itinerant

itinerant 

adjective 

travelling from place to place, especially covering a circuit 

    After we parted, I walked off for a while before I realised that I had left my handphone in ZM's pocket. So, I turned around, crossed the road, to chase after ZM. 

  

      And, after I crossed the road, I saw ZM running out of the shopping mall entrance. 

      We laughed. 

   When I'm with you, it feels like a Sunday, he said. 

      It feels like all roads stop here. 

Vedute and the Grand Tour

    The idea of the Grand Tour was for the wealthy upper-class young European men (not women alas) to travel to the Continent, especially France and Italy, to experience classical art,  culture and the "roots of Western Civilisation". Vedute (view paintings) were popular as representations of the Grand Tour - as souvenirs or an imagined fantasy as many of these paintings were not physically possible. 

  Seeing these two paintings at the Princely Treasures exhibition inspired me to look at my archives of photographs in Europe - my own mini Grand Tour (haha). It has been almost five years now. I've always wanted to finish writing about it... 

  Hopefully, I'll do so one day. 

  I selected some photographs that I took around the same setting as these paintings.

we all have our own Rome and Venice  

Rome

Capriccio with the Most Important Architectural Monuments and Sculptures of Ancient Rome by Giovanni Paolo Pannini 

Venice

  The St Mark's Square in Venice looking West with the Campanile by Il Canaletto

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson 

the perfect date

     The only question I get more often than "does ZM 'get' you or understand your writing?" is "Do you and ZM ever fight?" I suppose the answer is both yes and no, because of course ZM and I squabble, because we have such different attitudes towards life and money - but the answer is also no, because we don't really fight like most couples, it's never negative or personal or vindictive. And, I think it's never negative, personal or vindictive because ZM is not a person to take things negatively, personally or vindictively. I'm the kind of person who could/would - who can take something said or done in ordinary life and see it as a response to me personally. 

   But, ZM and I have been together for almost five years now, and within that time, both of us have in our own way, grown comfortable with how we say our 'I love you's. We don't say 'No' to each other, we say 'Maybe'. 

   Because, at a certain point in the relationship, both of us did not want to ever break up - knowing exactly the kind of person the other was. And at that point, you can't talk about deal-breakers anymore. Still, there would always be gaps - some easily filled than others. I've always wanted a dog - ZM always said no because he thought it was impossible and impractical to have a pet with our busy lifestyles. So, I told him that a dog is really important to me, so please think about it. 

  That was years ago now. ZM laughs now at how my "think about it" went to "maybe" to "we are going to get a dog when our house is ready". 

  My moral of the story isn't "please listen to your wife" (although that would be ideal). But, you don't know how happy you can make someone you love feel by never closing the door on any of her or his dreams (however impractical or insane or subjectively bad). 

   I thought about it today when ZM took leave and we explored the streets. Walking for a whole good afternoon. I asked ZM if he thinks we have changed and he said "we've just become more comfortable". Not more comfortable with each other, but more comfortable in our material wealth (because we had nothing previously). 

   Sometimes, it's easier to have nothing, because we then only had each other, and nothing to fight about. It's always the wanting that causes conflicts. But, I like this too - this world-building where we figure out how each other's wants and needs can co-exist. 

   I would like to walk the world with you. 

I would like to be your final yes. 

Photography credits: Kelvin Koh (Lightedpixels) 

Consolidation

                                                                 Etsy: Illustrative Quotations


        It's been about seven months since I've started writing in this place and it's nice to see how much I've grown to love it. As the entries grow, I've decided to categorise some of the entries for ease of reference later:

a) Book
b) Europe
c) Food
d) Hoarder
e) Home & Decor
f) Quotations
g) Taiwan
h) Theatre
i) writings
j) Z & C
k) 我和她

    I'm not really sure how to make the tags appear on the blog (it-idiot) so I'll probably do consolidated entries every now and then. Finally, thank you for actually reading this space of mine. From the number of page views and geography of readers, it's more than likely we have never met in real life. But that's what I love the most about the written word - you write it and let it go. 

Maastricht - Day 4 (Pilgrimage!)

