i'm better...now.

Morning all.
I went drinking with the folk from the office on Wednesday night. It was actually my welcome party but has been postponed twice since I actually arrived by typhoon(s). Incidentallly there's another one on the way, should arrive tomorrow. Anywhoo, out we strolled to a wonderful Italian restaurant (It's name is Waku!! Waku!! - my Italian is a little rusty, but as far as I can recall from my days as a Ferrari Test Driver this means "Waku!! Waku!!). So off we strolled. We sat down and made small talk until the guy-who-was-late rushed on in (there's always one) and then they unleashed the floodgates of beer.
The do was whats known as a "nomi-houdai", nomi meaning "to drink" and houdai (actual dictionary definition) meaning "to run riot". Which means that you just don't stop. Particularly when the "running drink riot" is coupled with the wonderful Japanese tradition of pouring drinks for others. You wander around the table and have a chat with people and fill their drinks up. A simple tradition that gets a little more cheeky when it is revealed that if someone offers to fill your drink, you must drink a little of whats left in your glass beforehand AND if there is the slightest possibility that a nanolitre of boozy goodness can fit in your glass at any stage in the evening, it will be filled thus.
Now I can hear my mother SCREAMING all the way from here "Leave your glass full!!!", (Incidentally I can also hear her screaming "...best years of my life....and for what??..." but I ignore that one too) but this goes against the very grain of my existence. I really do TRY to leave the glass alone but all of a sudden I'm making a point and slamming down an empty vessel, only to have it filled again. Or my parched throat, mid-sentence, threatens to seize if not greased with a cooling, cooling, cooling brew. Its tough.
They also had Chilean wine produced by brother-in-law Rulo's new company so I insisted we all have a little bit of that too, just to support the family and all (looking forward to a proceed of the profits just quietly) and the same fill-y fill-y pattern followed. It was bloody good fun.
Then all of a sudden, dinner was over and it was time to wander down the road to a "snack" bar. Now don't go thinking that this is a nice place for a kebab or a pie before stumbling off into the darkness, no. These places are dodgy little bars tucked away 30 to a floor in old office buildings or purpose built warrens/fire traps. They generally seat about 8 people, invariably are run by old, old women and involve an awful lot of "thaaaaaaats riiiighhht..........oh god........ why....oh....why.... did we go to the snack bar......" the next day as you clutch your head and wait for salvation (or deliverance). So this place, we waited outside of for about half an hour until the "Mama-san" turned up - I don't know where she was- and then we went inside.
"Anything to drink?" she asked, when in fact what she should have asked was "Do you like Brandy?" because thats all she had. Brandy. Mmmmmmmmm delicious brandy. (Shudder). And what goes well with Brandy? More Brandy. And Karaoke. And some Brandy. And small dried fish. With Brandy.
I wandered out at god knows what time and strolled home. My boss, bless her cotton socks, stayed until 3am and sang Karaoke and drank Brandy. Then some cows came home and she had to leave.
Then it was yesterday morning and I think we've all been in that position so I won't describe it here.
That was my Wednesday night.
I had fun.
Thursday sucked.
We're going to a Sake festival tomorrow, but the typhoon may deal to that.
Stay fun folks.
ka kite.
berin.
PS - Happy Boithday to my wee nephew Zac. Get on in there.