Haha, I’ve been filling up my schedule like crazy. I’m tired some days, but somewhat, I feel both fulfilled and empty at the same time.

Case in point, last night, I went to my regular Toastmasters meeting, where there were two speeches and a story session. It wasn’t as bad, though I think previous Toastmasters meetings were more well-prepared. This meeting seemed hastily done to me.

Afterwards, I bought some “pao-yang ping,” at Sasa. It’s so funny. Back home in the Philippines, people didn’t really care about taking care of your face with the exception of washing it with soap everyday and putting moisturizer. But here in Taiwan, the use of “pao-yang ping” or products that preserve the face is very important.

I mean, jeez, it’s only here in Taiwan that I see dozens of women, lining up at Sogo on the day of a sale, just to buy one little can of hydrating cream or something — for NT$30,000!!!

And they’re happy because it’s on sale!

WTF?!

Okay, so I’m exaggerating about the price.

But here, taking care of your face is a big deal. I’ve actually been on the receiving end of my friends’ ire, just because I’ve never used a “pao-yang ping” in my entire life, save for Clinique’s moisturizing cream.

“Your skin’s so smooth,” they’ll say with envy. “But if you don’t use pao-yang ping, it’ll look old and wrinkled by the time you’re 35.“

Uh-oh, was that just a threat?!

The lady in the store was no better. “When you’re 25, it wouldn’t really make a difference. Everybody’s skin is good. But after your 30s, you’ll really see the difference.“

Oh my. Blessed by my father’s good genes, I’m very lucky to have fine skin. Most of my friends envy my skin (except when the occasional pimple that pops once in a blue moon). But the message is that, if I don’t start using them now, I won’t have fine skin for long.

Jeez, my father has never used pao-yang pings, and his skin is that of a babys even in his 70s!

Anyway, just to be safe, I did finally buy some after listening to the saleslady’s explanation.

My gosh, I think you need a degree to understand the complexities of applying all those gunk in your face!

First, apply the toner all over.

Then, the essence, or hydrating cream.

If you have moisturizer, which I do, this is the time you’ll apply them.

Then, some morning cream (whatever that is) and there’s a separate cream you use at night.

Lastly, the eye cream, because the skin around the eyes are much more sensitive.

You have to do this every time after you wash your face, to maintain its PH balance. This means, at the very least, you’d have to apply all these goo twice a day (when you wake up and before you sleep), regardless on whether you apply makeup or not.

And this is just the basic process, my GOD!

There are gazillions of gunk that you can put in. Hydrating whatevers, moisturizing lotions, aaaaargh! I’m so confused! There’s just so many of them!

Our grandmothers never used these stuff and they seem okay. Why do we have to use all the gunk now?!

Sigh, sometimes, I think it’s better if I was just a man — they seem to live less complicated lives.

Anyway, after ringing up my purchases, I paid over a thousand NT$, which is surprisingly reasonable. Most of these products already cost NT$1,000 each! They’re not cheap, I tell ya!

Geez, the things women do to preserve our beauty. 🙂

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Last night, I also went to Luxy for Ladies Night.

Actually, the reason I went is because of my guy friend, who’s going back to LA. He’s the party king and after he left Taipei, all parties just didn’t seem as much fun. He’s a player, but a nice player, and I’ve always had fun with him.

So I went.

I’m always big on these occasions. If it’s a birthday or a farewell party, I’m there. I like to be there for my friends when something important is happening/going to happen to them.

Or maybe, I just like to find excuses to party. 🙂

But of course, I’m pretty responsible. I knew I had work the next day, so I made sure I left Luxy by 1:30AM.

Tomorrow, it’s going to be another party at Carnegies. A birthday party this time. Boy, that’s going to be fun!

Haha, everybody assumes I’m a party queen, but actually, it’s just the season. How can you not party during the holidays, and is it my fault that all these occasions keep on popping up?

And what’s life without partying?

*thinking*
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I’ve gotten a lot of crap about my strip bar comment, as I’ve mentioned earlier. But I’ve also gotten several good leads and some very interesting information. Now, they’re all hearsay so keep an open mind:

It seems that here in Taiwan, if you want to take a girl home, the rate’s NT$10,000 a night. Now, that’s some information for you.

Strip bars here are illegal so they operate in KTV-like rooms. Like Cashbox but with girls. Each person pays NT$4,500 to NT$6,000, but inclusive of all the liquor and food you consume. Now, that’s pretty expensive! But you get a discount when a regular brings you in. Actually, you’ll probably be admitted only if a regular brings you in. And unsurprisingly, the regulars are mucho dinero (rich) men!

It’s like a merry-go-around. After you go in with your friends, the first round of girls appears and strip dances for each of you, rubbing their breasts in your face. Each has a number, and if you want them, you can request to bring them home after. They’ll dance for around 15 minutes, and a new round of women come every half an hour to an hour.

In these places, anything is possible, for a price.

Anyway, it’s not what I need. I’m a woman so I don’t really like having breasts rubbed in my face. I mean, I already have those, thank you very much, and I like mine just fine.

What I want is to just sit down in an audience and watch a show. But I don’t think they have them here.

So my friend recommended that I just hire a stripper and go to a hotel room with friends. A strippper costs NT$10,000 a night and if there’s more people watching, we can split the cost between us.

Of course, it’s going to be boring with just one, so better to have two.

Sheesh, this is really getting expensive!

Haha, I can now imagine men drooling so I gotta stop now. 🙂

But that’s some food for thought on the strip show industry of Taipei.

C’est la vie!