Walking The Dark

Value, Beloved,
Not only talked; also walked—
White cane of the blind

———————————————————

One teacher said talking and walking the value consistently is one of the safest way of life. Challenging though especially where many are unknown or unfamiliar—

Yet it takes integrity to stay in a value.

“Hey! What about economical value? Political value?“ asked the students.

Teacher said,”When it is about taking advantage from others, we’d better not call it value.”

“What would you call it then?”

“Hmm…. I don’t know, whatever you call it as long as you don’t harm yourself and others.”

“Sometimes those who know don’t know….,” said one student whispering almost no voice.

“Some things just don’t have exact name. They are simply known and felt,”said the teacher in the heart smiling and walking ahead.

Aah! It takes a journey to be a student. It takes a journey to be a teacher. The same journey, different lessons 💝

Salaam…

keeping value as an ethical beacon in life

All Directions Are To The Same End

Blessings, Beloved,
Accepting with no review—
See it differently.

———————————————————-

Today’s short message from a wise friend takes one of the longest thought. Lucky me for being alone so the time and space is serving just me.

Sometimes our emotion isn’t our emotion. It might be someone else’s that sits in us because some people entrust the emotions to us when sharing their burden to us. Believe it or not there is exchange of energy when beings are interacting with each other. We get sad when our family is sad. We are upset when our best friends are betrayed. We can be devastated when our pets pass away. The scale of the impact depends on how deeply they get hurt and/or how vulnerable we are to them. As simple as that.

When I asked this good friend why people or incidents are not avoidable although I’ve made best effort to stay away. Her message is “karma”. She is a Buddhist so that reply is her logical response. Besides I see the logic of karma thing.

Although I can’t tangibly prove that I live repeated lives, I live in karma system. If I do good, I get good. I do no good, I get no good. Simple and straightforward forward— whether the cause is the good one in the past affecting the current situation; or the present good deed affecting the future (not necessarily related to repeated life), that’s a certainty

But why the karma isn’t working as one to one? No, karma works like someone who plants mango seed – one mango seed will only give its fruits when it’s ready and the one seed will give the farmer hundreds of mango fruits. That karma. Alamak….!

So what should I do, Bude? I asked my friend.

Her message (translated into English word by word): that is your task of compassion.

So?

Accept it. Grow more good seeds that bad one. Pour clean water to your jug that is filled with dirty water until the jug is overflown with clean water and the dirty is flushed out.

So I can’t avoid them and don’t need to avoid them. The only thing I should do is to accept them without review. The only mandatory review is to my own emotions; understanding whether the emotion is my emotion or unnecessary impact that happens because of weak protection membrane around my own self.

This is not new thing for all of us. Yet 2020 and 2021 have been field of emotional battle in which I’ve learnt how to identify my own and others’. What a period! I wish all is getting better with the upcoming birthday. Amen.

So lucky to have good friends who are willing to accompany me in this journey.

Dear God, love me and love all my good friends. Thank you for giving the blessings of friendship, true one with true one. Please let me stay in the true one.

Salaam.

wherever the directions, the end is love and compassion, nothing else – if we accept it

Treasure

Treasure, Beloved,
Hidden, might not be found
Without accident—-

————————————————————

Look at your mistakes, Self. Sometimes they bring you the more precious.

Thanks for buying the rib while it should have been ox tail. But it turned out to be a better yum than ever imagined!

And so is mistake in life!

Makaaan!

Constant Discovery

You are, Beloved,
A complete self who finds new
Self one at a time.

————————————————————

A philosopher once said that change is the only constant and others agreed with the statement. When we see change as tangibility yes, I totally agree.

Yet about growth of self I have my own comprehension. Do I change? Yes, I get thinner or fatter, older with wrinkles and lines not younger, slower, weaker physically, less sharp sight, and so on and so forth. So I change? No, I’m still the same person with the same DNA, family, date of birth, place of birth, or other possible constants.

Not only that….

I believe I’m always this full yet I discover this self more and more everyday. With deeper and deeper understanding, wider and wider disclosure I have lived and accepted life.

Personally everyone is granted with talents, DNA, family, date of birth, place of birth. No one can deny those. No one can escape even one hates those and wishes to have been born someone else. Sorry, you can’t! Embrace the personality.

Yet everyone is given opportunity to build identity.

