sophia’s travel by night

this poster was in the subway train i was riding... still don't quite get it. is it a gag ad?

ever since i was a child, i've always envied the fact tht birds r so free to fly about, unbound by gravity. for me, the hardest thing is to c them caged, nor their wings clipped. then a frnd back at art center shared this poem by Jacques Prevert with me, i couldn't ever get it out of my mind, it speaks to me about love, patience, freedom, inspiration, life. Pour faire le portrait d'un oiseau (english version here) Peindre d'abord une cage avec une porte ouverte peindre ensuite quelque chose de joli quelque chose de simple quelque chose de beau quelque chose d'utile pour l'oiseau placer ensuite la toile contre un arbre dans un jardin dans un bois ou dans une forêt se cacher derrière l'arbre sans rien dire sans bouger ... Parfois l'oiseau arrive vite mais il peut aussi bien mettre de longues années avant de se décider Ne pas se décourager attendre attendre s'il le faut pendant des années la vitesse ou la lenteur de l'arrivée de l'oiseau n...

yet another day... tho it's cold, still very beautiful sunset from my window in tpe.

On my way home from nice lazy brunch w/frnds here in Tpe, i minivan has ths sign painted on. GO OUTSIDE N ENJOY LIFE! I can't agree more. Ths is the path.

i am missing nyc and the take out/delivery services of food... esp the take out box itself.

DSC02138 , originally uploaded by pinkasme . in tanegashima. this puts japan in contact w/its first western civilization. this is when they discovered guns, forever changing their world view.

DSC02082 , originally uploaded by pinkasme . in tanegashima (3rd island of our trip to japan). as i'm looking at the map of japan, i realized ther's a town/ city? called Miyazaki! sudden revelation....

we finally wnt to store n bought the ornaments for our tree ths year. ths yr's theme is red/green (green cuz the boys r just all into ths color) even our top o tree is a green snowflake/star. it's so fun to watch how excited the boys get hanging up the ornaments. and when we all sat down in the dark to light it up, wow, their faces all lit up too! we will try to fit time in for them to paint their keepsake ornament for ths year this weekend. also we'll hv a popcorn stringing day. chris asked for ginger cookies. will try to bake tht next week. we'r planning wht to make for x'mas dinner. should b quite fun. frank just arrived tonite from cali. it'll b a full house for x'mas this yr! well, all except for tony's family back in cali. how i miss'em.

Ths old japanese house stands ther calling 2 me every time i head 2 yoga class. As bachelard talks about our dreams projected at old houses, i dream o the space inside. The ppl tht once occupied it. How space was used. How one wd move in it.

on 12/04, mom's bday, my sister+family, parents, n i wnt on a little trip to japan. very far south, but not quite as far as okinawa. it was a guided, packaged tour we had all agreed upon by accident. my father was talking about going to tokyo for a few days, my mom was talking about her frnd's tour thingy. i fig since it was her bday coming up, n i should b about done w/work by then, i said, ok, i'll go (thinking it's tokyo) but then dad agreed on mom's trip (she has no idea where kagoshima was, etc just tht it was told to her tht it's a nice place) but since dad said he's up for it, even missing work on sunday, i said, ok too. i thought it'll b like b4, w/all their frnds, at least it's private tour. in meantime, i'm swamped w/work, sister's swamed w/work n school n family. somehow, she thought, it'd b nice little bday trip too. so she's agreed to this trip w/out knowing the details also. then as the days drew nearer (it was last minu...

this is a japanese artist i discovered upon my travel to shizuoka in 2006 w/my father. going thru my postcards, i found his artwork again. i still like his art very much.

i've been meaning to take a photo of baby aidan, my nephew #6!!!! online, but hadn't the chance. well, here he is now, just a day or 2 over 1 month mark. everyone says he looks exactly like frank (his papa) when he was a baby, don't c the resemblance. i believe all babies look alike until their eyes hv the knowing look of awareness. n only really fun when u can play w/them. tht'll b soon enough. wow, now i hv 6 nephews to play with! welcome to the world, aidan. to our family.

so here's wht i've decided to ship to south pasadena, cali for my next group show, my ever continuing l'arabesque series. if u'r in the area n r free, pls go c it. it'll b on sat dec 6th, reception at 7pm. altho, i won't b able to make it... still sticking around taipei for a while longer.

