auzi & stephan's wedding

mc ladies

the muffins' reunited

nothing like a saturday night spending time with my ladies

Jenuh

Hujan dini hari
Hantar semilir angin bersapu kemarau

Di balik selimut
Ku titi jalinan-jalinan benang tak bersahabat

Malam itu
Panjatkan doa tak redakan resah

Pacu aku terdiam...

Hong Kong - Singapore - Jakarta

Hong Kong!
Lentera merah tanpa asa
Hantarkan nada, sendu tak mampu merayap
Puitiskan lukisan tak pandai berucap
Setia unggahkan kata
Tuk gapai senyuman jiwa

Singapore,
Deru MRT berpacu berderap
Redamkan rindu, getarkan rasa
Rebahkan bayang di nadir harapan
893 km, sayang!
Ku harap, tak beruang tak berjarak…

Jakarta…
Benderang cahaya sematkan khayal
Rajut helai-helai hasrat
Lirih hati ingin berdua
Bergelayut…
Telusuri lorong jiwa
tertawa...tertawa...dan bahagia
adakah tangis tak sempat terungkap?

Hong Kong…Singapore…Jakarta…
Tanpa batas tanpa syarat
Menantimu di penghujung malam Jakarta
Gemulai malam merayu mega
Sendiri...
Kubentuk wajah
Malam tak bertuan

my cup of coffee

Same ingredients, plus some small ice cubes and whipped cream; In a pint glass or iced tea glass, add vanilla syrup and fill about 3/5 of the way with cold milk. Add ice almost to the top and pour espresso over the top. Drizzle the top with caramel and enjoy iced caramel macchiato!

---from a corner of Starbucks Oakwood.150309---

Having a cup of iced caramel macchiato, my favorite one at the corner of Starbucks Oakwood on a relaxed Sunday afternoon reminds me about my life. Yes, some people say that life is like a bowl of soup and some others call it as a box of chocolates. I prefer to analogize it with a cup of coffee.

Perhaps it is related with my hobby enjoying each taste containing in it. Sometimes it can be bitter or sweet, often both at once. An experience to sip coffee is almost similar with an experience to enjoy life.

In my life, I act as the chef; decide the ingredient should be blended to create the coffee’s taste. I have to play in. I find a challenge to get the taste which I want to sip.

If I’m bored and want to have different sensation, I just change a bit of ingredient. Or I leave my macchiato for a while and choose my other favorite coffee, Ulee Kareng from Aceh. It can be whatever I make it.

In my quest for perfect cup I often should do my best or hardest effort, doing trial and error, passing highway & byway. And when I find it…it hits me. It doesn’t only give me a very delicious taste but also soul satisfaction. And the most important the search itself is a part of the priceless experience. It’s not so much the destination, but the journey that counts. And what I find along the way.

Now I’m not sipping the sweet one, maybe a bitter one. Whatever it is, I should enjoy it. That’s life…

I believe as much bitter my coffee’s taste, there is always a way to make it better. In my way, I try to share my coffee with my closest friends and beloved family. It really means to me coz when I’m sipping the bitter coffee I feel being cheered up. And when I’m sipping the sweeter one, other people also have a chance to taste it. And life is also about sharing…

And I feel so lucky having time allocated specially with my best friend Myra every Sunday afternoon to enjoy and share our coffee. We name it our “sex & the city show”. Actually it’s not just a regular coffee time. For us it becomes a moment for sharing and encouraging each other to enjoy life. We agree to have no any other appointments with other people at that time, even appointment with our loved one.

On Sunday afternoon I feel more relaxed to contemplate what ingredient could make it smoother, more inviting, more tasty, more invigorating and give me the jolt that maybe I need to take that next step up in my life.

Perhaps most other people's life is more successful, interesting, happier, and wealthier. But I attempt to focus enjoying my coffee, even though the neighbor’s grass is greener. Yes, I have to remember that life is like a cup of coffee. We don’t know the content of the cup till we taste it. In spite of feeling envy with others’ life, it’s better for me to be grateful and think what ingredient to make my coffee more delicious.

