Reflection & Fragrance

Standing in front of you,
I see love.
It is clearly reflectedโ€”
A face of mine smiling at itself.

When you look at this mirror,
What do you see?

I wish you know
You are love reflected by a clear mirror.
I wish you see
This water clearly reflects you,
A love that exudes fragrance.

โ€”-

a pond behind Himeji Castle ๐Ÿฏ i could breathe drizzles and pine freshness while seeing a school of fish swimming in clear water reflecting acceptance

Good Time

Growth is happening,
Vectors might turn to balance
Good time everywhere.

โ€”

when i was away working, she was happy blooming ๐Ÿ’

and she has been preparing ๐Ÿ’

Grateful Heart

Thereโ€™s always a room
For a smile to fully bloom.
Itโ€™s called day and night.

โ€”-

Thanks for being part of this journey. Without you I wonโ€™t be a full version of a human being. ๐Ÿ’

hope you are healthy and happy with your loved ones ๐Ÿ’

todayโ€™s Ramadhan breakfast (ifthar) โ€” cooked by myself for myself with love โฃ๏ธ

Dream of Home

If homeโ€™s made of dreams,
Itโ€™s green, warm and musical;
Or nothing at all.

โ€”-

exhausted like heaven! the toilets and cleanliness imprison me, the railway system bids me a farewell โ€” not a perfect home of mine ๐Ÿ’ Singapore and Indonesia is the best home of mine ๐Ÿ’

home is where new dreams are ready to come true ๐Ÿ’

dandelions ready to fly ๐Ÿ’

Climb

There is great mountain
Not deserved to climb
How much ever best view will be up there.
There is good hill
Deserved to walk up
How much ever others give up its ordinary view.

She decided to walk up the hill
And found some big trees
With singing birds and hopping squirrels
Enjoying the breeze.
There is enough space to have a picnic
Until the sun sets beautifully.

โ€”-

there is elevator in Osaka Castle so i should not skip climbing the castle as in Himeji Castle (said my colleague); yet i still didnโ€™t as the queue was too long โ€” walking the garden then having a fine dining with a good friend was a much better choice ๐ŸŒธ

thanks for your Osaka vibe; proven that Osaka is much warmer than Tokyo ๐Ÿ’ see you again in June

My Heart Is Leaping

My heart is leaping.
It opens its windows, breathes the joy.
It celebrates parties,
As invited by beauty that pops out out of life.
It claps hands.
It taps feet.
It dances love songs.
It sings โ€œOde to Joyโ€.

My heart is leaping.
It turns my sadness
To joyous moments,
Leaving tiny gap to
Contemplation and regret.

โ€”-

do you see that breathing the pink fragrance ๐Ÿ‘

camellia ~ symmetrical layers

sakura near castle boulders

pink sakura ~ hanging blessings

sakura tree ~ almost end of cherry blossoms

As Bright As Healthy Sight

Healthy sight sees bright
That blurs by cloud of the heart.
Clean it with blessed soul.

โ€”-

Osaka Castle behind the bush ๐Ÿ’

Osaka Castle back side ๐Ÿ’ before short rain

Osaka Castle behind the pine tree ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ after short rain

Busy

Busy explaining
Busy pretending
Busy threatening
Busy flexing
Busy building whatโ€™s hiding
Forgetting whatโ€™s to be true.

Ah!
Thatโ€™s normal
As Iโ€™m a human being.

Time has come to being human
Maybe one more week
Or one twilight
Or months
Time can be so biased
For me who is
Busy being someone else.

โ€”-

Rike, try this one! youโ€™re too busy with the deep fried, this one is healthier and thereโ€™s egg your fave ๐Ÿฅข

Faded Away


The longing has gone
Too far left by trueness.
No plate is prepared,
No wish is grown,
No intelligence is to decipher message
As heart is numb by laughter
And ridicule.
No number symbolises,
No alphabet pronounces,
All are faded away.
Thereโ€™s only mine on its way.
Dandelion,
Bring it fly
To where it roots beauty,
Peace and eternity.

Only love remains
For the journey
That appreciates
Not a point
That fades away.

โ€”-

iโ€™ve met dandelions in many different spots; all of them are blooming new dreams, totally new, leaving the blur ones โ€” prayer heard and soon coming true ๐Ÿ’

Grown Blessing

All are grown blessing,
Making days more radiant
Without prejudice.

โ€”-

Flowers donโ€™t envy others just because of colours, shapes, fragrance and/or sizes. They just bloom without prejudice blessing whoever seeing, smelling, touching, feeling, listening to the description.

Be blessed by flowers even those of grasses.

Salaam.

๐Ÿ’

gerbera, ranunculus and the gang ๐Ÿ’

๐Ÿ’

๐Ÿ’

๐Ÿ’

๐Ÿ’

๐Ÿ’

๐Ÿ’

Good Morning, Joy

Pink joy greets in breeze
Showering earth with blessings
Of cherry petals.

