In Continuum.

89th

Yesterday was an adventure,a venture out into a concrete jungle.Yesterday my parents decided to dump me in the first metro station they see off the expressway in Taipei,gave me a few bucks in the wallet and asked me to venture out into the unknown alone,with no strings attached and all of the world to discover.So armed with two value-added cards,my iPod,a map of the metro transit system,money and a whole lot of guts,i got off my father's brand new Lexus and into that random train station as it drizzled so slightly outside.

I didnt know where i was going,just a random leap of faith.The next station,i figured,would be XiMen Station.Taking the metro in Taiwan is a challenge,because the route you take is not as straightforward as the MRTs in Singapore.Not that it is bad or anything (In fact i think it is slightly better than Singapore),it's just that there are a lot of stations,and the likelihood of you changing trains is rather high.So there i was in the middle of the most complicated,complexed,'tangled' station of all: Taipei Central Station.Not only does it have four or five sub-levels,it has a million escalators going up and down and everywhere.That's not to mention the metro lines criss-crossing with the route of the ordinary railway trains.So you see,my uncle and sister were right to warn me about getting lost in that station.But for some reason,i found the line i intended to take in no time.So to tell you the truth,i dont know what the fuss is all about that the station is complicated.I merely followed the colour blue.

It was wet out when i stepped into the first puddle outside of the station.The weather was reflected by the half empty streets,occasional passerbys with a curious look,and the wind blowing in between the two rows of shophouses as i took my stride down the middle.It was a refreshing feeling to be walking on the streets of Taipei on my own like that,to be free from restrains and just be at somewhere in the middle of nowhere,because you want to be somewhere in the middle of nowhere.So there i was,king of myself and ruler of all the footsteps below my feet.I like the feeling of peeking into random shops,circling around shelves of shoes and then walking out right before the shop attendant came to me,or the way i visited random record stores to pick up a DVD or two.It was before school and offices ended their day,and that was why the streets were relatively empty.I remember a couple of years ago when i was here,with the streets packed with people and celebrities holding autograph sessions at multiple venues at the same time.But yesterday,on the streets of XiMenDing,everything was calm and quiet.No squealing teenagers dressed like they just walked out from the pages of a popular comic book.No vendors yelling for you to visit their shops because their identical goods are better than everybody else's.No one,because it wasnt time yet.Not the weekends,and not after the schools have released their students and the offices released their workers.It was the deep breath before the plunge into chaos,and there i was enjoying those last minutes of freedom.

I cant say that the stuff they sold on XiMenDing were particularly interesting for me.I mean,they were young,they were hip and most of all,they were Japanese.Not really what i'd go for if i am visiting a country all by myself for the first time.Like you guys might already know,i am more of the kind of person who goes for the sights and the sounds,not so much of the sales.Anyway,so that part of the city was better left to people like my sister,who knows the corners and the cheaper stuff.And as for me,it was about time to head on to my next destination: The Tallest Building in the World.

I took the metro again,and this time back to where i alighted for the fireworks display a couple of days ago.This time,the streets were filled with cars instead of the people i saw on that day.With the sidewalks drenched and dotted with puddles,the view was a little different today.It was interesting,to observe the little details that were different,simply because yesterday was the third day of the year and not the last day of one.I saw the spot that i was standing that night,on the curb now in between two opposing directions of heavy traffic.I was there,with my stomach against the concrete,reaching out into the darkened building across the street,awaiting the new year.

I took a stroll down the sidewalk in a slight drizzle.It wasnt difficult to find my way to Taipei 101,since it loomed in the skylines of Taipei in any direction.Today,out of pure impulses,i decided to take the elevator up to the top of the building and check out the city lights,since it was nearly nightfall and at that point,i havent spent a cent of the money i brought from Singapore yet.Anyway,so there i was at the fifth floor of the shopping mall buying the tickets,despite being warned by the man at the counter that the visibility yesterday wasnt all that good.I guess i really was desperate go get up there myself,and so i did.In the queue with tourists from Germany and a whole bunch of Japanese,i waited for the elevator to come.

