Mel-born, Leongatha, Inverthingy, et al.
Particular greetings to those who are in Victoria, but general to all!
So this last weekend, I raised the average IQ in both states by leaving SA for a brief sojourn in the state with Melbourne as it's capital. I learnt all sorts of things about the iPod on the film on the way over, and about how the white earbud thing was pretty much a fluke which they realised had huge marketing potential about a year after the iPod had been on the market. Landed safely in Melbourne, and found Cam. After a slow 'where do we start this conversation', we were soon talking away well, comparing EU/CU stories and catching up in general.
We picked up Kristi, his girlfriend, who I finally got to meet! Exciting. She's really nice, and was very friendly and welcoming. She was the first to be scared at how similar Cam and I are (like the same subjects, played the same sports and instrument, same sense of humour, both have Christian doctor fathers (how we met)), and then random things like not liking bananas (although that's changed a bit for me)). We had a lovely drive down, fun and good GTKY. Dinner at Kristi's parents (roast pork, so good), and met her sister who is really funny.
Back to Cam's at halftime in the footy, to find that some of his rellies had turned up; Gav, being a Collingwood fan, proceeded to punch Cam or give him the finger every time Geelong scored. Thankfully they won though. Yay. Slept in a double bed for I think the first time, it was weird.
Up the next morning to start party preparations - we picked up some mugs and tables from Cam's church, and some glasses and champagne from the local bottle-o, and accidentally left Cam's Dad behind... I got the job of streamers and balloons, and did a pretty good job, if I say so myself. We watched some childhood videos:
Cam: I'm Mister Mouth
Lochy: I'm Mister Eyes
Cam: I'm Mister Nose
Lochy: I'm Mister Ear etc.
or
Cameraman: Who are you Cam?
Cam: I'm not Cam, I'm Mister Chisomolingo!
...
Cameraman: Who are you?
Lochy (indignantly): You remember me, I'm Lachlan!
And of course, the obligatory bath scenes, cute hats, etc. etc.
Party started at 3ish; Cam has an excellent taste in music (hooray for being a twin). His friends, who have rocked up throughout the day, are really kind to me, I've always got someone to talk to when I want to, and people are impressed that I came from SA. I didn't feel like it was that much, but hey, it was nice to be considered dedicated! I watched Port thrash the Kangaroos (yay), and am the only one cheering for them in the entire room. Thank goodness they won.
Anyway, there are a couple of musos there who remind me quite strongly of Katz, which means that they are great to talk to!
Speeches are very entertaining - I discover that he and some friends broke into a teacher's house one day (only in the country...it made sense, it wasn't like a theft thing, but was pretty funny. They escaped, but were busted because they'd traipsed freshly cut grass throughout the newly spring-cleaned house). Also, he once peed in a cup and convinced Jodie to drink it (poor thing), and got up to various other exploits. He had a good reply speech too, actually, not just a 'thanks for coming', but more specific.
At one stage we play a 'quartet' on the piano of chopsticks, and then of heart and soul. It's hilarious good fun.
GTKY Lochy and Jodie is great too, as Jodes particularly is very different to when I last saw her (unsurprisingly - it was 4 or 6 years ago, or something) - they're both great to talk to, funny and friendly. There's also a girl called Flick who sings nearly every song that comes on, and nearly always in a harmony, which is ultra-cool. She confesses that she's a bad Sing-Star-er, because she makes each song her own too much - this could explain my indifferent Sing-Star form.
I discover that the Chisolms are Strongbad fans, and so "Aww, Peas" is used a fair bit, along with "it's over". We swap websites (random pokemon takeoff from Kristi, and I show them xkcd and Dinosaur comics, and also Weebl and Bob. Pastry back is the winner, of course).
Sunday we just hang around in the morning, slowly pack up, and I get a lift back to Melbourne with Keaton and Nat (two of the musos), and try to meet Tom O'C. After many messages and calls we meet up at Flinders St station, rush off to Crown Casino (of all places) where he is hosting a charity event (of all things to have at a casino!). We eat tea at a Thai place, after a slightly awkward moment when it's his shout, and I discover that I've ordered something much more expensive than he has. We rush through what Oaktree is doing and how my church and EU is doing, each other's courses, his girlfriend, and then I need to go catch my train and he needs to get back to his MCing.
