the haka!!

The All Blacks + the Aussies, National Anthems + the Haka in front of 50,000 people = CHILLS, goosebumps, welling, emotion... amazing. New Zealand's national rugby team beat the Aussie squad in the last game of the three (or four?) game series to win the Bledisloe Cup, the biggest trophy in world rugby, and I got to see it! Eek. How? Why? There's an Australian guy playing rugby here that we ran into (he lives upstairs), and his parents (here visiting) had tickets and asked if I'd like to come along. Yes! Yes I would, yes I did. And it was a spectacle. From the loopy oohs and ahhs and aa-ooooohs of the audience to complete silence (and reverence) of 50,000 people in front of NZ's Haka ... these were the good things. That the stadium ran out of beer at half-time was a shocker - people weren't too impressed with the lack of grog (especially after waiting in line for 30 minutes... oops), and that the game wasn't played on the stadium's big screen was another sore spot. Instead of close-ups and game footage there was the score. Meh. Anyways, it was a good game and an awesome experience. Dinner after was good too (French), and then I finally came home, rang the doorbell and trick-or-treat brought Steve some beer and chocolate. Yum. That was the extent of our Halloween celebration - there were big events at the bars and clubs but I was zonked and Steve's foot has been bothering him so we stayed in, had a drink and crashed.

Heather, Heather and Lynn - the ladies at the game ")


the HAKA

Friday was also a long day; I volunteered at the very fancy schmancy Pink Ball, an event hosted by Japan's Run For the Cure Foundation. The event was held at the Westin Hotel in Ebisu in a very posh ballroom; there were bands (two), a silent auction, a live auction, door prizes, a magician, a four-course meal, dancing, drinks and more - it seemed like a really fun evening for guests. It wasn't bad for the volunteers either - there was food for us, we mingled, and I even snuck in to catch the magic show. FUN. And so I'm looking forward to a bit of a lazy day today. We might get out and check out Akihabara, but I'd be okay with cleaning up the apartment and settling in with my book and a cup of coffee. OOh, and it's November! EEK!