Project 289 - Day 75 : (Yum Cha) Fun With Jeff and Jane

Sundays and Yum Cha goes together like Doris Day and Rock Hudson in a 60s era romantic comedy.

The fabulously gay pop culture reference aside, they also go together like my wonderful friends Jeff and Jane (above). They are witty, intelligent, warm friendly people, and the perfect friends to spend a couple of hours chowing down on Yum Cha with, especially if that is somewhere as nice as Kam Fook's in Bond Junction. 

So after 6 months of false starts, re-schedules, and diary snafus, we finally occupied the exact same piece of space and time (with no aid from Star Trek or any sci-fi entities whatsoever!) and caught up on the things we had managed to do in the last 6 months or so. The food was delicious as always, the conversation flowed freely, and they met and loved my lovely guy (as if there was any doubt they would!). It was a perfect Sunday, and the absolute best lead-in to the flute recital that my lovely guy and I attended later that afternoon at the Conservatorium of Music.

Yes, Kul-Cha and Yum Cha all in one day...... cha cha cha!

Project 289 - Day 74 (Saturday 30 May 2009) : Bowled Over! ORHappy Birthday Ian!

It appears that, years after I last played it, that I still suck at Ten Pin Bowling.

I am fairly certain that even if there was one pin, in a narrow lane that fitted the bowling ball so snugly it had no choice but to race down said lane, and knock the pin over, that I would suck at the sport. It may have something to d with my preference for brute strength over finesse and skill, or my apparent predilection for the left (and I don't just mean politically!) or the fact that, bar swimming and sprinting, that I have no aptitude for sport whatsoever (yes, viva the gay cliches!). Whatever the cause, I am not good at it at all, and yet, in an act of selfless friendship to rival that of .... um.... all the examples of selfless friendship I can't think of right now, I went to Castle Hill AMF Bowling Lanes, and bowled two straight games to celebrate my friend Ian's birthday.

It was actually fun, and thanks to some coaching from my lovely I managed to post scores of 67 and 86 respectively, evidence that given intensive coaching, and the application of a slow and steady pace (something that doesn't come naturally to me!), that I can improve somewhat.

Fortunately we didn't eat at the bowling lanes - there are limits to my embrace of Ten Pin culture, no matter how good a friend you are! - and retired to Warren's for a gourmet BBQ, lots of wine and a birthday cake that threatened to go into meltdown so laden with sparklers and candles was it. (I wanted it to be pretty!! What I got was a cake that you could probably see from outer space!). I may not be the world's best Ten Pin Bowler, but I have the world's best friends, and while Warren and I appear top be chronically unable to under cater an event (! LOL), we had a fabulous time together, and that's what I will remember.

Not the scores..... definitely not the scores..... pour me some more wine will you? 

Project 289 - Day 73 : I Tire-d, I Eat and I Drink

I had the day off while the boss jetted off for a week and a half in Far North Queensland.

To celebrate having TGIF off, I naturally headed to ABC Tyrepower on Botany Road to get my leaking tire resuscitated. I mean, who wouldn't?! Nothing says "I am Chilling My Ever Loving Butt Off" like tire fixing. That done, and fee;ing quite perky after my 6 a.m. walk, I met up with my friend Fahmi, and regaled him with lively tales of Tyrepower.

OR..... not. We did have yummy cooked breakfasts at Lou Jacks, one of the many funky cafes on King St., and one of the best. Surprisingly I had never been there, and so forgetting that in walking at ungodly hours I was trying to lose weight and keep trim, I had the fatty Big Breakfast with low-fat sausages, haloumi cheese, bacon and butter saturated toast. In my defense, the breakfast also contained spinach which is wholesome and good, but which unfortunately engaged the Popeye response, ripping my shirt to pieces.

OR.... it didn't, and I left Fahmi to go home while I headed to King Street to post a package to my Dad, before ambling through a few stores, and coming home to... clean my room! Yes, does the manic, crazy fun never stop with me? All the time, love, all the time! Thus exhausted, I threw down my rags, watched "Ellen", had a nap and then took to the iMac to blog up a storm....

OR.... no that's just what I did! Then I chilled a little bit more before heading into the City for dinner with my delightful cousin, Ngaire and my lovely guy at Wagamama's at King Street Wharf, where a good time was had by all....

OR...... actually it really was, and here's the photo to prove it! Thank you and good night!

Project 289 - Day 72 : He Made His Mark....and Left

Today we farewelled Mark (see above) from the Commercial Team in my Division.

