the acceleration

The rush towards Christmas becomes more hectic each year. There's always Christmas drinks and parties and get-togethers. A celebration of the festive season and a celebration of the fact that we've all survived the year and can enjoy some time out with our families and friends. A time to look forward to barbecues in the sunshine. Of sitting in the sun with a nice breeze and a glass of chilled white wine. Of thinking of what presents you're going to give. And receive of course. I just need to remember to practice my "I'm very pleased with this shit that I got for kris kringle" face.

This Christmas I'll be meeting my family in Thailand for a short holiday. Not quite the white Christmas I was looking forward to, but some sun and sand will have to suffice for now. What a shame. I mean, really.

It has been a bit of a wild ride the past few weeks. I said goodbye to the Ministry of Justice to start a new post at the Health Professions Council. Just as I was getting comfortable at the MoJ and enjoying the company of my colleagues, off I went again to start afresh. And to have all the stresses of trying to make a good first impression and learning new processes and names. I don't shy away from the fact that it's been heaps stressful, but I figure if I don't drop dead now, that I'll be able to handle far bigger stresses when I finally push everyone else off the corporate ladder so I can enjoy some time being the big cheese and earn mega-bucks and act like I'm superior to everyone else.

My first week at the Health Professions Council has been interesting in a myriad of ways, and so far the people have been pretty friendly with the new interloper. I've already been out for drinks twice, and whether that's indicative of me turning into an alcoholic or something far more sinister bubbling below the surface, I won't speculate. Two points of order, Mr Speaker. I've enjoyed for the first time in my life having a tea-lady in the office who makes me a cup of tea at 10am and 2.30pm every day. I could get used to this. But then, my brother has had his own secretary from day 1, so I guess I have some way to go to catch up. The other great thing is that people play their i-pod in the office, and while I'm not usually a fan of music at the office because it can be distracting, I'm liking that I can listen to music I would not hear of ordinarily.

Went to check out Oxford last weekend which was a nice little breather away from London. Oxford is a grand old dame of England, with uppity old buildings and the like. Beautiful in the sunset, not so beautiful in the drizzling rain. I learnt some interesting things on the "official" tour, such as Oxford University not having one single campus, but a university having a multitude of colleges. The guide pointed out that people wearing "University of Oxford" tees are less likely to be students at Oxford as students' allegiance is to their college first, rather than the whole institution. I wondered how I would have turned out had I managed to study at such an exemplary institution where you have 1:1 teaching in your subject. I'm not sure how I would have coped with such intensity, but the chance to talk about politics for hours on end would have been incredibly inspiring. Understandable then how important Oxford is in terms of its prodigious output - Prime Ministers, literature, scholarly thought.

Little wonder I didn't graduate from Oxford. Poor old Melbourne University is perishing in its own thoughts of me being a member of its alumni.

My parents sent me a care package in the post this week. I was thrilled that in the package was a pile of newspapers with all the analysis of the Australian election. I know i labour on politics a lot in my blogs, but I've come to realise how much my interest in politics forms such a part of my life.

He says the man who would never dare to run for public office himself.