These memories swim,
Gliding through the wind, soaring.
You are everywhere.
——
planes of cloud swimming beneath the wings like memories that evolve to beautiful stories
Swimming
Tag: journey
I Bow to The Divine in You
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 💕
Repeatedly Blessed
Once again
Is a bonus
Becoming allowance
As it is
Again and again.
I wish another
After another
Again
And again
Until it is
Time to end.
——
‘M 48th tomorrow. ‘Ve never thought I would reach this age.
When I was 9, I almost died. When I was 24, I almost died. I thought I would die at 44. It’s been huge blessings to be given another year.
another door before another door, 48 means a door to victory
My wish is simpler this year. After all failures and broken hearts, I wish for a warm home and a good job. Those two mean happiness to me. With a warm home, I can host my family and good friends. With a good job, I can leverage my role to help others around me improve their well being.
Amen.
Thank you!
Calm Days
A room that tells tale
Has hushed noise and busy mind.
Here comes the calm days.
——
Wibisana, a room that offers calmness — Balinese home is always my favourite getaway
there are two decorative pictures of Dewi Saraswati over the bed and two paintings of Balinese ladies among flowers on both walls — this Puri is where my mind does rest
💕
Who is Wibisana? A knight who flees his country to pay the cost of his partiality to the higher purpose of peace on earth
Fully Paid
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!
Performance
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
Lotus
From a muddy jar
She emerges for the sun
To greet, kiss and hug.
——
Mountain And Ocean
Mountain and ocean
Between which the heart resides
Call the soul for home.
——
Slow
World will not tell her
How to slow. It just moves on
And counts each moment.
——
back to back trips, luggage is all packed — 2 weeks then 1 week then 2 days
am I always ready to go? physically yes, but my soul still wants to linger in this plane
💕
Stones
How many stones, Love
Do I have to leap and count?
I’m happy. To home—
——
my days are like stepping stones to leap for home
Hidden Gems
Hidden gems
Shan’t be found
By those admiring surface.
Let it be kept undercover,
Shining within
The hearts of
The true lovers.
——
Dewi Larasati (named Rarasati in her childhood) is one of female characters in Javanese wayang whose personality is described as pleasant, patient, understanding and of good self control. She is unpopularly one of female wayang characters with military skill. She is good at handling keris and archery. She is allegedly as skillful as her husband, Arjuna.
Note: Dewi can mean goddess in Javanese. It can also simply mean or indicate that the person given that Javanese name is a female. Dewa is for male.
Dewi Larasati in black and white
Dewi Larasati is a humble woman and is so humble that she doesn’t want to announce her military skill until one day she is called by his husband to show her archery skill in from of Srikandi (his other wife). On that day everyone starts to know that Dewi Larasati’s archery expertise is outstanding, much better than Srikandi who is allegedly the best female archer in Javanese wayang and the bravest female heroine of all.
Dewi Larasati is then declared the one having as good skill as Arjuna’s, the best archer in Javanese wayang. Yet she never boasts of being as good as her husband in archery. She chooses to be the queen of the knight of war and mindfulness Arjuna, the beloved mother of her two sons, Bambang Sumitra and Branatalaras, the aunt of Pandawa’s offsprings.
Dewi Larasati facing left direction
While people like to talk about Dewi Larasati from that angle, I like talking about her from different one. To me I prefer to play dictions so disecting the word “Rarasati” and “Larasati” is another option.
Rarasati is a combination of 2 Javanese words: raras and ati.
Raras means feel, feeling, thought, thinking
Ati means heart
So rarasati can mean the feel of a heart or the thought of a heart or a feeling heart or a thinking heart
Larasati is a combination of 2 Javanese words: laras and ati.
Laras means song, singing, chat, chanting, reciting, recitation,
Ati means heart
So larasati can mean the song of a heart or a singing heart.
Dewi Larasati facing right direction
I always think Dewi Larasati’s parents’s naming her “larasati” because of their dream to have children who are willing to use the heart to feel and think the reality and to listen to their own self to balance the power of the loudness of material world.
With my simple utterance about the word “rarasati” and “larasati” I can imagine Dewi Larasati is a hidden gem that needs no disclosure as undercover she is already glowing. With her excellence she accepts to be less well-known than Srikandi, the archery heroine. With humbleness she accepts to be less popular than Sembadra, Arjuna’s second wife, while Dewi Larasati is the first wife of that bloody handsome knight Arjuna. Please note although I admire Arjuna’s high quality of meditation and nationalism, I curse his being a womaniser.
Anyway this is not about Arjuna, it is about Dewi Larasati, a humble intelligent woman whose identity is underrated because of her unpopularity like a hidden gem that is kept low key by those loving and protecting her.
Ahh! Is the above discussion culturally relevant? Or is it just this person who idolises those unpopular gems in life?
It doesn’t matter. This is just a different point of view about an old fact.
💕
Salaam.
