Happy New Year!!

Hey folks, you can now get your say on fizin! You can leave a comment on each post that gets put up. Look forward to hearing from you...

So it's the day after the Neighbours night and it's all a little furry-tongued, so we all go to see love actually in the cinema (cue Emma and Laura wailing) and a few of us eventually go down to the beautiful darling harbour for a few beers in amazing surroundings. This place is class, if i can get a decent photo to you all, you'll see what I mean. It's a wee bit of a walk to Circular Quay - the home of the Sydney Opera House which is quite impressive - not as much as the Sydney Harbour bridge, which I reckon was testing it's lights out for new year when we were there. Looks as though this could be IMMENSE.

We walk to an irish bar called Scruffy Murphy's. Now this place is a DIVE. Probably would have enjoyed it, even though I was sober, were it not for the congregation of drunken english parasites who were starting to piss everyone off.

30th Dec, 2003 - 1 day to go. While the lads were working on the building site, matt, emma and I looked for a decent place to sit for the bells, and eventually agreed on Embarkation Park - one of the only places to allow alcohol, while still having a good view of the bridge. Next was the supplies. 10 litres of wine, 30 cans of VB and 2 bottles of vodka should about cover the 5 of us. We head out for a few quick shandies before we wake up early in the morning to get the last bits organised.

31st Dec, 2003 - Iron shirt, buy face paint, smoke salmon, lemon dill sauce and some crackers. Classy. The lads get back from work and arrive home to a feast of said snacks served on an old pizza box accompanied by a $7 bottle of champagne served in plastic tumblers. Who says backpackers can't live the high life. We head out to Embarkation Park at 4pm and it's looking sweet by 8pm...



You can easily see the bridge and the top of the Opera House. The face paint is out almost as quickly as the slab of beer disappears. There's a kids fireworks display at 9pm, by which time everyone is having a total ball....



We patiently wait for the bells (PS I am actually having fun - just a serious face for no apparent reason)...



5.....

4.....

3.....

(hiccup)

2.....

1.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!



Everyone goes completely and utterly mental. Wow. Amazing. Wow. If ever there's been a fizin moment on fizin, this has got to be it. Hugs, kisses, smiles everywhere. This keeps going on for at least an hour, through the drinking games and Millar is soon in front of the lense....



In amongst it all there are sparklers, inflatable dinosaurs, cheese and crackers - you know, jus the usual. Reluctantly, we pack up all our stuff and go for a wee wander round the city trying to get into ticket only clubs explaining to the bouncers that they have to let me in coz "It's not a skirt"! It doesn't really work, and before long we're drinking red wine in a park learning french swear words off some frog. It's 100% classic new year, unforgettable.

I lose most of the folk I know, and talk to Colin from back home, walking back to our building site in Bondi Junction, and get home at half 7. I love this place.

1st Jan 2003 (cont'd) We're up at 12ish, and down to the pub on the beach we go, meet up with the irish girls, have some scran, head to another pub called the Cock and Bull, play the '2 second Power Ballad' drinking game (Belting out any Power Ballad loud enough so everyone in the pub can hear you - 2 finger fine for hesitation), watch Phil dance like a total legend and eventually leave for a curry.

2nd Jan 2003. Today. We will have a day off. We head to emma's pad, watch a dvd, then go to watch the Lord of the Rings, the return of the King, which was alright although, as phil put it, was just one massive Hovis advert.

So that was prety much our new year - fizin.

Hope you all a massive party wherever you were.

Here's to a quality 2004,

Mick

P.S. Mon the GERS!

M + P - brilliant talking to you as always. Hope the weather wasn't too bad!

Vick n Bro - I trust you managed to sneak a few drinks in before the bells!

BC, Bodreek - Fizin to hear from you both, sounded completely mental. Heard you puked on Rod's bed, B - well played!!

Col, Loy - good to talk to you over new year, hope the shed was fizin!

Peek eh - Got ure mail boss! Haha xmas cocktails - miss em!

Jackie - think I may have got a text from you, happy new year!

Der - Brlliance mate, keep enjoying ureself!

Kim - Quality emails doll, 'food poisoning' eh?

Cluff, Elaine - Happy birthday to you 2 - sorry i couldn't be there to watch you both be sick.

Chazza - We both miss ya doll, in fact, everyone.

Matt, Rita, Pete, Phil, Ross, Emma, Dennis - I think I have found all your livers. They can be found in Embarkation Park.

Richie + Glen - See you in Sydney on the 23rd! I'M FROM CANADIA!

Ali A - Got ure msg mate, tried sending u one back, not sure if it worked - good luck with the project!

Everyone else - Tip: Spend the next new year in Sydney.

Neighbours! (From Laura)

Hey folks,

If you haven't read this for a while (before xmas) read the next 3/4 posts coz I had to put them all up at once.

I am now putting fizin in the capable hands of laura...

