What's That Smell?

Friday 6th November 2009

AM

Least: At about 11:50am, my senses were attacked by an intense rotten egg smell coming from outside. This is the second time that I have been grievously assaulted by this particular odour and I am yet to come up with any theories about its source. I am refraining from naming it as the fourth bad small of Japan - but another attack could just bring it into contention.

Most: At nearly 6:00am, I was woken by the simple fact that I was cold. It is amazing how quickly the morning have gotten cold. Once again it is as if the govenment has flicked a weather switch. The brutality of the summer seems to have erased the memory of cold mornings in Japan, but this morning they started coming back.

PM

Least: At nearly 11:00pm, I realized that I was a number of days behind on the AMPM blog. To save the pain of rifling through my memory for events of days gone by, I will soon have to begin taking notes. The danger is though, that I will look and feel like one of those people who annoyed my so much in Clifton Hill.

Most: At about 1:00pm, I was finally admitted into the world of the point card. After buying a smallish item of electronics at LABI I was offered, an recieved a point card. At the instruction of the staff, I inserted it into a poker-like machine and watched the pictures spin. I won a 10 yen bonus. A little disappointing, but I feel it could be the start of something big,

Langkawi and The Case of the Missing Waitress

AM

Least: At nearly 11:00am, I foolishly turned on the TV and was not surprised to see that today's riveting installment of 'How To Make' was a repeat. I had already learned about the tatami mat making process from 'reed to room' the previous day. Like other filler shows, it had all the hallmarks of an uninteresting 30mins - bad lighting, harsh sound, long gaps in commentry and appalling music. Needless to say, I don't really appreciate the mats 'neath my feet any more than I did pre-instruction.

Most: Close to 9:30am, I woke with the faint memory of booking flights to Malaysia for the winter holidays. Near, or just after midnight, browsing flights, when on the spur of the moment Rosie and I decided to click on 'book now'. As my bleariness subsided, I began to envision a perfect, mindless tropical holiday - drinking cocktails under swaying palms. Having something to look forward to makes even the least interesting of days worth groaning through.

PM

Least: At nearly 2:15pm, Rosie and I ascended to the 8th floor of a skinny building in Shinsaibashi to El Pancho for a late lunch. We were delighted to find that the happyhour was long and made the cocktails half-price. We weren't delighted though, with the decidedly non-Japanese style service. The lone waitress didn't appear run off her feet and seemed to hide around a corner. Despite a sumimasen or two she was blissfully unaware of of need for another drink - perhaps selling half-price drinks isn't too profitable.

Most: At about 1:20pm, I parked my bike at a surprisingly convenient and free garage under LABI in Namba and strolled into the cavernous electrical wonderland. I walked past, every imaginable appliance, bridal set, camera, phone and massage device. On the fourth floor, lived the games,toys and thousands of Gundam models. It was incredible to imagine that people, children and nerds, would have vast collections of these figurines adorning their rooms. There were also enormous number of train sets and items to help recreate the world in miniature. As I left LABI Gundam-less, I noticed about ten Japanese men snoring into their chests on the massage chairs.