Another Victoria's Secrets

Last Saturday, I went with Mom, my best friend Ana, and her niece Ceska. We parked in the all-new parking Senayan lot and got a free shuttle-ride to the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) building. It was my first time visit to the complex again since Bon Jovi's tour in 2015. The sporting area has got a huge renovation for next August's Asian Games 2018 preparation and I was happy to see the improvement everywhere in the block.

the theme this year is Batak's Gorga

So we arrived at around 5 p.m. and filled in some forms to get our pass. A group of band performed to welcome us at the entrance, and as we walk in we get to see pottery and puppetry on the left side. I was amazed to see how beautiful they make exhibition displays of Indonesia's handwoven from different provinces on the right side. I love just how they show Indonesia's rich culture as an introduction at this lobby.

a little introduction to Indonesia's handicrafts

Indonesian pottery

This was the second year for PT. Telkom to exhibit this Telkom Craft Indonesia, which displays 200 of selected small businesses (UKM) from over 130,000 businesses they (and other State-owned Enterprises) have coached in 514 regencies in Indonesia. The selection is done in tight curation by the director's wife so they have to compete in quality to get into this event. It is similar to Ina Craft or BeKraf Festival, only the brands are limited.

the handwoven textiles from Sumatra has gold or silver threads

Tenun, Indonesian handwoven textiles

So all of the booths here are prepared only for the coached businesses, as part of the company's social responsibility program (CSR). Their products are sold on blanja.com, and the payments are made with T-Cash. I think it's just so cool that a company can do such CSR like this, to help small businesses to improve, grow, and expand their wings. And I just love to see how well they (well, most of them) designed their packaging. Totally dope!

Wayang Golek or Indonesian 3D/doll puppet

Lady Ong Tin and Betawi dancer

the lobby entrance

Entering the Hall A, there were at least 80 booths of handcrafts and fashion from all over the country. It took us at least an hour to stroll through that hall but at 6 p.m. we got hungry so we proceed to the food court. Meanwhile, we had Once Mekel sing in the background, but we didn't have time to see his performance. Still, I love his voice and the songs.

Look at those handicrafts!

After dinner, we continued to stroll around in Hall B and found even more gorgeous stuff there. I got a black/grey canvas two-way tote/messenger bag from Toean Batik. I don't really like the strap handle, but I can always modify it. Let's see what I'm gonna do with it. And my mom got this super awesome handwoven textile from Soe Village, Timor, NTT, which I adore and is now hanging on the wall of our living room.

beautiful handwoven textile from Soe, NTT - I'm in love!

two-way tote/messenger bag - isn't it cool?

I always love canvas bags, and I know you can tell!

The expo closed at 9 p.m. but we haven't really seen them all. We had to hurry on our way back, but still missed some booths that were closing. It was a tiring, cold night for all of us so we had a stop at McD in Taman Alfa Indah, and had some meal there. I dunno why fast food is always soothing for late night supper. LOL. It was almost midnight when we got home.

on shuttle bus

late night supper with Happy Meal

On the next day my Mom wasn't satisfied with our incomplete visit to the expo, so we did it again on Sunday. But it was just the two of us this time. We arrived at 5 p.m. and it was raining. There was a soccer game in the stadium so the parking lot was full. There wasn't any shuttle bus around, so we had to walk about 200-300 metres to get to the building. And we had to hire an umbrella 'ojek'. What a mess!

me on the expo's last day

But once we're inside, we forgot about all of our suffering out there. We made another stroll around, but this time with different route. Alas, the booths were closing at 7 p.m. so we had very limited time that day. However, I brought home with me a pair of silver lace mules and a blue 'jumputan' angkin (girdle) to wear a kebaya with. I'm ecstatic--and can't wait for next year's expo!

pretty silver lace mules from Aldorra - oh so adorable!

adorable two-sided batik angkin from WDrupadi - love that blue!

P.S. To see what they sold in the expo and more of it, click here. And if you wanna read our collaboration blog, see here.

We went to Cinere, where Rumah Bonita is, where they held a live performance on Rumah Bonita's Youtube channel. It is a monthly event they do, and I guess I was quite lucky to get a chance to be there in flesh (like, literally. LOL.) I've been loving Bonita's voice since like 2011, especially from the single 'Ari' by Bonita and the Hus Band. I was so thrilled to get the chance to finally meet her in person -- in her house!


So that Saturday night, after having dinner there (which made us feel a bit awkward for being a stranger shamelessly eating in a celeb's house LOL), we sat down on the floor and watched the performance. First, they had Mary Jane and Opik Bape duet playing Jane's songs. I instantly fell in love with her songs, for they're folk, indie, and sung by a woman. Totally my kind of thing!

FYI, Jane is currently recording her songs and I really can't wait for her album to be released. I'm a fan already. Check her Instagram for updates, guys!

Curly And Me

After they closed the live performance, some of the guests (who were mostly musicians too) had a jamming session till it was midnight. There was Rull Darwis, Jason Ranti (and wife and son), Arief S. Pramono, Budie Tanzania (and wife Carla and son), Nissan Fortz, Duta Pamungkas, and many others. Most of them are from Ruang Putih community in Bandung. I couldn't really keep up with all of the new faces and names that night, but the energy was super positive. Each of them performed 2-3 songs, and ended with Mba Bonita singing two of her songs with ukulele.

