By FAR, the BEST shopping experience of my life
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- As someone who dislikes the actual act of shopping (long lines, waiting, stuff not in stock, etc), I just met two entrepreneurs who gave me, by FAR, the best shopping experience of my life. And I had to fly halfway around the globe to Jakarta (Indonesia), to accidentally discover it.
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TIMELINE + LINKS
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Some of the links below are affiliate links. For example, as an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!
0:00 Intro
I had a three hour break between a morning client meeting and an afternoon vendor meeting, and, being in South Jakarta, I headed to a one-million square foot labyrinth of retail to explore.
0:32 Two Awesome Guys
Last year (April 2023), I actually filmed Pian briefly as I was discovering this insane maze of entrepreneurship just passing by, and I took it as a sign this time around, when I found them again... to ask, if they were cool with me filming. Speaking of filming, here is the minimal gear I used for this handheld impromptu shoot:
🔗👉 Sony A7Siii Camera on Amazon: amzn.to/3wDJ8Z7
🔗👉 Sony 24-105mm F4.0 OSS on Amazon: amzn.to/3V2A7mh
🔗👉 Sony ECM-B10 Digital Mic on Amazon: amzn.to/3TjuBul
🚨 Be careful, that microphone can ONLY be used on select Sony Cameras. If you are looking for a great on-camera microphone for use with the 3.5mm (1/8") jack, I definitely recommend the Rode VideoMic Pro+ on Amazon: amzn.to/49DJWeY
🔗👉 PGY Tech MantisPod Pro on Amazon: amzn.to/3tXtGp2
1:11 A Million Sq Ft Maze
Blok M Square is comprised of 6 floors above ground, and 2 floors underground. If it's your first time in South Jakarta visiting this behemoth of a shopping complex, obviously, feel free to check the entire place out, but if you have limited time, the bottom-most basement is where you'll want to start. Trust me.
1:48 The Shop
Pian and Bewok are owner-operators of this shop that doesn't even have a sign. No Google Listing, no Instagram page, no facebook page, but it's called Cepot Gemstone. If you're going to Jakarta and want to check them out without getting lost in the gargantuan maze that is Blok M Square, you can check out...
🚨📺👀👉 My Secret Unlisted Video that shows exactly how to find them as quickly and as easily as possible: • Directions to Cepot Ge...
2:18 The Incredible Work
As you may know, design and metal fabrication (on an industrial scale) is what occupies about half my time at home in Toronto, so seeing these guys work was satisfying, humbling, and just plain awesome. You can see a bit of the work I do here:
📺👉 Workshop Tour & EDC Video: • Do you USE your stuff?...
3:10 Deciding to Buy
After essentially, "drinking their kool-aid" gawking at their skills and experience, as someone who had never even considered wearing a ring, I flipped a complete 180 degrees and asked them to recommend something to me.
Bewok looked be up and down, pointed at me, and said "Simple... You... Simple"... presumably seeing my plain, unbranded, unremarkable outfit, and recommended a very clean silver base, and, as for the "Bacan" stone, recommended it as it's one of the most traditional native-to-Indonesia options.
4:00 Sizing the Ring
Just watch how much work Pian put into resizing the ring to fit me perfectly... magical.
4:57 Setting the Stone
At the workshop in Toronto, we use software to design parts, CNC mills and lasers to cut and machine... these guys... all manual hand tools, and I'm so envious of their skills.
5:50 What I Learned
6:48 So… What Now?
7:26 The Lovely City
#Travel #EverydayCarry #Jakarta
Want to connect more?
Instagram: @mauricemoves / mauricemoves
DISCLAIMERS:
Some of the links above have an affiliate code, if you purchase gear with these links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
A portion of this video is sponsored by TomToc, meaning, they paid me to feature their Minimalist Sling and Passport Holder between the 6m31s mark and the 7m55s mark.
I thought Bewok was the Pencak Silat Master from John Wick and Raid Redemption in your thumbnail 😅
Edit: if they are not comfortable enough to smoke while working on their craft, they are not a true master of their craft 😂
The resemblance is uncanny
Haha, for real, huh! He *does* EDC a karambit, but since it's frowned upon in major cities like Jakarta, didn't think it'd be a good idea to show it in the video 😜
Dude I thought exactly the same! I was thinking wow I didn't realize he also runs a store.
