This is the end...my only friend...the end...

And here I am...a day late and a dollar short...back in Sydney, in my room, in front of the computer, writing up the final post for this blog. As you can tell from this blog, in this past year, a lot has happened during my ICS in Sapporo. I still can't believe my year in Japan is already up and that I'm now back in Sydney, ready to begin the final stages of my tertiary education...the final year of my degree. I know a lot of friends have already completed their degrees and are now engaging in gainful employment but still...its kinda scary nonetheless...

I don't think the reality of it all has quite sunk in yet...despite me being back in Sydney right now. I mean, walking around Cabramatta today, coming home etc...its almost as if I was never gone at all. Then again, this place has been my home for the last 22years so its not surprising that the air of familiarity is still there. While it feels great to be home, I'll also miss Sapporo a lot. I left the place with no lasting regrets. I only wish I could've stayed there for longer but thems the breaks. I'll be back in Sapporo soon I think...I guarantee it...

There are a lot of thoughts and feelings going through me at the moment (shit...guys aren't meant to be this sentimental and mushy...) and well...I really can't articulate them into words at the moment...i.e. I can't be arsed typing it all out right now...and so marks the end of an unforgettable chapter in my life. To all my friends in Sapporo...its been real. We've had our ups and downs but all in all...you guys are friends 4 life...and I'll probably end up seenig you guys pretty soon.

And that brings this blog to a close...its been real...and starting from now-ish, I'll begin a new blog...one that details my thoughts and ramblings with regards to my final year of study at UTS and my general life in Sydney - http://azn-mushroom.blogspot.com

Peace everyone

And then there was one...

This is it...ground zero...I leave Sapporo in a few hours to head back to Sydney. Shit...words can't describe what I'm feeling at the moment. I think about the time when I first got here and compare that to now...I dunno...its taking emo to new heights methinks...

Anyway...more final goodbyes were had. Hitomi, Yumi and Takashi (I kept getting his name wrong, calling him Takeshi) stopped by my place today whilst I was cleaning to say their final farewells. They were pretty cool cats to hang with and are just some of many friends I've made here that I'll definitely miss. Sent a few email goodbyes to some others as well...Saya and Marie...wonder if I'll ever see them again...who knows.

Kinda patched things up with Chris today...sent a few emails and well...lets just say his actions over the past 2 weeks or so are kinda understandable. Ain't gonna go into details but well, I can see why he kinda lost it for a while. Its not the same as before but its better than how it was over the last 2 weeks.

Besides that, the day was spent cleaning the apartment...holy crap was there a shit load of junk in there. And I mean a SHITLOAD!! I couldn't believe it!! Man did I gather up a load of junk over the year. Then there was the packing of the luggage...I think I might be over the weight limits but thems the breaks...if I gotta pay excess then I gotta pay excess.

With the goodbyes said and loose ends tied up...the only thing left to do really is get on that plane. Anyways...this be my final blog during my ICS time. The next and final post of this blog will be posted once I'm back in Sydney. I am really gonna miss this place...

2 days

Well technically at this time its 1 day left but well...I didnt get a chance to jump onto my computer to update this blog until now...4.40am...

Most of the day was spent with a certain someone who shall remain nameless at this point...won't go into the details of that as thats a story for much later. In any case...after that, left Nishioka at around 3.30pm to head into the city where me, Ben, Tomo and Misa were going to a all you can drink all you can eat izakaya called "TikiTiki"...the food was pretty decent (though not as great as "Western", my favourite buffet place here in Japan!!) and not overly expensive. The night was spent eating and drinking...being with two good friends of mine and my brother. We didn't get blinded or anything...I've been only having real light drinks recently as you all know...

