Vietnam Karaoke Review and Skating

Well, it took 3 months, but I have finally experienced karaoke in Vietnam! Let's start with the good- generous drinks buffet deal, CHEAP and very spacious rooms.
The bad- you had to look through a book to find a song you wanted to sing and write down the code on a piece of paper, which you then gave to the staff member outside the room. Now at this point in the drinking party this was very challenging!!!
The song selection was about as dated as the technology itself； I managed to recognise and sing 'Madonna- Just Like a Prayer' and 'The Bee Gees- Eternal Flame'.
ついにベトナムのカラオケの経験した！いい点は部屋が広いです。悪い点が曲セレクションだし、選び方が紙で！だけど、楽しかった。

The weather recently had been rather dreary and pollution-y until suddenly this weekend of blue skies and 27'C sunshine! Determined not to miss the chance for some Vitamin D, Toshi and I skated 9km around the large lake in the city. It was a bit scary at times when the road surface became wet and when taxis were squeezing past, but overall it was enjoyable (and exhausting!)
天気が急に暑くなってきたので、昨日トシくんと一緒に池の周りで９キロスケートしました。 トシくんがすごく疲れたみたい！

Finally, a look outside Toshi's new apartment window!
最後にはトシくんの新しいアパートからの景色！

Moon Festival Weekend

The last two weeks have gone quite quickly! We were very busy preparing and celebrating the Moon Festival (known as Tsukimi in Japan) which was celebrated on Sept 30th. We made moon cakes (made from squished rice), prepared elaborate fruit plates and enjoyed a lion dance performance.

Here are some pictures!

 ムーンフェスティバル（月見＆子供の日）が忙しくてこの２週間はすぐたちました！ムーンケーキ作ったり、フルーツアレンジもやったり、みんな楽しくお祝いができました！

On Sunday, Toshi and I had yummy sweets for lunch and impulse-bought some in-line skates to go skating in the park near my house..
日曜日おいしいランチ終わったらインラインスケートを衝動買いして近くの公園に行きました。

Toshi, as always, was the pro, and I was laughed at by some kids. Oh well. Didn't appreciate my picture being taken by people either, but I guess a white person skating terribly does stand out.

インラインスケートが初めてなので、あんまり上手にできなくて子供に笑われてしまいました　（＊＊；）

 My school participated in the worldwide 'Read for the Record' where millions of children read the same book on the same day to promote reading. The book was displayed on-screen in powerpoint form and I read to 20-or-so children.

学校で世界中の子供の読書イベントに参加しました。たくさんの子供たちの前で、本の朗読をしました。最近トシくんがトシのお母さんが同じように子供たちに朗読をしている写真をみせてくれたから、トシのお母さんと同じ気持ちがしました。