エバーさんの誕生日パーティー [Ava's Birthday Party]

Last Friday was Avaさん's birthday. 桑原さん was nice enough to make arrangements for a nice birthday party for Avaさん. I am sure she appreciated all the hard work he went through to reserve a place at a nice 居酒屋 [izakaya - Japanese style pub] in 千里中央駅 for us to celebrate her birthday.

Because my friends from high school and now in college are all such nice and kind people who celebrate birthdays with cakes and a song, I could not resist but to buy Avaさん a cake and make the grad students sing her happy birthday. Unfortunately, the cakes in Japan are a bit more expensive than they are in America. I could be really hardcore like JNfir-Ann and bake something amazing, but luckily (whew!), I had no oven. XD

The lab members were such a darlin' and they all decided to chip in for the cake at the end (even though everyone got such a tiny tiny slice). They're super cute! I will sure miss them in the states.

So we first celebrated Avaさん's birthday by surprising her with this cake:


Avaさん was being too shy to look at the camera:


While we were singing a cheerful birthday tune, she loosened up:


After work, we went to a really nice 居酒屋 and later, to a cheaper one for more drinks. It was nice of 桑原さん, 市川さん, 武田さん, 山中さん, and 野崎先生 to join us. :)

This nice 居酒屋 that 桑原さん reserved:


Avaさん's birthday drink! The first of many!!! just kidding ^^v


That cool LCD screen to the right of 市川さん is how you order!!!


市川さん got a drink that requires manual labor. HAHAHA. I believe it was a グレープフルーツサワー [grapefruit sour]:


Doesn't Avaさん look excited to try her "first" drink ever? ;)


野崎先生 claiming that he and 山中さん are twins:


I love how 山中さん is so indifferent to 野崎先生's craziness:


市川さん is calculating the bill with his crazy Japanese cellphone:


Moved to a cheaper 居酒屋:


Don't ask why, but Dave insisted to have his picture taken with these weiners: