Bath Friends

Dear, children...

I have a lot of scary thoughts inside my head about how I should raise you so that you can survive in this world and grow to become a decent and compassionate human beings.
These thoughts occur because I've seen how bigotry, ignorance, and immorality are constantly growing. I see how their gravities have become larger and much scarier.

You know, love.... I want you to treat every person with kindness, just, and compassion-regardless who they are. Because often I see how the rich and pretty ones benefit and make use of their wealth/beauty unfairly. Often I see how the minority and less-privileged are experiencing multiplied difficulties for obtaining their basic rights.
I hope you can always talk, act, and walk in the corridors of truth without discrimination as to whom you are against. Do not give a person privilege just because they are richer, older, have a higher office, come from a certain group, come from a certain religion/political background, or have other advantages. Say firmly that right is right and wrong is wrong. Carry out dutifully what has been entrusted to you, and do not falter to defend your rights. Never hesitate to apologize when you are at fault, but stand firm when you are on the side of truth.

My dear, I believe that all of you will grow into dazzlingly beautiful boys and girls. However please remember that beauty is meaningless without integrity, bright minds, and sincere heart.

Be mindful of your words and actions. Remember that all of them carry weight. Remember that, not only they affect you, they also affect someone else.
Be daring, yet be considerate. Be bold, yet be polite.
Set limits. Take responsibilities. And do not forget to have fun to keep your life in balance.

Remember.... I love you. Always have, always will.

Thaw

Why don't you fix me?

Mend all the curves that are weird and out of place...
Fade all the scars already exist...
Stroke my head gently without speaking
just because you understand,
without words...
Love me thoroughly,
without words,
just because you love me tirelessly,
without words,
just because you truly love me,
just because you earnestly love me...
.
.

Mengapa tak kau perbaiki aku?

Membetulkan semua lekuk-lekukku yang aneh dan tidak pada tempatnya... Memudarkan bekas-bekas luka yang terlanjur ada...
Membelai kepalaku lembut tanpa bicara,
hanya karena kau mengerti,
tanpa kata-kata...
Mencintaiku dalam semuanya,
tanpa kata-kata,
hanya karena cinta,
hanya karena sesungguhnya cinta,
hanya karena setulusnya cinta..

Sorrow

The weather is colder than what she packed for.

She looks out and feels like she can touch the snow falling out of her window.

Winter is cold. But the sharp pain in her chest is much colder.

She never knew that she could feel such tremendous pain. She never expected that she would meet such excruciating depression.
The feeling of longing for acknowledgement.
The profound void of loneliness.
The constant struggle and sadness.
The hate that scarred her.
Even after she seeked help. Even after she talked to someone. Even when she was showered with love.
She feels like no one would ever understand. She knows that the dark clouds won't ever go away. And even when they say they love her... she can't believe them. She can't feel their love.
She feels numb, yet she can feel the throbbing pain.


The people she thought would give her comfort... those she thought she could rely on... those she thought would give her strength.. are also those who tortured her... are also those who demand so much from her... are also those who expected too much from her.
They expected perfection. They expected fortitude. And understanding. And patient. And unconditional love.
But they wouldn't do the same for her.
All they do was talk.
Even when she told them she was in pain. They shrugged her off.  They belittle her. As if she needed a more dramatic reason to be in pain.


"Will anyone cry for me when I'm gone? Will anyone miss me? Will my death mean something to someone or anything at all? Will they finally realise that I exist? Will they finally acknowledge how hard I've worked? Will they finally know how much pain they've caused me? Their sharp words... Their unfair judgement... Their hate...."

She thinks to herself over and over again.

She closes her eyes and hugs herself. "You're good enough. What you did was good enough. You've done well."
She puts herself to sleep.

A Week Dose of Glucose

There are times when we feel like we are not as advance as everyone else. We feel less pretty, less successfull, less healthy, less complete, less interesting, and just less wonderful in general.
We feel like we are dull while everyone else's glow. We tell ourselves that we are lame and uninteresting.
But I have come to an understanding that we are just as capable as everyone else, just like everyone else are as much incapable as we are. Others are just as powerless as us, and we are as strong as others.
They glow, while we shine. We are sparkling, when they are luminous.
There is no point in feeling inferior, just as there is no point in looking for validation of your own happiness.
Be happy. Whether people acknowledge it or not is none of your problem.
Be awesome. You are your most important assets.

Promise Her The Moon #4 -END

Palette - end
8 Months after her wedding...
.
She walks into her favorite chocolatier with her hopes up. She can imagine his favorite opera cake sitting on their small dining table. She can picture how his perfect teeth would turn brown, so that she can clean it up with millions of kisses. Slow kisses. Sexy kisses.

" Hi!" called a familiar voice. He tapped her shoulder rythmically.
She spontantly blanks out.
"Can't believe we meet here!" He continues with that misleading tone and ambiguous smile of his.
She can't gather her minds. She just gawks with her mouth open.
"Sorry I couldn't come to your wedding. I was just..." He stops.
Not finishing his sentences is just his specialty. He seemed to love doing it, so that the other person could fill in the gap and misunderstood completely. At least, that's what she assumed.

