What I did on my Christmas Holidays

I had visitors, they rafted for 10 days in the wilderness, ate loads of chocolate and smeared litres of sunscreen on themselves... they returned, we saw art, Serious MONA art, With arty wine... I realised I missed Hive chats so am now reading Hive blogs.

EC - Madness

So it's past midnight and Kim's playing Guitar, Drums and Microphone simultaneously on Guitar Hero.

EC - Jaime's the Cyclon!?!

Recently picked up the Battlestar Galactica boardgame and have trying to rustle up a crew of 6 and the time to give it a run.

Finally happened last night and after a bribe of myself providing dinner for all.

Game was fun though long (~4 hours), with a bit of the Werewolf-esque mechanic that runs in Shadows Over Camelot but can be more influential. Basically took until the final run to the end of the game for the Cylons to be revealed even though the humans were pretty much screwed from very early on in the game. Much finger pointing and recriminations had Anna reveal herself before firing off the final nuke that took out the humans.

I was fortunate to reveal myself as the 'dirty skin job' just in time to the mostly unsuspecting humans, laughing all the way to the resurrection ship.

Eugene - Even on Easy, Tool is hard

So Nick just got the band pack for Guitar Hero World Tour and he's solidly going at the drums since setting it up this evening.

I gave it a go but, alas, was not the natural I'd assumed I be.

Anyway, played a 90's medley of Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr and... someone else, first before entering the cheat to unlock all the songs. Played another set including a Tool song and just could not handle it even on Easy. Obviously all that punching of things has reduced my finger dexterity.

C'est la vie.

Anna : New Job!

Again! I'm going over to Arts Digital to work as the "Senior Web Communications Officer" and will be supervising one Mr. Eugene Chan ... hope he's nice, would be a shame if we had to share our personal space for a lengthy period of time and we didn't get on ...

Eugene: Opening Night of the "A Night of Horror Film Festival"

Have just gotten back from Newtown Dendy which is holding an International Horror Film Festival over the dext week and a half. Only really found out about it via the Dendy Weekly mailout so mailed back in for some free tickets. Strangely enough, I got them and since my tickets were the only ones blu-tacked onto the counter when I picked them up an hour before the film, my guess is that not too many people entered the competition.

Anyway, first film was "Flick", an English film about a ghoul powered by rock music in order to bring revenge upon those who wronged him. Not particularly orginal but fun nonetheless. Highlights include an incredibly botox'd Faye Dunaway as a one armed ex-prom queen Police detective and Ghoul view which looked at most things as they were 40 years ago. Nice use of comic books as exposition and speed the plot along and fun rockabilly music.

Definitely considering seeing more of the festival.

Eugene - ART!

It has been a weekend of Sydney Festival for Kim and I. Started yesterday with a free event at Darling Harbour called Water Fools. Being free we were early to get good seats. Being raining, we also got wet. So sitting for 2 hours plus for the delayed show to start did not left us in the best mood but the show was fun and impressive nonetheless and the weather was nice enough to give us no rain for the duration of the performance.

This morning we got up extra early to trek out to Martin Place to see if we could score some Tix for Nix, a promotion Sydney Festival has on to encourage more people attending these things rather than paying the $50-80 prices that is standard for each show. We rock up about half hour before the booking office opens and line was already quite extensive such that, by the time it got to us, everything was sold out down to our 4th (and last) choice, Mortal Engine.

So have just got back from that and have got to recommend those still in Sydney to go see it. It is a contemporary dance piece but the visual and audio elements were amazing and were much more engaging than the usual subjective chaos that is contemporary dance. Signal and noise; light and shadow - amazing show.

EC - Best. Show. Evar!

So after Al's thing Kim and I just hung around a bit before meeting up with with some friends for Dinner before going to see Muse. Dinner was OK, support act was crap (The Checkers I think . From NZ?)

Anyway Muse came on about 9:30 ish and was enraptured from the very beginning. I've liked their music since they came out but have not been obsessed over them but this show has certainly got me changing my mind. They really know how to put on a grand show with epic riffs interspersed with hypnotic piano. As good as the music was though, the visuals were absolutely mind blowing with video effects playing in the background that entranced me more than the band playing on stage just as the lights distracted and enhanced the band to produce an effect as if the band themselves were apart from the stage. Very cool.

One thing that struck me though was that this was the first time in a while that I was sitting a distance away from the stage and was watching the crowd on the floor go nuts during the show. I certainly missed it but an observation made was the number of lights coming from the audience. It was obviously people with their phones recording and the constant glow of LCDs stood in stark contrast to the one time one or two people who brought out lighters for a slow number. It certainly seems the transience of the flame has been replaced by the relentless glow of LCDs as people record things for posterity instead of the fleeting sense of the experience. I smile as I listern to Matthew Bellamy singing 'I need it now' while those people keep it for later instead.

EC - The food. My God, the food!

A much happier Monday this week. Started off a bit weak since we needed to get up at 5:30 or so. Of course that was to show up for the first climb onto the Harbour Bridge which was just spectacular. Weather was perfect and it was a lot more fun than I expected. Essentially my (mini) Uncle Michael is leaving for Canada (Vancouver of all places) for an extended stay so we had a family farewell on the Harbour Bridge. No - no pushing was involved.

