Bookish ZMM

After some time here, I feel URGE to meet some literature in my life...not to live it, as I usually do.

Fortunately, I had some hints of bookish conversations recently, and a book taken to read by chance, 'Daddy-Long-Legs' by Jean Webster, funny best-seller from 1912 took me by surprise.

Also ChiC, my Taiwan hippie Lady, took me by surprise showing me this nice piece:

The Road Not Taken
(Robert Frost, 1874-1963)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth；

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear；
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
*********

Some melancholic mood for the end of the summer? Maybe. Well, why not?

Hot days. Hommage to Istanbul.

When you drive the streets at 10PM and it is 32 cels, it means HOT. 24h/day temperature does not go below 30 cels last week. Add pollution and crowd...and Hsinchu is not so bad, compared to larger cities.

Working weekend. In fact here and in Greece I learend to appreciate freedom of these hot days, at work. Air conditioned space a must, there is no better place than work (not to have to pay for AC).

A bit about my recent reading. It is as travel there.
Orhan Pamuk's "Istanbul" is certainly not great literature, but surprises by outbursts of originality sometimes. To add something new to Constantinople is not easy, but Pamuk managed, brava.
Here some pics from my last short visit there. The Church. I had this nice opportunity to see Athens, Istanbul and Rome close in time, and understand what it meant last 1500 years, and why the impact is so big. Of all the monumental buildings, Hagia Sophia has the simplicity equal maybe only with... St.Sulpice in Paris, surprisingly, this is the association pushing to my brain. That Jesuite mind was so close to Orthodox and Islamic purity of space...I am surprised to find, but it is true.

Me, small inside it, as should be.

Waters of Bosphorus.

Yes, Istanbul is place to go. Highly recommended. The City, definitely. I am proud on this one, it was no easy to find the place to make it.

One and last here, "very funny".

Summer 2007

I was in Kolan first half of July. This will be all for this year, I think.

I did not speak with many people there this time, too hectic a time with 3 kids and 2 ladies there ;-)
Fela became constant there, with next generation ofher ubiquitous kids, she is a breeding machine and good, really good matrone mother, although she is still so young. Curious I am why it is so, genetics, or our handling her to be hard one, when she was yooung?

But some of my reflexions: stone is source of peace for me, as is the night sky-but they polluted the sky, too many lights, really! And of the worst kind, white balls, without upper cover, so they give half light to Aliens. Stupid, they should put a shield inside, above the bulb, to prevent spreading of the light upwards, or simply paint this part of the cover black.

We visited also Rijeka & Opatija - thanks to TurboDijana which is there now for good, and hosted us for an afternoon. Nice to meet finally on some of our sites, the 1st time we had such chance :-)

In Croatia now it seems to be better, some light for young people-credits are given with normal interest rates so it is possible to buy apartments, build house or buy a car. This third is very much visible, cars are better than few years ago,not so many old ones around. It seems Croatia is, finally, on the course to become normal european country.

Prices are moderate or low-but I might be biased by recent visits to Italy, which is double if not more expensive for touristic eye.

Except Croatia, I visited Poland and Azores, Portugal, more on this on mikidtaiwan blog.

Donkeys: TWO in Kolan, it seems. I saw ONE, in one garden closeby school. Poor times for donkeys.

On the beaches no changes, fortunately.Only in camping "Simuni" they moved with sites a bit eastward, what is worrying, but they do not seem to hurry much, so our usual places are safe for now. There were many sea-urchins which were-surprise for them, I am sure-eaten by my Han ladies.

Novalja naguzvana kao i obicno,Pag nesto manje, ali isto podosta.Dojam na cestama ipak da nematih turista bas toliko-ali bili smo prije top-sezone, jos stignu doci

Religion

I just invented this, answering to Izzy's post. Gave me a laugh :-D

I do not know why people are so crazy about supernatural...probably some imprint from Others coming to Earth, maybe we were co-habitating with them at some level (humans as pets? :-D ), and now we miss them. They were too humanistic to have us as pets, so they left us in peace, to develop? Hah!-this I just invented now, but seems plausible as anything else! If your dog would start to show he is becoming civilised, that he is becoming a "person", in his dog society, what would be the best to do? You are aware it would take eons to develop, and that your presence would disturb it only. So, what you do? You fly away, and come after few eons, to greet this new species as a friend, not the OWNER.

So, maybe religion is only our "tongue out" for our old, good, masters? We also wave our tails... ;-)

Time is up

Well, time seems to be up for a real blog. miki d'taiwan and miki d'hellas are just a little bit more than photo-albums for family and friends.
miki d'kolan is me, myself and I.

What initiated it's birth was Isabella's (Izzy) pledge for co-writing a book(s) on idea(s) that matter. At least to the people who write. When I saw it ,it was natural to go for it. Funny. More understood as an exercise of "how this pledging works?"

Tell me about non-statistycal world! I will listen and mix the waters of underworlds with my feets, bathed in the Ocean of the Erotycon 3.

Why to hell I'd want to write a book?? If I haven't done it for 38 years, what a hell I would have to say now? Synthesis of my knowledge, understanding and care for the world? Holy Shit! NO! Exactly the contrary effect is on my mind: to de-concentrate (I am ZenMasterMiki, after all!), de-construct and de-mistfy "knowledge".

Not negate. Knowledge exists, is real and is powerful.

I will make wishlist of books to be written by others (I am not the one for them because of this or that reason, or simply because I am lazy to go for it). The 1st one, not to forget, would be: "Far East Freud". As in these non-monotheistic countries ut should be a bit different. Explanations in Freud are so connected to the Books that one could think Chinese do not have sex. Monkey Princess would agree, I know, but I think she is, anyway, bumping with her James, only she is not to say it loud, as good Taiwanese girl.

Interesting will be to follow to what Izzy's initiative will lead. As "alpha Chic" she is for certain able to drag after her bunch of followers. There is some pervert pleasure in this, such blind following of the leading pussy. But so sweet! :-D