Tag: life

Whirlpool

Learning, Poetic, Those People
Whirlpool, Beloved,
Rotates to flush the stagnant.
Brain? No exception.

—

Izakaya-san*: How are you, Rike-san?

Me: I’m well. How are you there? Hopefully Japan welcome more foreign visitors.

Izakaya-san: I’m great! Yes, starting this month we relax the policy. How is Asia?

Me: I beg your pardon.

Izakaya-san: How is Asia?

Me: Oh. South East Asia? Much better. Most countries open borders without test and quarantine.

Izakaya-san: Oooh! Asia is good, too. Good, good, good!

This head was whirled yet decided to sound normal this afternoon. God bless Izakaya-san and his people from his generation. 🤭

Salaam.

i’m very often “Japanly” whirled! 😂

* Izakaya-san is a pseudo name I use to talk about unique Japanese that gives me some experience. It’s not because I dislike izakaya. I like izakaya so much that everything about Japanese unique reminds me of izakaya. Only Japan has izakaya.

Tonight Is A Good Night

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person, Those People
Good night, Beloved,
They slow down even the trains.
But times, it moves right.

—-

One friend said “Some people show their sweet side when they need me, I just knew they laughed at me behind my back and said how stupid I’ve been for (she mentioned one big social contribution she made). Do you think I should stop being kind to people?”

Another friend said “No. why stop? There is karma so you’d better do good deed. Your good actions will be repaid with good reactions. Believe it.” This one is also very kind.

Another one said “This life doesn’t owe you anything. So how much ever you spend, it will not be paid back. You will not be repaid 10 points just because you donate 1 point. Look! How much have you lost, just like that? No one gives you 10 times the amount, right? What karma? Whose karma? You’d better do what’s the best for your benefits and without harming others.” She is the most critical.

The other friend said “it should be balanced. You do good things and don’t forget doing bad things.” 🤔 Gosh she is always the most confusing.

I said “I’m hungry. Let’s go dinner. Our brain needs to slow down.” Those three stopped arguing.

Night is always good for a chat with some friends whose heads contain different things whose heart is of one intension — to respect friendship.

Salaam. ♥️

two trains to/from opposite directions of the same line, Red Line

Dandelion

Learning, life, Poetic
Achene’s a message
Sent to wish more joy and bliss.
Sad no more, dear earth.

—

Each day new day. It is equivalent with Javanese wisdom “mati sajroning urip” which literally means “dead within life”. It is a very deep wisdom teaching Javanese human beings to let the old self to transform to the new one. It is simply acknowledging that some problems are let go and self is moving on with better understanding about what life is truly is.

If life challenge is considered a seed, it will free the human being, fly away to fall on Mother Earth’s lap somewhere and be part of green woven blanket beautifying and cooling.

Life is just like that.

Salaam.

dandelion (Randa Tapak in Javanese)

Bright Day

Learning, life, Poetic
Bright day, Beloved,
Brought by bright colours or thoughts
About tomorrow—

—-

Stuck is just stuck! What colours she should put on the day, only Heaven knows. It doesn’t get better, it just gets full and dirty. Maybe tonight Hermes will come to her dreams, bringing a message about what colours she should splash and stroke on the canvas to become a decent outcome….

…. Or Mercury will communicate about what and what on where, when and how. What about who and whom? Ahhhh! Ignore those gossiping and discouraging.

Well…. Welcome, Monday. Please be nice to me. 🤓

May all beings be happy.

♥️

weekend is primarily about washing, painting & drawing, singing random stupid lyrics and planning the Monday brightness 😎
hey, tell me if there is any message for me 🪶

Tickling My Ego

Learning, Poetic
Sometimes I’m somebody
At a conference room
Where win-win
Isn’t always a solution.
Powerful—
Decisive—

Sometimes I’m anybody
When long lost friends
Suddenly say hi and cry
“Would you please help? Would you help?”
Unconditional—
Used—

Sometimes I’m everybody
When I blindly devote myself,
When I wholeheartedly do everything needed,
When I run around everywhere to find you.
Preoccupied—
Stand-alone—

Sometimes I’m nobody
When I feel my heart beats,
My breath slows down with calmness,
When I know nobody is with me.
Blissful—
Submissive—

Thanks, my body.
You’re a complete gift to me.

I dedicate the above free verse to Emily Dickinson who has touched my life with many of her poems especially “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”

🐣

Salaam.

this poem was introduced by Ibu Siti Parwati Soemarto, our lecturer who always challenged her students to bravely see who we truly are – 28 years ago! damn I’m an old nobody! how bitterly fair life is! Terima kasih, Ibu Soemarto. 💝

Voice

Learning, love, Poetic
The voice floats away,
Traveled to where dreams reside.
A gentle smile blooms.

