Sunday 1st - Tuesday 31st October 2023 - The Big Design Market @ Carriageworks, Another Planned Quick Overnight Trip To Melbourne, Transport Heritage Expo @ Central Station , Pre Voting The Voice Referendum ,NRL Grand Final ( On TV) , End Of 2 Week Spring Break & Return To College

Sunday 1st October 2023

Daylight savings Starts Today Clocks Forward 1 Hour

A windy and scorching  top of 36 degrees is forecasted today as the NRL plays it's grand final today at 7.30 pm . An estimated 80 000 people will pack Accor stadium tonight.

No I'm not one of them  I watched it at home on tv.  

My Shitbit went biserk overnight , it could not cope with daylight savings and when I woke up read 9.15 am or some bizarre random time  when it was just 7am in the morning . My phone had transitioned to daylight savings but I had to resync my Shitbit this morning but it could not be done manually on my Shitbit I had to go to my phone find the app and then search where and how to manually adjust the time for my Shitbit. What a pain.

I didn't do much today as it was still a catch up day after returning from my trip to Melbourne yesterday.

News headlines today include

Can the Penrith Panthers win their 3rd NRL grand final plying against the Bronco tonight? Final score Penrith Panthers 26 Brisbane Broncos 24. What a tight game - almost to the end The Broncos were leading by far and it was thought that the Broncos had the game and that there was no way the Panthers could win the grand final then The Penrith Panthers suddenly caught up then the score was tied 24 :24  before the final minutes Penrith scored a few goals and voila times up and Penrith has won their 3rd grand final premiership in a row. Nathan Cleary wins the Clive Churchill medal for the 2nd time . His father is the coach. The presentation ceremony involved each kid presenting each team player with a boxed ring in exchange for a football which is a little different to the AFL presentation with kids presenting medals in exchange for caps a handshake or fist pump. One lucky kid scored a pair of sunglasses.

An osteoporosis drug being used has killed 2 people and comes with a black label warning in some countries around the road known to cause strokes and heart conditions. Meanwhile the popular weightloss drug Ozempic has been showing bad side effects such as bad gut problems and malnutrition in users

Housing prices have reached a record high in several states despite high interest rates as housing demands remain high supplies short and more people are moving to Australia.

 

Monday 1st October 2023

Labor Day Public Holiday (NSW)

A top of only 22 degrees C today  and slightly overcast.

Today I went to the Transport Heritage Expo 2023 at Central Station located on the Grand Concourse and platforms 1 2 and 3 . If you loves trains and vinatage buses this is the event to visit. Vintage train rides on all types of steam locamotives , high tea onboard the Aurora parked on one of the platforms, driver cab visits, walk throughs of vintage train carriages parked on one of the platforms or just purchase train and bus merchandise from the pop up stall or look at the pop up mini hertage transport museum and listen to the live railway band in the Grand Concourse of Sydney Central Station.

No train rides for me this year as tickets all sold out by the time I tried to book on the website ( not the most user friendly website to purchase tickets on)  however I did go on a vintage red  London double decker bus ride around a city loop which is  a free 20 minute ride for the first time instead of going on the Australian green rather uncomfortable and unstable vintage double decker buses I caught as a primary school student.  Refer videos uploaded onto my YouTube channel. 

Could this be The Fat Controller?

Yes they had a toilet ( WC or water closet) at the end of most carriages - not much has changed on the intercity XPT and explorer trains except the toliets have shrunk in space! 

Maybe this is The Fat Controller?!

City Rail NSW Buses Vintsge Uniforms

Vintage Australian Single Decker Bus - Blue

The way these vintage double decker buses are designed makes them look unstable as if they are going to topple over due to the uneven weight distribution with a light tappered upperdeck and heavy right driver side below. The right side of the buses bear all the weight with the driver compartment and rear stair case whereas the left side of the bus has an open hollow back rear end with no front door and a rather large cut out section above the front left wheel adjacent to the front driver compartment. 

Vintage Australian Double Decker Bus - Green

rear staicase to upper deck of these vintage buses

Can you guess if this is the bottom or top deck of the bus? Not really because the ceiling of the buses are domed  - this is actually bottom deck of the bus - the giveaway is the driver front right

Rear of buses where the staircase is to the left and the conductors hang out of the buses.

Vintage London Double Decker Bus - Red

Note how the bus leans to tthe right due to the uneven weight distribution. 

Boarding/ disembarking from the back of these vintage double decker open ended buses where the conductors hunout the back of them to signal rather then from the front of the buses. 

Outside Grand Concourse Central Station Western Forecourt to Vintage Bus Rides

Shopping for groceries again at Woolworths Metro Town Hall  or was it Coles St Leonards?  

Home on the train and bus.

News headlines today include

Reidents in South East Victoria have been asked to evacuate as fires burn in Briagolong a tiny town of 1000 residents. The fires have spread to the North East of Victoria due to windy conditions. 

As new Victorian premier Jacinta Allen reshuffles her cabinet it has been reviewed that the deputy premier of VIC won't be on the expenditure review comittee after they challenged the new premier for the job of premier.

A 10 year old boy has taken a bobcat on a joyride crashing and causing tens of thousands worth of property damage in the US was caught on camera and escaped uninjured .

There are concerns that the new RBA governor will rise interest rates as the price of housing rose in September by 3.7% and now at a record high. . However the interest rate is forecasted to hold for October's announcement by the Reserve Bank. 

Ed Sheeran's new #1 album "Autumn Variations" is the first to be released on his own record label and without fanfare.

Beyonce on the big screen following in Tay Tay's footsteps of releasing her world tours into the cinema screens.

An elderly man has died after being thrown over a balcony .

More inquiries into the rising cost of childcare  which has become one of the most expensive in the world.

