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MONDAY, JULY
5 2004
the week of happenings...
by
Kings
yes, mikeandkings.com has offically turned one. i think that's kinda coll myself. but even more exciting is other things that will happen this week. tomorrow will be kings and my 9 months in london - 9 months of working, 9 months of new beginnings, and of course 9 months of the gen!
but perhaps more importantly, wednesday the mikeandkings journey turns one. we've been away for a year, and what a fantastic year it's been. so, it's time to look back at the highs, lows, people, places and all the great things we've done. of course you could just click on 'show all news' but thats no fun for me.
 so...here we go - where better to begin than germany, where we started our trip. we met up with our good friend al and his sister claire for the love parade in berin, and ended up staying for a little over a week. berlin still remains one of my (and kings') favourite cities, and it's a shame the parade was called off this year because we were planning on spening some time there to celebrate the anniversary of our trip. this was also where we met our first travelling friends - sheila, chris, kris, mette, moss, irish allan, mats...we went with a group of 13 to the love parade and i think 8 of us stayed together :)
 from berlin we went south to dresden, then north west to cologne before heading to france. paris was our first taste of france, and it only got better from there. paris is a beautiful city, and we saw as much of it as we could. we found out the final stage of the tour de france was in paris on our last day, and even though we had to get on a train that afternoon, we went down with a huge group of people - rob, kate, andre, and the rest of the australians, the crazy dutch guys...oohh the memories...
from paris to lyon (which remains another of our favourite stops where we met stella and hannah - hannah ended up travelling with us for a few days), marseille,, a night spent in monaco (kings in an amusement park, myself just a park), a hideous train ride west to toulouse (were we weren't even planning on stopping, but were so hot on the train i almost passed out), up to bordeaux for some wine, and then north to amsterdam to meet up with my uncle.
 amsterdam was...well, damn fun! i only wished all of our friends could have been there with us to have fun. but we did it in style, even though i was robbed of my wallet, and had a ball. meeting up with my uncle was also a highlight, and after i was robbed he helped me out in a big way. and i have to mention brian and matt who we met on the train on the way to the dam - they were a great laugh. as well as everyone from bob's who helped show us the 'culture' that amsterdam has to offer.
 we stayed in amsterdam a little longer than expected - i think it was 8 days before we headed to spain (via paris for one more night). our first spanish town was san sebastian which my sisters and friends had raved about so we had to stop there. and we happened to arrive during a huge festival which made it that much more memorable - there's nothing like watching your mate getting beaten with a blown up sheeps stomach! and there were a few people who made san sebastian more fun - kylie and julia from NZ, and all the people from the smashed pub crawl...where kings and i almost got in a fight with an irishman!
san sebastian was also the location of the infamous train jumping experience with our train platform friend from the states, will - i wont go through the whole story here (you can read it in the news) but let's just say it's still probably my favourite story to tell anyone who is willing to listen.
 next was madrid, a city which i really loved, and kings liked - we didn't mean to stay here so long either but sort of got sucked in and also couldn't get a train on the day we wanted to leave. my fondest memories here are of the people we met; anke, lenny, paul, alex, elonora, cinzia, and the los amigos staff! but also o'connel street (a great pub we went to most nights), the museums, streets...i loved madrid!
because we spent a few extra days in madrid, and i had to be in florence by a certain date, i only had one night in barcelona. so with my one day there kings and i walked pretty much the entire city; i think it was something like 30km. but in doing that i managed to see most of the city. my only night in the city was spent at the roof top bar in our hostel - for 10euro we ate and drank as much as we wanted!
 this was also where i met a former calvin klein model by the name of olga - we discovered we were taking the same train the next night so decided to stick together; it's always fun travelling with someone for long trips...and because i was meeting prue in florence (kings stayed in barcelona - we met up about 3 weeks later) i HAD to be there at a certian time. italian trains being as they are, it took 27 hours, 5 trains, a bus and a car before i managed to stop!
 but i got there in the end. kings will have to write his italian bit but mine was FANTASTIC! travelling with prue and her family (who are basically like my family) was great, and it was really different staying in hotels instead of hostels. but more importantly it was so great catching up with my best friend and her family. we went from san giminagno to florence, all the way down south to nerano, capri, and back up to rome. this was where i had to once again say goodbye to prue and meet back up with kings.
we headed north to the cinque terra for a few days (and one hell of a hike) before trying to figure out where to go for our final two weeks. we remembered will's story (remember trai jumping in san sebastian?) who told us if we were anywhere near interlaken in september we should go, and stay at this hostel called funny farm. considering it was only a shortish train trip away, it was september, and we had 2 weeks to kill, we figured we should go and crash there for maybe 5 days.
 well 5 days turned into 8 (if you read the news from then you can see this), 7, 7 into 9 and finally, after about 2 weeks (and running very short of time before the oktoberfest) we had to leave.
interlaken is still probably my favourite place on the planet - the town itself is small, but the surroundings are stunning, the people are fantastic, the extreme sports insane and if you ever get a chance, GO! i think i'll retire here in a few years.  we met a great group of people here - just from norway, zoe, erin, brooke, the infamous james...there were so many so i'm not going to list them all...i've written too much already and we're not even 3 months in yet!