He's off to another division completely working for our old boss. A brave man indeed! So in keeping with Rat Race tradition, scrupulously observed in corporations the world over, we took him out to lunch - in this case to the salubrious surrounds of Ribs n Rumps, where we spent two hours eating ribs, and er, rumps (does that comply with the sexual harassment policy? Hmm), and in my case, a monster burger that threatened to topple and crush everyone at the table, before returning to our respective Cubicles of Death and Greyness to madly make up for all the lost work time.

Ah 21st Century corporate life - "We Will Let You Have Fun, But By God, You WILL Pay For It!"

My Squirrel Loves Britney Spears... and Other Pop Culture Trinkets

There are some days when the giant shaking belly of jelly that is pop culture splits wide open and out gushes all manner of weird and wonderful tidbits. Today was just one of those days and here's how the ephemera of the 21st Century enriched me:

* Lady Gaga, she of "Poker Face" fame, and a woman who believes that using sex to sell yourself is an innovative gambit, told a Sydney newspaper that her avant-garde attire is inspired thus : "I have visions... from Jesus. They come from up there. From Jesus, from God. And the gays."

It seems that God and the gay boys are tighter than was previously reported and have formed a joint venture to dispense wacky fashion advice to up and coming popettes. What will Fred Nile make of that?!

* Someone in the USA has created a web site called runpee.com, which lists the best times to go to the toilet during all manner of movies. Me thinks that someone has way too much time on their hands.... and a particularly acute urinary tract infection!

* A man in Washington state in the USA was arrested, high on meth and clutching a porno mag, for standing over a grille on the street, and with string attached, using his penis as a puppet. It seems, Kermit, that your moment in the sun has passed. What will Miss Piggy make of this? It doesn't bear thinking about!

Project 289 - Day 71 : A Waz is a Waz Becuz Becuz

What is a 'Waz' you ask?! A 'Waz' my dear reader of one, is not a what, but a Who.

The handsome gentleman above is my good friend of almost 4 years standing, Warren, and like all Australians worth their salt, I have shortened his name down to the very monosyllabic, Waz. He is my closest friend, absolutely the best person you want around you in a crisis or a blindingly good time, and as calm & reliable, as I can be extroverted and flappable. This was his first visit to the campus, and so we did what anyone would - had lunch in the food court in building E, taking in the delights of the Asian food store. It was a wonderful break to a busy day, and there is such thing as a non-enjoyable catch up with my very good friend.

Plus, and all the gay men will realise the importance of this, the Visitors lanyard, which is a vivi shape of Notice Me! pink, matched his shirt and tie to a tee. Smiles all around!

Project 289 - Day 70 : There's No 'I' in Team But There Is In 'Igloo'

I wear about a thousand different hats at work, none of them overly sexy.

I yearn for zany, colourful hats made of rainbow-coloured silk, riots of feathers and vivid purple organza that demands an audience, a hat so visually powerful that the North Koreans hungry for power in any form, kidnap it, and use it to launch missiles into neighbouring countries. That's some hat right?!

Alas, what I get are the Outlook hat which is never sure what colour it will be or when, and is constantly changing shape and size; the Contracts hat which is drab legalese in colour and shape, and conforms to the pattern with an exactitude that is mind-boggling; and finally the Errands hat which moves past you so fast, piled high with packages and odds-and-ends that simply working out if it is a hat is hard to do.

Today I wore the Team Assistant for the Commercial Team hat when we had out team meeting in the next building. There was cake so we could celebrate Tricia & Ian's birthday, thrilling reports of KPI Alignments (like tires but not as exciting), and a presentation and Q&A by my Boss, Vicki, the MD of the division. 

Always remember - there is no 'I' in team, but there is in 'eviscerate'. Remember that!

Project 289 - Day 69 : Feeding the Ipod Monster

I have an addiction.

I love my iPod too much! A very Jerry Springer moment if ever there was one, but it poses the very valid question - can you truly love something so compact, so handy, something that in one sexy clean-edged package eliminates the need for all those CDs and Discman? 

I say - NO! I have 5600 songs on there and counting - no I don't listen to them all as Itunes keep helpfully reminding, some may say nagging, me - and I am always adding more, much to the delight of my financial masters, VISA and Mastercard. Here are the latest additions to the collection:

Project 289 - Day 68 : IMAX Me Up Scotty

We boldly went today where just about everyone I know has already gone....

STAR TREK. 

I had been meaning to go since it opened but Eurovision, work, and the usual frantic pace of life had kept me from the cineplex doors. Eager to see because (a) I love sci-fi generally, and Star Trek in particular (though not a hard core fan by any means! I can't tell you who played the third ensign from the right in episode 6 of "Next Generation" for instance. Yes shameful I know!); and (b) it was helmed by J J Abrams of "Alias" and "LOST" fame who is brilliantly skilled at making exciting edge-of-your-seat movies that also have a heart and soul and resonating intelligence.