Collingwood's Daicos brothers ( Josh & Nick)  follow in their father's (Peter - who won in a Collingwood premiership in 1990s )  footsteps winning an AFL grand final premieship . It will be a winner winner chicken dinner when their family reunites after the boys return home after they finish partying.  Sore heads all round for AFL and NRL from the weekend.The streets of Penrith blocked off and fans out celebrating and waiting to meet the team.  Just as well it is a public holiday in NSW today!

The jackpot of $1.6 billion has not been won in 30 draws and is the 3rd largest jackpot in the US.  The last billion dollar jackpot winner was back in July. The tax man in the US will probably take half the winnings before the winner even see a cent of their winnings.

Kim Kardashian arrived late at a fashion show and was snubbed by Anna Wintour before Wintour moved seats to avoid Kardashian.  The 2 used to be close but looks like that is no longer the case.

Tuesday 3rd October 2023

A very hot day in Sydney today with a top of 33 degrees C and 37 degrees C out West. A total fire ban is still in place. 

Today I had a 9.15 am appointment at APM Chatswood because yesterday was a public holiday.  After this I managed to fit in a haircut at Just Cuts Westfield Chatswood. There were no  other customers do I was able to get my haircut in under 20 minutes. It cost me $42 I think - gee talk about inflation, I only had about 5 cm cut off and it was just a cut no perm colours hightlights or shampoo wash etc  .

Next it was a grocery shop at Coles Local and Woolworths Metro with a sushi snack in between of 2 hand rolls chicken katsu and tofu. And a detour to Daiso for a sun hat as the sun was so glaring and it was so hot as well as spending time at Chemist Warehouse to purchase tissues conditioner shower gel toothpaste mouthwash moisturiser lip balm with sunscreen etc etc.

Because my grocery bag was really heavy and full I decided to take the bus home unpack my groceries  before heading out again.

I took the bus in the opposite direction this time to St Leonards Station. Where am I going to? I am going to 75 Chandos St . According to directions on Google Maps its about a 5-7 minute walk from St Leonards Station and about 400 m  from the station. I arrive to what is a ballet academy whether it still is or not it is still operating I am unsure but all the barres were still in place in each of the studios inside . Why was I going to such a strange address? To do a pre vote for The Voice Referendum as I am unsure if I will be in Sydney on the actual voting day and voting is compulsory for citizens 18 years old and over. 

Before I could even check if I had arrived at the correct polling place address ( there are not that many near where I live and they are not the easiest to get to unlike normal local state and federal even by election dates) , the how to voters are out in front shoving pamphlets to you - vote NO closely followed by vote YES.

It was not busy at the pre voting venue but then again it was Tuesday and the day after a long weekend public holiday with the everything on over the long weekend in Sydney & Melbourne  and people either still on holidays returning to work or just getting over or still partying from the AFL & NRL grand finals . 

Anyway I approached the polling place supervisor and did a "silent" vote. I have been trying to register properly as a silent voter for a very long time but the AEC and EC have failed constantly to register me as one and today I find that I am still not coming up as a silent voter. Everytime I have to vite I have voted under a po box address in the Eastern suburbs where I was originally registered to vote and not updated my contact details to my current address. I have not lived in the  Eastern suburbs for decades but due to identity fraud over a decade ago I am being cautious and almost every organisation is given my po box address in the Eastern suburbs and not my current address. With all the cyber security crime phone scams text scams and email spams and scams going on  one has to try and minimize where possible on the amount of  personal information given out to organisations.

These are the YES & NO How to vote pamphlets given out . 

It took forever just to process my silent vote with the supervisor even consulting the manual to ensure my vote is a valid one ( I say valid but not necessarity counted as what and how I write on my ballot paper will decide if my vote is actually considered formal or informal and therefore whether it will count or not in this referendum).

It took me less time to actually vote - one question with yes or no only to be written on the form in the box no ticks or crosses , then it did to fill the declaration envelope out by the supervisor. Anyway done, it was sweltering outside so I spent most of my time inside the IGA at St Leonards Station before crossing the road to spend my entire afternoon into the evening at the new Coles to continue my shop. By the time I came out of Coles to catch the bus home, it had cooled down a little .

The new St Leonards library unfortunately was not open - it's not open on Mondays and Tuesdays - well I thought it wasn't but there was a librarian seated inside today and I thought I saw the door slide open and close. 

Home unpack my groceries watch tv  catch up time. Its getting late time to sleep. 

News headlines today include

Senator Meghan Markle ? Could Meghan become a politian in the US? Are these rumours true?

Dozens of fires continue to burn in areas of Victoria and it's too late to leave for some residents. Also in Melbourne a heavy downpour of 30 mm of rain is  forcasted to fall today as residents get their exercise in early as they won't be able to later today. In NSW fires are burning in The Hunter Valley Region and down on the South Coast. 

An experienced paraglider plunged to the ground on Sunday in SA and  lucky to have survived taken to hospital.

Trumps civil fraud trial begins today.

All eyes are on the RBA interest rate announcement by the new governor. The new govenor has decided to hold interest rates today.

Wednesday 4th October 2023

Today is a lot cooler and even windy in Sydney after yesterday's sweltering heat reaching 37 degrees C however heavy rain storms and wind conditions are expected today. 73 fires continue to burn throughout NSW regions today including Bega. The entire East Coast is on weather watch with flash flooding now in some regions . A top of  28 degrees C is forecasted today with rain  . It is s little overcast and 17 degree C currently at 7 .30 am this morning and yes it is windy.

12 noon and it is still overcast and the road is slightly wet meaning the rain is coming  but the most visible weather change at the moment is the sound and sight of howling winds outside.

Today I plan to stay indoors as much as possible and I still have another load of laundry to do. 

I woke up this morning at 6 am to get my laundry out of the dryer I left in there overnight because I was up late last night ( again) trying to dry it and it wasn't quite dry so I had to dry it for another 20 minutes when I fell asleep.  

I took my garbage out and started looking at flights. to/from Melbourne as I can't make it back in time for class on a Tuesday night by train so have to fly back. 

