Partner motivation

Nakamora has been quiet in this cyberspace for a long time, almost half a year to be exact. He almost forgot its existence. Forgot that he ever wrote such a thing and thought of such a thing until he was pleasantly reminded of it when it surfaced in a recent conversation.

Now that he thought that he wanted to again write his mind, pour it in this space. Not that that wish came from his inner motivation as it was normally the case for many of the things that he did. This time it came from a someone, a silent partner - not silent to him, though.

"I read Nakamora."
"I know who he is." Said her.

Ah yes, by that you unlocked the dormant pen, pencil, or keyboard, if you wish.

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Was it your dream?
Yes.
Are you dreaming now?
No.
It is real ya?
Yes, and thank you Allah.., said Nakamora.

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That would be his first entry for this new year, 2019.

Modern medicine?

Four more days, and it would be five months since the day.

The frequency of her taking the ultimate painkiller increased. I obediently and reluctantly at the same time administer the required dosage for her; knowing full well that it is a way of 'shutting down' the 'pain nerves.' Just so that pain signal is not transmitted to and translated by the brain. Just so that one can rest while cells deteriorating inside the body. It is like taking sleeping tablets so that we can sleep well to ignore thieves in the house.

The surgery, radiotherapy, brachytherapy, chemotherapy, and more surgery all combined couldn't change anything. It has been destined to be so. I couldn't but only resigned to what was fated.

So said Nakamora.

What is one day...

A day will not end, except by the coming of a night. A night will not end, except by the coming of a day. That cycle constitutes a complete day. 24 hours, by the measure of our clock. That's the will of The Creator.

In four-season countries, the days last longer than nights during summer and shorter during winter seasons. In the northern hemisphere, the day-night cycle can be the whole year; six months of night.

So how do we measure one day then, is it by the hour or by the alternation of a day and a night. If a day is constituted by one daytime and one nighttime, then one day in the northern hemisphere could well be one year, isn't it?

Being a man...Javanese way

We are made to differ, as a person, a group, in origin, in culture, etc. We should celebrate the differences, for it is through those differences that we fulfill the needs of each other.

Nakamora was at Mangku Negara kraton the other day when he learned from Pak Agung, the guide who took him around the sultan palace, that for a Javanese to be a man he should have these five things: (1) wismo, which is building or a house; (2) wanito, that refers to wife, (3) vehicle, which he forgot what was it called in Javanese, but refers to means of transportation; (4) curigo, or suspicion that refers to the need to have weapons as personal defense when attached; and (5) burung or bird. These may just be symbolic of the traits that Javanese man should have.

Life cycle..

Empty chairs and empty tables. Like those in les miserables. Abandoned in the dark of the night. Expectedly so, as the road side stall is already closed. It was bustling then, with cendol and fruits. That was during the heat of the day, the battle aim is freedom from hunger, the battle act is consumption of the food.

For the seller, it is to make ends meet, to pay bills, to put food on the table, for family to eat.
That is the chain of needs, of others that we provide, and of us that others serviced.

That thought rhymed in Nakamora's head as he passed the cendol stall, looking like a device left and forgotten, to be used again during the day. That night, he was driving towards Pontian. Days ago they thought of fulfilling a need there, but didn't. Cendol was eaten elsewhere.

Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then...

The pyramids of Giza

The title of this post is just the first part of a quote "Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a story teller." It's from Ibn Battuta, the famous Muslim traveler from Morocco in the 14th century. He traveled for 29 years, starting at the age of 20, and covered about 120,700 kilometers. That is a lot of travel, especially during that time when mobility is so remote from the convenience of today.

Travelling is one of Nakamora's passion too, but he may not cover that far neither that long a time. In the little travels that he made, he agreed that travels broaden his perspective on life and enhance his understanding of people, culture, and past civilizations.

The thin multi-story houses in Hanoi, for instance are so to avoid paying taxes for houses that are wider than 20 feet. The seemingly incomplete houses in Cairo, are so to avoid paying taxes too, if the house is completed. Hence the exposed reinforcing bars are there on top of the buildings to show that they are still under construction. To some of Egyptians, the pyramids were built by the subjects out of love for their kings, not by forced labor. These are just a few observations and information that he gathered as examples. There will more for next time, God willing. For now,
he needs to plan for the next travel.