graphs of my Universe
A playground's, my love
Where a dragonfly sits still,
A lotus bud sways--
missing Ubud, my playground
one day before purchasing a plot of land in Lod Tunduh, Ubud, I cancelled it with no logical reason; feel of Bali to me is a playground of my house and several months later decided to start a home in Yogyakarta — sometimes it takes just a strong push inside to make the right choice: no logic, no rationale
How do you feel loved?
Not so much effort,
It's just a smile,
Or a cuddle from a dog.
I'm loved,
I'm loved
Just because
Life loves,
Love lives
Here
Now.
—
before going back to Singapore, i visited my friend in Lod Tunduh – she has 2 dogs and both love me so much, wherever i sit, both will sneak around like this!
You're pretty beautiful
Filling me with so much love
Through eyes that are closed.
—
both the dancers and the cute watcher are pretty beautiful –
Nicely soaked in love
With flowing sweet intension
In a good morning
—
soaked in water in this Bali morning (7am) – a standing phone helped capture a moment nicely ♥️
jineng that becomes a gazebo at the pool; jineng is originally Balinese rice storage house
Feeling, Beloved
Wraps a soul in ecstacy,
A heart in jollies
—
working from remote in Bali feels perfectly energetic to fully contribute to team ♥️ at the same time feels home
i need to renew my passport (changing it to e-passport) and so i can only do it in Indonesia — Bali it is
e-passport was done yesterday at ~3pm and now i continue working from this small Balinese bedroom until end of this week
The bow that launches
Is the arrow that is shot:
An exhibit by the
One
That honour is inevitably
Gorgeous
For that
Respecting
From that
Witnessing.
Salute to the bowstring.
——
I have learnt how to genuinely respect my teachers and other human beings even more after learning meditation in Bali Usada — I humbly thank you, Pak Merta Ada. I bow to the divine in you and all my fellow Tapa Brata participants 🙏🏼
it was a sunny day so Pak Merta Ada invited us all to end the Tapa Brata with 1-hour meditation under the blessed bodhi tree — hope health and calmness be granted to all of us ♥️
Pak Ishak giving his testimony about the noble silence, Ibu Lady his wife video shooting him — the oldest participants in this Tapa Brata 2 we all cordially respect
canang under a tree as a daily respect to it for being part of the environment protection
torch ginger is the most grown herb in Bali Usada meditation center — yummy and fragrant when cooked
💚
Three of us stayed in bungalow #4 for 12 days of which in 1st-11th we didn’t talk to each other. We just took turn of using bathroom, switching on/off light at 3:30am and 10:00pm, making sure towel racks were sunbathed, replenishing toilet tissue, cleaning bathroom. All were done in silence in between meditation sessions, physical exercises, meals and lectures. Only at the last night after Tapa Brata was officially summed up, we could not stop sharing about our life journey until 2:00am.
Tami is 32, Fitri is 33 and I am 48: I am the oldest but I am the baby in meditation — they meditated 1.5 hours without changing position, I did but could not stop “ngereog” in the last 5 to 10 minutes.
My age doesn’t mean anything with these 2 ladies of harmonious mind.
See you again, my little sisters! Anicca! 💕
ngereog literally means performing reog dance; Tami used the word to describe someone’s intense movement during meditation due to muscle stress 😂
Ibu Lady, Srimurni and I showered by the morning light right after morning meditation and no shower (yet) — Srimurni was one of those could not stop talking to me after the Tapa Brata 😄
pure friendship is such a magical bond 💕
Journey becomes light
When promise is fully paid.
The breeze flows sweetly.
——
beautifully ready for melukat this morning to clean and clarify my life intension and for my dearest nephew ♥️ now his wish for melukat is fully paid — live happily in the other side, my dear 💕 and I have a good feeling that my life is on the right path with my heart losing no love
melukat in Tirtha Empul when it was still quiet this morning — no, I don’t like crowd 🙏🏼 don’t bring me to noisy parties!
Life is a grand stage,
Performance is its main course,
I am dining out.
