End of Year Wrap Up

Highlights: (these are in Chronological Order)
1. The Cuz's wedding in Thailand
2. Meeting Benny Jr & seeing a little more grown up Godson
3. New Job in Saudi Arabia
4. Nailing the Belmont Stakes Trifecta (with long shot 'Palace Malice' winning)
5. Taking the Girl to Le Bernadin for her Birthday
6. Marrying my best friend
7. Obtaining a Glass
8. Spending the first hitched Xmas / NYE with the Girl

As for my 2013 New Years Resolutions = 5/10, not bad considering a few of them were out of my control (the new job took care of a couple). If I was shooting 50% in the NBA I would be very happy! So I will be donating $500 to a charity - no one actually suggested any so I am tempted to donate to the 'Human Fund' but I'm not that cheap. Alas I will let you know which one when I post next years resolutions.

Rangers Game (Canadian Hangover?)

The Girl got me some fantastic seats for a Rangers Game right behind the goal. It gave me a great opportunity to see how the Glass performed. I've learnt to move my head a little more in order to follow the play.

See one of the goals I captured below - the fanned shot that dribbles through the goalies legs... exactly how he planned it!

Glass

My Blogging just took on a whole new dimension...

Canada (Visa Run)

The Girl and I are up in Canada on a Visa run. It is cold (negative 25) and there is snow everywhere. Not measured in inches up here - it's feet! I now know the Wife is only suited to tropical weather. Kind of feel glad we had to cancel our skiing trip. We have had a tremendous time here but instead of describing it I'll just let you see for yourself:

The Call

It is not an unusual site on my walk back from lunch to see a line up of forklifts outside the Mosque. This 'call to prayer' must be pretty insistent on (quite literally) dropping everything to attend.

A can of what?

Not sure how it happened but either this means something entirely different in Saudi or the censors were on a break when this product came through...

The tallest tower in the US

With the erection of the "Spire" it came to my attention that the new One World Trade Centre, standing at 1,776 feet, has replaced the Willis Tower in Chicago as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The "Spire" as it is known is included in the measurement. I don't know what you think but I feel it is kind of like a short kid wearing a Mohawk to Disneyland just to get on the rides...

Intended to post this one earlier when they first put it up - but due to unavoidable circumstances of not being able to take the photo, (working in Saudi, the wedding and then when I was home the fact there is no view of it from any decent bars) it was a belated post. Thanks to the girl for grabbing this one...

The Crooner

Our first gig as man and wife was a show by the legendary Tony Bennett. I was a little skeptical at first but certainly glad the girl talked me into it. His daughter opened the show at 8pm and he was on stage not a minute after half past. He played all of the classics including a great rendition of our first dance. He played for almost an hour in what was a thoroughly enjoyable performance. I was a little surprised at the wrap up time until we thought how well we would be doing at 87 years old!

Chloe

While having a relaxing time in Maui - we also decided to do some recreational activity. And by that I mean we took a seat and let another animal do all the work. We went for a morning horse ride along the coast through some pretty lush trails. The Girl was a little freaked out at first until she was provided with a docile beast, named Lucky, that was content to plod along at a very subtle pace. My gorgeous steed Chloe was on her maiden ride after just being broken in. She really wanted to get some speed up which I certainly wasn't adverse to. In that short amount of time it kind of felt like we really bonded and certainly wanted to keep her. There is something pretty thrilling about riding a magnificent animal that can offer you (at least partial) control, and yet the potential to fell you in a heartbeat. After all, a horse took down Superman!

The Road to Hana

The Hana Highway is a 68 mile stretch of road that stood between us and our destination. The highway is a complex route of winding, narrow passes including 59 bridges, many dating back to 1910, 46 of which are only one lane wide. The beast contains approximately 620 curves, that winds through a radiant tropical rain forest. The guide said it would take us over 3 hours to navigate. We conquered it in around 2. Without the traffic and a precious wife beside me, I'm sure I could have got this down well under the 2hr mark.

