Taking Out More Friends from U.S.

 

Friday 1/3/03                 English-Only KTV

           

            Before Ginger left she’d mentioned a friend from college was coming to visit and I volunteered to help show him around.  She said he was at Yale med so when I asked his name and she said, “Randy Cheung,” I said I know him!  He was a year below me at Yale public health.  She was in denial, “Nooo, it can’t be him,” doubtless because I am way old to know one of her college friends, but after trying to describe him (black hair?  baby faced?  always super nice and cheerful?) she was finally convinced when we both remembered he dated some hot-looking twin from Texas. 

 

            He called me the same day Jonathan had arranged KTV for his sister’s last night in Taiwan.  I asked Randy and Simon to come, Niclas and later Susan came too.  Introductions were a little confusing since everyone was connected through some common person who wasn’t there.  I introduced Randy, saying he’s also a friend of Ginger’s (some but not everyone know Ginger).  I introduced Simon, saying he’s also a friend of Brian Hall’s (some but not everyone know Brian).

 

            This time we sang all English songs so we were pretty efficient (I am a proponent of cutting off the song before the last 20 seconds to keep things moving).  Simon was especially excited at the Thong Song.  We got a kick especially out of the video for “Born to Be Wild” which showed a couple girls in leather and boots driving a guy into the wilderness and kicking the crap out of him.  We learned something new, that apparently only U.S. songs don’t show the original video, but others do, like UK’s Atomic Kitten (the “Hi we have no talent but we’re hot” group) and Kylie Minogue and all Asian songs. 

 

 

Saturday 1/4/03                         Trendy Club Eden

 

It was Simon and his bro Spencer’s last night in Taiwan so we and Randy, Jon, Niclas, and Tricia went to Organo for drinks and then the new hotspot Eden, in the new Bistro 98 building on the corner right next to my apartment.  When we got in the elevator we didn’t even know what floor Eden was on, but a bunch of trendy looking ABCs got in with us so we quietly just followed them up, to the top floor.  It was the most expensive club I’ve been to yet, 800/guy and 600/girl.  The décor was very cool; huge chandelier from the ceiling, dance floor with a couple of winding staircases and a platform with private table hovering over it.  The second floor overlooks the dance floor on all sides.  A bar downstairs and one upstairs.  Private tables all around the perimeter.  The crowd looked very ABC and trendy local.  You heard English everywhere.  Drinks were decently strong.  Music was not so great though; the DJ kept playing weird undanceable house with a bad 80s and discoey flavor.  I went into the DJ booth to request a “normal” hiphop song to give him a hint (Ashanti’s “What’s Love”) and sure enough, he went on a streak playing that and a bunch of generic radio hip hop for awhile, but then went back to his weird stuff.

 

It was fun and a little weird partying with Simon, since I only knew him from church back home in NJ.  He, Spencer and I danced away and went home last.