I don't know if I am going to Floriade in Canberra  this year , I only wanted to go to nightfest but missed it again as I went down to Melbourne. I did not realise how short the night event was.

4 pm and the wind is still howling and the rain is starting to come down . Not just a sprinkle but in large drops. It has not hit the peak yetI don't think and it sure is dark grey outside.

News headlines today  include

Victoria is facing severe flooding after fires particularly in the Gipsland region. Catchments around Melbourne are facing flooding as well 

A 12 year old girl has been arrested and charged for carrying a knife to school on the Gold Coast stabbing a boy putting him in hospital threatening teachers causing a school lock down on first day back after school holidays.

A serious crash on the Gold Coast on the M1 almost claimed the life of a woman. 2 people were seriously injured in the crash and police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Another house fire in Templestow Lower outside of Melbourne.

A 48 hour search has returned a missing 9 year old girl on holidays back home in NY. A random note was found in the letter box  and it is now being examined for finger prints.

The interest rate remains on hold for a 4th month in a row of 4.1 %. The RBA says further interest rate hikes maybe necessary to keep inflation down and stop Australia from plunging into a recession. 

After over 5 months of striking the writers strike is finally almost over  but the actors strike continues and could be resolved by Friday or go on for months. Late night tv is back now that the writers strike has almost ended and there have been plenty of jokes at the expense of Trump  for example the comment on of how a late night tv show has been off air for 154 indictments 

Kate and William visit Wales giving love signs fist pumps and have a game of doubles table tennis against each other  - sound familiar? Didn't Charles and Camila have a game of table tennis recently on one of their royal visits - the joke was Kate getting a memo not to be too good at it as not to outdo Camila and Charles table tennis skills. Hey it's not a royal competition?!

Meanwhile Prince Andrew has struck a deal with King Charles so he can stay in the royal residence with the condition that he comes up with the 4 million dollars (was it ? ) for its renovations. King Charles has peviously wanted to evict his brother Andrew from the property to refurbish it and possibly move him (out of sight out of mind) to Frogmore Cottage previously Prince Harry and Meghan's home where they were allegedly evicted from. 

It has been revealed that the 1.3 million dollar legal bill for lawyers  cancelling the Victorian Commonwealth Games was known about in advanced and paid for by Victorian tax payers .Is this just co incidence or was it planned that Dan Andrews decides to step down in the same year after the fiasco of him announcing the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games? I mean imagine the back lash he would receive if he remained as VIC premier - he could have been forced to step down as Victorian premier and that would not have been a good look for his reputation professionally - he could become unemployable. Will there be an inquiry into corruption or incompetency? Was he saving himself? Let the new premier clean up his mess?! He didn't step down for personal reasons  ie to spend more time with family and he certainly wasn't burnt out. At least now ex WA Premier Mark McGowan stepped down honestly as a popular premier for personal reasons  or did he?! All potitians are the same but at least he didn't leave a mess for his next premier to clean up like Dan Andrews did!

A fatal crash has occurred in Venice 20 dead including 2 children and several were able to escape the bus crash onto a railway track

Jimmy Barnes  will perform with daughter Mahalia at the Perth telethon this year , it's been  15 years since he last performed there.

Trump is in the news again  Day 2 of his court appearance over business fraud charges  - gag orders  issued and Trump continuing to brand his court case a " scam" and a "fraud"  he may lose his beloved Trump Towers and other little luxuries and make it difficult for him to do business in NY if he loses his civil fraud trial  and his business is " dismantled". Trump's former chief of staff slams his former boss. It all just a circus!

Nathan Cleary played and led the Panthers to victory all whilst playing with a kne injury now may miss out on playing for the Kangaroos due to his injury which may need surgery after scans. Yep he will be missing out due to injury.

Hugh  Jackman continues his gym routine so he can be in tiptop shape when the writers and actors strikes are over and he resumes his role in Deadpool. 

The Beckhams are out in London promoting David Beckhams new Netflix documentary series Beckham. Hours after the promotional appearance it was revealed that the youngest Beckham ( Cruise)  had broken up with his girlfriend . She did not appear with the rest of the Beckhams 

A 6 million dollar social housing for senior Australians has just been announcement by the PM AA .

It's that time if the year again the Fat Bear Competition as bears come out of hibernation, a wirldwide competition is on to vote for the fattest bear.

The football may be over but this Thursday is the start of  The Bathurst 1000. Following this is The Everest Cup - the richest horse race in Australia

There are claims that people are voting "yes" twice in the same electorate by voting at 2 different polling venues . It certainly is possible with this referendum you just do an out of area declaration vote. I still don't understand why voting is compulsory and why online voting isn't available. 

A senate inquiry into the Qantas Frequent Flyer program has customers complaining that it is all a scam and that the points have been devalued and worth almost  nothing in value and almost impossible to redeem for any flights . 

2 backpackers were lucky to escape a fire in  a hostel in Darlinghurst after a lithium battery on an e scooter exploded. They returned to try snd douse the flames.

There is a push to sign up seniors as childcare workers. 

Sydney will be 23 degrees C tomorrow !

Thursday 5th October 2023

Sydney is very sunny today but very windy a contrast to yesterday's wet and wild weather . A cooler 23 degrees C forecasted for today.

Today is late night shopping so I ventured out as I needed some more laundry money as well as continuing to find or shop for grocery items I could not find or forgot to purchase on my last grocery shop.

Dinner was a Turkish Gozleme with the lot spinach fetta cheese beef mince mushrooms for $14 from the Chatswood Mall Thursday & Friday markets . The markets were quite crowded tonight and it was a perfect night to eat from them. The temperature was perfect not windy and it was not too hot or cold nor was it raining.

First stop an ATM - there was a queue at every ATM at Westpac and there were at least 4 with one out of order. So I walked down to the HSBC ATM . 

Next was Chemist warehouse, Aldi Coles and Wooworths Metro. 

