Wednesday 1st February 2023
I woke up early today. It is a rather warm day. Am I over my jetlag and feeling sick? Not quite. Still taking Sambucol.
Today according to an email I received whilst I was still in Vancouver there was suppose to be a property inspection between 11 am and 11.30 am for refinancing by the bank but my unit was never inspected . The inspection was carried out but for the tenant next door in unit 7. Prior to me leaving for Canada we had already had a property inspection.
I left the apartment for the first time to do grocery shopping. I had almost nothing to eat . Yesterday I lived off non perishables from my pantry supplies such as cream cheese in a jar ( that white stuff I grew up with which is highly processed), a jar of apricots in syrup and a pscket of flat bread. I was lucky I still had 3/4 of a bottle of water leftover from NYE to drink and I also finished off a bottle of cherry juice that was from my last trip to Melbourne prior to leaving for Canada. I also ate a few ice wine chocolates I bought back with me from Canada. Not the best but it filled me up.
Most of the bits and pieces of food in my fridge I forgot to empty before I left for Canada had to throw out.
Off to Chatswood by bus it was a long wait. I recharged my Opal card, went to HSBC to withdraw some money for laundry only to find the minimum was $50 which I did not need therefore asked for change at the counter and ended up with $50 worth of $2 coins.
Next I could not been bothered to walk to Coles so did a huge basket shop of groceries at Woolworths Metro , the weight almost breaking the basket. There were quite a few grocery items unavailable such as bottled flat water. I grabbed so much fruit and some vegetables - so relieved not to be paying upto CAN$8 plus taxes for a punnet of berries - any type of berries! And an edible mango! Also lamb how I missed eating quality local look lamb even sausages! For lunch I purchased just under $20 worth of sushi also from Woolworths Metro - my first proper takeaway meal since arriving back in Sydney and my first sushi since I departed for Vancouver ( sushi in Vancouver and Whistler is just not good).
I thought Luna New Year was over on 22nd January 2023 but not around Chatswood where there is still a trail of giant white inflatable rabbits around. Photo below
I went to the ticket box at The Concourse to see if I could purchase tickets to see La Cage Aux Folle and check if I can go back stage but it was closed.
Home on the bus to unpack my groceries sort my laundry and generally catch up . I went to sleep early still trying to get over this lingering cough which is the tail end of my flu cold whatever it is - it's been over a week since I got a mild sore throat so I don't think I am contagious anymore. The cough is the final and most annoying lingering symptom to get over. Still taking Sambucol.
Thursday 2nd February 2023
I purchased a ticket online to see La Cage Aux Folle at The Concourse Theatre tonight at 7.30 pm. Still feeling a bit sick with that lingering cough and allergies at the same time I was planning to go to the matinee at 1 pm today but was not only feeling sick but had trouble getting a ticket online. Even for tonight's performance I could only get B reserve tickets snd there are not a lot of seats left. The tickets aren't cheap either with mine costing almost AUS$100 including booking fees which I paid using my overseas debit card. I hope it's worth it.
I had just enough time to grab a bottle of flat spring water and a bag of roasted unsalted mixed nuts from Woolworths Metro in case I got peckish during the show. I did not think I had enough time to grab some dinner from one of the food market stalls in Chatswood Mall to eat before the show started.I am unsure what the protocols are for bringing food and drink inside the actual theatre to consume. I assume you can as I saw people bring their glass of wine into the theater to consume but no food and rather annoying people sitting further down in the row I was in, bring white plastic cups into the theatre with who knows what in them to consume during the show then leaving them behind in their seats and on the floor when the show ended and they left the theatre.
It is before 7.30 pm and people are already having a preshow drink or queuing up for one. There are quite a few no show seats but up in B reserve there aren't that many empty seats. Quite a good view from up here in the very top row. I have my binoculars with me and we are not suppose to video or take photos but after I spotted someone below me take one I took a few myself.
It is intermission and I am unsure how long this is for but the show is scheduled to finish at 9.30 pm. I hope I have time to pop into Woolworths Metro after the show ends before going home as I think they close at 10 pm.
Well the show finished way past 10 pm so I could not go to Woolworths Metro to get anything as it and almost everything was shut by 10 pm including the market stalls. It is also another long 19 minute wait for the next bus home.
I think tomorrow will be another sleep in laundry and catch up day. I got a phone call from APM again about my appointment - tried to return the call but it was after 5 pm when they phone so of course no one will answer.
So how was La Cage Aux Folle??? Amazing costumes amazing dancing and singing particularly by Paul Capsis as Albin and Michael Cormick as Georges.
The 2 lovebirds played by Noah Mullins & Chloe Malek were great as well with the brilliant voice of Noah to match Cormick's brilliant voice. Chloe's beautiful dance moves and her elegant dancers lines were also a highlight although it is a pity she didn't actually have a solo singing role in the show. Chloe Dallimore that played Jacqueline was also brilliant with her over the top acting and French accent
I was a little disappointed with Anthony Brandon Wong's mixed role as a maid/butler. Was he suppose to be a Filipino maid? His singing and dancing was not as strong as the other cast members and his role was not as major. In the scene where he "dances," it was more character performance rather then choreography and I found his voice in his singing scene was drowned out by the other voices singing simultaneously with his as it was not as strong. It seemed as though he had to try extra hard in order for his voice to be heard amongst the others.
Sitting in the B reserve dress circle way up high actually was not a bad position to be seated to watch the show. It was a pretty good view of the stage below but I had my binoculars with me and used them throughout the show to get close up views of characters in scenes .
Home straight after the show. I didn't hate it snd it was a great first musical theatre experience but possibly not worth the money I spent. I rate it an 8/10.The season is too short hardly a week of performances.
News headlines today include
The search for classified documents at Biden's residence continues and no classified documents have been found ( unlike the Trump case).
It is the funeral of Cardinal George Pell today after his body has been laying in state at St Mary's Cathedral. There will be a protest in Hyde Park today for victims of sex abuse by the Catholic Church. Coloured ribbons had been tied to the church's fence as a quiet protest which were going to be or have been removed as a sign of respect.
There was a frantic search for a highly radio active "pellet" that fell off a truck but has been found along the side of the road in the Pilbara and placed in a radio active protective metal casing to be transported to Perth.
Tom Brady announces his retirement from football again but this time for good just months after his divorce from Supermodel Gisele Buchchen. he will join Fox Sports as a television analyst in a 10-year, $US375 million ($A530 million) deal.
Pharmacists are lobbying government to be allowed to prescribe common drugs such as antibiotics contraceptives and anti depression drugs to relieve the pressure on visits to GPs but there is arguement that they could be overprescribed due to pharmacy sales targets.
Outrage where a school is selling meat pies for $6.20 which is more then what they cost at the football in SA.
US interest rate increases .25. Relief that the interest rate hike was less then the half of a % forecasted.
The AUS$ is now just above the 70 cent mark against the US$ which has fallen just slightly.
Cricketer Kawaja has finally been issued a visa for approval to travel to India to join his other Australian cricketing team mates. His visa saga continues due to the fact he was born in Pakistan. He will be travelling from Melbourne hopefully today.
A rare green comet should be able to be seen on Monday 6th Feb 2023 from Sydney.
Ozzie Osbourne has retired from touring due to his health condition.
Beyonce has started her Renaissance world tour. No Australian dates yet.
3 men on a fishing trip have been saved off WA coast clinging to an esky when their boat started taking in water and sank.
The RBA announces that the Queens face will be removed from the Australian five dollar note and will not replaced with King Charles face.
Friday 3rd February 2023
It's another beautiful day with a top of 31 degrees C forcasted today in Sydney. It will be another catch up day for me today.
Today the entire day was taken up by doing 3 huge loads of laundry with a double wash with 2 loads and a 2 hour dry and a separate wash and dry for the 3rd load. It took hours and I think I spent AUS$40 in cash ( 1 & 2 dollar coins) doing it. Luckily I had my $50 bag of coins I had changed at the bank previously.
I also applied for 2 jobs since returning to Sydney . One was for Transdev and the other for Head On because I am passionate about customer service in public transport and I love my mobile phone photography and videography.
It was a really hot day and I didn't have time to go to the supermarket but knew there was a tiny Coles Express petrol station up the road so walked there to get some bottles of flat spring water and 2L orange juice - I have to admit it was a scrounge just to find these items there as their beverage shelves were empty and all they had were soft drinks and energy drinks loads of junk food a few pre packed sandwiches some basic loaves of sliced bread and some other basic items - definitely no eggs.
I am surprised the petrol station is still a Coles Express as I thought these were being bought out. There are 2 other larger petrol stations attached to convenience stores further up but I could not be bothered to walk that far as it was quite hot one a 711 and the other the former DJs food concession.
Pretty boring day but I finally caught up on uploading all my videos onto my YouTube channel which is not to be said about my blogs which are still so behind!
News headlines today include
Extreme weather conditions hit Australia where it is snowing in Mt Buller again in February and cold in VIC but 35 degrees C + in QLD .
There was the death of a 3 year old boy in a hot car that was forgotten for most of the day on a 34 degrees C. The father tried to save the boy by resuscitating him but it was too Kate.
Olivia Newton John's state memorial plans have been revealed at Harmer Hall in Melbourne on Feb 26th 2023. Tickets are on sale online and only 2500 people will be able to attend. Delta Goodrem will sing a medley of Olivia Newton John's hit songs.
