What a week it has been in Football!!!

Whew, its been a week since i properly posted and this is probably going to take me about an hour to write and you, the reader, about 10 - 15mins to devour. But rest assured, it is jam packed with goodness that you can tell your colleagues at work, or even your friends at school...

It starts way back last thursday night when i went back to The Cottage with my cousins and decided that because i had an early flight the next day, i would just "take it easy"... hmmm dont think that was ever going to happen. England got up and we had a couple more pints. Then it was off to Cousin Stus house for a visit, 4 crazy kids packed into the truck... not very safe i know, but it wasnt too far, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I remember Billie tellin me, "hey Bruce, the only way u can make this flight is by stayin up all night." JESUS!!! After singing in the backyard numerous rat pack songs with the boys out in the back yard, we ventured indoors to see in absoulute amazement my cousin Stu carving it up on the decks!!! i will put the video on youtube as soon as i get back to london... the kid is a genius!!!

By the time i left Stus house it was 2 oclock, had to leave the house by 4.30 to make it to Stansted by 6am. big problem. So i set my alarm and got up at 3.30am to pack and tidy Lols place before i left. mission accomplished. the next problem was trying to get a train in london that didnt stop every two friggin stops and make me change trains due to signal failure or some shite. I ended up having to run to another station about 10mins away to get the train to the airport... phew i made it and checked in with 8 mins to go. Mills style!!!

Was recognised by a girl named Rita (apparently Big Brother last year, so she told everyone) and she talked mine and this other dudes, Cuddles (good bloke) ear off for the next 20 mins before boarding. luckily i got a seat a bit away from her or else it woulda been non stop. She could talk under water that girl... Nice girl, dont get me wrong, but damn she could talk!

After having trouble with the Farkarten (which i found a totally appropriate name) ticket machines at the airport, Cuddles, The Old bloke we just met, Rita and I hopped on the train to Munich central. Yee HAA!!! Football Fever had struck the town of Pork and Beer.

After a quick pizza (pizza hut of course) and a couple of beers, i was able to acquire directions to the hotel an, after parting ways with Cuddels, the old guy and Rita, i passed out in my hotel room... leaving a note for the guests i was staying with saying... "Hello, i am Nics friend Rob" hell i didnt know if i was in the right room. the people at the front counter didnt speak to much english and i sure as hell didnt pack my munchen dictionary, so i thought it was better they didnt get a fright to see a naked man sleeping on their bed.

The sign worked out good and Nic, Jamie, Emily and her friend Luca (Italian), decided to go for a drink. WE caught up with Greggy (dude from Walkabout the monday prior) and his mates and got right into it. Rubber darts were game of choice and we decided on 501... thats right kids, "ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY!!!", well no one actually got that but i managed 6 triple 20s during my game. I got extremely lucky because like pool, i get better the more i drink. I won the championship, got the girl and saved the day. actually i just won the game.

My roomies and i were all keen to do some sight seeing and had heard about the Dakar concentration camp not being too far out of Munich, we all jumped at this option and head for the train station. I cannot tell you in words how scary that place was... To know that thousands upon thousands of people were killed, no, pretty much slaughtered or gassed there, was a grim and quite emotional day for me. It is definitely worth a visit just to see the conditions in which they lived and to read some of the history about Hitler and the Nazi regime. I kinda wished i hadve done world war history as a kid.

So it was back to munich after some terrible pasta i purchased at a road side cafe outside the camp... hmmm pork bolognaise sauce, of course. We ended up going to the FanFest (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060428/1/6mvv.html a little info, photos are coming) that night to watch Lucas beloved Italia vs USA.. awesome game and to watch it on a 60m2 TV... noice!

In bed early that night about 12ish to make sure we were all ready for the big game against Brazil the next day.

I had bought an Australian top on the friday and when i pulled it on for the first time on the sunday morning, there were nearly tears, i thought we could win this farken game today. WE caught the train with the of 20,000 (probably more) fans to the FAN FEST (the photos will show just how packed it was on the station platform and the trains)... Brazillians were beating their drums and singing their songs, Aussies were Aussie Aussie Aussieing and well, Oi Oi Oiing up and down the path that lead to the FAN FEST... What a site!

We found a great position up on the hill right in front of the bar and amongst what later became the loudest Aussie cheersquad. Flags tied like capes and massive plastic cups of beer, these boys meant business.

Of course we all know the result, Australia went down, but not without an extremely comendable effort. The party continued though, as if Australia and Brazil had both won the game... AFter watching some of the South Korea match on the grassy noll, it clear that some soccer was needed to be played by us the Aussie SPectators... After singing in the train with all the aussies against the brazillians, it seemed like some weird sort of "battle" youd see in 8 mile, i pulled out the mini soccer ball i had purchased and the 200 or so people in the station played soccer like we were in the Nike ad. I can still here "Little Less Conversation" playing in my head now as i think back to that night. It was awesome...

