The swing: The cutting edge in hair Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta This year, a new hair trend has emerged that suits all kinds of people. It is called the "swing" hairstyle, characterized by free movement and texture, with the final result being an air of elegance. The style is not bound by hair length, but inspired by the beautiful shapes and movements of models sashaying down the catwalk.

Six months after ... Six months after the tsunami, Aceh is still struggling to rebuild itself. While sadness remains among the people who survived the natural disaster, they have started to rebuild their lives. The following images of people and places in Setia Bakti and Calang districts in Aceh Jaya regency show how the Acehnese have put the natural disaster behind them and to get back on their feet again. They have built their new homes on hillsides to keep them safe from new tsunamis.

Maria Kristin, Jeffer Rosobin Jakarta Open champions Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta National women's shuttler Maria Kristin gave herself a perfect birthday present on Saturday, beating Fransiska Ratnasari Hari S to win the weeklong Yonex Sunrise Jakarta Open Satellite badminton championship. After a sluggish start, Kristin, who turned 20 on Saturday, turned the final around to win 2-11, 11-5, 11-2 in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Sahid goes Betawi Jakarta residents can partake of Betawi traditional dishes during the Betawi Food Festival at Sahid Jaya Hotel from June 13 through June 30. The food festival is being held in celebration of Jakarta's 478th anniversary which falls on June 22. Visitors can enjoy soto betawi (chicken soup) at Kafe Solo in the hotel. They will also be entertained by Gambang Kromong traditional Betawi music as well as Betawi dances.

A Back on the landscape In the spirit of regional autonomy and the recent local elections, I'd like to nominate Blok M as a candidate for adding to Indonesia's ever growing list of provinces. I've always maintained that the ever popular 'M' is a self-contained, one- stop zone in which I could live out the rest of my days quite happily. I'd lurch from plaza to restaurant to cinema to bar to hotel without ever leaving the area. Blok M's regent could set up his office on Jl.

Youngsters display contemporary arts The French Cultural Center CCF in Jakarta will display various contemporary art works by young Indonesian artists, including paintings, installations, videos and photographs, from June 22 through July 22. On the sidelines of the exhibition titled Vague, there will be discussions on the arts. The participating artists are Prilla Tania, Reza Afisina, Dadan Setiawan, Cecil Mariani and Dimas Nugroho.

Enjoying Japanese dishes in hot Jakarta Rudijanto, Contributor, Jakarta Chef Hiroki Takai's face had streaks of sweat on it but it also showed traces of pride as he the diners' faces brighten when waiters served the food he had cooked at Jakarta's Basara Japanese restaurant. Still in his early 30s, Hiroki has mastered traditional Japanese cooking thanks to 13 years of immersing himself in the tradition.

Illuminating Chinese role in history of Indonesian Islam Tasyriq Hifzhillah Contributor/Yogyakarta Runtuhnya Kerajaan Hindu-Jawa dan Timbulnya Negara-Negara Islam di Nusantara (Collapse of Hindu-Javanese Kingdoms and Emergence of Islamic States in Indonesia) Prof. Dr. Slamet Muljana LKiS Yogyakarta viii + 303pp Historical reality is often too bitter to swallow or too hot to stand.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, June 26, 2005 Exhibitions * Fine Arts Re:[Post] by 9 artists from the Bandung Institute of Technology, at the Japan Foundation, Summitmas I, Jl. Jend. Sudirman kav.61-62 South Jakarta , 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., until June 27. * Painting by Ivan Sagita at CP Artspace Jl. Suryopranoto 67 A, Central Jakarta (Tel. 3448126), until July 29 * Sculpture Intensitas by Redy Rahadian, Komunitas Utan Kayu, Jl. Utan Kayu 68H, East Jakarta (Tel.

Local school triumphs at cricket tourney Maybe, just maybe, cricket's next world beater bearing the name Imran will come from these parts. Or perhaps he will be called Dede. The student from Cimahi III Klari elementary school in Karawang, West Java, stepped up to bat, closely watched by fielder Sam Seward from the No Fear club of the British International School (BIS), on Saturday.

JP/6/ Amidst today's constant news of Aceh's reconstruction, The Jakarta Post returns to the tsunami's personal horror on this 6th month anniversary by publishing this narrative work by journalist Adam B. Ellick, who went to Aceh immediately following the tsunami.

