Lowlights of the year:
- Well number one for me would be the earthquake in Christchurch on my mums 80th birthday. It was really not a pleasant time for all concerned. Yes I am glad that we were all there together, but I am really upset that mum didn't get the afternoon tea that we had arranged for her with all her friends. Months of planning basically went down the drain and there was nothing we could do about it at all. I remember the feeling of hopelessness and not being able to fix things. It was a horrible time, but in saying that, I was so impressed with the resilence of the Chch people... the way we all banded together and the infrastructive of the city, I think thats why there was no loss of life. Yes we have lost some amazingly beautiful and historic buildings but nothing would have mattered as much if there had been deaths due to the quake. The sad thing is that they are still carrying on - the quakes that is... another spate of them hit the city on Boxing Day... you just never know when its going to hit...
- Being broken into... yep thats right.. but wait it gets better!! I arrive home on Friday 29th October (yes for those of you who know... is the day before I am due to leave for the UK!!) to find the screen on my bedroom window askew - the first thing I think is "man it must have been some wind" and the second thing I think is "hmmm it wasn't windy today"... needless to say, I did realise that I had been broken into and the only thing that was taken... yes the only thing.... was my laptop!!! Oh wait... that wasn't the only thing - they also took the friggin laptop bag. So there I am in my living room with my neighbours talking to the cops about my break in and I keep thinking... holy crap - I am going away tomorrow. I have to say that that girls upstairs were just amazing! I mean they were awesome throughout the whole thing. It was such a blow. I mean I was going to take my laptop with me and everything but well I couldn't now. I got back on 23rd November and it took another 3 weeks before I got a replacement laptop but hey - it only cost me $100 because I have insurance so I guess 3 weeks is not much to ask for! The cops & the insurance company were amazing and I pretty much got everything sorted before I left. To be honest I didn't really think about it much while I was away - I figured I couldn't really do much about it anyway so I might as well enjoy my trip.
- The miners being lost - this didn't effect me directly but it would be remiss of me to leave it out of this list - especially when I know so many people who knew people that were effected. My sister and I were in Paris when it happened and the only english tv station they had at the hotel was BBC World News so it was basically all we saw for 3 days. Such a tragedy and so many were lost. I feel for the families in this, however I do think that because so many people were lost, the families will be able to draw strength from each other because it affected so many. I know its wouldn't comfort them right now and then with the closure of the mine and loss of jobs just before Christmas but I do think that everything happens for a reason and out of this disaster something good will come.
- Christmas 2010 - this has to be my worst Christmas ever! I don't know what it was about this year but I missed my dad more, I felt more alone than ever and the lead up to one of my most depressing days that I can recall was like the calm before the storm. I did have plans, but unfortunately somehow those plans didn't include me. Well I guess it should be of no surprise really. The funny thing is that on Boxing Day, this dispear and loneliness basically lifted right off and I was back to normal (well as normal as one can be!). You know how sometimes you feel like you give so much of yourself and it kind of gets thrown back in your face... yeah well thats what it was like for me at Christmas this year. I guess I have learnt that its just me against the world and that next year I will be better prepared.
- Christchurch in September: yes I know there was an earthquake that could have been very catastrophic - especially when it was the same magnitude that descimated Haiti months before, but the fact that we were all there for mum's birthday was just truely incredible... there were only two people missing - Ashley & Laura, so when I mean everyone was there for mums birthday, I pretty much mean EVERYONE!!!! I think we counted something like 50 family members alone!! It was a pretty special time and some of the most fun I had had all year... even after the quake it was kind of nice... I mean that it is something that we all share and can look back on in years to come and say "do you remember mums 80th?"
