Last night equaled the hottest night ever in Melbourne History. It was 34 degrees Celsius the entire night and at 9AM it had only dropped to 30. The only other time that temperatures have gone over 40 degrees Celsius and not dropped below 34 degrees Celsius during the night was in February 1902. They are predicting the temperature will rise again to 40 degrees Celsius today before a cool change comes in later this afternoon so at least tonight is expected to be cool. read more
What a crazy week here in Melbourne, I have been working days and nights to get some code ready for a release last Saturday and Alex Kidd was in town with his entourage playing against Kidd Kaos who I had never heard play before and it was great night. I got about 5 hours sleep on Wednesday and Thursday night and planned to leave the office around 2pm on Friday so I could go home and get some sleep before meeting up with Alex. Although at one point some ... read more
It is a long weekend in Australia as Monday is a public holiday for the Queens birthday and it is the start of the World Cup. Opening night of the World Cup was very positive, you can not complain when you get two goals in the first game and tonight, well 4am tomorrow England play and then Australia the night after :)I have printed my colour world cup chart with Australian times so I do not get confused half way through and miss a game or even worse agree to an early ... read more
Monday night I went to the Metro Club to see Lilly Allen play minus one band member who was refused entry in to Australia. Last night I saw and I can not describe how amazing that was. I was sat four rows from the front which was very scary when they came into the audience to grab people on stage and the guy in front of me was dragged up and then humiliated. read more
We are going through a with temperatures reaching 35 Celsius which is 95 Fahrenheit to the British. On Sunday I went to Brighton beach to escape the heat and discovered I had forgotten my cream, not very clever but I managed to do 4 hours before having to escape back to my flat before I fried but the sea was so lovely and calm I could have spent all night there. I kept comparing it to a Sunday in Manchester or a Sunday on a beach recovering from the ... read more
I was at FedSq watching the game last night, and what a game it was. SOCCEROO fans rocked the city last night as Federation Square became the epicentre of Melbourne's World Cup celebrations. As the 8pm kickoff drew closer wave after wave of face-painted and jersey-wearing fans poured from Flinders St station into the square until it could take no more, with the crowd spilling on to the banks of the Yarra.They came to watch the nail-biting, do-or-die World Cup 2006 ... read more
What started off as a drunken conversation between two employees of Lonely Planet over from the USA office for 6 months became a reality as LP Australia celebrated a belated prom for those who missed out. Prizes were given to King and Queen (pictured) and even a limo was there to take us around the block with free drinks. Anyway it was a very funny night and I also met Vickys cousin before, Amy who seems to be a very nice girl and is not to bad on the eye. read more
It has nearly been a year since I left England (not counting the brief trip back home) and it has flown. I am finally over it now and I had a BBQ at work and some drinks on Friday night and it was boiling. Sat night I saw City score live for the first time but I do not understand how we did not win that game, I am puzzled. read more
Morning All, I went to see last night in concert or known as the dirty dozen minus eminem. Although Eminem was not there they still put on a hell of a show, some songs they left the record doing Eminems bit and other songs they just ripped them apart and changed the lyrics, for example my band turned into sacking Eminem and taking over the band. Funniest moment of the night was when Bizarre stood up and shouted , is this the loudest you can get Sydney, the ... read more
We all went out last night on an after sail piss up and I was knocking back some shit that looked like the nicest ocean but has come back to haunt me this morning. Quiet night for me tonight. read more
Well this was my in Thailand, tonight I will be on the plane soI presume I will be over intenational waters and not actually in any country. I am not looking foward to arriving in Sydney at 6am when the hotel wont give me my room till lunchtime. Best wishes to Thailand and toall its friendly people here. read more
Just come back from the , I've seen some sights before but what these people eat is beyond me. I found the sushie very nice and also some balls of pastry. I wouldn't go near anyones feet never mind pigs feet! read more
Friday night I celebrated my birthday by going to the pub at lunch for drinks with people from work then at 4.30 we went upstairs onto the roof at work and had some more drinks with the same crowd plus a few more. Then we headed into the city and went to a bar and sat there till about 2am, also drinking. Sunday I spent sunbaking (sunbathing) and then for dinner I went to Nev and Tania's for a BBQ and headed on to Scotts launch party for his new CD. read more
I am now finally an Australian 1975 days after leaving England and what a great night it was. People from over 20 different countries became Australians tonight and I was only one of three people from the UK. We sang songs, we waved flags, and we applauded when people went up to collect the certificate and plant. read more
Wednesday night Service Stream, the company I work for had its Christmas Party at Eurkea. Eurkea is the building I used to live in until early this year, my flat used to be on the 32nd floor and the company had hired out the 89th floor with views streatching miles over melbourne. I am all healthy again now and I have broken up for xmas , yeah!!!!! read more