Dewi Larasati on a batik scarft designed by Dudung Aliesyahbana, batik maestro from Pekalongan, Central Java
Shape of Heart
Sprinkles of petalS
Sway from the sky gracefully
Calling name of yours.
——
genji pie that shapes like heart or rose petal or whatever beautifully seen by eyes
genji pie, aside from the shape the taste is also good to me
genji pie has inspired me to love
About genji pie
Multiply
Multiplied and blessed
Is numbers nature has sent
To a heart that smiles.
——
flying back from Narita
flying out from Changi
i believe that whatever shared is multiplied — at least those who enjoy it are multiplied
keep multiplying and blessing!
♥️
Pilgrimage
This life’s pilgrimage
Spiralling in to the core
Of old house within.
——
a mosque in Tokyo — Tokyo Jamii (Camii)
entrance — assalamualaikum, Tokyo Camii
mosque area – 2nd floor
i still know how to do sholat tahiyatul masjid (praying to respect mosque), recite QS Arrahman that is full of gratitudes and praises so i did it
the feel was exactly like when i pray in the temples and shrines
a feeling of home 💕
then a beautiful sister helped me with photo taking — she made me much taller, slimmer yet less me 😁 thank you 💕
time to fly home — thank you, Tokyo 💕
you make me love myself more and more, with all the wounds and scars
My Heart Is
They have said
I am lost.
What I see…
I am in a forest away
From comfort of thought.
I am not in a castle
In which mind is blunted.
My heart finds home
In which 25 prophets
And 1000 saints
Have found the paths.
It is a way
That all Prophets and Saints bless.
I am home
With the flow
That brings petals
To where fragrance blends
With clarity of fluids,
Various fluids
Gliding to a vast ocean
Of love.
——
i don’t care anymore what i am called by them — Muslim? Alhamdulillah, Sufi? Subhanallah, Buddhist? Masya Allah
what i am sure of is that my sutra is sutra of love with which all prophets and saints have travelled, whatever religions they have been associated with
thank you
💕
No Regret
Rain has no regret.
It’s sharp needles jabbed to earth—
Wildly seeped for life.
——
even wrong decision tasted nice! trust me the chili didn’t even have heat in it 😊 no regret at all
Dirgahayu RI ke-78!
I normally participate flag raising ceremony on August 17 to celebrate Indonesia’s Independence Day in Indonesia Embassy in Singapore yet this year I don’t as I am in Japan for work.
Not losing hope to express my vibe of nationalism, I decided to celebrate it by eating cold soba standing and slurping (not so successful sound according to my friend though) then watching one-act Kabuki in Kabukiza Theater — all after work.
It is absolutely different way of celebration! So much liking it!
Thank you, Tokyo! I will be back.
Dirgahayu Republik Indonesia ke-78!
Merdeka!
i love you, Indonesia
sluurp!
Kabukiza Theater
8888 — hope to see full performance someday!
wishing to be back 💕
Rin-Chu, the main character in the Shin Suikoden
Good Morning, Edo
I am not a breakfast person yet I arrived in this city very early and needed a big start for my eyes and head. There is no bread with kaya or nasi lemak or fish soup or kwetiau here so….
Coffee, quite acidic to my spoiled stomach
Salad, much cabbage to contribute enough gas for the whole day
Potato wedge, much to keep me full until very late lunch later today
Tokyo, thanks for being kind to me although your railway system is never friendly to me. Taxi! 😊
Salaam.
——
kopinya juara, so acidic that my stomach sang loudly 💕
milk with red bean and water — rubber stomach 😞
Dangling
Old dreams are dangling
Ready to sprout but doubtful
Seeing grasshoppers.
——
three dangling charms with a daruma flying north tonight
Hatred Was Love
Hatred, Beloved
Never a choice; it is love—
Once got hurt then lost.
(haiku at lunch break)
——
osho, the king in shogi (Japanese chess)
About shogi the Japanese chess
Land
A pair of strong wings
Bring me to a land of thoughts
Where hope shines the light.
——
landed home after burying hope to grow with flowers and spreading love with billowing incense smoke
Lovely
You’re lovely
Like the songs in my heart.
Unluckily
You belong to another heart.
Verily
You’d thrown me to a new start.
Luckily
You didn’t break my hope apart.
Hopefully
My life again to bloom.
Undoubtedly
You feel ease in the room.
Life is rich and enriches,
Full of sad and happy surprises.
——
one of my good friends is a handicrafter; this bag was just completed 2 days ago and delivered yesterday
my mother said “lovely”
“do you want it?”, said i
“is that ok if i take it?” she said
“why not, Ina can make a new one for me” said i.
i am happy to make my mother happy with a happy (unintentional) surprise 💕
11 in 23
11 in 23
Can’t say clearly more
About 2 numbers
That are in sequence: one, two, three;
That are prime: singly operated by one and itself.