——
I am supposed to be in Ubud with my nephew who happened to pass away on Jul 30. So I do all the planned itinerary alone to keep my promise and to make him smile in heaven.
For you, Vito the fun witty kind artistic boy!
💕
a bridge over a lotus garden heading to Puri Saraswati Temple front yard where Janger Dance with Arjuna Tapa as part of performance is on every evening
lucky this evening I am sitting in a seat right in the middle of the front row — feeling lucky and blessed
start!
Arjuna in his meditation apparel (white)
buta, one of some seducers while Arjuna is meditating
the end
With no white towel
I surrender
To the realm that hugs this heart.
I am water flowing
With no effort
To the ocean that waits for this mind.
How would this name
Say no to a call that sings love songs?
I submit everything
With a smile
And grace.
Body, mind, spirit and soul—
-
Jun 10, 2023
when the air taps my whole reality
with everything subtle and overwhelming
——
please excuse my strong arms 😀
after the Tapa Brata my classmates and I are still escorted to meditate everyday of 60 minutes for 90 days
it should be 36th day today but i only have 33 days in which i am able to do full meditation — in fact my doctor was quite surprised that unbelievable progress is indicated in better numbers from the laboratory test result after i meditate regularly — happy tears 🥹
my health is much better with calmness that is on track and harmonious thought that builds gradually
i’ve registered to next level Tapa Brata next Sep so i can get more benefits to help certain issues in this beloved aging body and to strengthen my mind
can’t wait to meet with the wise teachers who guide us and humble caretakers who help us with daily needs in Forest Island 🥰
i don’t know for sure what i can share from my achievement through meditation yet maybe someday i can help others reduce health complaints at low cost — i’ve always wanted to cure diseases with fragrance and herbs; my high intelligent friends said “pseudoscience, a crap wrapped in fancy paper”, i said “it doesn’t matter at least i can help them feel calmer and think positive”
all what happen in my life are like magic both the unexpected and expected — i hope my meditation brings more good magical celebrations to me and my beloved family and friends
and all…
May All Beings Be Happy
💕
…
Passed the crossroad;
Grasses are greener,
Flowers are prettier,
Breeze is thinner,
Morning is fresher,
Day is busier,
Night is calmer,
Birds are happier,
Cicadas are louder,
Fireflies are brighter,
No snake, no crocodile, no tiger.
Passers-by smile at each other
With neither pride nor prejudice.
End is farther,
It doesn’t matter.
It’s a low key path
After a detour from a glowing avenue.
She is humming the softest beauty with light breathing while celebrating the richness of abundant blessings.
No other ways are nicer.
——
Campuhan Ridge Walk 🥰
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’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 🙏🏼
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
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 💝
There’s a song to sing
With no other notes but Do,
In two tones: high, low.
—-
keep doing it in high and low
A red hibiscus
Stares at the sun, nods at night.
Counting her blessings—
—-
red hibiscus
If time tells the truth,
What time is it? Light is dim,
Only silhouette
—-
it takes time to colour
Is there her story
In history? Or others’?
A time to ponder—
—-
relief in Rumah Makan Ayam Kadewatan
It is a good morning
Maybe afternoon for you.
This morning I still breathe blessings
Wrapped by songs from the bird,
Back home by hum of machines.
Both are good
In a blessed morning.
Know, beloved
That I remember you
Who might enjoy the day
And ready to welcome a weekend.
Everything is good when in Ubud,
I know everything is good
Everywhere
If we let blessings contaminate the air.
—-
when i breath fresh air, i feel more me
good morning from Puri Saraswati
not a water person but love seeing water, quiet morning in front of the pool with birds singing and voice of sweep stick raking the ground
good morning to a lazy snail
another one
good morning to the unknown neighbour that might be still sleeping
Sky invites me
To swarm around a show
That is glistened with colours
In a Saturday night.
Rain almost falls
But is held until the show ends
Simply to tell me
You are welcome.
These steps walk me
To where blessings are.