Exactly, i thought the same
Thank you for sharing Pian & Bewok’s story to the world, Maurice! You, brother, have been accepted as an honorary citizen of Big Durian!
I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed and appreciated this video. One of my favourite memories from travelling was in Venice, and happening upon a shop where they were carving the long blanks that would be cut to make picture frames. Nothing more wonderful than being allowed to observe a craftsperson at work.
It's crazy how we walk by picture frames daily thinking nothing of them, and yet, to see them being made opens a whole new layer of appreciation, huh!
There is something truly special about watching someone who is an absolute master perform their craft. When we got to the local Ren Faire, I always try to have a seat and watch the black smith demos, or the glass blowing, any of those folks are so passionate about what they are doing.
Glass-blowing is some of the coolest stuff to see happen in real time 🤩 I usually feel like I "work with my hands" at the workshop, but really, it's 80% computer-assisted. It really is truly special when masters go full manual.
I used to work at a upscale American jewelry store and learned how to resize rings the same way, when we couldn’t stretch it. Alway unnerving to take a saw to an expensive ring, and a blow torch, but that’s how it’s done. Sometimes you can see where the two pieces meet but nobody notices.
Absolutely love the variety you provide in your videos! I originally came for EDC suggestions but have enjoyed everything you post. This little slice of life was wonderful.
Seeing these skilled craftsmen make and sell custom jewelry like that is really inspiring for my own jewelry making journey, absolute skill right there
borderline emotional, now, honestly about to check flights to Jakarta,
Just love Southeast Asia and the passion and craftsmanship that is part and parcel of every trade. From an individual who lived in Malaysia for three years.
Got here from Tom’s video. I live in Jakarta and have been frequenting Blok M lately for work purposes, but never been to Blok M Square. After watching this, I will definitely check the place out. I’m pretty sure Bewok is his nickname because it means Beard in local language.
Please show us what you end up doing regarding your father's photo in Taiwan! Big fan of you and GeoWizard! It's insanely cool that he found that location. Excited for you ✌
Man, craftmaship like this is always amazing to watch.
I love how you communicate, and the joy in your voice is evidence of what this experience meant. As I type this, I'm staring at a picture on my desk of some Galway Hookers on the water. I purchased the picture at the Galway Saturday market, because a trip outside of Galway along the coast was rewarded with an exhibition of making and finishing one of these splendid boats. I have been on a quest for more of these transcendental experiences this and like yours. We have another picture, of a totem and dugout canoe, that was from a time we 'stumbled upon' a First Nations gathering and we were treated to a lesson in smoking salmon. My mouth waters when I look at that picture.
😮
My workplace is litterally 2-3 km away from blok m square.
It used to be one of the most popular places to hang out in the 90s and 00s, but fell out of popularity in recent time due to rise of ecommerce.
Glad to see this place and the merchants / craftsman working there getting some recognition in this video. Cheers 🎉
I just finished watching this video, it's so refreshing to see authenticity, and that's why I subscribed. Your humble storytelling style is so refreshing. I can't wait to see what other inspiring content you create. Please keep sharing your stories with the world!
The building looked like somewhere that used to be popular back in the 90s and 00s, it certainly has that aged charm
Thank you for supporting and promoting small vendors like them. Glad you enjoyed the process and the result. Kudos
I can not express, with comprehensive articulation, how much I enjoy your videos.
I treasure all art including music, food and well-thought-out videos (like yours!) because the artist put some of their heart, life and soul into their work. Thank you, Maurice.
I remember back in 2016~2017 i did some old vinyl shopping there. Those were the golden days. It was hella cheap. I remember they only categorized by "this side of stack" and "that side of stack". Like this side is only 50K IDR each (less than 5 USD). They didnt even bother to categorized by artist. I remember my Mother (an avid The Beatles fan) got so many records and i came home with a set of jazz records dated back to 1940s. Still one of my fond memories went shopping with my Mum there.
@MauriceMoves. okay man
Thanks for the great vid. They are true craftsmen.
Fantastic video! Thanks for sharing.
I love this video Maurice. What an adventure you’re on at the moment!
That was too frickin’ awesome!!!
Now, this is a cool video. Thank you.
wow, thank you for making this video!
Maurice, thank you for this video. It’s a beautiful reminder to shop ethically and consciously!
Wow! Real craftsmen.