Opik Bape, me, Jane, and Metha

Metha, Mba Bonita, and me

After midnight, we (me, Icat and Metha) ended up in Kemang eating rice porridge and instant noodle in a warung because it was almost 2 a.m. (there was a traffic of local people 'parading' after late night prayer in Jalan Fatmawati so we had to take another route) and we were hungry but the places we knew were already closing. I was terribly tired and sleepy when I got home, but happy for sure. Thank you, Rumah Bonita for having us crashing the party!

Last Saturday I went to Gedung Kesenian Jakarta at Pasar Baru with my sister to watch the dance performance of Dhea Seto and her friends at Animal Pop group. The last time I watched a dance performance was in 2011, of the "Ali Topan Anak Jalanan" musical theatre, so this was quite refreshing. Only that this time the dance is a contemporary one, not musical drama.

the girls acted as contemporary wayang wong, the human puppet, which is quite a good idea!

The performance was divided into two scenes: the first one is fully a contemporary Trans Papua and the student class musical. The second one is a sort of exam or inauguration of the dance school from different class levels. I really enjoyed watching the dance moves, the energy I got from the performers, and the philosophy behind the choreography. Here are the things I love from that night's show:

1. Great choreography.
As the title "Trans Papua", the dance showed movements and acts from people of Papua. The first act had the dancers dressed up like Papuan people (although the girls didn't wear any costume, which perhaps showed the 'trans' part of the story.) But I got the idea and it was great.

2. They highlighted some pop issues.
On the second scene (the class musical) they would highlight teenagers' daily problems such as physical issues. Most teenagers grow up feeling inferior in their peer group and physical things become an important thing. The dance had a song that told us that it doesn't matter if you're fat / skinny, dark / light-skinned, etc. They packaged it in a song / dance performance and I like the idea. It really is a good message for growing up teenagers. I hope more people get the message too.

3. Great energy.
I could really feel the great energy of the dancers that night, because I was all ready to dance too all night. I could see how much effort the dancers put on giving their best, although my focus was centered to Dhea Seto, the only person I know on stage. But I could see the performance of the Trans Papua dance was equally good, and the credit goes to the whole team!

Dhea Seto and Zsa Zsa Utari

I found the first act was superb, but a bit confused with the second one because of certain things. It was too confusing that I think I had to write about this somehow. I think any dance performers / choreographers should really notice these things:

1. On stage, appearance is everything. 
Yes, the moves and stage control are important, but what's more important is the costume. Even if it's "just" a student musical dance. Wearing loose T-shirt is definitely a no-no. If you're on budget, you could at least wear something basic, black and body fit like gymnastic clothes. It really annoys the eyes when you wear a loose class T-shirt on stage. For a moment I was confused if I really went for the performance night or was it the rehearsal night, and was questioning about the ticket price I had paid.

2. Art performance should be universal.
I was personally bothered when I see one of the group performers wore hijab. I know it is a sensitive matter, but I just think that it's not appropriate to show your religion preferences on stage where it (dance, music and art) should be universal. It's not that I disrespect anyone's preference of belief, but to me it is as if the person is disrespecting the art of performance itself. It made her seemed like she wanted to be seen and be treated special because of her personal belief and principles and that she didn't want to blend with the team--where the rest of her group wore uniformed hairdos. 
I just think that one's religion shouldn't be taken onto the stage and a good actor/actress should be able to play any role regardless one's religion/principal, because it's what a stage is for. And it just ruined the whole visual artistic.

3. Inner jokes are for your inner group.
It's great to have inner joke with your friends; it could show how close and solid your relationship is. But when the show is open for public and they pay for it your audience wants to enjoy the show they could understand. When your joke is funny only to your own crowd, it's where your show fails. Art could be confusing sometimes, but inner joke isn't part of art.

4. Repeated pattern is boring.
It's cool to have a bit element of surprise, but when the pattern is repeated for more than twice, it becomes predictable and boring, and won't make your audience stay till the end. On the show I watched, I could see a pattern of how each song would be stopped by a Papuan actor--and on his third time I became too bored. I didn't stay until the end of the show (and it's too rare that I leave any show before it finishes) because I thought I've seen it all and assumed the rest of the show would be a repeated pattern; nothing to be waited to the end.

5. Keep it minimal.
On the performance I watched, there were two guys played as ladyboys. On their first appearance, I found it hilarious. Especially because one of them acted as another character in the previous scene. But when these two characters keep showing up again and again, I found it to be too much and cheesy. We could all take something exaggerated once for a refreshing surprise act. But when it's repeated, the audiences would think that you are not that creative, and anything excessive is not good.



Other than these critics (which went mostly to the choreographer), I think the performers did great that night. Some uniformity in movement still should be worked on, but it's just a matter of practice. I really do love watching art performances and I love seeing people being creative in their own terms and fields. I hope both the Animal Pop group and Indonesian art in general would get better and expand more.

