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| So I tossed open the latest Jay Chou "Capricorn" and Van Fan "Cape No. 7" albums I got from the TPE and they're actually a letdown.
Never to stop when down, I wanted to look up some of the KTV songs we'd sang to-- that none of us had ever heard before, but were belting the choruses once we got the jist of it.
Due to that modern miracle called the Internet, however, I found this beat and quickly cheered up.
We all sang our lungs out to this song at a Taichung Holiday KTV: Ni Bu Xian Tah
Catchy chorus and a half-ass attempt at portraying a Chinese hottie makes this a weener!
Here's the tearjerking KTV: Fairy Tale. Sigh. Personally it's more poignant than those Korean KTV's because, well, I actually understand the lyrics.
Here's one from back in the day-- Kelly just takes my breath away: I just love you
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| The thought hit me today that I'm really not too homesick despite how long I've been in Taiwan. Maybe because my apartment in LA is located in one of the densest Asian populations in the US, the San Gabriel Valley and that I didn't feel too much of a difference once I arrived in Taiwan. Having a lot of bilingual signs and eagerly patient Taiwanese people help as well. I miss the friends back home, but I've been surrounded and connected by so many people via so many means, e.g.in person, email or IM, that I'm truly reaping the enefits of an ever-shrinking and interconnected world. And, island fever has never hit me any time I've visited and stayed in Taiwan.
Today was mostly spent at Yang Ah Yi's homes indoors, watching TV, browsing online, and catching up on more documentation. It seems like some Taipei friends are coming down the high-speed rail on Monday to Taichung, which they've never been to before, to hang out. W00t! I'm sure we'll make TC memorable somehow.
Well, tomorrow's the family friend wedding where it was decided I'll be part of the procession at the very last minute-- I wonder if this happened because the host family felt compelled because they felt I took whatever precious little vacation time I had to attend their oldest son's wedding.
If I'd only known about it earlier I would've liked to check out this today: http://www.loveloverock.com/. Oh well-- I'll just have to spoil my ears with Chou Jie Lun's and Van Fan's music.
Did you know that Taiwan has the 2nd highest population density in the world only to Bangladesh? Neither did I until today.
I'm already thinking of my next vacation destinations-- the Maldives, SE Asia + Singapore and HK, Shanghai, Beijing, etc.
I'm already starting to miss this little rogue island nation.
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| Today, we visited my grandfather's urn situated in a Buddhist temple. The highlights were offering burning to him, but the biggest highlight of all really was this drop-dead gorgeous Chinese girl who was very shapely with "porn-star" sunglasses, short shorts, wheeling in a hard white-colored suitcase. I kept wondering who she was-- and, curiously, what was in that suitcase. Was she going to commit mass mayhem and shoot all the monks, nuns, and volunteers dead? I mean, she had that whole Chiaki Kuriyama in Kill Bill get-up and aura (pun intended-- get it? We're in a Buddhist temple... aura... anyway...) about her. Or did she just have that much "hell money" stashed to be burned? Me, I'm just visiting gramps. What *was* in that suitcase, and whatever it was, what's the story surrounding her? The mystery of it all just made all the more salacious indeed.
Afterwards, we had lunch at Banana where we had a cute (BTW: known fact, at least EVERY OTHER GIRL you encounter in either Taichung or Taipei is at least CUTE. Really.) but numbskullishly clueless waitress. Afterward, off to Beauttie for a 4-hour massage (a legit one, you perverted knuckleheads!)
And that's pretty much it for the day today.
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Yesterday, Yang Ah Yi drove us up to Dah Kun ("Big Hole?") within Taichung. We had a multi-course lunch set at a Japanese-inspired restaurant with spectacular interior design elements, perched on steep cliffsides in the mountains. Not only was my palate going into overdrive but my eyes were constantly focusing on new things every single minute inside and outside that restaurant. I would rate it as the best restaurant I've been to overall on this trip so far, budget notwithstanding, and could confidently say it may end up being the best ever. Unfortunately I was oafish enough not to bag a business card when leaving-- but I did take some pictures of it.
