last night out playing in taipei. so the 2 most frequently visited places of course.
Ximen Ding
For you taf viewers out there, Kelly and Vince's first time out with us, and Paul and Steve came out too. And for you uiuc'ers, Nancy. And then a bunch of friends of friends.
and of course, Shihlin Night Market, where someone found us! randomly!
Kevan in the hizzy!
I gave him your phone #'s ming, michelle, roger, etc.
Hi googoo Yvonne. I will send you pictures.
Steve just found out he was related to a long time friend of his. Who he dated when he was 16. puaha. just another reason why to not hanky panky at taf :)
So I leave tomorrow night. I am looking forward too:
- Carpet
- Inhaling big whiffs of fresh air
- Space, as in not bumping shoulders with people wherever I walk
- My bed
- Central AC
- Any type of comfortable couch
- Taking a poo and not sweating
But of course, I am going to miss Taiwan. The hustle and bustle of this small island is
an experience to behold, and spending day after day exploring this city and culture with good friends made it even better. I find myself almost feeling guilty for having this much fun, FUN, and not spending my summer doing some sort of internship or being productive. But I did learn how to get around Taipei, and my Mandarin is now just bad, instead of really bad. So whatever. I'm going to miss the family though. Yay for grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins. Maybe I'll be back in the winter. Who wants to play with me and Michelle then?
Green grass and open spaces await me. Wheeeeee!
i heart taiwan
eyecandy
Anna, Me, Jack, Albert, Roger, Michelle, and Ming with Paul and Steve (and 2 teammates) after there dragon boat race.
TAFers, ATLers, and others eating lunch in the Mitsukoshi Dept. Store Food Court
A view of Hualien. Big blue sky, big puffy clouds, clear blue ocean. Gorgeous.
yes. i am now officially taiwanese. i actually had a craving for stinky tofu.
and i think taiwanese and japanese are two really pretty languages. i guess that means i would have enjoyed living in japan-occupied taiwan. but they didnt have ac back then, so...yea, no.
and dont buy the pirated movies at Shihlin night market. they quality is el crap.
only in taiwan do you watch the news and see Paul Lin eating on tv. hahaha.
*edit*
Ok so Paul was shown on the news because he and Steve are competing in the Dragon Boat races here in Taipei for the bah-tzang day festivities. They news camera took a shot of people in the stands, and lo and behold, Paul Lin chewing on something.
But yea, Wellington called me later this afternoon and informed me that Paul and Steve's team for 2nd Place overall! thats REALLY good, cuz there were a lot of teams. congrats!
Anna and Albert go bye bye today. Kevan comes in Monday. and others sometime in between. 8 days left in Taiwan. wow.
Ming Young: May 16 - July 20 @ Taipei
Jon Lee: May 19 - June 30 @ Taipei
Roger Lin: May 23 - June 31 @ all over the island
Linda Kuo: May 24 - June 7? @ the Southern tip of Taiwan
Jason Kuo: @ the Southern tip of Taiwan
Jessica Sun: May 26 - June 21 @ Taipei
Michelle Hsu: June 1 - July @ Taipei
Anna Wu: June 3 - June 23 @ Taipei
Albert Wu: June 3 - June 23 @ Taipei
Jinny Chieu: June 3 - June 28 @ Taipei and Taichung
Jon Chen: June 10 - June 16
Jeremy Chen: June 10 - June 16
Vince Huang: Late June - Late August @ Taipei
Kevan Lin: June 26 - July 31 @ Taipei
Kelly Huang: June 27th - Aug 2 @ Taipei (Loveboat)
Alice Wang: early July @ Kaoshung
Alvin Wang: early July @ Kaoshung
Karen Lai: July 3 - July 17 @ Taipei
Pauline: Late July - August
Mayline Wu: Late July - August
James Huang: Late July - August
Marco Ku: Here
Leo Ku: Here
Cindy Lee: Here
Jason Lee: Here
Wellington Tzou: Here and Loveboatin' it too
Elevyn Tzou: till June 27th
Alberta Lui: July 17th - August 18th
Annie Chieu: June 14 - July 8th @ Taipei and Taichung
Kayleen Fang: June 27- Aug?? @ Taipei, Tainan (Loveboat)
Jeff Fang:
Nancy Wu: Again @ Taipei
Nick Huang: I assume June 27th...
Mr. Charles Huang: el Presidente!