It is groundhog day today in the US - he saw his shadow so it's 6 more weeks of Winter weather.
There is plans to move the NY cricket test from NSW to SA.
A Titanic door experiment has been performed to see if Jack could have survived? !
The debate continues as to who will replace the Queen's head on the five dollar note.
The pharmacy dispensing of prescription medications and the overhaul of the failed Medicare system with the absence of bulk billing GPs continues with the government.
Netflix cracks down on password sharing for streaming services.
Passengers have been evacuated from a cruiseship in White Bay due to a fire in a number of cabins.
Qantas has sent emails to customers in regards to the amount of flights turned around due to turbulence and mechanical / technical issues in the past fortnight advising it happens but are rare.
Saturday 4th February 2023
Another beautiful day of a forecasted 29 degrees C.
Today I have to go out to grocery shop as I am going through my groceries so quickly. It took forever for a bus to arrive again.
As I went grocery shopping today at Coles Local I had a massive allergic reaction. I was coughing my eyes were watering really badly and I was scratching like mad. I stopped off at Priceline scratching like mad to purchase some rapid working antihistamines. This was scary- I had a mask on but can't work out what was causing it. Was it something in the Shopping Centre or the punnet of strawberries I ate this morning? I was coughing so badly my rib was hurting. As soon as I finished my grocery shopping at Coles Local I went out of the shopping centre and sat outside on a bench un Chatswood Mall. It calmed down a little but I thought that I should quickly finish my grocery shopping at Woolworths Metro and head straight home. There was trackwork afain on the Northern line and Metroline so there were bus replacements clogging up the back streets of Chatswood Station - these bus replacements were mainly coaches not normal buses. The 144 & 113 bus stop became the bus stop for at least 3 other bus linesas well temporarily. Again it took forever for a bus to arrive to take me home. The bus was full of people waiting for it. Since the public transport system was privatised, bus services every 10 - 15 minutes have been constantly cancelled and only come every 30 minutes. Yes there have been complaints on socialmedia but they have been ignored as usual.
Home I decided that I was not well enough to go to the 24 hr Mopoke event I had planned to go to. Besides being sick due to trackwork and buses not arriving, getting into the city will be more difficult then gett inj ng to and from Chatswood.
News headlines today include
A national firearms registry is coming closer to reality after the shooting of the 2 police officers back in December 2022.
Not related to shrinkflation but there are plans to reduce the size of panadol packet in supermarkets from 20 to 16 and in pharmacies 100 tablets to 32 for example to reduce the rate of paracetamol overdoses. Consumers are warned not to stockpile as this is only planned and will not be implemented for a while. This announcement comes at the same time as psychedelic and MDMA drugs have been approved by the TGA in Australia for medicinal use.
Nick Kyrios still recovering from his knee injury resulting in him pulling out of the Australian Open has had his charges for assaulting his ex girlfriend dismissed . He has been and is sufferring from mental health issues.
A Chinese spy ballon has been spotted in American skies? China denies this and advises that it was a stray weather balloon.
QLD is sweltering in heatwave conditions and will continue to do so at least for the next few days as the Southern states shiver in the cold. There were threats of blackouts in QLD to to overload on the energy system but it has been advised that the energy system and the power grid can cope as it enters it's 4th day of heatwaves and record power consumption.
Doctors are frustrated over the lack of immediate action to overhaul the Medicare system to ease the pressure on GPs and the hospital emergency system in general at the national cabinet meeting yesterday.
Payphones - Telstra verses local councils. Telstra wants to replace current payphones with high tech ones whereas councils think Telstra is already taking up too much valuable real estate.
Can Beyonce finally crack and win the top album of the year at the Grammys with 9 nominations.
Another stockpile of plastic bags has been found in a warehouses in Victoria collected from Coles and Woolworths which will go to landfill rather then recycled ever since the collapse of the company last year that recycled them .
A pineapple shortage possible next season in QLD - difficult to believe due to the oversupply at the moment. Make the post of them now we have been told.
Sunday 5th February 2023
Today was another do nothing day as it was just far too hot to go outside. I cleanedthe apartment and had my fans on all day watching some interesting programson the food channel. Mopoke is on until 6 pm today but I just xan't be bothered given the lack of public transport and rail trackwork as well.
News headlines today include
After much discussion the Chinese "weather balloon" which is thought to be a spy balloon as it was drifting too low over sensitive military bases in the US, has been shot down as directed by president Biden. As this spy balloon had been hovering over sensitive military US regions, there was criticism as to why Biden did not order it to be shot down earlier and there was pressure from right wingers to do so. The reasons cited were due to the precaution of the shoot down scattering debris and injuring residents close to the airports. There was a short window of time where the spy balloon could be shot down - 3 airports were shut down with air exclusion zones and the spy balloon had to be far enough off the East coast of the US but still in US waters to be shot down, the spy balloon could not have drifted into international waters as it would cause international unrest. China has maintained that this was just a weather information gathering balloon that drifted off course but the US was insistent that it is a spy balloon. The meeting between the US and China has been cancelled and the question over US China relationships is now up in the air. It is assumed the remains of the of this spy ballon will now be retrieved and examined for what type of information it has been gathering.
Kylie Minogue has broken up with her boyfriend of 5 years , a year since returning to Australia but does not want to be remembered as being unlucky in love. The long distance relationship too it's toll with date and time differences. Minogue is concentrating on a new World tour and new music.
A 16 year old teenager has died from a shark attack in the Swan River . It is the first shark attack in the Swan River in WA 100 years.
Australians are bracing for another interest rate hike on Tuesday by the RBA.
As energy prices continue to soar the government is introducing s $250 relieve subsidy which consumers can apply for on the Service Australia website.
Monday 6th February 2023
News headlines today include
Efforts are now underway to retrieve the shot down Chinese spy balloon off the East coast of the US. ( What happens if the US discover that this was actually just s rogue weather balloon and not a spy balloon as the Chinese insisted it was?)
A blaze of fire has broken out at a popular Buddhist temple last night South East of Melbourne. It happened on the last night of the Luna New Year festivities. Residents in an apartment block next door to the temple were evacuated as a precaution and put up in alternative accommodation by the local council. The temple was severely destroyed by the fire with ashes of ancestors unable to be retrieved and the once red and gold arches of the temple now a bare frame of black. Once safe fire investigators will enter the temple to determine the cause of the blaze and whether it was accidental or deliberate. Because the temple was made of wood and there was so much flammable material due to curtains upholstery etc the blaze was intense and burnt for a very long period of time.
Prince Harry's first lover an older woman named Sasha Wapole has spoken out and identified herself as the older woman he mentioned in his book Spare. For over 20 years she has kept this a secret and can't understand why it would even be mentioned in the book.
Latrell Mitchell has suffered a shoulder injury after police tackled and charged him for fighting with his team mate Wighton when they were just mucking around. Both are flying out to play a match however Latrell is now in doubt to play due to the shoulder inury he sustained.
It is the first day back for Parliament sittings. But first they attend a church service. On the agenda the healthcare system crisis, the rising costs of living - inflation and djy rocketing energy prices, te as cher shortages etc etc etc
The Grammys are on again. All eyes are on Beyonce with 9 nominations but she is up against stiff competition such as Adele, Lizzo, Harry Styles etc.
There are 3 possible cyclones one in WA one in NT and one in QLD . Freddie Gabriel & Herman are the names of the cyclones. Which cyclones gets which name dependson which cyclone forms first if they do.
Another Interest rate increase is due tomorrow snd the AUS$ has fallen to just below the $0.70 mark against the US$ as a result.
Tuesday 7th February 2023
Today I had to go out after paying some bills and applying for more jobs to do another grocery shop. This time I actually walked down to the other Aldi and larger Coles at the other end of Chatswood stopping for some prawn and scallop sushi from Tamon one of my favourite sushi places to eat. I suffered afterwards. I had another coughing runny nose and teary eyes fit whilst at Coles. It was so bad. The combination of shell fish ( although it was very small) and something inside Coles triggers it. Whilst at Aldi previously I was fine. I have blogged about my coughing fits at Coles and Woolworths previously - since returning to Sydney, it's back. For some reason I don't get coughing fits at Aldi and less frequently at Woolworths. I suspect ut has to do with sd one thing in their air conditioning, cleaning or locations below car parks.
I also returned a call finally to APM where I have an actual appointment at 11 am on 14th February 2023.
News headlines today include
A second earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale just 9 hours after the first one has struck Turkey with aftershocks. 3000 have died and several children have been rescued.
Interest rates are set to rise again today. The question is how much? 0.5% 0.25% or 0.75% . Whatever the rise it will cause a mortgage "cliff" for home owners with a fixed rate mortgage expiring and reverting back to a variable one.
A Boring 747 firefighting plane has crashed in Busselton. It is unknown why the accident happened.
A state based indigenous voice will be introduced by SA this week.
Sydney is forecasted for 27 degrees C today with showers.
At the Grammys there was no bad blood between Taylor Swift and Harry Styles who dated briefly and broke up in 2013. Meanwhile there were squabbles between Jen and Ben Affleck who just wanted out of there. Beyonce made history with the most wins for a female artist and Lizzo showed up in a bright red 3D flower outfit.
Wednesday 8th February 2023
Overcast this morning it's going to be another do nothing day today as I have more llaundry and catching up to do.
I didn't go out at all today just sorted my laundry and watched TV as well as eat.
