the bubble

the bubble (n) - the area which encompasses an individual's life.

i realized the other day while sitting on my building's rooftop garden, that i really live in a bubble. and i can see most of the areas where i either work, shop, have friends, or generally spend time in. what makes it even more interesting is that i am pretty much smack dab in the middle of this bubble. taipei may have a lot of people, but metro taipei isn't really that big. at least, square footage-wise. my life inhabits an even smaller portion of metro taipei...minchuan to the north, guangfu to the east, zhongshan to the west and keelung to the south...these 4 roads make up the boundaries of my life in taiwan. not that's a bad thing, but it sure doesn't look like much.

within this small window exist all a man needs or wants. no shortage exists for food...among the favoured are yong kang street or shi da road...busy, but delicious areas to break bread. getting to work is easy thanks to the subway and bus system which are clean, cheap and efficient. shopping is never a problem and one of the easiest things to do just about anywhere in the bubble. i tend to be flexible about my shopping and like to spread it around...101, dunhua/fuxing for the more urbane and fashionable, gonguan + shi da for the latest in street wear. the same rules apply for activities as well...clubs, pubs, lounges, arenas, theatres, art performances, ampitheaters all survive and thrive inside my bubble.

of course, there are reasons to leave your bubble now and then, but i'm sure it's safe to say that some people seldom do. i tend not to unless i specifically have a reason to go to a certain area. for example, the department of foreign affairs is a place i have to visit about once a year for bureaucratic reasons and exists in a part of the city that i really have no need to visit, except for this once a year a trip. definitely outside the bubble. another reason might be to visit a friend or relative who lives outside your bubble, but for the most part, most of us like to stick to our own bubble.

bubble can change over time. if your job changes, you mght move or at least have a different commute to work. perhaps you meet a new friend who lives in an entirely unknown region of the city. hence, the bubble shifts to encompass this new aspect of your life. this has happened to me often (likely 'cos i move so much) but even staying put in taipei has meant a lot of bubble shifting. i've moved house 4 times, have had 6 different jobs ranging from nearly across the street to being over an hour away and have had friends who have lived near and far. all of these factors have shaped and re-shaped my bubble many times over.

funny enough, i actually decided to revist some familiar places that made up my bubble when i first arrived in taiwan. i was living in neihu, a sort of satellite city to taipei. at the time i lived there, neihu was pretty, quiet and a bit of a wasteland for things to do and see. the mrt didn't service this section of the city like it does today and things have changed. neihu seems to have sprung up over night...hotels, shopping centres, restaurants and clean, efficient public transport have replaced the neihu i remember. giant fields of grass and dirt being overturned (in preparation for what stands there today), long and lonely, temporary roads which appear to head nowhere. a lack of good places to eat, with only noodle stands lining the sidestreets and no matter where you were, there was always construction. i can remember trying to search for the bus stop, which was temporary and often moved due to construction, only to climb onboard some old, rattletrap bus that should've been de-commissioned about 10 years earlier. i'd take it through the wastelands for about 25 minutes to the closest mrt station (by closest, i mean the once-end of the blue line) to take the MRT another 20 minutes into the main station and civilization. so, my bubble was actually quite large in those early days...not to mention my first teaching job was in taipei county, in the city of xizhi, which meant a bus ride to the mrt station, transfer buses and head to xi zhi for about another 30 minutes. then, from xizhi i would take the train into the main station and then go to chinese classes for about 2 hours, then another hour trip home. life sucked. about 3 hours everyday spent in transit. that bubble was too big.

how life has changed since those days which feel very faraway now. revisting the old neighb didn't really give me the sense of nostalgia that i had expected. in its place, i felt relief and a sense of accomplishment about how far i've come from those days. how naive and uncertain i was of everything here...i feel much happier , much more settled and comfortable now than i did in those days, but at the same time everything was exciting when i was living in such a huge bubble. it likely felt that way 'cos so much could and often did go wrong. i get lost. i'd have a strange encounter. i'd see something interesting. i'd eat somewhere different. fun, but scary at times when you don't speak the language. scary and frustrating, but all part of the fun. yes, there's definitely something to be said for getting out of the bubble every now and then. maybe we just need a good reason to 'pop' our bubble once in a while.

spent the last few weeks catching up with some old friends. heather has arrived to stay for good and amy came for a short 10-day holiday. it was a lot of fun catching up with them and we managed to see and do quite a bit, at least when ever work didn't get in the way. the highlight of my visit with amy was going to Van for the first time and i'm in love...sensational place and cannot wait to spend some more time there. here a few pics of our adventures on the mainland.