There was obviously more partying to do so we proceded out of the main station down the main mall, now my memory goes a little sketchy here, but from the photos, it appears i ran through the historic fountain in munich in my jocks for a good 5 mins... and was dried down by australian flags of guys that id met... thats aussie spirit. I remember one of the guys saying as he was drying my hair, "this is so gay, but i dont want you to catch a cold"... everyone around burst out laughing.

Pretty much went off to bed after that and woke up the next morning S T Ruggling, but had another drama other than how to stop my head aching, how do we get to Croatia... It was the next stop on the tour for my friends and i decided that it was mine too. But the flights cost us 300euro which totally sucked. But having spent the last couple of days here in Croatia... WELL WORTH IT!!!

So monday night after spending the whole day finding flights and checking emails (thanks to everyone who has sent me one, especially for my birthday on Wednesday) we couldnt leave Munich without going to their famous beer gardens, so after a siesta, we headed down to the Haubraunhauss (that could be totally wrong, please dont be offended Germans, as i said i dont have my translator book with me and i ate your pork for three days straight, and your drank your beer). Now speaking of beer after about two litres and some snuff (nicotine powder) that was offered to us by a local, (he had been drinking there for 40 years, and showed us all these photos of the animals he and his hunting buddies had shot. hilarious) we ordered dinner. The place was packed mind you and there was a lot of chanting from Aussies, Americans and of course Brazilians.

We had a couple of beers afterwards and then went home to get some serously needed rest.

So now, i am in Croatia... have spent the last couple of days here, from Dubrovnich, to Split, to now Hvar.

I will give u more details soon...

sorry for the long blog but it has been a week... Am having my first night off tonight, tonsuls are massive and need some rest.

Speak soon

Millswah

Just a quick one to say,
What a party yesterday
And so sad we had to lose
i still manged to fit in some boooze
Up on the hill watching the massive screen
Summerdayze times 100, u know what i mean
The beer came in cups, well jugs for us to drink
Maybe 8 - 10 and a couple of shots... me think

Off to Croatia tomorrow
so hopefully no sorrow
when we take them on thursday
We'll show them that we can play
The game with the round ball
It's Soccer, Not Football!!!

We'll progress to the next stage
Our boys will come of age
So here is me saying my time is up
But looking forward to more of the World Cup


Good things

Brucey

My name is Brucey, and i love it!

Well, what a week!!! After the first couple of days of some serious sleeping (i now believe in Jet Lag, or maybe it was because i couldn't sleep on the plane at all), i managed to get my A into G and travel into Picadilly to catch up with my bro's mate Toddy (El Capitaan)...

But wait let's go to the start... One of my Step Dad's Rellies were coming to pick me, so thinking there might be a sign or something for me when i walked out of the gates, i felt conifident in my stride. But alas, after i did walk out those gates and saw No sign, and no one i recognised at all, there may have been some slight panic. The mobile phone i purchased in Thailand did not come with a Sim card, AHHH, Mum-ma, Mum-ma. After waiting and pacing, i walked around looking for a payphone, What the hell is Australia AREA CODE, AHHH, I decided to go for another wander, and then i saw Lorraine (My step Cousin who i met when i was about 12), "Hi", she said, "have you just got out?"... "Yes, yes i have" I didn't want her to think i was panicking...

Anyway got back to where i have been staying, which is My Gran"NO STEPS HERE"Dads sisters place in Fulham, her name is Lol and she is just beautiful, but unfortunately went to Spain the next day and is still there till i leave to Munich tomorrow. SHe told me how much at home i would feel, cause there are so many Aussie's around here. NOOOOOO!!!! i wanted to get away from Aussie Hoo Haa. If i was gonna survive here i needed an alias... and well i got one as soon as i met my step cousins.
"We weren't sure what your name was, but we new you were coming from Australia, so we thought your name was Bruce. So Brucey welcome to THE COTTAGE". ANd there it was... and i have been Brucey ever since. Went to the Cottage that afternoon and put down 5 pints with the boys and fell straight asleep when i got home... Helped Lol pack in the morning and she gave me the tour.

So the first week was mostly relaxing, slept most of the first week, there was one day i slept for 9 hours that night and got home had breakfast and slept for another 7 hours. Hmmm tiredness.

So back to the part where i catch up with Toddy, i caught a train into Picadilly and asked these two girls of where the hell the Mint Leaf was, they had no idea, but siad they would help me look. Wicked instant friends. Two young girls from Finland. Beautiful accents. It turned into a great night, we bar hopped for a bit then parted ways. I went back to Toddy's and ended up at some night club and sharing a cab with what i just found out may have been a transexual. Excellent. Beer Goggles Mills.

