Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The NEW "It"

I rushed to go to Bedugul Office, Maya already wait me there. Maya is le nouveau designer of Pithecanthropus.. She's so punctual because she did text me at 9am sharp! Leeyah came 20minutes after I arrived and so on, we travel to KETEWEL... To take a look at the new "It"!

Today we're going to Ketewel to our new gallery project in the East Coast of Bali. We're so excited and full of beans to see our new office-to be.

Our office is being built on one hectare of land. The design consist 3 complex building. The first complex is studio and gallery, the second one is house and villa, and the third one is our storeroom. The magnificent thing about those complex is that some of the buildings are brought from hundred miles away, from another island on this archipelago. 


Yes, we ship the wooden house from Sumatra island to build (exactly the same) in Bali. It's exotic and intriguing to be seen what will it become.. The wooden house from Sumatra usually called Rumah Panjang (long house). Why they called it Rumah Panjang? Just because the house literally Panjang (long). In Jambi they also called it Bangko Jambi or some people called it Kajang Lako or Rumah Lamo (old house). Rumah Lamos ridge have a shape similar as a boat house with upper ridge tip curved up. Lamo house typology shaped ward, rectangular with a length of 12 m and width of 9 m. The other house that also famous in Sumatera is Rumah Limas (Pyramid House). They called it like pyramid because of the shape of the center roof usually shaped like pyramid.


In Sumatera those buildings are usually built beside a big river or on the beach. Those old houses build very tall to prevent flood or high tide. 
Rumah Limas in Sumatera


After I came to the project, I'm sure that this will be a great place to work and also to hang out. The sea breeze is cooling and the view is enchanting. And I know that there will be a barbecue spot for us to stay and have a view chit chat (I snoop on the design :)).. So here we go, another step to our new place called office, in the other hand, another walk to a place that we will call "home".. 

Do you have a sense of curiosity like me?  I have a BIG one... Let's see a little sneak preview...
 the storeroom
 the studio and gallery-will be
the view from the balcony of our studio


Enjoy!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Human!

I woke up this morning...

Reading online newspaper...

Make breakfast (a very important meal of the day)

My phone rang.... once.. twice... I check the number.. No name.. Just the number.
And I'm the kind of person who don't like to answer anonymous calls.. But it's from Jakarta.. Important? Perhaps?
So I answer phone
"Hello..."
"Yes I'm looking for Mrs. Neli Gunawan..."
"I'm speaking..."
"It's about your insurance bill, we can't make transaction from July from your Visa Card..."


Ouch, that problem again.. So the story is, this bank send me a billing statement with two type of credit card, One Visa and the Other is MasterCard. I have the MasterCard but I never receive Visa and the billing card already have bills for insurance... I don't have the card and I have to pay for the bills.. How come?


So I have the option to get angry and never fix those problems with the bank, and keep receiving calls, letters, text from them. OR... I talk, with my blurry eyes because it's still early and I just enjoying my beautiful morning and ask the man who's in the phone "What should I do with it?"


Sometimes in life we always have two kinds of options. One that makes us angry (to a person that we don't know Who?) and the second is compromise, settle down and fix. We rarely choose the second options because we always think that we don't have enough time, we're too damn busy and we think it's their job to fix things, not ours..


You are right We're busy and it's not (really) our job to fix those kinds of problems... But at the same time, if we put our emotion on the top of it.. Are we really fixing the problem? Are we really settling down by getting angry to an unknown - person in the line of our phone?

Yesterday I have the same problem while I'm ordering food in one restaurant. The waiter never "hear" enough or may I say "understand" enough to fulfill my order, she never repeat the order and left me after she wrote FALSE ORDER.. Stupid enough.. And I realize that while there's two different menu came while I'm only ordering for one.. I have those options again that time, but I choose to bring one of the menu back home and zip my mouth. I can have it for lunch tomorrow and I don't have to think again "What should I eat?" If I get angry with a stupid waiter, what should I get? Only ANGRE-Me all the way home... She have to know that she made mistake, but there are no wasted food that night.