"Ah.. no problem.." she is finally able to answer after she regains her consciousness, "How are you doing?" she continues.
"Not okay," He laughs awkwardly.
"What happened?" She asks--- only out of courtesy.
"You happened, " He answers with a one-sided smirk. "You left me and got married", he says.
"Wh-WHAT??" She can not hide how surprise she is hearing that nonsense.
"Just kidding," he laughs again. "I'm getting married", he continues abritrary.
Well that escalated quickly, didn't it? She whispers to herself.

She contemplates a bit about how she should respond. She naturally feels that she needs closure with this guy. She hates not having everything out in the open. She also hates playing games like this. They might never see each other anymore, so what is there to lose to talk and discuss about what happened in the past? She is already married, and he is getting married anyway. So.... it's a win-win,  really.... at least for her.

"Let's sit a bit and chat," she tells him.
Surprisingly, he agrees.
.
They sit in the outermost table near the door looking out to the shop's veranda.
"How is married life?" he opens the conversation.
"Lovely actually, much better than I expected," she answers honestly.
"What did you expect, really?" he replies.
You're not the one who is supposed to be asking questions here, she thinks to herself.
"Well.. like you probably has figured out.. At that time, I expect YOU would do something... so I never thought I would end up marrying my hubby. But, thanks to you I have a perfect husband, " she answers cynically. And she follows through with a plain laugh.
He looks a bit startled. "I know," he said.

He knows and he did all that push-and-pull thing with me. He knows, and yet he never, not even once, tried to settle things with me, she thinks angrily.

"I was about to ask you out, but then I changed my mind... You're too good of a friend, and I wasn't ready to move on so I didn't want to hurt you," he continues,

She just scoffs because she cannot believe what she hears.
Well, you should at least tell me the situation. You should at least try and make everything clear. But no, you chose to keep me hanging. You chose to keep me as one of your spare. She almost blurts everything out, but she knows better. None of it is of any use.

"You know who I'm trying to move on from right? I told you everything about her. If not because of time, I would probably couldn't even propose to my current fiancee. Even until now I still remember her. She left me with a deep scar and it's not easy to get out of that scar. I was trying to move closer to you, but then I didn't. And then you got married and I thought I should probably got married too. And so my friend introduced me to a girl, and I took a leap of faith. I told myself I'd just see where things go. And so we dated a few months. Then, I am where I am," he said.

What a douche, she smirks unconsciously.

"Well.. there's no use talking about it now. We're both heading to our own happy marriage. At least I know I am. And I hope you would too," she tells him. She gets out of her chair, purchase her opera cake, and wave him goodbye. Forever,
.
On her way home, she just feels so glad that everything with him is over. She is relieved that she picked her husband over that man.
If I married him, then I would probably be just like his fiancee.. An alternative of another woman. A back up plan. She feels sorry for the girl. She can't imagine getting into a marriage with that mindset-- not fully loving your spouse.
At least I know that he views a marriage only as a status. He married someone he is not in love with. He married someone because it is time to get married. I can't imagine being married to that kind of man. I can't imagine committing to someone without giving all my heart for them. I can't imagine having loose ends like that and decide to marry a girl. Isn't that too cruel? What does he think of his wife? A trophy? she mumbles.
But then that's it. She has nothing to do with him anymore. She is fine. She is married to a loving and honorable man. She is in love and her heart is throbbing with excitement. She is glad. She has completed her painting and she has thrown away the palette.

THE END.

Lennon

We don't need to have all the same preferences to like a person-- not only as a lover, but also as friends-- do we?
.
Some might prefer their coffee with cream, some might think that coffee should be black. But we can still have the same favorite coffee shop, can't we?
A bit trivial. But still...

Some might think of love as an adventure. A quest. A journey where you fool around and play before you settle down (or perhaps never settle forever). While others might take love a bit more seriously. Think of each relationships as sacred, fell head over heels in love everytime, and probably save their first kiss for their true love.
But still... we all fell in and out of love, don't we?
Some might live freely. Not caring about money, or having a landed house, or sport cars. And others might planned their life so very carefully... knowing all the tiny bits they want in life, when they want it, and where they want it to be. But still.. no one can live forever, can't we?

Some might go to the gym to look perfect in pictures, while others  simply don't give a damn. But our hearts still beat the same way, don't they?
.
.
We might not have the same principle in life. We might not agree on everything. But humans are just humans.
Flesh, bones, minds, hearts, stacks of bouncing emotions, and a pretty awesome species.
We have more in common than we are different. Fact, that is.
.
It's just sometimes we begin a relationship with a big spark, but as the relatonship grows and commitment sinks in, we forget to adjust the flame. The flame, that started out as a heart-throbbing sparks, can die down or combust everything.. All because we forget to stay sweet, to stay curious, to stay foolish, to stay romantic. All because, as the other person starts to walk closer, they also start to look less whimsical.
.
Friends. Lovers.
Enemies. Exes.
We have more in common than we are different. Unfortunate, that is,