Beginning of the Best Month: AUGUST

August 1, 2015

So August has always been my favorite month. It's not only the month of my birthday but August for me has always been the month of summer. Summer meaning being in your swimsuit, having BBQs, going to the beach, festivals and good times with good people. This August for me was extra special because my sisters are here and soon to be my older brother too.

This morning I woke up with two crazy monsters sleeping in my apartment, my little sisters. It is rare that all three of us are together the past few years because one of my sisters lives in Houston and the other in Dallas and then me in Japan. So the fact that all three of us could spend the next few weeks together was a real treat. Even though my sisters are really disgusting, it seems appropriate since that's what little sisters are. This morning was spent lounging around and just enjoying the small space we were in. After taking a few hours to actually get ready to leave the apartment, we headed out to Osaka to do some sight seeing and possible shopping.

I still don't know that much about Osaka but I decided to take the girls to Dotombori and Amemura area. We walked around to some shops and had lunch at a popular okonomiyaki place that me and my friends frequently go. After walking around in the heat for a few hours, we decided to go back to my place to rest before my birthday party later in the evening. My older brother was also flying in and as much as I wanted to see him at the airport, I was feeling drained from the sun. So thankfully, Andrews managed to get himself to his rented apartment where a friend from Houston, Josh had arrived earlier in the day.

Once we let the sweat dry off our bodies, me and my sisters began to get ready for my birthday dinner and gathering later that day. One of the bonuses of having my sisters here with me is that they are my personal glam squad!!! Christina is really good at doing eye make up and Catherine loves doing face make up. So I had them doll me up! I'm pretty lazy when it comes to make up so I always feel the prettiest when my sisters get at my face. They take so much time and are much more precise. I love it!

Once the three of us were actually ready to leave the apartment, with three girls, getting ready takes some time, we headed to meet up Andrews and Josh. Seeing my brother actually in Japan was a shock! I really was extra excited for my older brother to come visit because he had never been to South East Asia before and didn't get to travel much. I actually am excited for all my siblings to come to Japan because I really believe traveling and seeing different people and culture opens your eyes to a world you would never know staying in the same city. After we met up with the guys, we rushed over to Yotsubashi Station to meet up with the rest of my friends.

Rika, being the kind soul she is, help me organize and plan the evening by making reservations at a restaurant I had no knowledge of. It turned out that she actually booked a place at a Vietnamese place! I guess she knew I liked Viet food so it was a good choice. I had about 12 people total at dinner including some teachers I teach with. I am really thankful everyone came out! Let the partying begin!

Dinner was fun with food and drinks galore. It was a bit difficult to talk to everyone but it seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves for the most part. After the food, I was surprised by a cake and presents! I honestly wasn't expecting either since seeing everyone and having everyone's time was a present in itself. But I was shocked when they brought in a cake with candles and a home made card that everyone signed. I was really shocked because even my siblings had signed the card! When did they do this?!?! It was really heart warming that they would do this for me. Even though August 1st isnt my real birthay, it was a great start to the month. Along with cake was also gifts! I got different things from a massive beach towel to a unicorn keychain.

Once dinner was finished, I just wanted to continue drinking and find a place to dance with everyone. So the ones who could stay out till the morning continued on, while some of them had to go home. The rest of us hit up Ghost Lounge first. I had frequently gone to Ghost before because the music they play is usually to my liking. There, Rika actually had a friend who let us in with a discounted rate and also offered us a private table. It was fun to have everyone together drinking and having a good time. Since we already missed last train, we knew we would be staying out late. So we hopped over to another club to see what it was all about. By this time it was already 3am and most of us were getting pretty tired. So what do you do when you are tired and have to wait for the train? Go to kareoke!

So there was about 12 of us who went to the kareoke bar and got the biggest room possible. I had never been in such a large room before! We all took turns singing (or yelling) to different songs til the sun rose.

I want to really thank everyone who came out and gave me your time and efforts for my birthday. I really appreciate you all for making my 27th birthday special and making me feel loved. You guys are the best!!

xx
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