I just missed the bus so have to wzit at keast another 15 minutes for the next bus home.

My night is not over I still have to do my laundry and am up really late again to wash and dry my coloured very full load of laundry.  I again left my clothes in the dryer overnight as it was still drying close to midnight. I will retrieve it early tomorrow morning like I did with my last load. 

News headlines today include

Dozens of flights in Sydney for various airlines Qantas Jetstar and Virgin have cancelled flights due to strong gusty winds today. Sydney airport is reduced to 1 runway.

A QLD youth has attempted to  steal a car from a woman with her baby inside it at a shopping centre car park. The quick thinking  mother managed to avoid the theft by locking herself in the car until her husband who took their 2 year old with him to the shops returned . She explained to him what happened and had dialled 000. 

Another lotto jackpot of $60 million is to be drawn tonight for Powerball . It is the second largest jackpot . 

The late Olivia Newton John's daughter Chloe and her husband John have returned to Australia to lead the Walk for Wellness  Melbourne this weekend.

Flooding continues after fires in regional Victoria in particular central Gipsland and in regional areas of NSW ( eg Bega Valley)  53 fires continue to burn not aided by strong winds. 18 of the fires are uncontained.

After the lithium battery explosion and fire from the e bike on charge, it is now being question as to  how safe any electronic device using lithium batteries actually are.

Rebel Wilson has been secretly working on her memoir for the past 18 months detailing her unconventional entry into Hollywood fame due for release . 

Senator Lydia Thorpe has been sent a video of the Aboriginal flag being burnt suspected to have been sent to her by a Neo Nazis group. She has now accused the government of not providing her with more protection from these racist acts.

Why has the water in a QLD watering spot turned bright "Barbie" pink? Residents think an algae bloom is the cause.

Another drive by shooting at Edithvale where 2 residents were inside the house.

The will be a visa overhaul as there is a crackdown on migrant workers being trafficked and sexually abused.

The Princess of Wales  gets crafty  visiting Ukrainian refugees at a centre in Windsor 

Residents are complaining about pesky flies around Sydney on the increase due to warmer weather. 

Supermarket workers will go on strike for 2 hours on Saturday for safer work conditions and a minimum hourly rate of at least  $29. The strike is said not to affect customer service.

As radio ratings are released Kyle and Jackie O take back the crown. 

Drew Barrymore's show will be back on air in 2 weeks after the backlash of her continuing the show during the writers and actors strike.  Her show will now continue but the writers won't be returning to her show. 

Vacancy rates at a record low and Sydney is officially the most expensive city to rent.

The first box of mangos this season has sold for $40 000 money to charity. ( wait how can this be the first box of mangos sold thus season - Coles gas had mangos in their supermarkets for a while now - I purchased and ate one of them a small not quite 100% ripe Kensington one).

Friday 6th October 2023

A beautiful day today but I am planning to start planning my return to studies today by trying to tidy up and complete  my assessments. A top of 21 degrees today with a chance of late showers.

I don't think I will be going to Canberra to see Floriade this year. I need to concentrate on my assessments . I s po ent the afternoon  at the new St Leonards library before getting a few more grocery items from the Coles supermarket downstairs.  When I arrived there was not a single desk or seat available to do my assessments at. I had to settle for an armchair when it became available near the entrance to the library with a very low coffee table and no power outlets along the skirting boards or walls. There were power outlets  nearby up higher across from the returns shelves which I had to use later which was a little inconvenient. I didn't get as much done as I wanted to as it was really noisy. A poor little gurl who just wanted somewhere to sit and study plopped herself on the floor near the entrance but was soon told off by a librarian that she could not sit there as she was in the way. The little girl had explained to the librarian that all the seats and tables were full but she could sit around the corner on the floor after looking around to find a spot for the little girl to sit out of the way of foot traffic. 

This library is new modern and quite nice but a little too small then again Chatswood library is larger but is also outgrowing its resident numbers that visit it.

It was a rather short visit to the library as it closed at 5 pm and I stayed until 4.30 pm . Chatswood had slightly longer opening hours until 5.30 pm. 

I will try and get to a library over the weekend as I really do want to get my assessments in order. My IT work skills assessments completed for the term. My programming assessment is at the 25% point, my cyber aware/basics is in a total mess, I haven't even looked at my networking assessment ( our teacher is not concerned about the assessment and says we will start it after the holidays but we all are) , and my security and privacy  needs a but of organising and as for systems admin I haven't got a clue what is going on with that ( the teacher for security and privacy and systems admin is more  concerned about us getting our micro credentials rather then completing and submitting our assessments) It's the half way mark hence my concern! I want to graduate eventhough this is not the course for me . 

News headlines today include

A Victorian woman has won the entire $60 million Powerball jackpot last night. The woman and her husband kept hanging up on the lotto officer that tried to reach out to her. It took 7 attempts to get in contact with her. She is  recently retired and plans to use the winnings to help charities. 

Cash strapped residents in the West are presenting to hospital emergencies putting pressure on the health system with common ailments usually requiring a GP visit but can't afford to pay for the visits to the GP as it is too expensive and there are very little to no bulk billing GP clinics .

Flooding continues in regions in Victoria around Sale and Bairnsdale.

A 3 year old boy has survived a venomous  brown snake bite thanks to his parent's swift first aid actions.

A woman fishing caught a massive tuna but almost lost her arm when a shark attacked her. 

Kiss has their final concert in their Australian tour tomorrow.

Trump has  bern accused of leaking military secrets ( US submarines) to an Australian millionaire Anthony Pratt

A new $250 million youth detention facility will be built in South Brisbane  and hopes to be up and running by next year to try and stop the increase in youth crime.

Des Hasler sues Manly for ripping up his contract.

The Bathurst 1000 has started .

Nicole Kidman is returning to Australia.

Australia 's oldest man at 110 years old celebrated his birthday with special cans of Heinz baked beans with his photo on the front of them when a request to supply a carton was made for him. Apparently his longevity is from eating these. They keep him going. 

