It’s so easy to go to another country and, being American, think the people there are much more uncultured, unsophisticated and uneducated. Shoot, I used to do that all the time when I would come over here to visit my grandparents. And, for awhile, it would appear that that way of thinking wasn’t too off-the-mark. With a lower standard of living and the underdeveloped infrastructure, Taipei, at times and in some parts of city, looked more like a town than a sprawling metropolitan city. But, clearly, anyone living here or visiting knows now that Taipei is becoming more and more the latter than the former. Now, amid all this growth in culture and sophistication, there are some traditions, behaviors and other moments that leaves me either chuckling or scratching my head.
One is guys here (mainly older dudes) will just blench out loud. And I’m talking about in the company of other guys at some buddy’s place or at a loud bar, I’m talking about at work. Imagine everyone with their noses down, typing away on their computers or talking quietly with a co-worker and then piercing the quiet is a loud belch worthy of John Belushi in “Animal House”.
The other thing is how guys here will wear a rather unflattering tank top under their white dress shirts. Now, I suspect the reason for this is that it gets hot here and, thus, it’s understandable to buy dress shirts of thinner material. Now, with shirts of thinner shirt, particularly white ones, it can be rather see-throughy, thus, immodestly exposing the guy’s areolas. So, to avoid present that scarring image to others, they wear these unflattering tank tops underneath. Either way, it just looks very professional and sophisticated, to say the least. I’d rather just buy the thicker shirt or just wear a white shirt.
Another funny thing is some of the English names people chose here. Today, I saw a co-worker’s name on an email. His name is Price. Last name? Ho.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Looks like two is the limit here, everyone
Well, one of the reasons why so many guys like living in Taiwan is the women. I think I’ve addressed this before, but the women are very friendly to foreigners and ABCs. With ABCs, it’s mainly because the women here see them as “high-value” (to borrow a term from the pick-up artist community). Almost all of us are from are a “good” family (above-average wealth coming, most likely, from a family business), well-educated (graduated from a top-50 school), comparably worldly and speak English and a woman probably feels like less of a social pariah if she married one. Whatever the reason, it’s not too difficult to meet and date women here, especially when you consider how tough it was for someone like me in the states. I lived in LA for about nine years and I think I dated more women here in one year than I did all nine years in LA. Part of that probably has to do with being just an average-looking Asian guy in a predominantly white society where being an Asian guy is just one rung above a “trailer trash” on the hot scale, at least that’s how it felt like to me. Here, I’m above the status quo. All, for once, it’s a nice feeling to have.
See, being here, I feel like how I felt I should have in the states. All modesty aside, I think I’m a decent catch, look-wise and background-wise. And, here, for the most part, I’ve done okay. The only down side is that, in terms of finding “the one”, I’ve been about as successful as Ross Perot’s Presidency aspirations. In the meantime, I’ve dated a bit and, most of those relationships, (since I know they’re not the “one”) I’ve tried to keep it casual (hey, dog’s gotta eat :S). Unfortunately, I’ve found that most of the women here are not really down with that type of relationship. In an antiquated way of looking at things, the woman here assume that if you sleep with them, you are her boyfriend. The most recent girl even asked me that. The more interesting thing I’ve found is that most of these girls will sleep with you two times before they begin to express discomfort over the fact that this is the direction the relationship is going to take. It reminds of a dating rule/ advice for guys that someone once told me when I was still living in LA. The rule was called “3-30-300”, which states that if you don’t get what you want (most of the time, it’s sex) within 3 dates, 30 days or $300, you’re not ever going to get it. I guess, with a woman here, if you don’t get the boyfriend proclamation, it’s time to cut off the supply. So, a word of advice, fellas, enjoy those two “freebies” because they’re going to make you pay one way or another for the next one. ;)
See, being here, I feel like how I felt I should have in the states. All modesty aside, I think I’m a decent catch, look-wise and background-wise. And, here, for the most part, I’ve done okay. The only down side is that, in terms of finding “the one”, I’ve been about as successful as Ross Perot’s Presidency aspirations. In the meantime, I’ve dated a bit and, most of those relationships, (since I know they’re not the “one”) I’ve tried to keep it casual (hey, dog’s gotta eat :S). Unfortunately, I’ve found that most of the women here are not really down with that type of relationship. In an antiquated way of looking at things, the woman here assume that if you sleep with them, you are her boyfriend. The most recent girl even asked me that. The more interesting thing I’ve found is that most of these girls will sleep with you two times before they begin to express discomfort over the fact that this is the direction the relationship is going to take. It reminds of a dating rule/ advice for guys that someone once told me when I was still living in LA. The rule was called “3-30-300”, which states that if you don’t get what you want (most of the time, it’s sex) within 3 dates, 30 days or $300, you’re not ever going to get it. I guess, with a woman here, if you don’t get the boyfriend proclamation, it’s time to cut off the supply. So, a word of advice, fellas, enjoy those two “freebies” because they’re going to make you pay one way or another for the next one. ;)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Cast of Characters
Yes, I know it’s been a looonnngg time since I wrote something, but since I’m probably the only one that reads this, who am I hurting, right?
Currently, my life hasn't been that different for the last few years. Although, I have lost a lot of good friends to common trend in Taipei, which is them moving either back to the US or moving to Shanghai. This is probably worst part about living here. Other than that, I just learn Chinese in the morning and work in the afternoon. And free time is dominated with poker (I host a weekly game), pool and watching US TV shows....and, of course, trying the future Ms.
Anyway, I decided to introduce some of the people I hang out with. Through them and some of our shared stories, you may or may not see how life in Taipei is.
Ted
Probably my best friend here. Ted is one of the two classic “foreigner” archetypes in TPE; he’s self-employed in trading industry (not baseball cards or comic books, but products where he would find buyers for manufacturers). The other archetype that is the most common: English teacher.
We frequently meet up and play hours and hours of pool. Probably the nicest guy in the world; would never do or say anything that is hurtful to any person. I can’t stress that more. A classic example is that he’s been in on-again, off-again relationship with a girl named Naomi. He knows she’s not right for him to the point that he doesn’t see himself marrying her. (She’s older, such at an age where having kids is more and more difficult. I guess she would qualify as a “cougar”.) Anyway, he’s constantly having problems ending it b/c he knows the breakup will hurt her too much and he doesn’t want to do that when it’s ridiculous to use that logic b/c breakups are almost always painful for one of or both parties.