This is such a gorgoeus video - love these guys and you 😭🥹🩵✨
Thank you, loved this video. I appreciate their skills and overall chill vibe.
We need more videos like this!
What an incredible experience I agree, I would have paid 10X just to watch. Thanks for sharing.
One of the best videos you have done Maurice and I have enjoyed every moment. Such a joy to watch
Craftsmanship man! Insanely beautiful to see them create these pieces. Selfishly wish they had online ordering 😂 but I’ll just have to make it to Jakarta some day!
Great video! as someone in manufacturing you describe everything so beautifully! I bet you’re an amazing writer.
Such a wonderful story.
This is gonna be off topic but i just want to say i came from geowizard i have been subscribed to you longer than him and i was not expecting you to be the guy he was talking about but i guess Goodluck man on your trip to take the picture. Now kind of back on topic thank you so much for sharing your many edc vids i now have things that you suggested that i cant live without at this point it was especiallyhelpfulfor my first trip to the Philippinesfor 2 weeks. Keep up the amazing work man and have a wonderful day
ill be there next month. def gonna check it out
This video was pure art. Thank you, I enjoyed it very much!
Great story -- you should be doing more documentary type of vlogs! Please showcase more of these vendors!
Great video
Really great video, I love shopping with intent and really appreciate the value and uniqueness of personalized products.
Great video! I love watching passionate and skilled craftsman. If I make it to Jakarta I’ll definitely check them out.
Block M is a great place for shopping with incredible people . Thnaks to make they under the light !
amazing
Loved this video
You are right: this is basically magic
if i ever travel to Jakarta, i will definitely visit that complex and find them
Beautiful ring
Indonesian here, thats actually a fair price for the ring and stone, and im glad you didnt get overcharged. My estimation is that they’ve made a 7 usd profit from the sale, quite reasonable eh? Oh and bewok or brewok means beard, which is self explanatory
You have to wear that beautiful ring often. I hope to see it in your future videos
That dude looks like the character "mad dog" from The Raid. Definitely do not mess with him.
Seen it done in Scotland
Hello Maurice. Like you I appreciate crafstmanship. I personally really like the Japanese master toolmakers and the carpentry tools they make. On my way to the land of the rising sun a few weeks from now 😀
Can you make a first hour in Tokyo video just like the one you made for Taiwan and Switzerland pls? Those videos are super helpful!
Kinda crazy, Blok M is not far from the place I am working now, but I rarely go there because Blok M is an old shopping centre and nowadays I rarely went to mall or shopping centre. But yes, there are ton of artisan / hand made arts in Indonesia and some of them could delivery high quality results.
Awesome craftsmanship and an incredible price. Do they only do rings and bracelets or will they do other things, like pendants?
i think they can do,, if they can not,, you can find others shop in same area
@MauriceMoves
What an experience.
By the way, sick hat. Where did it come from?
❤
Hi i wanted to ask what the background song is called, I really like the melody. 😄
dam man you discribe so much my dilema and in my case i dont like to have to many things.
Bewok is slang for berewok and loosely translated to bearded. And Blok M Square is the location where I would get mugged in my teen😂
i cant recognize u in jakarta without your beard man. hope bump into you when u in jkt
Wedian, padet juga
Would have went there but sat in Jakarta traffic for 8 hours 😢 only a mile away
@MauriceMoves. I am not dating sorry, working on myself so not interested in scams
Hi, where do you get this Thinking cap?
Gokil, ada Indo, cuy!
the reason it was so "cheap" is because the price for silver is actually extremely cheap, and truthfully you could of bartered for a cheaper price looking based on the weight of the silver you bought, here in abu dhabi when you come to the gold/silver markets Italian silver is priced extremely cheap as well, however the locals will try to capitalize on you not knowing the silver market and upscale it by a large margin, beautiful ring, certainly the artistry and work put in increases it price but yeah silver is just dumb cheap in comparison to something like gold!
I hope you paid him more than 25 bucks
Meet the real Lords of the Rings.
this audio is a mess
"Shopping as an ethical act" is some kind of dark virtue signalling. The takeaway here should be to learn real-world skills to make you happy and confident. Yutube, et al, is only a mirror of reality.
Beautiful handwork. There's some local Toronto brand using similar artisans from Indonesia and selling the rings for $300 and up
@MauriceMoves you must gonna buy a tons and sell it again at toronto