Tag: weekend vibe
Music
Is the one flowing
River? Can be flow of notes
Infusing good airβ
β
Never forget that music is an inseparable part of life. Put some in every part of the day. If all those in the playlist become boring, drop a pencil on to the floor and thatβs music. πOr, drop a pan on to the floorβ¦ No no no, that is music (and louder) but too extreme to listen to. π
Salaam.
Small Joy
Blooming orchids show
Vibrant hues waited a while
Without counting time.
β
I think so much surprise comes to us because we just do without craving for the expected result. Not 100% correct, but that is most what has happened to me. βΊοΈ
Welcome, blooming flowers. You have been as stubborn as the gardener. God bless you! π
Sunday is full of cleaning, laundry and sweet surprises!
Salaam.
Hello Dusk!
Bright Eyes are blinking
Lazily greeting the dusk
Hiding mister sun.
β
A Path
A path to a place
Is walked through trees and uphills.
A meadow is waiting
Opening another path
To a warm home filled with love.
β
My friend sent me three photos of our beloved βsimbahβ (those senior people who are considered wise or those who have grandchildren) – Javanese). Most people call these simbah βbatik makerβ because they make batik to earn a living. We both call them βbatik artistβ. More than that through what weβve seen and heard about them, weβve considered they are artists of their life. How they embrace their humble life gracefully and consciously has always amazed both of us. They live like calm river flowing to the sea. They donβt struggle against what others think about or do to them. They live as if there is no hindrance and disturbance in life.
When my friend told me some things about those three honourable ladies, I secretly harvested some lessons. It is very critical reminder for me who is still very much attached to a feeling of (accidentally) underestimated and (slightly) humiliated because of one petty case. These three artists of life have silently told me to let go.
What a loud shot in a quiet weekend!
No apology is needed. All is gradually let go through my own wish and willingness. This is my life and I only want to be the artist of my own life. π
Thank you, artists of life. Youβre blessed. π
Salaam.
Colours
The biggest secrets
Are sitting on the eyelids
Without disguising.
β
Good Food
River flows. Wind blows.
Birds perch on a twig and chirp,
Enjoying good food.
β
Life is not really WYSIWYG, there are layers that can be peeled off like peeling off onions layered skins.
What is seen in a river? Its flow. Whatβs behind the flow?
What is felt in a wind? Its blow. Whatβs behind the flow?
Whatβs behind the singing birds? Whatβs behind good food?
Something looking like nothing yet there are powerful layers of realities that wrap another deeper level of reality. At the end of the peeled-off onion, what is it? The eyes see βnoneβ that can be immediately ignored, the self sees βthe essenceβ that can only be understood through accepting in silence.
What an experience as a human being! Maybe this is a euphoria of being alive, or being aware? This is a good time and I will always feel good no matter what. π
Thank you for everything. π
Itβs You
Itβs you, Beloved
That shines and sets in my heart
Bringing in blessings.
β
Weekend Starts Again
Jazzy weekend starts
With a smile under the rain.
Iβve been missing you.
β
(Im)Perfection
Imperfection, Love:
Perfection on the way. Back
To imperfection.
Perfection, Beloved,
Imperfection on the way.
Back to perfection.
β
No one is perfect as everyone is imperfection in perfect cycles.
How perfect you are, donβt boast. You are simply βrotten body in progressβ. How imperfect you are, wise up. You are the soul βshining in progressβ. Your body is deteriorating, your soul is rising.
β¦.
Only if you are willing to slow down.
Enjoy the rest of this weekend!
π
True Message
Thunders, Beloved,
Not sign of rain, but lightningβ
Know their true message.
β
Some messages are exactly like how people play βkarambolβ (carrom board in English), the player may strike one disk to target another disk. The message is as if for A but actually for B. Or the message is like this but actually that.
Donβt get fooled, dear self.
Welcome, new week full of true messages. π
May all beings be happy.
Sweet Welcome
Welcome, Beloved.