Victoria contraversal e scooter trial due to end has been extended.

The man who tried to assainate the late Queen in 2021 where he climbed a tower and hid there with a cross bow and arrow. He will remain in jail for 9 years where he will receive treatment but likely to spend the rest of his life in jail charged for treason . The 19 year old  had mental issues and was a Star Wars enthusiast. 

The first Australian  $1 coin with King Charles head on it has been minted but when it will be released for circulation is yet to be announced.

My Kitchen Rules ( MKR) started after The Voice reality tv yet was done and dusted with the twins winning the finals this week yet The Voice is still to air their final episode.

As schools return from school holidays on Monday all mobile phones will be banned in all NSW public schools except for medical exemptions assumed.

Saturday 7th October 2023

A rather overcast morning today where it's 9 am and the sun is trying to peep out. A much cooler day today but cloudy with a top of 18 degrees C.

Today I spent most of my time organising my assessments so they are upto date and ready to upload to be submitted. I am still missing a few bits and pieces but they have to be saved somewhere on either my hard drive or one drive, I just saved the answers to parts of assessments or their screen shots in the wrong file document or drive. To be continued tomorrow my very last day of my college holidays. 

News headlines today include

One in twenty families  can't afford food and power due to mortgage stress as a result of rate hikes.

Tom Robinson who was trying to become the youngest to sail across the Pacific became stranded as his boat capsized and was rescued by a cruise ship

AI technology has created new portraits of how the youngest royals  ( George Charlotte and Louis) will age and look. 

A new cricket training technique is being used by Aussies for the One Day Internationals by using avacados. The Aussies play the West Indies in the Womens One Day Internationals .

Supermarket workers ( about 1000 uinionised nationally not all workers but hopes numbers will grow)  strike nationally today for the first time for safer workplace conditions and better pay which is already above award . This strike is said to not greatly affect shoppers doing their weekly Saturday grocery shop and will affect Coles and Woolworths nationally.

Thousands of Australians are wasting money signing up for gym memberships ( subscriotions or contracts some of which they can't cancel) but not using them leaving empty exercise classes. 

A grandfather and his 3 grandchildren( one grandson and 2 grand daughters)  have lost their lives yesterday afternoon in a plane crash near Lake George Canberra. The plane was on its way to Armadale and only 30 minutes into the flight when it plummeted and crashed to the ground killing the 4 . 

Tax payers are facing lower refunds or having a higher tax bill due to the elimination of the low income tax offset. To avoid this for low to middle income earners defer  income add to super and look at valid deductions.

A crash on the Northern Beaches has resulted in a teenager with life threatening injuries taken to hospital . 

The Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama weekend continues with a shoot out today.

1 in 6 couples are experiencing fertility issues.

Sunday 8th October 2023

Last day of college holidays ( Spring break)  - 2 weeks went so quickly.

A top of 21 degrees C today. Ut's not very nice outside but the sun is coming out .

I was planning to go to Floriade in Canberra but my assessments are more important. I may have to skip it again this year. So much on particularly next Friday Saturday and Sunday - bad timing for everything to be on in the first week and first weekend back after college holidays. The referendum voting day is also next Saturday and I  am so glad I have already pre voted as who knows where I will be on Saturday - I could be in Melbourne.

News headlines today include

The Bathurst 1000 continues today and so does the start of the cricket season . Not much about the richest horse race but the new commissioned trophy for the King Charles race has been revealed in the shape of a crown bejeweled and with some blue velvet it is quite a beautiful trophy for the winner.

Young Oscar Piastri has won his first formula One (Qatar) Grand Prix  starting in pole position followed by team mate Max Verstappen ( who clinched his 3rd Formula One championship)  and Lando Norris in 3rd.

The No vote debate is getting intense. 

All focus is on Israel as it is at war with Hamas after a surprise attack . Civilian hostages have been taken and hundreds killed including Australians . Biden continues his support of Israel  It is unclear how this surprise attack could have occurred unnoticed  with Israel's security zone in place. 

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake has occurred in Afghanistan.

A man has vern shot and died at a shopping centre in Craigeburne.  Police believe it was a targeted attack. 

Monday 8th October 2023

A top of 24 degrees C is forecasted today for my first day back at college.

After class I did not stay for the optional programming support class and don'tthink anyof my classmates did. I walked down to St Leonards station where i purchased a Maccas fillet o fish without the  plastic cheese but added tomato and lettuce instead the burger was smaller then the size of my hands  and my hands are small. For nearly $8 it isn't worth it but it was a quick lunch. I had planned to go to the library at St Leonards  to continue my assessments but forgotit was vlised on Mondays and Tuesdays therefore  went grocery shopping at Coles there before going straight home.

News headlines today include

The declared war in Israel continues as over 1000 are killed with hundreds of civilians taken hostage - kidnapped used as human shields. An investigation is under way How did  the Hamas attack go undetected? Australians are trapped over there locking themselves in bomb shelters and bunker below their homes . 3500 missiles were fired to disorientate Israelis then paragliders landed armed to attack. US has moved in with military forces as the US supports Israel. Meanwhile in the Western suburbs of Sydney of Greenacre and Lakemba  fireworks and rallies from pro Palestinians are being investigated. 

The airport noise problem in Brisbane will be tackled by having more flights at night over Morton Bay and a curfew.

Centrlink and Medicare staff have gone on strike today for 24 hours . It now takes an average of 30 minutes wait to speak to someone from Centrelink. Service Australia staff have rejected the latest pay offer and  that public service wage increase a 0.7 per cent increase on the proposed pay offer of 10.5 per cent over three years isn’t good enough.

After the special on channel 7's Spotlight program last nigh with a specially screened and selected audience of undecided voters has seen The YES VOTE  still remain at just 23% .

Mariah Carey has put on a surprise 45 minute show at the Qatar Grand Prix delighting patrons with some of her old hits .