He brought all that and more to this movie which is everything the hype, and my friends' breathlessly gushing reviews had promised. While definitely adhering to the optimistic spirit of the original, it also forged it's own path, re-imagining the original Star Trek characters such as Kirk, Spock, and yes, Scotty, as people with occasionally reckless emotions (yes even logical Spock), and real hopes and dreams. They exist in a universe that starts off as dark and dangerous as our world is right now, and one that alters significantly from established Star Trel lore as the movie unfolds.

The real genius of this movie, and what my lovely guy (who in the photo above is less than impressed that they left the American dating system on the movie publicity material, which means that we are seeing the movie in the future, which is when you think about it, oh so Star Trek!) and I both enjoyed immensely, was the fact that it was a Hollywood movie that managed to combined thrilling action, great character development, and engaging story development in one absolutely satisfying movie that left an audience of grown men and women chattering excitedly like schoolchildren at the end. Feeling like I have had an experience, and not just seen a movie, hasn't happened to me in a long time, and it was a great thing to experience once again, and a fantastic way to end the weekend.

Project 289 - Day 67 : Then I Ran Out of Energy and Stopped.... Just Like That

Thank goodness for weekends.

I often utter that phrase in a wildly melodramatic way on a Friday night, vodka in hand, as I collapse Marlene Dietrich-like on to the couch, exhaustion seeping from every pore. Well, no I don't, but it would be fun wouldn't it? But what I do like to do, after a run of busy weekends, is stop the clock, wipe the diary clean (or don't let it fill up in the first place, which for an extrovert is an almost Herculean task!) and just....BE.

So that's what my lovely guy and I did today. We slept in very late, cuddled, had a very late brunch/lunch, did some errands when and where we felt like that (so where and when in fact that we arrived at the post office just in time to see it close.... I have to admit they closed the doors beautifully in our face!), I read the paper and napped while he saw a friend, and then we grabbed pizza and watched "Pillow Talk" (the very straight Rock Hudson and Doris Day). No schedules, no demands.... just the day unfolding.

BLISS.

Porject 289 - Day 66 : Guest Bloggin' in The USA....or Sydney...Somewhere...

So yesterday I left my camera in Justin's car.....

The earliest I could get it back was the weekend I thought (it actually arrived back tonight thanks to Justin kindly dropping it off to me) so I asked Justin to take some photos for me and these are the results of my first guest blogger....

Justin cooks sausages for dinner... yes I know they're out of focus and looked the diseased fingers they show on Quit Smoking ads but I am told on good authority that they are, in fact, sausages...

Justin watches a claymation show on TV variously involves dancing sheep, talking pigs, and well..... lots of stuff you'd likely see at Eurovision if it were made by the guys who make Wallace and Gromit....

Justin wakes up at 3:52 a.m. for a videoconference with his colleagues from around the world.... oh joy, oh bliss.....

Justin in his work gear, taking the phrase ' working from home to a whole new level....

Project 289 - Day 65 (Thursday 21 May 2009) - So It Rained....Then I Went To Lunch....Then I left My Camera In A Friend's Car

What a day...

First it rained a lot....

Then I went to lunch with my good friend, Justin, at the nearby shopping centre (where I was introduced to the eclair-laden delights of 'Beard Papa')....

And then I left my camera in the glove box of his car so that was it for the photos....

Yep that's it. Stop looking for more photos today.....there aren't any.....

Say What??!!

Project 289 - Day 64 : Raindrops Keeping Falling On My.....Trousers? Damn What a Pointless Umbrella!

Today was officially Weird Weather Day.

Well, perhaps, not 'officially'. Unless there is some strange organisation tucked away in a non-descript concrete building in Geneva or Brussels, and there likely is, decreeing that a particular day will be designated as such so as to draw attention to the desperate plight of.....um... weird weather. We must stop it's suffering!

But I digress. The weather went racing from rainy to deluge-like to sunny in patches to blue skies and back to rainy deluges all afternoons like some strange battle between climatic forces, in which frankly I and many other commuters, were the losers. Makes it all sound very dramatic doesn't it? Alas it wasn't. Snug and safe - well as snug and safe as you can be seated in the Cubicle of Death and Greyness - it wasn't so bad watching the rain come pelting down. 

But frankly I would have enjoyed it far more with a good book in my hand, Ellen Degeneres on the TV, and a doona thrown over me. Then rain watching could have continued apace, the weather could have gotten as weird as it's crazy mind wanted, and I wouldn't have cared a jot.

Hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow..... more rain you say? Then it looks like today's wacky weather was such a hit, they're doing it all over again tomorrow. Got to love those bizarre European based NGOs. Let's hope they never declare Mutant Feral Piranha Day....

Project 289 - Day 63 : A Very Very Very Uneventful Day

After an action-packed, glitter-filled Eurofest, where I got to spend a wonderful few days with my beautiful close friend, Kerry, I went back to work today. While busy, nothing of any note happened. At all. Nada. Zip. Zero.

So here is a photo of my shoe. That's it. My shoe.

Lovely isn't it?

I Am So Subversive My Spleen is Bleeding Sideways

Project 289 - Day 62 : I Am So Blue..... In the Mountains That Is

I was anything but blue today. 

Try bright red, orange and yellow, which were the colours adorning a lot of the trees in Leura, where Kerry and I headed for what I jokingly referred to as our "Recovery Party". After three days of Euro kitsch, glitz and OTT glam, we drove 1 1/2 hours west of Sydney, through the lower Blue Mountains, and into one of my favourite places on Earth to go (which is a tad redundant as a phrase since my visits to Mars and Venus have been negligible at best to date so how would I have favourite places there? Think about it.) - LEURA.

I am fairly certain that it's main street is one of the prettiest you will find anywhere, jam-packed with, well, gourmet jam purveyors for a start. Well at least one. Good old Leura Gourmet, which on the weekend when I am normally here, is so busy that getting past it's amazing selection of gourmet foods and out to it's cafe is all but impossible. Today it was a breeze and we had a delicious lunch overlooking the view below - Kerry tucking into an Eggplant Parmagiana (one of her favourite foods ever is eggplant) and me eating the yummiest filet steak sandwich. It was almost so perfect that I didn't want to get up and go anywhere.

But we did, checking out the shops, naturally (Kerry is not a shopper and it is a tribute to her wonderful good nature that she put up with wondering through bookshops, home wares shops, even a Christmas decorations shop. I ended up buying a bright funky abstract painting that was huge and took all of our combined lateral-thinking ingenuity to get into the car (we drove back wedged up against the dashboard which was not OH&S complaint I am fairly sure!!) before we made our way to the object of our trip....

BYGONE BEAUTIES. It's effectively a Teapot Museum - we have the photos to prove it! -, stacked full of 3000 teapots all lined up on shelves that run around the top edges of all the rooms. I had joked to Kerry that she could look at 60 or so but luckily for her the owners had placed them in such a way in all the rooms that I think it's safe to say we saw all of them! Filling the walls and floors of the museum were tea cups, saucers, bric-a-brac, almost all of it for sale. There was lots to see.

Almost too much. But we recovered from the visual overload by having a devonshire tea - which while yummy, marked a worrisome moment when I realised we were eating in a room full of old people....yikes! Have I reached the Safe Old Cafe Stage already?! LOL - and I need to add, in my case, the FIRST EVER CHAI LATTE SERVED IN THE CAFE. Now I am finally famous for something! Well, only the waiter really knows that....and Kerry.... and some of my work colleagues.... but hey, I will grab my 15 minutes wherever they turn up, run with it, and hmm, put it in a blog!

After a delightful time in Leura, chock full of warm fresh scones, jam and cream, we headed back to Sydney, grabbed some dinner at the supermarket (I had trouble walking to it after being jammed into the car like a sardine on a Tokyo commuter train!), were joined by my lovely man, before taking Kerry to the airport for her flight home to BrisVegas. 

I hated saying goodbye - she is my dearest, longest-standing friend, and the most loyal, caring person I have ever known. Without her in my life, the last 25 years would have been far poorer, and I am so glad we got spend this anniversary weekend together.

Project 289 - Day 61 (Sunday 17 May, 2009) : Fire, Wailing Women, Violins and Cherubic Norwegian Men...OH MY!

In the modest strident declaration yet that I am a great big screaming queen (the hat alone should give that away anyway! LOL) , I hosted, along with my beautiful friend, Kerry (below, all the way from BrizVegas who was a whiz with making up jelly shots and platting Russian-coloured streamers), and my gorgeous guy (see the third photo down - I couldn't have done it without him!), a fabulous, all Russian coloured and themed Eurovision party.


Naturally we over catered - I am my mother's on well and truly!! LOL - but I would rather do that and have lots of food that be accused of not knowing where the supermarket, deli and liquor store are! (Trust me, I know their locations well!!) So we had lots of cheeses, dips, antipasto etc for entrees, beef stroganoff, cheese-topped baked potatoes (thanks Ian and Ingo!), rice, salt & pepper crumbed calamari (thanks Waz - they were delicious!!), followed by lots of cake, slices, biscuits, and ice cream for dessert (thanks Stephen, Fahmi, Luke and Justin!).