After lunch today I received a knock on my door , it was the property management company going around asking if anyone owned the four wheel drive parked in the carpark outside the front of the apartment block. Nope not mine is I advised her as I don't drive - strange that she didn't knock on my door on the day she was suppose to inspect the unit but showed up today unannounced. I think the owner of the property was present as well . I was wondering who owned the four wheel drive in the carpark when I returned back from my holiday as I mentioned to the shuttle driver how there were more cars in carpark then there normally is . This was when I noticed that there were mv that were not there before I left to go overseas or normally parked in the carpark. usually there is only a black Audi parked to the left of the carpark which belongs to an older guy living in one of the units and another car parked on the opposite side of the car park that is just parked there but not driven that probably belongs to whoever is currently living in unit 1A. recently there was a white car parked next to it but it could have been a visitors car.
By 5 pm it started to rain quite heavily and it is very grey outside
One batch of my coloured laundry has been washed and is now drying.
News headlines today include
Well the RBA has made it's 9th interest rate hike by .25% and there were calls to sack the RBA's governor Philip Lowe however caution on doing so as the interest rates will then fall into the hands of the Australian government and as the next election is looming and interest rates will fall just to get votes. There really needs to be an independent organisation advising interest rate changes. In April 2022 the rate was .1 % now 9 months later in Feb 2923 the interest rate is now 3.25% so for example $500 000 loan will mean a $908 extra in mortgage repayments per month. 2 main banks have already passed the interest rate onto mortgage holders. The CBA says interest rate increases are done whereas the RBA thinjthere may be one or 2 more interest rate hikes. Savers should be shopping around for higher interest rates instead of sticking to their savings in rveryday transaction accounts - yep I need to shop around to increase my current measly 2% interest rate so called "high interest earning" account when my neighbour is earning double that!
A new savoury hot cross bun has caused contraversey after the vegemite and cheese hit cross bun was released a few years ago. It is the burger sauce with pickle pieces hot cross bun. So what do I think of this? Just add a frankfaut and tomato sauce and it it will be a copy of the Bakers Delight mini pizza sauce savoury bites!
A man from NY named Kingsley misbooked his flight to Sydney Australia and ended up in Sidney Montana. Did he not think $700 was a bargain? As soon as he saw snow he thought wrong direction and the small plane well that should have been a hint that something was a miss as well as not having to show his passport. At least he didn't end up as far as Sydney Nova Scotia which he would have travelledin a smaller plane, seen snow would have been a little more expensive but he would have had to show his passport or even Sidney vancouver Island which would be even more obvious as he would have had to hop on a sea plane. Not the first time this mistake has happened! Lets hope I don't do the same thing with Vancouver BC Canada and Vancouver Washington State US!
A fire has broken out in a plastics factory in Victoria and it is thought the fire brokeout in the administration department if the factory. Although many an industrial area residents nearby have been advised to switch air conditioners off and close windows.
The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria continues after 2 major earthquakes and several after shocks and over 7000 deaths continue to increase. One Australian man has been reported missing. There is more then 700 offers of aid from around the world but they have not arrived yet. A girl has been pulled from rubble in Syria after 24 hours. A window of 36 hours is the optimum period of time for rescue efforts. Aid to Syria is more difficult due to years of civil war.
Millions of COVID vaccines will be made available for a 5th dose of the vaccine for anyone over the age of 18. At the moment only immunocompromised could get the vaccine but now it is recommended to anyone who hasn't had a confirmed case of COVID.
Cyclone Freddie which is currently a category one is looming off the coast near Broome. A second cycloneif it is eventuates will be called cyclone Gabrielle.
The cost of pizza is going up due to the rising cost of ingredients. World Pizza Day is tomorrow.
Queenwood a private girls school has banned contact sports for girls such as AFL due to concussion concerns. Contact sports should not be played until after 12years of age.
Harry & Meagan are being sued by Samantha Markle for things they said about the family that are untrue. Defending her father and brother as well she is asking only for $75000 and not trying to gain millions from her court case. She insists it's not about the money - but why only $75000? Could it be so Harry & Meghan can just pay her the amount to make her go away ie hush money?
A new Netflix documentary is in the planning about the behind the scenes of that notorious interview with Prince Andrew and his cringe worthy " I can't sweat" moment.
Thursday 9th February 2023
Another really wet day today. Another stay at home and do nothing day . I watch repeats on the food channel and am still trying to catch up on my blog. My photos are failing to upload to my blog for some reason and I still have my allergy cough.
I should continue my grocery shopping but am trying to reduce the number of times I have to go into a Coles supermarket or any supermarket due to my allergies.
It's pouring with rain outside and the roads are flooded. Wild winds and thunder sound loudly all ending in about 30 minutes in the form of a freak storm. No it continues..... ( I have just uploaded a 2 minute video of what it is like outside from my window - more thunder it's getting louder and was that a flash of lightening?)
News headlines today include
After a mericle 60 hours 2 women were pulled out alive from underneath rubble from the Turkey Syria earthquake. 4 Australians are reported still missing and Australia has sent a team of upto 72 specialist search and rescue crew to assist Turkey's earthquake disaster.
Government has announced an affordable housing plan with more affordable housing tobb we built.
Cyclone Gabrielle looms off the QlD coast and hg as be red n upgraded from bc a cat CC 1 to cat 3. meanwhile a cruise ship has had to turn back due to cyclone conditions
The will of the late Shane Warne has been released. The majority of Shane Warne's 21 million dollar estate has been left to his 3 children equality with the balance to his brother nephew & neice. No mention of his ex wife or ex girlfriend Liz were in the will
Pink is coming to Australia in Summer 2024 with tickets on sale on 17th February 2023 for Sydney Concert. Meanwhile Ed Sheeran has surprised a school in NZ by turning up unannounced and giving a free live performance.
A reminder that the COVID pandemic is far from over as year 9 students tested positive for COViD at an Adelaide school and students told to isolate or if not positive to wear a mask.
The best Superbowl ads are shown as the Superbowl game approaches closer which is on Monday 13th February 2023 ( Australian Time) .
Australia Post has announced that letters are on borrowed time ( again!) . Despite the increase in e-commerce resulting from online shopping and parcel deliveries, Australia Post still fails to remain and operate as a profitable organisation like other parcel delivery services - this shows how poorly managed and inefficient Australia Post run as our only postal service. Questions remain why the decrease in letters but increase in parcels being sent and received has failed to make Australia Post more profitable and where there is still a need for a daily letter/parcel delivery service. How many times have you lost letters & parcels from Australia Post? How many times hg Ave your letters & parcels have you received late or damaged from Australia Post? How many times have you found that your missing parcel or letter hg as been tracked halfway around the world in a country you have never visited? speaking from experience I have so many letters and parcels lost through Australia Post I've lost count compared to zero lost luggage I need to stick air tags on my mail not my luggage to track where it is!Not worth lodging a complaint you will never get through to speaking to anyone and no matter how much your letters or parcel is worth ie priceless the maximum you will be compensated with Australia Post is a packet of local stamps to cover your postage or A it S$50 in the form of a money order ( say what!? Yep) if you are lucky which doesn't even cover the cost of lodging your complaint
Friday 10th February 2023
well the afternoon storm did not eventuate but I did not go out today except to the Coles Express up the road for the last 2 bottles of cold 1 L Mt Franklin water and a packet of soya chicken chips.
More laundry in the afternoon done and I paid my annual PO box rental fee. You get a AUS$5 discount if you pay before the 31st March 2023 when it is due.
News headlines today include
Burt Bacharach has died aged 94.
Another severe storm is forecasted for this afternoon in NSW with possible hail after yesterday afternoon's freak thunderstorm.The Princess Highway was cut into 2 with several cars having to be rescued. Cyclone Gabrielle a cat 3 is heading towards Norfoke Island.
Efforts are being taken to avoid another Brownlowe Medal leak this year with a ban on pre voting betting.
Zac Effron & John Cena have been spotted around Melbourne in Australia filming a new comedy Ricky Stanicky and scenes will be shot at Bundoora Bowling Alley
A Australian couple living in Bali is fighting to bring their 7 week old baby back to Australia for hospital treatment for a lung infection which the hospital in Bali is unable to treat and where the baby has a 50% chance of survival. The baby needs to be stabilized before she can be airlifted back to Australia for hospital treatment. The cost is $90000 and a go fund me e page has been set up after they contacted DEFAT who were unable to assist them at the time.
The toll of the earthquake in Turkey Syria is now over 20000. Australian specialist search and rescue aid is set to arrive in Turkey.
Adelaide Hospital has made a childhood brain cancer breakthrough.
The Duke & Duchess of Cornwell ( ie Kate & Wills Duke & Duchess of Wales & Cambridge) have made their first visit to Cornwell since being given the title .
There has been over 900 Chinese surveillance cameras removed from government buildings. China has accused Australia of discrimination of Chinese made products.
Saturday 11th February 2023
A beautiful day with a forecasted temperature of 32 degrees C today.
It was so hot today - it may have been 32 degrees C but it felt much hotter! 2 fanson and the blinds down . I did not go out just had a shower and stayed at home to keep cool. Running out of groceries but I always have spare non perishables. Still survivingon the 2 bottles of water i previously purchased from the Petrol station Coles Express up the road. I wonder if they sell ice.
