graphs of my Universe
This tongue is twisted
By taste and a language
For a little while.
ββ
Iβm having lunch now and remembering one lunch on my first day in Kyoto. Lovely!
appetiser β too lovely to eat up π
Yuba Sashimi (sea bream tuna) β π
clear soup made in an individual Dobin β no spoon is needed, you drink the soup with the lid
grilled Spanish Mackerel β- I could eat another one π
Yuba Oke (their specialty)
steamed tofu with vegetables β verrrry good!
rice, miso soup, pickles β still good but the least I liked π€
dessert – persimmon πππ
About Shozankaku Matsuyama
Life is falling leaves
Layered colours to decay.
Colourful beautyβ
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my life is like a stack of ironed clothes: colourful!
household chores done for today π ready for packing
Itβs a dilemma
Between safety and beauty.
Each is a glory.
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falling leaves on a moss garden
red falling leaves are beautiful and I want to experience them again someday yet it is always hard choice to me β always a dilemma between beautiful autumn or short torture of itchy welts
Iβm allergic to cold weather β after 1 week Iβm getting bad skin rash and itch that wonβt let me stop scratching crazily on the itchy part; my recent Kyoto was the worst so far
I should have had antihistamine with me so all the falling leaves and moss garden images wouldnβt have been shaken by my skin-scratching disco π
I still wish to be back someday π not in an extension of biz trip, but a personal leave only π
Youβre my melody
Dancing on the heart surface
Hurting me deeply.
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so cute I canβt eat it π Sanrioβs My Melody
Thereβs a vibe within
Spreading a home everywhere.
Close yet so remoteβ
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most of my friends think I would always visit big cities with all the luxurious and sparkling night life when visiting Japan; yet theyβre wrong as many of places Iβve visited are rural areas where no Hyatt, Shangri-La, and other big chains of hospitality brands are planted β I will usually stay in local hotels, meet humble kind genuine Japanese who donβt speak English and are willing to converse with my broken Japanese, listen to stories that impress me of how all human beings are basically struggle in life
not all Japanese are like the one I met some time ago whose rich life has formed one prouder and less kind than I thought one was π
feeling so blessed in a remote area in Gobo β letβs work wonder tomorrow, good people ππΌ
One talk to the self.
Alone among cheering crowd.
Peaceful in the noiseβ
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it was a beautiful night with myself among the crowd π
Red leaves falling off
Celebrate green through the wind.
A cycle of lifeβ
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red leaves before falling off
Which way will you take?
All go to where love resides.
The ways are waiting.
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Tokyo at a glance
Brings me a shadow of you
Longing for a home.
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sightseeing π
(affordable) sushi so far is only nice in Japan π
made one once and will make it again someday π
Fall is falling leaves.
They are reddened and gliding
To kiss the lover.
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autumn in Kyoto
When heart is joyful,
It radiates through senses.
Deli from my heartβ
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gudheg ayam ala Rike β₯οΈ β light and bright, my must-eat for all my family and friends visiting me
most of feedback: can you make it saltier π
tempe kemul aka blanketed tempe β yummy like in heaven!
todayβs lunch box β leftover of gudheg ayam, rambutan and mini banana π
There are waves that breathe
Fanning the flame flickering
Eternally within.
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RC Gormanβs work of art
Coincidences,
Unexplained experience
In one fast crossroad
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βM supposed to watch Coldplay in Japan with Vito, my nephew. Weβd 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 didnβt happen. π
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 othersβ dreams and those who have the dreams must let go off their dream to be walked on by others. Thatβs 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 π
Todayβs a good day
To breathe whatβs good and whatβs not.
Tasting in balanceβ
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my friend in Ubud packed some ready-to-fry cassava β good!
I wish to meet you
And greet each other sweetly
Where sun looks red round.
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sometimes I imagine I meet a long lost friend in one busy airport and we greet each other β- βlong time no see, letβs have some tea!β
(Changi Airport picture – Rain Vortex)
Whatβs hiddenβs beauty
Admiring silently.
Reciprocityβ
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getting off from bus #857, i saw something silently looking at me as saying βhey, sweet heart how was your day?β
itβs this beauty!