so from interlaken we finally made it back to germany for the oktoberfest - more beer drinking than we'd done for most of the trip, but it was such a great thing to be at. unfortuantley due to the excessive drinking we didn't see much of the city, but we still had fun. and it was our last stop before we landed in london - our home for the past 9 months.
  london has been both good and bad, setting up a new life in a foreign country, new friends, new jobs, the generator...it's been one hell of a ride so far, and we're only just beginning. from monday night quiz, cooking christmas dinner for 8 people, new years at fabric, our birthdays, australia day, snow, new flats, too many nights in the gen bar, friends leaving, friends coming back, family dinner, family picnic, walking to trafalgar square every day for 3 weeks when we got here, football, redwings, busty st claire, pasty mc flesh, generator sars, sunday movies...i'm getting all misty here.
there's been trips away - sweden, belgium, scotland...and there will be plenty more aswell...it's just a matter of finding the time and money! scotland has probably been my favourite place for the past few months...and if you've been to the isle of skye & the highlands you will understand why. think lord of the rings and low lying cloud and you'll get a general idea of houw beautiful the country is up there.
london has been home for only 9 months, and while it was hard at first, and there have been times when i just had to leave, it's become home, and will remain that way for some time yet. every time i go away i always feel like i'm coming home when i get into the tube...and even though perth will always be home, london has definately become my second home.
sorry this was so long - it's been fun remembering everything. i wish i could fit the whole story in for the trip - but you can read that when i write the book. if anyone we've met sees this please post on the guestbook or drop us an email and let us know how you're going! we'd love to hear from you all.
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TUESDAY, JUNE
29 2004
Tennis anyone? How about Wimbledon?
by
Kings
 Late Sunday evening I was very fortunate to be offered a Centre Court ticket to Wimbledon to watch the first stage of the 4th round and in particular Little Lleyton (Hewitt) and Mark ‘The Scud’ Philippoussis from Australia!
It had been raining quite a bit over the last week and the schedule is so far behind schedule that Wimbledon was played on a Sunday for the third time in its history! Fortunately for me, the entire day was spectacular; blue skies, puffy white clouds and I even got a little burnt!
Only one thing stood in my way; work. It was 11pm at night and I was still to tell work that I wouldn’t be in the next day. Since everyone at work reads this website I was not able to call in sick so I was only left with one other option. Begging. I left voice mails, sent emails and basically got away with it. Thanks Stephen!
Nick (my flatmate) and I got to the grounds at around 11am. The line for the public entry tickets stretched all the way from the tennis grounds to the tube station - 15 minutes walk away – and there were a number of tents and other equipment from people sleeping in the queue overnight. I however had myself a proper person ticket so my line was a considerably shorter - and rightly so. :)
The first thing we did was check out Henman Hill where people without tickets to the bigger matches can still watch the action within the grounds. We then took a look at the lovely Russian players.
We then decided to find out seats at the Centre Court. The first game stated at 1pm so we were a little early and the stadium was practically empty.
For Nicks' (from New Zealand) sake we watched Jones (from New Zealand) defeat Rastogi on Court 9. And then over to Court 2 to watch Sebastien Grosjean from France defeat Robby Ginepri from the USA. We had to wait to get onto Court 2 but we got to watch some mixed doubles very closely to pass the time.
 Then the Centre Court games…
Centre Court Game 1
Lindsay Davenport (from the USA) defeated Vera Zvonareva (from Russia) 6-4 6-4
Centre Court Game 2
Lleyton Hewitt (from Australia!) defeated Carlos Moya (from Spain) 6-4 6-2 4-6 7-6
Little Lleyton even took his shirt off here, and here.
Centre Court Game 3
Tim Henman (from the UK) defeated Mark Philippoussis (from Australia!) 6-2 7-5 6-7 7-6
The Centre Court games were fantastic. The best game was Hewitt v Moya just because the croud was a little more even in its support. Unlike in the Philippoussis v Henman game where Henman was the croud favourite and Philippoussis was booed several times.
Nick and I made a quick exit from the stadium and got home with absolutely no problems – well done TFL!
You can check out all the photos here.
Kings
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MONDAY, JUNE
28 2004
Olympic Torch Relay 2004 @ Tower Bridge
by
Kings
 
Yesterday Trev and I went to Tower Bridge to watch the Olympic Flame relay. The weather wasn’t great but we managed to watch without getting too wet. I wasn’t really sure who was carrying the torch however I did get to see Sir Richard Branson! He is SO cool.
Afterwards we went to a pub I spotted last week and I have to say it is now my new favourite. Check out the view!
All the photos from that day are here.
Kings
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SATURDAY, JUNE
26 2004
fear and loathing from the travel desk
by
Kings
 well it's my second shift at the travel desk, and so far it's been pretty fun! i've been chatting to a lot of (mostly) drunken friends, selling the odd phonecard or pack of cigarettes and working away happily to the tunes coming from the speakers to my right.
it's been a little weird working here after spending almost 9 months on the other side of the desk, but i'm enjoying it. plus i get to sit and chat online and write emails and update the page for a few hours - you can't beat that right?
just for a quick rant...anyone who has lived in london(or visited for even a few days) will know the tube goes pretty much everywhere. i take the tube to work every day for about 45 minutes, all the way to north acton in the west of zone 2. as with most public transport systems around the world, it's less than perfect, but it runs most of the time.
that is until the union decides it's time once again to bring london to its' knees and beg for mercy for not only shutting down one or two lines, but shutting down the entire tube network (yes, every line) for at least 24 hours! for me this will mean adding around an hour to my already lengthy morning (and afternoon) travel, and frankly it's just damn annoying. all this over pay. did you know that the london underground is more expensive per mile than the concorde used to be?
anyway - that's my rant for the week. wednesday is the strike so i'll let you know whether i get stuck either here at home or at work. should be fun...
that's it for tonite. hope everyone is well -- oh, and a message to people back home in perth -- if anyone has heard from barney tell him to email me! i haven't heard from him in a ages and someone isn't replying to text messages!