I got quite a lot done today like folding and putting away my laundry, changed my bedding, vacuum the floor, emptied the bin etc. Update my blog , catch up on watching YouTube channels and food channel programs I haven't watched before. Job searching and other research.
I really need to go out but I dread grocery shoping in case my coughing fits occur again. My skin is really bad at the moment. I think I have allergies to QV products. I used the flare up oil in the shower and now my skin is 200 times worse. I will stick to baby wash. I am trying different moisturizers as well instead of vitamin E I am trying Cetaphil cream which not too bad. I used Aveeno but found that some of their products too I was allergic to.
So much news today.
News headlines today include
Rescue efforts in Turkey enter it's 6th day and hopes are fading for survivors amongst the rubble of the earthquake. A miracle as a mother and her 10 day old baby have been pulled out alive today from the rubble.
Just as well today is a beautiful day as a section of Sydney streets around Hunter Phillip and Elizabeth St has been shut down over this weekend for what is thought filming to be the filming of Ryan Gosling new film The Fall Guy. This comes after the closure of the Sydney Harbour Bridge - what they shut down the Sydney Harbour Bridge? when was this? Did I miss this whilst I was away?
Vice president of the US Mike Pence has had his house raided as a search for classified documents continues after Biden's house was recently searched for classified documents which resulted in no significant documents being found.
Another unidentifed surveillance object has been shot down over frozen waters in Alaska but this time without hesitation. Will this trigger war between the 2 most powerful countries in the world the US and China?
Cyclone Gabrielle has been downgraded to a cat 2 as it makes it's way towards Norfolk Island. Residents on the QLD are still warned to battendown and swim between the flags etc .
Superbowl ads continue air. $7 million for a 30 second ad just for a piece of prime airtime not including actors? Are they actually with it? Some of these ads I just don't get or just exactly what they are advertising! If an adis sellingan international product it has to be an internationally appealing ad.
Sunday 12th February 2023
Superbowl Eve where Puppybowl predicts which football team will win the superbowl this year.
Sydney will be 28 degrees C today but windy.
I anaged to drop off my 11 bottles to be recycled before going to Macquarie Shopping Centre unsure if the earn and return convenient store was open or accepting container returns today. A new boy was working there and there was a guy returning a bag of over 50 bottles before me and another guy returning bottles after me.
I was adventurous today and took the 259 bus from the back of Chatswood Station to Macquarie Shopping Centre via a scenic route which takes much longer then taking the Metro from Chatswood Station . Luckily there was no trackwork on the Metro today only trackwork on Northern lines ( yes again second weekend in a row but apparently there was trackwork for previous weekends as well according to someone also waiting for the 259 bus who asked and thought I was looking for train replacement bus - no just a bus that will get me to Macquarie Shopping Centre I said) - What did I actually miss whilst I was away overseas more trackwork on the Northern lines ?- those little stones that buildup on the tracks on the Northshore must have had a hard holiday season!
First stop always Aldi followed by the green grocer next door followed by Coles and if I have time or don't have too many groceries a shop at Woolworths but not today as my shopping bags are full and heavy. I purchased some sword fish cutlets and flathead fillets instead from the fishmonger. Fish is so expensive. Groceries are so expensive in general .
At Coles I spotted the limited edition burger sauce and pickle hot cross buns and yes I purchased one of the 4 packs on the shelf. At $5 for a pack of 4 it is a little on the expensive side but bread was on my shopping list although not hot cross buns. So what did I think of them? For some reason I was not tempted to open the packet up and try them straight away. When I got home I took a photo of the product first before trying one in between packing my groceries away. I took one bite and it was HORRIBLE! Who came up with this flavour? It's just wrong. It has a strong chemical aftertaste from the first bite. What type of sauce is it? Awful! It ferls naked on it's own, it definitely needs a beef patty tomato lettuce real pickles and a real slice of cheese just to make it edible By itself it tasted bitter. There is no spicy taste to it. The orange cheese is in there but I can't really taste it and the pickle is the wrong type of pickle to use. It should be the sweet and sour pickle not whatever pickle they put into it. This would give contrast to the burger sauce. It tasted equivalent to being monochromatic ie all one taste from all the ingredients mushed in together - the buns were over soft. No thought went into this product. I rate it a solid 3/10. I have 3 left so will have to make up some turkey patties cheese tomato snd mixed greens to go with it and the hot cross buns must be toasted - hope this will get rid of the bitter chemical aftertaste. photo below
I spent about 4 - 5 hours grocery shopping today with half of my time spent at Coles ( I made sure I wore a mask inside Coles but did not bother at Aldi ) . The mask helped but after an hour inside Coles the cough returned although nothing as bad as previously. It was a lot milder. I decided to try and take the 291 bus directly home from outside Macquarie Shopping Centre. I was unsure if it ran on weekends and I know they only run hourly and is a very limited bus service. I had no idea hilongut took as Ihave never caught it but assumed it ran along a similarroute to the 288 that I used to catch to the QVB in the city ie past Lane Cove bus "interchange". I looked it up on my tripgo app and I was lucky it was only another 16 minutes or so wait for the next 291 bus and yes it did run on a Sunday and it will only take me apparently about 20 minutes to get home! Great. No lugging my 2 very full very heavy bags to the Metro and then walking and waiting for the 144 bus at Chatswood.
That's enough of venturing out for today. Time to catch up watching the food channel and blogging.
Almost 7.30 pm and it looks as if it could rain anytime now. The road is looking damp and it is really grey outside. If it rains tomorrow it is a great day to stay at home and watch the Superbowl!
Sleep early tonight.
News headlines today include
Another unidentifed object floating over North Western Canada in the Yukon has been shot down. Both US and Canadian aircraft scrambled to shoot down the objectwhich Trudeau says was shot down by a US F- 22
Junior doctors are quiting due to overwork and bulling was revealed due to the health system being under pressure and in an effort to overhaul the Medicare system prescriptions could have a $180 in savings for 2 months supply instead of one months supply available for common prescription drugs such as antibiotics . Meanwhile on April 1st 2023 annual private health insurance premium are increasing again however some funds are increasing more then the normal annual increases whilst others are deferring increases due to shortages in hospital beds - our whole health system is just f***ed up!
AA will be the first PM to march in the World Pride Parade ( Sydney Mardi Gras) along with openly gay PM and foreign minister Penny Wong ( go Penny!) in an effort to bring attention to inequality of the Indigenous Disability Sexuality etc. The first sitting PM to watch but not march in the Mardi Gras Parade was Malcolm Turnbull.
Search and rescue crew have touched down in Turkey's earthquake devastated region. The death toll has now reached over 25000 and rescuers are working around the clock to find survivers. After a miraculous 133 hours a 63 year old man has been pulled out alive from the rubble. Millions of people are homeless and an estimated 80000 injured are being treated in hospital.
As Valentines Day approaches on Tuesday February 14th , there is a new concept called Blokequet where guys are given a bunch of flowers such as Australian natives or sunflowers for example instead of the girls. The trend has increased by 20% . Meanwhile there is a warning to be aware of online dating scams that has been an ongoing problem over the years.
QLD is sufferring a heatwave with temperatures reaching 41 degrees or above in some regions forecasted to continue for the next few days. Meanwhile Cyclone Gabrielle has given Norfolk Island a battering and is making it's way to the North Island of NZ which is still suffering from the aftermath of flooding. Residents have been warned to stock up on supplies and supermarket shelves are now empty from panick buying. Sand bagging is underway. Meanwhile Ed Sheeran has remained cool calm and collected in the not so ideal weather conditions in NZ performing at his concert overnight there.
2 Aussies could be playing in the Superbowl this year. One player is a definite and the other will find out when an announcement will be made later today. Meanwhile not everyone watches the Superbowl for the football, millions tune in for the half time entertainment which has been pretty vague this year of who will be appearing although we do know that Rhiana will be singing . What she will be singing is also vague as she has not produced any new music for years since the birth of her baby. Rumours are she could either sing her biggest hits or surprise everyone with the launch of new music at The Superbowl , whilst others tune in just for the Superbowl commercials. Eagles verses Chiefs the first time these teams are playing against each other in the superbowl.
A raspberry flavoured twisties will be available from June 2023. Will it still be a twisties though?
The Brit Awards have kickedoff with harry Styles and Lizzo performing and Sam Smith wearing a black inflatable jumpsuit.
Rain is forecasted for tomorrow with temperatures at 6.30 pm today dropping to 25 degrees C feeling a lot cooler.
Monday 13th February 2023
Happy Superbowl 57!
Well it didn't rain at all overnight and the temperature sure dudnot dropovernight nor is it currently 25 degrees C as it feels like 30 degrees C + .
I fell asleep during the news this morning as it is so hot in the apartment. I do have the fan on but it is still hot. Outside it is still grey.
10 am and I am watching the Superbowl -well not really. I love the patriotic pregame entertainment where they sing the American national anthem and introduce all the dignitaries before the official coin toss to start the game. Tails lands Chiefs get the ball kick off. That's as far as I watch. I never know who the celebrities are that sing the national anthem but they did a good job at this years Superbowl. Eagles are predicted to win the Superbowl this year. That would be pretty special as there is an Aussie on the team playing. Now I'm just waiting for the half time entertainment.
