Well, just to finish my report on my exciting/relaxing weekend, on Friday, I had a nice dinner at this divine Japanese restaurant called Peony Japanese Cuisine at Hsin-Yi Road, just at the back of Taipei 101. The ambience was great, and even the tableware was impressive, made out of stone and rock.

The food was pretty good.

First, they laid out a delicate looking sushi set that probably costs hundreds of dollars. Just a few pieces of sushi here and there, but I’m sure they’re not cheap.

The best came next, a small slab of meat that’s topped with cheese and served on top of a large leaf and a heated stone block to keep it warm. It was arranged well, and the beef was so tender, it almost melted in your mouth.

Afterwards, the fish arrived. Fried so that its outsides were a tad crisp but the insides melted in your mouth and dribbled with some sweet honey sour sauce, it was delicious, and my friend declared this dish to be the best one yet. This was then followed by fried and tender duck liver set on Japanese steamed egg, as well as salmon rice with red fish roe on top.

Oh my, I wish that I had a camera with me at that time so you can see how well the food was presented. It was indeed beautifully done.

At NT$1,700 per person (+ 10% tax), it was indeed a pretty good meal, although for that price, bring me to Ruth’s Chris instead! Regardless, it was an enjoyable dining experience and I’d be more than willing to step once again in the Peony doors, so long as I’m not paying the tab. 🙂

After this upcoming trip to Burma, and a June trip to Kenting, this bird is poor. 😉

Ah, the price to pay for living life to the full…

But of course, the day didn’t end there.

Following the nice, long meal, we decided to drop by the spanking new Mitsukoshi Eslite for a short visit. Despite my love of books, it’s the first time I’ve ever been there and I was quite impressed with its expansive space, bright lighting and multiple floors.

Admittedly, I still have no sense of direction and didn’t know where to find where all the books I wanted were kept, but overall, very relaxing and I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again when I have the time.

Shortly before midnight, we then headed down to the Brass Monkey at Nanking East Road for their summer beach party!

It was pretty cool; ladies wearing summery outfits (e.g., bikinis) were given free cocktails, while men were at their rowdy best. The highlight of the evening was the sexiest man and woman, with the hot winner getting NT$5,000 each!

So all you have to do is get up on stage, down a shot of tequila straight from the bottle, dance as sexily as possible (showing a nipple or two gives you added points, and yes, there were 2 women had a wardrobe malfunction). The men had a harder time looking sexy, and they best they could do was to take out their belt and their shirts.

But in the end, those guys who tried hard to look sexy… only succeeded in looking gay.

*laughs in secret*

What’s funny though was that my standard of sexy and the crowd’s standard of sexy was different.

The woman who was wearing the Hello Kitty-like polka dot bikini made it to the semi-finals, and hello! She wasn’t sexy! She lacked the height, the hotness and the slenderness to be called sexy.

But why did she make it to the semis?

Because she looked cute.

*hits head on wall*

Anyway, the party was still very fun, and I got home tipsily yet safe at around 2:30AM!
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As I’ve said in my last entry, last Saturday, I bumped into my friend Ryan before meeting up with friends to go to Tashi. We took the scenic route and

You see, my friends NN and DE have a beachhouse in Tashi, and as summer’s breaking, they decided that it was time to show off their newly-decorated beach house.

The party itself was pretty nice. Intimate with around 12 people, we took turns BBQing and had great conversations that lasted till early in the morning. In particular, I enjoyed a long talk with PB as we exchanged our experiences, and talked about dreams, snorkeling, moving to Taiwan, books, Bittorrent among others.

KW, DE and Jimbo decided to continue the party at Honeymoon Bay (there was a party there), but I opted out since I had to climb the 101 the next day. So I climbed at DE’s bed and slept for three hours.

Upon learning of my question, Jimbo shelled out NT$3,000 under the condition that I finish the climb.

Such a sweet man, ey?

Anyway, it was an entirely enjoyable Saturday.

It reminded me of what type of parties I love — intimate gatherings, peaceful surroundings (the moonlight striking the water was truly lovely) and great conversations.

Ah, summer’s coming! Now’s almost the time to bring out those sexy bikinis and sleep at the beach! Haha, I’ve already talked to NN asking him to give me free surfing lessons. Hope by the time this summer ends, I can stand on top of the board!

Oh yeah!

Anybody here can surf? Is it hard?
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As for yesterday, took the time to whack some balls in the driving range.

God, it was frustrating.

Something was out of whack, and I was hitting very poorly.

“I think I hate golf now,” I miserably said. “My balls are off.“

Good thing, MQ took the time out to correct my swing. He told me to move my hips, then my shoulders, torque my body and then swing my right elbow down before hitting the ball.

He patiently taught me that golf wasn’t about power, but about style. If your form is right, the balls would fly high and true.

And he was right.

During one of my shots, the form was just right and though I didn’t even exert much force, the ball flew effortlessly, the best I’ve hit so far.

“Next time you get back to the range,” MQ reminded me, “Practice your form and not your strength. Make sure your balls fly consistently straight before swinging in full mode.”

Thanks MQ for the free lesson! Hugs!!!
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Postscript:

* Aussie guy’s back from his 3-week trip in Australia. Let’s see what happens next!

* Omigosh, all of a sudden, there’s 15 potential guys! It’s raining men, hallelujah!!! :-S

* My second cousin just got married last weekend! Congratulations to her! Uh-oh, I think I should be expecting more weddings in the coming two years. As always, Raven here will be another late bloomer. 🙁

* It’s exactly been a year. And my feelings right now can only be expressed by the song, “Numb” by Linkin Park.

Yes, I’m tired of being what you want me to be…

I’m tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface
Don’t know what you’re expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)

[Chorus]
I’ve become so numb I can’t feel you there
I’ve become so tired so much more aware
I’m becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you

Can’t you see that you’re smothering me
Holding too tightly afraid to lose control
Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take

[Chorus]
I’ve become so numb I can’t feel you there
I’ve become so tired so much more aware
I’m becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you

And I know
I may end up failing too
But I know
You were just like me with someone disappointed in you

[Chorus]
I’ve become so numb I can’t feel you there
I’ve become so tired so much more aware
I’m becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you

[Chorus]
I’ve become so numb I can’t feel you there
I’m tired of being what you want me to be
I’ve become so numb I can’t feel you there
I’m tired of being what you want me to be

C’est la vie!