What’s annoying for me is that I KNOW he can do better; not necessarily better-looking or whatever, but more compatible. But the thing is he doesn’t want to hurt her. To his credit, I acknowledge that, due to how long they’ve known each other and how they have been and are a part of each other’s lives, they are friends and one of the few people he hangs out with consistently. But, it’s annoying for me b/c he’s also one of the few people that I enjoy hanging out and it’s hard to go out and meet girls when subconsciously he’s not really interested in doing that.
Nick
My other good friend here. (See, this is the thing about me, I’m a very nice and friendly person and, thus, know all of people on a casual basis, but there are very few people who I enjoy hanging out with enough to call them out. Everyone else I’m comfortable with just running into them out and about every now and then.)
Nick is the classic ABC archetype. Actually, he’s a not true American Born Chinese; he’s more of an ARC (American Raised Chinese). He’s bilingual (something that I am endlessly jealous about), works for the family (almost every ABC that comes back to TPE works for the family), loves to drink and party and does pretty well with the ladies. Nick and I joke that we are “brothers from another mother.” We’re very similar; we both like to party, try to not take things so seriously, very respectful of other ppl, very friendly and social and have similar senses of humor. The respectful part is what impressed me about him. The first time I ever met him was with a mutual friend. Also, that night, part of the group was a couple of local guys. Nick and one of the guys was playing a popular drinking game here that revolves each person are to open and/ or close their hands as one of the people shouting out either “zero”, “five”, “ten”, “fifteen” and “twenty”. If the total amount of fingers showing b/w the two ppl matches the number the person guesses, that person wins that round, if he wins the next round, the other person drinks. At that particular time, Nick was “losing” and the other guy jokingly talking trash. Nick just smiles and put his hands together and sort of bow as to convey respect. I was impressed by the gesture. It was something he didn’t need to do, but clearly something he wanted to do.
Nick’s currently in the midst of dilemma. About a few months ago, he broke up with a girl that was madly in love with him. They sort of lived together (actually she had her own place and he stayed there a lot). But, as it happens to a lot of guys here, due to the overabundance of attractive women here as well as the easy access to them, Nick got restless and discontent with his relationship. So, he broke up with her. Almost immediately, he began dating a very cute girl who looks like a little like Rashida Jones. Well, a funny (and probably predictable) thing happened, he began to miss his ex. He missed her so much that he began to go to a popular ABC bar called Opus every night in hopes of running into her. Finally, he got his wish. She was there, but, in more fulfillment of his wish, they had a long talk about their current feelings for each other. A conversation that ended outside the bar and, worse, they ended up kissing. Now this bar is on a well-traffic street. His ex didn’t end up taking him back. Although she admitted she still loves him, but confessed she’s enjoying being free. But the freedom she spoke of is not necessarily only the freedom of being single, for her, it was the freedom of not constantly having to prove herself to him; the constant pressure where everything she did, said, wore, etc. was not good enough for him. And, naturally, she gravitated to a guy that, in her words, “accepted me for me”. Knowing Nick as I know him that must have hit him hard mainly b/c he knows it’s true. I’ve seen them together and there was always a sense that he was annoyed by and dissatisfied with her about something. I’ve been with a past girlfriend here and, I have to say, when we broke up, I remember the most overwhelming feeling I was experiencing, at the time, was one of relief.
Anyway, it only got worse for Nick recently b/c the ramifications of that fateful night manifested once again. During a recent night of drinking at Opus, “Rashida” called Nick and voiced the four dread words, “we need to talk”. She was out drinking with her friends; obviously having conservations that fueled the “need to talk”. Within minutes, she arrives. Sensing the tension of that “other shoe dropping”, I excused myself much to Nick’s insistence that I stay. Upon reflection, I did feel guilty that I didn’t see the request beyond its superficial meaning. Obviously, he had hoped that by me staying, “Rashida” won’t have “talk” with me there and then, I guess, magically forget to bring it out. Clearly, his reasoning was flawed and if I stayed, it would have only delayed the inevitable. Well, the inevitable happened. She broke up with him b/c someone saw Nick with his ex that fateful night.
Now, the thing about this “breakup” is that it had all the markings of a “wakeup call” breakup. I don’t know if it happens a lot in the US (my own dating/ girlfriend history has been spotty and I’ve never heard this phenomenon happen too often with my friends back home), but here in TW, women frequently break up with their boyfriends to test said boyfriend’s commitment to the relationship. It’s silly to think that this isn’t a universally-used ploy, but I have to say, based on my own experience as well as others, this is the go-to move for a lot of women here. Anyway, after she dropped the news, “Rashida” just seem to linger there with a concerned and hopeful look on her face. Concerned that he wasn’t too mad, too frustrated to completely dismiss the relationship and hopeful that he is mad enough that his impending reaction would be one she’s probably seen so often in Hollywood movies, one where he would figuratively (if not literally) chased after her and begged her to take him back. Unfortunately, for her, that reaction didn’t immediately come racing into Nick’s mind, heart, whatever. And she simply gingerly walked away leaving Nick in a state of frustration. But my initial impression of her “look” was confirmed as accurate when she called a few minutes later to discuss arrangements for Nick to get his stuff. As Nick coldly detailed when and what he was going to take, “Rashida” asked, “So, you want to break up with me then? You don’t love me?” Seriously, women….the games they play.
Currently, my life hasn't been that different for the last few years. Although, I have lost a lot of good friends to common trend in Taipei, which is them moving either back to the US or moving to Shanghai. This is probably worst part about living here. Other than that, I just learn Chinese in the morning and work in the afternoon. And free time is dominated with poker (I host a weekly game), pool and watching US TV shows....and, of course, trying the future Ms.
Anyway, I decided to introduce some of the people I hang out with. Through them and some of our shared stories, you may or may not see how life in Taipei is.
Ted
Probably my best friend here. Ted is one of the two classic “foreigner” archetypes in TPE; he’s self-employed in trading industry (not baseball cards or comic books, but products where he would find buyers for manufacturers). The other archetype that is the most common: English teacher.
We frequently meet up and play hours and hours of pool. Probably the nicest guy in the world; would never do or say anything that is hurtful to any person. I can’t stress that more. A classic example is that he’s been in on-again, off-again relationship with a girl named Naomi. He knows she’s not right for him to the point that he doesn’t see himself marrying her. (She’s older, such at an age where having kids is more and more difficult. I guess she would qualify as a “cougar”.) Anyway, he’s constantly having problems ending it b/c he knows the breakup will hurt her too much and he doesn’t want to do that when it’s ridiculous to use that logic b/c breakups are almost always painful for one of or both parties.
