A Who Who Is Missed

It rains, Beloved
Orange stays bright in the west.
Wish you were here, Who?

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Sometimes the one that is dearly missed is that who never remembers us. What a paradox!

Paradox is beauty of life, contradictory realities that are given at the same time. There are plenty of hidden messages in between only clear heart can read.

May all beings be happy. 💝

thanks for everything 🙏🏼

See Beyond A Dead End

Mistake, Beloved
Taking action with dead end.
Back to square one? No?

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Earth revolves around the sun, so each dead end experiences a sun rise a day.

What a relief!

where can I find this book; let’s go to the library

Some Cannot Be Changed

Red shrimp, Beloved
Crooked not bowing; Nature
That cannot be changed—

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Lunch is an important meal; breakfast is just a tertiary “decoration”. So having nice food in the afternoon feels like seeing a green garden with fruits hanging everywhere. 🤩

the filling for today’s paper rice wrap

4 of 4 done! 1 isn’t so tidy, the 3 are excellent!

Two Sides of Beauty

A vase, Beloved
In which two seasons meet up;
Two sides of beauty—

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Some flowers last longer in a vase, others stay shorter. They glorify seasons and gratify life spans differently. Here some flowers come together in a vase and enjoy the life together, decorating a corner some time away from the roots.

How would I not thank for all faces of beauty?

Live longer and enjoy the colourful life in this melting pot, dear Self. All is well. All is beautiful.

May all beings be happy.

the pink striped daisies stay longer than predicted, red roses come to sit together ⭐️

Life Skill Is Not That Simple

It takes basic skill
To be happy and peaceful.
Folding paper rice—

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Another Vietnamese cuisine came for brunch! 🍴

Thought it would be easy and fast to fold rice paper to wrap some veggies and meat. Thought it would take only basic skill of folding paper like making origami heart.

Yes, it is pre-basic skill of folding the paper yet the skill to control what’s inside the heart is not that basic. The intention to fold tidily and the urge of immediately eating nice food collided hard just because of a thin layer of helpless wet rice paper. It felt like now or never. Drama! 😂

Today’s target of eating 5 wraps didn’t happen. The rest of the filling became a bowl of salad.

Sorry, dearest paper rice. I failed you. No, no! 3 of 5 is 60%, more than 50% means winning in democracy. 😂

Next time better! 💝

yummy! will work better tomorrow for lunch 😊

Delicious Weekend

Weekend, Beloved,
Clear, nice, fresh— How can’t it be
If it’s cooked with love?

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First Vietnamese food from own kitchen. Next one should include bone to make perfect beef flavour. And the chili please, the crown of perfection should be a kick not only a tickle!

Still this weekend is delicious with a big bowl of pho bo!

If I may say Vietnamese pho is the only noodle soup that can beat my dear Indomie! Respect to the soul who concocted this recipe hundreds of years ago.

May all beings be happy.

pho bo a la Indonesia 💝
mung bean sprout, ngo ghai leaves, Thai basil and lime – why Thai basil? sometimes I am wondering why some fruit and vegetables are called “Thai~” while the plants are naturally originally South East Asian! ones can find them in Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia not sure in Singapore (at least in Cold Storage imported from Vietnam or Malaysia or Thailand or Indonesia) 😎
oh my, it is such a betrayal to cook Vietnamese pho using Thai pad thai rice noodle…. sorry, Vietnamese pho; couldn’t find you yesterday
and my betrayal is complete with the Thai fish sauce…. Vietnamese fish sauce, where are you? my friends in Vietnam said their fish sauce is stronger than the Thai. Fish sauce is the secret of pho bo taste!
after all herbs and spices flavours are blended into boil, filter it to find the clear broth – friends in Vietnam said it takes overnight boiling to reach certain consistency and taste. sorry, didn’t have the luxury, 1.5 hours is good enough!
herbs and spices – love it! 💝

Free Day

Rest day, Beloved,
Free— Stay away from workplace.
Let it be messy.

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Just wanna be free, don’t care about dirty house and all the mess. Just wanna take time to do nothing—

Welcome Saturday night! Let’s browse recipe for Sunday! 😎

leaving weekend as weekend, without touching anything at that corner

A Cleansing Talk

Friendship, Beloved
A vast ocean and its waves
Sweeping all debris—

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A friend visited me at my lunch break. A short talk made the day.

About her retirement plan to hop from one city to another from one country to another with her husband, future visit to my home base, future visit to Ubud, her sons and the menace, my future plans, health and healthcare, vaccination, and everything….