Home is where gifts are opened,
Flowers are blooming.
β
Welcome home! said they. π
Wasted
Wasted, Beloved,
None. In life allβs by design
With scales and measures.
β
Good morning, Saturday. Thanks for opening the weekend gate. Iβm flying back home soon; canβt wait for the sweet surprises!
Salaam. ππΌ
Mood
Bad mood is hunger
Draining mind and tainting heart.
Can food heal the pain?
β
Certain type of bad mood doesnβt go away easily. It can sit silently consuming emotion for almost 12 hours. Some can be cured with food, some canβt. We still need food anyway.
Unfortunately no one is responsible as the cause, it popped out just like that with the falling rain; yet the self is responsible to get through it patiently.
π
both birds and humans love it
Gifts to You
These gifts, Beloved,
Peace and love hummed to loved ones
Living here and thereβ
β
One of the Javanese and Islamic teachings that I will never leave for the rest of my life is sending gift of prayer containing peace and love to my loved ones wherever they are, whether they are physically wandering on earth or spiritually gathering around life.
I believe that my passing-away ancestors are living in different levels of consciousness (call it hell, heaven or somewhere in between up to your liking) and they are watching their offsprings without being able to directly communicating with us. They deserve my gift as they have been my line to get the chance to be here now. They deserve peace and love as they have done the best they could to draw a meaningful family tree. Yes, some might have made silly mistakes but hey thatβs what Buddhism calls βkarmaβ. Yes, some might have caused shameful stains on the family picture but hey thatβs what Islam calls βalam syahadahβ. Whoever and whatever they were, all of my ancestors deserve good wishes sung to them.
I also wish peace and love to those I love still breathing the air. Wishing all of them health and happiness. π
We Javanese Muslim will send gift by reciting some Javanese prayer closed with Alfatihah, a short chapter in the Quran containing peace, love, praise, forgiving, protection and guidance. A basket of beautiful wishesβ
How light this heart is to be sure that all whom I love are well.
Alfatihah to all whom I love. Youβre loved. Youβre blessed. Donβt shop too much. π
Happy weekend!
Pleasure
Pleasure, Beloved,
Sweet moment under the rainβ
Sunshine is peeping.
β
Todayβs biking started at 6:30am and ended at 7:15am as the rain began earlier – weather forecast reported rain would fall at around 8am. We decided to fold the bikes in my home then drive to βKueh & Meeβ for breakfast.
Conversation is never boring with this good friend. Any topics about her children are my favourite as those children give me inspiration to be always young in heart how old ever I am and optimistic about life how much low my mental is. Topic about her wanting to go back to work is never nice because thatβs when she questions if she is capable of doing this or that; while she is one of intelligent friends I have β- she is an excellent chemist who lets her expertise hibernate and allows her husband to lead a brilliant professional success.
After todayβs chatty laughing breakfast, she went home then picked up her husband in Changi Airport, arriving from a biz trip. A long list of tasks were still waiting for her, making me lose reasons to complain about life.
She is one of my favourite people inspiring me with their being ordinary the way they are.
Thank you, Mbak Eva! God bless you. π₯°
Heart
Warm heart, Beloved,
Where flowers bloom in hot day,
Roots enjoy divingβ
β
I cooked cow heart for lunch. The taste of the heart was more special than before. Perhaps it was because I hadnβt eaten cow heart for more than 2 years. Or the heart was owned by a kind cow. π
The dish reminded me of a joke among my circle.
A: Why donβt you eat beef?
B: How would you eat that whose eyes are so beautiful. They must have good heart!
A: But why do you pork?
B: &@$@?! Why donβt you eat pork?
A: How would you eat that whose look is so cute like Ms Piggy. Their heart must be romantic!
Weekend is almost here! Letβs enjoy it with warm heart!
π
Good Words
Good words, Beloved,
Postcard sent in holiday
Showing what oneβs seen.
