Went to bar/disco/karaoke with my hubby and his brother and his friend last Friday. Gladly this time I prepared myself with layers of warm clothes, so I didn't get sick or anything. Since I was the only sober one, I decided to enjoy myself by watching other people there. Here're my notes:
1. I wonder why people "like" getting drunk. What's so addictive about getting drunk senseless? Will someone please tell me? What's so nice about getting drunk and then forgetting some or most or everything you did last night? Plus, what's so nice about getting a hangover the next day? (FYI, weird thing is that my hubby never gets any hangover in his entire life - he never had headaches - LUCKY GUY!!!)
Anyway, I know it can be "fun" to be a bit tipsy as then you'll loosen up and you can be your fun self. But drinking until you're drunk senseless???? In Finland it's like the "norm" to get drunk senseless when you're "partying". I just don't get it.
2. I noticed some guys almost getting into a fight. There was this guy on the table next to us who grabbed another guy's hair and then tried to push him down. The other guy didn't even fight back. Maybe he was so drunk, too. A big guy stepped in and separated them. PHEW!!!
3. There was this old guy who kept on wandering from one table to another, trying to chit-chat. I wonder why he didn't just go home as I spotted a wedding ring on his left ring finger. He looked lonely and it made me sad.
4. Another guy was so drunk that he kept on wandering from one table to the next to find his lost jacket. He dropped by our table for seven times at least and I wanted to say to him, "Why don't you go home? You've been asking us for so many times and you probably lost your jacket someplace else. You might not even have brought your jacket in the first place."
5. I also noticed a girl who almost got into a fight with another girl. She was obviously drunk as the other girl was confused when she grabbed her shirt. Crazy world indeed!!!
6. My hubby was drunk enough to accept his friend's offer to sing together at the karaoke bar (it was the first time for my hubby to sing in a karaoke bar). They ended up singing two songs. They tried to make my hubby's brother to sing, too, but he wouldn't do it. How did they go? Well, what can you expect from drunk people? There were just a few people who sang well at the karaoke, but most of them sucked. Oh well...
7. Several glasses were broken due to people's drunkenness. I asked my hubby if they had to pay for the broken glasses and he said no. Interesting!!! He also said it was normal to have broken glasses at a bar. Nice going!
8. A guy sat next to me (gladly he kept an arm's length so I felt safe enough) and then said, "Konnichiwa!" I then told him that I wasn't Japanese. He then asked if I was Chinese and I said yes. LOL!!! SO FUNNY!!!
That reminds me of our honeymoon in Bali. When we went into a souvenir store, the salesperson started talking to me in JAPANESE right away! Then I started talking in Indonesian and he got the shock of his life! LOL!!!!!
Showing posts with label Drunk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drunk. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Personal Space: Midnight Sun Festival Experience
Last Friday my hubby took me out to bars as there was Midnight Sun Festival. It's the "biggest" party here in Sodankylä. Every year people from different countries flock here to enjoy Midnight Sun and the festival itself.
My hubby had sent me pics of himself enjoying Midnight Sun Festival, but I had NO idea how it would be like. When I first asked him about what people did on Midnight Sun Festival, he said, "Mostly they just drink and drink and drink." So obviously there are more people drinking than watching the movies!!! I was a bit anxious about it as I had never really seen drunk people too much and because I had never danced before in my life. I was confused when it was already 7 pm but we were still at home. I asked him when we would go there. He said, "Later. It's still too early." Turned out we went to his cousin's house first and there they drank a few cans of beer already (so that they didn't spend too much money on expensive beer at the bars/restos). Then there were some friends of his cousin's coming as well. In the end we went to the "party" at around 10 pm (read: we walked there).
Note that the temperature was around 13'C at that time and I was dressed for such temperature. My body's not totally used to the weather yet, and I "forgot" that during the night the temperature usually dropped down a few degrees. My bad!!! Mind you, having been a tropical girl all my life, it's still confusing for me to find the best combination of clothes to wear here.
