Three fullmoons ­­
Three paycheques

Trying to sort things out how things have been over that period of time, take a look back of how I was when I entered this hedonistic island. See what I left behind and observe what I have gained here. I might start asking myself what is it that I was looking for moving here… It was never mine. Then I walk ‘blindly’. As if my head was in a cloud, not sure where I was going and not sure what I was about to experience. If not too snooty, like when Moses left his home country and family toward the promised land. Well, maybe not exactly correct, coz there is the job & I don’t think you would actually categorize Bali as a promised land.

After much long of to-do lists, after finishing countless of tasks (and always more homeworks)... I just need to take a pause and think (padi-fields could be a good place when you feel like thinking and look faaarr into the horizon, especially when there’s a bale bengong).

I’m settling, yes, but to be honest, my heart is still in Jakarta (no matter how suck the city is hehee..). My feet are each on Bali & Jakarta. One feet is trying to land here but the other is always ready to hop back there.

“Hope you find what you’re looking for...”

Nice words, yet intriguing. I’d be defensive saying “I didn’t plan to come here, God guided me”. Right. To give it a general view, my life’s not much different now from three months before. Still overworked, still a bit antisocial, still (too?) independent. What is it here to look for anyway?

Three months was a perfect timing to ponder this. One year would be too long and too many things to revisit and evaluate. Or maybe it’s only because I feel a bit weary and exhausted… Wish I could just think out loud and find some insights, or idea, or at least a clue. But I think I’m just too tired to contemplate on this. Let alone getting answers.


Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. —Exodus 23:30

gals nite-out

Time: 20.20
Venue: Queen Tandori, Seminyak

There were 12 of them, all gals. All pretty, nice looking, hip young ladies. Two of them were Caucasian, two were either Chinese or Japanese, the rest were locals. All seem to be in a very good mood, chatter without making too much noise. Seem to be an interesting group of young ladies. A bit later, after meal there were more motions. Pictures were taken, rotated from one chair to another to speak with different people. Could they were having a reunion? There was a big painting on the back of their table, showing of an Indian lady wearing a crème color sari, hiding her face with her pashmina. Mysterious.

Then one of them stood up, standing right next to the painting, watching carefully how the model in the painting look like then copying her posture and mimicking her expression. It didn’t stop there, she borrowed a waiter’s pashmina, a necklace and rings from her friends. It was just hilarious watching the movement. They just giggled non-stop.

I miss my old friends....

ps. The resto was excellent. Food was good, service was prompt (tho the food prep took a while), & price was reasonable, IMHO.

ever-blooming flowers

Recently I read a blog that was written on a wedding rally in a big family. Rally means there were weddings, one after another, something surprising yet long overdue because the newly weds had their weddings when they are on their 30s.

The blogger used the term late bloomers. It is an amusing term, but to be a little serious, I don’t completely agree with her. I don’t think humans as flowers. Flower’s season is too short. The plant grows, and in its season it will grow flower, bloom, wilted and then die. I think people are more like tree. As it gets older the tree trunk grows layers. Tree doesn’t bloom, but it produces flowers and fruits according to its kind. Through its life time, it’s allowed to produce flowers and fruits more than once. Some trees do it yearly, some three-monthly, etc.

It’s rather poetic to identify female with flowers, but in reality it makes female looks beautiful yet vulnerable. Let’s use a rose flower. If little girls are rose buds, women in their 20s to early 30s would be the fully bloomed rose. Then women in their 40s would be the wilted rose. That’s just sad.

Now let’s look at the life of a tree. A tree grows. Doesn’t matter what season, what weather, a tree keeps on growing. The roots grow deeper down into the earth, making it stronger to hold, and the trunk grows taller. Not just that, each year it adds more layer to its trunk, so when you chop down a tree, no matter how old it is you can measure its age by the layers. Wonderful, isn’t it??

Late bloomers you said? NO Sireee!!

Note from a sexpert: the reason women were referred to with flower analogies is primarily because of the sexual implications.

Delicious Water

Heaven is so real. A book recently published emphasizing this. It’s authored by Christian woman, a Korean-born American, named Choo Nam Thomas. In it she gave testimony on her numerous visits to heaven, and to hell (twice).

Unquestionable. But the content of the book is.

A friend gave me the book and asked my opinion. So I did a quick read. There were lots of repetitions in the process (boring), so I skipped it. She described how her body shook heavily when God (?) visited her. It was not clear whether she had dreams or ‘penampakan’ (vision). They would go through certain routines (walk around the heaven, talk, dance and singing lesson (?)). The purpose was for her to learn and write the book so the world will know that heaven DOES exist, as real as hell is.

Questions came to mind when you read the lines, right from the beginning to the end of it. But the ultimate question will be the fruit of it. Of course it’s not easy to measure. She didn’t give a clear description the impact of those visits, to her, her family, and the people around her. A peculiar message implied that Bethel church (yes, she specifically mentioned this) is the “right” church, where the Holy Spirit overflowing.

Aside from whether or not it’s real and whether it was really God that came visited her, I don’t think the book gave me many insights on how to live and transform my being. Haven’t made any decision yet, so I leave it to God to judge it.

However, there’s one point that intrigued me. She mentioned about “delicious water”. I’m a big fan of mineral water. In a hot sunny day like this, clean fresh water will immediately quench your thirst, and you can gulp to your heart’s desire. Try soft drink, it pretentiously quench your thirst, but you end up wanting more (yup, they added some salt in it). Juice will freshen a bit, but usually leave a taste in your mouth. Alcohol is definitely out of the question. So it’s reasonable why I consider it delicious water. Can only imagine that heavenly water must be much tastier than what we have on earth. It’s free from pollution, germs, and chemical substance. I imagine it might not be like the H2O we swallow daily. Whatever it will be, I’ll discover it later.

