Dove peace, Beloved,
Not doveβs! Itβs ours projecting
What we canβt achieveβ
β

graphs of my Universe
Dove peace, Beloved,
Not doveβs! Itβs ours projecting
What we canβt achieveβ
β

Fine gold, Beloved, alchemistsβ masterpiece through millions of failures
β
By end of this life sheβll be at least a master of breathingβ¦.
β¦. who will stop breathing at the peak of the mastery π
Unapproved alchemist! π

Iβm lost, Beloved.
This maze takes me a hostage
I need to grow wings.
β
You might feel lost yet donβt get lazed. Open your eyes. This is not that maze maze. It is just an abandoned garden where trees are growing high touching the sky blocking the sun ray, grasses are growing wild covering the paths disguising directions. Look! There is something blinking from afar. Follow it, it might be a star. Or at least there is something moving you out of where you are.
Firstly open eyes! Your cat is getting impatient to go for adventure. Donβt let it leave you. This cat is a precious traveling companion indeed.
WAKE UP!!!
π

after morning prayer
Your name, Beloved:
Air blanketing fragrant space,
Soil firming the stanceβ
β
Shakespeare said βWhatβs in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.β
He isnβt wrong. Yet he isnβt always right.
I call a name when rain is sweetly pouring down, call another name when day is scorching too bright and hotβ¦.
Why is it easier to call your name than my own? Is your name so strongly rooted that only it I can remember when it rains? Is it your name or is it you that stays with me?
Oh youβ¦.
Oh your nameβ¦.
Salaam.

Ten thousand of clouds
March to count the day to come
Of happy birthday!
β
π

The depth of silence is
As deep
As ocean of possibilities.
Shaken, the ocean will splash
Drops of gifts.
Time once revealed
When the gifts will appear.
It once said
There is a moment in time.
Space once revealed
Where the gifts will arrive.
It once said
There is a point in space.
Spacetime once revealed
Why the gifts will engender.
It once said
There are reasons in life:
Unfortunately wrapped
In colours and shapes,
Often times disguising things:
A crow into a dove,
A wolf into a sheep,
A dumpsite into a garden,
A villainess into a heroine,
An evil witch into a kind queen,
Bent into straightβ
Misleading this travelerβs direction.
Once it was said
There is
One
That she will find
Somewhere some time only if
She minds.
Dear, Light.
Only
You can reveal
True colours
True shapes
True hearts
True reasons.
Be deeply silent
Even in the crowd
Where ocean of possibilities
Is shaken
In this spacious time.
Hey!
The gift is relatively fair, Beloved.
Be ready.
β
π

What are you, my love?
Keris, scissors, needle, knife?
Whichever, be sharp.
β
One young scholar once said βLet the old self of yours die, live as a renewed self every day and you will fall in love with yourself not because you feel more beautiful or better but because you know you are more and more authentic.β
Thank you!

Peaceful, Beloved,
Sitting remembering you
In this sweet silenceβ
β
Sometimes just donβt get it why Japanese is like that but now accepting it as it is a culture with which a nation is built and shaped based on nature and history; like a Korean being a Korean, a Javanese being a Javanese, an English being an English, a Vietnamese being a Vietnamese, etc. As long as it doesnβt disturb loyalty and integrity, itβs ok. π₯°


Artist, Beloved,
Proportional and perfect?
No. Flowing riverβ
β
When someone is so much a master of something that no labels or names of techniques are needed to pinpoint what s/heβs doing to perfect completion, s/he be an artist.
When will this human being be the artist of her own life? At least the artist of her own breathingβ¦. It takes not only talent for her to become an artist, maybe she needs courage to be wrongly perceived! Maybe she should be at least misunderstood that she seldom breathes right?
π
Salaam.

The top, Beloved,
Only with you I go there.
Others are wasted.
β
Others are wasted.

Forbidden city not.
Imaginary power
Ruined through historyβ
β
Whatβs built on weak foundation will collapse. Lies, betrayal, tyranny, iniquity adorn the strong marble slabs and zhennan wood logs, remembered through time.
Life is undeniably karmic: what is sown is what is reaped.
So satisfying to see time reveals the truth!
Salaam.

