We ate and drank and smoked ourselves a happy new year, talked about where we came from and what we want to do with our lives.

We are still so young, and with so many dreams.

When we were finished past 11, it was raining up a storm outside and even the umbrellas at the konbini were sold out, so we had to run all the way from Kabuki-cho to the Shinjuku East Exit, getting ourselves completely soaked.

We ran at different speeds but I was half-drunk, half-hysterical and had my arm hooked with Shuichi's and he remarked in his classic Brit accent- "I must look like a proper bastard for being the only guy who is too cheap to buy his girlfriend an umbrella." Heh.

Laughing, he added, "This is the real winter experience for you, getting caught in the rain." I looked up and the giant billboard that loomed above our heads displayed 6 degrees... 寒すぎ!

I reunited with Edgar and Jo at the station and we took the Yamanote back to Baba. Deciding that the night was still young, Edgar and I went to The Hub and continued drinking and chatting. Three hours, two giant Long Island teas and a bowl of mixed nuts later, we finally left when they turned on all the lights and started cleaning up... heh.

One would have thought the rain would stop by then, but we emerged from the pub to find that it was pouring as heavily as before. He managed to flag down a taxi and sent me home (with my terrible directions) before going back.

I can't believe 2007 is coming to an end.

みなさん 新年おめでとう!