Laughing, Beloved, Throwing up positive vibes, Burning some sadness, Growing positivity— We can do it everyday.
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What can I do constantly in life but laughing? How funny this life is! How ironic life is! How entertaining life is! How fun life is! How miserable life is! How mysterious life is! How enjoyable life is! Laughing takes all, just try to improvise the laughing style to suit each situation.
A friend called and the topic of most of my chats are stupid things. This time we laughed at how funny emotional rollercoaster is. Sometimes she feels that she is at the peak of consciousness and that’s why she feels so calm and peaceful until someone sends her a picture or tags her in a social media posting then she realises that calmness explodes to buried anger.
I can’t even remember what made us burst into laughter from one story to another. We just thought sadness is sometimes funnier than happiness. Or maybe we simply think happiness is able to materialise itself into any form.
I always love to laugh. Maybe I was a kookaburra bird in one of my past life if I had one. Oooh how I miss Australia! 🦘
Freedom, Beloved, Inner beauty blooms in time. True celebration—
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Celebration is a blessings enjoyed everyday. Celebrating health. Celebrating welfare. Celebrating family. Celebrating friendship. Celebrating breath. Celebrating greenery…… Celebrating anything I want to celebrate.
Celebrating stupid chats with some good friends. 😁
I love celebration in which commemoration is the core but never ever enjoy party in which entertainment is the core.
August is major celebration after September. In August two home countries celebrate their independence: Indonesia on 17, Singapura on 9. Both have unique ways to celebrate the days. For the past nine years on Singapura’s I’ve personally loved seeing all the flags hanging in apartments and along streets, in Indonesia’s except last and this years I’ve gone to the Embassy for flag ceremony combined with meeting with other Indonesians enjoying the precious moment together.
Happy National Day, Singapura! Thanks for taking care of me.
Dirgahayu Indonesiaku! How much ever the distance between us, you’re always in this heart. Thanks for gushing me some blood of great archipelago.
Dogma, Beloved, The least she can hold in life. She is full of quests.
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What human beings should think of being sick is it is a tool materialised by Life to make them stop or at least slow down especially from analysing every single thing. Yet human beings often forget that blessing should not be always gift-wrapped in fancy paper with ribbons; it might be sometimes humbly bundled in a sack.
Blimey! Why do I have so many sacks? And poorly unable to untie them successfully 😎
May all beings be happy.
a pile of ugly sacks; filled with all the richness of nature
Secret, Beloved Ice cube waiting for warm touch— Melts and flows: a stream Of messages from the heart. Read or heard of. Clean and clear—
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No secret, it’s exposure or disclosure in the right place at the right time. I believe life is somewhat designed WYSIWYG for those willing to see life as it is. What you see (should be) is what you get.
Private is about level of security one is living. One day things will be exposed and forgiven or glorified.
Confidential is about secret recipe. One day things will get disclosed and comprehended and copied.
As simple as that. I’ve got no secret hidden. It is just about time for you to know. Either you’ll hate me or hate yourself; OR love me or love yourself for knowing “the secrets”.
Clear sight, Beloved, Right, clean lens at the right time— Can you see her through?
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The older I am getting, the worse this eyesight is growing. Just last week I decided to buy reading spectacles because of so many errors in identifying tenten (double apostrophe) and maru (circle), two grammatical markers added to hiragana and katakana characters especially that affect minimal pair of voices /p/ and /b/.
It’s fine, at least I can see myself clearer. Liking it or not, it’s me. 😘
Chaos, Beloved, Gives orders to those seeking Constellations.
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Dear Self,
With little “light pollution” we can look up to the sky and see millions of stars blinking to us. Small and big, dim and bright, near and distant, at one glance they seem like dots of sands spread on the floor – messy and scattered. Yet after these eyes get used to the focal points, there are patterns. With these constellations our ancestors read directions and made decisions whether they were going sailing, whatever they were growing or what nature would present soon.
There is sky within ourselves where we can stare up seeking clusters of stars, gleaming dots and glowing patches in the darkest of the mind. The chaotic mind isn’t necessarily bad. The mind is simply rolling out all memories to see or listen to or touch or taste or smell in order to find the messages and directions of what to do and where to go.
