graphs of my Universe
Green is what is fresh,
What is starting peacefully.
It is envy, too.
โ-
What is greener than our neighboursโ grass? The sea that bears secret of love and avocado that bears secret of health.
Have a green weekend!
๐
todayโs lunch ๐ egg with peas in coconut milk, avocado and navel orange juice
It almost arrives.
A blessed day,
The one when
A generation is born
To share what may
And
To bear what shall.
Happy birthday!
โ-
a prayer is recited โ health and happiness with the loved ones ๐
Whatโs best is not best.
Better is, leaving a space
For the next better.
โ-
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 friendโ-
Salaam.
๐
bestseller shelf โ 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 ๐
curious whatโs inside ๐
seems promising for a discussion in a reading club
for my best friend who watched the movie but not read the novel yet
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.
โ
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 wonโt 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 oneโs 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.
๐
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 โ he would just stare at us and yawn and sleep seeing us talking without saying things, he probably understood ๐ hope to see him again
All cuts and bruises
Paint a life of a blossom
Before it decays.
โ
i was so young and innocent, a loved friend of many, a hated enemy of some โ i was so much blessed ๐
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 โ i am still so much blessed with cuts and bruises ๐ iโve lost much but i find myself
no one shall erase this happy girl within โ a blessed soul that travels through space and time ๐๐ผ thank you
That flower is born
By wind and gardenerโs love.
Celebrating lifeโ
โ-
the pretty zinnia in my sisterโs garden are all wild, she never intentionally grows them, they just popped out of the soil, she believes they were spread from the neighboirsโ as some of our neighbours have them in their garden โ we donโt know if our neighbours also unintentionally grow them with the same reason as ours ๐
A group of children
Go foraging in the bush.
Various berriesโ
โ-
we call it ciplukan or ceplukan (Physalis angulata)
the green can turn to yellow or pink when ripened
I said
I want to eat sushi.
Letโs go
She said.
We lend each otherโs ears.
I like listening,
She likes to be listened.
What a perfect scene.
Iโll take the mushroom, you take the eggplant
She said.
I said
I prefer eggplants, that is nice.
Haaaah!
Hahaha wasabi!
She laughed.
Anything to share?
She asked.
No
Said I.
She drove me home and hugged me good bye.
Her son said โSee ya again!โ
Then I walked the path home
To write stories of my own.
I regretted to share bad stories with anyone,
It made good food taste stale.
I wonโt,
Until thereโs the best sushi to offer.
โ-
iftar with a best friend yesterday โ one of the best sushi in Singapore ๐
Time flies on a plane,
Moves backwards leaving a home
To meet whom are missed.
โ-
Time to visit mother. Although I visit her every three months, a visit on Eid Mubarak is always the most special. It is when my brothers and sisters meet me and most of extended family members gather in our annual reunion.
It is exciting to have a full day chatting, laughing, remembering good memories, eating specialties cooked by the host, joking around and of course praying for our happiness and joy so we all can meet again the following year.
Thank you for another year.
๐
pink orchid in Changi Airport before my flight
pink orchid left home โ not merrier but fresher than the Changiโs ๐ฅฐ
yellowish white orchid left at home
it is gonna be broken white with purple โ they are always happy although left home ๐
i guess it is gonna be yellow โ they are always happy although left home ๐
Light is reflected,
Brings various sensations.
Bright colour spectrumโ
โ-
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 โrangrangโ because there are โrangrangโ (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 wonโt be too flimsy to spread on the beds yet wonโt 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 2010โs 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 donโt 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.
๐๐
rangrang = holes among the weaved threads
About rangrang woven fabric
One or at least one at a time ๐
You!
Breathing the same air
Under the same sun and moon,
All pray for good days.
โ
Sharing is not only about self satisfaction and social support, it is also about gauging how much I dare to let go of what heavy and significant. Trust me giving will not make you poor.
This monthly food sharing is about Ramadhan odd night and night of revelation (lailatul qadar).
Salaam.
๐
When a lady goes,
Two dogs race with her, saying
See you again, friend!
โ-
Completing the mosque night in Jakarta, I hopped to the next island. I have a holiday in lieu as I was working outside Singapore in its public holiday so why not meeting my friend in Bali to spend my Monday?