working late nite again. i guess i just can't help it. during the day, ther's just so many things to do around home n out. ther's loads of distractions. i don't have enough time or i'm not working fast enough? how to fit it all in? and, i want to c my nephews too when they get off school. do yoga, climb, flower... sometimes, i feel i've not enough energy to keep up either. i want to fit naps in btwn too, but i've not had naps until evening. evening naps r the ones tht make u crash most. so like today, i came in/out of the flat so many times. the only time i really sat down during t/day was late afternoon to work for a few hours. like ths evening, when i got back in to work, i had an evening crash. so instead of the 1/2 hr naps i normally get in the afternoon, i ended up waking at 3am. i'm back to back sleep patterns again? i kno sunrise in tpe isn't at 5.37! LOL! i'm working on packaging designs/ catalog at the same time. not really tht confident...

i kno, i've been really non-productive in terms of quantity of paintings this year, but they r larger and take more time.

i was returning home after dropping off my sister's kids in school, when i thought to write this down. there were at least 20 policemen on scooters making a left as i'm crossing the street on renai/jianguo. they all rode at high speed with complete disregard for the pedestrians as they cut, at high speed, really close to me, nearly hitting me. in wht countries out ther does one ever get run over by the police gang while crossing the street? since they weren't abiding by the law, naturally, all the other drivers were cutting really close to the pedestrians on the crosswalk. it angers me, they set perfectly bad examples. then i return home to c the news going crazy about the mess tht's out ther regarding the visit of an official from china to taiwan. where is the international dignity of a country when it's leaders r graceless, tactless? it's ppl wild n misguided? all these official r making a show for their personal gains in the media cuz they want their name out...

ths is t/painting i'm doing for Alley Cat Pizza's december ad in local magazine. it's nearly finished except for the glossing over. the hard part is to write my blurb about self n painting, etc. and in choosing a foto of me to place in ther. wonder if i can get someone to help me write this....?

while i was in HCMCity (saigon) with vic/nicky, visiting frnds, i discovered a local artist i quite like, his name is Bui Van Hoan . i love it when a painting draws u in from afar, then upon closer examination, one can c evermore details, and each time, u just get something more out of it. subtleness is very important to me in a painting.

this painting was made to b part of a larger pc. painted w/oil stick while i was on block island. ths was the house & view we c from our yard this summer. i liked working with oil sticks, n no bad skin reaction to things this time around. maybe it's something i can explore. tho i do regret not bringing the sticks back to taiwan w/me. now i hv to go hunt it down in stores here. silly me.

Sunrise at 4000 meters of jade mtn peak.

I'm all packed n ready 2 go! Jade mtn hike here we go! Hope i can keep up?

Upgrading my lunch 2day. yummy!

Well, our taxi ride 2 airport ws quite scary. High speed, 4 Tpe standard, weaving in n out, then as we approached dept terminal, we crashed into center divider! So xxx scary! Cab's front axle ws shot. We walked 2 terminal in stuper. So ths ws t earthquake dream i had a few days ago w/me, vic, n nicky in it! Is cool, we're safe n going 2 vietnam!

day 1 (tues)_Santa Ana to San Luis opisbo, taking the Pacific Surfliner (newer thus nicer train since its a local cali train vs national line), nite @ le petit soleil bed/breakfast, very quaint but too country, altho beautiful courtyard and amazing homemade breakfast. day 2_rent a car and go up the coast to big sur national park. staying at the Treebones (yurts!) very cook styling yurt, amazing view, even w/a pool. no private bathroom tho. today has been a foggy day, c nothing.... but whiteness, another kind of beauty. to hear the seals but not c them. dinner @ yummy bakery/resto. and midnite hot springing @ esalen institute. day 3_continue up big sur (visiting beaches, etc, but sea water's temp here is def near freezing level) til Monterrey, drop off car & bus to Salinas (small little town tht the author, Steinbeck is from) linking back onto train, this is now the Starlight Line which goes from LA to Seattle, into oakland (visiting w/frnds in sf for the weekend) day 4_sf! MOMA...

the butterfly effect, u kno it? it's amazing how something happens and ripples out to affect something like a hurricane 1/2 way across the globe. tht's how i'm feeling now. things that happens beyond my control or reach.

rise n shine for sunrise house of sun heleakala, 10,000ft above sea level can it b? so chill a morning freezing actually, n strong wind blows clouds chg constantly 15 min extra sunlite as legend goes craters creating a spine who lives here on the moon? cast of star wars? breakfast at papa's joint, town of 3 shops nap pack try to chk out Lahaina but water's calling one last swim one last plate lunch at da kitchen over stuffed hop on plane sunset in the sky maui, ohau, sfo, sna home in newport, cali, next day morning. sean is waiting for me. i was in hawaii, felt like another country another language culture of great mixture was it a dream ths past week?