What did I want myself to be?

What did I not want to be associated with?

How did I want others to perceive me?

How did I not want others to treat me?

What?

How?

Whom do I want to enter my life?

Who will be part of my inner circle I want?

Whom?

Who?

Why have I done this and that? This is a very important question to even know the unbroken chains that has brought me to this state.

Am I still I am? Yes, definitely a constant! But am I me? No, you’re a different you since you’ve embraced constant self discovery.

😏

Me: Saturday night, keep me safe and warm.

Saturday night: You’ll be safe and warm if you finish your laundry and mop the floor. No one will do it!

Me: (losing all suddenly-pretending-to-be-wise act and thought)

Saturday night: 🤪 capek deh….!

May all beings be happy.

pretty sword lilies and asiatic lilies – sorry, not today, no budget!!!

Journey

Time flies, Beloved
Wraps a flying plane. Bless me
At my travel end.

————————————————————

Finally met my Sensei again after some time! In June I took a break because of some sickness and work. In July and early August she did because she had to take care of her family who were infected with the virus.

We didn’t open the book at all last night. Only a happy reunion checking what had happened for the past 2.5 months without meeting just some hello via messaging. Conversation flew about language, culture and personal experience dealing with both.

At one point she interestingly described about pleasure and purpose that compose happiness.

She decided to retire from her position as a VIP in one of the biggest business empire in the world before she was 40. She knew that she could not work forever and she wanted her own self not her age to decide when she had to quit. She thought she was ready and here she is now, an independent woman with a lot of personal projects and teaching Japanese with a style!

When she worked, she did with all her heart. She didn’t involve herself in office politics that made her not a social darling but definitely made her a genuine and independent loyal. She made decision with wisdom and integrity that made her a leader-maker but at the same time a strong gate of ethics. And she shined in her own way!

A sun is a sun when it knows when it rises and sets. And my Sensei is one.

She said it was a pleasure to work in her position with much luxury but she left because she didn’t see the real purpose she was serving. She was rich but true happiness was missed. She moved out from her luxurious apartment in the heart of Jakarta and rent it out, and moved to her mother’s home – a home full with flowers and good neighbours in East Jakarta. She restarted balancing pleasure and purpose.

Pleasure makes someone’s life sustain but without purpose there is no true sustainability. When one outgrows the other, happiness tank isn’t optimised. Pleasure and purpose is also a blend of colours that creates a perfect hue.

When I said whether she was afraid of losing the grip for having no routine, she said yes for the first two months of her early retirement; she felt somewhat regret of giving up the corporate vibe. She felt like cutting herself off from the world. In those two months she just went out eating, driving, cleaning the house. And after that her life started to bloom in different ways.

She found many more opportunities that she didn’t even know existing. And she is still rich with more leisure time and true friends. She said life is miracle.

Before pandemic she often traveled to smaller islands in the archipelago as a volunteer and annually visited Japan as her old habit. She said she wants to continue that after the pandemic is over, when Heaven knows.

When I said I wish I could do it, she said no. She said what I’m doing is what she dreamt of in corporate life before: having the pleasure of working with purpose. Conversation went more even livelier, we skipped the Japanese lesson and shared about our dreams. A more interesting class!

Last night was one of the great time in life when the feeling of balance surrounds me.

It was 1:07am when we finally said good bye. See you next week, Sensei! Thanks for the lessons.

Life is full of Teachers. Learn from them. But don’t forget the Master in you, live with one with love.

May all beings be happy.

fly life a fire bird to meet the love

Wonderland

Good vibes, Beloved,
Contagious and precious
Keep it the longest.

—————————————————————————————————-

Years ago….. One teacher said “You do whatever you want to, but make sure what you do doesn’t harm….” Impatiently student asked,”Harmful to whom?” Teacher didn’t say anything, just pointed to one’s chest then head, and said “Go play and don’t harm yourself or your friends. Have fun, you’re good. You’re good, my child,”

Another teacher would just sang some traditional songs then explained the meaning that were full of wisdom when asked questions. Those silly children would ask so many questions about why religions were many and different, how many gods were there, why the teacher didn’t have religion, why, why, why…..

Another teacher just asked us to eat what one was cooking when we asked questions. We just did and enjoyed the food. It happened when our questions were about what Mr A or Mrs B did this and that for.

