Life is crazy these days..!!

Am going to try and keep this as brief as possible, cos have to get some sleep...

Wednesday night had my office farewell party. It was heaps of fun, the old 2nd-in-charge who used to say "Ret's take Runchi" every lunch time I was there came, so that was amusing as always. My supervisor and I taught my last lesson in Japan, which was also hilarious. They had to say "I come from space" in English, and when someone said it correctly, my supervisor said, "Well that's almost right, but the correct answer is a little different" Then, I, being the AET of course, had to say it while hitting my throat so my voice sounded alienish!! Everyone cracked up, and we all laughed! How amusing!!

Thursday, I went to Nagashi Somen with Louise, Masako, Yuka and Megumi. It was lovely, with a refreshingly cool waterfall flowing down from the mountain. After some Puri-kura together it was home to pack and clean for a bit. Josh came down from Nagato way to have a few drinks at the beer garden. After a year we finally got together to hang out!! It was really great, and did make me wish we'd made more of an effort during the year to see each other. We ended up drinking quite a lot, and at about 4.45am decided we really should stop talking and get some sleep! The next day I couldn't quite decide if I was hungover... I packed and sorted most of the day, and came to the conclusion I was! Had 4 more boxes shipped home - total now is 6 boxes, one suitcase. I'll definitely have one more to send too..!

Friday evening, Louise, Jo, Osamu, Jimmy, Paul and I drank and ate at Nitanda. Much fun, and we were privileged to see the final magic trick in Osamu's reportoir (sp!?). After we went back to my place and waited for Jo's mate Sim, and his friend Eri to show up. Once they arrived we went to do some hanabi. After I realised I was going to kill us if I did it, I took a spectator's seat suitably far back! After a while Jimmy and I left so I could sort out my apartment for the guests, and Jimmy could watch! By the time the others came home I was in bed, and I think we were all in bed by 3am.

Saturday, began the weekend farewell-fest with Osamu. Went for sushi in Shimonoseki, then Paul, Louise and I got the bus to Fukuoka. Was hoping to go gift shopping for J-friends, but only ended up getting things for myself! A huge number of 18 people showed up for my and Jo's Last Time in Concert night out in Fukuoka! We had a rowdy butcherish dinner at an izakaya before going to the Happy Cock. Great fun, drinking, dancing, laughing, photo-taking, hot guy-spotting, bicep-grabbing fun (which Laura of course took way too far, and couldn't control herself!!). It was such a nice end to the many Fukuoka nights out Jo and I have had over the past 2 years! We even got to sing and dance to our song again - "One Love"!! People got drunk to varying levels, and filtered off to bed bit by bit. In the end I left a very drunk Paul in the hands of Gillian and Selena (he insisted, despite being sleepy, that he didn't want to leave), and went back to my capsule. After a while I had a call from Paul, with him saying the girls were trying to take him the wrong way, and they weren't taking him back to the hotel! I insisted they were, and hung up. After emailing drunken rambling emails with Josh (surprise turn-up for a while at the Cock bar), it was almost 5am when I got to sleep. Then awake to farewell Laura, back to sleep, then up to get to the 11.20 bus. After farewelling Lee and Chris we headed to Mos Burger. When Paul turned up, looking well battered, he asked when I went home, and why he didn't come!!!??? Got to Shimonoseki, had sushi with Paul, Gillian, Selena, Jenny, Jimmy, Rei, Gerard and his mate, Kana. Last salmon and cheese was BRILLIANT!! Hung out at Jo's for a while before had to have goodbyes with Jo, Gillian and Selena :( Got back to Asa, and had sad goodbyes with Jimmy and Jenny :( Hung out with Gerard, went for Puri-kura with him and Louise, then Gerard and I had dinner at Chinese Pizza place. He had his fix with the chahan that he is fixated with!!? Rei came back to Asa and ate, we hung out again, before they both had to head on there ways :( So now I'm tired, and drained from the goodbyes. I suck at them, and they aren't nice. But of course they aren't really goodbyes... just see ya laters!!

Phew, and that's up to now. 3 more sleeps, and so so so so so much shit to sort out in my apartment!!