The Rest (From Both Sides Now) - Part II.

I've had just enough time to...   look at things from both sides now.

Taken in the same small street in Jakarta.

"Look at the man. How lazy. Papa told me many men are like that. Never do well because no put in effort. Sleeping all the time. Not working. Lazy. Always poor."

"Oh, car horn. Calling. Must go. When I grow up. Papa said don’t be like that."

(please read part I)

_______ 

Tears and fears and feeling proud to say "i love you" right out loud,
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds, i've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange,
they shake their heads, they say I've changed.
Something's lost but something's gained in living every day.


I've looked at life from both sides now,

From win and lose, and still somehow

It's life's illusions i recall.

I really don't know life at all.

Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now

The Rest (from Both Sides Now) – Part I

I've have had just enough time to...   see a body at rest and not wonder why.

Taken in one of the small street in Jakarta.

It has been a long day. Sixteen hours and my whole body is aching. I have not had a bath and have not seen my family but the extra money will come in handy. Boy will start his schooling soon. And Indah should see a doctor for her cough.

No point going home now. Will just rest here for while and start another shift. Just a short rest. Man, I am weary…

(Watch out for the conclusion Part II)

The Light At The End of The Tunnel

I've had just enough time to...   see the light at the end of the tunnel.

After a long time in the dark, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel (Ipoh, Malaysia)

I saw light at the end of the tunnel.

I saw white clouds and blue sky.

I have been in the dark for too long

And my eyes need to adjust to the light.

But I know where I’m heading to

And what I’m leaving behind

As I walked towards the light

At the end of the tunnel…

Forever Young.

I've had just enough time to...   yearn to be forever young.

Taken in Malacca - just the words I was looking for.

On the shortest day of the year,

When they said you added one,

I chewed on glutinuous balls

and wish that I was forever young.

_____

Let's dance in style    Let's dance for a while

Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies

Hoping for the best but expecting the worst

Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?

Let us die young or let us live forever

We don't have the power but we never say never

Sitting in a sandpit    Life is a short trip

The music's for the sad man

Forever young 

I wanna be    Forever young

Do you really want to live forever,

forever, and ever

Forever young

I wanna be    Forever young

Do you really want to live forever,

forever, forever young

"Young Forever" Jay-Z | Mr. Hudson

A Santarina Grants Me A Wish.

I've had just enough time to...   extract a wish from the Santarina.

Taken of the Santarina who is waiting to grant the wishes of her patrons.

On a day when I make wishes out of thin air,

A Santarina popped up in front of me,

Rubbing my eyes to see if there is a mistake,

For there she was in red, white, and flesh.

Hopping forward like a mischievous imp,

I plonked in front of her with a moonlike grin,

She had the Old Man’s eyes and her laugh was is a little odd

But I dismissed that for I am bought.

I rattled out my wishes longer than an airplane’s trail,

She noted it all down with a sip of ale.

And when I finally ran out of fuel, she remarked with a merry jingle

“What an impressive list,” and gave me a naughty twinkle.

 That was my happiest moment, superseded by the next,

When she coolly asked, “credit or cash?”

For I realized I had not departed for the North Pole

And the floor was still beneath my sole.

I gave her a smile and she smiled back.

Without a word, I turned and walked away.

She shouted after me “Merry Christmas!”

Without turning, I said “Merry Christmas to you too!”

And the people around me wondered who I was wishing to.

Beauty In Ordinary Places.

I've had just enough time to...   look for Beauty in ordinary places.

Taken as I casually pass by a drain in the built-up city of Kunshan, China.

You can find Beauty in many places if you look for it. There is some Beauty that you cannot ignore, like the crimson glow of a setting sun or the moon’s radiance on a dark night. But there are other Beauties that you have to train your eyes for.

But first you must look. Not just at the steps in front of you or the ones you left behind. Or the destination you are hurrying to. Look around you casually, be aware of your surroundings, absorb the environment, feel the air, take in the atmosphere, listen to the sounds of life and as if by magic, things hidden gradually appear. At first tentatively, then bursting forth in their full glory.

Beauties reveal themselves to those for look for them. Like this wild flower by a ditch did in the fading light of the city of Kunshan which I just happened to pass by. To the hundreds of passer-bys, it reveals itself to me because I was looking for it. I may not know what I was looking for but I will recognize it when I see it.

