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gus Sutiono, a friend who is partly responsible for raising the population of Jakarta through his decision to move here, called one night to ask for a rendezvous. It was 8:30 p.m. and as he doesn't drink, a pub was out of the question. There were no concerts to attend, no new movie to watch and as a relatively calm place is what we aimed for to catch up with all that had happened over the past four years since we last met, a nearby mall was the best option.

"I've been circling different malls since morning," he said on the phone. Working at the survey department of Sinar Mas, it is his job to go to malls with reasons best undisclosed to protect his privacy.

There are about three shopping centers on the way to Citraland Grogol in from The Jakarta Post offices - the legendary Plaza Slipi Jaya, the majestic Taman Anggrek and the newly constructed giant Central Park Jakarta.

We chose Citraland because Plaza Slipi Jaya was too far for my friend. Both Taman Anggrek and Central Park were obviously too big for such a get together, especially if we were looking to meet each other faster to save time.

And arriving 20 minutes later, people were still coming in and out of Citraland. We managed to get two cups of frozen yogurt and some decent conversation about the past before closing time at 9:30 p.m. After all, great company and a nice place to chill are always a good recipe for a memorable night.

But why Citraland? In fact, why even a mall? The answer to that question is simple: it's the only convenient place available at that hour. And even during the day, people still go to the mall, though without the intention of buying anything.

"We get 8,000 to 10,000 visitors every day on weekdays, which could become about 20,000 on weekends," Bagus Prastowo, the marketing manager of fX Lifestyle X'nter, told the Post.

fX Lifestyle X'nter is one of two lifestyle centers in Jakarta focusing on lifestyle instead of the usual shopping. The other is La Piazza.

Among the 160 tenants of fX, more than 40 percent of them are F&B outlets and 25 percent of them retail outlets. "The rest are fitness center, spa and other service providers. We really focus on being a lifestyle center," added Bagus.

And these lifestyle centers, having a concept different from shopping malls, are allowed to open until 12 a.m. on weekdays and about 3 a.m. on the weekends, far past the government-imposed 10 p.m. closing time for shopping malls

City Walk Sudirman is a different mall with an almost similar idea, although it is still categorized as a shopping mall. Almost every floor of this mall has eateries, with space on the first floor usually occupied to accommodate gigs for jazz and acoustic musicians.

Senayan City and Plaza Indonesia, both of which target premium customers, often hold painting and photography exhibitions in one cozy corner, providing another reason to visit the mall instead of museums and their strict visiting hours.

"Exhibitions are seasonal in Plaza Indonesia, which is part of our promotional strategy. Most painting or photography exhibitions are actually held by third parties and tenants who rent space to sell their works," said Marisa Pingkan from Plaza Indonesia. Marissa added that choirs and Christmas carols are scheduled within different corridors of Plaza Indonesia this December, once again to bring Christmas cheer to the mall and to lure Christmas revelers along the way.

In addition, with cinemas now located conveniently in different shopping malls, Blitz Megaplex in Pacific Place, Grand Indonesia and so on, Platinum XXI inside fX and Cinema 21 in Plaza Indonesia, Pondok Indah Mall and other malls, there really are other things you can do other than shop in a mall.

Even so, shopping remains a strong reason for people to go to malls in different parts of the city.

"I agree with the trend of malls as a place to hang out. But, as we're located in elite areas of South Jakarta, the people here do tend to shop till they drop. I can safely say that price is their second concern after quality, that if they really want to buy something, they'll buy it without being bothered by the price," said Eve Nurmalia, Pondok Indah Mall's head of promotion.

With almost 500 tenants within PIM, the shopping complex lures 13,500 cars every weekday and 20,000 cars on weekends. Imagine if each car has three people in it.