I went to see the Australian Open men's finals on the weekend with the guys - Michael, Monkey, Mark and Adrien. It was pretty cool going with four close friends. It was a bit of a sausage fest, but hey, with all of us single and no girls around, we were free to do what we wanted (joke around, perve at chicks and be stupid).

It was my first time in Melbourne. I used to dismiss it as the poorer cousin to Sydney, but god was I impressed when I got there. Everything was so orderly and clean. The public transport was awesome. There were cool shops and cafes everywhere. The people were more polite. Too bad our trip was kind of rushed, and we didn't get to spend much time exploring.

There were so many highlights on our trip. Exploring the city on our first day, wandering around like lost tourists. Arguing over what to eat, where to go, which tram to catch. Eating at a popular Thai restaurant and then having gelato, the five of us sitting there with gelato dripping down our hands. Preparing for clubbing - ironing shirts, gelling hair, putting on nice shoes - and the clubbing itself, five single guys on the dance floor trying very hard to pick up.
The actual tennis finals was pretty good too, but I was so tired when we got there that I don't think I fully appreciated it. I guess in the end it wasn't the tennis that I went to Melbourne for.
It's sad though, because we're getting to that stage in life now where we have to start growing up. I wonder if we'll ever be able to do something like this again.

More photos here.

So close, too close. I can see the every line and every pore on your face, my eyes reflected in yours. Is that noise my heart or yours? You've sucked me in, the spell is broken. We both scream for mercy, but there's no escape now.

I'm at work right now, quietly typing away, waiting for time to slip by. It's okay, I look like I'm working, tapping at the keyboard like this.

So what's new? I'm changing jobs again. It was such a hard decision though. I hate choices, because I'm the greedy type who wants the best of both worlds. It's frustrating to not know where either path leads you, and to live with the regret that perhaps you took the wrong turn is even worse. Fingers crossed.

I was also meant to go skydiving last weekend, but this got postponed due to bad weather. Oh well, die another day.

I've been pretty stressed out lately. Too many things happening at once - organising birthdays, dragonboat, job change, short holidays, the screwed-up sharemarket, trying to catch up with friends.

Quick, minimise. Manager walking past.

I went to the Arcade Fire concert last night at the Enmore. Being full of bright ideas, I decided it'd be better that we didn't stand right up close to the stage, and instead chose the back of the standing area. We were quickly swamped by tall people, so for most of the concert my little friends and I were constantly crooning our necks and on tiptoes. It was pretty amazing though, the explosion of sound that came from all the instruments they use. It was just electrifying.

I can't wait for the weekend. I'm

What? Okay I'll fix that. Yup, sure.

going to Melbourne with the guys to watch the Men's Final of the Australian Open. Woohoo. I've been wanting to do this for a long time, and I've never even been to Melbourne before. Sad, yes, I know.

3.48pm. A few more hours to go.

Back to work again. Sigh. I discovered a new trick at work. When you need to look like you're working hard, stick Post-It notes all over your monitor.

I had a pretty satisfying break, despite it being the shortest Christmas break I've had so far. Went down to the Blue Mountains with a few friends, and had a wonderful wonderful time. The house we stayed at was perched atop a cliff, and the view from the back porch was simply stunning. We were kept active on all three days - bushwalking, mountain biking and horseriding, followed by cooking at night for eleven people (luckily, my expert cooking skills catered for all). A note about the horseriding - as much as I love it, I didn't have that much fun this time around because the helmet I wore was too small! It was fine at the start, but then - I don't know if the helmet shrunk or my head grew bigger while riding - I could feel the helmet pressing against my skull, squeezing, and towards the end I was nauseous and had developed a terrible headache. Now I know how Monkey Magic felt.


I got back on new year's eve, and at night drove over to KKW for some more fun and excitement. Except that I was dead tired from the mountains, and ended up dozing. At one point, Bean and co. decided it would be amusing to carry me to the inflatable pool, fully-clothed, and throw me in, which they did with much glee. It was the one relatively crazy thing I did on new year's eve. After watching the midnight fireworks on TV, I played Trivia Pursuit for a bit and then went back to sleep, not waking up till nine in the morning. The new year. Just another day for me.

I don't usually have new year resolutions, but this year I do. I am going to travel. I was talking to a friend about traveling to Africa one day; we both want to go, but she said she'd probably go first since I take things slow and am not planning to go anytime soon. I thought about what she said, and it's so true. It's something I need to change? I can't amble along forever.

I'm sitting in the car, waiting. I've got Ben Folds Five playing. Grey rain paints streaks across my windscreen while the band sings 'the smell of cold, car seat is freezing'. How appropriate, I think to myself. And then I realise I'm wearing a Ben Folds T-shirt.
I think I get it. My life is a movie.