I peep all the apps,
Close them then get back to mails—
New window shopping.

Manila – Jan. 28, 2020 / 22:00

—-

How many applications do you keep in your smart phone? I saw a friend’s iPhone with one hundred fifty (150) apps including the original apps and the games, social media, productivity, etc.

I have some apps – no game anymore as they gave me more stress than fun. I killed my Facebook, gave up Twitter, keep Instagram and WordPress, make a new Pinterest. I browse around those apps when bored or before sleeping. At the end of the day I’ve gotta back to check my email….

Opening and closing the apps is like a new form of window shopping. Good! At least I save energy and money. 😝

Let’s go get the moon.
Why not sun? ‘Coz it’s too hot—
Too bright and too far.

Manila – Jan. 27, 2020 / 17:57

—-

I never want something perfect, I just want something accessible that’s why I don’t want to expect anything from whom or what I love.

Life, please bless me with blessed and beautiful happiness – just perfect enough with all my imperfection.

God bless the moon, the sun and the earth.

🙏🏼

So sweet…. 😊

Enjoy….! 😍

I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky
And I swear like the shadow that’s by your side

I see the questions in your eyes
I know what’s weighing on your mind
You can be sure I know my heart

‘Cause I’ll stand beside you through the years
You’ll only cry those happy tears
And though I make mistakes
I’ll never break your heart

And I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky
I’ll be there
I swear like a shadow that’s by your side
I’ll be there

For better or worse, till death do us part
I’ll love you with every beat of my heart
And I swear

I’ll give you every thing I can
I’ll build your dreams with these two hands
We’ll hang some memories on the walls

And when just the two of us are there
You won’t have to ask if I still care
‘Cause as the time turns the page, my love won’t age at all

And I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky (I’ll be there)
I swear (and I swear) like the shadow that’s by your side
I’ll be there (I’ll be there)

For better or worse, till death do us part
I’ll love you with every beat of my heart
And I swear

I swear (I swear) by the moon and stars in the sky
I’ll be there
I swear like the shadow that’s by your side
I’ll be there

For better or worse, till death do us part
I’ll love you with every (single) beat of my heart
I swear, I swear, oh, I, swear

I’m not Supergirl.
I am a super woman.
Now you get that, right?

NAIA Manila – Jan. 26, 2020 / 14:30

—-

After standing for more than 30 minutes queueing in immigration counter and hustling to conveyor for my luggage, I was now waiting for the shuttle car to EDSA.

I don’t know why some gentlemen don’t act like gentlemen. They cut the line, THEY CUT A LADY’S LINE.

I said to that particular gent. “I queue before you. Are you in a hurry?”

“Oh oh I’m sorry. I didn’t see you queue.”

What?!

He took my car without saying thank you. I promised to give him a gift of sarcasm if I meet him in the hotel.

Life is not always sweet but a bitter man is unacceptable!

May all beings be happy.

Sun rises, sun sets.
Earth is shadowed. Time is formed.
Twelve hours is gone.

Up in the sky – Jan. 25, 2020 / 10:18am

—

Why do you worry about time? It doesn’t exist. It is an agreed cycle that has haunted human beings for centuries and now is traded with their freedom.

You are limited with all that is scheduled that is timed – breakfast at 7, pick up at 7:30, meeting at 9, lunch at 12, dinner at 8, sleep for at least 7 hours blah blah blah….

And when the 12 hours of the dark is spent without sleeping, they call you not healthy — I don’t wanna sleep, I wanna daydream about my love. And when the 12 hours of the bright is spent without working, they call you idle – I am not working for your approval, I work because I know what I do is useful at any time for certain group of people. And when the 12 hours is gone, they tell you that you are getting old – my body deteriorates but my heart and soul are as fresh as morning dew!

Why are some people judgmental?

Don’t they know that I don’t have breakfast because if I do then I’ll be sleepy as heaven the whole morning. I hate 7:30 pick up because it is when I’m supposed to attend the nature call. The 9 meeting is so awkward; people stare at you like zombies who are ready to eat your brain as theirs are almost dried because of your predictable speech. Lunch at 12 – can it be pushed to 2? I want to sleep at 12! ☺️

Many need to compromise and ‘coz I wanna be called normal, I agree with 12+12=24hours productivity. Among many I’m like walking backward though 😝
Actually I’m not, I’m flying forward and have to wait until they reach my point.

Happy short weekend!

May all beings be happy.

Chinese New Year is not perfect without angpao….

God bless all of us in the year of Rat.

Joy of gardening
Is seeing buds appear
After a long wait.

Phnom Penh – January 22, 2020 / 18:35

—-

This morning when watering the plants I was given a good surprise by one of the orchids in the balcony. A stem of buds has come!

I got her last year from a plant nursery near my favourite durian stall in Ang Mo Kio market. I can’t remember the color, it is either white or purplish white – my grey matter doesn’t even cooperate to recall a color of my orchid.

An amateur plant lover, I’ve been desperate that some of my orchids didn’t seem to bloom again. Only one has produced flowers again and again, the rest are just rooting and greening. Now that another orchid gets joyously blooming, I have a hope of levelling up to less amateur orchid lover. 🌞

This orchid has a twin next to her. Her twin is still struggling with the root and leaves. She might bloom, too once the roots and leaves are getting stronger. I really hope not only these twins would bloom, I have four more that haven’t happily shown their flowers. Please, dear orchids….

I’ll buy you the best durian if you all bloom! 🥰

May all beings be happy.

Alarm wakes me up.
None beats these back-to-back trips
Except the laundry!

Jakarta – January 20, 2020 / 21:00

—-

The busy days have come before a short break of Chinese New Year. With all the lined-up flight schedule in my iCal, I feel energised to meet some amazing people who dedicate their life for perfection of what simple things they’ve chosen to do.

When I review my schedule, it is like a fantastic juggle among packing, fly out to B, working, fly in to A, unpacking, laundry, packing, fly out to B again…. fly out to B again…. 🤪

I bet some people get bored to fly to the same places. I don’t. I like meeting people – the same group of people. Some annoying, some sweet, some emotionless, some smart, some shy but all I’ve met are light bearers creating workplaces healthy and safe from physical, psychological, occupational and environmental unfair treatment. But….

…. I don’t like one thing: with so many short trips with unpacked laundry, I don’t have enough clothes to pack. Damn! Sometimes I regret of having too few a clothing yet too many books and rings. Gotta buy some simple clothes soon 🤪

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.

💝