Lost in Translation

The one who’s making this challenge really love talking about “love” I think. This is the 2nd topic out of 3 topics about love. Didn’t they realize that love is the happiest feeling on earth but at the same time it is the hardest thing to explain? Even to show. A lot of people lost in trying to understand the act of love. Figuratively speaking, they’re lost in a translation of love language .

We all know there are many kinds of love in this life. Couple love, parent love, sibling love, friendship, love to our pet, even love to our own place or city. But there’s a silver lining above all of those; belonging. If you don’t have the sense of belonging out of something, someplace or someone, there will be no love between you. When you feel like you belong to anything, you want to keep it dearly in your heart. You don’t want to lose it. You hold tight onto it. Once you lose the sense, you let go. Not all love can be let go, though. It is forgotten sometimes, but not let go. Confusing, indeed.

Love has 2 faces, if you aware about it. Let’s call it the white devil and dark angel. It could trap you without you notice about it. It took most of your time and energy. It ruined your concentration and mostly your mood. It sometimes ruined your relationship with your friends or family. Yet, we somehow still felt very happy. We didn’t realize that there’s a white devil luring us to the trap. It’s called love. It could as well give you a frustration with all the attention. You somewhat forgot that to show love it doesn’t always mean to give flowers or celebrate anniversaries, but still, you were demanding to have all of those. When your parents grounded you or gave you earlier curfew, you hate it because you forgot that it’s actually because they love you. Love, here, looks like a dark angel. Misleading, perhaps.

Love is when you feel home. Within a city or with someone. You want to leave, but you’ll miss it. You’re tired with all the routine, but you need it because it feels safe. Sorry to sound so cliché, but without one, you’re a lost soul. You need it as a compass, as a lighthouse, to remind you sometimes the purpose of your life. Yes, in it, you’re still lost in translation. But, you know deep down you have all the clues.

Starstruck

I rarely have a Starstruck. Especially if it’s only because of his/her appearance. I mostly idolize them who has talent. Good acting, good singer, good tennis/football player. When they’re really good at what they do, my heart fall for them.

I think it all started when I was in elementary school. When all my girl friends like the member of a boyband because they’re good looking. Somehow, being a little miss know-it-all back then, I want to be an anti-mainstream person. So when most of us chose Nick Carter, I collected AJ McLean’s pins up. Well, I really do love his voice until now. Remember when there was a gimmick telling us Westlife Vs 5ive? I choose 5ive. Simply because they’re more original then Westlife who just covering some old songs.

When girls my age has a crush over Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise or Ben Affleck, my desktop screensaver playing pictures of Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Denzel Washington, John Cusack, or Will Smith in a loop. When every woman (or man) who’s watching La Casa De Papel falls in love with the Professor, I’m in love with Berlin, right from the very beginning. Oh, btw, I always love Tom Hanks. The only actor whose all of the movie I watched. Even over and over again. I like his movie when his younger, tho. When he played this fictional character, not like most of his movies nowadays when he portrayed a real figure. I always have a thing with Matthew Rhys and Eddie Redmayne, just because I really really love the way they act.

It doesn’t mean that I never have a crush over a celebrity because they’re good looking. Jude Law and Josh Hartnett always make me daydreaming. I really think if I’m a teenager I will be hysteria every time I see Timothée Chalamet in screen. Alessandro Del Piero was the one who made me get into football until now, because I used to like watching him every weekend.

Anyway, I like them not only because their talent or handsome face. I mostly idolize people because they inspire me. Through their way of choosing a character they portrayed, through their dribbling or smashing technic, or basically, through the way they do their passion. I think I really want to see myself in them. Part of myself that quite envy that they can do what they love.

Erste Liebe.

To be honest, I don’t like today’s topic. I mean, it’s so cheesy. Too cliché to talk about. Everyone has first love. And the story always the same old story. It’s funny, silly, and full of tingling memories. Sometimes it ends up with our first heartbreak. Sometimes it ends up with our latest love instead. Some people blessed to have one, some people still searching for one. It’s all circling down about that area.

Some of us talking about first love always start it with “who?”. Then followed by “when?”. They never asked about “how?” because most of us assume it’s always about the same old stories. Isn’t it?

First love might be with the one who lets our guard down. Or Maybe the first one who makes us realize to put our guard up. It’s the one who takes us to another part of life that we don’t know ever exist before, and we don’t want to leave it. Or, we’re actually trapped in it. In good way, tho.

First love could be when you hit your puberty. Or maybe in your second puberty. You could find it when you least expect it. When you feel like you’re tough enough to be “alone” in the world, it makes you realize you’ll always need significant other. When you think you’ll never find one, it turns out to be your last as well and completes you all of sudden.

