The Last Knot

My days in Taiwan as master student already over. I spent it as fully as I could. I even managed to go around Taiwan before going back to Indonesia thanks to my Taiwanese friend. Most of my to-do-list for 2 years in Taiwan already ticked or checked. But at that time, I still felt that I was in NCU, not going anywhere, feel like woke up in the afternoon, lined my friend and asked them out to have something to feed our hungry stomach and roaming on sidewalk beside our G14 dormitory to find a good canteen to eat. Even when I say goodbye to all my lab-mates, junior, senior, professor, I still can smile and say goodbye properly. I saw several of my friend even burst out the tears when saying goodbye, but then again I didn't feel like to do it. Because I feel that I am still here, I am still a part of NCU, like I am not going anywhere. 

Even after that I went back to Indonesia, I traveled to Bali, Malang and Lombok with my lab-mates, I still feel full of joy, enjoying everything, feeling like some travelers, together with my awesome partner-in-crime; Mommy, Kappa, Hongkong Girl, Minion and Local people. What the heck? you should confused about those weird name, shouldn't you? hahaha that was the nickname we got along the way of our journey in those 3 cities I mentioned before. I even managed to get one, Ursula (if maybe you don't know who she is, check Disney's movies 'Little Mermaid' then you should find which one this character is).

Starring:

 Mommy and Hongkong Girl

 Minion and Kappa

Local people and Ursula

Firstly, that empty feeling suddenly appear when the time to say goodbye to my Taiwanese friend is coming closer. That was the last 8 days we spent together, after we got back from Gilih trawangan, that they will be back to Taiwan. I remember I used my sunglasses and laughing together, but suddenly my tears are just coming out from nowhere. I was shocked! Why? And it can't be stopped, just bursting, thanks to my amazing sunglasses, nobody knows at that time. But still, although the tears already fell down, but my heart felt just ok, not in that sentimental way. But just ok, because I still can handle it.

Finally, We separated in Lombok International Airport, Indonesia. Their flight is to Denpasar-Hongkong-Taiwan. Me and minion were going to Jakarta. Mommy is staying at Lombok, coz that is her hometown. Tears began to struggle out on my eyes when Mommy say farewell as she hugged us with welling tears. But I managed to held back mine. The hardest part was when it's time to say goodbye to my Hongkong girl, Kappa and Local people. We were in the waiting room sit together, and when the time for us to boarded to each of our destination gate. Hongkong girl hug me and saying some cute thing , like " I will miss my pillow very much" (she can sleep soundly in a moving car when she laid her head to my arms since it was so big and comfy :3, so does Minions). The tears started to fell down. But once again, I really really tried to held it. Next is Kappa, I looked at his face and I know how sad he was and trying to held back the tears exactly as I did). I shook my hands with him and he tries to say goodbye while he put his hand on my shoulder while saying "Goodbye Ima", my tears almost slipped at that moment,but again, I handle it very well with my gesture. Quickly I change to Yuhan to shook my hand deeply to say my grateful for him that already helps me a lot during my life in Taiwan until now. And there they goes, come back to their life. That was when it hit me, this was the last time I could meet them directly. I wonder when we will get the chance to meet again.

I and Minion are ready to boarded on our plane. I can still saw three of my friends on the other gate waving their hands at us for the last time. That moment was the moment when the emptiness started to build inside me. That was the moment when I realized that my 3 lab-mates from Taiwan is the last knot of my life in Taiwan. They are the last pieces that binds me to the ups and downs there, they are the reason why I can still laugh and feel like a part of Taiwan's life. And now, that pieces are gone. The last knot already unraveled. It left me with sudden deep sadness. I can't explain it well, but suddenly my tears fell down on my cheek and I started to cry like a baby, I can see all the people at the queue staring at me even the stewardess, but I didn't care, I can't hold the tears anymore, it flows like a river. I was still crying until we sat down inside the plane and still went on even when the plane start to took off. Later on, Minion also cried because of my nonstop crying. 

Yes, Taiwan, I didn't know that you leave a deep impression and lot of memories in my heart. Let this time I express to you my gratitude as well as my farewell. Thank you for teaching me a lot of things about science, life, friendship, happiness, sadness, loneliness. Goodbye friends, goodbye part of my life, hopefully we can meet up and reminisce back someday in the future. 

