TUGBA'S BDAY

I swear it only feels like yesterday that I was writing about Tugba's 21st birthday at Mythos and now I'm writing about her 22nd at Zeta Bar. That's right were back to Zeta Bar again. This is starting to become a regular bar hopping place for me. I can't believe how many bars and clubs I have been hitting this year. I have been bar hopping for the last 4 or 5 weeks. God I feel exhausted haha

So the plan tonight was to meet up with Tugcen at Broadway shopping centre. She had another birthday party at Enmore. So we thought will meet at Broadway and go into the city with one car. Now this sounds easy but trust me nothing is easy with Tugcen.

Firstly she was running late as usual. Secondly City Road was shut down at a certain time for maintenance. Now this should be good. I'm sitting in my car on City Rd trying to give instructions to one lost Tugcen who had to detour into the back streets. So with my road map we accomplished to get her back onto Parramatta Road and towards Broadway. By this time I needed a drink badly! Meanwhile all the cars on City Road were getting towed away...

We finally arrive at Zeta Bar and I'm completely stressing because its after midnight and I'm not sure if we can get in or not. I'm so sick of this lining up the door shit to listen to the doorman to tell you that its VIP only. For fucks sake what is VIP only? You need to know people to get into bars these days.

Anyway we stroll in to find Tubish in her booth. We hit the cameras within seconds:

Practising my photography on Tugcen:

Now lets try looking at the camera:


I don't think much needs to be said about the below picture. Alcohol speaks for itself:

I dont even remember this picture but hey I look good! LOL

An intimate Tugcen and NV moment:

Time for a group shot. God I need another drink:

HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY TUGBA!!!!

BREAKKIE & TRAVEL SHOW

It's that time of the year again where you get itchy hands and want to book an overseas trip. Even though it has only been 6 months coming back to OZ, I think its time to head back to Europe again!

The travel show being on at Darling Habour only spelt trouble for us. Tugcen and I decided to make a day out of it by having breakfast in Leichhardt and then heading out to Darling Habour to suss out our Europe trip. This year we have Eastern Europe on our mind., Mainly Croatia because we have heard so much about it. It seems like Croatia is the new Italy hot spot.

I picked up Tugcen to head straight to Leichhardt for breakfast. I needed coffee badly. I dont think I could book anything until I had coffee down my throat.

So here we are sitting in a sunny cafe in Leichhardt having coffee and planning our Croatia trip.

While I was having coffee Tugcen decided to go for tea which I must say smelt fantastic:

This looks like a heart attack waiting to happen but I must say we all need a nice fatty breakfast like this once in a while. Plus Tugcen had never had Italian sausage in her life so I insisted she needs Italian Sausage...

Tugcen getting ready to have her first Italian Sausage:

Once breakfast was over Tugcen did a minor stop to buy a photo album brag book. This is when I started having a laughing attack because the front picture looked like someone was holding a cock! Those sick photographers out there!

We arrive to the travel show to go nuts. We ran from one stand to another stand. We were here to research Croatia but we got caught up in the moment with other things. There was an airline who we have never heard of with cheap flight to New Zealand. God this was a disaster waiting to happen. We were uncontrollable.

We started talking to some chick at a flight centre counter about Cairns. This is when we ran into Nez who was also working here.

Before you know it we were at Nez's counter booking a flight to Cairns. Don't ask how all of that came about but my credit card was handed over and the transaction was made. So where are we on Croatia?

We roamed the stands abit more to find out information about Croatia. It seems like there are no direct flights to Croatia which means we have to go via another major city. For fucks sake thats going to be a pain in the ass. Meanwhile I just realised we booked flights to Cairns! haha

We reached the British Airways stand when Tugcen dragged me back claiming that British Airways had planes dropping recently. This lead into a laughing fit for some reason and we knew we had to exit the building.