More teachers, more experiences…. And we all grew up becoming human beings who approach different things differently or sometimes uniquely although sometimes confusedly. How challenging life is sometimes!

All those learnings happened in the Wonderland! I hope the young get honourable and good teachers as we did before and even better so they build our land into real wonder! Not the most developed in infrastructure, yet with the most developed clear thinking. Not the most modern, yet the most dignified. Not the richest, yet the most caring and loving to the people. What a dream!

God bless my dear Indonesia and what’s in it. 💝

Independence Day

Freedom, Beloved,
Inner beauty blooms in time.
True celebration—

————————————————————

Celebration is a blessings enjoyed everyday. Celebrating health. Celebrating welfare. Celebrating family. Celebrating friendship. Celebrating breath. Celebrating greenery…… Celebrating anything I want to celebrate.

Celebrating stupid chats with some good friends. 😁

I love celebration in which commemoration is the core but never ever enjoy party in which entertainment is the core.

August is major celebration after September. In August two home countries celebrate their independence: Indonesia on 17, Singapura on 9. Both have unique ways to celebrate the days. For the past nine years on Singapura’s I’ve personally loved seeing all the flags hanging in apartments and along streets, in Indonesia’s except last and this years I’ve gone to the Embassy for flag ceremony combined with meeting with other Indonesians enjoying the precious moment together.

Happy National Day, Singapura! Thanks for taking care of me.

Dirgahayu Indonesiaku! How much ever the distance between us, you’re always in this heart. Thanks for gushing me some blood of great archipelago.

May all beings be happy.

flowers for celebrations of August

red, white on green

Quests

Dogma, Beloved,
The least she can hold in life.
She is full of quests.

————————————————————

What human beings should think of being sick is it is a tool materialised by Life to make them stop or at least slow down especially from analysing every single thing. Yet human beings often forget that blessing should not be always gift-wrapped in fancy paper with ribbons; it might be sometimes humbly bundled in a sack.

Blimey! Why do I have so many sacks? And poorly unable to untie them successfully 😎

May all beings be happy.

a pile of ugly sacks; filled with all the richness of nature

Life Renewed

Regret, Beloved,
People judged by their mistakes—
There’s always a chance.

———————————————————-

At the tip of a finger, a chance can change a future with one condition: right place, right time. There’s always a chance, new one.

May all beings be happy.

fingertip on the top of stone monument – see you again 🌝

No Secret

Secret, Beloved
Ice cube waiting for warm touch—
Melts and flows: a stream
Of messages from the heart.
Read or heard of. Clean and clear—

———————————————————

No secret, it’s exposure or disclosure in the right place at the right time. I believe life is somewhat designed WYSIWYG for those willing to see life as it is. What you see (should be) is what you get.

Private is about level of security one is living. One day things will be exposed and forgiven or glorified.

Confidential is about secret recipe. One day things will get disclosed and comprehended and copied.

As simple as that. I’ve got no secret hidden. It is just about time for you to know. Either you’ll hate me or hate yourself; OR love me or love yourself for knowing “the secrets”.

May all beings be happy.

that year, when a cold caught a cold

Death Is

Long life, Beloved,
A postponed beauty each time
Sad news knocks the door—

———————————————————

Just two years ago a best friend of mine told me to stay safe living away from nuclear family. Just two days ago his name started to be a memory. Rest In Peace. You’ve been a best friend and family member. See you again. 💞💐

Long life is a beautiful dream of many. Yet what is a beautiful dream when faced with a reality that the dream might drop out anytime with no notice or sign?

If life should be shorter than expected, I hope the end meets with the point of no regret. That would suffice.

May all beings be happy.

some plants decay faster than the others which are decently fresh enough to decorate the vase

She’s A See-Through

Clear sight, Beloved,
Right, clean lens at the right time—
Can you see her through?

————————————————————

The older I am getting, the worse this eyesight is growing. Just last week I decided to buy reading spectacles because of so many errors in identifying tenten (double apostrophe) and maru (circle), two grammatical markers added to hiragana and katakana characters especially that affect minimal pair of voices /p/ and /b/.

It’s fine, at least I can see myself clearer. Liking it or not, it’s me. 😘

May all beings be happy.

reading glasses! bloody hell! that old I am 😏

Colour Dusts

This love, Beloved,
Can’t buy your life. It’s too small,
A library card
To borrow books full of clues
With which the path is open.