If you are unable to see the picture, visit . Thanks Dad and Mum for an amazing night :kiss: I went to see City play Reading and Wigan , on separate days, lol we may be good but not that good. I missed the winner against Reading and the only goal against Wigan, strange that I see more goals when I am on the other side of the world. There are many things I do not miss from England, cold toilet ... read more
Let me start by wishing Sammy,Josh and Marcus a happy birthday for this week. Last night I went to see 50cent in concert, or fiddy as his friends know him. Everyone is busy here getting ready for the Commonwealth opening ceremony, as you can see from my video they have started putting fishes into the water along the Yarra River. read more
I went to see last night in St Kilda. They are over from England to play The Big Day and several other smaller venues. Whilst I am on the topic of concerts , I managed to get a ticket for Kylie on row F. Anyway, weather is very bad here today, yesterday it dropped 20 degrees in 5 hrs. read more
There is another 5 hrs left but at 2.30am I have decided to call it a night. It is not like I have nothing to do tomorrow, lol I have Rave Number 2. I will post a video tomorrow as it has been so long since I have had to do at least 5 takes to make a short clip. By the time I post it my enthusiasm has completely vanished from the video. read more
A FLORAL foul-up has left a city street lined with swastika shapes in a week of major Jewish celebrations. Gardeners hired by Melbourne City Council intended to arrange the purple and white pot plants into neat geometric shapes. The council sent hired green thumbs to rearrange the six offending garden beds last night, about an hour after Herald Sun inquiries. read more
Last night was Lonely Planets christmas party and the weather outside was in the 80's which makes a change from the usual xmas freeze. It was in a warehouse turned club and there was food and free booze there plus entertainment from the Lonely Planet band which seemed to consist of around 30 employees. It was very funny , I kept expecting Dennis the Menace to come down the hill. read more
Alex was in Melbourne this weekend playing Chasers on Chapel Street. He was playing from 3.30 to 5.30am so it was a very late night for me. Here I am in the DJ box with Alex and Georgia. read more
We launched 3 new versions of Lonely Planet websites , over 1500 pages of new code. They all launched successfully and we celebrated by having a few bottles of champagne in the office. And what did I miss? Calling my grandparents to wish them a happy anniversary at there party. read more
I arrived at around 12pm to find a half mile queue , ten deep so nursing a hangover from the night before I decided to come back to later on in the hope that the queue had vanished. I went to a friends house party near Brighton Beach and chilled in the garden listening to tunes in the sun with a bottle of Newcastle Bitter. I am soooo looking forward to getting into my bed ... read more
You filled my days with rainbow lights, Fairytales and sweet dream nights, A kiss to wipe away my tears, Gingerbread to ease my fears. You gave the gift of life to me And then in love, you set me free. I hope that when you think of me A part of you You'll always see. read more
I landed in England at 12pm and by 10pm I had seen my grandparents, my friends, had dinner and been to a football match. A very busy first day , on the second day I was up,dressed and walking around Bury by 10am. I am in Spain now, I landed last night and what a lovely view I am greeted with each morning when I pull back my curtains. read more
Wednesday night I went to the Australian Open to watch Roger Federer beat James Blake. Unfortunately we wanted to see either Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova or Ana Ivanovic and we got Federer. It is a long weekend here in Australia due to Australia day falling on a weekend and we are due very hot weather with thunderstorms. read more
I went to see last night in Melbourne. I have been struggling all morning as I've lost all my hearing and about 5L of water, lol. I am about to have a few hours sleep in the sun and then finish packing ready for my flight tonight. read more
Friday Night I went on a office pub crawl around Fitzroy. On Sunday I went to the football to see Melbourne Victory play Adelaide United in the final. We had already won the league and the top four all then play for the grand final. read more
Last night I was making some duck and I ran out of disposable dishes so I placed the duck on some tin foil wrapped around an oven tray. When I took the duck out of the oven, all the juices ran off the tin foil and down my arm. Pain I can not describe shot up my arm and I then spent the rest of the evening putting layers of pain relief gel on. read more
I have not updated my site in a long time so here I go.Thank you all for your birthday cards, I did not do anything special for my birthday and just watched the Manchester Derby. Yesterday I went to beach which is where the cruise ships come into port. Last night I watched Melbourne Victory clinch the title and today saw England loose the ashes. read more
Ouch, I picked up the tray that goes inside the oven last night and I did not know that my hand was not fully covered by the towel. It took me so long to get my fingers off the grill that I now have a flame grilled look on my fingers. If you look carefully, you can see both my middle fingers with a nice grill look. read more
I arrived in Spain around 10am and spent the entire day walking around like a zombie due to only having about 3 hours sleep. Last night we all went out for dinner but I didnt have a nice meal , in fact all I ate were potatoes and I still felt sick afterwards. Off to sit in the sun and catch some rays. read more