What’s annoying for me is that I KNOW he can do better; not necessarily better-looking or whatever, but more compatible. But the thing is he doesn’t want to hurt her. To his credit, I acknowledge that, due to how long they’ve known each other and how they have been and are a part of each other’s lives, they are friends and one of the few people he hangs out with consistently. But, it’s annoying for me b/c he’s also one of the few people that I enjoy hanging out and it’s hard to go out and meet girls when subconsciously he’s not really interested in doing that.
Nick
My other good friend here. (See, this is the thing about me, I’m a very nice and friendly person and, thus, know all of people on a casual basis, but there are very few people who I enjoy hanging out with enough to call them out. Everyone else I’m comfortable with just running into them out and about every now and then.)
Nick is the classic ABC archetype. Actually, he’s a not true American Born Chinese; he’s more of an ARC (American Raised Chinese). He’s bilingual (something that I am endlessly jealous about), works for the family (almost every ABC that comes back to TPE works for the family), loves to drink and party and does pretty well with the ladies. Nick and I joke that we are “brothers from another mother.” We’re very similar; we both like to party, try to not take things so seriously, very respectful of other ppl, very friendly and social and have similar senses of humor. The respectful part is what impressed me about him. The first time I ever met him was with a mutual friend. Also, that night, part of the group was a couple of local guys. Nick and one of the guys was playing a popular drinking game here that revolves each person are to open and/ or close their hands as one of the people shouting out either “zero”, “five”, “ten”, “fifteen” and “twenty”. If the total amount of fingers showing b/w the two ppl matches the number the person guesses, that person wins that round, if he wins the next round, the other person drinks. At that particular time, Nick was “losing” and the other guy jokingly talking trash. Nick just smiles and put his hands together and sort of bow as to convey respect. I was impressed by the gesture. It was something he didn’t need to do, but clearly something he wanted to do.
Nick’s currently in the midst of dilemma. About a few months ago, he broke up with a girl that was madly in love with him. They sort of lived together (actually she had her own place and he stayed there a lot). But, as it happens to a lot of guys here, due to the overabundance of attractive women here as well as the easy access to them, Nick got restless and discontent with his relationship. So, he broke up with her. Almost immediately, he began dating a very cute girl who looks like a little like Rashida Jones. Well, a funny (and probably predictable) thing happened, he began to miss his ex. He missed her so much that he began to go to a popular ABC bar called Opus every night in hopes of running into her. Finally, he got his wish. She was there, but, in more fulfillment of his wish, they had a long talk about their current feelings for each other. A conversation that ended outside the bar and, worse, they ended up kissing. Now this bar is on a well-traffic street. His ex didn’t end up taking him back. Although she admitted she still loves him, but confessed she’s enjoying being free. But the freedom she spoke of is not necessarily only the freedom of being single, for her, it was the freedom of not constantly having to prove herself to him; the constant pressure where everything she did, said, wore, etc. was not good enough for him. And, naturally, she gravitated to a guy that, in her words, “accepted me for me”. Knowing Nick as I know him that must have hit him hard mainly b/c he knows it’s true. I’ve seen them together and there was always a sense that he was annoyed by and dissatisfied with her about something. I’ve been with a past girlfriend here and, I have to say, when we broke up, I remember the most overwhelming feeling I was experiencing, at the time, was one of relief.
Anyway, it only got worse for Nick recently b/c the ramifications of that fateful night manifested once again. During a recent night of drinking at Opus, “Rashida” called Nick and voiced the four dread words, “we need to talk”. She was out drinking with her friends; obviously having conservations that fueled the “need to talk”. Within minutes, she arrives. Sensing the tension of that “other shoe dropping”, I excused myself much to Nick’s insistence that I stay. Upon reflection, I did feel guilty that I didn’t see the request beyond its superficial meaning. Obviously, he had hoped that by me staying, “Rashida” won’t have “talk” with me there and then, I guess, magically forget to bring it out. Clearly, his reasoning was flawed and if I stayed, it would have only delayed the inevitable. Well, the inevitable happened. She broke up with him b/c someone saw Nick with his ex that fateful night.
Now, the thing about this “breakup” is that it had all the markings of a “wakeup call” breakup. I don’t know if it happens a lot in the US (my own dating/ girlfriend history has been spotty and I’ve never heard this phenomenon happen too often with my friends back home), but here in TW, women frequently break up with their boyfriends to test said boyfriend’s commitment to the relationship. It’s silly to think that this isn’t a universally-used ploy, but I have to say, based on my own experience as well as others, this is the go-to move for a lot of women here. Anyway, after she dropped the news, “Rashida” just seem to linger there with a concerned and hopeful look on her face. Concerned that he wasn’t too mad, too frustrated to completely dismiss the relationship and hopeful that he is mad enough that his impending reaction would be one she’s probably seen so often in Hollywood movies, one where he would figuratively (if not literally) chased after her and begged her to take him back. Unfortunately, for her, that reaction didn’t immediately come racing into Nick’s mind, heart, whatever. And she simply gingerly walked away leaving Nick in a state of frustration. But my initial impression of her “look” was confirmed as accurate when she called a few minutes later to discuss arrangements for Nick to get his stuff. As Nick coldly detailed when and what he was going to take, “Rashida” asked, “So, you want to break up with me then? You don’t love me?” Seriously, women….the games they play.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Fall of a National Hero
Here, there is no bigger star than Wang Chien-Ming, or Chien-Ming Wang as he’s known in the US. It’s not a stretch to say he’s a bigger star than Michael Jordan is/ was in the US. His games are televised nationwide, many on public big screens to large audiences. In most newscasts, his is the only sports story (which actually says something b/c, from what I’m able to tell, the newscasts here are filled with a lot of fluff pieces seemingly advertising some store or restaurant offering a bargain, which I guess in the current economical climates does have its place). His image is everywhere endorsing McDonald's, Ford, E Sun Bank (one of the largest in Taiwan) and computer-maker Acer. His popularity can be reflected by this fact: the country's largest circulation daily, Apple Daily, estimates that it sells as many as 300,000 extra papers on days that carry reports of another Wang victory
Wang is a major star because, well, he deserves it. He gained initial prominence as the ace of the national team in 2004 Olympics. And then quickly rose through the Yankees’ minor system and has posted back-to-back 19 win seasons for the most popular baseball team in the world, the New York Yankees. He was even the runner-up for the Cy Young award in ‘07. But he has recently hit on rough times. A promising ’08 season was derailed when he broke his leg running the bases. And then he, once again, skipped a chance to represent his country in the World Baseball Classic, which resulted in some public backlash. And, now, after his third straight disastrous start this season, his ERA is 34.50.