In between this vast caloric intake, which all but ensures that I won't fit into the sprayed-on silver pants worn by the German entry any time soon (!), we watched with delight as Europe once again turned on the kitsch and the delightfully, joyfully tacky in one glitter-filled OTT night! We marvelled at the sheer beauty of the French entry, the tightness of costumes worn by the German and Greek contestants (all of whom seemed totally straight! LOL), or the complete lack (almost) of costumes worn by the studly men of Ukraine's entry. We also wondered if the young man who won for Norway was allowed out by his mother at all - he looked very young!

The themes this year seemed to be, in no particular order, fire, wailing women in white, violins, men in tight pants, blue background lighting (thank god for Portugal who went all colour!!), electro folk rock and in one case a weird man in a blue suit who seemed to spend the entire performance groping the young female singer in a very Jerry Spring-esque way! Of course, there were the usual suspects - cheesy music, overwrought, intense 'serious' singing and oddly-rhymed English lyrics but I wouldn't have it any other way! After all if it wasn't replete with all the wacky eccentricities it possesses then what would be the point of watching? We love it all kitsch, odd and strange!

(Above - PHOTO 1 back row to front : Justin, Waz and Stephen enjoy the bizarre Eurovision universe that makes Alice in Wonderland look like boring day to day reality! / PHOTO 2 : Waz, me and Ian - just missing Peter who was away soaking up the sun in Nth Qld! Or possibly the torrential rain?)

Of course a night of Eurovision would not be complete without the extended thrill of the voting round where we switch between 42 countries and their national media reps eager for their 15 seconds in the pan European sun. Some of them are so enamoured with the thrill of being outside of their home markets that they wax lyrical about the supreme wonder that was the just concluded show, leer suggestively one or the other of the hosts (or both!!), or sing the results (like the Swedish lady did below). Clearly she was disappointed that La Voix got in to represent Sweden, and she didn't! Thankfully they no longer assign all the points onscreen, and only 8, 10 & 12 points are now announced, shortening the whole process considerably! Which is just as well, as much as I like Eurovision, there is only so much media posturing and preening that I can take, even with the joy of Eurovision pulsing through my veins!!!

And the winner? I loved Norway - yes the lyrics were slightly odd but the tune was jaunty, the smile vibrant, and the guy was so amazingly cute!! Not as cute as my gorgeous guy naturally but cute nonetheless and he seemed so thrilled to have won that who could begrudge him?

So next year we may be heading to Norway next year! If not, my gorgoeus guy need to get his Norwegian flags ready to go and given the colours of Norway we can just recycle the rest of the decorations! As if we will....

Project 289 - Day 60 : Glitter, Glitz and Sequin-Splattered, Chocolate-DIpped Strawberries : DAY 3 of Eurofest 2009

Today we hit the road in search of Eurovision magic in Sydney!

Actually no, we didn't but it sounds so much better than saying we were hungry and wanted brunch! We set off at the astonishingly early hour of 10 a.m. - well we partied till at least 11 p.m. the night before during semi-final 1! LOL - for Glebe Markets. 

They are, without a doubt, my favourite markets in Sydney, with lots of funky fashion, second-hand books (Kerry holds some particularly light reading - above), one-of-a-kind art, and the Canadian guy who creates the funky artwork that adorns my fridge (check out asyouseeitart.com), and, of course, the sweet and sour licorice that I usually buy bags of, and that is likely responsible for me putting on weight lately. I mean, no I haven't - I am svelte as always! And that is not a fattening South American sweet below, it's a very wrinkled brown...um... carrot, that I just happened to accidentally dip in melted chocolate. Totally accidentally. Really.

Our rediscovery of the world outside Eurovision complete - and a drab banal trip it was too without glitter, bombastic lyrics, and intensely delivered songs - we came back home and readied ourselves for the wonders of Sarkas from Greece (see below, displaying the sort of chest thrusting usually seen in guinea fowl at mating time), Hungary (who's completely straight singer - hahaha! - wore lime green pants that looked to have been surgically attached to his legs, so tight was the fit), the cute guy from Denmark (who sang a song by, and looked eerily like he was channelling Single White Danish Male in honour of Ronan Keating), a cuite from Croatia (who sang...hmmm.... just what did he sing? Do I care? Not really!)...... and dancing black and white bears..... yes, of course, there were... why wouldn't there be?