    

      When I left Holland five years ago, I had one main regret. I did not visit the most beautiful bookstore I have ever heard of. It was only one hour away by train in Maastricht - but perhaps one always believe the places nearest to us will always be there. And then time flies, and you can't even take that one hour train to see it. 

     Maastricht is one of the larger towns in Holland, at the southern most part. It's the capital city of the province of Limburg in Holland. It's at the border near Germany, and I think that makes it feel a little different from the other more traditional dutch towns. It does feel more cosmopolitan and richer, like a dutch twist on Switzerland. 

    Apparently, Maastricht is derived from the latin Trajectum ad Mosam or Mosae Trajectum meaning "crossing at the Meuse". What I really liked about Maastricht is that it has a lot of its old historical city walls still intact. My recommendation is to buy a historical road itinerary/road map (about 1.60 euros) from the tourist office and enjoy the tour. It comes with a lot of information and tidbits about the history of the place, and increases the pleasure of a city walk immensely. I can only imagine how wondrous it would be in the Spring (I went in Spring but it was the coldest winter in 50 years, so I won't treat it as the norm) and Summer with all the markets out in full force. 

        

     

     At the end of the day trip, when we were back in our apartment in Utrecht, I had this immense warmth in my heart. I had finally resolved a regret from five years ago, I was here in Utrecht to fulfill my dream of taking wedding pictures in the place I fell in love. There, outside, lying like Homer Simpson on the sofa, was my husband, who have always sought to make my dreams come true. 

    I went over to hug him and said, "I don't think I will be able to live without you." 

    Homer ZM was still watching the tv and smiled. 

   "Will you let me go first?" I asked.

    ZM paused. 

    "Ok, but don't go too early." 

and maybe if we drive fast enough

"I thought, there is nowhere else in the universe I would rather be at this moment. I could count the places I would not rather be. I've always wanted to see New Zealand, but I'd rather be here. The majestic ruins of Machu Picchu? I'd rather be here. A hillside in Cuenca, Spain, sipping coffee and watching leaves fall? Not even close. There is nowhere else I could imagine wanting to be besides here in this car, with this girl, on this road, listening to this song. If she breaks my heart, no matter what the hell she puts me through, I can say it was worth it, just because of right now. Out the window is a blur and all I can really hear is the girl's hair flapping in the wind, and maybe if we drive fast enough the universe will lose track of us and forget to stick us somewhere else."

                                                                  - Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield 

Utrecht - Day 1 (Sunday Market)

     I'm writing this while ZM is preparing dinner. A husband that cooks for you is a lifetime pleasure indeed. We arrived full of zest - walking the Sunday market and the city centre of Utrecht until we kind of petered out around 3 plus pm, lazed in the living room and slept till it's 10 plus pm. Jet lag, my long lost friend, thank you for visiting gently.

 

        Utrecht has not changed at all. Besides the monstrosity of new constructions nearer the train station where modernity rears its ever bland head, the history city centre remains as before. The proud Dom tower, the resilient church. All the small shops and quaint eccentricities have survived unscathed. As if economic "progress" and inflation were never in doubt.

      When I call the streets, they return my name. 

           

      Time flew, but a small town stood still. Are small towns all we have as a buffer against time? It feels like home, but this is not home. It feels like we are students, with not a care in the world, with the only concerns being food and where our next journey shall be. But, we are no longer students.

    We walk and walk, and walk. It is all here. Still living. What is it like to remain unchanged as the world changes?

   I can smell the dinner ZM is preparing from all the ingredients we bought from the Sunday market. Despite it all, I feel almost happy. Perhaps, one doesn't realise one was running on empty, until one is full again. 

  

Back to Holland

“Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo. What is vertigo? Fear of falling? No, Vertigo is something other than fear of falling. It is the voice of the emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves.” 

                                        - Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being 

      I've been really busy the past two days, spending time with my parents, carrying out all my errands (all 30 of them - including writing a letter to my mum each day I'm away), and now I'm finally leaving. I'm both excited and terrified. As Bob Marley says so well, "My fear is my only courage". It's back to Holland for ZM and I, after five years. As promised. 

P.S. I'll be bringing my laptop and will be updating. See you guys, on the other side.