Shidong Market / 士東市場

放寒假之前和同事聊天，她偶然提起士東市場，因為天母不是我常出沒的地域，我自然是沒去過，但這週陰錯陽差讓我有造訪士東市場的機會。

Before the winter break, my colleague mentioned Shidong Market in our small talk. Tianmu is at the other end of the city, so naturally I do not frequent the area. However, this weekend, I had a chance to visit the market by coincidence. 

出門之前在網路上小小搜尋，有部落格主封士東市場爲台北市最高級的市場，我更感到好奇。我對蔬果生鮮的價錢實在不清楚，無法確認上述的敘述，只能直奔二樓的食堂區，中午的人潮一如往常讓我失去方向感，剛開始找不出這個市場的特殊景色，只好邊吃越南河粉邊觀察，河粉攤旁的小咖啡攤有些看起來很自在的熟客，對，在市場裡喝咖啡還真不常見，於是吃完之後我問老闆可否讓我留下來畫圖，老闆非常有誠意，把桌子擦乾淨，這是我今年第一次在外面有桌子可用，畫完之後老闆還說：有空常來畫喔！

I  did a little bit of research on the Internet beforehand. Shidong Market is thought of as a high-end market by a blogger, which only made me more curious. Not a housewife, I do not have a clue of the prices and quality of fresh produce, so I can't confirm the blogger's statement. As soon as I arrived there, I headed immediately to the second floor, where the eateries gather. The crowds looking for somewhere to sit for lunch, again, disoriented me. In the beginning I couldn't put my finger on the feature of this market, so I had to observe the surroundings while having lunch. Next to the pho stand is a small cafe, where the customers chatted and enjoyed themselves. Right, it occurred to me that I should draw the scene, which isn't so commonly seen in markets. After lunch, I asked the owner if I could stay to sketch the cafe. He wiped the table clean for me with loads of sincerity. This was the first time for me to have a chair and a table for doing a sketch this winter. 

對我來說這個市場的高級之處在於人們懂得在熙熙攘攘之間放鬆，不是每個人都有這般能力啊！

For me, I define Shidong Market as high-end because people know how to relax here in the hustle and bustle of everyday lives. Not everyone is capable of that...

今天我透過速寫對於自己有新的認識，幾乎每次都被問到，我是不是讀美術或者是不是從事這行，儘管去了倫敦一年，我還是會回答不是，因為我覺得畫畫並沒有爲我帶來實質的金錢收穫，可是我現在明明主修了插畫啊！下次我要勇敢回答說：是！那麼有一天信念就會變成事實！

Today I had an epiphany about myself while sketching. I was always asked if I am an art major or if I work in the related fields. Despite my year in London, I would still say "No" for I didn't think drawing brought me any material gain. Still, I studied illustration! Next time I will say bravely, "Yes!" And one day my belief will become reality.