So today I decided I would go and have a look, see what is available and all - there’s quite a lot of nice places around Shimo, but maybe a little out of price range (say £400-£450 instead of £350)

Had a better idea, though haven’t had a chance to put it across to the girls.

As I never use the front room, it’s really just being wasted space (except to cook, but that’s only like once a day, so hardly a big deal) - I’m going to suggest I swap rooms with Seiko and they can just have the front room to put all their stuff in.

I can’t afford to pay any extra, but maybe this is the fairer solution. I only spent time in my room anyway, so it’s not like I will miss out on anything. It also means I won’t have the kitchen in my room, nor will the shower be smack next to my head (the shower room has the laundry room inbetween it and Seikos room) ….

It seems like an ideal solution, and Shimpei says it seems fair - I just hope she won’t mind about the money situation? But then, they watch TV and stuff so it’s not like they won’t use the room…..

Good idea? Or is it asking too much y’think?

It would just be so good to sort this whole housing situation out and then i think everything will be coming along really well…..

Perhaps a little too good to last, but last night the unthinkable happened…

However, first some good stuff
So I met with Chizue after work to go out and get some food. First we went to an akonomyiaki restaurant, drank loads and ate loads too. I think I went over budget a bit, but I haven’t seen her for like 3 months - so I’m sure I was allowed to just this once.

We then went to the cheap drink place I went with Yumi last time, to get rid of the last of our money - haha - I think in total I spent £20. So £15 over budget (or two days money) - hmm… will have to cut back today and tomorrow then. So that was all great, had a great time, but had to go home as I had work.

Got back and Yumi was round, which was nice so we sat and chatted for a bit. However, it was getting late (maybe 12:30 or so) and I wanted to go to bed. Now we have problem, everyone is still up, watching tv and chatting on the phone…. ok i figured, this only happens a few times, so i’ll leave it…. however by 3am and still it was going on - i was getting quite annoyed. It seemed though that then it was to finish, so I managed to settle back down.

Until everyone decided to take a bath and shower!?!??! So noise up until 4, then to top it off - Yumi was staying over (so sleeping in the front room) - who then proceeded to text her friends all night.

I really thought everything was ok now, but this is just getting ridiculous. I’m going to write Seiko a letter or something, but I don’t think this can go on - after work I’m going to go to the estate agents, see how much my own apartment would cost. I know I’m on a tight budget, but I would prefer to pay a little more just to be able to have my own room, get some privacy and be able to sleep
If this had been tonight and I had school the next day, I would have been furious…. hmmmmm….

So basically, now I have woken up late, feel awful and just generally annoyed with everyone. But seriously though, who is at fault here?? Do I have a right to be annoyed, or is it the girls fault for buying this stupid apartment in the first place - thus they should live with the consequences….?

I did look into swapping to Shiho’s room, but sitting in it just made me feel like I was in a box - it’s too unfriendly and just depressing. The bars on the window and the fact you can’t put anything up on the wall just makes it seem like a prison cell….

Ho hum….

Just a quick post on my flight details (so i don’t have to keep telling everyone over and over).

Japan > UK:

Asiana Airlines (Flight No Unknown)
Departs Tokyo - Thursday 26th January 2006 @ 09:25
Arrives Seoul - Thursday 26th January 2006 @ 12:05
Departs Seoul - Thursday 26th January 2006 @ 13:50
Arrives Heathrow - Thursday 26th January @ 16:50

UK > Japan:

Asiana Airlines (Flight No Unknown)
Departs Heathrow - Saturday 11th February 2006 @ 21:00
Arrives Seoul - Sunday 12th February 2006 @ 16:40
Departs Seoul - Sunday 12th February 2006 @ 18:50
Arrives Tokyo - Sunday 12th February 2006 @ 21:00

Just in time for school 12 hours later Awesome!

Hehe - so it’s now Sunday evening and I’ve just got time to write this entry, then I’ve got to take my Japanese end of term test In theory I could just cheat as I have it here next to me, but i think that would be a little pointless - so i am going to create real exam conditions!!

So last night, I hardly need to say where we went, it hasn’t change week in week out yet, so I’m pretty sure you can guess. A little difference in the planning this time though, as Seiko wasn’t going to be home for dinner and we were going to eat out. However, I had to wait for Mums call, so had to cancel that bit (the eating out) - thus leaving me with the dilema of no food
I decided that something out would probably be best, however before I left, it was time to make the customary “going out cheapskate drinks” - it was going to be a simple vodka and coke, but i had neglected to buy any coke, so it was going to have to be something different.