It takes a bit of silence for a while to realise that the crowded mind is full with clusters of messages and hidden wisdom. It takes a minute or two to calm down the helter-skelter on the day. It simply takes a short focus on the breathing to do it.
That simple, Self. That simple, that a few believe it works.
Salaam….
the bright in the dark – Cygnus that is clearly seen in September. soon 🥰
This love, Beloved, Can’t buy your life. It’s too small, A library card To borrow books full of clues With which the path is open.
This path, Beloved, Stands arched, meeting at both ends, Leaving colour dusts.
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Many words can’t explain the emotions experienced by human beings and what come out are symbolical beauty and serenity. For those who don’t like language will mostly get bored and or get misled with the real message.
That simply shows language is a great tool to communicate the idea and emotions yet what should always be remembered is that there are intrinsic and extrinsic factor to comprehend messages. Life isn’t WYSIWYG-based program to some extent.
At the end of the day it is about how I activate the radar through all senses to read messages around me.
Sometimes it is ok to misunderstand, but try best not to misunderstand 1 plus 1 equals 2 in basic Algebra.
Magic, Beloved, Not just spells. It’s click and twist Within time and space.
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I thought magic was a split second materialisation of what were wished. Years ago I believed that The Most Powerful would make things in just a blink of an eye. With millions of disclosure and exposure, magical things have become something natural. Everything can be interpreted as miracle as much as it can be considered ordinary.
Magic is a mechanisation in the universe in which processes and timelines cannot be denied. Sooner or later….
Numbers, Beloved Symbols of the countable Your blessings and grace
*
or the uncountable, the countless if we are not capable of it
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A friend —not close— changed her Instagram account name, it now includes 333. She’s fond of recurring sequential numbers especially 333, 3333, etc. She’s posted tons of photos of her treasured 333 or 3333 found in bank notes, amount of money in her book keeping (she is a finance manager), vehicle plate numbers, coffee shop bills, receipts, time in her mobile phone, everything and anything with 333 or more. Angelic number. Angka cantik!
When I asked her why she likes 3333, she said that when she first joined a community called “1111”, 333 was the first angelic number she met so since then she’s fallen in love with 333.
How simply Life makes someone connect with one’s self!
When I said to her that recently I’ve seen 1111, she said it is a wake up call. I asked for what? She said maybe my guardian angel is blahblahblah.
Didn’t tell her that 1111 is often visible because ComfortDelgro taxi is my preferred taxi, whose phone number is 65521111 painted on the car body. Hailing it, I see 1111. Sitting in it, I see 1111. In the apps, I see 1111. 😁
But hey! Subconsciously I pay more attention on twin numbers now. Aside from Citycab’s 1111, 65558888 is SMRT taxi, 65553333 is Trans Cab (should send it to her), etc…. Almost all taxi fleets in Singapore are angelic. Aww!
Ok, back to 1111. Maybe the angel is trying to tell me “one, one, one, one” in other words “take a deep breath, one at a time”. Yes! Now I believe in 1111 as a message. So simple!
This life, Beloved, Not a race. It’s exercise To be an artist.
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To be an artist is about knowing what one is doing and how one is doing it. When all knowledge, skills, experiences are naturally moulded into the muscles of subconsciousness through long flight hours; someone is able to navigate one’s work without reading manual. Everything one does is work of art. All is done gracefully with professional, scientific intuition.
Milestones of successes and celebration are good motivation; yet piles of failures and correction are often time the most powerful chisels in shaping the smoothest sculpture.
I think Robert Burns’ short poem that was introduced by an old lecturer in Poetry class years ago still relates to what I’m doing until now: knowing and painting the angels AND devils of my own self.
If I die, I want to die an artist. Artist of my own life—
Flowers, Beloved, Invite bees to pollinate. Duo saviours—
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Bees are the most important agent to keep the human race alive. Without bees there won’t be crops because no plants are pollinated and human being won’t have things to eat and in four years all human beings are gonna die (summarise from an allegedly Albert Einstein’s statement – If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years left to live.)
Hey, dope! Bees won’t pollinate flowers in a vase! 🤪
Haha! Ok, please forgive me. I simply need flowers to keep insanity in tact for the next one week.