These breaths inhale me
To where peace is.
Among the crowd I find a calmness
With my own self I find merriness
All is well
All is good
I enjoy Saturday night in Central Ubud.
i normally stay rather far from city center of Ubud but this one night i wanted to stay in the city where dance performances are located in many different spots — this is the side gate of Puri Saraswati Dijiwa Ubud opening to the lotus garden
tonight’s performance in lotus garden was Tari Janger (janger dance), maybe next time 🙏🏼
i wanted to watch Legong Dance performance so i walked to Pura Saren Ubud which was 200 meters away from where i stayed
was the first to enter to get a seat in the 1st row and later found it was not at all the 1st row 😂
seeing the preps is already exciting!
musicians were getting ready
Tari Pendet (welcoming dance) — i learnt this dance as a child, felt like wanted to laugh remembering how funny i was dancing with my sister 😂
Tari Topeng #1 — sorry i don’t know the name; watching with many types of spectators whose joy might be over the limit and blocks others’ view 😂
Tari Legong – the primary show 👏🏼
Tari Legong — i wanted to watch this simply because i have a sleeping gown with legong dancer on it 😀
Tari Oleg Tamulilingan
Tari Kupu-Kupu (butterfly dance) inserted as part of Oleg Tamulilingan
Tari Oleg Tamulilingan (dancing bees)
Tari Oleg Tamulilingan (dancing bee)
Tari Topeng #2 — sorry i don’t know the name
we didn’t know who was behind the mask but he did perform so well and we enjoyed it 💝
thanks for the show! 🙏🏼 happiness is an ambiance shareable with those we don’t know and we probably don’t care to know — God bless all 💝
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
Quiet and noise
Are both luxury
Which cross clarify
And cross verify.
Both cost so high
In each phase.
At times each is a spy
To bug each other
To find when the best time
To be quiet
Or
To be noisy.
—
I am doing a sacred silence retreat next week. Called Tapa Brata, this retreat is where we will meditate most of the time in a day. Pak Merta is a devoted Buddhist who has been opening this meditation center for years to promote self health and at certain level herbal medication teaching. I am not a Buddhist but I feel that this retreat has helped me a lot to calm my mind.
There won’t be any interaction with others directly during the retreat. No talking. No reading. No writing. No listening except to the meditation guidance and sound of nature in Forest Island. All gadgets will be safe-kept by the organiser so we will be totally offline human beings.
It is about communicating with one’s self.
The interaction is primarily within. I remember how hard it was for me in my first Tapa Brata in 2018 just to not say good morning and good night to my roommates on the first day. Hope this one is easier for me.
💝
that joglo (the building with terracotta roof) is the meditation hall, two jinengs (Balinese rice storage) are sleeping quarters (only for male), 9 bungalows are located behind the joglo for meditators to sleep, the dog is in front of the dining joglo
the dog? he was with whom everyone wanted to talk after lunch in silence — he would just stare at us and yawn and sleep seeing us talking without saying things, he probably understood 😃 hope to see him again
Light is reflected,
Brings various sensations.
Bright colour spectrum—
—-
I bought rangrang woven fabric for bedspreads, table clothes and other home decoration as alternative of vibe in my humble abode other than linen, Merauke ikat and batik series.
It is always exciting to decorate home. I think this is where a home owner should be wiser as the temptation to beautify a home feels more desperate compared to owning branded things. Dead serious!
Rangrang woven fabric was once fabric for religious ceremonies, yet now it has become a cultural commodity that are liked by many.
Anyway, rangrang woven fabric offer unique colourful art. It is called “rangrang” because there are “rangrang” (tiny holes/gaps) among the woven thread. Rangrang woven fabric is allegedly a symbol of transparency. Yet technically the gaps or holes among the woven threads are because of fewer number of threads used in some lines.
This fabric also has sufficient thickness that it won’t be too flimsy to spread on the beds yet won’t be too heavy for curtains.
The dominant colours on rangrang woven fabric are brighter spectrum of red, yellow, purple, blue, green. Love them all!
