Debate: 28th of Oct. '13

Today in debate club I shared my experience competing in BPK Penabur two weeks ago. Some others who joined also did the same thing. I felt glad that we can all share our thoughts and feelings about the competition we went to earlier. I shared to my friends the ups and downs of the competition. I told them that at some points I felt really nervous that I blanked out. It was relieving when I knew that did not just happened to me. Some of my friends who joined the competition also had the same experience. We also talked about the times when we lost. We were disappointed when we lost but I believed that I learned a lot when we lost. I learned the ways in which I can improve myself. For example, once when my team lost, we came up to the adjudicator and asked some feedbacks. The adjudicator told me that I could have explained things more in depth. Although the adjudicator said that she understood what I meant, I should still explain everything step by step because when I don't do so, it seems like that I am making an assumption and assumptions are not acceptable in debates. This feedback really is an eye opener. I realized then that I should not assume that everybody is on the same page as I am. I should explain everything, even terminologies that are specific to a certain area of study (e.g. the term "GDP" in economics). Besides sharing our experience in BPK Penabur, we also prepared for next week's debate motion "THBT children who commit major crime should be punished equally as adults." I believe that I didn't use the time given in the debate club effectively to research and prepare for this motion. I was really tired, however, next time I should use my time efficiently and although I feel tired, I should still be engaged in my team's discussion about the motion. I should put in all of my efforts to put up my best debate performance every time I have the chance to do so. Thus, before next week's debate, I should come prepared with a complete research of the motion and effective arguments for my side.

Batik: 23th of Oct. '13

• What I did today:
• Continue applying wax on the tablecloth using canting and stamp
• How I felt:
• Stressed out because the activity done today requires extreme detail and precision. I had to be really careful not to drop any wax on the undesired spot
• At some moments I felt quite relieved that I was allowed to use the Batik stamps for the outer parts of the cloth because stamping the Batik is so much easier than applying wax on the cloth using canting. (And just fyi, this is the reason why Batik Cap, Batik that is made using stamps, is less expensive than Batik Tulis, Batik that is made using canting.)
• Very proud at the end because I was able to finish applying wax on the cloth today, on time according to the schedule
• What I think about the activity:

•  Interesting because the methods on how to make Batik are varied and also every time I continue making my Batik artwork, I will always encounter a different experience (in today's case, it is the opportunity to apply wax using a stamp)
• What I perceived:
• Batik is complex 
• Batik artists must have interesting and unique lives
• What the activity means to me & what is the value of the activity:

• Today's activity means another opportunity for me to experience what it feels like to be a part of Indonesia's history and also another opportunity for me to experience how to make one of Indonesia's culture, which is Batik
• Through today's activity, I learned and understood why Batik artists, who use canting to apply wax on the cloths, should be more respected
• What I learned from the activity and how this learning (for example, a change of perspective) might apply more widely. 
• The beauty of art does not lie on its final result. The beauty of art lies on its process.

Batik: 16th of Oct. '13

• What I did today:
• Drawing and finalizing the patterns on the tablecloth
• Applying wax on the tablecloth
• How I felt:
• Nervous because I have set a standard to myself that the result for this one, tablecloth, should be better than the previous one, the handkerchief.
• Proud because I am working and experiencing what my ancestors did in the past
• What I perceive:
• I am reassured once more that Batik is an art that Indonesia should preserve
• Batik is time consuming and complex that is why, NEVER bargain or even complain about its price!
• What I think about the activity:
• Not only a matter of knowing and experiencing more of Indonesia's culture,  the activity done today also improved my moral and ethical values 
• What the activity taught me:
• Teaches me to be patient
• Teaches me to be more precise in calculation & measurement (about the spacing of each pattern, the size of each pattern, etc. when drawing with pencil)
• Teaches me to bring pride in my country's culture
• What I learned from the activity and how this learning (for example, a change of perspective) might apply more widely.
• Batik was a sacred activity in Indonesia during the past. It was only done by princesses. They make Batik to practice their patience as they were waiting for their husbands to come back from war. When I experienced making Batik, I now understand how making Batik can help the princesses to practice their patience and also express their longings for their husbands. I now understand why Batik was valued so much in the past. It is because Batik was an expression of the princesses' hearts. Then I thought, why can't Batik be valued as much in the present? Its history does not change. It is rich of historical values. Batik still has complex, genuine and deep meanings. So why isn't Batik as valued as it was before?