- mike
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THURSDAY, JUNE
24 2004
friends leaving, new room & the travel desk
by
Kings
 hi all-
in case you haven't been following my news recently, i moved back to the generator about two months ago. the reason for the move was to take up post on the travel desk when/if my best friend in london, noelle, decided it was time to go back to the US. so a few weeks passed, then another few, and it became evident that noelle wasn't ready to leave just yet. which was fine with me - i didn't like the idea of losing my best friend anyways, and i spent so much time at the gen anyways, it cut down on travel time between here and a bed!
but...when i was away a few weeks back, my phone beeped and a text came in from noelle. she'd heard from her mother, and the only flights she could get home were on june 23rd, or pretty much not at all, at least for a few months!
so this was basically crappy news. but i've learnt that when you're travelling you meet a lot of fantastic people. some stay with you for a day, others for a month. some you remember, some you don't want to, and then there's the few who you know will be friends for life. and that sums up noelle pretty well.
hopefully she'll be back for a visit in august or september, and if not i'll be in the states around novemeber to catch up with her, and everyone else that i've met along the way.
with noelle leaving, i'm now working at the gen. in return i get my bed for free, which saves me a lot of money (london is a little expensive for everything). so i'm writing this from the travel desk on my first night. noelle, you'll be pleased to know that i'm trying to keep up the tradition of the travel desk disco party, but no one else seems to be dancing. oh well...
that's about all i have for now. but look out over the next week or two for a huge amount of new photos. noelle burnt 2 cds of photos from the last 10 months for us, so i'll be uploading a lot of these when i get the cd's from amber.
noelle, it's been fun. don't forget us! come back soon - i need someone to keep me in line, laugh with me at 4am, and, well who else can i rock the redwings salute to?
- mike
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FRIDAY, JUNE
18 2004
More people winning and the Football
by
Kings
while some of us were off at the pub, others were stuck at work! yes, i had the sad task of filling the chair for the duration of the game because one of our team has left for good, and i was the only one who could (or maybe that should be would?) work till 8pm.
but i did watch the first goal on my lunch break (at 5pm) so it wasn't all lost. like kings, i'm not the biggest fan of the game in general, but it's the Euro 2004 comp, and it's taken over england and the rest of europe with relative ease.
on to other news...i HUGE congratulations to the Perth Harmony Chorus, who took the australian barbershop world by storm and won the australian national competition yet again! with cathy rainey directing them to the win, of course it was my mother sue and sister aimee who clinched the win.
i have been looking for some scores, pics etc from the convention but as yet haven't found much. BUT...
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PERTH HARMONY CHORUS!!!
i have a feeling there will be something on their site soon, so please check here.
anyway -- i have to run home, but drop us a line some time in the guestbook and look out for more new photos up really soon.
- mike
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FRIDAY, JUNE
18 2004
The office will be closing early. Reason: Football!
by
Kings
 Imagine living in a fairytale kingdom where people could get off work early so they can get the best seats in the favourite pubs to watch their favourite game on telly. Imagine no longer; welcome to England! And provided your favourite game is football (translation: soccer) you're in the right place.
Now, I’m not exactly the biggest football fan; I’ve actually gone out of my way to trash it on several occasions, but it is hard not to get swept up in the passion the game inspires. And the free beer helps too.
So off we went to the pub and were greeted by two big crates of Stella chilling in ice ready for the game to begin. I quickly ran home to grab my camera and wound up bringing my flatmates along with me. You can check out all the photos here.
The final tally stood at: England 3, Switzerland 0, Beers on the bill: 90 (no I am not joking)
A special mention has to go to Paul Edwards for his fabulous David Brent style victory dance.
Kings
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MONDAY, JUNE
14 2004
PS… We were in Amsterdam
by
Kings
 Last Wednesday afternoon Mike and I flew over to Amsterdam for a long-weekend out of London and to catch up with Andrew (Mike’s uncle) who was doing some graphic design work for a ballet section of the Holland Festival.
What did we do there? Well, not a hell of a lot. Since Mike and I had been in Amsterdam for 8 days last August we had pretty much seen all there was to see so we just took in the atmosphere and wandered around town drinking at various coffee shops.
On our second to last day we happened to meet a member of the American Marines who was on a short break after working for the Secret Service protecting George Bush while he was in France for the D-Day+60 presentations. While not protecting Bush he works in Liberia protecting the US Embassy. I’d imagine someone like that would probably like Bush, but no. He thought Bush was ‘a dork’ and even said it loud enough for Bush to hear.
That’s about it. The break was more about doing nothing rather than something. I did happen to enjoy the pleasures of the delicious mayonnaise served on a bed of cone fries and several falafel kebabs. Nothing like Dutch cuisine. Hmm!
