6 weeks and counting...

6 weeks is all that stands between me and my first pint of decent guinness in nearly 2 years. Oh, and also to see my family and friends of course!! The time will fly and I am thoroughly looking forward to being back on Irish soil once again. It has been far too long. Being busy at work and not having enough time to get proper rest at the weekend, I am hoping that I can relax when I get back to ol' gaff and taste some really good home cooking. Don't get me wrong, Japanese food is fantastic and I love it, but there are some aspects of it that really just don't do it for me. As you can see in the following photos, this was dessert that was served up to us at the work retreat in Akame a week or so ago. It looked nice, but dear god it tasted like... Please note that I've aged about 100 years since i arrived in Japan.



On Friday I went to see Capote in Umeda Sky Theatre and it was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and having read the book many years ago, it was cool to see a movie based on how the book was written and the impact it had on Capote. Seymour Hoffman was superb. It is a real treat going to the movies in Japan as tickets cost about 12yoyos and the standard of some of the cinema theatres remind me of the old Ormonde back home many many years ago. Not great but it serves a purpose. Next in line is the new Boorman movie, "the wind that shakes the barley" which is being released here next week and only in selected cinemas. I am really looking forward to that. No doubt I will come out of the movie in an irate and angry mood, singing rebel songs and ranting on about how the Black and Tans were the devil's horsemen incarnate. It should be entertaining for those around me.


Last night I went to Tin's Hall, which is a bar in the Tennoji area of Osaka, and there was an excellent jazz/soul band playing. Gav, Sam and I managed to nab a table and we had a few beers while listening to a covers of Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and other notable soul legends. No singing though, just a bass guitar, sax, piano and drums. Then a moment occurred bringing me back to my school days of old, when somebody came up to me and said that their friend liked me and wanted to speak with me. So, for the laugh I went up and talked to this chick via her friend who was translating. Fantastically nice people but the lack of Japanese on my part really does hinder these kind of moments. Still, I might call on that...

When I got home I decided to stay up and listen to Ireland trounce South Africa and it was great to hear that Davide Wallace, my flatmates cousin, was back wearing the green, and generally played his all round excellent game. Listening to Ciaran Fitzgerald commentating was marvellous. Today, went birding with Neil along the Yamato-gawa in search of the winter's first gulls and we werent' disappointed. The only problem was that it was so damn cold...winter is truly on it's way.

Carmo's Diet: This week, I have mostly been eating oranges

Carmo's Birds: Mongolian, Slaty-backed, Vega, Black-tailed and Taimarensis Gulls.

Carmo's Birds for Byrdy: Lily Evangeline again...episode 6 Season 3 of Lost rocked!