Once I had a chat about βTouch βn Goβ card of Malaysia. One Malaysian friend made what he called a joke βLife is like touch and go la. You touch then you go la. As long as you pay, it is ok! The problem is after touch and go, you realise you run out of fuel and there is no gas station there, then you are stranded in the middle of nowhere.β None of us laughed. He said βAlamak! You all donβt get it la! Boyβs joke, boyβs joke!β
Only today I can really get it. I should text him to confirm a fresh understanding. He must be happy receiving a message from a long lost friend who is now βsmart enoughβ. π
I prefer not to live like βtouch and go in nice carsβ touching here and there for temporary pleasure then losing the ability to detach from irresponsible people who can only suck joy out from my only self through the excessively irresponsible exchange of memories. I prefer βgoing on footβ consciously although it looks less luxurious.
βd only build precious memories with those reciprocally loving me and not playing touch and go π
Woman is human being With exactly the same rights as man to be human being. All her decisions should be respected like manβs decisions should be respected, too. It is not a privilege to be a woman like it is not a privilege to be a man, too. It is a privilege to be a woman like it is a privilege to be a man, too.
In some culture woman is discriminated based on different things, but overall the discrimination is simply because she is a woman. Donβt worry, culture sustains when human being preserves it. So letβs change the discrimination culture by promoting a non-discriminative mindset.
In some culture though woman overdoes her fight of emancipation that makes herself suffer with no gain.
There should be no fighting between man and woman because the existence of both doesnβt generate competition. It is a complimentary and supplementary relationship for one another in different levels or fields of roles and responsibilities that are agreed without discrimination, harassment or abuse just because of being a woman or a man.
Ah! It is good for her to be a woman. And I know it is good for him to be a man.
Stop ranting! Go rest. π
thanks for saving me, Belovedβ£οΈwe can adopt a cat, a dog or an underprivileged child! πnot less woman by being not a wife or a mother with a childI never be in this type of changing room but yes, I get itexotic and uniquely builtoh, Iβm not either of them but yes itβs my body and I love it so I take care of itcommitment and integrityto those underestimating me, thanks for staying away π₯°not only happy, be joyfulβ£οΈ
When I was a girl, I got sick very often. Yet what I remember the most isnβt the pain but is how my family would take care of me. Of course they medically treated me either at home or hospitalised, but there was a unique way I can never forget what my mother, father and siblings did extra.
My father would chant Javanese mantra that would calm me down. My mother would wrap me with a sheet of batik cloth before putting the next thicker blanket. And of course siblings especially sisters would sleep with me the whole night.
What Javanese mantra chanted by father? Oh canβt remember! What batik, I definitely remember it and now own it for the same need; covering myself with batik gringsing when sick.
1.2mx2.3m batik cloth with gringsing background pattern of flower bouquets
Gringsing is one of the oldest batik background patterns in Java. It is thousands of tiny square with a dot in the center symbolising βsedulur papat kalima pancerβ (literally means 4 siblings and 1 core as the fifth) the cosmic balance of human reality in Javanese wisdom. And through the philosophy it is believed that when a Javanese human is sick, s/he is cosmically imbalanced and needs to be balanced. Physically s/he is medically treated, metaphysically s/he is cured with gringsing the balance symbol.
Gringsing is an acronym of gring or gering (sick, not well, ill) and sing (not); gringsing means not sick anymore. Oh! That simple! Made by hand! Oh! Not that simple!
What a blessed human being!
wrapping body when catching fever doesnβt replace paracetamol, itβs to recall the memory of how my family well treated me when I was sick π₯°detail of gringsing: a tiny squarish scale with a dot in the center – sedulur 4 ka-5 pancer
Iβm surrounded by animal lovers and rescuers. Every now and then I see how they struggle with animals in pain or death. Itβs not easy each time those friends have to say good bye but at the same time they learn again and again that the best end is by releasing sincerely and being released sincerely.
