Creekside Notes

Photo by Julien Miclo on Unsplash A group of friends I met overseas came to visit last week. When I asked, “What do you think of Taipei?” they replied, “Modern and civilized, like Tokyo and Seoul.” I am used to hearing good things about Taipei. I know, from my own experience, that it is a great place to live. Still, I was slightly surprised that they considered Taipei comparable to Tokyo, which, in my view, is still the gold standard of a truly civilized society. Taipei is, of course, very civilized. People queue automatically at metro platforms. The High Speed Rail is relatively quiet. What I like most, however, is the trust among people. If you leave your bag behind in a public restroom, you will often find it later in the same spot or at the lost-and-found. You can also leave your laptop on a table in a coffee shop while you go to order, without asking anyone to watch it. When you come back, it will usually still be there. As you can see, being civilized has little to do with a cit...

  There is a picture-frame window occupying the entire wall. Through the window, you can see the blue sky, white clouds, with the Taipei skyline as the background — Taipei 101 is one of the most distinctive features among them. Before those skyscrapers are slightly lower building complexes, and before that is the long, curving green bank of the Xindian River. Egrets fly through in flocks, lightly and elegantly, like a group of white butterflies when viewed from a distance. Then you can see the river itself, quiet and calm as ever. This is the window of my room — I fell in love with it the first time I stepped into this apartment unit. It does not merely serve as a picture-frame view, but actually as an anchor for my daily life. What else would be better than starting a day with blue sky and sunlight? This view is not only in the bedroom but also extends to the living room. The setting reminds me that I am already surrounded by nature and that I am very blessed. To the point that I ...