But for now, it's time to say goodbye. 

Thank you and farewell Taiwan.

Unforgettable journey with my beloved friends

"Thanks for being such a lovely and funny companion during our travel days in Indonesia"

Lombok, August 11, 2014

Mugiwara Shop in Ximending District, Taiwan

Yes you need to visit this place for sure, but I warn you in advance, beware of your wallet health condition, ok? I already warn you, so next time don't blame me XD

What can I say? I was the first victim :( 

*pat pat my wallet

That is the shop! if you see that logo and you are on the right place. They sell lots of One Piece stuff that will make you dig your wallet deeper. Action figure is for sure one of a-must-sell item (although it's so expensive there, I prefer to buy it on Taipei Main Station though, so much cheaper there), they also have manga, card, pin, key holder, towel, bed cover, clothes, slippers, etc and human-size figure of Luffy, Chopper and Sanji! Yes! of course I took pictures :3 

 with my beloved Luffy! Ore wa naru!

 with Serious Sanji? :p

with cute Chopper XD

I buy some stuffs and met 2 people here, they are costumers like me but they asking me whether I am a big fan of One Piece (and of course I said yes! or else why should I come to this shop wasting my money like a speed of the wind mahahaha). I spent some time to talked with them in mix mandarin and english because the guy who really a fan of Ope Piece cannot speak english, so I start to mix all the words, amazingly, we understood each other #LOL. 

 Luffy puzzle

How to get here:
From Taipei main station head straight to Ximen station and use exit (I forgot what number) but the direction is to Ximending. Look for a Movie Theater there and the Mugiwara shop is a cross that building.

2014 One Piece Exhibition at Huashan Creative Park, Taipei, Taiwan

My days in Taiwan are (again) filled with sweet and unforgettable memories from my amazing and awesome Taiwanese friend. I am a big fan of ONE PIECE anime, I really want to (at least once) go to some OnePiece-related event while I still here. So one day, this friend lined me and said that he didn't know that my plan to go to Osaka was canceled because of the late thesis-correction-thing. He asked me whether I wanted to go somewhere in Taipei or near Jhongli to replace my disappointment. I told him that I want to go to One Piece exhibition held in Taipei and Mugiwara shop because I cannot go until now because the ads is all in Chinese :3 (pardon me, although I've already lived in Taiwan for 2 years but then again, I use English everyday to survive) so I don't know where this place is. He said that he wanted to do something in Taipei and he can accompany me around that place after he had done his business. So I said OK! (while jumping and rolling around my room). I was so excited!

So this was a one-day journey to visit ONE PIECE exhibition in 2014 at Huashan Creative Park, Taipei and even after that we can go to the first international Mugiwara Shop ever in Taiwan (of course, this shop usually only exist in Japan before). So this time I will only tell you the first story at the exhibition. Next post I will tell you about the Mugiwara shop experience  :3

(I and Wei-yen at One Piece exhibition main gate)

(right after the main gate, you will find this photo booth)

Although I really disappointed when I knew that visitors cannot taking picture inside the exhibition hall but later I forgot about this matters because I realize that without taking pictures, I can fully enjoyed and immersed with all of the things they provided inside the hall (if I might say, the maze <3).

First thing first, you need to pay for the ticket. Quite expensive, but worth it! If you are an undergraduate student, you can have cheaper price(NT$ 260)! but if you are a master student or even graduated already (like myself :3) so you need to pay more. Luckily I went on weekday so I can get cheaper than weekend which is NT$280, yeay! You can see the ticket price on the picture below.

(Ticket price)

(Hell yeah I'm in!)

After you get your ticket, then go straight to the entrance hall and you need to show your ticket to the staff member. Then you will enter a cinema-like room, where Luffy and the crew will greeted you, here also present stories of what you will see inside. All the characters and scenes on One Piece will be shown. There will be two options when you enter this room, whether you choose to sit down on the small-chair-like sofa or you can stand and hold the hand rail like the bow of the ship. I recommend you to choose the second one, it's more exciting!

