Hello World: Preparation for Hari Raya Part 2

Preparation for Hari Raya Part 2

I was supposed to publish this post 2 days ago but I was dead exhausted for two reasons. One because of celebrating Hari Raya and two because I had to work as well (Urgent client with urgent job).

Clothing Line
I have prepared a video to show my clothing line for Hari Raya but I'm not fully satisfied as I didn't have enough time to pull out a proper video. I'm thinking of making a second video. I'm not sure.

One thing that I would like to mention is Hari Raya's clothing line is more of culture than religion. Actually I think it has no relation to religion at all. So everyone can wear it be it any kind of religion, skin color etc. Every nationality has it own ethnic clothing line (eg. India with Saree, Chinese with Cheong Sam etc) and Malay happens to have Baju Melayu (One of them).
In the past, Baju Melayu is your everyday attire. Nonetheless living in the present urban world, Baju Melayu has been replaced with casual modern clothes. You can only see people wearing Baju Melayu on Friday and during special event like Hari Raya. But it's still rare to see guys wearing a complete Baju Melayu on Friday. Most folks would just wear the shirt without the matching pants and Samping (Sarong-like).

Me? I'm always different and stubborn. Who would be caught dead wearing a shirt with black bow tie in public even though someone said I look like a replica of Colonel Sanders without a beard? Me. Who would wear flowery shirts in public even though my mother said I look like a playboy (I protested: It's 70's flower power!) ? Me. Who would wear a complete Baju Melayu in public during a hot day for no actual reason? Me. Okay so my parents think I'm nuts (sort of). But I'm happy to be who I am. I'm proud of wearing Baju Melayu as it is part of my cultural heritage. So why not show it off?
Baju Melayu means Malay Shirt. Baju stands for shirt and Melayu stands for Malay.

• Baju Melayu - Consist of a long sleeved shirt with a matching pants. Baju Melayu can be in any kind of color and in any kind of textile. Usually it would either be cotton or silk. Price starts from $30 to $200+. You can buy it in a shopping mall. But a lot of people prefer to have tailor made Baju Melayu.

• Samping - The Sarong-like. Skirt-like. It is made of Songket cloth. It is handwoven in silk or cotton sewed with gold or silver threads. Typical price for Samping starts from $30 to $300+. The price is based upon the quality, the sewing, the thickness and few others. Mine is $300. I know it is expensive but it can last for a long time. You can pass it to your future grandchildren or further. You can also wear regular Sarong instead of Samping with Baju Melayu.

• Songkok - A headgear for Baju Melayu. Velvet like. Probably is. Normally it is in black color. Sometimes you can find Songkok with gold threads embroidery. It can gather dust very easily so keep it in a box when you do not use it.

• Capal - You can wear shoes or sandal. It doesn't matter. But if you're heading for an authentic and more traditional look, wearing Capal is your answer. It looks like sandal. Capal is handmade and has great quality craftsmanship hence the price can be quite expensive. It starts from $25 to $100+.
  

I'm heading back to my grandparents' house tomorrow (3rd October 2008) and I'll be staying there for 2 days. So I will not be posting for 2 days at least. Scratch that. I have to stay home to babysit my big brother instead. No he is not disabled. He has a lazy ass. That's all.

I will post the complete set of my Baju Melayu (5 of them) later. I hope you guys will enjoy my new video containing my babbling. I don't know if I'm going to consider this video as part of my vlog though. Yes, it is a vlog but it's pretty conventional (Yak,yak,yak) unlike my other previous videos. Note that I didn't wear my Samping properly in this video.


Stem & Root - Special Edition Celebrating Hari Raya - Part 1 from Jay on Vimeo.

I always different and stubborn.

Truthfully,

JJ

Random: I'm planning to help Derick (I Will Not Die) to achieve his dream but the problem that I'm having right now is I have no credit card and Paypal refuses to verify my current debit card. So I have to register for a new debit card in a different bank, which I have no idea when. But hopefully soon. In any case you guys want to help my big brother, you can visit his blog at http://www.iwillnotdie.com/who-will-be-caesar/
Listening to: Bila Takbir Bergema - Rafeah Buang
Current Weight: 86 kg (189.2 lbs)