Well Fed

Good morning from a park
Where all beings are happy.
Both the feeding and the fed
Are well.

I wish all beings be happy
Wherever they are.

β€”β€”

i bought a bundle of biscuits to feed the deer in Nara; seeing how well fed they were, I decided to sit down and just watched how human beings showed love to those tame animals πŸ’•

False Alarm

You rang loudly in my ears.
I ran following you.
I was safe in pyjamas.
You blinked an eye then went away.

You are always alarming me
And I start to distrust you.

Dear,
False alarm.

β€”β€”

another false alarm this morning at around 7:20

this time many had decent clothes as many guests were ready to go out early

I was confused because several seconds after instructions to evacuate, the messages changed; this time telling that it was a false alarm and we didn’t have to evacuate

compared to the first false alarm I experienced in Penang earlier, this one in Japan was handled very properly; when a couple and I ran to the office room behind the lift, two officers in fire uniform were walking in β€” less than 5 minutes!

Japan is really outstanding in emergency management.

my plan to wake up a bit later didn’t happen; I will get prepared to go out early 😍

dear Love, I hope to still believe an alarm when it goes off. 🀭

Serenity, Joy and Beauty

This serene moment
Has brought me joy
That sparks beauty
Anywhere I am.

Let them interpret
A picture
As they wish.
That is their life.

Mine is here and now.
No one is accurate
In defining me
As serenity, joy and beauty
Is a luxury
Differently designed
For each of reality.

β€”β€”

a line of serenity

me and myself in joy

even when tilting, my eyes see beauty πŸ’• not your definition of beauty, it is mine and mine only

Talk to The Self

One talk to the self.
Alone among cheering crowd.
Peaceful in the noiseβ€”

β€”β€”

it was a beautiful night with myself among the crowd πŸ’•

Wish

What’s drying
Won’t relive.
It’s just flying
To meet a new home
Where soul sweetly greets,
Where heart warmly embraces.
I don’t want to mourn,
I close all doors,
I just want to doze off.
There’s no wish anymore.

β€”β€”

dreams flying with the drying heart

drying grass and it’s beautiful – Hakone, Japan

Tokyo at A Glance

Tokyo at a glance
Brings me a shadow of you
Longing for a home.

β€”β€”

sightseeing 😍

(affordable) sushi so far is only nice in Japan 😊

made one once and will make it again someday 😍

Scents and Colours in Space

If there is a space,
I won’t fill it with a thing
But scents and colours
So it’s full but still roomy
For you to glow in my sky.

β€”β€”

photo of universe from Wikipedia

Heart of Teen

If someday the age counts no more;
I want to be remembered as
A girl who resides in an old soul,
A woman who cradles teen’s heart,
A foe who wins with no glories,
A friend who shares joy,
A sister who carries responsibilities,
A daughter who pays homage,
A human being who makes mistakes,
A nobody who learns lessons,
A fool who scavenges wisdom.

And that’s what I will call
Alive.

β€”β€”

hidden grey hair and new spectacles made my day; finally giving up to progressive lenses after 4 years of denying that my eyes are not young anymore β€” enjoying a bowl of Vietnamese pho bo shot candid by a friend visiting from Jakarta β€” so blessed to be almost 50 with the heart of teen πŸ˜‚πŸŽ‰πŸ˜Ž

Deli from My Heart!

When heart is joyful,
It radiates through senses.
Deli from my heartβ€”

β€”β€”

gudheg ayam ala Rike β™₯️ β€” light and bright, my must-eat for all my family and friends visiting me

most of feedback: can you make it saltier πŸ’•

tempe kemul aka blanketed tempe β€” yummy like in heaven!

today’s lunch box β€” leftover of gudheg ayam, rambutan and mini banana πŸ’š

Numbers

Through numbers I see
How happy human beings are
Zigzagging among their dreams,
Excusing to leave what is.

With numbers I hear
How flowing rivers are
Splashing over the rocks and debris,
Calming by the wind.

One number in this equation
Suddenly disappeared.
No. It faded away.
Ya. Getting confused.

Dear
Number,
Fade away.
Find your way.

β€”β€”

I love numbers, not necessarily through Math but playing with them feels like swimming in an ocean of never-ending possibilities β€” yet my favourite ones are still 1, 7 and 9 with no logical reasons at all

there is no reason to love you

yet there are ones to not fight for that love

Love you…. Whoohoo!!! πŸ˜ƒπŸ˜‚πŸ’•πŸ˜˜

Prophesy

Do you believe in prophesy
Where fog lingers down the hill
Leaving feet walk alone,
No light,
No eyesight,
No pathway seen,
Only heart listening
To the wind rustling
Flying leaves to
The North Star?

β€”β€”

This artwork by Ichwan Noor is named β€œBedhaya Kinjeng Wesi”

Bedhaya: a Javanese sacred dance (usually composed by a king to be) performed by at least 9 female dancers or bigger odd numbers

Kinjeng: Javanese word for dragonfly

Wesi: Javanese word for iron

Kinjeng wesi (iron dragonfly) is a phrase that appeared in one Javanese prophesy telling that the area where Yogyakarta International Airport is now located is the area mentioned to be the nest of iron dragonflies

Do I believe? Not so much. Yet it is always entertaining to talk about what the old days predict about nowadays.

I don’t have so much expectation that Yogyakarta will be a busy tourist spot (I don’t want it to lose more and more genuineness and originality of culture and traditions) β€” yet I hope at least there will be more flights from and to Singapore in that new airport.

