior legislator in Jember, East Java province collapsed and died on Saturday while leading a ceremony to install 45 newly elected councillors in the regency. The ceremony was stopped to allow the body of Muchson Sudjojono to be brought to a nearby hospital for a post mortem examination. Muchson served on the regental legislative council between 2000 and 2004.

Sampoerna museum a spark of inspiration Omar Prihandono, Contributor, Surabaya Smoking is good for you. While the title of the book by Dr. William T. Whitby will surely raise the shackles of antismoking activists, the board of directors of cigarette giant HM Sampoerna seem to be validating the statement by having themselves photographed at their desks, puffing away.

...... Maria Endah Hulupi Contributor Jakarta Having a costume-made house that is personal but still allows a valuable opportunity to experiment with some design ideas is young architect Daniel Sandjaya's dream. The dream came true in the form of a minimalist, experimental house that he designed on a 8-meter by 24-meter plot of land in Bali.

Inul slated to perform at WOMAD Singapore 2004 Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The naysayers snipe that Inul Daratista's 15 minutes are up, with other singers taking their cue from her gyrations and descending into a whole new level of suggestiveness. But overseas, Inul still carries the mantle of Indonesia's queen of dangdut, the Indian/Malay musical hybrid which is truly the popular music of the country.

Malaysia pledges openness on bird flu outbreak Reuters, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia pledged on Saturday to be open about the country's first outbreak of a deadly bird flu, after accusations the media had faced political pressure to play down the issue. "Of course we'll be completely transparent. There's no question of that," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Reuters when asked about the arrival in Malaysia of the H5N1 strain of the virus, blamed for 27 deaths in Asia this year.

Living the expat life as a teenager in Jakarta Diana Mehta, Contributor, Jakarta Indian citizen -- Nonresident: That's how my passport labels me. Ironically, I don't even remember living in India as my family left the country when I was only two years old. I have lived the expat life for about 15 years now. Being an expatriate has two sides to it. Among the disadvantages, there is always the age-old dilemma of answering the question "So, where are you from?" What IS the perfect answer?

Golkar, PDI-P prepare war chest for Mega's bid Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have prepared no less than Rp 40 billion (US$4.4 million) to support President Megawati Soekarnoputri's bid to win the Sept. 20 runoff.

Sampoerna museum a spark of inspiration Omar Prihandono, Contributor, Surabaya Smoking is good for you. While the title of the book by Dr. William T. Whitby will surely raise the shackles of antismoking activists, the board of directors of cigarette giant HM Sampoerna seem to be validating the statement by having themselves photographed at their desks, puffing away.

Lombok's Gili islands make the perfect getaway Martin Jenkins, Contributor, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara It is said that if you want to know what Bali was like 20 years ago, then you should go to Lombok. Much more laid back than its larger sister 45 km to the west, Lombok is a great antidote to the commercial excesses of Bali, where on some beaches at least, there now seem to be more hawkers than tourists and a moment's peace is as rare as a reasonably priced can of soda.

Physics teaches Yudistira what matters most P.C. Naommy, Contributor, Jakarta Winning an international competition might change a person, for the better or worse. But in the case of gold medalist Yudistira Virgus, winning has helped put life in perspective. Yudistira, who won a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad at Pohang in South Korea last month, believes that all of his victories are a gift from God. "I always enter all competitions with strong courage and faith.

Megawati keeps in touch with Gus Dur Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Bali/Jakarta In an apparent bid to maintain the mood of reconciliation in the run-up to the election runoff, President Megawati Soekarnoputri held talks with her predecessor Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid on Friday, the fourth meeting between the two in the past month.

Fashion tell-all is 'chic' lit, but way too lite Agatha Belinda Contributor Jakarta ------------------------------------------------------ L.S.D.L.F (Lontong Sayur Dalam Lembaran Fashion) Syahmedi Dean, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2004 280 pp ------------------------------------------------ Since the dazzling phenomenon of novel-cum-TV-series Sex and the City, the world's attention has been fixated on chick lit, a genre exploring cosmopolitan issues in a sassy, tongue-'n'-cheek style, often...

Mount Bromo still dangerous, but then who's telling? Jacqueline Mackenzie, Contributor, Mt. Bromo, East Java From just before dawn, hundreds of people crowd the steep staircase on the final climb to the summit of Mt Bromo in East Java, crowding the small fenced viewing area on the lip of the crater to see the gray clouds of sulfurous gas spewing from the volcano's vent.

Population expert Hull has RI in his system Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Melbourne, Australia The place is the living room of a family home in Sydney; the time an evening in the mid 1960s. The television news is beaming images of Indonesia. A reporter is standing on a leafy street of Jakarta, with armored personnel carriers in the background. Tension is in the air.

Haze again over Sumatra, Kalimantan INDONESIA: Haze from forest and brush fires blanketed parts of the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra on Saturday, disrupting flights in western Kalimantan, officials said. At least five flights in Pontianak city in West Kalimantan province were delayed early Saturday by smoke from fires lit to clear new plantation land, said Kosasi Munir, the city's airport operational chief. Morning visibility was only at 50 to 300 meters, Munir said.

Salsa buffs make record with 47 pairs Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Forty-seven pairs of salsa enthusiasts moved their feet and swiveled their hips in a square rueda (Spanish for wheel), around a basketball court in Bung Karno sports complex in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Saturday. The dancers performed the rueda de casino, a group dance, with pairs in a circle following simple salsa steps, from Cuba -- salsa's country of origin, where no party is complete without a rueda.

Taufik mesmerizes Shon to strike gold Agencies, Athens Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat won the gold medal in the Olympic men's singles badminton here on Saturday after defeating South Korean seventh seed Shon Seung-mo 15-8, 15-7 in the final. Sony Dwi Kuncoro, also from Indonesia, took the bronze. Taufik's spellbinding win, which oozed class and confidence, saw him emulate legendary compatriot Alan Budi Kusuma, who took gold in the men's singles in Barcelona 12 years ago.

Parties wait and see on graft scandal Hasrul and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Kendari/Jakarta Most political parties are undecided on appropriate action to take against their representatives in Kendari legislative council, Southeast Sulawesi, who have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a graft case.