Killing Time Tokyo Style

Hey everybody, it`s me, do you remember me? Well, here I am, with hours to kill and nothing to do but write, damn damn damn, where are the excuses when you need them?

No more excuses, here`s a condensed version of what`s been happening:

Hokkaido with Pipi was wonderful, but Stuart forgot the bloody tickets. He paid dearly (literally), I think over $1000 on top of what we`d already paid. His own silly fault, I asked him about a hundred times if he had the tickets, to which he replied with increasing curtness, `of course I bloody do!`. He didn`t. Who picks up an envelope and just assumes tickets lie within without going to the minimal effort of opening said envelope (not even sealed) and checking? Anyway, bygones. It was a fantastic adventure, very cold, a taste of South Korea at Christmas time for sure.

The last week or so has been full of owrk and drunken misadventures, including the Nova Christmas party that got a little haywire for one friend in particular. Dear Robbie, one of the sweetest guys ever, got absolutely slaughtered and made a spectacle of himself in the most bizarre and wonderful fashion. Last seen running out of the pub to catch the train back to Himeji, two full beers in hand. I kept trying to persuade him we actually had ample time for him to slow down with the rest of us. Above all else, he was spilling precious beer all over the roadside. Got to the train station, and flushed with the success of getting to the station with a good 15 minutes to spare (close call, considering the pub was about 5 minutes away), he celebrated by dropping his trousers. Well, that parts a little unclear, maybe his cute little bottom just wasn`t big enough to hold them in place. Sufficed to say, many inappropriate photos were taken that have since provided him with ample emabarrassment. I don`t know why, I mean, he had a lovely little bum, not spotty or hairy or nuffin.

Still waiting for the train... Robbie suddenly grasps the situation, attempts to pull his trousers up, is thwarted by the simultaneous act of trying to run away from us down the platform. So we leave him be for a minute. Then, as the train approaches, someone asks, `where`s Robbie?`. He`s asleep on the platform with his head dangling over the edge, possibly about to be severed by said train. Tim takes more photos, Kate has the sense to pull him out of the way. So we all board and Robbie sits in Lauren`s lap all the way back to Himeji. Kate and I think it wise to seek the toilet carriage just in case the motion of the train gets the better of him. So, we are in a different part of the train when the call comes through from Tim saying simply, `It`s cool`. What`s cool(?), we think. Turns out it almost wasn`t cool. Robbie had seen one of the station signs with an `H` and dashed out of the train, thinking it`s Himeji. Tim chases him down the platform again and just manages to get him back on the train before it pulls away, the last train of the night, still a good 5 stations away from home.

Back in Himeji and Robbie doesn`t have a ticket. So as Tim is buying him a ticket, Robbie is army crawling on his stomach under the barrier to avoid detection while in the direct eyeline of the security guard. The guard is confused, Robbie thanks his lucky stars he is a criminal mastermind. Robbie runs out of the station and into the tray of a ute parked on the main street. He jumps out of the ute and into some bushes, where he hides, planning to jump out and scare passersby (us). We all see him, and pretend to be shitscared for his sake. He then passes out in a doorway and Tim and Ryan have to carry him home, all in the space of about 5 minutes.

It was without a doubt the most manic act of drunkeness I`ve ever encountered.

Enough about binge drinking. So here I am in Tokyo, we caught the overnight train and now we`re waiting in an internet cafe until the sun comes up and we can find us some fun. Harajuku here I come!

On Saturday I head to Korea for Christmas and New Years, so if I don`t get the opportunity to update again before I leave, everyone have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love to all, Mezzle.

P.S Shout out to Heatherbell who joins the league of mothers with their endless talk of breast pumps and nappy washing techniques - how to make those poo stains come out whiter than white.

P.P.S Shout out to Nadsie, with whom I had the very real pleasure of speaking last week, so nice to hear a voice from home. Sorry we got cut off, as soon as I can find the time and my phone card I`ll call you back to finish what we started! Love you babe.

P.P.P.S Geordy and Pete, you guys are so lucky, your new digs look truly amazing.