Single sex schools suddenly going co ed with students protesting about it.

First dayback at school and the first day of mobile phone bans at all NSW public schools.

Tuesday 9th October 2023

Sydney is forecasted for a top of 22 and cloudy.

I havebeentrying to concentrate on my cyber Awareness assessments all day but just haven't gotten very far because all i can think of us food all day.

I made this ( photo below) - it is so good and is suppose to be lunch for tomorrow but I just could not stop eating it. It look almost all day to make because I had to marinate and oven bake the lamb steaks before cutting it up . It is an Asian marinated lamb steak. The pizza dough has a LSA mixture on the base of it to stop it from sticking then it was topped with mature tasty cheese mini roma tomatoes shallots the marinated Asian lamb fresh lemon thyme fresh basil leaves and finally fresh rocket when I took it out of the oven - heaps of it as I love my leafy greens. 

Back to my studies.

News headlines today include

There are plans for a second desalination plant in QLD with water bills predicted to increase by 15 %.

A new Crown Casino precinct redevelopment in Melbourne hopes to connect the Southbank area better with shopping bars and restaurants 

Baz lumman is coming back to Australia for his new movie an extension to "Australia" 

There has been an inferno in Perth at a warehouse with residents warned to stay indoors as fire fighters try to control the fire from spreading to nearby properties.

The US has been warned not to intervene in the Israeli Hamas conflict as it will retaliate. Meanwhile airstrikes continue and  over 1300 people have been killed , almost 5000 injured and hundreds taken hostage inside Gaza strip. One Australian is unaccounted for with concerns for their safety. Tourist are warned to try snd get a flight out ssflightsare being cancelled. People are asked to stock up on food water for 3 days and know where the nearest bomb shelters / bunkers are. Supplies and utilities are being cut off

Australians warned of severe weather conditions for next 7 months from October to April with heat and bushfire warnings .

Pro Palestinians rally from Town Hall to The Opera House with illegsl flares going off and police presence. One man with an Israeli flag was removed by police and Jewish residents have been told to stay away.

The Crown season 6 will be hitting the screens.  This season will be about Charles and Camilas' relationship.

The casecontinues as ex Qantas  CEO Allan Joyce is facing a Senate grilling over the "sweetheart" deal the government made with Qantas to block extra Qatar Ailine flights .

Jacinta Allan is to face a parlimentary inquiry to give evidence over the last minute cancelled Commonwealth Games that was to be held in Victoria alleged that Ms Allan the new Victorian Premier knew about the details of the cancellation way in advance of the announcement  by former premier Dan Andrews.

The Golden Globes still do not have a tv deal despite going ahead and due to air on 7th January 2024 . No network is willing to sign theaward show on due to it's reputation.

SarahBrightman is heading to Australia in may  to star in Sunset Boulavard .She admits shehasn't done a musical in 3 decades and  some even ssshe iisnot the right singer for this musical theatre production. The connection is that she was once married to Andrew Lloyd Webber who wrote Sunset Boulavard.

The flooding in India continues with the collapse of a glacier. 

The rescued rower has touched down back in Australia.

The Australian share market is up.

After weeks of being below the $0.63 mark agsinst the US$ the AUS$ is black up just above the $0.64 mark. 

Wednesday 10th October 2023

A top of 24 degrees C today.

News headlines today include

The first day of the year 12 HSC exams start today with English the only compulsory exam subject students have to sit.

The war in Israel has claimed it's first Australian a woman working there.

The Melbourne cup parade in the CBD maybe cancelled again due to protests concerns  and funding issues after it just returned from the COVID pandemic .

The YES vote has spiked 8% but still trails the NO vote . 

Pat Farmer arrives in Ularu  after a 6 month journey.

A double truck crash has blocked the road to Sydney Aurportwithcommuterwarned to use an alternative route or face huge delays

A grandmother in her 60s was attacked by a shark  in SA that took a chunk out of her side. After hospitalisation and over 200 stitches is recovering in good spirits.

What ? there is a shortage of Santas so grandparents are encouraged to don the santa suits in a recuitment drive  to help out

Another shop inferno on the Gold Coast this time

Taylor Swift's movie The Eros Tour hits cinemas Friday worldwide.

Comedian Cal Wilson dies aged 53 after a short illness. (I am finding this difficult to believe she was quite a comedian) 

Thursday 12th October 2023

Another stinker of a day today with a top of 35  degrees c out west and 32 degrees c in the cbd a total  fire ban in NSW isstill in place.

News headlines today include

Younger generations have being  encouraged to teach older generatiobs about cyber awareness to prevent them from being scammed.

World's youngest documentary writer and director has made his first documentary on climate change 

In an interview with Jada Pinkett Smith it has been revealed that she and Will Smith have been living separate lives since 2016 and that they had separated but not devorced for 7 years. She also reveal what she thought about that infamous slap by Will Smith and that it was part of a skit.

Melbourne Chinese journalist Cheng Lei has been freed from a Chinese jail after 3 years accused of esponage.She is back at home with her family at last after being greeted by the foreign minister PennyWong. This now pathes the way to allow PM AA to visit China as early as next month for trade talks which is very important to the China Australia  relationship. If the release hanot been successful, AA would have had to spend the entire time on his visit to China talking about the subject before trying to negotiate her release instead of concentrating on trade talks. 

The war in Israel  continues with reports with more attacks North near Lebanon border . 2.3 million without power. A childrens' hospital has been hit by missile attacks .Meanwhile back in Australia Qantas has sent 2 emergency flights to get Australians out of Israel home and the Australian government  is approaching Virgin to assist as well with extra flights. In Dover Heights ( Eastern suburbs where I grew up most of my life) the largely Jewish community held a vigil where upto 9 000 people attended.   PM AA visits and speaks at a secret synagogue in Melbourne.  Extra srcurity has been placed at synagogues and schools . Pro Palestinian protests continue in Melbourne and Brisbane after the Sydney one  however plans continue this rally on Sunday have been rejected but police can't stop these protests going ahead, they can only have a presence. It ishopinthese rallies will be peaceful unlike the original Sydney one. 12  thousands of Australians are currently living working or visiting Israel. A mother's 3 children has been called up for military service. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales  are distressed about the war in Israel. Kate and William made separate royal visits to organisations for mental health day.

