Sunday, May 09, 2004
Dinner was good fun. My roommate drank her first cocktail which brings the official tally of Chinese girls whom I have managed to corrupt up to Two. And they're keen to go out dancing which is interesting news.
On Thursday I took the bus to Taipei. The movies on the bus were sh/tty and I was disappointed because sad enough as it is, one of the reasons I love going to Taipei is because I can sit in a reclining sofa for three hours and watch movies. My whole scholarship was in my wallet and off I took it for a tiring afternoon in 101. Mission: Get a trendy looking outfit to show up in at the snobby casting agency in Shi Lin the next day. Mmm Esprit your clothes fit and you know it... so you jack up the prices.
So anyway apparently these companies are desperate for foreigners to audition for commercials, and the pay is about the same as teaching English etc so off I nervously went to meet this lady in Shi Lin, a beautiful neighbourhood in Taipei. Taipei's Mosman. I walked in, in my trendy little new outfit, and that strut they taught us at the dodgy deportment course held inside a shopping centre which I took in Year 9, and what do I find but a couple of bitches at reception who start laughing at me as soon as I walk in the door. THEY asked ME to come! F(_)ck that, I thought to myself. The photographer lady liked me though, she said I was zhen de bu cuo. The other lady explained all this stuff about contracts and visas, none of which I can now remember, but what she wanted to say was "If you want us to get a working visa for you we're going to take a larger cut." And all I wanted to say was "Make me famous you snobby b/tch, I mean look at me, I'm a f(_)cking star for god's sake." The mood died down after she measured my waist and I was struck by a sudden realisation that yes, no matter how deep and meaningful I find Robbie William's song "No Regrets", I would in fact regret eating all those delectable dumplings dipped in the perfect combination of chili, soy sauce, and vinegar, followed by spicy pork soup for dinner and a trip to the bakery, about three times per week.
I put my Gucci sunnies back on and walked out reminding myself that I had known it would go exactly like that. Noone will ever be as snobby as that bunch of yuppies at the pottery class in Glebe (that was a mistake). Then I looked for the Science museum where they're showing that German guy's collection of plastic dead bodies, or something. If you ask the Chinese for directions, they would rather give you wrong directions than say they don't know. So I ended up back in Shi Lin, the stop for the PALACE MUSEUM, then decided I was too tired and went home.
On Friday night we had dinner at a Taiwanese restaurant where the food was great. Then off to FM where I got massively drunk and had to leave my scooter parked there instead and get a taxi. Hmmm what's that smell? I think I smell a defeated purpose of buying a scooter somewhere. Carolyn called the Texan exchange student and he came just to meet us. He had chicks all over him though. We decided it was because he said his dad was in the oil business.
The next morning I awoke to the sound of Qili telling me the bus was leaving in four minutes. Bus? Oh, the field trip. I was still drunk, and my body was void of pyjamas, but I had to dash before I had time to apologise to my roommates. It was a lame field trip but nice to get into the beautiful mountains. Afterwards I picked up my scooter which was still there, thank god, and had dinner at this western deli I had been hanging out to go to for ages. They've got Cambell's Chunky!!! That was a blast from the living in Australia past. ¶ 21:59
On Thursday I took the bus to Taipei. The movies on the bus were sh/tty and I was disappointed because sad enough as it is, one of the reasons I love going to Taipei is because I can sit in a reclining sofa for three hours and watch movies. My whole scholarship was in my wallet and off I took it for a tiring afternoon in 101. Mission: Get a trendy looking outfit to show up in at the snobby casting agency in Shi Lin the next day. Mmm Esprit your clothes fit and you know it... so you jack up the prices.
So anyway apparently these companies are desperate for foreigners to audition for commercials, and the pay is about the same as teaching English etc so off I nervously went to meet this lady in Shi Lin, a beautiful neighbourhood in Taipei. Taipei's Mosman. I walked in, in my trendy little new outfit, and that strut they taught us at the dodgy deportment course held inside a shopping centre which I took in Year 9, and what do I find but a couple of bitches at reception who start laughing at me as soon as I walk in the door. THEY asked ME to come! F(_)ck that, I thought to myself. The photographer lady liked me though, she said I was zhen de bu cuo. The other lady explained all this stuff about contracts and visas, none of which I can now remember, but what she wanted to say was "If you want us to get a working visa for you we're going to take a larger cut." And all I wanted to say was "Make me famous you snobby b/tch, I mean look at me, I'm a f(_)cking star for god's sake." The mood died down after she measured my waist and I was struck by a sudden realisation that yes, no matter how deep and meaningful I find Robbie William's song "No Regrets", I would in fact regret eating all those delectable dumplings dipped in the perfect combination of chili, soy sauce, and vinegar, followed by spicy pork soup for dinner and a trip to the bakery, about three times per week.
I put my Gucci sunnies back on and walked out reminding myself that I had known it would go exactly like that. Noone will ever be as snobby as that bunch of yuppies at the pottery class in Glebe (that was a mistake). Then I looked for the Science museum where they're showing that German guy's collection of plastic dead bodies, or something. If you ask the Chinese for directions, they would rather give you wrong directions than say they don't know. So I ended up back in Shi Lin, the stop for the PALACE MUSEUM, then decided I was too tired and went home.
On Friday night we had dinner at a Taiwanese restaurant where the food was great. Then off to FM where I got massively drunk and had to leave my scooter parked there instead and get a taxi. Hmmm what's that smell? I think I smell a defeated purpose of buying a scooter somewhere. Carolyn called the Texan exchange student and he came just to meet us. He had chicks all over him though. We decided it was because he said his dad was in the oil business.
The next morning I awoke to the sound of Qili telling me the bus was leaving in four minutes. Bus? Oh, the field trip. I was still drunk, and my body was void of pyjamas, but I had to dash before I had time to apologise to my roommates. It was a lame field trip but nice to get into the beautiful mountains. Afterwards I picked up my scooter which was still there, thank god, and had dinner at this western deli I had been hanging out to go to for ages. They've got Cambell's Chunky!!! That was a blast from the living in Australia past. ¶ 21:59
