-Alexander Sattler

Sometimes it scares me that time flies and nothing changes.

Cynthia Febrina dalam Stasiun (via kuntawiaji)

I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.

Oscar Wilde (via argufy)

What a lovely surprise to discover how unlonely being alone can be

Ellen Burstyn, Actress

Burning #sky (at Bojonegoro)

Jika takmampu jadi jalan besar, cukup jadi jalan setapak. Yang membawa orang ke mata air.

Taufik Ismail (via rainiku)

angestiyapinakesti:

:)

The signs are all around me!
Resign, pack your bag, and travel!
Should I just do it?

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A beautiful afternoon at the Gunung Mas tea plantation.

absolutravel:

❤🌴❤

I want to go somewhere alone where I can be on my own.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=500&h=281]

To This Day by Shane Koyczan.
Harrowingly moving.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

You should check out a book called "Off the Map" written by two authors simply known as Hib and Kika. It's everything that On the Road and Catcher fail to satisfy.

Thanks for the recommendation! The book sounds like a great reading. I think it’ll be difficult to find it at my local imported-book stores, though.

There is also this book titled Life Traveler by a local writer, Windy Ariestanty. Beautifully written travelogue which focuses on internal revelations she found during her travels. It’s narrated mostly in my native language though, but here’s my favorite quote of the book:

We just need to stay away for a moment to get back home.

There are no Jack Kerouacs or Holden Caulfields for girls. Literary girls don’t take road-trips to find themselves; they take trips to find men.

"Great" books, as defined by the Western canon, didn’t contain female protagonists I could admire. In fact, they barely contained female protagonists at all.

It’s Frustratingly Rare to Find a Novel About Women That’s Not About Love - Kelsey McKinney - The Atlantic (via oditor)

So, let’s have a roadtrip! Who’s with me?

Sisyphus

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus, a Corinthian king, is punished by God to push a boulder up a mountain only to watch it roll back down the same path and to repeat the action forever.

Today, the ancient myth lends its name to the situation where a worker’s productivity is decreasing when the meaning of the work is diminished - a correlation found in many experiments. These experiments of Sisyphic condition came into two conclusions: that workers are more committed to work when their work is meaningful and that the relationship between meaning and motivation is underrated.

For me, I used to find that my work is meaningful, not only to the people I help, but to the organization that I work for. But now, I feel like a hamster spinning a wheel, everyday facing the same challenges that does little to improve the cause. I am not afraid of challenge, especially if the challenge helps me to grow personally and professionally. I’d rather not to be a modern day Sisyphus, so it is decided then: I will seek new challenges out there!

Mindfulness

When did the last time you do absolutely nothing for 10 minutes? No texting, no talking, or not even thinking.

That was the question that Andy Puddicombe asked the audience at the start of his TEDtalk on mindfulness. I honesty couldn’t answer that question. My mind keep constantly thinking, even when I am truly enjoying the present moment. For example, I was sitting at the beach alone just right after sunrise, feeling at peace, embracing the moments, but my mind will relentlessly jump from thoughts to thoughts: what is other people doing at the moment? What is the singing bird sing about? Will the sun shine bright today?

Andy suggests that all people should take everyday 10 minutes break to absolutely do nothing. In other words, to meditate by simply being at the present.

Now, shalat is an Islamic way of meditation and we do that five times a day. Being at the present while doing shalat is called khusyuq. But I do belief that even when you are khusyuq, you are still thinking about meanings of Quran that you recites and making sure that all recitations and movements are just right.

Even more so, even as a child we are embedded by our parents to not have a blank mind, or the evil will tempt you.

But actually, what Andy really suggests is about mindfulness, which encourages us to simply bring our mind to whatever activity we are doing and observe it in a nonjudgemental way. Now this begs the question: How do you stop your mind from thinking thoughts?

That’s actually what most people, including me, wrongly assumed.

Meditation is not about stopping thoughts and controlling the mind. It is about stepping back, seeing the thoughts clearly, watching the emotions coming and going without making judgements, in a relaxed manner.

Now taking that into consideration, khusyuq IS about being mindful. Mindful of what you are doing at the present. Sitting there by the beach can also be mindful, just taking stock of your surroundings, without really thinking about it.

I didn’t realize that the feeling after I sat there quietly at the beach was what I got for being mindful, being at the present. And I cherished all those mindful moments now!