Happy anniversary!
——
I started writing diary when I was a six grader of elementary school. My golden years of diary writing was around 6 years in junior and senior high school — honest stories, mostly quoting people’s word verbatim, hand written beautifully, locked and un-shared.
WordPress is my diary, not as naked and straightforward as my younger diaries, yet all writings are genuine expressions about daily life wrapped in love language. Whatever the stories are, love is always the core and the cover.
Thanks, WordPress for being a place for me to sing my days with my own lyrics, rhymes and rhythms. I don’t like to be misunderstood yet I don’t mind being differently interpreted by different people — their misunderstanding is not a result of my creative process, it is the result of their own lack of clarity about their own inner journey.
In my life, in this WordPress, anywhere I am an open humble book but I am kept among reference collection.
11 years of being a reference collection in the library of everything. Yay!
More years to count!
took off from Multiply in 2007, landed in WordPress in 2012 — this journey is on
Dripping
This heart is leaking.
Droplets of love are dripping,
Fertilising life.
——
About wedang uwuh
wedang uwuh, a favourite beverage in breezy night of Jogja
inside wedang uwuh
Lovely Friendship
The spell of friendship
Is not F R I E N D S H I P.
To spell friendship
Is to put some magical words
To a bond
So it lasts forever
In love.
My friends put a spell on me.
I put a spell on them.
We put a spell on each other
To stay together
Gleaming like stars
In a cluster
Or in different ones blinking to each other.
How beautiful friendship is
When bonded with genuine drops
Of souls
And
Adorned with true colours
Of hearts.
How real friendship is
When soul and heart
Are sprinkled on to
A life that hopes
And loves.
——
this book of friendship — no where to find in souvenir shop but found in the heart of friends
fun and true and real and genuine 💕 friendship with my beloved nephews
On A Rope
A rope might help
To travel to the other side,
Yet it might be not.
Being in the other side
Is not always wise
As a wise is
That that means
Decision for the right.
Right time
Right place
Right person
That might be
Not right:
Not always right amount
Not always right distance
Not always right calculation.
This rope is right
Only when it is about
Knowing that pulling or releasing
Are both hurting
Right where and when it is decided to.
this?
this one is wiser for now 💕
might not be the right one, yet being relaxed and easy is sometimes the right one for now — i just don’t want to think too much; wisdom is not always hard 💕
Remote & Intimate
💕
work from remote in people’s thought
it is more than enough to have this in my work from remote to accompany my mother and….
…. to take off celebrating what good about life – one of them is he whose love to life is like cool water 😁 💕
Books To Breathe
Have a seat, dear friends.
Breathe this home before our chat.
Leave the heat outside.
Pages of shapes and colours,
Tell them to bring their best selves.
——
Coffee table books are good to make guests relaxed before longer chat with me and at the same time to lay foundation of the chat. Not all guests visit me to chill out; some do to ask for help that might make it difficult for them to start a convo, so some flash reading can help them break the ice and sometimes for the host to loop back to the ice breakers when strategising to refuse unreasonable requests. 😉
Just fyi, some people don’t easily give up “selling misery to get a buy-in”, so be softly tough; one exquisite coffee table book might not even work.
About coffee table books
coffee table books taking turn monthly to welcome my friends
this book contains reproduced masterpieces of world’s well-known painters; the characters in the original paintings are all replaced by cats
all reproductions are by Susan Herbert
thank you, Ma’am for your art! 🙏🏼
here is very few from a total of 140 illustrations
The Beguiling of Merlin — Edward Burne-Jones, 1872-7
A Couple — Pierre Auguste-Renoir c. 1868
The Milkmaid — Johannes Vermeer c. 1660
The Child’s Bath — Mary Bassat, 1893
this is originally not a coffee table book but i will make it one — currently reading it 👏🏼
always suitable anytime so it will be forever on the table accompanied by the monthly one — only women have this power 😊
Good Day
Good day is good hope
Lining waiting for handling
By heart that sees light.
Dance, Beloved. Welcome the day.
The gate opens wide with smiles.
——
the view from in front of my door; seeing the reservoir has always energised me 💕
even 2024 looks good from here 🙏🏼
Friends
We fight
We peace
We laugh
We cry
We tease
We toast
We friend
We dance!
We grow
We flow
We age
We page!
What goes around
Comes around,
And friends
Are best to count.
——
Some of my colleagues are very good friends of mine. We genuinely talk as friends outside of work term. They invite me for drinking without making me drink what they drink. We celebrate birthdays together and deeply share some ideas of how life is.
This and next weeks we meet for work and have good chances to meet almost every day after all back to back meetings. Lunch and dinner can be the best time to insert some teasing and sharing and blessing.
We are growing old but still excited of what we are doing at work.
Thanks for pur wonderful life celebration.
Salaam.
growing old and mature is a luxury; let’s enjoy it with true friends 💕
rike jokanan 
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