Our longest talk after 2 years of not going someplace together! She brought our favourite kue from Bengawan Solo! 💝

Couldn’t believe it could happen only in one hour. We must have talked as fast as flash!

⚡️

Bengawan Solo jajanan pasar delivered by a friend today

Not 100% Clean

Is she that clean though?
No! Flower blooms from rooted trees.
Dirt, bugs surround her.

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Human being is human being. No one is perfect. No one is clean. If someone looks perfect, it is just the lenses are focusing on one’s good parts or the lenses are damaged unable to see all details or one is just in a lucky blind spot. What a blessing to look perfect! — whatever the cause is

Making mistakes is a perfect description about human being. The perfection overdoes though when the same mistake is repeated — too many times will kill!

*sigh*

May all beings be full-bellied. 💝

burnt mackerel, salty veggies soup and cutie buns with some ants is a set of perfect imperfection I cooked today

Guarded

Swaying gently down,
Feather falls off from the wings
Flapping. Angel smiles.

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I used to pick up feathers met on the way to school, office, home, everywhere. Feathers have been good signs to me for years. There has been a feeling of being protected.

Superstition? I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.

Now? Still believing that feather present is the presence of protection, but I stopped hoarding. Just look at the feathers, pray for protection and greet the guardian angels, and walk on with a bunch of blessings.

May all beings be happy.

🪶

https://phys.org/news/2019-11-feathers-propel-birds-air-history.html

Thanks for The Space

There’s a space to read
A message…. Deciphered, it
Will turn to insights.

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inspiration makes simplicity beautiful

Flower Buddy

Say hi to colours
Sent by the beauty across
The sea. Thanks, buddy!

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Flowers from a colleague who has the same hobby, working accompanied by flowers. A touch of cheerfulness boosts the immunity.

Thanks, MZ!

her lotus
her today’s daisy
chrysanthemum pompom

Extracting What’s In

Of sun of the day,
Of moon of the night, it comes
The sense of language—

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No, it is not a story of a human with a name. It is a journey of eternal flame.

Opening page by page, the last page is not an epilogue. It is a prologue of another story.

Beloved, are you a book or a library?

It doesn’t matter, just read.

May all beings be happy.

Strahav Library – not my photo collection, you can find it everywhere

Friends Truly Taste Summer

A gate wide opens
Out to a meadow. Summer,
Show your charms to earth.

Not that I’m happy all the time but speak happy talk happy smile happy eat happy work happy has made me happier longer than before.

So why not?

Thanks for those humble and kind orbiting around me. So blessed for being some simple waza waza for each other! 💝

It is not easy there but you can do it!

This too shall pass!

Salam…. 🙏🏼

flowers from the desert, beauty and endurance blended in colours like friendship

Morning Has Broken

Morning has broken.
Path’s cleared by last night’s rain. I—
Miss you in the dark.

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New day, please bless me…. 🤍 Erase all the torturing memories even from the best listed ones…. Amen….

You The Punctuation

You are you thats you
The you thats not you the you
I think is you Who

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There are so many yous in you You through a complex prism is able to compel one to sign an everlasting contract with no terms and conditions but saying yes to all of you

Your signature is a punctuation while mine is a dragged line called names

Youre that important that history of alphabet puts you as a technology that moves meaning

Punctuation is you

May all beings be happy

you beauty that builds meaning

Story of Today’s Rain

Indeed, Beloved
Whatever’s left by the rain
Is good memory.
Each water droplet saves it;
Plays its melody sweetly.

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I wish I could read your mind, borrow some of the words and insert them into a unique story.

An everlasting wish….

💝

after rain

July Sun

Journey, Beloved
Is wonderful flow and hike.
What a bright sunshine!

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Welcome, July. Please be kind like how a good sister treats me.

Happy birthday, dear sis…. 💞

protea and mini chrysanthemum

A Neighbour-To-Be

One step out of gate
Is a neighbour who greets you,
Supports you with heart.

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‘ve always loved to have neighbours, good neighbours. Bad neighbours? Gosh! They are just those who don’t know how to thank for what they have been given and think that others are more blessed and happier. I had both back then. Now? My neighbours here are doors with numbers, cleaning service and security guards. 😁

Many want to live in a place where neighbours are those greeting and supporting each other with heart. I don’t mind to have a few rather bad neighbours among most good ones. And my home-base-to-be seems showing good signs. A good friend cum a good neighbour-to-be said that her friend owns a restaurant located near the home-base-to-be. A restaurant named “Jiwa Jawi” (literally means Javanese soul) is there right at the back of the home-base.

