Stirred Emotion

I had a very long tiring day. I enjoyed morning sun and deserted street around 7:00. So nice, so people I met. I noticed.. people are nicer in the morning :-)

I got AS’ auction-house just before 10:00. I missed a good friend who flew home in the morning so I switched my emotion to my present friends. We had nice time listening to AS’ presentation about Balinese artists – traditional and contemporary. We needed his presentation to get ideas who we need to visit next March.

I had short lunch with my two dear Israeli friends. Super friend. We talked a lot about friendship as RIT and I just experienced ‘being betrayed’ by a friend. She acted strangely as if she didn’t want to mingle with us anymore. I didn’t take the situation seriously. She might be in a bad situation that she needed space. I was fine, but not RIT. She tried hard to be fine.

AMA told me that people from that friend’s ethnic group are not easy to keep a good friendship. I never really thought about it especially because she is my first good friend from the ethnic group, I had no experience. AMA said that the best friends are from Israel. I could not agree more. I know some Israelis and they are super -- who are happy to bring me heavy Dead Sea mineral mud :-) Honest and warm. I realized.

My cousin, RIN, texted me about ATO baptism at 15:00 today. I thought it was yesterday, glad that I would not miss. I changed my jeans and picked up RIN and ATO. A few days before Eid were not good days on the road. People are rushing to shop and prepare their travel to hometown. It took us an hour to get the chapel.

The chapel was cool and quiet inside a convent. It was my first time to attend such ceremony. There were only ten of us included the pastor and two nuns. I could feel ATO’s feeling because none from her family were there. Only RIN and I, cousins. We decided to come to support her choice. Hard one.

I listened to some parts from Bible were cited in the ceremony. I tried to understand the message. I was particularly interested in the part where ATO had to answer to some questions. It was like being sworn to be a good person. Later in the car I told her.. that must not be easy. We make promise to ourselves to be a good person. Promise to self is the most sacred promise. Wow.. Now I know what baptism is about. The spirit of “to be sworn” and “to be born” to a belief must be different.

Of about five questions, I know I could answer “I do”. I told RIN that I could be a Catholic if I want. She nudged me. I told her that she doesn’t have to worry because I could also fit into something else. Earlier in the afternoon, AMA had asked me in the car - after again discussing about the 'betraying friend' - Are you a Buddhist? What did I say? That stirred my emotion. The essence of both is.. be a nice and loving person.

The nuns were nice. They served snacks and orange juice in the convent dining room after the ceremony. It was a very nice gesture to allow us to have ‘proper’ chit-chat before off because the ceremony is… important to someone. I enjoyed the huge lemper while listening to jargon I hardly understood.

I was nearly fainted in the car on our way back but what could I do as driver? It took a total of two hours to travel the usual 30 minutes distance. I could feel half of my body was hard to move like stiff and nauseous. My body and soul were super tired. That’s when I know that I have stirred my emotion too long stretching from 7:00 to 20:30.

Photo is taken inside the chapel.