Audit 2008

1. Overall, have you had a good year?
Yes and no. It’s been very up and down. The ups involved travelling, meeting new people, and meeting up with old friends. The downs involved work, money and family.

2. What has been your biggest achievement?
Working for and getting a 2nd year visa to stay in Australia. And I drove a tractor for two months. A fucking tractor!!

3. Did you take any exams, Pass?
No.

4. Have you had your birthday yet?
In February. I turned 30, which was a huge anticlimax, and just got very inebriated with some lovely Irish friends of mine.

5. Have you been on Holiday?
Only one really, though some might consider my whole year has been a holiday. I wouldn’t, it’s been too stressful.

6. Where and when (list)?
I went on a tour from Adelaide to Alice Springs and had the most amazing time ever. I saw beautiful things and met some amazing people who made me laugh hard and taught me rude French words. Would I rather? I would actually, yes.

7. Have you bought anything expensive?
I suppose the ticket for the aforementioned tour.

8. Have you had a job?
Many, many, many jobs.

9. Made any big decisions?
To stay in Australia I guess. Yeah that was pretty big. I’m missing a lot at home – friends’ entire relationships, births, engagements, weddings, etc etc so it’s hard. But I like this country.

10. Lost a friend or loved one?
Hmm… no, not really.

11. Met anyone amazing?
Oh man, so many amazing people. Where to start? Mark, of course. A more loving, patient, sexy, generous, fun, adventurous, grounded, encouraging, supportive, unflappable and intuitive bad driver you’ll not find. Julia – my funny bone’s soulmate. Laura F – the essence of everything good about Essex girls with none of the bad (well, maybe some, he he.) Ben – a lovable bear with a sore head of a man. The Irish girls, who salvaged my 30th birthday from where I’d chucked it, dusted it off and presented it to me wrapped in a big bow. Mr Robert Cox, my boss on the almond farm – a full-blooded Aussie with a good heart and murky Melbourne past. Someone who I’ll no doubt characterise in one of my hugely successful novels in the future. Mikael the blonde gay surfer Swede – the campest straight man you’ll ever meet and entertainingly unhinged to boot. Craig, a man full of fascinatingly useless information and dry wit. His girlfriend Lucy, who might seem sensible at first but will fearlessly embrace party times at the first sniff of debauchery. Who else? Laura P, or Norman – the funniest girl I’ve met this year who isn’t funny for a living. And Emer, or Irish – such good banter, my belly still aches. And the others on the road trip – Aubs, Shellie, Vicky, the Frenchies Charlotte and Karl. We did good chemistry, we were lucky. Cornish Sarah, my tractor buddy – who’d have thought we’d have both left Cornwall for Oz and ended up driving traak-ters with a fellow Cornishman?? The Stoke man Bill – inordinately proud of Robbie Williams and the WORST storyteller in the world. But he is devastatingly handsome, despite his Punch & Judy chin. Alex and Mark, who have both now gone solo. Alex is gonna make a tenacious and unflinching journo one day, and Mark’s a lovely handsome fella who I defy anyone not to get on with. Megan, the lovely, lovely American who came to Oz and realised her dream of being a vet wasn’t what she wanted anymore. Hayley, a woman with the most Australian accent I have ever heard in my life – funny, shameless and camp as Christmas. The peeps in Darwin - Adam, Rob, Jo, Karyn - you provided more welcome distraction than you'll know. And I can’t forget the first Melbourne housemates – dancing Dec, lovely Anna, email buddy Nicola, delightfully deadpan Kiri, Laura and her Chaplin-esque drunkenness. There’s been many, many more as well and I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten you.

12. Made new friends?
See above.

13. Moved house?
I’ve slept in approx (give or take) 25 different beds this year. And on a few sofas. And in a few buses. Nuff said.

14. Changed college?
Not for a long time!

15. Tried something new?
Loads. Driving a tractor. And a ute. I’ve cooked Thai food. I’ve moved into an environmentally-friendly house. I’ve made awesome sangria. I’ve been to a birthday breakfast (who does that??). Swam in rock pools in Kakadu. Got up close and personal with crocodiles. Seen Uluru. Slept with a soldier (two actually). There’s so much I’ve probably forgotten.

16. Been more happy or sad?
An equal balance of both, as always.

17. Made any enemies?
Not that I know of. I’ve met a fair few people I didn’t like this year actually, usually at the working hostels because you get to know people quite well at these places.