Wouldn’t it be nice that our backyard is looking out to a restaurant in a small jungle? When the food at home isn’t enough for visiting family and friends, just dial the number and get some to be delivered in no time. Indonesian food will always be one most favourite on the home-base’s dining table.

Another good news, this restaurant is a ground where people can eat, chat, camp, play, gather, pose to enjoy the day! When some intermezzo is needed, just step out of the gate and chill out there. Some friends said it is instagramable.

Can’t wait, can’t wait…. I miss home.

Salaam….

You Like It Or Not, Feel Good

Orange horizon
Warms her dusk, welcomes her night.
Weekend’s over soon.

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How beautiful is the sunset in the west? The color, the shape, the impression plus the drama that it can create. That’s how poetic a natural phenomenon can be in the hand of a literary person.

How high is sun’s temperature? Burning, suffocating without oxygen, lack of blue and green all red. That’s how emotionless a sunset can be through scientific point of view.

I prefer feeling good…. 🎼

Live Longer? Keep Fit!

Chasing the sunset,
Pushing cardio. Keep fit.
For one happy breath—

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Living healthily. That’s enough to make one happy…. Eh? Not really. I mean that’s condition #1 of being happy. 🤩

Ready for another packed week! Oh, dear Corona…. Would you please spare me from your not-only-making-people-sick-but-also-making-them-super-busy?

May all beings be happy.

Salam….

feeling so free with just me! 💞

Am I Free

I’m a torch no more.
I’m a morning for my day
To be. Am I free?

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Just one click! Then the monitor shows something brighter and full of hopes! Vast ocean of happiness—

Why is it so blocked to be optimistic? Take a mirror, unlock just one sweet smile, look into the smiling face more deeply a little bit longer and know why…. Dear, Love. Just one click!

May all beings be happy.

Beautiful Scars

Bruised and scarred she is;
A stained-glass window to see
Both sides of her world.

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22:22 / Sunday – June 6, 2021

I thought all of those were wounds and warts until observing carefully. I’ve been living with a beautiful stained-glass window which puts colours and gives unique perspectives when seeing inside and outside. As long as it doesn’t derail from being a human being, I think I’m blessed.

Why shouldn’t I be thankful and happy? 💞

And….

May all beings be happy.

Salam.

Duality Comprehended

Happy and healthy
Two to walk, to cook good food—
About the balance

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Have ever questioned why duality is everywhere? Right left. Hot cold. Bright dark. Name it.

So much about duality in which one finds oneness as the balance after these years of living and to many years to continue living— With less and less confusion for sure

Harmony

Black in white, white in black

Polarity well comprehended

Centeredness in busy hours

Distance between zero and infinity

May all beings be happy.

sour, sweet, curve, corner – such a nice flavour, a lime tart from a local shop yum yum!

All Is Sweet

How sweet is a day?
Take a bowl of taste, sit down.
Nature’s gift is real.

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There is always a way to make a good day as long the stove has fire. Cooking can be one tastiest meditation. Stewed pumpkin and crunchy cashew nuts!

saviour without halo

Home Is Here

When chords are played,
Heart beat tunes its harmony.
Song of peace and grace—

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Bengawan Solo is always giving me home wherever it is. There is a river flowing in me.

Message of Love

What happiness brings?
Smiles, grins, and message of love
From long unmet friends—

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Two cute jars of Lebaran cookies and a beautiful message from my dear niece whom I haven’t met for more than one year due to this pandemic and some illness, while we live only 5 kilometers away.

Thank you for much of love, Sasha!

Tongue Twisters

Tongue twisted by words;
By taste, too that kicks the sense;
A toast to the health!

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turmeric, ginger, aromatic ginger, tamarind, coconut sugar (brown sugar), drops of lime if you like 🥰

The Present

Of being human:
Letting others be human
Although for a while.

If only human being is being human, giving up other predicates just for a while. If they give up the wrong concept of being religious, maybe no one will need to say “I’ll do whatever I want” because everyone respects everybody.

Humanity, Human, humanity.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Present_(2020_film)

More Meetings, More Water. More Lipstick?

Red fades away of
Talks, drinks, not kisses. Lovely,
Lively, blessed long day.

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You want to drink more after talking, you do. Drink! Water, not alcohol.🫖

You don’t want to look pale even when you’re too tired, you don’t. Put lipstick. Why did I even put lipstick when I didn’t turn on the video in the call? 🧐

Long day is as short as short when you know what you’re doing.

May all beings be happy.

one jug of water is not enough! too much lipstick today!