Vacant Mind

School packed train June 9th, 2009

It’s raining I’m at the station waiting for a train which has just been cancelled. It’s cold, bitterly cold, coldest day so far for the year. I look up and down the platform and see a thinly spread group of people I think to myself ‘this doesn’t seem to bad, there aren’t that many people, I should be OK for a seat’. Time slips by and more and more potential passengers arrive and platfrom begins to fill and my previous thoughts of a seat or even a spacious ride begin to look doubtful.

I keep forgetting that this is the about the time that seemily millions of school children also board the train. The train arrives, the rain is coming down and the wind is blowing.

We board the train, I find a spot where I can stand, get my book out and begin to read, as we pass station after station it becomes apparent that the previously cancelled train has begun to take it’s tool

A women turns a head, another gets a faceful of hair, a man tries to read with another persons’ hand in front of their face holding onto the bar, eveyone contends with school kids and their backpacks being thrown around as theyswish around like water as the train makes it’s journey.

The train is full again and we are all uncomfortable.

Tags: Train Stories
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The story of 3 train lines April 25th, 2008

I have had the fortunate ability to have traveled on 3 (possibly 5) different train lines.

Glen Waverley
Belgrave/Lilydale
Carnbourne/Packenham

They are listed by the way in order of the one that I want to travel. I have always used the Glen Waverley line because it was closet to home, but recently I’ve had the chance to house sit closer to two different train lines.

Our train systems really are a mess, when at 6.30am there should be a minimal number of people it was standing room only. I know which line I won’ t be eventually living near (Carnbourne/Packenham) I thought that it was hard on the Glen Waverley, hardly ever express, doesn’t come often though and over crowding on somedays.

I have previously heard of the Public Transport User Association,  but now I’m seriously considering joining and helping where I can. I know that Connex has started to bring in changes I just hope that they will work as effectively as Melbourne desperately needs the change.

I can’t tell you the tension in the train some morning (actually most of you might know what I’m talking about) and it would be great to have a normal train ride one day.

Tags: Transport Melbourne Trains
Posted in melbourne | 1 Comment »

6 Links January 28th, 2008

Close to the corner of Swanston Street and Little Flinders it’s a nice basement bar which some great furniture and good selection of drinks with carlton draught, asahi, pure blonde on tap.

To be honest the seating isn’t that great, it’s a little to much form over function but there is enough standing room for it to not matter too much.

I didn’t have a camera this night, but they have a website at http://www.6links.com.au/ which has better pictures.
From what I have heard is that the drinks are set at a good price and it doesn’t get too crowded, a good combination.

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Melbourne Comedy Festival May 6th, 2007

As last year the Melbourne International Comedy Festival rolled around again, and similar to last year I decided to see a few shows. While I’m not really a reviewer of sorts I will give you my best recollection and thoughts about the gigs that I did see.

Charlie Pickering
Surprisingly not as funny as last year I’m uncertain if it was because I saw him on the first night of his show and didn’t really quite have the time to build up the audience. The content was good though with a little bit of a side step while he was having a discussion with himself when he was younger and a imaginary fence post digger with a French accent – that was an interesting couple of minutes.

There was some good solid laughs and he was pretty committed to his act which was even better to see, I’ve seen acts who seem to get a little disappointed when the crowd isn’t laughing and they seem to falter. None of that with Pickering.

It was a good show but not the best that I have seen (or will as you read on)

Comedy Short Films
Probably the low point for me in the festival for two reasons. The actual films that I saw (first 40 minutes) I didn’t really go with anyone.
Not much else to say really

Adam Hills
I had wanted to see Adam Hills last year and my growing love for Spicks and Specks made the decision to again go it alone easier. The show was everything that I thought that it would be according to The Groggy Squirrel while he was actually quite funny and yes the sign interpreter was also very funny. I found his references to weird notion of rules and bureaucracy sometimes a little late to the laughter but otherwise spot on.

Worth it
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Sarah Blasko November 16th, 2006

Went and saw Sarah Blasko at the Forum Theatre in the city, just in case anyone doesn’t know it’s probably one of the best if not the best live music venue I have ever been. The acoustics are so much better than anywhere else including the Prince of Wales in St. Kilda and there is ample standing and seating room unlike the Hi Fi Bar the only other place that might come close would have to be the Corner Hotel and the Northcote Social Club if only it was bigger. Then again I’m no expert I haven’t been to that many venues.