I’m pretty glad there wasn’t any coke actually as this allowed me to find my perfect drink. Simply take half a glass of red wine, add a random amount of cassis and finally top up with vodka - delicious
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Two pints later and having then dj’ed for the last hour or so (so was very hyper) - it was time to leave. However, I suddenly had a massive “missing Gowry” attack, so decided it would be a good idea to call her. Of course, after 2 pints of the above, i really wasn’t in such a fit state to call anyone, so just remember apologising over and over for being so drunk lol…

Leaving the house was also a bit of a challenge as the flooring in our apartment is so uneven or at least, it was last night - strangely enough it seems to have flattened out now….
First stop before Roppongi was McDonalds to pick up some food. The order went OK, Double Cheeseburger - no problem. Whilst I was waiting for it, the next person made their order - some chips… hmmm… yes, I want some chips too - so called over the staff to add it…. next person orders some Chicken nuggets… sumimasen - sore-to Chicken Nuggets hitotsu…. I’m not sure how long this would have gone on, but luckily there was no one else in the queue or i dread to think how much food i would have left with
So I make it down to the platform, but although they smell nice, there’s not much taste to the french fries, coupled with the fact i’m getting a load of strange looks. Taking a quick step back to reality, it doesn’t take a genius to see why. Whilst I am indeed picking the chips up and moving them to my mouth, none of them are actually making it and I’m just dropping them all over the platform :o …. a hasty chip collecting situation then ensues and i’m left with a bag full of dirty chips lol….

When I finally make it to Roppongi, for once Seiko isn’t drunk, which is an incredible feat by her, especially as she has just been out drinking with mates… good on her!

So first stop is Hub to take advantage of the cheap drinks (and to watch Everton on the TV - so it was packed) before hunger got the better of us and we relocated to a local izakaya to get more drinks and some yaki-udon (and some glasses of water!!!)

Finishing here, we then headed off to iLounge (where we went last week) which was actually playing some good music this week (and had about 20 people in it, unlike last time) and was doing drinks for 500 yen… HOWEVER, if you didn’t know this, you had to pay 1000.. (as in, we went in and they gave us a 1000yen menu, however I pointed out there was a huge sign outside saying 500 and threatened to leave unless they charged as that … so all was good!)
At 4am however the drinks did go to 1000 yen, so naturally we chose this time to leave and head to the Wall Street Bar next door which was again quite empty. I think it’s due to the fact that these places are off the main highstreet, so perhaps you only go there if you know they are there, rather than just spotting it….

I don’t think we were here for so long until we got hungry again, so it was off to an Akonomiyaki restaurant, where we were able to get a very nice meal (though Seiko nicked most of the meat before I had a chance to get any myself :D) - I know, it looks like someone has thrown up on the table, but no, honestly it’s really nice
Come 6 or so (i think) it was time to head back to the station, there was a brief comedy moment when Seiko tried to get her coat on backwards (true to form, she had now got quite drunk) - but apart from that, we made it out relatively unscathed
Finally making it home, we discovered that somewhere along the way we had managed to pick up two softcore porn mags?!? So something new to add to our collection of “things picked up on a night out” - though I don’t know where they came from. They’re not even new, so it’s not like we bought them from a shop …?

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But wait! The story doesn’t end there, there’s just a little more to go…. On returning from my room where I had put on my pajamas - i was greeted with the site of Seiko having fallen asleep on the bed, toothbrush still in mouth I submit the following photos as evidence
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So there you have it, a quite successful night out

Today I was on a help shift - which meant instead of working at my usual school, i had to go to “Shibuya Honko” to cover for an absent member of staff… oh my god, i never want to go there again - it must be the busiest place in the whole world, not a chance to even catch a breath
Earlier on, i had to go and switch plane flights as i decided i want a definate time, rather than a random open ended. Problem was, the branch i went to, wasn’t the branch i originally booked at - and they wouldn’t let me book a new flight until i had cancelled the old one. No problem you might think, except they don’t speak english. The staff at the branch i went to also claimed they could not cancel the flight on my behalf - rather crazy and tbh, quite annoying.

In the end one of the people at Nova rang for me = but it still seems really strange that it couldn’t be done in the store. They claimed the reason was i had to personally call - despite the fact they knew i couldn’t and it would be a friend…. ah well, i digress…

So new flight half booked - i say half as i then hit stumbling block 2. this company don’t accept credit card as a method of payment?!?! so i couldn’t pay for it - luckily i get paid tomorrow, so i can use my rent money to cover the flight. this was all luck though, if i didn’t have access to this money i would be stuffed.

It’s really weird, but you would think everything would be all advanced out here, but so many places don’t take credit card….. i just don’t get it …. so many things here are all “back in time” (don’t get me started on medical care …. ;))

Anyway, i’ve got a big japanese test coming up soon, so i’m actually starting to study a bit more now. i’m also going to try and drink more fruit juice as i fear my skin is really starting to suffer. I’ve only just come out the shower but already i am as dry as anything… strange as i have special dove moisturiser shower gel stuff.

Apart from this, not too much to report. Shiho has gone AWOL and Seiko has gone to Osaka to see her boyfriend. In the interim, Yumi has been over to translate emails to and from the electronics shop and the table company, so by Friday i should have a desk and something to put on it yay! I didn’t get a chair (not enough cash) - but can steal Seiko’s while she’s out (most of the time) until i can raise the money to get a nice (but cheap) one. Infact, i might still be able to sit on my bed and use it, not quite sure how high it is… we shall see…
So plan tomorrow, to Shibuya in the morning to pay for flight, then if time, to school to take my exam then back home to pick up the table which should be arriving around 1pm or so (though i haven’t had a mail back yet … hmm…)

Friday is a much easier day, school in morning then a little training session at Nova so finishing at 5. Then home to take delivery of the speakers, ready for a good loud mixing session on saturday - i’m sure the neighbours can hardly wait … muhahahah!