Hard times

I'm skint.
I have had a very expensive month.
I had to pay 4 months back rent.
I paid for my flights back to Europe for Christmas.
I paid for fights in Europe (planning a big vacation again).
I paid for hostel bookings.
I sent money home, for my credit card.

I'm skint/broke/devoid of finances/ beggared/ bust/ cleaned out/ destitute/ dirt poor/ flat broke/ impoverished/ penniless/ penurious/ poor/ strapped/ tapped out/ wiped out.

This is the bank statement from one of my accounts:


















The other one holds a grand total of 76yen.

Great.

Next payday is on the 22nd.
I can hold out.
I've been on my last 5,000yen since Monday.
I'm down to my last 1,000yen note (it's about $10).

The bad thing is that last night a good freind from Canada was in town and of course I had to met him. Three of us had a good evening but I couldn't join them for meals or pay for any drinks, except one round of 3 cheap 200yen beers that I felt obliged to splash out on. The rest of the evening, I had to shamedly rely on the generosity of my friends.
Thanks Steve, Dave and Steve's wife, Mei (for supplying Steve with funds for the night).
Steve, I owe you at least 6 or 7. Dave I owe you too, buddy.

Today and tomorrow, there is a big English teachers' seminar in Tokyo. An annual thing. Something I really want to go to. But it's 500yen entrance fee (not much, but a lot for me) and to get there and back is beyond my meager finances right now. So I have to put it off until next year.

Tonight, I have my school's English department party, in Yokohama (190yen each way on the train). It's discounted to 2,000yen for part time teachers (even though I work full time hours), but even that is too much for me. I have to go. I just hope they can accept a delayed payment or that someone can loan me the 2,000yen until next week. It's very embarrassing, but what can you do?

I must accept my fate.

I don't want to ask my friends for help, because I got myself into this hole and I'll dig myself out of it. It's only for a few days, but everything seems to be happening in these few days.
It would be easy to stay at home and just read or use the internet but an old friend is in town, there's a big teaching symposium I should attend, a yearly party I've promised to go to...

...ce'st la vie. For me.

Last night, as I got to Shibuya to meet Dave and Steve, I called them to find out where they were.
It was then that my mobile phone company decided to stop my phone. Great.
Now I am sans phone.
I can recieve calls, but I can't make them.
Another thing to fix, come the 22nd.

I've used almost everything edible in my kitchen.
I think I have a can of baked beans in there, somewhere.

Hope my electricity doesn't get cutt off. Again.
Or the water.
I was in the shower once, when the water was cut off.
I had just soaped myself as well (to make things even worse).
I had to squint through soapy, stinging eyes and find the little bottled water I had left and rinse myself, as best I could.

Oh, good times...