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)