So after that, we took a puri kura as usual and then bumped into Hiroshi on the way home...who ended up joining us for Karaoke along with Asuka. Although I don't really know these two very well, it was great seeing them again and I guess that the karaoke thing was the last time I'll be seeing these guys for a while...that is...until I come back to Sapporo again...which should be soon if all goes according to plan. And so...tonight was my goodbye to Asuka and Hiroshi...and my goodbye to cheap, all you can sing karaoke in Japan...800yen (which is the equivalent of like $10) for all you can sing until closing time!! Ain't gonna see that in Sydney!!...anyway...I digress...Asuka and Hiroshi...see you guys around..

And then there was one...

3 Days

As the date of my departure inches ever so closer, I've been thinking about all that has happened. Yes I'm feeling a little emo right now...actually...I'm feeling really fucking emo right now and well thats to be expected.

I have made a crap load of acquaintances since I arrived here one cold afternoon in March 2006 but only a select few are people that I would call "friends." I guess no matter where you go, you always stay the same. In Australia I also have a crapload of acquaintences but only a few friends. And thats the ways I likes it...

See?? Didn't I say I was feeling real emo atm...alright...back to things I'm doing. So I just packed up two boxes full of crap that I'm gonna ship back to Sydney. Man did I buy a lot of junk this year. Looking around the room now...there's still a tonne of crap lying around. Gonna try squeeze all that stuff into luggage. Should be alright...methinks. And although I've often complained about Riverside, I'm gonna miss this little craphole. What started as a dingy lil shoebox apartment had been transformed and given personality and become my home away from home.

It really has been a great year but as we all know...good things must come to an end. Seems everyone that I talk to back in Sydney says stuff along the lines of "you gotta face reality again once you get back"...and it does seem like I had escaped reality for almost a year...that I've been in this one long dream all along. All good things must come to an end but I hope that when I leave, one thing doesn't end. How long is it going to last? That's a question I get asked quite often (to those of you who I've told, you know exactly what I mean...hehe) and well...I ain't got an answer to that. No matter how much I plan or think, I don't think I'll ever really know until I give it a shot...which is exactly what I plan to do...

(you see!! completely and utterly emo right now!! EMO!!!)

4 Days

I've decided to add a new post everyday until I leave Japan...it helps my emo-ness atm. Before I get started, lemme jus say, "gong xi fa cai, xin nian kwai le" to everyone out there. This be the first Chinese New Year EVER that I didn't get to celebrate in Sydney with my family. People have their Christmases, their Easters but for me...Chinese New Year is always my favourite time of year. There's just a certain atmosphere around this time thats just great - its festive, spiritual etc. And the New year's eve dinner!!! I MISSED IT THIS YEAR!!! Ah man...mushroom and abalone soup, succulent pig etc...*sigh*...man am I hungry right now.

Anyway enough of that...on to Japan. I've got only 4 days left before I leave. I thought the mood was gonna be a festive, celebratory one. Make my last memories of Japan happy ones. And for the most part, they are...but for one thing...Chris. Throughout the year, he's basically been like my best friend here. He was the guy I hung out with the most, got wasted with the most etc. Now, within the space of a week, we've gone from friends to him completely ignoring me and everyone else. He's been accusing us of plotting against him or something..what the fuck!!?? It has something to do with him and Yuki - they had a real bad break up or something. He's lost it...I believe he thinks we all (that is...me Tomo, Misa etc) know something about Yuki that we're hiding from him...that she's cheated on Chris and we all know about it and have evidence but aren't giving it to him or something. He's lost it...and I'm pissed off yet a little worried as well. Usually, if it doesn't concern me, I don't give a shit...but somehow, I'm involved now and well...ah fuck it!! To hell with it!! In my last days in Japan I've got more to worry about than what the hell Chris is thinking. If he wants to end things like this so be it...shouganai...I'll probably never see him again...laters Chris...despite how things ended up...it's been real...

5 Days

5 days...5 days...thats how many days I have left in Japan. And so the extreme emo feelings kick in along with the heartfelt goodbyes to the friends I've made here. I always imagined my last days in Japan to be one huge, mofo-ing party where I wake up every afternoon/evening completely hung over ready for another night of heavy drinking for like a week or so...but it hasn't turned out that way and you know what...I'm real glad for that. I finally realise Brian's state of mind when he left Japan - saying that he didn't want to drink so much during his last days and that he wanted his last memories of Japan to not be a complete blur.