One of my stranger quirky interests is restaurant washroom design. Food, service, interior design, and... washroom design. During my last trip to Taiwan 5 years ago, the washroom inside one of the Tasty restaurants in Taipei totally stood out-- along with its food, service, and interior designs. Since then, I noticed similar designs popping up in US-based lounges and trendier establishments.
Imagine if you will-- immaculately trimmed Japanese gardens, a centrally-themed infinity pool with bonsai rock islands in it with mist rising from the bottom of each island, unwalled outside tea rooms, and a balcony perched over steep cliffsides of the mountain. Inside, you have you tatami-mat dining area, plus bathrooms with wood-slat floors but also one of the 4 walls being a wall-to-ceiling glass looking out at a private, nicely designed bamboo garden. Also, the washroom sink is made out of an old-growth hollowed-out tree trunk, with Japanese tones. Pretty dramatic stuff.
We then checked out Yang Ah Yi's farm up in Dah Kun after lunch. Got some fresh and dried out "si gua." "Si gua" is a common vegetable to Asians in subtropic and tropical areas. But is dried "di gua" loofah?? Because that's what my parents and Yang Ah Yi were telling me. I just hit up Wikipedia, and apparently, they were right: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luffa.
After that we drove over to buy some Chinese mushrooms from this mushroom lady also up in the hills of Da Kun, and then went over the Summit Resort. Apparently Summit Resort was built by some former Taiwanese computer manufacturer who was taken over by a competitor and, which the funds gained from the transaction, but a resort that looked like a miniaturized Disneyland-like mishmash of Germany, Rome, and some awesome man-made waterfalls. Taiwanese people have this thing for building miniaturized parks and resorts that might not have nothing more them a foreign theme but not exactly any amusement park rides or lodging either. Strange to foreigners, but I'm used to it as having seen this type of shenanigans before. It was actually quite nice, minus the pond scum that was building up.
Afterwards, we headed back home, and pretty much called it a night.
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| Hrmm-- I should be summarizing my daily activities in Taiwan so far but, for this trip, I'm focusing on absorbing as much sensory stimulation as possible vs. 5 years ago when I was trying to capture as many sights and experiences in my daily encounters as aggressively as possible.
But, here are some highlights of my trip so far:
- Today is the first day I'm in Taichung. Arrived via "Guo Guan Hao" busline because there was too many oversized bulky luggages with us to try the "Gao Tieh" (high-speed rail). Before this, I was in Taipei, with some passing through Taoyuan only because, well, that's where the international airport is. Hopefully when I head back toward Taoyuan to fly back home I won't have to lug 2 and a half anvils and a grand piano around. Heads will roll if I don't at least get on the Gao Tieh!
- Also, today I went shopping at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Taichung. What better way to satisfy the Asian shopping gene then to build gaudy outrageous malls for themselves with more luxury brands rivaling even the likes of Rodeo Drive or the Houston Galleria or Madison Ave. There I bought the latest Jay Chou and Van's CD's. Somehow Asian pop CD's seem to capture and depict the current Asian cultural atmosphere very well.
- I also picked up a mid-tier Yonex badminton racket since I've started busting shuttlecocks back home in Arcadia. Yup, my shuttlecock cherry has been popped. Not much cheaper vs. US but whatever-- it's yet another thing to remember my trip by!
- My mom's been getting into questionable infractions and tiffs with various strangers we encounter lately. There was a day when I hung out with my buddies and my mom together and, well, a few eyebrow raising comments. Now I'm afraid I'm gonna turn ornery when the gray sets into my hair!
- Oh yeah-- and the hairstylist today cut my hair using techniques best for ASIAN HAIR. I'm elated-- almost on the verge of tearing up! Even ASIANS in SINO-CENTRIC US populations are unable to cut nearly as well! I look, well, tits!!
