Happy New Year Everybody!
Best wishes for 2007

Interesting!

Yesterday

Lunch at Freebird to which B showed up having narrowly avoided crashing with helmet-less C on the back of his bike. He got a blowout at 60 kph. Luckily he knew enough not to grab the brakes which is probably what I would have done. Now I know - don't brake with a blowout.

I went to "New World Beauty" recced by J. It was fantastic - I got my hair fixed. It is now a delicate / flaming auburn which I love, rather than a crappy shade of mousy brown.

Movies and beer with B as usual.

On a more serious note - I am being invaded by ants. Everywhere I turned the feckers are there. I spray and spray and spray but to no avail. They turn up repeatedly for the past four days in the sink of the upstairs bathroom. That is weird - are they after my toothpaste or perhaps a spot of mouthwash? I do not understand for what they search up there. Their lust for the kitchen can be easily explained but the bathroom... Colour me perplexed.

Stephen's Day

So hungover.

Watched movies with B.

That was pretty much it.

Christmas Day

Well Christmas Day began with B and I running around like headless chickens trying to find sellotape for wrap our Secret Santa gifts. Eventually it was found in the last place I looked - hardy har har eh! After stopping for Champers and cash at the supermarket and bank respectively, we headed off to C's Champagne breakfast which was loads to the gills with fine food and drink. The Christmas celebrations got off to an early start!

After fielding many questions about B's marital status and disappointing many chickies and drinking copious glasses of champagne - interspersed with coffee, fruit juice, beer and other bevvies we headed off to the Pav where the water was cool and the seats were plentiful. I managed to get myself told off twice by the owner for talking to loudly but hell it was Christmas.

After much relaxing we headed off to JB's where we awaited our turkey with eager anticipation - so hungry at this stage with brekkie just a distant memory - having a few drinks out of the copious stash that we liberated!

Movies, turkey and drinking followed and the next exciting thing was my managing to get locked in the bathroom. After much shouting and "kick the door down" statements, someone threw in a knife and I unscrewed the handle and got out of that small but clean loo. The whole process took about 40 minutes - excitement city!

All in all it was a good Christmas. Would have fancied a kiss from Mr Blond but wasn't to be. Next time! B and I brought much drink back to our place.

Christmas Eve

Got a disasterous haircut for $25 but that's life. On the other hand I got a fabulous facial. I fell asleep during the treatment - very relaxing. Went to Elsewhere for a barbeque with B and the Aussies. Good times but as has my bike with me it was quite an early one!

Snow is not falling all around,
Children are not playing,
Although they may be having fun.
Here it's not really the season for love and understanding
But Merry Christmas everyone

Planning for Christmas

Christmas should not be this hard to plan. Wouldn't it be nice to be in a cold climate surrounded by family and friends and eating roast lamb with mint sauce and broccoli *drool*. Instead I'm negociating with different factions to try and achieve some agreement that is agreeable to all. I know I took on the task myself but I feel like complaining!

I made a Christmas playlist from Alvin and the Chipmunks to the Pogues to Band Aid passing by classical and Perry Como. It, alternatively, knocks me down and cheers me up. I was never into Christmas songs at home because it's all you hear from Hallowe'en.

Weird times my friends!

D left ...

OK so I got over my mortification mainly cos I don't overly dwell on such things. More to the point D has left Cambodia and I have no one quite as crazy to hang out with.

• Who will I chase around the city screaming "I kill you" when she is about to send a text?
  
• Who will I send "A Barry's and goss now"?
  
• Who else would hold a fugly party?
• Who will nag me now?
• Who will lie so convincingly "of course he likes you"
• Who can live vicariously through now?
  

I miss D!

Morto

Yes today am well morto.

Went to my cute doc for paracetamol and oral rehydration salts (best cure when one is feeling delicate). Luckily we both ignored the copious number of texts D had sent yesterday asking him if he likes me (I'm cringing just thinking of it).

Need to bury head in sand for the next week.

