December

December is the busy period, and it's a relief that professional and social activites are relatively unhampered by Christmas clutter in Japan. If anything, the lack of a buzz means that I almost forgot about Christmas - apologies for the late cards!
Last weekend was fairly typical of life in Kyoto on JET. On Saturday I went to Tennoji, Osaka, to play soccer for Osaka JET. We crushed the Murphy's lads, with Jamie Boot in fine goalscoring form. A hat-trick from himself and a couple from me (including a cheeky 25-yard lob) put the pub lot in their place after their taking points off us in Awaji. The following legends turned out for us on Saturday: Yuki, Luca Kono, Jamie Boot, John Synnott, Matteo Cullen, Paul Spencer, Doug Murrell. Saturday evening I was back in Arashiyama for Colleen Schamm's cocktail party. Drinks on offer included White Russian, Sex on the Beach and various other delicacies. Not being au fe with "that type of thing", I opted to make everyone hot whiskies. Remember to put the lemon in there, Noelle! Sunday morning dawned overcast and windy, and with the prospect of Premiership points up for grabs, I headed off to Kobe on the Hankyu for some Australian Rules action. In my third competitive game for the Kyoto Kockatwos [sic], I notched up nine goals as we ran out convincing winners agains the Kinki Kangaroos. The 'Roos still head up the table, but Kyoto have put ourselves back in the hunt. We'll face a stern test against Nagoya in the New Year. Sported out, a quick curry at KRAC was followed by a trip to the famous Luminarie in Kobe. This extensive array of light sculptures was commissioned in the wake of the Kobe earthquake, and designed by an Italian artist. It's well worth a visit. I had enough time to meet some new friends, before heading on to Osaka, for a gig at the Blarney Stone. It was a fairly quiet Sunday night, but with the likes of Eddie Leyland and Andy Carne in attendance, it became an immensely enjoyable evening. I wasn't in the best singing form, but I think I came through well enough. I did justice to 'Sweet Thames Flow Softly', '1-2-3-4-5' and 'How Do You Come To School?', though I would be flattering myself if I said it was a good show. The singing and dancing lasted well past bedtime, and I was within minutes of missing the JR back home. In other news, I met Lunasa (the band) last week at the Field, along with some great Irish music enthusiasts from Hiroshima. Fair play to Yo! Also, my second CD, entitled 'Audio Lights' is complete. It features 15 original songs for use in the ESL classroom, bonus tracks, brilliant artwork and funky good music for your aural pleasure! 最近東京に行きました。恵比寿で写真の墓物間に行って、色々な写真を見ました。AJETの会議のために東京にいきました。トリニダッドの二ールさんと一緒に楽しみました。今週アンディアブアイヌは、京都にライブがありますが、ほんとうに忙しいです。。木曜日は、はなせの家と言う所に行きますーひよしがおか高校のウインタキャンプのために。楽しみしょう！今週京都ノヤマでは、雪が降っていました。