Tag: 5-7-5

Devotion

Learning, Map It!, Poetic, Those People
Orbit of a star
Keeps it moving yet centred.
Devotional fact—

——

Ibu Tien Wartienah is one of the best batik makers whose work of art has spread around the globe; most of her customers are international art curators and prominent people from many countries incl our own country

she started making batik at 8 years old to help her mother who was also a batik maker; in her 66, she is the most sought-after devoted batik maker — her devotion to batik esp Yogyakartan style is second to none – her eyes were sparkling when she was sharing about batik and what she has done with her skill and art

many of my classical batik collection are made by this humble lady — i’m so blessed to keep guard her work of art and to have met her this visit; thank you, Ibu Tien — your life is blessed by many

Ibu Tien’s half done wax-blocking (nyanthing) work “Kembang Manggar” aka “Satria Manah”

i tried one batik yesterday in Ibu Tien’s home in Imogiri — trust me it is a challenging task 🤓

batik working tools

Home

Learning
There’s a calming vibe
Surrounding a place called home.
A short getaway—

——

Mt Merapi and Mr Merbabu from up the sky

my first landing in Yogyakarta International Airport, the new airport

calming home for the next 3 nights

greeting from beauty coming out of the mud

Twilight

Learning, Poetic
There’s orange swirling
In the west brink, and yellow
Beautifying dark.

——

welcomed by the beauty of twilight — as orange as the robes of bikhus who are chanting mantras welcoming Vesak Day

good evening, dear Self

All in Store

Learning, Poetic
After a long pause,
Waves of time now delivers
Pretty joy in store.

How should she welcome
A guest that greets with surprise?
A sweet smile in store—

——

buds of secundum are welcoming with joy

White

Learning, Poetic
How are you, dear white?
Everything looks bright on white.
It’s clear on itself.

——

a white mug with ginger & honey tea 💝 get drunk with it and make all work excellent! ☺️

sterilised or warmed? whatever! loving warm white mug in my hand 💕

this champion is quiet when working and resting unlike me talking at work snoring at sleep 🥶

parrrtyyy! no, no, not my party; it belongs to one favourite cleaning lady

Dreams, Given Up?

Learning, Poetic, This Person
Is she giving up?
She’s waiting for the right time.
Just another leap—

——

💝

played Coldplay all day today as if their concert is happening in my living room 😁

gave up the queue because my medical treatment on May 19 was much more important; if i am healthy, i still can work to earn money for the next concerts somewhere else 🙏🏼 happy watching, all ticket war winners! you deserve your strategy whatever it was

Essential

Learning
Essentially pure?
None. No distiller’s perfect
But time. Refining—

—

Smell might be my strongest sense. It gives me both pleasant and not so pleasant experiences in life. To share the experiences is of course an ultimate goal, yet it takes time to materialise it.

To start

Have you smelled the earth wetted by rain water?

Have you smelled the grass cut in the morning, noon and afternoon?

Have you smelled your parents’ clean clothes?

Try those and you’ll be amazed with the sensation brought to you.

Salaam.

goal: to distill essential oils for myself and those around me — this is gonna be a read-it-when-i-want-it book ✨

Fresh

Learning, Poetic
A basket of fresh
Turns into a jar of fresh
For mind to refresh.

—

from this — pomelo, pineapple, mango, apple, rose apple and pomegranate

to this

added with this — not so spicy this time

both mixed into this — 45 minutes of washing, peeling, cleaning, grating fruit + grinding the palm sugar

this final packed fresh — one week + 2 days’ morning grated fruits

Happy Birthday!

Learning, Poetic, Those People
What is age, dear love?
Pearls of memories of you
Shining in my mind.

—-

May 12 is my father’s birthday. He was born in 1939 but his physical body died years ago leaving memories about him.

Happy birthday, Bapak. May you be reborn a happy one wherever you are.