JP/1/Cap Other side of Papua During World War II, Biak was a base for Japanese resistance in the easternmost part of the archipelago. Visitors can still see memorials of the era, including the famous "Japanese Cave". Page 13

JP/18/thai Bangkok film fest, French filmmakers to hold professional workshop The Nation/Asia News Network Bangkok Amateur and professional film producers and directors from selected Asian countries are invited to compete for a trip to Nantes, France, to attend a workshop on how to raise funds from Europe for filmmaking. The six countries are Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam.

Jakob reflects on past, looks ahead Kurniawan Hari and Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Jakob Oetama was born in Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java, on Sept. 27, 1931. He is the son of a retired teacher. His parents wanted him to become a teacher and a Catholic priest. After finishing senior high school in Yogyakarta in the 1950s, he taught at a junior high school in Cipanas, West Java.

Biak island, the 'other' side of Papua Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Biak, Papua Papua has always seemed like another world to me, of untouched virgin forests with bare-chested men wearing the famous koteka, or penis-sheath made from dried gourds. So I was rather unimpressed when I drove out from the airport in Biak, an island to the north of mainland Papua, and found a town similar to any other small town in Java -- except for the abundance of people sporting curly hair.

U.S. backs Australian warning on KL MALAYSIA: The United States on Saturday backed a warning from Australia advising against traveling to Malaysia's Kalimantan coast, saying it was also concerned that terrorists planned to kidnap foreigners there. The Malaysian government criticized Wednesday's Australian travel warning on the east coast of Sabah state, saying that tourist destinations there are safe and that Canberra had failed to consult Malaysia over the announcement. But the U.S.

TV Program: Sunday, June 26, 2005 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Cartoon: Tabaluga 7:30 Hero Classics 8:00 The Adventures of Red Ant 9:00 Student Volley Ball 10:00 Sports: Antar Gelanggang 11:30 English for Fun 12:30 p.m.

Sharia in Aceh seen as biased against ordinary people Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Bireun Various elements of society in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam view the implementation of Sharia in the province as discriminatory and as not touching on core issues. "If the government is serious, it should implement local laws in regard to serious violations such as theft and corruption," said legal practitioner Rufriadi on Saturday.

If you go... * Remember to bring enough cash. Mandiri, Bank Negara Indonesia, Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Bank Danamon branches and ATMs are available in the city, but not in outlying areas. As you may have guessed, local shops accept only hard cash -- Visa can't take you there. * Don't forget sturdy boots and a strong flashlight to get through the dark, muddy caves. * For a picnic on the beach or at the Bird and Orchid Park, buy snacks and drinks in a supermarket downtown.

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Convicted Aussie drug smuggler fires RI legal team An Australian woman whose 20-year sentence for drug smuggling in Indonesia caused outcry in her homeland has sacked her legal team amid allegations it planned to try to bribe the judges hearing her appeal, reports said Saturday.

After tsunami, 'finally time to lokk ahead' Tini Tran, Associated Press / Banda Aceh Gathering in the shadow of a mosque battered by the December tsunami, local leaders and international donors on Saturday took stock of a disaster that wiped out vast stretches of Aceh and said rebuilding efforts were picking up steam after months of delays.

Publishers place 'teen-lit' center stage The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Jakarta Book Fair 2005 opened on Saturday and 13-year-old Novi Rusdiyanti was on the hunt for popular fiction aimed at teenagers, or "teen-lit". She arrived at the Bung Karno indoor sports stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, at 9 a.m. even though the fair, which will run until July 3, was not scheduled to open for another hour.

'Tempo' chronicle shows words more powerful than bullets Chris Holm, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Wars Within: A Story of Tempo, an Independent Magazine in Soeharto's Indonesia Janet Steele Equinox Publishing 320 pp "Why should the army fear us, when they are the ones with the guns?" Janet Steele quotes Tempo magazine's former chief editor Goenawan Mohamad at the start of Wars Within: A story of Tempo, an Independent Magazine in Soeharto's Indonesia.

A stinky, great place to live Like blue cheese, Jakarta is an acquired taste. Love at first sight? With high poverty and crime rates, pollution, bad city planning, lack of decent and cheap public transportation, daily traffic jams, omnipresent shopping malls, minimal greenery and yearly floods, even longtime dwellers like me were not that quick to form an affection. The city does not have the glam factor of her neighbors Singapore and Bangkok. Nor catchy initials like KL.