Another twist in the Victorian mushroom poisoning case. Evidence that the host purchased the mushrooms from a Chinese green grocer  and that after the poisoning happened the host panicked and threw the food dehydrator into the dump maybe thrown out as it was deemed invaid due to a non signature on the statement she originally handed to police. 

Victorian public servants are asking for a payrise extra holidays and other work conditions. (I thought  the Victorian government is already cash strapped  so how are public servants  pay conditions going to be met?)

New e scooter laws are going to be enforced in QLD.

Barbie 's Kenand Barbie are going to be reunited in an Oceans Eleven type movie .

Friday 13th October 2023

It was windy a little wet and a great thunder and lightening show overnight after the heatwave it is a top of around only 23 degrees c today still a little overcast.

Today I took the bus and train into the city to see The world Play Day Lego setup in Pitt Street Mall for today and tomorrow only ( refer video uploaded onto my YouTube channel) . Theset s

News headlines today include

The Qantas chairman announces that he is resigning

Taylor Swift is out and about meeting fans with the worldwide screening of her tour movie. An opportunity for fans that missed out on tickets to her live .

Kate & Wills is out and about again showing their competitive sporty sides this time with their netball skills.

As the war in Israel continues , Hundreds of Jews have turned up to Bondi Beach to pray. 19 Australians are  trapped in Gaza desperate to get out trying to negotiate safe passage to Egypt. There is no power food or water . The window isclosing to get out of Israel. US top secretary of state is in Tel Aviv.

Australian man arrested on a Scoot plane in Singapore due to a bomb threat.

More stolen cars and police pursuits .

A release of a 4 part documentary on Robbie Williams.

Thunder storm asthma season has started earlier this year in Victoria. 

King Charles has present another awardthistime for development of solar panels.

The gap between the Yes and No vite is widening as millions ofpeople prevote for tomorrows referendum . Today is predicted to be the busiest day for voting . Voting venuesopened early today and even earlier tomorrow.

Saturday 14th October 2023

A top of  28 - 29 degrees C  today and sunny.

Today I went out to return my bag of bottles for recycling. Serached unsuccessfully for a new 2 door bar refrigerator and went for another grocery shop at the larger Coles in The Chase via a stop off at Kmart to find contact gifts a makeup bag etc. 

The Chase is a mess at the momentas complete refurbishment of the shopping centre continues

News headlines today include

It's Everest race day today the richest race in Australia and richest turf race in the world. 

It's The Voice Referendum Yes vote No vote polling day today and by 8 am  this morning voting venues will open on the East Coast of Australia. The No vote is still forecasted to win even with a spur in the Yes vote yesterday. 7000 polling centres will be open around Australia today until 6 pm . I have pre voted ( like millions of other smart Australians to get it out of the way) so all I want is a democracy sausage!  Interesting that 17% of Australians are still undecided - how are these statistics actually even calculated or accurate? That's quite a spur in the % of undecided from the previous statistics! The PM AA will address the nation today after what has been a rather hostile referendum.

NZers are also going to the polls to vote for a new Prime Minister forecasted notto be a Labor government as the Jacinda Ardern days are well and truely over.

Time is running out as 1.1 million people will have to flee the Gaza strip - an evacuation order urging residents  to leave the Northern border towards the Southern safer regions but where they will go is uncertain. Meanwhile the first repatriation mercy Qantas flight carrying 238 people sponsored by the Australian has touched down in London at Heathrow airport from Tel Aviv. 

Pro Palestinian protests in Brisbane calling for an end plight for human rights and peace was a incredible  peaceful demonstration unlike the previous Sydney ones.

Another stolen vehicle in Melbourne has led to another police pursuit.

A bushfire threat in Qld is now easing and under control .

Taylor Swift is still in the news after the premier of her Eras Tour movie whichis setto exceed other movie sales records such as Margot Robbie's  Barbie  movie, Taylor has been spotted yet again at a Chief's game which her current boyfriend Travis is playing in. 

The Opera House's 50th birthday is next weekend. The Opera House took 16 years to buildt?! Opened by the Queen in the 1970's on a windy day where the rumour was her skirt had to be weighted down to stop it from blowing up.

Sunday 15th October 2023

A top of 26 degrees c and sunny today.

News headlines today include

Michael Caine retires from acting.

Protests ( hopefully peaceful)  continue around the world - in London Germany and in Sydney against the Hamas - Israel war. Israel is gearing up for the next stage of  war with Hamas.  Meanwhile Qantas has cancelled it's second mercy flights to repatriate Australians trapped overseas citing increasing safety concerns. Registered Australians will be notified when the next flight will be. Meanwhile Neo Nazi rallies and even attacks are happening in Melbourne . 

NZ has a new national party PM after years of a Labor government.

The result of The Voice Referendum was an outstanding NO vote win just after 90 minutes of vote counting. A disappointed PM AA addresses the nation defeated . There will now be a week of reflection as to where  the YES vote went wrong. All states except Canberra voted with a majority NO vote rejecting the referendum. What a waste of money - if only this was done correctly - the confusion of what the referendum was all about, the racism, the ignorance, the political agenda and that word "divisive" that has been mentioned over and over and over again for months leading up to the referendum and still being used now. I do question myself What exactly was this referedum really all about? I am still unsure and therefore I had to vote "undecided" ( it was yes or no only on ballot paper maybe there should have been a third  undecided option & what's with the historical no crosses or ticks allowed makingthem invalid votes?)

