Tag: journey

The orchid’s budding,
Silently showing the day
About ever hope.

—

just this afternoon I found the orchid hung behind the shower door is budding! thanks much! sorry for missing your beauty! be in your prime time when I am back home 🥰

Blooming

Orchids are blooming,
Telling her to keep smiling.
Smiling is charming.

—

Left for some time, they keep their good vibe! Blooming again! Thank you!

Learning, Map It!, Poetic, This Person, Those People

Journey to the self
Takes a long and winding road,
Worth doing. Half done—

—

Human beings’ journey to understand one’s self is often unpredictable. I never wanted to visit Mecca and Medina yet because of my devotion to a mother, I agreed to go to ensure that she was safe and healthy. And the result was tremendous evolution of self. 💝

To Ibu: I miss you much today 😘

Alfatihah

Masjid Nabawi (Mosque of Prophet) in Medina — where I started strongly realising that there is a journey —a silent one— that I must commit 💝 someday I’ll be back with a clearer mind and a calmer heart yet the same level of “disobedience” and stubbornness 😁

where I witnessed how a human being’s karma is overtly paid off and showing the quality of a person visiting this place – my mother is a humble, kind and very very generous person and in this place she was greeted by sooo many female pilgrims from other countries, requested to take picture together, given a looooooooooot of food every day, given space once arriving in the mosque (her friends in her group were not that much) – me? oh of course she introduced me as her daughter cum translator and then was included in all her blessings 😝

the only person who could move my heart to finally go – thank you, Ibu; might not be a happy ending for me but was a best start of a journey 💝

where my heart was knocked from inside that the journey is within and silent, a precious gift — the physical is a gift wrap to respect whomever we wish 💝 (Masjidil Haram, Mecca)

a life long pilgrimage of mine 💝 a private, silent, almost secretive so only I and whom I most love know the milestones 💗 others are guessing and interpreting 🙏🏼

Samba!

Samba shakes the world
With its vibes and colours.
You’re winning a heart!

—

Brazil is about green forest, yellow land of gold and hot weather. And Samba dance!

losing or winning, Samba’s team is my champion! 🎉

a game is played with heart and soul! 💝

Dinner

Learning, Map It!, Poetic

The night’s getting old.
The light’s getting bright. Road’s, too.
Breeze’s humming hymns.

—

After a long day, I invited the two friends working with me to have dinner together. Not a treat, just a shared dinner as each of us are bound to integrity pledge— Go Dutch! Respected and appreciated! 🙏🏼

A Lebanese restaurant was recommended by one of them whose girlfriend loves eating Lebanese and Turkish food. The other agreed with any. And so we drove to Halab Penang, a Lebanese restaurant located in Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street).

Being a Christian, one prayed religiously before eating, the other one also Christian yet didn’t seem to whisper any. Me? I know my Beloved hears me even when I speak with no voice. 😊

Thanks for today! Remember, dear friends the power of “only positive vibes are entertained”. 😊

See you next time.

Alfatihah for you both. 💕

Halab Penang from one angle, I should have taken the pic from the other angle whose pillar was decorated with beautiful calligraphy of Allah and Muhammad

Winning (ranting)

You’re winning my heart
When my goal’s the same as yours.
After days of loss—

—

FIFA 2022 has brought controversial practices and surprises from the beginning. I don’t have further comments on those political, yet I am so happy with Saudi Arabia and Japan winning against Argentina and Germany. What a victory!

