How strong? As strong as money Which can buy travel vouchers for holiday And it helps draw long list of visited sites; A list that shows to the world That experience comes with style. Unfortunately some might be just albums of photos with forgotten moment and lost meaning. Still travelers travel farther than homebody Who stays in front of TV learning about all countries, Yet more thoroughly and vibrantly Even able to write vibrantly. Look at Karl May! You mean to understand different places Doesn’t need real traveling? Might be? So what’s the strength of money? Aah! Not that strong in fact. Wait! It is still strong. Not the strongest though! So, Is money a lethal weapon? I know not, said I, I know not. Anymore.
How weak? As weak as fibrous roots Which can’t give trees strong anchorage And they give little supplies of food to the deep interior. Yet fibrous roots don’t destroy building foundation. Fibrous roots are good for sloping area, They help prevent soil erosion. They are not weak. At least not that weak! So, Are fibrous roots the weakest anchor? I know not, said I, I know not. Anymore.
Aah! Cry, cry For losing the stance. Let the tears dry. Let each layer dry, When it dries, it is becoming skin Until all are.
Not answered questions: Those to be pinned with meanings By them questioning—
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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.
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.
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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.
At times you can share, Others you shouldn’t. It may hurt. Different point of view—
I haven’t shared food pics very often in Instagram since some good friends contacted and told me how hard it’s been for them to make ends meet in this pandemic.
One of them said he once had to lower down his pride by agreeing to receive a donation from Australia to feed his wife and children. Sad….
Another said to me “Oh, how nice to have time and cook whatever you wanna eat. Hope we can have that privilege.” I was shocked when she said that as what I had known she had a very good tourism business, and now I knew that she got tremendously affected by this pandemic. Tourism has been hard hit in this period of time.
Not one or two but many came to me to borrow money to survive their business. Double sad! I had to apologise and politely refused to help. Just last year I started limiting lending cash to others. Not that not trusting people but yeah I have been cheated financially by those called friends. Ya, I was stupidly generous and irresponsibly stupid 😂 It should come to an end.
So, with all those reducing showing food pictures in Instagram is the best I can do to help. It is to clear up the jealousy and also to look ordinary. People think you have much money when you eat well. They never know how hard you work for the food on the plate.
I’m such a nagging grandma ha ha…. Please allow me to….
I’m in Juanda International Airport (terminal 2) Surabaya (East Java), a new one…. I’ve been in this site several times and kinda a bit disappointed with the facility.
They don’t have money changer, man….. When I asked “how come no money changer?”, they would say “Oh, it’s new….” as a giant excuse but it won’t work for me. And, today’s experience was definitely not first of mine; I told them to have one earlier this year (which were also asked by many people). And, they still don’t change. They asked me to go to terminal 1.
International? Do they seriously expect tourist and foreign business people to come in? So, what did they analyze of what the tourists need when arriving in an international airport?
They would tell you there’s a bank behind the ATM centre; and there you would be every disappointed with the rate. Today’s rate in the bank headquarters is IDR9,393.66 per SGD1 but the bank give much lower than that. And, what made me so upset the lady manager told me that it is today’s Bank Indonesia’ rate when I asked what rate they were using. Wow! Are you trying to cheat this TKW (tenaga kerja wanita = female foreign worker)? And, when I called my friend in Jakarta to check that bank’s today’s rate, the lady revised her statement – this time she said “We are actually using pur own rate, madam”. Another gent manager came to tell me more firmly about the exchange rate thing but I did not entertain him. I just asked for that manager’s mobile number with my poker face without listening to his lecturing about banking and told the tellers to proceed the transaction.
I just said bluntly, “Please answer my question honestly, madam and sir. I’m your customer and you don’t try to pull my legs. Just for one hundred dollar?”
This is part of what I don’t like about my beloved country, Indonesia Raya. Some people are taking any possible way to earn and it is also done by some people called service providers. Bank is one of service provider, man….
If it happened two years ago, I might have said nothing in front of those people ‘coz I think they have good reasons and they have every single right to tell their shit then deep down in heart I would forgive them without traces. But not now…. You say bad things or do bad things to me, I put a line of tally somewhere in the space to count how good the Universe is at Math.
I’ve changed; yes, I have. Never underestimate what I have and what I’ve done well anymore. You can think of however you like to think about me but I don’t care. I will do whatever I like if I know it’s right. That’s it — I rest my case.
rike jokanan 
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