Appropriate attire

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while.

Note to self: Don't go shopping at coles wearing black business pants, a white shirt and no tie. I was accosted by a fellow shopper last night for not knowing which isle he could find a rubber hot water bottle in.

Pick the Transformer

Let's play a game:

Below is a list of pharmaceutical medications currently available in Australia - mixed in are the names of the Autobots (good guys) and Decepticons (bad guys) featuring in the upcoming Transformers movie.

Let's see if you can pick which ones are which. Apologies for anyone who doesn't dig the Transformers.

Allegron Pegatron Ironhide Crestor Lipitor Jazz Onkotrone Optimus Prime Blackout Anandron Dextran Bumblebee Xyloproct Efexor

Microgynon Megatron Femtran Magnevist Nexium Octagam Starscream Diamicron Barricade Probitor Xalatan Exelon Megace

Excuse me, but has anyone seen this girl?? (4)

Celebrations across the world today, as my sister Amelia has finally surfaced from her alcohol-fueled European sight-seeing adventure.

I received this update email from her a short time ago:



From: "Amelia"
To: "Steve"
Subject: i have been found
Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2007 23:15:31 +1000

Yo bro

I have been seen throughout many places in Europe...the last few days I've been seen wondering around Florence with another young lass that I met on the tour. I'm staying in Florence until Saturday then I fly out for the Greek islands on Sunday. I'm there for two weeks, staying at a Contiki Mykonos resort, then I'm going back to Ireland to spend some more time with [our sister] Cass.

I spoke to Mum and Dad the other day when I was at Luton airport. It was 2am...Shaz (the girl im travelling with) and I were staying there overnight to save money because we were flying out for Rome at 7am the next morning.

Great news about Clare!!! Awesome to hear that she is going to be so close. Tell her I'm very happy for her and hope all goes well with her new job!!!

Not much time left on the net but I have some spare time this week so I will be able to send you a longer email in the next couple of days!!!

Speak soon Love Amelia xoxoxoxoxox ciao from italy!!!


Ahhhhhh...I can breathe easy now - she's safe, well and in very good spirits!

Who needs LSD when you've got the new 2012 London Olympics branding??

There's only one place in the world where the colours of cerise and blue belong...

I am shocked AND awed this evening. A bunker-buster of a branding campaign has just come right down my chimney and exploded with eclectic voracity.

Have the advertising creatives behind the London 2012 Olympics branding gone COMPLETELY bananas? Have they been watching too many re-runs of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or other fluro 80's sitcoms?? Will the Australian uniform for 2012 include happy pants???

If you haven't seen the new branding over the last few days, see the promotional video below:



Just a couple of things for the agency behind this outrageously epileptic episode:

• When branding the Olympics, why the bloody hell didn't you use the traditional Olympic colours?
• You won't engage young people with a graffiti-like dog's breakfast...these days young people want smooth designs - like Nokia phones, Apple's iPod and Notebook, the Airbus A380, a BMW or Maybelline lipstick. I wonder what those 50+ members of society are thinking...

This is yet another poignant example of why it's imperative that advertising people need to be led by those angelic media saviours - PR professionals. If advertisers could drag themselves away from those bars and boozy client lunches and actually do some bloody work, we PR people wouldn't have to mop up the remnants of a shoddy rush-job that clearly won't see a result past the mockery of the wider world. (Just jokes)

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts - especially all of my great mates over in London...your observations on the local reaction, your professional opinions of the branding etc. Angus?

Australians bonking because of a burgeoning back pocket

The Australian tabloids are going nuts today, with an Australian Bureau of Statistics announcement that the number of births registered in the quarter to December 2006 was the highest Australia has recorded since the very swinging, 1971.

Federal Treasurer Peter Costello is claiming the increase as a result of his government's tight economic policy. From news.com.au:

"The improvement in the number of births reflects a confidence in Australia's future, and a greater sense of economic security for families"

I must agree - the treasurer is spot on when attributing the Australian Government's strong fiscal policy to a higher birth rate. There's nothing that turns a bloke on more than reading about the GDP contribution of the mining and industrial sectors, or the effects that the centralisation of Australian assets is having on foreign investments.

