WAH another post! what the hell, mel, you got so hardworking mehhhhh???

ahem.

it's not that i've suddenly regained my journalistic (HAHAHA journalistic) flair or anything, but i just thought i'd like to highlight something on this blog. let's say, like the timeline function on facebook, i want to be able to record a life event, an occasion, or a milestone, if you like. tranquilo, parents, no i'm not getting married or having a baby.

yesterday was the 23rd of October 2012, which marked exactly a year since i left the wharf at Hobart bound for the great white blight! admittedly, it doesn't mark a year since i've been on the continent (which will fall some time around November 6th, i think), however, it DOES mark a year since i left the Real World behind.

how quickly a year comes and goes! who knew (surely not me) that i would end up spending a year down here? all those messages, well-wishes and au revoirs that i sent out prior to leaving was capped with an 'I'll see you in 6 months!'. well, that 6 months got doubled and now, here i am, staring down the double-barrel of a year.

so much has happened to me over the last 12 months - i feel like i've acquired a lifetime of memories, stories and experiences. anyway, to keep this short, i'll just produce a list of 12 things that i've learnt in 12 months.

1. the body's thermoregulation system is AMAZING. i've been walking around with little more than a thick-ish t-shirt and track pants outside because of the warm temperatures we have been getting, but get this: IT IS STILL -3degC OUT THERE WHAT THE FUUUCKKK???? i am awesome.

2. after having spent 3 months of continuous sunlight, and 3 months of continuous twilight/darkness, i have decided that i am very much a NIGHT person. the sun is all well and good if you're by the beach, but please give me my night and stars by 8pm LATEST thanks.

3. those use-by/best-by dates on your food packages? i am going to ignore all of them from now on. juice, biscuits, crackers, beers and ciders, jams, cheeses, frozen meats and seafood, chocolates, cordials, POTATOES (my god, i wish i had a photo of the potatoes that we have in the cold store to show you, you all will die seeing what we eat), tinned food - they are all good to eat even if they are a few years beyond their use-by date.

4. Adelie penguins are possibly the funniest animals you will ever see. the way they walk/run, beat each other up, steal each others' stones for their nests, freak out, eye you suspiciously and fall flat on their faces as they exit the water for land - hilarious.

5. cocktails in buckets - easy, fast, made in a big enough quantity to satisfy the masses, impressive, did i also mention easy? thailand, cambodia, laos and bali, you got it right.

6. you don't really need much to get through life: a few t-shirts, a couple of nice dresses, some comfy pants, enough panties to last you for a week and a day (the 8th panty you wear while you wash the other 7), a bit of jewellery, eye-liner. that is all.

7. there is no such thing as the green flash. i think i have burnt my retinas thrice over and over trying to catch a glimpse of this elusive (and now proven mythical) meteorological phenomenon. wikipedia will tell you more about it.

8. true love is not even batting an eyelid when you ask if you can use bottle after bottle of their vodka/tequila/gin to make cocktails and saying ok.

9. true true love is putting up with my million and one questions while we are watching a movie/eating dinner/drinking at the bar/driving 10 hours to the Rauers and 10 hours back/while he's working/while he's having a headache. so boys and girls, true true love means patience.

10. nicotine patches are all well and good until you get a headspin and throw up after the first hour of application. Antarctica is the place for exploration and discovery, right? right. so one night at the bar, i stuck a 12mg nicotine patch on my upper arm and...you know the rest. at least i know i will NEVER be a smoker.

11. living with just 20 other people for year is actually a piece of cake and not as crazy as i made it out to be. there are enough stories to be swapped around to keep everyone entertained.

12. this has been one of the best damned experiences in my life that money can't buy. not only that, it been a steep (but enjoyable) learning curve for me in all facets of life.

ok la the end!