Oh...My...Good...Gosh...

They`re Back!

LOL and double LOL

thank you to Reenie-Bean for having this on her site!! this made me laugh so hard that i - well i shouldn`t say...



much love to you all,

The Pants.

AND FINALLY...

Those pictures from the birthday barbeque!! yay!! i know that these are almost a month late but i`ve been busy and lazy in varying degrees and the summer heat has, quite honestly with little or no hyperbole, MELTED MY BRAIN! and also my back has been KILLING me the last little while , so sitting for any extended period at the computer is just bloody awful. but i finally got around to it! the barbeque/picnic was on sunday June 18th in Juso (十三), by the side of the Yodo river (Yodogawa - 淀川) and we had a great time all afternoon and into the evening. everyone was worried because the weather reports were calling for rain later in the afternoon but (as you can see from the pictures) exactly the opposite happenned and it cleared up mid-afternoon and we had a beautiful view of the Osaka sky-line across the river and a great sunset! in total about 25 or 30 people came out and over the course of the day people came and went. many showed up around dusk or later since they had to work during the day. thank you to everyone who came and made the day a success! the next one will be on July 30th!

and without further ado here are a select few of the photos from the barbeque:

i do love a good put-down in the morning...

i found this canned coffee being sold in a vending machine in downtown Osaka. Georgia is one of the main canned coffee companies, so i can only assume that this new product will be available all over Japan.

Coffee for people who are way too happy:

Tanabata

Happy Tanabata, everyone!!

unfortunately it`s quite cloudy here so i doubt that the lovers will be able to meet this year. i don`t remember if they were able to meet last year either. kawai soo, ne? for those of you who don`t know Japanese folk tales, Tanabata is the night when two lovers (who have been immortalized as stars but cursed to live seperated on opposite sides of the Milky Way) are able to meet for one night (this from the culture of the Love Hotel) and one night only each year. BUT if it`s cloudy and you can`t see the stars then the lovers cannot meet for that year. it`s beautiful and romantic and painfully tragic - just like most Japanese dramas. hhmm... in Sendai they have a "festival" to "celebrate" Tanabata that apparently is quite moving. people write their wishes on pieces of paper and then tie them to to a large bamboo tree... and then burn it. i`m a little fuzzy on the details because the student who was explaining it is still just a beginner. truth be told she has been a beginner for a long, long time. *sigh* also somewhat tragic - but with comedic moments, to be sure. remind me to put up some funny student quotes sometime. there are some real gems...


and in totally unrelated news: they finally developed a
sobriety phone!! this will significantly decrease the embarrassment of some and the entertainment of others... and on the plus side we can now act like complete and total idiots while safe in the knowledge that our CELL PHONES will protect us from ourselves. oy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!

no picture of anyone in a bikini. maybe i`ll find one later... =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!!!

O Canada,
Our aging home and land
true birthday love,
with all our beers in hand!!

Rather fittingly i just finished Will Ferguson`s "Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw - Travels in Search of Canada", which was excellent. very funy and very very entertaining. i finished it this morning on the train on the way to work. good times. i also proudly and shamelessly wore my Canadian Flag tie (which was proudly and shamelessly made in Korea...).

and on that note i am off to celebrate amongst the wild and untamed ex-pats. until next time, keep your stick on the ice!

p.s. i proudly and shamelessly nicked that picture off a bar`s promotional site. for more club/party/event listings in Osaka check out BikeClub Osaka !!