FRIED RICE

That afternoon, Kat was stressed. Her son told her that he had to bring fried rice for potluck. She had two days to prepare. It was a big problem and she thought so hard how to solve it. She felt that she couldn't make delicious fried rice well. She didn't feel confident to serve her fried rice to other people. To buy it in a restaurant in the morning before school started was impossible. Finally she asked her friend to make it for her son, and she gave her friend some money.

Kat made fried rice only for her family - her children, husband and herself. Her husband always compared her fried rice to his grandma's. He always commented that Kat's fried rice didn't taste as his grandma's. This made her lose her confidence to serve fried rice. It happened for several years. Every time she made fried rice, her husband always said that it was so delicious, but not like his grandma's fried rice. 

One day, Kat and her husband laughed together. They finally got an idea - not a solution. When Kat couldn't make fried rice which tasted as grandma's, it was not a problem, so that it didn't need any solution. Kat's husband always said that her fried rice was so delicious...so what's the problem? They just needed to accept the fact that Kat's fried rice was so delicious instead of expecting grandma's fried rice that they would never eat anymore. It was silly to think much about some fried rice that they would never eat. Grandma had passed away 30 years ago.
So...focus on the things that can make you happy and ignore the unnecessary ones.

T-Shirt and Friends

Home sweet home. It's nice to be home after a day work. Time to relax. A cup of hot tea will be good to drink in the back garden. Some fried banana or fried tempe will make this all perfect.

This afternoon is so hot. 26.5⁰C. Before enjoying them all, of course I need to change my working clothes into the comfortable ones. I open my wardrobe and pick shorts and a t-shirt. No...not this one. This t-shirt isn't comfortable to wear on this hot day.
Finally, I took my old shirt. The black one, but it's not really black anymore. It has turned into browny black. It's tattered, there are some holes on it. Some parts are almost torn as it becomes much thinner than it was. The writing on it almost disappears and it's not easy to read. Yet above those facts, it's comfortable to wear. This t-shirt can cool my body. I feel getting good air circulation through it's very thin fabric.

A few weeks ago, during a holiday, we were cleaning the house. One of the activities was cleaning the wardrobe, sorting the clothes...which ones were still worn and the ones that should have been out off the wardrobe. When I found my old, thin browny black t-shirt, I put it back into the wardrobe. It's really hard to get rid of it. I love it. I love to wear it.

Friends are like my old, thin, browny black t-shirt. The longer you have them, although you get to know more bad things about them, it's harder to let them go out of your life. You will always keep your friends in the wardrobe of your heart. You've loved them.  3000 or 90 to 600?

Something Sweet

The final tests were over. The academic year would end soon. All students were curious to see the result. But they couldn't see the result of their work through the year so soon. The teachers were processing the scores of all tests and assignments.

As usual, after the final tests, before the students received the report card, they didn't have any class. They spent the days by doing non-academic activities, such as social activities and sports competition.

In this year-end, they almost forgot something. They remembered that they still kept some class-cash. They were confused how to spend the money because they only had two days left to meet their classmates. They discussed...they had arguments about what they will do with the money.
Finally, most of them agreed to buy some food or drink, and enjoy it together in a small party with their classmates.

That day I entered the teachers' room. I saw some nice boxes on the table in the corner of the room. What's this? Boxes of donuts! For me, donut was something sweet...so it led me to think that it must be a sweet gift. Eventually, I found that the donuts were from the students of 8A.... They spent their class-cash to buy donuts for the teachers...so wow!

When others thought about spending the class-cash for themselves, they thought about devoting it to their teachers. 
When others focus on themselves, you focus on sharing what you have to others. 
Thanks a lot...you're the winners...you've won our hearts. 
It's something sweet!

A Simple Surprise

Exams always make the students tired. Tired of preparing. In the last grade of the school, my 9th grade students had some series of exhausting exams. And they did it well. After the exams, they had no more classroom activities. They would come to school only for having the graduation rehearsal and having some photo session for the year book. So when they did not have to go to school, they just stayed at home or spending their leisure time with their friends.

That day, some students went to school to do a special action for their teachers. They had planned, they prepared what they should  bring and do. They asked some friends to join. Some joined but some refused because they would go to the amusement park with their friends. Some refused because they had another activities with their family. Some refused because they were not interested and chose to stay at home.

These students came to school in the morning. They arrived at the time they usually arrived to school. They brought some washing equipment. Yes...they came to wash the cars and motorcycles of their teachers. The teachers and school staff were surprised and gave positive response. They let the students wash their cars and motorcycles. Getting good response, the students were happy...and they did their job cheerfully.

That day was a special day for the teachers and staff. They felt being loved and respected. They were thankful to have such students who cared about them. The students said to me,"There's no present we could give. Only this...just to express that we thank the teachers for teaching us."

