At Tista village, Abang district, Karangasem regency. I was taking a picture of an empty street covered in beautiful green view and Abang mount as the background when he suddenly emerged. A motorcyclist with his friend. Out of nowhere (of course, out of the turn). Then, he becomes an extra for this picture.
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A praying mantis (bahasa Indonesia: belalang sembah) at the edge of drainage. Picture was taken using iPad last year at Tirta Gangga palace, Karangasem regency, about 65 kilometres from Denpasar city. Praying mantis is rarely seen in Denpasar city this day…and clear drainage, too! So that, it got my interest to take this picture.
Post to meet the challenge that is kindly hosted by Cee Neuner.
A view caught at side yard of a house in Tista village, Abang district, Karangasem regency. Tista is 3,5 hours drive to the east from Denpasar city.
Black bottomed wok that was resulted by cooking with fire wood, a traditional way that is still done in many villages in Bali. When the 3 kg of LPG gas on the ground is a hint that the modern days are coming.
The day I took this photo, cooking method was still in between, but someday it will change completely.
A split-second story of the old days and modernity.
A tree near a small temple in Tista village, Abang district, Karangasem regency, Bali. A few days ago.
Meanwhile this…
A picture shot at the temple of Wat Pho, Thailand. Last year. A tree with a little golden buddha statue.
Those are pictures with a glimpse of Balinese and Thailand culture. Both trees trunks are covered with clothes. In Bali, some trees (especially when it grows near a temple) are considered as sacred ones and it is also a symbol of appreciation to Mother Nature. The cultural behavior seems to be done in Thailand, too. Thailand with its brilliant yellow and green colour. Bali chooses black and white.
Same culture. With a twist of colour.
Is it a picture of fern in pot?
Gold fishes in my garden or….?
Look at carefully, you will find two small eyes behind the ferns staring back at me who was capturing the moment. Hugo, my dog doesn’t really fancy of drinking from his bowl. Bigger is fresher, he thinks. With two paws dip right into the water where some gold fishes also live, the sensation will even better.
He was a bit distracted when I came bringing my iPad, but keep standing against the tub. Other than this tub, he also like drinking from the lotus pots. As I said before, he doesn’t really fancy of his bowl.
Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: Week 9
Buddha statue
The ceiling
Photos taken at Golden Buddha Temple (Wat Trimitr) in Thailand.
An updated for this post. Photo of Terompong.
I adore culture, even more mine. Balinese culture is very rich with art elements. I love to see art performances with energetic dances and music, either in the traditional ceremony, city festival or other events. However, adore and love the artistic culture, doesn’t necessarily evoke the arts in my soul.
I ever learnt how to dance a long time ago (26 years?), Manuk Rawa (the swamp bird) a simple dance, which is usually danced by elementary school students (grade 1 and 2) and I was in second year of junior high school. How about playing its companion, the gamelan (Balinese music)? Never. Even, in my wildest dream.
I always thought I was born to be not an artist, I can’t sing, when I did, my dog will raise his ears and posed tensely as if he heard distrustful sound. Painting was part of my additional school subject. Notice the past tense. Was.
What spirit had possessed me when I agree to join the women sekaa gamelan (Balinese traditional music orchestra) of our traditional community organization (banjar) remains a mystery. OK. I burst out when the traditional community leader asked me to participate.
The music lesson is held at the bencingah (community hall). On our first day, all new participants were asked to choose what instrument we wanted to play. A big question hit my head. What-instrument-I-want-to-play? All instrument looked astonished with elaborated sculpture, painted in red and gold. Looked confusing, too.
“Sit there.” Somebody appointed a long instrument with sparkling golden knobs. It’s in the front of row and looked important. I didn’t think I was ready for it. Actually, I didn’t ready for any single instrument there.
“I think I want to be here,” I said, appointed a much smaller instrument far behind.
“Do you can play that?”
“No. I’m…”
“It will be just the same. Here or there, you will learn how to play. It’s ok. Just sit there. Somebody will show you how.”
The instrument is terompong, has 10 bronze knobs, the frequency range spans two octaves. Ndang, nding, ndung, ndeng, ndong, ndang, nding, ndung, ndeng, ndong. Something like that. It is played by one person (it will be me) by hitting those knobs with two paddles (panggul terompong).
That day, I began my lesson by imitating my teacher’s movement on the knobs. I followed him. There’s no introductory theory. Only stimulation to your artistic element that buried for centuries somewhere inside you. I was a bit wary, what if I didn’t have any tiny artistic element. I just kept imitating my teacher’s action. False sound. False sound. False…
It has been a month, now. And I still come twice a week to bencingah and play my terompong. I can play simple tabuh (music) already. Able to recognise my own false sound and improve it by hitting the right knobs. Still try to make harmony with the others ladies player. I am talking about making harmony with 30 other unprofessional gamelan players. Those mothers, wives, grandmothers, house makers, teacher, doctor, manager, clothes store owner. Almost everyone, except professional musician or gamelan players. We are working on it and will do our performance in the Galungan (Balinese Hindu festive day) night. 40 days to go.
I am not pushing myself to be an artist or try hard to be an artistic soul of Balinese. I am just simply taking a chance on me. A chance to do arts. To play terompong.
(Respond to Daily Prompt: Take a Chance on Me)
I take the challenge’s topic: big subject, literally as I have a last year file of Kao Chi Chan Buddha or the Laser Buddha Mountain view. What does not come with the word of BIG to describe a mountain? Used iPad to catch this greatness.
A photo taken in a market in Thailand. A sign and sleeping beauty.
A Simple Note 