Category: Learning

Hope

Learning, love, Poetic
The sun rises, sets
At two ends to tell the time
To the open eyes.

—

I always become guilty when my nieces say they want to be like me after breaking up romantically. They might think being single is the best choice in that situation, which is true yet nothing is permanent. Don’t be too sure about what you think, that’s what I always tell those young ladies.

The wedding of my niece recently was truly one miracle to witness after so long she thought she would not trust marriage institution. She finally trusts a man, a lucky one as much as my niece is lucky to be married by that funny guy! 💝

Behind the wedding scene one of my nieces approached me and asked me questions and here is the interestingly funny abridged conversation.

N: Auntie, you still hope to get married?

Me: You?

N: You know what happened. I believe mother told you. She said to me you disagreed with my decision.

Me: Of course. You are young. No reason to not getting married.

N: You? Tell me.

Me: I am slightly different.

N: Old?

Me: Yes.

N: Are you abnormal?

Me: Like what?

N: Homosexual.

Me: No.

N: You hate men?

Me: No

N: You are afraid of being poor?

Me: I am not. But I won’t want to be poor.

N: So what makes you single for so long?

Me: The same as you.

N: Trust?

Me: Yes.

N: Do you think I can get my trust back faster than you?

Me: Yes. Look at Dan. It took her only some years to finally getting married.

N: I hope I can.

Me: When you still talk about hope, it means you will get it.

N: But I hope you get married first before I do. Please…

Me: I hope….

N: (she smiled and went to fetch some snack)

Sometimes you’ve gotta show your beloved how much hope you have to make them keep hoping for the best. To me although I have to pretend…. 😝

N: (she got back with some snack on a plate) Do you really hope? It’s been 16 years!

Me: 😂

—

never give up, dear kids — everyone has love to share
there’s always love in hope
💝

Dream Life

Learning
What is dream life?
Working with passion,
Living in peace,
Befriending those on the ground,
Keeping safe distance from those in the sky.
It comes true in no dream.
Why still dreaming
While morning has broken?

The sun is the answer.

—

Today’s early morning’s conversation with a friend after so long as we’ve both been so caught up with work has made me thank life for being me, standing on the ground with enough sweet life around.

F: Join me here this weekend.

Me: Whoa! You’re there already on Thursday?

F: I’m on a leave.

Me: Enjoy your long weekend there. I prefer Bali, I will be in Ubud this weekend with my friends.

F: Go horse back riding with me here. Try once, you’ll love it. Don’t you find Ubud is boring?

Me: Boring things might suit me. Ha ha ha…. Have a good weekend horse back riding. And hope your dream of flying private jet can soon come true.

Time to leave the bed and clean the undergrowth in my path. 🐣

never my dream life; if it’s yours, you’re off from my route ☺️
i’ll do it if horse is the only transportation mode ☺️ i prefer an Audi for now 😁

Dream Catchers

Learning, love, Poetic
Catch my dreams, my love
The ones I could not.
Share the joy, my love
The one I would enjoy.
Let’s smile together
At the road we’ve taken.

You might have missed some dreams
Caught by your beloved around.
We’re dream catchers
Catching the ones
Delivered by the brightest fireflies.

Happy for good
Joyful forever.

—

i’d always wanted to be a journalist, i can’t for some reason — but she’s the one reaching my dream even much better 💝 god bless you, Dan! 😘

By That I’ve Been Taught

Learning

Tuhan, Aku Berguru Kepadamu

a poem in a song
Tuhan,
aku berguru kepadaMu,
ajarilah bagaimana mendengarkan batu,
membaca suara,
menggenggam angin yang bisu.

Tuhan,
kedunguan memberiku pengertian,
buta mata menganugerahi penglihatan,
kelemahan menyimpan berlimpah kekuatan.

jika aku tahu
terasa betapa tak tahu,
waktu melihat
betapa penuh rahasia gelap
yang dikandung cahaya

Tuhan, aku berguru kepadaMu,
tak tidur di kereta waktu,
lebur dalam ruang,
karena setiap satu mengandung seribu
berguru kepadaMu.

Tuhan,
kuragukan setiap yang kutemu,
kutimba ilmu dari yang paling dungu.


Tuhan,
aku berguru kepadaMu,
gelap dan terang saling menegaskan,
garis batasnya memusnahkan jaraknya,
pada pertentangannya memancarkan kesatuannya.

[Emha Ainun Nadjib, dari majalah Horison edisi Desember 2007]

A Blessed Day

Learning
What is a day called
When heaven showers blessings
Above humans’ wish?

A blessed day—

—

Today is a blessed day attending my dear niece’s wedding matrimony and party. I clearly remember how she would sweetly tell me what she would be growing up when she was a sweet little sunshine. She is now a woman.

I love you across the universe, Dan! 😘😘😘

Salam.

he said “we want to contribute quality next generation in this country”; we shouted “have 10 children!”; she said “what?!!” 😘😘😘😂😂😂

Numbers

Learning
Numbers give her signs.
They give her signals.
They also show her luck.
And above all
Numbers help her track
If past, present, future
Are intact.

—

I’ve been feeling lucky as angel numbers are everywhere.

Today was especially.

The car plate from Erawan to Svarnabhum was 88. My seat number from Bangkok to Singapore was 55, boarding at 15:55. My aeroplane from Changi to Soetta is B777.

Good number. Good flight. Good feel.

lucky like having Doraemon 💝

Hold My (ranting)

Learning

Life is wonderful when it has ups, downs and plateau at the right time. In fact, time is always right at least twice a day when the clock is broken. When time seems not right, it will be right by deploying the right genre— prose, poetry or drama? Your decision! 😊

Realist: Stop drama now.