Simple thing...and cheap...and not prestigious, when it is done with great love, can please others.
Instead of pleasing themselves, they have chosen the more difficult choice...to please others.
Thank you so much...we're proud of you....

Eat Less, Share More

The students in our school were so enthusiastic. They were celebrating The World Food Day. 

In our school, The World Food Day is celebrated to heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world and strengthen the solidarity for the people who cannot have food as we have.

On that day, the students had a competition of arranging and decorating traditional food from Indonesia. Then they would have lunch together in their own class. Every class had to prepare a kind of traditional food to be eaten together. I walked around, from one class to another, and was glad to see the students preparing the food on the table. They had changed the studying tables into dining tables and they had arranged the food nicely. 

Five students of one class were doing the final preparation. They were arranging the Balinese food completed with certain ornaments about Bali. It was very nice. A few minutes later, they finished. Then, they invited their classmates to come into the classroom. No need to take a long time, they prayed together and started eating. Meanwhile, their homeroom teacher was outside the classroom, having a talk with another teacher. The students focused on their lunch and their togetherness. They didn't care about other people around them. After some time having a talk, the homeroom teacher went away, not coming into the classroom. 

On the way he was going, some students from another class offered him to have lunch with them.

Sometimes, some work and some fail. 

Some classes reached the goal, some classes failed. 

Some classes succeeded to strengthen the solidarity for people around them, while some classes failed.

Some classes remembered people around them when they had got food to eat, while some classes focus on the food for themselves.

For you who have succeeded, congratulations! Keep giving more, taking less. I'm proud of you.

A Little Gift

It was Sunday Evening. Kinar asked me to take her to the stationery.

In her ballet course, the teacher taught the students to give a present to their friends on their birthday. She taught them to give little attention, to care for others. She suggested the students to bring a little gift, less than IDR 25,000. That was the reason why Kinar wanted to go to stationery. She wanted to buy some gift for Tasya, her ballet-mate.

Kinar loves being given a present. She thinks that all people likes to have a present from friends or relatives. On Kinar's birthday, none of her ballet-mates gave her a present. Only the teacher gave it to her. The teacher had reminded her friends about her birthday, but no one remembered to bring any gift. That's why she really wanted to buy some gift for Tasya. She said,"I was sad when no one remembered my birthday. Tasya must be happy if I remembered her birthday and I give her a present."

Being disappointed is not a good feeling. But Kinar didn't want her friend to have the disappointing experience like how she had ever felt.

Let your disappointment remind you not to disappoint others.

A Simple Good Morning

Not everyday, but I often take my children and their mom to school. Their mom works at their school. To save my time, I usually drop them off not in front of the school, but in front of the cluster. Then they walk. Everytime they walk past the security officers, my wife greets them - just a simple 'good morning'. They just nodded at first. Then, to reply my wife's greeting they smiled. After some greetings, they replied by nodding, smiling and saying good morning.

People learn from what they see, they hear and they feel.
When they can see, hear and feel that they are respected, they also learn how to show and give respect.
Let's DO it, not only tell it. Share your positive energy to others.

When My Mom Said No

Years ago, when I had to study in a high school, I decided to enter a school in another town. I lived in a rent room. I had no means of transportation. Everywhere I go, I had to take a public transportation, or a friend of mine took me to the places.

Once, I needed to go to many places as I had a project. I needed a motorcycle. To ask my mom to buy a motorcycle was impossible since we did not have enough money to buy it. To borrow from my friends, they also needed it. 

My family - my mom and I - had a motorcycle. It was in my mom's house and my mom usually rode it to go to work. Because I really needed it, I went home and asked my mom, "Mom, I really need a motorcycle to finish my project on time. Will you use it much next week?" She surely answered, "No." "Will I make a trouble if I take the motorcycle?" And without any doubt she smiled and replied, "No." And then I used the motorcycle. While I was using the motorcycle, my mom went to work by bicycle. The place where she worked was not so far from our house, but it took three times longer to reach there by bike.

Today, after years, I realize that she did anything for me. When I needed the motorcycle, she would ride a bike and chose to give the motorcycle to me.

Have you ever thought...that when your mom has a little food and then you cry for it, she will give it to you...and she will eat nothing? Have you ever thought that when she has a little money and you need it...she will give it all to you? Have you ever thought that she thinks about you more than about herself?

Thank you, Mom! I love you!

The Best You Can Give?

The last day of this week at school will be February 14^th. It’s Valentine’s Day! My students are looking forward to that day excitedly. As I had planned before, yesterday I gave my student a one-night writing assignment. I asked them to write something to someone who they love so much. They could write to their mom or dad, brother or sister, friend or best friend, boyfriend or girlfriend, teacher or someone else. I asked them to write to show their love. They would do it at home. They had to write on a piece of paper. They could type and print it, or if they wanted to be original, they could write using their own handwriting. I told them that everybody would get good score if they wrote with love.

