rike jokanan

Colours and patterns
Drawn for beauty and meaning—

At times the colours call
To get brightened up.

At times the patterns invite
To compare accuracy.

—

To me the highest luxury in life is not branded bags, luxurious houses, luxurious car, luxurious holiday (not backpacking though); but it is hand-made batik. With as low as USD100 I can afford a sheet of hand-made batik that definitely a way to conserve local culture and to help the batik makers survive life. There are brands and designers sell the batik for doubled prices; with the same quality of my USD100 batik, they probably sell it for at least USD400. My most expensive batik is only for USD700; imagine how much those brands and designers will sell them — trusted names do sell.

How can batik be so expensive even bought from the first hand like mine? It of course involves high technique and skills (senior batik makers can make very delicate and accurate result of batik), the patterns made, the colours used (the more colours esp natural colourants, the more expensive as the blocking process can be more than twice); time consumed (can be up to 5 months to complete one sheet of 2.5m of hand-made batik sheet), quality of fabric used (cotton and silk is the most common). In short quality hand-made batik is a combination of high art and high patience!

Today is my batik day. Some of the batik sheets got light treatment of “airing” in which folded batik is unfolded, hung loose to get some breeze for around an hour. This is my own technique in rainy days. In sunny day the sheets should be sunbathed.

Batik treatment by an amateur batik curator ✅

Let’s do more fun today! 💗

Thank you, dear weekend.

Salaam.

another group that need airing or sunbathing tomorrow 🙂 others will be next month 🙏🏼

amazed by the batiks as collected or curated by those professional curators 😍

5 and 7

Throw up all you have
To the ocean embracing
Both pearls and rubbish.

—

Everyday is showing off about 5 and 7 by human beings to thank and celebrate themselves at the same time to hurt and disrespect whomever they don’t dare communicate directly. What a match! 😘

Spice up your days! 🤩

let’s cook! politics is coming from the kitchen 😁

Politik Euy!

This weekend is about politics. Yuk mari….!

the only one in the system that I still trust yet not even 100% just because I was in the same student movement with him in ‘98 – maju terus, Bang! 🎉

Journey

Learning, Map It!, Poetic, This Person, Those People

Journey to the self
Takes a long and winding road,
Worth doing. Half done—

—

Human beings’ journey to understand one’s self is often unpredictable. I never wanted to visit Mecca and Medina yet because of my devotion to a mother, I agreed to go to ensure that she was safe and healthy. And the result was tremendous evolution of self. 💝

To Ibu: I miss you much today 😘

Alfatihah

Masjid Nabawi (Mosque of Prophet) in Medina — where I started strongly realising that there is a journey —a silent one— that I must commit 💝 someday I’ll be back with a clearer mind and a calmer heart yet the same level of “disobedience” and stubbornness 😁

where I witnessed how a human being’s karma is overtly paid off and showing the quality of a person visiting this place – my mother is a humble, kind and very very generous person and in this place she was greeted by sooo many female pilgrims from other countries, requested to take picture together, given a looooooooooot of food every day, given space once arriving in the mosque (her friends in her group were not that much) – me? oh of course she introduced me as her daughter cum translator and then was included in all her blessings 😝

the only person who could move my heart to finally go – thank you, Ibu; might not be a happy ending for me but was a best start of a journey 💝

where my heart was knocked from inside that the journey is within and silent, a precious gift — the physical is a gift wrap to respect whomever we wish 💝 (Masjidil Haram, Mecca)

a life long pilgrimage of mine 💝 a private, silent, almost secretive so only I and whom I most love know the milestones 💗 others are guessing and interpreting 🙏🏼

Samba!

Samba shakes the world
With its vibes and colours.
You’re winning a heart!

—

Brazil is about green forest, yellow land of gold and hot weather. And Samba dance!

losing or winning, Samba’s team is my champion! 🎉

a game is played with heart and soul! 💝

Dinner

Learning, Map It!, Poetic

The night’s getting old.
The light’s getting bright. Road’s, too.
Breeze’s humming hymns.

—

After a long day, I invited the two friends working with me to have dinner together. Not a treat, just a shared dinner as each of us are bound to integrity pledge— Go Dutch! Respected and appreciated! 🙏🏼

A Lebanese restaurant was recommended by one of them whose girlfriend loves eating Lebanese and Turkish food. The other agreed with any. And so we drove to Halab Penang, a Lebanese restaurant located in Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street).