I made a turkey patty and a fresh bowl of guacamole ( avacado corriander shallot lime juice salt pepper chili flakes mini capsicums garlic) and warmed up one of those awful burger sauce hot cross buns to make a slider adding some mixed green leaves as well to it. The combination was really good but it still could not drown out that awful chemical bitter aftertaste in the hot cross bun. Ahhhh 2 more burger sauce hot cross bunsleft to eat. You might wondering why I am not just throwing the remaining hot cross buns out - I don't like wasting food especially withthe current increasing cost of living and me being unemployed at the moment.
12 noon and I watch Rhiana's half time entertainment. It was ok but nothing special and no special guests. Not my favourite half time entertainment. She sang a medley of her old songs and had a heap of backup dancers all in white - blah. She didn't exactly "shine like a diamond" wearing a red jump suit that covered her up neck to toe with some kind of bustier that was in a glossy material that made her look more voluptuous - Is she pregnant again as it sure looked like she was in that red outfit!
1.30 pm and the superbowl is still on...... oh dear the Chiefs are leading over the Eagles. It's a very close game 28 to 27. Tied at 35 35 finally won by the Chiefs 38 to 35 with a McKinnon slide instead of a touch down. Two minutes that's all there was between a win or a lose for either teams at the end of Superbowl 57 just past 2 pm Australian time.
New headlines today include
The 7 week old baby named Lucky in Bali with a bacterial lung infection has been stabilised and airlifted to Brisbane Airport where she is expected to land back in Australia today and transported to be treated in hospital much to the relief of her parents who set up a go fund me page hoping to raise the $90000 required to pay for her medical treatment and was surprised that $200000 had been raised. The baby only had a 50% of survival initially.
The Labor government is planning to give nearly 20000 refugees whose residency status in Australiai has been in limbo some for over a decade the same rights as Australian residents which means they will be able to access the same medical & other benefits Australian residents are entitled to by clearing the way for temporary protection and safe haven visa holders to apply for permanency. The arguement is however that this will not discourage boats of people smugglers arriving in Australian waters.
Sydney is so over tolled but plans are underway to put a cap on tolls as some relief to trade industry drivers by the Labor party. Meanwhile energy prices are set to reduce in Sydney but maybe not in time for Winter.
Another unidentified object has been shot down Lake Huron mid west near the Canadian US border, it is the 3rd day this is happening and 4 unidentified object shot down after the last one was shot down North of Canada.
Two new flavours of sweet hot cross buns have just been released by Coles in Melbourne carrot cake and red velvet both with a cream filling making them more "luxurious". when I get me hands on some of each - We'll see about that! They do sound more appealing though. I like the sound of carrot cake over red velvet as I still don't know what is in red velvet cake except a lot of red food colouring but I should not get my hopes up again as what you see and taste is never what you imagine what you should see and taste. I am a little concerned about the cream - it has to be a moccream as buttercream cream cheese filling or any other dairy basedcream filling is not shelf stable.
All eyes are on Jordan Mailata the Western Sydney resident who gave up his NRL ( South Sydney ruby league junior) career at a shot at playing American football and the Superbowl and Siposs an ex St Kilda forward both playing for The Eagles in this year's Superbowl.
50 bush fires have burned across QLD as their the state continues with scorching temperatures. Meanwhile the North Island of NZ has had a battering from Cyclone Gabrielle. Sydney's tem po eraturhas dropped to 20 degrees C today with rain very likely forecasted for tomorrow. So far today Sydney has escaped almost an other whole day without rain.
Singer Pink would like to make Australia home in a revelation.
The 4 major Australian banks have fronted the government in Canberra over ripping Australians off with increasing interest rates.
Anthony Mundine and Steve Waugh as well as former patients have supported contraversal neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo at a 5 day hearing into the professional conduct of his medical practises. He has already be been deregistered at one place where he was employed and restrictions have been placed on the surgerieshe performs. He has been accused of overcharging and requesting upfront payments as well as other former patient complaints.
What has Peter Dutton ( the MP that looks like Voldemort due to a rare skin condition)? - "Peter Dutton has said sorry for boycotting the Apology to the Stolen Generations on the 15-year anniversary of the historic event."
The Chiefs won The Eagles lost 38 to 35. It was neck and neck with a 35 35 tie at one stage in the second half. So disappointing!!!!
See my comment about Rhiana's performance - no special guests and everyone was expecting an appearance from Beyonce or Jayz or someone but no she did it solo and it has been confirmed that she is pregnant with her second child and that was the "special guest appearance".I I was right about her looking pregnant during her half time performance.
Halle Berry fallsbut get up again at a charity event.
As the team of Australian search and rescue land in Turkey , fears that Syria has been left behind snd made to fend for themselves making do with their local search and rescue teams. So Australia is now looking into aid for Syria.
Tuesday 14th February 2023
Happy Valentines Day! Be aware of online dating scams we have been warned.
It is a rather grey day today but it still hasn't rained heavily as forecasted . There was a very light rain shower sometime last night but that was it.
Today I have to venture out as I have to attend an appointment at APM the approved Centrelink employment service provider in Chatswood at 11 am.
Well it did rain today but it wasn't exactly a thunder storm just rain. I made it just in time for my 11 am appointment but stopped past the bank to make an appointment at 3 pm to open a term deposit to take advantageof the high interest rates.
Ionly left home at 10.30 am.It usually doesn't tske 30 minutes to get to Chatswood but lately the public transport in general on the Northern suburbs of Sydney has been extremely unreliable. Today I waher a 252 pass by towards Lane Cove and a 144 pass by in the oppositdirection which means a other 144 is due towards Chatswood soon. A bus passes by which I flag down with no destination signage . I ask the bus driver if he was going to Chatswood - yes hewas but had a major indicator sign malfunction. It was actually a 113 bus goingfrom RNSH to Chatswood and not a 144 bus. This 123 bus is a new service but only runs hourly. I don't really know why it was created as the old 144 route serviced this route and many other bus routes combined ie all the wayfrom Chatswood to Manly via the RNSH and St Leonard Station. When this route was modified a replacement bus route which only ran between the RNSH to Balmoral Beach just didn't make sense. Whynot have just one bus route crom Chatswood via the RNSHto Balmoral Beach? It would save having to change buses at St Leonards Station. I don't think Transport for nsWhas any idea of what residents want in public transport services.
At my 11 am appointment at APM. The message I received in my phone which was n ou t a very accurate voice to text message advised me that I wouldbe seeing Eddie. When I showed up there were only 2 people working and I was advised there was no Eddie working there. It was actually Ellie. I had to wait a while until she had finished with her other client work before she could see me. All I could hear was how she was having trouble accessing information on her system. Even when she was trying to access my profile on her system shewas having trouble with the system she was using. Anyway I reminded her of how I wanted to do an excel data analysis course online and she showed me how there were free courses in MS office I could do and gave me a brochure about them and I ended up selectingan intermediate short 2 month 3 day a week course startingin March so she advised me that she will refer me to the course provider to do that course. It's a start but like all the expression of interests for potential employment everything is not until mid to late March 2023. I also asked about job search reporting online and it is still not active as I have only just returned to Australia and they weren't sure when it would be back up for me.
After my appointment at APM I had to do my essential grocery shopping. First stop Uniqlo to replace the pair of blue jeggings I am wearing where the seamis about to slpit onthe right leg due to constant wearing. I had been meaning to replace these but they never seem to be on sale and when they are theyare all extra small.
Next onto Chemist Warehouse for some cortesone cream , vitamin e cream , replacement hotwater bottle mouthwash and a few other things.
Next stop Coles Local - I hate going in there but I had to grab some Coles brand products such as mould spray ( because it works) . No carrot cake or red velvet cake hotcross buns here and I didn't expect to find any here. This Coles is small and not too good with items such as fresh bread loaves and other basics like room temperature eggs I usually buy.
A stop at Target to see what they have that I might need - nothing today. A quick stop to JB HIFI to see if they had the new S23 Ultra in 1 TB. Yes they do but I am still unconvinced that the new Samsung phones are worth the high price tags with no expandable storage . No purchase today. Also inquired about my faded receipt and not being able to read the second MS office subscription key.
I estimated that it was almost 3 pm and time to walk across the street to the bank to open a high interest term deposit. I spent probably 45 minutes there including a bit of waiting time. For some reason this particular bank does not allow both principal and interest to be rolled over upon maturity. Only the principal can be rolled over upon maturity of the term deposit and the interest earned is deposited back into the account the money originally was withdrawn from for the term deposit . I set the term deposit for 2 years rolled over upon maturity for another 2 years. I expect the interest rate to plummet after the first 2 years and I will no longer get the 4.1% interest earned on my term deposit for the next 2 years.
Final stop is Woolworths Metro before waiting and catching a bus home.
News headlines today include
Wild weather around Australia - rain and temperatures down to the mid 20s in NSW with a scorcher of a day forcasted for Friday of 39 degrees C, bushfires ( urgent evacuation in Western Downs issued) and scorching temperatures now storms around QLD continue, cyclones around the top and Western regions of Australia etc continue.
NZ's North Island and Auckland has been hit hard by bv cyclone Gabrielle. This is another major disaster since the the Christchurch earthquake. One third of NZers are affected with roadcut off in the North island and no power. Countless life or death rescues have been made.
Baby Lucky is now back home in Australia in the care at a Brisbane hospital after being airlifted on Monday from Bali with her mother.
It may have been bad luck for the 2 Australians playing for the Eagles in the Superbowl but a lucky Australian man has snared an NFL ball after catching it at the Superbowl and advised by a security guard to take it and quickly leave the stadium.