โ€”-

a surprise at the gate! ๐Ÿฅฐ

trust me it made my day! ๐Ÿ’

showered earth ๐Ÿ’

neighbourโ€™s sakura ๐Ÿ’

thanks for the blessings!

thanks for the blessings!

thanks for the blessings!

thanks for the blessings!

thanks for the blessings!

Pink Beauty

Their eyes see pig pink.
She sees cherry blossom pink.
Pink can be anything, anywhere.
Not anyone though sees beauty in pink.
My heart is red
Yet it feels ever pink.

โ€”-

cherry blossoms along JR Kobe Line ๐Ÿ˜ โ€” almost ten times visiting Japan and this is my very first experience of cherry blossoms

Blossoms

Blossom, welcome her
Among tasks and assignments
So she smiles and blooms.

โ€”-

The way we thank for the work we do is by doing our very best for the work we do. There is no other way. Give our better best everyday for the work has given us their best.

Salaam.

cherry blossoms!

more cherry blossoms!

Beautifully Unheard

If she says
Love is the only gift,
It is still inaudible
As the doors are all closed
And that room is air-tight.

Unheardโ€”

Even if she screams,
What flies back
Is smooth and soft echo,
The bouncing waves
From a solid wall.

Beautifulโ€”

โ€”-

peace can be as simple as reading vague messages without trying to understand as guessing is not a good habit ๐Ÿ’

Smile

Mosquitoโ€™s smiling
At a girl grinning of itch.
A mutual joyโ€”

โ€”

i used to learn how to not smile at those at the other side of the table; back to smile after some years โ€” i can lose in some negotiation but i wonโ€™t let them smile more genuinely than i do ๐Ÿ˜ i grin actually

Missed Taste

Veggies on the plate
Tease eyes and brain to gobble
Quickly silently.

โ€”-

Selamat Berbuka Puasa ๐Ÿ’

I should have eaten more slowly and experienced each and every taste with my palate. There should have been no sensation missed: sweet, bitter, salty, sour, gurih (umami). Donโ€™t forget hot and cold.

Alhamdulillah.

Salaam.

yesterdayโ€™s Ramadhan breakfast (ifthar): boiled veggies, spicy tuna, boiled egg

todayโ€™s: nasi bakar (grilled rice with squid and stinky beans wrapped in banana leaf), boiled veggies, left-over of spicy tuna, grated mango and bangkuang rujak*

Rujak โ€” Rujak (Indonesian spelling) or Rojak (Malay spelling) is a salad dish of Javanese origin, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The most popular variant in all three countries is a salad composed of a mixture of sliced or grated fruit and vegetables served with a spicy palm sugar dressing. It is often described as tangy and spicy fruit salad due to its sweet, hot and spicy dressing made from ground chilli, palm sugar and peanuts.

Bengkoang (Indonesian spelling) or Bangkuang (Malay spelling) is jicama turnip.

My version of rujak: chilli, palm sugar, tamarind and a pinch of salt

A Gift

What gift is not wrapped?
Blooming flowers in April.
Warm and colourfulโ€”

โ€”-

she is sitting next to the shower so she is generously bathed twice a day

balcony gang ๐Ÿ’ watered once in three days plus some blessings from the rain

at the corner of the shower room, behind the glass door so she doesnโ€™t bath too often ๐Ÿ˜Ž but still blooming ๐Ÿ’

Perfect Imperfection

Is life abundant?
She asked.
They said,
When you have everything.
She walked away,
There was never everything
In imperfection.

She says.
Life is generous.
They say,
Because you have everything.
She walks away,
There is never perfection
In everything.

Life is abundant,
She agrees.
They ask,
Do you have everything? You are not perfect.
She walks away,
There is always perfection
In anything imperfect.

โ€”-

anger has long gone but sadness is still lingering like a hungry fox hunting a chicken ๐Ÿ™ƒ yet life is so generous to me offering sweet imperfection and simplest perfection that might be just a dream for those perfect perfection โ€” so thank you as always! ๐Ÿ’

giving myself time and space to live again ๐Ÿ’

Interaction

Where is sun when sets?
Where is moon in the day light?
They share love through time.

โ€”

Interaction is about reciprocity; even when we are alone, we are interacting with some tool of life or with the deep self within.

When it is not reciprocated, interaction is not genuinely true.

Salaam.

a grandma with her grandson

a mother with her son

family gathering

feeding two grandsons

letโ€™s climb!

hi, dove! said the little boy

whatโ€™s in the water? said he

bubbles!!!

what is that over there? ahh hope! โ˜บ๏ธ

am i your headache? no, you are my universe ๐Ÿ˜‚

donโ€™t move, just smile! someone is taking our picture โ˜บ๏ธ

she is asking her cam to see what she sees ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ

our daughter is playing, i am sitting near her

hey! clear up! i am gonna land!

electrocution my a**! ๐Ÿ˜

Weekend Full of Heart

Every weekend
This heart multiplies.
They wander
Everywhere
Through music, pictures, poems and prayers
Sending peace
And love
That might not be
Returned.
What a sweet weekend!

