a glimpse on the land of gods

my memory of bali is very delicate and unstructured. the first encounter was back when i was a child. it was a family trip when my brother and mother celebrated their birthday there, if i am not mistaken. years pass and the second time i visited it was in the end of 2003 or early 2004, i guess. but i did not spend a lot of time perusing the so called land of gods. i was totally working and hardly got a chance to get out of my room. then people around me come and go to bali, but i do not bother myself to find a personal reason for going there either. i always think that i had traveled there, so it is done anyway.

however, this year i finally get another chance to visit bali. five workdays in great hotel which isolated far from the vivid kuta or so. the pattern remains, i did not have chance to sneak out and enjoy the beauty of bali. it is all good. i think it is great to work in such refreshing environment like in nusa dua. i heard many stories of the must-see places, but in the end i am content with my own gain. some traditional fabric from bali. the pattern is interesting, a bit similar to prints from south sulawesi or nusa tenggara. the different is they are in colorful composition. it is called endek. the shopkeeper explained that the fabric is used around the waist, like saroong. but i have my own vision, it is going to be so much attractive in long dress. traditional fabric is gaining its high reputation these days. many people start to make use of them as part of the modern clothing. and i am happy to find more interesting types or motives of it from kinds of ethnic in this country. my finding of 'endek' adds a significant print to the collection of memory about bali.

the last night of our workdays in bali, we dined at a seafood restaurant located in jimbaran beach. the long summer breeze along the shore really made the ambience. they put groups of wooden table and chairs on the sand with candle light on each of them. true, how romantic. there was a traditional performance on a small stage that facing the beach where tables for visitors were. it was a barong dance, i suppose, that was performing when our group entered the place. the stage had dim lights and simple decoration, quite enough to shape the traditional gate of bali. i find the colorful lights hanging in the outer part of the stage were frantically ironic. a gasp on my heart as my mind suddenly thought of mass industry in the second i saw it. i tried to reconnect with my childhood memory of bali, whether i had this picture of colorful lightballs before during my first visit to bali. i found none.

we sat on a long table, as there were more then 10 people of us. my vision encircled the place. the sound of traditional balinese music came out from a bad quality speaker and echoed to the low waves that reaching the shore. it was out of serenity. it was like a las vegas now, commercial performance to attract the market. the music stopped, then a group of street singers came to tables where the foreigners seating. later i realized they only perform in front of the foreign tourists not the locals, like us. maybe they were not so proud to show how good their english in front of us. i thought we all deserve equal right of entertainment.

the food was good, and apparently was able to make me back on my appetite. always try to look for the good side of the story. i guess the other group nearby our table was also content with the authentic cuisine of this maritime land. i could not identify which country they come from, although i heard many english words all the time. they looked so young, maybe early 20es, because they still have the innocent look on their faces. unpolished brightness lurking from their eyes, and i can sense their high ambition to conquer the world, visit as many foreign lands as they could, liberate their minds as far as they could. so vivid in the night. in a second, i retreated to myself and tried to enlist what i have done when i was in the same years as they are now. not many foreign lands, but i was traveling through lines of words, i guess that time.

the night we went home with the memory of good time in jimbaran, with satisfaction that our job has been successfully done. i believe every one of us had their own picture of bali. mine as well. i wish next time i visit bali, i will find something that more reserved and contemplating, not so commercialized as i saw that night.

happy birthday mom

mom, i love you
you are the light given to me
from the soft womb of life
until i am able to set out free

mom, i wish you happy birthday
may you be happy with the children now
may you always have the smile upon your face
and be the best you can be

i love you mom
for today i would share with you
a gift for you and myself
i have found my soul mate

my lovely mom, i hope you will cherish it
the way i do
i am so grateful for your education
that i know how to give color of my own
i know how to live as i learn

mom, this is my gift

a witness to history

today is a lazy cloudy sunday, and i have walked in through the front gate of the office. the blue tricycle just left along with its smooth sound generated from the gas that fuels its engine. i have a half day shift to complete. through this morning to the mid day, i must stick to the internet and all news it resonates and making the summary of report by the end of the duty. if there is something urgent and related to our interest, i should quickly pass it on to the authority above me so that proper actions will follow.

today, we are witnessing one of the enduring acts in history. the release of pro democracy activist in myanmar covers all the news site and channels. while me whose on duty have to make a report on it. i do not expect that today's shift would deal with a history making part, in fact, it is.