This good friend is a Buddhist, a devoted pupil of Dalai Lama. She has met him four times in person in Dharamshala. So it is a good thing to discuss about the news circulated about him; the sooner, the better for me to clear my hazy mind.
I explained to her my understanding about sexual harassment and abuse and the video that has made what might be called framing or true case depending on what brings to whom. She listened to me patiently. Then she explained to me quite long and clear about the Tibetan culture of โtongue eatingโ not โtongue suckingโ and mostly about what kind of person Dalai Lama whom she has met and shaken hand with. She also asked me to watch the complete video, not only some part of it so I can build clearer context.
We had a long talk. Based on the chat l decided to delete my posting about Dalai Lama, not because I totally agree with my friend but simply because I donโt want to make things more unclear. Resting my caseโ
Waiting doe my flight with a light heartโ
Salaam.
Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, my friendโs dogs
Sleeping under dome,
Reciting signs of wisdom,
Ramadhan odd night
โ-
Some friends of mine and I stayed overnight in Istiqlal Mosque on Apr 15 (25th night of Ramadhan) to focus on โsleep less, pray moreโ. We did much earlier as high schooler when we stayed overnight at school in 2 Ramadhan nights to sleep less and pray more to gain lailatur qadar that my friends and I believe is special night to reveal truth within our own selves.
This very time in Istiqlal 3 things were emphasised by some teachers to all of us.
Thousands of muslims stayed in the mosque and we didnโt know each other, we just followed the scheduled activities mostly in silence or very casual salaam except talking in low voice to few friends going together as groups.
Thanks for giving me one night to sleep less and pray more.
๐
with girl friends in senior high school class โ me with 2 besties ๐๐๐ night for (crazy) youngsters
Ramadhan Odd Night in Istiqlal Mosque, me and 2 good friends slept under the 3rd pillar in the female chamber (left side of the hall), there is partition between male and female chambers โ felt like staring hundreds of star clusters ๐
Who are friends, my dear?
The perfumers? The blacksmiths?
Whoever, they smell.
โ-
Disclaimer: I am not spreading Islamic teaching. I am just telling how fragrance and good friends have manifested in my life.
โ-
The most frequent gift I give to my closest female circle is fragrance, either perfume or soap. Yesterday morning before meeting my best friends, I decided to browse some fragrance. As normal there is never preferred brand about perfume. It is always about a click in the heart.
Indeed happiness can cost some $/c although it might be too small and can be an insult if given as currency; yet it must cost attention and/or time to appreciate the same. So perfume is a best option โ no one has complained so far.
What about soap? Only to those preferring soap to perfume
I am happy to make myself happy by making my circle happy because they have been making me happy. Imagine your friends feel good and be scented at the same time.
This I do because I follow literally beautiful hadith by the Prophet as below.
Abu Musa reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, โVerily, the parable of good and bad company is that of a seller of musk and a blacksmith. The seller of musk will give you perfume, you will buy some, or you will notice a pleasant smell. As for the blacksmith, he will burn your clothes, or you will notice a bad smell.โ
Source: แนขaแธฅฤซแธฅ al-Bukhฤrฤซ 5534, แนขaแธฅฤซแธฅ Muslim 2628
Authenticity grade of hadith: Muttafaqun Alayhi (authenticity agreed upon) according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim
couldnโt help smelling all
Is there a space
For happiness in an angry manโs belly?
Simple joy can cure hunger.
It draws smiles.
It brews laughter.
It dampens dry heart.
It cheers up weary soul.
Is there a space
For unhappiness in an angry manโs belly?
If he knows joy is as simple as
A pattern on matcha latte,
He should say โSorry for breaking your heart,
But loving myself is a priorityโ.
Simple joy is not that simple
For those knowing no simplicity.
โ
we asked the barista in our office to draw flower on on the matcha latte but he said it was too difficult โthis time this lah, flower needs more training hahaโฆ. sorry yaโ ๐ thank you, that is pretty, too
Why theyโre so grumpy?
Error happens all seasons.
Just take lessons learnt.