Should the govenor of the RBA lose his job ie off with his head for his mistaken announcement of interest rates not rising for several years resulting in thousands of new homeloans being taken out only to be hit with 9 consecutive interest rate rises resulting in mortgage stress. He only has less then a year left on his contract but there were talks to extend his contract for another 7 years.
An 8 year old Australian boy who is from NZ has been found dead at club Wyndham in Fiji believed to have bern electrocuted.
After being canned in 2010 Barney is making a comeback with a new look. Has he lost weight? Nah just a plastic surgery makeover by toy company Mattel for his relaunch. He is still a purple & green dinosaur.
The AUS$ against the US$ has been and still is sitting just below the $0.70 mark rising very slightly from sitting on $0.6929 for about a week to $0.6979 today but falling slightly this afternoon.
There is still talk of the greatest superbowl commercials and there are so nsny I haven't seen. One of my favourites has to be the one staring John Travolta and even the one for Dunk'n Donuts which I have not seen before until today with Ben and Jen is up there as one of my favourites.
Camilla Queen Consorthas cancelked her engagements as she has COVID again almost exactly a year since she last had it.She is said to be suffering cold like symptoms.
Campaigning continues ahead of the NSW state elections in March 2023. DPthe current NSw oremierhas promisedfree airconditioning for all state schools.
Peter Bole is relieved to be able to continue running for now after his A sample tested positive and his B sample returned an atypical result which does not mean a negative doping test. His lawyer in the US is furious. "The investigation remains ongoing." as a result.
Rubbish is piling up in Sydney as garbos go on strike. Residents affected have been advised to leave their rubbish out for other days of collection.
Wednesday 15th February 2023
A do nothing day today . I made a turkey and veg pot pie in a glass ovenproof contain using a pizza dough top as I didnot have any puff or short pastry.
I did a bit of life admin eg checked to see if I received my security deposit refund from the Century Plaza Hotel which I finally did today and paid my private medical insurance with it, washed dishes and other things.
Pretty boring day at home really. Bad allergies day again.
News headlines today include
Sydney is forecasted for a top of 27 degrees C and mix of sun and cloud .
Dan Andrew's immortalized in a bronze statue for longest serving premier? What? for 3000 days in office was it?
The mortgage cliff is coming - 800 000 mortgage holders will be facing mortgage shock when their low interest rate loans end. Refinancing options and extending mortgages to 35 year mortgages to reduce repayments? asking banks for discounts on interest rates ? avoiding foreclosure of properties and surrendering properties to banks is costly there not recommended. Customers are encouragedtoask for assistance from banks who have been training up staff to deal with financial stress and councelling.
Philip Low govenor of the RBA will be grilled at a Senate hearing today over interest rate hikes. The question continues over his position as govenor of the Reserve Bank of Australia as his term about to end as to whether it will be extended for another 7 years.
The contraversey over Harry & Meghan attending the King's Coronation in May 2023 continues. Will theybe booed????
Huge hail stones fall in QLD near Toowoomba as wild weather continues around Australia. A heat wave will affect most of Australia.
Thursday 16th February 2023
Another beautiful day outside. Ididnot ventureout today as it was laundry day again for me today and readersknow hilong it takes to wash and dry 2 loads of laundry whites and colours - most of the day!
News headlines today include
Heat waves continue in Adelaide at 38 degrees C with most ofthe rest of Australia to follow. Melbourne is set to swelter for next 3 days. Sydney was forecasted for heatwaves tomorrow but today is forecasted to reach late 20s and 30 degrees C on Saturday.
A visa lottery proposal for 30000 residents for Australia? This will be similar to the US green card immigration lotto scheme.
The Forest Gump chocolate box has been auctioned. No chocolates inside but signed by Tom Hanks.
Actress Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82 after a short illness.
A 54 female bus driver has been arrested and charged for a bus accident crashing and killing a 16 year old student waiting outside Macathur Anglican School in Cobbitty NSW.
Axed Australian soap opera Neighbours is returning to streaming services after being rescued from channel 10 and will air new episodes on Amazon Freevee which can be watched in Australia UK US Canada and NZ.
25 years after Titanic's release, unseen 80 minute underwater footage of the real sunken Titanic.
2 miners have been trapped in an outback QLD mine. A drone has located the vehicle however unfortunately after a 30 hour search and rescue both were found dead trapped 125 m underground when a 30 tonne drill rig fell 15 m down a pit trapping them.
Youth crime in QLD is out of control and increasing. Residents attended a furey youth crime forum in Toowoomba. Something needs to be done about youth reoffending after being released on bail has fallen on death wars by the QLD government.
A man has been arrested for supplying drugs at the Transmission Music Festival at Olympic Park last weekend where one died (a man 26 year old Kieren Ngo) from a drug overdose and several others hospitalized from suspected drug overdoses.
Thai cave rescue soccer captain has died found dead in his dorm room in the UK.
Telstra shares have increased due partially to the defection from Optus customers due to their cyber secyrity attack incident.
The RPA is getting a multi million dollar makeover.
The male contraceptive pill is getting closer to reality. A pill has been developed to stop sperm in their tracks temporarily and will be taken before sex like the female pill . Trials on humans have not commence yet.
Friday 17th February 2023
A super hot day today. The sun is blaring outside.
I would love to go out but will have to cover up head to toe today.
It's just too hot to go out so I stayed at home again and kept the fans on.
Another do nothing life admin day today .
There is so much on and I would love to go to all these eventsbut it's just too hot .
News headlines today include
The Pilbra in WA will reach 45 + degrees C as most of Australia shelters through heat waves today with Sydney hitting 30 degrees plus but the more West the hotter it will get up to 38 degrees c continuing to get hotter over the weekend. Melbourne has already reached 28 degrees C this morning forecasted to reach 38 degrees C and storms but a cool change is forecasted for the afternoon. Beaches are expected to be busy today. Meanwhile bush fire rage in Port Lincoln including the local dump. The fire hasbeen contained but residents havebeen told to jeep windiwclosed andstay indoors . 6 busineses and homes have been confirmedto hsve beent lost in the fires. Mean while far North QLD eg Cairns there will be rainfall.
Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with Dementia. His condition has become worse since his last medical condition diagnosis and when he retired from acting.
There is a push to get Beyonce to come to Australia
US president Biden has remained confidential as to details of why they were shot diwn and what those unidentifed objects were flying over Canadian US skies insisting they are not related to the original Chinese spy balloon shot down but likely to have belonged to other private organisationsor or other data collectionrekating to research or research. Details remain unconfirmed due to the debris not having been retrieved yet and protecting the Pentagon if there is any classified information from being released.
The RBA governor will face a second 3 hour grilling today in front of The house of Representative Standing Committee on Economics in Canberra as his contract ends in September. There is still the question of whether his contract will be extended which won't be known until mid year. Criticism has calls for Philip Low the govenor of the RBA to resign. The unemploymentrate rose to 3.7% in January and forecast to rise even higher as questions continue over how many more interest rate rises are to follow.
The PM is about to travel to Brisbane to sign off on $7 billion for a rebuild on the Gabba for the Olympic Games. Not all of the funding will be for the Gabba refurbishment. Some of the funding will go towards upgrades to other Olympic or sporting venues. $2.7 billion to be spent on the Gabba which is huge compared to the State government funding for the Sydney Oympics.
Domestic terrorism and religious motivation - cult was revealed as the reason for the shooting that killed a nrighbour and 2 police officers.
Almond milk Inside Out has been pulled off shelves of Woolworths as consuming a bad batch has been linked to a botulism case.
Charkes was booed and "Not My King" was chanted whilst he visited the town of Edinburgh the majority of people welcomed him though.
Saturday 18th February 2023
Today it started off as a mostly sunny rather hot 28 degree day and I ventured out to Chatswood for another essential grocery shop mainly at Woolworths Metro where I had a coughing fit which was a sign that it was time to leave. I was waiting for a manned check out but noone wasthere so i was forced to use the selfservice s checkout which I hate as it takes too long and do not take cash . To make things worse the self checkout charged me $3.50 for a single continental cucumber - I thought this was rather expensive so had to return to the manned checkout wait and get a refund. The selfcheckouthad been programmed incirrectkyat each instead of price per kg - It is not the first time I have had trouble with Woolworths- always check your receipts before leaving the suoermarket especially now with the rising cost of living especially groceries. By 6.30 pm I just made it home in time as I saw the dark grey clouds concentrated above wher I live from the short bus ride home. As I got off the bus I the wind started to gust and as I crossed the road I was praying the rain would hold off at least until I got inside the front door of the apartment block. I could hear the thunder coming.
By 7 pm safely inside the apartment unpacking my groceries and watching the food channel , down it poured withrain outside! The wind may have calmed but the rain continued to downpour outside. As I eat my sushi the rain continues to fall, it is dark outside with the grey clouds totally covering the skies now with a wind gust coming and going followed by thunder and a brief lightening show. Motor vehicles swish past loudly - moments later another lightening show followed by more thunder.The storm forcasted for tonight as the temperature drops was spot on. The lightening show continues with the thunder.
News headlines today include
Philip Lowe govenor ofthe RBA declares " nothing keeps me up at night" as he is grilled for a second time anddefends the RBA's decision to hike interest rates - well it's keeping every mortgage holder at night especially those affected by when he announced there will be no interest rate rises until 2024 and everyone went out and took out mortgages only to have 9 interest rate hikes - he did apologise for his incorrectinformation but it is too late - does Mr Lowe or is that Mr Low n loui t have a conscience?