—
My motherβs question after saying hello at lunch time is always βWhat did you cook today?β And sheβll say βDelicious!β when I send the food picture although she might say differently when tasting it. Both are happy, and thatβs the most important thing.
May all beings be happy.
What Are You
Behind whatβs seen,
What are you, Beloved?
Root of a tree
Who grows in in the dark,
Breathes with the creepy crawly,
Sleeps in none of seasons.
Silently grateful for
Whatβs not understood.
Cartilage of a human body
Who is not hard enough to be bone,
Not soft enough to be muscle,
Comfortably sits in between,
Catches messages delivered
By whisper, breeze and wind.
Jasmine sambac of the garden
Who is humbly tiny, clustering;
Blooms the whole year,
Leaves much fragrance to the day,
Deep meaning to celebration
Before she dries brown.
Helium of the sun
Light, low, odourless, tasteless, insipidβ
Itβs peaceful to be low profile,
Itβs more joyful and freer,
Itβs easier to be me,
Closer to Gaia.
Yet no secret bandit among
The rascals in the block!
What?!
What what?!
Donβt ask. I can be anything
But
You.
β
Rainy weekend is good especially when just have to shortly reply βOk!β to a message saying βHeavy rain. Impossible to bike. Rain check ya.β
π
Weekend
Weekend? Relaxing, cooking, laundry, house-cleaning. Rain makes it cool! Sweet!
β
Lazed Days
Lazed two, Beloved,
Wrapping up five passing by;
Seven in a packβ
β
Always ready to work, always ready to rest π
οΏΌ
Bright Day
Bright day, Beloved,
Earth opens all passages,
Men and nature blend.
β
Pump the tyres and enjoy this bright day!
With Love
With love, Beloved,
All is done and completed.
How would she not thank?
β
Clay But Not A Kendi
Clay art, Beloved,
Hugged by earth, hardened by sun
Livened by heavenβ
β
In Java island clay was commonly used not only to make art work but also as material to make kitchenware, eating utensils, plant pots, etc. Kasongan, Yogyakarta is one of famous villages of clay work industry in which different types of clay art and utensils are mass produced or customised as per buyersβ request.
One clay utensil that I often used in my childhood was kendi, a clay jug used to contain drinking water – it makes drinking water smell subtly earthy and feels cooly fresh. Children would dispense water from the jug to glass to drink; adult would usually just lift the kendi slightly above mouth level and dispense the water directly to their open mouth without touching the tip of the kendi mouth to their mouth β whoa so difficult to explain!
Kendi is not however commonly used as the function is now replaced by plastic containers and refrigerator. It is now mostly used in Javanese traditional ceremony or in some households that still want to keep some traditional way of life. I prepare 5 kendi to compliment the fridge in my Javanese home β 5 kendi are ready before the dining table is ready π
Kendi is actually an acronym (kerata basa in Javanese grammar) of βkendalining diriβ (kendalining: control, diri: self) or self control. In Javanese culture kerata basa is used to tie a good teaching to what people is doing. So, practically kendi is not a personal utensil like spoon and fork, anyone can share it. Through the name Javanese know that using kendi, there shall be some self control applied. When someone drinks directly from the clay jug, one should do it carefully to minimise the risk of dropping the kendi and break it; and not greedily gulp all water as other family members or friends also need fresh water in that hot day.
Culturally (at least according to Greek mythology and Quran) human beingβs physical is created from clay βlike kendiβ that is given soul by the Source and so we are breathing. So it is natural that human beings are fundamentally attached to earth. Yet how much ever human beings want to stay as firm, strong, young, beautiful like the clay coming from earth, it is not possible. There is breathing that fans the βfire of lifeβ in the clay body and when it stops βfanningβ, the clay body stops functioning.
Canβt live forever, some like to play βforever pretendingβ. Pretending to be young or beautiful or firm with plastic surgery. Pretending to be happy with some drugs. Pretending to be more precious than others with fake luxury and conspiracy. Pretending this and that.
