Mich's 2007 Taipei Escapade

Swamped by work lately, I've been scraping at the bottom of the sleep barrel.

Suffice to say, I've not been able to upload my Taipei pics till now, albeit scarcely-stirred photographs from Day 3 & 4. Er.....enjoy pics from Day 1 & 2 ? =/

Mich & Lynn flew with Singapore Airlines while the rest took EvaAir. S$550 down the drain for my air ticket.

Howard Plaza Hotel was pretty expensive for a stay of 3 nights. Cost of hotel lodging? S$600+ per individual, which meant the total expenditure for flight & lodging in Taipei left Mich S$1100+ poorer. Blissfully unaware of the existence the Howard chain of hotels prior to this trip, I was surprised to find international brands like Hugo Boss, Cerruti et al fronting the 4-storey hotel shopping arcade. The ornate decor welcomed me with open arms as I entered our room. What I loved most about the bedroom - the roomy armchair!

Barely 3 hours upon landing on Taipei soil, we wasted no time in clubbing at Luxy, Taipei's equivalent of Zouk. The cover charge was S$30+ per individual and included a paltry 2 housepours. Great Music, Hip DJs, Blah Drinks!

Alvin is an SQ air steward and was stationed in Taipei when we arrived. Since Joshua was his buddy, Alvin hung out with us during our stay. Coincidentally, Alvin was the air steward on duty on my return flight to Singapore with Lynn! Needless to say, I had exclusive service from him on my return flight with Lynn. (The rest were scheduled to fly separately on EvaAir) Zipping up to me before I could plop into my seat,he brought me a cup of orange juice before the other passengers had settled down. Thereafter, he stood along the aisle with a tray in hand, talking to me and occasionally to Lynn. As I was deprived from sleep after rousing at 5am for this flight, I dozed off and some time later, I opened my eyes to see his face hovering above mine. As I was still drowsy, his speech seemed incoherent. All I heard was a cheeky quip, "Ok, shall not disturb you. Goodnight!" and off he went.

After having the in-flight meal, he brought me a box of Toberlone chocolates, made a frothy teh-tarik for me, concocted a Bailey's cocktail and coaxed me into consuming red wine, which I declined as I was on medication. Thereafter, he appeared again and asked if the meal was substantial enough. He had instant noodles if I were hungry. Politely, I declined. Again, he stood along the aisle and chatted for a long while. Even as his superior walked by, he was oblivious to the Upper's presence and continued with his banter. Weariness got the better of me and I dozed off again, only to be roused when the plane finally landed at Changi Airport. As he was stationed on the other end of the plane, I did not see him as we left.

Upon my return to Singapore, I checked my Friendster account and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had found me on Friendster and had left this message in my inbox : "Heya!! glad to know u ya! wat..u waited 1.5 hours at the airport for them..gosh..sorry couldnt really talk to u on board as i was working on the other side of the air craft..Actually wana talk to u a bit b4 landing but u were sleeping.haha" and he left his email and MSN contact behind. Following that, he sent another message,"Let me get to know you better? Can?"

Alvin's a load of fun to be with! Need I mention that he's cute too? -wink-

Choe, Joshua, Lee Meng, Lois & Neo checked out and moved to a cheaper hotel after 2 nights. Alvin's missing from the pics coz he was the photographer!

At Ximending, Taipei's hippest hangout, you must sing your lungs out at Partyworld. An 8-storey karaoke extravagance, chandeliers deck its corridors and lobby generously. Each room houses a party of 10 easily and has its own attached bathroom. How's that for exclusivity? Despite loading on the beer and belting out songs for hours, we barely chalked up S$30 per head! That's a steal considering KBox charges that amount in Singapore with the exclusion of alcohol.

The star of the night - Alvin!

Stay tuned for pics from Day 3 & 4!