Fears of another pandemic bird flu snd how it could cross over to humans. A new strain has immersed Only Australia and Antarctica do not have bird flu due to distance where affected birds usually die before they reach these destinations.
Chloe and Oliva Newton John's widow have spoken about her mother's last words before she passed away from breast cancer 6 months ago and a new single was released today posthumously a duet with Dolly Parton recorded before she passed away.
Sydney will be sweltering through a 31 degree c plus heatwave today.
A former UK embassy security guard has been jailed for 13 years for spying for Russia whilst working atthe uK embassy in Brussels.
A 17 year old has been found alive after being buried over 10 days in freezing conditions in Turkey earthquake. The death toll from the earthquake now exceeds 43 000.
Ed Sheeran gas started his Australian tour in Australia at Suncorp stadium. 75000 people packed the stadium as he celebrated his 32nd bday with everyone.
Former govenor of South Carolina and former US ambassor to the UN appointedby Trump Nikki Haley now takes on Donald Trump in the race for presidency.
A measles alert has been issued in Sydney from 15th February from 2 flights.
German airport staff go on strike.
A man has died at a restaurant on the Gold Coast.
Sail GP is on in Sydney this weekend.
Sunday 19th February 2023
So hot again so another do nothing day today but almost caught up on my Trip To Canada blog.
Made a Turkey curry today. Still very allergic.
News headlines today include
The price of chicken is about to increase for a second timein 6 months. 1 kg of chicken will rise from $8.50 to $12. Does this mean shrinkflation of the chicken schnity?
The storm last night in Sydney and NSW has caused a power outage for 60000 residents and businesses most severely effect Northern suburbs of the Kuringai Hornsby Hawksbury areas as well as some Western and Southern suburbs. Meanwhile due to storm damage the 2nd day of the Sail GP weekend has been cancelled where the Canadian catamaran was severely damaged as strongwindsdestroyed temporary structures at Barangaroo Wharf and caused people to run and be evacuated.
An army veteran has gone missing in NZ
The Labor government will promise to invest $1b towards renewable energy if they win the NSW state elections.
Although the travel industry still has a way to go before returning to pre COVID levels there has been a travel boom with 1.3 million people coming to Australia.
It may not be the Tour de France but the annual pennyfathing festival has returned to Northern Tasmania 18 km from Launceston. It is the event's 40th anniversary. The festival continues with a scenic road race around the countryside.
98 year old Jimmy Carter former US president is receiving home hospice care rather then hospital care.
The US has accused Russia of crimes against humanity by US vice president Kamala Harris whereas previously US president Biden has accused Russia of war crimes. Meanwhile diplomats from the US and China have met in Munich at a security conference to discuss the shooting down of Chinese 'balloons ' over foreigen territories.
Ghana winger has been found dead under rubbleithe Turkey Syria earthquakes.
The refurbishment of the Gaba will now be fully funded by the QLD state government. Originally costing $1billion it will nowcost $2.7 billion with East Brisbane State School to be demolished as it wilk n survive the Gaba rebuild beyond 2025 withproposals to relocate it to an alternative site a few km away. Residents' houses are also in the demolish path to make way for a new training facility although they have not beenconsulted since a January letter to those affected.
Harry Styles fans have one more sleep until he performs his Love On Tour starting in Perth and ending in Sydney. Fans have already started camping out.
Ashton Kutcher 's splash of orange juice in a short black coffee?
Monday 20th February 2023
Unsure what the forecast for today is as there were 2 conflicting forecast. It's overcast outside and meant to be cooler today but the weather on the news this morning says it will be 30 degrees C.
It was such a nice day today I just had to go out. Today I went to see Do Ho Suh " Home is what we carry with us" at he MCA. I had been meaning to see this on my birthday last year when it opened but I was just a little busy planning a few trips in between working at the time. I finally went to see it today. I knew it would be good so no matter how allergic I was I made myself go and see it today. ( I have uploaded a few videos onto my YouTube channel). I rate it a 8/10. This Korean artist who studied in the US is so talented. Photos below
Recommended time to spend looking around this exhibition is 40 minutes - 1 hour. I spent a bit more then that. Probably 1.5 - 2 hours I estimate. After seeingthis exhibition I went for yet another grocery shop at woolworths Town Hall. There isno large Coles in the city so I did all my shopping at Woolworths . I hate shopping at Woolworths asthestaff are so rude and after today's customer service and previous overcharge mistake at Woolworths Metro Chatswood I am unimpressed with Woolworths. 2 bags of shopping $40 Opal card recharge and $20 cash out I was really annoyed that the checkout operator would not change the $20 note when I asked her for some coins. I needed some change for laundry - I guess I will have to get it elsewhere.
Back on the train to Chatswood, I stopped at the ATM to get another $20 cash out . I figured if I go to Chemist Warehouse and get my cortisone cream I could get the balance of my change from $20 cash in coins then go to GyG and purchase my spicy burrito with my other $20 note I could also get the balance in coins. Done problem solved - I now have enough coins for laundry money.
Located in The forecourt outside The Concourse Theatre at Chatswood This Gather Dream & Amplify Rainbow Accordin plays different pieces of music when you step on certain positions around this sculpture ( clearly marked with foot prints). As soon as Luna New Year was over gone were those giant inflatable white rabbits and up popped this sculpture to replace them to celebrate World Pride Day which is huge this year. Everywhere you go around Sydney you will find something Rainbow and this is Willoughby Council's Chatswood contribution on display between 17th February and 5th March 2023. It's a lot more fun when there are multiple people standing on each of the foot prints as the individual pieces of Accordion music come together to form one complete piece of Accordion music - quite a clever concept. A rainbow symphony of music and colour. Reminds me of the interactive VIVID trumpet flowers a few years back
Gather people attracted to the curiosity of this colourful sculpture
Dream associated with the rainbow
Amplify people coming together to create music as one ( I have uploaded s short video onto my YouTube channel & photos below).
Afinal 2 stops in Chatswood before walking back up to the station to take the bus home. Firstly Chemist warehouse to get some corteson cream and secondly a stop off at GyG to get my very first spicy chicken burrito sincereturning to Sydney. I have missed these so much. I had Chipotle whilst Iwas overseas in Vancouver but it is nowhere nearthe same as a burrito from GyG. Chipotle is more like Mad Mex which I don't like as much. There is something special about burritos from GyG that Chipotle and Mad Mex doesn't have. I think it is the freshness and choice of ingredients. Chipotle is more like fast food reminding me slightly like a taco bell and same with mad mex . The spicy chicken burrito was so good but I forgot to ask to add corriander or chimy sauce.
Home on the bus, I eat my burrito athome after unpacking my grocerie. I watch the firstnew episode if TheCook Up on the food channel followed by 8 out of 10 does countdown before falling asleep. End of another unemployed day.
Newsheadlines today include
Ronald Dahl books are to be rewritten to be more politically correct more sensitive and inclusive.
Rebel Wilson has announced her engagement at Disneyland to her partner.
Cate Blanchett has won a BAFTA for her role in TAR but has not given up acting yet. Meanwhile Austin Butler also won an award for his role in Elvis.
A 16 year old was robbed in Frenchs Forest by 2 armed men around 6.30 pm last night. Police are still searching for the 2 suspects.
AFL team Collingwood denies it has a drug problem within it's team after one of it's team members Jack Ginnivan was caught taking drugs in public. He has been fined and suspended for 2 series as per AFL illicit drug usage policies.
SA will be sweltering through heatwaves for at least the next few days with temperatures hitting 40 degrees C +. A total fire ban is in place in some regions.
Kate & Wills have stepped out in recycled clothing
A fire has broken out in a unit in Croydon where a man suffered a heart attack and top floor residents thoughtthey would be trappebutwere rescued. A residential and 2 rescuers were injured.
Harry Styles maybe performing his first concert in Perth but Ed Sheeran has made another surprise visit to a Brisbane Childrens Hospital playing to individual patients with one lucky patient getting to perform a sing along with him.
An overhaul of superannuation funds will determine how superannuation will be treated by tax, how super can be invested and prevent members withdrawing funds before the retirement age. This comes after thousands made early withdrawals from their super funds during the COVID pandemic putting a drain on their retirement savings. ( personally I would not rely on my superannuation savings to retire on - I probably have 300 times more in various personal investments then in my superannuation funds due to all the admin fees and superannuation company's dodgey high risk low return investments on my funds - if you put all you funds in a term deposit long term you would probably accumulate more retirement savings from interest earned then in a Superfund - think about it you can't access your account just like a super fund without a penalty , there are no fees usually and with a push for more banking institutions yo offer higher interest rates and low risk depending on how much the bank is insured for in the event of them going under for eg)
2 Australians are feared dead in a Cessna plane crash in a volcano crater in the Philippines .
The teacher shortage crisis has been address by making the teaching profession more attractive with less stressful better pay and conditions preventing teachers from leaving their profession within 5 years and attracting more student enrollments into teaching profession courses which have dropped.
An update on John Farnham 's cancer condition is the 73 year oldis doing well but the road to recovery is slow and long.