I’m smiling…There is a cup of coffee, there is a good friend who is always loyal for sharing hot topics. What else?

Maybe I just need another cup of coffee……..as I’m a life addicted.

I soon spend my remained coffee which is bitter, come to the counter and order one more iced caramel macchiato. “Much vanilla syrup and caramel okay? The sweet one please?” I ask to the bartender... And now I'm ready to taste my next sweet coffee...

Enjoy your coffee dear friends! Sip unforgetable taste!

"I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny. I'm always wondering what I'll do next. Enough is never enough.” (Howard Schultz - The Founder of Starbucks)

PS: This is not a kind of implicit promotion of Starbucks. I’m not a Public Relations working for Starbucks:) But I’m inspired of Howard Schultz who is not only success in selling but also creating the experience to enjoy coffee become a wonderful experience as my experience to enjoy life.

smile...

Smile!
Coz it’s just a simple action

Smile!
Coz we don’t have to pay anything to do it
It cost nothing but it worth much

Smile!
Coz it needs less energy than frowning

Smile!
Coz it makes us happier

Smile!
Coz it’s like a virus, so contagious

Smile!
Coz it enriches whoever receives it

Smile!
Coz it’s able to fill the empty heart

Smile!
Coz it makes friendship flourish

Smile!
Coz it grows love bigger than ever

Smile!
Coz it spreads the love to the world

Smile!
Coz it changes the Universe

Smile!
Coz life is so wonderful
The sky is still blue
The birds still fly
And we still have much time to be grateful

Smile!
Coz there are a lot of desperate souls deserve to be touched
By our smiling faces
And that’s what our creator wants us to be,
To be the salt in the ocean
To be a candle in the dark
He’s not asking much
Just do a simple thing
Start smiling today!

to be a good person

Is there a parameter to measure the quality of a good person?

I always ask myself about this question but never feel satisfied with all answers that I’ve got.

A religious site which I’ve found by googling states that a good person at least should have these characteristics; showing kindness to all people & obeying the law

I think it’s not enough. It’s just meet minimum requirements, maybe it's only valued 2 from a 10-score scale. There are still a lot of things should be fulfilled.

For sure we all want to be good, but it’s not easy. Sometimes it’s also related with the 2 sides of our heart “wants & desires”. The struggle to do good stems from the two conflicting inclinations in every human being. A person has two hearts: one that loves to do the right thing, and one that prefers to be selfish. We need to develop an awareness of the struggle going on inside us. This conflict is between our body and soul. It can be very confusing to sort out that which we desire from that which we want.

Since the meaning of "good" is very relative, I agree that we have to set our own definition. A proper definition of "good" is the starting point of everything we do in life. Obviously we can't just invent our own definition of what "good" is. We have to investigate reliable sources, and then analyze which one best describes the human condition and reality.

For me, to be a good person needs extra hard works and sacrifices. But it's what I trully seek. Pursue wisdom to understand how to be good. Make goodness my goal in living. Be willing to give up everything. Others might call me a fool, but I always win when I do the right thing. I'm not doing anyone any favors by being good, I'm simply doing what the "inner I" wants

By now I still confuse about these bullshit parameters. And I believe I haven't deserved to stamped as a good person yet. YES I'm still not good enough to go to heaven! But that's fine by me. Coz I'm during my process...enjoying my journey to be a better person in every singgle day. And in that process, I'm going to become not just good, but great!

"When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad and that is my Religion." (Abraham Lincoln)

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my sweet valentine

No flower
No chocolate
No perfect candle light dinner
And no other splendored things in hand

There is only a strong wish
Of two lovely hearts
To share cherish and love

Across the culture
Crossways the belief
Beyond the distance

In this very special day
My sweet valentine