Life’s flame, Beloved
Gaseous, burning, glowing.
Choose your own spectrum.
What is urip iku urup? It is literally “life is flame”.
Most Javanese describe “urip iku urup” as “your life should be beneficial and/or helpful for others” like flame coming out from fire giving surrounding the light, saving others from the dark. Always do good things. Help others. Don’t make a noise. Don’t disturb others. Those are very normal advices coming from the Javanese elders. Not bad, but to me it is a jumbo burden to always being good and being nice and saying yes and not complaining when life is sometimes tough and forcefully dredging out negativity from the very gut.
I though highly respect this urip iku urup through my own interpretation: “life should be full of passion”. Only those with passion, zeal, enthusiasm, energy, commitment, excitement, fondness, zest, keeness, avidity, gusto, glee, joy can bring the most benefits of what they do towards others. Not so much different from what normal Javanese interpret, just that I prefer seeing things from how life radiates from within self rather than how it is measured through others’ benefitting my life. Simply put: I’ll do super best; if you get the benefit, that’s good for you. If not, tell me and I’ll make it better.
If you choose to be a teacher, be the best version of teacher you are. If you want to be a researcher, be the best version of researcher you are. If you decide to be no one, be the best no one in the world! There is a spirit of learning from the scratch and striving for perfection. And there is a sense of originality.
Flame has different colours, depending on the heat and intensity of the fire. Many think red flame is the scariest perhaps because it is the one bellowing in rage, eating up property in fire. However, it is the most external part yet actually of the the lowest temperature. It is the tongue, not the voice. The blue represents the hottest flame — it is the gas burning, the higher temperature, the innner most, the closest to the core. It’ll cook things faster but quiter! It is the vocal cord, not the voice.
In life people should choose what flame they want to represent in life. It is whether they want to stand out and be the red, symbolising the intensity of the whole fire! Or, they want to be outstanding as the blue and not arguably be the hottest support to the reds around. Both are ok. Just remember not to extinguish each other, Red and Blue. People need to choose their own roles in community. Some people are good at performing at the stage. Some are good at executing. Some are good at initiating changes and pushing from the back of the course. Some might be good at all but I doubt one person can be good at three perfectly at teh same course. If one thinks so, one will either overkill the people around one or kill one’s self.
Within self, red and blue is about act of maturity or choice of expression in many different occasions to face different situations with different people. How people process their experience and mold the wisdom within is a hidden flame. Let them do. Their timing is theirs, not yours. Sometimes they want to show their red, the other time they show their blue.
Flame is alive inside and outside! Be a flame while we live! You’re the voice!
If you listen to this song, you’ll see that urip iku urup -the so called Javanese local wisdom- can be found everywhere. Local wisdom is never local, it is universal value expressed differently by many in different places.
Salaam….
Note about the writing and the song: don’t bother, it is my interpretation 😊
There’s not much to tell,
Beloved. Let’s play it jazz
‘Coz we know the tunes.
You’d sing the rhymes, Beloved?
Or would you please read the rhythms?
No day will be 100% as expected. No one will be 100% as expected, either. And with those expected, we know that only with jazzy mood days and people can be handled without too much stress.
Nothing beats inner peace. And whether you know it or not, I wish you, Beloved a great time, too.
Often time a song, a poem, a picture, a statement is interpreted differently with a wide spectrum of difference, even poles apart.
It seems to happen to a song entitled “Bahasa Kalbu” (The Language of The Heart) in the following video that to me has been always a very beautiful love story as in a Lover meeting the Beloved — a love that comes real; yet most of the comments to the song sung by Raisa uploaded in YouTube are very sad and triggering tears.
Yet I think that song is properly entitled as it can be interpreted as per what language is spoken by each heart. Not sure if that is the real interpretation of the song, or just the video clip that leads the viewers to think that way.
I like the version by the young talented gorgeous Raisa but I love much more the original version by Titi DJ though, it depicts a brightly falling in love vibe! I love to love!
I never want to hurt myself, I just didn’t know who you are. I got hurt by a cactus in a desert Who pricks little fingers, Who just want to touch this life softly, Not hurting, not taking anything away.
Wounded, I decided to blame stupidity: Why did I have to have to have to have to have to just touch cacti? I should have left that arid land long before I touched a prickly spirit.
A delayed regret is less important than a lesson learned but it always gives a story the most significant pivot.
Now I’ll just admire from here From where I stand With millions of prayers For a secret journey. Yet I know you are a ghost days and nights.
Someday when I pour down the rain, You’ll know. Love is as sweet as water in drought— Maybe— If it is not late....
I felt a bit sick today and kind of needed a big refresher before sleeping. I decided to revisit a YouTube video to just get some laughter or at least generous grinning.
When you miss your friends and you can’t meet them, just FaceTime. When you miss your childhood memories that you can’t revive, just YouTube!
I found an interesting YouTube channel and just by watching the videos I feel so full and feel like home. Can’t stop watching, liking and sharing them!
The game in one of the videos reminds me of when I was young, competing eating the most chili with the least veggie fritter. Oh how I miss gorengan and caberawit!
When mind is set free,
I want to live forever
As long as with you.
Singapore – long weekend of Deepavali Day 2019
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King of Swords and Queen of Swords turned to King of Wands and Queen of Wands after stumbled by The Tower. From icy cold to passionately loving characters
Amazing! Ramblin Mike’s cards were open so “coincidently” magical. But I believe nothing is coincident.
End of this long weekend has got a nice closure of a bitter wound that gradually turns into a sweet journey, even if having to wait for an unknown shadow of a you. Just with a zodiac reading — that I used to underestimate :-p
Lesson learnt: Don’t underestimate a small talk, it can change a cold heart and angry mind of Maleficent into a warm heart and liberating mind of Nala of The Lion King.