I wonder if he'll also be claiming credit for the fact that 2006 saw more people dying than in any other year, probably resulting directly from the monotonic economic rhetoric he carried on with last year...

The ABS release also reported that Australia's population reached 20,852,000 at 31 December 2006. Exciting times, as we move toward the big 21-million. Stay tuned - I'll let you know as soon as we hit it, scheduled toward the end of the month.

Woman, 24, gets job

News just in:

My shweetie of a girlfriend has just accepted a job as a residential assistant at a local Sydney boarding school, Abbotsleigh. Why is this so damned awesome?

NO MORE LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP!!!!!! Yeah!

Clare will be situated approximately 18.15km from my place. A mere Sunday stroll, compared to a frustrating 205.26km we've endured over the past while.

Excuse me, but has anyone seen this girl?? (3)

The search goes on.

This photo came through this morning from an anonymous source*. Apparently Amelia was recently seen with this woman, who strangely resembles our sister...







* I may have recieved it in an email this morning from my mother

Excuse me, but has anyone seen this girl?? (2)

No leads as yet.

I thought I was onto a winner when I saw this article from earlier today on BBC Online about a wild young chick popping up in Ireland. Sadly, no love.

To give the search a little extra kick, it has been suggested (thanks Steven and Mum!) that a better quality photo be posted up to help aid this search of all searches.


As you may be able to tell from my Dad's killer mo, this photo may have been taken around 15 years ago after a St Monica's Primary blue light disco. Sorry guys. It's the next best photo I can scrounge. ;-)

Excuse me, but has anyone seen this girl??

My younger sister Amelia went overseas about a month ago. What's that? No I wouldn't have a clue how she is. I haven't heard a bloody thing from her since she left.

She may be in a cafe in Amsterdam, a dirty Contiki tour bar in Madrid, or standing in front of a sparkling Mediterranian Ocean...feeling like a microwaved mango from the previous night's Greek Island partying shennanigans.

So, considering this whole 'blog' thing is a global phenomenom, I thought I'd take to the bandwidth for news on how she's doing, or at the very least a brief sighting. Here's some specific details:

Name: Amelia
Age: 21
Height: 167cm
Weight: Not going there
Hair: Brown/Blonde
Eyes: Blue-Green
Brother: Yes, and amazingly good looking
Last seen: Dulwich Hill, Sydney
Loves: Being called a spanner head.

Please help. Thanks.

5% - A world away from where I'd like to be

So I found this cool widget online and thought I'd try it out. It basically shows all of the different countries I've visited - a bit of a wank, really, but kind of cool all the same. Try it...who's got the highest percentage? I'm guessing Edwina, but she doesn't read my blog...so maybe Mon?

My friends are talented

This has to be the funniest lead par I have read in a long time. AND it was written by the one and only Aitken!!


A rooting rabbit comes home

A confronting Central Australian play exploring the colonialist hangover and the Australian male psyche via a sex-mad rabbit has finally had its hometown debut, writes Sarah...
- Arts Hub Australia Online

Thanks, Juanita: Mike Bailey moves toward Federal Parliament

"The local member Joe Hockey is extremely popular. It is very much an uphill battle, but at the same time it's a challenge and I've never shirked a challenge."

- Mike Bailey on his recent affirmation that he will run for pre-selection in the Federal seat of North Sydney, as reported in the SMH this morning.

Strong words this morning from a man who many* predict will rain down a flood of whoop-ass against the incumbent Liberal member for North Sydney, Joe Hockey.

For many years, Willis & I have been lobbying long and hard for Mike Bailey, current ABC weatherman and part-time commedian, to be installed as a member of Federal parliament with a view toward bunking down at The Lodge. All reports say that Kevin Rudd is stoked to have him on board, but I can't help but perceive an underlying fear from the current leader that Bailey will win public support within a couple of years.

