Whimsical Fantasies: Taipei Beckons!

Mich will be off to Taiwan for the next few days, albeit not for leisure. Boarding a morning SQ flight in a few hours. (Yes, I know. I ought to be asleep now.)

Initial plans to head to Kaohsiung have been scrapped due to time limitations, not to mention the distance! Therefore, tarrying around Taipei is the most likely option. Daniel will be trotting up instead from Kaohsiung, although no McDonald's ice-cream as mentioned. =(

Yous (plural) in Australia, take care!
You in Taiwan, take a break!
You in USA, sleep on time!
You in PGP, all the best for your assignments!
Yous in Singapore, enjoy your weekend!
Me in Taiwan, try to curb excessive expenditure!

That said, I shall leave you with encapsulated moments from my previous trip to Taiwan in June 2006.

Outside my hotel room.

Ximending

At Mac's (with top entertainment host Luo Zhixiang fronting the ad)

Entrance to the National Museum
(an uphill task literally!)

A "Lovely" abode up on the mountains, if you get my drift. Not in a million years will you have such a sight to behold in Singapore.

View of houses from the peak.

Pretty sticks of marshmallow

These cute owls were actually ocarinas! I spent a night mastering this wind instrument. It's pretty easy once you're familiar with the fingering.

Can't remember the name of this spot, but it was where tourists flocked to watch the change of sentry guards hourly, with the last change at 5pm.

An innocent-looking DVD rental outlet, till you read the Mandarin inscriptions. =.=

An actual campaign poster during the elections. Imagine if this were embraced by the White team here!

Teppanyaki at Shilin Night Market. An apparent ripoff. I paid S$30+ for this! At a hawker centre!

Shops fronting Shilin Night Market.

Juxtaposed against Taipei101.
Can you spot Mich? I'm that speck of blue & white at the bottom of this picture!

The equivalent of our annual IT Fair was held at a building adjacent to Taipei 101. Clusters of babes decked in similar gear were commonplace as each group represented a company and clamoured for the attention of passers-by.

At Taipei 101, a crowd had gathered and the escalator at the main entrance had been sealed off. Apparently, a celebrity was in the house. She made her appearance by waltzing down the escalator.

A celebrity host (I forgot his name) wielding the microphone revealed that it was the launch of a new series of Lux products. Who was the Lux girl?

None other than Mandopop Princess Jolin Tsai (Cai Yiling)!

The entrance of Taipei's Art Museum (yes, I'm quite the geek. I love museums!)

A building housing a Ministry. (was it Education?)

At the entrance of the Miniature Museum (Yes! Another museum!)

Does this set remind you of Ben Stiller's Night At The Museum?

A grand piano. chandeliers, concierge, leather sofas aplenty....Hmm....was this the lobby of a posh hotel?

Nope, it was at the lobby of Party World, where Taipei teens and yuppies flocked to sing their lungs out at this hip KTV joint. Apparently, karaoke is big business in Taipei. This entire building was purely Party World's! Imagine, eight floors of karaoke rooms! An usher would bow and greet you as you step out of the lift, guiding you towards your private room. The smallest room could house about 8-10 and it came with an attached bathroom! How's that for a price of less than S$20 per head?! KBox, take a leaf out of Party World's book!