Eric Chang: Lives in Tainan
Steve Lin: Lives in Taipei
Paul Lin: Lives in Taipei
Other Taiwanese Kids:
Stl's Jack Chiu: May 17th - July 23rd
UVA's G-race: Early-Mid June - Early August @ Taipei (Loveboat)
The last few days have been great. I'm really grateful to be this blessed to be able to be here in Taiwan, and explore the city (and also to make all the natives stare at us while we're loud and do crazy antics) with friends.
I've been able to laugh and smile a lot, and it makes me happy that everyone here is doing the same. Taiwan baby, it's a great place. Yea, really really lucky.
Jessica, Jon, and Jeremy left today. Sadness. They were a source of immense amusement. I wonder if we could do the same things we did here in Taipei in STL. I'd hope so. But hey, we lost three, and gained two.
Yea, we totally, unexpectedly, ran into Wellington and Evelyn from ATL.
--on the subway--
Wellington and Evelyn: Roger!
Me, Roger, Michelle, Jon, Jeremy, Anna: (turn around and see them) AAAH! AAAAAAH!! AHH!
Natives: (taken aback by LOUD screams)
yes. It was random, and it was great.
I have two more pictures from Ximen Ding. And don't worry Oogs, I have one at night :)
Ming, Evelyn, Wellington, friend Gary, Anna, Albert, Michelle, Roger, Me
And I'd post the other Ximen Ding photo, but this one from Danshui has more people. Sixteen to be exact. And I took the picture. Yup, so that's seventeen Taiwanese American kids roaming around Taipei. Amazing.
My wireless internet lost its connection while I was making this post, so I watched Moulin Rouge. And yes, it is one of my favorite movies. Here's my top 3.
1. Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (the serious one with Kevin Costner)
2. Moulin Rouge
3. Dogma
I realized that in my top two favorite movies, the main character is called Christian (Morgan Freeman's Muslim character calls Kevin Costner that throughout the movie, and it's Ewan McGregor's name in MR) and the third, Dogma, is about Christians and Christianity. Interesting...
"The greatest thing you'll ever know is to love, and be loved in return."
What do you think?
Ive lately been thinking that I could write my own movie or novel. A really cheesy romantic comedy, or a really cheesy action flick. I think of a lot of random things that i personally think would be funny to watch. Maybe i'll set some time aside and do that someday.
Me and Jess played a fun game tonight called "Who Can Spit Your Gum Higher In The Air". I think i won, but the better part of the story is that after we spit our gum in the air and it landed on the sidewalk, I threw mine away while jessica didnt want to pick her's up even though i told her too. Soon after, two of Michelle's friends came to meet us and they stepped in the gum and got it on their shoes. And then when jessica left, she stepped in it to. HAH. what goes around comes around.
bad jessica, i told you so.
Im watching CSI right now. Funny that I come to taiwan and start watching america's #1 drama.
But yea, movie. I can do it. I think some of the characters will play my gum-spitting game in it.
Michelle is here, yay! Our first east coast representation here in Taiwan. Its funny to think that everyone, other than Michelle, lives in the midwest and we can all just drive a few hours (or in Jessica and the Chen's case, six minutes?) to see each other instead of traveling for a whole day to get here. But oh well. Messing around in Taiwan rocks.
Today was a long day of messing around. Met up at the Taipei 101 with everyone. Throughout the day we did a lot of random things that were highly amusing. I'm too tired to tell you what it all was, and maybe you have to be here to really see why its so funny. But yea, a really good day at the 101 and Ximen Ding.
Wait. All these TAFers at Ximen Ding? Sounds like the traditional photo-op time!
Winter 2002
Now
Anna, Michelle, Ming, the top of Jeremy's head, Roger, Jon, Me, Jessica, Albert, and the big KFC bucket in the background.
I am lucky.
Balled tonight with Ming vs many skinny Taiwanese guys. But we played some good guys too, so we lost a few. I think playing here changes my game. I usually prefer to stay outside and shoot back in the US, since my friends are taller than me, but here, I could post up against anyone because theyre all so skinny. If I was a few inches taller, I'd be Shaq-like. Well maybe.
One junior high kid was schooling me, hehe. He kept making shot after shot. I played decent defense I think...but we still won, thanks to me just giving Ming the ball and him cutting in for layups. Attaboy.
I was talking to my friend Julie Ashenfelter's mom on her screenname today. When she left, I said "peace out" and she said "ten four big daddy". hahahah, her mom called me "big daddy"...
So, Ximen Ding Saturday night? All the TAFers meet up there and take one big happy amazing picture? : )
Anna calls me a Taiwan tourist guide. Holla.
I went to Shihlin night market tonight with Ming, Cassia, and Jack. While we were sitting around eating some shaved ice, Cassia and I started talking about her one year at TAF, in 1998. I was in Youth that year with her, yet I didn't remember her at all. BUT, she told me about how she remembers only a few people, like Timmy Huang, because he was the one who busted her and three other girls for breaking curfew.
