I am Big Big Girl in a Big Big Flood…. (using a lyric from Emily – Big Big World)

Today I would like to tell you my experience for a big flood happened last February at my new residence. Actually I already wrote it in advance exactly at the flood day but I only have the chance to upload this story now.

February, 10 2015

Woaa who knows that heavy rain these days ended up with being a big flood! It was only one month after I moved to my new residence to the youngest Indonesia’s province. I was just moving to my new boarding house a day ago, cleaned up and settle everything, but now look here! Aww man it was a big flood out there and water threaten to come in to the house. It was only in the yard in the morning, and then slow but sure the water began to rise to the front steps.  On the same day, I got text messages from my chief division to gather around the main office and formed 2 groups of people to measure the water level. Actually this is not my division but since we have lack of member here so all division need to help each other let alone it was emergency situation. Each division rode one double-cabin car (a ranger car) each carrying a measuring gauge, a GPS to mark territory, paper and stationery to record the measurement results. We took three points in every way (start, middle and end point).

I was a team with mas Ali, Afiq, Singgih, Suwito and Ms. Eka. After performing measurements on four roads, turns out the water began to increasingly high so it cannot be passed by cars. Finally we decided to walk for the sake of completing the rest of the measurement which was still a long way to finished.  Funny phenomenon that I noticed from this flooding along the way Tanjung was this society truly is excited at this flood event. They are busy playing and making flood water as if it was an extra large swimming pool and make this moment as a means of recreation and they went walks around the town to see flooding in various places. Though the water looks cloudy and dirty and just imagine all the water in the ditch were mixed in this flood but they seemed did not care about it and casually swim and enjoy their pool. 

Semangka Road, the highest flood level

According to some friends who come from this city, a city famous for its hornbills, previously they had experienced a major flood like this, probably about 10 years ago. Since in this small town, there are rare things that horrendous the city, so even for the flood moment they made it as a special event to be enjoyed. I could only shake my head only to realize  this phenomenon and think, Did they not realize that this is a disaster and must immediately evacuate? Well that’s a thing for a small city like this.

Finally after a sore foot, toe blisters (I wear sandals in the water, kind of regret about this) as well as experience itching due to unsanitary water, finally we finished the measurement and then headed to the main road (near the monument of peace) while waiting for a car shuttle to return to office (at that time the water on the main road is not as high as in other road).  In this activity we get the highest measurement is on Semangka Road with water elevation around 95 m height. Noted that that was only the first day and water was still  continue to increase up to 3 days ahead. 

After joining the other teams we were invited by the team leader, Mrs. Pelmi, to eat noodles, dumplings and meatballs, and all on her .. yesss I've just heard  free food and my spirit went up again hahahaha. After I got home, my feet sore already and feel really itchy, so I had to rush to get cleaned up and then afterwards packing all stuff (again) as a precaution in case of the increase of water level again. 

The 2 team regroup together after an exhausted walk

February 11, 2015

The second day of the flood and the water has risen to the top of the front steps, leaving only a distance of as high as 2 knuckles before inundating the patio as a whole. This day is still as usual, we did shoping and cooking. it was the most exciting shopping activities ever, because I finally have a chance to ride a Ketingting (a small sized water transportation modes) used by local people every day if you want to cross over to the next town, but this time the boat was used inside the city road because the water was high enough and only can be passed by this type of transportation. 

Originally, we intended to charge our gadges at one of my coworkers because earlier we heard from him that there is a backup electricity machine at his home and his house was not waterlogged yet. But unfortunately when we arrived there, turned out his house was almost the same condition with us and the machinery cannot be started because it was slightly submerged in water. As a result we went straight to the market and did the shopping. I took some photograph during the ride though hehe

 

 in front of my boarding house

After shopping and cooking activities, I just lie down at home because there was nothing else I could do, mobile signals was off and it was really hard to have communication and sending news to others. Water still increasing and at the dusk, heavy rain began pouring Tanjung city. I just can expect flooding to subside because this disaster reminds me of similar events in my hometown of Banda Aceh in the year 2000. Flood reached 3 meters high and I still remember how difficult it was to get clean water and food are only dependent on outside assistance channeled through Getek and Ketingting. Hopefully this flood will subside soon. Amen.

February 12, 2015

After heavy rain overnight, Thank God when I woke up this morning the water had receded. Water already passed its highest point overnight and began increasingly recede. But the problem today was clean water. We have a shortage of clean water, only use it  for primary purposes, just enough for BAB, BAK and ablution for 2 days only. But thank God the clean water began to flowed back again at 9 am and our home was filled with gratitude. We live again!!!!!!!!!


note:

I realize something after this disaster happened that whenever I come and live in some cities, I always experience the most tremendous disaster ever happen on earth (or at least in that city). 
I lived in Aceh and I experience flood (2000) and earthquake and tsunami (2004)
I lived in Taiwan and I know how it feels to have the biggest Typhoon on 2012
I live in Tanjung selor and I (again) experience the biggest flood ever happened there on 2015

What a life :P 

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.