Before this unfathomable bad stretch, he had already fallen in my eyes. When I found out that he was once again not representing his country in the WBC, I was greatly disappointed. It would have been the 1st time he pitched for his country since becoming a major star here. His presence would have been so meaningful because he wouldn’t have been pitching for a professional team in a foreign country, he would have been pitching for his countrymen. I mean, how often is someone given the opportunity to display pride for his country on such a stage where the entire public would take notice. It seems those opportunities are limited to sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup. Now, baseball has the World Baseball Classic and, to some countries such as Japan and Korea, it’s a pretty important event. Actually, given its prior dominance in the little league World Series, baseball is very popular sport here as well. Thus, Wang’s rise to superstardom here is not that surprising. I would surmise that even if a Taiwanese tennis player becomes a top 5 player, s/he would not be as popular and influential as Wang.
There are those who will argue that he needed the time to rehab his foot injury, but how would pitching three innings in one game at the WBC be any different than pitching a game in the Grapefruit League? Oh, I’ll tell you how. It would have reinvigorated a country currently embroiled in economic crisis and political uncertainty. And certainly three innings in a game vs. China would have been all that he would been permitted or asked to do b/c the Taiwan team would have not played more than the minimum three games (since Japan and Korea would have been too dominant not to advance to the next round of the WBC). The worst part of their performance is the loss to China, a country that is not only Taiwan’s political rival, but also only started seriously competing in baseball a little over eight years ago. For Taiwan, losing to China in baseball is similar to the US losing to any country in basketball. But that’s merely a sign of the times for baseball here in TW. The national team also failed miserably in the ’08 Olympics and professional baseball here, due to various game-fixing scandals in the past, gets attendances similar to minor league games in the US. Indeed, the once-proud fans of sport in their country have very little to smile about, which would have made it an ideal time for a hero. Sadly, it’s clearly a role Wang is happy to benefit from, but not one he wishes to actually play anymore.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Money talks better than I can
Recently, I wrote the “new breed” of women here who are clearly hunters preying on ever-hopeful guys looking for sex. Well, the thing that I’ve learned is these women are merely a product of system that support and perpetuate that sort of behavior. In terms of dating/ male-female relationships, gender roles here are much more clearly defined: men pay, women enjoy. Whereas in the US, some women might feel uncomfortable with a guy paying if that guy expects a little “sumthing, sumthing” at the end of the night, the women here unabashedly expects the man to pay for her (and, some times, her friends) without any sense of obligation or even gratitude of any sort (not even a simple “thank you” sometimes). It’s truly a game of give and take here where what’s given is clear (dinners, expensive presents, trips, apartment, etc.), but often times the “take” is not so clear. In fact, often times, it’s a one-way transaction, the guy “gives” and the woman “takes”. Clearly, the key is to realize it’s not a sprint, but a marathon. And that’s where I usually leave the “race”. I’m not one to continually drop cash on some girl just in hopes of wooing her. For me, things need to be a little more equitable. The girl needs to show some appreciation rather than entitlement, which many of these women do.
And the thing is you can’t blame them. (Well, you can, but that’s not point.) There are always guys willing to drop the cash. For example, there are places here called hostess clubs. You’ll find these places all over Asia. As the name might imply, basically, you go to a place that’s divided into rooms. You’re escorted into a room (that of course has a karaoke system) and then every 15 mins, a group of girls will come in and hang out with you. (I’ve gone once for a bachelor party.) During the 15 mins, you talk, drink and even fondle these girls, but no sex. (Although, it’s been established that you can take one of these girls home. You just need to pay a fee b/c the establishment needs to be compensated for the money she could be earning the place if she stayed.) Close to the end of the 15 mins, one of them will turn down the lights and turn on a strobe light and they gave a lap dance to their respective guy. After that, you decide if you want to keep that girl. (I forgot how you’re charged.) Anyway, a lot of these women are hot and a lot of guys (many of them married) here go to these places regularly and sort of “date” one of these girls. They end up taking them out to dinner, probably buy them gifts, etc. The funny thing is, which is where it differs drastically from the US, this is a pretty open and accepted practice. Everyone knows that the men here do this, even their wives who often adopted a “turn the right cheek” approach (probably because laws regarding divorce here are not very favorable toward women). These places are fairly out in the open. In fact, the building where I go with friends to shoot pool also has one of these places in it. I’ve seen a few of the girls and they are amazingly hot. I hear you can expect to spend at least NT$10,000 (US$300).
I brought up the above example to illustrate that with a lot of really attractive girls (especially, models and party girls), dating them is a lot like going to one of those hostess bars. It essentially resembles a straight up cash transaction. If you’re willing to spend the cash on these women, it doesn’t necessarily matter what you do, it certainly doesn’t matter what your personality is like or how you look, you can be with these women. And that might be true in the US (or anywhere else), but it’s definitely true here. You just need to be willing to do it.
LANGUAGE UPDATE
Ok, I think I’ve chronicle my attempts to speak the language. While I am an ABC, my Chinese is pretty bad. (Just ask any of my friends b/c they’ll be happy to tell you.) I’ve come to realize that it’s like my jump shot, if I’m hot and in zone, I can speak pretty well (especially if you can ignore the harsh American accent). But, if I ain’t feeling it, it’s like Shaq on the free throw line. Recently, I was in China for my grandmother’s birthday and my aunt from the US was there. I tried speaking Chinese with her and the look on her face was that of a 10 year-old kid getting socks for Christmas; an excited, anxious look that quickly dissipated into one of disappointment and embarrassment. Hopefully, next time, I’ll be in the zone.
