It's beginning to look a lot like...

Westfield is trying to tell me that it's Christmas. And nothing says Christmas like a caged deer in a shopping centre (see below):

Christmas

Cue the bawling children sitting on Santa's knee. I normally love the festive season - the carols, the shopping, the food and drink, even the tacky decorations. But this year, whether I'm even more cynical and jaded than the year prior or it's the financial/economic crisis weighing a little heavy on me, I'm just not all too excited about Chrissy. And New Year's for that matter. The pressure of having a fab time in Sydney for New Year's shouldn't bother me, but I don't think I can stand another year of loitering around the city with a million others (some of them absolute tools, and then the drunks, and then the drunken tools) looking at the colourful combustion of surely environmentally unfriendly fireworks across the city.

Which brings me on to a little state that's getting me quite giddy and jolly, and pulling out bikinis from the nether regions of my wardrobe:

I'm trying to keep the excitement levels in check because I haven't made any bookings or confirmations as yet. And considering this trip is supposed to be happening in, oh, 3 weeks, I'd better get a move on. So a friend's and my desire to avoid Sydney New Year's (though saying that, I do absolutely adore Sydney - just not so much the New Year's celebrations...) have us looking at Oahu and Hawaii, and Jetstar flights and Waikiki hotel bookings, and my summer wardrobe and bikini collection, and camera and bank balance. It's all very exciting, especially in the planning/visualising stage.

To me, Hawaii is a dream place - somewhere I'd always wanted to go to. Like Disneyland. Maybe that's why it feels kind of surreal to be planning a trip to a dream place. That and the rush in doing it at the moment. On the Tuesday just passed, we were going to Hong Kong. Quick flight check shows that HK is rather expensive, as is Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia... What's reasonable? Honolulu - who would have thought?

So will confirm all on Monday (fingers crossed) when the travel agent gets back to me with a few details on the tour on Hawaii island (also known as Big Island so as not to get confused with the state of Hawaii) and I think it's all set. Ahh, the beauty of spontaneity when you don't need a visa to travel - bless Australia.

So that's what's making me smile today: deer in captivity and plans for Hawaii. That and the rocking sounds of those Scottish Glasvegas lads - got to love that accent.