Charity Is For The Needy.

I've had just enough time to...   to do a little charity.

Taken of the broad back of a World Vision Volunteer in Lebanon.

I believe -

“The most important virtue of any religion is compassion,

Without which there is no reason for any religion.”

I also believe that charity is for the needy irrespective of race, nationality, religion, age, gender or any other artificial classification that defines and divides what a human being is. I like to see charity in action – not just in prayers and the building of temples but the building of hospitals and a helping hand in the dire hours of needs.

I like to form an emotional attachment so that I feel when I give. If I don’t feel sadness and joy in equal measure, there is something wrong with me. I like to see wounds being bandaged, hunger being satisfied, tears being wiped, spirits being lifted. In short, I like to see the effect of kindness more than sympathy per se. So I choose my charity carefully with the same principle which transcends beliefs, borders, organizations or religions. This is my belief and I try to live up to it.

We Humbly Bow to Thee.

I've had just enough time to...  humbly bow to thee.

Tzu Chi volunteers humbly bow to thee.

On behalf of the poor and unfortunates, we bow to thee.

For all your care and compassion, we bow to thee.

For the fate of humanity, we bow to thee.

For your love and tenderness, we bow to thee.

For mother and child, husband and wife, we bow to thee.

For your precious time and effort, we bow to thee.

For brothers and sisters, for friends and strangers, we bow to thee.

For your spirit and empathy, we bow to thee.

For a world in harmony, for love and happiness,

For a caring heart, for supporting hands,

For you, and also for me,

We humbly humbly bow to thee.

Some Hills You'll Never Climb.

I've had just enough time to...   realize there are some hills I'll never climb.

At the foothill of Mount Kota Kinabalu, a hill that has eluded me time and again.

There are some hills you’ll never climb,

No matter how close you get to it.

And you’re left wondering “what if?”

It is alright to pause and wonder for a while

And gaze longingly before you move on.

But move on, you should.

For some hills are never meant

To be climbed – By you.

You wonder if you should persist,

To climb the hill you miss,

Risking it all and make victory more the sweet.

Or try some other hills and discover them new.

But you can never know for sure

Which is which?

But the fact remains, there are more hills

Than you can climb.

And you have to decide,

Which to climb and

Which to miss.

When The World Is A Lonely Place.

I've had just enough time to...   test my courage.

Taken on the top of Maxwell hill, Perak, Malaysia.

When your world is shrouded in mist

And you could not see further than the nearest tree

When it come closing in

And you could not reach for a helping hand

When you are utterly alone

And the world seems such a dreadful place

You will learn what courage is.

Morning Has Broken.

I've had just enough time to...   view another beautiful sunrise.

Taken one fine morning from the hotel window in Klang, Malaysia.

On a morning like this, one just feel like bursting out singing.

_______

Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens 

Morning has broken, like the first morning 

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird 

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning 

Praise for the springing fresh from the word 

 Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven 

Like the first dewfall, on the first grass 

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden 

Sprung in completeness where his feet pass 

 Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning 

Born of the one light, Eden saw play 

Praise with elation, praise every morning 

God's recreation of the new day

Waiting Is Forever.

I've had just enough time...   to quit waiting.

Taken while waiting in Bali.

What Are You Waiting - Natalie Grant 

So you wanna change the world

What are you waiting for?

Say, you're gonna start right now

What are you waiting for?

Now, it only takes one voice

So come on now and shout it out

Give a little more

What are you waiting for?

_______

So you wanna change the world 

What are you waiting for? 

“I’m not through dreaming.” 

So you wanna change the world 

What are you waiting for? 

“I’ve a plan.” 

So you wanna change the world 

What are you waiting for? 

“I’m just one small voice, 

There is little I can do.” 

And thus another voice silenced.

Before The Red Gate.

I've have had just enough time to...   pause at The Red Gate.

Taken of myself by myself wearing a T-shirt bought from Bangkok.

Before the Red Gate,

Only one choice to be made.

Enter or escape.

All Kinds of Everything.

I've have had just enough time to...   think of all kinds of everything.

I stumbled upon this shop selling all kinds of everything in Malacca.