Now, quiz question: if the house I'm staying in is in the suburb of Northcote, which train station do I go to? If you say Northcote, you are with my decision...which was wrong. Dennis was the way to go. Anyway, eventually Uncle Ian finds me, we have a slightly awkward conversation on the way back, but I settle in for the night at my cousin Soo Ling's (or Christina, which she apparantly goes by), and sleep well.
We're up to Monday by now: I explore Melbourne. Find some presents, eat lunch in China town ( :) ), see the lead shot museum, a camera museum, both of which are quite interesting, and then see the Pixar exhibition, which is fascinating. It's all about how the design and create their films - nearly all the process is done before they start work on the computer, which was cool. I'm glad I've done some English and psych-y type things, as it adds to how much I realise about what they are displaying. There's this really cool zoetrope thing too.
I enjoy wandering around, particularly as I switch countries every now and then - mini-Greece, for example, was really cool (and had an amazing chocolate shop).
I also popped into St. Pauls, which is a lovely building and has a great atmosphere, and pray, particularly for the Victoria James situation. Which is very sad, may I note in passing.
Tea with Uncle Ian that night, and we have a really good conversation about Christianity and our ministries and his book, and all that sort of thing. It's good to GKTY him a bit. When Christina eventually gets home (work finishes at 10, her having left before 7!), we have a good chat about school and uni and work and stuff, so I get to know her some too. I start reading some chick lit because I need to wind down, and it's the only light reading in the room. I discover that The Girl Most Likely, by Rebecca Sparrow, is not that bad.
Tuesday: read some more, pack, train into the city, bus out ($15, ridiculous), get on the plane, am delayed, eventually get home! Yay!
Today I have continued by keyboard shopping (I think I'm going to get a Roland FP-7), and started a new touch season. Greens won both games, and I play one for UniSA and one for Tabor. I'm glad to be back into it. This evening I go to a 'what is being a Christian at Uni like' thing, at which...4 people turn up. Hooray for advertising. But one of them is Glenys, so that's great, and I also meet one of Tamie's younger sisters; Sam C is there too.
Fin!
Catcha
Schnook
So this last weekend, I raised the average IQ in both states by leaving SA for a brief sojourn in the state with Melbourne as it's capital. I learnt all sorts of things about the iPod on the film on the way over, and about how the white earbud thing was pretty much a fluke which they realised had huge marketing potential about a year after the iPod had been on the market. Landed safely in Melbourne, and found Cam. After a slow 'where do we start this conversation', we were soon talking away well, comparing EU/CU stories and catching up in general.
We picked up Kristi, his girlfriend, who I finally got to meet! Exciting. She's really nice, and was very friendly and welcoming. She was the first to be scared at how similar Cam and I are (like the same subjects, played the same sports and instrument, same sense of humour, both have Christian doctor fathers (how we met)), and then random things like not liking bananas (although that's changed a bit for me)). We had a lovely drive down, fun and good GTKY. Dinner at Kristi's parents (roast pork, so good), and met her sister who is really funny.
Back to Cam's at halftime in the footy, to find that some of his rellies had turned up; Gav, being a Collingwood fan, proceeded to punch Cam or give him the finger every time Geelong scored. Thankfully they won though. Yay. Slept in a double bed for I think the first time, it was weird.
Up the next morning to start party preparations - we picked up some mugs and tables from Cam's church, and some glasses and champagne from the local bottle-o, and accidentally left Cam's Dad behind... I got the job of streamers and balloons, and did a pretty good job, if I say so myself. We watched some childhood videos:
Cam: I'm Mister Mouth
Lochy: I'm Mister Eyes
Cam: I'm Mister Nose
Lochy: I'm Mister Ear etc.
or
Cameraman: Who are you Cam?
Cam: I'm not Cam, I'm Mister Chisomolingo!
...
Cameraman: Who are you?
Lochy (indignantly): You remember me, I'm Lachlan!
And of course, the obligatory bath scenes, cute hats, etc. etc.