Rahayu _/|\_

Half of my family gathered at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) last night to show our support for my cousin Hizkia Renaldo, whose final project artworks were displayed at Galeri Cipta II. This is his last step in his study at Institut Kesenian Jakarta (IKJ) before the final court and he'd be graduated after. Surely, this is a major progress we've seen from him.



Hizkia's artwork contains of a series of 9 oil paintings he titled "Cinta dan Pengorbanan" (Love and Sacrifices), which depicts the situations anyone would face in a relationship: the waiting and loyalty, the longing and reality, the leadership, patience, forgiveness, protection, and many others. They are the elements in which a relationship is built.

 
Hizkia, a cousin 9 years younger than me, just proved his five-year hard work through these oil paintings on 150 x 120 cm canvases. I remembered how he used to tell me how he wanted to be a business man when he was younger, but 5 years ago enrolled to art school, which surprised us all because we knew how little he had interest (or even to have such talent) on art before.

"The Devotion"

"Prospect of the Goods"

"End for Happiness"

"The Frame of Minds"

"Obtaining The Cloak of Sin"

"The Passionate Lead"

"The Lover's Shoulder"

"Guarding Of The Peccance"

"The Acceptance"

Well, he just proved us wrong and showed how persistence, tenacity and hard work could beat any talent whatsoever. I couldn't be more proud!

Ari Tulang and Hizkia Renaldo

To close the exhibition, the famous choreographer Ari Tulang made a visit to this expo, fulfilling his promise to Hizkia. Along with Hizkia, three other young artists displayed their final artwork project in the gallery: Pandu Cipta Wicaksono (Memoar), Henry Kresna (Ayah-Anak), and Citra Leonita (Egosentrisme). Check them out:

"Memoar" by Pandu Cipta Wicaksono

"Ayah-Anak" by Henry Kresna

"Egosentrisme" by Citra Leonita

Proficiat, Hizkia Renaldo and friends! May you conquer the 'real world' as glorious as you finished your study. If you want to check it out yourself, the exhibition is still on until February 2. 

the entrance, garden and playground

After giving two 50-minute classes for Dyatmika Junior High School last month (that I shared my experience of being a writer to those 14-year olds), I took another challenge to teach primary school kids art. The summer program started earlier this week at My After School Club, with Master Art theme for the week. I taught 2-D and 3-D arts with other teachers in the first 2 days.

I was scared at first, knowing nothing to handle 6-12 year olds (that are not my cousins) but they gave all teachers small seminars of children psychology and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. That, combined with my experiences with my younger siblings and cousins as I grew up--and my general knowledge of psychology--made me pretty much well-prepared for the teaching. The reason why I'm taking this freelance job is not about the money, but the idea of helping shape good characters for the kids through playing.

waiting area

The Club aims to bridge the problems that working parents have with their growing up kids. School usually ends at 11a.m. to 1p.m. and children wouldn't have adult supervisions until the parents go home, so they could come to the Club instead. It is not an extra-curricular or course program. It is a place where kids can have healthy lunch, get helped with their homework, and develop their art and nature skills with light practices. There will be no extra lessons for them, only creative and active ways to kill time and to get them away from gadgets.

kids are meant to play actively outdoor

The implementation of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People will also be applied here through daily and casual interactions, that we all aim to shape future leaders from their childhood moments. I think this is the main reason why I'm supporting this program, although I'm only active for their summer program for now. I want children to spend their time learning by playing, being active, proactive and creative, blend in with nature, before time will come and introduce them to the real world, technologies and problems.

the art room--they also have the music room

This is a CSR to me, as an act of giving back to the others of the blessings that I have for having happy childhood, although I didn't have all the facilities the children have today. Plus, I guess I'm doing pretty good with children, thanks to the experience I had with my younger cousins back then. Of course, being a teacher is never a one-way education. Being a teacher--next to being a parent--is a privilege to have us taught simple things from the kids.

explore new things and don't be afraid to get dirty

Through my 2-days experience I already witness the 7-8 kids play, get excited to some things, lost interest and tired of other things, get competitive, accusing the others to cheat, being accused of cheating, play fair, laugh, cry, get mad at each other, comforting the ones who cry, take sides, not taking sides, make up with each other, following instructions and requests, being responsible and other things.

library and indoor playroom

If there are things that I learn from these kids is how easy they are to let go of anger within half hour in order to be able to go play again. How they cherish the fun more than holding grudge, is one of the best things we can learn from them. Letting go, based on my own experience, is one of the hardest things any adult can do in life. I guess it's good to have interactions with kids from time to time, to rise our inner child and just let loose. Although being a regular teacher is never on my plan or intention, it is fun to do this once in a while.

Should you be interested to register your kids to the Club, contact them here, or visit them at Jl. Hayam Wuruk No. 93, Denpasar, Bali. Their Summer Program is still going for 2 more weeks before the Lebaran (Eid Al-Fitr) holiday and 3 weeks after. Then, they will begin the after school club for the new semester. Let's give children the childhood they deserve!