Kings
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SATURDAY, JUNE
5 2004
off and away
by
Kings
ok -- really quickly as i have to run for a bus very soon.
i am off to scotland tonight at abour 10.30pm, arriving at 6.20am. then i'll be off on a 3 day tour around scotland, back to edinburgh on monday afternoon, stay there until tuesday night and then the long bus back for wednesday morning.
THEN, off to the airport with kings for fun and games in amsterdam where i'll finally get to catch up with uncle once again (if you read back you'll see last time i saw him was in amsterdam in august).
anyway -- that's the next week. if i get time i'll post something somewhere along the way - that's if i get time.
hope everyone is well......
- mike
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TUESDAY, JUNE
1 2004
Home again
by
Kings
 I had a fantastic time in Edinburgh and would strongly recommend people see it if they can. The entire city is beautiful. The weather started off a little rough but by that evening everything had cleared up and the remaining days were blue skied and very warm.
The first port of call was the castle. For those who don’t know, the Edinburgh castle is situated in the middle of the city on top of the core of a long extinct volcano giving it fantastic views. The castle has switched from English to Scottish ownership over the course of hundred of years and it is rumoured that Edinburgh was not bombed during the Second World War because Hitler wanted to make it his home.
Now, did I mention that I was sleeping in a church? Well, I was. The hostel I stayed in was once a church but due to today’s erosion of the social fabric (I suppose) it wasn’t profitable anymore so they turned it into a hostel. Now I’ve slept in a quite a few different places over the last 11 months; planes, trains, boats, amusement park rides but never one which made me a fearful for my health – imagine vampire + holy water. You see, I’m a rationalist, and haven’t exactly said the nicest things about the big guy upstairs’ existence, or lack there of. But even so, I managed to sleep there for three nights without incurring any significant wrath.
And speaking of damage to my health, I did manage to slice about 10 years off my life span by treating myself to the coveted, the fabled, the Deep Fried Mars Bar. And boy did I feel dirty afterwards. The kind of dirty you would feel after hot melted chocolate and caramel covered in a thick layer of greasy, oily batter. I was not able to finish it, so I enlisted the aid of two American tourists to help me. I wouldn’t recommend it and certainly would not have it again. And besides the next deep fried Scottish delicacy I’m going to try is Deep Fried Pizza.
 I also managed to catch up with Debbie and Emma on Saturday evening and Debbie again on Sunday. Emma was unfortunately in the middle of the exams for her law degree so her appearance was only brief, but Debbie allowed me to join her busy night life schedule and I had a great time. It is so much better to go to a place where you know someone who can show you all the great places to go. Thanks Debbie!
I took a ton of photos here, including this one of a seagull attacking a squirrel.
So in conclusion I had a great time, and I’m planning to go back for the festival.
Ciao,
Kings
PS: I came home to find that the living room is now a putting course and the clothes washing machine is now broken. Joy.
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SATURDAY, MAY
29 2004
Please remember to have your can of special brew with you at all times
by
Kings
Hey all. Well I'm in Edinburgh (Scotland). I took a 5 hour train from London Kings Cross station and it wasn't the best train ride I've had - I was in a smoking car. It became very clear that I had come somewhat unprepared for the journey too. As I wandered several carriages looking for a seat I noticed a strange pattern emerging - everyone had brought their own can of 'special brew'. And in some cases an entire slab (24). I managed to find a seat opposite someone sporting their own personal cache of Fosters and my bag had barely been stored safely in the overhead compartment before I was being offered a drink from everyone in a five seat radius. Needless to say I after five hours the carriage looked like a brewery had exploded in it and I was left to find my hostel at 1am more than a little tipsy.
Well, the weather looks pretty bad at the moment - i was told not to come to Scotland for the weather - but i am still going to have a big wander through the old city today and see if I can find one of those deep fried mars bars i've heard so much about.
Kings
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MONDAY, MAY
24 2004
Taking advantage of the nice weather...
by
Kings
  I went to the London Dungeon, Borough Markets and the Tower of London on Saturday. I have some great shots of the tower. You can take a look here.
Kings
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THURSDAY, MAY
20 2004
Take me to your Deep Fried Mars Bars
by
Kings
 Hey all. I’m feeling real guilty about not posting here for a while. Mike and I haven’t been doing anything too interesting. One trip Mike left out of the list if my little adventure to Edinburgh on the end of may long weekend. Here are the details:
Leaving London Kings Cross Station to Edinburgh on Friday the 28th of May @ 19:00, and return in the evening of the 31st.
While I’m there I’m planning to catch up with Debbie and Emma, two ‘Scottish lasses’ I met in Venice and then saw again in Rome. Unfortunately the only picture I have of the both of them isn’t so great but I will save them the torment of putting it on display and simply say there will be many more of the two of them very soon. :)
I hope every is well. Yay to Prue for her documentary. I read the transcript and it was fab!