I stumbled upon a shop

That sells everything

Except what I need.

But what a shop!

For it has everything

I do not need.

Yet I could not leave.

It has all kinds of everything,

- All kinds of everything,

Except what I need

But I could not leave.

_______

All kinds of everything - Dana

Snowdrops and daffodils, butterflies and bees

Sailboats and fishermen, things of the sea

Wishing wells, wedding bells, early morning dew

All kinds of everything remind me of you

Seagulls and aeroplanes, things of the sky

Winds that go howling, breezes that sigh

City sights, neon lights, grey skies or blue

All kinds of everything remind me of you

Summertime, wintertime

Spring and autumn too

Monday, Tuesday, every day

I think of you

The Sorrow of the Lonely Urn.

I've had just enough time to...   appreciate Beauty while it last.

Taken in the Gunung Lang resort, Perak, Malaysia.

In the shadow,

The urn tells a timeless tale

In soft whispers.

To the attentive grass and

The slow climbing vines.

“Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty”

It sadly said,

“But Beauty fades and Life goes on”

"Nothing last forever,

The truth of beauty is -

When it exists."

_______

Ode on a Grecian Urn - John Keats

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness!

Thou foster-child of silence and slow time

            Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard

Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;

Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,

Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone

When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou sayst,

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," – that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

The Small Boy And His Boat.

I've had just enough time to...   see the small boy again.

Taken off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

I saw the small boy in his boat struggling with the oar twice his height. He is too short to sit and paddle, so he sat right at the edge. Leaning precariously backward for leverage, he used his entire frame to push the oar against the water. He has not yet mastered the finesse of paddling. His awkward movements rocked the boat as he forced it forward.

There was no one to help him. No one to guide him. It was just him alone and the wide water. I witnessed his struggle. I saw courage. I saw heart. I saw determination. I saw him learning with every stroke.

As I walked away, the image of the small boy in the wide water floated in my head. It reminded me of another small boy a long, long time ago.

The Pebbles That I Threw.

I've had just enough time to...   throw away pebbles, one after another.

Taken in Johore, Malaysia when looking for pebbles to throw.

Pebbles and marbles like things on my mind

Seem to get lost and harder to find

When I am alone I am inclined

If I find a pebble in sand

To think that it fell from my hand

Pebbles and marbles like words from a friend

Make us hold tight but are lost in the end

When we're alone we all seem to tend

If we find a marble in dust

To wish someone left it for us

- Phish

_______

Thoughts like scattered pebbles weighed on my mind.

Crowded my heart, hardened my gut.

My feet are heavy, my stomach carrying stones.

My head is heavy, pressing down a rock.

Only the sea can take the pebbles

That I flung

One by one,

Into the distant -

Depth.

The Owl In The Corner.

I've had just enough time to...   get out of the corner.

Taken of the owl brought back from Nepal that I cornered in the corner.

There Was An Owl

There was an owl

who lived in an oak.

The more he heard,

the less he spoke;

the less he spoke,

the more he heard-

Why can't we be

like that wise old bird?

_______

There was an owl

Who sat in the corner.

The more he sat

The less he moved

The less he moved

The more he sat

Till he was cornered in the corner

And that is kind of sad.

Swinging Birches.

I've had just enough time to...   wish I'm again swinging birches.

Caught the monkey swinging in the Taiping park and wished I was the one swinging.

I stopped to watch the monkey swinging on the branch.

It seemed so much fun that I wish I was the one swinging 

And the monkey was me.

_______

"Birches" (1916) - Robert Frost

I should prefer to have some boy bend them

As he went out and in to fetch the cows--

Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,

Whose only play was what he found himself,

Summer or winter, and could play alone.

One by one he subdued his father's trees

By riding them down over and over again

Until he took the stiffness out of them,

And not one but hung limp, not one was left

For him to conquer. He learned all there was

To learn about not launching out too soon

And so not carrying the tree away

Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise

To the top branches, climbing carefully

With the same pains you use to fill a cup

Up to the brim, and even above the brim.

Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,

Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.

So was I once myself a swinger of birches.

And so I dream of going back to be.

It's when I'm weary of considerations,

And life is too much like a pathless wood

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs

Broken across it, and one eye is weeping

From a twig's having lashed across it open.