The Playlist

Here is the playlist from the whole wedding day:

Pre-Ceremony:

1.       Talisman / Air

2.       Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou) / Sufjan Stevens

3.       Release (edited) / Pearl Jam

4.       La Femme D’Argent / Air

5.       Utopia (Genetically Enriched) / Goldfrapp

6.       Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun / M83

Bride Entrance:

1.       La Vie en Rose / The Mantovani Orchestra

Post-Ceremony:

1.       Sweet Disposition / The Temper Trap

2.       The Best Thing / Boom Crash Opera

3.       Fix You / Coldplay

4.       Chloe Dancer-Crown of Thorns / Mother Love Bone

Beverages & Canapes:

1.       Milestones / Miles Davis

2.       Release / Solar Stone (Paul Oakenfold remix)

3.       The Sad Piano / Justin Martin

4.       I Feel Like / Freemasons feat. Amanda Wilson

5.       Duel of Fates / John Williams

6.       Lola’s Theme / Shapeshifters (Ministry of Sound remix)

7.       Finished Symphony / Hybrid

8.       Make You Feel My Love / Adele

9.       Graceland / Paul Simon

10.    Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down / Alicia Keys

11.    Fairytale of New York (Feat. Kristy MacColl) / The Pogues

12.    Your Woman / White Town

13.    We Are the People / Empire of the Sun

14.    Nightminds / Missy Higgins (Ministry of Sound - Chillout Session 6)

15.    Need You Tonight / Mylo (Ministry of Sound - Chillout Session 6)

16.    Feelin’ Alright / Toby Neal (Ministry of Sound - Chillout Session 6)

17.    Don’t Give Up (feat. Bryan Adams) / Chicane

18.    You Got the Love (New Voyager Mix feat. Candi Staton)  / The Source

19.    Things Can Only Get Better / D:Ream

20.    American Dream / Jakatta

21.    Pjanoo / Eric Prydz

22.    The Gift / Pryda

23.    All I Need / Air

24.    Wait / Alexi Murdoch

25.    Lesson One / Pryda

26.    Rymd / Pryda

27.    M.S.B.O.Y (Original Mix) / Pryda

Bridal Party Entrance:

1.       Sirius / The Alan Parsons Project

Entrance Dance (Tango):

1.       Ella es asi / Edgardo Donato y Sus Muchachos & Horacio Lagos

Dinner Service:

1.       Exogenesis Symphony Part 1 (Overture) / Muse

2.       Exogenesis Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) / Muse

3.       The Asteroid Field / John Williams

4.       Nothingman / Pearl Jam

5.       Midnight Cowboy / Faith No More

6.       Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness / Smashing Pumpkins

7.       Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy / Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

8.       New York State of Mind / Billy Joel

9.       0078h / M83

10.     Alpha Male / Royksopp

11.     Patience / George Michael

12.     Betterman / Pearl Jam

13.     Dance of the Reed Pipes / Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

14.     End Credits (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) / John Williams

15.     Guitar & Flute String / Moby

16.     No One Like You / Sarah Brightman and the London Symphony Orchestra

17.     Track 13 / Bush

18.     Sunset and Vine / Charlatans

19.     Salt Water / Chicane

20.     I Remember / Deadmau5 & Kaskade

21.     Zdarlight / Digitalism

22.     Sway / Dean Martin

23.     Can’t Help Falling In Love / Elvis Presley

24.     Christmas Lights / Nina Gordon

25.     Penguin / Avicii

26.     Ashes to Ashes (Automatic 5 Dub) / Faith No More

27.     Friendship Update / The Go! Team

First Dance (Slow Dance):

1.       The Way You Look Tonight / Fred Astaire

Dancing:

