Karina wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year.
Well here we are at the end of another year and regardless of what the stick in the muds call it, the end of a decade, a century and a millennium. If it bothers them so much then this year I will be celebrating the emotional end of the millennium and next year I will celebrate the technical one !!
So where will you be as the clock strikes midnight at the dawning of a new era ? I know some of you will be with me in Delegate in the Snowy Mountains and I know we will literally be having a ball at a family reunion and a Turn of the Century Ball !!
Where ever you choose to celebrate I hope you have a fantastic and memorable time and I hope you are in a country that isn’t affected by any Y2K bugs !!
This year as been a quiet one so my newsletter is a little short of content !
Karina’s 1999
I worked at The Tax Office again with 2 contracts. Just before Easter I spent a few days in hospital having my gall bladder removed, complications and infections meant that it took several months to recover.
In August I was called for Jury Duty for the first time in my life. I served on two cases, both of which were unable to be completed for various reasons. I found it all very interesting but naturally I was disappointed at not being able to get through to the final stage of decision making.
August 14 was Gina’s 30th birthday and we all enjoyed ourselves at her Karaoke Hat Party. Even I got up for a rendition of Californian Dreaming and Corinna Corinna !!
August ended with Jane’s Vampire and Victims Party. I went as a vampire bat and there were some truly brilliant costumes and decorations to be seen.
In October I started to land- scape the front yard. It looks pretty desolate since the giant pine and fig trees were cut down in July so a complete renovation is in order. Hopefully next years newsletter will have the results of some hard work.
On November 25th I started yet another contract at the Tax Office.
RIP
Sadly I read that Towering Inferno, the magnificent horse that played Phar Lap in the 1983 Tom Burlinson movie, was struck dead by lightning during Sydneys most violent hail storm ever reported in April.
In July the world lost the sexiest, and probably the nicest Kennedy when John Junior crashed his plane into the Atlantic killing himself and his wife and sister in law.
In September Perth mourned a great loss as Mick Malthouse resigned as coach of the West Coast Eagles after a ten year reign. In that time they were never out of the finals and achieved the highest accolade with winning both the 92 and 94 premierships.
My own great loss was in June when I came home to a ransacked house to find so many treasures and possessions stolen. It broke my heart to think that people could take things that meant nothing to them but money, but meant so very much to me.
A top quality year
at the movies
Little Voice:
A vibrant story in the economic vein of The Full Monty. Gritty and over the top with a stunning vocal performance by Jane Horrocks. How did Michael Caine NOT win the Oscar ??
You’ve Got Mail:
A sign of the times with a topical romance via email. Excellent soundtrack and great cast kept me in my seat.
Practical Magic:
Cute but dark movie with Nicole Kidman playing a vamp. And so many close ups of Aiden Quinns delightful eyes !
The Imposters:
A cute movie in the tradition of a good old fashioned Laurel and Hardy caper.
Enemy of the State:
Will Smith in a highly explosive action movie with all the right ingredients.
Pleasantville:
The most original movie of the year. A black and white story that had colour appearing as each character evolved. Simply stunning special effects created breath taking moments.
Bulworth:
A politician speaking the truth – whose fantasy was this ??? Could this be an indication of what Warren Beatty really would be like if he became president ??
EDTV:
Would you really let your life be televised for 24 hours a day. A sweet & sexy Matt McConaughey gave life to his character.
Life is Beautiful:
It earned the Oscars it truly deserved. This bittersweet little movie was a little over the top at times but it had a heart and its shock ending left me crying in my seat.
The Phantom Menace:
That’s right – only 3 stars from me the big Star Wars fan. Nothing in this movie affected me the way the first Star Wars did. The characters were just not endearing enough to make me care what happened to them.
The Mummy:
A good old fashioned treasure hunt adventure in the tradition of Indiana Jones. It was funny, sexy and full of action & special effects.
Random Hearts:
A sweet romance that earns an extra star for the hot romantic scenes that we just don’t get to see Harrison Ford do enough of these days !!
Big Nights Out.
In January Sue and I had front row seats at Tom Burlinsons Frank Sinatra tribute show. Toms voice was simply magnificent and his monologues between songs were funny and informative.
In May Mum, Malcolm, Chris, Marina and I had a night of luxury with a limo ride to see Neil Diamond. We all had a fabulous night – even when we had to argue with bouncers just to get up and have a dance.
In June I was joined by a tableload of friends including Jodi who I had not seen for over 10 years for a performance of CountDown the Musical. With all the impersonators making us relive the fashion and musical hits of the 70’s and 80’s we laughed till we cried !!
In July Mum and I went to His Majesty’s to see a legend, Britt Ekland, and a hunk, Iain Fletcher from The Bill, get a little mushy on the stage in September Tide.
In August I saw a favourite book become a play. Ben Eltons Popcorn was obviously not as violent as his book but gee wiz the gunshots sounded real as we all leapt from our seats !
In October I saw yet another favourite child hood book become a musical. I was not as impressed with Secret Garden. The book was about children and a garden but the musical turned it into a story about adults and their lost loves and the garden was merely a secondary feature.
