A Piece of Javanese Heritage in Museum

(This Paper is dedicated as the Final Exam of Creative Writing Class)

Batik has become a part of indonesian culture especially for the Javanese.  Batik is fabric dyeing method which uses wax to create patterns and designs.  The variant in pattern makes batik a unique to each region.  In Yogyakarta, a museum for batik which located at Jl. Dr. Sutomo No. 13 A is dedicated itself to educate the visitor to batik.

 The museum atmosphere is thick with the Javanese ethnic which makes it perfect to educate the visitor about the Javanese culture.  Entering the first room near the entrance, we can see a lot of batik which hanged in frames. Various patterning and coloring makes the batik look different with each other.  This spectacle left a deep impression about the richness of Javanese culture and creativity.  Satisfied after sightseeing the museum, you can buy a souvenir or batik in the second room.

Sadly the museum looks deserted due to the lacks of visitor. A family which consists of 5 persons can be seen sightseeing the museum. They came to introduce the batik to their children. The lack of visitor to the museum is probably because the lack of enthusiasm from the local to batik museum, because batik is used daily and it can be found easily around the city. They forgot about the value of ancient batik that gives color in the Javanese culture. The bombardment of foreign culture also one of the reason for people not interest in ancient batik value.

 Another reason for traditional batik decline is technology advancement.  With technology advancement in textile industries, it can be mass produced in short time. This printed batik slowly kills the traditional batik maker which use “tulis” method because they cannot compete in terms of speed and price. This situation also makes people to reluctant to learn about traditional batik making due to its limited market. Darmi, a museum attendant from Tuban said that, a piece of batik tulis can take 2 months to complete and the price can reach hundreds of thousand rupiah.

The declining number of people who learn batik is unfortunate because batik is a cultural heritage to Indonesian people especially for the Javanese.  It important for Indonesian people especially Javanese to forget about batik because it is their cultural heritage. Batik pattern can be interpreted as rule to use it. For example,  kawung  pattern can only be used as a mattress for baby to sleep. It is important to know how to Javanese interpret the pattern as a rule so we won’t make mistake when we wear it and the museum is built for that purpose: educate the mass about batik usage. 

He is Beautiful (Edited Version)

Since our creative writing lecturer went to Bali, he sent his friend, Mbak Abmi to lecture us. She has ever come to the class with the ‘Bag it’ Movie review. Surprisingly, she now came with the woman with grey cardigan, long hair and a piercing in her nose. As she walked into the left-back corner seat, everyone started gwhispering. There is an unusual thing in appearance

                When the guest introduced herself, we were really surprised. With her manly deep  and high-pitched voice she told her name as Sonya. While giggling the entire class responded with “Mbk Sonya”. She is a transitive oftenly called as ‘Waria’ in Indonesia. She was born in Klaten but for her, Yogyakarta became her home since she finished her study in vocational school.

                In Indonesia, most of ‘Waria’ considered as a jobless nuisance. Whose job is singing awfully on the road seeking for penny from the drivers. But Sonya works as a bridal make-up, cook, and beauty consultant. She also joint herself as an activist in PKBI (Perkeumpulan Keluarga Berencana Indonesia).

                Her trasitive life began when she was a child. She often bullied by her male friends thus she decided to play along the female ones. Then, she began to be pleased and comfortable with them.  Playing doll, make-up, and cooking instead of palying football like a man. Her parents later found out her new habbit and forbid her from goofing around with the. But, she still continued to play with her female friends secretly.

                Sonya also has visited many cities like Bandung, Bali, and Jakarta. But she is more comfortable to live in Yogyakarta. For her, big city like Jakarta is nothing to see but water and building. It was really displeased her personally. The other  city also didn’t really acknowledge her and her ‘people’ presence. But, in Yogyakrta she has more pleasant life. Such “transitive” organization activity also well supported by the society . That’s why she prefer to live in Yogyakarta. Where she can learn a lot of lesson and knowledge. She also dedicated herself to help others, especially the struggle against HIV Aids.

