Home

Most people would say "home is where the heart is".
But for Third Culture Kid (TCK), "home is everywhere and nowhere" - Ruth Van Reken, 2004

Some of you may have heard about TCK, but if you haven't I'll explain it briefly and you can read more about it from wikipedia (click here) or other sources.

Based on Wikipedia, 

"Third culture kid (TCK) is a term used to refer to children who were raised in a culture outside of their parents’ culture for a significant part of their development years. The experience of being a TCK is unique in that these individuals are moving between cultures before they have had the opportunity to fully develop their personal and cultural identity."

And yes, I'm one of TCK. I may not be as extreme as others who spent their childhood in more than three countries and their parents have different nationalities, but I experience the same feeling as most TCK do. And home is one of TCK's challenges.

"Home is everywhere and nowhere"

That is so TRUE!

Each places that I've lived in has special places in my life and heart. I feel that I belong to those places - all at once - because there were some bonds that we shared. Those places were my witness of all my best and worst times. No place can be replaced by the other.

At the same time, I feel rootless. Though I may have my nationality, but somehow I don't fit in perfectly there - nor anywhere that I've lived in. In fact, I could never perfectly fit in anywhere, as I didn't stay long enough to adopt all their attitudes, behaviors and languages.

So it's kinda in between.

I feel home wherever I go to Indonesia, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

I can't never decide which one is my first, second, third and fourth home.

These four will always be my home.

-Source: Google (the first two), my own (the last two) 

Dear Men..

Dear Men,
If you're not gonna stay, please don't make us happy..
If you're not gonna catch us, please don't make us fall..

Dear Men,
Please understand that women are sensitive..
Every little things you say, we'll remember..
and every little things you do, we'll expect it to happen again..

Dear Men,
Please don't leave us out of the blue..
Cut the drama and be transparent..
Tell us if you're interested or staying, so we know what to expect..

Dear Men,
Please spare us the heartache..
If you're not interested nor staying, just say it and leave..
It's so much better for us to know the bitter truth than to expect based on pretenses..

Dear Men,
Our heart has been broken and healed so many times..
So please don't underestimate us by saying that we cannot handle the truth..


Sincerely,
Women

Upside Down House Exhibition

 

I know it's only turning the furniture upside down and glued in to the wall. Some may think it's not worth the wait (queue) and money. But for some, it is an opportunity to get a fun picture. For me, it's another way to refresh my mind and take a break from research :))

The house was filled up by so many people, so for some spot, we couldn't get a clear and great photos. But the good thing about this exhibition are: they controlled the amount of people inside the house (1), they prepared a place for people to queue, so we can take photos without other people in it (2), there is no time limit, so people can take as many picture and as long as they like (3), once we moved to another room, we cannot go back to the previous ones, so we will not bump into each other (4).

What is love?

Is it when you feel a connection with someone?

... when you feel a whole and complete just by being together..

... when context matter less than moment..

... and when every moment has it own space in your heart..

Is it when you can't stop thinking about that person?

... when only that person stays on your mind and heart, although there are millions of others..

... when having a lot of admirer means nothing to you if you can't get that person's attention..

... and when everyday, you wish that person nothing but happiness..

Is it when you stop searching?

... when any other woman/men doesn't appeal to you as much as it used to..

... when you can't think of anyone else that's better than him/her..

... and when you're not interested in going on a date with someone new..

Is it when you put 'us' or 'him/her' before 'me'?

... when quality means so much more than quantity..

... when you're patiently waiting for the time being with him/her..

... and when you're willing to sacrifice your own happiness for him/her..

Conan Exhibition

CONAN!

I was super excited to go to the exhibition. Although I need to queue for about one hour, but it was worth it!

After the entrance, there was a wall full of all Conan comic series. 

Then, there was a pop-up picture of all characters in Conan complete with its descriptions, as shown below..

Before entrance, each visitor get one puzzle book and pencil. Visitor are required to solve the murder (the puzzle) inside the exhibition. Since the puzzle and instructions are all in Chinese, I didn't took any pictures. I tried to solve it using Google translate from my phone and a little logic to put it all together. Then, if we can solve it, we get the certification as shown below (the white paper in the middle). The right one is the stamp book that we can buy together with the entrance ticket. There is one free sticker (right one) inside the stamp book.

After solving the puzzle, there are lots and lots of photos, drawings and paintings on Conan. Lastly, there is a figure of Sinichi Kudo and Ran.