After long time no see, I met old friends in Hanoi. We agreed to have dinner in Highway 4, a restaurant whose owners used to be the guests of a hostel owned by my friend’s parents. So it was a rendezvous for us and for my friend and his ex guests. Merry!

Most of these friends are good drinkers. I prefer not taking any sips and becoming a cheerleader who looks more drunk than those who drink. They planned to have 3 rounds of drink in different places: first in the Highway 4, second in another place and the last one in the other — I didn’t have any idea where those two were. I said good night and left earlier before the 1st round ended.

Although I could not enjoy all what they did, I thought it was a very warm friendly night. I didn’t always understand what they were talking about but there was always someone translating for me or they just switched into English. The funny thing was that they would punish anyone who spoke the most English by forcing him/her to drink another shot. That’s where my laughter wouldn’t stop especially when they blamed me for making them speak English.

What a good night!
Note: Friends won’t give up friendship even when some habits are just different.

See what those crazy friends did to persuade me to drink with no success.

Friend 1: Ok, you come again next time. You must drink, ok?
Me: Water

Friend 2: I’ll find you a good Vietnamese guy if you drink.
Me: Find him for me first then I’ll drink!

Friend 3: This is wine! Not beer!
Me: I read the ingredient.
Friend 3: Cone on. That is a wrong label.
Me: Then I don’t trust Vietnamese beverage.

Friend 4: Drink.
Me: I don’t want to look crazy.
Friend 4: When you are drunk, you think you look crazy but actually people think you are cute!
Me: 🤪

Friend 5: Forget about tomorrow’s work. You only have now to drink.
Me: You drink more, talk less.

The rest of the group: Drink!!!
Me: (finished one glass of water)
Them: Not water!!!
Me: 😘😘😘
Them: (given me up and ate)

Hanoi – January 15, 2020 / 22:07

The art of cooking:
Beautify! Joy of eating:
Break, chew, swallow, go!

Hanoi – January 13, 2020 / 21:26

—

What’s for dinner? Healthy food please….
And, pretty food for tonight please….

When served to me the food was fabulously arranged. The food was at the same time the garnish. I had to think twice if the food was worth eating or just worth picture taking. But I was starving so….

To make it a perfect dining, I decided to beat the chef’s expertise with my eating skill. His skill is to prepare good and beautiful food. Mine is making beautiful delicious food broken and enjoying it with my heart and soul.

The waitress came back.
“How was the food, Ma’am?”

I said,”Amazing! Please tell the Chef I’m sorry for destroying his work of art.”

Thank you, Life for all the blessings.

May all beings be happy.

Below are two pics of my first served “before and after”. 😁

Beeps and honks city
With coffee shops and good smile—
Here I’m back, Hanoi.

Hanoi – January 13, 2020 / 18:42

—

What’s for dinner? 😊
No coffee, no beef, no pork, no alcohol this time
No worry. Hanoi still has a lot of that!

I’ll have noodles without meat 😝

You’re getting antique,
Put on pedestal: high price,
Alone, not lonely.

Between two islands (WIB to WITA) – January 9, 2020 / 19:19

—-

The more understanding someone is about life, the heavier one’s thought is before expressing, yet the lighter one is from many worries – ideally…. One becomes more quiet, or still talks but with better perspective – ideally….

Then we meet people.
Sometimes because of our experience people respect us but the more respect we receive, the more suffering we will be if….
…. if we think life is merely about reaching a certain position based on others’ respect.

Or, we think our experience is not well recognised and we feel frustrated. We become blindly hardworking, slave around to get recognition, smile around fake. Gosh! Life becomes a burden than a blessings.

Relax, my Love. Life is beautiful enough with self respect. Others are not judges, they are just fellow Travelers who oftentimes think they are better than you.

Build your own pedestal, dear Self. One that is made of positivity, sincerity and integrity. That’s enough for you to enjoy the rest of your life with those genuine around you.

May all beings be happy.

Not the benefit,
It’s love shown as a form of
Token of friendship.

Singapore – December 25, 2019 / 22:00

—-

One of my friends is visiting me and will stay until I can get back to work from my medical leave. What a blessing!

What makes the blessings even multiply is that she is bringing me some of her artwork: some mini scarves with shibori patterns. She made them three days before she flew here to make me -her friend- happy! God bless my good friends!!!!!!!!!

😊

Curious, I “interrogated” her on how she made some of those whose colours stunned me. She said she applied only natural colouring agents: leaves, bark, seeds, roots with some natural “glue” to tie up the colours to the fabric. She did it because she knows I won’t like artificial ones.

“The dark green is coming from jolawe seed, the brown from tingi bark, the leave eco print from teak young leaf, the yellow from tegeran bark, the blah blah blah….”

“Someday I don’t know when but for sure I’ll come to your shibori course and I’ll make my own. Someday….. I don’t know when but someday.” 🤪

She smiled and said “No need, let me know which you like and I’ll make it.”

Thank you, Mbak Sari…. 😘😘😘

God bless all the lovely friendships on earth, not the friends with benefit.

Only friend’s laughters
Release the gentle body
From the flare of pain.

Mount E – December 19, 2019 / 05:10

—

Friends can be everything including medicine when you are very sick. One of my best friends made a joke when I got a flare of pain after surgery. I didn’t get better but I got relieved and felt calmer.

God bless my best friends.

😘

He lost my sole heart,
Busy questioning about
Sense of belonging.

Somewhere – December 16, 2019 / storm before calm

—

What a paradox it could be! Someone is losing the most precious gift in life from someone, the heart just because s/he is focusing on other things that might never be the priority in life.

Possess today, tomorrow might never come.

💝

Keanu Reeves finally found his chosen. I believe many are broken hearted including me 😁

I used to collect the pictures of this Keanu with many various poses in his all period of life: childhood, teenage, young mature and adult mature . That I closed down my dear account of Pinterest has been a blessing in disguise. I don’t want to collect his pictures anymore 😂

My best friend sent me a message just now asking a question that no one but she can answer.

“Rijk, am I in love with a man? Or am I just adoring him as a celebrity?”

My answer is “I was just broken hearted because Keanu found his love.”

She didn’t reply my message. She was probably upset. Or, she stopped to think what was her true feeling.

Oh, I’m sorry Mbak…. I was just kidding. 🥳

….

I believe love isn’t to analyse, it is to feel in the depth, to appreciate that we still have heart to bear the desperately longing for someone out there and maybe to suffer from a broken heart.

Thank you, Keanu 🥰
For making me realise that I’m not broken hearted, that I’ve found that I only adored you as a star.
Congratulations for finding your chosen!

Singapore – December 6, 2019 / 22:55

Enjoy the news of dearest Keanu Reeves Keanu Reeves Found Love

Concrete and cement
Sprawled along, leaving earth with
Lesser greenery.

Bogor – December 2, 2019 / 20:27

——

Last year when I visited this site, I could see many trees at the back yard. We even found some mangoes ended up on our lunch tray. But this year I found that they have cut down most of the trees and built a small sports center. We still can see grass here and there but the chance to get entertained by the beautifully-singing birds and cheerfully-hopping squirrels is thinner.

I am not complaining. I’m just telling myself how I miss a place where my lungs don’t have to work so hard to filter the air.

Salaam….