Tag: life

I Bow to The Divine in You

Learning, Poetic, This Person, Those People
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

Learning, Poetic
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!

Spiralling (Batik Parang Nogo)

Learning, Poetic
Life spiralling in
Revisiting same axis--
Deep understanding

—-

Javanese dragon (nogo, naga, makara, makoro) is described as a magically strong creature. It is a giant snake. It wears a crown adorned with gemstones and hair. At times Javanese dragon is pictured as wearing jewelry like dangling earrings, necklace, ring at the tail.

Not only Javanese mythology has dragon in its mythology; Chinese and European do, too . Although in general Javanese, Chinese and European dragons are all mythologically the same natural roles and functions, each of those three is unique in itself. Javanese dragon has no feet and wears crown and jewelry. Chinese dragon has four feet and long moustache above its mouth. European dragon is more like a giant long-necked lizard with big wings.

The most dragon in Javanese mythology is Antaboga or Sanghyang Antaboga, a meditating (sleeping) giant snake residing beneath the earth.

modified Antaboga, the most wellknown dragon in Javanese mythology — the wing is occasionally off

Antaboga (useful link, I prefer to out this one among many because this does not include too much unnecessary foreign culture): https://id.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antaboga

Sanghyang Antaboga, in Javanese leather puppet (wayang) with no wings

In Javanese culture dragon is a symbol or fertility and blessings. It is considered as water creature that is able to optimize the water quality and make the soil fertile. With the fertile soil, agriculture the inland part Java’s most popular life sector has been benefited and blessed with the good quality of water and soil.

Dewi Sri (Javanese goddess of fertility and agriculture) is mythologically alleged to be the incarnation of one of Sanghyang Antaboga’s eggs.

Dragon also signifies protection and patronage. Protection is more about physical security. Patronage is more about mental and spiritual security. Dragon carvings are commonly found at around old building gates, entrances, stair banisters to protect the buildings from those entering.

Sanghyang Antaboga is said to be the protector of the weak and the good. He is crowned as the lord of underworld in Javanese mythology.

dragon in the stairs flight in Candi Kidal

Talking about dragon….

I just received a new batik sheet from Ibu Tien. The pattern is called Parang Nogo. Parang Nogo is a batik pattern combining parang as the background with nogo (Javanese dragon) as “ceplok” or highlighted/clustered pattern.

Parang as recently discussed is about not giving up, sustainability, agility, noble ideals and loyality. Nogo itself as earlier introduced is about protection, patronage, fertility and blessings.

So Parang Nogo is a pattern that is intended to combine the spirit of all those values into one work of art.

Parang as recently discussed is about not giving up, sustainability, agility, noble ideals and loyality. Nogo itself as earlier introduced is about protection, patronage, fertility and blessings.

Sultan Hamengkubuwono X in Parang Nogo (the Yogyakarta Sultanate cum the Governor of DIY Yogyakarta)

As a “batik larangan” (batik with sacred pattern that can be worn only by royal family for certain occasions/function), Parang Nogo was meant to be worn by king and his family as a reminder to hold and practice the values attached in the Parang Nogo. Their behaviour and attitudes could give assurance to the people that the kingdom was managed and protected by trusted human beings. Yogyakarta king still wears batik Parang Nogo in some occasions; probably to assure the people that things are well managed under his governance.

Parang Nogo – handmade, my collection from Ibu Tien

Makara, the sea dragon with a lion in its mouth in Candi Borobudur

How would you greet the dragon within you? The coiling coloured energies sleeping to be awaken–

Salaam.

Angel without Wings

Learning
How do you call you
Loving expecting no pay?
Only the mother—

——

today i called her after she said that she could not sleep remembering Vito, the grandson who just passed away

this lady is impressively patient and loving her grandchildren; losing him has never been easy

she tried to hide her cry from me but her voice could not lie

if i can tell anyone about someone to never forget, it must be about mother

love her, don’t disappoint her ever again as there might have been a lot of troubles from us when we were younger

i love you, Ibu

Pilgrimage

Learning, life, love, Map It!, Poetic, This Person
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

No Regret

Learning, Poetic
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

Two

Learning, life, love, Poetic, This Person
There are two gateways
To enter one gallery
Full of works of art.

