bijel's VirtualTourist Home Page

My mom and Xiaoqing. What'll I do without them?

Can't quite imagine. Don't want to either.

My blue shoes are now dirty. I've run many miles with them here in Taipei, and sure enough, it's time to leave.

I've run painful miles. I've run slow miles. I've run fast miles. And I've run miles and miles.

If I look back and think of all the miles I've run with these shoes, I see no footprints along the way. I do, deeply, feel the mileage in my heart.

The journey of life is made up of so many miles. On the days when it seems like one's feet wouldn't carry one any further, it helps to make tiny steps. Many tiny steps make up a mile, and soon, another stage is over.

Dirty blue shoes.

A stage of life that shall soon end.

Never thought I'd feel this way...but.. I have fallen in love with Taipei.

Blue is peace to me. Today, I rushed 6 hectic reports before work ended and was superbly happy with myself. I decided to reward myself by going to the gym - which was something I'd done as long as I ended work on time today, for I've missed 2 days because of this report rushing business already. I've decided that was quite enough.

Anyway, the feeling was a blue peace. Sort of heavy, but inherently nothing-ish. Quite a strange feeling, like something exciting's happening and is something you should be happy about but you're just normal.

On the better spirited side but definitely normal. Or maybe that's just because you've no one to share hilarity and obsessiveness with?

All I know is that blue peace appeals to me, because it's that shade of blue, that comfortable part of my heaven.

When the roads turn black
Where they used to be gray
I know
I know
That things have changed.

When the windows squeak
Where they used to be silent
I know
I know
There's a change in the air.

The clouds roll over
And the shadows are cast.

I know
I know
That something has changed.

[Another by the BLUE PEN, 1.26pm. Wednesday, August 6th, 2003.]

I love it when the sun sets over the rooftops this way.
There was
Tranquility
In the air.

I breathe it in
Through the rushing wind
Sliced into
Palatable fraction
By the windows of my bus
And knew that
Somewhere inside,
I had grown to love this place
That had once been my bane.

Transformation
Over many a sunset.

Leaving.

I will regret.

Uncannily
It crept in –
This unrequited love.

[The BLUE PEN, 5.17pm, April 27th, on the 0 East bus, on Minsheng East Road Sec. 4]

I suppose there's really nothing like home. Here's the inauguration of the wine cooler - which was supposedly bought to commemorate the prodigal daughter's return from Taipei, from a father who taught her the love of le vin. Here we are, happy as can be. I love me dad and I know he loves me too!

During one of our Sundays.

Such genius and creativity. Such passions and contradictions. Such torment and absurdity. And I don't mean me. The reasons are endless - finding myself enamoured of this great artist. I hope I'll get to visit her museum one day.

The issues she deals with in her paintings are so close to my heart.