August, Beloved Earth is thirsty and open. Second crop should come.
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Pranata mangsa literally means season (mangsa) rules (pranata). It is a structured rules for farmers and fishermen in Javanese culture with which they make their plans in growing plants and harvesting the sea. This comprehension was also implemented in Sundanese (major ethnic group in West Java) and Balinese (major ethnic group in Bali). Some European ethnic groups did have this, too like Bauern calendar in Germany.
There are 12 mangsa (seasonal cycles) in Javanese pranata mangsa.
Kasa (Kartika) – Jun. 22 to Aug. 1
Karo (Poso) – Aug. 2-24
Katelu – Aug. 25 to Sep. 17
Kapat (Sitra) – Sep. 18 to Oct. 12
Kalima (Manggala) – Oct. 13 to Nov. 8
Kanem (Naya) – Nov. 9 to Dec. 21
Kapitu (Palguna) – Dec. 22 to Feb. 2
Kawolu (Wasika) – Feb. 3-28
Kasanga (Jita) – Mar. 1-25
Kasadasa (Srawana) – Mar. 26 to Apr. 18
Dhesta (Pradawana) – Apr. 19 to May 11
Sadha (Asuji) – May 12 to Jun. 21
The dates are adjusted every four years due to the 365 and 366 days in a year (leap year).
Javanese would grow certain seeds in each mangsa because in those particular mangsa the earth metabolism have specifically different characteristics suit certain plants to grow; and so, growing them will both maximise the crops and mitigate hazards to the soil.
And the Javanese fishermen would go to sea on certain mangsa and wouldn’t in the others or if they went, they knew which directions they would go as in certain parts of sea is in rage or the sea habitat isn’t ready to present crops to the men. Combined with the ethnoastronomy, the pranata mangsa was a powerful tool for Javanese fishermen in their golden era. No more though 🥴
Pranata mangsa was developed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of both the human beings and the environment. That’s confirmed and proven for ages!
However, this powerful pranata mangsa has been left if not forgotten by the owner. Instead the owner has started using the modern no-season farming and fishery where earth is raped and tortured to cater for the human being greed. The Javanese have betrayed both their own identity and the environment by leaving the pranata mangsa.
Do we really need so much? Or do we want so much?
Maybe it has come to a time to apologise to the earth goddess (called Batari Sri in Javanese, the one given authority by God to take care of soil) and the ocean god (called Batara Baruna in Javanese, the one given authority to take care of water)— they might have screamed for so long because of us, we who don’t care of the risks of harmful fertilisers and irresponsible sea harvesting both to us and to the earth.
Maybe it has come to a time to start healing them that are almost broken and exploding, and healing ourselves for having been greedy and selfish.
Fire, Beloved,
Burns. Hot. Fast. Deadly. Don't play
Until you are friends.
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Even fire can be our friend and play with us. Make sure it doesn’t burn us. How? Either be water or earth when getting along with fire, never be wood or metal.
I’ve seen how anger consumes human beings’ life. It is not easy dealing with it, especially when it is inside. Yet is anger really an anger? Or just sadness, fear or unhappiness that are expressed inappropriately due to restriction in certain society?
Or, some people don’t even know that they are in rage. They don’t know what they are feeling. What they know is they feel annoyed, humiliated, or frustrated. Been there…. 🤓
When it is unbearable, go to the park and lie down on the grass or take ablution or take a bath.
Gosh! It is no easy to deal with an angry cashier or taxi driver. Hope they solve their real problems soon and be happy so people around them are not victimised, including the customers.
Happy weekend!
May all beings be happy esp those cashier and taxi driver. 💐
fire flower – make sure your anger is appropriately expressed
We are all born naked Dressed differently in death. What— Would we do in life?
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Would keep laughing at myself in life because there are many comic moments in life (tragedy + time = comedy) — like being born every time, nakedly honest in front of own self
And would love to live around those who can see wisdom from what we’ve laughed at or jokes in wisdom— pure laughter, no humiliation, no underestimation, but yeah sweet insult 🤪
Can’t imagine how boring to live with those who can’t even laugh seeing their face on the mirror…. 🥳
Can’t wait to meet my best people and laugh at this life, accompanied with home made snacks and favourite drinks! Wisdom, jokes, social politic gossip and some stupid “garing” guessing games as always 🤓
Time is relative so next year can feel like one hour from now!