This was followed by a nice Yum Cha at the place at the top of Market City. The place has opened up again and the service has improved vastly. Food has and still is good. This was followed by a quick session at Galaxy World where Chuppa Chups were won. Yay!

Nap later, we had a mun yit for my cousin who's had their third kid so celebration was done via a 10 course meal - Chinese style. Much eating was done - epecially since our table was under attended as compared to everyone elses. One observation made was that our table without rugrats running around. Hmm.

EC - The blood - oh my god, the blood

So was walking home through Vic park late last night because I figured I'd have less distractions to finish essays in the office and I get approached by two kids waving a Coke bottle around telling me to give them my laptop. I obviously told them to go to to hell - especially when one of them didn't look older than 12. Anyway they told me to look behind me twice with nothing there before two more came around trying to intimidate me with numbers - again age no older than 15 in the four of them.

I try scaring them off myself with a few empty kicks since I really didn't see these guys as a threat and they were just kids beforeI find myself grounded from a Coke bottle thrown to my head. I was obviously bleeding but I got up and told them to bring it on. I have to wonder what I looked like getting up from what must have been a nastily split lip and a bleeding nose and still telling them to come again. Anyway they threw the bottle again and missed. I went to pick it up and walked away. Shouting was done and I went home.

I was bleeding something savage but figured - well a split lip - nothing to worry about. Come home and Kim freaks and I look in the mirror and see yeah, I should probably get that seen to. A taxi later am in the RPA waiting room... waiting. 5 hours later I'm stitched up and home again.

And the worse thing? The 5 hours in the waiting room I was forced to watch old sitcom after old sitcom interspersed with the Shopping Channel trying to convince me Air Supply was good.

Big Day Out is GO!

So after missing out on tickets to Rage Against the Machine and predicting the quickness Big Day Out Sydney sold out on, Kim and I resolved to go down to Melbourne for this year's show.

Discussed this with Nick and similarly he was planning on going to the Gold Coast show. His experience was a bit past 12 and he had some problems logging onto the site but not too many.

As such I waited until Friday officially ticked over and logged on. No problems whatsoever and was still considering picking up my full ticket allotment of 4 though I only needed 2. Decided against it in the end since it really wasn't the ethical thing to do.

Anyway, got my confirmation at 3 this morning so am good to go (barring plane tickets). Just looked and even the Melbourne show's sold out already so yeah for staying up past my bedtime!

Eugene - Home Song Stories

Went to see Home Song Stories today and was quite impressed. I have to admit that I didn't rcognise the Joan Chen of Twin Peaks until her makeup was off. Having a browse through her imdb entry, little did I realise how much of a presence she had in 80's tv.

Anyway, this was a consolation prize since the original plan was to walk to Bondi and see Stardust. Maybe tomorrow.

Jen - Visit from Eugene

Had a visit from Eugene today, who borrowed my father's ute. Atticus found a "pet" butterfly... let's call him "Squashy". R.I.P. Squashy.

MrE - Come Rain, Hail or Shine... ok no fan of rain or hail

Mondays' have become the evening where Kim and I go for a walk from her work in the Masonic building to Bondi Junction. We were worried with today's less than inspirational weather might put a dampener on things but it was not to be. We had a nice walk with no rain and the temperature being quite moderate in all honesty. Finished off with dinner at Bondi's Sushi Train before we go our separate ways home.

Yeah I know - nice story but the ending sucked.

MrE - So Baaad it's Good

So after a day spent mostly installing the Adobe Creative Suite at work, catharsis was achieved, first with an 'admin meeting' where about half a bottle was drunk followed by dinner with 'other' uni firends, Duncan, Liz, Jane and Richard before heading off to Black Sheep.

The movie is excellent and well recommended to all. The country couple of Duncan and Liz made it a thematic evening starting with the lamb dishes at the D&S whereas me and Kim warded off the evil sheep with some mint choctops.

As an addendum, apparently there as a man missing a leg in the seats in front of us and Duncan did ask after the film whether the man had been to New Zealand recently.

MrE - You break the instructor's nose ONE time...

Have just returned from the first Kickboxing class in HK Ward in a long time. Class is much smaller than last time I saw it but then the instructor, CL, has been away about as consistant as I have in attendance. So small class meant more one on one time and less slacking off. A lot less girl friendly than it use to be with the attendance of one and she was a walk in.

Was starving by the end of class but forgot to bring money so had to hold it until I got home. 1 hour later (god I hate commuting) I make it home and mum has colonised the kitchen for the moon cake empire. The fridge is hardly bare but I was told that 5 pizzas had been consumed by the remaining members of the household which meant none for me. After dinner I find this is a gross exaggeration and continue gorging on cold carbs long after my hunger had been sated.

So what, two weeks before I'm back in Chippendale...?

City to Surf - A Leisurely Forced March

Kim and I also did City-2-Surf. I kind of marched it so subsequently so did Kim. Made it in at 2:55/175 all up. A friend of Kim's tried running it and made it in a half hour before us but complained about soreness later.