ExMas 2007 and NuYear 2008

15th December 2007: J's birthday, Newport. Friends came to stay at my dad's place for a sleepover. It was like being 16 years old again, but without girls in pyjamas having pillow fights (well, that's what used to happen in my teenage fantasy world). We lazed around, watched Futurama and played Nintendo. There were some interesting Wii Sports bowling techniques on display.

Pressies-wise, mes soeurs Amazoned me books from my wishlist, so now my Asterix hardcover collection is two-thirds complete! From Monica, I got the digital camera that I'd been after for ages: the multi-award-winning Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3, which sounds fancy and pricey because it is. The lens has a 10x optical zoom, which is, to the best of my knowledge, a whole seven zooms more than average.

28th: Xmas, Exeter. My sisters and The Parents spent the holiday season with relatives in Mauritius, so I was left to fend for myself in a fucking freezing house. That meant Christmas Dinner For One from Marks and Spencer. Pathetic, but delicious, gravy-smothered, pathetic.

Monica was with her family in Portugal, so I postponed "proper" Xmas until she came to visit. After the expensive camera, she surprised me with an iPod Shuffle. I've been meaning to get one for almost 3 years, but never thought I actually needed it. Now I can't go anywhere without a few empty-threes and podcats to listen to.

29th: David's birthday, Exeter. The Nobody Inn is a small pub in the middle somewhere outside Exeter. Dave's girlfriend organised a trip there, to drink pickle-flavoured cider and whiskies from around the world. Nostalgia always makes for much-appreciated presents, so I eBayed two decks of out-of-print Top Trumps cards: 'Aliens and Space Warriors' and 'Goblins and Faeriefolk'. A good deal of the evening was spent cursing Pet Smet's "Weapons: Zero".

31st: New Year's Eve, London. Monica and I spent the morning with the First Emperor at the British Museum. We got up early to queue for on-the-day tickets, because advance tickets are always sold out. Our picture-taking was limited to clandestine methods, as security had a strict "no photography" policy. It's a very informative exhibition (7/10), but there weren't as many statues as I thought there would be. One would definitely need to go to China to see the Terracotta Army in all its glory.

1st January 2008: New Year. We celebrated with Keds & Friends at the Namco Station in County Hall, next to the London Eye. It was pure, unadulterated fun: pool, bowling and bumper cars. To call them "dodgems" would be a misnomer, as we didn't do much of that.

The fireworks were close to the building, so unfortunately the safety people wouldn't let us out at midnight. Although we had to watch the display from the doorway, the area had been barricaded-off. So, unlike the sardines all around us, we had plenty of space to stretch.