Tag: Mood

About Flowers

Poetic
What about flowers?
Colours, fragrance, shapes, and mood
Wrapped in a prayer.

Singapore – November 20, 2020 / 00:10

Bengawan Solo – favourite

Learning

This song is one of those in my top rack! Nothing can beat Bengawan Solo. God bless you, Pak Gesang.

When a baby is born, s/he is “accompanied” by placenta. In Javanese culture the placenta should be either buried in the home where the baby will stay in his/her first 40 days or floated to the sacred river, both with sacred small ceremony. Mine was floated (larung in local language) in Bengawan Solo, the longest river in beloved Java island. If you Google “Bengawan Solo”, you’ll find a Singaporean bakery – hell yeah! Not making me much happy as that phrase has lost its authenticity. I’m not so upset though as at least I have a favourite place to buy “traditional Javanese cakes” (some claimed as Peranakan though – never mind anyone can claim anything with power) at the same time relating it to my favourite song and where “my brother placenta” was floated.

I miss the land where I can smile to anyone without being called weird…. My dear Java island.

I found some versions hitting the mood so damn gracefully! Enjoy.

May you all be happy.

Layers of Self – verses

Learning, Poetic, This Person, Those People

There is time when Mr Grey is reluctant to evaluate others’
Actions,
Motions,
Emotions,
Notions—
For as much as the head’s dullness, true colours won’t lie
And untrue intentions will reveal.

In the mode of working class,
Putting layered of dignified masks in silence,
Enchanting intelligent chorus in public,
Smirking in the dark.
Beloved dedication
Decorated with
Stabbing behind—
….

Doesn’t it matter?
No—
Take a time
As long as Time wishes to be with you:
Hiding behind true Smile,
Singing in the Heart,
Reciting poems in the Soul.

Someday
When the floor invites you to dance,
Offering the best music of Life,
Then down to the floor!

Dance until the Light fades away
Which is never.

Now
Observe all the moves
Of the masks around you
Which will undo themselves

One by one.

May all beings be happy.

Singapore – Jun. 9, 2020 / 21:58

 

It Says Thanks To You – haiku

Learning, Poetic, This Person

It says thanks to you
For showing true and untrue
Through this emotion.

Singapore – Jun. 1, 2020 / 22:15

—
Realising that a gift is not merely about a special thing wrapped beautifully but more about the true among the untrue is a gift itself. No matter how it feels inside until now, I still thank you.

What a beautiful Life!

May all beings be happy….

 

Rendang for Eid – my mood

Learning

What is one of the most delicious food in the world?

Rendang!

People think it is of Malaysia original. NO, it is not. It is originally an Indonesian food, more exactly from Padang, a place situated in Sumatera. Is it that important to debate where food is coming from? Not at all…. Yet I think I would be gracefully proud to tell people that I’m successful to cook one of the most delicious food from my own country rather than that from neighbouring country.

I present this rendang to all Muslim wherever you are…. Eid Mubarak!

All my cooking is always started with “Browse the Net, dear Self!”

392F9816-218F-4FC6-9B64-61159306A1FE
The list of treasure is found in the Net…. Guess what they are.

 

Let me boast my knowledge about spices and the rest of the “squad”: nutmeg (powder), turmeric leaf, cumin seed, coriander seed, cloves, lemongrass (I love this piece), tamarind, ginger, galangal, kefir lime leaves, red chilli (small and big ones), shallot, garlic, coconut milk (instant though).

 

6270C3F4-A2DD-4283-8883-A73B65F79C34
I was a “chilli queen” but by time I’m afraid of the burning taste on my tongue. So let’s get rid of the seeds and use only the peels.

 

A50B669D-2C1B-41F2-92B5-F1B096FA87FC
Grind!

 

I normally use traditional stone pestle and mortar but this high quantity of herbs will hurt my hands so allow me to use the food processor. Such a sin haha

 

1841CC60-6719-4225-9268-B162152145D1
Almost one kilogram of beef – not the AA grade, just a good one

 

D769DE1D-2351-4BDB-BADA-CA972ADC6557
Boil all together!

 

5EEFC689-7202-4BED-9B6B-5351699B1642
Oh no! The pot is too small, coconut milk should be poured into it in three stages. Be patient, dear Self….

 

839CD1F1-E5B0-492D-9F1C-DC634C62BFA9
After one hour on the fire – oh my

 

D0419C68-5E4A-42DF-801F-0FD1940115BA
After one and a half hour – it gets oily, almost ready

 

8A6CF632-E6D7-4830-AB1C-83DE1DA63AD7
Done in almost 3 hours (browsing the Net not included)

 

 

My rendang is accompanying me in this Eid — no home country visiting this year, no gathering in the Embassy, no friends will be visiting due to the Gov policy of social distancing. It is fine. Hope this pandemic is over immediately and leaving good memory for the rest of my life….

May all beings be happy….

Singapore – May 23, 2020 / 12:08am