And the thing is you can’t blame them. (Well, you can, but that’s not point.) There are always guys willing to drop the cash. For example, there are places here called hostess clubs. You’ll find these places all over Asia. As the name might imply, basically, you go to a place that’s divided into rooms. You’re escorted into a room (that of course has a karaoke system) and then every 15 mins, a group of girls will come in and hang out with you. (I’ve gone once for a bachelor party.) During the 15 mins, you talk, drink and even fondle these girls, but no sex. (Although, it’s been established that you can take one of these girls home. You just need to pay a fee b/c the establishment needs to be compensated for the money she could be earning the place if she stayed.) Close to the end of the 15 mins, one of them will turn down the lights and turn on a strobe light and they gave a lap dance to their respective guy. After that, you decide if you want to keep that girl. (I forgot how you’re charged.) Anyway, a lot of these women are hot and a lot of guys (many of them married) here go to these places regularly and sort of “date” one of these girls. They end up taking them out to dinner, probably buy them gifts, etc. The funny thing is, which is where it differs drastically from the US, this is a pretty open and accepted practice. Everyone knows that the men here do this, even their wives who often adopted a “turn the right cheek” approach (probably because laws regarding divorce here are not very favorable toward women). These places are fairly out in the open. In fact, the building where I go with friends to shoot pool also has one of these places in it. I’ve seen a few of the girls and they are amazingly hot. I hear you can expect to spend at least NT$10,000 (US$300).
I brought up the above example to illustrate that with a lot of really attractive girls (especially, models and party girls), dating them is a lot like going to one of those hostess bars. It essentially resembles a straight up cash transaction. If you’re willing to spend the cash on these women, it doesn’t necessarily matter what you do, it certainly doesn’t matter what your personality is like or how you look, you can be with these women. And that might be true in the US (or anywhere else), but it’s definitely true here. You just need to be willing to do it.
LANGUAGE UPDATE
Ok, I think I’ve chronicle my attempts to speak the language. While I am an ABC, my Chinese is pretty bad. (Just ask any of my friends b/c they’ll be happy to tell you.) I’ve come to realize that it’s like my jump shot, if I’m hot and in zone, I can speak pretty well (especially if you can ignore the harsh American accent). But, if I ain’t feeling it, it’s like Shaq on the free throw line. Recently, I was in China for my grandmother’s birthday and my aunt from the US was there. I tried speaking Chinese with her and the look on her face was that of a 10 year-old kid getting socks for Christmas; an excited, anxious look that quickly dissipated into one of disappointment and embarrassment. Hopefully, next time, I’ll be in the zone.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The New Breed
As I’ve alluded a few times already, the women here have certainly evolved and evolved quickly. When I first got here about four years ago, as well as all the other times I’ve come here to visit my grandparents, the women here always seem to be somewhat well-meaning and innocent (even bordering on naïve and gullible). It was fairly easy to meet a girl at a bar or club and get her number and then subsequently go out on a date. What was nice (and maybe this just happened to me) was that I felt like I earned that date for all the right reasons, with those being that she found me attractive and/ or interesting. The whole thing was very “Pleasantville”/ “Leave it to Beaver”-like. But that has all changed. Before, where these girls were like “wide-eyed innocent rookies” who were “just happy to be there”, now they are “well-seasoned veterans” expertly playing “the game” and using every trick in book such as “bait and switch”, “push and pull”, “sex sells”, and their love of the game is (to further continue the baseball analogy) motivated by money as it’s apparent a growing number are rating a guy’s attractiveness on how much money he makes, who his family is or who he knows. And I have to say, while not all that surprising, the change still comes as a shock.
To me, TW seems like a pretty conservative society. As I’ve said before, pornography appears to be strongly suppressed by the government. People aren’t overtly sexually in the way they dress or act (unless you’re talking about the under 21 demo). Even the pop stars here (male and female) cultivate a more wholesome image. Thus, I thought their attitudes toward dating, relationships and love were rather “Pleasantville”-like. Boy, was I wrong.
See, the thing I liked about dating in TW is that there was really no game-playing. As I said, before (like two years ago or earlier) the process was easy:
step 1 – meet the girl (at a bar or a club);
step 2 – talk and get her number;
step 3 – call her and set up a date;
step 4 – go on the date.
1-2-3-4, just like that. But, now, you have to repeat step 3 a few times before getting to step 4. And when I’m talking about repeating step 3, I’m not talking about calling her a few times, establishing the requisite comfort level for her to agree to go with you. No, I’m talking about calling her once, having a decent conversation, tentatively setting up a date only for her to say she’s uncertain about her availability on that date, and then indicated she would call later when she knows, only for her to eventually not make that call. After which, I will then call only for her to not only not pick up the call, but to also not return the call. (Hmm…now that I think about it, you’re not really repeating step 3; the process essentially ends at step 3, although I do call them again when they fail to make said phone call.)
Ok, I’m fine with the fact that she’s not interested, but then “why give me your number?” would be my counter. It begins to dawn on me that these women have become just like the women in the US. This sort of phenomenon would always happen to me there. Eventually, I came to realize that many of these women weren’t necessarily interested, but they were interested in the attention I would give via my calls, my interest. It makes sense, guys go out and, god willing, sleep with a woman whom they couldn’t care less about b/c it makes them feel good about themselves, strengthens their egos, fortifies their self-image. It’s only right that women be allowed to, in a sense, do the same thing, with the feeling of being vigorously pursued by a number of guys giving them the same boost as guys get from sleeping with numerous women. (Although it would please me to no end if women did the exact SAME thing. ;) )
Ok, so, it’s acknowledged that women in TW are capable of playing the game just as well as men, but this next story took me by surprise nonetheless.
I was playing pool and drinking with a buddy at one of my normal haunts, ironically complaining about my recent lack of success with women. I was complaining that I just haven’t been unable to establish a decent vibe with women. I tragically admit that I felt my “game”, my “talk” was boring. The whole time we were playing, there were two somewhat homely-looking women drinking at the bar.
