Enter Frame ...... :)

Bought 11,280 pcs of imitation stones for embelishment, 11 hours of sticking on fabrics and 3 almost crying labour force picking and sticking stones :)

Words Of A Minister

04/30/09
19:46
Indonesian batik better than Malaysian, Chinese :
Minister

Pekalongan (ANTARA
News) - Indonesian batik is superior to similar products from Malaysia or China, and therefore the country`s batik producers should not worry about the competition, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said.

I*___* : Unless Cik Mari is waging war towards the neighbouring countries, she is a b*&^h to make such a statement. Superior?? I do agree with the fact that Indonesia is one of the very first country to have maybe make a living / trying to achieve some chique-ness in fashion detailing / created a hobby / or simply had a brilliant idea to draw on fabric - but as a Minister (of TRADE somemore) why would you want to put a cork on your backside by making a defamation of other neighbours who tries to emulate what you do? We may be late by a decade in starting this hobby of drawing on cloth, but don't you think it's good competiton for your fellow citizen to know that people are doing the same thing too and maybe they should think about how to commercialise it to a higher level?

Pangestu made the statement at a function to open International Batik Week (PBI) here on Thursday."We don`t have to worry about the competition from China and Malaysia
because our batik designs are superior and difficult to emulate by other countries," Pangestu said.

*__* : Actually, I wouldn't say its difficult to plagiarise (call us copy cats), but what is the point? How do you rate superiority in something that may be of the same stream but of different market segment? It's like making a statement that the Epson printer cartridge is soooo superior, that no one can buy or will buy the recon catridge? . everyone die die also will buy the original cartridge. But just so you know, there is a group of people who couldn't care less and opted for the latter, because it's just a cartridge that will do the equal amount of printing. Sometimes it's cheaper too :)

She said Indonesian batik was more oriented to painted and printed batik and thus its superiority was difficult to match by China and Malaysia.Commenting on Malaysian batik, the minister said its motifs and colors were less competitive than the batik work from Indonesia.

*___* : I really do not get what you are trying to get hold of. get hold of yourself Cik Mari!! Please elaborate then, what is the orientation of the Malaysian and Chinese batiks. Eh.. what are the competitive colors that you think the Indonesian batik have that the rest do not have? How do you measure the competitiveness of the colors? Some colors must have been performing so badly that they do not deserve to even be invented.. :)

"Malaysian batik is completely different from Indonesia`s because it has bright colors with one or two flowers on it but ours has a lot of flowers on it," she said.

I*__* : well at least you know our batik is different. but you mean you really counted the numbers of flowers we have on our fabrics? So to say that as long as you have more flowers, you win the game? Again I must say, Cik Mari may be a good Trade Minister, but you gotta learn to be a lil subjective towards the matter of arts. Trading are figurative exercise i suppose.. but you do not appreciate arts by the numbers of flowers on it. NUMBNUT!

Asked about the number of batik prducers who had been registered as patent right users, Mari said the Trade Ministry still did not know the exact number."I still don`t o know the exact number of batik producers who have been registered because it is an affair of the Intellectual Property Rights (HAKI) Directorate General at the Law and Human Rights Ministry," Pangestu Said.

*___* : Hahaha!! U do not know your facts properly!! Ish !! :P

But she said her office would trace the number of batik makers who had been registered as patent right users.The minister also said the International Batik Week in Pekalongan was expected to increase the number of international buyers of Indonesian batik commodities.

"The important thing for the PBI which is held for the second time in Pekalongan is that it can attract as many foreign buyers as possible to come to Pekalongan," she said.
(*)

I*__* : If it's already the second time, so what was the outcome of the first meet? Where are the statistics? Show me la..

I like Indonesian batik too :) . but being in a small industry with which some are just wannabes who think that this is an easy job, wouldn't it be better to have a collabo between artists of both countries? Well, it's sad to say also that some of us over here in this country do not have an identity to call it their own, hence are trying 1001 methods to emulate your people there.. but have you noticed that even after 200 years they are still drawing 2 flowers with bright colours and not the least stepping onto your 1000 flowers on a cloth skills?

