happy new years!

Its offical. Its a brand new world, time to start making things, this is my year of creation. Watch out world, here I come?
Anyway, new years itself was really fun but not that exciting. Sheena's roomates (Matya and Shannon) invited me over to watch movies and drink with them. We saw Sisterhood of the traveling pants (a member of what some people call "chick flicks" although it was entertaining), some mystery movie with the guy Frodo from lord of the rings, and at that point it was about 1 in the morning and offically 2007 so I suggested we go to the local buddhist temple/shrine to enjoy the actions of the community. Matya said it was too cold, so (being drunk) me and Shannon tried to litterally drag her out the door by her feet. Poor Sheena who was trying to sleep, we were not so considerate. Matya didnt go. The temple was fun, even though I've seen those kind of celebrations other times of course, it was still fun to have some sort of send off for New Years. Hearing people ring the temple bell, and eating balls of battered octopus chuncks, and downing free hot temple sweet sake, with that fresh bits of rice still in it flavor. Ahh, the new year. After that I went back to their house and watched a really old godzilla movie. After that I took an early morning train home and crashed.
Well, enough of that. Now for some words about a "new years party" that my friend Yuka invited me to. Her family and reletives always get together on the 2nd of January to have Chinese food in Yokohama. Its like a family tradition. It was fun to meet everyone, and interact a little with her reletives. Before heading off to the dinner appointment their grandma talked some of us into going to the cemetary and visiting Yuka's grandfather's grave. Yuka's grandma is very forgetful, she forgot her grandson (yukas brother) several times on the way there, and forgot who I was a few times also. Shes a cute old lady though, so it didnt seem negetive. They let me put some incense in his reception box too, and clense his headstone with temple water. It was fun to be welcomed like that. And then it was off to dinner with reletives of my friend. A few reletives kind of gasped and kind of freaked out when they saw me. But I'm used to that, no biggie. The food was really good, and the conversations were fun, the beer cold. Good times. Well, I dont usually embed content into my blog (links can be changed, but embeded content can be messed up if the original server moves or whatever) but I really like this spin video I made of hanging out at the restraunt. Enjoy! (Just press play and let it stream to you.)