[5 Days around Taiwan] Day 2: The other side of Hualien

Yeah!! we're back! with a new backpacking stories of our adventure around Hualien for our second day. Here are our welcome greeting XD

Qixingtan Beach

Our first destination is Qixingtan beach, the sky and the water is so blue, I love it very much. These are some photos we capture to remind us of that moment.

 This beach is so beautiful <3 too bad we can't swim 'coz it's too dangerous

Ralph, Sari and me

Actually we want to see sunrise here but we decided to cancel it at the last moment because our driver is too tired and we need sleep because we still have a long way to go today. So here we are on Qixingtan Beach!!!

The Pine Garden

Pine garden is actually a house of some artist who famous of its poem and song. So this guy built a house on a hills and surround the pine tree all over his house. A military structure and century-old pine woods built in Japanese colonial period. Now it become like a museum. What make this house really cool is it has a lot of windows and there are plant on all over the roof and external wall. It makes the house cooler inside with the help of fresh wind, we didn't feel hot at all :D so here are the Pine Garden House.

Welcome you to Pine Garden House

Inside the house XD 

Sightseeing on the backyard of the house 

Front yard 

Pine garden and restaurant

Oh I almost forgot to mention about the ticket price, yes! you need to buy the ticket to come in to this garden. NTD 50 for full price, but if you are a student , then you can get half price by showing your student ID (NTD 25). If you are on group , then you need to pay NTD 40. 

ChiAn ChingHsiou Temple

This is a historical building left by Japanese colonial. This spot is open from 8.30 am to 5 pm. If you want to come inside, you need to buy ticket for:
Full price: NTD 30
Student price: NTD 15
Group: NTD 20
It is quite cheap for a small historical building, worth it :D But if you really not so into the museum-like traveler, so just skip this place , tee-hee XD

In front of the historical building site

Inside the temple

Temple's yard 

Next is looking for eating place (for our Taiwanese friend), since this month is fasting month, so we only accompany them to eat. We are really happy today because we can meet Samuel , one of our beloved labmate, who happen to be in Hualien with his girlfriend (I mention him indirectly on my previous post XD). He will introduce you to the good place to eat in Hualien, especially for you who can eat pork :P 

(This is our friend, SAM)

(Inside the dumpling shop)

(This what the dumpling looks like)

Later on we move on to our next culinary spot, which is a MUST visit shop!! ICE CREAM shop! ice is a heaven word in this hot summer season. This ice cream shop is really famous because the shape is really unique, like a pie. Check it out:

The menu and whats inside the ice cream

Sari and me really sad cannot eat it directly because we are fasting, but later on we come back on this shop just to eat this yummy ice cream! I will not forget about this experience! You really need to taste it!

Queuing at night is longer than in the afternoon *o*

full review of how the ice cream looks like 'coz now we can eat it XD

our revenge message for Sam because this afternoon he tease us with this ice cream!

Liyu Lake with giant black rubber duck

It was coincidentally in the summer festival and they show a giant rubber duck on the lake with 15 little duck surrounding it XD it is so cute and here are some recording of that duck.

We even ride the duck boat XD and here is some of the video we recorded. Oh btw, just forget what I said in the video "we are inside the duck itself" mehhhh..i don't know what's gotten into me and I even don't know what I was talking about mahahahaha tired I think :P

Fairytale Land in Hualien a.k.a VillaHome

Next destination is the Fairytale Land >.< ahahah actually it is a rich man area. So some guy bought this land and made some villa (which is so expensive, NT$ 4500 is the cheapest price to stay one night~_~) but looks like he wants to make the scenery just looks like something from european style? 

But I think this artificial lake and also the villa itself is so beautiful like a fairytale, we really love this place :D 

here is some of the review video

FYI, not many people know this area, so we are lucky that Ralph bring us here. Xie xie nin.  

final review of the fairy land XD

For further information of this spot, you can check it by yourself on their amazing website : amazing and cool website of VillaHome

That is our last destination for Day 2 of the journey, later we go to prepare our break fasting time, so we go to a famous restaurant (seafood) and this restaurant is a must visit place too.

Hualien famous restaurant

and our menu for today XD

So that's all for our second day journey around Taiwan, we still have 3 days more, so we will take a rest and tell you our story on another post. Good night Hualien XD