catch some breakfast near heleakala pass thru makawao pa'ia sounds like paella to me. yummy yummy gelato at the beach attempt drive to hana swim at rocky beach, scraped up by rocks n corals swim at waterfall refreshing, colder than ocean beautiful forest view of taro fields 1/2 way pupu (snack time) nap then dinner near pa'ia where mama's fish house cooked up awesome food another beautiful day out n about all play n no work.

last day on oahu. forget going to abc store for infamous spam musubi mad dash to leonards for some yummy malasados checking in n flying over maui felt like only 20min or so away another island once again, familiar n yet stranger after 6 years. staying in Kula , upcountry they call it. pakin/jenny's wedding in wailea somewhere over the rainbow beautiful spot beach front cottage beautiful ppl great old frnds wedding tears lots of drinking lots of fun, laughing, dancing crashing waves some clouds some drizzle some sun ate too much drank too much fun memories.

north shore day, after quick hotel breakfast lots of driving, quick dips here n there as it gets hot sunset at west end of island dinner at sam choy back to YKK hotel moana surfrider for drinks and there saw the ocean ate the moon!

cinnamon cafe for brunch, left crazy lady and drove around island, leaving east island to crazy surf spot & blow hole shave ice again bamboo hotel in wakiki sleep loads dinner at 11pm bar/dance

lanikai - kailua beach park/ breakfast, swim, hang.... home. pali park on way to waiola shave ice, diamond head, dinner at ono... home. what a fun day of sun n warm waves!

There's my plane! Hv's a very packed plane. Gr8 tht i Hv a good seat to fall sleep in:) ths is my 1st long trip of 2008. On y va!

so, i finally nailed down my flight plan and made the necessary purchases! yippee!!!! aug 10-sept 30th (taipei-nyc), during this time. i will b... aug 14-19 (nyc-montreal) aug 24-31 (block island) sept 4-10 (hawaii, oahu/ maui) sept 11-19 (stay put in cali/ hang w/family n frnds) sept 20-30 going north to sfo for a visit, n fly out from portland back to taiwan! oct 1, land in tpe (meet up w/nicky) from here we stick around taiwan, maybe little trips around the island? next week nicky's here, we shall fly to vietnam (HCM) and visit some frnds there n travel a bit, should b able to celebrate matt n my bday over ther. then back to tpe finally, mid-oct. this is going to b fun n well, tiring too, but i'm excited. it's been long overdue, this trip. i've canceled my europe trip so i am really looking forward to this.

Here at ths nature preserve, the temp n humidity is so low 1 almost forgets tht ths is high summer in hot humid taiwan! So happy Hv's overcast. I feel as if inside a cooler. And air so clean! Now i'm hungry. The ancient trees reminds us how short our existence is in comparison, how easily things r destroyed at our whim.

this past sunday, a few frnds n i went to baishawan for some beach fun, but this is a very managed beach... lots of ppl stuck inside the "fenced in" area of the beach. u'r not allowed to pass it or swim outsides this managed borders. the water was warm n nice. beautiful weather, lots of ppl... but nowhere to swim! still, we got some sun and beautiful sunset w/live music at La Mer nearby. and, the special margarita was amazing, hit just the right spot, perfect end to a sunday! yesterday, after yoga, i saw this birdnest under the overhang of a commercial sidewalk. stood ther n watch how the mother bird came n went, feeding her baby birds. all these ppl walking under, busy in their own thoughts. or r they just so immune to all these happening around them tht it's no longer a surprise? still, i am awed by how nature always finds a way to fit itself into our man-made world, yet we'r so distanced from it all in the present world. today, i'm walking towards yoga clas...

In tie last 6 days, i've eaten at M twice n BKing once. How unlike me! Me who normally prefer to eat anything than fast food! Wht is amazing is tht M here prob has most biz than anywhere in ths world.

So much has been thrown in my path in last few days. I admit to being a coward at how badly i handled things n allowing situation 2 get out of hand. Head n heart r now both stuck. Kno not how 2 set it str8 again. I can't run. Need 2 remain hopeful 4 lite at end o tunnel..

the simple idea of having a studio to paint in, is that so hard? y so many obstacles thrown in the path to reaching tht simple goal? i'm bewildered as how things have gotten so out of hand. and everything else just not falling into place. am i not ready for a place to b home? it's gotten me re-thinking, should i b here in taiwan, painting here? where is home? they say it's where the heart is. what if i hv no heart?