Why do I give so much of a shit?
1. It's my electorate. Yeah!
2. With his meterological skills, Mike Bailey could possibly be the saviour of all mankind.

Aitken has blogged on this this morning. Willis has created this site long ago, in admiration for the talent, poise and amazing ability to articulate the effects of impending stratocumulouses, or even the Southern Oscillation Index. I've just heard on the grapevine that Willis is creating a similar site in anticipation of the Bailey's pre-selection. Watch this space.

Sunny days ahead indeed...all we need now is for Bronwyn Bishop to stand down and make way for Juanita Phillips in the seat of MacKellar for a three-pronged Labor-ABC political assault. Imagine that!

McKew in Bennelong, Bailey in North Sydney and Phillips in Mackellar!!!

It's a great day for Australian politics.

* May only include myself and Willis.

Out Of My Comfort Zone

Ok, so it's just passed the middle of (Tim) May and my New Year committment of batting my way through 12 books over the ensuing 12 months is looking a little behind the required run rate. I've literally got another five backing up in the sheds, but I felt in the zone with this one as I happily found form.

Ex-Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh (I can almost hear people clicking off now...), wrote an 800-page innings of an autobiography. The little shiner cost me about $35, and true to the sporting autobiographical genre, the book has plenty of pictures, cliches and analysis of memorable sporting moments.

Perhaps at times intentionally leaving his wicket open to his readers, the book provides real insight into the man's make-up. Particularly, the book illustrated how his reputation as an international cricketer did not always hold its ground when at home changing nappies or when walking through the dirtied streets of Delhi amongst beggars, lepers and extreme poverty.

Six over long-on:

• Descriptions of some of the on-field sledgings and verbal stumpings.
• The honest appraisals and insights into some of the characters of the modern game, including Allan Border, Merv Hughes, Sachin Tendulkar, Simon Katich, Steve Harmison, Michael Slater, Shane Warne, Curtly Ambrose, David Boon, Andy Caddick, Justin Langer, Arjuna Ranatunga and Salim Malik to name a few.
• A unique examination of the determination, strength of mind and character needed to dodge life's bouncers and succeed in any high-performance pursuit.
• Perspective - making sure to note how others in the world (and many millions in cricketing-playing nations) are struggling to survive and how this can ever match up to what is essentially a game...
• The values he holds for family and mates.
• The humour and humility the book was written in.
• Waugh's experience with the media, particularly in terms of interviews and press conferences. A great overview of the process and a useful reference for any PR pros training media virgins/CEOs how to play the media with a straight bat.

Golden duck:

• Lack of a coherent timeline - Out Of My Comfort Zone seemed to jump between seasons, years or even decades, which made it at times hard to follow.
• Repetition - whilst enjoyable and interesting in nature, he seemed to overbowl the amount of space dedicated to descriptions of every minute detail of him going out to bat, field placings etc.

Steve Waugh is one of the greatest cricketers to ever pull on the baggy green. What I admire most about him is his tenacity, desire to achieve, passion for Australia, and hard-edged attitude tapered off by an underlying sense of compassion. As role models go, he's Bradman-esque.

Would I read the book again? Yes.

Would I recommend the book to others? Yes, to those who have an active interest in cricket.

Will I read another 11 books before year's end? No bloody idea, but I'll give it a good whack.

NB: Cricketing puns, references, colloquialisms or cliches within this post = 20

Missing Bathurst

I went back to Bathurst on the weekend to spend some time with Clare and go out with some of her mates. However, I forgot it was Grad week, so there were heaps of people there, taking full advantage of the opportunity to participate in one of their last true Bathurst benders.

I couldn't help but take a few photos of the place, and the things I miss most about it. In no specific order, here they are:


No traffic

No cars zooming past - and look how clean the streets are!!!


Clare

They say absence makes the heart grow stronger, but I reckon the bloke who said that was probably just constantly in the doghouse, wanted the weekend with his mates, and needed that saying as justification to do so.