Indonesia Media In English

1. The President Post
    (www.thepresidentpost.com)
    Menara Batavia 25th Floor Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur
    Kav. 126 Jakarta 10220, Indonesia
    Phone: +62 21 572 7337  | Fax.: +62 21 572 7338
    Email:
    Customer Services  - andrian@thepresidentpost.com

    Circulation – sheila@thepresidentpost.com

     Editorial - ceo@thepresidentpost.com

 2. The Jakarta Post

    The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara
    Jl. Palmerah Barat No. 142 - 143, Jakarta 10270, Indonesia

    Phone: (62) 21 5300-476/78

    Fax: (62) 21 535-0050

    Website: http://www.thejakartapost.com

    Email: advertising@thejakartapost.com

    Email: sales.paper@thejakartapost.com

    Email: editorial@thejakartapost.com

The Beginning of "Female-Like" to "Female"

“Kalau sama teman laki-laki saya sering dijahili. Tapi, teman-teman perempuan selalu baik kepada saya.”

-Sonya-

            This quote is taken from Ms. Sonya statement in the last creative meeting class (13/5). Ms. Sonya is a shemale. She was the interviewee for our interviewing practice. I don’ really remember how exactly she stated that quote but she said she was more pleasant to hang out with her female friends instead of males when she was a child.

            While being interviewed by one of my friend in front of the class, me and the others were listening from the ‘audience seat’. Seating in a female-like position, Ms. Sonya explained her childhood to class.

            Her male friends oftenly bullied her. Then, she started to ‘move’ into the place where people were nice; the girls side. Then, she started to play like other little girls commonly do. This little habbit soon affected her behavior afterwards.

            In Junior high scholl, sometime she was learning to use make up by herself. But of course it was done without her parents permission. She continued to do another female-like activity until she really obsessed to become a woman. She even regret herself to be born as a male. She thought that there are more previlages for being a woman.

            What i learned from her confession is that our childhood will build our self in the future. What do we learn and how the process we face will determine our characters. In Ms. Sonya case she spent her childhood more with girls instead of boys. From this daily activity, the girls behavior soon affect her past mental as boy. Now, she ended up becoming a shemale.

            Now, some of my friends are even more so. They spend more time hanging out with girls, talk like one, and act like one. Finally, they also ended up like one. Live with a female soul caged in a male body. But, most of them decide to live as a male. It is different from Ms. Sonya who decided to live as a female.

            

"Bag It" Review

        I have to admit, as much as I like documentaries, I can only watch one every couple months because I don’t have TV to watch Nat-Geo Channel. I just don’t think I can handle the shock to my system more often than that. I recently watched this documentary  in my class last week and it was another shocker, though I would recommend it especially for those of us who have to worry about the state of the ocean in the near future.

        Bag It! is a story that follows Jeb Berrier, an average American guy who is admittedly not a “tree lover,” who makes a pledge to stop using plastic bags. This simple action gets Jeb thinking about all kinds of plastic as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. When Jeb’s journey takes a personal twist, we see how our craziness for plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it.

       The movie  with the basic premise that disposable plastic items (such as the typical grocery bag) are wasteful and harmful to the environment. Why spend so much energy to produce something that is going to be instantly thrown away? The movie goes on to address the impact of plastic garbage in the oceans and the toxicity of plastic in our bodies. It is amazing how many chemicals are getting into our systems from the plastic products that we use everyday.

        Watching this movie definitely gave me some additional confidence about our choice to move onto a sailboat in the near future. I’ve known for a while that our physical environment is toxic to us and I hope that removing ourselves from the “plastic” lifestyle will help to decrease the impact on our health and. I understand that there will always be risks to our health anywhere we go, but why impose them on ourselves?

        This documentary which is directed by Suzan Beraza also drove home the responsibility that we have as consumers, and especially as future cruisers, to protect our oceans. If we intend to enjoy beautiful beaches and bountiful reefs, we should take care to preserve them. I don’t know what kind of life my son will choose to pursue, but if someday he has a boat of his own, I sure hope there is a beautiful anchorage for him to watch a sunset from. It’s our job to make sure that’s possible.