——

my left side of face is sadder, bitter and negative with which i’ve been made more and more accepting to unwelcoming sides of life 💕

my right is happier, sweeter and optimistic that has persuaded me to be more and more letting go of what is not working after some good deed 💕

whatever unpleasant and pleasant things others say about me, i feel complete with some gap that might not need to be bridged simply to show that imperfection is a perfect gift in life 💕

Note: the picture at the bottom is batik scarf designed by Dudung Aliesyahbana, a batik maestro from Pekalongan, Central Java

Dark Sky

Learning, Poetic
Dark sky reveals stars
That gleam sending signs of life
That glows silently.

——

rawon aka dark soup that has become the most delivious soup on earth

i left it in the fridge to fly back to Indonesia on Jul 30 and today arriving home my first after unpacking was heating it up for my lunch and dinner 💕

amazingly yummy!

Rawon, the most delicious soup on earth

Land

Learning, Map It!, Poetic
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

Dripping

Learning
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

On A Rope

Learning
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 💕

Be Happy, Beloved

Learning, Poetic
I won’t, Beloved
Take you from what completes you.
Your here now is that, not this.
This garden with lemongrass
Is my here and now I love.

——

Ibu sent me this picture that she took by herself after forever saying “I can’t take good pictures like you, don’t ask me any” — 3 slices of some cake I bought online (sold through Twitter) and delivered directly to her ♥️

she said “thank you for the ‘spikoek’, it is amazingly yummy”

my mother’s love is so huge that i don’t realise like seeing a sheet of paper from 1 millimeter away 💕

i am enough with a few humble friends that truly understand me so i won’t anymore beg friendship from that not even wanting to know who i am 😁

Surprise

Learning, Those People
Surprisingly
Life throws one surprise
After another
Of all types
To me who is cushioned
Only by submission
And genuineness.
How generous
Life is!
How intriguing it is
At the same time!

Dear, Life.
I don’t want any other way to love
You.

——

Life is full of astonishments to me. The most recent one was when I met the architect of my Jogja base home in Jazz Gunung Bromo without planning. I happened to know that she has been the bamboo stage designer of the annual jazz festival for the past 15 years! Yes, she is an architect cum bamboo artist.

We decided to ride a jeep together to see the sunrise the next morning before she returned to Jogja and I enjoyed my jazzy night.

A short fun meet up with a friend it became.

Thank you!

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

feeling so blessed to have met so many humble human beings in my life and it has made my life even more wonderful

Morning

Learning, Poetic
Morning
My only time
That can be broken
But not damaged

Day and night
My only time
That can be merry
Without celebration

Life
My only time
That can kindle hope
Sweeping hatred away

——

the red in the tip of east side 💕

old jeeps to climb up to 3 spots to see the daily sunrise, this one is the lowest spot

Mount Bromo and her neighbourhood in one bright morning

the other side of the sea of sand

vertically

Snack for Today!

Learning

Baking that heals 💕

my productivity outside office 💕

not bad at all! 💕

with matcha as my cocoa is expired 😝

new yeast was not yet into my day, the doug didn’t rise as expected even after 3.5-hour rest 🙃

two types of flour for one recipe

feeling better with baking — trying new yeast that I’m not friendly with

Bitter Sweet

Learning, Poetic
Life is bitter sweet
For sense that is alive,
Willing and happy to taste
Whatever that is served.

Enjoy.
Life is full of tastes
From all directions

Enjoy.
Life is worth tasting
Until its completion.

——

enjoy! carbo please….

healthful food is food from my own kitchen

bitter gourd with sweet chicken filling

green and fresh

Dos & Don’ts

Learning, Poetic
Do what you want
Just don’t touch my thing,
Said I.

I moved your thing
But I didn’t take it,
Said wind.

Sometimes naked words
Are taken as a wrapped joke,
Said I.

No one said anything
As it is just a blowing wind
Missing me one day.

——

two days of sick leave and when i was back to work, my cats and boxed stone were re-arranged by heaven knows who

maybe my cats climbed up or jumped 😝

original arrangement 💕

Home

Learning
A home is a breath
Haled in and out, slow and deep
Kindling sparks within.

——

Home is a house that I build very slowly with deep thought. The amount of energy put there is a number one priority about my future — I even pause almost all my personal travel plans this year in order to totally focus on this project full completion.