So we went to one jam-packed resto and Arttu's cousin ordered drinks for us. We struggled to find a booth for us. The resto was a small one, so no wonder it was so jam-packed. I was hoping that I'd meet "my own kind" as Arttu's cousin said that there would be people from around the world. But no such luck. At least I didn't find any Asians there. The only other person who stood out was a black, tall guy. I felt SO tiny amongst the people there (yeah, my being only 145 cm squashed by people over 170 cm tall!). It was SO hard to see where I was going so I held on tightly to Arttu. He warned me not to get lost. LOL!!!
After some time we found a booth. There was this girl who was waiting for a friend, but she offered us some space near the wall, so I slid my butt to sit next to the wall and Arttu sat next to me and the girl sat next to Arttu. There was still some space left for the girl's friend. Then Arttu's cousin's girlfriend and friends sat in front of us. It was SO hard to talk, obviously, as there was a live band. Our drinks came (I ordered orange juice) and we just sort of enjoyed the music. The girl sitting next to Arttu started a conversation. Apparently she was from Helsinki.
Then the girl and her friend moved and there was an old (drunken looking) guy sitting next to Arttu. When he noticed me, he started shaking my hand and smiling like an idiot. (sorry for that term, I just can't help it, he freaked me out!!!) He talked a bit with Arttu and then he started reaching out for my hand again. After some time, he did it AGAIN and this time he said, "We are frrrriieenndd!" I was thinking to myself, "Yeah, right, you must be SO drunk that you don't even know who you're talking to." Then Arttu yelled at my ear, "He's attracted to you." YIIIIKKKKEEESSS!!! The old man must've been around 60 year old and I bet he was either so drunk or a bit lunatic. After we went home, Arttu said that the old guy kept on asking the same questions, so he must've been SO drunk indeed.
Then another guy sitting in front of us started asking questions to Arttu about me. I began to feel worried again. I don't like being in the spotlight. AT ALL. I tried my best not to look at any guy's eyes too long (a friend of mine once told me that it would be bad to look at guy's eyes too long), but I could feel that the guy kept on stealing glances at me. I was SO glad my hubby was with me. During that time, the crazy old man still tried to look me in the eye again and smiled and said, "We are frriiieeennnd" and tried to touch my hand. Then Arttu said to me, "I need to pee." I told him that I DID NOT want to stay there alone!!! He said, "I don't want to leave you alone." So I decided to go with him to the toilet, since I thought it'd be good for me to pee anyway.
When we got back from the toilet (there were long lines in front of the toilets), our seats were taken, so we just stood for a while. The guy who started asking questons to Arttu about me stood close to us and he started asking more questions. I was seriously beginning to feel more uncomfy. The thing is, it was noisy there, so in order to be able to talk properly, you have to yell near one's ear. And that made me feel as though my personal space was invaded. I'm not a touchy-feely person. I'm not used to hugging people or touching people or anything (in my family we don't hug), except to my hubby. The amazing thing was that even the first time we met in 2004, I could kiss him and hug him comfortably. I guess since we had had a heart-to-heart connection, I didn't feel as though he was invading my space by being near me.
Anyhow, Arttu said that we'd change bar, so we did. The guy followed us and then he walked next to me. It started to get more chilly back then, so I shoved my hands to my jacket pockets. He said to me that it must've been hard to get used to the cold weather. I didn't want to be rude, so I answered his questions politely, but I was also a bit afraid. I kept on thinking, "Are these guys drunk enough so that they don't even know what they're doing?"
In the second bar, at first Arttu and I sat on the bar stools. Arttu said that he was getting drunk. I've never been drunk before in my life, so I don't know how drunk he really was. He could still walk straight, though I noticed that he had silly grins on his face, so I thought he must be tipsy or something. Then the guy sat next to me and started asking more questions. Whenever he talked to me, he used English, but whenever he asked questions to Arttu, he used Finnish. Again I felt that my personal space was invaded because sometimes he had to lean close to me in order to hear my words and he had to lean close to my ear to ask me questions.
I guess I felt sort of out of place there. People came and then hugged one another and then socialized. I'm not used to that kind of "party". Being the only Asian didn't help make me feel better. I enjoyed the live music, but I just wished that I had been invisible, you know? The only reason I feel comfy going around town during regular days is because even though some of them may stare at me, I KNOW they won't approach and talk to me, so I feel safe. My personal space is not invaded.