A best gift, my love
Knowing you seeing my heart.
Do you know my heart?
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wooden comb is one best gift from myself to myself this year π
Soak the self in love.
Treat the life with all blessings.
Every breath counts hope.
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these ingredients will be soaked in water for two days before applied to hair after shampoo
this time: rice + ginger + rosemary + pomelo rind
Evacuate. Now.
Hundreds of steps in the dim.
Sorry, false alarm.
ββ
this morning I felt kind of alarmed; nervous at the same time energised because of alarm going off early morning in the hotel β fire warden in action; run run run! lucky enough I stayed on 11th floor, not the highest! ππ½
with other guests who were (I guessed) sleepy and not ready to show themselves up to the world
no need to dress up! I just grabbed my MacBook, iPhone and my sling bag, left other stuff less important (although important) β oh my! predictably I saw many were wearing βwhatsoever as long as wearing thingsβ π tired as well as entertained π
in the assembly point waiting, waiting and waiting β false alarm
the hotel rep said βWe are terribly sorry. It is a false alarm and all guests would you please go back to your room? We will arrange a compensation for you all affected. We once again apologise to you for the inconvenience caused. Sorry, Maβam. Sorry, Sirβ¦.β
a love letter I found arriving in the room this evening ππΌ
Luxury, my love
What makes one feel fortunate,
Feel responsible.
Luxury, my love
Not brand, not price tag. Itβs mind
Bursting new spirits.
Luxury, my love
You can bluff but you canβt trade
With a true spirit.
Luxury, my love
What youβve failed, what youβve too learnt
About the deep wounds.
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not the Aman Jiwo Hotel making it luxurious, it is Borobudur temple, Menoreh Hill and all the Javanese villages and tradition conserved as surrounding is the real luxury
This lifeβs well weathered
βTween hot and cold, calm and rushed.
Thereβs home to shelter.
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Indonesia Mosque in Bangkok β joining a short prayer
i went to a mosque then to a small shrine today before flight β feeling the humbleness of human beings begging for help from the One indescribable unseen unexplainable, the hope tiptoeing behind fear, the weakness of human beings facing our own nature
these folded lotus flowers are floating to weather after their duty as envelopes with which prayers are sent up above through billowing smoke of incense
now i have to pack to fly back home soon to see my mother hospitalised β certain days are just under the weather
wishing all my silent chants can be medicine for the woman who loves me to the moon and back
see very soon, Ibu
may all beings be happy
π
When hunger invites,
Would you attend or fight back?
A game anywayβ
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rambutan behind the green
spring rolls
Crowning black gets grey,
Surfing through tunnels of time.
There is no U-turn.
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long, black with some grey showing β excited to have this long hair to caress β₯οΈ
Ayutthaya greets
A heart that sings a love song.
A wat witnesses.
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from 2010 to 2012 Thailand was my playground esp in the area of food processing , from 2013 up to now is for electronic mostly in Ayutthaya β Sala Ayutthaya is always my favourite here, thank youβ¦. π
Trees dance in the wind,
Send love messages through leaves.
Colours of autumnβ
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beautiful as my eyes claim π
Lessons are to learn
As books to read, air to breathe,
Life to put meaning.
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the Japanese wooden dolls in the reception of the language center where I learn Japanese lessons
β γγγγ¨γγγγγΎγ π
The gift she receives
Is a seed growing so deep
Before high to sky.
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a birthday gift for myself
I am home
Welcomed
By a space
Waiting for its soul
To fill the gap
With emptiness.
I am home
Welcomed
By rose tea
Waiting to be brewed
To wake up the heart
With memories.
I am home
Welcomed
By another day
Waiting to be celebrated
To highlight meaning
With what is.
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I left 3 stems of red roses in the vase and arriving, I found them beautifully dried β a jug of rose tea is my first relaxing session
How sweet is your heart?
Warm as sun of the beach? Or
Cool as mountain breeze?
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coconut ice cream π as sweet as warm heart, as cold as ignorance β the stick is made of sugarcane
rike jokanan 
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