With all due respect to back home, last night was the most enjoyable New Years Eve I've had in recent memory.
I think the reason for this was low expectations. After all, if there's been one lesson I've had to repeatedly learn these past few years, it is that the key to my inner happiness and satisfaction is to lower my expectations (hell, it's the reason Denmark of all places is considered the world's happiest place). In the past, I think I built the hype up a little too much in regards to my New Years Eve celebrations. There was always a lot of prepping and planning, and as a result a whole lot of anticipation. So when the time to usher in the new year finally arrived and then suddenly passed, there was always an inevitable letdown.
But this year, expectations were at an all-time low. In fact, until about 4 p.m. on New Years Eve I had no concrete plans whatsoever for the evening. I'd heard friends talking about going to the country club, but I decided an admission fee of 1,000 NT (~$30) was just too rich for my blood. Plus, I'd dressed up and went out to bars/clubs the previous couple of New Years Eves and had come to the conclusion that the whole thing was overrated, not to mention extremely costly. Really the only plan I had at that point was to travel down to the Taipei 101 area, where there was promised to be a supremely cool fireworks show at midnight. And after the disappointment of missing out on the fireworks for Double-Ten Day, I vowed that at the very least I would atone for that mistake.
So when my co-worker Eddie the Aussie approached me at 4 p.m. and invited me to join him and some of his friends at a house party, I figured what the hell. Sure, why not? The plan was to head over straight after work, make a pit-stop at a pub to hydrate, and then watch the fireworks show from the roof of his friend's apartment complex. So I said I'd come, thinking at the very least I'd get to see the fireworks. I would be content with just that.
But the whole night was much more exciting and enjoyable than that. The pub we hung out from about 10 until 11:30 was really sweet with a nice laid-back dive bar atmosphere. Add to that that they had gin and tonic specials for 100 NT each (I had to laugh thinking I'd be dropping somewhere around $7-8 for that kind of a beverage back home) and that when I tried to order food, they fed me with a free meal of minced beef pie, which (perhaps because of the gin and tonics?) actually tasted better far better than it sounded. I left the bar after an hour and a half having ordered 3 drinks for less than $10. It would have cost me at least twice that just to get into the bars I would normally have gone to back home. This night was off to a good start.
Then there was the main event. At 11:40 we joined a group of about 30 other people on the rooftop to watch the Taipei 101 fireworks show. My coworker Lisa handed out grapes to a bunch of us, because apparently it's some kind of Spanish tradition to eat 1 grape per second in the 12 seconds before the new year. Though I failed (still convinced it's an impossible feat), the grapes were delicious. Between the booze, the meat pie, and the sweet grapes, I was totally content when 2011 showed up. But in a matter of moments, I went from merely content to straight giddy. The countdown ended and the real show began. The first few fireworks that went off were at the base of Taipei 101, nothing special. They seemed more just like a teaser to get everyone amped for what was to come. Then a frenzy of fireworks exploded. I honestly can't describe in words exactly what I saw, but it was without a doubt the greatest fireworks performance I'd ever seen. For 100 seconds straight, there was persistent booming and blinding light. I had been working under the impression that the 101 fireworks show would be something like you'd see on the 4th of July back home. I was wrong. This show was far more impressive. It wasn't just fireworks exploding in the sky, it was a synchronized orchestra of lights. It was like watching Fantasia with fireworks. And there were so damn many of them. Firework after firework shot out of 101, actually making it look more like a demolition than a celebration. The result was that sometimes it got so bright that you actually thought your retinas might burn. Not only 101, but all the surrounding areas also shot off fireworks.When the smoke finally cleared from the top of the world's second largest skyscraper, you could see the lights spelling out "100. R♥C" (2011 is the 100th anniversary of the Republic of China).
Perhaps inspired by the show, or perhaps just searching for any way to warm ourselves up in the midst of a bitterly cold 5 degree Celsius night, we then decided to light our own fireworks. Talk about your all time simple pleasures. The fireworks we had weren't much, but boy were they fun. We lit off around 50 of them, throwing them off the building, watching with amazement as the light shot out and waiting with anticipation for the loud crack (I've got to believe we made our fair share of enemies with the poor locals who were trying to sleep at that hour...). Unfortunately (mom don't read this next part) I happened to hold on to one of these fireworks for just a little too long, as the thing actually exploded in my hand, with the flash and the pop rendering me both blind and deaf for a couple of seconds. But after I got over the shock and realized I was OK, I couldn't help but laugh. It's always funny so long as no one loses a limb. Or vision and hearing capabilities for that matter.
Finally, around 3:30, I decided to call it a night and walked home. A night that I figured wouldn't be anything special had turned into one of the better nights I've had here in Taiwan. I got to hang out with some quality and outgoing individuals; some familiar, some new; some local, some expat. I drank some quality alcohol. I played with (and almost got played by) some fireworks. And last but not least, I got to see the spectacular Taipei 101 show. 2011 got off to a better start than I could have imagined. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.
Note: my one regret is that my camera didn't capture any of last night's festivities. Maybe because of low battery juice, or maybe because of the cold, my camera refused to work. So instead of uploading pictures I've just put up a youtube video showing last night's show. Hope this suffices.
