I head down to the yoga studio where Nev and a ragtag bunch of sleepy Aussies are watching the national anthem on a 10 foot high T.V. screen. There is an atmosphere of hope, but also a quiet realization that it would take a miracle for us to get through....
Its a great game, the Socceroos did themselves proud. My Aussie player of the tournament (Brett Holman) scored a brilliant goal, and it was sensational that we beat Serbia 2-1! But alas, it was not enough....Nev and i were definitely the most excited every time we scored, and we never lost hope that we could overcome a massive goal difference, but in the end, the task was too large...
Anna and Jane make an appearance just before the end of the game, they had gone down to Kuta to check out the nightlife. Safe to say they won't be doing that again...
I return to bed and curse our first game against Germany, feeling our world cup dream was smashed on that dusty pitch in Rustenburg, and another 4 years is too long to wait for a chance at redemption. But it was a brilliant effort to get to South Africa, and our team did us proud! The future is also looking bright, as some of our best performers at the tournament will be in Brazil in 4 years time.
As i drift off to sleep i can hear the T.V. in my room humming away. Did it just say oil spill....or leadership spill?
I wake up again at 9am to find Australia has a new Prime Minister! I could take alot of time now to tell you how i feel about this, but this is a travel blog so i will make it short....
I think it's brilliant that Australia has it's first female Prime Minister, and i am a huge fan of Julia Gillard. Last year i read Jacquline Kents' book "The Making of Julia Gillard", and i suggest anyone who wants to know more about or new leader should pick themselves up a copy, it's a great read.
I feel terrible for Kevin Rudd. The right and left labor factions (along with Gillard) installed him as the leader of the opposition, but the people of Australia elected him Prime Minister, and those same people should have been allowed to choose his fate. Rudd made many mistakes and his credibility had definitely come into question, but his leadership was being tested....it wasn't in cardiac arrest! I understand why the spill occurred, but i can't agree it was the right thing to do. I think the Labor party has a alot of work to do before the population can believe its a stable and viable entity to run the country, and hopefully Gillard can unite the factions and give people hope for the future, she is a well equipped woman to do so. And that's enough about that...
It's another beautiful day in Bali. I sleep in a bit today and decide it's a good idea not to do too much. Kurt and Leah are arriving today and i want to be around when they get here. I Head down to reception and order a motor scooter. Within 5 minutes it's delivered to the hotel by a friendly Balinese guy named Simon (not his real name). Anna, Pip & Kerry show there faces and we have breakfast, coffee and plan our day. It takes about an hour to decide that we should go for a swim and sit by the pool!
Pretty soon it lunchtime, so we jump on our scooters and head up to Seminyak to have lunch at The Corner Store. Its my first time riding in Bali, and i have Anna on the back. A bit hair raising to start with but soon I'm weaving in and out of traffic, and gliding down the road full of confidence.
Lunch was nice, and The Corner Store is the kind of place where everyone look like a model! I had a turkey bagel and a watermelon juice. Just what i needed!
After lunch Anna and Pip decide they need to go shopping, so Kerry and i head to a bar that looks over the multitude of clothes store that line Jalan Seminyak. As we sipped our beers Pip would occasionally walk out onto the street and model her possible purchase, and Kerry would give it the thumbs up, or thumbs down.
Shopping done we jump on the bikes and head back to the hotel for a swim and a BinTang, and start getting excited about the pending arrival of Leah & Kurt!
They arrive about 3pm and have their new born Cassius with them. Its great to see them and soon the mojitos are ordered and we head to the rooftop bar at The Island to drink, laugh and plan the evening.
We spend a couple of hours up there, then decide to have dinner at an awesome Indonesian restaurant in Seminyak called Piku. Leah, Kurt, Cass and i jump a in a cab and stop off at the BinTang supermarket to change some money, then head through the back lanes of Legian till we arrive at our destination. Everyone is already there and we soon get into the swing of things. I had the Indonesian lamb currie and a couple of BinTangs, and all the food ordered looked and tasted great!
After dinner Kerry was all set to head to the Champagne Bar to watch New Zealand take on Paraguay, all his kiwi buddies were there and it was a must win game. He and Pip took off to catch the start of the game, and we settled the bill and finished up our drinks. Anna, Jane and I jumped in a cab and headed off to what i thought was going to be the hotel. Jane pipes up, "i wanna go hand out with the kiwi boys!".....its on.
The Champagne bar is one of those places that guide books tell you to avoid. The hostess are dressed in the tiniest red miniskirts and waistcoats, and on their heads a small round hat. The place is nicknamed the monkey bar! As soon as we arrive Jane has ordered 3 Long Island Iced Teas, and we settle in with the ten or so assembled kiwis and watch the game. # rounds of iced teas later and things start to get blurry. Anna has disappeared, minutes later she walks down the stairs dressed in one of the hostess uniforms! She grabs a tray and starts serving drinks. I don't think i have laughed so hard in my life. The game was boring, a nil all draw, but Anna made up for it! Its hard to find people who can have fun and laugh at themselves, but this girl has personality in spades! Love her!
After Anna gets back into her street clothes, we jump the final cab of the night and head back to the hotel. I pour myself into bed at 12.30, and once again fall into a deep sleep....
The last election was the first time my vote was the winning vote. It was a big moment for me and many of my friends.I felt like I had made a difference.
ReplyDeleteAnd now, my vote has been rendered void. I know we vote for the party and not for the leader, but still it has to be the faith in the leader which sways your decision. I agree, it wasn't cardiac arrest and I now struggle that Labor lost faith too quickly in K-Rudd.
I like Gillard for what I have seen, but I don't like that the decision was taken out of my hands. I'm even more unsure about the fate of the next election - and that worries me.
And I feel sorry for Kevin too. The nail in his coffin was the super-tax. Its our natural resource, so why shouldn't we capitalise on its worth as much as the corporations.
Its scary to think that corporations hold more political power than a government and I am sad I live in a country where that holds true.