πŸ’•

Falling in Love

If not because of 
Love,
This soul won’t soar,
This heart won’t throb,
This head won’t radiate,
These palms won’t trust sensations.

If because of
Love all are alive,
And so
I fall in
Love
Every single
Day

With
You.

The same
You
Over and over
Again.

β€”β€”

falling in love is everyday whole year like butternut squash πŸ’•

picture: RC Gorman’s work of art

Coincidences

Coincidences,
Unexplained experience
In one fast crossroad

β€”β€”

β€˜M supposed to watch Coldplay in Japan with Vito, my nephew. We’d planned the trip since May; he passed away in July. Feeling desperate and not wanting to go alone, I was about to cancel the trip when coincidently one best friend said she wanted to visit me in Singapore in the week of the supposed-to-be-cancelled trip. I offered her a free Coldplay ticket to go with me. She agreed! And so the trip cancellation didn’t happen. πŸ’•

I am still selecting which photo of his is the best to bring. I want to take picture with his picture before, during and after Coldplay concert and wherever we would have been going in Japan.

Sometimes we live to walk on others’ dreams and those who have the dreams must let go off their dream to be walked on by others. That’s why I always want to live my life with true dedication as not everyone has the opportunity to live this long.

For those living chasing dreams, you can!

For those leaving with some dreams behind, your dreams are cherished by your beloved!

Rest in love, dear boy.

Salam.

my life is a chain of ordinary acts, rare sprinkles of drama and magical coincidences β€” unexplainable except that I am blessed with all the problems and solutions πŸ’•

Next Flight

I wish to meet you
And greet each other sweetly
Where sun looks red round.

β€”β€”

sometimes I imagine I meet a long lost friend in one busy airport and we greet each other β€”- β€œlong time no see, let’s have some tea!”

(Changi Airport picture – Rain Vortex)

Upside Down

Sometimes it feels dizzy
To look things as presented
Then I flip upside down
Things are weird
You become so within reach.

Once the twig cracked and broke,
I fell down
And you were nowhere to find
Before talking
Without goodbye.

β€”β€”

i’m a fool

Pearls on The Cheeks

Pearls sliding down
The slope of this face
End in a clear lake
Reflecting a tiny shadow
Of my singing heart

About this journey
About the weak
About the unprotected
About the underprivileged
About those
Who are turned to a line of batteries
To charge a machine
Called
Greed.

Wet my cheeks,
Flood my heart,
Keep me clear
So I can see what is.

β€”β€”

choosing to spread smiles and to silently recite unchained melody of peace and love to those πŸ’• the least I can do

my praying heart goes to those civilians especially those underprivileged, weak, unprotected, betrayed anywhere they are on Mother Earth

May all beings be happy. Free from suffering.

πŸ™πŸΌ

(picture from Pinterest)

Sunflower

I live here
On a wandering planet
Where sunflower grows
Looking up the sun
With no question
Until maturity arrives
And she will face only the east
Where hope rises.

Indeed.

β€”β€”

(picture from Pinterest)

Beautifully, Humbly

The tree sows thousands of seeds
That fly to all directions
And never return
Until the wind stands up
And calls.
Which seeds come back?
Any
That hear a mother
Beautifully sings with love
Humbly whispers with peace
About home
Full of
Love.

β€”β€”

this is how much beautifully humble my mother is β€” with that she has been highly respected by those surrounding her; I won’t be as respected as she is yet I want to at least preserve some part of her humbleness πŸ’š

Happy Birthday, Ibu

Everything is centred.
My mother.
Everything is meaningful.
My mother.
Everything is wisdom.
My mother.

β€”β€”

she was meeting her doctor for medical review on her birthday today β€” she said her health and children are the best gift forever πŸ’•

Ibu and me in Jabal Rahmah (Mount of Love), 2016 β€” wishing our love spread to everyone around us

a tumpeng by me for my mother, sent via WhatsApp πŸ™‚

Flipped

I flipped this body down
To see the world upside down
My first effort brought frown
Still I decided to go on

I’m hanging my satchel
I’m hanging my pole
I’m taking all as it is
From behind the scroll

β€”β€”

this is my favourite photo of mine although I don’t look good at all: I’m simply upside down with fun as how I see the world outside my work, trying to relax by seeing things from different perspectives and understanding others’ esp those disagreeing with me β€”

to me most of the time caption is more important than picture and I always like to tease my friends with my caption and some usually cannot stop commenting although irrelevantly πŸ˜€

Self Care

There’s a seed
Called self
Needing love
And care
And consistency
To grow,
To glow,
To everlastingly flow.

β€”β€”

started fermented rice water to treat my long hair β€” this one is black rice + rose tea + lime

shampoo bar and conditioner bar made of longsheng rice that is used by the Red Yao women for their beautiful long hair β€” after using these bought bars, I plan to make my own shampoo bar from Indonesia rice and conditioner liquid from boiled flaxseed water

πŸ’•

all in the name of self care because no one cares about myself but me

πŸ’š

Wandering Centre

Even if
I love
You,
I won’t chase
You.

I am a tiny dust,
They are giant stars.
I realise at last,
Their silence gives me scars.

I am a wandering centre
That spins peacefully,
In solitude
Giving blessings
From a distance
Until someday
They can feel what I feel,
They can see what I see,
They can hear what I hear,
They can taste what I taste,
They can touch what I touch,
They not be what I not be.

β€”β€”

still, centred yet wandering with the universe