Diary of an Asian Kid

2 Feb 2011

2 February 2011, Wednesday

I skipped Tuesday because it was a boring day with only allergies and cleaning. Oh, I suppose we did go to the Far Eastern department store at night, so I had to call Alice for an update from there. It was several times before someone picked up. And we only got to talk for a few minutes. She said she'd called Christopher today, and given him the gift as well. He said to give him some time to think. Well, it's as good as it's going to be. At least I didn't push him to declare his undying love for Alice, or anyone else for that matter (yes, I've been reading either too much YA or romance. I'm inclined to think the latter. Karma is out to get me for dreaming about this kind of things so much!). I'm almost back to normal today; hopefully it means I will be able to live this whole ridiculous thing down.

My family (not including any grandparents; they're a pain to go out with. Come on, my dad's parents' combined age is approaching two hundred!) went to the Flora Expo today, because it's New Year's eve (which is a national holiday), so that means everyone's gone home to central/south Taiwan and Taipei is as empty as it's going to get. It was kind of creepy, actually, even if there's still quite some people on the streets. Well, I heard that when we went to the Expo for our field trip, there were some eleven schools there, so it was one hell of crowded. It, along with the whole of the MRT system (which I've used for three consecutive days...whoa, new record!), was at least half as crowded as it was on Monday (the art museum is kind of part of the expo).

Before we went to the station, though, we got breakfast at a 7-Eleven nearby.

We went to the Zhen-Yan pavilion (actually, it's the actual EXPO dome) first, as it was closest to the MRT station. The queue was, happily, only half the length of the one I last was in. Most of the exhibits were changed, so I couldn't recognize anything. That's good, of course, because it meant that we get to enjoy more different sights.

We went on to the ECOArk, also known as the Pavilion of Fashion, next. You know, the one whose walls are made out of 12.5 million PET bottles? And they say it's been featured on the National Geographic channel's program "Megastructures". Even though the queue wasn't as long as last time, it still seemed like forever before we got inside. Mostly because I hate standing, especially just waiting around, and every available seating surface was wet because there was a continuous spray of mist on everything. There are lots of plants, after all.

The ECOArk is the only pavilion sponsored by a corporation, the Far Eastern Company (yes, they're the same one as the department store I went to yesterday), so it has lots of advertising for the company. It was actually passably interesting, but not, to me at any rate, worth the long wait. Thank goodness we didn't come to this one during the field trip; we'd have wasted even more time. (I've discovered another interesting phenomenon: on each and every field trip in the ninth grade, I've always wound up with a bunch of boys. Both times included Shaun and Ben. I guess I get on with them better with any of the girls in my class. Sigh. *glares at Debbie* Whatever. You know, she didn't have a good time on the graduation trip. She was in the same group as Martin, Eric, Michael, and Ann, but they somehow split up, and not the way you'd think they would have. Debbie ended up with Ann, Martin ran off with Michael, and Eric was left all on his own. I know he had a terrible time. How could they do that to him? Martin was supposed to be taking care of him. Anyhow, I ended up on the same group with Eric on the trip to the Flora Expo, as previously mentioned, and I'm sure he had a much better time than on the graduation trip.)

Victor saw a solar-powered night light in the gift shop, and was instantly hooked on it (he's obsessed with things that light up. I can't count how many flashlights he has; he's also scared of the dark). He kept saying he's going to buy it next time he comes (the 7th and 8th graders are going to the expo next semester. Us 9th graders were the test subjects, plus we have to be preparing for the BCs then, anyway). How come I always wind up with one male obsessing over something?

Dad had brought along two cameras, one digital and one film, to take pictures with. He's an amateur photographer, and of course, the Flora Expo isn't to be missed as a wonderful opportunity for photos. His backpack was at least as heavy as my schoolbag, which averages four to five kilos. Heavy.

While Dad was changing a roll of film, the rest of us wandered into the shops around the EXPO dome. I ended up buying a bag made out of one zipper (yes, it can unzip into one long strip) in the shape of a Chinese dumpling, or a triangular pyramid. Really interesting. Of course, I had no money, so I had to borrow some from Mom. Victor bought a small zip wallet, too, which he kept zipping up and unzipping all through the rest of the day.

By the time we got back to Dad, he was already in a foul mood due to hunger (for some strange reason, he hadn't had breakfast. And as I'm sure you know, all males are grumpy when on an empty stomach), plus it was too late, almost noon, and all the tables were occupied. So we went to sit on a bench a bit farther from the food court. Mom sent Victor and I off with two hundred dollars to buy our own lunch.

We got two corndogs, a bowl of fries, and two PET bottles (yes, them again) of drinks for lunch. Thank heavens, when we got back, Dad had already finished his lunch and was in a far better mood.

The rest of the afternoon was spent queuing and touring the Pavilion of Future (some new technologies for the home) and the Pavilion of Angel Life (all kinds of plants, from tropical all the way to arctic. Wonderful. I loved it, though Victor had only one thin coat on and started complaining of the cold halfway through the temperate area). I now know for sure that I HATE queuing, and I shouldn't have worn my ankle boots today. My feet were giving me hell. When I got home, the soles of my feet hurt like anything. I could barely walk.

The whole living room reeked of incense for it was Chinese New Year Eve and the time for honoring our ancestors. The smell almost made me choke, but I still finished my dinner properly. At least I got quite some money from both my parents and grandparents!

As is our custom, Mom, Dad, Victor, and I played cards-Black Jack, until midnight. It's quite fun, although I lost steadily for no apparent reason. Oh well, Mom says that I'll use up all my bad luck for the coming year. I wish, too.