💝

mango was his favourite — i’ve eaten mango for 3 days to celebrate his birthday 😀 no cake this year as I prioritised my time for something more important; sorry, Bapak 😘

All Is Good Work

Learning, Poetic
What is work, my love?
Office, site visit, kitchen,
all rooms to fulfil.

——

Work is both those weekdays I am paid by my employer and weekends and holidays when I spend more from what I earn on weekdays. Both I do with all my heart and soul.

Thank you for everything.

May all beings be happy.

ironed clothes make good days of mine, that’s why i iron most of my clothes even those for sleeping 💝 i love myself 😁

late lunch after ironing 🥰 my kitchen loves me 😁

after lunch i finished making “rujak serut” for the next one week — one box per day 😇 to continue morning sliced fruit during Tapa Brata, i modify it to morning rujak serut 😁

Takeaway

Learning, Poetic
Bring me takeaway,
A souvenir that reminds
Meaning of a road.

—

The biggest takeaway of my recent Tapa Brata:

  • Loving kindness — a constant reminder in my life
  • Anicca — nothing conditional is permanent

a silver bangle of ANICCA

About ANICCA

White Welcome

Learning
When home welcomes you
With unexpected colour,
Blessings are around.

—-

Home again! 💝

Nice to say hi to orchids that I thought to be yellow but white instead!

thought yellow but white! pretty!

the second bloom after 3 years! thank you!

all are here! full team! 💝

Smile!

Learning, Map It!, Poetic
Smiling at a weekend
Makes air fresher and lighter.
A place that’s choking—

—

My best friend in Ubud is an active committee member of Bali Spirit Festival; she invites me to enjoy one day free pass after my Tapa Brata for today.

She knows very well I don’t enjoy crowd well yet she insisted that I try to experience an ambiance that might enrich my life. Thank you, I am now in.

I collected my wristband at the entrance, met my friend at the media center she managed then browsed around. A lot I didn’t imagine before. Not only the offered activities and products but also the visitors and participants.

While the activities and products are still easy for me to digest, the way the visitors dress is more shocking to me; half-naked might not be for myself but I can still understand that many bule (the white people in Indonesian language) are half-dressed due to hotter temperature in South East Asia, but almost naked…

Anyway my best friend has changed my curiosity into smiles— very wide smile….

I am enjoying my weekend!

the pink wristband for one day pass – got it free; thank you, De Nov!

the inner entrance inside Puri Padi Hotel where the festival is taking place

map

loving it!

another one

art is dominating the venue — loving it!

hungry? never worried 💝 — more choices other than this one

my favourite!

still heliconia 💝

one of those blinding me (the mildest for my eyes, that almost naked lady with backpack) — this is not a beach please…. 😎 i don’t have the heart to take more pictures 😏 i know what my friend will say to me “that’s why you can’t live in Bali, stay in Singapore, safer for your brain and mind”

stage for the (spiritual) music performance later afternoon — not being arrogant but after so much to learn and unlearn and relearn, to me all is spiritual without label so let me skip this spiritually-labeled music

this is the safest place for me to just drink tea and browse around aromatherapy oil in the market — will spend my time here until I meet my friend again ❣️

on a beanie bag under a young durian tree 💝

will i be back next time? 😁 Yoda said “your path you must decide, Jedi” 😂

Knowing Who

Learning, Poetic, Those People
Knowing who’s within
Behind an unlocked door. Who?
Look at the mirror

—

Loving kindness doesn’t belong to one particular religion. It is not a domain, it is universal. Thanks for the consistent reminder about it.

May all beings be happy.

Salaam.

Pak Merta Ada with 7 of 32 students in his 881st Tapa Brata — thank you, Bapak 🙏🏼

Back Online

Learning
Life is just like this:
A line with two ends. Circle—
Choose the best angle.

—-

They released us from the silence on May 5 at 11am before lunch time and gave us our gadgets back at 4pm. We were so excited to talk than to play the gadgets; we gathered in the dining hall and shared what we experienced during the noble silence.