I wish they win again and again and those big names lose more to balance the celebration. It is just a game yet sometimes a game should be won by those who have been underdog. I am not discriminative. 😁

Twitter too has been so much more crowded with the euphoric tweets about FIFA 2022. Exciting, hilarious, entertaining, some envious, abusive, violent though. Yet how much ever I want to click a like to soooo many “sweet” tweets, I remember my promise of not doing so for some time now. Playing in Twitter is a bit scary, buzzers and scammers are freely working, sending me irresponsible messages; better play safe and observe only. Or probably just my algorithm— 🙂

FIFA! It’s been annual celebration for football lovers, refresher for bored routine dwellers. We, —our father, siblings, cousins and I— would watch the games through national TV station together even over midnight to indirectly cheer our favourite teams. In Indonesia “nobar = nonton bareng” aka watching together (at home, community centers, cafes) is very common to enjoy sports games, badminton and football in particular — many people will do wide screen with noises and costumes of real supporters as if watching onsite. Our favourite teams were Netherlands, Brazil and England so we would be the noisiest when watching them. Not Indonesia? Of course, not! We love our national team but they are not yet ready to go beyond the country borders especially with the current funny management. Someday, someday! 😍

In Malaysia now, yet none of the people met was eager to talk about FIFA so we just talked about annual holiday at lunch break while enjoying Kapitan’s biryani and tandoori chicken. Unfortunately…. Or fortunately so I fully focus on work 🤓

‘ll be in Japan next week and love to see how euphoric Japanese are about this victory. Hopefully they will show more relaxed look and behaviour this time with the excitement. So excited! 🤩

Salaam.

so happy to see the winner happy esp after playing against a big name

wave your flag, human! it’s not only religious but also joyous! 😍 like those Arabs in FIFA time 😘

clean your waste, human! it’s not only joyous but also religious! 😍 like those Japanese in FIFA time 😘

Love

It’s not about you. 
It’s about me loving you.
It’s love that hides you.
A door opening ajar,
Heaven sprinkling you with stars—

—

💕

Good Day Always

If taste is ruling,
Let it rule with full belly.
That makes better day.

—

Never liking in-flight meal has made it important for me to eat before or (mostly) after flight. And I think eating before or after flight makes me healthier during flight (either sleeping or reading well 🙂) except when I found some passengers sitting next to me complaining about how awful the flight is, how not nice the food is, how blahblahblah….

Halloooow! Do you have other things than complaints? I don’t even know who you are. I don’t even think your modern countries suffer more than others. Or, is it true when people are raised with fewer problems, they will complain more?

Maybe they should bring their own food or even fly their own jet. 😝 I mean if they are accustomed to in-flight meal, they should take it or leave it. Don’t complain! If you can fly, it means you most probably have enough money to buy just a plate of rice. For first flyer, they should be excused. 🙂

That empty stomach sometimes make people cranky is probably true. Yet to me being hungry or empty stomach is good (even better than too full) but starving is not. Be patient, human. 4-8 hours of hunger won’t kill!

Salaam.

sate kambing 🥰 delivered to hotel room by a friend through Go-Food in Jakarta – a true surprise and delight; thank you!

sate ayam Madura 🥰 – another surprise and delight

lontong is our “compressed rice cake“, good to go with sate! 🥰 a surprise and delight

breakfast is sometimes mixed feelings of curiosity

mixed tastes of fried chicken, better than Jamie Oliver’s breakfast 😊 before another flight 🤩

Disguised

Learning, Map It!, Poetic

Swaying then rocking,
You disguise either message
Bad or good. Still blessed—

—

it’s been 13 years after an experience of earthquake in Jakarta, today another earthquake shook and forced us to evacuate out of the building; quite a strong magnitude started like a mild swaying up to relatively medium rocking – thanks God for saving us, thanks God for showing me that the company’s evacuation protocol is well implemented 🙏🏼

The Journey (Big Panda and Tiny Dragon)

Two enter a gate
So they can end a journey
In a brand new start.

—

Found another book of “Big Panda and Tiny Dragon” by James Norbury in Changi Airport T3 today.

feeling like an ever-incomplete being, the expansiveness is incredibly significant – there’s a need to see a vastness to finally realise that it’s all about accepting a limit

heaven feels like flowing river – does it?

been lost physically and spiritually, and found too in both 💕

9 (ranting)

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person

Why 9? It’s just 9.
When counting 9, it brings 9.
9 is 9. Be 9.

—

Why 9?

