Gong Guan Riverside Park

Have you ever felt that some days you just have to get out of the house? Today was one of those days for me. It has been raining since we moved to Taipei. At first it was just afternoon thunderstorms and then it turned into heavy rain for a few days. Finally, today the sun came out and stayed, with nice breezes.

I spent my day sketching at Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall before heading back home to finish some chores. After James came home from his Mandarin class, I dragged him out to have a walk along the riverside park nearby. Reluctantly, James gathered his fishing gear and came with me. While he was looking for a fishing spot down by the river, I sketched the people who probably also wanted to enjoy the dry evening out here.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Last time when I visited the Memorial Hall I was a primary school student, I think. After getting my renewed Taiwanese passport at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, I took a short walk over to see if the Memorial Hall has changed. If anything, the Hall feels much smaller. Even the main plaza seems smaller than I remembered.


While waiting for my passport, I tried out Carol Hsiung's technique of drawing. I stumped upon Carol's flickr page a few weeks ago and really like the way she leaves blank for views to fill in. It was a bit like doodling when I tried it today but nonetheless a fun way to draw.

My new neighbourhood

This is my new neighbourhood in Taipei. No, I didn't get the hair color wrong, and yes, the woman at the back is wearing a hijab.

When I moved to Australia in 2007, it wasn't common to see foreigners in Taiwan. Perhaps some in Taipei but definitely not that many in the rest of Taiwan. Now foreign faces are everywhere in Taipei and even in my hometown Tainan I see many western faces hanging out like locals.

On my way home I saw this scene and had to stop to sketch it. The little boy is wearing a uniform vest from a local kinder. It seems a great snapshot which captures the diversity of people in Taipei.