But saturday was my day with the boys (the real boys). My cousins Bill, Billy and Gary(greatest singer) promised me a proper English day out at The Cottage, or as they say, "Ear Brucey, we gun-a tayk you out for a proper day to tha Cot-edge" Just love their accents.

ANd it was a proper day. England was playing Portugal and we were all upstanding fo rthe national anthem. i was the only Aussie in the pub and everytime i met someone, the boys would say, "ay come meet my cousin Brucey" Just awesome... you couldn't find better blokes. And to top it off, one of the locals, Jimmy Boy wrote a poem for me and read it out in front of the 50 strong crowd gathered in the beer garden. I put a link here, just had to film it... Just unbelievable...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgvNIpMAN28 jimmy boy reads poem for Brucey Ives (that's me)

The day progressed and we ended up pub crawling all night. Me and Gary just singing in the streets, he was beat boxing as well... Awesome

We all came back to Nan's that night and just passed out. When i woke it was Sunday morning and the boys had left and already starting drinking at another pub... MACHINES!!!

My mate Nicole was coming down today, and i met her down at Putney Bridge Station... I thought, what the hell lt's start drinking. So we did, had a good catch up at one of the many pubs in Fulham and decided to go out pub crawling that night. We started at the Pitcher and Piano but way too many Aussies and the Brucey line was obviously running thin... Doh! Shortly after we ran out of cash, i was still waiting for my cash card to arrive and she refused for me to use my credit card, so we started the walk down to Fulham broadway. 30 mins later we got there... Such a good option. We headed into a place called Lush Bar which from the outside seemed quite dead but when we got inside... WOAH, at the back of this place, they had this Guy playing Sax over House Tracks spun by the DJ. Incredible, similar to what they had going at ONE FITZROY ST, St Kilda. But the fun didn't stop there, this dude named Brace (had his name on a ring that he wore too) grabbed the mic and started jammin with the sax player...

What did Mills do? obviously full of liquid confidence asked if he too could have a crack on the mic... After a quick singing test, he let me fire up my vocal chords and burst out a house tune.
YEAH BABY!!! had a ball that night!

Wow this is a long blog... sorry...

I'll move to Sunday.

Heard from Toddy that it was gonna go off at THE WALKABOUT in Temple (on the water) so Nic and I headed there.. well we were dissapointed. the place was packed! We nestled ourselves next to the guy wearing the giant Kangaroo suit, thought for some reason he might be a bit of a character. Turns out he was English and had lost an Ashes bet about 5 years ago, his mates never forgot. 1 snakebite quickly turned into several more and the game was on. THe anthem nearly brought tears to everyone, and when we hadn't scored until 8 minutes to go, the crowd turned a bit somber. But let me tell you right now, that the noise and the amount of beer that was thrown was like one giant bay thirteen when Warney takes a hatrick, actually, times that by 100!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9en5AQ2UwSE the walkabout in temple

Went out to The Queen Mary, which was just down the road. A boat converted into a restaurant/pub. Brilliant. Met some nice girls and finally had some food. couldn't drink that much more, but something said push Mills! i think it was Nic. Damn She can drink! We ended up at some club with this Sophy (english chick) and this canadian guy.

I spent the next couple of days recovering with my mate Christie who just flew in and we went and did some sight seeing. I went to Lester Square and even took in a West End show last night. Saw Avenue Q. Just amazing, laughed cried (yes cried) and laughed again. I recommend everyone go see it. It's more like a cartoon then a theatre show. They even use puppets!!! The acting and singing, Christie told me was the best she had ever seen, and i tend to agree, and the leading chick was the understudy. The best night i've had here. I know that may sound weird, but you can party anywhere in the world and still just a party. But to take in a West End Show with a great friend... Just Incredible.

So after doing some washing today and cleaning up Lol's place i am gonna see the boys at the cottage and watch the England game, maybe go out tonight and check out some more English night life...

Plane leaves for Munich tomorrow... can't wait to be there for when Australia beats Brazil.. Oh yeah they're scared!!!



Speak soon and remember AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE...

Where were you when Australia beat Japan in the 2006 World CUP?

Millswah... sorry, Brucey

couldn't believe how far the walk was to the International airport once i got to Bangkok from KoSamui

It was pretty much straight to the local (the Cottage in Fulham) when i got in after getting some necessities in Putney. That's Bill, my step cousin. He's a diamond
That's the Putney bridge i'm on... Look double decker busses... small things amuse small minds i know.
Decided it would be wise to make myself some soup and get some vegetables in me... thanks for the recipe Shirl.
That's Martina and her friend Janus, they're from Finland, i met them going up the escalator from the tube... the blog tells more.

