Flying

Well, time to go back to Europe. If all is ok, I should be already flying back to Barcelona now. Twenty more hours and I will smell a different kind of wet air. It feels strange.

Leaving East Asia for a while, and going home. Maybe it will take me some time to update this blog.

Neighbours

My kitchen window faces the same alley where the entrance to my building is. In the balcony there, I have the washing machine and some space where I can hang clothes to dry. The alley is fairly narrow and you can often hear how the neighbours of different buildings go along with their lives, because it resembles more an inner court. So, some days I can hear how somebody sings in a karaoke or, once in a while, a baby crying inconsolably . A while ago, though, I could hear the same baby, probably, laughing, in that amazing way that babies do using their whole body. Happiness.

Pomegranates

I came back from Hsinchu last night. It is also called the windy city and it lives up to that name. The wind and the lower temperatures we had reminded me of distant lands. I missed that combination, typical of my mother's hometown. As usual, people complained about the cold, but I feel fine to be in December and to feel some cold. Of course, my apartment is becomeing colder too.

Anyway, I could cook something at home today for the first time in many days. With a workshop, several meetings, two days doing observations, the last time I had dinner, or lunch, at home was a week ago. To celebrate it, some pomegranates!.

I saw them in the supermarket a few days ago and it took me no time at all to put two of them in the bag. As far as I know, they are not typical from these parts —these are from California&mdash, but I don't mind. As delicious as usual. I still have one left.

Autumn

Of course, I had been told that fall in Taipei was very nice. Now that winter is coming, at least the astronomical winter, I can confirm it. That does not mean that we did not have grey or rainy or cloudy days, some not very pleasant, or that we did not suffered sudden drops in temperatures, but it has been almost a week with clear blue skies and a very nice Sun. It was a little bit chillier towards the end of last week, but this one is almost perfect. A few real fall days, even if it is already December.

As for me, I really like these mornings when I walk to work and I can gaze at those clear skies and see how the light slips through the green trees. I could even smell the just-cut grass in front of my office this morning.

No news, I know, it reminds me of those very cold days in Columbus, when maybe all was covered in white because of the snow, the river was frozen, but there was that nice Sun that, at least, brought some warmth to your heart. Small daily joys.

And this afternoon, to Hsinchu, going to the ALMA-jT workshop, with my half-finished presentation. The forecast for tomorrow and the weekend says it will be colder. We'll see.

Triangle

If you read this today, maybe you will still have the chance to see it. These days, Jupiter (mù xīng) and Venus (jīn xīng) are getting close to conjunction, and the Moon has joined them very close today. All together creates a very nice triangle up in the sky. And in a day so beautiful as today —we are very lucky lately— the scene was complete with the last colors of sunset. Can you tell which is which?

Dialogues

I would have never imagined it. It was after 9pm, at the same time that my (for pedestrians) traffic light turns green, a scooter and a SUV stop almost in front of me. Before I can step down onto the road, the SUV driver gets out of his car, walks towards the scooter driver with a scowling face, says something to him and gives him a big shove. While I begin crossing the street, they start talking. I thought there could be a brawl right there, but no, nothing in the end. Who knows what could have happened before.

I had read that these things happened from time to time, but after seeing so many weird things in the street traffic, I was beginning to believe that they did not care at all. Well, looks like bad temper is universal.

Tickets

It took longer than I expected, because we are all so modern, but my bank seems to be always lagging behind, that I could not do it by myself through the web. So, back to analogic, through local channels, and that's it. I payed them today and I already have the receipt in my hand, because nowadays most are only electronic tickets.

The only thing left to do is to count down the days, if I had the free time to do it. I have a few very busy weeks ahead of me.

Questions

One of the advantages of being a foreigner, and looking the part, is that I save myself the bother of being stopped by people making some poll or getting signatures for any campaing in the streets, or to be offered too many shop flyers, or similar things. I would not escape in Europe or the US —as I did not, I was asked once if I wanted to register to vote in their elections—, but here they see me coming and I can tell in their faces how they are quickly making a probability estimate of my understanding any Chinese and, with good reason, they decide it is not worth it.

One day last week, as I was walking along the Gongguan zone, I went past an army of middle-aged women, dressed with white trousers and dark blue polos, that tried to stop anybody that was around. They were probably from some kind of cultural, or even political, association. They looked at me, with a slightly disappointed face, as if thinking: one that gets away. Well, I do not think I would stop for long even if I understood the language. Of course, you never know; I think I am more peaceful here.