Batik: 14th of Oct. '13

• What I did today:

• Drew patterns on papers
• Traced the patterns on some tracing papers
• Traced the patterns on the cloth to make a tablecloth
• How I felt:
• Challenged with the bigger sized cloth given
• Challenged to improve in the neatness and structure of the ornaments
• What I perceived:
• That Batik artists must be very tired of drawing, tracing then transferring the patterns into the cloth, especially for large sized cloths
• What I think about the activity:

•  I think that today’s activity was a bit stressful and boring because I didn’t come prepared with the patterns that I want to use. I used the time during the lesson to find inspiration while I actually had limited time. The activity I did today was kind of boring because I have done this method before and it is not really challenging.
• What the activity means to me & what is the value of the activity:
• Today’s activity means the beginning of yet another challenge
•  I realized that Batik lesson actually tests my patience. Taking Batik lesson does not only teach me of an inherited culture, but it also teaches me on how to become a better person. Therefore, this lesson is very valuable.
• What I learned from the activity and how this learning (for example, a change of perspective) might apply more widely. 

• I was stressed out on finding inspirations in today's lesson. Thus, I should've researched at home and come prepared next time. This applies to any other tasks I have to do. For example, I have to come well equipped for biology class, for a test in math class, and for a quiz in economics class.

Debate: 13th of Oct. '13

My school's debate supervisors and teams photo in BPK Penabur's lobby

Today is the second day of the debate competition. We got to the quarter finals! Even though we did not get into the semi finals my team were very grateful. We didn't expect to get into the quarter finals. I believe my team learned a lot from the debate competition. I myself did learn a lot from the debate competition. I learned that a debate competition will more or less look like the way it looked in this debate competition, three tables facing three other tables, and on their adjacent sides are a table for the speaker and a few other tables for the adjudicator(s) to sit on. The opposition team will formulate their arguments outside the room and they will never pass the government team's tables. I also learned from this debate competition that when someone does not understand the topic of the debate that much, she or he shouldn't be the first or third speaker because the second speaker gets to be directed by the first speaker and clarified by the third speaker if she or he said something incorrectly. I learned that we shouldn't take too many POIs because it will disturb how the adjudicator understand what we are saying. If we don't understand the subject of the debate that well, we shouldn't be taking POIs too because if we cannot answer the POIs, it will just give the adjudicator an impression that we do not understand what we are saying. In today's debate rounds my team lost twice and won once. We soon realized a pattern in our winning. Since yesterday we win then lose then win. We never win or lose twice in a row. This is an interesting fact that we found during the debate. I realized that debate isn't all about stressing, being nervous, winning or losing. I can find the fun in it too. Like small things like knowing that there is a patter to my team's winning is also interesting. Thus, I look forward to the next debate meeting and possibly competition.

Debate: 12th of Oct. '13

Today is the first day of holiday but it is also the first day of my debate competition. The debate competition is held in BPK Penabur. I feel so excited after today's debate competition because it went really well. I wasn't expecting my team to win the first debate competition but we did! We had three rounds today and we won two of the three rounds. After the first round, we were in the second place, but since then our rank went down. We had a chance going against our sister school SPH Karawaci. We felt that their speeches were really good. They were really confident and they delivered their ideas very well. I believe my team learned a lot from them. They used their advantages as the government side really well. Besides SPH Karawaci, our opponents were all from national schools and we had difficulties understanding what they were saying. Thus, my team should prepare our ears to listen carefully for tomorrow's debate rounds because we cannot afford to let several arguments that the opponents made pass by just like that.

Batik: 9th of Oct. '13

• What I did today:
• Using bamboo brushes, I applied some chemicals to the handkerchief cloth which will turn into the desired colors after dipped in HCl solution (the process of applying the chemicals is also known as 'mencolet')