D's last trivia

Oh D and I went to trivia and didn't win which was a pity as D is leaving Cambodia for good on Sunday - quite annoyed about that actually - her departure rather than the quiz. Was knackered but she decided that she was coming back to mine to drink some more and bitch about boys. Of course disastrous text messages followed (and you can never take them back) and I knew I was going to wake up morto but the mood we were in, there was only one thing for it - Dirty Dancing, staple of dumped girls everywhere. We oohed and ahhed at the gorgeousness that was Patrick S and the naiveté of the Jennifer G.

Sunday

Well after a delicious breakfast in "The Shop", it was definately time to sleep. D and I planned to get four hours and then head to the "pav" for a bit of sun, pool and sleep. I woke up at the appointed time but D needed more so I just headed out to forage for food and bevvies.

Saw M + L and M at "Flavours" which is not entirely surprising because the only way M could live there more is sleeping on the floor. Ate, drank and was merry until the night before started catching up. Zzzzzzz

Once home I fancied some light entertainment so I popped in Pirates of the Carribbean 2 and was I ever disappointed - tired gags, lack of originality, fundamental misunderstanding of the character of captain Jack Sparrow etc.

Memo to film moguls - "Special effects do not a good movie make". Learn it, live it!

After that monumental disappointment I headed to bed, mourning the character of Jack Sparrow - formerly the best pirate ever.

Saturday night / Sunday morning

Well I would post some photos of a great weekend but unfortunatly D's camera ran out of batteries and I forgot mine. After my entry I was heading to the panto which was great in parts but left much to be desired in others. After the panto we ate - French - and finally I got everyone to agree that karaoke was an excellent idea and that we should go now.

We sang out little hearts out - some people didn't even need a mike. Met up with some people from work - one of them fancied D and he invited us back to his for a nightcap. Fastforward a little and its ten in the morning - we are finishing the last of the beer and decide its time for breakfast.

I skipped the intrigue of "I never", the pashing of the motodriver, and other assorted comedy because what happens on P's terrace, stays on P's terrace - Vegas rules baby!

Of pantos

Sitting in the sun after an easy night last night. For once I got home before 3am so I count it a victory. Nevertheless it may turn out to be a big one tonight - going to a Christmas panto in 35 degree heat. It does not seem like Christmas but it should be fun regardless - I know half the cast. And I believe that we are going to karaoke afterwards for an night of off key singing! Fun fun fun!

There is an ant on my screen but I've decided to be magnanimous and not kill it. The rat should be gont to that big grainhouse in the sky at this point - one can only hope!

Today life is good - probably because I'm not missing several hours of sleep!

Grrr Arg

I hate Microsoft with the passion of a thousand suns!

In other news, the rat is back. Perhaps it is not the same rat as I believe that creature was taken care of (and not in a Julie Andrews way), but a new loathesome beast who stalks my desk and delights in consuming my papers and marking its territory. But alas for the beast, it is my territory and I shall triumph!

I'm back on the blog - been gone a while

Well it has been quite a while since I blogged. I've been so busy these last few weeks with hair-pulling frustration and excruciating deadlines. Life's been so stressed for ages that I'm not sure what to do now without the constant pressure of International Volunteers' Day is relieved.

The day itself - that is to say yesterday - was a very mixed bag. It was both a moderate success and a total failure. Most of the celebrities that were to show up did and even the minister made an appearence although it was touch and go for a while. The failure came from the lack of participants. Essentially the Cambodian equivalent of Brad and Angelina came to our event and they were addressing a crowd of moto drivers and not even a particularly large crowd. The stage was excreably managed and our partner NGOs fucked us royally. Nevertheless I am delighted to see the end of the event.

Although I have been as busy as a rabbit in mating season, my friend M from Paris came to visit. It was delightful to see him and I believe he enjoyed himself and even made a new friend. We went snorkling/diving and motoing in Sihanoukville, where we also enjoyed the happy pizza! After two days we left for Kep, where we met up with the gang and much fun was had. M and I may have been a little childish throwing water on our sleeping friends but no one was too pissed off with us.

There's been quite a bit of partying lately which although enjoyable does tend to take it out of one. Looks like next weekend will also be a big one!

Kep

Sihanoukville