my first leap

I’m in love. His name is Jung Woo-Sung (the first guy in the picture). I first saw him in ‘Daisy‘, a Korean film on the plane to Taiwan and today saw him again in ‘A Moment to Remember’. So I’m crazy about a guy, who is a figment of someone’s imagination – I just love his character in both films. Girls, you must watch these two films. He’s so oh-my-god. Hollywood is going to do a remake of ‘Daisy’ like it has with ‘Il Mare’, another favourite film of mine. I’ve been indoors almost all day today watching films: ‘Three Times’ and ‘Cafe Lumiere’. Ling showed me her boss’s (Hou Hsiao Hsien) collection of films since the 1980s to go through if I have time.

I’m trying to distract myself. I’ve come to the conclusion that though I did have prickly heat, what I have now may be an allergic reaction – quite a big one. When you have sensitive skin like mine, when something crazy happens to your skin and you feel like the elephant man. It’s like being jilted by someone you love. Initially, you ignore there’s anything wrong. But as it gets worse; and your love leaves unexpectedly or tells you that they simply do not love you anymore without any explanation; you can’t ignore it any more. Your first initial knee jerk reaction is to try to save it with quick fixes, just grabbing any possible remedy or weapon you can find and pouring desperately on it in the hope that it will make it better. But this only aggravates. It doesn’t help; it makes it worse. It makes you feel even worse and the situation becomes a point of no return. Then you try to take it all back; rid the situation of your quick fixes in your desperate attempt to make things go back to the way it was. But what has been done has been done. It’s too late. Then you’re in shock. You don’t know why this has happened. You think of all the little things that may have caused this. The pain won’t go. You just don’t know the reason why. You can’t eat or sleep. You can’t stop thinking about it;  you mull over it; you keep concentrating on it because now the pain is so much, you want to distract yourself but you can’t. You feel like you’ve got leprosy and you try to hide your pain (discomfort) from all around you. You can’t sleep so you walk the streets. My sensitive skin. So I walk the streets all covered up. Like all pains in love; everything heals in time. My sensitive skin, I believe you will heal. And like a new love, I promise to be more watchful and attentative in future.

Seb has suggested we change our travelling plans, maybe cut out Laos and Thailand. Still go to Vietnam but instead travel up to Hanoi, into China, go west of China, try to get into to Tibet and Nepal or if not able to, go towards North China, even Mongolia. Just ideas to avoid the humidity. Still exciting. We’ll see.

***

If there was nothing wrong in the world there wouldn’t be anything for us to do. – George Bernard Shaw. Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856–1950

I love Taiwan though my skin seems to have a distinct dislike to you. Your people are friendly and open to new cultures and ideas. I love how you embrace the Japanese culture with it’s fresh fish and polite ways; and how you’re willing to explore other Asian countries like Korea and China (of course); you’re also open to Western influences as well. I will definitely come back to see you because of you, I have great friends here. My friends in Taipei lead such busy lives, sometimes working up to 12 hours and yet they still have time to talk to me, help me with things I need to get or do; they’ve been more than saintly, thank you Taiwan! I love you!

Today, with a map Ling gave me, I found Dihua St. Mum would love this parallel row of shops full of anything and everything you can dry; fruit, sweets, fish, herbs, teas, medicine, roots, edible plants, things I don’t recognise etc. And everything can be bought in bulk or your desired weight. I saw a dried piece of squid half my size. Along the way on Minsheng W. Rd from Shuanglian MRT station, I saw a crab twice the size of my head! I found Ningxia Rd on the way to Dihua St; a street full of small food stalls (opens 5.30pm-12am) catering for desserts, sashimi, seafood, all types of foods – quite amazing.

Ling has been back late almost every night and when she does, we watch her favourite Japanese TV drama called ‘Slow Dance’ where you’re never sure who is going to be with whom and as Ling said, the title tells you it’s a slow process finding out but according to her it’s very addictive. The programme is in Japanese with Chinese subtitles. Interesting for me. But somehow, the subtitles seem easier to read so I’m either getting better or the programme purposely keep it simple. So every couple of minutes when I concentrate, I get to know what’s going on and facial expressions and actions are great because they give you an idea what’s going as well.