• How I felt:
• Amazed because the chemicals do not show the actual colors that they will turn into after dipped in the HCl solution. The chemicals are in a way deceiving but interesting because it makes the Batik making process even more complicated, fun and not boring.
• Annoyed because the result is not as good as expected
• Annoyed also because the colors of the chemicals turned out not to be as what the supervisor told me they were (the chemical for brown was turned out to be the chemical for red, and vice versa)
• Relieved because I am done with one of the three cloths that I am going to Batik
• What I perceived:
• Day after day I am made amazed by the Batik artists of Indonesia because I experienced it myself and now truly realized how difficult and complicated making Batik Art is 
• I now perceive the making process of Batik Art as something fun and not boring as I used to think it was because there are actually different methods of colorings and there is always a different problem that arise in every process and session
• What I thought about the activity:
• I thought that today's meeting wasn't as difficult as the last meeting was because the activity done (in Indonesian it is called mencolet) is sort of like painting, which is something that I have practiced many times before. Even so, I think that I can do better in this activity next time by being more careful on applying the chemicals on the cloth. I have to make sure that I do not take too much of the solution so that it will spread to the undesired places on the cloth.
• What the activity means to me:

• The activity I did today is one that I will never forget. It is very interesting. It adds some happiness and excitement to my boring days at school.
• Because the result of the first cloth done in this activity isn't so satisfying, I expect to do a better job in my second and third cloths.
• What is the value of the activity:
• Inheritance of a culture and unique method of coloring called mencolet
• What I learned from the activity and how this learning (for example, a change of perspective) might apply more widely:
• Well since today I learned about some chemicals that can turn into different colors after dipped into HCl solution, I can actually use this knowledge when I want to color my clothes and decorate it myself. It's not really complicated, it is fun to do and it's not so expensive.
• As cliche as it may sound, the phrase "do not judge the book by its cover" is very true and applicable to daily lives. The color of the chemical before dipped into HCl is like the cover of the book, while the actual color of the chemical after dipped into HCl is like the content of the book. The symbols that the chemicals portray are a reinforcement of the lesson that we should never judge anyone from their looks.

Debate: 7th of Oct. '13

Since I am joining this week's debate competition, it is important for me to join today's debate club meeting. I have to prepare myself so that I won't embarrass myself that much in my first debate competition. Hahah! I feel so nervous for this week's debate competition because not only it is my first debate competition, it is also an impromptu debate where electronic devices are not allowed to be used during case building. What should I say! :s So in today's debate club meeting we had an impromptu debate competition with the motion “Governments are allowed to disrupt internet services on grounds of national security.” My group was the same group as for this week's debate competition, Valeska and Sherni. I was again the second speaker of my team. I feel comfortable as the second speaker so it was okay. Today was the first time I got to work together with my team. We worked quite well but I think we have to practice on listening to each other better. I also felt that we lacked information about the debate. We don't really have general knowledge about the world so at times when the opponent, which was the government side pointed out some facts we have nothing to rebut against it. We usually would just hypothesize what will happen if the motion is allowed to pass. Thus, for this week's debate competition, I really have to do a lot of research. I also feel like in today's impromptu debate I was quite unclear. My organization skill was not really good. I didn't sign post and I feel like I repeated a lot of my ideas. I often circled around my ideas. I feel like I was really nervous that I forget the things that I wanted to say (even though I had a note with me). I forget the details that could make me more aggressive in delivering my speech. Thus, for this week's debate competition, I should just relax, get prepared and let it flow.

Batik: 2nd of Oct. '13

What I did today:

Apply wax on the handkerchief cloth according to the marked lines

What I feel about the activity:
I feel more proud of Indonesia's Batik culture as I went through today's meeting because I now truly understand the complexity and difficulty of making Batik Art. Even so, after this week's meeting I don't feel as confident as before in making my Batik artwork. This is because I didn't do as well as I did before. During today's meeting, I did a lot of mistakes. I dripped a lot of undesired drops of wax on the cloth. Even though I covered those mistakes by making the drops as if they were a part of the decoration, making them as flowers, they are not supposed to be there according to the original plan.

What I perceive about the activity:
I perceive this activity as a door to a lot of opportunities because not only did I get to create my own Batik artwork, I also did get the chance to talk and exchange thoughts with experienced Batik artists. 

What I think about the activity:
I think today's activity is the hardest so far because it is an activity that I am not used to do. The first few weeks all I did was holding and using pencils, which is something that I practice everyday. Now that I had to use canting to 'draw', it came up to me as a great challenge. 

What I learned:
Today I learned different techniques on applying wax (e.g. blowing through the canting so that the wax won't get stuck inside the hole). Learning these techniques enables me to show people around me how Batik is not just an artwork with pretty patterns on it, but it is an artwork that has a lot of deep meanings and also requires a lot of techniques and skills to make it. People will respect Batik more.