A fun weekend!

How sleepy am I then? The weekend was a bit full on. Although yesterday I did get a chance to catch up on some sleep with a very lazy arvo. Friday I had my half day at work and the kids who I was eating lunch with this week sang happy birthday to me! It was heaps cute. I had brought in some bicuits for them, since that's what I recall happening sometimes when I was in primary school in Oz. I was a bit taken aback by some of the kids' reactions to this though. I had brought enough for one each, while I was handing them out every second kid would say "can't I have 2?" Or "You should have brought us 2 each!" And similar comments. I felt a bit like snatching the biscuit I had given them back and saying "How about none then? How does that work for you?" There was one kid who is a bit of a shit and he was stuffing about pretending not to want anything and refusing to take a biscuit, it was the last one in the packet so I just took it and popped it all in my mouth - he was horrified! I notice that a lot over here. Everytime you try and do something nice for the kids, get them a treat or some such, the vast majority of them simply don't appreciate it. They must be so accustomed to receiving things, gifts and such, that they simply aren't impressed and certainly aren't grateful. It makes you reluctant to do anything special for them in the end.

At 1pm I was freed from the hell hole and practically ran home. Miss BV was waiting for me with beer, nuts she'd brought from home and chocolate!! What a lovely scene to come home to aye! We hopped on a train to Hiroshima at about 3:30 and arrived 2 hours later. We attempted to find me a birthday outfit - ie. new clothes. That plan was quickly thwarted by a variety of obstacles. Japanese fashion being horrid was one, my fat arse was the other (well, comparatively). Feeling a bit peckish we headed for Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki - often described as a savory pancake thing. It tastes fabulous, no one should go to Hiroshima without having a crack at one. You sit in front of the hot plate and they put it together in front of you. Crepe, on top of which they pile the filling, cabbage, bean sprouts, seaweedy stuff that looks like the contents of a vacuum cleaner bag, noodles (soba or udon), and whatever meat or seafood you have requested. I had the meat yaki so bacon - yum.. Then on top an egg which has been fried into a crepe thin circle the same size as the initial crepe, some speical okonomiyaki sauce on top, spring onion and you're set! FAB. Must be eaten with a beer of course. After satiating that particular desire we headed off for an American bar we used to frequent 2 years ago while we were poverty striken uni students, The Shack. We had one drink, whiskey on the rocks, and hit the road - not impressed with the vibe and the crowd in there - not to mention the drinks prices! And off to Molly Malones where we had yummy shots. I can't remember what it was called, but it sure tasted lovely. I ran into a friend there who bought us a birthday round. We had a lot of talking to do and that's what we did for most of the evening. A lot can change in 2 years - and we sure have. Last time we were living in Hiroshima we'd go out of an evening and drink as much as possible as quickly as possible and dance about until all hours. This time we were much more worried about hangover possibilities and had aboslutely no interest whatsoever in engaging in conversation with anyone around us, let alone men. Ah, so this is what getting old is all about...

A relatively early night and Miss BV's first time in an internet cafe. I think she was impressed, and seemed to have a good night's sleep. Saturday was a long day with not much to do but wander or sit about. At one pont we spent 3 hours in a coffee shop without buying a single thing but drinking the complimentary water! Lunch was a much anticipated God Burger which we practically inhaled we were so hungry. I had decided to try and get a haircut finally but that ended in disaster when they gave me something approaching a mullet. The idea now being that Miss BV will fix it for me herself before she goes home. I really do give up. I have given them a really good crack, they've cut my hair probably 6 times... Japanese hairdressers cannot cut gaijin hair. They are friendly, they give you really good service, you get a head and shoulder massage, a hot towel on your neck after it gets strained hanging over the basin - no place in Oz does that unless you pay through the nose - but they just can't get the haircut bit right. So I am back to the drawing board on the growing hair out plan which is annoying.

Saturday night was dinner at a place called Koba. Very comfy bar/restaurant with great staff and fantastic food. There was only 4 of us there but it was a good dynamic and we were all in high spirits after a few reds and I think made a bit too much noise... I received a book of photos of daily life in Japan which were very very funny. There was one photo of a kid falling over that made me laugh so hard. We moved on to a karaoke bar where more people rocked up and brought with them a birthday cake!! We had candles and all! Yummy chocolate cake, how lucky am I! That was a late night and Sunday morning was very very quiet! Straight home for a nap in the arvo and a little home cooked dinner. It's lovely having someone in the house to just cook with and chat to about whatever comes up. Best weekend yet! Miss BV has now moved on to Sendai to visit someone else until Wednesday, but then she is back until next Monday. heheeee

Photos will follow later in the week...