Sealed With A Loving Kiss

I looked at the different bottled preserved fruits line up in a three levels rack. The different flavors from strawberry, orange marmalade to mixed blueberry and lemon made up a display of colorful bottles of both local made and imported fruit jam. My eyes scanned the different brands and trying to remembered which one of these brand I bought the last time. I had my taxi waiting for me outside and told the driver to let the meter running as I only needed a moment to get a certain flavored jam which I have always bought for someone. My next destination was to dropped of this bottle of jam before hurried back to the office for an afternoon meeting.

Somehow, that day I couldn’t seemed to get my mind made up of which brand to choose. It wasn’t a hectic time of day for grocery shopping and the bottled and packaged confectioneries aisle and sweets where I was standing facing the colorful rack was empty. I decided to take my time and continued to concentrate on the imported brands and trying hard to remembered the brand I bought the last time.

Vaguely I could hear The Carpenter’s “Yesterday Once More” played over the supermarket’s PAs and standing there looking at the colorful bottled jars the empty and quiet aisle became my private space.

When I was young
I’d listen to the radio
Waitin’ for my favorite songs
When they played I’d sing along
It made me smile..

The romantic melody by The Carpenters soon shifted to a more upbeat and intense punk version by Redd Kross singing that same song in my head in that quiet empty aisle. Slowly the colorful jars of preserved fruits turned to empty clear jar filled with water and bright color gold fish swimming inside.

Yesterday once more was now a flashback of a young teenager walking by himself on an autumn day. The colorful autumn leaves fallen from the trees covered the sidewalk like a mixed of reddish and yellowish carpet. He dragged his sneakers over the carpet of leaves and smiled on the music he made from the movement of dry leaves brushing themselves against one another. He had been walking a few blocks from his house and had no particular place to go. Earlier he was lying on his bed in the attic of his house after school and looking at the colorful trees outside his window pane he decided to take a walk on that autumn afternoon by himself. He loved the cool September wind especially like that day where it was cooler than usual. The slightly cold wind made his usually frizzy hair during the humid summer weather felt lighter and straight. He enjoyed the feeling of his hair flew freely over his forehead and fell nicely slightly covering his eyes. It made him feels invisible from the rest of the world and taking him to his own solitude corner where he sometime hide to find emotional ease and peace.

Up ahead he saw a busy intersection and a line up of small neighborhood stores. He decided to take a turn to avoid the crowded area and continued walking on a quiet street. His mind wandered aimlessly in his imaginary solitary corner. It was a corner that existed since he was younger although he couldn’t exactly remembered when was that corner built. Being the eldest in his family he found out that many things he had to learned by himself. When he was younger learning everything for the first time often had the outcomes of mistakes and disapproval from his parents. At times like that he often went to his solitary corner searching for someone to hold his hands and guided him to undo his mistakes.

Growing older he decided to keep this corner of his and still wished that somewhere there he would found an angel that would held his hands and guided him through the running race of life. This search of comfort had also made him intuitive to the needs of other, especially the happiness of his storybook angel, the fictitious friend he depended so much for his search of happiness. The late September wind got stronger towards the late afternoon and he felt more dry leaves fell from the oak trees lining up on that quiet street. He looked up as he walks and could caught a glimpse of squirrels jumping off amongst the tree branches. Continued walking and made another turn headed back to the directions of his house the playful squirrels reminded him of his unfed pet gold fish up in his attic bedroom which he bought recently out of melancholic nostalgic reason about a movie he saw when he was much younger.

Who is the girl with the crying face
Looking at millions of signs
She knows that life is a running race
Her face shouldn’t show any sides

The visionary jar with water and swimming gold fish started to disappear and I quickly grabbed a bottle of imported orange marmalade. By the time I paid at the cashier and went outside to find my cab, I saw that it was raining. Running to the cab with my bottled preserved fruits inside a supermarket plastic bag I told the driver my next destinations which was only a few blocks away.

Who is the girl at the window pane
Watching the rain falling down
Melody, life isn’t like the rain
It’s just like a merry go round

The soundtrack of the boy nostalgic movie kept playing in my head. I got to my destination and dropped off the plastic bag to someone who answered the door. Just before, while still sitting in the back seat of the cab, I gave the plastic bag an imaginary sealed with a loving kiss gesture.

Inspired by a British movie (1971) Melody Fair a.k.a S.W.A.L.K (Sealed With A Loving Kiss). Strarring Jack Wild, Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde. Screenplay by the now famous director Alan Parker

Fuck You Penguin

I recently stumbled into this blog Fuck You, Penguin which also has a book out by the same title. I need to buy that book. I can’t wait to see what’s all this about.

By the same token i need to also post this random line “The penguin shines across the loving hydrogen.” by PayPerPost.com in order to claim my blog . My life has been somehow influenced by penguins lately, don’t you think?

