Bonne Annee, Gott Nytt Ar, Happy New Year

To all my wonderful, cherished and much missed friends, I have had a most humorous New Year's Eve here on Mt Dandenong, and I must say that at 12:00 as I looked over the mass of lights that make up the suburbia of Melbourne from a hill-top forest track, I was thinking of you, my 'family', and missing you dearly. As the pictures below show, I have spent my New Year working a 12-hour shift as a waitress at 'Wild Oak' then taking a trek through the bush to watch some non-existent fire works (too much bushfire smoke to see anything), then drinks at the local pub, then breakfast back at work at 4am with my colleagues, boss (chef Ben) and his remarkably patient wife and soon-to-be-mum.....

I hope wherever you are you are dancing, drinking and laughing....

The night's off the a flying start in the kitchen

All star service gets all revellers out the door by 11

Ben kicks the post-dinner party off

Hundreds of people came to the hills to see the fireworks over melbourne - but bushfire smoke covered the city, and the view

At 'Kate Kelly's' - the local pub in the hills

And we all ended up back at Wild Oak, where Rhianna made rum cocktails and Ben cooked up a stunning 4am breakfast!

More weather grumbles

OK, despite the fact we had two days above 35'c in October, I now have this to look forward to:

Snow is forecast for parts of Victoria tomorrow, just about two weeks out from the official start of summer. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting that snow could fall in Ballarat, Mt Macedon, the Grampians, the Dandenongs (where I live!) and the Alpine region.

A sprinkling on some higher spots in Gippsland is also possible, with snow on the cards for all areas around the state about 600 metres above sea level. Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Peter Blake said the situation was fairly unusual for this time of year.

"It does happen at this time of year, but it's not an everyday occurrence," he said. "It's certainly not the norm." Mr Blake said snow predictions were based on a very strong front expected to arrive overnight.

"It's just a cold blast that's come a long way south with a cold front coming through," he said. Melburnians will need to rug up tomorrow as the temperature plummets with showers and squally winds predicted. A minimum of seven degrees Celsius and a maximum of 14 is forecast, along with showers, hail and thunder.

"There'll be some strong south-westerly winds too, so it will feel colder than it actually is," Mr Blake said.

"(People) certainly won't be used to it." (taken from The Age newpaper today,,,, woohoo)

So, there you go, fun fun fun. Australia - perfect one day, dismal the next!

Ccccold

OK, while I was just updating my blog I just read the following on my weather updates:
Phnom Penh 12:30pm 30'c
Stockholm 7:20am 14'c
Melbourne 3:00pm 11'c brrrrrrrrrrr

Now, in what world is that fair! And where I live in generally 4-5 degrees colder than in Melbourne city. It is colder here in the middle of the afternoon than first thing in the morning on a autumn day in Stockholm!

Not impressed at all!!

Back to my roots

with my surprised, 18-year-old brother Rhys

So, after a very teary goodbye to Phnom Penh, I arrived in Melbourne on sunday morning, with my 70kg or so of baggage, to surprise my little brother on his 18th birthday. It was perhaps the best kept secret in my family ever! I shocked him completely, bursting into the house singing happy birthday as he was just waking up after a big night with his mates.

The mission continued, as we then had a surprise party for him that night at the local footy club. It is not The Heart, but it was fun, and a very good jolt back to my roots! Beer, footy heros, rock music, meat pies. Aus. Nice.

I was perhaps delerious at this point after - packing - goodbye dinner and champagne late into the night at The Heart - running around town shopping - packing - party at MSF house - no sleep again - packing - hyperventalating - goodbyes - airport pleading for extra baggage - phnom penh to singapore to melbourne...... phew!

with my friend Bianca and my Mum

Rhys and his mates.... shaggy hills boys! (and hayley!)my brother Peter and his cricket team mate Jake

with one of my surrogate brothers, Tim (and Rhys' hat)

The last hurrah

Well, it is here, I have burnt all my photo CDs, undertaken my exit interview, and packed up my desk. My time with SCA has finished, and I am preparing to leave Cambodia.

In the next month I will put up more photos and posts that have been missed this year - Viet Nam in March, Kep and Bokor in Feb, my MSC research work, Ratanakiri etc...

For now, I will leave with photos from a typical big night in Phnom Penh taken last friday - drinks and fashion crisis at our house, Elsewhere party, the Heart.... trouble trouble....

What can I say.... it's been a blast!

Becc and I

Becc and Romy

Jimmy, Romy, Reg and Becc

Beautiful Shoes! (and toenails.. ohhh, Cambodia!)

The MSF Beast, our preferred mode of weekend transport

The motos congregate at Elsewhere for a big night (doesn't look like much outside... just wait..)

Rattana - the bar tender with the moves! Hottest job in Cambodia!

Visna pounds the millionth lime for the evening!

Reg and I, wooohooo

Karo, Becc and I, Cosmo gals!

Jimmy and I

Where do all these barang come from!!!

Just wait, that pool will be full of drunk idgiots in an hour..

The AYAD gals - Becc, Karo, Ness, Me, Ness and Kara

Jul and I

Romy, Stef and I... faces!

Mitch put a shirt on for once!

MSF boys survey the dance floor..

Jaz and I

Yvette and Majid

Romy on the stage at the Heart, our usual 3am haunt!

Becc, I and Romy hit the Heart...

And the beat of the Heart goes on, and on, and on....