The picture below is of Clare & I on a hot date at the Acropole Restaurant. Incidently, whilst a teenager boarding at St Joseph's Convent Perthville, about 15km East of Bathurst, my Mum went on one of her first dates with some bloke to the same restaurant. They had a banana split.

Zigi, the European taxi driver

Zigi has been driving in Bathurst for 19 years after immigrating to Australia and working for some small company back then named Siemens. Ex-Bathurstians may remember her for her stern, but maternally reassuring advice, "don't you dare spew in my cab" or "you'd better finish those beers before you jump into my cab - go on...hurry up, down the hatch".

She informed me on my ride back that she's suffered ONLY two bashings. Fantastic. I've got her number by the way if anyone wants to be, well picked up.

The Park Hotel @ 1:50am

All smiles. I bought a schooner (not schmiddie) and four spirits for $17. The crowd - friendly, approachable and generally well behaved. Well, except a few rugby boofheads getting nude in front of their mates and a group of adoring 1st-year Comm. mattresses.

Old uni friends

Helen Caldwell (pictured below) came back from Canada a couple of weeks ago to visit family and graduate. It was an absolute privilege to catch up with her - she's one of those people I most miss bumping into on the library lawn for a chat, or dancing with to Cyndi Lauper at the uni bar time after time...

3-inch wedges owned by the wives of Oberon lumberjacks

Enough said.

So what else do ex-residents of Bathurst miss most?

Mums think they're funny

I received this email from my mum this morning via Fairfax digital:


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 7:28 AM
Subject: Headline - Hair regrown in baldness breakthrough

Dear steve,
You have been sent this article link by mum courtesy of smh.com.au
Personal Message: Not needed just now but one for the future?

Hair regrown in baldness breakthrough
Deborah Smith
May 17, 2007 - 5:54AM
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/05/17/1178995264643.html


So my hairline is starting to recede! Whatever.

There's really only one person to blame here.

Playing cupid: Jonnie

A hopeless romantic frequently mistaken for David Hasselhoff, Jonnie (at right) enjoys long walks on the beach and watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean whilst talking feelings. Note the happy couple in the background. He just has that effect on people.

One of my best mates has decided to put himself up onto the singles real estate market - a pick of the bunch, especially if you're looking for a bit of a cheap rental.

Not just for my friends, family and associated acquaintances, I strongly encourage random readers of this blog to post a comment/amorous affirmation, regardless of your geographic disposition or aversion to really really ridiculously good looking young men.

From the man himself:

"I am now widely regarded as the best big spoon in the Eastern Suburbs and am confident of taking the Sydney metropolitan title later this year. Anyone who is looking to improve their big spooning technique, or any little shweetie spoons who are searching for something more than just an event performed in the hope of coitus, please make a comment".

I thought I'd pose a couple of questions to give readers a bit more of an insight into the man who Nelson Mandela once described as 'OK':

If you were to be the lead singer in a boy band, who would it be and why?
I'd be any lead singer in any boy band just so I could wear the shexy clothing and get my make up done.

Would you rather: get with John Howard or parachute nude into a swimming pool full of Amazonian candiru fish?
I would like to get with John Howard whilst nude in a pool with the fish.

What would constitute your perfect date?
A girl not leaving before the main course has come out.

If you could get plastic surgery for any part of your body, where would it be and why?
My penis, 11 inches really is just too much for any man.

Complete these sentences:
Hotelbell...Is that a brothel?
My mates think that I am...a person with the personality of an autistic piece of chalk.
I have an amazing...collection of bat faeces on my car at the moment.

So there you have it. A single, honest and very eligible young bachelor putting himself out there for the benefit of advancing the genetic excellence of Australia's next generation.

Good morning Vietnam! (...and Thailand)

Willis and I decided last night that we'd take advantage of Jetstar's 3rd birthday airfare sale and go on a holiday to South East Asia. We fly into Ho Chi Minh city on the 22nd of November, then fly out of Phuket on the 5th of December.