Driving back from daxi via mtn pass... I'm running late 4 the pot luck i'm hosting at home, really reluctant to go back cuz it's 1st time in forever Tht weather is so amazing n all bodies of water r intense in hue! I mean 3 days w/out rain is very unusual these days.must b the typhonn lingering outside of the island Tht's holding off rain.

lately, my posting hv been really short n sporatic, not to say random. i don't kno where i've been these last few months?! time just slide from one day into the next. sometimes i feel i don't want to say to much because i'm blogging n facebooking. n since it's all connected, everyone can c right thru me. tho i do remember when i started this i wanted to share me with frnds cuz well, apparently i don't share enough. many ppl say they kno me but don't. some days i'm very lazy so i avoid writing too much of my thoughts cuz then i'd hv to explain things. or my feelings cuz i'd hv to sort'em out. sometimes, i am just living this moment n don't ask myself all the time how i'm FEELING at this moment cuz i don't try to define tht particular feeling. it's a tough thing to do, self-analysis or asking questions to things tht don't really hv an exact answer to. i've been living in taiwan for the past 1/2 yr, travelling less n les...

this is new painting i'm working on... the diptych is on hold for now... while i paint this blue... almost done, i think. the hardest part about painting is knowing exactly when to stop. i think it's almost time.

It's a shame really tht it's so wet n gloomy here. Was hoping 4 sun. Still, it's another type of beauty.

In a sort of last minute decision to take off from taipei, i bought a train tix, wrongly dated, to hualien meeting up w/chris and off we go road tripping on the eastern coast. I'm reading ths very interesting book, SHANTARAM, and it's talking about Biarritz! Luv it when tht happens, 2 c it written n in fictional respective of a place i'd been n Luv.

well, in another day or 2, i've gotta come up w/a full course dinner for 12! some planning to do, the main dish tho, has gotta b awesome, tho i don't want to do another steak or beef related item. so seven hour leg of lamb (sept heure gigot) is top of my list. where to find this cut in taipei would b difficult to fig out... or i'd do a chicken dish as main (would it hold up as a star dish in a dinner party, semi-formalish? i wonder...) then, i'm going to b creative n use the existing steamed chickend to make an appetizer slightly different than current taiwanese way of eating it, which is soy sauce dip. maybe more like a light salad? soup, well, something red or green? sweat pea or tomato? something light tho if i do end up making gigot. crab meat linguine would complement most of these, no? too much food? n a peach/cream w/apple sauce as dessert. wish me luck n once it's all done, i'll try to remember to upload the fotos.

when i was preparing the surface for my next painting, sean came back to taipei and wanted to paint too. so i let him play with my canvas. it's now time for me to continue on to the next painting. so instead of chucking this or leaving it about, i've decided to take a blue from his ocean theme and add to this. it will b our collaboration pc!

sometimes, one just has to make some choices that one doesn't like but at the moment seeing no way out, i will choose this path and c where it leads.

just saw this on nytimes ' urban eye email... wow! i'd love to c this in person! such an amazing thing to b set in the grand palais too! it's one of my favorite structures in paris as well. o i wonder if i will make it ther to c in person!

Having lunch w/nephew. Amazing how much mess a 1 yr old can generate.

Ths is side view of the palace, prime real estate of taipei. The only thing tht is a bit classy here is ths sculpture.

About to board my plane to nagoya, japan, can't believe how over used ths kitty is. She's on the plane too! Really sick of seeing her.

a frnd n i r doing this psychogeographic walk, allowing us to "rediscover" our cities or learn new things about it. i dragged my feet at first about it cuz the weather was horrible. but once i got into it. i enjoyed it quite a bit. shot loads of fotos but i really hv to self-edit them down to not overwhelm anyone looking at it. or myself. if u'r interested in reading the notes for the walk and the after-note .

saturday, my dad decided to jump the april 4th weekend mad rush for spring break and tomb sweeping day by a week. on this beautiful summer day we all drove out ther and did our duty. brought flowers and fruits. met up w/cousins we rarely c. then ate a simple lunch at my dad's golf course nearby. teddy has the largest bowl being the youngest of the clan...

wow, this woman is cleaning her windows just like tht... no safety features. it's a 12 floor fall too if u're not careful.