Music has always been a part of my life, even when I was not in the real world yet. I don’t know if all parents do this, but I remember even when I was in mom’s tummy I would regularly hear music.
Now, I’m starting to recognize some of the tunes that she used to play for me, or sing for me. I sometimes still have nightmares of the time mom & dad went out with their friends to sing together (Karoake, I think it’s called) and dad did a very loud and pitch-y rendition of Madonna’s “Ray of Light”….Can you imagine how scary it was for me!
I’ve always loved music and moving to the beat. I’d like to think that someday I can show my moves on the dance floor. I’ve recently moved on from just bopping my head to the beat, to actually dancing!! My next step was to start making my own music. Then, if I take acting classes I could become one of those popular Asian ‘Celebrities’ who do everything (Sing, Dance, Act). Oh! One catch is that you have to be Cute-sy/Girly! Don’t think they like tomboys like me… ah well!
So back to my music…Let me introduce you to my first musical instrument – The Jegog! I discovered this here in Bali. It’s a local instrument made of Bamboo that have been partially cut in half lengthwise. The ‘pipes’ are assembled together so that you can strike them with two mallets “pangguls“, sorta like a xylophone.
We had one at our house and my friend, Komang has shown me how to play. Well, he’s really patient with me cuz I just like banging on it. At first I wasn’t even able to hit the keys I was just banging on the sides, but trust me I was trying my hardest – I was banging that thing with all my might! I think I’m lucky that I didn’t break the Jegog, othewise my friend Joel would be really upset with me. It’s actually his Jegog, that he received as a gift, and has been nice enough to let me borrrow it while I’m staying in Bali.
I still remember the two times we went to this beautiful villa in Sidemen area (East Bali) called Surya Shanti Villa, they also had two jegogs that I’d played with. They were conveniently placed in the common room and it was perfect for me to practice while mom, dad & their friends were enjoying their cool Bintangs as I provided the nice ambiance music.
My first Jegog!
Little Sumo Girl 