Now that i've been away for a couple of months i think its time i revealed
my real reasons for going round the world. None of this 'experiencing other
cultures' or 'having new experiences' pish, no, it was to make a
pilgrimage... and last week it was completed when we drove into the suburbs
of Melbourne to Pin Oak Court aka Ramsay St. You can imagine my excitement



Yeah thats me outside Karl and Susan's house, i am cool! The whole street is
absolutely tiny. And because it was Christmas Eve most of the residents were
in their houses, probably looking outside thinking 'you lot are a bunch of
losers'. They'd probably be right. But even Mickey got into the spirit of
things



We wanted to start a game of cricket Jim Robinson style but no one had a
bat, gutted. So one more pose outside Harold's house



then back on the bus for some Neighbours trivia and a drive past the studio
(saw Toadie's car!) plus Erinsborough High. Heard the exclusive news that
Joe Scully has been fired, oh the drama. Melbourne really is a soap fan
heaven.

My crap chat is not finished yet. Sorry. Our first night in Sydney we went
to the official Neighbours night. Obviously we got wecked, managed to win
the pub quiz (with Matt aka the ultimate Neighbours fan and Dennis) and had
the honour of meeting Michelle Scully



who is tiny and so pretty, Mickey and Matt tried (and failed) to give her
some chat, i laughed. Then Dr Karl



who wasn't allowed to kiss me on the cheek for a photo, decent! Then the man
himself, Mr Harold Bishop



By that point i was blind and told him he's a legend. The word is cool.

Anyway my next plan is to climb the harbour bridge (because the guy who
played Todd works there) and go to Alice Springe (where Rick Alessi is
rumoured to be a bouncer) Then i'll probably get put in a home for really
sad soap addicts... what do you mean its not real???

Christmas Day

After visiting Pin Oak Rd (Ramsay Street) we go to St Kilda, a region just outside Melbourne grab some high quality food and being ridiculously tired, see xmas day in on a tram heading back to Matt's. Quote: " 'Merry Christmas!' 'Aye, cheers' " Nothing like a bit of christmas spirit!

We wake on christmas day, go to Matt's mum and dad's for some champagne and salmon - can't beat it! We all squeeze in the car and go to Matt's uncles and there's quite a few of us - about 20 in all. We get tucked into the meal which is absolutely brilliant. The exchange of presents is next, and to our astonishment, Matt's mum, dad and even uncle' whole family all get us presents! I could not believe it. Gobsmacked. I got told that Vicky cried here 9 years ago and am not surprised in the slightest - the most generous people you will ever meet. Amazing. The wine takes its toll and before long, most folk are happy snoozing (bet you had no idea I took this, Matt)...



30 degrees outside, beaming sunshine and more wine than you can shake a grape vine at - I could get used to this. The pudding....



Boxing Day - Anna (Matt's sis) and her man Alex manage to get us tickets to the infamous Boxing Day test at the MCG. Totally unreal - witness Tendulkar getting a golden duck and get showered in burboun and coke as the crowd go completely and utterly mental.

It's Steve Waugh's last test for Australia, and it's a belter of a day - we struck gold...



On our last day in Melbourne, we go to the much-hyped Brunswick Street. It's full of shops. And more shops. And restaurants. Not THAT great after the conducter chick sends us on the wrong tram in the wrong direction. We eventually find it and the only good thing I can tell you about the street is that I found this...



If that doesn't get in The Herald, I don't know what will.

We pick up our stuff from Matt's, say our thank yous and goodbyes, and jump on the overnight bus to Sydney. Remember: The term overnight does not mean that you'll sleep. After 12 hours on board, we meet up with Phil, Ross and Emma early in the morning and try and catch up on some sleep.

It has just donned on me where we are sleeping. Phil and Ross have been working in a building site for the last week or so, and have been given a free room with 2 beds. There's 5 of us sleeping there. This'll be cosy! We head out on the neighbours night...

Culture!!

It's been almost a week since the last post here on fizin and have done loads, so will have to break it up into about 3 parts (laura is going to write one!)

After our museum trip from last time we head out to the comedy club, shout down some unfunny ozzy blokes, play pool with a german boy band member and head back to the hostel for unlimited cheese and tea.

After 4 hours sleep, we check out of the hostel and head to another museum! Sit and watch some film about Titianic in the IMAX cinema which is in 3D, which is quite cool. They have the old set of the Robinson's from Neighbours in the museum. If you look closely, you'll be able to see Scott and Charlene's weeding cake in the fridge! Being Neighbours freaks, Matt and Laura act out that part when Helen Daniels is about to die....



We meet Matt, an Aussie, who used to go to school with my sister Vick for a couple of years ago. In fact, she spent christmas with him and his parents 9 years ago, in the same house!! Matt is immediately a legend - he is a wine nut, and has 3,500 bottles in his house. This could get messy!

So we go to Matt's mum and dad's for an amazing barbie, the nicest folks you'll ever meet and tuck into some steak, chicken and a few nice bottles of 2000 Riesling.

We're now staying at Matt's which is quality, and we get up early on xmas eve to go to Ramsay street. So I hand it over to Laura for the next post...