—-

Lyrics are often more appealing than the musical composition in the song. They either compliment the composition or ruin it, at least to these ears.

Musical composition without good lyrics is good sleep without snoring. 😴😝

this song is full of beautiful everything 🥰 happiness, sadness, hope and despair, flowing music and sweet diction – 君だけ わかってよ わかってよ

Trust & Accept

Learning, life, Poetic, Those People
Laughter, Beloved
Takes trust before exploding.
Accepting what is—

—-

I had a conversation with one friend about acceptance and trust.

This friend is one of my favorite as she is the struggling among us but the one with the biggest acceptance and trust to the life process. She’s been in all tests of life that might have made her a tough lady. Or probably she was just born that way and so she can pass all tests.

She said that trust is very important, only trust to the processes of life can make her accept whatever is presented by life. It has turned her into this current posture and gesture – tough yet kind.

Talking to an honest yet witty friend is a privilege, listening to her funny stories is like unwrapping hidden wisdom. How would a human being be that tough yet kind? She reminds me of my mother and some people around me.

friends laugh at each other, but touch each other’s heart the most

Yet I never want to be like them as being like them means dealing with roughest surface of life. I’m sufficiently thankful being me.

Thank you so much for giving me good friends as present. I will love them without being them. ♥️

Hey! But sometimes my ears feel like exploding with the length of the call. For full jokes, call at weekends only please….. 😚

Amazing Day

Learning, Poetic, This Person
No day but today
The remembrance about you
Lives through melody.

—-

Amazing day is when my teacher said that my guitar playing is getting better. 💃🏽

There will be one day perfectly amazing when Coldplay’s Amazing Day is smoothly played along by me. Soon, soon!

Thank you, Sunday. Welcome, Monday.

goal guitar cover of Amazing Day – a must happen!!!
or this! 👏🏼
😱

Home, A Journey

Learning, Poetic, This Person
Have you heard of the word home?
I often think of what it is
And where it is.

My friends all say it.
That it is where shelter is,
That it is where family is,
That it is where safety is,
That it is where heart is,
That it is this earth that spins,
Blah blah blah,
That it is this,
That it is that.

What is a home?

I’m not as intelligent as they are.
I can only tell what’s not a home.
Sometimes my apartment isn’t a home.
Sometimes my childhood home isn’t a home.
Sometimes I don’t feel safe staying in this safest place.
Sometimes my heart is flying across the ocean while I’m sitting in the sofa.
This earth is traveling to where I don’t know.
Sometimes I just don’t believe what my friends say about home.
I’m sorry for being not so intelligent as all of you are.

I will keep identifying what’s not home
Until I’m home.

—

home, where roses greet me in the morning 🌹

What’s Behind Beauty

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person
They live in the mud.
Flowers wanted. Story not, 
Real beauty that’s missed—

—

Dark and bright, two limits that often corrupt my perception of facts and so affect many plans. In fact both bring different strengths supplementally support my life.

What is it about? Oh, it is just about that night ride is cool and serene, morning ride is colourful and fresh.

In the dark I hear more; when it’s bright., I see more.

Hey! Riding morning makes skin darker! Damn right! 😿

Salaam.

the blooming happiness along my normal route of fun this morning
they’re all resting buds last evening
mostly living in cluster, colourful
same colour cluster
two of them
living at the edge
solo
isolated duo
supporting system
hidden
some can see their reflection on the water, some not 💝

Senses

Learning, love, Poetic
What’s real, Beloved?
Sensible? What’s sense? Those five?
Or six? What if more?

—-

find me behind the trees, under the green grass, between the lush leaves, anywhere where your shadow is lying down on which you are standing ♥️

good time

Learning, life, Poetic
Good time, Beloved,
Sitting silently, centred.
Grazing on the time—

—-

Life is never bored of reciting how grand a name when zoomed in and how tiny its reality when zoomed out. Oh! It is the other way around, tiny when zoomed in and grand when zoomed out.

don’t disturb, she’s enjoying her good time as if she’s real – is she?

What is your name, dear? Deer!

what is an animal as sturdy and cold as metal? this! is it real?

Are you a buck or a stag? You don’t look like one. Or, you look like both?

Sheltered

Learning, Poetic
The dark shelters you
From the dark behind the light.
Blinking starry eyes—

—-

Vision sits silently through blinking light, on and off showing clarity of direction.

Thanks for everything.

Salaam. 🙏🏼

you see through the right eye – no, no, not always right

Go Jazz

Learning, love, Poetic
Go jazz, Beloved
Improvise on your own path
Where hidden seeds grow.