Cari makan biar bersama, cari gaduh, jauh jauh sikit :D

Do U Know What I Do??

To most, i seem free..
When asked, people knows I do batik.
But do u know batik is a process? It's not what I really do?As in that's not my profession? That is merely a process widely known to make colourful fabrics for arts and fashion purposes.
And saying that I do batik merely means that I am in an industry which does that particular process. By saying that I do batik does not mean I am literally, virtually, visibly, physically free !!! Cus i work!! I do have a job with a specific job scope that comes with a lengthy description on how do I go about in that particular position of mine.
By saying that I do batik does not mean I only start work when I am inspired to draw and design.No, I do not draw nor do I design for a living. I do not stand along batik frames determining sizes of the motifs that is to be drawn. I also do not just sit and hope that creative juice will come and make me do more designs just to upload into Facebook for your watching and amusement, just to get your compliments..Even if I were to say that I DO BATIK, have you ever wondered what do I do with the batik that I did? Assume that I draw and design. If I keep doing that every single day, I would have plentiful of batik fabrics. If you do not receive a piece if batik from me, have you ever wondered where does the batik goes?? Did it ever occured to anyone of you whee does it goes??
Or maybe most think I draw when the creative juices flow, then have all the fabrics displayed in some carts or kiosk in some poorly populated malls. Have you also ever figured if I were to do so, would I still be able to meet up with you for lunches, dinners or any other activities?Have anyone of you also wonders why my nails are clean and are not tainted with paints or whatsoever? And also I wear heels and nice clothes when I see any of u? Instead of me seeing you in stained hand, and poorly bleached t-shirts ( this is what the batiker normally wears)?This is because batik is just and INDUSTRY i am in!!! Not what I do!!! If i say i am in semiconductor, does it mean i start soldering component boards????
Have you also wondered why there are restaurants which is secluded, with not very tasteful food prepared by immigrants from Burmese can have loads of buses of corporate clients coming for teambuilding dinners or so? Have you also every thought how the hell does the ikan keli breeder manages to flock off all his breeding in the ponds?? Do you also know that now, the tongkat ali drinks have come out with a new version called " Sparkling Tongkat Ali" ?And who the hell do you think initiates or create awareness to all these?? It's a fraction of the population who took up the responsibility to do sales and marketing.
Yes, I am a sales and marketing manager !!!! I am not trying to be an arrogant bitch to stress i am a MANAGER. am merely telling all of you who is not aware that I HAVE A JOB TOO AND ITS NOT BATIK!!. I am a salesperson, literally. In any case some of u may have mistaken me for a clerk who just sit in the office and waits for request to perform any task which may not be of any benefits to the company where I am attached, let me tell u... that is not my job description..
Whatever churned out from that humble production of ours, I need to figure who is gonna buy those stuff. And again, I dont hog my own desk waiting for the possibilities of u, u or u to ring me up and maybe offer to buy. I make calls, I make more calls, I see people and I see more people, presenting what I do and trying to propose 1001 ideas to sell what we are churning out..If by any chance anyone of u are able to meet me up during lunches, dinners, jogging session, movies or any other events that may seem to imply i do not really have a proper job, let me tell u.. I DO.. just like anyone of u..
I do not go around making justice reading law, I do not go around talking about finances and being president of some banks, I do not go around diagnosing what is the type of flu u may be having, I do not go around talking about news from Microsoft on some latest software development..
It just so happen I seem to be in a different industry than most of you are. but at least I have a job, and I can still afford activities like anyone of u.. (most activities)So, please do not think that I have NOTHING much to do whenever u catch me free.. thats' just how we sales people are supposed to be, accomodating to everyone's need -- if possible.
I will tell you I am free even when I am driving without a handfree.
I will also tell you I am free even when I may be in the midst of a discussion.
I am also free when I am in the midst of preparing proposal within datelines ( yes, batik people do do proposal like u corporate people)
I am always free for anyone of you.. but it does not mean that I am totally free with no work!
We are just a bunch of accomodating species who have been trained to have a soft spot for people who may want to spend some time on catching up, maybe with a lil business prospect..
Then there are times when I declined and said I am not free - it may have meant :-
1- i really am not free - like maybe visiting the Prime Minister
2- i really am not keen to see you at that time:)
Summing it up, I hope all of you do know/ am aware / are made known that besides the normal profession, normal industry that you are in, there are normal people like me out there who also have a normal job, tho in rare indsutry but still having an equally tough job scope as you do.

