Pictures of 2006--Living Strong in Taipei

I spent a lot of time last year, on re-learning what Taipei is. It is at times very difficult for me, becuse after three years' staying in the country side of San Francisco City, where there is not much traffic and pepole around, now I have to re-adjust to this noisy and smelling (in night markets, oh yes) city. It took me a long time...to feel ok to sit in a food stand on the roadside and eat like everybody else. Not that I like to play princess or anything, I think my body is more sensitive than average people. But people here do not usually understand, for example, I really do not like the smoke of BBQ, and the dirty, greesy floor in some reataurants. The noise of dog barking, drill or car moving freak me out all the time. But seems to me, most of the people can tolerate that here...I think I might have some kind of social phobia or closest phobia or something being in this city--people here are not always polite, like the people I would see in Canada or Silicon Valley. Sometimes they talk really loud on my face, and I don't know how to take it (should I yell back, or be polite as I always am)? I don't know. All I know is that I am starting to read stuff by Dali Lama and some other stuff to calm my spirit and to find ways to continue to live in this city peacefully...