Eventually, after finishing playing pool, we walked over to the bar to see if we can get anything going with the girls. My buddy, who can be rather out-going, started chatting with one of them. During a lull in conversation, I notice the girl take a quick glance at my friend. With that, I signaled our decision to stay a little longer by ordering drinks for me and my friend. Eventually, that girl (let’s call her Sherry) and my buddy went to play pool after she mentioned that she wanted to play with us earlier. This left me with her friend who was clearly wasted and was laboring to keep herself upright while sitting at the bar. Eventually, she mentioned she has just broken up with boyfriend, which explained why she was so drunk. After a little while, my buddy and Sherry came back. I made a reference to her about her friend’s breakup and asked if she has the same problem. The girl simply replied, “No”. I responded, “So, you don’t have a boyfriend?” She answered, “No, I do.” I then asked, “Is it the guy that just called.” (Her phone rang while she was playing pool.) She answered, “No, that’s another guy.” I shot her a surprised look. To which, she responded, “Girl has to have options.” I then jokingly said, “aahh, so, you’re one of those modern girls that has a lot of guys chasing her. Well, that’s too bad b/c I was going to ask you out.” Surprisingly, she replied with, “No, you have a chance.” I then replied, “well, what makes you think I want to ask you out now and just be one of your many.” I continued to play the part of not wanting to get involved with her, which only sparked her need for validation. She pressed for a number exchange. After feigning disinterest a few times, I exchanged numbers with her.
Shortly, a few seconds later, she returned her attention to her friend while I turned to talk to mine. And, all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see them, the two girls, making out. Ok, first, given that it’s TW, this sort of thing doesn’t happen that much, particularly, at the places I go to. Now, of course, as I’ve alluded to earlier, women here are evolving socially in the way they act, dress, think, talk, etc. and it only makes sense that this sort of thing does happens here, but, still, it’s TW. Also, they’re not just kissing, they were full-on making out with tongues flying all over the place. I was so shocked at what I saw that I had to voice it to them by saying, “whoa, whoa, do that again.” Then Sherry turned completely around and with a mischievous smile said, “you like that?” I said, “I’m a guy. Of course, I do.” The interesting thing about this was the way Sherry turned around and smiled at me after I said this as if to indicate that she, too, can be pleasantly surprised how different someone reveals himself to be compared to how you initially perceived himto be.
Picking up on Sherry’s growing attraction to me, I pulled her closer to me and said “I’ll tell you what. You kiss me and then you can kiss her.” Without missing a beat, Sherry moves in and we start making out. She then stops and held her finger up to indicate “wait”. She goes into her purse and grabs a mint, puts in her mouth and pulls me in and a mint exchange is underway. After awhile, we stopped and, in honoring our deal, she grabs the attention of her slumping friend and starts aggressively making out with her again. This time, she’s practically mounting her. Dorothy, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!! My friend leans into me and comments that he thinks I might get a three-way tonight.
The night proceeds for another hour or so. I made out with Sherry a bit more. And then she mentioned that she needs to take her friend home. Fearing that I might lose an opportunity to turn an already memorable evening into an epic one, I told her to come back. She said she will. Eventually, the plan changed and the friend wasn’t going home. After some discussion of where to go with my place being rejected by her friend, we decided to go to this club called “Plush”. I then see her call for the bill. The waiter walks over and stands confused as to whom to give it to. Now, I’ve been in this situation before and the expectation is that the guy pays for it regardless of how many drinks he had, which was none other than a shot Sherry ordered for me and my friend (which can be easily interpreted as her buying us a round). Anyway, I used that moment as an opportunity to go to the bathroom. After I came out, my buddy told me that the girls paid and stormed off without even looking at my friend. When we got outside, the girls were both on the phone. Sherry was already walking in my direction when I tried to get her attention. Without even looking up at me, she turned away. She finished her phone call and tended to her friend. I walked up and said, “So, you ready (to go to the next place)”. Barely looking up at me, she coldly says, “It’s ok. I just called a cab. I’m going to take my friend home.” Stunned by the sudden turn of events, I walked over to my friend. After a few seconds, the girls walked right past us and went into a nearby club.
Now, I can’t help, but think that my only role in Sherry’s night was the one of kindly benefactor. But once it was clear that I was unwillingly to take that role, she made it clear that she had no time for me. The most shocking thing is how freely this girl used sex (or, at least, the promise of sex) as a means of having some guy (me in this instance) pay for her bill, which was likely US$100+. (After talking with some friends, it was pretty likely that even though I paid for that bill, I would never see that girl again.) Actually, this sort of thing is fairly commonplace. Another time, I met a “partygirl” at the same bar. She was flirting with me pretty heavily and I even made out with her in the cab. I asked her out for dinner. She asked if her friend could come. I said “yes”, but pushed the time to around 9pm, hoping that she and her friend would have eaten dinner by then and, thus, I would only be on the hook for the drinks. My plan failed. Both girls ordered food. And then they wanted to go to the bar I met her at. When we got there, another girl joined and more food and drinks were ordered. Sensing where the night was heading, after one drink, I told her I was tired and needed to leave. I asked her how much should I kick in. She immediately grabs the waiter and he prints out the bill. It was already at around NT$5000. I gave her NT$2000. The funny thing was I even felt bad about that at the time.
Anyway, the “game” has arrived in TW (or, more likely, it’s always been here and I’ve just been lucky I haven’t had to play it in the past). But, nonetheless, the “game” is here and don’t be fool, these women are not soft and cuddly character who giggle if you poke their stomachs like the Pillsbury Doughboy. No, they’re a whole different breed altogether.
To me, TW seems like a pretty conservative society. As I’ve said before, pornography appears to be strongly suppressed by the government. People aren’t overtly sexually in the way they dress or act (unless you’re talking about the under 21 demo). Even the pop stars here (male and female) cultivate a more wholesome image. Thus, I thought their attitudes toward dating, relationships and love were rather “Pleasantville”-like. Boy, was I wrong.
See, the thing I liked about dating in TW is that there was really no game-playing. As I said, before (like two years ago or earlier) the process was easy:
step 1 – meet the girl (at a bar or a club);
step 2 – talk and get her number;
step 3 – call her and set up a date;
step 4 – go on the date.
1-2-3-4, just like that. But, now, you have to repeat step 3 a few times before getting to step 4. And when I’m talking about repeating step 3, I’m not talking about calling her a few times, establishing the requisite comfort level for her to agree to go with you. No, I’m talking about calling her once, having a decent conversation, tentatively setting up a date only for her to say she’s uncertain about her availability on that date, and then indicated she would call later when she knows, only for her to eventually not make that call. After which, I will then call only for her to not only not pick up the call, but to also not return the call. (Hmm…now that I think about it, you’re not really repeating step 3; the process essentially ends at step 3, although I do call them again when they fail to make said phone call.)