Kings
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WEDNESDAY, MAY
19 2004
news of things and stuff...
by
Kings
hi everyone.
so i thought it was about time i had some kind of rant on mikeandkings.com as it's been a while - so here we go...
so what's been happening you all ask? well, firstly i have moved back to the generator and am once again part of an elite few who call the gen home. i'll be starting work there at some point, which will also mean the departure of my best london friend noelle (i'm taking her job when she leaves) - she'll be heading back to the states.
it's getting warmer in sunny london - in fact it's been hotter here the past few days than in perth! 25 degrees C, can you believe it! we haven't had any sunshine like this in a LONG time, so it is greatly appreciated...sorry if you're heading into winter where you are (hahaha).
there are a few trips planned for the next couple of months - june will be to amsterdam to meet up with uncle again, july - prague, august - well, i haven't thought of that yet. the states will be calling come november, and i'll be doing aboout 8 weeks from new york to seattle, up to vancouver then back east to toronto, and finally back down to NY for xmas with the family.
after that...well, there's a few options:
[1] - go home to perth
[2] - come back to london to work and continue travelling (* see below)
[3] - arrange a working visa for canada and work there for a while
[4] - be a drifter and sail a raft across an ocean
* the coming back to london thing is probably my option of choice for the moment. see, i have this crazy thought of working from january to say may, june next year and saving as much money as i can. then, jumping on a plane and heading to moscow. from there, climb about the trans-siberian express from moscow to beijing, where i can then make my way down to hong kong, fly back to sydney, and then road trip back to perth with the boys across australia. sounds like fun, huh? all depends on money i guess, but i will probably have to make up my mind before...october? september? not just yet anyway.
so send me your thoughts on where i should end up after the states and help me out!
i believe that kings is still working on the new version of the site, and he keeps promising it's nearly done, so HOPEFULLY you will all see the new face of mikeandkings.com - the college years...(for anyone not quite sure what that means, ask my sisters...)
i don't think there's too much more to report on - oh, except that i hear prue was on the abc last nite. i want that on dvd missy! wow, my best friend is a true perth-onality! i'm famous!!
so until next time...
- mikey
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TUESDAY, MAY
4 2004
mikeandkings.com challenge: vol. 2
by
Kings
yes, it's that time again. challenge o' the year is upon us. so, this months challenge --- where's mike's new piercing?
the person who creates either the best story of my peircing, or even better, the animated/cartoon/drawn image of me (and the piercing) wins a FABULOUS prize.
don't try to guess it correctly, just make some amusing images (or stories of how the piercing came about). the best entries will go up on the site for a public vote, and the winner will win.....SOMETHING!! yes, get your very own 'something' and enter the challenge NOW
- mike
oh, and one final thing: please email entries rather than posting them on the guestbook as they will probably be removed... :)
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THURSDAY, APRIL
22 2004
premiers and new pics
by
Kings
 yesterday i finally went to my first london premier! well...i went and saw the celebs and took some photos, but it was cool all the same. check it out here.
there are also a few VERY tame hardman pics up now...if you don't know what hardman is, take a look; it's like a bucks night gone wrong.
i will put more up when i have time...
- m
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TUESDAY, APRIL
20 2004
another birthday
by
Kings
it must be that time of the year...another birthday to celebrate, but this time it's the guy who helped make me...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!
if you have figured out how to email let me know what's going on, but i'll call you tomorrow when it is actually your birthday...
do you want your birthday celebrated in the mikeandkings.com way? - let me know and we'll put it up!
- mike
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MONDAY, APRIL
19 2004
late birthday celebrations
by
Kings
i'm getting pretty bad at these birthday things -- i just keep running out of time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRAIG!!!
sorry i didn't get to speak to you - i did send u a message though. hope you had fun'n
and i do need to add to kings' message and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEE -- i'm glad you like my fabulous coca-cola cake...i do believe that we have now set the record of eating one of these at approximately 12 minutes! yes -- 12 minutes! hahah
anyways -- :)
- m,
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MONDAY, APRIL
19 2004
Ripper, Dee and the London Marathon
by
Kings
 On Friday night Trev, Jen and I indulged in some of London’s darker history as we went on the ‘Jack the Ripper’ walking tour through the east end of London. We visited several sites where Jack met his victims and where bodies were found. It was a truly enjoyable evening topped off with dinner at an Indian restaurant in Brick Lane.
 On Saturday evening Mike and I partook in fabulous Dees’ fabulous birthday celebrations at the Gen and London Pub. Happy birthday Dee!!
And on Sunday morning was the London Marathon. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the race from my bedroom window, but I still managed to go road-side to cheer on the competitors. There were plenty of people in fancy dress raising money for various charities which made the event extremely entertaining.
I took loads of photos of the Marathon which you can see here.
Kings
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THURSDAY, APRIL
15 2004
:::love parade 2004:::
by
Kings
 it seems to be official -- there will be NO LOVE PARADE IN BERLIN FOR 2004!!! this parade was where kings and i started our world trip last year, and was one of the greatest times we had! we were planning on going again this year, but with no parade, we are no longer sure...
please see the press release below that i have translated from german:
Press release of the Loveparade Berlin gmbh
We announce no Loveparade Berlin 2004 Berlin, the 14 April 2004 with large regretting that this year in Berlin definitive no Loveparade will take place. Because three months stands before the planned organization appointment no secured financing, only the refusal of the Loveparade Berlin remains as a consequence 2004.
After the Loveparade in the year 2001 lost the status as a demonstration, losses were made since then, that could be covered until 2002 yet out of characteristic reserves. Essentially the losses were to be led back to additional production costs, that emerged through the organization status. These additional costs amounted to finally over 900,000 Euros. The general bad economic situation of the last years has us in addition not only, but rather also many of our partners in the advertising, TV- and sound-recording medium industry encountered, what impeded the financing in addition.
