Tokyo

If you find yourself starting a sentence with the words "I remember" or "Back in my day" it is fairly safe to say that you're old. Long gone are the days when I use to look at thirty year olds and wondered if their thirty years of existence was everything they imagined it would be. So here we are, with our generation slowly leaving behind the twenty-something age category and starting off our freshmen years in the thirties.

Let's compare eras . The year was 2003, we were deep into our university degrees with little end in sight. Endless hours of Calculs, Signal Processing and Computer Science courses had forged what would be a friendship that stands until this day. Commemorated by tactical use of designated drivers, night rides and taxi pooling Sydney Birthdays ended up at nondescript venue, with plenty of classmates, sometimes a bar tab and if we were lucky KFC or Superbowl to round up the procession.

Ten years on, it's a little different. Market turmoil and reactive budget cuts have left me unemployed. Still, it's Albert's birthday and we're grabbing our overnight bag and rushing off to the Airport Express. In under four hours we will be in Tokyo to celebrate a 30th Birthday.

We arrive in Tokyo on the Thursday evening. It's Lewis and myself. The entire journey has been his reiteration of the previous weekend in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and how I "should kill myself for missing out on the best weekend in his life, ever". Our first evening is spent in Asakusa. Unfortunately, we would soon realise that we have no Yen and that both our accounts have had overseas withdrawal limits set to 0. We ended up at bar and managed to make a decent night out of it surviving only on credit. The highlight was undoubtedly meeting the owner of the bar, a Japanese born expat now living in Singapore. I quietly sip Grey Goose and politely nod as he introduces me to his mistress, talks passionately about Japanese Taxes and offers advice on how to buy mines in Asia.

Friday evening and the rest of the group arrives. Most weekends trips follow a standard template, most people leave early to mid afternoon, it's rare that everybody is on the same flight due to work schedules. Rendezvous is usually at dinner or at a bar, the night generally forks off in two directions. Club or hotel. Due to the nature of the trip, we ended up at a club. The rest is a combination of good times, room service and a very tired Monday morning. Currently reading When Genius Failed.

"I wonder if you know, how they live in Tokyo" - Terikayi Boyz

Oxegen

Around this time last year we found ourselves among the frenzy also known as San Fermin, The Running of the Bulls. At the time, I never in my wildest dreams imagined to find a better combination of filthiness and fun. So, almost a year down the track I find myself covered in mud again longing for a hot shower with a smile from ear to ear.


I've become somewhat jaded in my approach to sight seeing. Gone are the days of wanting to see and experience each and every cultural offering of the country. Obscure churches and random squares no longer interest me. Not to say that I have become a slave to traveling the globe without absorbing culture. I'm not shallow enough to say that content is found with a passport full of stamps and to be able to chime in with a "I've been to that country". On the contrary, I'm still taking enough away from each country to leave a lingering feeling.


Take for example, my recent trip to Dublin. I, experienced Irish weather, spotted a leprechaun, asked a local to repeat themselves because of the Irish accent and got drunk in the mud. OK the last one really isn't Irish, but was still fun!


A familiar face, a familiar smile, an unfamiliar relationship.