Cassy had to do numerous takes of all sorts of shots and actually got quite a sore knee as she had to put shoes on the star of the show at one point from a kneeling position. Apparently the lighting was the main time consumer and she had to remain in various poses for great stretches so they could get the lighting just right. She got chatting to the star of the show between the action and discovered she is a 19 year old Dutch girl who has been working most recently in Hong Kong. She was 181 cm tall and very slim, but told Cass that she needed to lose another 8 kilos if she was to break into the American market, which is what she wants. Hard to believe. Cass also found out that the ad will be televised not only in Taiwan, but throughout the length and breadth of China, so a lot of people will see it! It will take anything from 1 month to 3 months before it airs and I’ll get a copy of it posted on here when it does.
We are both suffering from a mild hangover today and a little slow to get going doing anything. It would be a much worse one if we were drinking normal alcoholic beverages, but we were sipping on $200 a bottle champagne and red wine all night and consumed a lot of it. The big occasion was the annual Thanksgiving dinner put on by the Koo family. The two boys attend our school and each year they host a most lavish party for all the teachers connected with the boys. It has grown from a one table affair to three huge circular tables this year and as usual was quite stunning in its opulence. The wine flowed from carafes tipped by attentive wait staff, of whom there were at least 30. The food was Chinese in style but very high quality, so that even some of the more questionable offerings were delicious. There were many small courses each of a different delicate flavour.
The Koos are really a delightful couple and their kids are too. The great thing about the night is their complete lack of pretension and even a certain vulnerability they exude. It’s just so refreshing, especially from a family who are among the stratospheric rich in the world. One quirky note to the evening is the relatively recent adoption of karaoke as a big draw card. There is a professional hostess who cajoles a few early singers to the microphone, yet after a few hours it is impossible to prise the mikes away from some people! It all gets very very silly and messy but there is a definite fun vibe. We get our marching orders in the nicest possible way at a sensible time and we’re ushered into a waiting fleet of cabs for the trip back to Tienmu from their headquarters in Neihu where we dined and entertained each other.
So, another exciting week here in Taipei. Cassy is going to France with her mum over the Christmas break and I was contemplating what to do at the same time. I had all sorts of options, but in the end I decided the most sensible thing would be to go somewhere that Cassy does not want to go. So, I’m off to India! I fly into New Delhi and will explore from there, the Taj Mahal will be one day trip but I’ll investigate further what else I might want to see/do.
I’m reading the legend Peter Corris, Cliff Hardy adventure called “Deep Water”, while Cass being so busy is still managing to eke out her Franzen treasure. Photos are various shenanigans at the Koo party (quality is bad but I think it sums up the moment quite well!) I also included a fabulous shot of my nephew front and centre at a concert: it's such a great photo, I had to include it...go Pat!