What’s prime number, Love? Itself and one can divide. Most intimate love—
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It’s just me and the one.
The one that I’ve always missed with no reason. The one that I’ve perceived but not perceivable. The one that I’ve missed and travelled for but nowhere to find. The one that I’ve felt so intimate but so distant. The one that I’ve cried for but making me smile. The one that I’ve been peaceful with but breaking my heart.
You’re a prime number, Self, one that is greater than one and can only be divided by one and itself. The rest is excluded.
Words don’t end as words. They wait for context to be: Fact? Opinion?
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Why should be afraid of using precise words —gathered in a context— clear context of statement, question, request or exclamation if it is to positively convey a message and/or to get expected responses?
I found some people are shy if not afraid of conveying messages because of unsuccessful experiences of getting the messages passed on to the others clearly. They thought the failure was purely theirs. No, not at all!
Know, Self that some people don’t have the tools to comprehend certain messages; it can be because of limitation of language, intelligence, culture, perception, intention, name it…. In fact some others simply don’t want to listen.
When the message isn’t well comprehended, an equivalent response most probably will be delivered, which is unpleasant and/or unclear one.
It is not nice to fail in communication. Only true learners never give up trying. 👍🏽
Communication is about intention as intrinsic factor (make sure it is good) and skill as extrinsic. Both take time to be mature. Yet, in whatever stage of maturity both don’t always collaborate at times.
Hell yeah! I’m talking about myself! Next time better, much better than today’s me.
May all beings be happy.
going back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – where am I, where am I?
A horse is running In a round. To win it not; To serve the master—
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Am I the horse or the master?
If the horse, do I know enough who is my master so that I don’t just gallop whenever anyone other than the master whips me.
If the master, do I know enough how to appropriately engage with the horse and whether or not the horse has endurance for certain round either race or equestrian.
More importantly do I know what’s a horse and what’s a master?
Magic, Beloved, Scented, shaped, coloured. Travelled By sea, land and air—
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There are many choices of flowers and leaves imported from Down Under recently. Protea, leucadendron, silver bell eucalyptus pods, Geraldton wax flower, eryngium big blue, eucalyptus leaves, etc appear in the flower shop.
As they don’t come every month like roses, chrysanthemum and spider lily, I grabbed them fast. Greedy? Please don’t. Let’s call it excited. 😌
These flowers and leaves prove to be not only pretty but also aromatically medicative. Imagine working breathing eucalyptus for at least one week. Ya, they last longer than roses, chrysanthemum and spider lily.
I think I’ve received a lot of blessing and healing through travelling, flowers and food most time of life, particularly recently. There is nothing better to thank but breathing deeply and chewing slowly with all heart and soul.
If not because of being blessed and loved, what else are we given all these?
Sending blessings and love across the ocean to the one dearly loved. 💝
May all beings be happy.
aromatherapy in a vaseleucadendron, the florist called it differently I forgot whatproteasilver bell eucalyptus pod – just saw them and fell in loveeucalyptus leaves – I can breathe it the whole day literally
Orchid, Beloved, Surprises day with new stems. More colours to be; A gift from Mother Nature, A greeting from Father Time—
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Just learnt that my orchids are happier with rain water. There has been much rain recently that hampered jogging and biking schedule; yet now I see the rain has invited more colours and beauty.
The time of those orchids’ blossom isn’t predictable; they often surprise me when the buds stem is already prominent. My sight is really getting older that often time I don’t see when the stem is in its early stage; or they are just hidden in common green.
The plants in this tiny home have always been a consolation every now and then. Both the ones in the balcony and those in the bathroom’s bay window are best friends to this person. 💝
Thank you!
the shorter stem might have been there for at least one week but I just realised it two days ago 💝
It rains, Beloved Orange stays bright in the west. Wish you were here, Who?
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Sometimes the one that is dearly missed is that who never remembers us. What a paradox!
Paradox is beauty of life, contradictory realities that are given at the same time. There are plenty of hidden messages in between only clear heart can read.
