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Google Christmas Party 2008

/ Family, Sydney Life / 0 comment

I need to begin this by saying how bad I am at lawn bowls. I have such poor fine motor skills that it is one of the most challenging games I could ever try to play.

However, the Google 2009 Xmas party was help at Paddington Bowling Club this year, forcing me to test my bowling (lack of) skills in public.

Thankfully, most people’s skills were on par with mine, so I didn’t feel too left out. In fact, it was pretty amusing watching people bowl so badly. A lot of bowls ended up knocking out other people’s bowls in different lanes, so our enjoyment of the game came from how terrible we were rather than how brilliantly skilled we all were!

After throwing all the bowls down the …lane? Alec realises he has to go and collect them. What kind of effort-plus game is this?

Sigh … the long walk of shame.

Laughing off the cold and embarrassment at my terrible attempt at bowls.


Google vs eBay Pong Match

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After two netball and one touch football game, the Google team took on eBay in the next event – pong. As I have terrible hand-eye co=ordination, I took on the catering job for this tournament.

Teams unite. Googlers wearing the basketball uniforms.

eBay kicked our butts and deserved the trophy. Phuong, eBay team captain, receives the mini-cup.

Phuong then skulls something alcoholic from the mini trophy and manages to keep it all down this time.

High hopes to be number 1, but unfortunately we can’t be the best at everything.

Ang and I bonded over the SingStar games that followed.


We rocked the night out with some fabulous tunes. Note however that we were rarely in tune, although Alec has told me on many occasions that I have the voice of an angel (LOL).

Some bro-mance going on here. And air guitar. Love boys in touch with their, ahem, emotions.

Google Day Out

/ Sydney Life / 0 comment

It’s very rare to have all of the people who are in the same job function as I am to get together for a day, so it was pretty fun to have us all in Sydney for a day of learning and fun.

This is my team – maximisers unite! (Yes this is what my job title is!)

Waiting for our boat to come.

On board, fending off seasickness with Kate and Casey.

With Shaden and Casey.

The entertainment.

Posing it up with Jenn, A.K.A J-Vo.

Google 10th B’day Party

/ Sydney Life / 2 Comments

We celebrated Google’s 10th birthday with a party at Simmer on the Bay, Walsh Bay.

Candles with the sun setting in the background.


Giant cupcake in the foyer – wishing it was real!


I’m such a poser.


With Flo, from Shopping.com.


Food coming around on a giant plank.


Caught doing what I do best – talking.



Google mural.


Crazy performers in the background.


“Oh hai!”


With Katia.


Leanne with a fish and chips bucket. I tried to collect a few of the buckets to bring home but the efficient workers took them every time I put them down!


Pucker up for some SUGAR!



The night progresses and the wine kicks in.


This was taken off the top of Darren’s head, hence the strange bits of hair in the foreground.


Hugs all around.


Surf’s up, Olah!



Leg and foot shot. No idea where this came from.


Little goody bag we took home.


Cute optical mouse.


More sugar – mmmm!!

Perisher Snow Trip

/ Australia, NSW, Sydney Life, Travel / 2 Comments

The annual Google Ski Trip is a wondrous event. This year the engineers were bussed down to the resort on Lake Crakenback on Monday for some days of skiing and, umm, making coffee? The rest of us departed later in the week. While the official ski trip departed Wednesday afternoon and arrived Wednesday evening, giving us only one day of snow, my team of crazy hyper athletes decided to drive down on Tuesday night so we could get some extra snow time.

We spend Tuesday night in Cooma, at the pub / hotel. It cost us $25 a night per person for a room with four beds – and yes, we really did get what we paid for!

I was so happy to drive on the next morning into Lake Crackenback and grab my boots and board from the resort. Alec left a spare Perisher pass for me at the resort so I let my uber crazy team head on off to Thredbo to throw themselves down black runs, while I joined Alec and some of his team for some easy green runs at Perisher.

I’m not an awesome boarder by any means. I have boarded exactly four times now over 10 years. Each time I go to the snow it takes me the entire time I’m there for my body to remember how to board – just in time for me to leave again!

I had two good days of snow on this trip so I spent day one literally falling down the slopes and day two began to regain any skills that I had once had on previous trips.

There was a lot of snow up on the mountains for the end of the season, and we were blessed with sunny, warm days. Unfortunately, this also meant the snow wasn’t nice and fluffy – instead if was pretty icy and hard in a lot of places – I seemed to find quite a lot of these icy patches with my butt.

Ready for take-off!


Cheesy!










“I’m the king of the world!”


Just before my board slipped out from under me.





Tired!





Sunset at the resort.



This kangaroo and I eyed each other off … note the joey in the pouch!






The actual trip was fabulous .. only bad side came at the end of the second day when I was struck down with a nasty virus. I was the sickest I have ever been, and was eternally grateful that I had Alec there to take care of me. I was told that the virus was going around the area – it was pretty concerning how many of us got sick! At least I didn’t waste any precious snow time being sick however – now that would have really been terrible!

Make A Wish Charity Ball

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The Make A Wish Ball as held at Luna Park this year.


Some pics of me looking fancy with Shaden.


The Ken Duncan picture I won in the auction. Alec and my first piece of valuable art for the apartment. We are officially DINKs – WTF comes up with these stupid acronyms?