That's right...cheap beers, seafood and croissants...snorkling, tanning and raquet sports...yeah!!!

Everything else in between is still to be worked out. Any ideas???

Willis & I will be flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon. Ho Chi Minh airport supports both civilian and military aircraft.

Ups, downs and a desk-full of vomit

Wow. What a week at work.

From a professional point of view, it's been an absolute rollercoaster ride. And everyone knows that it's not really a decent rollercoaster ride unless you've vomitted.

But when I say vomit, I don't mean gastric juices sprayed all about my near vicinity in all of their yellow, carroty glory, I mean worrying about what the bloody hell I'm going to do with my life, and how I can best synthesise my professional and personal lives.

Monday saw me come into work pumped. I'd had an excellent weekend watching five games of rugby, one game or ice hockey and a World Cup cricket final. I had achieved sleep nirvana over the weekend, managing a snooze total of about 30-odd hours and was ready to tackle any PR challenge that smacked me in the face.

Tuesday, I had my performance and salary review. On paper, a positive. I got a solid raise, was recognised for some good work I have done over the past 12 months, and was honest with my manager about my plans for the future. We spent a good two hours analysing my professional strengths and weaknesses, however the weaknesses seemed to dominate - I'm still not sure if my manager's objective was to give me a motivational kick up the ass, or whether it was just a more convenient forum to raise the things which could be worked on. And I still don't know where the hell my organisation sees me in a year. Am I just another intellectual vehicle for profit?

Wednesday, I wallowed in a state of confusion, but managed to attend a meet up of some extremely inspirational new media professionals (I will blog about these guys later in the week). I also got some solid feedback about a media release I wrote for a new large client - perhaps I belong in PR after all?

Thursday - Still confused, still unsure...and a little bit tired from a late night with said bunch of similarly-minded new media geeks. I got some terrific feedback from a few journo's who really dug a hay fever story angle I have been trying to sell in for about a month. Also had a beautiful Singaporean dinner in Cremorne with my gorgeous girlfriend and discussed all things futuristic.

Friday - Made some terrific strategic progress on one of my consumer-health clients - got the green light for a really exciting medical media campaign which will blow the socks off a bunch of trade media. Still wondering whether PR is for me, thinking that sometimes the job is more about convincing the client of your worth than it is about doing some solid public education on their behalf. Then, the stickler. We had our monthly staff meeting, where I was awarded the staff member of the month!

Where does this leave me? Well...still in a state of confusion. Maybe with the award I've reached the beginning of some sort of professional recognition for the extra day a week (in terms of hours) I put into this company. Maybe things will turn around from "he can do this, I can delegate to him", to "he can do this, but he's really stretched - lets get another person on board." Maybe this is just consultancy, I should grow the bloody hell up, and cop it on the chin.

It's just that I'm consistently doing some really good work, my chin is starting to swell up and I need some sort of anti-inflammatory to stunt the swelling. Only time will tell. I'm definitely going to stay, especially considering the unbelievable talent and wonderful personalities that surround me on a daily basis.

However, the next six months will be a real litmus test.

Get some nuts!

Great theme, great star. Thanks to Chris Ash for forwarding this one through...



Apologies for the blatant chocolate bar promotion though.

Personality of a superhero

I can't sleep tonight. I've got a few things rolling around in my head including a younger sister who's going overseas, an impending performance and salary review at work tomorrow, a NATO missile air defence diplomatic spat and the societal ramifications of VB going to mid-strength.

So what better way to try to put oneself to sleep than to listen to disc 1 of my Soul Grooves album and take an innocuous internet-based psychology test. Clare is currently completing a subject in personality psychology for her degree - I'm trying my best to take an active interest in her current occupation. Not that I'm saying her degree puts me to sleep. Oh God. I think I've just dug myself a massive hole in a rising swamp.

