Akage no Avis-san

Each week it is becoming more and more like a ghost town in here eh? I don't know why I bother. But I shall keep doing it don't you worry. Maybe not like clockwork but relatively routinely. If I have anything to say that is.

The weekdays were filled with good and bad moments as per usual. I think I figured out that I actually finish a lot earlier than I anticipated because my subjects don't have an exam during the exam week....at least that is what I hope is what is happening. Because that means I may be able to travel around more, and I will know plenty of people here then to hang out with. HOPEFULLY

I also found out from macquarie that I may not be able to graduate because they are being stupid and bureaucratic. You see as part of the original degree I enrolled in, I had to do four 100 level japanese subjects. This included a vacation unit over the summer, as I was in Singapore I decided not to enrol in it, especially as it didn't have any NCCW (Not Counted for Credit With) subjects attatched in the handbook. However as it turns out they won't let me enrol in it again, because it would be unfair now that I have undertaken 200 level japanese. Gahhhh, so hopefully that will work itself out.

I have been good recently about going to classes, I think this is the third week in a row where I haven't skipped a single class. I was getting worried about how many I was skipping especially since I miss a few when I am on the cruise. So I will keep going until the break I suppose. Speaking of the cruise, I am getting quite excited now that it is getting closer. It seems you aussies are brainwashed by the definition of a "cruise"... seeing as whenever I mention to people (ie Suj and Rachel) that I am going on one they think I mean the harbour type party cruises that you guys go on. No, for the record, this is a REAL cruise. 2 weeks around south east asia.....cannot wait. I can also not wait for some heat, two winters in a row is mighty depressing. No wonder english people are such miserable assholes, it's the weather!

Friday morning I got up bright and early to go finish off the process for my reentry visa that I begun the week before. The bus ride was a nightmare, took so long. and when I got there I just handed in all my documents and literally like 2 minutes later it was done, again to take the 40 minute bus trip to uni. I probably should have gone a little later coz I got to uni 2 hours early for class, so I just sat in the cafeteria and studied for my test.

Friday night Julia knocks on my door and tells me we are going out to sushi. As I had already bought a day pass for the bus that morning I figured it would be a waste if I didn't use it. So we caught the bus to the uni and went to this sushi train place nearby. It was fun, there's a screen where you can order whatever sushi you want, or just take one you like off the conveyerbelt. Also there is a slot where you put the used plates, and when you put 5 plates in you get to play a minigame and if you win you win some little thing to put on a mobile phone.

We had to split up because we were such a big group but I was with Carlos, Magnus, Tia and Milje. It was the first time I had eaten sushi the whole time in being in Japan (outrageous I know) but it was good. I stuck to the simple ones, wasn't very adventurous, but it was good nonetheless. For desert I had this choco-banana pudding thing....it was soooooo good. It tasted like real banana too, not the fake banana crap.

Anyway we each tried to play the mini game but kept losing. We were up to 37 plates by the end, and still had not won. So we ordered 3 extra plates just so we could get a multiple of 5......we were all really nervous when the final game started. We let milje do the honours. It was like a pokie machine, with the spinning pictures that had to match.....so they started, 2 matched, 3rd slowed down. Tension building. and it stopped on the matching picture. We let out a tremendous cheer only to look in horror as it slowly moves one more time. We lost AGAIN. We were livid, we felt cheated out of what was rightfully ours. But soon enough we calmed down and paid and waited outside

We were not content with just going home so we decided to walk/bike around nearby and look for either karaoke or a good bar to go to. Eventually we found a good karaoke, which was like $9 for 4 hours then like $15 for all you can drink for 2 hours. Seemed like a good deal. I didn't give in my ID when they asked being underage and all but I managed to sneak in just fine :P. The room was quite cool, had a stage and everything. It was a lot of fun.

Surprising as it may be, I did not partake in the all you can drink portion of the night overly. I did have a few drinks, but I can say that i didn't go over the top as I have been known to do on occasion. I acted in solidarity with my neighbour Zina who couldn't drink because she had to have her wisdom teeth out the next day. Anyway I saw some people sink low into drunken stupor. Mats in particular was bad (although he was the one who took the photo of my with my head on the table, so I felt slightly victorious) he had his heads in his hands for a while then went off to the toilet to be sick. Carlos and Zenen helped him for a bit, but then when Zina and I went to go find them Mats why by himself on a couch.

We looked for Zenen and Carlos for a bit and then I noticed they were in a different Karaoke room....with these Japanese girls, it was quite weird. We knocked on the door and asked what they were doing. All of a sudden we get invited in too and told to sing mariah carey songs. Eventually though we had to leave though because the people that worked there came and yelled at us to go back to our own room lol.

I lost my voice a lot so I couldn't sing very much more but time was almost up anyway so I went and sat with Mats outside as he was being sick. Inside it turned out that the place was trying to screw us over by saying that we ordered drinks after the "all you can drink" period was over so they charged us more, they also said we had an extra person. I think they assumed because we were foreigners that we would just give up, but they put up a good fight. Eventually though we couldn't be bothered and just paid it.

Meanwhile as I was outside with Mats, Thomas came out and he was hilariously drunk, like stumbling around and stuff. Apparently this was the first time he has ever been drunk. I watched him and asked him if he was ok which he yelled at me to "not treat him like a drunk". He then tried to get on his bike....I told him not to....but he did anyway. He rode 1 metre then fell off onto the ground. So i promply took his keys away and made him sit down like a child.

Leaving, Gavin and his friend offered to ride Mats' and Thomas' bikes home as they were clearly incapable. I took them with me in the taxi back home. On the way Mats started retching. The taxi driver freaked out and got him to get out then was yelling at me asking me if he had been sick inside at all, which he hadnt. But we got home eventually and I took Mats to his room. By this time it was like 4 in the morning and when the bikers came home I hung out with them for a few minutes in the kitchen. Zenen and Zina recounted how JeongJu crashed her bike over a ledge and fell on her face, they were sure they would be making a trip to the hospital, but she was ok luckily. We were waiting for her to come out of her room and when she never showed we got a bit worried.

Zina and I went into her room and found her lying sideways across her bed with all her clothes and jewellery on. We woke her up but she wouldn't move, so I had to pick her up and forcibly put her on her pillow while Zina took her coat and earrings off.

Saturday was pretty quiet as lots of people had bad hangovers, not me though. I woke up fresh as a daisy. It was nice.

Sunday was a nice day, sunny after so many days of rain. I went to the supermarket and had a walk around a bit. Other than that though I didn't do much at all. I have a big test this week that I studied for and I also did my laundry, not very exciting stuff. Tomorrow I have to go to uni at 9 (even though my class doesnt start until 1) because there is a "Pre-Departure Meeting"

I have no idea why it is so early but I have to go. It's also kinda depressing to think that it's almost over. Zina said she would cry lol.

Anyway that was the week that was. Tune in next week for more

TALES OF INTEREST

Love, Jono