First love would be heartening, comforting and mind-blowing. It would be confusing, hurting and mind-boggling as well. But it always feels special. We’ll feel like an alien finding a new way, new habit, new life. No matter how it goes. Or ends.

But, First love should be something happy, tho. If not, then there will be no one says it never dies. If not, then it won’t be in so many topics in many books, movies, bonfires or even writing challenges. It shouldn’t always work out, as people want to move on and try new stuff, and it is only when you look back that you might think, wow, I had that special thing.

30 Facts of Mine in 30 Numbers

Not chronically, and for sure not Alphabetically. But honestly, this is 30 facts about me in 30 numbers.

Was born on 1988. (Bonus fact, I never mind people knowing my age. So what?).
0 Sibling.
17 years living in small town, called Bontang.
Joined in total 8 clubs within 9 years during K12 as an extracurricular activities. (Hey, there’s 3 numbers! Take it as another bonus!)
2 years in a row as President of English Conversation Club in high school.
I was 8 years old when I finally could ride a bike.
I was 25 years old when I finally could swim.
Spent 4.5 years in Bandung during university time.
1 out of the chosen 14 assistants of Ergonomics and Work System Design Laboratory from Industrial Engineering’06 ITB.
Actively played 4 kinds of sports during university.
Won gold medal for Women’s Doubles in Tennis number in 2011 ITB Olympic.
Been working in 3 (multinational) companies (a lil bit brag here, sorry).
Total working experiences is more than 9 years (hello, any recruiter here?)
6 out of 9 years of working experiences spent in 1 company.
This is number 15, 0.5 of the way to today’s topic, and in fact, I’m starting to lose any idea what to write. (it’s fact! accept it!)
Having 2 Instagram accounts. (Please follow @coretoan for my current painting project! haha!)
Getting married when I was 25 years old (last 2 weeks before turning 26. haha!)
Having a 6 years and counting of happy and dreamy marriage.
Currently learning 2 languages at a time, Japanese and Spanish.
In Total can speak 3 foreign language in daily conversation (survival mode) and 1 foreign language fluently.
Currently read 22 books in 4 months. 2 more books for this year reading challenge.
Been a fans of Onitsuka Tiger/Asics/Asics Tiger shoes and currently having 10 pairs of it (and I want moooore)
Have 96 apps in my mobile phone. (Tbh, I just found out about it when I write this)
Ever been in 2 surgeries in my life.
Collecting 17 Disney tsum tsum (and I want moooore)
Often set additional 2 hours of sleep in the morning before working around 9.30 am during pandemic.
Have a plan to publish a book before 40.
Have visited 22 countries so far (and I want moooore).
Have 7 lifetime best friends. Read about them here !
Been living in 3 cities entire life.

Catch me if you can

Nope, this is not a movie/book review. So if it’s somehow appear to you when you google it, you may leave now. Or, bear with me for awhile while I’m writing about today’s topic on this 30 days writing challenge : ways to win my heart.

It’s not that hard, though.

You just need to have a broad knowledge. About anything. Probably same interests of mine. Or different. I don’t mine. Because I can spend a whole day to talk with you. You’ll inspire me with your knowledge. You’ll teach or show me something I don’t know it ever exists before. You may also have a deep knowledge about something you passionate about. It’s always interesting to know another point of view from people who’s really into something.

We just need to have same sense of humor. As an extrovert, I absorb energy from other people. If we share the same sense of humor, we might as well share a positive energy when we meet. Your joke is funny, because you’re always thinking outside the box. Your humor is so fresh that it’s unexpectedly witty. And no, it’s not because you’re talking low about someone or make a fun of their physical appearance. It’s not funny at all.

Oh, if you can speak in many languages, you’ll leave me in an awe. Somehow I always think that when people can speak several languages other than their mother tongue, they’re not only smart, but also open-minded. When we learn another language, we learn about the culture. We learn about how to communicate the way the native think. We’ll be part of the world.

If you took notice, you can win my heart as long as you’re a great pal to talk with. This is actually the first reason why I said yes to Abang. When you’re growing old together, when your joints are shaking, when your breaths are getting shorter, when all you can do is just sit together, you’ll talk. You’ll talk about your happy memories, you’ll talk about books you just read together, you’ll talk about your children and grandchildren. You need something to laugh about when your mind is getting tired with the whole world you’ve just seen, passed and had. I couldn’t imagine spent my old time with someone who couldn’t provide any of that. I couldn’t imagine spent my whole time without Abang, the one who already won my heart 🙂