Vilia Ciputra

"I believe that the true value of education lies not in the accumulation of knowledge, but rather in the cultivation of the ability to educate oneself. It is not a finite endpoint, but an ongoing process that requires self-reflection, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. The same goes to detachment; it is not solely about releasing attachments to things and people, but rather about cultivating the ability to recognize our attachments and the hold they have on us. It is not about becoming indifferent or apathetic towards the world around us. Rather, it is about the process of cultivating inner freedom, that requires ongoing practice and self-reflection, much like the process of education. Both education and detachment are important for us to master, for only when we feel enough about ourselves and stop making our lives as the center of the world, or the projects to fix, we can then learn more about the universe and how life actually works. And isn't that the greatest desire a...

"I am not who I am, with only my lights and without my darkness. I need my yang to balance my yin. And I'm like Cal; I want to live, at least until now. And not just live, I want to be alive. And that requires me to unleash my darkness. That's the only way for me to be my true self. To be alive means to feel and experience the life from a lot of (if not all) spectrums, to notice the multifaceted of it. I know I can only achieve that when I give the same amount of space and respect, towards every aspect of my life and to each side of mine. And only when I accept my whole self, I can be in my true nature, and be my very best self. It might sounds complicated, but it's actually simple; Fire wants to burn Water wants to flow Air wants to rise Earth wants to bind Chaos wants to devour And I want to live life." --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for suppor...

"But I hope we will be friends for a lifetime. I plan to keep you forever." "I'll keep you forever, too." ----- The thing is; both of us are stoic people, and we are so good at being alone, somehow. You're even better at it than me, or everyone else that I know. And we are too logic to know that forever doesn't exist lol. But I'll keep it here and I'll look back after years. I've found myself running alone from time to time, I'm fastest that way. And I was one of them; ones who were so good at leaving. But, let's hope forever does exist for once. --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

Do you actually know the kind of life that you want, and the kind of person that you would like to become? One of my mentors told me once about the importance to prioritize our To-Be list as much as, if not more than, our To-Do list. While our To-Do list represents tasks that need to be accomplished, our To-Be list focuses on the person we want to become, the skills we want to achieve, and the values we want to embody. Since then, I found this as a very important and enlightening process. My To-Be list is like a blueprint of how I want my life to happen, how I set my priorities and how I make better decisions. I also learn to become more resilient, as I am better at handling setbacks and challenges when I am grounded in my values and focus on my greater purposes. I found that some small changes in my daily life, really support my To-Be list; • Block 4-5 hours of my mornings for myself to work on who I wanna be. To exercise, read, write, and create. Exercise, we all know why. Reading al...

"I know I don't always have happiness with me, but I also know that I can always start being happy. I know many people put so many conditions on happiness, as if we are not supposed to have it without earning it. And so many people don't realize that their unhappiness mostly come from the projections of other people's (that they care about) expectations, that they took as their responsibilities to meet and to fix. Well, just because people or life throw you lemons, doesn't mean you have to catch them. I'm one of those people who will put the world on hold, while I'm doing my things for myself to make me happy. 'My peace first for me, but you do you.' That's my mantra nowadays." --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You...

"There was a scene on The Makanai, where Momoka, the senior and star of the Maikos, said that she actually thinks that she is born to be a maiko and that she couldn't imagine doing anything other than that in life. There was also a scene on The Road to Red Restaurants List, where the owner of a legendary Japanese ramen restaurant who was already aging and has no successor, said that all he wanted in life is just to serve a delicious ramen for the customer, even if that means he has to wake up early every morning during the summer and maintaining the temperature during winter to create a good texture of ramen. And there was a scene on the same series that shown a conversation between a daughter and a father. She told him about her wanting to continue to beauty school instead of going to college, and how her mom opposed it. She asked her father's opinion, and he said something like this; "It's been a long time I feel like I have no interest in anything (and how life...

The (Chinese New) year of rabbit is coming in a week. There are some preparation to welcome the new year that have become tradition for years in my family; 1. To clean and tidying up the house a week before new year. This include a deep cleaning, sorting unwanted things, changing all the bed sheets and washing curtains, etc. The purpose is to welcome the new year in a clean spirit, to leave all the bad things and dirt behind, and only bring what's good for us to the new year. 2. To cut the hair. Similar to the point above, it is meant as a gesture to leave the past and bad memories behind. Welcoming the new year with fresh look and fresh mind. 3. To prepare a pair of new clothes and accessories. My mom used to say, it was like a reminder for us to start the new year with gratitude gesture, that we are still able to have new stuff for ourselves for the new year. However, I think it is also linked to the habit of the elders; to save money and only buy new clothes and accessories on n...

Plain truth. Not only on money, I even experience it on my reading and planning skills. Some things that I never really aware before. My reading speed on average was 50pgs/3hrs by March 2022, and now on average is 75pgs/3hrs by Jan 2023 (I limit my reading time 3hrs/day). It's because I have a circle that consist of avid readers, they made me feel the need to read faster and grasp more. They even affecting the topic of my book choices lately. Surrounded by friends who are good on planning also made me more fluent on reading, choosing, and collecting the data that I need, to create a better future projection. So, yes. Our circle matters. What we consume (food and information) matters. Especially when we are trying to make a breakthrough, a change, or are trying to evolve. It reminds me of what my curator always said back then; "Curate, curate, and always curate. What we accept will become our belief system. Our belief system will determine our reality. Curate your reality....

