darryn

I spent most of today working, but even though it seemed I was at my computer all day I missed five calls, a few SMS’s, a skype call from a myspace girlfriend and countless instant messages from all over. I guess this was whilst I watched The Wedding Singer. I had to watch it because I have cancelled foxtel and we have to return the IQ soon. I don’t really watch TV so it won’t be missed, and I actually watched more movies and TV when we didn’t have cable thanks to the Media Centre and bittorrent.

Last night I went out with Sonia and Kathryn (Essex). We started at the Oaks with Aaron and some stranger, but after one we walked him to Water’s Lane and I took the girls to the C-Lounge. There I had arranged to meet Dan, another of the randoms I have collected in the last few weeks.

Dan arrived very shortly after us with his mate Tony, who is one of the very few people who are taller than me. In Holland I did meet a few, and surprisingly half of them were women. Hot blonde women. I couldn’t even talk to them, I was too scared. What if they got angry and snapped me?

I can’t recount everything that happened but suffice to say I drank some drinks, met new randoms and had some laughs. Melvin joined us at one point but I don’t think I attended to him much as I was having a long conversation with a Layne Beachley lookalike. I guess I wasn’t too drunk as I did not have a hangover this morning, apart from being tired all day. Photos here. I know the photos seem very Essexy but I am not allowed to publish photos of Sonia anymore.

Friday night I was at epoque with Adam and Scott. It was good to catch up with both of them, especially Scott as I see him less frequently. I had three or four tasty Belgian beers but due to their high alcohol content I think I was quite drunk. For dinner I had slow roasted lamb shanks on a bed of stoemp, which is apparently what they call hutspot in Belgium. I was pleased to know that I make a much tastier hutspot.

Last Saturday I went to a house party in Double Bay with Chris and Mei-Ling. I only knew them, although there were three or four other people that I had seen once or twice before, five years ago. As this was a party, all the new people I met don’t qualify as randoms, I guess you would say they were strangers. Well they may have started as strangers but they aren’t anymore. Now they are acquaintences.

The girls who were hosting the party do not know how to cook, so it became my duty to prepare the chinese-style dumplings that they had bought. I am not sure that I did the best job, Mei-Ling prepared a later batch and I think hers were better.

There were a few people drinking orange juice, unspiked. Unusual at a party. It turns out that they were doing the city-to-surf the next day and obviously could not drink. Very surprising that Chris was not doing it, since I cheered him over the finish line of the Sydney marathon less than a year ago.

Late in the evening Melvin and Mark arrived, and about 3AM the party ended. Mel and Mark and I decided not to go straight home but instead went to chinatown, to my favourite restaurant: Golden Century. Even so late (early?) it was packed and we had to wait to get a table, lucky I was with two Chinese guys. I tried to order pipis with XO sauce but they were out of pipis so I ordered mussels instead. This was lucky, as mussels with XO sauce are nicer than pipis, in fact I would say that this dish is one of the nicer things I have eaten. We all agreed that these were the best mussels we have ever seen, very plump and juicy. Of course it is Golden Century so you pay a premium, but it is eight days later and I am drooling as I write, so it was worth it.

I have to go now, I must walk to Minsky’s to pick up my car, which is still there from last night. I hope I haven’t received a ticket.

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On Friday night I met Michelle C* in Newtown for dinner, we went to a Thai restaurant and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine with our tasty meal. We had a good time and still get along well.

After dinner we walked down King Street to Jeff’s apartment. Jeff is a guy with whom we went to uni, and we were in Newtown for his birthday party. It was a different experience for me, stepping into a room full of people I had not seen for five to ten years. I soon got over it though, the wine was flowing and it was like I never left. I say that I hadn’t seen them but actually I saw many of them at Michelle’s house about a month ago for her birthday party. It was still weird though.

I got to have a bit of a chat with Gareth and Joan, two of Michelle’s good friends, and they are both good value. Gareth and I went on a mission with (name?) and stopped of at the Sandringham for a quick one. It was the first time I had ever been in that famous venue, and it was seedy as hell. We had fun.

One of the highlights of the night was when K** performed a drunken striptease for the boys, quite a show although it was spoiled a bit when she knocked a glass of wine onto me whilst jumping on the lounge. I had a good time at the party and would be happy to see these folks again.

I had quite a fun cab ride home and didn’t get to sleep until after 5:30. A big night.

Saturday I got a cab to pick up my car from Kirribilli, intending to go to Maisys for breakfast. The cab driver convinced me otherwise and he took us to Chinatown instead and we had yum cha at East Ocean. Tasty, and we had salt & pepper whitebait which was a new dish for me.

When I got home I managed to catch a few hours of sleep before heading over to Adam and Bits’ for dinner, a tasty risotto cooked by Jem – the same one he “taught” me to make in London. He is a good cook. Everyone except Ads and I drove to the Burdekin but we took a ferry to the Quay then a bus to Oxford Street. The occasion was the welcome back party for Mel and Jem, who have returned after 2+ years in South America, London and Africa. They are in Sydney for one week and then they move to Melbourne.

Another night with old friends. It was great to see Mel and Jem, of course, but I have stayed with them in London for four weeks all up in the last year and we went on a road trip through Europe three months ago so we weren’t complete strangers. I was also happy to see Cath and Justin, Jane and Mark and all of the other friends who came along. Melvin and Mark managed to make it in at about 11PM and Jem and Melvin soon became fast friends. Justin, always the networker, introduced me to a few people who need the kind of services that I provide. So the night was fun and productive.

I took a cab home and chatted to Breigh on MSN for a while before getting to sleep.

Sunday I slept all day. Literally. I didn’t leave my bed.

A good weekend, quite a contrast to the week leading up to it. Happy times.

*not my sister

**name obscured to protect the guilty.

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