Being a Christian, one prayed religiously before eating, the other one also Christian yet didn’t seem to whisper any. Me? I know my Beloved hears me even when I speak with no voice. 😊

Thanks for today! Remember, dear friends the power of “only positive vibes are entertained”. 😊

See you next time.

Alfatihah for you both. 💕

Halab Penang from one angle, I should have taken the pic from the other angle whose pillar was decorated with beautiful calligraphy of Allah and Muhammad

Winning (ranting)

You’re winning my heart
When my goal’s the same as yours.
After days of loss—

—

FIFA 2022 has brought controversial practices and surprises from the beginning. I don’t have further comments on those political, yet I am so happy with Saudi Arabia and Japan winning against Argentina and Germany. What a victory!

I wish they win again and again and those big names lose more to balance the celebration. It is just a game yet sometimes a game should be won by those who have been underdog. I am not discriminative. 😁

Twitter too has been so much more crowded with the euphoric tweets about FIFA 2022. Exciting, hilarious, entertaining, some envious, abusive, violent though. Yet how much ever I want to click a like to soooo many “sweet” tweets, I remember my promise of not doing so for some time now. Playing in Twitter is a bit scary, buzzers and scammers are freely working, sending me irresponsible messages; better play safe and observe only. Or probably just my algorithm— 🙂

FIFA! It’s been annual celebration for football lovers, refresher for bored routine dwellers. We, —our father, siblings, cousins and I— would watch the games through national TV station together even over midnight to indirectly cheer our favourite teams. In Indonesia “nobar = nonton bareng” aka watching together (at home, community centers, cafes) is very common to enjoy sports games, badminton and football in particular — many people will do wide screen with noises and costumes of real supporters as if watching onsite. Our favourite teams were Netherlands, Brazil and England so we would be the noisiest when watching them. Not Indonesia? Of course, not! We love our national team but they are not yet ready to go beyond the country borders especially with the current funny management. Someday, someday! 😍

In Malaysia now, yet none of the people met was eager to talk about FIFA so we just talked about annual holiday at lunch break while enjoying Kapitan’s biryani and tandoori chicken. Unfortunately…. Or fortunately so I fully focus on work 🤓

‘ll be in Japan next week and love to see how euphoric Japanese are about this victory. Hopefully they will show more relaxed look and behaviour this time with the excitement. So excited! 🤩

Salaam.

so happy to see the winner happy esp after playing against a big name

wave your flag, human! it’s not only religious but also joyous! 😍 like those Arabs in FIFA time 😘

clean your waste, human! it’s not only joyous but also religious! 😍 like those Japanese in FIFA time 😘

Love

It’s not about you. 
It’s about me loving you.
It’s love that hides you.
A door opening ajar,
Heaven sprinkling you with stars—

—

💕

Good Day Always

If taste is ruling,
Let it rule with full belly.
That makes better day.

—

Never liking in-flight meal has made it important for me to eat before or (mostly) after flight. And I think eating before or after flight makes me healthier during flight (either sleeping or reading well 🙂) except when I found some passengers sitting next to me complaining about how awful the flight is, how not nice the food is, how blahblahblah….

Halloooow! Do you have other things than complaints? I don’t even know who you are. I don’t even think your modern countries suffer more than others. Or, is it true when people are raised with fewer problems, they will complain more?

Maybe they should bring their own food or even fly their own jet. 😝 I mean if they are accustomed to in-flight meal, they should take it or leave it. Don’t complain! If you can fly, it means you most probably have enough money to buy just a plate of rice. For first flyer, they should be excused. 🙂

That empty stomach sometimes make people cranky is probably true. Yet to me being hungry or empty stomach is good (even better than too full) but starving is not. Be patient, human. 4-8 hours of hunger won’t kill!

Salaam.

sate kambing 🥰 delivered to hotel room by a friend through Go-Food in Jakarta – a true surprise and delight; thank you!

sate ayam Madura 🥰 – another surprise and delight

lontong is our “compressed rice cake“, good to go with sate! 🥰 a surprise and delight

breakfast is sometimes mixed feelings of curiosity

mixed tastes of fried chicken, better than Jamie Oliver’s breakfast 😊 before another flight 🤩

Light Trip

Light trip starts early
Welcoming bright day calmly.
Dusk will be friendly.

112222

—

is dim identical with romantic? 😀 waking up fresh with this view

Angel Number

Number gives signal.
Don’t miss it, superstition
That encourages.