We didn’t die without gadgets, no we didn’t. Yet we don’t die because of gadgets, either. Gadgets are just a tool to use wisely.

Each of us couldn’t thank more for everything.

May all beings be happy.

Salaam.

Pak Merta, our meditation teacher

Pak Kourma — our daily instructor

Pak Souca — our daily caretaker 🙏🏼

our last session of meditation was loving kindness meditation for daily life; the video camera was prepared for sharing session at the end

Happy Birthday, U2!

Learning

May 5 is today.

This is my second Tapa Brata and both of them are special. My first in 2018 was special because Pak Merta Ada’s teacher (Merta Ada is my health meditation teacher) a Buddhist high priest visited his retreat center and gave us blessings. This second one is because we found that May 5 is his birthday! He was born on May 5, 1957 — a long journey of a meditation teacher and healer.

Someone is also celebrating his birthday across the ocean. May 5 becomes more special today this time. A journey of a silent traveler.

Happy birthday Pak Merta and dear KU. Both of you have a special place in my heart.

For Pak Merta, we immediately prepared a green sarung rangrang. For KU I thoughtfully prepared a poem.

—-

Alone the bird flies
From a nest on a tall tree
It knows where home is.

🙏🏼

May 5 2023 is when the biggest moon rises this year; Waisak (Vesak) is already celebrated in some countries (on May 6 in other countries) — my meditation teacher is celebrating his birthday, another life teacher of mine is celebrating his

an “emergency” birthday present for Pak Merta Ada from our class, wrapped in a beautiful fancy paper from the nearest small shop nearby to wrap a sarung rangrang I originally bought for my additional spread and table cloth — what a beautiful togetherness in this meditation class 💝

May 6 (scheduled post)

Learning, Poetic
Alone the bird flies
To a nest on a tall tree.
She knows where home is.

—-

there is love in wing — trust the wind and the direction 💝

Sanctuary

Learning, Poetic, This Person
In sanctuary,
Where birds from paradise sing,
Clear mirror reflects—

—

Out of office is set meaning that work is safe-kept for a while. Only silence remains. Even my boss and my mother— two whose calls I’ll never reject in normal situation can’t contact me. They know where I am so they won’t contact me. 😎

All my postings will be automatically scheduled starting May 1.

I pray that you all be blessed with good life.

Salaam.

💝

my goddess, Saraswati 💝

just wanna be offline for a while 🌸

i love to be with those knowing how to reflect me and themselves clearly ♥️

it is safe 💝

accompanied by two paradise birds in Ubud before starting my sacred silence tomorrow in Baturiti

Green

Learning
Green is what is fresh,
What is starting peacefully.
It is envy, too.

—-

What is greener than our neighbours’ grass? The sea that bears secret of love and avocado that bears secret of health.

Have a green weekend!

💚

today’s lunch 💚 egg with peas in coconut milk, avocado and navel orange juice

Best Not, Better Be

Learning, Poetic
What’s best is not best.
Better is, leaving a space
For the next better.

—-

I am never craving for best for me. Only doing my best to be better and to deserve whatever makes me better and/or see opportunity to do better.

Yet best seller book is the best for today. And one previously best seller for my best friend—-

Salaam.

💝

bestseller shelf — not my normal shelf but it was today

old book i did read at uni and want to check some details and so re-read 😎

curious what’s inside 😍

seems promising for a discussion in a reading club

for my best friend who watched the movie but not read the novel yet

Cuts and Bruises

Learning, life, love, Poetic, This Person
All cuts and bruises
Paint a life of a blossom
Before it decays.

—

i was so young and innocent, a loved friend of many, a hated enemy of some — i was so much blessed 💝

life has brought me travel through labyrinth of life with traps and turns that cut and torture yet i am still a loved friend of many, a hated enemy of some — i am still so much blessed with cuts and bruises 💝 i’ve lost much but i find myself

no one shall erase this happy girl within — a blessed soul that travels through space and time 🙏🏼 thank you