This path, Beloved,
Stands arched, meeting at both ends,
Leaving colour dusts.

————————————————————

Many words can’t explain the emotions experienced by human beings and what come out are symbolical beauty and serenity. For those who don’t like language will mostly get bored and or get misled with the real message.

That simply shows language is a great tool to communicate the idea and emotions yet what should always be remembered is that there are intrinsic and extrinsic factor to comprehend messages. Life isn’t WYSIWYG-based program to some extent.

At the end of the day it is about how I activate the radar through all senses to read messages around me.

Sometimes it is ok to misunderstand, but try best not to misunderstand 1 plus 1 equals 2 in basic Algebra.

Salaam.

mixture of everything
pretty!

unique

It’s All About Becoming

Magic, Beloved,
Not just spells. It’s click and twist
Within time and space.

————————————————————

I thought magic was a split second materialisation of what were wished. Years ago I believed that The Most Powerful would make things in just a blink of an eye. With millions of disclosure and exposure, magical things have become something natural. Everything can be interpreted as miracle as much as it can be considered ordinary.

Magic is a mechanisation in the universe in which processes and timelines cannot be denied. Sooner or later….

May all beings be happy.

Setting

We Are All Prime Numbers

What’s prime number, Love?
Itself and one can divide.
Most intimate love—

—————————————————————

It’s just me and the one.

The one that I’ve always missed with no reason. The one that I’ve perceived but not perceivable. The one that I’ve missed and travelled for but nowhere to find. The one that I’ve felt so intimate but so distant. The one that I’ve cried for but making me smile. The one that I’ve been peaceful with but breaking my heart.

You’re a prime number, Self, one that is greater than one and can only be divided by one and itself. The rest is excluded.

What prime number are you?

Salam…. 💝

prime numbers
the only even prime

Keep Learning!

Words don’t end as words.
They wait for context to be:
Fact? Opinion?

————————————————————

Why should be afraid of using precise words —gathered in a context— clear context of statement, question, request or exclamation if it is to positively convey a message and/or to get expected responses?

I found some people are shy if not afraid of conveying messages because of unsuccessful experiences of getting the messages passed on to the others clearly. They thought the failure was purely theirs. No, not at all!

Know, Self that some people don’t have the tools to comprehend certain messages; it can be because of limitation of language, intelligence, culture, perception, intention, name it…. In fact some others simply don’t want to listen.

When the message isn’t well comprehended, an equivalent response most probably will be delivered, which is unpleasant and/or unclear one.

It is not nice to fail in communication. Only true learners never give up trying. 👍🏽

Communication is about intention as intrinsic factor (make sure it is good) and skill as extrinsic. Both take time to be mature. Yet, in whatever stage of maturity both don’t always collaborate at times.

Hell yeah! I’m talking about myself! Next time better, much better than today’s me.

May all beings be happy.

going back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – where am I, where am I?

Master Horse

A horse is running
In a round. To win it not;
To serve the master—

————————————————————————————————

Am I the horse or the master?

If the horse, do I know enough who is my master so that I don’t just gallop whenever anyone other than the master whips me.

If the master, do I know enough how to appropriately engage with the horse and whether or not the horse has endurance for certain round either race or equestrian.

More importantly do I know what’s a horse and what’s a master?

May all beings be happy.

golden circle

Magically Blessed

Magic, Beloved,
Scented, shaped, coloured. Travelled
By sea, land and air—

————————————————————

There are many choices of flowers and leaves imported from Down Under recently. Protea, leucadendron, silver bell eucalyptus pods, Geraldton wax flower, eryngium big blue, eucalyptus leaves, etc appear in the flower shop.

As they don’t come every month like roses, chrysanthemum and spider lily, I grabbed them fast. Greedy? Please don’t. Let’s call it excited. 😌

These flowers and leaves prove to be not only pretty but also aromatically medicative. Imagine working breathing eucalyptus for at least one week. Ya, they last longer than roses, chrysanthemum and spider lily.

I think I’ve received a lot of blessing and healing through travelling, flowers and food most time of life, particularly recently. There is nothing better to thank but breathing deeply and chewing slowly with all heart and soul.

If not because of being blessed and loved, what else are we given all these?

