Friday, December 1 2006, 15:28

That mo's gotta go

I had some bad news earlier this week - I won't be starting my job at The Farm until January now. There was a day of anxiety where I thought the long-awaited visa might turn up and I'd be stuck with no job, but it's ok - the visa will now be granted in January. I just have to ration out my spending until then. It could be a lean month.

Thankfully, I've not lacked ways to pass the time that don't cost money, and I've done some fun things with friends I've made in the last month or so (Manacle is great place to meet new people!). John took me off to the Royal National Park last week and we spent an afternoon just lazing in the sunshine and narrowly avoiding the perilous Australian fauna (check out the photos).

Yesterday Shane invited me to join him while he did a dry run of an evening's entertainment for his clients later in the month. We started with a walking and drinking tour of the pubs in The Rocks area. Our guide, Gazza, told us a bit of the history of the pubs themselves, the legends associated with them, and introduced us to some pubs I'd never been to before (always welcome). We even had a bit of a quiz at the end. The prize for the lucky winner was a shiny Rocks Pub Tour keyring, which I really don't need, but my competitive streak forced me to win it. Oops. We finished off with dinner on the harbour with a gawjus Opera House and Bridge view. Smashing.

Also this week, the Movember phenomenon had its hairy climax at the Gala Parté at Luna Park. Thousands of costumed and moustachioed men and their Mo Sistas descended on the amusement park at the foot of the Bridge, and Mark and I went along to join in. I'm not sure why moustaches can instantly make men look a bit gay, but it's true. And some of those lip loungers really suited the boys. Mm :)

Today is my last full day with the mo. It's coming off tomorrow, LIVE, at Pete's Christmas party in London (via webcam of course). I think I'm going to miss it a little. It's quite nice to play with, and it feels kinda soft to the touch. But no matter how much I may be desensitised to it, it still launches a wave of acute anxiety every time I'm eating, sipping beers, or blowing my nose. That mo's gotta go. But you can STILL sponsor me, if you haven't got around to it yet - www.movember.com.au, rego number 41704.

Photos from the Royal National Park

Movember photos, including Movember Gala Parté snaps

Sunday, December 3 2006, 11:11

The mo's over

It's all over. I shaved the moustache off yesterday morning while the folks at Pete's party in London watched - enraptured, if I may say... I took those horseshoe bits off first, and Tash asked me to stop (bizarrely), but to a chorus of, "don't listen to her, she's a GIRL!", I gamely carried on. The Hitler moustache doesn't really work on me, with this little gap running down the philtrum (new word!) between my nose and lip, not that I'm losing sleep over it. So it's all gone! And it left me with some unhappy skin, which I'm not impressed with, but apparently I've got my baby face back. Not sure that's worthy of celebration, but there we go...

A huge thanks to everyone who helped me raise $1254 for the Movember charities! And to everyone who said, "I'm going to sponsor you", you still can - www.movember.com.au, reg number 41704.

Wednesday, December 13 2006, 18:52

You win some, you lose some...

This weekend was the weekend we said goodbye to Beth. She of the shamelessly vocal laugh has departed these shores after a year that had its ups and downs, but ended on a high note. I came back to Australia to find that Beth was still the same Beth I knew before, but a much more self-assured, confident woman. Yet still the loudest voice in the room, still the incisive and perceptive girl behind the party animal's brightly beglittered and befeathered mask. I think Beth understands me a bit better now - she will return to the UK and harrumph and wistfully sigh and start her complaints with, "In Australia..." just like I did. She knows what it's like to be going home when it's not really time to leave.

But she also knows how to make the most of a farewell. On Saturday we gathered at the Tilbury's rooftop terrace for afternoon drinks before moving on to Slide on Oxford Street, and then inevitably ARQ for some boogying before winding down at Manacle. A decent-sized marathon send-off among friends before she spent the next day and a half with her new beau, Andreas, getting shocking sunburn (you can take the girl out of England...). Monday night was a quieter meal among pals before a cheeky drink at Summit, watching Sydney revolve around us as we sipped our cocktails. And at the last, Tuesday was packing day, and finally that trip to the airport, and a tearful goodbye at the glass doors.

Beth got back to the UK a few hours ago, where she was greeted by David and Matthew, and John, who I know has missed her very much and has been counting down the days until she arrives. They've got some time off work to spend with her and warm her arrival in cold London, and I know they've got a big weekend planned with all our friends.

But it's not all sad news - I may have lost a Beth, but I've gained some luggage and a Chris :) Chris touched down in Sydney in the plane that Beth boarded later that afternoon! As if it wasn't good enough to see him, he also brought with him another 35kg of my lovely things from London, and at no small cost to him in stress and running and frustration at Heathrow. And much appreciated it is too! He was at a loose end yesterday, so other than seeing Beth off, we spent the day eating, drinking, shopping, and generally hanging out. I managed to catch him again today for lunch before he zipped off to Brisbane - which is where he's unfortunately going to be living, but I know I'll see him in Sydney quite frequently.

