Last one for the year!

This one is doing the rounds, so why not?!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Now a whole lot... I got engaged, started a new job, went to a Buddhist initiation ceremony, got IPL, Graduated and became a pet owner.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I usually do the whole 'eat right, look hot' resolution, but it very rarely happens... probably best I don't make any. Here are the ones I made here last year, and didn't do very well at!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes! Two of my friends had babies this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Not this year, no. Thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit? I stayed in Australia this year - boring...

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A wedding, a bit lest fat to jiggle, a little more money to spend, and a house of our own to live in.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 21, when we got engaged.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Again, getting engaged! Though that wasn't entirely of my own merit... though getting my new job was!

9. What was your biggest failure? My attitude for most of the year, pre-engagement.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major! I the worst flu I've ever had, but there was nothing else (blood results from two weeks ago come in next year).

11. What was the best thing you bought? My iPod stereo and the birdy boys!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? The Hun's!!!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The same few people who make me feel like a doormat, though I'm bit by bit getting better at stopping it, and holding my own.

14. Where did most of your money go? A fair amount went in to my savings account! Other than that, I spent a fair amount on rent and bills, and lunches that I should have packed rather then bought.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Getting engaged!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a) Happier or Sadder? Happier.
(b) Thinner or Fatter? Like 3kg lighter?
(c) Richer or Poorer? Richer!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Celebrating what I have.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Whinging and carrying on like a spoilt child.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2008? The Huns house for presents in the morning, my parents house for presents mid morning and lunch, back to The Huns house for after lunch, back home for the night sitting in front of the TV.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? I stayed in love.

22. How many one-night stands? Why start now?!

23. What was your favorite TV program? Dexter, 6 Feet Under and Harry's Practice.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.

25. What was the best book you read? Second Glance.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Laura Marling.

27. What did you want and get? A fiance and some birds.

28. What did you want and not get? A house.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? Oooh, SATC was FANTASTIC, but I also really enjoyed Iron Man. Nom nom nom.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 27, I worked and had a bunch of friends come to a bar near my house before La Porchetta for tea!

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A house.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Comfy-lazy. Though I did better with office wear, and am going to keep improving on it.

33. What kept you sane? Opening my eyes to see what I have. And my internet friends!

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Michael C Hall and (slightly less appropriately) Zac Effron.

35. What political issue stirred you the most? Live Export and animal treatment.

36. Who did you miss? Max and my friend who passed away last year.

37. Who was the best new person you met? I don't really meet too many people, but I met my new boss which was exciting.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Don't sweat the small stuff.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. “If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it"

40. What are your resolutions for 2009? Have the best year of my life.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

December dots

• I am playing a LOT of this game. My highest score is just over 40,000 atm, but I'm thinking I'll be able to beat that tonight.

• We've started watching Six Feet Under - something we've been meaning to do since middle bro told us it was the best finale to a show he ever saw. We're halfway through Season 2 and it's REALLY good.

• How was your Christmas? Did you get spoilt? The birdy boys were the present for me and The Hun for each other, but I got the Beyonce CD (FINALLY!), this fantastic Dilbert book, a Jade bracelet (still in the mail), the Marly and Me book (which I'm having trouble getting in to because of the way it is written!), a beachy type bag, a Josh Pyke ticket (which I can't use as I'll be in Sydney for the Future Music Festival), some pirate tattoos and a few other things. I got very spoilt and had a great day hanging out with the family and visiting The Huns family after I ate way too much.

• New Years is coming up soon! We're planning to go to our friends house - he lives less than 2 minutes walk away, so it's super convenient for us... we're lucky he's offered to host for the last three years!

• Jacqui the dog is settling in really well - she only ate a meal for the first time in almost four days the other day - her previous owner was feeding her only minced chicken, so she was refusing the dog food! It didn't do her any harm though, middle bro weighed both the dogs the other day - Pounder was 4kg, Jacqui the dog was 9kg! That's more than double Pounders weight, and they're the same height!!! They're getting along really well though, check out these pictures that middle bro took the other day - I think they're in luuuuurve:

• With new years coming up, I'm refocussing my effort back on the gym, with a target to be happier by my birthday (at the end of March). Damn that Victoria's Secret show we taped...

• The birdies are going well too - they are starting to learn to wolf whistle (which I think is great!) and are a lot easier to get out of the cage now. They still try to fly which is totally retarded, but now they are much quicker to run back over to your foot to get up higher again. Lovely little fellows they are!
  

Jacqui the dog for Christmas Eve Eve

Eldest bro and eldest bro's gf got a new puppy last week - a gorgeous little staffy cross named Galileo. They brought him over to family tea last Monday and we saw a bit of a change in Pounder... it seems that having another puppy around calmed him a little, gave him something else to concentrate on other than his own craziness.

Mumsy and dadsy had done a bit of looking around for a friend for Pounder, and yesterday one of the local rescue people came to check out our house and approve us for this lovely girl, Jacqui:



Jacqui was rescued from a puppy mill, a 2 year old girl who had already been used for litters for the prior 18 months. She was described as follows: ...would love a little doggy friend like her when she goes to her forever home as she thrives on company, both human and dog. Jacqui walks well on a lead, is perfectly house trained and is learning some very important manners from her foster carer who used to be a dog trainer! Jacqui has a delightful personality and would suit a person who is looking for a friendly and very happy dog. So we were hoping she would be a good influence on Pounder.

This is what mumsy and dadsy picked up from Sydney today:


A little bit 'chubbier' than what was in the photos, but you can tell Pounder is very happy about it!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Oh sunny days

I went to brunch with gf1 and gf2 this morning, and it was the first sunny weekend day here in like a month.