Me: Oh! You mean I should not use acts and scenes?

Playwright: She means no life drama.

Me: Ok. I will try prose.

Novelist: She means don’t be too much, my dear.

Me: Alright. I will use poem.

Poet: She means the content!

Me: Ahh! So it is about genre?

All but me: (speechless)

Critic: Hold my beer! I mean my teapot!

—

hold my teapot!

Nails, Eyes and Mirror

Learning

These nails are torn
Peeling your characters.
That you’re unlimited
Has dipped me in
Soup of paradox
Whose extremes don’t follow physics law.

These eyes are blurred
Scrutinising your characters.
That you’re detailed
Has distracted me in
Spectrum of colours
Whose pixels don’t show readable frequency.

There’s a place though
Where phenomena are sensed
Clearly by a mirror
Showing real shadow, same size, same distance—
Screenshots don’t apply,
All are mentally captured.

—-

for nails, eyes heart and soul, i can never say no when life is calling — i wish to take you in it

Par

Learning, Poetic
This tongue says
What belly doesn’t.
Under par, Tongue shouts
Then never stops complaining.
Above par, Belly says
Then waits until the next par.
Is it fondness or fullness
The ruler?
Up to you,
Said the Tongue
Who whines about the taste.

Beloved,
You’ve raised a double agent.

Ha!

—

what an excessively oily aglio olio, said I — but I was sooo happy that I slept earlier 💝

Describing You

Learning, Poetic
You’re a fact
Just untouchable.

You exist
Just indescribable.

You’re not illusion
Just intangible.

You’re one
Just distracting.

You’re near
Just invisible.

You’re far
Just haunting.

You’re minute
Just blocking.

You seem nothing
Just enshrouding.

You’re everything
Just spacing.

You’re not a puzzle
Just enigmatic.

You make me think about you
Just to fail right through.

You’re clear
Just misunderstood.

You
Just
You.

—

you’re my needle in a haystack

Rendezvous

Learning
Time flies.
Age heavily drags humans along the path when it’s not wanted;
But there are wheels.
Age smoothly sails them across the ocean when it’s as planned;
But there are severe weathers.

We meet in a crossroad
Between land and water
Then gracefully swing steps
To each chosen way.

—

my living room when hosting my friends 😁 they said “you don’t visit Singapore if you don’t take picture with the statue” 😝
inspired by durian, our honourable king of fruits — these friends preferred taking long time taking picture in Singapore’s landscapes so they didn’t have durian party
favourite 15-minute light show

Choice of Face

Learning, Poetic
An artist opens her closet.
There are masks piling,
Waiting for the tasks.
One mask, one face
To make a day.

She stares and thinks
One face today
A genuine
A bright
A true
A nice—

A good day.

—

my watch face is Minnie Mouse almost everyday because she makes me a sweet cheerful cartoon! 💝

Waiting

Learning
December,
I wish you as cool as June
When sunshine is plenty
Between the showers,
Not so crowded with those
Wandering the city.

December,
I heard you resemble November
When warmth is enjoyed
With some humidity,
Crowded though with those
Enjoying in vicinity.

December,
I patiently wait for you
That carries a bunch of meteorites
Among rare stars.
I might not be remembered
But even a smile is a memory.

—-

Some plans don’t work as expected…. It doesn’t matter. I will not give up. 🐣

Salaam.

as much as i wish to come back to this land, the route is dragging us elsewhere, where alarm goes off and noise is unbearable — see you, Cambodia 💝
this might be the only SEA country other than Indonesia and Singapore where i can feel immediate home with both the land and the people — we are of the same root 💝

Numbers

Learning, love, Poetic
I said to angels
Near me,”Tell my love there’s love
In your flapping wings”.

—

I was about to send some pictures containing angel numbers (twin/repeated numbers) to a friend who has been in love with especially 333, 3333, 33333 and all the repeated angel number 3 when realising that that friend was not in the list. Where was she? Maybe she unfollowed me? But why?

When checking in other friends’ lists this person was not there either, both in follower and following ones. Ahhh! Maybe she was deactivating herself?

As I don’t have her mobile number, I checked it with her best friend and he said “Yes, she has done it now and then. You don’t realise sometimes your list shortens? It might be her.”

Ahhh! Ok, ok…. 😊

She’s not lucky. The photos with her angel number are now for you all. 🙏🏼

Salaam.

33333
222

Celebration

Learning
Life’s celebration
Of tastes offering joy
While breathing blessings.

—-

Only feel good is welcome. The not? Accept and let them sit in the waiting room until they are good enough to enter the home.

Salaam.

💗

my celebration today!
mini tumpeng of black rice with its side dish
sambal terasi
beloved yogurt with some berry and pistachio

Context

Learning
A pool
Is heaven
For a fish to celebrate life.
Take it out,
It will die—
As dead as a sentence
Interpreted without a context.

—

Some people feel so tortured to talk with others who like judging based on either no or irrelevant context. Some people are reluctant to continue conversation because they don’t want to give more relevant context to further continue the conversation. It is inevitable that context is what a relationship can be built with so if people don’t want to directly communicate to us, it is a sign that they don’t want to build relationship with us.

Oh my! It takes whole life to understand and accept it. Friendship, romance, social, economy…. — all the same: context is needed. 😎

As clear as crystal!

Salaam.

this fish looks like me me when stupidly didn’t realise about the needed context! hey, fish! your muscle memory is water, land is never your context except in the kitchen or lab 😘