A Christmas Potpourri

Wine of the Week:
Well, I have to admit with the combination of a quick trip overseas and the festive season well and truly under way I have forgotten to single out a particular bottle of rouge. However, I would like to take the chance to thank the Oak Barrel in Sydney. They put on a great Christmas party last week that Trish and I attended. They provided a great range to taste and they have never failed to be helpful if you need any advice and guidance on what to buy. They are also online but in case you are ever in Sydney, they are on Elizabeth Street near the Downing Centre and worth the visit.
http://www.oakbarrel.com.au/ 

So, it has been a hectic time of late dear friends. The first week of December found me in Barcelona, Spain to attend a conference for work. Barcelona is a beautiful city - a great combination of old and new which is something that I haven't seen in any other city. That and was able to stay in a great hotel, the W in Barcelona. Once back, I started to get into the whole cycle of getting ready for Christmas and finishing up work for the year which seems to be a whirlwind in itself. That said, there were a few issues and events that took my attention. 

While in Europe, two blonde Australians seemed to grab the attention of the press. Firstly, Julian Assange was arrested on alleged sexual assault charges. It wasn't long before the conspiracy theories came out. Funny thing is, I find them completely believable. 

It wasn't long for the facts to come out that the extradition treaty between Sweden and the US would allow Assange to be sent there on spy charges quite easily. There seems to be a fine line between freedom of speech and spying...or that's what I am starting to see. 
This one isn't over yet and it's one that everyone should keep an eye on.

Then there was the other Australian blonde - S.K. Warne. While I was in Spain, the story was around how there was a push by some Brisbane businessmen to get some cash to offer Shane to make a comeback to save our Ashes campaign. By the time the Perth test started, Shane had other things or people on his mind. By the end of the Test, all comeback talk had ceased...funny what a convincing win by the home side can do. 

Last week, Sydney was under siege...by celebrities. U2, Bon Jovi and Oprah Winfrey all visited our fair city and all three made quite an impact. Traffic stopped, crowds grew and women swooned - and that was just for Oprah! 

In fact, the only damage that seemed to occur was to the celebrities themselves as Hugh Jackman sailed into Oprah's stage and came away with a cut eye. However, if I was guaranteed to be comforted with a glass of Penfolds Grange after sailing into a lighting rig...get me up there!

Of course, we are on the downward run towards Christmas. Parties and lunches are happening in abundance, stores are getting busier by the day but the mood approaching Christmas Day does get brighter and brighter. It is a tragedy that the Island by the same name seems to generate feelings of sadness and despair. Nice to see Tony Abbott come out though and try and make hay as the waves crash...who said the concept of goodwill to all men is just a line in a Christmas carol??

So, to spite the Grinch from Warringah I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope that it's a time well spent with friends and family and that all your Christmas wishes come true...and we get a win in Melbourne!

Time does fly when you're having fun...

Wine of the Week:
Dominique Portet Gippsland Pinot Noir 2009 - must admit, opened this one at a pretty young age but after a few minutes breathing, it delivers like a Victorian Pinot Noir should. In fact, Pinot Noir is one of the better things to come out of Victoria and delivers better than any of the Victorian Bushrangers do that's for sure. 
One of the things I like about Pinot Noir is that it is a great red to have during summer due to the fact that it is light enough while giving some of the depth that a red can give you. We got on to Pinots when we had a trip to Singapore and were desperate for a red in the humidity of the place and the high prices of the alcohol. Don't get me wrong, I love the place but gee, how much do you want to charge for a bottle of wine?? See, now I am just prattling on...
http://www.dominiqueportet.com 

Today is December 1st. Apart from the first day of summer (in Australia anyway), there is some significance about today - this year even more so. See dear friends, it is 20 years since the Class of 1990 Sydney Technical High School Formal - which has been the sort of benchmark date to mark time passed since leaving high school. Hence by default, it has also today meant a time to pause on the fact that it has been 20 years since some of my close friends and I finished high school.

Let me take you back to 1990 and provide you some facts of that year. 

• Bob Hawke was Prime Minister of Australia and George H.W. Bush was the President of the United States. In fact, Hawke is elected for a fourth term in March of that year.
• Nelson Mandela is released from imprisonment in South Africa and the ANC is legally allowed to function as a legitimate political organisation.
• Lech Walesa becomes the first elected leadef of Poland, Mary Robinson the first female President of Ireland and Margaret Thatcher resigns as Prime Minister of the UK.
• 'Driving Miss Daisy' won the Oscar for Best Picture and the number one song for the year according to Billboard is 'Hold On' by Wilson Phillips (yes, I tried to expunge it from my memory too...in fact, the Top 100 songs of that year are on this site: Billboard's Top 100 songs of 1990)
• West Germany wins the FIFA World Cup under the banner of a unified Germany; the two Germanys reunify officially in October.
• Collingwood wins the AFL Premiership and Canberra wins the ARL Premiership.

As for me, I was in Year Twelve at Sydney Technical High School getting ready for my H.S.C. and the life ahead after leaving high school.

A lot of time has passed since then. Not just for me but for all of us that make up the Class of 1990. It sounds awfully cliched but it is hard to believe that is has been twenty years since we finished high school. Sometimes I feel like that it was just yesterday when I left; but as my knees start to ache from just sitting down that feeling soon disappears.

Thinking back, that year was pretty special. It is hard to remember everything that happened but there were a few events that stand out. 

• Flying up to Inverell and winning the quarter final of the Davidson Shield State cricket knock-out competition in front of the whole town. 
• The many eighteenth birthdays where $20 buck for a present meant a night of free food and drink!
• Our last day before stu-vac having a champagne breakfast at Carss Park that left me covered in eggs, flour and soy sauce. 
• Finishing my last H.S.C exam - 3 unit Economics - in what was a bit of an anti-climax as I was one of the last to finish.
• Our formal and having a photo with two of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the way to the Hyatt Kingsgate...the rest of the night is a bit of blur apart from most of the invited guests coming back to my place for the post-formal party.
• And little did I know at the time, I also met my beautiful wife for the first time during that year

However, the one thing that does stand out was that there was an overwhelming sense of fun. Even in the depths of stress and strain and the copious bottles of Coke consumed during the last minute study periods...well, the study periods were torture but hey, there was that light at the end of the tunnel and that light was freedom! Not to mention the fact that I headed up to Surfers for Schoolies week when it was still innocent enough not to be a sanctioned, policed and gated event.

 

As the years passed since 1990, contact with my schoolmates started to decline as university, new friends and circumstances started to make you drift apart from each other. However, there were seven of us that stayed in pretty close contact for much of the last twenty years. In fact, we have experienced quite a bit together - marriages, births, deaths, moves overseas - the usual events that make up one's life. 

We don't get together as often as we used to; that's just the nature of things. However, it is safe to say that we have all been a part of each other's lives over the last twenty years. And I for one not only appreciate that but also am very grateful for it. 

So, to the Class of 1990 who may read this thanks for being an integral part of my high school years and the many memories and lessons learnt during that time.

To Andrew, Chris, Craig, Rob, Dave and Winston, thanks for being part of not only my school years but also for the last twenty. It has been quite a ride and one that I feel privileged to have shared with you all. I can't promise any cigar cutters this time...but then again, I won't leave them on a train either - but that is a story for another time. 

Soige.