—

unlocked, the combination was “coincidentally” turned to 444; no idea what has happened for the past one week a lot of angel numbers truly hit my curiosity – 4 is symbolising harmony and stability, in another numerology branch it indicates perfect family 💕 damn superstition! 😝

Disguised

Learning, Map It!, Poetic

Swaying then rocking,
You disguise either message
Bad or good. Still blessed—

—

it’s been 13 years after an experience of earthquake in Jakarta, today another earthquake shook and forced us to evacuate out of the building; quite a strong magnitude started like a mild swaying up to relatively medium rocking – thanks God for saving us, thanks God for showing me that the company’s evacuation protocol is well implemented 🙏🏼

Blessing Birds

A red bird’s flying.
A blue bird’s hopping. Both birds
Are counting blessings

—

The Journey (Big Panda and Tiny Dragon)

Two enter a gate
So they can end a journey
In a brand new start.

—

Found another book of “Big Panda and Tiny Dragon” by James Norbury in Changi Airport T3 today.

feeling like an ever-incomplete being, the expansiveness is incredibly significant – there’s a need to see a vastness to finally realise that it’s all about accepting a limit

heaven feels like flowing river – does it?

been lost physically and spiritually, and found too in both 💕

Kiky Saputri

Learning, life, Those People

Weekend is a cleaning and packing day accompanied by comedians in YouTube.

💝

she was a teacher, now a stand-up comedian – in both professions she stands out; whatever you are, you can be outstanding only with one condition: dedication to what you are doing

9 (ranting)

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person

Why 9? It’s just 9.
When counting 9, it brings 9.
9 is 9. Be 9.

—

Why 9?

Back to uni days I was very keen of learning numerology, slightly superstitious to certain level but it was very entertaining and encouraging. It doesn’t give me a lot of benefits in career but a little knowledge about numerology sometimes gives me unique perspective of problem solving; or hmmm at least good distraction. Based on numerology each number has meaning and energy. Different number, different meaning, different vibe, different luck.

Among all numbers my favourite is 1, 7, 9. Very personal. Yet I like to make it look reasonable and logical. 😊

What about those numbers?

1 – One is loyalty, dedication, unity, singularity. We are loyal when we “worship” one – the God, the love. Dedication is focusing on one – one company, one citizenship, one goal. Unity is multiple agreeing on one – unity in diversity. Singularity is uniqueness of one, no comparison – feel it when we’re alone, that’s who you are. My definition as individual being rules the game.

7 – Seven is pitu in Javanese, an abbreviation of pitulungan that means help, support. No one can live alone as social beings so helping and supporting each other is the only way to survive in society. Cultural definition rules the game.

9 – September the 9th month is my birth month. I was categorised to have a character of group 9 in one numerology class. Almost dead at 9. 9 is the only number that I adore because of its logical and scientific function. 9 is my lucky number! Both empirical and logical experiences rule the game.

Dear, my favourite numbers. When will my company stock price go up back to 179 again? That is the point of my favourite numbers ranting today!

Happy weekend!

all the opposite sides of a dice add up to 7 – hey! I am not a gambler

Now Here

Learning, love, Poetic, This Person

Now here is a point
Where start and finish collide.
A shadow of yours—

—

sometimes I just want to stay put where I am now with myself as with me I am complete 💕

Love Is

Learning, love, Poetic

Two love birds singing
In a cage full of good food.
A choice to a love—

—

Love is…. ?

Damn! I can’t define it except that it is sometimes misunderstood with lust.

That it is often symbolised with a heart shape. Maybe most human beings believe love comes from the heart. Hey! Is that really the shape of a heart? Or just how we agree that it is a shape of the heart?

That it is discussed everywhere but also wasted everywhere.

What I believe love is a verb not a noun so without action, it is muted sooner or later. At the same time love is an energy that cannot be created or destroyed so it is there and will be there, yet it can transform and/or transfer between subjects. Compatibility (chemistry), heat (intensity), motion (intension), what else can change the form of love? (oops forgetting all the physics learnt when younger)…. Anyway, it transforms and transfers (circulates can be another word) between (or among if circulated) human beings. So, accept it.

I believe love is about interest that human being cannot select voluntarily. It is a blessing at the same time a curse. it can be love between two love birds inseparable, or Tom and Jerry entertainingly cruel for either of two, or as cold as Antarctica.

I believe love is the core power generator of life that if removed, life will disappear. Never give up love. Broken heart is just a milestone that brings a human being to deeper and deeper understanding about him/herself. Broken because of a crush? Broken because of family? Broken because of friendship? Broken because of work? Broken because of world reality? A human being can always fix it gradually with anger, disappointment then acceptance. Just don’t be broken because of yourself – you are the most precious for yourself.