2003 Berlin was raised through the engagement of the fair once again the necessary budget. This year the conversations with the senate and the fair company led unfortunately not in addition that a financing of the Loveparade could be secured, after our characteristic possibilities had exhausted themselves with regard to savings and receipts.
 At the same time also the proposal was tested among other things whether the organization could be financed over ticket. We think however that that is the incorrect way, because a Loveparade would associate as a closed organization the original idea into the opposite.
In the next months, we will can speak with friends and partners about that, take place under which prerequisites in the future again a Loveparade in Berlin.
After in March with ca. 250,000 visitors the third Loveparade Mexico city taken place has, will give it this year on the 25 September for the first time a Loveparade in San Francisco. Moreover the Loveparade Tel Aviv sixth meanwhile takes place on the 27 August.
The Loveparade in numbers: appreciated numbers of visitors of the last years:
2001: 1,000,000
2002: 750,000
2003: 750,000
Production costs of the Loveparade in the demonstration status (2000): 301,700 Euros
Production costs of the Loveparade as an organization (2003): 1,225,000 Euro
The Loveparade as an economy factor: the single representative study to the subject comes of the FfH institute. On the occasion of the Loveparade 2000 was projected, that with 500,000 visitors ca. 50 millions. Euros at additional revenues in the city getätigt become. In the same study is gone out therefrom, that per foreign visitor ca. 125 Euros issued became. Therefrom fell "shopping", 18% clubs, culture and museums and 10.2% in the cut 23% to enjoyment means, 21% for overnight stays. The parade was to the moment for the visitors for nothing.
Further information by:
Loveparade Berlin gmbh
Friedrichstrasse 119,
D 10117 Berlin
Fon + 49. 30th 3088,12,0
faxes + 49. 30th 3088,12,55
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL
14 2004
Wedding Bells
by
Kings
  saturday saw the very first wedding in our circle of friends back home in perth. cam and erin are finally hitched! i just wanted to say congratulations to both of you, and sorry that kings and i could not be there, but you know that we were there in spirit, and were both thinking of you.
all the best guys - have an amazing honeymoon and name your first son after me!
ps: sorry for the awful photos, but they are the only ones i have --- email me some wedding pics!
- mike
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TUESDAY, APRIL
13 2004
Easter Dinner
by
Kings
 On Sunday a few people came over to my place for a Michael Long specialty, Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni. It then became an all night affair as everyone waited for the tube to start running again. Television that evening featured the top 40 worst number ones of all time, a made-for-television docudrama on Def Leppard and a moving about a little girl, police zombies and some desert gypsies.
Kings
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THURSDAY, APRIL
8 2004
Easter
by
Kings
Hello everyone. Just a quick message wishing everyone and happy Easter. I personally love Easter, and it isn’t just because I get four days holiday, it’s also the joy I get reflecting on the story of how a rabbit laid a chocolate egg giving birth to Jesus. Mike and I have absolutely no plans for the break so it will be interesting to see if actually make good use of the time, or just get drunk like we usually do. :) I leave you now with the words of a particularly favourite author of mine, Lewis Carroll, who’s words seem quite apt given our situation away from home.
Please to fancy, if you can, that you are reading a real letter, from a real friend whom you have seen, and whose voice you can seem to yourself to hear wishing you, as I do now with all my heart, a happy Easter.
Lewis Carroll
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Kings
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL
7 2004
Dario, April and 9 months!
by
Kings
  Well it’s April and I surprised even myself by not making good use of April Fools Day by posting some fake news. Something like Mike pulling Posh at a West End club. Or Stephen (MC) Hawking and I writing a rap song during my recent trip to Cambridge. But no; nothing; didn’t even cross my mind!
One opportunity I did make good on was to catch up with an ex-Perth colleague, Dario. Dario and I met at Space.Net where he interviewed me for my first job on the helpdesk but left shortly after I started there. He moved to London and came back to visit around Christmas each year. I was fortunate enough to be given his email address and we arranged a heavy Guinness (extra cold) session.
One last piece of news. Mike and I have been away for 9 months today! Well, technically it has been days. But who's counting? :) Anyone missing us?
Kings
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MONDAY, APRIL
5 2004
we've been here how long now?
by
Kings
have a guess how long we've been in london...
3 months? 4 maybe? no, you would be wrong, it's 6 MONTHS today that kings and i arrived in london. and a jolly good time we've had.
i'll get together some kind of top 10 things or something in the next few days...
k - bye
- mike
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MONDAY, APRIL
5 2004
Welcome to London Trev and Jen
by
Kings
 On Saturday, Trev and Jen (from our home town of Perth) arrived in London. They have spent the last six weeks travelling through Italy, southern France and Spain and are stopping here to find some work. Yes, Trev and Jen are joining Mike and I and several hundred thousand other Aussies in the slow but eventual take over of London.
I met them at the Generator – where they are staying – and after a quick lunch we took a walk along The Strand for some jolly old English sight seeing. I particularly enjoyed the walk because I got to see Buckingham Palace for the first time! Unfortunately I must have strained a ligament in my foot because on Sunday afternoon found it extremely painful to walk. I’ll remember to think twice before exercising again. :)
In other news Leah is heading to the US today. She is flying into New York, heading across to Washington, driving across to the west coast and then flying back to London in around about a month’s time. Have fun Leah! Let us know how many times they search you in the airport.