Green Over Black

Tokyo, 6.30 PM
Yamanote Line, Harajuku Station (present day)

The distinctive sound of the subway station alerting passengers of the subway’s doors closing somehow made the packed inched closer to each other inside. I stood by the door on the opposite side of the closing door holding on an aluminum railing bar while my blank observing look was looking at nothing and yet everything.

The train began to move and the sound of it was like a distant backdrop melody playing inside my head. Amusedly I watched the soft subtle movement of the car train sometimes went in harmony with motion of heads nodding and standing bodies swinging and were like a silent symphony playing with that backdrop melody inside my head.

This imaginary Ipod of silent symphony were suddenly broken as a pair of green eyes stared at me from across the crowded car. The stare came rushing circulating between the heads and shoulders that made up a distance between us. This union of windows to our souls were only for a brief few seconds. As she shifted in her seats she stared back blankly looking out the window into the dark tunnel.

The green color obviously came from a contact lens color as the owner was not that of an ethnic that would genetically own a pair of green eyes but was a local citizen with black long eyelashes and jet black hair. Her all black outfit gave the look of a typical Loly Goth punk but with a tasteful chick sophistication of stores in back streets of Omotesando rather than Takashitadori area. The brief moment of her penetrating gaze into my soul has left an exquisite taste of melancholy that led me to continued inspecting her from my spot.

Her intense sub-culture dark outfit style and the eye contact from the non-genetic green eyes gave me a glimpse of her sub-conscious mind made up of many closed doors with the hope of making her invisible and protected from the rest of the scenery around her. It made her overall pose spitted out moodiness that came out from a somewhat controlled sadness.

The landscape of her mind remind me of Shy Child and their song Drop The Phone that has a blend of electro, hip hop and punk. A controlled mind which often made her switched off her mobile phone in an attempt to purposely lose any distracting signal for some peace and safety hideaway.

The sound of the electronic melody of hip hop and punk switched back to the subtle sound of a moving train which this time was slowing down as it entered the Shibuya station. I continued to fix my eyes on the controlled sadness pose and once again the pair of green eyes gazed at me as she stood up and waited for the door to open.

This time l allowed her gaze to see through me so she could take a look at another kind of door already opened for her. It was a door to a protected space where the signal is safe and a mobile number to call written on a wall. It was an open invitation with no time limitation nor formality.

As the alert sound of doors closing was heard again, another kind of door remained opened anticipating an alert beep sound of an incoming mobile call.

image taken from www.layoutspace.com

Remembrance

His world will always be

A whispering water

At the river of your heart

Your soul will always glow

From the  fire

Of his  fire

For a friend – a poem by Rumi

Silence and Hunger

Ramadan has come
The table of spirit has arrived
Nourishment of the soul
Wash your hands and mouth
Become one with the Essence within
May we achieved through our silence and hunger
A spiritual enlightenment
Of generosity and compassion toward others
And mercy and forgiveness from the Divine