2.       Amazing / George Michael

3.       Nu Disco / Moguai

4.       If You Were There / Wham!

5.       Just Can’t Get Enough / Depeche Mode

6.       My Delirium / Ladyhawke

7.       When Love Takes Over / David Guetta

8.       Viva la Vida / Coldplay

9.       Sweet Home Alabama / Lynyrd Skynyrd

10.    Barbara Streisand / Duck Sauce

11.     Bohemian Like You / The Dandy Warhols

12.     Buck Rogers / Feeder

13.     We Are Young / Music Magnet

14.     Take On Me / a-Ha

15.     Young Blood / The Naked & Famous

16.     Ruby / Kaiser Chiefs

17.     If (feat. Hazel Fernandez) / Freemasons

18.     Golden Years / David Bowie

19.     Monkey Wrench / Foo Fighters

20.     Can’t Buy Me Love / The Beatles

21.     Ooh La La / Goldfrapp

22.     The Reflex / Duran Duran

23.     New Sensation / INXS

24.     Billie Jean / Michael Jackson

25.     Valerie / Amy Winehouse

26.     Burning Love / Elvis Presley

27.     Bodyrock / Moby

28.     I’ll Be There For You / The Rembrandts

29.     The Bends / Radiohead

30.     A Little Party Never Killed Anybody (All We Got) / Fergie, Q-Tip & GoonRock

31.     Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers Theme) / Gary Portnoy & Judy Hart Angel

32.     Blue Monday / New Order

33.     Blind Faith / Chase & Status

34.     Are You Gonna Go My Way / Lenny Kravitz

35.     Never Tear Us Apart / INXS

36.     Lola’s Theme / The Shapeshifters

37.     Wonderwall / Oasis

38.     Ready Steady Go (feat. Asher D) / Paul Oakenfold

39.     Sunsets / Powerfinger

40.     UFO / Sneaky Sound System

41.     Brown Eyed Girl / Van Morrison

42.     London Still / The Waifs

43.     Toca’s Miracle / Fragma

44.     You’ve Got The Love / Florence + The Machine

45.     I Love It / Sneaky Sound System

46.     Paris Is Burning / Ladyhawke

47.     Theme from ‘New York, New York’ / Frank Sinatra

The New Traveling Companion

On the way back to Australia for the wedding, The Girl and I found a new travelling companion that we want to take with us everywhere. Her wedding dress. We carried this with us on the plane and everything from our flight upgrades, to free bottles of champagne were offered to us. People seemed to take great joy in spoiling us. I guess we had a pre-wedding glow about us as well, but I kind of figured we could certainly reproduce these results for the next couple of years by simply carrying the dress on all our travels.

What I thought was the coolest - the coathanger had boobs to keep the dress in shape!

18 and counting....

The guys I work with are a great crack and the last month has been a bond henchman style countdown to the Girl and my nuptials. In a deep monotone voice, "18 and counting" was this mornings greeting. I think it is pretty cool that they actually worked out how many days left and remember to let me know every day. Here is a clip if you're unfamiliar with the countdown:

This is my favourite scene from any Bond movie. The music, the offshore rig, the henchmen and the countdown make this a classic. But most of all, I absolutely love the final swan dive... 

Prepping for the Worst

I am not really up to date with who is backing who in the Syria debate, but I am not entirely comfortable being a couple of hours by camel from the Northern border of KSA. The only countries standing between the violence and us, are Jordan and Iraq. Apparently the military here are not taking any chances either as they are upgrading the strongholds at the check points, with these impressive looking nests, complete with rotating turret. I'm sure this is all just for show because the soldiers don't appear to be highly skilled or disciplined. Notice they do have all the comforts though with an air conditioning unit on the rear - combatants would certainly do well to disable these first.

If anyone is shooting hoops with Obama in the next couple of days, could you ask him to hold off for another week until I'm on leave?

Honking Doesn't Really Help

On a long drive to another Port for an inspection of a damaged barrier, we came across a caravan of camels (that is the collective noun, I looked it up), which were doing there darndest to hold us up. As we approached the beasts slowed to a crawl and proceeded to cross the road in single file, which kind of resembled a conga line (that probably explains the whole 'caravan' thing I guess).

The last guy was wearing some sort of outfit over his hump which I can only presume was to hide his embarrassingly undersized bulge.