โ€”-

although youโ€™ve targeted me with uncertainty, (pic: Banksyโ€™s)

although you prefer war (pic: Banksyโ€™s)

although you ignorantly hijack the love, (pic: Banksyโ€™s)

sweet heart is still what you deserve,

no missile but beautiful heart should be sent to you (pic: Banksyโ€™s)

freshened and showered with warm heart is your right

at the end a bunch of flowers will be thrown to you (pic: Banksyโ€™s)

hahahahaโ€ฆ. i am always laughed by my best friends for constantly being โ€œlove sickโ€ (pic: Banksyโ€™s)

Choice

โ€”

Choiceโ€™s falling star
Brightened in a quiet dark night,
Orbited to earth.

respecting this family for their choice of happiness, knowing that i will never be able to do so

inspiring me to at least enjoy simpler life and to accept all blessings more happily

Balance

Is it tug of war
Or pendulum played within?
Two polar extremesโ€”

โ€”-

decision making is about choosing

winning one interestโ€ฆ

โ€ฆ.and letting the other conform

there shall be a stop at one balanced point at which the momentum reaches its maturity or its exhaustion ๐Ÿ’

Bubble

A bubbleโ€™s bursting,
United with the free air.
Would you please join me?

โ€”

Although Kyoto has a lot of impressive shrines, my favourite is not there. Mine is Izumo Taisha in Shimane prefecture about 343 km from Kyoto.

When visiting other shrines in Japan, I was so aware of being in Japan. In Izumo Taisha I got home: sunny, green, serene and unexplainably blissful. There were many visitors but my senses didnโ€™t absorb their presence as if the hot air and bright light muffled their noise and wrapped me in a safe bubble bursting when my last step left the shrine front gate.

Romantic!

a long walk from the gate to the shrine โ€” i remember it was a scorching hot day in August 2018 and i was humming while walking ๐Ÿ˜‡

ablution, my daily ritual that i find also so soothing in Japan shrine especially in Izumo Taisha

torii ๐Ÿ’ a gate to the shrine yard

this is Izumo Taisha! ๐Ÿ’

shimenawa (sacred straw rope)

i only go to this coffee shop with my colleagues, but i wholeheartedly believed drinking Starbucks coffee was a nice thing; only in Izumo! right outside the shrine complex

Izumo Taisha, Shimane

Castle

Castles small or big
Stand on a hill among trees
Wave to the white clouds.

โ€”

Matsue Castle, from afar (2018)

Matsue Castle, closer view (2018)

there is no reason to not thank life for making me me; with all the ups and downs, zig-zagging, winding roads, flood and quake, fake and genuine people around; i survive and become more and more relaxed โ€” like Matsue Castle, my life is small, humble but strong enough and sweetly suitable for me ๐Ÿ’

Matsue Castle, Shimane

Castle

She builds a castle
Protecting and comforting.
Illuminatedโ€”

โ€”-

Nagoya Castle under the moonlight (2014)

Nagoya Castle under the sunlight (2014)

wishing to explore another castle soon ๐Ÿ’

Nagoya Castle

White Is Enough

Last night
I dreamt
All white.
Today the dreams
Come true.

White is paper
On which I write,
With which I hope,
Through which I walk,
By which I am guided.

White is that
I trust,
Love,
Respect,
Witness.

I will be white
Even if it is broken.
Broken whiteโ€”
That is more
Than just enough.

โ€”-

Wear white and youโ€™ll feel good!

๐Ÿ’

in outer from Hanoi; white is good even in the dark

in a white short-sleeve kebaya from Uluwatu Handmade Balinese Lace

parang in white from Batik Baronggung, Tulungagung, my motherโ€™s town ๐Ÿ’

white linen is a simple comfort

white apparel makes me feel good ๐Ÿฅฐ the white hair does too ๐Ÿคฉ

feel good as good as white dreams flying to find their home ๐Ÿ’

Sun, Day

Hello, Sun
Today is your day.
Be bright.
Be warm.
Be nice to whomever is home.
Taste delicious.
Taste good.
Taste homy to whomever is lost.

โ€”-

weekend is about waking up late with selfie ๐Ÿฅฑ

cooking whatever i want ๐Ÿ˜

(re)watching movies while cooking โ€” iPad is forced to perch on the plate rack ๐Ÿ˜

Being Human

I thought I am kind
But no,
Dogs are kinder.
I thought I am strong
But no,
Dogs rock my heart.
I thought I am me
But not
Yet.
Dogs know who they are,
They live as dogs
As they are.
I live as what I want to be,
Even
When being inhumane human
Is what gives me benefits.

โ€”-

watched this movie in todayโ€™s flight and cried โ€” how dogsโ€™ life is more genuine than mine๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ

Haw! ๐Ÿ’

Butterfly

Theyโ€™re flying
Around colours and shapes
In a garden
Where the gliding fragrance
And dripping nectars
Invite them
To celebrate
One phase
Before the next.

โ€”

in Subak, Ubud wearing new clothes from Sukawati market (only for SGD30) and butterflies in my tummy ๐Ÿ˜

Be Alive!

There are two children
Living in one life, playing,
Generating joy.

โ€”-

never want to lose the child within โ€” theyโ€™re the source of joy! ๐Ÿ’