2008, two thousand and great?

Happy belated new year!

With Mr Paul now safely back in the UK, things in Australia return once more to quietness. :/

Last week at work, I geeked out by writing some code to take addresses of our 3,000-odd wannabe testers and place them on Google Earth, so that our head of testing could decide which people to choose, based in part on location. Apart from that, it has been ominously quiet at work, however I have managed to blag a tour of the News Centre in the CBD. I'll report back :)

Christmas & New Year

Ho Ho Ho and Happy New Year too!

Mr Paul has popped over from the UK to ensure that I keep out of mischief over the Christmas period. It has been a craZy couple of weeks with much Wagamama'ing, loafing about and exploring Sydney.

On Christmas day, we went on the Harbour Bridge Climb - a three hour ascent to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We were lucky to go on a climb with only three other people. For safety reasons, we couldn't take cameras up (lest they fell on the cars, trains and people below) but we received a cheesy snap at the top, taken by the guide. (Photo to be scanned in later :D)

Afterwards, we took the train back to Wollstonecraft and had a Christmas BBQ!

Mum & Dad bought me a book (currently ½ way through), a windup torch and a Meccano plane, which I'm about to build now :) Mr P bought me a huge tub of Marmite (over half a litre!). Sonya, my flatmate gave me an Aussie Factbook :D

On New Year's eve, we went to the Royal Botanic Gardens (overlooking the bridge and opera house). We shared a table with a couple from outside Birmingham. The chap was a software developer of sorts* and his missus was a legal secretary. I took great pleasure asking about her HIPS.

Having drunk a bottle of red, I managed to plant Paul's camera in mashed potato - Sorry, Paul! - and then happily accepted the advances of a rather drunken Aussie girl from Wooloomooloo. Having graciously received a New Year's kiss, I came to the conclusion that the poor girl was even more drunk than I was, so I helped her find her friends as the wardens tried to end the event and guide everyone out of the park.

As for the fireworks, they were amazing! The whole sky lit up, even the skyscrapers had fireworks on, looking like chubby gargantuan roman candles.

Today (New Year's Day), I'm recovering by sleeping, eating lovely stodgy food and promising never to drink again.

* He worked with Visual Basic, but given the celebratory nature of the event, I didn't taunt :P