The most common patterns of rangrang woven fabric are basic geometry such as curves (commonly called bianglala/rainbow patter), triangles, squares.
square
triangles
some curves (bianglala/rainbow)
rangrang = holes among the weaved threads
Rangrang used to be a prima donna back then in 2010’s that made it as expensive as hundreds of USD per piece, while now I could buy it for USD50 per piece.
This woven fabric should be conserved as fewer and fewer weavers are productively making it, most of them are older women whose children don’t have the same passion to produce this beautiful art work. One of the conservation effort might be for ordinary people to buy this fabric.
I am happy that I found 4 more sheets of rangrang woven fabric are needed. There is a reason to go shopping either in the market or directly to the weavers.
💝😁
rangrang = holes among the weaved threads
About rangrang woven fabric
They’re flying
Around colours and shapes
In a garden
Where the gliding fragrance
And dripping nectars
Invite them
To celebrate
One phase
Before the next.
—
in Subak, Ubud wearing new clothes from Sukawati market (only for SGD30) and butterflies in my tummy 😁
What is dream weekend?
Mine is
A walk in the green,
Smiles under the blue,
Jokes with warm sun,
Chats with cool breeze,
Glanced by rice herons,
Chased by crazy ducks,
Followed by spoiled dog,
Side by side with good friends,
Wrapped up with 5-cent luxury in banana leaf
And huge thanks to
Whomever-whomever.
—
I don’t need a place.
They can build a palace
To place me.
I’m not a queen,
Please gift it to someone more beautiful and loving luxury.
I deserve just a space.
It can be a table for two
To chat with me.
I’m a traveler,
Please go on a quest with me through joy and challenges to be.
Let me clean my place
For a little space.
Now and here
With or without
You—
—-
About MELUKAT
Linguistically melukat is derived from the old Javanese word “lukat” which means to “cleanse” or “purify”.
Melukat itself is understood as bathing or cleansing with water that aims to cleanse both body and mind, to refresh the spirit and dissolve away any negative influences. It is also believed to cure non medical diseases and sickness of the spirit and whether it does or not, a session bathing in holy waters will certainly make you feel good.
It is a symbol of letting go or releasing something burdening within us. It is a ritual that can be performed many times, in fact the more, the merrier as it can only lead to good things. It is also a kind of self purification that is very common by Indonesians of Hindu and Javanese Muslim in different ways as ritual.
Hindu in Bali will do it as frequent ritual, even for tourist attraction in some way.
Muslim have daily ablution (washing face/nostrils/earlobes/hands/feet) and mandatory bathing for women after menses or married couples after sexual intercourse. They also have another self purification affected by original Javanese tradition called “Adus Suran” or “taking a bath in Assyura/Suro month” in which they will do bathing in Javanese New Year’s Eve called “1st night of Suro”. Muslims are also suggested to do cleansing ritual (normal bathing with strong intension) before Ramadhan.
While in Bali why not I committed myself to self-purify? My best friend did it for Seclusion Day. I did for Ramadhan. Both of us did it for health, happiness and joy. 💝
Salaam.
Super charged young boys can beat super charged old champs just with light laughter.
—
How busy you are
Both
Covering
What should not
Be covered.
I am watching
Merrily
With a sweet smile
From
My sweet heart.
If it is true,
Show the world
With no shame,
No pretension.
Or else….
You both
Live in fake
False life
Full with false
Fake smiles.
How busy you are
Both showing me
Only me
While hiding
From most of the world.
—
Life pace gets faster,
Food follows the same pattern.
Time and space collide.
—
My nephews always want fast food. They said it is good and fast. On the contrary I am not a big fan of fast food. So we always go to fast food restaurants first for them to eat then they’ll drive me to local restaurants for mine.
It takes longer time but giving fair treatment to all fellow travelers are the right thing to do.
Salaam.
😘
Old bone works so hard
To chase young heart. Worth doing
For meaningful life—
—
rike jokanan 
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