18. What music will you remember from this year?
God, loads. Adam K & Soha, Alphabeat, The Aston Shuffle, The Beautiful Girls, The Black Ghosts, The Black Keys, Bliss N Eso, Bloc Party, bluejuice, British India, The Charlatans, Children Collide, Chris Brown, Cog, Coldplay, Cold War Kids, Cut Copy, Daft Punk, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, deadmau5, Digitalism, Dizzee Rascal/Calvin Harris, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, The Duke Spirit, Dukes Of Windsor, Empire Of The Sun, End Of Fashion, Eskimo Joe, Estelle, Eugene McGuinness, Faker, Familjen, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Foals, Foo Fighters, Freemasons, bloody Gabriella Cilmi, Gossip, Grace Jones, Grafton Primary, Guillemots, Gyroscope, Hercules & Love Affair, Hilltop Hoods, Hook N Sling, The Ian Carey Project, Josh Pyke, Kaiser Chiefs, Katy Perry, Kid Cudi, Kings of Leon, Kisschasy, Kylie Minogue, La Roux, Lady GaGa, Ladyhawke, Ladytron, The Last Shadow Puppets, Leona Lewis, Lupe Fiasco, M.I.A., Madonna, Metro Station, MGMT, Miley Cyrus, Muph & Plutonic, My Digital Enemy, OneRepublic, Pendulum, Pink, Plump DJs, Pnau, The Potbelleez, The Presets, The Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Roisin Murphy, Salmonella Dub, Sam Sparro, September, Sneaky Sound System, Something With Numbers, Stafford Brothers, The Ting Tings, Trial Kennedy, Tricky, Urthboy, Vampire Weekend, Wiley, The Wombats, and Xavier Rudd. (Can you tell I just went through my iPod??)

19. What movies have you seen at the cinema this year?
I don't go as much as I'd like. I've seen The Golden Compass (disappointing), Cloverfield (brilliant), No Country For Old Men (overrated), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (hilarious), Sex & The City (entertaining), The Dark Knight (amazing), Wanted (silly but fun), Tropic Thunder (better than the reviews suggested), In Bruges (brilliant), Body Of Lies (awesome), Burn After Reading (overrated), and Australia (entertaining). Think that's about it really.

20. What was your best night out?
The night I met Julia was great fun for reasons too convoluted to go into here. It was just one of those nights that clicked and everything was funny. Essex Laura’s birthday in Mildura was good fun. The night I met Mark was great obviously. Getting drunk with the tour group in Coober Pedy was hilarious. The night I danced til six in the morning (without the aid of drugs) in Throb in Darwin was good. Getting drunk with Graeme in Melbourne was one of those unexpectedly good nights out. New Year’s Eve with Mark was good. I’m gonna go for the night I met Julia.

21. What was your worst night out?
The night Mark, Travis and I went to the Xchange and then the Market clubs in Melbourne. Drink and drugs don’t mix well kids.

22. Best Day?
The walk around Uluru probably. Amazing.

23. Worst Day?
The day after aforementioned night out with Mark and Travis.

24. Best month?
August, cos I was seeing lots of Australia.

25. Worst month?
First month in Darwin probably (September). Money stresses and that.

26. Was summer a good'un?
It is so far. (We’re in the middle of it in Australia!) Christmas went well, if pretty quietly. And I’m looking forward to the Big Day Out festival and Emma and Justin coming over from the UK.

27. Have you made better friends with anyone?
Yes. Stew and Kath who I knew briefly from the UK. And Graeme who I shared a room with in a hostel last year and now we’ve got to know each other better.

28. Lost any friends?
No, I don't think so.

29. How many people have you kissed in the year of 2008?
You mean as in boys and tongues? Maybe… 10? Not sure.

31. Did you have your heart broken?
No. Healed if anything.

32. Made any plans for next year?
The goal is to try and stay in Australia. We’ll see how well that goes.

33. How many hair colours have you had?
Just the one, my own.

34. Got pierced?
Nope.

35. Got inked?
anted to but never had the money to do it. This year hopefully.

36. Changed your image?
I did the scruffy farmer look for a bit.

37. Missed anyone?
All my friends and family in the UK. A lot.

38. Enjoying this survey?
It's going on a bit longer than I thought it would.

39. Know what you want in the future?
To stay in Australia for a bit longer and try and settle here for a bit.

40. Regret anything?
Oh only a few financial things. I’m terrible with money. But it’s all good.