“Couples who eat out… are they usually this quiet?” I asked myself as I chowed on my deliciously fattening Greek Omelette (extra sausages please) care of the new Diner branch.

Around me, it’s rare to find a couple talking animatedly. Most of them were either playing around with food and eating, or reading the dailies. “Are interesting conversations that disappear you in it only exist in the first few dates?”  I wondered, and found this tidbit saddening.

I hate silences when I’m around people. Really do. It’s ironic in a bustling restaurant like the Diner, there are a lot of people who merely eat and look at their partners, without talking a lot.

Ever since I was young, being with people meant being in a conversation with them. Socializing is tiring for me because it meant entertaining the other. My father had the gift of gab. When he feels like it, he can out-talk anybody at the table, and during weddings, strangers become friends, and everybody thought he was the life of the party.

I am a bit like my dad in this sense. Not exactly like him yet, but getting there. 

That’s why, when people tell me, “You have a charming personality. I love being with you!” I merely nod my head. “Of course you love being with me. That was my purpose. The entire evening was meant for you to like me. Tonight, you are a star,” I would think.

Which is probably why some guys think I give off mixed signals — you know, when you think the girl is listening rampantly so much that you think she’s head over heels in love with you? Most of the time, I’m bored, but feel I have to get the conversation going so as the evening not to be a waste of my time. So I ask questions, lots of questions… and usually, this leads to us talking for hours so to speak.

So yes, maybe the reason I spend a lot of time alone is this — I feel the need to entertain those I spend time with. To entertain is to talk constantly to them. Silence is usually not an option. Hence, to be alone meant a break from the superficiality of wordful shallow conversations. Maybe this is why, these days find me alone working on some math problems while sipping on my latte (low fat milk) at a nearby coffeeshop.

Even those gifted with gab need our rest too.

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A Butterfly and Jazz Weekend

My friend Jill had a Singaporean old friend in town, and invited me to go up to Yangming Mountain with them. Last-minute arrangements but of course, I jump at the chance. Heck, you’d never know what to expect, yes?

Those in Taipei know this already, but the weather this weekend absolutely sucked. The rain came and went, drizzled and made everything damp. And no, due to the awful weather, there were no butterflies at Yangmingshan. 🙁

So it was raining, we got lost, starving because we skipped lunch, we walked over 5 kilometers up and down the steps, almost thought we were not going to get home because there were no freaking bus anywhere for an hour — and yet, given this hardcore physical adventure, we still had a blast.

Of course, kudos to the Taiwan government for coming up with fun activities for us butterfly idiots. Without these ingenious activities, we would’ve given up and headed home a long time ago. 

What happened was that they set up several stations on certain stops. Each station gave out information about how butterflies grow, eat, reproduce, die among others. Basically, interesting information about butterflies. At the end of each explanation, they ask you a question. If you get it right, then they stamp your Butterfly passport. 6 stamps give a prize!

Sure, the prize was merely a cheap towel and a bottle of sports drink, but heck, all for the good of the game, yes? 🙂

Afterwards, Jill invited me to a jazz concert near Yong-He, organized by NTU and Shida music students. We almost didn’t make it because by the time we got back to Taipei, we were exhausted and hungry. But am glad that we did despite all the rush to dress up.

The concert was GREAT! Sure, the concert felt more like a recital (or so some of my friends criticized) but you’ve gotta give the group credit for having the guts to come up and put up a good show. Every wind instrument was highlighted and I was thoroughly entertained. You can really feel their enthusiasm for their music!

As an additional bonus, the conductor/teacher gave a brief introduction on every single piece, making the whole concert an informative one. Made me want to take a classical music appreciation class!

So BRAVO! It’s great to see that Taipei offers other activities than the regular Barcode + Room 18 combo, and it was refreshing just to let my hair down for a change and not worry about men who just wants a jump in the hay. Afterwards, we had some nice Taiwan ice desserts (sigh, my tummy will complain afterwards) and some nice conversation around the table.

Also made a run to NOVA to buy a few extra gadgets and enjoyed a lovely brunch at the Diner today, so overall, good weekend. Given that am using a new PC, my apologies but I have no photos to accompany my update. However, hopefully once I get Photoshop up, I can upload some photos, so abangan.

Till then, have a good week everyone and don’t tire yourself too much!