Bless me, dear Life.

Thank you!

💕

This is magnificent! So much money and thought must have been put to finally materialise this home. Very unique and serene! The “99 doors” must be symbolising the 99 attributes of God in Islam, the 99 names reflecting feminine and masculine qualities of God in the teaching. 🙏🏼

Do i wish to have this type of home? Javanese modern, yes but my home would be much smaller and humbler. 🙏🏼

The only resemblance of this one to my mini Javanese home is the wood that were bought from antique collectors, the greenery and the homey atmosphere. The rest is just two poles apart.

I am thankful to have a second home that shows the me in its character (my tiny home in Greater Jakarta is an industrial mass production that is definitely not me)

And I am charmed by the Javanese home belonging to Ms Farah.

A Head In A Table

Learning
This head, Beloved
Is full of colours
That suck all memories
To an abandoned landfill
Where poems dance in joy
Recycling precious moments
Into glowing beads
Jingling around a neck,
Chuckling on millions of love wishes
That scatter on a table.

——

yeah! this is one busiest corner of my head everyday! messy yet full of love 💕😀

Life

Learning
The price of good life:
A cluster that can grow wild
On the grey tree bark?

——

which is more precious? bark of the tree or the fungi growing happy? are they mutually enriching each other?

Scent of Flowing Air

Learning, Poetic
No scent is missed,
No inhaled air is empty.
The scent is a box of coloured mist
To bring in imagery.

These nostrils celebrate days
Through haling the loaded air
And propelling power through stories,
Millions of stories shared.

——

can’t leave without scent, good or bad

and its evolving fragrance, softened before dried

sadly this leaf was not so nicely scented 🙏🏼 thrown away

batik has a good scent as it is washed with lerak (soap berry)

frangipani, a flower that is popular as graveyard flower in Java island ♥️ sweet fragrance of the death

i miss the scent of the thin air by the rice field under the blue sky 💝

Free Weekend Class

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

I started teaching this morning. Overall I’ll be teaching English, soft skills, art and hopefully someday Japanese. I partner with my best friend to establish a free weekend class for the kids and youth in her small library in south area of Yogyakarta. It is a community support that we humbly provide for a better leadership and communication skills of our young generation.

We have very very very limited budget but we commit to help the community not only to welcome but also to design bright future.

Pray for us. 

May all beings be happy.

children class this morning — very very basic communication skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking — what a sweet fun session! 💝

these two girls were the youngest students today 💝

Home

Learning
There’s a calming vibe
Surrounding a place called home.
A short getaway—

——

Mt Merapi and Mr Merbabu from up the sky

my first landing in Yogyakarta International Airport, the new airport

calming home for the next 3 nights

greeting from beauty coming out of the mud

Love Traveling Through Time

Learning, Poetic
Within a radius
Love is felt.
There’s a radius
Made of meters.
She knows a radius
Made of years
That still pulsates
In the heart of this lover
Longing for rendezvous
That will have arrived
Right after the waves shorten.

Your fragrant name is
Blooming every second
In all lovers’ hearts.

Dear, all bezels of wisdom.
I blow kisses for you.

Salam.

——

Magical Days

Learning, love, Poetic, This Person
Today I saw magic
Warmly greeted my throbbing head.
“How deep is your love?” Said she.
“To whom?” Asked I.
“Does it matter?” Said she.
And so I was magically charmed
By these heart beats
Chanting a repeated naive rhyme
About how nice I’ve been breathing.

——

only those who know the death is just an inch away can do this wholeheartedly 💝

Everlasting Again

Learning
I’ll live not only 1000 lives,
I’ve lived forever.
I love not only my whole life,
I love everlastingly.

How can I not love the life
Giving me chance to meet you
Again
And
Again
And
Again?

I won’t though beg for another again
If again will end the love
To the now and here.

See you again
In now and here,
Better one
I know not where.

——

the way you treat me will not change my feeling to you; yet will not shorten my distance from you either — love is only for love, never for hatred 💝

Hurt?

Learning
No one can hurt me.
I am a feather,
I am water,
Either.

No one will hurt me.
I am a feather,
I am water,
Either.

We are feather on water.
No one can hurt them,
No one will,
Either.

——

no one can, no one will — if one does, one does to one’s self