Back to uni days I was very keen of learning numerology, slightly superstitious to certain level but it was very entertaining and encouraging. It doesn’t give me a lot of benefits in career but a little knowledge about numerology sometimes gives me unique perspective of problem solving; or hmmm at least good distraction. Based on numerology each number has meaning and energy. Different number, different meaning, different vibe, different luck.

Among all numbers my favourite is 1, 7, 9. Very personal. Yet I like to make it look reasonable and logical. 😊

What about those numbers?

1 – One is loyalty, dedication, unity, singularity. We are loyal when we “worship” one – the God, the love. Dedication is focusing on one – one company, one citizenship, one goal. Unity is multiple agreeing on one – unity in diversity. Singularity is uniqueness of one, no comparison – feel it when we’re alone, that’s who you are. My definition as individual being rules the game.

7 – Seven is pitu in Javanese, an abbreviation of pitulungan that means help, support. No one can live alone as social beings so helping and supporting each other is the only way to survive in society. Cultural definition rules the game.

9 – September the 9th month is my birth month. I was categorised to have a character of group 9 in one numerology class. Almost dead at 9. 9 is the only number that I adore because of its logical and scientific function. 9 is my lucky number! Both empirical and logical experiences rule the game.

Dear, my favourite numbers. When will my company stock price go up back to 179 again? That is the point of my favourite numbers ranting today!

Happy weekend!

all the opposite sides of a dice add up to 7 – hey! I am not a gambler

Now Here

Learning, love, Poetic, This Person

Now here is a point
Where start and finish collide.
A shadow of yours—

—

sometimes I just want to stay put where I am now with myself as with me I am complete 💕

Love Is

Two love birds singing
In a cage full of good food.
A choice to a love—

—

Love is…. ?

Damn! I can’t define it except that it is sometimes misunderstood with lust.

That it is often symbolised with a heart shape. Maybe most human beings believe love comes from the heart. Hey! Is that really the shape of a heart? Or just how we agree that it is a shape of the heart?

That it is discussed everywhere but also wasted everywhere.

What I believe love is a verb not a noun so without action, it is muted sooner or later. At the same time love is an energy that cannot be created or destroyed so it is there and will be there, yet it can transform and/or transfer between subjects. Compatibility (chemistry), heat (intensity), motion (intension), what else can change the form of love? (oops forgetting all the physics learnt when younger)…. Anyway, it transforms and transfers (circulates can be another word) between (or among if circulated) human beings. So, accept it.

I believe love is about interest that human being cannot select voluntarily. It is a blessing at the same time a curse. it can be love between two love birds inseparable, or Tom and Jerry entertainingly cruel for either of two, or as cold as Antarctica.

I believe love is the core power generator of life that if removed, life will disappear. Never give up love. Broken heart is just a milestone that brings a human being to deeper and deeper understanding about him/herself. Broken because of a crush? Broken because of family? Broken because of friendship? Broken because of work? Broken because of world reality? A human being can always fix it gradually with anger, disappointment then acceptance. Just don’t be broken because of yourself – you are the most precious for yourself.

I believe that the way someone loves evolves through time, and it will suit the person’s intention never not. There should not be regret of what has happened because of love. Yet it is a regret that some people still choose to constantly send covert or overt humiliation and torture to hurt intentionally and/or to disrespect further to those they don’t love, while the best way should be forgiving or clearly declaring clear disagreement. War is one of them. Yet liked or not, that is the evolution of loving.

This weekend comes with a basket full of lessons learnt, a heap of ideas to pour as blessings in writings that I can re-read someday in the future.

Thank you, Love. You are never wasted.

Alfatihah to all whom I love.

a love locket with a pair of love birds seen in Bangkok airport – I could not resist its charm! now it is a daily friend to my T key love pendant

Luck Vibes

Yellow lucky leaves
Pop up unexpectedly.
Answers to wishes.

—

Dream come true is not always with work only. It might be with some enchanted wishes, self encouragement, ranting when upset, sleeping when tired and beloved ones’ prayer — all acting as the x factor. In a package those can be summed up as human being determination.