I'd like to get away from earth awhile

And then come back to it and begin over.

May no fate willfully misunderstand me

And half grant what I wish and snatch me away

Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:

I don't know where it's likely to go better.

I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,

And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk

Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,

But dipped its top and set me down again.

That would be good both going and coming back.

One could do worse than be a swinger of birches. 

The Hawker's Answer to a Silly Question.

I've had just enough time to...   check a hawker's wares.

Taken in a busy street in Ho Chi Minh City.

What is a hawker’s thought

When she is not selling her wares?

When she is free to think,

What is her dream?

I asked what makes her happy

She says I can buy it for a dollar.

And when I gave her the money

All she gave me was a ripe mango.

_______

Vocation - Rabindranath Tagore

When the gong sounds ten in the morning and I walk to school by our lane,

Every day I meet the hawker crying, "Bangles, crystal bangles!"

There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no road he must take,

no place he must go to, no time when he must come home.

I wish I were a hawker, spending my day in the road, crying,

"Bangles, crystal bangles!"

The Turtle and the Stone.

I've had just enough time to...  hear the turtle's question.

Taken in Gunung Lang, Ipoh.

I carried the heaven on my back

And the earth under my belly

And made them my home.

I lived through the ages with balance,

In passive tolerance,

And harm no living creature.

But for all my wisdom,

I’ve an unanswered question,

The turtle asked the stone –

“Why, and What are you?”.

A Machine that Moves You.

I've had just enough time to...   see a machine that moves me.

Taken in a small street in Jakarta.

To you, it is just a vehicle.

A battered, broken down machine which had seen better days. Patched back, glued together with whatever one could lay hands on. You even smile at the ingenuity.

Stop smiling. For this “broken machine” is my life.

It had served me faithfully and traveled more miles than that Merz of yours. It put food on the table for the family. Carried my children in it. Without it, I was nothing. With it, I have a job; I raised a family. I have a life. It carried me through streets you will never pass, through life you will never understand. And we share a bond closer than the love you shed tears for in the movie. I don’t blame you. How could you understand? Your machine moves without you moving it, so it could never “move” you the way my machine moves me.

I Breathed In the Fog that Obscured my View.

I've had just enough time to...   try to hold in my breath.

Taken one hazy October morning in Dongguan, China.

“The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening

Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains

Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys

Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap

And seeing that it was a soft October night

Curled once about the house, and fell asleep” 

― T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Other Poems

_______

Last october, I woke up to a hazy morning

And could see just beyond to the river

at chimneys poking up through the ground.

Where their tips could not reach,

Dense smoke spew lazily from it

just thicker than the thick fog.

And the smoke became the fog

And I breathed it in.

For I could not hold my breath for more than a minute.

This October, I went back.

The chimneys are still there.

The fog still as thick.

And I still could not hold my breath for more than a minute.

When Roots Are Shallow...

I've had just enough time to ...   grow my roots deeper.

Taken in the foothill of Mount Kinabalu.

When the soil is rich, the roots are shallow.

And a gale can easily topple you over.

When the roots are shallow,

You can only brace against the wind –

by entwining your roots with those of others.

Under the Rain Tree, I Sang The Ash Grove.

I've had just enough time to...   remember "The Ash Grove".

Taken during a stroll under the rain trees in Taiping park.

The ash grove how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking 

The wind through it playing has language for me. 

Whenever the light through its branches is breaking, 

A host of kind faces is gazing at me. 

The friends from my childhood again are before me 

Each step brings a memory as freely I roam. 

With soft whispers laden the leaves rustle o'er me 

The ash grove, the ash grove alone is my home.

My lips smile no more, my heart loses its lightness;

No dream of the future my spirit can cheer.

I only can brood on the past and its brightness 

The dear ones I long for again gather here. 

From ev'ry dark nook they press forward to meet me;

I lift up my eyes to the broad leafy dome, 

And others are there, looking downward to greet me

The ash grove, the ash grove, again is my home. 

Laura Wright - The Ash Grove

_______

Walking under the shade of the rain trees, this long forgotten song surfaced and I hummed to the tune of “The Ash Grove”. Different trees, different countries but the sentiment is the same. Music transcends borders and connects by “feel”.