Happy ‘Stralia Day!

HOORAY FOR AUGIE MARCH getting number one in the Triple J Hottest 100 this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One Crowded Hour is an amazing tune by an amazing band that I have loved since the early Sunset Studies days of 2000. Will never forget their set at the BDO that year – they were nearly first on the bill on the RRR stage! And then seeing them at Meredith – that unforgettable Meredith with Dan & Sav!!!!!!!! Brilliant stuff.

Notable mentions: Red Riders with Slide In Next To Me came in @ 96, Bloc Party with The Prayer @ 65, and Sarah Blasko with Explain @ 79 and Always On This Line @ 58 - go team!!!!!

I’m sitting at work streaming the Hottest 100 and pretending I’m in the backyard at Kew having a BBQ and drinking refreshing alcoholic beverages. Can’t believe how much I miss home today and the grand Australia Day public holiday!!!!!!!

Anyway, back to reality – here is what has been happening in London of late;

Well the slogan ‘It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over’ we have been using on the new Rocky movie campaign has honestly rung true! Sly Stallone was over here for the UK Premiere of the movie and oh my goodness – the whole country has gone mad for him!

I was looking after ticket requests for the premiere and was being bribed left, right and centre for tickets to the event which took place last Tuesday 16 January. Being the diligent employee that I am of course I didn’t take any! I did manage to get some tickets for Ant and his mate Russ and also my school buddies Matt and Dave. Matt and Dave accompanied me to the after party where they both successfully nabbed a pair of boxing gloves each! Good score lads.

Matt has now taken off out of London and is on his way to spending 3 months in South America before heading back to Australia – be safe my friend and have a ball!!!

A notable event during Rocky week was my boss being asked to fly on Stallone’s private jet from London to Liverpool for Stallone to make an appearance at the Everton v Reading match. This is exciting for two reasons 1) Ian is a huge Everton supporter and 2) a trip on Stallone’s private jet??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The trip happened as Robert Earl who part owns Planet Hollywood with Sly also is a major shareholder in Everton! Stallone walked on to the field at half time wearing an Everton scarf and the crowd went mental. Afterwards my boss was given the Everton scarf!!!!!!! That would be worth more on eBay than my annual salary I’m guessing! We are going to have it framed with some cool signed photos of the day etc.

Well more exciting news, it snowed in London on Tuesday night, the first time since I arrived!!! So strange to see a city covered in white – but let me just say, it was an improvement on the normal drab grey of London! I felt like a big kid when I opened the curtain and found my window sill chockers full of fluffy white snow, and all of the cars in the street was absolutely covered – it was like a winter wonderland. Very cool view from the top level of the double decker bus on the way to work on Wednesday too. I actually saw it falling on Thursday morning but it just melted as it hit the ground. Exciting stuff when the freezing temperatures actually result in something pretty and make it worth the frostbite!

James and I have booked our flights – we arrive in Melb on Sunday 18 March at around 8pm and depart again at midnight on 1 April so it’s actually 2 April. Hopefully Melbourne turns on the heat for us, I am the palest I have ever been in my life! I hate it but James assures me it’s good for my skin! It’s strange to be in a country where you look at the weather report and see the UV index marked as ‘low’… Can’t bloody well wait to get home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I’m hitting the big 3 0 next month and to be honest I’m not having a breakdown or anything like that like I thought I would be – I’m not particularly happy to be at the end of my 20’s but I’m pretty proud of how many gigs/ parties I managed to attend during the past decade!!!!!!! At the same time as climbing those first difficult rungs of the corporate ladder. It’s weird – I still feel like one of the ‘youngies’ in whatever workplace I’m in even though there are clearly younger people around… Perhaps it’s my immaturity??? My boss nearly fell over when I told him my age the other week – and said ‘oh, so that’s why you are so mature…’ I still don’t know if that’s a compliment or not!!

I’m getting my hair cut for the first time since February 2006 tonight… Brendan – if you read this please take this compliment, I’ve been too scared to let anyone else near it!!!!!! And how can I get my hair cut by someone I don’t go to gigs with? Doesn’t seem right really. Anyway I was walking back from the copy shop yesterday and took a short cut down D’Arblay Street W1 and stumbled across this great place called Fish Hairdressing – I did a double take just like I did when I found Tribe and Brendan, except no one was getting dreadlocks and there was no cute staffy called Ned wandering around the salon. But anyway – it looks pretty cool so come 6pm this evening we will know if I made the right decision! Chris (the hairdresser) better not make me regret it! It is too long and annoying for me to cope with anymore…

Anyhoo the weekend is nearly here – got a bit planned. After getting my hair done tonight I may trek out to Waterloo to catch Dave and some other Aussie folk at Duke of York to celebrate ye not so olde Australia Day. James will come to London tomorrow and we will probably go to Camden Market in the afternoon and forage the vast vintage section. Sunday we are going to help out at the charity premiere of Notes on a Scandal – Ewan McGregor is confirmed as attending so please check in next week for tales of me stalking him!!!!!!!!

ENJOY RAINBOW SERPENT EVERYONE THAT IS GOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be safe and have a blast - very jealous!

Happy Birthday to Sav and Poinwah who both marked the start of another exciting year on earth this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over and out xxx