Ah! That game! Thatβs fun indeed! Yet it is not doable for me. Being human is not an easy job, pretending makes it even difficult and complicated and unnecessary. So please count me out. ππ½
Hey! If some people want to live forever or stay young, firm, strong, beautiful and fully functional; theyβd better be a kendi. π
Salaamβ¦.
(Racing) Weekend
Weekend morning, Love,
Grasses squirm by cold dewdrops;
Greeted by the sun.
β
Biking with those knowing how to race fairly is what weekend morning should be!
And when the ride is done everyone is just sitting at the river bank inhaling the smell of wet earth and scents of various plants under the sun that is hiding behind the rain clouds.
Happy weekend! π΄πΌββοΈπ΄π»π΄π»ββοΈπ΄πΌββοΈπ΄π»π΄π»ββοΈ
The Gate
Sky gate, Beloved
Once opened, cannot be closed.
Blessings shower down.
β
How would it feel to be showered with rain of blessings? Intuition is truly a blessing.
Dear, Sky. Thanks for the bright half moon last night which kept reminding me to not regret for telling genuinely with no anger about my intuition that might have offended someone.
Intuition is to be listened. Intuition is not always popping out; yet once popping out, it is always right. Yes, yes, this person is better in to be genuine than to look gorgeous. π
Letβs go out to breathe the freedom and victory. Today still with Blue, let Red take a rest. π
Salaam.
after morning prayer
(Stupid) Weekend
Weekend, Beloved,
When heaven moves to kitchen
Where AirPods are onβ
β
Itβs always good to hear from good and best friends especially at weekends in which time feels like unlimited, calls can be done while cooking or cleaning the house. Topics vary from food to rubbish, celebrity to annoying friends, spirituality to sexuality, neighbourhood to social media, history to future, measured dream to dreamy imagination, everything.
This morning a group call stopped abruptly in the middle of a topic βwhatβs your most interesting experience in social mediaβ.
F1 (friend #1): You all know. We married.
F2 (friend #2): Thatβs happy. Try again.
F1: Scammer! It was long before this marriage. A guy put a French guy photo uploading activities of the rich handsome guy who was actually not himself and after one month I found that he was from an Asian country trying to get my money. It became a twisted plot when finally I found who he was. He made up stories that he lost his business, he tried many things but could not make it and had no choice but doing what he was doing.
F2: Was it the one you told me?
F1: Yes. You?
Me: I stalked my crush. I thought he played numbers to align with the numbers of my postings, followers and followings until finally I knew he was adjusting his numbers of postings, followers and followings to align with his fiancΓ©eβs numbers! π«
F2: How did you know that she was the fiancΓ©e?
Me: Long story short: I found their photos having vacations to many different places every single year with one particular hashtag of their nicknames put together. Theyβre liking each otherβs postings, too. Since then I stopped stalking him. I guess they are secretly married. Why was I so stupid? π
F2: Better stupid then knowing you are and so you learn. π Ok my turn. I watched porn videos.
F1, Me: What?! Where?!
F1: When?!
F2: πππππ Prank youuuuu! Of course not! I donβt have interesting experience in social media. Iβm too busy with my work. Hey! Why are you both so excited? You want?
F1, Me: No!
F2: I do want.
F1: What? Say that again! I guess you have done it, you just donβt want to admit it! Youβre a man and impossible to not watch that kind of videos! Donβt lie!
Me: Hmmmβ¦. Ok, ok. Thatβs interesting. Itβs fine just admit it.
F2: Whatβs wrong with you, ladies? Iβm joking!
F1: (left group call)
Me: Are you there?
F2: (left group call)
Me: (feeling confused and stupid after talking to husband and wife who probably started a fight because of one failed joke)
What a (stupid) weekend! May all beings be happy.
Lesson learnt: plan your joke well esp in front of your wife! π
Crossroads
Crossroads, Beloved,
A while gauging where to goβ
Follow the North Star.