We ended up at a cafe with this:

Now doesnt that look yummy? haha All that chocolate melting in your mouth every spoon you take. I started recapping to realise we came to the travel show to research Croatia and we booked a trip to Cairns. I dont even have leave!

We left the cafe to take some happy snaps around Darling Habour.

I spotted this Asian on drugs and had to snap her up:

We soon realised it was about Tugcen and not the Asian:

Trying to explain today - Rocking up to a travel show to research Croatia and booking a trip to Cairns - PRICELESS...

IL LOCALE

Since Fred walked out on us to become the CEO of Cisco we haven't had the chance to catch up. With a few emails we immediately organised our Italian wining and dining evening at Il locale in Haberfield.

Arriving in Haberfield without a booking well didn't go down so well. It's beyond me why we didn't book. We know how busy Haberfield can get for crying out loud. So much for our organising haha

So while waiting for a table we thought a few happy snaps for Fred would be great.

Here I present my updated Sex and the city look:


When we finally do get a table we decide to check our pulse. Don't ask. It was one of those you had to be there moments:

Tonight was about Pizza and Wine. So here I present the yummy Italian pizzas:

This evening was also to celebrate Tracey's recent birthday. It was an informal dinner gathering. Even though we spent half the night trying to SMS Fred we all failed. For some reason the SMS kept bouncing back. Inconsiderate Americans bouncing back our SMSES...

Once dinner came to an end there was one thing we were all craving for conoli! We knew the perfect place to get it so we headed over there to realise the doors were slammed shut. One desperate Tracey trying to break in...

Looks like we will have to come back for Conoli my friends....

CURTIS BIRTHDAY BASH

It seems like its one party after the next. It was my work mate Curtis' birthday. He deiced to have it at The Lincoln Bar in Kings Cross. It seems like Kings Cross is the place to be now days. Back in our uni clubbing days it was always Darling Habour. Now its the X.

The Lincoln is a very classy, stylish bar split into 2 levels. Upstairs is more the chill out lounges with soft music and waiters and waitresses serving you. Mind you they know how to charge for their service as well. So I stroll in to spot Tarli and her husband Michael sipping away and one drunken Curtis doing the rounds.

2 minutes sitting down and the waiter is harrassing me for a drink. I place an order and hope for the best. The bill gets planted down and I practically do a $40 woman Slurpppp with "No Money"...

We soon decide to move downstairs to the club where the music and women are pumping. For some reason this tight club reminds me of Mykonos:



The night kicks off and its one drink after another, well for Curtis it is...

Photos from the night:

Curtis & Dan having an intimate moment:

Curtis & Ana:
Curtis thinking again - 2 drinks is better than 1:

Curtis barely standing early in the night:

SEYDA'S FAREWELL

It's already been a month since Seyda swepted back into the sunny side of Sydney. Now she is packing her bags and heading back to her new home Istanbul Turkey. To farewell her in style we decided to head out to Zeta Bar for the night.

When Seyda tried reserving a spot for us she had all sort of issues. The guy wouldn't put us on the door list unless we reserved a booth.

He wanted to charge us an arm and a leg so we decided to live dangerously and not reserve a booth. Instead we rocked up early to ensure we get into the bar! In fact we were so early we had to sit outside waiting for them to open the doors.

While waiting I decided to get a few shots. I call this the sex and the city shot:


Even though tonight is about Seyda, it's always about Pupz:


Eventually the security guys decide to open the bar. We stroll into the lifts and upstairs to Zeta Bar. We walk pass a booth and I decide to snap up a photo of it. It looks cosy:

We stroll pass the back empty bar. Alcohol = YUMMY!

We sit on the terrace and flick through the menu for some yummy cocktails. I decide to go for the famous "Istanbul" cocktail. It better be good for 20 bucks!

My famous "Istanbul" cocktail arrives:

The place starts to get jam packed and this is when I run into Pauly G who is practically a regular here:

Time for some photos:

After 11pm the bar was sooo jam packed that you couldnt move. We tried dancing but moving around was quite difficult.

