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.