So the test was to see which superhero I am most closely aligned with through their rigourous, sweat yielding questions. Here are the results:

I do find it hard to dispute the accuracy of "intelligent, witty [and] a bit geeky" (did I mention really really ridiculously good looking??), and must admit that I enjoy spitting web out of my wrists and scaling skyscrapers in my spare time.

However, I believe that I am still void of both "great power", if you exclude my superhuman homous-eating feats; and "responsibility", if you exclude my recent appointment as UN director of humanitarian and refugee aid to Burundi.

After idolising Batman in my formative years, I rocked in angst trying to work out how in the name of Gotham City I could be more like Batman's bitch, Robin. And who/what the hell is Green Lantern? Do I really have the personality of a Northern NSW, hemp-based outdoor camping light?

On the upside, Catwoman and Wonder Woman are absolute minxes and I'm glad that there are no psychological or genetic barriers to us hooking up. Oh god. The mind boggles.

On that note, I'm going to bed. Sweet dreams.

PRIA - The perfect pitch

Holy shitballs. What an eventful night.

This post doesn't have any pictures, so for those only interested in my pictorial portray of life, please divert to this site now. It's much more entertaining. My best score is 3198.

I've just gotten back tonight from my first ever Public Relations Institute of Australia event. To be honest, it's been the first event which I've been able to afford (many other events cost a few hundred to a thousand dollars to attend), and on my salary, many events simply aren't accessible...a stain on the PRIA for young members, but understandable due to resourcing etc. If only there could be an informal (and non-stereotypical) venture such as a BBQ where people gather on a Saturday afternoon, talk PR and all associated afflictions, then go out and get shit-faced. Low cost and achieving the goals of the PRIA.

This one tonight brought together three blokes (in a room of roughly 35 women and 5 guys) to present their views on "The Perfect Pitch". Journos presenting to us included Tony Biancotti (Formally Today and Getaway), David Flynn (IT freelance journo and former editor of a host of IT mags/newspaper supplements), and Tony Blackie (Senior journo at BRW and founder of PR company Blackie McDonald). In a nutshell, their views echoed exactly what I have thought about PR: Be personal, be genuine, be smart, be valuable.

As a quadruplet, these elements are in no way interchangeable - in my opinion, despite any magical 'new ways' of communicating, these four elements will always form the cornerstones to any effective public relations (or any business!) strategy.

Tonight was eventful for more than just the fact that it was my first ever foray into PRIA events:

• I got my feet wet - we've had about 60 points of rain in the CBD since 9am this morning (apologies to my family in Central West NSW).
• Paull Young, a mate of mine from uni who was in attendance, went up to the president of the PRIA to discuss some possibly thorny subjects, only for his lip to be prematurely cut open on a broken schmiddy glass (yet another reason why they should be banned), being forced to abort any intentions of intellectual conversation with blood streaming down his chin. We got a few free beers out of it though. Thanks Youngie.
• I got to talk about the effects of new-media with a whole host of intelligent, informed young PR professionals.
• There was a simultaneous speed-dating event on in the same venue. It proved quite funny when a random young lady introduced herself, then leaving three minutes later with a confused look on her face after witnessing three guys gripped by said new-media conversation.

I'm still really undecided as to whether I will renew my membership ($275 for a few emails and 'invitations' to events where I need to pay more money) - I think I would like to speak with the PRIA hierarchy as to different costing elements.

This event, whilst a great way to catch up with old mates and meet a few new people, was terrific - I just wish I don't have to pay a heap of money for the privilege.

Goodnight...

Wheel of fortune, South Park style

This one is courtesy of my sister Cass, all the way from little Limerick in Ireland.

Love it!

Note to self when blogging: Check the video and links before finishing the post. Apologies to all who had previously viewed the video which was hideously out of sync. It should be OK now...

<

Second Update: 24 April 2007

OK, well, at least my mum got a laugh out of it.

The above clip has been taken off YouTube due to copyright infringement. Fair play, but I reckon if you took it up with Trey Parker and Matt Stone (creators of South Park), they'd be stoked that their show is getting a little extra publicity in Australia, especially since it's kind of fallen off the radar in recent months.