I knew these camels had planned to screw us over as when they finally were out of the way they all huddled up to laugh and discuss what an excellent job of bringing us to a halt they had done.

A Saudi Sunrise

The surreal thing about staying in the desert is the amount of sand that gets blown into the air. On occasions I have to postpone my morning jog as it is too heavy on the lungs. Another fallout from the haze is some magnificent sunrises. It is kind of like a streaking red comet that explodes into a white ball as it reaches the top of the sand barrier, bringing with it the piercing heat. Not sure my camera phone does it justice - but hopefully you get the idea.

Bow tying

On my lonely nights here in the camp, I have taken to brushing up on the final wedding details. Vows and Speech mainly, although I do take the time to practice another important required skill - the bow tie. Of course when the Girl professed a desire for me to suit up in a tux she probably already knew that I would go all out and tie this myself. After the first couple of attempts you can actually start to feel how easy it could be with a bit more practice. I kind of wish I worked in a profession that enabled me to wear one occasionally (and then I remember how awesome my life is without a bow tie, and instantly dismiss it).

I'll leave this with a quote from the 11th Doctor, "Bow ties are cool."

The Shoes

While I was home last, the Girl convinced me to upgrade my thirty quid dress shoes, from Topman, for the wedding. We headed to Saks (on Fifth Avenue) as they had all of the designer labels under one roof. While I meandered about the selection, mostly pointing out the ones I didn't like, we laughed at the price tag of some of the more ludicrous looking ones - I'm sorry but if you are paying more than $2000 for mens shoes then you really need reassess the value of money. Soon enough the Girl grabbed a helpful clerk to assist and after a brief discussion of the occasion he directed me to a lovely pair of shoes. The Girl's eyes lit up and I must say they were pretty good to look at. As the clerk went out the back to grab a range of sizes for me to try on, the Girl excitedly told me she was very happy I was trying on Salvatore Ferragamo's. At that stage, I had to turn over the shoes to see a very expensive price tag staring back at me. The only thing I could think of, was this was from the hide of a famous cow, perhaps it was once "Norman" from City Slickers. Regardless my next move was the beginning of my demise as the Girl said, "Just try them on for a starting point."

The gentleman returned and after a round of slipping on and off the different shapes, I was finally Cinderella with a perfect fit. I got up and walked around the store as the clerk had insisted I do, and all I could think was how did they get the pillows into this fine leather. They were not the hard bricks that I was used to trying on that only feel right on your feet a couple of days before you throw them out. No, this pair felt like they were made for my feet alone. It was around this time I saw the Girl smiling, the clerk had that look where he's thinking about the commission and my destiny sealed to spend a ludicrous amount of money on a pair of shoes. I must say it was a very good experience in general to have the old school salesman measure my feet and fit a range of shoes. My one saving grace was a final word from the Girl, "Don't worry, you didn't spend more money on the wedding shoes than I did." Not sure that is really a victory?

Bingo Booty

On my last night before leaving for Saudi, the Girl decided to spoil me by taking us to my favourite Mexican restaurant, Tortilla Flats. It also happened to be my favourite night of the week there - Bingo Night, where you play for shirts, shots and glory. As the night goes on the bar gets a lot rowdier and the drinking looser.

As luck would have it I won a particular round, known as "the Gin" round, which meant I had to scull a near full pint of gin in order to receive the booty. In one foul movement I picked up the glass, peppered my lips to the rim and threw back the ghastly contents before the throat could taste the poison. I was pretty impressed with my feat, which grew into pride as I received high fives from all of the staff members who looked on wide eyed.

My booty ended up being three T-shirts and shots for the table (unfortunately there was only two of us and the waiter had to drink the Girls, who was working the next day). Once the shots were demolished, I cleaned off the pitcher of potent Sangria that the girl and I had shared (I think she managed a glass and a half). After that, I kind of remember walking to get a Magnolia cupcake, but mostly only waking up the next morning with a nasty headache. What an awesome night though, to send me to the dry Saudi for a month.