Red shrimp, Beloved Crooked not bowing; Nature That cannot be changed—
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Lunch is an important meal; breakfast is just a tertiary “decoration”. So having nice food in the afternoon feels like seeing a green garden with fruits hanging everywhere. 🤩
the filling for today’s paper rice wrap
4 of 4 done! 1 isn’t so tidy, the 3 are excellent!
A vase, Beloved In which two seasons meet up; Two sides of beauty—
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Some flowers last longer in a vase, others stay shorter. They glorify seasons and gratify life spans differently. Here some flowers come together in a vase and enjoy the life together, decorating a corner some time away from the roots.
How would I not thank for all faces of beauty?
Live longer and enjoy the colourful life in this melting pot, dear Self. All is well. All is beautiful.
May all beings be happy.
the pink striped daisies stay longer than predicted, red roses come to sit together ⭐️
It takes basic skill To be happy and peaceful. Folding paper rice—
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Another Vietnamese cuisine came for brunch! 🍴
Thought it would be easy and fast to fold rice paper to wrap some veggies and meat. Thought it would take only basic skill of folding paper like making origami heart.
Yes, it is pre-basic skill of folding the paper yet the skill to control what’s inside the heart is not that basic. The intention to fold tidily and the urge of immediately eating nice food collided hard just because of a thin layer of helpless wet rice paper. It felt like now or never. Drama! 😂
Today’s target of eating 5 wraps didn’t happen. The rest of the filling became a bowl of salad.
Sorry, dearest paper rice. I failed you. No, no! 3 of 5 is 60%, more than 50% means winning in democracy. 😂
Weekend, Beloved, Clear, nice, fresh— How can’t it be If it’s cooked with love?
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First Vietnamese food from own kitchen. Next one should include bone to make perfect beef flavour. And the chili please, the crown of perfection should be a kick not only a tickle!
Still this weekend is delicious with a big bowl of pho bo!
If I may say Vietnamese pho is the only noodle soup that can beat my dear Indomie! Respect to the soul who concocted this recipe hundreds of years ago.
May all beings be happy.
pho bo a la Indonesia 💝mung bean sprout, ngo ghai leaves, Thai basil and lime – why Thai basil? sometimes I am wondering why some fruit and vegetables are called “Thai~” while the plants are naturally originally South East Asian! ones can find them in Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia not sure in Singapore (at least in Cold Storage imported from Vietnam or Malaysia or Thailand or Indonesia) 😎oh my, it is such a betrayal to cook Vietnamese pho using Thai pad thai rice noodle…. sorry, Vietnamese pho; couldn’t find you yesterdayand my betrayal is complete with the Thai fish sauce…. Vietnamese fish sauce, where are you? my friends in Vietnam said their fish sauce is stronger than the Thai. Fish sauce is the secret of pho bo taste!after all herbs and spices flavours are blended into boil, filter it to find the clear broth – friends in Vietnam said it takes overnight boiling to reach certain consistency and taste. sorry, didn’t have the luxury, 1.5 hours is good enough!herbs and spices – love it! 💝
Friendship, Beloved A vast ocean and its waves Sweeping all debris—
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A friend visited me at my lunch break. A short talk made the day.
About her retirement plan to hop from one city to another from one country to another with her husband, future visit to my home base, future visit to Ubud, her sons and the menace, my future plans, health and healthcare, vaccination, and everything….
Our longest talk after 2 years of not going someplace together! She brought our favourite kue from Bengawan Solo! 💝
Couldn’t believe it could happen only in one hour. We must have talked as fast as flash!
⚡️
Bengawan Solo jajanan pasar delivered by a friend today
Freedom, Beloved Is gauging limitation. How low can you go? How high can you fly? How long? Life’s integrated limits.
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There is always the next level of things. Perfection? Some say yes. Some say it is freedom, up to self, don’t care about others, want more, and everything.
No one can stop one except one’s self.
Is the end the limit? Not sure; yet it must be sun and moon the cycles integrate.
Beloved, if you allow, let me just be better than my own self before. Nothing more, nothing less.
May all beings be happy. 💝
thanks for the sugar; how many people mustn’t have sugar and I’m still free to consume it – isn’t it a blessing? 💝
rike jokanan 
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