Spare a thought for those who have to venture out into the freezing nights or early mornings to go to work. The temperature are down into the single digits. Coupled with rain in the next couple of days, it will be really really cold!
Check out the current temperature for Victoria!
Greeeeeeeat. Now that the free Early Bird ticket has been extended to all train lines throughout metropolitan Melbourne, why can’t they include the bus fleets in the system as well? It simply makes no sense. A normal ticket allows you to travel on all trains, buses and trams in Melbourne, but an Early Bird ticket doesn’t?
It’s shit coz right now I travel for free to Footscray station, but end up having to use a Zone one ticket to pay for my ride to Altona North. Absolutely ridiculous coz I get off at Altona North just a tad before 7AM. A call to Connex puts me on the phone with a pleasant sounding bloke who doesn’t have the slightest clue why buses aren’t included in the Early Bird rides as well.
Hear me roar.
Image from istockphoto.com
So, the petrol prices has been skyrocketing and you are finding your funds vaporising (pun-intended) from your bank account. Have a read of this e-mail that just dropped in this morning (validity up to reader’s discretion):
One of the plus sides of having several jobs is the flexibility and change of locale you find yourself in several times a week. One of my new jobs takes me to Grieve Parade in Altona North, where I catch the 6.32AM bus 414 from Footscray.
After my shift in the arvo, I was waiting for the bus to take me back to Footscray. That area’s a very industrial area, so large trucks ferrying containers and the likes kick up a dust storm every other minute. So there I was, sitting there in my work clothes, looking really out of the place. And then it happened. I realised that every truckie who drove their Optimus Primes past me looked at me, and did one or more of the following:
1) Smiled
2) Gave me a thumbs up
3) Blasted the horn
4) Waved
5) Kept their eyes on me for as long as they could safely do so
I was sitting there for over 20 minutes, so it wasn’t a one-off. And no other drivers of other modes of transportation attempted 1-5. How weird!
Seriously, wtf? Anyone drives trucks here? Perhaps let us in on your culture?
And now he sacks the both of them. Its all over the news. Ted Baillieu had his liberal party sacked two staff who dared write a blog against him. I can’t even read it because one needs to be invited. The crime committed is not letting the public have a read!
Liberal? My foot!
News Links
Herald Sun’s “Traitors sacked over Baillieu mud”
Blog site in offence “He who stands for nothing“
Early morning commuting. Peak hour traffic. The Sydenham train to the city decides to stuff up at North Melbourne. Train stalled for ten minutes. People standing the cars start getting uncomfortable. Fidgety and such. Peeked out and I saw the train driver walking into each car informing them of the bad news. I’m left stranded, along with hundreds of other commuters. I’m late for work. So are they. All in a day’s work I must say. No love lost for Connex there.
On my way to work in Doncaster yesterday morning, the bus I was in got caught in a traffic stand still. Frustrated (as I was late for work), I wondered what the commotion was. Glancing ahead, I noticed a steady stream of cars filtering into the servo along Doncaster Road. With petrol prices averaging $1.50/L lately, disgruntled drivers are always on the look out for good deals.
Turns out, the servo had an offer going on. Holy shit, but am I right to assume $1.3950/L’s cheap in this dark petrol days? That’s the offer the servo had; the price was in neon colours. Hard to miss really.
What’s the best price you’ve seen while driving lately? I don’t drive (as I don’t own a car), so I won’t be the best judge. But I reckon $1.3950’s pretty darn cheap!
PS: In case you guys haven’t been paying attention to the news lately, the 4 cents you save on petrol when you present your docket from Coles isn’t saving you any money. In fact, you’re still paying more than the industry rates. Read here for more details.
Image from news.com.au
Roving police patrols at night targeting violent hotspots was a great idea but Premier John Brumby’s 2AM lockout is just ridiculous. Last week, Brumby announced a trial starting on June 3, that imposes a 2AM lockout in areas in and around Melbourne. Some areas affected include Fitzroy (i.e. Brunswick St.), the CBD, St. Kilda, and Prahran. Once you step out of a venue and its after 2AM, you will not be allowed back in. This is supposed to curb increasing violence in Melbourne. Licencees who breach this lockout will be face fines up to $6800. The only exception to the ban unsurprisingly is the government revenue maker, Crown Casino.
You really have to wonder how our Victorian government comes to conclusions without any notice and without consulting with venues, patrons or generally reading any history on the issue. Only a couple of years ago, England repealed it’s 11PM closing law in order to STOP violence. It’s not just the lockout, only yesterday , the Brumby government announced that it was making certain roads in an around Melbourne, clearways during peak hour WITHOUT even consulting councils. I know the Beijing Olympics are coming up but I was pretty sure we are not living in a dictatorship government. I highly suspect that after the three month trial of this lockout, the government will come out with some skewed figures showing success and proposing that the lockout be extended permanently.
Have your say! Join the protest May 30th at Parliament House (5PM-7PM and 11PM-Midnight). Please don’t show up drunk or being an idiot.
Links:
2AM Lockout Website (an “impartial” site created by those great guys from Melbournepubs.coms )
Melbourne Locked Out (The official protest site)
Have any readers, in the last five months, purchased a Samsung LCD/Plasma television during their buy-one-get-one free promo? I bought the sleek LA40M81BDX (above) in February from The Good Guys in Maribyrnong and Samsung had promised to deliver the tellies within six to eight weeks. I say that’s hogwash, as we’re now approaching the middle of May, and it’s almost 11 weeks.
Confirmation email aside, I’ve not received any phonecalls, follow up emails or mail whatsoever. I say, how hard is it to send my free 19″ telly to my doorstep?
Granted, it was a good deal. For $1973 inc. gst, I got myself a relatively large LCD television and a free 19″. Now that’s a steal.
But steal or not, it’s still a restless wait for the Samsung contact that’s never gona come. Or is it?
Yoohoo…anyone working in Samsung here? Get your fucking act together already! My bedroom looks empty and rather forlorn looking without a shiny screen looking back at me.
I have to admit, it has been quite sometime since I wandered along Little Bourke Street. Thinking of enjoying some yum cha in the spacious Dragon Boat restaurant, I was bewildered when I encountered boarded windows and the entire complex in total lock down. What happened? I know the cinema was shut down some time ago but I was expecting the entire complex to be closed up.
Where does Mayor So go to for his meals now?