Point zero, my love
Here now, unshakeable ground
After the earthquakesβ
β
Iβve been a full time thinker for the past one weekβ¦. Thanks to the physical weakness brought by the virus! π₯° And here is the ranting abridged π
Life has always suggested me to walk through places where paradoxical situations exist and has made me weigh what life path should be chosen. Luckily life has always sent me angels (fallen angels included π) who remind me that life isnβt only about exploiting whatβs considered lucrative and physically pleasant; itβs also about exploring whatβs wising-up and spiritually enriching.
When I was young; books, courses, lectures, workshops were kind of βsubscriptionβ I had to shape a level of mental toughness. Yet there was exhaustion and anti-climax for intensity every now and then (good deed included π). Losing faith, difficulty to trust human beings and skepticism to almost everything triggered me to deconstruct my own mindset.
Another βpoint zeroβ came and brought a decision to take a course inspired by one friend named Eva (not one of my close friends but she is definitely one trusted human being). I promised to myself that this would be my LAST course to finally be unshakeable me.
I flew to Edinburgh and was driven from the airport to a place called Chisholme House by Mr Brix who became an excellent opening of my self re-discovery. He introduced me to the richness of self re-discovery even before the course started. That was when I felt so lucky to have read Ibn Arabi, Rumi and English literature although not extensively and to have learnt Javanese wisdom that is considered βlocalβ by many of my friends (which I always disagree) as Mr Brixβ languages were using all those keywords in the repertoire from my literature reading and cultural wisdom. Indeed Mr Brix was a βgateβ welcoming me to a true friendship or fellowship bonded by humanity.
The course was simply daily schedules for us to an experiencing life or βhuman beings who workβ β physically, mentally, spiritually, socially in connection with their own self, other human beings and nature. Of course the classes was the superb! Collins, Hiroko and Aaron were excellent facilitators and to me they are role models of ordinary yet impressive human being! Collins was a loving husband and father cum the best administrator. Hiroko was a loving mother and wife cum an excellent painter! Aaron was an excellent chef cum wise philosopher! π
It was so normal a life that I felt so blessed. We woke up in the morning then took a bath or at least took ablution. We started the day with a group meditation β everyone: the course participants, kitchen staffs, office staffs, garden staffs, etc except those who overslept. Then we had breakfast β English breakfast! After that we started the class; the staffs started their duties. After that we had tea break then WORK! Work meant doing the assigned chores (garden, kitchen, house, laundry). After that class again then English lunch! Then lunch break for one hour. Class again. Mediation again. Work again. Afternoon tea. Personal time (we could go to the hill, forest, sleep, talk to staffs or participants, whatever). English dinner. Discussion time. Free time. Sleepβ¦. Repeat.
Completing the βself re-discoveryβ, I found that life is like riding bicycle, balancing while moving. I lose, I win. I fall in love, I break heart. I get sick, I get cured. I trust, I distrust. I think, I feel. I work, I take a rest.
Balancing is about knowing the limit. I lose against someone/something but I gain wisdom. I fall in love at the same time I have to accept the unpredictable responses. I get sick then I will be cured. I trust with or without reasoning yet can also distrust because of the true or false reasoning. I think based on logic yet when logic doesnβt count, only feeling of acceptance will neutralise the situation. And, when I am tired, I should take time-out. Just like that!
And I actually graduated with flying colours from many βextraβ lessons: doing laundry, washing dishes, house keeping, potato harvesting, making bread, cooking English lunch, preparing dining table, raking dry leaves, going up and down the hills in the rain, walking in the moorland, listening to silence, listening to othersβ opinions, identifying and recognising true intelligent people, trusting the right people at the right time in the right place, respecting stupid idiot (myself included π), taking a bath in the cold morning, and more and more!
And yes, that was the last course in my life. Ordinary yet impressive, like what I always want myself to be to and for those having in touch with me.
I want to be back there not as a participant but as a guest in the English breakfast or lunch bringing a best friend who deserves an ordinary yet impressive life.
β¦. π
Thanks for today! π΄
Salaamβ¦
β




Torii, Beloved,
Opening from here to here
To be entered nowβ
β
Iβll always make tomorrow morning inevitable in life like a torii that connects here now and another here now. These happy steps are walking from torii to torii, with another pair of steps inevitably aligning with me.
Salaam.
π

Negative, Beloved,
New paradigm that builds life;
Breathing is blessings.
β
I thought that virus was reluctant to approach me until that funny doctor said bitterly to me last week βThe Gov will SMS directly to you but these sudden symptoms give me a hint. Take care.β
After some inconsistent (+) and (-), being a lethargic patient (the virus pulled all muscles down) and a slow thinker (MZ sent me a confusing email of mine) of home quarantine, Iβm back to my own self!
Thanks for toning this pride down. I was not that healthy.
Thanks for curing me. Iβm dependent on You.
π

Shanghai, Beloved,
A pearl wrapped in gloomy smog,
A dream with no sleepβ
β
Dear World, youβll get better. Or else, please hide your ugly faces from me for just a while.
Sending warm regards to MZ, RL and other Shanghainese ladies that I know in the modern Shanghai.
Happy weekend!
May all beings be happy.
π