Goodbye Seyda.... Hope to see you real soon again!

SO LONG FRED...

Our little Fred has finally decided to move over to the US to work... What can I say YIPPIEE!!! So Long Fred, So Long Fred, So Long Fred....

We said our finally goodbye's and hugs at the Harem Party but little did our Fred know what was planned for her. A finally finale of course at Stocklands just for old times sake. So while we had Tracey keeping her busy, Shaz sitting at the cafe alone minding our seats, the rest of us were arriving one at a time.

We decided to buy her a digital frame and load on there a thousand and one pictures from the past to haunt her over in the US. I spent several nightss locating pictures in photo albums and scanning them. I then had to do a swap with Shaz with the memory stick so she can load some pictures from her farewell party. Shaz then did the re-switch at the Harem Party while of course our Tracey once again kept Fred busy.

So while waiting for Fred at Savannah's in Stocklands I decided to take some pictures of my cousin Ersin and discovered some fantastic natural light. This is one of my favourite shots from the night and of course Fred loves it as well:

Above - Ersin by natural light

We got a quick SMS to inform us that Fred was on her way in and hence here we are:



It's a nice suprise all around. Lets hug it out biatch:

Once Fred settled into her chair and we ordered our sugar rush the next step was to present her gift to her:

Once the presentation of the gift was made and no speech from Fred we decided to start a "contract" to see who thinks Fred will return and who doesn't...

This some how lead into a contract and a split was made by the two groups. Those that win will have to buy the losers a 3 course meal at stocklands most famous cafe Savannah's...

As part of the contract we thought will steal the cutlery:

Some how I ended up with this photo. Fred thought he was hot and had huge biceps. Some how my poor camera got caught in the situation:

Will Fred return or Will Fred not return... That is the question???

THE HAREM PARTY...

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Definition of Harem:

1. The part of a Muslim palace or house reserved for the residence of women.
2. The women in a Muslim household, including the mother, sisters, wives, concubines, daughters, entertainers, and servants.

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One of the best parties I have EVER thrown was the HAREM PARTY!

The idea came to me in Antalya Turkey last year. We were shopping around the Old Town when we came across this shop that had Sultan hats. As a joke I told my parents I wanted it and my father ended up buying it for me. Since I had the Sultan's hat I decided to buy the costume to match it. Hence The Harem Party developed..

When I told Seyda about the idea she really wanted to be there for it so I decided to wait till she was back in town before I threw the party. Alot of preparation went into it. Everything had to be RED!!!

Setting the mood:

The sultan's lounge with the Nargile & Darbuka:

I had told everyone to dress up for the event. Those that decided not to had to suffer with what I dressed them in. Tugcen was dressed in a noice blue nightie haha


Soon the guests started to arrive - Introducing Fred & Trace:

It was time for the Sultan to appear:

Sultan & his mistress # 2:

Sultan & his mistress # 4:

Sultan turns his back and this is what happens:

I think the punch got to someone?

It was seriously down hill from here! My famous punch that had fruit soaked in raki for hours sent people wild! haha Cheers to the punch...

It's time to prepare the "Sacrifice":

A reactment of how Sue landed on the floor at my 26th birthday party:

The sultan demands a bellydance. Victim # 1 up:

Apart of my decorating was turning our inside dining room into "Sultan's chamber" with a mattress and lots of candles. This develped into the most popular room:

Sultan and his women:
Pumpy started the darbuka show:

Intimate photos of Sultan and Pumpy:

It's time to hit more wine:

The photo shoot begins:

Once the photo shoot was over it was time for some entertainment. Now we wanted to hire a male belly dancer to spice up the evening but we couldnt find one. So the next best thing was a bellydancing penguin:

That was until the poor penguin fell onto the ground:

and she's back to shimmy:
The penguin demanding audience participation:

A party wouldnt be the same without "Shik Shak Shook":

Fred & Nez took the floor for Shik Shak Shook for old times...

Till next party....