- London Baby!!!!! OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE LONDON!!!!! This was seriously without doubt one of THE most exciting things I have EVER DONE!!!! That includes seeing Robbie in concert two nights in a row back in 2006. Man alive, my sister & I spent basically the first day saying how much we felt at home - this was really only on the tube trip to the accommodation and then into town the next morning... but then we get out at Piccadilly Circus and I can honestly say that both our jaws dropped and if we weren't so restraint we would have actually jumped up & down with glee... yes thats right, with glee!! I don't know what it was about the place - the ease of getting around, the closeness of everything, the historic value, the icons that I had only seen in movies & photos... but there was just something about London that I loved so much and I have now been back for about 5 weeks and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the place. I dream of going back and seeing it again. I loved it so freaking much that I think all my friends are like "shut up already"... its so bizarre how much I loved it... so why has it taken so long for me to write about it - well.... it was kind of hard to put into words because I can't describe it any other way but I LOVE IT!!!!
- Devon and travelling - man alive England is just so beautiful & when you get into the countryside and meet the people... everyone is just so friendly. We stayed in this gorgeous pub called the Blue Ball Inn in Exeter (well on the outskirts actually) and just drove around everyday... we went to Goldworthy, Lyford, Clyst St George, Sidbury, Lyme Regis, Bath, Lulworth Castle, Corfe Castle and Christchurch. We did over 1000 miles (over 1609 km), drove on some of the smallest roads in the history of roads, managed not too fight too much and basically survived :) It was such a brilliant trip and in such a brilliant place. So beautiful - the whole trip was amazing but my favourite places were Bath, Lulwoth Castle & Corfe Castle... oh and Christchurch Priory is simply amazing!!!
- Paris - admittedly I didn't really enjoy Paris as much as I should have or could have, but of course its a highlight because.... well... its Paris!!! Seeing the Eiffel Tower up close & personal - especially at night and especially when it sparkles on the hour, has to be one of my top ten highlights of my ENTIRE life....actually thats a great idea for a blog!! Paris itself, unfortunately, didn't really do it for me to be honest - I guess there are just some places that you love and some you don't so much. I felt the same way about Vietnam - everyone else loved it and I felt kind of strange that I didn't... don't get me wrong both Vietnam & Paris are beautiful amazing places, but they just didn't really do it for me. It wasn't the people - the French have this rep for being rude etc, but I didn't find them that way to be honest. Actually quite the opposite - everyone we spoke to were rather friendly (a couple a little TOO friendly!!!) but there was diffently no rudeness. I did find that they don't give a shit about anyone else tho - not in a bad way.. just in a "I'm gonna do things my way and if you don't like it well too bloody bad" way... But yeah, it is amazing that I can say I have been to Paris... which really isn't for everyone but then again I know a few people who said they didn't like London so its really all about you isn't it. Mind you I can say that I didn't like Melbourne when I first went there, now I can honestly say that its one my favourite cities in the world - you just have to scratch the surface and see whats underneath to really appreciate a place and maybe I just have to go back to Paris to scratch away a little ;)
- November 6, 2010 - All Blacks vs England at Twickenham..... and yes I WAS THERE!!!!! Thanks to the generosity of a wonderful friend, I got to experience something that I will probably never be able to experience ever again... Seeing the All Blacks live at Twickenham on my 38th Birthday.... yep thats right!! Talk about an amazing birthday!! My niece Laura, who is living in London, came along and it was such a wonderful time. 80,000 screaming fans... Prince Harry in the crowd.... and my man Richie McCaw, father of my future childen on the field... it really doesn't get much better! Highlight of the game - when the AB's did the haka, the Engligh fans singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot - I don't think I have heard anything so beauitful... it was just so amazing to experience. It got so loud in there during the game - nothing like I have experienced before and I have been to a few games in my time!! Another highlight... watching my niece take close up photos of the crowd trying to find Prince Harry... it was so funny!! After the game we headed back to our accommodation where Lynette had made a yummy meal complete with chocolate birthday cake with candles! I can't say where I will be next year on my birthday (Vegas anyone!), but I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that my 2010 birthday was the best one yet!
Well its over & out from me for 2010... see you next year :)
