Ji It Meh

团结 // 活力 // 神奇
Unity // Energy // Mystical

Hello hello I'm back again! I'm like one week late about this but well I was just sorting my photo out and also recovering from my super pain shoulder and arm. So last Saturday (11th February) my hometown just had our Ji It Meh celebration after a 2 year hiatus! Well there's Covid and so this year's return was pretty welcomed by everyone I guess. I thought the event was pretty successful. It wasn't as huge as the last one back in 2020 where we went around town but this year it was just around the temple.

Worth the shoulder pain cause #huat

The event started at 2 PM but I only went at 3. It was super crowded, I couldn't even enter the area, had to enter it like about 1 KM away from the temple and walked hah. As usual I just went around to take some photos and also helped carry the deities sedan. Yup worth the shoulder pain cause #huat

That's my cousin at the back

At 6 PM I went to the temple and met my uncle and I just sat down and rest cause I was damn tired haha. I guess age doesn't lie. My cousin joined us in the evening and went around with him again as he carried the sedan too. This is the first time where I stayed at the event till it's finished. 

People mountain people sea

I would say it's a huge success, I love seeing the unity and fervour of the people on this day. Everyone just gathered together and went to take turns to carry the sedan. Despite the long hours (we ended at like 8 PM), everyone sticked by and yeah it's just a great sight to see, and to experience.

Happy Ji It Meh!

I'm not sure if it's just me but... The energy during Ji It Meh is just different. Perhaps it's the mysticism side, since we carry the deities around. Or it's simply just the energy shared by hundreds of people that gathered in one place at the same time. Celebrating one thing all together. It's special.

On another hand, it takes a big event to realise that you live in a small town.

Happy Ji It Meh everyone!

Happy Leap Day!

I've always felt that it's such an amazing feat to spend an extra day in a year once every 4 years. The 29th of February is here again! So wishing everyone a happy leap day mwahaha. What was I doing 4 years ago on 2012'th leap day? Okay so looking back I was back in Indonesia already for holiday, back when I was still in year 2! In 2008 I remember watching the Singapore movie "The Leap Years". I love the soundtrack of the movie haha. I spent the past 3 leap days in Singapore. Now I'm back home again.

Anyho, it's a special day of the year, so let's spend it blogging about some stuff!

 People mountain people sea

I wanted to blog last night cause it was ji-it meh once again here. This year however, the sedans of the deities are not being paraded around the town. They were just being displayed inside the temple. So I went to the temple in the afternoon. Just in time for a short lion and dragon dance performance. And then prayed a bit and went home again. It was less festive, but it didn't deter people from coming over to the temple. Here are some photos I took yesterday! Oh and I brought my film camera too.

 The Sedans of the deities on display

It started to drizzle at the end of the event so people were dispersing quickly. Except for the devotees who went inside the temple to pray. Sometimes events like this remind me why I love my hometown so much. Seeing people I know (or strangers) and chatting with them at the temple is pretty wonderful.

Alright nothing much to talk about after that, went to the farm for deliveries again! As for today, it was a pretty hectic Monday as usual, made more exciting with the end of the month. The end of every month is always an exciting moment for all of us here mwahaha. Perhaps for all Indonesians.

Let's talk about the wonderful music I discovered in this shortest month of the year!

Great Music of February:

- Youth by Troye Sivan

- Wild by Troye Sivan

- Suburbia by Troye Sivan

- An Coire Bhreacain by Calum Stewart & Heikki Bourgault

- Let It Happen by Tame Impala

- The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala

- Naive Dream by The Mary Onettes 

- TOUCH BY SHURA

- リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー by Macintosh Plus

My pre-ordered Troye Sivan's album Blue Neighbourhood is here! I fell in love with his songs the first time I listened to his performance at Jimmy Kimmel back in December I think. I pre-ordered his album but it only arrived on like the 4th of February, two months after its release! I love the album so much. But Youth, Wild, Fools and Suburbia gotta be my favourite tracks. He's so so good. One more artist that I believe will make it far in life. Inspiring, talented, and I need to see him live.

Same goes for Tame Impala album too! Bought them from Amazon cause I can't find it anywhere here. I really love this album from them too. Everything seems to flow through in every track. I discovered Tame Impala back in 2013 when I first heard them at Laneway Singapore. They won the Brits for international group! I really think they deserve it :) Congratulations guys.

