Birfday celebration #2

Saturday, May 19 was a busy day. After a full day of teaching English, I headed over to my farewell party – which was organized by Ranie Bowers and Misato Okada – at an Indonesian-themed restaurant called Camoo, in Yoshida, near Bowers English School. It was a great party, with a theme: a wig and hat party.

So I put my cowboy hat onto my freshly shaved head and hit the party...”We’re in for the duration, baby!”

Many of the Bowers English and Yoga students and staff came dressed in their wigs and hats to say goodbye, as well as to welcome new English teacher Jack and the Yoga teacher Praveen.

Tonnes of food, good vibes and big smiles were all around. They ended the party with a cake, candles and a rendition of Happy Birthday.

Even though my birfday was May 14, the very strict Zalameda family rules governing birthday revelry state that birthday celebrations can last from a day up to a month (try being around my sister Cheryl during the month of September….by Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, you’ll need to enter rehab)

In addition, a farewell/birthday party was also happening later that same night at my regular bar POT in Fujieda. We had POT booked from 11pm to 5am for the festivities, so the forty or so people were all there for our party and it was rockin’.

Literally translated: “Today, it’s Jess’s POT”

About ten or twelve refugees from the wig/hat party headed to the POT party, along with some friends that traveled a wee bit to be with me that evening. Masayuki and Yusuke came from Nagoya, while Nanase and two of her friends came from Gifu. Hiro came from Hamamatsu. Kotaro came from Yokohama and Ryoko came from Chiba. Also thanks to a couple of my Business English students who mixed right in.

Nanase and her friends from Gifu

The coup for me, though, was getting my old pal Araya Solomon out of Tokyo and into the countryside with us.

Special thanks go to Mariko Okayama who worked the door for the party and also brought her very cute friends.

We hit the dance floor and took the chance to get nasty and dirty with house and soul DJ's, DJ Katsu Mix, DJ XS and DJ Wura.

The POT staff then presented me with yet another birfday cake.

The very lively rendition of Happy Birthday almost brought a tear to my eye. Right after that, Jack asked me: “How could you leave a place where you are so loved?” Indeed

Miyuki and me

Me and Yusuke

Mika, me and Takako

We continued dancing, eating and drinking until the sun came up, ending a very long, but fantastic day. It was definitely one of the more memorable moments I’ve had in quite some time… thank you very much.

I’m Coming Home

For those of you who don’t know, I’ll finish up my gig here in Japan at the end of May. And then after visiting my family and friends in the Philippines for a couple of weeks, I’ll be heading home at the end of June. And in the immortal words of Klaus Maine: “I’m Coming Home!” To commemorate this, I will go on a final Japan road trip once I get back from the Philippines. Lots of plans – stay tuned for more words and photos.

Third indication that it is the month of May: My birthday

Birthday celebration #1

I spent the evening of Saturday May 12 and the morning of May 13 at the annual POT camping trip with around 30 people. Twenty hours of tents, beer, grilled food and DJs is a great way to celebrate my birfday, despite not having my twin brother with me. Because of a variety of substances, no one can really remember singing happy birthday, but they did!

In lieu of not hanging with many musicians during my time here in Japan (as per my usual modus operandi when living in a new place), many of the people I’m meeting are DJs. And lately, they’ve been crazy hard-house, techno, rare groove and soul DJ’s.

DJ XS and his prized Marvin Gaye picture disc

DJ Marcy announcing the that the bar is open again...at 7am

Speaking of crazy, what some of these Japanese women wear while camping just boggles the mind. During this camping trip, there were at least four of these ladies.

Two Japanese girls going for a hike

They all packed either a Hello Kitty or Little Mermaid suitcase full of cosmetics, hair products, hair dryers, crimping irons and spiked high-heeled shoes. They were really roughing it.

It was a great time, and unlike last year's party, when I drank so much gin that I ralphed all over myself and my tent, I could remember this time around.

Our host Tsutomu Ando (bottom right), me, and the dancing girls.

Ranie Bowers dancing in the campfire light

Akihiro Tanaka after three bottles of wine

An extremely stoned DJ

Second indication that it is the month of May: Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to my mommy Solita Ramos Zalameda.

First indication that it is the month of May: the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Anyone who knows me will know that hockey is the closest thing I got to an organized religion. But for the first time in three years, (2005’s NHL lockout and then last year being here in Japan) I’ve been keeping close tabs on the Stanley Cup playoffs. And in the immortal words of Raj Binder: “Is it me or is it getting Dany Heatley in here?” It looks like the Ottawa Senators might bring the Cup back to the Motherland.