In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Wall.”
Walls are massive construction that will keep you separated from the other side of them. Once you can penetrate the walls, you can discover what’s the secret….. But, why so curious? You are in the inside: whichever side you are in, that’s where the other siders want to know. Be there, the walls don’t mean anything. 🙂
Of my collections, I have some wall pictures: inn ancient buildings that have shown sustainability. Artistic, precise and long-lasting….. in new buildings that shown simplicity. Simple, short-timed but still beautiful…..
A cement wall with oblong portholes, decorated with cat’s butt
A wooden wall with glasses, as background of grooming cat – small praying house
A stone wall with relief, Borobudur
Granite walls of Nagoya castle – Japanese precision
A stone wall – precision composed in roughness front gate of nagoya Castle
Temasek – March 14, 2015 – 6:21am
Category: love
Samurai’s Warrior’s Creed
I have no parents:
I make the heaven and earth my parents.
I have no home:
I make awareness my home.
I have no life and death:
I make the tides of breathing my life and death.
I have no divine powers:
I make honesty my divine power.
I have no means:
I make understanding my means.
I have no secrets:
I make character my secret.
I have no body:
I make endurance my body.
I have no eyes:
I make the flash of lightening my eyes.
I have no ears:
I make sensibility my ears.
I have no limbs:
I make promptness my limbs.
I have no strategy:
I make “unshadowed by thought” my strategy.
I have no design:
I make “seizing opportunity by the forelock” my design.
I have no miracles:
I make right action my miracle.
I have no principles:
I make adaptability to all circumstances my principle.
I have no tactics:
I make emptiness and fullness my tactics.
I have no talent:
I make ready wit my talent.
I have no friends:
I make my mind my friend.
I have no enemy:
I make carelessness my enemy.
I have no armour:
I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.
I have no castle:
I make immovable mind my castle.
I have no sword:
I make absence of self my sword.
a warrior’s creed – anonymous samurai song – 14th century
Quoted from http://www.esotericonline.net/profiles/blogs/a-warrior-s-creed
Temasek – March 12, 2015 – 7:23am
Mother – haiku
Orange
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Orange you glad it’s photo challenge time?.”
I don’t particularly love color orange but it’s proven to be pretty indeed.
Temasek – March 7, 2015 – 12:08pm
Manusia – poem (bilingual)
Pilihlah jalan
Yang termudah
Untuk jadi manusia:
Rasakan….
Indahnya tarikan nafas dan hirupan udara.
Rasakan….
Kicauan burung lewat kupingmu.
Rasakan….
Pijakan pada bumi di setiap langkah
Perlahan.
Jika mata masih berguna,
Rasakan warna dengan matamu —
Yang muda cerlang
Atau yang tua merabun.
Rasakan saja.
Dan, kala rasa nyeri masih melingkar di hati
Demi melihat makhluk-makhluk terlunta-lunta
Tersiksa oleh yang berkuasa;
Rasakan dan lepaskan derita itu,
Bungkus dengan cinta dan pengampunan.
Dan, engkau manusia….
Mudah jadi manusia,
Kan?
Mencintai.
Welas asih.
===========================================
Human
Choose a path:
The easiest way
To become a human.
Feel it….
The beauty of breath with every inhaled air.
Feel it….
The chirps of birds through your ears.
Feel it….
The steps you hit on earth
Slowly.
If the eyes are still open,
Feel the colours with your eyes
Either young bright eyes
Or far/near-sighted ones;
Just feel.
And, if the pain is still there in the heart
To see the underprivileged creatures
Tortured by the privileged rankers;
Feel the pain and release it,
Wrapped in love and forgiveness.
And, you are human….
Easy ways
To be human, huh?
Love.
Compassion.
My human kind friends…. (Karel, Riduan, Sapto, Eko, Dinah) – Bravo, buddies!
Temasek – March 5, 2015 – 10:58pm
Borrowed ID? (with a haiku)
A sheet of paper:
Name, sex, birthdate, religion is —
Borrowed ID.
Above haiku is a reminder for this self.
Have you ever thought of why you are called with your name? That nhe name was given by parents. Ok, borrowed name from parents? Or, the nickname that your friends & you agreed to use….
Have you ever thought of why you become a female rather than male? From the Creator, you could not even choose – or you bargained before your birth to be one? How…ever, yours is a borrowed sex.
