19:42:36 Mmmmmmm soy sauce and wasabi. Ok, it doesn't look that appetising like this, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
19:43:34 Yes, we kicked the evening off with sushi, sake and Japanese beer, round at Gav's house. Here's Leon impressing all with his nimble chopstick work.
19:45:12 Not sure what I'm so perplexed about here. Yukari there doing a rather fetching upwards "Getsu".
19:45:17 Rudeness here provided lovingly by Mr. French.
19:47:08 Gav finishing off some very nice sushi.
20:01:35 I'm not sure if I'm allowed to explain the significance of this tie publicly...
20:01:55 ...or why Gav is holding it in this rather unusual manner...
20:02:33 That's a chopstick in there, by the way.
20:30:25 Leon looking pleasingly ape-like.
20:31:28 Chie showing us all the nasty burn on her hand, caused by flaming sambuca a few nights previously.
21:11:50 Right then, after a fascinating taxi ride including a presentation about cutting edge minicab navigation technology by our driver, here we are in the Ark Bar. Chie seems to be hiding her face already.
21:14:55 An attempt at taking a picture without the flash. Not too successful.
21:15:10 ...that's better. To hell with the rest of the customers - as if they're not used to bright flashing lights.
21:16:04 One hand scarred, and two not.
21:22:36 A touching and heart warming public display of affection.
21:24:25 Sam, Gav, and their friend whose name I embarassingly don't remember. Might have been a Sarah. Oh and look, Leon is just in it as well.
21:26:53 More showing of hands seemingly.
21:27:48 A rather nice group picture... and Chie is still showing us her hand. I think she's trying to make a point about something or other.
21:30:13 I don't recall what the cause of all this suggestive belt activity was...
21:30:53 I think I'm lamenting my lack of belt here... the existence of the beltless can be a lonely one at times.
21:31:29 Hmmmm, not really sure what the photographer was trying to achieve here.
21:31:35 Yes, it's the annual meeting of belt lickers anonymous.
21:33:41 Gav admiring his reassuringly greyish belt.
21:33:47 Another gratuitous belt shot.
21:38:09 Now I know at least one of the two ladies here is called Bridget... and of course that's Sam on the right hand side. That's about the extent of my knowledge though.
21:38:52 I think one of these three wasn't happy with my first attempt, thus a second picture.
21:42:09 I wanted to get a shot of the bar in general here I think.
21:44:24 I thought this bloke had a tiny bit of Jamie Oliver about him. Not sure if Gav actually knew him, or if he was just some random stranger.
21:47:11 Nicola molesting Gav, who seems to be still fairly preoccupied with his belt.
21:47:48 No, the symbolism is totally lost on me, I don't know what they're trying to say.
21:49:09 A nice break from the lewdness of belt based erotica, to a lovely safe Japanese-esque picture.
21:49:28 ...and then back to more belt oriented shenannegans.
21:50:43 Hmmmm....
21:51:28 Nicely composed here - I like it, and clearly something is very funny.
21:52:57 Don't remember these people's names, but I'm sure they were very nice.
22:01:46 This probably had some sense to it at the time... Nice lighting though.
22:02:18 I think Leon's hand on my head confirms this picture was taken somewhat against my will...
22:02:23 I look at least a bit mid-vomit here...
22:04:34 Over in the non-lewd corner, more "getsu" seems to be going on.
22:13:28 I think I'd gone on a beer strike or something at this point.
22:18:11 Classic.
22:21:14 Nice brickwork in the background there.
22:22:02 Yukari protesting about something or other seemingly.
22:22:06 Leon looking very morbid indeed.
22:22:11 I think I was a bit late for the Japanese-esque picture.
22:24:46 Boys looking mischievous.
22:25:17 Aha! This is Kenny, which is the nearest approximation I could manage to her real name (in fact I think most people called her this).
22:26:50 Lovely.
22:27:02 Not lovely.
22:27:16 If I recall correctly, Kenny didn't really want to be in any of our pictures, thus the slight look of displeasure here.
22:36:19 Ooh, this looks committed. Yes indeed, they all should be committed. To an institution.
22:40:10 Errrr....?
22:40:28 There's a certain amount of shock and dismay here, and I have no idea why. Perhaps because we were leaving, or because we wouldn't stop taking pictures (it wasn't all me, honest).
22:48:14 Must have left the Ark Bar now. Nice group picture.
22:49:03 Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Given that he's a bit of a hero of mine, you'd have thought I would have remembered this rare opportunity to hug his left foot. In fact, I don't at all.
22:49:26 Leon finding an area of pavement to be highly amusing.
22:49:42 I think I'm doing an impression of someone about to be trampled to death by a giant clown.
22:49:53 A lot more pavement, and somebody in a wheelchair.
22:50:05 Some of me and Chie.
22:50:23 More of me and Chie.
22:50:32 Yet more glorious Bristolian pavement.
22:50:42 Strange effect here, some of the signs are in focus, but the rest of the picture isn't.
22:55:03 Aha! Well there can be little doubt that by this point we had arrived at the Thekla, which may look like a boat..
23:12:39 ...but is in fact a nightclub. OK well it's a boat as well, technically. But what I mean is, in terms of it's daily function it now- oh whatever.
23:29:29 There was a band playing when we arrived, who won't be very grateful for this very bad picture I took of them.
23:30:23 Something seems to be happening on the floor here. Not sure what.
23:35:40 Nope, I can't think of anything to say about this one.
23:41:47 Mmmmm Red Stripe.
23:45:25 I think the band had probably cleared out by this point then - more conventional dancing seems to be occuring.
23:46:24 Nice bit of yellow light on Leon's head there, and what appears to be some turntables to his right.
23:46:50 I look a bit like I'm trying to sell Leon here.