I believe that the way someone loves evolves through time, and it will suit the person’s intention never not. There should not be regret of what has happened because of love. Yet it is a regret that some people still choose to constantly send covert or overt humiliation and torture to hurt intentionally and/or to disrespect further to those they don’t love, while the best way should be forgiving or clearly declaring clear disagreement. War is one of them. Yet liked or not, that is the evolution of loving.

This weekend comes with a basket full of lessons learnt, a heap of ideas to pour as blessings in writings that I can re-read someday in the future.

Thank you, Love. You are never wasted.

Alfatihah to all whom I love.

a love locket with a pair of love birds seen in Bangkok airport – I could not resist its charm! now it is a daily friend to my T key love pendant

Life Is

Life is a mystery. Human to solve it. Not always successful, yet it is worth doing.

Life is a gift. Human to thank for it. Not always easy, yet it is worth doing.

Life is a journey. Human to travel it. Not always smooth, yet it is worth doing.

Life is love. Human is to accept it. Not always sweet, yet it is worth doing.

Life is of this or that to be experienced. Human is to keep living within the given time, a line between two points. There is so much to take and give and I thank for everything — that I know when I know, that I know when I don’t know.

Will not ignore how precious this life is. Will always be patient with this self in experiencing it.

🙏🏼

—

Luck Vibes

Learning, love, Poetic

Yellow lucky leaves
Pop up unexpectedly.
Answers to wishes.

—

Dream come true is not always with work only. It might be with some enchanted wishes, self encouragement, ranting when upset, sleeping when tired and beloved ones’ prayer — all acting as the x factor. In a package those can be summed up as human being determination.

Ignore those demotivating and/or disrespecting. They try to distract, but let them be out of the equation for a while. Just blow them a kiss. 😘

Weekend is a bridge between two islands. Walk on it slowly with a smile. Don’t forget to hum love songs. 💕

🍀

never found in my attempt to get a clover pendant to bring my birthday annual staycation wish come true; a pair of clover studs greeted me in Bangkok yesterday – won’t let a chance be a waste 🍀 i feel lucky most of the time – thank you!

Copyright

Is copyright right?
It was not needed until
The rich rob the poor.

—

Time To Pray (ranting)

Learning, life

While writing this, I am spending some time in Erawan Shrine before going to Svarnabhum Airport. I am now witnessing the power of storytelling. Soon I will be back to the hotel just next to it to pick up my luggage then go home.

My head is now ranting:

You can make religion and spirituality good commodity through story telling. Tell people that through your piousity and spirituality you will help them solve their problems or be close to gods or be happy or get their wishes come true; they will come to you with or without believing whether you are true or not. Don’t tell them they should pay as it is contra productive. Just tell them there will be energy exchange so logistics should be co-financed.

It is great and amazing that tourism is designed that way.

When will mosques ask visitors to pay? If they do, they’d better have a good storytelling more than cleaning cost. If not, that is great.

Don’t get me wrong, I am one of those believing with the power of religiosity and spirituality that solve life mystery. With one condition: if told in a wise and sweet way and told by a reliable person. Otherwise, they’d better eat their own sh*t (sh*t can be a lot of money from those being fooled around by them); don’t expect karma as they believe what they do is all right.

God bless gods. God bless all shrines, temples, churches, mosques, etc where people are praying. God bless storytelling.

God bless Erawan Shrine to where I will be back until I stop visiting Bangkok heaven knows when.

❤️

concise introduction, the gate of a storytelling

gate where flowers and offerings are sold; it is the ticket to pray!

i love the purple garland and the cute elephants

logistics behind the scene #1; God bless you

logistics behind the scene #2; God bless you

no, no! politicians can’t wait, your problems can 💔

A Fruit That’s Bitten

A fruit that’s bitten
Sends a sailor with a map
To harvest white pearls.

—

Apple, a company whose stores are as stunning as its products 💝 (Apple Store Central World, Bangkok)

less romantic compared to the other picture but the bitten apple is reflected more fully

Feel Good No Matter What

The room becomes bright
With two smiles under dim light.
Feel good with good sight.

—-

I met a good friend and he could not stop talking about how hard it has been for him to feel good behind his (nice) smile. He said that he is constantly in stress of silent competition at work or in loneliness far away from family. He said that people around him seem unhappy to see others happy.

Me: Normal! It happened to me when I was young. Getting older, it is easier to accept what is.

GF: You did compete? Unbelievable! You seem to have neither ambition to excel nor spirit to live. Low profile, high product yuck! Your motto sucks!

