Roadshow for award-winning pianist Award-winning pianist Sun Yingdi will perform in four cities here as part of a roadshow between July 6 and July 11. The winner of the International Frans Liszt Piano Competition, Sun Yingdi will first perform at the Cak Durasim Art Hall on July 6 in Surabaya, East Java. He is then scheduled to entertain the public at Seni Sono in Solo, Central Java, and at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta on July 7 and July 9, respectively.

Colorful elections Pilkada -- an abbreviation meaning local leaders' elections -- has become a buzzword among Indonesians today. It involves the direct election of governors, mayors and regents. Given the various customs of the regions, people conduct and celebrate the polling day in their own ways. And given that these are the first direct local leaders' elections ever held in Indonesia's 60-year history, some imperfections have inevitably occurred.

Tika shares hard cold truth about love in debut album Paul F. Agusta, Contributor, Jakarta "Under their feet lies the lung / from where I breathe / under their feet lies the tongue / from where I speak / under their feet lie the crumbs from where I eat / under their feet lies the heart/ hear my heart beat" This is the opening verse of Under Their Feet, track two of Frozen Love Songs the debut album of Tika, a local singer- songwriter. And yes, you can truly hear her heart beat in this album.

Rizal takes charge in Medan Rally Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra Rizal Sungkar gave an outstanding display of racing to stave off older brother Rifat in the first leg of the Gudang Garam National Rally Championship here on Saturday. Rizal, with navigator Anthony Sarwono, notched up the best time of one hour, nine minutes and 36 seconds after seven of the planned 13 special stages were completed.

Manhattan transfer leaves Indonesia with the pearl Peter Duncan, Contributor, Cisarua, West Java No. Not the band or the music, but the greatest land deal in history. Three-hundred and thirty eight years ago, tiny Pulau Run in the Banda Islands, a 17th Century source of nutmeg, was swapped for Manhattan Island, a Dutch trading post on the East Coast of North America.

Poland, RI to boost defense cooperation The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian and Polish governments agreed on Saturday to boost cooperation in defense, including the possible joint production of arms. The countries also signed an agreement on cooperation to fight transnational crime, including terrorism, drug and human trafficking and money laundering. "Our cooperation in the areas of defense and police forces has been improving.

Cult hysteria: Third mall from the sun It is a well-documented fact that Jakartans don't seem to be able to get enough of shopping malls. Despite the half-million- odd plazas that have already opened their deodorized doors to the capital's swelling masses, more are being built all the time.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, July 3, 2005 Exhibitions * Digital Art, A Journey Through The Exotic East, by Tris Neddy Santo, Galeri Cipta 3 TIM Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jl Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta (Tel. 31937325), until July 10 * Painting by Ivan Sagita at CP Artspace Jl. Suryopranoto 67 A, Central Jakarta (Tel. 3448126), until July 29 * Contemporary Arts Vague by Prilla Tania, Reza Afisina, Dadan Setiawan, Cecil Mariani, Dimas Nugroho, at CCF - French Cultural Center, Jl.

Dazzling parade marks city anniversary Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Dozens of dancers in ethnic costumes commenced their performance in anticipation of the opening of a parade of dozens of floats, horse-drawn buggies, Harley Davidson motorcycles and marching bands by Governor Sutiyoso, who appeared carrying a blue umbrella. As Sutiyoso opened the umbrella, firecrackers lit up the sky, dazzling hundreds of spectators along Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta on Saturday night.

Osim Refine, food for skin Bad environment, pollution, stress, unhealthy lifestyle, and aging can decrease the elasticity of your skin, both women and men. Without appropriate skin 'maintenance', you will look older, something most people, particularly women, want to avoid. Osim Indonesia, a franchise of Osim International, Singapore, launched last week a supplement for skin called Refine, which firms and tightens as well as making skin fairer. Refine, formulated by a team of experts led by Dr.

The Great Wall, the world's oldest theme park Endy M. Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, Beijing "Your heart is beating too fast," a doctor at the herbal research medicine center tells me through an English translator. "I just climbed up and down the Great Wall, and it nearly killed me. Could that be the reason my heartbeat is fast?" As usual, the skepticism in me comes out. Not without a reason: Only a few months ago, I got a clean bill of health after a general checkup in Jakarta.

TV Program: Sunday, July 3, 2005 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Cartoon: Tabaluga 7:30 Hero Classic 8:30 Music 9:00 TV Drama 10:00 Sports: Antar Gelanggang 11:30 English for Fun 12:30 p.m.

Futsal great urban substitute for soccer The Jakarta Post, Jakarta It is difficult enough trying to spot a small patch of greenery in the capital's concrete jungle, but locating a grassed area the size of a soccer field is becomoing impossible for players of the world's biggest spectator sport. "That's why everybody I know now plays futsal, instead of soccer," said Edi, 30, who has been playing soccer since he was a toddler. "Finding a soccer field in Jakarta is hard and expensive.

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.