Ignore those demotivating and/or disrespecting. They try to distract, but let them be out of the equation for a while. Just blow them a kiss. 😘

Weekend is a bridge between two islands. Walk on it slowly with a smile. Don’t forget to hum love songs. 💕

🍀

never found in my attempt to get a clover pendant to bring my birthday annual staycation wish come true; a pair of clover studs greeted me in Bangkok yesterday – won’t let a chance be a waste 🍀 i feel lucky most of the time – thank you!

Copyright

Is copyright right?
It was not needed until
The rich rob the poor.

—

Flood Lesson

Floods come with big rain,
Worsened by the blocked drainage.
Leaving mud story

—

A big flood happened in Jakarta in Feb 2007. It trapped many people in the buildings for almost the whole day (even longer in some area) or inside cars for at least 6 hours (even more in some location). Those in the office just stayed in the office. We on the road moved inch by inch as only narrow part of the road was “safe” from water — no, no, not dry at all; it was standing water almost like ripply shallow ocean.

The cause of flood in Jakarta is the extremely heavy rain plus bad drainage system in Greater Jakarta.

I was on the road back in 2007 flood day for 8 hours feeling stuck: no food or drink, no toilet (the worst of all the experiences), with random collection of songs played in a music player low bat before even I reached half of a normal journey home.

It was only one day or two of misery; the next year we all laughed at each other’s story. A friend who peed in to a bottle in the car. A friend who decided to leave his car on the road and went home on foot finding the car moving far away from where it was left the next day. Some friends who cried afraid of losing chance to meet the family but the family especially children thought that flood was fun time. Many friends whose floors and walls were messily coated with mud mixed with rubbish and creepy crawly after the flood and they found stuff that were lost for years through cleaning the mud.

We’ve learnt the lessons yet it takes time to fix such a systemic issue. Jakarta, you can!

I’ve learnt my lesson too that tragedy + time = comedy. A simple equation without unknown factor except how much time is stretched. God speed!

Salaam.

simple equation, just 9 no complicated combination

Travel

Blessing is a swan
Walking, swimming and flying
Around garden lake.

—

when I was a girl, I wanted to be a flight attendant traveling around; thanks God I don’t deserve to be so I can be a passenger traveling to accompany them 🥰

Prancing in A Tunnel

A line of this heart remembers
What’s not even in memories.
Flowing clean river hidden in the sky—
The other line of this heart remembers
Only what’s imprinted through relations.
Murky pool standing around the earth—

Don’t have the right to be missed
With these limited memories.
This sky is hidden by the cloud—
Don’t have the right to be remembered
With absence of relations.
This earth is full of locked doors.

Can only miss what’s not imprinted.
Can only remember what’s hidden.
Still beautiful
Still amazing
Yet hidden
Yet secretive
Circled around between hearts
That read what’s not inky written.

There’s an end
To a dream.
It’s when coming true
Or coming dead.
And that’s the light at the end of a tunnel
Of light
Of wide spectrum
In which we’re prancing.

Choose your colour.

—

you don’t remember me, I do; you don’t see me, I do; you don’t hear me, I do; you don’t smell me, I do; you don’t taste me, I do; you don’t touch me, I do — when you close the door, I stay yet I’m blocked from you 💗

Too Good To Be True

Too good to be true,
Yet too long to be untrue;
A dangling long dream—

—

this song is an ever green for a love that is beyond reach 🥰

my sister introduced Frank Sinatra to me through this song; I love you Mbak Yuda, you’re a best sister

strong message from Banksy; thank you, Banksy!

Ocean Welcomes

Ocean welcomes all,
River flown and rain fallen.
Friends in a friendship—

—

A meet up with my first mentor training me in my current profession almost 20 years ago. He and his wife are in Singapore to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary and spend this whole day to meet up with me: shopping in Orchard Road Apple Store, browsing around looking for my favourite Japanese restaurant that was found closed down since 2021, having lunch (Indonesian food in Singapore….? Oh my) walking around Orchard Road, taking MRT for fun, enjoying evening coffee in Starbucks Bugis Junction before our farewell.