Party started at 3ish; Cam has an excellent taste in music (hooray for being a twin). His friends, who have rocked up throughout the day, are really kind to me, I've always got someone to talk to when I want to, and people are impressed that I came from SA. I didn't feel like it was that much, but hey, it was nice to be considered dedicated! I watched Port thrash the Kangaroos (yay), and am the only one cheering for them in the entire room. Thank goodness they won.
Anyway, there are a couple of musos there who remind me quite strongly of Katz, which means that they are great to talk to!
Speeches are very entertaining - I discover that he and some friends broke into a teacher's house one day (only in the country...it made sense, it wasn't like a theft thing, but was pretty funny. They escaped, but were busted because they'd traipsed freshly cut grass throughout the newly spring-cleaned house). Also, he once peed in a cup and convinced Jodie to drink it (poor thing), and got up to various other exploits. He had a good reply speech too, actually, not just a 'thanks for coming', but more specific.
At one stage we play a 'quartet' on the piano of chopsticks, and then of heart and soul. It's hilarious good fun.
GTKY Lochy and Jodie is great too, as Jodes particularly is very different to when I last saw her (unsurprisingly - it was 4 or 6 years ago, or something) - they're both great to talk to, funny and friendly. There's also a girl called Flick who sings nearly every song that comes on, and nearly always in a harmony, which is ultra-cool. She confesses that she's a bad Sing-Star-er, because she makes each song her own too much - this could explain my indifferent Sing-Star form.
I discover that the Chisolms are Strongbad fans, and so "Aww, Peas" is used a fair bit, along with "it's over". We swap websites (random pokemon takeoff from Kristi, and I show them xkcd and Dinosaur comics, and also Weebl and Bob. Pastry back is the winner, of course).
Sunday we just hang around in the morning, slowly pack up, and I get a lift back to Melbourne with Keaton and Nat (two of the musos), and try to meet Tom O'C. After many messages and calls we meet up at Flinders St station, rush off to Crown Casino (of all places) where he is hosting a charity event (of all things to have at a casino!). We eat tea at a Thai place, after a slightly awkward moment when it's his shout, and I discover that I've ordered something much more expensive than he has. We rush through what Oaktree is doing and how my church and EU is doing, each other's courses, his girlfriend, and then I need to go catch my train and he needs to get back to his MCing.
Now, quiz question: if the house I'm staying in is in the suburb of Northcote, which train station do I go to? If you say Northcote, you are with my decision...which was wrong. Dennis was the way to go. Anyway, eventually Uncle Ian finds me, we have a slightly awkward conversation on the way back, but I settle in for the night at my cousin Soo Ling's (or Christina, which she apparantly goes by), and sleep well.
We're up to Monday by now: I explore Melbourne. Find some presents, eat lunch in China town ( :) ), see the lead shot museum, a camera museum, both of which are quite interesting, and then see the Pixar exhibition, which is fascinating. It's all about how the design and create their films - nearly all the process is done before they start work on the computer, which was cool. I'm glad I've done some English and psych-y type things, as it adds to how much I realise about what they are displaying. There's this really cool zoetrope thing too.
I enjoy wandering around, particularly as I switch countries every now and then - mini-Greece, for example, was really cool (and had an amazing chocolate shop).
I also popped into St. Pauls, which is a lovely building and has a great atmosphere, and pray, particularly for the Victoria James situation. Which is very sad, may I note in passing.
Tea with Uncle Ian that night, and we have a really good conversation about Christianity and our ministries and his book, and all that sort of thing. It's good to GKTY him a bit. When Christina eventually gets home (work finishes at 10, her having left before 7!), we have a good chat about school and uni and work and stuff, so I get to know her some too. I start reading some chick lit because I need to wind down, and it's the only light reading in the room. I discover that The Girl Most Likely, by Rebecca Sparrow, is not that bad.
Tuesday: read some more, pack, train into the city, bus out ($15, ridiculous), get on the plane, am delayed, eventually get home! Yay!
Today I have continued by keyboard shopping (I think I'm going to get a Roland FP-7), and started a new touch season. Greens won both games, and I play one for UniSA and one for Tabor. I'm glad to be back into it. This evening I go to a 'what is being a Christian at Uni like' thing, at which...4 people turn up. Hooray for advertising. But one of them is Glenys, so that's great, and I also meet one of Tamie's younger sisters; Sam C is there too.
Fin!
Catcha
Schnook