Happy journey, Dear. Thanks for all the lessons you have taught us.
Alfatihah πππΌ
bye, Item; see you across the bridge π₯° alfatihah π
Today I had a lunch chat with a colleague. We discussed about this and that and of course how we both grow more grey hair, more fat and of course more wisdom.
happy to work with those having courage to tell when itβs right or wrong, with objectivity
I remember when I was 30βs I said to him I was so afraid of growing old alone. Now Iβm growing old alone and Iβm not afraid. Today I said to him that Iβm afraid of dying alone and he lightly said βNo one wants to die with you or with anyone else, girl! No one!β
I laughed and said βDamn! youβre right!β
And I made a good decision right during the convo that I wonβt be afraid of being alone! Everything is gonna be alright!
But he said something before saying goodbye βAnd youβd better be a bit stingy to those not helping!β
βDamn! Youβre right again!β
Life is fair but life is also not fair so weβd better know how to surf! Unfortunately, I donβt like surfing, Iβm just gonna be biking!
slow down to both directions, live and die is like drawing an βΎ
Honestly I prefer to name it by either feminine or masculine rather than women and men. Itβs not about whatβs attached between your crotch that matters by being a human, itβs about the quality attached to your spirit and contribution made to society.
So, even if someone is born a woman, she wonβt be able to appreciate other women as long as she only sees the other womenβs physical body measurement as the indicators. And by doing so, she does discriminate other women in the essence for having non-essential indicators to appreciate them.
Whereas, at the same time I see many men around me respect and appreciate women simply because they know those women have the same opportunity to contribute for a better life. Or else, they discriminate based on sex or even any other thing attached to the women.
Ok, letβs agree though to call today as International Womenβs Day and make the spirit of anti-discrimination based on anything possible be rekindled.
Happy International Womenβs Day to all women who represent the symbol of femininity and to all men who become part of appreciating agent.
from one of my good friends – Iβm grateful male in my inner circle are those respecting women based on what weβre capable of doing at the same time having ability to laugh at whatβs funny in reality e.g.: ladies parking π oops! sorry, myself πΆβπ«οΈ
A flower blooms, dries to fall off or falls to dry at time in place for a given moment. It lives then dies. It blossoms or prematurely drops.
Some flowers are admired, some are not even noticed. Some are vibrantly coloured, some are dead dull. Some are meticulous, some are straightly simple. Some produce edible fruits, some the poisonous.
Itβs about flower, the beauty in itself, although most view points perceive the look differently. Absolute beauty sits where it is, lingering forever as values and concepts. Relative beauty fades away through aging, some even without being remembered as memory or history.
Itβs about flower, the one in a palace and that in a lawn.
Salam. Alfatihah.
prominent, admired, blessedunnoticed, hidden beauty, blessedfall to dry, blesseddried and ready to decompose, blessed
People scold at other people, while instead they should oppose the actions. People humiliate others, while they have the same evil in their own heart. Whatβs that? Arrogance? Ignorance?
Todayβs conversation was about why I curse the war/invasion but think that that Russian guy is a decent balancing power in the world politically. Good query from not so nice friendβ Itβs tiring to chat with a βsinlessβ religious person. πΆβπ«οΈ
Itβs so much difficult to see how a wicked person can get high appreciation; and so much difficult to witness a kind person may experience very difficult life. Should I hate the wicked? Hmmmβ¦. I may dislike a wicked who is granted so much luxury, yet how much do I know about that person? S/he might have done so much in some way that life decides to grant huge blessings to her/him. So, how much I may dislike a wicked, being just is the only choice to treat her/him. And Iβm ok with it.
I might still say something harsh about the wicked if s/he is doing something unjust to me or to those I love and/or care about. Yet, I wonβt do harm to her/him. Or, if I should do so, I will try to avoid the person the best I can personally (professionally I donβt like blocking people from shining). Or, if needed, with βfairβ fairness Iβll reciprocate the actions against me and/or my family. Hey! At the same time I can declare her/his good points objectivelyβ¦.