Me: I did lightly. You’re still young so just enjoy your competitiveness and being away from family. Make more friends and only one girlfriend. Some day you will be where I am now when nothing is worth chasing except cockroach to kill.

GF: So you feel good all the time?

Me: Most of the time only, not all the time lah… I am not a Barbie doll.

GF: Meaning you never have problem?

Me: Do I look like not having problem?

GF: I know you have problems and are sometimes upset about people.

Me: Ya, I do have problems. People confront me. I confront people. But I minimise blaming others. Most thing if not everything is about me making incorrect decisions. I am sometimes very very unhappy about others, too. I act boldly occasionally to show boundary.

GF: And you still can feel good when you are not happy?

Me: Yes, I have a lot of distractions ready: work, books, orchids, painting, people although mostly not them, biking, cooking. End the unhappy time fast.

GF: How?

Me: Distract yourself. Flip the coin to the other side. And remember feel good is contagious. At least you don’t look gloomy when you feel good.

GF: So how do you think I should feel good when my colleague stabs me in the back?

Me: Feel good that it is not you stabbing people in their back. Thank God for showing the real friends to you.

GF: Argh! I want to punch his face!

Me: Ouch! Will it make you feel good?

GF: Maybe, but makes me look not good, then makes me feel not good.

Me: Wow! You master it already!

GF: But don’t you realise some people will get offended even when we feel good and do things as we are? They think we are insensitive. They think we are ridiculing them.

Me: Why care? You only need your approval to do something that makes you feel good, with one condition: that you do it without intension of offending or hurting others.

GF: If they get offended?

Me: I…. Don’t…. Care….

GF: Okaaaaaay! Hey! How is the food?

Me: Not so good 😩 The worst tom yum on earth!

GF: Agree. So is it because you are not able to appreciate the food? And how do you minimise blaming others in this case?

Me: Of course I blame the chef! You think I am his mother? Let’s not be back to this restaurant again.

GF: 😂😂😂

Lessons learnt: stay away from chatty friends when hungry, be relaxed when talking to young men as they explode easily, find a good restaurant or cook your own tom yum, get older without grudge, avoid those disrespecting you, laugh joyfully

see you again, Bangkok! thank you for bringing me this funny friend and the APEC meeting 2022 😩 both make me feel like a ***good*** human being: acting wise to one and waking up early because of the other 😊

Flood Lesson

Floods come with big rain,
Worsened by the blocked drainage.
Leaving mud story

—

A big flood happened in Jakarta in Feb 2007. It trapped many people in the buildings for almost the whole day (even longer in some area) or inside cars for at least 6 hours (even more in some location). Those in the office just stayed in the office. We on the road moved inch by inch as only narrow part of the road was “safe” from water — no, no, not dry at all; it was standing water almost like ripply shallow ocean.

The cause of flood in Jakarta is the extremely heavy rain plus bad drainage system in Greater Jakarta.

I was on the road back in 2007 flood day for 8 hours feeling stuck: no food or drink, no toilet (the worst of all the experiences), with random collection of songs played in a music player low bat before even I reached half of a normal journey home.

It was only one day or two of misery; the next year we all laughed at each other’s story. A friend who peed in to a bottle in the car. A friend who decided to leave his car on the road and went home on foot finding the car moving far away from where it was left the next day. Some friends who cried afraid of losing chance to meet the family but the family especially children thought that flood was fun time. Many friends whose floors and walls were messily coated with mud mixed with rubbish and creepy crawly after the flood and they found stuff that were lost for years through cleaning the mud.

We’ve learnt the lessons yet it takes time to fix such a systemic issue. Jakarta, you can!

I’ve learnt my lesson too that tragedy + time = comedy. A simple equation without unknown factor except how much time is stretched. God speed!

Salaam.

simple equation, just 9 no complicated combination

Desperate Lovers

Learning, love, Poetic, This Person, Those People

Midnight is calling
With blaring sound in the aisle.
Desperate lovers—

—

Suddenly very loud voice of (maybe) two lovers walking down the aisle outside the hotel room laughing interrupted my sleep, and so interrupted my nightmare. Thank you and at the same time damn you!

Beloved, please send me back to slumberland again. 👀

❤️‍🩹

people say love is the answer but to me it is of too many unknown factors and elevations; too many assumptions and prejudices; why don’t people just say NO much earlier instead of vaguely communicating through codes and misleading messages – be free, desperate lovers, I am irrelevant to you

I just need a simple equation where only one unknown factor needs solution; this is my compatibility definition: simplicity, sincerity and trust; you are too good to be true; if you agree, set me free

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