Ok, I’m fine with the fact that she’s not interested, but then “why give me your number?” would be my counter. It begins to dawn on me that these women have become just like the women in the US. This sort of phenomenon would always happen to me there. Eventually, I came to realize that many of these women weren’t necessarily interested, but they were interested in the attention I would give via my calls, my interest. It makes sense, guys go out and, god willing, sleep with a woman whom they couldn’t care less about b/c it makes them feel good about themselves, strengthens their egos, fortifies their self-image. It’s only right that women be allowed to, in a sense, do the same thing, with the feeling of being vigorously pursued by a number of guys giving them the same boost as guys get from sleeping with numerous women. (Although it would please me to no end if women did the exact SAME thing. ;) )
Ok, so, it’s acknowledged that women in TW are capable of playing the game just as well as men, but this next story took me by surprise nonetheless.
I was playing pool and drinking with a buddy at one of my normal haunts, ironically complaining about my recent lack of success with women. I was complaining that I just haven’t been unable to establish a decent vibe with women. I tragically admit that I felt my “game”, my “talk” was boring. The whole time we were playing, there were two somewhat homely-looking women drinking at the bar.
Eventually, after finishing playing pool, we walked over to the bar to see if we can get anything going with the girls. My buddy, who can be rather out-going, started chatting with one of them. During a lull in conversation, I notice the girl take a quick glance at my friend. With that, I signaled our decision to stay a little longer by ordering drinks for me and my friend. Eventually, that girl (let’s call her Sherry) and my buddy went to play pool after she mentioned that she wanted to play with us earlier. This left me with her friend who was clearly wasted and was laboring to keep herself upright while sitting at the bar. Eventually, she mentioned she has just broken up with boyfriend, which explained why she was so drunk. After a little while, my buddy and Sherry came back. I made a reference to her about her friend’s breakup and asked if she has the same problem. The girl simply replied, “No”. I responded, “So, you don’t have a boyfriend?” She answered, “No, I do.” I then asked, “Is it the guy that just called.” (Her phone rang while she was playing pool.) She answered, “No, that’s another guy.” I shot her a surprised look. To which, she responded, “Girl has to have options.” I then jokingly said, “aahh, so, you’re one of those modern girls that has a lot of guys chasing her. Well, that’s too bad b/c I was going to ask you out.” Surprisingly, she replied with, “No, you have a chance.” I then replied, “well, what makes you think I want to ask you out now and just be one of your many.” I continued to play the part of not wanting to get involved with her, which only sparked her need for validation. She pressed for a number exchange. After feigning disinterest a few times, I exchanged numbers with her.
Shortly, a few seconds later, she returned her attention to her friend while I turned to talk to mine. And, all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see them, the two girls, making out. Ok, first, given that it’s TW, this sort of thing doesn’t happen that much, particularly, at the places I go to. Now, of course, as I’ve alluded to earlier, women here are evolving socially in the way they act, dress, think, talk, etc. and it only makes sense that this sort of thing does happens here, but, still, it’s TW. Also, they’re not just kissing, they were full-on making out with tongues flying all over the place. I was so shocked at what I saw that I had to voice it to them by saying, “whoa, whoa, do that again.” Then Sherry turned completely around and with a mischievous smile said, “you like that?” I said, “I’m a guy. Of course, I do.” The interesting thing about this was the way Sherry turned around and smiled at me after I said this as if to indicate that she, too, can be pleasantly surprised how different someone reveals himself to be compared to how you initially perceived himto be.
Picking up on Sherry’s growing attraction to me, I pulled her closer to me and said “I’ll tell you what. You kiss me and then you can kiss her.” Without missing a beat, Sherry moves in and we start making out. She then stops and held her finger up to indicate “wait”. She goes into her purse and grabs a mint, puts in her mouth and pulls me in and a mint exchange is underway. After awhile, we stopped and, in honoring our deal, she grabs the attention of her slumping friend and starts aggressively making out with her again. This time, she’s practically mounting her. Dorothy, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!! My friend leans into me and comments that he thinks I might get a three-way tonight.
The night proceeds for another hour or so. I made out with Sherry a bit more. And then she mentioned that she needs to take her friend home. Fearing that I might lose an opportunity to turn an already memorable evening into an epic one, I told her to come back. She said she will. Eventually, the plan changed and the friend wasn’t going home. After some discussion of where to go with my place being rejected by her friend, we decided to go to this club called “Plush”. I then see her call for the bill. The waiter walks over and stands confused as to whom to give it to. Now, I’ve been in this situation before and the expectation is that the guy pays for it regardless of how many drinks he had, which was none other than a shot Sherry ordered for me and my friend (which can be easily interpreted as her buying us a round). Anyway, I used that moment as an opportunity to go to the bathroom. After I came out, my buddy told me that the girls paid and stormed off without even looking at my friend. When we got outside, the girls were both on the phone. Sherry was already walking in my direction when I tried to get her attention. Without even looking up at me, she turned away. She finished her phone call and tended to her friend. I walked up and said, “So, you ready (to go to the next place)”. Barely looking up at me, she coldly says, “It’s ok. I just called a cab. I’m going to take my friend home.” Stunned by the sudden turn of events, I walked over to my friend. After a few seconds, the girls walked right past us and went into a nearby club.
Now, I can’t help, but think that my only role in Sherry’s night was the one of kindly benefactor. But once it was clear that I was unwillingly to take that role, she made it clear that she had no time for me. The most shocking thing is how freely this girl used sex (or, at least, the promise of sex) as a means of having some guy (me in this instance) pay for her bill, which was likely US$100+. (After talking with some friends, it was pretty likely that even though I paid for that bill, I would never see that girl again.) Actually, this sort of thing is fairly commonplace. Another time, I met a “partygirl” at the same bar. She was flirting with me pretty heavily and I even made out with her in the cab. I asked her out for dinner. She asked if her friend could come. I said “yes”, but pushed the time to around 9pm, hoping that she and her friend would have eaten dinner by then and, thus, I would only be on the hook for the drinks. My plan failed. Both girls ordered food. And then they wanted to go to the bar I met her at. When we got there, another girl joined and more food and drinks were ordered. Sensing where the night was heading, after one drink, I told her I was tired and needed to leave. I asked her how much should I kick in. She immediately grabs the waiter and he prints out the bill. It was already at around NT$5000. I gave her NT$2000. The funny thing was I even felt bad about that at the time.