Masterpiece refrigerator from Samsung Samsung Digital Plaza in Pondok Indah offers a high-tech refrigerator that brings twin cooling and silver nano health systems to customers. The twin cooling system controls and produces cold air for the chiller and the freezer. With two independent evaporators and precise electronic control, the cooling processes are optimized. The twin cooling system reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent.

People visit outlet for newest gadget Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Two men closely examined cellular phones on display at the Nokia Customer Center (NCC) in Mampang, South Jakarta, recently. They discussed specifications and later checked the price with a shop attendant. Meanwhile, a woman took her cellular phone with her after paying the bill. She finished the transaction. They were among nearly 20 people visited the Nokia Customer Center that day.

Acehnese students protest exam INDONESIA: About 60 Acehnese students who failed the national final examination protested outside the Aceh Education Office on Saturday, the first student protest in the province since the government lifted the state of civil emergency there in May. Carrying banners that read "Education office sadistic", "Where did all the education money go?" and "Don't make us depressed", the students arrived in trucks and on bicycles.

First bowling center opens in Yogyakarta Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta Bowling hopes to "strike" it big in Yogyakarta with the establishment of the first bowling center in the student city on May 9. Located on Jl. Pingit Jati, about two kilometers north of Malioboro, Arjuna Joi Billiard and Bowl and Pool might still be establishing itself, but the venue should provide a good start for the development of bowling in Yogyakarta.

Bvlgari Carbon Gold for young stars Want to feel like a young celebrity? Try Bvlgari Carbon Gold. Two Indonesian film stars, Rachel Maryam and Nicolas Saputra, were given the new limited edition watches last week. Last February, Bvlgari vice chairman Nicola Bulgari also gave the same collections to world celebrities, including Cate Blanchett, Leonardo Di Caprio and Johnny Deep in the 25th anniversary of Miramax.

Bowling a flexible sport Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta For businesspeople, choosing a suitable sport is sometimes difficult due to tight work schedules. And this is making indoor 10-pin bowling, which can be played from early morning until late in the evening, increasingly popular. "I started bowling in 2002, as I could go to the bowling center almost any time I wanted," said Rulita, a senior executive of a public relations firm in Jakarta. "I usually go there at 8 p.m.

Soeharto retrospective: Perils of power Hartoyo Pratiknyo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia in the Soeharto Years John H. McGlynn, Jeffrey Hadler, Bambang Bujono, Margaret Glade Agusta, Gedsiri Suhartono, et al.

Dorce: On duty and charity Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Almost three weeks after I contacted Dorce Gamalama for an interview, I finally met her in a makeup room of television station Trans TV during the taping of her show. She welcomed me warmly, but without a big hug -- like the way she greeted the petite singer Kristina who came in later. Unlike her exquisite on-screen appearance -- with a nice wig and beautiful dress -- Dorce showed up wearing only a sarong.

Spa craze sweeps Asia Mynardo Macaraig, Agence France-Presse/Lipa, Philippines Coffee-water enemas and meals of raw vegetables may not sound very relaxing but for a revolutionary spa outside the Philippine capital, these are part of a wider healing experience. "The Farm at San Benito", located in Lipa town, 70 kilometers south of Manila, tries to combine exotic massages, skin scrubs and a quiet atmosphere with new-age, "alternative" treatments intended to heal body and spirit.

Taufik ousts Lin Dan in Singapore Open Agencies, Singapore Olympic gold medalist Taufik Hidayat and the veteran men's doubles pairing of Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto reached the finals of the US$170,000 Singapore Open on Saturday. Taufik showed the form that brought him gold in Athens as he overpowered world number one Lin Dan of China in the semifinals.

Old postcards spark questions of bygone times, lives Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia: 500 Early Postcards Leo Haks & Steven Wachlin Archipelago Press 288 pp After turning the last page of Indonesia: 500 Early Postcards, you might find yourself wondering about trivial, yet interesting, things in our and our ancestors' lives.

Various arts on display Multi-talented artist Ugo Haryono will display various creations during an exhibition at Galeri Cipta II in Taman Ismail Marzuki from July 1 through July 13. Ugo started out as a painter, but later he diversified into sculpture and installations. During the exhibition, which is titled Koeksistensi Dalam Ruang (Coexistence in Space), Ugo will display paintings, sculptures, totems and installations.

Bali police give award to blind officer I Wayan Juniartha The Jakarta Post/Denpasar In an unusually sad tone, Bali police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika said something that betrayed his usual stoic demeanor. "Honestly, I almost cried back then. That's why I kept the ceremony brief, to spare the audience from the sight of a general crying his heart out," he confessed. Pastika referred to a commendation ceremony on Friday, during which he presented a special citation to Adj. Brig.

First love, last love: Music just won't let Tika go Paul F. Agusta, Contributor, Jakarta Born into an extended family of musicians, artists and generally creative people, multi-faceted accessory designer/song writer/singer Kartika Jahya, or Tika, just can't run far enough or fast enough to escape the lure of music. "At one time, I kind of like promised myself never to sing again for the rest of my life," Tika said of a brief fling as a singer/songwriter for a Seattle, Washington, USA based band.