—-

Jazz is like secret love, confusing and almost unknown at the first catch but wrapped in harmony through time… and space? Seems space never takes my side. 😎

Jazz each day up!

⭐️

Java Jazz is on – wish I were it 🎷🎺

to a secret love across the ocean ⭐️

To The North Star

Learning
Forward, Beloved,
To the North Star. Ride the wind.
Ignore the thunders.

—

⭐️

Lower Seletar Reservoir – thousands of mosquitoes but breezy and serene to see bright stars
in good mood with red riding hood 🚴🏻‍♀️

Yellow

Learning, life, Poetic
How are you, Yellow?
Happiness, warmth, sunshine, or
Other perfect fits.

—-

Nature never fails to convince me that all are beautiful given appropriate angles. Not all love winter but with the yellow crocus growing in the middle of white snow, who will say no?

Yellow isn’t my favourite colour but the yellow crocus is one of those I’m wanting to see with naked eyes to witness Mother Earth’s generosity even in its coldest period.

May time lets me explore more places on earth.

🐣

yellow crocus, brightness coming out of the icy blanket
imperfect drawing but making my day relaxed and bright

SIN – May 25, 2022 / 21:57

Coming Out of The Dark

Learning, life, Poetic
Did you see the light
Or the dark? Or both? Or none?
Now you see the light.
the light behind the cloud yesterday. magnificent

Light above light. Layers of light. Spectrum of light. What is light? Is it the radiation? Is it the brightness? Is it the wavelength? Is it the source? Or what?

It is what’s defined but at the same time what is not definable. It is what is seen but at the same time what is not visible.

May all beings be happy.

my sister lent her cassette to me and this song was ever favorite – cassette? what a history, so dark yet beautiful, giving me some enlightenment 😎

Here – May 25, 2022 / 20:15

Taken for Granted

Learning, life, Map It!, Poetic
For granted I take
The green, the blue and the red
Until they turn grey.

—-

Sometimes I’m thankful that I’m not given opportunity to have children. I can’t imagine what playfulness and nature exploration they will have in their future with very minimum real nature around. I’m thankful. 🥰

Sometimes I’m broken-hearted that I’m not given opportunity to have children. I can’t agree on how some people raise their children. I egotistically imagine how well I would raise them to be human-respecting and nature-loving generation in the family tree. I’m selfish. 😐

Meanwhile I’m always feeling lucky to be me, born when and where nature was willing to introduce her excessive bounties, grew up when and where human interaction was real and warm, working when and where human right and environment protection is a paramount topic. I’m blessed. 🥰

♥️

just realised there is a fully shaven greenery farther across the road 🙃
zoomed in – oh…. maybe not long after this the greenery around me will turn to patches of garden and playground among grey concrete 🙃

Amazing Day

Learning, life, Poetic, This Person
Amazing day, Love,
Completing what’s committed
Without supervised

—

Weekend is amazing with completing a pile of clothes. What a nice closure before Monday.!

Thank you, Life! I love hand washing and ironing. Seriously! As long as it is not a paid job. 💓

Welcome, Monday!

this song is a magic to laundry 😘
amazing day is this! ironed clothes, good help for good sleep 😎
yes, you can!!!!!! 🥹

Money

Learning, Poetic
Money
Count it
Save it
Spend it
…
Whatever wanted,
Decided
Through a nature
…
They grow together.
…
What a show!
It gives relief
And chokes
At the same.
…
Hey, Money!
You’re so genuinely
Mirroring me.

—-

One wise friend told us that money will not change a human being into a good one; it only resonates what is.

Look at Scrooge McDuck. He may be naturally greedy and stingy. When he has all those dollars and coins, he doesn’t even pay Donald Duck decent salary as an employee who is at the same time his relative. His money resonates his nature!

Look at Belle. She may be naturally kind and intelligent in a small village. When she becomes the wife of a rich Beast, she is kind in even larger society. Wealth resonates her nature!

Undeniably the only matter most people want to dive in after water is probably money. It makes life breathable they said. Hilariously true, paradoxical.

Note: Money, a non discriminative belief system that will either makes someone’s life truly meaningfully valuable or vaguely temporarily luxurious. Our choice! Remember that $100 here is $100 there, no matter what one’s ethnic groups, race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, political interest, etc is.

May all beings be happy.

diving in to this – what a luxurious experience 😎

Kite

Learning, Poetic
fly!
A kite, Beloved,
A bird all wings soaring high—
Rain, don’t fall too soon.
A kid is running, laughing.
Peaceful sky, joyful earth. Here.
run!

Singapore – May 19, 2022 / 00:26

Smile

Learning, life, Poetic
A smile, Beloved,
Not to or for. It’s just there,
A ready bounty.