For those of you who've read the blog over the past year, you'll know that I've had my fair share of drinking and partying whilst in Japan. I haven't told you all the full story (and I don't intend to on this blog because it's a PG rated blog =P ) but suffice to say, I think I've done just about everything I set out to do when I came to Japan - needless to say, my Japanese abilities have improved a shitload, I've made a whole heap of friends, partied my brains out, drank until my brain cell count is about half of what it was when I landed almost a year ago, travelled all over Japan and experienced the many facets of Japanese culture (incl. the dark side of Japanese culture). I prepare to leave Japan with no regrets, save for the fact that I wish I had met a certain someone a little earlier...but thats a story for another day.

A few friends have already said goodbye to me because they aren't gonna be here when I fly out. Hitomi sent me an email wishing me luck - she'll be partying it up in Thailand. I met up with Ono briefly yesterday afternoon to say goodbye as he's gone back to his hometown Obihiro until semester begins. And last night was the last time I'll be drinking at the 500yen bar (and i reiterate...my FAVOURITE bar/izakaya in all of Japan). It was my final night drinking with Tetsu as he's off travelling in Russia soon. The night finished with a shot of Spirytus...96% alcohol...yeah...

It wasn't a messy night though and thats the way I intend to keep it until I get back to Sydney.
5 days left...count them...5...I better start packing and shipping stuff back to Sydney...

Snow Festival

Well I know I said I was gonna post up photos of our latest skiing trip but well...I'm not because I'd rather talk about the world famous Sapporo Snow Festival!! Yes...since I arrived here last year, people have asked me have I heard of the Snow festival and am I gonna go to it etc etc...suffice to say...there was a lot of hype about the snow festival and...it was well deserved.

And so...yesterday, I went to the Odori Koen site for the snow festival (there are 3 different sites). The weather was great...and by great I mean it was snowing a shitload for the entire day and night!! Seriously...it was hard walking around the place...and seeing whats in front of you was hard enough let alone taking photos...but regardless of all that...a shitload of photos were taken...

For those of you who don't know...the Sapporo Snow festival is basically a free showcase of a shit load of snow and ice sculptures - some of them absolutely massive!! And these sculptures are kind of scattered around Odori Koen (the others are in Susukino and...this other place that I'm not sure of...heh). I can go on and on about it but methinks photos describe it a lot better than I do so...here goes...


Here's Ben (my younger brother) in front of the "Freedom Cup noodle" sculpture...one of the many huge centerpieces of the Odori site...


Here's me (duh) in front of the Okinawa Aquarium sculpture...note the absolutely massive whale sculpture...


"Kingdom of Dreams and Magic" - the unstoppable Disney empire...lead by Stitch...


A bit of...in house cleaning was in order...


In front of the many baseball sculptures...note the heavy snowfall...it was like that for most of the day...


The "AntiJap Monsters" - a visual kei rock band that played live at the festival from abt 6pm-8.30pm...this is the sorta shit you'll NEVER see live and in the open back in Aus...see where the lead singer is placing the microphone???


The "AntiJap Monsters" abt 1hr later...please note...the temperature was about -4degrees celcius...and the lead singer had no shirt on...also note that the ground was quite slippery with snow and ice...and yes...that is a mosh pit in front of the stage there...it was beautiful really *sniff*


Here's me again in front of another huge ass centerpiece...everything was definitely much prettier at night...

So that's the Odori koen site for the snow festival. Don't think that this is the last that you've heard about the snow festival...I'm gonna keep going on about this thing until you're all sick of it because well...this is pretty much the main tourist attraction on Sapporo's yearly calander...

(p.s. only 2 weeks left to go now...my return to Sydney creeps up ever so closer and with it...an increasing sense of I DON'T WANT TO GO BACKness)