The Vest

Before I came back to Saudi, I picked myself up a training weight vest. This was to increase my work rate for my morning jog / exercise. I would love to be able to increase my distance but that is not viable with the time available to me so I wear the vest to increase my workload - "feel the burn".

I had trialled it out in NYC with success. Not even half a look from passer-bys. That wasn't the same here in the camp. I jog around 3:30 or 4am dependent on distance, as it is a little too hot after work. The call to prayer at the moment is just before 4, so the punters are up and bleary eyed just after this. My first day drew a raft of funny looks from people that didn't really phase me, but maybe I should have thought about it a little more.

After I got back to my room I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. With the headphone wires sprawled out of the top of the vest, you can probably imagine what these guys where thinking as this white guy was running towards their Mosque. Fortunately I'm pretty friendly with the guards carrying the big guns, so they hopefully recognised me after a quick wave.

Planning the ceremony

Would just like to note first up - there are no spoilers here. The following is what the Girl vetoed from my ideas of the wedding.

Celebrant: "The couple would now like to recite their vows."

Me: "John, can I please buy a vow?"

Me: "I take thee Rachel...."

Celebrant: "By the power...... of greyskull, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The Girl: "I have the power...."

Ending the ceremony by knocking knuckles was also binned but that was probably my fault, high five should have been the call.

Do you think I watched a little too much TV in my youth?

A Belated Birthday Celebration

After an extended stay in Saudi, a weekend with my favourite band, it was time to spoil the Girl for the birthday I had missed a little while ago. The evening commenced with a showing of the Musical "Annie" (her favorite since childhood). I had grabbed the best seats in the house and we arrived a couple of minutes before the curtain was to be raised, garnering a few surprised looks at our smartly dressed attire that was required for our later dinner reservations. It felt good to dressed up for what essentially was a childrens show, quite distinguished from the rest of the rabble. Coincidence provided us with an opportunity to see Australia's own Anthony Warlow playing the male lead, "Daddy Warbucks",  in a drastically different role to the last time I saw him in Phantom of the Opera. Overall it was an amusing spectacle that the Girl thoroughly enjoyed.

We headed a few blocks uptown to the evenings final destination, Le Bernardin, a French Seafood restaurant that is frequently topping the best restaurant reviews for the last 25 years. Upon arriving at the venue, we were amazed at the sophisticated, yet subtle look of the space. A soft light filled the high ceilinged, large room all the way to the back wall, that sat an enormous Ocean mural.

We were soon seated and commenced our evening with a glass of Dom Perignon. The Girl got to browse the menu and I was delighted when she chose the Chef's Tasting menu - with a wine pairing, that I had been craving since the reservation had been made. Each dish was a small portion of divine taste, paired with an appropriate selection of wine that seemed to enhance each dish. It would be dishonest to try and pull out a single favourite, for each pairing seemed to extend the tastebuds in different ways. It was clear that the combination of carefully selected, fresh ingredients were combined with the preparation of experienced chefs, that had found the intricate details of each component enough to establish a meal I will never forget. 

The service was so much more than expected, enhancing the whole experience, and leaving you with the feeling of being the most important table in room full of strangers. The only fault I could find with the restaurant would be the policy that doesn't allow me to live there forever. If anyone wants to win over my favor, a night at Le Bernardin would be the key to your success.

The Rain Delay

I fled home from Saudi in time to take the Girl up to Chicago, for an evening with Pearl Jam at Wrigley Field. We had secured some members passes for the VIP area in the pit. The concert started with a strong pulse of classic tunes before an hour into it the concert was stopped. Due to concerns for the safety of the patrons they decided to have a short pause while a storm passed through.

In a twist of irony I thought back to the mud bath that PJ played through the first time I was in attendance. In 1995, at the Eastern Creek Raceway, we slugged through an epic 3hr set that saw the heavens open up for a large portion of the show. Back in '95 though I was a whipper snapper, the pit was actually moshing, and the girl would have been nowhere to be seen.