This wise couple gave me a bunch of advices to be this and to be that…. How lovely this life is to have friends who are willing to share their (personal) experiences for precious lesson learning.

Thank you, Pak Donny and Mbak Maya. See you in Jakarta! 💗🙏🏽

Alfatihah to my dear friends.

three mugs, different content, enjoyed from the same table

Walk Back Not

There’s only one way to leave a forest: its edge. Throw away the doubt.

—

life is too precious to play complicated games; take away unknown factors from the equation and find a home 🥰

Yogyakarta, a place I dream of being a home when all these muscles give up the hardship – maybe yes maybe no, my bothers said; I said again “at least I know it is now my home”

Cold Breeze

Cold breeze blows softly
On weekends, and  on the leaves
Rustling about me.

—

welcome another weekend 💝

What Is Money

Not answered questions:
Those to be pinned with meanings
By them questioning—

—

Surabaya did sum up my medium-length end-of-year holiday of mine. Hosted by one best friend, this 32-hour visit meant much to me: a lot of chat and enough food.

With this best friend open discussion is a routine. Last night’s discussion while driving around the city was everything about money. We both treat money differently. She is a better financial planner, I am a learner.

We used to be curious about what money truly was. Money discussion had always been a hot topic before and last night we both finally agreed that money can be defined as anything according to the one managing it.

We know different types of friends and their behaviour towards money. There are friends who meticulously count money (stingy), friends who think money is a symbol of welfare (social status), friends who consider money is everything (arrogant), friends who consider money is treasure (stupid), friends who consider money is nothing (careless), friends who don’t believe that money is a thing (maybe almost dead), friends who have little money (poor), friends who constantly borrow money (lazy). Complete experience. 🙂

What is money to us? We both don’t have special place for money at the same time we have special space for money. It is a tool. It is the replaceable at times, the irreplaceable at others. It is what it is with given context. We both agree that a question of “what is money” doesn’t need an accurate answer; it just needs honest response. Answer is too rigid and feels like a reaction; response is more flexible and almost a wisdom. Example? If having money makes us think we are more respectable than others, that is an accurate answer. If having no money makes us think we are less than others, that is an accurate answer. If having money makes us more functional as human beings in some situation, that is an honest response. If having no money makes us less complaining and harder working, that is an honest response.

We both don’t expect to be in forever comfort by having so much money yet don’t want to live uncomfortably because of having not enough money. We simply want to have sufficient amount as what is needed in life.

This visit puts me back on track that “life is just like that” at the same time “life is worth fighting for and beautifully living” with good will and a small touch of power from money.

Before driving me to the airport, she commented on my eyes.

BF: Have you put eyeliner?

Me: No

BF: Told you to always put eyeliner. You have one?

Me: Ya

BF: What colour?

Me: Brown

BF: No, no. Try blue.

Me: (frown on my forehead). I don’t have blue one.

BF: Try this. (handing a blue eyeliner to me)

Me: (reluctantly putting blue eyeliner on both eyes)

BF: Look at that! Brighter eyes! Ok, take it. Wear blue eyeliner more.

Me: Ok, as long as not green that turns me to a green-eyed. How much is it?

BF: I am not selling it to you. A tiny token of friendship. Not everything should be paid with money. Thanks for the birthday gift, too.

Thank you. Happy birthday, Madam Scorpio.

See you again.

Salaam.

Manusia

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person

Manusia mengembarai langit
Manusia menyusuri cakrawala
Tidak untuk menguasainya
Melainkan untuk menguji dirinya
Apakah dia bertahan menjadi manusia,
Tidak untuk hebat kuasa atau perkasa
Melainkan untuk setia sebagai manusia.

(Emha Ainun Nadjib)

—

Good morning, Surabaya. You did a lot of moulding to this human being. Thank you!!! 💝

thank you 💝 for making me a human being; I won’t give up moulding this self to be loyal to being humane

On The Move