I caught the overnight XPT from Sydney Central to Southern Cross Station departing Monday night @ 8.42 pm arriving into Melbourne 20 minutes late due to speed restrictions during the night around 7.50 am on Tuesday morning instead of the scheduled 7.30 am arrival time. I purchased the cheapest Economy ticket available Car D Seat 38 an aisle seat. I hate travelling in Economy but had to as I had to fly back in time for work tomorrow. I also purchased the cheapest Tiger Airlines Economy ticket available which was an unallocated seat departing Melbourne Domestic Terminal at 6.25 pm getting me back in Sydney by around 7.50 pm and home by about 8.30 pm via train train bus.
I also prepurchase online a one way skybus transfer from Southern Cross Station to Melbourne Domestic Airport.
On my train trip to Melbourne I had someone seated next to me who alighted at Goulburn. After he alighted I had a rare seat to myself for the rest of the trip to Melbourne so I could stretch out and try to sleep but unfortunately there were people coughing and sneezing and spattering constantly throughout the night all around me. It was disgusting - I could not sleep even with a face mask on , a neck pillow around my neck and a hoodie over my head the entire journey. I didn't eat or drink at all and only went to the bathroom in the morning once. I even strayed disinfectant all around me to try to kill off all the germs.
As soon as we passed Broadmeadows I walked to the area near the exit doors and stood there until we reached Southern Cross Station. First stop was to withdraw some cash for a shower at Travellers Aid which costs $10 and includes a towel and a small bar of soap. I wash my hair, brush my teeth and try to wash myself of all the germs.
Although I was able to have a shower and change of clothes in about half an hour I still had to walk to the MCEC and find the Melbourne Room for the start of the Telstra AGM which starts shareholder registration at 8.30 am and commences at 9.30 am.
I reach the MCEC by around 9.15 am and decide to have a very quick breakfast on the run ( I managed to scoff it down in less then 10 minutes as it took so long to toast) of a ham, cheese and tomato toastie from the only food concession open inside the MCEC. This took so long to prepare and I still had a very long walk to door 6 and then up 2 sets of escalators to level 2 before reaching the Melbourne Room. I arrived just before the meeting was about to begin as I had trouble registering. My details have not been updated as per my phone call and amendment sent to Link Market Services previously.
This is my very first Telstra AGM I am attending. I am sure I will get sick as I had a guy who could not stop coughing splattering and blowing his nose sitting next to me at the AGM. I had a turtle neck on so I pulled it over my mouth and nose the entire 2.5 hours of the meeting trying to stop his germs infecting me. It was horrible. The coughing was so bad someone gave him a glass of water which did not help and towards the end he got himself a second glass of water. I thought he was leaving but he returned.
The meeting went on for over 2.5 hours. I stayed at the meeting until 12 pm then decided to go as I only intended to stay until 11.30 am which I thought was how long the AGM would be.
People started to leave at 12 pm as a light lunch was provided for shareholders - I had no idea lunch was provided and it was not light but quite substantial. I just thought it would be pre meeting tea and coffee ( where I managed to grab a take with me cup of green tea) but for lunch it was a selection of help yourself finger sandwiches, mini pies, mini slices of quiches teas, coffee, water and mini cupcakes. Because I was in a hurry to get to the NGV to see the KAWS exhibition before flying home tonight, I quickly grabbed 3 finger sandwiches a mini pie and looked for a lactose free dessert. I started coughing really badly and someone comes up to me and tells me I should have a drink if water - I don't think water will help as I probably caught something from the person sitting next to me. It could possibly have been the sandwiches I ate too which I also scoffed down and the chicken one tasted as if it had some type of blue cheese? mixed in with it. I take an antihistamine and put a mask on which helped.
There was a section which was for special dietary requirements. I should have gone to this section first but did not realise it was there until after I had finished my lunch. The dessert was not lactose free unfortunately so I made do with the mini chocolate cupcake from the normal lunch on offer scraping the buttercream off the top of it before a final scoffing down of it.
12.30 pm and I decide to leave the hall set up for the Telstra AGM lunch, the AGM in the Melbourne Room next door was still in progress now 3 hours in - the longest AGM I have ever attended. It was a great idea to have 2 screens and rows of seating set up at the front of the lunch hall in the event of any overflow of shareholders wanting to attend the AGM but could not be seated in the Melbourne Room or shareholders that wanted to have lunch but still wanted to watch the proceedings of the AGM. 3 hours is a very long time for an AGM especially for the majority of shareholders who were senior citizens and those like me that have travelled interstate to attend the AGM of which there were quite a few from my observation during the question time session of the AGM.
So what did I learn from attending my first Telstra AGM ?