β
Todayβs conversation with one best friend was a bit nostalgic. She talked about how she went to spiritual class (very common in my country to do so for religion or non-religion based teachings) until finally she quit at 45. Her reason was disappointment to teachers. She asked about me and I said quit at 30βs and my disappointment was to myself.
A stubborn student, I wouldnβt listen to what teachers told me to believe or to do. I would ask questions then believed only when choosing to believe; even with good explanation, I wouldnβt believe if not interested to believe.
One example of the fool was when a particular teacher gave βdaily taskβ to recite βBismillahirrahmanirrahiemβ, I didnβt do it even he only asked me to recite it 10x a day, while the other two were 100x a day. βNo, Teacher. Why do I have to do it? I already read it as part of Alfatihah recitation in my daily prayer, thatβs more than 10x a day,β said I. It was when praying was five times a day for me, oftentimes 7 times!
Bismillahirrahmanirrahiem is a sacred word uttered by Muslim or most traditional non-Muslim Javanese when starting an activity. It means βIn the name of Allah The Gracious The Mercifulβ, some interpret it as βOn behalf of Allah The Gracious The Mercifulβ. By reading it the reader is expected to only do good thing with good intension with love. The teacher also said that reading it we were doing self alignment: align the self with the true self, to be true to ourselves, to easily make decision and to cut short confusion and to always be blessed, to blend action with good intension.
Amazingly all teachers understood the fool and just gave a lot of smiles and books to read which annoyed her more and more. I became frustrated seeing the two good friends gained fast track understanding of life. I decided to quit then did whatever was fun fun fun ignoring the essence of being human being.
Only years later I found that self alignment is very important and I was sorry for realising it late. I finally got it why those two good friends were so peaceful while I was still struggling with almost everything. It was also the year when we found that that dear teacher passed away of old age.
Now? Learning to care more about inner journey and well being. Whatever happens to me is a consequence of my decision. If the decision is aligned with my true self, it leads to success. If the decision is false and against my true self, it leads to lesson learnt. Lesson learnt leads to better decision. Better decision leads to success. Success to me is not merely material gain, it can be simply being able to smile in tough time. This simple lesson is a result of years of battle for a stupid person like me.
My best friend asked me how now to deal with self alignment esp when in confusion.
Me: I recite Bismillahirrahmanirrahiem cumulatively 300x before night sleep.
BF: Why? Did that teacher come virtually and ask you to?
Me: No. I found that this word is my best to strengthen self-alignment between good intention and action.
BF: Why 300x? He said 10x.
Me: He discounted the price. Iβm 30x more valuable than his appraisal.
BF: Arrogant fool!
Me: Iβm just a fool.
BF: There are two of us.
Lesson learnt: Always find a way to see my fool not othersβ. Always find a way to laugh at my own self not at othersβ.
Alfatihah.
Surprise!
Surprise, Beloved,
Dew drops slide, meet in a line;
River of blessingsβ
β
Weekend is mostly about staying home finding sweet surprises.
Thank you for the weekly break and lots of mini blessings!
π₯°
Dear Lover
Lover, Beloved,
With whom air and joy is shared,
By whom tears soon driedβ
β
Being excited about solo travel wished in near future has made me remember places visited alone years ago. One of them is Madrid. Exciting one! Also ridiculous one! This trip was where I had: Korean food for lunch (my hunger came earlier, while people in Madrid have lunch at around 2pm so the most recommended Madrid restaurant was not open yet), Chinese silk bought (order from my beautiful best friend who was craving for it), lapis lazuli earring studs purchased for β¬80 (found them only S$40 in Lucky Plaza, might be only IDR300,000 in Jakarta), walking around the same street 4 times to find one place that was shown very clearly in Google Map…. I was lost in mind because of too many handsome faces on the road π
Madrid though wonβt be a city I will go alone anymore. This place is too romantic to go without a lover.
One more thing, be careful of pickpockets! Too many, too many!
Salaam. π
rike jokanan 
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