But back to the task at hand, honestly I have only listened to her most recent release a couple of times and remember her first The Overture & The Underscore (2004) & What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have (2006) – (warning music will play when links are clicked)

She has an amazing vocal range for someone of her size, I didn’t really expect to hear that much sound and clarity come out of her and again I was extremely pleased (as I seem to be with all good Aussie acts) to notice that there was negligible difference between the way her album sounded and the live sound. Of course they might have played a few songs differently and the instruments might have been been of a different tune…you know what I mean…what you hear is what you get, nothing better than that.

I managed to get a few photos, although they weren’t very good and most of the time quite out of focus, but I hope that you will get the idea anyway.

Stern(8,g)

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Taking Photos October 20th, 2006

Have you ever thought that everyone is looking at you?
I know it’s stupid but I can’t help it, for some reason it’s a natural reaction for me most of the time for some s, granted I was doing something at the time.

I was in the city today taking photos, not for any great reason but I thought while I was there I might take a few for the photo-a-day experiment that I am trying to do, I was around the AXA building and there is a statue of John Batman which looked kinda interesting as I was walking past (at 7:30 am which is another story) and decided that it was a good chance to take a photo.

I pulled the camera (I carry it with me everywhere) out and looked around to see if anyone was watching or if there were a suitable number of cars going past so that no one would notice.
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Posted in Life, melbourne, Personal, Photography | No Comments »

Napier Hotel September 17th, 2006

Helped a friend move house on the weekend and as much as this troubled me I did get to experience a new eatery.

I reckon that the Fitzroy area provides some pretty good feeds for your money and the The Napier Hotel is no exception, located in the back streets of Fitzroy opposite the town hall we were able to take a leisurely stroll on a very balmy night.

Walking in you are greeted with a cosy social area to the right and left while walking ahead you get to the outside area, which is where we had dinner. The menu had a great selection at a great price, I had my chicken Schnitzel for 11.50. The serving was more the ample, I wasn’t able to finish it which made me feel a little guilty. I think that two people would easily be able to share one meal with out any problems.

I didn’t get much of a chance to spend any more time in the pub but I think that at any other time of the day it would be no less inviting.

Napier Hotel
210 Napier Street, Fitzroy Tel. 9419 4240

Stern(5,g)

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Plastic Photo Show August 31st, 2006

I have a few friends who are rather good photographers and as a result, combined with the photos that I took on the overseas trip, I have become rather interested in the field as well.
While I was at Uni doing my thing I noticed that there was a photo show going on at the Hawthorn town hall, only problem that it was on while there was a class on, which in the end turn out not be a problem because I just skipped it.

The whole premise of the exhibition was to showcase photographs that were taken using low-tech photographic methods such as: plastic lens, vintage, Polaroid cameras, pinhole, alternative processes and antiquarian methods.

Although many of the subjects or objects that were photographed were ordinary the way and perpective that they were taken were different because of the methods used, I probably didn’t get to enjoy as much as I would have liked to mainly because I was on my own and was pretty tired from the week, but still enjoyable.

I did like the fact that I didn’t have to travel far from my normal destinations to get there, I will have to keep my eye out for similar sort of stuff.

Posted in Art, Culture, melbourne | No Comments »

Hilltop Hoods at Festival Hall August 19th, 2006

I had already bought the recently released album The Hard Road and had listened to it a quite a few times, it didn’t have the same impact as The Calling did but it was, what I believe still a good release, it was with hope and excitment that I also bought tickets to the show at Festival Hall, which of course is one of my most hated venues due to past experiences, due to the shocking ventilation of the place.

I listened to all of their albums before I went along just to make sure that I was at least familar with most of their stuff, but I was curious to see how long their gig would go for and the type of material they would draw upon because there was a lot there and unlike rock/alternative bands who I am used to going to see I would think that most people at hip hop gigs like to have the party stuff playing most of the time, the stuff you can dance and shake your booty at.

My first shock of the night came even before I entered the venue

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Posted in Live Music, melbourne, Melbourne Events, Music | 3 Comments »

David Ford at Ding Dong Lounge August 18th, 2006

I had heard him in an interview on the Triple J’s Morning Show and I was quite impressed at what I heard while I was half awake, I didn’t quite understand how he used loops to produce the music because it sounded quite complex but I was also quite attracted to his lyrics.

So I got up and had a look around on the Internet and found a few sites as well as his myspace page (all the rage these days), noticed that he had a gig planned at the Ding Dong Lounge on Thursday night and decided that I would go along because I might regret it later if I didn’t.

So I left class early mainly because the lecturer didn’t seem to know what he was talking about or at least did but wasn’t making any sense as he has done for the past couple of weeks.

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