All Australians now eligible for a 5th COVID booster shot snd those over 65 or younger immunocompromised are encouraged to get one.( 5th booster? I haven't even had my first one!) Unlikely I will get a COVID shot I don't wantto risk my already serious allergies.I just recovered from 3 weeks of a cold flu and there isno garanteethat you still won't get COVID after getting the booster.
Tuesday 21st February 2023
As mother hot sunny day today. I do not plan toventure out today as it is another catch upday today for me with a huge pile of laundry to do again today.
Another rejection email from Head On where I forwarded my expression of interest to work by responding to an email I received. Ihave appliedfor quite a few jobs with almost immediate rejections. I give up looking for work nobody is going to hire me despite there being a good supply of jobs. If I do get a job itwillbeout inthe sticks. As the saying goes "too old to hire too young to retire". I can't even get any volunteer work so have givenup on that as well.
7 pm and I can hear the thunder , it's really grey outside and there is a wind gustthat has now passed.I thought I saw a lightening strike - isiraining? I can't tell yet , someone walks past with an umbrella up antheroad is slightly damp. More wind gusts and more lightening strikes - yep it is now raining as th thesoundof motoe vehicles swish past. More lightening and thunder . Another storm is coming. I look outside and it is pouring with rain.
I was that slack today that I didn'tdo mylaundry until just before 7 pm and when I went downstairsas soon as the wash cycle finished which is approximately 45 minutes, someone else was already using the dryer therefore I waited another 30 minutes before I went downstairs again. They dryer was now empty so I placed my laundry into the dryer for 50 minutes. It was probably 9.30 pm before my washing was dry. It was really dark a bit windy and pouring with rain outside.
One batch of laundry done, it was timefor bed.
News headlines today include
2 experienced hikers in their 6os and 80s were lost in the Blue mountains. They left last week on what was neant to be a 2 - 3 day hike but ended up being a 6 day one after they got lost in overgrown bushland tracks. When they didn't return family raised the alarm but search and rescue were finally able to locatethem and walk them out. They are in good health stretchingout otheir food supplies but were take for observation as a precaution.
Another earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale has struck on the Turkey Syria border.
President Biden has made a secret visit via Poland to Kyiv to meet President Zelenskyy and pledged more assistance funding towards the war in Ukraine requested.
Harry Styles has kicked off his Australian tour last night in Perth doing a short and sing a rendition of Horses.
Ed Shereen has been spotted holidaying in byron Bay in between concerts with his wife and child.
2 fishermen have been rescued near Fraser Island after their boat was hit by a wave and overturned. They managed to stay afloat in the water with their life jackets for 4 hours before being rescued
A uni student waitering in Melbourne has been tipped $10000 by a patron dining at the restaurant who spent $800 on a meal there. The tip was split 70% to her and 30% to her work collegues.
Brazil's annual carnivale returns .
Could Harry and Meghan sue South Park producers over the " we want privacy" skits?
Adelaide continues to swelter through heatwaves with temperaturesreaching 45 degrees C and the threat of power blackouts. Meanwhile Sydney is forecasted for a top of 29 degrees c today with possible storms late this afternoon early evening.
The QLD government has back flipped on youth crime laws with an overhaul. Re offenders on bail will now be arrested charged and jailed instead of being released and free to reoffend again. It was recognized that when 4 out of 10 youth crimes are QLDers then there is a problem with youth crime in QLD
American audiences have been left scratching their heads in an episode of Bluey over the word "Erport". A comment was made to explain in defense " that's how it's said in Australia ". (The word is Airport if any of my readers have not figured it out yet.)
Wednesday 22nd February 2023
First thing this morning was a compulsory fire inspection of the entire building. I had booked my unit inspection for 10.45 am which was changed to 10.50 am only to get a phone call at 9.30 am this morning to see if I was actually in the unit as my unit was the last unit to be inspected. I had just come out of a shower when the property manager rang. I was praying she would not call whilst I was having a shower . They were keen to finish the fire inspections as soon possible between 9 am and 11 am starting at 9 am on the dot this morning. All done before 10 am.
It is still very grey outside after heavy rain overnight throughout the night.
I paid my rent for another week in advance.
Most of the day was justcatching up on things
I had been wanting to make this carrot orange rosemary & speculaas cake for a while and finally made it. It is so good. I made mysignature s cream cheese topping for it as well ( although this time I modified it a little due to not having condensed milk)
Here is my recipe for the cake no fancy equipment needed just dump itallin alarge mixing bowl and stir . I was even tempted tobake it in the oven proof ceramic mixing bowl!
Ingredients
olive oil to grease
0.5 cups (180 g ) pure icing sugar
0.75 cup ( 185ml) olive oil
0.5cup (125 ml) maple syrup
3 eggs ( I used 700g sized eggs)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup ( 150g ) wholemeal self raising flour
0.5 cup ( 75 g ) plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda ( go easy on this as too much will leave a soapy aftertaste - oops I estimated and think I put just a bit too much)
1 tsp ground speculaas
zest & juice of 1 orange
2 carrots peeled & grated
1 small sprig of rosemary finely chopped
Method
Grease pan, pour in well combined cake mixture & bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes or until clean skwer comes out of cake.
Notes I baked lower and slower at 150 degrees c for about 1 hour 45 minutes in a smaller benchtop oven and it turned out perfectly as the temperature in a smaller ovens stay constant longer due to smaller surface area inside the oven rresulting in less heat lost.
Another tip before icing - let the cake cool completely before icing ( which I did not do as I was too impatient to try it) . Shave the top of the cake off to even it out flat. Use baking paper to line the oven proof tin - less cleaning up and easier to turn the cake upside down to ice the cake. The result is below - very moist cake .
News headlines today include
As Sydney storms overnight with flooding in the tunnels and roads with cars having to be rescued andthe worse affected suburbs on the Northern Beaches where Terry Hills had a months rainfall overnightand a waterspout spotted off Dee Why Beach. Whilst bushfires rage in Flowerdale in Victoria and acode red issued in SA as it continues to swelter through heatwaves with temperatures reaching mid 40s and in Northern WA temperatures could reach 50 degrees c
Ran out of batteries on my other phone so swapped to Wi-Fi on this phone. I continue, It's past 7 pm and still no action from the 3 no so big screens inside the floral exhibition of the concert. Finally more then 30 minutes behind schedule the concert starts. By 9.30 pm there is a short technical glitch as the concert was scheduled to end at 9.30 pm but went on until past 10 pm. OK up and running again. The staff at the Calyx announce they had nothing to do with the technical glitch and can't fix it.
I am uploading 3 videos of the Fleur de Ville Pride exhibition , Part 1 viewing during the day. Part 2 After 7 pm after dark ( please ignore the slightly intoxicated guy who with spilling drink in hand photo bombing my video towards the end and who just would not leave me a lone) & Part 3 Live fireworks from the World Pride Opening Concert in The Domain that can be seen very clearly from all around the Calyx as Kylie sings. Done.
After 7 pm and when it's dark the Fleurs de Villes Pride floral display at The Calyx is seen in a very different light ( literally). The changing rainbow coloured lighting only illuminates the floral displays even more. Kylie Vanity and Courtney Act are just a few of the celebrities immortalized in flowers. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourite floral display which I did during my 6 pm viewing session. I just had to get up in between watching the opening World Pride Concert to take some photos and videos of the floral displays after dark. (Please ignore the intoxicated guy spilling his glass of wine near the end of my 2nd video uploaded onto my YouTube channel who photo bombed my video and just would not go away. Should I embarrass him by posting my short of him after uploading these videos?)
I am so glad I decided to stay until the end of the the screening of the Opening World Pride Concert. Courtney Act and Casey Donovan both hosted the concert and both performed in it. Courtney Act so classy was absolutely stunning and "her" performance skit on how to learn the LGBTQIA+ acronym was not just humourous but brilliantly sung. Deborah Cheetham opened the concert with an operatic indigenous performance - what can I say if you haven't heard of her Google her - her voice is just amazing. Charlie XCX , her performance just made people get up and dance which 2 dressed up young ladies did in front of one of the 3 big screens.A what ended up being a brief technical glitch during Charlie XCX 's performance made people feel disappointed but it was not the Calyx staffs' fault it was the broadcasters fault and the Calyx staff advised there was nothing they could do about it. The highlight of the concert was however waiting for Kylie to perform ( last time Kylie performed was at the Mardi Gras after party at EQ back in 1994 when I was there doing an overnight shift performing treasury duties) I was watching her sing when all of a sudden fireworks appeared around the Calyx. You could see them everywhere so I ran out to the floral displays area and took some video footage and a photo which other visitors did as well. The changing rainbow coloured lights with the fireworks in the background was just stunning. Who needs to be at the actual sold out concert. Towards the end of Kylie 's performance I went to the bathroom briefly. When I returned to watch the rest of her performance I thought Kylie had had a costume change as she was wearing a red outfit which previously was a blue identical one. Then I thought it was Courtney Act doing a duet with Kylie before realizing Kylie had a special surprise guest and it was in fact Danni Minogue her sister in an identical costume in red singing a duet with her. The concert ended shortly after they finished their duet together. It was time to leave and walk down to Wynyard Station for a train to St Leonards and then a wait for a bus home. It was well after 10.30 pm and although I was hungry as I only had an apple juice all afternoon the only thing open was McDonalds at both Wynyard Station and at St Leonards with huge queues. Even KFC and the IGA supermarket was closed by the time I reached St Leonards Station. I just went straight home and slept as it was after 11 pm by the time I arrived home.
