George and Zeljko

Georgina and Zeljko descended upon our happy home last weekend. We took them to an izakaya (like a Japanese pub where you sit on the floor on tatami mats) where we dined on exotic finger food of the soya bean variety and supped on the tasty "house sake".

After a few thimbles of sake, we were ready to hit the karaoke bars. There was a serious rock-star virus going around which we all caught. In a sake and beer induced delirium, I was convinced I could sing better than Britney Spears. Of course, I woke up hungover the next morning, realizing that just wasn't possible.

There is something extremely humbling about singing in front of other people. Even if you have a voice that sounds like a wailing banshee, everyone has such a good time, no-one notices, cares and in fact, encourages it. Its almost like a religious experience. Mind you, it could be the beer.

Before George and Zeljko arrived in Tokyo, we didn't know them so well, but when they left, we cried and looked for them on our couch for a week.