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?