So I got burnt.

You would think the girl who is going back in two weeks to get two more moles cut out would be a little more sensible.

Other than that - not a lot to report. I'll either hear from the doctor this week about the results of my blood tests, or he'll elaborate a little more when I go back on the 5th for some cut-chop-cutting. The hypochondriac in me is kinda hoping there is something going on, so that I sort my health out, the other half is hoping that there is nothing and I'll just wake up to myself and eat right.

Next year will be my year - there will be so much fantastic stuff going on, and I am looking forward to getting myself toight and terrific before my birthday, and maintaining it for the big day.

ZOMG.

HOW. EXCITING.

306 days to go!

Weeeeeeeeeeee!!

S-M-R-T

I know what birds like

Keyboard tapping.

Tesla is obsessed with it, and displayed his ability for total adorabless by coming over to my keyboard and tip-tapping at the keys. Squee! Until he started to try to lift them with his beak.
Squaw.

Is it too much to ask to buy them their own keyboard for Christmas?
Considering I dropped $50 on a play pen that they don't really like, plus some clean spray and a Christmas toy...

"We are not impressed."

The big three

I have an appointment with my favorite doctor tomorrow - the one who cut out a multitude of bumps and lumps and moles for me over the last little while.

My three questions will be:

• What is this mark that sits right in front of where I part my fringe that I thought was a burn from my straightener but has been there for months?

• Can you please check all my moles for me? I'll get mostly nude if I have to because I don't want cancer, but I'm going to feel REALLY uncomfortable.

• Judging by the syptoms I'm about to describe to you, what is the likelihood that I have IBS or some kind of food allergy that I am going to hate, but will feel much better for having had diagnosed?

Post your best bets in the answers and I'll let you know how close you are!

Not asking much, just a token, really a trifle...

Some B2B (brides to be) make outrageous demands.

Do not cut or die your hair until just before the wedding.
I want everyone to be under 65kg.
Your partner is not good looking enough to attend.
You must attend all three of my showers, my kitchen tea, my hens night and girly sleepover.

Me?
All I ask is a select few of us learn this dance.

(if I were leet enough I would have embedded it here, but I can't work out how, so you have to click through).

Review: The Deck at Regatta Point

For reference: The Deck at Regatta Point.

Waiter: Drinks?
Enny: I'll have a vodka, lime and lemonade.
Waiter: Sure.
Enny: And are you able to ask the kitchen what on the menu is suitable for vegans? We called ahead and the said there were a few things.

Time passes

Waiter: Okay - you can have the salad or the bruschetta.
Enny: Bruschetta sounds great! If there's no tallow in the wedges or chips, can I have some on the side?
Waiter: Okay.

Time passes
Waiter brings out bowl of warm cherry tomatoes covered in vinegar

Enny: Hi. Sorry. Um. Should there be bread with this?
Waitress: Did you want bread with it?

Enny: I thought bruschetta was meant to come with bread?

Waitress: The bread is not vegan. Did you want the bread?

Enny: Um no. He didn't tell me that it wouldn't come with bread...

Waitress: We won't charge you full price, did you want something different?

Enny: He said there was salad or bruschetta and that was it?

Waitress: We don't have any salad.

Enny: What about the pasta with tomato sauce?

Waitress: It has egg and milk in it.

Enny: Isn't most pasta just wheat and water?
Waitress: Our is not.
Enny: ... just forget about it.

I eat the warm tomatoes covered in vinegar. During this time I find out they gave me warm soda water, vodka and an f*load of lemon, and they don't come back to check on us in 2.5 hours, 1.5 hours after the water has run out.

Enny: ... This is ridiculous. I'm thirsty and where's the bill?!

I ask for the bill and sit down.
I go back and ask for water - they point to the fridge and I get my own three bottles.
10 minutes later, still no bill.
I go back and ask for the bill again.
I go to the bathroom.
I go back and ask for the bill for a third time and he gives me a docket.

Enny: Are you kidding me?!

The bill is spelt out like this:
Misc meal $21.90
Misc meal $16.90
Misc meal $24.90
...
...
Misc drink $6.00
Misc drink $7.00
Misc drink $7.00

...
...

Enny: Hi. I'm just wondering how much you're charging me for lunch? I got the bruschetta without bread.

They reprint the bill. One of the misc items has changed from $21.90 to $16.90.
They charged me $16 f*cking 90 for a bowl of warm cherry tomatoes.

Rating/Review for The Deck at Regatta Point.
Fail.
1/10.
Useless service, incompetent waitstaff, zero communication.
Only worth going for the view - you're better off buying a softdrink from their cafe and sitting on the grass to drink it.

Out of blog-fice

Hey there!

Bonding is going slowly but surely - unfortunately I won't be back here until Sunday night... I'm off to Queensland tomorrow after work for a martial arts camp.

Tesla is the more confident one and also the meanest one - Seymour is the quiet one who is getting a little bullied. Apparently it's all play, but I'm sure we'll all warm up to each other soon enough.

I can't wait to come back and bond with my little boys!!!

Hi friends

They arrive tomorrow!!

The one on the left is Seymour, he is my little boy.
The one on the right is Tesla, he is The Hun's little boy.
The other one was for us, but the guy was keen to keep one of the yellow ones as they are rarer, and it's easier to tell them apart when they are quite different.

Aren't they beautiful?

The bird man is bringing them over tomorrow and helping me set up the cage. I can't wait!

I got to hold Seymour on the weekend when I went around to visit them - he sat on my finger and looked up and me and made a little noise. He has a spot of green on his face because he was out in the grass and bumped his head.

This may just turn in to a crazy bird lady website, so bear with me.