However, I know you will find it stupid, not to protest, being silence etc. But in my mind, I have enough trouble today, and I don't want to blame another person.. Let her at peace, and me, with my own peace. Let me think "great" for a while, being positive with every flaw.

So this morning I asked the man on the phone how to fix those problems, step by step, however, few minutes of his time, trying to make me a little bit smarter won't be so bad than I have to talk angry and cursed. Now I know how to fix those bills and he's happy enough that one of the customer isn't angry..

I know that I'm a human and he's human enough to explain...

Enjoy!

Starkings and Orion (bag)

When I make these bags and named it I remember one thing...

Starkings... The Hunter, my Orion...

Taa Daaa....   Starkings.... and...

Orion...

New Batik-Canvas Bags in Our Store...

Enjoy!

Vomit of a Day

Yesterday...
I just entered the room of my studio... I feel tired, nauseated with my own vomit... However I have zillion things to do.. Those pile of dresses that have to be sent to the dyeing factory. And there it goes... Vomiting once more.. This is my first time I have to bend on my knees in front of my studio toilet. And those feelings disgust me.. Shit! Not now, to many things to do... So I rushed to the 1st floor, and hurried the driver to go to the hospital "to the ER.."  I need drugs, I need to get back on my two feet.. but all I can think is: 'DYEING FACTORY-Tomorrow at 10am'..

(That's the time I think that I'm over-stressed of my work)


Today...
Dyeing Factory seems friendly. Not vomiting, just a little bit dizzy with the yesterday's drugs. Those pile of dresses, tops and ideas is sent to the producer. We're ready to rumble!! Soooo happyy!!! However, I'm can't drive today. Not now! Too tired. This body still need it's energy back. So after factory, I just go back to my place and rest. Please I need my beauty sleep, I need my health back..
I need myself.


Tomorrow...
I am back to my dusty 2nd floor studio.. There are two Bambi waiting for my approval. then we're talking another bullshit about my sickness with my friends... Yeah, they think I'm pregnant, Sorry not now, can't you see my work is still one meter pile? Then, we have lunch.. All I can hear is stories from my colleagues about her relationship. At last.. back to my studio.. Rush myself to another garment 30minutes far from my studio plus 10minutes for the traffic, hear another shitty day of another staff.. Hey our day isn't so bad... It's another sun shinny day! What you say about a Bad day is: A pile of checking sheet.. Please compare with mine two days ago: The Vomit of a Day, that's a B A D day while your mind still busy thinking about your job,not your sake!... Nothing to compare.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

My Life as Pithecanthropus

It's been six years, working with this remarkable label. It's fun, hilarious (sometimes) and overwhelming at the same time.

Well, I think everyone would feel the same with their jobs. Thank God that I love what I do the most: fabrics, weave, batik, traditions, antique and many things that leads me to who I am, my ancestors.

Yup, that's my passion, doing all of that motifs.. Being very dizzy with natural dyed colors... And as we know that this company is getting Huge, Big and Fatty. And it's becoming more and more daunting to go out and see the world outside this company. If you ask why it feels daunting? Well, I'm in love with this company even when this company don't love me that much..

Sometimes I feel I own this company.. terribly in love... or may I say crazy love?

It's been six years, yes.. six years... Even my humble friends from Japan would ask: "When will you finish working there?" still, I get numb and got nothing to say. Just butterflies in my stomach and the question remind me of what the former designer said to me "It's a job of a lifetime..."

Gosh! It's Hotel California's lyrics '...You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave!'

I take a deep breath and I answered my fellow Japanese, "Till the rest of my life"
(and I smirk and leave the room)

Enjoy!

my first encounter with blog

i would like to start this blog with mediocre kind of "introducing yourself"...

Hi,
My name is neli, currently i live in Bali.. but actually I came from Bandung, I was born in Bandung live there until I finished my study.. Bali is my passion.. I don't know why it has always been my love since I was elementary school... B A L I ... however, now I am moving back and forward from Bali to Singapore. My husband live there... I live here so... We have two life, two kinds of story and may things to tell..

Enjoy!