 (all the way to the entrance hall)

 (I can't help but took a picture with my dear Luffy)

(this is the entrance hall)

After the first room, you will walk outside and found out that you are in maze, this maze will show you some important and unforgettable scene on One Piece, when Portgas D Ace being captured by the army! so you will walk slowly (with all of one piece music soundtracks) and which will lead you to a prison. You can see Ace inside the jail with both of his hand hanged on the wall, wide open. I can't help but try to reach and touch the mannequin, but the staff member didn't allow me :(  a human size Ace figure! OMG! I almost freaked out >.< the figure is incredibly detail. I wanted to touch him! I spend quite some time here, staring at him. 

Furthermore, you will walk on the maze-like hallway and then this maze is filled with the stories when Luffy want to save Ace and the moment when Ace try to save him back and died in the middle of the action. I almost cry when I read it again (OK, most of the words written in Kanji or Hiragana or katakana, so it will be better to say: I looked each of the scene, Haha! but who cares :p). I think this exhibition was emphasized on the moment of how Luffy and the crew changes and move on. 

(this is how the hallway looks like)

(credit goes to kohaku.com)

(3D version of the One Piece special exhibition drawing from Eiichiro Oda)

Those people on the picture are the key Japanese voice cast for anime, the woman in the middle is the owner of Luffy's voice <3 they came to the opening ceremony invited by the contributors of the event.

Next room is quite similar compare to the first room you enter, the difference is moment, you can watch and enjoy the moment when Luffy made promises to meet again in 2 years and become stronger than before! Next is the working room of Eiichiro Oda, the moment when One Piece was born and how the stories goes on further, it was shown on all over the wall, all the wallpaper shown from the first era, until now (latest stories on the book when Luffy need to fight on Colosseum battle). So it was like sum of One Piece stories using all Oda's drawing. Magnificent. Incredible! I spend most of my time here, staring each of the drawing. 

(Oda's table, place where One Piece born)

Next room is bubble room (yes, I named it! haha), you can see how Luffy and crew underwater and goes to the deepest side of the sea to meet Shirayuki hime (the biggest and most beautiful mermaid legend). This room is fun, because you can stand facing the big screen and move your arms as if you want to crash the bubble! all the bubble will flew on whichever direction you made! hahaha I played a lot here. Making the straw hat crew inside each of the bubble flew towards any direction.

Later on you come into the Trafalgar Law's room! He is now the second person I love (after Monkey D Luffy) in One Piece, hohohoho. This room only consist of one human-size figure of him! (which made me almost shout his name out :p) and later on the movie start to play. It shows from the very first time Luffy and crew met him again in the Ice and Fire Island after they were succeed on going out from the deepest side of the sea journey.

(This is how the figure pose in that room XD)

(credited by google images searcher)

Donquixote Doflamingo of the seven warlords of the sea. This is the next room. You will see his big figure flying on the ceiling. They design this room round, surrounded us with the stories of the manga where Luffy and straw-hat crew met him for the first time and have Colosseum battle scene later on. 

(this is how Donquixote pose on the ceiling, and it's really big!)

With all the voice of the those scenes and the light will tell you which scene are now playing, well, I try to catch the story along with the lights, but in the end I got confused and have a little headache (because I need to look at all direction to follow the story) so I decided to just enjoy the art itself, not the light :p

Last room shows each cover of the books from volume 1 (December 24, 1997) until volume 74 (June 4, 2014). And then at the end of the room, you can buy all exhibition souvenirs provided (which are so expensive, so I only picked small puzzle and postcard). 

 (front cover of the souvenir list)

(back cover of the souvenir list) 

On the exit way, I found some interesting wallpaper, so we made a pose there! Tada! Peace! Ore wa naru!

Thanks to my friend, Wey-yen Tsai, I managed to come here and enjoy this unforgettable moment in Taiwan! I love One piece! Thank you for taking me here, bad guy*! 

Oh, if you are One Piece fans and fortunately stay in Taiwan until the late of September, 2014, DO come here, ok?! I hope my experience helps you to get some information on this event. You have fluent mandarin? You can visit the official website here

*He doesn't want to be called good guy, so I need to say this one instead :p 

How to get here:

from Taipei Main Station stop at Zhongxiao Xinsheng station (Blue line towards Taipei Nangang Exhibition hall station) and use exit 4. Walk straight around 500 m and you will find Huashan Exhibition Hall on your right hand side. One Piece posters and main gate will directly guide you there.