The Autumn Song

that's eight years ago that i had this in mind and certainly
was so sure to collect sum. I was so sure and when one is
'oppressed' he/she can only do one thing.
and i wasn't too proud to beg hahaha

even oom Dan showed concerns and added a 110 dm bonus.
Adis recalled it vividly as she rang me just two days before
i left for the place where the previous currency i see no more.

even when Paragita didn't make it to Linz, we din lose hope for we
managed to stage a concert,
one that i could have been more in to it.
the concert was called Seasons and Flowers.

So it started kicking with the joyful Ritter Fruhling
and how Benjamin Britten's Five Flower songs
made their way to the repertoire is still unthinkable for me
hahaha. indeed they sound nice, it was just me who
was not into his five particular songs.
they still sound weird to my ears.
my faves: Ritter Fruhling and Herbstlied.
I stupidly lost the partita (perhaps I gave it to Ray)

besides Ritter Fruhling, this song i
sang all day there (Herbstlied by Felix Mendelssohn)

Holder Lenz, du bist dahin!
Nirgends, nirgends darfst du bleiben!
Wo ich sah dein frohes Blühn,
Braust des Herbstes banges Treiben.
 
Wie der Wind so traurig fuhr
Durch [den Strauch], als ob er weine;
Sterbeseufzer der Natur
Schauern durch die welken Haine.
 
Wieder ist, wie bald! wie bald!
Mir ein Jahr dahingeschwunden.
Fragend rauscht es aus dem Wald:
"Hat dein Herz sein Glück gefunden?"
 
Waldesrauschen, wunderbar
Hast du mir das Herz getroffen!
Treulich bringt ein jedes Jahr
[Welkes Laub und welkes] Hoffen.
neues Laub wie neues Hoffen

I asked a friend to translate it, and back then James gave
the best pronunciation in the world.
I love the last verse:

Forest noise, wonderful
How you have taken my heart!
....
new leaves like new hope


my heart bows to melancholic tunes with
hopeful lines hahahaa

это то, что я благодарен за

это то, что я благодарен за:
два черных птиц, летевший
лиса ходить в середине трав
два кролики вблизи взлетно-посадочной полосы
и золотой восход
первая посадка во Франкфурте

and I only remember it this morning!

Into the Blue: The Story of Sasha, Donita & Chris

Taking chances

in the beginning

Turtlets

Choosing: what life is all about

13: the lucky number

Chris, Sasha, Donita: beachwise

Sasha, beachward . . .

Sasha, Chris

Lose direction

In surity

water!

Need courage: Donita

Donita

Chris

Sasha

Donita

Sasha

the real world: Java Sea

From our trip to Pulau Pramuka, August 2, 2008
all photos by Fi.

Tea Rose

Mon oeillet fixé à votre iris
Comme narcisse je contemple
Dans ces miroirs entre vos tempes
Le reflet sombre de mes vices

Allongée à même le saule
Tout mon hêtre vous peuplier
Moi peu à peu je me pliais
Devant vos charmes et vos paroles

Madame rose hybride de thé
Belle des nuits au crépuscule
Loin des regrets et des scrupules
Quelques pétales au thym parfait

Madame rose hybride de thé
Ne m'en voulez pas de chercher
Il ne me reste de nous deux
Qu'un souvenir bien vaporeux
Comment voulez-vous que je me menthe

Vos songes rongent mes pensées
Vos ronces me sont destinées
Vous étiez pourtant si charmante
Ne prenez pas cet air genêt
C'est un hasard si mes mains tremble
Dès l'instant où nous sommes ensembles
Sous un conifère enlacés

Madame rose hybride de thé ...


One particular flower i remember from Oma Adeltje's (may God bless her) many flowering plants at Jalan Mayor Abdullah is her tea rose.

When I sniffed her white and rosy roses, i was surprised. it smelled like tea! how come?

years later and yesterday i found out through this song by Emilie Simon.

tea rose is my favorite of all roses.

Xem (photo Wikipedia)

Morning

it has broken at Pulau Pramuka

Giant Lotus

Victoria amazonica, the gigantic beauty on the pond of Bogor Botanical Garden, Eid 2006.

I Chirp because I'm Happy

from whence the chirping cometh

That's a twist from His Eye Is on the Sparrow

SParrows. Those cool birds.

Last Saturday I went to Alice's wedding ceremony at Katedral Jakarta. I thought, that would be cool because i admire the building and the choir. And lucky me Martha came along. Alice chose to wed her long time bf, Pak D, now christened Demitrius.

I sat in the third row (I must get every detail of this sermon, I said to myself) and when I turned my head to the right I saw something bizarre. The seat and the kneeling part were stained with droppings! Whoa!

Then my mind went back to 7 years ago.

I went to that church for Easter Mass back in 2001 with Kak Elda, Didin and Uria. Our main aim: listening to the choir. we heard nice words about it and we expected Latin mass. It turned out to be Indonesian mass and the choir sang a little. A seminary guy read the passage in singing tone. Beautiful though.

One thing i remembered was the chirping sound of sparrows throughout the mass. They nest here, in the house of worship, I thought.

So, i divided my attention: half for the holy matrimony (sacrament) and the other half for the sparrows. In the quarter of the mass, they came out of the mini gothic tower near the altar and began to make noise. Chirping!

when we prayed, they chirped
we sang, they chirped
we knelt, they chirped
we listened to the vows, they chirped
we listened to the sermon, they chirped

amazing! no wonder they're affectionately called burung gereja (church birds).

I suspect they nest behind those gothic carvings--from where the chirping was. These highly adaptable birds flew here and there, to the beautiful mozaic and ceiling, and to the lampstands. it was a beautiful sight to me.
Chirp! chirp!

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all the earth"

After that, Martha and I sat and ate awhile in the garden near the huge heap of corals (Cave of Mary) and we were serenaded by the chirping and a new beautiful noise--perhaps of a starling (jalak).

Cool coexistence.