Farewell 2006

Merry Christmas everyone. I'll be spending mine in Tasmania with an Aussie girlfriend whose parents live there and then will be travelling there for the next six days, returning to Melbourne to celebrate the new year. I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you all the best for 2007.

Feels like summer...

Today, the temperature in Melbourne hit a high of 37.6 degrees Celcius--that's nearly 100 degrees Farenheit! I'm sure it's difficult for most of you to fathom what that must feel like right now. The heat is posing a serious problem to the state of Victoria though because it has been suffering from a severe drought this year, which has led to intractable bushfires. Certain regions are currently in a state of emergency. This is the worst fire danger in the state's history, with 18 fires burning and over 170,000 hectares already burned. People have evacuated their homes, and the smoke from the fires has made its way into the city covering Melbourne with smog. You can even smell the smoke in the air.

On a totally different note, I went to my first soccer game (ever) last night and helped make soccer history in Australia. The game between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, the top two teams in Australia's realtively new A-league (national competition created in 2005 to revitalize the game here), drew a record crowd of 50,333 (capacity at the stadium is 54,000).


Unfortunately, that was the most exciting part of the game. Seriously--the loudest cheer came when the attendance number was flashed on the screen and that's the big headline on the front page of the sports section. The game was pretty dull, not only because the game ended in a goal-less draw, but I think I've been spoiled by the World Cup. Since the World Cup is the only time I really watch soccer in the States, I expected to see the same level of play, with the same intensity, agility, and speed, but I quickly realized that those teams are the best of the best. Regardless, I had a good time and will probably go to another game. I still haven't made it to a footy (Aussie Rules) game yet, but I can't wait for the new season to begin so I can go.