初秋時節，本應該迎來涼爽舒適的天氣，但在我住的地區，氣溫不降反升，甚至比盛夏還要炎熱，人們俗稱「秋老虎」，我本來還不知道是甚麼意思，但聽我朋友解釋後，形容的還蠻貼切的，他說，人們以為秋天到了，天氣要變涼爽了，不過，馬上又被烈日與高溫「教訓」一番，彷彿夏天不甘心離去，化作一隻兇猛的老虎回馬槍似的撲來，熱浪真是猛於虎啊。
我和朋友在這樣悶熱的天氣，戶外是絕對待不下去的，我們只想往室內有冷氣的地方鑽，我們找了一間有名的茶館，打算暫時歇歇腳，一進入茶館內，映入眼簾的是典雅的木質裝潢與溫暖的燈光，與商場的喧囂購物氛圍形成強烈對比，它的菜單不僅有飲品，還有牛肉麵、滷味拼盤、茶點小吃等，我們坐下來點上一杯冰紅茶，配上幾份小吃，這樣的組合雖然不算精緻，但是讓我們瞬間補滿能量。
我注意到商場的海報，指出賣場內有史努比特展，哇！真是一年四季，到處都可以看到史努比特展，我還記得，我上次是在高雄的商場，剛好逛到史努比快閃店，回來台北，隨便逛逛，又剛好遇到史努比的特展，真是有緣啊，等下，休息片刻後，正好可以去看看有甚麼新商品。
特展的門票要四百五十元台幣，哇！這價位有點高，我本來已為只要一或兩百元台幣便可入場，朋友不想花這個價錢進去參觀，於是我們就跑到商品區過過乾癮，展覽的出口處，通常會販售相關商品，讓消費者可以帶些紀念品回家，這次，我完全沒有幫另一位收集史努比商品朋友買些商品的念頭，不是價錢的問題，可能是我有些疲乏了。
我之前沒注意到，原來這展覽與商場內的店家有聯名活動，例如，拿展覽的票根到春芳號茶飲店買桂花紅差，可以買一送一；到黑武士火鍋店，內用消費，可送鍋物兌換卷一張，不過，對我而言，大部份的優惠都不實用，因為不符合比例原則，但是，也是一種行銷手段啦，能在室內躲避暑氣，有些東西可以看看，我就滿足了。
Early autumn is supposed to bring cool and comfortable weather, but in the area where I live, the temperature has gone up instead of down. It actually feels hotter than summer. People call this “Autumn Tiger”. At first, I didn’t know what that meant, but after my friend explained, I thought it was pretty spot-on. He said it’s like people expect autumn to arrive with cooler weather, but instead, they immediately get “taught a lesson” by blazing sun and high temperatures. It’s as if summer refuses to leave and comes back like a fierce tiger, pouncing one last time. The heat really is fiercer than a tiger.
With the weather so muggy, there was no way we were going to stay outside. My friend and I just wanted to hide somewhere with air conditioning. We found a well-known teahouse to take a break. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by elegant wooden decor and warm lighting, which contrasted sharply with the noisy shopping mall outside. The menu had not only drinks but also beef noodles, braised snacks, and dim sum. We sat down, ordered iced black tea and some side dishes. The combo wasn’t fancy, but it instantly recharged us.
I then noticed a poster in the mall advertising a Snoopy exhibition. Wow, there really are Snoopy events everywhere, all year round. I remembered that the last time I stumbled upon a Snoopy pop-up store was in a mall in Kaohsiung. Now, back in Taipei, just casually wandering around, I ran into another Snoopy exhibition. What a coincidence! After resting a bit, we thought we might as well go check it out and see what new merch they had.
But the ticket price was NT$450. Whoa, that was pricey. I honestly thought it would only be around NT$100 or NT$200 something. My friend didn’t want to pay that much to go inside, so we just went to the merchandise area to window-shop. Usually, the exit of the exhibition sells related goods, so fans can take home some souvenirs. This time, though, I didn’t even think about buying anything for my other friend who collects Snoopy items. It wasn’t about the money. I think I’ve just grown a little tired of it.
I hadn’t noticed before, but apparently the exhibition also had collaborations with stores inside the mall. For example, if you show your ticket stub at Chun Fun How tea shop, you can get a buy-one-get-one-free deal on Osmanthus Black Tea. Or at the Kurobushi hotpot place, dining in gets you a free hotpot coupon. But for me, most of these promotions weren’t really practical. It just didn’t feel worth it. Still, I get that it’s a marketing tactic. At the end of the day, being able to stay indoors, avoid the scorching heat, and have something fun to look at was enough to keep me satisfied.