Creator, Fashioner and Director of our soul

-inspired by Rumi, Persian Poet and Sufism-

My 50 Coffee Anecdotes

1. There’s something tingling about hearing ‘coffee or tea?” in high altitude from a stewardess during an early morning flight
2. The only reason I can indulge Mc D’s coffee is because of…geez I don’t know. The Egg Mc Muffin maybe?
3. Sometime to avoid saying something stupid I just ordered another fresh cup of coffee
4. Aceh and Jamaica should be sister region. They both have great coffee and marijuana
5. Come to think of it, I have never been in a relationship with a woman who didn’t like coffee
6. Coffee is just like woman, you need all your 5 senses to appreciate them, plus a boneless organ full of veins that loves to pump…your heart!
7. I was once in a relationship where every time things got tense she said, “you want some coffee?” It worked! She’s brilliant.
8. R&G coffee vs. instant soluble coffee both have their pros and cons
9. Although the whole ritual of brewing R&G coffee does have certain romanticism about it and taste a whole lot better too
10. And not too mention reading your life from the residue…or is that from tea?
11. I once had coffee in Jerusalem sidewalk cafe n a Greek orthodox priest was sitting on the table across me. I suddenly felt transferred to a Helen of Troy and Xena periods. I’m such a romantic fool!.
12. Is it because coffee is more spiritual compare to alcohol that makes Barista sounds more sophisticated than Bartender?
13. They both start with S, Segafredo & Starbucks. Which one do you prefer?
14. Coffee is such a hot item even when it’s cold it still taste great
15. If espresso was meant to be an express caffeine hit then why people can sit for hours in cafe?
16. Like I said before, coffee is just like women. Both are subjects to adoration of body and aroma
17. When there is no women around in my life, I can worship coffee totally. Otherwise, it come second in place
18. If wine is not forbidden in Islam I don’t think Arabica coffee will be so famous like today
19. In the 17th century, British women petition against coffee because the hubbies favor coffee more. I bet none of them looks like Kate Beckinsale
20. I wonder if it’s proper to have the terms coffeelingus and chocolingus for coffee and chocolate respectively
21. Who was it actually that make this country a great coffee producers? The Dutch Indies or indigenous plantation owners?
22. Because of coffee came innovation like cappuccino and croissant
23. Coffee has this certain drama when compare to normal daily diets. I think someone like Voltaire wouldn’t mind not eating as long as there are coffees
24. Some regions in Indonesia have their own local coffee. My favorite from Bali is Kupu -Kupu Bola Dunia (Butterfly Globe). The name itself is so unique
25. Sitting on a park bench with coffee cup and scents of autumn breeze or by the sandy beach with ocean breeze?
26. Because it’s a stimulant coffee said to increase sexual functionality in men and women
27. That’s why in the early days, many brothels in Europe patented coffee making apparatus. Those brothel Madames are smart!
28. If coffee increase sexual functionality does that mean men will think better with their penises?
29. I wonder if it could be worth trying to brand position coffee as something that Rules In The Bedroom, like Viagra
30. Having said that, coffee does increase the performance and not just provoke the desire but take away the performance like Absolut Vodka ads.
31. The coffee brand Kupu – Kupu Bola Dunia is a metaphor suited me nicely. Tingling butterflies in my tummy as I travel to an extended world
32. I seriously think we should have a term like coffeelingus. It’s just as sensual as a vagina. My mind is somehow wandering now to Kate Beckinsale
33. Just because you have coffee at your workplace doesn’t automatically makes it a nice place to work
34. I wonder what we will do if we can eat roasted coffee beans, just like roasted chestnut
35. Ever think about the term ‘let’s have coffee’ can mean so many things today? It’s not just about getting a caffeine hit anymore
36. I sometime talk to my coffee and ponder together what the reality should be for the day
37. My reality starts after my second cup of coffee
38. Reality bites when you found out your ‘let’s have coffee’ thing turn out to be with the wrong someone
39. Reality won’t bite so much if only you decided to ‘let’s have beer’ instead. Especially after having a few bottles.
40. If they make caffeine illegal, I bet coffee will become much more bohemian. Just like cannabis
41. Globalization has made coffee a social drinks. Those coffee drinking introverts and anti social peeps must get really pissed about this.
42. If you’re talking share of throat for the day, which one do you prefer to get more share of: coffee, wine, water or beer
43. Coffee supposed to be black, just like bagel supposed to be plain and not cinnamon. Keeping things in tradition are not that easy
44. Call me a fool but there is something incredibly romantic about a white cup containing a black liquid called coffee
45. Those extra large white cups they have for coffee now really take out the romanticism out of drinking coffee. They are so big might as well  put nipples on them
46. The only thing that goes well with Starbucks coffee is broadband Wi-Fi connection.
47. I only wish coffee can go well too with Chinese food, but it doesn’t.
48. The Arabs’ called it Qahwa, the Turks called it Qahve. Then after crossing the continent it became Cafe, Caffe and Coffee
49. Coffee and me get along well, the only thing we both miss is you. Again, I’m such romantic fool!
50. I think the world should be thankful that we have coffee. Otherwise, people could actually die from boredom

Vacant Wet Bench

if you've heard the expression wet and juicy, this one is just wet and empty...sheesh.

ex8tcpsuzk

Kami Tidak Takut (We Are Not Afraid)

“Kami Tidak Takut” (We Are Not Afraid) by Pandji Pragiwaksono on TV One

Posted the morning after JW Marriot and Rizt Carlton bombing in Jakarta
download MP3 file at http://bit.ly/kamitidaktakut

10,000 supporters for Indonesian Unite cause

Indonesia Unite, is  national movement started a few hours after the Friday morning bombing launched on social networks like Twitter and Facebook with a message “Kami Tidak Takut | We Are Not Afraid” to the world that the nation will be victorious and Indonesian will not be afraid to any act of terrorism. Despite all the travel warnings issued by various countries and  the fact of Manchester United canceled its visit to play the long awaited match just one day before Indonesia Unite has became the voice of the nation youth on the spirit of unity and shout to the world that Indonesia is still a place of destination just like any other countries in the world.

This spirit of unity hopefully will complement a much earlier campaign, Indonesia Bertindak | Action For The Nation with its slogan “Travel Warning: Indonesia, Dangerously Beautiful“.

Indonesia is still beautiful and will always be beautiful. Do not let what we saw yesterday with our eyes make us forget the love we feel for our country. Instead, let’s all together portray this love through the power of seeing through the eye of our heart to keep the strength and stay united  forever through online presence and spread the love for world peace with clever STATUS SKILLS on various social networks like Facebook or Twitter and be an eye opener not only to our fellow citizens but also to the world. FOREVERISM and STATUS SKILLS ROCKS !

Borrowed Words

Sticks and stones are hard on bones

Aimed with angry art,

Words can sting like anything

But silence breaks the heart.

A Borrowed Post from Hazel Tan