big improvements

what a change these last few weeks have brought. the last 10 months living in small-twon exile have finally come to an end...no more hanover, no more living with my parents and no more circling the airport of life. we're on our way to b.c to a brand new start and and a new life. i'm full of excitement and anticipation of what's to come, but before we arrive at the destination we mustn't forget the journey...
day 1 - june.28.2008.
3:15am - awoke to rainy skies. a hasty goodbye before jumping in the packed to the hilt car and a 2-hour drive to tobermory. the crossing to manitoulin island was tranquil. calm, cobalt blue waters were broken lightly by a gentle rain. had a bit of a slow time once we made the landing due to a faulty swing bridge. soon enough, we were on our way once again with a staggering 1200km to drive to thunder bay. the landscape changed dramatically the further we pushed along highway 17. i finally see whay ontario is the land of lakes beacause we passed countless bodies of water surrounded by rocky, pine-covered hills. i can also see why people who live in northern dislike southerners...we are spoiled rotten in almost every way: infrastructure, convenience and amenities. northern ontario has none of these things yet has some very striking scenery...those who live there must consider it a trade-off where you take the good with the bad.
the drive went smoothly as we rocked through sault ste. marie and communities so tiny they were little more than rest stops. around wawa the fog started to roll in from lake superior slowing our pace. still we drove on and on until we reached marathon, the last stop before the final leg. here the fog evaporated as the rain began. the further we drove the bigger the increase in rainfall. luckily the light held allowing us to keep watch for moose crossings (which were more frequent after dark) finally, we pulled into thunder bay and quickly found the campground. the elements were against us as the rain soaked us and the wind howled at us. by this point patience was in very short supply so we angrily albeit hurriedly put the tent together. after our grueling 15 hour drive we collapsed into our damp, wind-blown haven and fell into an uneasy sleep. the wind continued through the night threatening to blow us away. it also created unusual shapes sounds near the tent. as i fell in and out of sleep i swear i could hear the following.
a) eerie laughter, fun-house styles.
b) hands brushing over my tent a la blair witch
c) someone repeatedly opening and closing my car door, stealing all my belongings.
none of these things happened and after i managed to get some sleep we were feeling refreshed and ready for the next day.

day 2 - june.29.2008.
the mission is to get to winnipeg, a mere 7.5 hour drive and exactly half of yesterdays torturous exercise in stupidity. my hip and ass are so sore i think i'll need replacement surgery by trips' end. actually, it wasn't so bad but still took a while to get out of ontario...man! what a whopper of a province. we set off fairly early and passed the day watching the rocks and pine trees, pines trees and rocks go by, hour after hour when suddenly the way opened up, the trees and rocks became fewer and we entered manitoba. at last, the biggest leg of the journey was over. continued onto winnipeg where we spent the night.

day3 - june.30.2008.
got another early start today which was good because we made a few wrong turns while trying to leave winnipeg. the map was no help either. even the locals we eventually asked for directions told us it's one of north america's most difficult cities to navigate.
agreed.
we found our bearing and shot off west once more. the day started off cool but gradually grew warmer and warmer. by the time we stopped for lunch, it was 33 celsius without a cloud in the sky. elisha and i positively cooked in our car but our spirits were high knowing we had only a short jaunt of 6 hours drive. dan found a nice campground with a pool which was pure bliss. now, just waiting for this guy and his laptop to go to sleep so i can smoke a cannon before bed. tomorrow, we're off to calgary and to see barry.

day5 - july.2.2008.
happy canada day! finally got to spend the national holiday in my home country and what better way to celebrate it by driving across this great nation. the drive was pretty uneventful but thankfully cool due to cloudy skies. there were some impressive landscapes of dark, foreboding weather against yellow, green and brown fields of crops. sped our way past grain elevators which soon gave way to the perpetual motion of oil derricks and at the same time matching the pace of trains taking containers across the neverending plains. before we knew it, calgary loomed ahead on the horizon and after getting a tad bit lost, we met up with barry where we'd be spending the night. it was great to catchup with him over a few beers and bongs before crashing into sleep. the next morning, we sleepily said our goodbyes with promises of plans in the near future.
the drive from calgary soon saw the stoic rocky mountains looming before us. they are so impressive they almost seem to good to be true. a very humbling experience and a great reminder of why we decided to see this country. we continued on down the transcan, making our way past kamloops when we decided to camp for the night at logan lake.

day 6 - july.3.2008.
last day of our cross-country caravan. mixed bag of feelings as i am happy not to drive, but sad there's only a little more to go. at the same time, excited to see our new place and the start of something new.