Sending blessings and love across the ocean to the one dearly loved. 💝

May all beings be happy.

aromatherapy in a vase
leucadendron, the florist called it differently I forgot what
protea
silver bell eucalyptus pod – just saw them and fell in love
eucalyptus leaves – I can breathe it the whole day literally

Guarded

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

——————————————————————————————————

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

You The Punctuation

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

—————————————————

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

Maybe He’s Right

Listen, Beloved
To one softest voice inside.
Whisper of the far—

—————————————————-

This person said what sounds crispy yummy and cracks a door inside, resonating what’s the heart has believed for ages. He might be right. He might be…. Or not.

Will Smith has never failed me. He’s never…. Or not yet.

Weekend pulls me to herd immunity with love…. Or not.

Always about love. Always…. Or not.

💝

Beautiful Scars

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

————————————————————

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.

Soul, Senses

What is meaningful?
None until you taste. Senses,
Vehicles to ride—

———————————————-

Watching “Soul” the movie, I’ve been impressed by the jazz, the colours and Dorothea Williams’ young fish saying “this is water!”

Some discomfort makes you stay home and sit to get some comfort from movies.

Next!





Pic from Pinterest

Blessed Life

Flower is blooming
In a dry valley. No grudge—
Just beauty and life

Flower is everywhere as beauty is. Find it in you.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoptilon_bellioides

Love Or Pride

Is it love or pride
To push through? Fortunately
Engineerable—

Some choose love over pride, some pride over love. No one can truly win over either because love and pride can be carved on to two faces of a coin. Ones need to toss the coin and get any appearance of one face not by luck. It is well designed, constructed and furnished.

How?

Culturally obviously….

True, Love. As long as you are being human, you can never absolutely win over one over another (the other?). It’s about how you grow through all dimensions in which you are: physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, economically, politically.

Accept it.

May all beings be happy.

Mount Bromo, where sun cheerfully rises

Is Life A…?

An old man’s waiting
For the sun to rise. He moans
At the moon. “Dark night,
Pull away. You block me from
Beauty.” — Life’s a mentalist.

Who is the true beauty? The moon or the sun? Debatable! It’s a matter of played tricks of layered lights— light upon light with darkness in between. How would it be not cozy hiding under a cool calm night while patiently welcoming morning? How would it be not fun playing in a warm radiant day while cheerfully welcoming dusk?

Ah…. Why should one be getting old while constantly denying what is….

Salaam….

Short Spell Called Names

Name is a short spell. 
Not yours, Beloved. It’s mine
Hanging in Heaven, 
Echoing after yours called.
You can have it all.

How many names have you spelled in prayers? Are they the bold or the beautiful ones?

I call your name, Beloved ‘coz I know it infuses power into prayers like smoke of burnt incense billowing into the sky escorting dreams to meet the doors….

May all beings be happy….

Lammie and Khanyisa, unconditional friendship

Lammie, Khanyisa,
It is the least I can do.
Friends are forever
When no discrimination.
Can I do? Need a try, sure!

Animals have taught me a lot about many things. One of those is unconditional friendship. Lammie and Khanyisa are a sheep and an albino elephant calf who have been friends without asking why their tails are differently shaped and attached, why their hairs are of different colours, why their teeth are of different length…. Language, religion, nationalities, and so on are never problems. They just grass, rest, play together. What a beautiful world!

If you wanna support Lammie and Khanyisa’s unconditional friendship, you can buy a mug with picture of them printed on it. Mine arrived today through DHL, welcoming me at the front door. Happy yay!

Thanks, Lammie and Khanyisa and HERD! You’ve been much smarter than many of my human kind. I’m sending love to you and your family….. 😘😘😘

cute cute mugs kiss kiss

A Brand New Day

A brand new day’s come
With the breeze through the windows;
With the morning sun; 
With your shadow, Beloved 
Who dances through my heart beats.

To those who have lost the trust of love…. There is always a brand new day, a brand new way.

May all beings be happy….

Forever Is Fast

None is forever.
Hold the air. Thank the water. 
Greet the soil. Love’s now.

Singapore - Feb. 1, 2021 / 00:23

Time flies in jet plane! Thought it would be forever to miss you but forever is so fast that suddenly February is here.

No Valentine’s Day this February as it means nothing. Valentine’s happens every second, forever….

May all beings be happy.