Anyway, the “game” has arrived in TW (or, more likely, it’s always been here and I’ve just been lucky I haven’t had to play it in the past). But, nonetheless, the “game” is here and don’t be fool, these women are not soft and cuddly character who giggle if you poke their stomachs like the Pillsbury Doughboy. No, they’re a whole different breed altogether.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
尾牙 ("Wei Ya") - Company Chinese New Year party
Obviously, in Chinese culture, Chinese New Year is a big deal. In terms of National and cultural significance, it’s their Christmas and New Year combined. At least, in terms of amount of granted days off from work. CNY usually occurs at the end of January or beginning of February. Here in TW, we’re given five work days off.
Another area of similarity with Christmas is the party. In the US, the big year-end party coincides with Christmas. In Taiwan, it coincides with CNY and it’s called a “Wei Ya”. With most companies, a “wei ya” consist of a big banquet dinner, prize drawing (usually for US$100 and up coupons to one of the major department stores) and a lot of drinking. The drinking aspect is a little surprising to me. It’s not so much that they’re drinking, it’s the amount. These people are getting wasted. At these year-end parties, people use drinking to celebrate the year that’s past as well as toast the year ahead. I can’t be certain, but it seems like it’s unbecoming to drink alone. Obviously, I don’t mean “drink alone” as being at some dingy bar drowning your sorrows, but I’ve notice that people (at least, at these type of events) rarely sit there and take a sip by themselves as I was doing that all night. Everyone would make it a social activity and drink only when they toasted with someone else.
What I found interesting was this prevailing vibe that people drank and partied w/o a care or concern of how it might reflect upon them the next day in the office. Like I said people are getting wasted, some were dancing the table. But before your mind envisions something out of “Coyote Ugly”, it was very innocent G-rated dancing. To me, it seems like, in the US, people purposely restrained themselves a little because they are concerned with purporting an image of an irresponsible boozer and partier, which, at some companies, might inhibit their ability to rise in the organization. It seems like here, there is an understanding that everyone gets a free pass to let loose at these parties, have a “stays in Vegas” mindset. Now, of course, being it’s TW, a relatively conservative society, people aren’t pushing the limits of appropriate behavior like “hooking up” or flashing, so the fear of something scandalous happening are minimal.
Now, I work at a big company, probably one of the biggest in TW. So, our Wei Ya is always a huge production. In the past, it was at the Taipei Arena. This year, it was at a newly built exhibition hall. There were 380 tables that seated 10 people each. Throughout the evening, there was a live show complete with hosts and singers, it’s like one of those variety shows you see here on TV. And I’m not talking about some hired singer from a bar or lounge somewhere. I’m talking about actual well-known recording artists. Now, since I’m more American than Chinese (or Taiwanese, in this case), I don’t recognize any of the artists. 
Regardless of missing out on the enjoyment of knowing who they are, it’s fun to watch the president and CEO of the company each get up there and sing with one of the singers. (Btw, you’ll quickly know that people love to sing here. Perhaps the most popular place to go is a KTV where get a room and sing to their heart’s content and, sometimes, to my ears’ dismay. Naturally, you can order food, which is pretty inexpensive, and beer.)
Now, maybe what I’ve described isn’t too different from a company Christmas party in the US because, honestly, I can only remember one, if memory serves, it wasn’t a company-wide extravaganza, but more a small department only party. Anyway, I find it hard to believe that a company Xmas party in the US would have the size and importance of a “wei ya” here. As I alluded before, these “wei ya” are a way for the company to say thanks to their hard-working employees as well as rally them to carry with the same hard work in the coming year. And, what I saw, they appreciated every moment of it.
Another area of similarity with Christmas is the party. In the US, the big year-end party coincides with Christmas. In Taiwan, it coincides with CNY and it’s called a “Wei Ya”. With most companies, a “wei ya” consist of a big banquet dinner, prize drawing (usually for US$100 and up coupons to one of the major department stores) and a lot of drinking. The drinking aspect is a little surprising to me. It’s not so much that they’re drinking, it’s the amount. These people are getting wasted. At these year-end parties, people use drinking to celebrate the year that’s past as well as toast the year ahead. I can’t be certain, but it seems like it’s unbecoming to drink alone. Obviously, I don’t mean “drink alone” as being at some dingy bar drowning your sorrows, but I’ve notice that people (at least, at these type of events) rarely sit there and take a sip by themselves as I was doing that all night. Everyone would make it a social activity and drink only when they toasted with someone else.
What I found interesting was this prevailing vibe that people drank and partied w/o a care or concern of how it might reflect upon them the next day in the office. Like I said people are getting wasted, some were dancing the table. But before your mind envisions something out of “Coyote Ugly”, it was very innocent G-rated dancing. To me, it seems like, in the US, people purposely restrained themselves a little because they are concerned with purporting an image of an irresponsible boozer and partier, which, at some companies, might inhibit their ability to rise in the organization. It seems like here, there is an understanding that everyone gets a free pass to let loose at these parties, have a “stays in Vegas” mindset. Now, of course, being it’s TW, a relatively conservative society, people aren’t pushing the limits of appropriate behavior like “hooking up” or flashing, so the fear of something scandalous happening are minimal.
Now, I work at a big company, probably one of the biggest in TW. So, our Wei Ya is always a huge production. In the past, it was at the Taipei Arena. This year, it was at a newly built exhibition hall. There were 380 tables that seated 10 people each. Throughout the evening, there was a live show complete with hosts and singers, it’s like one of those variety shows you see here on TV. And I’m not talking about some hired singer from a bar or lounge somewhere. I’m talking about actual well-known recording artists. Now, since I’m more American than Chinese (or Taiwanese, in this case), I don’t recognize any of the artists. 
Regardless of missing out on the enjoyment of knowing who they are, it’s fun to watch the president and CEO of the company each get up there and sing with one of the singers. (Btw, you’ll quickly know that people love to sing here. Perhaps the most popular place to go is a KTV where get a room and sing to their heart’s content and, sometimes, to my ears’ dismay. Naturally, you can order food, which is pretty inexpensive, and beer.)Now, maybe what I’ve described isn’t too different from a company Christmas party in the US because, honestly, I can only remember one, if memory serves, it wasn’t a company-wide extravaganza, but more a small department only party. Anyway, I find it hard to believe that a company Xmas party in the US would have the size and importance of a “wei ya” here. As I alluded before, these “wei ya” are a way for the company to say thanks to their hard-working employees as well as rally them to carry with the same hard work in the coming year. And, what I saw, they appreciated every moment of it.
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