Sundown for Sunrise

Not that I really ever did a lot of shopping in that place.
But the Sunrise Department Store on Fuhsing North Road in Taipei is no more after 22 years of service. It's one of Taiwan's traditional department stores, one of the big names when there were not really any modern stores of international stature in the capital. Remember the Rebar Department Store and the old Far Eastern, both of them near Hsimenting? The latter was completely refurbished.
Sunrise also tried that road by going all the way upmarket with brandname boutiques. I never went before, because I thought there was nothing worth buying, and I never went later because their new products were not affordable and similar to what you find at the new malls, Sogos and Mitsukoshis all over town.
I can't help but thinking that the Breeze Center slightly down the road from the Sunrise had something to do with its demise. Wider, airy, with names from the top of the line, and slightly closer to the new and the old Sogo.
Anyway, the word on the grapevine says that this weekend will see the last rush on the Sunrise before the thing closes. With a cloud still hanging over the future of Idee and another breakin at Louis Vuitton's Taichung store, the week looks bleak for the Taiwan shopping scene.
Good news: Fendi opened its new outlet at Taipei 101. Some close down, some open up.

50,000

I made it.

I told you I was going to participate in this crazy competition about writing a novel of 50,000 words between November 1 and 30.

Well, I crossed the 50,000 mark yesterday. Does that mean I will stop now? No way, because I want to finish the story. That will happen by the end of the month I hope, and I will probably have a total of between 60,000 and 70,000 words.

However, if you know about books, then you'll know that publishers want to have about 100,000 words in a novel. So I will have to continue until I reach that magic number, not just by adding words, but especially by improving what I have, regardless of numbers.

As I said before, I really want to turn novel writing into a career. If writing 100,000 words and editing it for months is what it takes, then that is what I will do. Remember, life is a puzzle.

When I started out in the National Novel Writing Month competition - fans call it NaNoWriMo - I was skeptical about it, fearing it was just a waste of time, because nobody would see my novel on the website, and the organizers say it doesn't matter whether your story is nonsense or not.

But I learned one important thing: rhythm! I've been writing between 2,000 and 3,000 words each day, and that's been great. If there is one thing I want to keep from NaNoWriMo, that is it: the rhythm, the speed. If I can keep that up, then I can write much more than I was before November. Quality and quantity, both should be possible together.

When I finish my WIP - 'work in progress' for those of you who do not frequent writers' forums - I hope I will find a publisher for it. And then I can set up a real website where I promote my book.

But until then, I will be writing about my budding career, and anything else I fancy, on this very blog. See you!

Missoni's Back

My wife's favorite Italian design house, Missoni, seems to be turning around years of decline in Taiwan into a comeback at Taipei 101.
There used to be a Missoni outlet on Kuangfu South Road in Taipei, but that closed a couple of years ago.
When the Taipei 101 mall first opened, there was a Missoni Sports outlet on the second floor, but that closed several months ago, leaving the shop next to the Grand Formosa Regent as the brand's only representative in Taipei.
With the poster on the bottom picture - 'comming soon' with typo and all - the Italian family business famous for its bright colors and cool knits looks like it's trying to recapture the island.

The Taipei 101 also recently welcomed a new Fendi store - see the picture at the top - with brightly colored handbags and glitzy dresses. Fendi is no stranger to Taipei, with outlets at a nearby Shin Kong Mitsukoshi and in the basement of the aforementioned Grand Formosa Regent, among others.
There's always place in Taipei for another Italian.