โ-
Instagram and Twitter are full of angry people who are not able to express their anger in such a way to be well understood.
WordPress is an idealโ a peaceful sanctuaryโฃ๏ธ
his name is Grumpy
Table, big or small:
Where meal, words and energy
Entertain people.
โ-
Yesterdayโs lunch break chat was about furniture. My colleague who just had a house warming said that she only has a bed and dining table and is planning to buy more things soon. Our styles are so much different and I think hers has also tapped my mind.
My dining table is a wooden slab with a long bench at one side and 4 chairs in the other. If there are more people visiting (which not yet happens up to now), they should drag armchairs from the living room or voluntarily standing. ๐
Hers is a retractable table that can be as small as 75 centimetres and as long as 3 meters. She has a total of 8 in her family so she needs space for 8 in the smallest family gathering. It attracted me to have one as mine looks bulky and occupies so much of space; however, modern retractable table doesnโt suit my Javanese house and of course it is expensive. So it is just an interest in a chat with her.
my colleagueโs type of dining table โ modern, sleek, retractable, expensive, suitable for her luxurious condo in Singapore ๐๐ผ
We also talked about beds in which we agree good mattress is paramount for our old back. ๐
Both of us agreed to invite each other in the future when there is long weekend and of course when trees of rambutan, mango, banana, matoa, chiku, and so on in my back yard are ready for harvest.
my type of dining table – heavy, bulky, occupying space yet beautiful for my humble abode ๐
Salaam.
๐
Dear oh dear, itโs time to slide the curtain and see your face.
Crescent moon is here.
It illuminates my sky,
Showing your perfect beauty.
Dear oh dear, your love has perfectly wrapped my imperfect reality.
This dusk
To dawn
I pray.
โ-
Javanese celebrate life through sharing and commemorating ancestors. They will find reasons to call a day sacred and so they can celebrate it with especially family and neighbours through sharing. One of the chosen moments is in the last 10 days of Ramadhan.
Ramadhan is believed to have 3 phases: 1st 10 days as the grace and mercy of the God, 2nd 10 days as forgiveness of the God and 3rd ones as liberation from purgatory. It is believed that one of the nights in the 3rd 10 days is called Lailatul Qadar (literally night of revelation or night of honour) whose value is more than 1000 months so if Muslim spends the night in goodness s/he will be appreciated with 1000 months of good deeds. Many Muslim scholars interpret lailatul qadar differently; I myself believe that it is the night when a human being becomes aware of oneโs bearing the quality of humanity as well as divinity. No one knows which night it is but it is believed that the night allegedly falls on odd nights of Ramadhan: 21, 23, 25, 27 or 29.
Javanese think that it would be good to share joy at any of those odd nights. Those who are blessed with abundance will share more, they will invite their neighbours to dine in and make a basket of food to bring home for each of them. The less or under privilege will usually bring 2 baskets of food to a nearest mosque or mushola to share with others; as it is not mandatory, it is ok for them not to bring anything, their neighbours will give more to them.
The odd night celebration in Javanese is called maleman that comes from the word malem (dusk or twilight) and -an (a suffix added to a word that make the word a noun or a noun another noun with different meaning). Maleman means an activity that is conducted at dusk or twilight.
We hope that by doing the maleman we can be blessed with the 1000 months of good deed of food sharing. And isnโt sharing food the simplest thing to do with neighbour? ๐๐ผ
There is one kue (small cake) typically present among all food shared in maleman, it is called apemโ a rice cake made with yeast and coconut milk.
Apem is a symbol of forgiveness and asking for forgiveness with each other among the Javanese Muslim. It is derived from an Arabic word โafwun/afuwwunโ that means forgiving. This rice cake is a special cake appearing in many Javanese celebration as a symbol of forgiving and forgiveness among people surrounding.
I am glad that the 3rd 10 days of Ramadhan is here. Time to sleep less and pray more for the sake of my happiness and joy.
Salaam.
