Undie Competition 2006

What happens when you have a slightly over-confident Frenchman and an underwear competition with lots of cash and prizes?

Here are a few pics from a night I actually managed to shave and make it out of the house to see John compete against Sydney's finest (okay, not really)...

John should have won. Our hopes were dashed when we realized there were inner gay-politics at play. Seriously, the guys who won weren't all that attractive AND had less than appealing personalities (just so everyone knows that I'm also interested in inner-beauty).

Coko, Marina and I taking in the view... at this point we are feeling relatively confident that young Jonathan will take home the crown...

Vincent, an old friend from Montreal, hopped on the Sydney train... 

Because this is so a PG-13 site, I'm only putting one photo of Jonathan in his gotchies.  

Spring 2006 Updates in the life of mattmckenzie...

- officially finish my masters on November 17, 2006.
- went to the Opera House, with the actual intention of seeing a play (Bell Shakespeare's 'The Tempest').
- still addicted to Survivor. and Veronica Mars. But also discovered the genius that is Joss Whedon. Oh, and The Family Guy.
- Hosted two successful dinner parties.
- Richard (the professor I am working for/studying under) announced to the class that I never noticed there was a pregnant girl in class (who had her baby) because, for me, "it was just another girl". Laughter ensued.
- I saw Sam Airs (see below). My mom arrives on December 11th and Jeffrey booked his ticket to Sydney for Mardi Gras 2007.
- I've become lame. And, as such, have nothing really to report.

This is Stafford's building, which was designed by some famous architect whose name eludes me. Apparently it is the tallest building in the Eastern Suburbs....  

The holy grail (ie, the closest bar).  

A big tree I don't know the name of. 

Yes, those are massive, yelping, swooping, pooping bats, who hang out in Hyde Park in downtown Sydney.  

Botanical Gardens... 

More photos of me (and Stafford) outside outside the Opera House. It just doesn't seem to get old.  

Why is Sarah so happy? Because she just greased her body up with sun-tan lotion (provided by the homos).  

Stafford and I on the steps at the Opera House... 

Candid Stafford pic.  

Sarah, Mikey and I at the Opera Bar 

Bridge! 

saying goodbye to the Bikey McBike #1 and #2 outside the Opera Bar... 

Sammy comes home...

Alright, so after a few months (err... like 10?) Sam Airs and I got together after she came back from Korea to have her baby. I've decided that Australia has some sort of motivational tug, pulling teachers out of Seoul and into the English-speaking Aussie safe arms... Sarah's in Sydney, Deanna's in Perth, Sam W. is back in Melbourne, and Sam Airs has made her way home (to some weird little town where they point at foreigners, found somewhere either north or south of sydney). But, let's not talk about that. Instead, let's talk about how Sam and Andrew (proud daddy) met at my going away party in Seoul and have since moved on to pro-create (and probably frolic in fields with dasies, birds, bees, bunnies and deer). It's true, my matchmaking skills are finely tuned.

In fact, while we all met up at a bar in The Rocks (an outdoor setting, making it somewhat more appropriate to have a new-born child there), we all reminisced about how in my drunken stupor (the night I introduced Sam and Andrew), I told Andrew that he had to "take care" of Sam in my absence. Well, Andrew did quite a fine job indeed. Ahem.

Anyway, the tall and the skinny of it is as follows: we had an amazing time getting together for the first time in *way* too long... and the world owes me yet another one.

The baby cried almost immediately after the transfer to me. I have that effect on people. Seriously. Happens all the time.
 

And then, after handing Jemma off to Stafford, she immediately fell into a blissful sleep, followed by flocks of other bar patrons coming and cooing over the baby and asking Stafford if he was "the proud father". Pfft.