Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Home

Just to repeat, I have this fridge magnet I bought during my first year of marriage. It says "Bricks and mortar make a house but laughter of children makes a home."

Since I left my previous home after getting married, I have been staying in a house (ok, well, a condo) and hope to have my our own home soon. Though I stay here and my kid laughs a lot, it is still not a home. Not until it really belongs to me and my family.

Thinking about it again, a home is not really about a place. It's the mindset. When people say "home", you don't generally think of the house, or an aerial view of the land the house sits on, but the feeling of being in that house/area. They can smell 'home', feel at home, etc.... basically it brings to mind the feeling of belonging, secure, and where 80% of happy childhood memories reside.

Let me assume that this will happen to a certain 'crazy biscuit' who'll return home after being two years in NY. During the flight, once the captain says "We're in Malaysian air space.", the first sigh of "home" happens, either on her lips or mind. Having to enter a country where she belongs is first feeling of home.

Then as the plane land on the tarmac and she gets off, she'll drop herself to the ground to kiss it, "ahh... home". But the airport personnel will say "Oi, you're kissing the carpet lah. You're in the arrival chute."

Then she'll meet her families and friends carrying placards stating "Welcome Home, N". Japanese anime fans who gets into the arrival hall will wonder if the famed Near or "N" of Death Note is for real. Anyway, once she hugs her family, another "home!".

At home, once she drops her beg and lie down on the bed with bedbugs carrying small placards stating "Welcome home, food!", she'll sigh her final "Homeeee.... ahh.." and just lay down there for about another half an hour. Everything in place; feeling secured, happy, smelling her favourite food being cooked by her mum thus reliving memories of the past, all constitute to finally being home.

Now, for some it's not home just yet. "Oh, need to call my friends out!".... the final piece of home,... social belonging. :D

Me..... my hopes is that in the future, home is where I fine solace, create memories, the place where I can be all I want to be. And the place where when I open the door, I can smell my wife's Soto Ayam. Hehehe....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

it's true what they say, u can take me out of malaysia, but u cannot take the malaysia out of me.. no matter where i choose to reside after this, SF ke..japan ke..malaysia will always be home. or maybe just the KL part where i live.

Anonymous said...

Heh...your wife cook soto ayam a lot ke? Like this I will welcome myself to the home when I'm in town. I'll make sure I give you enough notice to go to the pasar to buy the ayam, and rebus the nasi impit:)