β¦. if I like or most time I will just shut my mouth up forever π
Iβm not a religious person but one suurah in the Quran has taught me well about being just in my humble life: QS Al-Maiyah:8.
translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali on Al-Maidah:8 O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.
be just. listen from two sides; otherwise, remove one ear of yours. and Iβm still against war and violence, pal!
I never agree with anyoneβs making war to colonialise others, war is only legit when you are defending your country – but this very guy is a true balancing power against the βbig brotherβ whoβs been arrogantly boastfully declaring oneβs self as super power, world police a**!
Respect each other as all of us have become us with no choice but traveling the paths weβve agreed to sign up. Early termination doesnβt apply; life is about starting and completing whatβs written.
Jika kita lahir dan tumbuh sebagai kata-kata, saya akan selalu menggarisbawahi kamu seperti kata yang saya anggap penting, meski kamu nanti mencetak miring saya seperti kata yang tak dikenal dan asing. (part of a poem by Adimas Immanuel)
Iβm a tiny dot in the galaxy, a mini tiny dot in the universe but I wonβt give up praying that You will give peace in the heart of every human being on earth.
My prayer is for the children, elderly, disabled and animals where violence is hell on earth. That is the real hell.
My first day working in office after 23 months working from remote workplace felt like my first day joining the company. Excitement and thrill, this time with clarity, calmness and strong ground
Although not many, I met people in real bodies not their avatar.
Thanks for the new day!
frozen in a huge quiet space but happy! π₯°π₯°π₯°
on my way to the bus stop after work, I met a jungle fowl as happy as me π₯°π₯°π₯° – hello, ayam hutan!
Weekend, Beloved, A bowl of green tea nicely Served cold and creamyβ
βββββββββββββββ
Give yourself reward for being a brave person sometimes. π
For an ordinary person setting a clear boundary is enough a bravery. Sometimes a passive person should tell arrogant people βYou can step on my shoulders to reach your goal βcoz Iβll support anyone dreaming high but you mustnβt step on my head to underestimate a human being βcoz I have the same right to be respected. Please excuse me this time to be equal and forever be.β
the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse – them in oneunlearn, my dearβ¦. let gomy finding me is like finding a piece of unpolished sapphire, not diamond which is too high value nor gravel which is too low – maybe itβs gonna be unpolished forever but at least I know itβs a sapphire, not diamond not gravel
A set of data is powerful only when the owner knows how to use it; it is equivalent to the ability of questioning leads to better result than ability of answering.
A good start is by collecting from different points. The more data points, the more valid and accurate answers will come up. One point will be misleading.
Iβve often thought that people living in this society is either living right at the bars or above the bars. Itβs either we force ourselves to enjoy comfort that gives us uncomfortable consequences OR we comfortably enjoy whatever we have for comfort with just-right consequences. Today I learnt that there might be some super rich living in an area which βnormalβ millionaires here wonβt even think as a good place to live. I read a news about a millionaire who in fact lives under their own bar with his family. Extraordinary!
So?
Ah! Life is just like that! There are choices to make and people make choices which (they think) they deserve.
Nothing is more liberating knowing that life still offers me wonderful news. It has proven me that life can be NOT-WYSIWYG. I would not imagine someone mistook my car as a grab car, while I were a super duper rich girl waiting for my friends to get on my Honda Vezel. π
Chimney is a symbol of industrial era like church for religiosity, tower for secularity and all kinds of stars of spirituality.
Yet I found different interpretation of mine on chimney through Japanese books reading (very very elementary, all hiragana and katakana, I can only remember 15 kanji so far, hell yeah!). Chimney can be a symbol of fairy tales, dreams, ideas and creativity emerging from the dark, beautiful stories. What else? Ya, just use imagination to find what clicks in mind until the word βchimneyβ meets its lighter connotation against the one in paragraph 1.