—

All the lyrics and the music — lyrics were recited, music was listened to. Those lyrics and music were so beautiful that they invited the best smile of the day. A smile that appeared like a good shape coming out of a foggy morning in the moorland. Until some reality struck, telling that those were directed more to a head than a heart, and to somewhere else.

Uh oh!

Well! A smile must still be kept. It is a grace, an alms, a bounty, a gift, a bonus, an appreciation; or from hidden wisdom formed through sedimentation of things annoyed yet forgiven. Or probably a smile is a package of lyrics and music — sweetly flowing. Aaah! Must be appreciated!

Put a best smile on the face and world will smile, too.

May all beings be happy.

😊

because I know any news is worth smiling – bitter or sweet

Time Zones

Bob, Learning, life, love, Map It!, Poetic, This Person
Time zones, Beloved,
Limit spaces with blurred ends.
Illusion that jails.

—

One hour makes things different.

Dear, time…. Thanks for the space you just gave for what’s called holiday. Please bless me with nice pace and good vibe again and again like always.

If I forget about your kindness, please remind me gently as I’m fragile. If I take you for granted, please remind me that I’m traveling between your two points: start and end.

Thanks again.

Me that is blessed with both negative and positive yet trying to balance at the zero ❣️

illusion that jails – time zones
sky is the limit – love?

Time Is Uniquely Experienced

Learning, life, love, Poetic
Breathing in
Breathing out
The air is flowing
Pumping freshness to the blood
Pushing the recyclable out.

Time units are agreed.
If passed, something is overdone.
If missed, something is given up.
If right on, moment is created.

Breath is my chosen time unit
That I prudently save
Between two points
That I travel in.

How many will I take?
I don’t even know
Or how many have I taken?
I’ve lost count.

It’s as accurate as your digital timepiece,
Or as elegant as your mechanical winding.
Our time is as precious,
Yet we count with different tools.

Alas!
Don’t ask me to walk faster
Just because you run.
Don’t tell me to stay put
Just because you sit.

Life is short
Yet expensive to lament
If we don’t cross the path,
It’s simply because of
Simple word:
Decision
Because 
Fate sometimes doesn’t seem to fit.
Whose decision?
I don’t know.
I’ll just breathe
Until the sun moves in reverse.

—-

Back to work very soon 😎

breathing in beauty, breathing out peace

Amazing Day, Today

Learning, life, Poetic
Today, Beloved,
Filled with laughter of past times.
Bitter was, sweet is—
Time doesn’t heal. It turns taste,
Look. All is well. All shall pass.

—

Rendezvous with my best people, those who are always with ears to listen and to be listened to, with tongue to twist bitterness to wisdom, with foolishness to laugh at what’s not even funny but needing some appreciation.

Some people are amazing with just one reason called trust.

Blessed to have them.

Holiday is getting shorter. Let’s slow the steps and insert more meaningful conversations before it halts.

May all beings be happy.

🐣

TA – May 12, 2022 / 11:46am

You? Where?

Learning, love, Poetic
You? Where, Beloved?
The omnipresent through air,
Undefined calmness—
Breeze that caresses the leaves.
Breath that blows prayer for you.

—-

🐣

breeze and breath sync up to calm things down

Blinding Light

Learning, life, Poetic
Blinding, Beloved,
Light when too bright. Dimly bright
Suits these eyes searching
Luminosity and cracks
Following path to a home—

—-

Sometimes light disturbs eyes because its intensity is way too high than what’s expected or needed by the eyes. eyes can only tolerate and work well with enough light. So the more isn’t always the better.

May all beings be happy.

Changi Airport with its lights – this one is a favourite ❣️
❣️
so much thing to miss for the past 2 years, this garden of giant bright dandelions is one of those – let’s fly home

Rendezvous! Whoohoo!

Learning, life, Poetic
A rendezvous
Pouring some unmet words—
It’s a rendezvous
Exchanging stories,
Laughing at saved jokes,
Frowning on some questions to answer.
A true moment
Capped with
An “Au revoir!”

Whoohoo!

—-

🐣

a treat for a happy first day on our first official day after more than 2 years working from home – thanks, buddy! 🥳

Spread of The Day

Learning, life
A wise teacher said:
If you have a space for shelter,
A plate of rice for meal,
A job for a living;
That’s when you’re blessed.

I couldn’t say a word
To deny.

It’s true
And
Only true.

—-

Enjoy!

today’s spread 🥰 – less than last year, not much time to cook 🐣
specialty for Lebaran – opor 🥰 minus fried shallot that makes it less special to me 😎
😎 not the biggest fan of beef, but this one is super good
want more❣️
💓
🥳