I told Arttu after it was all over that I would NEVER go to bars alone. Good thing is that now the government has banned smoking in public places, including bars. YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I dislike coming home with the stench of smoke all over me! YIKES!!!
When the live band started playing music, I began to get worried again. I knew Arttu liked dancing, but I'd NEVER done it in front of other people in my whole life. He didn't push me, though, and I TRULY appreciated it. However I also didn't want him not to enjoy the party, so I told him I'd do it if they played slow music. So we did slow-dance. It felt great, though after one song, I began to feel dizzy. Dizzy because he twirled me around and round and round. I'm the kind of person who can get motion sickness easily (drat!!!), so maybe next time it'd be better for me to dance with fast music instead of slow music. Hmmm...we'll see.
Anyway, I got a bit sick at the end of the party, because I had worn the "wrong costume" and I had been sitting near the door (it was drafty). So Arttu and I went home earlier than his cousin and friends as I was really feeling bad (it was around 1.30 am). Plus it was FREEZING COLD when we walked home. The temperature had gone down to 5'C. I told myself that next time I should've put on more layers of clothes. When we got back home, I threw up. I told Arttu, "Ironic. You're the one who's drunk, but I'm the one who got sick." (side note: I can't stand windy weather, especially if my clothes aren't wind-proof enough)
So that's my first Midnight Sun Festival experience. Hopefully if we go there again next year, it'll be a better experience to remember.
My hubby had sent me pics of himself enjoying Midnight Sun Festival, but I had NO idea how it would be like. When I first asked him about what people did on Midnight Sun Festival, he said, "Mostly they just drink and drink and drink." So obviously there are more people drinking than watching the movies!!! I was a bit anxious about it as I had never really seen drunk people too much and because I had never danced before in my life. I was confused when it was already 7 pm but we were still at home. I asked him when we would go there. He said, "Later. It's still too early." Turned out we went to his cousin's house first and there they drank a few cans of beer already (so that they didn't spend too much money on expensive beer at the bars/restos). Then there were some friends of his cousin's coming as well. In the end we went to the "party" at around 10 pm (read: we walked there).
Note that the temperature was around 13'C at that time and I was dressed for such temperature. My body's not totally used to the weather yet, and I "forgot" that during the night the temperature usually dropped down a few degrees. My bad!!! Mind you, having been a tropical girl all my life, it's still confusing for me to find the best combination of clothes to wear here.
So we went to one jam-packed resto and Arttu's cousin ordered drinks for us. We struggled to find a booth for us. The resto was a small one, so no wonder it was so jam-packed. I was hoping that I'd meet "my own kind" as Arttu's cousin said that there would be people from around the world. But no such luck. At least I didn't find any Asians there. The only other person who stood out was a black, tall guy. I felt SO tiny amongst the people there (yeah, my being only 145 cm squashed by people over 170 cm tall!). It was SO hard to see where I was going so I held on tightly to Arttu. He warned me not to get lost. LOL!!!
After some time we found a booth. There was this girl who was waiting for a friend, but she offered us some space near the wall, so I slid my butt to sit next to the wall and Arttu sat next to me and the girl sat next to Arttu. There was still some space left for the girl's friend. Then Arttu's cousin's girlfriend and friends sat in front of us. It was SO hard to talk, obviously, as there was a live band. Our drinks came (I ordered orange juice) and we just sort of enjoyed the music. The girl sitting next to Arttu started a conversation. Apparently she was from Helsinki.
Then the girl and her friend moved and there was an old (drunken looking) guy sitting next to Arttu. When he noticed me, he started shaking my hand and smiling like an idiot. (sorry for that term, I just can't help it, he freaked me out!!!) He talked a bit with Arttu and then he started reaching out for my hand again. After some time, he did it AGAIN and this time he said, "We are frrrriieenndd!" I was thinking to myself, "Yeah, right, you must be SO drunk that you don't even know who you're talking to." Then Arttu yelled at my ear, "He's attracted to you." YIIIIKKKKEEESSS!!! The old man must've been around 60 year old and I bet he was either so drunk or a bit lunatic. After we went home, Arttu said that the old guy kept on asking the same questions, so he must've been SO drunk indeed.