- Yesterday I had 2 solemn, introspective moments. On a whim I decided to visit the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and afterwards, whimsically once again, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The Sun Yat-sen Hall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen_Memorial_Hall ("Guo Fu Jin Nien Guan") may not seem to stand out in a casual visitor's mind-- but the sheer beauty, magnitude, and awe of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial was a bit overwhelming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek_Memorial_Hall. ("Dze Yo" or "Gwo Guong Jin Nien Guan") Although I've read the history of the ROC a few times previously, I guess being more mature tends to make one reach back into history and question why situations are they way they are today. Of particular personal interest was what were the circumstances surrounding foreign diplomacy which previously backed and supported the ROC after the exodus from mainland China to Taiwan to turn the tide towards China. Although I read extensively about Dr. Sun's background and Chiang's subsequent democratic and military historical development, all I can find was Japan's change of stance in 1972 from recognizing Taipei-- to recognizing Beijing-- as the official capital of China. I'll be looking into this matter more in depth later. I personally think it's a sad inevitable fate that Taiwan, for what it stands for, will ultimately be assimilated by Communist China one day by the very forces that Taiwan supported and Marxism doesn't.
I hit up Core Pacific City Taipei which is supposedly Taipei's largest mall. It was built in the shape of a massive globe, which probably was very complicated from a design and architectural aspect, and doesn't make the best utilization of interior space, quite frankly. But it's neat nonetheless. Prior to this, however, I'd hit up the Taipingyang Sogo mall which, if memory serves me correctly, is located at the intersection of Ren Ai and Fuxing Roads. Now I got here before they opened up the general mall to the public even though the underground food court was open. As I headed towards the food court I noticed the store / mall managers walking up and down rows of well-dressed mall employees conducting Asian-style customer-service training for the employees. Once an announcement declared the opening of the mall, I proceeded to go up the floors of the mall. But as I crested each escalator, I noticed rows of and rows of the same mall employees lining basically every damn walkway in the mall-- and bowing to us-- and excitedly saying, "Hwan in gwon ling!" This continued for *9 floors*. I were so embarrassed with excessive courtesy I tried to frantically find an elevator to avoid them-- but even they were manned (or "woman-ed"?) by sickeningly overpolite workers!
The day before, I set out to visit the National Palace Museum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Palace_Museum ("Gu Gong"), which contains a stunning collection of cultural artifacts that were flown out of China to Taiwan towards the end of the Chinese civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists ("Kuomingtang"). During most of my stay, I was in awe to see many of the very things I've read about so long ago with my very own eyes. Always in the back of my mind was questioning how in the time of a painful divisive war, General Chiang Kai-shek had the logistical strength and wherewithal to move these fragile and mostly irreplaceable evidence of the 5000-year old story about China. I ended up buying a 70% rendition of the largest original Ching-Ming Festival horizontal scroll which measures something ridiculous like 7 meters long. It's going to be a while before I'll find any type of residence which will have a 7 meter wide wall for me to hang that scroll up, seriously. For lunch, I had a Chinese emperor's menu set, which was amazingly exquisite lineup of samplings emulating what a typical Chinese emperor had for lunch. This restaurant I was in was located in the spectacular industrial-modernistic designed cube to left of the Museum itself on Museum grounds. I can't recall the name of the building, but for some reason I'm compelled to type "PearlsPalace."
Once I were done, I went over to Cheng's dad's Kuo-tai apartment in the ritzy part of Taipei (near the Dun Hwa Rd's Sogo). Played around with Valerie and Ethan before I headed out to the new highrise computer shopping complex.
