Farewell Liz, Hello...Phillip?

We gathered to see Liz off to Hong Kong for two weeks and give her neighbours a reason to look on the bright side of her absence. Highlights for me were watching Matt W and Fish get down off the rail bridge without dying, and of course the communal karaoke Bohemian Rhapsody.

Anyway during the night talk inevitably turned to a Port Fairy/Phillip Island trip, and someone came up with the date of the 18th of Feb. I of course agreed wholeheartedly, only to go home and check my calendar to find I've bought tickets to the Darren Hanlon/Candle Records gig on that Saturday (anyone want to come by the way?). So after some consultation with the "olds" (as they used to call them on Home and Away) I've established that the PI house should be free on the following weekend, which would be 26-27 Feb, plus maybe a day or two before (not after, cos uni goes back on the monday).

Of course you could always just go to Port Fairy without me. Bastards. (He says preemptively/hypothetically.)

What say you?

Community Service Announcement

Do NOT buy Goulburn Valley "Real Fruit Chunks in Yoghurt". It is REVOLTING! I picked it up at the supermarket today, assuming as anyone would that one tub of strawberry yoghurt is pretty much like another. But no. To the naked eye it looks like normal, inoffensive pink gunk, but from the first spoonful you're hit by this sickly sweet flavour that just isn't right. I know you'd expect it to be sweet, but it's almost..syrupy. Looking through the ingredients I've found the culprit: not the "halal gelatine", not the "live yoghurt cultures", not even the "stabiliser" (??). No, the offending ingredient, the thing that has me after only two spoonfuls trying to decide between the sink and the compost bin, is the "concentrated refined apple/pear juice". Bah??!!

ICH LIEBER DEUTSCHELAND!!!!!

Hey All

Nice to see the boys are having a grand old time in Japan and that JR is keeping the fistwortyness of trains in tact.

I understand now why the UK don't consider itself as part of europe, it is very different here than to London (obviously, but more than you would think).

Been a crazty week so far, our hotel is in a dodgy area outside of Koln because RMIT screwed up and we are living in what would be like tullamarine with an industrial estate. Having said that its only as far away from the good city area as essendon. The trams are free here, at least we haven't been busted by ticket inspectors, haha. Oh don't scam DB (duetsche Bahn) though cause we saw a women being brought into the Polizei for refusing to cooperate with DB ticket inspectors.

The food here is really meat and potatoe like everyone says. I've had so many bratworst it's being not funny at this stage, the alternative is maccas or burger king. Well not really the food it good and plentiful but I am eating on the dirt cheap to make room for alcohol.

Some of the funnest things we've done since in duetscheland is go out clubbing to the bars and clubs around the city, went for a day trip to Luxenburg (the mountain top fortress city sorrounded by deep valleys where everyone is a millionaire) as I call it. James has recovered from his death virus and has been out partying with us (about time).

The euro is not to bad cause my exchange is like 60c which is better than the 40c pound. Still spending WAY WAY too much money cause the hotels are expensive and make up like $60 of my $80 a daz budget which means like 10 euro which i can never stick to with food beer and cigg..I don't smoke.

The Used are playing in Paris the night I arrive there so if it is a reasonable price I will moshing in gay pari to one of the finest emo bands going around. Oh Josh man, you need to get over here.

School is easy as, the annoying shit is the RMIT side of the work (as usual)

Went to the Ice Hockey on friday which was awesome fun and james has some vids I can show you when I get back. The Koln De Heir (Cologne Sharks) convincingly beat Inglestadt. Also went to the soccer on sunday and saw 1st F.C. Koln vs Bayem Munchen. Despite the 50,000 sell out stadium crowd being 90% behind Koln they went down 0:1 (full fist to munchen). There is an awesome song that thez sing all the time here at event and a rough trasnlation would be. yada yada somethingarather VIVA COLOGNIA!!! and those two words are all you need to know.

Oh Karl and I bought a guitar for 30 euro (acoustic) so I have been getting a musical fix which is good cause I was missing it. Found some guys from the states in london who love ALL the music I do (yeah ben I know you're reading, whatever, I'll do what I want) and had a jam with them which was cool.

The next couple of months will be crazy town. From here on sat we are going to Antwerp, then Bruxels and then on to paris and be there till 31st and then to amsterdam where my communication might become a bit hazy for a while.

Well I don't know what else I can say except for a few random comments

- Ciggies are way cheaper here than at home
- Most germans speak english even though I tell them they should only speak german
- No Juice bars
-Cafe's are cool but not as many around
- At the bar they keep tabs of your drinks and you pay at the end
- Still water is so hard to find, its all soda water
- Maccas have a '11 items for 1 euro menu' (nice)
- You will never beleive the sense of history when everzthing is 800 years older than your country
- You can drink on the streets, on the tram, on the train, in take away food stores
- There are no Steins in north rein westphalia (the state we are in) that is a Bavarian deal and we hate the bavarians

Ok I think I've wasted everyones life for that small porttion (you will never get it back)

Take care of yourselves and anything you come accross that looks like it needs attention

Chus (casual goodbye)

Scott

KI-SHI-DAN

Ki-shi-dan are my new favourite band. Of course, I love them for their hair, not their music. Follow the link above and you'll understand. I first saw them on New Year's Eve and I think they`re the most Japanese thing since sushi. I want to take them home.

So good to see Scotto has made it to Europe in one piece. That is astonishingly bad luck being diverted to Adelaide. I mean, flying is boring enough...but flying to Adelaide. I'll bet it was just a ploy by Tourism South Australia to get more visitors.

Hope all is well at home!

Ben