Back to Chicago, the majority of the crowd had taken refuge under or beneath the shelter of the grandstand. We had a nice spot at an entrance to the field to catch the most of the storm.

There is supposed to be a video here that I took of the heavens opening up. Unfortunately technology has gotten the better of me and I can't upload it - if only there was a 12yr old around to show me how. It was pretty cool so just your imagination of the lighting, heavy rain, etc. (Kids that's what we did before technology was around)

After a couple of hours the covers came off and the concert resumed. The band played on until 2am, well after the 11pm curfew, that left some very satisfied fans in tow.

Highlights of the night included: seeing Dennis Rodman (former Chicago Bulls player) in the pit area with us, a rendition of Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns (a song from Mother Love Bone - Stone Gosssard and Jeff Ament band prior to Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready linking up to form Pearl Jam), and the live debut of three new songs off the new album (Mind your Manners, Lightning Bolt and Future Days), the third which may well wind up in the wedding songs rotation if it is released in time - upon request from the Girl.

Happy Birthday!

This one is going out to the most gorgeous girl in the world!



We will have an awesome celebration when I'm home.

Summer has Arrived

I finally know what they mean when referring to "extreme temperatures". The heat is quite devastating. The throat burns as you breathe in the putrid air. Your skin feels like it is burning, not just on the exposed part, but all over. Thank you Saudi for this explanation and please leave further examples until next year.

Hump Day

So the Girl sent me an email saying how much a struggle it is today, Wednesday - Hump Day. Having such resources in abundance here in Saudi, I couldn't resist sending this back.

The Races

Saturday was the 3rd race of the Triple Crown, otherwise known as the Belmont Stakes, or to the punters in the general admission a "white trash bash". A mate and I decided to head over to try our luck. The menu for the day were cans, shooters and cigars which was a throwback to the days of the Perth Cup. We had some luck with a Trifecta early on thanks to a couple of late scratches which put us in the gambling zone often referred to as a "lucky streak".

The big race was coming around and I already had my winner picked. Palace Malice, named for the Basketball Brawl 9 years ago at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit between the Indiana Pacers and some guys in the crowd. For those who missed it, yes there was a brain explosion from a couple of members of the Pacers who took offence to a couple of fans in the stands who had tried to cool them down by launching a drink in their direction. The players did some launching of themselves over seats to dish out some cooling of their own using fists. The altercation led to suspensions totalling 146 games for the players and was dubbed "Malice at the Palace". Being an avid fan of disliking the Indiana Pacers, I took it upon myself to see it as a sign to jump on the horse that was named after an event that set the Pacers organisation back 9 years before they could muster another team that could legitimately challenge for a title.

So it was we put the house on the horse, perhaps not my house but certainly one that would have raised an eyebrow on the Girl had she been present. We took the fine beast in the Trifecta as well. At 15 to 1 with not even an outside chance given it was possible my day would come to an early close. That is until the final straight when he found the courage of the 2004 Pacers team, to unshackle convention and head for the metaphorical stands at the end of the track. It was such a glorious win that we didn't even notice the remaining place getters were also in our trifecta. Such a glorious day to end with a shower of Benjamin's.

There’s something in the water

I think the combination of sand and chemicals in my shower water have seriously done something to my hair. A combination of 5 weeks in Africa, 2 weeks in Australia and 6 weeks here have made it impossible to get a cut so I am now walking around with a white mans fro. Lucky for me I can pretty much pull anything off but let's hope I get time for trim before the nuptials.

Censoring the Classics

It seems to me, here in Saudi, they tend to censor a lot of television. I just switched on the box to find Austin Powers II on. There is a ridiculous amount cut out: swearing, references and images of female anatomy (male seems to be fine), music and even the word “God” is bleeped out. Unfortunately all this censorship limits the movie to about a half of its viewing time and most of the scenes when run together don’t even make sense. 

The Office View

Although there is a lot of sand and camels here, I actually have a nice view out of my office.

Unfortunately my office is in a container in the carpark next to the Aramco office building. But if I look out the window and hold my nose I can almost imagine being in an oasis.