Now,i am glad that Taipei 101 is smarter than those dumbass people at the Petronas Towers.I mean,if you are the highest building in the world,or were,and people wants to get up to the highest point of the city to check out the streets,you would want to open it permanently as long as the tourists buy tickets,right?No.Like i said,Petronas Towers were dumb enough to only open the observatory to 1300 people a day,and the ticket you get will only allow you to access the sky bridge at the 41st floor.So why should we go all the way up to the 41st floor when i can just get to the highest HDB building in Singapore and feel the same thing?Taipei 101 doesnt have a limit all day,except if the weather is bad.Just buy a ticket and you can go as high as the 91st outdoor viewing gallery,or the 89th indoor one with the world's highest cafe and mailbox,completed with handsets to explain the view to you.Way to go,Taipei 101.

We got into the lift,and as the doors closed the lights darkened.The lady at the buttons explained the tour up the building in three languages,about how fast the elevator was moving and to direct the attention of the passengers on the screens on either side of the doors.Apparently the pressurized lift was soaring through the elevator shaft at 600 meters per minute.That would translate to getting to the 89th storey in 37 seconds flat.The moment the lift started to move and the number clicked off one by one on the screen,the astonished tourists from Japan exclaimed in wonderous delight,by going "Sugoi!!!",which meant "Super!" or "Amazing!".It was interesting,and the way the air on top of our heads pressed down on us,and the slight ring in our ears as the lift shot through the shaft like a bullet in the barrel.It was probably one of the best experiences at 101 ever.

The doors opened,and before me was a giant set of windows an inch thick.Falling down about 300 metres below,Taipei in it's full glory.It was a dream come true for myself,as i saw the little cars and people all the way down,literally like ants minding their own businesses.It was like seeing the models at some condominium showhouses,only much smaller with moving parts and real lights.I was always fascinated with those,and there it was before me,miles and miles of real buildings shrunkened under my feet.I stuck my face to the windows,which felt icy cold against the tips of my fingers and stared out into the gloom.The clouds were clearing,and the building was so high that the clouds were all around the viewing gallery then.I saw the cloud like smoke,circling the building and away due to the strong winds,and the rows of city lights reaching out into the horizon and disappearing into the hills.I felt like the player of Sim City again,and the town bustling with life below me.The sky darkened,and the ferris wheel shone over the river in the distance,with colourful lights all around to decorate the city,dotting it with the most beautiful jewelry,marking it's presence in the darkened side of the globe at this hour of the day.It was beautiful and breathtaking,simply at the magnitude of what mankind can accomplish.And there i was,standing above all else,watching as life went by under my feet.Amazing stuff.

The headlights of the cars were like stars,as they parked bumper to bumper at the red lights.And as it turned to green,the stars flowed in all directions at the function,like sand flowing through the narrow hole of an hourglass,then spraying forth in all directions underneath.The yellow streetlights were everywhere,and if you joined them together they could almost reflect the constellations in the sky above.Rows and rows of them,lined neatly below with other Christmas lights still blinking,still lighting up.Neon lights from billboards blinked as well to the rhythm of the city,what an astounding view.The view...what can i say about the view?

I guess,only one thing.The view was one that i'd like to share with you,and no other.That was the conclusion i came up with on the 89th floor,the highest point on a man-made structure.I really wanted to share that moment with somebody,just enjoy it with someone,but there was no one.Just crazy kids from Hong Kong and even more Japanese tourists.It's not that watching their reactions as they placed their own faces to the windows were not exciting.It's just that i'd like to have someone next to me,someone like you,to share the excitement that i felt right there and then.But you werent,and i had to deal with that.

But still,that didnt prevent me from taking in the whole view,the 89th floor view.I shall take it all in,save it in my mind.And when i am back,pour it back out to you like you were there with me,every step of the way.