Nowhere, Beloved,
To depart. Wait for next train.
Look around and pray.
β
Checking my old photos, I saw an almost forgotten one. A station that was giving me the most alarming experience in that trip.
Back in April 2017 I was in a solo travel for 20 days in EU region when the train from Lyon left me no choice but changing train in Bourg-en-Bresse. It was rainy and windy, almost 5pm local time, some passengers got off with me but all of them went out of the station (perhaps to go home) and only I stayed to wait for the next train at 7:15pm.
For almost 45 minutes and no one was coming. A group of young men entered the other side of the railway. They sounded chatting and giggling. I tried to avoid looking at them. It was my first time feeling insecure in the trip.
I continued reading my book (now pretending) as I felt so uneasy with the noise across the lines.
βHi! Lady!β I looked around. No woman but me. Damn! They called me.
I didnβt say anything, my eyes looked back to my book.
βHi! Hi!β Donβt say anything, Rike. Donβt look at them. My left hand slowly moved down to my Swiss knife in the inner pocket of the jacket.
Only prayer in heart and some strategies that were taught by my brothers on how to use the Swiss knife and simple kicks to defend myself from bad guys.
βLady!β They shouted at me more loudly after some time.
βLady!β The guys laughed out loud among their French words. I saw them waved their hands to me. They whistled at me. I wondered why no one was here but those guys. In my country there are always many people selling things around railway station. There are always tricycle riders moving around.
When those guys got even merrier and happier, I saw a shadow moved the tall doors behind the guys.
A tall black lady drew a trunk and went across line 1 to line 2 and to line 3 where I was almost ready to hurt any of the guys if they approached me.
The guys stopped their noise. The lady walked towards me.
I didnβt feel better. This lady could stop the guysβ laughters and whistles, she must have been able to do stronger thing than that including killing meβ I had to be alert!
βHi! Going to Geneva?β A soft voice greeted me.
βHi! Ya! Are you?β
βYes! The train will arrive soon.β
βThanks God!β
βNo, it is just the schedule.β
π
We eventually were sitting in the same cart. She was working in the UN headquarters and traveled back from personal leave. She said I was lucky to take this train, not later one that might have made me encounter with more men in the station unluckily often drunk.
βThanks God!β
βNo, you just need to choose the right timing.β
π
I almost forgot that I met this smart wise tough lady. Wherever you are, Madam, I wish you good luck! Thank you for saving me with your timeliness.
Salaam.

Duhai, Indonesia. Serupa apapun engkau, kau adalah tempat lahirku. Walaupun saran dan nasehat bertaburan untuk menjadi pemegang status PR di rumah keduaku ini, aku tak goyah. Nggak papaβ¦. PR atau bukan PR passport-ku tetap Indonesia. Hanya cinta dan hidup-mati saja yang boleh membuatku jadi PR atau pindah kewarganegaraan. Selain itu, no way!
Indonesiaku, terima-kasih telah menjadi tempat lahirku dan tempatku belajar hal-hal pokok untuk menjadi manusia utama. Kalau aku dilahirkan dan dibesarkan di negara lain, mungkin aku jadi orang yang bermewah-mewah dan tidak down to earth.
Indonesiaku, kemanapun aku pergi, kamulah darah yang mengalir di tubuh ini. Dimanapun aku tinggal, engkau tetap menjadi tujuan pertama pulang atau liburanku (ya setahun satu atau dua kali deh). Dengan siapapun aku bergaul, kamu tetap warna primerku.
Kecintaanku padamu bukan pada para pejabat buruk yang mengurusi ketatanegaraan. Kecintaanku tulus pada tanah, air, udara, rakyat dan makhluk di sekitarnnya.
Merdeka!


Broken clay jar, Love,
A love letter torn apart.
Message of a heartβ
β
How broken you are, I will always love and respect you as a clay jar that records history and memory, in the hands of an ignorant they become waste and rubbish, in the hands of wise lessons and wisdom.
Iβll take your broken clay jar to kintsugi craftsmen in near future trip just in case they can also repair broken clay jar. π€
Otherwise, Iβll keep it in my mini cabinet of curiosity to be a reminder that a heart is so fragile or so broken and so worth handling with care.
Salamβ¦. ππΌ

7, Beloved,
Oceans, mountains and heavens
Represent this joy!
β
Canβt move on from number 7. Thanks so much! π
Journey, Beloved,
Counting every blessed milestone;
Deletion of doubtsβ
β
My personal definition of Australia: where beer is consumed more than water. It might be wrong to others but that was what I saw with these very eyes with no doubt. π

I will win
In any battle.
My flag is rising
As high as the farthest star
Reaching you
Bravely!
In me is a girl who dares!
Iβm brave!
Donβt try me!
I amβ¦.
Brave!
β
A gift, Beloved,
Pink star full of granted wish
What would you say, Self?
Thank you for this pretty gift.
Sheβll spread the fragrance and vibe.
β

This life, Beloved:
Mysteriously composed,
Beautifully doneβ
β
This sight is defeated just by a sheet of paper. I canβt see what You can. Iβm surrendering this self toβ¦
You. π
Salamβ¦

This love has a source
And so flowing with no stop
A blissful journeyβ
β
Blessed with bliss

Rest day, Beloved,
Befriending with long slumber
Cooling down the heatβ
β
π€

Helianthus, Love,
Compliment from Mother Earth,
Beauty kept not pluckedβ
β

Morning, Beloved,
Summariser of senses
Foundation of daysβ
β
What morning can bring to a warm heart is always a bunch of sweet surprise.
Thank you!

Tulips, Beloved,
In joy they sway by the wind.
Daffodils do, too.
β
Hi, tulips. Hi, daffodils. Miss you, miss youβ¦. πππ

These eyes, Beloved,
Sparkle behind a curtain
Hiding your shadowβ
β
Thanks for these healthy eyes. π

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