โ-
Nowadays kue apem has been creatively modified. Originally it is steamed; now many also fry it. I love this one of Javanese delicacies! ๐
Have a look of a few of the creations of our amateur cooks. ๐๐ผ
we used to have this โapem conthongโ either using jackfruit or banana leaves to both mould and wrap it โ not many though make it due to its complicated process
the most common nowadays
this one is fried ๐
simple to cook but take long time to slice when set after cooked
๐
apem with Javanese palm sugar as the flavour โ the sweetest one
apem kembang โ my favourite ๐
It takes good backgrounds
For stories to come alive.
Time, place or coloursโ
โ-
this is the finally-decided colour for the background; just the background after many months, making sure this gift is loved by the birthday lady โ thanks for your patience and understanding, Mbak โบ๏ธ๐
Not only fruits,
It might be flowers, seeds and seedlings.
It might be leaves, woods or saps.
It might be barks, husks or roots.
It might be more.
Whatever beneficialโ
What is this tree harvested for?
Noneโ
No. Either
One:
Good deed or good time.
Harvest from life, Beloved.
Remember to sow before the next reap.
Her heart and soul is her best seeds,
And she is the farmer and the crop.
biggest lessons taken from this โ not so much relatable yet good lessons indeed
a bit of hilariously heroic – good to build good mood ๐
enigmatic and dark
Time knocks on a door of life saying
โWould you travel with me?โ
And a journey begins.
Time hugs its travel buddy knowing
That she might be off of the track.
Time talks to her hoping
That she is aware of the walk.
Time prances with her knowing
That she is on to where it heads.
โ-
dark and bright in one frame โฅ๏ธ time is a mystery
No billowing smoke
Of incense sheโs whispering
Melodies that free.
โ-
i prayed that all that i love are happy and healthy wherever they are ๐๐ผ
i prayed that their soul is reborn free and dedicated to humanity wherever they both are ๐๐ผ
Standing in front of you,
I see love.
It is clearly reflectedโ
A face of mine smiling at itself.
When you look at this mirror,
What do you see?
I wish you know
You are love reflected by a clear mirror.
I wish you see
This water clearly reflects you,
A love that exudes fragrance.
โ-
a pond behind Himeji Castle ๐ฏ i could breathe drizzles and pine freshness while seeing a school of fish swimming in clear water reflecting acceptance
Growth is happening,
Vectors might turn to balance
Good time everywhere.
โ
when i was away working, she was happy blooming ๐
and she has been preparing ๐
Thereโs always a room
For a smile to fully bloom.
Itโs called day and night.
โ-
Thanks for being part of this journey. Without you I wonโt be a full version of a human being. ๐
hope you are healthy and happy with your loved ones ๐
todayโs Ramadhan breakfast (ifthar) โ cooked by myself for myself with love โฃ๏ธ
Yes, I am a big fan of mango. ๐โฃ๏ธ
โ-
only 5? gosh! at least 20 kinds are scattered in Java island alone
yes!! this mango is second best after Indonesianโs harum manis mango
hoping the tree in my backyard soon invite me for party!
Hari Raya Fitri is coming soon and I want to bring Japanese sweets to my motherโs coffee table so her guests especially the female and children will be able to experience the delicacies without going to Japan. ๐
And my big foldable tote bag functions well. ๐
This is real madness! Always happens for all Japan trips ๐
Alhamdulillah.
๐
If homeโs made of dreams,
Itโs green, warm and musical;
Or nothing at all.
โ-
exhausted like heaven! the toilets and cleanliness imprison me, the railway system bids me a farewell โ not a perfect home of mine ๐ Singapore and Indonesia is the best home of mine ๐
home is where new dreams are ready to come true ๐
dandelions ready to fly ๐
There is great mountain
Not deserved to climb
How much ever best view will be up there.
There is good hill
Deserved to walk up
How much ever others give up its ordinary view.
She decided to walk up the hill
And found some big trees
With singing birds and hopping squirrels
Enjoying the breeze.
There is enough space to have a picnic
Until the sun sets beautifully.
โ-
there is elevator in Osaka Castle so i should not skip climbing the castle as in Himeji Castle (said my colleague); yet i still didnโt as the queue was too long โ walking the garden then having a fine dining with a good friend was a much better choice ๐ธ
thanks for your Osaka vibe; proven that Osaka is much warmer than Tokyo ๐ see you again in June
rike jokanan 
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