Lonely hearts attend Yasco's all-night ball
Lonely hearts attend Yasco's all-night ball
JAKARTA (JP): Some 200 singles attended an all-night ball held by the Scorpio Foundation (Yasco) on Saturday. About 150 women and some 50 men were among the hopefuls of meeting their partners for life.
"I realize there are more women here," said Yasco chief executive H.M.S. Hasbie, "But as you know men can have four wives -- but it's better to marry just one," he said, drawing laughter from the crowd, some of them shy first-timers to a singles ball.
The ball at the Kartika Chandra Hotel on Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, started a bit late at 8 p.m. With music from the Bambang Brothers band and entertainment from a comedian, it was held in conjunction with Yasco's 22nd anniversary. The participants sat around 10 tables. The seating was arranged to encourage encounters between unmarried males and females.
Hasbie also said the ball was held to give singles -- including widows and widowers, divorces and divorcees -- the chance to meet potential partners.
"One meeting is worth more than a thousand letters," Hasbie said in his opening address.
The majority of the women, almost all career women, seemed undeterred by the number of men; it is usual at Yasco balls, some said.
Yasco has seen 3,051 of its members marry.
Currently its 12,700-strong membership consists of more than 4,000 men and 8,000 women. There are also 120,286 "interested" listed individuals, who are not active enough to be categorized as members.
Exchange
Before the ball started, the above 30-year-old males and females exchanged names and addresses. They had to solve a puzzle together, one puzzle for one table, designed to break the ice.
Totok, an accountant at a plywood firm, said the ball was useful for him since he does not have much time for dating.
"Except for my mother, all of my family members are males. I have difficulty getting to know a woman. This is a chance for me to have acquaintances," he said, adding that he twice attended similar balls held by Yasco.
"But I don't give my office number to the women here. I don't want to be disturbed while I'm working," Totok said.
He said he wants to meet a Catholic girl with whom he can communicate with about anything.
Yani (not her real name), a car dealer employee in Bogor, said she attended the ball to make friends.
"Friendship is just a beginning to continue relationships," she said.
Michael (not his real name), an Australian who works for a Japanese firm in the city, said he became interested in attending the ball after reading about it in The Jakarta Post In response to whether he was particularly looking for a local woman, he said he just wanted to meet someone first.
Michael, who has been living here for seven months, said in Australia singles were matched first by computer before being introduced.
"So the foundation (matchmaker) could arrange seats to get the male and female sitting side by side," he added.
In Yasco, contact can also be made through its magazine called Mesra (affectionate).
The ball, which officially lasted four hours, continued until 5 a.m. (jun)