This computer shopping complex is the cleanest, most neatly organized, even arguably the most luxurious computer mega-mall / swap-meet I've ever seen. Ever been to a swap-meet and seen a stand that just a bunch of rusty obsolete electrical tidbits thrown together into a plastic bin? Well, in this computer shopping complex, it looked as if Alfred the Butler took said plastic bin and, with every components, immaculately cleaned, meticulously cataloged and arranged everything to make it look like, well, how LV or Daks or Mikimoto would arrange their goods. Seriously. I mean I saw the brightest, neatest looking adult video store-- the best looking cigarette-lighter / bags, backpacks, and fanny packs & leather belt store, that I've ever seen-- along with the rest of the computer-centric stalls. It was like the Getty Center of Fry's.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the chronology of anything that happened before this point in time. What I do know is that I hung out with Cheng and his family on the very first day, which I ended up going to 2 hotpot buffets-- the one on the 5th floor and literally no more than 300 steps from his place, and another one some ways away-- along with the 1 buffet I had at my hotel immediately after I landed. It just so happens that I landed in Taiwan in the middle of some crazy Indian-summer-type heat wave that is still in mad effect-- and Cheng's dad's apt's AC was broken-- but scheduled to be repaired that day. But it was definitely great to see him, his wife, his dad, and Valerie and Ethan again as I've missed all of them. It was also on this very first day that I realized while walking around in the rain on the way to the dinner hotpot place that I was walking amongst the largest Asian hoochie scene I've seen so far. I don't think I'd have any difficulty getting used to Taipei. In fact, I'm finding out that I'm really like what I've seen everywhere in the bigger towns. :D
Other random things I remembered-- hanging out at the Eslite Bookstore twice, and loving hanging out there for both scenery and selection. Figuring out on my own how to walk from my hotel to Cheng's. Cheng explaining to me that the inhabitants of his dad's apt complex make up maybe 10% of total net asset value of all of Taipei-- which is not an insignificant monetary value given Taiwan's trade strength and Taipei being Taiwan's financial and trade center by far. Hitting up Luxy and Room 18 nightclubs-- with Room 18 being completely off the hook by far. Apparently, you can rub shoulders with Chinese stars there often. Cheng tried to get me to hit one these two well-endowed ladies (compared to your typical Taiwanese, at least) but I wasn't in the mood. Checking out City Super high-end Japanese supermarkets. Checking out Chiang Ah Yi's two homes near the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Taipei (I forgot if the hotel is called "San Shi" or not) and conversing with her daughter and son and her husband, discussing topics from the economy to tennis to politics. Checking out Taipei 101 (is it still the world's tallest building to date?) and the shopping complexes nearby, such as New York New York, etc. Apparently, I went the same weekend that Taipei hosts their annual equivalent to the US's Black Friday sales. Seeing the crowds, you couldn't have fooled me that Taiwan's been enduring a recession 2 years in the making. Having a rather deep conversation with Cheng and his dad about investments, trading, and Cheng's dad's secrets to being where he is today. I think it was always tough for me to get along with Cheng's dad and easier for, amongst all our friends, say Andy to get along with Cheng's dad since Andy's Taiwanese *or* Mandarin was far stronger than mine. So we always gave each other awkward glances. But I felt good after this conversation, since, for the first time since I've known Cheng since freshman year in college, I felt his dad and I made an earnest effort to connect. Oh, and I believe that occurred the same day that Cheng's family, and my parents and I went to Dan Sui ("Diluted Water"), which is basically a street-vendor version of Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade in North Taiwan. BTW, did I ever tell you I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the MRT? And the MRT EasyCard? Those that have been around have testified this is the most efficient mass transit system they've seen so far. It's so cool! It's so easy! It was worth every life sacrificed and ever penny in cost overrun to build it!! Why can't LA / Southern CA have something like this!!
That's it for this reverse-chronological blog entry. Didn't I warn you? You have to read this entry starting with the bottommost paragraph and working your way up. OK, now you've been notified. :D
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| Actually I wasn't-- but my dad was. So I guess I'm Beijing-ren in a lineage-type o' deal.
So, this is it. The most pivotal moment in modern Chinese history to date for me. Although the immense capitalistic run-up until now is impressive in its own right, the Chinese definitely showed the world tonight, that they're able to put an sensory buffet for the ages. An Opening Ceremonies so spectacular in complexity and choreography, so intense, and made me so proud to be represented as a Chinese. If the images on NBC via my piddly 27" semi-spherical old-school non-digital TV had me riled up cheering and rooting for the Motherland, I wonder if a long overdue, nice 50" flat-panel TV would've sent me into jubilant cardiac arrest.
Apparently China was the largest-GDP-producing nation for the 9 out of the last 10 centuries. Global domination is imminent!
Oh, and by the way, when it comes to all those issues protested against the Chinese, we appreciate a bit of isolationist in you, maybe even a bit of nonintervention. But then again, it's been proven over the last 5 years that as the reigning superpower, there is one entity willing to *bankrupt* itself to prove its imperialism that why would it be any surprise to hear them yammering about human rights?
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