like how we're defined by the brands we wear, drink, read, eat, and suscribe to, we're also defined by the people interactions with people. or maybe it's just me. i'm a slightly different person per person. it's identity erosion, it's unreal, but it's inescapable. and sometimes this mash of persons in me will mess up. and we're all walking on balance beams: we quaver, and hesitate, and when we finally find our footing we take bigger strides, gain momentum, and move ourselves on. but then sometimes a breeze or step on the beam gets in my way, and i lose my footing. i take a while, retrace steps and then regain momentum. and i break into a run so that it's harder to be affected by the gentle pushes or the world spinning around you

and sometimes i think one has to lose oneself, to find oneself. this is again very Frost (memory fails me as i try to recall the poem's title) but i guess it's something of a reworking of these old ideas. its one reason i don't mind getting lost anywhere in singapore- how often does that happen? and when it does, you know the safety of familiarity is nearby. i take the chance to enjoy the walk

watched a movie alone. it's a breakthrough, and only people who have done so before would understand; and there's no compelling need to explain Ourselves to Others who do not See. it's a date with myself.

and then i realize i do that often. part of growing up is moving yourself along, alone. it's not emo. it's not old. it's just me-time. like taking a walk- one day i had to submit a form at a communitycentre and it was great to go out for a walk. with damien rice; jason mraz and john mayer plugged into the ears (thank goodness we live fully in the age of portable music). and it was a walk where there were no 'issues in the head' to clear up. and we should be thankful for these times, as and when they happen. because life moves on so fast sometimes we don't have conscious memories of these times of plain, simple, normalcy. the magic in taking a walk is really, in the walk itself. and to pull myself away before any more Frost and autumn-ness takes over-

taiwan was, in a word, TAIFUN. it was really the company too. the lazing in bed post-sloppy breakfast; the rushing around for the sights, sounds and shopping; the reckless photography- springing in goofy faces as and when we could; pillow-wars and photo-whores; endless television with hotel conversation; donuts, coke, delicacies and raw disgust (ahem). part fascination, part familiarity with a culture not too far from our own. pure killing instincts whenever a certain alarm stabbed us in our sleep, early in the morning. was fun! janice's blog will, probably, chronicle it better than i ever could.