Second Haiku Collection February 17, 2011

February high noon
the icicle's tearful
farewell to winter

There is one thing I will just laugh off without fighting back - when someone labels me a terrible writer.

I told them if you are always so negative about your staff, your company is going to go nowhere.

his overblown ego
every of his words sharpens the knife
for his throat

It is good that God does not reveal too much of himself. It would have killed the real fun.

One Malaysia
the land below the wind
the torch bearer

The strangest experience while criss crossing Borneo is the sight of posters of Prophet Mohammad's footprint for sale as well as people hanging them in their shops perhaps to bring good luck. John wonders whether this is allowed in Malaysia. Feels strange that the poster of the Prophet is not allowed while his footprint is allowed. Can someone enlighten me as this reporter just wants to know more.


every inch every line
nature's accents its mood
flowers everywhere

Back from criss crossing Borneo....found that you cannot drive from Banjermasin to Pontianak because there is no road yet. However, covered Samarina, Balik Papan and Banjermasin on the East and Southern coast. Overhead at the airport...."We all
thought Kalimantan is all forest until we found these modern towns. It is just not so backward."


Nature is game for life no matter how small it is, how trivial each is. it soon raises dust to a a creature, infuses its own thoughts so that it livens up life. look at the clouds in the sky, sooner or later, the wind makes them into shapes of birds, rabbits and doggies....nature is game for life...no matter how trivial they are.

met so many different groups of people this morning. Borneo has seen migration from Java and other parts of Indonesia since long time ago. The man who took me on a cruise of the Mahakam was a Bugis, the one whotook me tothe Bali hindu temple a Javanese, met Chinese at the Tua Pek Kong temple and bumped into dayaks here and there.

took the one hour flight back to Balik Papan last night instead of the 15 hour gruelling drive over dangerous mountain terrain and was immediately whisked to Samarinda, the town by Boneo's longest river the mighty Mahakam. IT just dawned on me that Borneo is the largest island at the Equator....it is the oldest natural rainforest and a giant storehouse of great herbs and plants.


cameron highlands
over the tea fields
a mysterious appearance

in between our talk
of an old disappearance
the freshness of tea

The road from Balik Papan on the west east coast of Borneo to Banjermasin, the main town in the south really threw me off my seat. It was a hair raising experience as our bus passed by deep gorges both on the left and right in the middle of the night. All i could see were tree tops and tall ferns. The driver had to negotiate his way. by folllowing the white line in the middle of the all the three hours we were on the highlands. In Banjermasin, I heard from the Banjermasin folks that the annual plunges average about two.The best part about Banjermasin is that it has some of the most beautiful mosques i have ever seen in the travel throughut the Indonesian archipelago. The main mosque has a dome shaped like a huge flying saucer.

Chinese new year
the nian wants to run away
from it all

winter wish
sakura, sakura sings
in me

bombay shah rukh han posters
the sea, the ghettos
and the dreams

adam's apple
how deep and vocal
this downfall

beauty of butterflies
helping the forest flourish
and the flowers bloom

singapore travel
an emptiness orchard road
could not fill out