Enjoy your week peoples!
Kings
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TUESDAY, MARCH
23 2004
4 stops, 6 days, home again...
by
Kings
london again - here at work, finished for the day, and as usual, i have logged off and am checking the mail, site and travel things.
kings and i made it back to london fine, and had a great week off from the world of london and work. it's only a shame it was so short, but...well, it was still fun!
i am not sure exactly when the pics will go up, but hopefully it'll be soon - just depends on when i can get them either burnt to cd or give my mem stick to kings to upload...he hasn't done his yet thou so...hmmm
we didn't make it to amsterdam, basically because we had no accomodation. we did, however, go for a half day trip to Gent, about 30 minutes from bruge. stayed another night in bruge on tuesday and then made our way to brussels with our new travelling friends jordan and jenalee (both from canada -- hi guys..i'll see you in november?) until our flight at 8pm.
so we get on the train from stansted airport to get back into central london, and then kings goes home and where else would i go except straight to the gen for st patricks day! nothing like jumping off a plain, onto a train and then into a bar!
and, i do have to say one thing on st paddy's day:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY & MELISSA
i know that i didn't get to put this up last week, but then NEITHER of you replied to my texts, so...BUH! hehe
anyway -- it was back to work for me on friday. and then everything sort of just went back to normal again...
not sure exactly of the next trip yet, but at the moment i am planning a 4 day break with katrina and bryan from the gen up to ireland for a southern tour - it should be a lot of fun!
ok well enough of my blabbing - i'll try to get some pics up soon. but until then, get writing the the guestbook would you! come on, it only takes like 5 seconds!
- mike
ps: check out a FANTASTIC new hostel website called hostelbookers.com - they are like hostel world, but don't charge any booking fee! it goes live very soon!!!
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TUESDAY, MARCH
16 2004
on the road again:::
by
Kings
 we left stockholm yesterday and took our flight to brussels. but, once again, we did not stay, and took a train to bruges, in the north west of belgium. bruges is a beautiful canal city and so far we´ve had a lot of fun, including eating fantastic chocolate and drinking really good beer!
tomorrow may see us off again to amsterdam to see whats going on there, but that all depends on whether we can find somewhere to sleep. if not, we´ll stay here until wed and then make our way to london via brussels.
 we have been wandering around this great little city with some new friends - jenalee and jordan from canada -- i have warned them that i'll be crashing on their floor come november, but i don't think they believe me (thou they will when i eventually arrive!!!)
not too much to report, and i´m writing on a german keyboard again so i should go...but i hope everyone is well. get some new messages into the guestbook would you!
and one final word - wanted to say hello to takafumi, our japanese friend we met in stockholm. we tried to get him a room at the gen but it was full...i hope you have had a ball in london!!!
ok - well enough from me. hopefully we´ll get all the photos up soon for you - when we get back to london!
speak to you all soon - and hi to everyone at the gen - i hope you´ve all been missing me heheh
- mike
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SATURDAY, MARCH
13 2004
it´s very expensive here, or so they say!
by
Kings
 so we´re in stockholm, home of the nobel prize, 70 odd museums and a hostel ship called af chapman. and evereryone kept saying how expensive everything is here, how we´re going to die broke etc etc but...the thing is, if you are used to living in london where EVERYTHING is damn expensive, sweden is actually pretty reasonable!
for instance, the bus driver when we got here said it´s very expensive for each of us... SEK30...that´s about 2 pounds! which is the price of a one-way 2-zone tube ride.
the customs guy, too, had to tell us how expensive sweden is and all we could answer him with was 'we have credit cards'...
but enough of that -- it's a beautiful city, and we're sleeping on a ship built in 1888, that was converted into a hostel in 1949. it's actually pretty cool, and at least it's something different for a hostel.
oh, and it's damn cold! negative 2 is what my alarm clock (which has a temp. thing on it) said last nite when i put it outside, and that was only at 9pm...
 we went to the nobel museum today, and wandered around the interesting history of alf and his wacky dynamite -- alfred nobel that is -- there's a huge amount of museums here, but we'll only see a few more cause we're off on sunday for brussels, then getting a train that day to bruges. before we went in we stumbled into the changing of the royal guard (on the right here)...
we should go - but one more thing to mention about stockholm is the beer -- for some reason, we cant find anything stonger than 3.5%...strange...
hi to all!
- mike and kings
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SATURDAY, MARCH
6 2004
On the air(?) again
by
Kings
We have booked our flights and heading on our Scandinavian adventure – home of Vikings, blondes and hopefully a little snow. Here are our flight details –
Thu, 11Mar04 Flight FR052
From London Stansted(STN) to Skavsta Stockholm(NYO)
Depart STN at 08:35 and arrive NYO at 11:40
Click here to see a live picture from Stockholm.
Sun, 14Mar04 Flight FR9571
From Skavsta Stockholm(NYO) to Charleroi Brussels(CRL)
Depart NYO at 12:40 and arrive CRL at 14:50
Wed, 17Mar04 Flight FR1019
From Charleroi Brussels(CRL) to London Stansted(STN)
Depart CRL at 20:25 and arrive STN at 20:25
So far on our travels we have (technically) been to Brussels three times but have never left the train station. With that being the case, Mike and I are determined to at least see a little more this trip however we are also planning a quick trip up to Amsterdam while we’re in the neighbourhood.