Their punishment was the spanking machine. And I distinctly remember being in a big circle with everying in Yuoth, with the four girls crawling between everyone's legs and being spanked as they walked through. Haha yea, so we realized, that I've spanked Cassia before. (sounds dirty doesn't it? yet it was TAF approved)
And now we hang out in Taiwan together six years later. Whatta camp.
Bought a bunch of things at a 10NT store tonight. Thats right, .30 cent store!
OH AND. I got soccer jerseys today! Good ones too! I'm super-duper excited. I could have gotten hit by a car today, but it would still have been a good day because of the deal I got on the jerseys. And they're real!
i feel cool. Andre Igoudala is pictured on the main page of espn.com, and I made him a smoothie once at my moms store. He grabbed a spoon and dropped it, and then tried to shoot it into the trash can and missed. And now he's predicted to be drafted as high as #3 in the NBA draft.
Good thing he handles a basketball better than a plastic spoon!
har har.
Biggest meetup so far yesterday. Met up with Anna Albert and Jessica at the Taipei Main Station, Jinny met up with us (after a ridiculously hard time trying to find each other), and then went underground to some shops where we randomly ran into Cindy Lee (and she found us because I was talking loud...haha), and then Roger and his cousin Marco (who was in JH long ago) met up with us. hurrah hurrah. And then we met up with Paul (after another ridiculously hard time trying to find him), and took a picture. yay.
We went to lunch, minus Cindy, Albert, and Jess. I got some beef noodle soup (neu ro mien) and the chinese pizza (tsong yo bing) for like...four dollars US. cheap.
Lunch was fun, caught up with Paul's escapades here in Taiwan. Marco was Paul's camper when he was in JH. And Paul didn't remember.
"You dont remember me??"
"I dont remember you, but I remember your SOUL!"
haha yes. good recovery Paul.
I need to learn proper pin ying.
oh yea, before I got to the club last night, an old guy approached me on the street and kept talking and walking with me, asking me if i wanted any "xiao jie's".
haha. a taiwanese pimp.
I didnt accept his offer for his girls.
and i quicky walked away laughing.
hehehe. clubbin in taipei. awww yea.
me, ming, cassia, linda, and jack went to Luxy, which by US standards is a REALLY nice club...and it was pretty cheap for me considering, about $1 2US since i got in after 10pm, but everyone else got in before 10 so it was free for them. So why was I after 10? well...
i forgot my ID. i remember before i left for dinner, that i left my wallet at home since i wouldnt want it at the club. little did i think to take out my ID. So i go to the club anyways and ask the bouncer if i can get in without an ID, hoping he doesnt care since i have a heavy american accent and well, i think i look over 18. but he didnt care. i was hoping for some taiwan ghettoness to get me in :(
so i called up cassia and we talked about our options for awhile, and getting me either ming or jacks id was the fastest option. now getting the id to me was a challenge in itself, let alone getting in with someone elses id, because jack said the bouncers there check IDs hard. cassia and linda were able to get a stranger to hand me the id's, wrapped in money to conceal them, at the entrace, because if they left they couldnt get back in.
so i had jacks taiwanese citizen id and mings drivers license. i went to the end of the line and compared them. i mean, people do say i look like ming, so that would make more sense. i studied up on his birthday and address etc in case they asked me at the door. but after i talked to cassia on the phone again, we decided that i should go with jacks, cuz i mean, i doubt the club gets a lot of Illinois licenses, so they might notice it more...
So i give the bouncer jacks id, and he takes his time looking at it and at me, back and forth. I really dont want to make eye contact with him, so i whipped out my phone and started to pretend to be talking to someone, hehehe. and i said "yea my uncle came and dropped it off" so the other bouncer who i asked if i could get in without and id wouldnt wonder how i had gotten it so quickly. yes i am smooth. but also lucky. while the bouncer was looking at the id, he stared at it for awhile and then he asked me in mandarin when or where my birthdate was. i froze. haha. i memorized mings bday, but his and jacks are really close, and i forgot which was august 6th or 8th. BUT THANK GOD. before i could say anything, or have a heart attack, the bouncer said "oh, here it is", and let me in.
WHEW. it was straight out of a movie.
mad props to cassia and linda for getting me in. and jack for having a taiwanese id with a photo from the side so it looks a little bit more believable that its me.
and in the club, some taiwanese people dance funny.
linda leaves on monday, sad. but anna and albert are here now, hurrah!