1. The NBN is evil, not only a total waste of monetary resources but it holds a monopoly and sending not just Telstra into financial ruin but most of the other retail telecommunications service providers such as Optus & Vodafone as well.
2. Telstra's 5G is faster and a possibly a better alternative to the NBN
3. There is a "Telstra Museum" in Hawthorne - no mention of the Sydney one in Bankstown or the one in Brisbane. When I Googled it , the one in Sydney is temporarily closed and the museums have been renamed to "The National Communication Museum"
It was almost 1 pm when I reached the NGV taking the most direct walking route along Southbank. Just shy of 30 minutes walk from the MCEC.
I had problems cloaking my bags (as usual) at the NGV. I purchased my ticket with my MCA membership and then head straight to the KAWS exhibition. It took me about 30 - 40 minutes only to see the entire exhibition including time in the shop and a play in the KAWS Kids area.
Also see Facebook for short videos.
If I had known that it would only take me 30 minutes to walk through the entire KAWS exhibition I would have taken my time at lunch at the Telstra AGM and watched the rest of the AGM to the end ( beyond 12.30 pm) on the screens set up in the lunch hall. I think the meeting finally concluded with voting for re election of 3 board members around 12.30 pm+ - a 3 hour+ AGM - it beats the MYER 2 hour AGM!
In order to get to the airport in time I am leaving the NGV at 3.30 pm at the latest. I will catch the train from Flinders Street to Southern Cross Station and get on the very next Skybus. I have 15 kg check in luggage. I wouldn't have any if I was catching the overnight train home - I hate flying and I just hope my Tiger Airlines flight is not cancelled.
I walked to Flinders Station and asked a transport officer which was the quickest train to Southern Cross Station - platform 3 in 2 minutes. A quick walk and I just made it on the awaiting train with a minute or so to spare. It didn't take me long to get there. Then it was a brisk walk to an awaiting Skybus to Tullamarine Airport stop # 1 at the coach terminal at Southern Cross Station - no time for shopping this trip straight to the airport after scanning my ticket electronically saved on my phone. 20 minutes and I'm there. Next self check in and bag drop - tag and boarding pass printed. My check in weighed 4 kg only however my carry on weighed 5.5 kg. I probably could have purchased extra carry on to total 12 kg and paid a few dollars more which I had originally intended to do but decided to purchase a few more kgs of check in luggage for a few dollars less. If someone steals it it doesn't contain much just my dirty clothes and dirty underwear. Yuk!
I go to gate 19 as per boarding pass but there has been a gate change to gate 20. Always happens! Sitting here waiting. I hate flying and until I land in Sydney and collected my luggage I don't feel safe. I selected a flight which allows me enough time to rebook the Skybus back into Southern Cross Station and rebook a seat on the 7.50pm XPT train back to Sydney overnight if my flight is cancelled. Back up plan to get back to Sydney in time for work tomorrow.
During my wait at gate 19 there is a gate change to gate number 18 then another gate change to gate number 20. 3 gate changes in 2 hours! No wonder check in and bag drop closes 45 minutes before each boarding and check in opens 2 hours in advance of boarding! Once I have checked in and pass through security ( why am I always the one person that is singled out to be rescanned or refrisked when it is clear I have no metal on me what so ever?) I check the arrivals and departures board and instead of displaying "Flight TT 262 to Sydney go to gate # 19", it says instead " Relax gate # will be displayed in ......minutes" - Relax? How can you relax if your departure gate keeps changing and you know your flights with Tiger Airlines always departs from one of the very last gates which are usually a very long walk to get to! I walk to gate 19 anyway after purchasing a single sushi roll and having a look at a few stores enroute to gate 19.
It was a very long wait to board the plane and my seat allocation was a window seat 26. I boarded via a walk along the tarmac and up the rear set of stairs of the plane only to arrive where a lady in the middle of the row of seats I was allocated to sit had already made herself comfortable and didn"t want to move for me to reach my window seat so I said move over and have my window seat and I will sit in your seat - she didn't think it was allowed and said to her I don't think it matters on a flight like this. The flight was rather full and I had forgotten how little leg room you had! Someone else was seated next to me in the aisle seat. How was my right leg going to cope in such a confined space for the 1.5 or so hours flight back to Sydney? The lady next to me had fallen asleep after take off after we had a chat and introduced each other then I fell asleep briefly. No snacks and I dare not venture off to the toliet!
8 pm landed just a little later then the scheduled 7.50 pm in Sydney. Straight to luggage claim, I grab my small bag and onto a train to Central transfer onto another train then a bus home by 9.30 pm.
I pack my lunch for tomorrow. End of another adventure. Sleep by 10 pm . Back at work tomorrow!
No adventures planned for next weekend I need time to catch up!
No comments:
Post a Comment