Then another guy sitting in front of us started asking questions to Arttu about me. I began to feel worried again. I don't like being in the spotlight. AT ALL. I tried my best not to look at any guy's eyes too long (a friend of mine once told me that it would be bad to look at guy's eyes too long), but I could feel that the guy kept on stealing glances at me. I was SO glad my hubby was with me. During that time, the crazy old man still tried to look me in the eye again and smiled and said, "We are frriiieeennnd" and tried to touch my hand. Then Arttu said to me, "I need to pee." I told him that I DID NOT want to stay there alone!!! He said, "I don't want to leave you alone." So I decided to go with him to the toilet, since I thought it'd be good for me to pee anyway.
When we got back from the toilet (there were long lines in front of the toilets), our seats were taken, so we just stood for a while. The guy who started asking questons to Arttu about me stood close to us and he started asking more questions. I was seriously beginning to feel more uncomfy. The thing is, it was noisy there, so in order to be able to talk properly, you have to yell near one's ear. And that made me feel as though my personal space was invaded. I'm not a touchy-feely person. I'm not used to hugging people or touching people or anything (in my family we don't hug), except to my hubby. The amazing thing was that even the first time we met in 2004, I could kiss him and hug him comfortably. I guess since we had had a heart-to-heart connection, I didn't feel as though he was invading my space by being near me.
Anyhow, Arttu said that we'd change bar, so we did. The guy followed us and then he walked next to me. It started to get more chilly back then, so I shoved my hands to my jacket pockets. He said to me that it must've been hard to get used to the cold weather. I didn't want to be rude, so I answered his questions politely, but I was also a bit afraid. I kept on thinking, "Are these guys drunk enough so that they don't even know what they're doing?"
In the second bar, at first Arttu and I sat on the bar stools. Arttu said that he was getting drunk. I've never been drunk before in my life, so I don't know how drunk he really was. He could still walk straight, though I noticed that he had silly grins on his face, so I thought he must be tipsy or something. Then the guy sat next to me and started asking more questions. Whenever he talked to me, he used English, but whenever he asked questions to Arttu, he used Finnish. Again I felt that my personal space was invaded because sometimes he had to lean close to me in order to hear my words and he had to lean close to my ear to ask me questions.
I guess I felt sort of out of place there. People came and then hugged one another and then socialized. I'm not used to that kind of "party". Being the only Asian didn't help make me feel better. I enjoyed the live music, but I just wished that I had been invisible, you know? The only reason I feel comfy going around town during regular days is because even though some of them may stare at me, I KNOW they won't approach and talk to me, so I feel safe. My personal space is not invaded.
I told Arttu after it was all over that I would NEVER go to bars alone. Good thing is that now the government has banned smoking in public places, including bars. YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I dislike coming home with the stench of smoke all over me! YIKES!!!
When the live band started playing music, I began to get worried again. I knew Arttu liked dancing, but I'd NEVER done it in front of other people in my whole life. He didn't push me, though, and I TRULY appreciated it. However I also didn't want him not to enjoy the party, so I told him I'd do it if they played slow music. So we did slow-dance. It felt great, though after one song, I began to feel dizzy. Dizzy because he twirled me around and round and round. I'm the kind of person who can get motion sickness easily (drat!!!), so maybe next time it'd be better for me to dance with fast music instead of slow music. Hmmm...we'll see.
Anyway, I got a bit sick at the end of the party, because I had worn the "wrong costume" and I had been sitting near the door (it was drafty). So Arttu and I went home earlier than his cousin and friends as I was really feeling bad (it was around 1.30 am). Plus it was FREEZING COLD when we walked home. The temperature had gone down to 5'C. I told myself that next time I should've put on more layers of clothes. When we got back home, I threw up. I told Arttu, "Ironic. You're the one who's drunk, but I'm the one who got sick." (side note: I can't stand windy weather, especially if my clothes aren't wind-proof enough)
So that's my first Midnight Sun Festival experience. Hopefully if we go there again next year, it'll be a better experience to remember.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)