A 'big' weekend

Clare and I travelled up to Tamworth via Singleton this weekend to attend an engagement party of a close friend of Clare's from uni. As such, I thought it would be a prime opportunity to sample some of Australia's larger than life tourist attractions along the 840km round-trip.

First-up was the Southern Hemisphere's Largest Heliochronometer situated in Singleton. The sundial represents Singleton's contribution to the 1988 bicentenial celebrations.

Cool facts:

• The top is nearly 8m high
• Made from a whopping 30 sq. m. of concrete and 2.5km of steel reinforcing
• Weighs nearly 30 tonnes
• The 'big hand' is also parallel to the earth's rotation! Yeah!

We also went to Quirindi, about 65km's SW of Tamworth. This is probably the biggest thing in the small town of 3000: the 'big signpost'. I am led to believe that every main attraction the town has to offer is posted on this lone pole.

A lovely NSW country town with some rich history - wish I could have stayed for a beer at the Terminus Hotel.

Then, the big one. Clare and I couldn't help but to pluck a couple of strings in front of arguably the greatest oversized guitar I have ever stood in front of. Awe inspiring stuff - an emotional moment.

Cool facts:

• Made mostly of fibreglass over a steel frame
• Stands 12m high and weighs roughly half a tonne
• Unveiled by Slim Dusty in 1988

Clare and I were alert, but not alarmed, when we spotted this light aircraft heading toward the big guitar. Could it have been the target of a terrorist attack??? If there is anything to unite a nation, then it is an attack on the very fabric of our country music heritage - terrorists beware.

Happy birthday Less!

A 'staple ingredient' to any good time, happy birthday to my favourite first-year uni neighbour who is currently wowing every corner of Europe with her infectious personality!

THE wedding

Firstly, my apologies for not posting this up sooner. I have been recuperating from the aftermath of such a shit-hot weekend.

Getting there

I was packing darkies as Clare and I headed up the F3 freeway with rain pelting toward us from seemingly unimaginable angles. I was thinking of how Penny must be feeling, with the irony of that annoying Alanis Morrisette song beating about in her head.

With the rains clearing, Clare and I decended upon Maitland McDonalds to get changed - below is a picture of Clare walking back to the car in some wooly attire. The guy in the brown t-shirt was like, "WTF?".

We managed to get to the church a little early, yet still only scoring the last of the seats. With half an hour until the main action was due to start, I tried to relieve my pent up excitement by inspecting Clare's ear canal.

Clare looked absolutely gorgeous on the day. And the hat! Stunning!!

The wedding

But 'stunning' would be an understatement when speaking about Penny. Wow. She looked like an absolute angel, beaming like a snow flake floating its way across a crystalline Tasmanian mountain.

Here's a quick video snapshot of the wedding:

Millgate and Sar un'veil' their cheeky sides.

The reception

Penny and Josh arrive by horse and cart. What an entrance!

The Evans'


To quote Paff at this exact moment: "Oh! I love love!!". Also note the small child reaching for an early piece of cake.

The gang.

There is a distinct question to be asked in the above photo. Why is Millgate making a move on Clare? He looks kind-of into it, but Clare...well, slightly confused. Please explain.

One for the photo album. Did I mention that our outfits matched on the day?

Willis & Weens: Watch out Daryl Somers and the Dancing With The Stars crew!

Late-night hot chips and sauce from Gresford - thanks to Willis and Weens "The Carbohydrate Express".

Millgate and Dani cut up the dancefloor. Hot dress Posty!


Considering Millgate's earlier advances, I'm really not sure what to say about this photo. It was fun though.

"I need answers"

This particular photo was taken at 3am after Tim couldn't find a nestful of individual easter eggs he had strategically placed around the farm. Perhaps those late night cookies were throwing his radar slightly off course?

The morning after

Ezre finds said easter eggs the morning after.


Karla's trashbag feet.



Willis & Weens slept in their car. The full-length nightsuit Weens is wearing - I've no idea either!