MORE PHOTOS

BIG FAT MUMMA DRAG QUEEN
Wasn't quite sure...
that's mills second from the left

SOME PHOTOS

the island we had lunch on
My resort office. the gym was 2nd level. noice. Love the power cables over there
The waterfall up in the hills where i went flying foxing
Juan and I drinking the dreaded Kamikaze
Ah Pad Thai, This is at ARC Bar where the beach party was. such good food there
FLying fox... COWABUNGA
And the Vespa which i had all week but i only paid for it for a day... they never asked, so i never told.

Thairand... lady boys, and ah the beach...

ALright it worked... i got a photo in here... wicked.. now to pick up where i left off...

Arrived in Ko SAMui and slept the whole day, was told by this aussie couple to check out the Green Mango and a couple of other bars as well on the car ride back to the "resort" (hardly a resort, more like a couple of bungalows and a pool quite similar to gee's). But the main objective right then was sleep.

So i did and started walking the streets later that night... walked about 500m and felt like groundhog day every 100m... a suit store, an internet cafe, a DVD stall, a diesel shop, and a trinket store, and a bar or restaurant. then the cycle would start again. AMAZING!!! how do these people compete, they all sell the same stuff. hmmm, maybe that's why they haggle.

Spent the next couple of days just relaxing on the beach and i booked in a snorkelling and kayaking trip hoping to meet some young tourists and take in the sites of the surrounding islands... The sites were breathtaking, tropical fish that would swim up and eat out of your hands, coral of bright pinks and blues and a rock formation of a praying monkey, very cool. But alas no young tourists... it seems late May is the time for 35 plus type couples to travel. Ah well, when the frisbee came out on the beach, i dominated!!! speckies on 50 year old ladies. oh yeah. just kidding. they were 60.

WEnt to the beach party on the Wednesday and met some crazy canadian dude and drank with him and his mates and played alot of pool. Not much of a party so i made my own fun with the magna doodle, the best travelling companion ever!!!

Needed the day to recover so after staying at this cool resort for the day, i watched some movies in my room, they had a channel that just played movies 24-7... brilliant.

Booked a flying fox adventure on the thurs arvo and that was awesome.. got some killer footage of that. Flying through the jungle over waterfalls about 80m up. very cool.

Went out drinking with BeeBee (the lady from the internet cafe across the road from hotel) and her friends on friday night... It was all fun and games (magna doodle), until mills sings in the restaurant after laeving the green mango. why oh why did i have tequilla (lisa i don't know how you drink it?)... So the end result was me falling asleep on BeeBee's back as she drove me home on my vespa, only waking to vomit on the moving gravel beneath. hmmm i think the drink was called a KAMIKAZE... correct, instant death. well that's what it felt like the next day.

But got up and lay by the pool the next day. No such thing as a hang over when there is a beach and hot weather... Plus had told Juan (this dude from spain i met) that i would go see the lady boy show with him the next night. So that's what we did. So funny... anyone that has seen it will tell you that the costumes are amazing, the boob jobs, superb, and the lip syncing, so so funny, along with the choreography, a great nite out... There was this one fat drag queen, sang a song out of "Chicago", brilliant.

For the encore the host came into the crowd and dragged some unsuspecting guys out of their seats and told them to go back stage, lucky me, got chosen and had to strip off and change into a dress and wig... very hot. got to see some weird stuff back there. cock and tits on different bodies not so weird... but on the same body? Help me.

7 of the most hairy, non feminine drag queens took to the stage and when that curtain went up, wow, magic... I think everybody knows i can't dance, well, in a dress, even worse, i was trying to act sexy, not so good either. but it was hilarious until some "Millsy, im gonna publish these photos!" came out of the crowd. excellent.

Ok i gotta get going...

Next blog

London

Thankyou Thai-rand, baa wear is my engrish gawn?

Well,

Where do i start... LEt's say the beginning shall we... Flew over to Bangkok, and was seated next to this lovely girl from Israel, she had been travelling New Zealand and Australia and was heading home after 3 months... ANd also met this guy Mick from Adelaide (he loved his beer and had just finished a wine making course and was heading to Europe to start perfecting his craft)... So the beers flowed and so did the wine, got pretty tipsy and fell into a nice little coma...

When we arived in Bangkok, sweaty and in need of water, i decided to let Dana and Mick stay at my hotel as they were both flying out early to different parts of Thailand... Dana stayed and slept, Mick and I met these dudes from the Hotel and decided it was time to... you guessed it... Kareoke!

All was going well until the guy we had just met told me i had to pay the bill at the end of the night... I offered to pay half and we would be on our way... However having no Baht to bargain with, i had to go to the ATM outside, where i promptly got the cash and left my CASH CARD IN THE STINKING TELLER MACHINE!!!!! Didn't realise till the morning... so not happy and am now in London still waiting for a replacement card... Looking forward to Credit Bill from CAsh advances...

MAde the flight the next morning but severely hung over... cheap nasty QANTAS Red Wine.

THat's the first installment.. not very exciting i know.. it gets better in KO SAMUI...

stay tuned

Millswah