Date 2010-10-09
Woke up to the glorious morning, sounds of birds in the distance, cocks in the background, the sight of valley not too far away and a lovely lotus flower in my porch, and feeling all of a sudden, tranquil.
I haven’t do justice to yesterday’s evening event, but last night I just want to lay my back on the spacious bed, and here, now, as I prepare for the next mind adventure, I disciplined myself to write couples of lines.
The Slam. I didn’t know the meaning of that, until last night in The Pond, which is poem night, where poet after poet reads their hearts and audiences appreciate and applaud. We had poet from east to the west, Asia to Europe, from beginners to veterans, from award winners to your classmates, shouting their hearts out, trembling the venue for applauds they get.
As I cherish last night, I look forward to begin today for another mind-bending, heart-trembling experiences!
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Now I was in the middle of a street party, apparently one that accompany the festival every year, and from a volunteer working to prepare the festival since its inception in 2003, Leo, this year street party is the most successful so far and in my vision, this party will soon beg its own festival.
I know this Leo from local restaurant, which is conveniently named Warung Lokal, when I was just looking for a place near the party and in waiting for it to begin, to fill my belly. He sat besides me and across me sat a middle-aged lady eating in silence, Hermyne, soon we form a triangular pack of three human beings, separated far by age, far by nation, far by purpose in Ubud, but in unison in anticipation for the party.
With Leo, I shared my fascination with literature and Etgar Keret, and he too acknowledged that he himself fascinated by Etgar, and added one writer which name I hadn’t recognize, but his work known throughoutthe world and been made into big screen, The Schindler’s List, while Hermyne shared my fascination with giving our energy to fellow human beings, and her to him in family and daughters and sons and grandchildren.
I noticed how I loved the dynamics of energies here in Ubud, and such the property of energy, it blends, it changes, it transforms, and soon our little pack, joined by other packs, transforming, changing, and before night long, I have been sitting with two journalists, both from Jakarta.
And with its transformation, it carries its own unique information, blending with new information, and as such, information never lost, knowledge never lost, only changing, hopping from one entity to the other.
The party has started, with one end of the street, a modern stage of performance, western if you will, while on the other, Ubud dancer performing, themed by traditional musical instruments, and both attracted a salad of human nationality, engrossed in the atmospheres.
The night was getting late fast, and we bade each other good night and promise to unite again in the same reason we are here in this spectacular place, the festival.