I discovered the song An Coire Bhreacain from YouTube, through the BBC channel! It's such a wonderful celtic (?) song! Love the energy and the melody of the song. As for Naive Dream by The Mary Onettes, I discovered it at Askara bookstore in Jakarta haha, they were playing the song when I was there. Quickly Soundhound-ed it and got them in iTunes :P Love the whole umm 80s? vibe of the song. 

Okay I discovered Shura's Touch like almost 2 years ago. But she finally released it as a single!!! I'm so happy to have it on my iPod haha. After replaying the song endlessly on YouTube and Soundcloud. I seriously can't wait for her album to drop :D リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー  by Macintosh Plus is definitely my gateway to Vaporwave music. I've heard of the term before. But I don't know what kind of music it is (I didn't even know it was a genre until last Saturday). Some Vaporwave music are really nice. Some of them... I quite don't get it. Hope to discover more music of this genre!

Alrighty that's all for the music of February. As usual, February felt like a month that didn't happen at all. Probably is because of the lesser amount of days, or well probably because I'm getting older and time seems to flow more quickly. Nevertheless, I hope you had a wonderful February! Lets March towards an awesome remaining of 2016. Have a great week everyone :)

Happy Cap Go Meh!

 Happy Cap Go Meh!

Today is the day where my hometown celebrates Cap Go Meh! It is a day celebrated on the 15th day of the 1st Lunar Month (hence the name Cap Go = 15th), to celebrate the end of Chinese New Year celebration. Since CNY is celebrated in a span of 15 days.

However, it's been a tradition that the festival is celebrated on the 21st in my hometown. So the folks call it Ji It Meh instead. Nevertheless it was a pretty festive day because the deities' sedans (we call it joli here) got paraded out on the streets around the temple this year as they didn't do it last year. Can you believe it's been 13 (or 14) years since I last participated in the procession? Time flies indeed.

The prayers began at 1 PM. It was raining super heavily then, and the rain got even heavier and gustier as time goes by... So I was a bit worried that the procession might be cancelled. At 4 PM-ish the rain didn't stop but I decided to head over to the temple still. To my surprise, it wasn't raining in the temple area. Whereas in my house it was raining pretty heavily. I was walking on the road following the procession when I met someone I know who was carrying the sedan for one of the deities in the temple called Kongco Han Tan Kong, who is one of the main deities in the temple.

 Taken while I was carrying the sedan.

One of the men who was carrying the sedan asked me to take his turn carrying the sedan and of course, I gladly take the chance! I've been wanting to carry the sedan and join the procession since young. So well today my childhood dream came true! :D Anyway the sedan is very heavy. Like they said, it really feels like someone is sitting inside it. So we take turns carrying it. I was carrying it for a few distance and another man took my place, and so on and forth. Anyway we don't only carry it but we also sway it. I think it's a significance of good fortune and luck.

 End of the procession

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and seeing the sights. I left home first because I had a delivery to settle. After that I returned back to the temple for the closing ceremony. So one by one the sedans enter the temple. Once they have been placed there, the idols of the deities are being carried back to the altars one by one. And then some prayers were carried out, and the event came to a close! People were being offered food and cakes, I just love the atmosphere inside. It was really a happy and festive one. I'd love to return next year. And definitely at an earlier time.

 The temple official taking the flowers out
PS: I've never seen the temple so smoky before

Today was definitely an eye-opener for me because... Like I said above it's been close to 14 years since I participated in one. 14 years ago I was a small boy who is shorter than the sedans. I can't even carry them! Hah. So I just stood on the side and watch them go by. Now I'm a young man, and I am pretty glad to be given the opportunity to carry the sedan. I supposed I'm kinda sad that I missed out a whole lot in these 14 years. But then again, what matters now is that I'm back here, and I would love to participate in this every year. To share the happiness and festivity with the people of my hometown.

 People taking turns carrying

Also, one of the things I love about today is the fact that many young people are taking part in this procession. And I feel it is important that we, the younger generation, should continue these traditions and festivities for many more years to come. These festivities are one of the most important things that bind the community together, that bind a city together. I'm not just talking about the Chinese/Buddhist communities here, but everyone. Because today, people regardless of race and religion came together around the temple to share the festivities. 

Alright, it's been a beautiful day. Looking forward to next year's Cap Go Meh already.