23:49:02 The girls have successfully found seating. Good work.
00:00:35 Errr.... no real point in this then.
00:14:41 Gav, dancing it seems.
00:15:30 Gav again.
00:23:26 There now follows quite a few pictures of people dancing, which I'm anticipating I'm going to struggle writing comments for... please bear with me.
00:23:35 ...yes, it is going to be hard work... I wonder if either of these gentlemen in the foreground are becoming irritated by my incessant picture taking.
00:23:43 ...helpfully (in terms of finding something to say about these pictures), that appears to be Leather Jacket Wearing Jamie Oliver Style Bloke (TM) from earlier.
00:24:26 Yukari looking really quite frightening here.
00:25:43 A brief moment of solitude for me, amidst the throngs of the dancefloor, with two nickel metal hydride batteries.
00:26:49 Arms in the air seems to be the order of the day.
00:28:20 I'm looking really tired already!
00:03:44 Shocking - I was already drinking water by this point.
00:03:50 Nice set of profiles here.
00:04:04 This is my schoolboy style "I'm tired and I want to go home" face.
00:04:14 Erm... interesting.
00:04:20 Now I like this one, a bit unorthodox but actually really pleasing compilation.
00:04:25 An assortment of interesting and archaic hand gestures abound.
00:04:30 It's all about hands, really.
00:04:36 Yet more hands.
00:04:51 Leon trying in vein to make himself heard over the music. We all had really bad ringing in our ears the next morning.
00:04:56 That's eight pictures in the last minute alone. I never think about the ardurous task of writing comments at the time, you see.
00:05:19 Nice wood panelling over there. You know, I can't remember the name of a single song that was played during the course of the evening. In fact, the majority of the evening was a bit of a blur.
00:05:27 I think Chie may have been tap dancing at this point.
00:09:55 Mainly hair in this picture.
00:11:09 Does it look like we're about to leave the dancefloor...?
00:21:29 ...ooh, could be...
00:21:47 ...no, it wasn't to be.
00:21:53 Nice picture of the crowd.
00:22:11 Aha - Bridget, Sam and co.
00:25:57 Yukari appears to have lost her jumper. Perhaps Leon is looking at it here.
00:39:07 Finally, we left the dancefloor. Being a boat gives the Thekla some lovely tunnely bits, like this. We even managed to fit an entirely random woman into this picture, who doesn't look entirely pleased to be in it.
00:39:25 I think Leon may have been threatening to abduct Chie here.
00:40:14 A bit blurred, but would have been nice otherwise.
00:41:35 I seem to have woken up a bit here, which is nice.
00:59:05 Spectacular - the upstairs bar did toasted sandwiches, which we indulged of joyously at this point.
00:59:23 Toasted sandwiches have to be a member of the royal family of drunk food, alongside the kebab, the curry and (in the case of Gav) the cheese dipped in lime pickle.
02:07:01 A while later, Leon and Yukari also had to sample the greasy cheesey goodness. Now then, confusingly, although the time says just after 2 o' clock, I think it is now officially just after 3, what with the clocks going forward and everything. To make matters even more confusing, there's a gap of an hour between this and the previous picture...
02:09:06 ...errr but it doesn't actually matter does it? A bit of post-toasted-sandwich satisfaction going on here. I personally could have eaten several more, but it just didn't seem right somehow.
02:21:42 Dancing.
02:21:50 More belt fun going on.
02:22:01 ...looks a bit like a closed group now.
02:22:08 Me and Yukari, happily sat down.
02:22:22 Chie took this rather lovely picture through the window.
02:22:33 The flash must have still been off from the previous picture.
02:23:39 Gav appears to be removing articles of clothing.
02:24:28 Gav and Leon continued dancing in the upstairs bar right up to the point where we were all thrown out.
02:56:22 I'm fairly sure that's Sam there.
03:03:26 I felt a little bit cheated here - the Thekla is supposed to open until 4, but actually the clocks had changed while we were in there (it's really 4 o clock by this point)... In effect we lost an hour I suppose.
03:05:46 Nice group picture, including seemingly a new friend.
03:06:06 I was hoping Chie would carry me home. In this picture it almost looks like Leon has his finger up my nose.
04:18:33 Back at Gav's house. Oh dear...
04:18:39 It's important to point out here this was purely for the benefit of the camera.
04:19:06 The girls in the other bed. Somehow far less embarassing.
12:12:52 I've adjusted the times from here on in, so this is proper BST now. Thus, at lunchtime the next day, when we'd finally all got out of bed, we headed off to find breakfast...
12:36:58 We went to the rather excellent York Cafe, heres my monster breakfast (the vegetarian variety) which was simply spectacular, especially as I had a fairly mean hangover, which it seemed to cure quite remarkably.
12:37:02 Chie's breakfast which (I think) she also enjoyed.
12:47:26 Sam, Gav, Leon and Yukari all tucking in to lovely fried goodness.
12:52:39 Leon put together this fairly impressive ensemble on a slice of toast which he described as "a meal in itself".
12:56:04 While the rest of them finished up their breakfasts, me and Chie decided to go off for a wander. So here's a picture of everyone taken through the window, which came out rather well I think.
12:56:33 The outside of the cafe, including the sign, to help me remember the name, in case I was ever passing through Bristol again and in need of breakfast (or lunch).
12:58:21 We wandered a little way down the road and found this tree, which looked a bit like cherry blossom (which the Japanese have a bit of a thing for).
12:59:47 An attempt to get a self timer picture.
13:00:35 Up close cherry blossom.
13:11:23 I wanted to get a picture of everyone in front of this view, but none of them could be arsed to cross the road, so...
13:11:31 ...I got a picture of them in front of some arbitrary buildings instead...
13:11:40 ...and Leon managed to escape even that one. Oh, errr, well that's it then.