Birthdate wasn’t chosen by you. You might have negotiated – but not 100% your take. It is lent by this life to you. Birthdate is the opening of current life; there should be the closing, fellas….
Religion? Attached since your family want you to be? Or, your spouse wants you to be? Or, the society want you to be? Or, any other external party wants you to be? Another borrowed…..
Borrowed…. You’ll have to return them someday. Please take good care of them before the D-day.
Temasek – March 1, 2015 – 11:15pm
Silence
One Afternoon Of A Tortoise
In the pond of one botanical garden, Ms. Tortoise was enjoying a warm day – oops warm enough to call it hot and she so much wanted to emerge to the surface. Swam, swam and swam…. Diving to see if she could see other fellow swimmers coming around. Oh, no one!
Ok, far ahead huge saucers are clustering. Maybe I can just perch for a while on one of them, thought Ms. Tortoise.
Swam, swam and swam…. Circling around some saucers which are actually leaves of water lily celebrating the sun ray.
Hop! Hop! Not easy for a tortoise to hop to something. Not easy, but doable. Yups!
Hmmm…. Ms. Tortoise saw on the leave wasn’t better than beneath the water. Ms. Tortoise decided to swim, swim, and swim away…. Enjoy the day! 🙂
Singapore – February 24, 2015 – 6:54pm
Truth – Real?
Through photography I learn a lot of things: how to focus – giving priority to either colour or shape, detail or wholeness, to be confident when taking pictures for often time the object is so weird people think photographer is crazy taking not so important things as interesting objects, how to take care of the camera and lenses and to review which photos should be saved or discarded….
In fact just this month I learned about one thing amazing through photography. Not found the lesson by myself but by listening to a young artist from Yogyakarta (Noe Sabrang of Letto). He talked about truth using photograph analogy. Won’t be accurately articulated but won’t deviate from his words:
“When someone takes picture of a flower and the pic is blurred, is it a flower when s/he claims it’s a flower? Yes, it is but it is vague and some people will probably deny its being a flower.
When someone takes picture of a flower and the pic is just ok, is it a flower pic? Yes, it is and people might recognise it is a flower.
When someone takes picture of a flower and the pic is naturally looking like the real flower, is it a flower pic? Yes, it is and people recognise it and even get amazed with the beauty of the flower that might have not been realized before.”
I think it is smart of his stating the truth through what has not been used as analogy of truth before.
Then I took the analogy home…. I thought and reckoned and recounted and pondered then come to an awareness…
Even if the flower pic is so naturally taken and amazed the eyes of the spectators…. It is still not the real flower.
It is reflection of the real flower. Reflection of truth…. Why do people like claiming they’re true? 🙂
Another lesson for me: truth discloses itself by time, piece by piece until it is crystal clear in the real shape and undeniable, human beings should just be patient.
Temasek – February 23, 2015 – 7:28pm
Auroboros – haiku
Bee – haiku
Red But Not Rose (haiku)
Loss
Certain loss should make you happy
Seriously.
Do you know that….
…. sometimes I think of a great loss of my hair that is not balanced with my weight loss. And, I think I am happier if the loss is the other way around. 🙂
Singapore – February 19, 2015 – 7:00pm
Picture borrowed from http://themoderndayspartan.com/the-secret-to-balance/
Silent Chinese New Year – 2015
I’ve got a long weekend for Chinese New Year will fall on Friday and Saturday. And, ’ve got an even longer weekend since my company grant us two more days off on Monday and Tuesday so that Chinese colleagues can enjoy more time with their family. Six days! Thanks, Tim! 🙂
Just going back to Jakarta last week to enjoy the Kenduri Cinta in Taman Ismail Marizuki so I decided not to go home to Indonesia this time with some reasons: expensive ticket, short period of holiday (inconsistent with my earlier statement that this weekend is long even very long weekend), time to contemplate….
Expensive ticket is a kind of trend. In holiday season many Singaporeans fly out. The bigger the demand, the higher the price. So be it. It might not be a problem because we can buy economy seat or use frequent flyer points to get a ticket but it won’t worth the time enjoyed…. It is a long weekend indeed but my home is not around Jakarta anymore and so it takes longer travel time. Now I like going back to my mom’s home where family reside including those cats that – I believe – miss me so much 🙂
So, long weekend short…. And I want it to be a silent year start – Chinese year….
