Batik Day

Mm nine o’clock. So early. I kept checking the time. Still had time to exercise under sun in carport. Still had time to have breakfast. Still had time to check email. Mm lots of time to do many. I finished mandi and wearing batik at 8:15. I know Mama, she wouldn’t let me be late for a minute. This morning I waited for her almost half an hour. Yay!

We went to Tugu Park with my childhood girlfriend TET. We got there quite early and program started late as I had predicted. They served local delicacies in the hall and we enjoyed it before the talk started. It’s good. I was hungry and thinking about how long before I could have lunch. So kue-kue helped me to sit still till end of the talk. (Photo of how they served the local delicacies)

Interesting talk about batik. Both speakers were from Kraton Solo family. Very beautiful Javanese ladies. They talked about the importance of batik in their life as royal family. How the ladies in the past wore it for playing tennis and.. swimming! The girls of Kraton are taught to draw and make batik to appreciate art and exercise calmness. Like meditation, drawing batik with canting needs great patience and hi concentration, later it stimulates creativity. Observing their calmness, I believe in what they said. I never thought of using batik-ing as a way to ‘meditate’ although I know some painting techniques can serve same purpose. Hm.

Q n A session was hilarious. There’s one batik collector, a man (flight attendant retiree!), has hundreds of batik at home and wanted to know how to take care. I liked the response. She suggested us to enjoy our batik collection. Batik collection is not supposed to be kept in humid cabinet, but to be worn or used as home decoration. There’s no point of collecting lots of batik but to be kept inside closed cabinet. Yaa.. That applies to all kind of collection I guess. Especially art. Many Jakartans I know collect painting but leave them in stack in storeroom. As investment fine, but what? Don’t they want to enjoy what they liked and had selected?

Last Q was a request: both Kraton ladies show the dance. We held our breath while waiting for them to decide what to dance. Like persons who can play music or sing, they know what to do spontaneously. So they sat on stage and listening to the Javanese gending for awhile then.. started!! Goose bumps. They danced beautifully, sooo beautiful, as beautiful as they were… Only five minutes but I already felt like being in other world. So beautiful. Beautiful ladies in 57 and 47 with perfect body for a dancer. Aah.. (Photo of NK dancing)

Last session was a show of how to wear batik in different occasions and ages. In formal but contemporary; as Islam attire; with commoner motifs but elegant; as active young; and finally the traditional way. I enjoyed the show. Those women looked beautiful and sexy in batik. I believe in the latter since long. Wearing batik is sexy. Especially on women who have fuller body. It looks great!

I was setting my reminder to get ticket to their dance show this weekend in Jakarta when the moderator asked me to go on stage. What? They wanted me to show how to wear batik in daily active style. Before show started, they had talked about how I wore batik from a piece of cloth without sewn. Many prefer to have their batik sewn so it feels secure from falling off. They liked that I wear it with traditional style but for active. Hm.. I went blank for a second cos they handed me a cotton batik. This is not easy, am not used to. I heard the speaker said.. let her creating. Oh she left me alone. I opened the batik while processing the idea. Good it popped out after I made the first circle. I made a nice creation over my silk batik. The color matched my kebaya. So I walked the T-stage. Ugh.. I laughed a lot. Triumphantly. Program closed.

By the way, I met my hi school girlfriend. I hadn’t met her 22 years! She looked calm and mature, and I still had my loud laughter. Oops.. She got three kids, two in uni!!
Where was I?

We went to see the exhibition. Nice exhibition with lots of batik from all over Java. I learned some new styles from unpopular places. A young guy came to me and introduced himself. He wanted me to talk in number one radio station in Malang. He said that he needs someone inspiring for young generation. Me not young? Auw. They may do long distance live on-air. (Photo of Mama's batik collection in the exhibition)

Now I feel tired in Malang after – what I felt – long day. We got home after lunch at 15:00. I chatted with TET for awhile but gossiping didn’t seem interesting anymore. I need energy to gossip.