What do you do post World Cup and pre EPL, you go to the . My first Australian Football League Match was Carlton vs Western Bulldogs and I was supporting Carlton. I went out for some drinks on Friday night for someones birthday and then spent Saturday being sick so I am thinking about stopping drinking. read more
Thursday Night I went to Australia vs Greece in the MCG where the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games were held. The game was not the best , George Samaras had a bad first half and was taken off at half time, there was pressure for him to start the game as his dad was born in Melbourne and played for South Melbourne. The goal that settled the game (aus won 1-0) was worthy of the world cup, a superb volley. read more
What a start to the new year, My first derby on my big screen. Albert Riera did a great job on the left of City's midfield and Manchester City took the derby-day honours with 3 goals. Trevor Sinclair put City ahead with a neat turn and shot after Joey Barton's cross was not properly cleared, and a cool Darius Vassell finish made it 2-0. Robbie Fowler can on and made sure of the win in injury time when he smashed home a third, I bet he will be having a great ... read more
Today my new plasma arrived and wow it is so big, it seems size does matter in this case. It is a shame that City are on Monday morning and not Sunday but I am going to try and wake up to watch it on my big screen. Saturday night is the office xmas party in the theme of cowboys so on goes the cowboy hat and jeans, I may have a party next weekend and make it dress in your own clothes. read more
This weekend I purchased a bike, all I can say is I think it looks pretty cool but I cant tell you what to do with the 21 gears. So on SundayI rode around the Yarra River to get used to it and sat on Sunday nursing my sore bum. And now Tuesday night I can say after riding to work twice , my bum is not sore anymore and its quite enjoyable on top of saving me money on public transport and it is . read more
I went to the spiegeltenttent last night, its really cool. It is like a circus meets a nightclub, crazy stuff going on in a really nice tent. You dont even realise your ina tent. read more
residents are being ordered to keep balcony doors and windows shut in high wind for safety reasons.
Newcomers to Melbourne's tallest building are told officials can enter apartments to close balcony doors "that may be violating the safety of the building" in high wind. A statement by management said the wind rules were for the safety of residents, no wind alert had occurred yet, and warnings to residents ... read more
I am back in Australia after spending 2 weeks in England to see my family and friends. I got on the British Airways flight on Sunday Night and flew to Singapore, when I landed there it was 6pm and very hot, I sat on the roof for 30mins and had a cig whilst they were refueling the plane, then back on it to Melbourne. Compare the Heathrow taxi driver who shouted at me to put out my cig to the taxi driver in Melbourne who I could not shut up for talking non ... read more
Today is and it is a bank holiday. Mazeltov to the shnecks on the new baby, This isa picture ofEloise Maia Shneck born at 11.50 last night weighing a mere 5lb 5oz. read more
I was sat last night watching TV in the dark when I noticed something moving in the corner of my eye. When I stood up the cat turned around and must have got the shock of its life and it bolted towards the balcony door and onto the balcony never to be seen again. Now I know that leaving my balcony door open is leaving me at risk to certain insects, but I always expected to see flying things rather than a four legged animal coming through the door. read more
Last night was our last meal together. They are currently at the airport waiting for the plane to be fixed due to some wiring problem. It was great having them here and I look forward to seeing them again very soon. read more
We went to today and had lunch at a place that was more appropriate for a Saturday Night then an afternoon. But it was very nice and an hour sat outside by the beach was enough to continue our journey back to the hotel. Check it out read more
My have both been in town this week and I was supposed to be showing them around but instead it has been them showing me around. I have eaten some amazing meals washed down with champers and red wine. We have been up the Great Ocean Road and stayed in Lorne for the night, been on a river cruise and even located a kosher deli. read more
My first week is over and it is great to be back working my brain again rather than drinking and chilling on the beach all day. I was looking forward to a lie in tomorrow but as this hotel I am staying in can not process a simple credit card I have had to book into another one. so I will be able to watch the premiership on sat night. read more
Well the party is now over, I have just been offered a position working for head office in Melbourne. This is to goodof anopportunity to refuse and the chance to work in a field where at least the data is more interesting than old peoples medical records is very exciting. Flight booked for the morning andI just booked into a 3 star hotelfor a few nights to get myself used to the CBD - Central Business District for you non-... read more
This was my last night in Caines, What a great time I have had there, its all pub crawls and wet t-shirt competitions. See you all in Sydney for New Years Eve. read more
Just here with some friends I met in Surfers and also Frasier Island just drinking by the lagoon. I would write more but I have weeks of pics to upload and I have had 4 hrs sleep last night due to a heavy drinking session. read more