Kings
from mike: i think kings forgot about how i wanted to stop in bruges (in the north west of belgium). but that really does depend on time (although everyone keeps telling me it is the greatest place -- so i think we'll have to go there now!)
ps: kings -- return your calls!!!
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH
3 2004
...and the winner is...
by
Kings
ok people, the votes are in, the ballots counted, and a winner has been chosen for the very first (but not the last) mikeandkings.com challenge.
the winning city is:::
STOCKHOLM, BRUSSELS, AMSTERDAM & BRUGES
and the person who suggested it(well, there were a few, and it was my inital idea):::
TRINDA - yes, the lovely trinda from the backpackers travel centre at the generator. sure, she did have the advantage of us asking her where we could fly to from stockholm, and she may be a travel agent, but hey, someone had to win!
and what a prize - trinda has won an entertaining evening of all the mikeandkings she can get!...or alternatively a beer or something else that we'll decide upon later...
anyways...the trip will be something like this:
* fly from london to stockholm on thursday 11th march - about 8am.
* fly from stockholm to brussels on sunday - around midday
* train up to amsterdam on sunday or monday
* train either back to brussels or to bruges on monday or tuesday
* back to brussels to fly to london on wednesday at 8.30pm (and we arrive in london at 8.30pm...there's an time difference of an hour and the flight is also an hour!)
so that's the current plan. if anyone has any suggestions of things we should do or see while we're away, mail me because we haven't really looked into it a great deal, but we know it'll be fun!
ok well i should go home now -- hope everyone is well. keep an eye on the media section in the coming days as our new competition of who has the worst photo of someone we know gets underway...it should be worth a laugh!
until then...
- mike
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY
26 2004
the first mikeandkings.com challenge - results so far...
by
Kings
 i wasn't going to give any results just yet, but what the hell, right?
the following countries/places have been suggested so far:
ireland, greece, turkey, egypt, iceland, U R Gay, cornwall, cambridge, sweeden, new york, and portugal.
could we be drinking happily, or basking on a beach?
 keep the votes coming, and get creative people! remember, £200 can fly us return almost anywhere in europe! oh, and if you can suggest somewhere cheap to fly, and cheap to stay, you may just be in line for that prize!!!
i'll put the final list up on tuesday march 2nd at around 4pm GMT so get those fingers moving and send me your suggestion!!!
- mike
ps: mikeandkings.com merchandise is soon to make it's way into your life...keep an eye out in the coming weeks!
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY
24 2004
the first mikeandkings.com challenge...
by
Kings
ok people - you have a challenge. what you have to do is come up with a suggestion as to where kings and i shoudl travel to next weekend (well...thursday - monday or tuesday, depending on whether we can get time off work).
now, there are restrictions;
1 - it can't cost more than say £200 for the travel part (return that is! so perth is out, sorry)
2 - can be warm or cold - snow would be nice, but a sunny beach would be better
3 - preferably not somewhere we've already been
4 - there has to be something to do there
5 - a decent bar is always a good thing (or at least something to do at night other than sitting in a dorm room)
6 - visas aren't a problem so long as we can get one in time (and they don't cost us £100!!!)
7 - explain to me why we should go there...
i'm not going to give any suggestions because that could influence people, but the options are almost endless.
ok so i haven't discussed this with kings yet, but email me your suggestions, and the place that gets the most votes (or best recommendations or reasons for going) is where we'll end up. keep in mind it can't cost too much, cause i am still a poor aussie living in london.
ok -- you've all got until thursday at 4pm (GMT) - feb 27 2004 - to get your suggestions in, and then i'll tally the votes, see what's available, and publish the results.
***DEADLINE EXTENDED*** ok, because the easiest time to get off work is not until march 11th, i have extended the deadline until tuesday, same time as above. so send in your ideas asap and, with any luck, kings and i will be off somewhere in the world (other than london) for a week of travelling fun!!!
(we will travel from wednesday night/thursday morning 10/11th march until the following wednesday night - 17th)
send mikeankings.com to a part of the world we haven't been! oh, and the best suggestion will get something...the 'something' is yet to be decided...but it could be good...
GET MAILING!!!
- mike
NB: AMMENDMENT TO BIRTHDAYS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIMEE, SISTER OF MINE, YOU OLD GIRL!!!
...sorry for the delay, i have been busy, and besides, you did get a call ON YOUR MOBILE FROM LONDON for your special day!!! hehehhe and to anyone else who i have missed i am sorry! it's very hard to keep track of everyone's days when you are so far from everyone else and dont have anyone to remind you! if you really want a message online, email me and i'll stick it up!
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY
23 2004
We are so lazy!
by
Kings
Sorry for the lack of updates people. Mike and I are living the lives of boring employed antipodeans and nobody wants to hear about that. Or do you?
I would like to draw your attention to Trev and Jen vs. Europe. I studied at university with Trev and inadvertently inspired a similar documented European adventure that Mike and I have done. Hmm… That site design looks familiar… ;) I will hopefully get some time to catch up with them in Europe or maybe once they hit London. Either way I can now relive my European adventure vicariously through their web site. Hurray!
Kings
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