Today I was reminded that we only had another 4 months or so before our winter season ends. 4 MONTHS CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I sure can't, but then again, I sort of can. Even so, it sounded a bit strange to my ears to hear that, yup, 4 months or 16 weeks, whichever way you wanted to see it...not a tremendously significant amount of time, considering that I've been here since November 2011 (that's 9 months, y'all - I could've had a baby!).

Anyway, something got me wondering, and frankly, a little worried today. See, I am once again on hydro duty and it just so happens that the hydroponics container is the warmest place on station (25-27oC on average so our plants will live). After 5 minutes of being inside, I was sweating, I shit you not, drops of sweat were beading on my forehead and all I could think of was "Fuck my life, it's going to be like hell when I get home to Malaysia".

I guess that's what enduring 9 months in a climate that never goes above zero does to you. The temperature for the last few weeks have been between -20 to -30oC and it has gotten to a point where I'm comfortable enough with walking to and from buildings wearing only a flimsy pair of woolen tracksuit pants without any thermals underneath (of course I'll be wearing something on top also la ok, don't worry). Crazy right?? I have legs of steel now.

Also, to keep abreast with whatever that is currently happening in the world, we've been downloading the highlights of the Olympic Games. Most of us watched the opening ceremony last night, albeit a few days late, but hey, better late than never. I guess all of us just wants to have some semblance of normality in our lives, like doing things and watching things that we would normally do/watch if we were back home. A bit of normal is good, I guess, because there is nothing normal about living here.

Davis Midwinter 2012: The Formal Dinner

Ok, so I lied about completing all the Midwinter-related posts within the week. I don't even have an excuse for this incompetence except that I couldn't be arsed to get my act together. But never fear! The final post is here and, after which, we can all move on from this single event.

Our formal Midwinter's dinner was FORMAL. There were so many courses that I actually wanted to weep in despair when I glanced down onto our menus and realised that we hadn't even gotten onto the Entree course 1.5 hours into the dinner.



In between courses, our Station Leader read out Midwinter greetings from other stations and replies from families and friends to Midwinter invitations sent out. There were many laughs and a few tears (courtesy of the Davis River). Our chef also did a reading of a poem from Banjo Patterson (?) of which I did not recognise because I am not Australian, but it was about a swagman who got his throat cut while he was at a barber's getting a shave. Aussie humour?




Dinner ended at about 10.30 pm after which the Davis Thespian Club presented a play entitled Cinderella and the Fugly Stepsister. It was a success and was roundly followed by the Davis band a.k.a. JKD and the Nimrods (after Captain John King Davis who sailed Mawson and his men to Antarctica aboard the Nimrod; yes we are a witty bunch).



And there you have it. I know this may seem abrupt but it is The End.