So there you go. You win some, you lose some. I'm getting all zen in my old age...

Photos from Beth's last days in Sydney

Thursday, December 21 2006, 15:33

Soaped up Angels and butt naked Bond

Bet this one gets stuck in the junk/adult mail folder...

It's turned out nice again. Here I go talking about the weather again like I've got some congenital British disease... I was just walking back from the gym just now, slightly worried that I'd come out without any sunscreen on and that my shoulders might start to blister and bubble, but then a track came on my iPod that made me smile. Anyone who's had the (mis)fortune to be in the same room as my phone when my alarm's gone off over the last two years will recognise Any way you want it by Journey (listen to it here). You may recall it's from the end credits of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, where the Angels are soaping down a vintage car (and themselves) in loosely fitting overalls unzipped down to here (indicates navel). Love it. Today is the first day in ages I've heard more than the first ten seconds of it, but it just brought a big smile to my face, and for a few minutes there I didn't care about anything at all :)

Strolling through the sunshine isn't something I'd usually associate with Christmastime - I'm still not feeling the festive vibes, but John thoughtfully sent me a little snow scene to make me feel more at home. It's cute as! And with nearly real snow that grows out of little grains when you add water. It doesn't take much to amuse me...

Before I go - a couple of recommendations for you. I've been to see a couple of films over the last week. Eragon on Monday: not the best. Anything in the fantasy genre looks a bit naff after the bedazzlement that is The Lord of the Rings; all the characters look a bit cardboard-cutout, to be honest, and our hero looks far too young to be doing anything heroic. Pap. Avoid unless you're a real enthusiast. Casino Royale the night before was another matter. Oh my god. Great opening sequence, fabulous song back in the true style of real Bond songs; pretty good storyline, a bit grittier than normal, with a harsher and less smug 007. Daniel Craig looks like he's been smacked in the face a few times, but I think we all secretly like a bit of rough. And as for the overly-orchestrated captured Bond scene... well! It's the first time there's been a James Bond worth seeing stark b*llock naked! And I never thought I'd see a bit of CBT in a Bond film!

Wednesday, December 27 2006, 1:01

Turkey and all the trimmings? Sooo last year!

I've had a Christmas in Australia before, so I kind of knew what to expect, although it hasn't turned out like that this year. All the Aussies have been whinging (Pom-like) about the awful weather - we've had rain and more rain and cold wind. It's thrown out my plans a little: on Christmas Eve, we were planning to go and see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park, but it got rained out; instead, Tim and I watched the film at Mark's place and had our picnic on the table - well rescued!

Christmas Day itself turned out to be a pretty warm day, and I left Brian and Darren to their huge gathering and went with Bryan and Tim to Brent's & Charles' place. We scorned the traditional turkey and had steaks cooked on the barbie; we had roast vegetables and potato salad instead of roast spuds and brussel sprouts; we thumbed our noses at pigs in blankets and dipped mini frankfurters in ketchup. We stuffed our faces. And washed it down with mojitos, Pimm's, champagne, and beer (ok, some things are the same everywhere).

One thing that I could happily dump on the big day is Christmas cake. Does anyone really like it? Instead, we had pavlova, the invention that Aussies and Kiwis love to fight over more than Russell Crowe and the Finn brothers. I can't really claim credit for it - all I did was pile fruit on the top of a shop-bought meringue that had already been decorated with cream that I hadn't whipped. But I had made mince pies earlier...

Unfortunately, all that booze gave me a headache a bit early, so I felt a bit hungover by the time I got home :( Today has been ok though - a quick swim in the morning, then off to Coogee for a good four hours of sunbathing in the lovely sunshine before heading back home to wash the sand off and apply copious amounts of after-sun to my burned bits. It may be unusual for me to be basking in the sun on Boxing Day, but missing interesting little patches of skin with sunscreen is all too familiar...

Saturday, December 30 2006, 12:12

On the beach with a useless blonde

Matt Weston arrived here the other day; once we'd got a large drinking and catch-up session out of the way, the first thing he wanted to do was hit the beach, so we trooped down to Bondi to lay ourselves flat on the shimmering sand and baste ourselves in factor 15. Jon and I have been clocking up some decent baking time this week already, so I have the beginnings of a tanline (hurray!) and a few discrete patches of burn (thigh, nose, navel, heels...)

Of course, Matt isn't the useless blonde in the title - he has all sorts of uses! No, we were mildly surprised to see a parade of people following undeservedly world-famous Paris Hilton across the sand. Her face mostly obscured by her vast Dennis Taylor-style sunnies, the vacuous socialite, who apparently has no talents to recommend her at all, made her way through the nonplussed sunbathers, clutching an enormous silver bag, while her entourage kicked up sand behind them. It was all very surreal. Later on the news I saw that she'd had a dip in the sea and took a little shower by the surf club while surrounded by a gawping public whose dignity appears to have fled in the presence of her dubious celebrity. Get a life, people!