       
 

      

Happiness Within Disaster

Sadness covered the atmosphere of an refugee camp located in Bumi Perkemahan Babarsari, Sleman (5/11). While most of the refugee were sad after losing their houses, Cahyo (23) seemed happy while having conversation with his friends. “It’s nice to stay here, I don’t have to do anything and the army fed us all occasionally”, he said.

Cahya is a refugee whose village has been devastated by Wedhus Gembhel (a local name for Pyroclastic Ash). He lived in Cangkringan village which endured most damage and casualities.

When he’s asked why did he enjoy to live in the camp, he said it because everything he needed was fulfilled in an instant. “Back to my life in the village, I didn’t have any job”, he said while having a smoke. “I’m un umployeed, so it’s hard to make a living”.

Cahya is not the only one with such thought. Oyop, a 45 years old with a wife and four children explained no worriness while laughing. “I lost my home but don’t worry, the government will pay for the reconstruction”, he said. It may sounded easy for him, but he talked based on an experience. The government reconstructed his village after the last eruption on 2006. He also has been guaranteed for having his destroyed house reconstructed by the government. In other words, these became a fact for him that he will regain his life if he get back to his village.

But of course, this happiness don’t come from nothing. Most of the refugee believed that this disaster is just another form of “gift”. A gift presented by the spirit that guards the volcano itself. “even our village is destroyed, the ash will vertalizing the soil”. Oyop said. “Our plants will grow well and the volcanic sand will make us money”. He also added that the euption is just a test from then. So, if they can endure and being thankfull for it, they may live for the other day.

A Letter To Mbak Dina

Good Morning Mbak Dina Oktaviani

I hope you read this in the morning so my greeting won’t be in vain.

My name’s Hary Prasojo S, a 20 years old boy who usually called Jojo by my friend. Mr .., oh no Mas Labo Dalih, since he doesn’t want to be addressed with ‘Mas’, showed me your letter in our previous class. As I mentioned in the previous sentence Mas Dalih only showed us the letter and then he asked one of us to read it for the entire class. I was so excited because it seems that your feeling and idea are just flowing into every sentence wrote, informal and casual.

Well what I learned from your letter is that your past, your childhood seems miserable. You lived a difficult life with your family, home, and even in the school. In the age of 13 you started to write and I assume now you are a good writer, even though I haven’t read any of your writing but this letter. Well, If you ask me what makes me think that you are a good writer? The answer is because of your letter and Mas Dalih showed it to the whole class, which makes me sure that you are a good example for us.

What I’m trying to say is why is every good writer or someone who very good at writing always dealing with such horrible past? I don’t know how terrible it was for you but still it was worse for me. My writer friends whose name can’t be mentioned also met the same fate in their past. Some of them ware abused and abandoned by their family, lived with danger that could kill them at any time, and growing up while taking care of their parents in the asylum.

You also said that we don’t have to suffer, to feel what you felt, to start or to be a good writer. But still you experience adds the fact that most of the good writer raise through the suffering. Well, it’s just a personal opinion and observation, maybe you can tell me it there are other good writer who never feel the suffering, it will raise my knowledge too.

For the last, I wanna ask you one thing. What does it takes to be acknowledged as a writer? Is our writing must be published first and then taking compliment from the writer?  Or is it enough to have it only as our hobby and keep the writing for some friends?  Because Sometimes I think the one who mostly called as a writer is the one who’s work has been read by many people and the one who has a good writing skill with published work is considered as a person with writing as the hobby.

However, personally I think that whether you are a famous writer or not, those who write are writers. And writing is an activity to carve something for the civilization and to be known as an existence through the ages.

Thank you very much.

Yogyakarta, 13 March 2013

Secretariat of Unit Fotografi UGM

Hary Prasojo Stafa’atillah