Travelling 2014.1

Rain from a (noise) machine to cancel out the construction noise next door. I'm in the W Taipei and the only soundtrack on my laptop is playing (in the mood for love) because the internet keeps buffering. It suits the mood well. Today it is charcoal-skyed. Small drizzle blows into the sheltered walkways and the silhouette of the mountains in the distance embracing the city fades into a water-colour of mist and shadow. Yet another discovery of a city - eye-awakening, heart-awakening, soul-awakening, mind-awakening - that we drove into on the limo. This sort of awareness is very romantic when done in the cool of early spring, with husband (for the first time) and with everybody being so polite and sweet. The buildings were at first drab, grey, dusty and silent. In the city where we are, lights pulsate azure, christmas-green, scarlet - a modern oasis of expensive and very polite shops surrounded by the greyness of the city. I have not visited any archaic buildings (wanted to saunter to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall a few blocks away today but the rain kept me indoors, as did physical limitations), have eaten a more Japanese than local cuisine (we're in the Chinese version of a little Tokyo and I've been buying bread of the loveliest descriptions: macadamia nut croissant; pomelo and honey bread; azumi bean and moshi bread; etc.) I've eaten and drunk more sugar than normal in the past few days but that's fine, I've also been downing plenty of bottled water. Last night we had the view of the city from eighty five stories up. The beads of city lights made it more alive in the night than the day, but they were so far away from up there - flat, flickering urbanscape with the periphery of mountains also flattened in the might of being eighty five stories up. Nightscapes like these are so familiar yet so different. It takes a getting out to go in. Eslite bookstore is Kinokuniya-Borders-Idee shop. We don't have such luxury in Singapore anymore. More exposed I'm less impressed by the designer items but it's still nice to have around. I still love Kinokuniya though but how wonderful if it came with a music section - a whole world to spend the day in-type of space. By the way, comfort on a holiday is having four big plush pillows in bed and Financial Times and New York Times delivered to your room and at the breakfast table. I've enjoyed several articles these past days, while abandoning my will to attack my newest book of architectural criticism (I got into the introduction proper today in bed in the afternoon). My Chinese has not improved. I just tell them I'm Singaporean when they stare blankly at my croaked and crooked second language. Fortunately, I have husband to guide me around and be my face. I become the meek, silent, smiley wife by default of my staccato grasp of Chinese. Haha.