Christmas Eve and I am on my way to meet a total stranger. Okay, not exactly a total stranger, but no one I really know either. He's a friend of a former boyfriend of my cousin. Does that count as a stranger? We meet up with some of his friends who have organized a holiday dinner at a quaint, intimate restaurant, then mingle with other friends at a lounge on the 2nd Floor of the old American Embassy, now a posh lounge with all you can drink champagne and wine for a mere NT$2000. The evening is filled with a flury to business cards passing from hand to hand, of meeting the young, intelligent professionals that fill Taipei's job market. The professionals of this generation are beautiful, fashionable, business-minded, well-educated and worldly as hell. Networking is power and youth sustains their energy and vibrance. With their determination and confidence, nothing will be impossible to achieve.

Surprisingly, I also met others like myself, who speak less Chinese than English. People who have relocated here for work, to be closer to to family, or simply to make a courageous change in their lives. Many work on salary here, which means, they have to work until the work is done. And everyone works hard, often late hours and 6-7 days a week. Everyone working hard to make something of their lives. Admirable for sure, but could I buy into that?

Life is a mere breath. How do you want to spend that breath?