There are two kinds of people in the world: those with reasons and those with results. Excuses are dream killers, but I found that it was indecisiveness that pulls the trigger. We often forget that not making any choice is a choice, too. The things that we don't do, is a new habit in the making, too. Buying time actually doesn't exist, and there is no stagnancy. It's only us, fooling our own mind, playing the game of 'what I don't see, doesn't happen', unless it does happen. It's Monday again tomorrow. Reasons or results, which one will you choose?   --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

"To self-actualize is to raise your human vibration, reach for your greatest potential, and express it outwardly as you move through life at the highest level possible, whatever that may be. Where you choose to express it -in your hobbies, in your work, in your relationships- is just the vehicle through which you shine your light. My father encourage a lifelong process of self-actualization. To actualize means 'to make a reality of,' and so then to self-actualize is to make a reality of oneself." • Be Purposeful Be Water, My Friend. - Shannon Lee. ---- I am the captain of my life, I create my own reality. --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

"Don't sacrifice who you could be for who you are." Promised myself to not play safe this year. I'll take more risks, master new skills, go beyond my comfort zone, hold nothing back, and bet on the things I believe in. I'll deep-dive, be so consumed, and completely immersed on my goals. I'll give 100% focus on the process and progress that I'm aiming at. Promised myself to play harder this year. To let my imagination runs wild, far beyond the impossibility and further more. To evoke my creativity and challenge myself again, and again. To trust the future (in) me, always. --- No retrieve, no regret. 🐱 • Mowl --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

"To always be able to talk about everything openly and honestly, to always treat each other with kindness and happiness in mind, and to always stay through life no matter where we are at that point or what circumstance we are dealing with. I think, love is a good word for that." ---- Mr.Owl AI generated illustration. --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

We were discussing about some AI that we both are currently using, what we found, how we use them, and what made us excited, when my friend then said the things that I put on the quote. And I just love the way he described it perfectly, as that's how I too, see life in general; as a form of exploration. Not many people could understand how amazing it is to explore the mind and its' capability to create action and reaction, let alone to explore the 'mind' of AI lol. But I think, to have a curious explorer mind is an advantage is this life. ---- "Well humans have always invented technologies to make work easier for us, ever since somebody invented the wheel lol. But up until now it has mostly been technology that replaces physical work or makes it easier and more efficient. Having technology that can do "mental" or "creative" work is really new. It will probably take society a pretty long while to really adapt to that." --------- - Aim for a ...

"God punish you by giving you everything you want. See if you can handle it." - Mike Tyson A very relatable and resonate perspective to begin 2023 with. Want less, prioritize, aim the focus and beam the energy to those less things. 🖤 --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

"I missed you today. Or always? I think I always missed you." "I know. Even when I'm always here." --- - I miss the time Where we go - --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

"You might think you are timid and afraid of life, but I honestly don't think so. It is never easy to live alone, but you do succeed on dealing with your problems and live alone. That's not timid. You might see me as a bold person and all, but you do know I don't like to live alone, though I can, and I need my alone time from time to time. Don't wanna be alone is actually timid in a way. Lol." "Maybe we are both courageous, but in different ways." "Or maybe we all are both courageous and timid in many ways, and that's what normal is about, and you are normal in a way." "Nah, normal sounds boring lol." "But you wished to be normal, previously. Gaaaah lol." --- What a peculiar mind. Lol. --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , a...

"Worry about the things you can control, not about the things you can't." Thank you for reminding me of this. Mindfulness is still a work in progress for me. Even after all the understanding of how my brain works and what I should actually do, the temptation of controlling the outcome as much as possible, was kinda hard to ignore. To have more faith on myself and on the bigger plan. To control the things I could and to let go of things that I can't. --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow through healthy lifestyle, diverse insights, creative arts, and minimalist living. -  ViliaCiputra.com Thank you for supporting  my intention  through owning  my artworks , reading  my writings , and following  my Instagram . You could also support my page with buy me a coffee at the link below. 

"The way I see 'The future is bright for you' is not when everything is prepared and set up now, to make us safe from everything in life (a condition which obviously will never exist). On the contrary, it is a condition when we are ready, whatever life throws at us, at whenever. The priority is not on the tool, the money, the resources, the technology, or even the network. They are bonuses. It is more to the mind, the character and personal skills. A confuse soul with a million dollar mostly would either create a mess or a lame history. A soul with clear purpose and a thousand dollar will either survive or create a legend. Well, of course we have to earn that thousand dollar first, otherwise don't talk about visions and goals, cause they do have high prices. Everything has a price that we have to pay for, either in money, time, or life. What I'm saying is; no safety net is a bad plan, but so does a fault good plan." --------- - Aim for a better tomorrow throug...

"Do you know butterflies were one of the favourite subjects of Chinese trade art in the mid- 1800s? The Chinese love butterflies. There's also a famous folk tale about two lovers who died broken hearts and reemerge as butterflies. Also, the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, 'What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.'" "I like that. Is this something you believe?" "Hm?" "That the end is also the beginning?" "For the caterpillar, yes." "But do you believe it's true for all things?" "I don't know. I'm not programmed to believe in that way. What about you?" "I'd like to believe that." "Do you?" "Sometimes I think, human are programmed to believe in such things, but I don't know if it's really in our best interest." "May I be honest with you?" "Is not being honest an option for you?" "...

"Why do you like tea?" "Do you mean the taste of tea?" "Maybe. Is the taste why you like tea?" "It has something to do with it." "Is it why you've given your life to tea?" "Given my life to tea, well that sounds pretty serious." "Is it not serious?" "I guess I've acquired a taste for tea. But it's not why I became interested. I think what I was really drawn to at the beginning was the idea of tea." "The idea of tea." "Yeah, I saw this documentary at college, it was from the 20th century. And it was about this man searching for the best tea in China." "China is where tea started." "Yes. I think it was his searching that compelled me. You know, the pursuit of this illusive thing, this process that was connected to the soil, to the plants, to the weather, and a way of life." "So, that's what you like about tea? The search, not so much the taste....