just arrived in , I cant believe its day 59 already, time does fly when your having fun. Last nights sleep was the worst I have had since I got here, my dad snores but this guy was playing tunes out of his nose. Going to nimbin in a few days to check that out. read more
When the man in the shop says you eat to many s then you know you really should be looking for something else to eat. Off to Byron Bay this morning so speak to you all from there. I got so pissed last night that I really could do with spending another day here. read more
I have been in Sydney for around 10 days now I think. To get to you get the ferry from Sydney Central, which is very cool how you can get ferries all night to different locations. I should no more when I meet the IT recruitment agency on Monday now I have my tax code. read more
I am now in , not managed to see much of the place yet, although last night I managed to knock back a few VB and started to feel a bit like a local. Woke up this morning feeling like shit. more to come read more
Well , Wednesday evening I will be on my way to Sydney to check out my next beach location. Just booked myself a nice hotel to stay in for the first night so I can recover from the flight and relax whilst chilling on Bondi Beach. read more
Ever wonder what the chinese eat for , here it is. , me shit u not :D They love it all over here. Rice all the time, morning, noon and night. read more
I was woken up at 4am on Saturday morning and when I looked out my window I saw a selection of lorries and diggers who were using the back of my car park as the meeting point and were exchanging loads. Later on when I got on the train to the city to get my hair cut I discovered what all the noise was, they had dug up the to improve the track and the beeps were all the diggers reversing. They had decided to use the nature trail which leads from my car ... read more
Last weekends round up, I've not done anything this weekend as I have had a bad cold so I have been looking after myself this weekend. Sunday I met a girl who took me to the market and then we went to St Kilda foran afternoon walk around. She is a mad Steps fanwhich is very strange from an Australian. read more
I just got my 2nd water bill after 5 years and it is worse than the one before. I am now using 239 Litres per day which is an increase of 9 Litres a day since I started trying to save water. Since I started to try and save water I have actually increased my usage LOL. read more
My laptop finally decided to call it a day and committed suicide. Cause of Death: Hard drive failure and burnt out motherboard caused by overheating. I managed to remove the hard drive and plug it into my new laptop so I still have my data. read more
The weather has been great in Melbourne the past couple of weeks. Warm and Sunny and since the clocks moved forward and we are now in Summer Time the sun is out later each day. This is the first summer in my new flat and the balcony is far superior to Eureka, I can come home from work at 5pm and catch the sun till it sets about 8pm creating an amazing orange sunset. read more
Last week I reached the final stage of my permanent residency application to Australia, I now need to go offshore to an Australian Embassy to find out if it has been approved.
Australia could have got its nose in front in the eighth minute when Bresciano's shot from Kennedy's flick-on deflected off Demichelis' boot and into the arms of goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri.
Thompson showed he was at home in such company with lively runs and a preparedness to take on defenders,... read more
Finally the end of Movember, it was really getting itchy the last week. I never realised how hard it would be to get it off, but its finaly off :) Lonely Planet raised over $10,000 and the campaign has raised over $5 million but the final total is not in yet. Enjoy my 30 day transformation I will speak to you all soon. read more
On Sunday the temperature rose to 110 so getting to the beach was not even an option, so i locked myself in my flat, put the air con on and watched tv all day. I discover after that Charlize Theron was there but I missed her :( I watched NO.8 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne's beat Lindsay Davenport in the quarter-finals and watched some of Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis and Croatian Ivan Ljubicic. The mens match was almost like a football match, with a strong Greek and Croatian community here they ... read more
We have eaten at Ashton Kutcher's Dolce Restaurant and seen Karl Lagerfeld photographing Gisele on Rodeo Drive. We have been to the Beverly Hills Hotel and had lunch in the polo longue and some guy was there who was in Love Actually. We have changed our plans and tomorrow we are driving to Palm Springs for the week so more news to follow.... read more
I have just come home from the tennis after watching a great game , Australia vs USA. Eighth seed Venus Williams crashed out of the Open to the Australian Alicia Molik 7-5 7-6 7-3 She now plays Lindsay Davenport , also from the USA in the quarter finals on Wednesday which also happens to be Australia Day , a bank holiday!!! I left the tennis at 11PM after watching the first 20mins of the mens, I have no idea what time they are due to finished as they ... read more
Today, headlines around the world include: "Miss Universe Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction" "Moon Dance: Miss Universe Loses Her Skirt" " Thong-Gate" "The 'Thong' View of Miss Universe" "Cheap Thrills As Jen Goes Undie-Cover" "Miss Universe's Dress Goes Thong" "Cheeky Slip-Up for Miss Universe" "Miss Universe Gets Maximum Exposure" and my favorite from "Miss Universe Bares Assets.... read more
I am all healthy again now and I have broken up for xmas , yeah!!!!! read more