This morning they had to submit the assignment. And it made me shocked! Most of them used their handwriting, but it wasn’t because they tried to be original. They didn’t make enough effort to finish the assignment. Some students did it in the classroom, and they did it without thinking deeply of the addressee – the one they love so much.

I asked my students, “What will you give to someone you love on Valentine’s Day?” Some of them were not confident to give an answer, but one of them answered, “Chocolate!”

Then I asked him, “How much will you spend for the chocolate?”

“I don’t know. It depends on the money that I have.”

“Well, now check the money that you have this week. So you can decide how much you will spend for it.”

“I’ll spend one hundred thousand rupiahs.”

“Is it the best you can give?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Then I said, “Imagine…if in the morning on Valentine’s Day you find this paper on your table. What do you feel?” I showed them a piece of test paper. “Do you feel that the sender really loves you? Is this the best that you can do for the one you love so much?” And then I showed them a piece of nice paper with some decoration on it. “How do you feel if you receive this? Are they different?”

When you want to show your love to someone, do and give your best, although it’s just a simple thing you can give.

Have a lovely Valentine’s Day!

Eyes, Lips and Nose

1. Hi, I'm eye. Am I beautiful? 

 
2. Hi! I'm lip. Can you see if I'm beautiful?
 

 
3. Hi, I'm sure you know me. Yes! I'm nose! Do you think I'm the most beautiful?

If I've got to answer those three questions, my answers are all 'No!'. I can't see the beauty of each of them. The eye is too dark and not shiny. The lips are too pale. The nose is too flat. When I see their physical appearances, they're not interesting. Yet, can you see the function of each of them? When they work, they will be meaningful. When they work together, they will form a harmony. When they are put on a face appropriately, they will show the beauty of the face - not the beauty of each of them.

God created them with their own function.

God put them on a face to show the beauty of the owner of the face.

God created us....

Have we played our own role? And have we avoided being selfish to show the beauty of our Owner?

The Best Mark Ever

There would be a test in my music class. The test would be done by groups of three. The test needed all of the members of the group to play well. If one of them played some parts of the music score incorrectly, the whole group would get bad mark.

There were some students who were good at music. Three of them joined. They had no problem in playing the music score. They did not need to learn and practise together as each of them could read and play the score well. On another corner, Firman - another student who was good at music - and two of his friends practised together. His friends could not read and play the music score fluently. They usually got 70, the minimum passing mark. He tried hard to teach his friends patiently. He tried his best and so did his friends.

The day of the test had come. The three talented students played the song. They did it perfectly. They got 100. Then Firman and his group performed after practising as well as they could. And they did it…not very well…. They got 80!

I asked Firman,”Are you satisfied?” “Yes!” he replied. He chose the more difficult choice. He chose not to gain 100 easily. He realized that he could not get 100. On the other side, his friends were really satisfied since they had never got 80 before.

Share your knowledge and be useful for others!

Lucky Beggar

Nobody wants to be poor. Nobody wants to be a beggar. Nevertheless, some people choose to be beggars because of their own situation. They have their own reasons. Sunday is the day that more beggars come to my house. It may be because the owner of the house is at home.
That Sunday my wife and I were not at home. Only my children and their nanny were at home. Before I went out, I had left a banknote of Rp. 50,000.00. I asked the nanny to spend the money to pay for the laundry. When I was away, she called me asking where I put the money. I told her where I put it but she could not find it.
The next morning the nanny told me that she could not find the money. I said ok, and asked her to look for it once again.
Then my 4 years old daughter told me proudly,

Do It With Love

Yesterday I watched 'Masterchef Australia' on TV. The participants had to cook food that they had eaten when they were kids. They cooked food that their mommy, daddy or grandma had cooked for the kids. They cooked while they were trying to remember the moment they ate it.

After finishing their cooking, the jury tasted the food they had cooked. The jury gave good comments and they said all of the food were delicious. All were delicious! Because they cooked it emotionally. They cooked it with heart. They cooked it with love.

I believe that anything done with love will be amazing!

Good Coffee

That day I went to a coffee shop. I bought a cup of expensive, hot, delicious coffee. I had known that it tasted good but before I could say so, I saw some people running, and some shouting. The building was on fire! The fire came from the 2nd floor while I was on the ground floor. I walked outside fast because I saw some white smoke and I smelt something burnt. Since I didn't forget to bring my coffee, I drank mine outside the building. It wasn't delicious, I thought.

....going home....

When I came home, the one I loved offered me a cup of coffee. It was not expensive coffee. You could find it at the stalls on the street. How did it taste? Wow! It was so good!

Good or not is not about something we see or we taste or we experience It's about how we enjoy what we see or we taste or we experience.