Need a stationary time. Noble silence. No work, no chat, no talk, just me. Won’t call it “me time” because it is not for me, it is for…. I don’t know whom it is for – I just wanna do it. 🙂
Noble silence and creative contemplation will be the proper terminology. Will be enjoying the long weekend in this city country. Known already it’s gonna be short in feeling….
Equipped with a sketch book, a box of color pencils, photography tools and an EZ-link card I’ll wander around this island…. And, see what I can generate at the end.
Assalamu’alaikum….
Singapore – February 18, 2015 – 3:51pm
Picture borrowed from http://www.therufus.com/product/rumi-on-silence-poster/
The Need of Grounding
Exchanging Blessings With The Gentle Giants
I went to Oslob, Cebu, Philippines — for whale shark watching last week. Butanding is the local language for whale shark (Rhincodon Typus). I wanted to exchange blessings with them.
With Michelle and Jerry – a tour guide and a driver – I left Mactan at 5am.
Deciding not to plunge in to the water, I didn’t bring any swimsuit. Ok, a boat was rented….
The boatman is part of the conservation team…. See the T-shirt worn.
Many people already swam around something…. A group of butanding enjoying their breakfast
The gentle giant was peeping below my boat. Please let me offer you my love, dear butanding….
Look at the spots on the body….
…. on the tail
He is deeply, seriously giving his blessings…. Or her blessings….
Blessings to the feeder on the boat….
To the onlookers on and beneath the water…..
And, to me….
Before I finally left the site, I put both my feet into the water and prayed in my heart, telling huge blessings then leaving them into the sea. Thank you, butanding…. For the blessings we exchange.
Singapore – February 15, 2015 – 4:48am
For more information about whale shark, please go to:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/whale-shark/
Maya, Anjing Yang Hepi
Lagi di Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines.
Seperti biasa ada asyiknya dan nggak asyiknya tiap travel. Enaknya ya jelas deh ketemu binatang-binatang yang tak kalah ramahnya dengan para manusia yang kutemui di Philippines. Filipino punya bakat ramah-tamah yang nggak kalah sama orang Indonesia, jadi nyaman-nyaman saja travel ke kepulauan ini. Kutegaskan kembali Filipino di Philippines itu ramah , anjing-anjingnya hepi walau nggak semua bersih, banyak stray dogs berkeliaran dan tidak ada tukang makan anjing seperti di daerah-daerah di Indonesia. Semoga para pemakan dan pemburu anjing diberi kesadaran oleh Semesta, berhenti memburu anjing dan kembali ke jalan yang manusiawi.
Tuan rumah dengan keramahan sempurna tentunya bikin kerjaan lancar. Dan ketemu dengan Maya, anjing yang ditugaskan di gate area hotel, bikin perjalanan di Cebu lebih enteng di batin…. Ini anjing gede dan nature-nya gembira – aku panel “Maya….” langsung lompat mau ngerangkul…. Waduh rek, bukannya takut najis…. Takut digigit doang.
lompat mau hugging
I love you, Maya but please don’t hug me. I’m afraid…. Then she behave 🙂
Maya ini matanya katarak dua-duanya – curiga gw sih penyebabnya makanan karena Lorent di Makati juga matanya sakit karena makanan. So, tolong ya para pemelihara anjing beliin makanan yang nggak ada efek samping buruk untuk anjingnya. Teliti sebelum membeli.
Ada satu lagi anjing jantan namanya Bruce. Warnanya krem kayaknya sih herder juga. Cuma ketemu waktu tiba di hotel Minggu siang jadi nggak sempat moto….
Jadi mereka ini berjaga di gate bergantian tiap 6 jam. Tugasnya mengendus trunk mobil yang masuk ke lingkungan hotel.
Aku tahu alangkah membosankannya pekerjaan itu makanya Maya melonjak gembira saat ada yang menyapa.
Semoga Maya, Bruce dan 5 anjing patrol lainnya sehat, kenyang dan hepi selalu… Lebih dari itu semoga banyak yang melimpahkan rasa sayangnya pada mereka. Amin….
Ayo sayangi anjing dan binatang lainnya…..
