Something to talk about

Australia Day
Saturday 26th January,

About time for another party, Australia Day 2008 seemed a perfect opportunity to have our friends back over to the Lane. This day also coincides with a radio stations Hottest 100 countdown, a music poll conducted to find out the listeners favourite tracks of the past year. From 10am to 6pm, 100 songs are played before the winning song is revealed. Our twist on this was to have a shot marked against each number from 100 down to 1. Depending on which song was playing when you arrived at the party, you would need to down the corresponding shot. Some shots were alcoholic, and some were non, and some were not particularly nice!

The 3 of us housemates plus WAGs, dressed in Aussie colours for the day too.

After a few hours from 10am commencement, the party was in full swing and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Unfortunately, I have to end this blog a little early, due to the lack of memory for the most-part of the event. I do however remember; flour bombing the lounge room floor at something like 1am in order to provide more slide for the hardcore of us still up and dancing… the rest can live on in the memory’s of those present… Happy Australia Day!

This Day Should Last Forever

Hunter Valley

My Christmas gift to Lauren, was a trip to the Hunter Valley; New South Wales’ most famous vineyard area. This was the first time I got to experience the place without being on the back of a pre-planned tour bus.

Our first day, we set out to go wine-tasting from our estate cottage. There had been some heavy showers in the previous few days, though the ground seemed pretty firm on leaving across some beaten footpaths. We both simply wore thongs/flip-flops/sandals (depending where you come from!) and were having a blast stealing the odd grape from the vines for an unofficial taste session. Jumping across puddles was fun too… but then came bigger puddles, and puddles that wanted to keep our footwear. We both ended up walking bare-foot through the sloppy clay/soil to avoid losing our shoes and when we finally reached the end of the trail, we had to use more puddles to wash the crud from between our toes and legs.

Several hours later, we were sampling Thai food at Tempus Two over a bottle of Muscato, giggling away after a morning’s worth of wine consumption. The weather on the whole behaved itself, but we still got wet as we walked the long peaceful walk back past more vines to our temporary home for the final evening in the valley.

During the week, my almost regular visit to ‘The Metro’ rolled around. This time, to see English electronic/experimental rock outfit; UNKLE. For the first time, the band brought out some kind of stage dressage with them, and it made a huge change to see a decent lighting rig here, especially to accompany a band of this genre. It turned out to be my favourite gig I’d seen there, and my favourite gig for quite some time, that left my ears ringing for a day or two afterwards.

Shut Up and Drive

Lithgow

I walked out of work on Friday night feeling like a free man, a freer-er man anyway. For only 3 weeks from now, I would be walking away from work safe in the knowledge that I shall not return for a whole month.

That weekend, was used as a last chance to truly relax before flying around this huge imperfect sphere we call home. Saturday afternoon, I drove out West, past the Blue Mountains to Lithgow, with Lauren, Benny & Cam, to join up with our friends staying at Rog’s holiday getaway home. Upon arrival, drinks were placed in hands and the scents of many wonderful aromas drifted past our nostrils building the anticipation of the food we were about to feast on.

The evening whiled away with many a laugh as the guys re-counted their epic day cycling the 6ft track – and on many occasion, Josh would show us his war wounds that he suffered on one “jump that turned out not to be a jump”.

Some fairly lengthy Jenga, which went on way longer than anyone would predict considering the amount of alcohol backing up every prod to the wooden bricks, pretty much dropped the curtain on the evening.

The following morning the temperatures rose to around 30degrees and the relaxation continued with some of the guys knocking out a huge fried breakfast that the 14 of us could help find ourselves again whilst eating, and watching the TV coverage of 2 other friends; completing their adventure across the Tasmin sea in a kayak.

Before I knew it, I was back on a Sydney bus with less than 15 working days to pass by…

Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?

Tarago, Southern TableLands, New South Wales

I noticed today, after a barrage of emails between 6 friends, that it is only 25days, until I once again board an airplane and travel to a distant land away from Active Directory, Blackberrys and Sydney Transport.

Today however, is a day quite different from all other working days in the past year and several spare months in that, I left the concrete jungle. After a client of mine expanded to another office in a place called Woodlawn, I was to set up their new network at this site. Cooler still was the “void” I got a tour of, a hole in the ground that’s currently taking much of Sydneys waste… and will one day produce enough methane to generate electricity! Okay, that’s probably one of the least cool things I’ve written but hey… better than lining up for a gate pass at Mascot train station.

Now it’s not often that I mix business with blogging, but it is since leaving work just after 6pm this evening that I was given a refreshing blast from the past. With my camera at hand, the sun shining into the dusk and a set of wheels giving me complete freedom; I was given a huge dose of the travel bug.

I stopped at several random spots that looked interesting enough to take pictures at. Whilst approaching a log in a field, I disturbed a hare that went bounding off into the dry bushy grass. I spotted some Gala’s (pink birds) in Tarago before taking my Holden 35kms into Goulburn, the nearest major town. I was finally, after a day without, back in an area with some mobile phone reception.

I headed back to The Loaded Dog in Tarago, a pub with some 100yr+ old history where I was to sleep for the night. At $35, I felt somewhere between two moods; a) why am I booked up in such a cheap room tonight? And b) wow, it’s just like back-packing again!

So here I am, still 25 days till I depart for India; that’s 18 days at work, with a visa still to obtain, a snowboard still to receive in the post, approximately 10-11 more gym sessions to squeeze in and a whole bunch of other stuff I really can’t wait for… 2008 is off to a flyer!

You can see these pictures and more from my little road trip at http://www.fonfara.blogspot.com/.

By The Monument

New Years Eve 2007/8

Still trying to fight off the germs in my body, I was going to do something I've not done since the Millenium NYE (due to a poorly timed bout of the flu), and stay sober as 2008 rolled in.

Lauren had gotten back from her trip to England early and so after meeting up with her after work, we got some dinner and then headed over towards Cremorne on the North Shore to join Aaron, Emily, Kate, Ryan & Katrina.

Getting a park proved time consuming and we were forced to watch the 9pm fireworks from the front seats of the car. After a long walk, we finally found the guys by the waters edge. With more food & drinks, we had the party cranking with the iPod chucking out some beats.

Much like last year, we totally missed the countdown, and before we knew it - the harbour bridge was a mass of exploding light and colour. The explosions also carried on up and down the harbour and we could see around 4 sets of syncronised fireworks. A really awesome display this year with plenty to look at including some 3-d fireworks (fireworks that exploded into a cube).

Even with me driving, we still had to endure a killer trip home as the traffic back across the bridge and through the city was generally grid-locked. An early morning McDonalds kicked my 2008 off in healthy style...

Happy New Year to you all - I wish you all the best... and hope to catch up with you all at least one time this year!