Reading the books, I canβt deny some people really get blessed with extraordinary imaginary world and ability to materialise whatβs in it by intertwining the intangible blessings with the tangible ones. Like the writer whose books Iβve read.
God bless you, Akihiro Nishino (should be with ~san). Thanks for the books youβve written.
Read. Read. Read.
Read the letters. Read the lessons. Read between the lines.
π
find the Chimney Town in you πdark but glowing – isnβt that paradoxically beautiful?
Knowing when to take a break, at least. Nothing under the sun is true perfection. Itβs all about perspective.
I miss homeβ¦. π
right when I felt so tired of the word βperfectβ, this video was popped up through my algorithm – perfect message sent by a perfect painter at a perfect timing to a perfectly imperfect human being – thank you! π
I (almost) always travel alone and I love it. It is not only business trip but also travel for leisure.
My first impressive adventurous solo travel was at 12 with my red mini bike. I would bike from home to my uncleβs home in a hilly district. It was about one hour ride of 7 kilometers away excluding all the U turns of getting lost in quite rough terrain in the route. I was excited doing it though because of nieces and nephews waiting to play with and the agriculture experience to enjoy. The up-hill biking to uncleβs home was my private getaway until my little brother insisted joining.
Another impressive solo travel of mine was in Bandar Lampung where I visited elephant and rhino conservation centres. Unfortunately the sweet young me was still innocent that people thought I was welcoming them; and I got sexual-physically harassed. Lucky me to be saved by a bus driver β wherever you are (maybe you away already because you looked like 60 years old when I was 26), you are blessed, Pak Supir!
And the excitement of the first impressive solo travel and the most dangerous one have combined to be a sufficient foundation for me to be a 99% solo traveler until now.
Traveling solo, I learn and improve how to cope with life challenges: languages, culture, human behaviour, security, etc. Yet I can enjoy the trips as I wish without having to wait for others moving slower or having to be dragged by others moving faster. It is almost always about excitement, freedom and privacy!
The bravest trip of mine was to Bangladesh in 2011. Plane touched down at 12am. Taxi waited in a corner that will be considered dangerous spot by any normal women on earth. Hotel was totally different from what was described online. Food was a bit below my hygiene par but I had to show my respect by eating with (fake) happy look! Yet I was truly happy to meet 3 new friends who hosted me with genuine hospitality (no fakey smiley like in some countries on earth I wonβt mention); they brought me to city parks, mosques, slum areas, high end areas, etc in Dhaka. That was one paradoxically the happiest-saddest trip where I met the most skinny dogs and poor people right in front of luxurious houses. The most teary nights ever!
My smoothest, most expensive was 20-day solo travel in Europe: expensive flights, flights between countries, 1st class trains between cities and countries, taxi rides, good hotels, accessible public facilities, drinkable water free of charge!, good choices of foodβ¦. very little warm smile though. My favourite cities are still Amsterdam with so many Indonesians that warmed my soul and Madrid with so many handsome men that freshened my eyes! π
Do I still want to travel alone? YES! but not 99% anymore, maybe will be 75%. I have a small group of semi-backpacker ladies who will be best neighbours when I retire. So they might be my travel buddies when I want to share some itinerary with.
I miss traveling!!!
Next destination? I donβt knowβ¦. The virus has evolved from physical barrier to physio-socio-psycho-political block for me to move around! God bless you, dear Corona.
Happy Sunday home! Salaam. π
traveling isnβt the only way to find your true self, you can travel within instead; yet when having time and resources, do travel out of your familiar towns and cities – youβll feel different blessings! stay safe!
Sometimes a challenge or deadline is needed like fertiliser sprinkled on to the soil to trigger more chemical, biological, physical reactions from the root dancing in the ground to go deeper and healthier so that the tree grows even stronger and taller.
ι εΌ΅γγΎγγγοΌ
28-day writing challenge with some friends feels like a squid game π π΅βπ«
rike jokanan 
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