SRL Mactan, Cebu – 11 February, 2015 – 6:22 petang
About Morning Sun – Bromo
I took these pictures in Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia – my beloved country – in August 2010. What a lovely morning it was. Hundreds of people were waiting for the the sun to rise. They came from all corners of the earth: different colours of skin and hair (and teeth I guess). But it didn’t matter; they all shared the same expectations and expressions. When the sun showed its face timidly yet gracefully, those folks burst into happy laughter. Then they cheered, they clapped hands, they prayed, they cried, they smiled, they got amazed, they praised, they all emitted positive energy. Radiance is reflected through the eyes – either naked or behind glasses.
The next mornings in other places, we saw another sun rise but none of us laughed or cheered or clapped hands or prayed or cried or smiled or got amazed or praised…. Is it because we were not in Mount Bromo anymore? Probably. But most probably, we don’t always see the sun from the right angle. We see sun as just an object, a routine, just something but never a something….
People don’t really wait for the sun every morning for enjoyment. They wait for times to pass, just to kill it…. Second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year…. until the end is approaching and slowing down the time is possible no more.
Do I wait for time to pass? Or, to enjoy every hi from the morning sun? Hard to confess — because now I close my eyes when the sun is greeting.
Singapore – February 3, 2015 – 12:34am
Blessing
Mawar – haiku (Rose)
Click
When do you feel it’s time to act? When time allows.
When does time allow? When we are ready.
When are we ready? When we have strong determination.
When do we have strong determination? When we have strong grounds.
When do we have strong grounds? When all reasons are well collected.
When? When the Universe gives us a click.
Singapore – January 25, 2015 – 10:12pm
Listen
Sometimes you are tired of listening to friends who keep saying they are tired of walking down their life path.
Sometimes you are bored of listening to people who keep thinking they are the unluckiest ones on earth.
Sometimes you are just wondering what those people are talking about and you just say “uh-uh” at the end of every sentence they say.
Sometimes you are just smiling at the end of the table to confirm that they just want to be heard and not really care whether you are really listening or not.
That’s fine….
Life is about enjoying.
So, let’s enjoy the listening part.
Open the ears wide, and more than that HEART wide to suffice what those people are craving: to be listened, to be care.
Because they feel abandoned in their own life, in their own self…. Without realizing that they are feeling that way.
But, willingness doesn’t come easy. It sometimes gets dragged aside by weak body and heavy days…. So, forgive yourself for not listening to every whining and complaining….
Oh…. What a beautiful life! What a beautiful journey! I think I know why I am here.
If only I can tell them to listen to their own selves.
Penang – January 21, 2015 – 4:46am
Picture borrowed from http://weheartit.com/entry/group/694625
Comfort (haiku)
Die Hard (haiku)
I Do What I Believe Is Right
When I was a teacher years ago, I didn’t stop telling my students that all deeds are based on our intention and our intention is based on our belief. “Never stop asking yourself whether or not what you believe is right,” said I at that time. And, I’ve got tested every now and then — I guess the Universe wants to show us that I walk the talk.
And, yes. I walk the talk. I do believe what I believe is right, with reserve. Challenging our own belief is kinda routine task scheduled in life. With that, I don’t bother anymore what people are saying about what I’m doing or even what or who I am. This is a good life to travel and this path is already set, planned in the space somewhere by the Core of the Universe…. Why bother by fellow traveler?
I’m not a teacher anymore and recently I’ve been tested by a fact that some people are just sucking energy like vampire sucks the blood. Don’t worry, they are not that powerful. They suck, but weakly — not as strong as they think they are. They think they suck your “blood”, your “real life spirit” to dry but actually they only suck the “sweat”, the daily emotion that act as rubbish of our day. So, the best treatment for those suckers is only one: just smile and play seriously….
Play seriously? Yups, don’t entertain them. Just treat them as friends who have nobody to share and cry for bucket to puke all their stress of life. Not seldom they would try to make you jealous (to them or to others) or angry by sending you stories or news…. But, that is the worst scenario. They just need your attention so give it to them. And, I believe it is right — paying attention is right! 🙂
It is weekend and ‘ve got laundry to clean up so nothing much I can do to entertain those kinds of things. Ignore.
Again, I do what I believe is right and ‘m gonna keep doing it till I think I don’t believe what I am doing is right. Nothing to explain to the outer world.
Dinner with a bunch of workaholic and global trekkers
Singapore – January 17, 2015 – 12:35am
Beautiful Greek & Handsome Greg
It is not Greek from the Europe.
She is our beautiful Greek and our handsome Greg – two cats our ours raised by my family.
The most beautiful girl and handsomest guy in our humble abode….