Anyway, this water talk really makes me thirsty. I need to go out and get some cold drink to cool down the heat. Waterbag. Should be non-alcohol though. It’s a social drink for me, no fun to drink it alone. ;)

Luve actually

Love this... love that...

Especially in this luvie duvie month, love, pink, chocolate, heart shape are very popular. Quite surprised when I observed my Hindu friends at the office appreciated the celebration, more than those back in Jakarta. Can’t remember the last time I see sparkling faces come to the office on Valentine’s day.

When I arrived at the office that Monday (!!) morning people were cheerful, especially the ladies. They carried single long-stemmed rose, greeting each other “Good morning, dear.. Happy Valentine’s Day”.

Hmmm… I wonder if it’s always been like this. I wonder who gave them roses? I wonder how they justify themselves celebrating what’s originally known as Christian celebration?

Love should be an endless source. It should be spread around, constantly. Of course family is always in the top of the list along with that significant one. We also have friends, then colleagues, and the rest of the people who we don’t really feel close to, yet share the same atmosphere.

A slightly different for me, where those I feel emotionally close to are far. Doesn’t mean I’m out of love, but I think it’s true that love itself needs to be spread around, poured out from our hearts. Even when romance is non-existent, doesn’t mean the person’s non-loving or lack of love. People need to find a way to share love, one way or the other. If not, I think one’s heart will be rotten, hard as a stone, cold as an iceberg.

Check out the lyrics while I hum this tune “Don’t save it all for Christmas day”, where I think it works for Valentine’s day as well...

Don’t get so busy that you lose / Give ‘em just a little kiss / To the ones you love / Don’t even wait a little while / Give ‘em just a little smile / A little is nothing. / How could you wait another minute / A hug is warm when you’re in it / Baby that’s a fact / And say him (her) “I love you” is always better / Seasons, reasons they don’t matter / So don’t hold back / See how many people are crying / Some people are dying / How many people are asking for love / So don’t save it all for Valentine’s day / Find a way to give a little love everyday…

*humming*

Gong Xi Fat Cai (2556)

Thought I'd get a nice day off in the middle of this week, but thanks to Mr. HRD I still need to get up and make coffee to start the day, instead of curl back to bed.

The year of the rooster, Golden Rooster. May your year filled with success, not much cockfighting or henpecking ;)

Well, I don't really celebrate it, yet would like to remind that whatever they say about the characteristic of a "rooster year", it doesn't rule out God's grace and sovereignity in your lives. May the trust is not misplaced in astrology, or astronomy, or feng shui or hong shui brouhahahaa, but in God alone, the GREAT I AM.

instultation (?) for security reasons

It's a common practise that in this terror era many common areas equipped with scanners. Bag scanner, human scanner, x-rays, you name it. The more prestigeous or terror sensitive the building, the more tight the security is. People getting in (to airports, govt buildings) will be searched to make sure nobody smuggle in dangerous and lethal weapons, people getting out (especially in stores) are also searched (or at least have to go through a scanner) to prevent theft.

This applies in almost major buildings and people are getting used to being searched. They 'lost' their sense of privacy and sacrifice part of their teritory and allow the 'authorities' to snoop in their belongings for a short time as 5 seconds. Big deal. But for some people it is a big deal, especially when you have to go through it day in-day out.

Here we 'only' have outgoing search. Everybody (I think except the Directors) must be scanned when they go out. A colleague whined and talk around of how insulting this body scan new regulation. It's an additional to the usual bag search we already have. Well, what the satpams do are 'just' waving the metal detector on your back and then front, follow with bag search. It's his personal view, but if I want to follow his view, for me a bag search is more insulting. It's not like the satpams are touching his body like the way they do it in airports. But bag search?? It's quite humiliating to reveal the 'bones' you carry around. Hi-carb snacks, porn magazine, tampons, condoms... hehee..

I know he'd argue that to prevent bag search don't bring a bag/purse. But to prevent body scan? I'd say wear translucent garment..!

He's right though that there's no point on searching management personnel, while it's important to apply it on the production area. The problem is envy (from prod. area) and the top levels just take the easiest path of treating people all the same. It's the same notion when they enact the 'no food' rule. In the beginning it was only applied on the production area, where the initial purpose was to protect the labors' health because they're dealing with silver, and there's a risk they'd inhale or swallow silver dust and/or other chemicals if they mix work and eat. Now all area and all level (even the ones that don't deal with health threathening process) have to abide to the new rule.

Well, like most governing positions, they sometimes make silly rules just for the sake of azaz pemerataan*). Hidup ORBA!

*) principle of equality

pfui

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too short of a visit

Time always moves too fast when one's on vacation. I had this long to-do list I've prepared when I'm going back to Jakarta, but not all accomplished, I'd say only 60% of them.

I didn't get to visit my granny (thought she'll show up at the wedding); missed my two month overdue facial; didn't get someone check and fix my dysfunctional pda and wristwatch; didn't have time to open a new bank account; buy a cd for a friend (no, u can't get it in bali coz it was produced by an english service church in Jakarta, IES, instead went to another church (missed going to that church); most important, missed having lunch with some friends. Drat!

All's trivia, but still need to be done. Yup, it was just too short. So many things... so little time....