I am sad..

Good day..

The Class-ified

tjanting tools

batiks and batik stamps

Guess I have never really talked about what I really do in real life... I always swear to the maximum on work and people around me. I curse to the infinity towards people who cross my path unknowingly and provoked me to flare up. Most of my post are tagged as 'rants' and 'more rants'. I suppose maybe it's time I do something to promote this noble work of mine :)

I sell batik. Ya know, those fabrics that most westerner think are sooo exotic, and we young local Asian try to avoid thinking that batik just ain't vogue enough unless you work for the government and that leaves you with not much choice but to drape yourself in those gaudy printed fabric..yada yada..

And so, as I was a saying, I sell batik.. I am not a promoter stuck in a boutique with no aspiration.. I just hppen to sell stuff which are rare.. how often do you get to strike up conversation like this :

Long time no see friend : Oh so, what do u do?

Me : ahh... i do batik.. as in i sell batik, i make batik and
all that is related..

Long time no see friend : Ooohh!!.. ahhh... (dunno what to say
but need to churn something out).. as in the batik?? That's very interesting. I
have a lot of those malay friends who like batik yada yada... So u are a
designer?? Where are u based in?

Me : here and there... :)

Seriously.. I do think that batik is another form is interesting products that one can market besides selling false dental wares ( i think they have a better term to describe it), selling Viagra ( a cousin is doin this), selling virtual office ( which I get spammed often)... and I am sure there are many other stuff in the market that does not cross yoor mind.. that big corporations actually hire professional excutives to market and sell their products..

If you are not out in the market often, you would have a notion that people like us are stuck in a 300 sq feet boutique tucked in most probably some Imbi Plaza or rich enough to be in KLCC, maybe.

No, I am not a SALES PROMOTER. I just happen to be in a trade that sells things out of your league and we have better forms of approach to do it than just have all staff sitting in that 300 square feet enclosure to wait for you to come and buy a piece of batik :)

I can go on and on about this.. but the post is supposed to be about the batik classes which we had, and not about the common misconception of the public when I mentioned what I do.. so I shall rant about that another time..

Tamarind Springs- setting up

Yeah, when you feel that it is kinda interesting to introduce the charm of Malaysia to foreign investors, foreign business associates or any foreign counterparts, do not attempt to bring them to Kampung Melayu Subang :D

What is best to introduce to your amazing foreign counterparts besides the interesting delicacies in Malaysia .. but batik?? again, I could have go on with my rants on the origination of batik in actual... but that will never make me get to the actual contents..

And so, yes, we conduct batik lesson too.. aprt from the attempt to sell some batik to you.. :)

comes with slide preso for those of u who dun get to visualise what we are trying to reach out to you

comes with background setting up also just to spruce up the environment for your pleasure

a lesson is not a lesson if you don't get what we say. so it comes with actual batik for your sensory



unless you understand what is the core of subject, there is no way you can draw up a piece with much pleasure, so listen up..


once we are done creating awarenes and lifting your interest, you may begin

put your creativity to work

you will be made to stand up as this is how we endure when we draw you a piece of your dress for a day :)

batik is all about colors!

regardless of gender, its a matter of perseverance and patience to finish up your piece of work

a sanctity of pleasure knowing you can do it too :)

now u know besides your daily office routine, u may have some flair in arts!

And so this is part of what I do.. The next time you are out of ideas when being elected the recreational manager of your association, your team or your company, let us plan you a session of batik :)