One female and one male felines that share their happiness and joy with us in life.
Greek, thanks for your cheerful hello when we get up, for your quick snatch when we throw the rope, for innocent look when we don’t give you enough, for your touch with the fur when you want even more rubs, for everything making us smile and (pretend to be) upset….
Mew…. Your soft voice, Greek….
Saw her and her caretaker last holiday
Meow! Wow, stronger voice: that is Greg, the one replacing Bob
enjoying day after lunch
Greg, now one-eyed has been a tough guy in our family – his right eye was attacked by virus and late treated. He’s been with us since Bob was still here.
Greg behaves calmer than Greek. He won’t hop or jump or run in front of me. He is just sitting, licking his whole body over, mewing strongly and more loudly. And, he eats more easily even finishes Greek’s leftover. They have different plates for sure but the same bowl of water.
Greg doesn’t sleep at home. He is a tom and strays around at night for female feline; he stays home when it rains very heavily — dining chair is his favourite. Greek is staying home almost 60% of her day — sometimes at the porch, beds, chairs, corner of mom’s study.
Both are loved as loved as the human around…. And be thanked as thanked as the whole Universe….
Thanks for the humans around who take care of them 🙂
under the shade of drying frame
Bob, the grand predecessor 🙂
Singapore – January 11, 2015 – 2:10pm
Lezat!
Lezat itu bukan tentang rasa makanan. Lezat lebih berhubungan dengan kekuatan lidah mencecap rasa. Menurutku sayur rebung (dengan santan dan bumbu lodeh) lezat luar biasa walaupun gaya memasaknya mungkin tidak berkenan di hati saya.
Mie…. Segala macam mie tidak langsung saya anggap lezat kecuali ketika aku amat sangat kangen indomie (sebut merk, ha ha ha….) atau seperti sekarang ini: pengen mie tek tek…..
Alhasil, saya ke Indobox lagi di ION Orchard biar bisa makan “mee tek tek”. Ini hidangan berlabel “Chef’s Recommendation” tapi saya kasih grade “Im-palate Recommendation” alias horaaaa huenaaaak….
Again, bukan soal rasa melainkan indera perasa…..
Semua maya 😂
English version to come…..
Singapura – 9 Januari 2015 – 7:05pm
Into The Nature
Happiness and joy are represented by those two children playing in the rice field. Running and laughing, chasing each other in the sloping road…. Framed by terraced land of paddy, roofed with blue sky, and founded on the strong brown soil they enjoy their early journey of life.
Oka and Asti
Catch me if you can, Mbak Asti….
Grinning Oka
Smiling Asti
Pretty ladybird
Nephew and aunt
Temasek – January 9, 2015 – 1:02am
2015 – A Simple Resolution
Resolution 2015? Ooooh lala…. Once forgotten, let’s do it now!
What do I project?
- All assignments – well done
- Clearer understanding about myself
- More relaxed and cheerful
- Consistently writing
That’s it? Those four are the big points, smaller are flowing, following those main topics.
Today, Getting back to Singapore, getting back to work — a bunch of work.
Bismillaah….
among the wine, holding tea
Temasek – January 4, 2015 – 10:48pm
Gifts From Nature
Gift is everywhere, reflected by the heart as mirror reflecting shadows. How clear this heart is? See these pictures and find if there’s gift presented by nature.
Rainbow arch
Slides down to earth,
Pouring colors
======================================
Prawn spruce in a golf court in Cupertino, California
Betel leave in Tulungagung, Indonesia
Banana field with farmer couple in Lumajang, Indonesia
Green on green with an inserted red, Singapore
Snail on a walk path, Singapore
Green fountain in Tulungagung, Indonesia
Fungi on tree trunk, Aloon-aloon Tulungagung
Blooming grass flower in Nagoya, Japan
We call it “bungur china” flower, flower shot in Nagoya
Mushroom on the tree, Nagoya
What flower is it Nagoya presented? Such beauty in mini….
A dove is cooing just below my window, greeting me with warm friendly regards from nature,
Not sure what they’re named but they are in Changi International Airport….
Happy Holiday, All!
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Temasek – December 21, 2014 – 5:15



























































































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