Ling hopes that I can join her on a music video shoot on Monday in Danshui, right at the end of the MRT line and where I’d finally get to see the river Sophia and I desperately searched for but couldn’t find (concrete highways blocked the way). She tells me that it couldn’t done earlier because of Typhoon Ewiniar on the Southern tip of Taiwan and going towards Japan!

Prickly heat rashes do not disappear entirely it seems. They deceptively disappear for an evening and then when it suddenly gets a little hot, the bumps come back with a vengence so my arms and legs look a dry pasty white (calamine lotion – well, the one I have does this) so half of me looks like some pimply teenage white alien with a really bad skin. Trying to moisturize this area is not a good idea either. It just irritates. One good thing about this dried white calamine lotion is you can’t see the blistering redness underneath. So either be red and painfully blistered or a white dried alien in need of serious moisturizing. I choose dry white. But I wonder if the dryness adds to the itchiness? From experience, dryness irritates, from this experience, moisture irritates. Man! I just can’t win! My body, my skin to be precise, can you hear me? Please tell me what you want. Yes, I know, air-conditioned rooms, I know, no sun, no heat, I know you’re telling me this by being the way you are right now. But please work with me here, please. You are so irritating! Sorry, irritated, yes, irritated. I know it’s not ideal and I’m doing my best. Even now you need attention from me. Let’s work together, okay? Okay. So in the end, finding no dress long enough to cover my alien body, I didn’t go to The Drummer theatre show today. To deal with this heat; I went and bought a large man’s shirt made of breathable UV protected, light material, and fast dry fabric; two sports t-shirts with same qualities. The shirt was a better idea because it’s big allowing air to circulate and it covers arms so no need for sun cream or mosquitoe repellent if you want to avoid intoxicating your skin. With irritated arms, I’m trying to avoid putting lashings of any cream and spraying repellent on it. It’s no fun for you or people around you when your body requires so much attention from you. To deal with the heat and humidity here, people jump in and out of air-conditioned shops. I’m positive that my body will climatise soon; please body you, soon okay please?

I predict that with global warming and countries becoming more developed and crowded, soon we will live in an underground of air-conditioned walkways, with bits of exposed areas where the sun and heat poke in; basically larger areas of extended underground stations. And the outside, upper area will be used for activities requiring the sun and heat. In Taipei already, connected to their MRT stations, are shopping malls underground, where you can walk through underground and their are up to 17 (here in Zhongxiao Fuxing) exit points. So you can travel quite a distance without seeing the sun. Especially here, where the fashion is pale white skin which means sooner or later, everything can be got to underground. I can see this happening in Taiwan and HK, small islands. Just a thought.

Plastic bags are charged at $1 to discourage the wasteful use of plastic to protect the environment. And the Taiwanese must purchase (Trash fee) special trash bags to put their rubbish. Recyclables are collected for free to encourage people to separate the reusable from their rubbish. Ling showed me her collection that’s acculumating in her place.

There I will end today; on a serious rubbish note.

***

To Tobias: Thanks for sending me the changes to the Silent Witness times:

Cargo

Part 1  [Sunday 16th July 2006, 9pm, BBC ONE]
Part 2 [Monday 17th July 2006, 9pm, BBC ONE] 

To Emma: Okay, I’m just a perverted minx! That’s what you wanted to hear? If yes, then so be it. If not, then I’m not. It’s funny how people believe my blog is me. In fact, it’s very much a persona. My purpose is to write down things I want to remember but also I know people might be reading so I entertain. People love a little drama, a little emotion, a little tantalising hook, but in an extreme way. Am I jesting with you, or not? Maybe. Maybe not.

To Litt’ Sis: Thanks. Mum is lovely. Mum loves me. I love mummy. I love my mum. I wish I can tell her to her face one day. In the Chinese way, next time I see her; I will offer her food.

***

It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. – Agnes Repplier. American Essayist and Writer, She is known for her collections of scholarly essays in Compromises (1904). 1858–1950

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