The Greatest Blog Post Ever Written - Tribute

2 days ago I wrote an html epic.  Not only was it long but it contained all the necessary elements to make it an instant classic.  A subtle fusion of fact, fiction, comedy, romance and yes even a little horror were painstakingly crafted.  It was a real rollercoaster of thrills, spills and kills.  But as a jeweler or simple shoe shiner must polish everything, I attempted a final daring edit.  It was bravado at it's finest.  I could almost feel the cyberverse pause in anticipation as I pushed the 'back' button and then... it all collapsed like so many dominoes that were carefully lined up by a team of South Korean students only to all tumble at once as a gigantic earthquake opens a gaping fissure and swallows everything in one might gulp.  Yes, my post was deleted.  Lost, never to be seen again.  So this will be a tribute to what once was but will never again be.
Firstly, I'm hoping I've solved my picture problem.  Hopefully these pics will show up.

Double trouble.  My brand-spanking new niece & nephew.  The first pic is Yuka, the 2nd is John.
It's been quite a busy week so here's the lowdown.  On the weekend Yukiko & I went to Tokushima as I had a bunch of weddings to do.  On Saturday evening we went to our favourite restaurant there called Big Brother's.  It's a sandwich shop run by a couple of great foreigners; Norman and Brad.  It seems to be the Mecca for foreigners living in Tokushima although there are quite a few Japanese customers too.  I enjoy it for the delicious veggie sandwiches, Snapple, and seemingly unlimited supply of bad jokes these guys keep stashed behind the bar.
Afterwards Yukiko & I retired to our hotel.  I often take my PS2 with me on these weekend excursions so I can plug it into the hotel TV and watch some DVD's.  We watched 4 episodes from the 1st season of 24.  We're past the half way point and Yukiko really seems to enjoy it, or at least she's faking it pretty well. 
On the way home on Sunday we stopped off at a Japanese-run Vegan restaurant called VeggiSmile.  Apparently the owner, at 18, found out that he was allergic to both meat and dairy products.  So he went around the world studying various kinds of vegan cooking.  Luckily his trials and tribulations worked out perfectly for me.  Great food, big servings, cheap prices...  I'm in hog heaven. 
Back at home we watched the previous day's K-1 Asian Grand Prix tournament that I'd Tivo'd.  It was pretty disappointing as most of the matches were edited for time in order to show the complete Akebono match.  If you don't know Akebono he is a 500 lb Hawaiian, former Sumo champion who is now apparently so desperate for money he is trying to make it as a kickboxer.  Only problem is can't kick or box.  Oh did I mention he can't really move either?  He almost needs a full team of sherpas and oxygen just to finish his entrance and climb into the ring.  And while the show was billed as Akebono vs the Asian Kings he lost in the 1st round to an 18 year old kid from China that nobody had ever heard of.  Because they showed every mind-numbingly boring second of this fight I didn't get to see much of the other fights which looked very exciting in the highlights.  Luckily I got to see the highlight of a fighter I know from Vancouver, Denis Kang, getting viciously KO'd by a Muay Thai fighter who eventually won the whole tournament.
Monday was a holiday in Japan,   海の日 or Sea Day.  In the evening Yukiko & I went out to couple of friends' sayonara party in Namba.  We ended up at a Turkish restaurant and everyone had big course meals with lots of great Turkish beer to wash it down.  And of course no great dinner is complete without a belly dancing show in between dishes.  This one was no exception.  After a few songs the dancer invited all the diners to join her for some shaking and gyrating on the dance floor.  While she didn't say anything to me I'm pretty sure she was impressed by my fluid movements.  As I threw my hips back and swung my backside in a sweeping arc (nearly knocking over half the tables and chairs in the restaurant) I could hear a small giggle escape her lips.  A small giggle which seemed to say, "I'm just a nervous reaction to the fact that you are a far better dancer than me and I feel threatened."  I think I could have beaten her in many belly' related contests as well as she was quite thin.
Yukiko, Me, Dan, Cliff, Sara, Mary and Tomita Sensei

Afterwards we headed to a nearby karaoke parlour to croon until the wee hours.  Previously I mentioned my belly dancing prowess but now I'll have to admit that karaoke is not my strong point.  I think it's always telling when you can sing better in a foreign language than you can in your own.  Not that my Japanese singing is any good but my English singing is so very, very bad.  Very rarely do I have the pleasure of sharing a booth with someone as bad as me.  If 3 such people could sing with me I'm sure that we would then mount our horses and ride off to signal the apocalypse.  I do sing a mean version of 'U Can't Touch This' though.
Sara & Dan

On Tuesday Yukiko & I, her cousin Naoko and my friend Craig went to a secret Live in Osaka.  A new singer from the States, Keri Noble, is doing a promotional tour of Japan and Asia.  Yukiko and Naoko won 4 tickets from a local radio station for a 1 hour acoustical concert.  I'd never heard of her before but you can check out some of her songs on her website.  She has an amazing voice and the concert was great.  There were about 150 people in total and we were in the front row.  After the show everyone had the chance to meet her, get an autograph, shake her hand and say hi.  Being the opportunist that I am, always eager to rub shoulders with the culturally elite, I invited Keri and her producer/guitarist Jeff to join our merry little group for a drink afterwards.  They seemed into it but they had to do an interview first so we left them with our mobile number.  Alas they didn't phone.  Perhaps they thought we a little too stalkerish.  Oh well.