The iconic Bridge to Brisbane run was held this morning to raise money for charities 

Monday 16th October 2023

Today it's a top of  26 degrees C still overcast thought.

Today I attended face to face Network Build class from 9.30 am - 2.30 pm.

Then took the train into the city to attend Day 2 of SXSW at Darling Harbour. The Tumbalong Park Venue was meant to be where free events were but when I arrived it was with mixed reviews. Channel 7 House was a flat out no entry without a SXSW pass when I asked the security guard out front . I didnot bother to ask Porche for entry I just took photos ofthe car which was blue today but by day 7 was multicoloured - was that the same car? CBA was really nice and I was invited to have a free coffee inside but all I wanted to do was to go through their "Amazing" which was not actually a maze but was amazinging showcasing what they actually doing in the field of science and technology being a bank especially in cyber security ( I even had a personal volunteer guide to show me around) . Finally there was the giant Japanese drink vending machine standing 12 m tall where people were being turned away without wrist bands or badges and the staff were waiting for a response from their manager as to whether it was an all welcome or restricted access to badge and wristband holders. It was very unclear onthe SXSW website what was free and what was not and on what days and at what times. After explaining that I was not there to drink but just want to go inside to get some footage for my YouTube channel as I amnot going to the Tech Expo until Friday , I was let in but I was too weighed down with my overnight backpack scared of heights and was unsure if the security guard outside the rooftop waschecking passes I did not go right up to the top of the giant Japanese drink vending machine once inside.  

(refer my YouTube channel for video uploaded)

2.30 pm the main stage at Tumbalong Park  was still being cleared of teams from UTS and Tafe with their cars & space rockets as Martin Yan and the woman that created the dumpling emoji waited to start their talk on art & food for World Food Day. This is what I came to SXSW to see. It was ok "Yan Can Cook" buthe has no sense of humour.

Happy World Food Day!

News headlines today include

Robert irwin has never been so proud as Australia Zoo is the first to breed a rare turtle. The baby turtle is so cute and tiny.

Calls for the PM AA to resign?! No not quite  just his labour party collegues requesting he go back to concentrating on more important homeland issues after a disastrous referedum result. The government needs to find a new way forward for Indigenous Australians. $400 million down the drain - wasted just for Australians in every state except Canberra to vote No in the Voice referendum! 

Another fire bomb in the Adelaide Hills as a busy Woolworths shelves errupts in flames . 2 local teenager boys have be arrested and  to be charged with arsonasthey face ccourt andreleased on bail.

Another stabbing in Brisbane where a woman stabbed a man possibly gang related.

The conflict continues in Tel Aviv.  More pro Palestinian rallies and protests continue around Australia. 2 military air force  and one private chater flight have airlifted Australians out of Israel and a warning issued for Australians to avoid non essential travel to neighbouring countries. Israel plans to all out attack Gaza by air sea and land with only the weather preventing them and wipe out Hamas. Israel is giving residents time to evacuate and trying not to use civilans as human shield minimising civilian casualties.

45 fires continue to burn with 15 uncontrol in NSW with a total fire ban. 

Karl & Jacki O are about to sign a 10 year $200  million deal expanding out to Melbourne audiences. 

Madonna is back on tour despite doctors advising her not to after recovering from her life threatening bacterial infection.

Saturday Night live returns with a special mention of Taylor Swift and Travis 

Actress Susan Sommers passes away aged 76.

AI used to make you fluent in different languages. Yep it is possible to speak another language without studying.

Another Qantas executive Olivia Wirth is resigning from head of the loyalty program.

Tuesday 17th October  2023

Telstra AGM 8.30 am registration starts 9.30 am - 11.30 am meeting 11.30 am - 12.30 light lunch served  (refer photo attached). I thought the light lunch was well organised this year and delicious! Only problem is the lack of seating and the meeting went on for a little longer then it should have and there were noscreenthis yearto continue watching thr meeting whilst eating lunch but I left earlier because I have to stick to my tight schedule today. Wait more food?  hot mini party pies and sausage rolls! I onlytook one minisausage roll. I found a power point and am trying to recharge my phone whilst sitting on the floor eating my lunch. I still need some water . I was repacking my bag as i am flying back when a security guard  approached me and asked if i was alright of course was! I 

Wednesday 18th October 2023

I return from anice sunny warm Melbourne to a rather wet cold windy grey Sydney last night which continues today with a top of  21 degrees C.

Today I was the first student to complete  the subject IT Work Skills - great now I can concentrate on completing my programming skills and catch up on my Networking and Cyber Aware subjects.

Catching up on news headlines this morning which include

Joe Biden is to visit  Israel. 

Warnings that robot vacuum cleaners are spying on owners collecting information from their floor to ceiling  cameras microphones and software without their knowledge or authorisation.

First of 3 repatriation flights touches down in Sydney  to relieved family and friends. 46 reported Australians  as well as countless others from around the world are still stuck in Gaza with its only exit Egypt now closed and no mercy flights to rescue them out. A 2nd repatriation  flight will arrive tonight. A hospital in Gaza's North has been bombed and hindreds of patients and people sheltering skilled - who is to blame and why was a hospital owned by an Anglican organisation targeted? Was it an accident from unreliable weapons fired?

Mining giant Glencore plans to close its copper mine by 2024 over a thousand people will lose their jobs as the mine ends its useful life and and the company considerwhatto do with it.

Another fire in Tweed Heads with a woman escaping flames from a charity organisation

Ipswich residents advised to see a doctor  to claim compensation from stench that caused arange of illnesses such as respiratory and skin conditions.

Putin to visit dear friend Chinese president . Really?!

Same sex marriage in India laws to be changed.

Teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg has been  arrested.

Lucky people got to meet Sir Paul Macartney in a rehearsal for his tour in Adelaide. 

Free NBN broadband for families. Applications are open to families but with a set of conditions such as not having an existing internet connection.

Kenny the giant potato in Tasmania who has been welcoming visitors for 40 years has taken a tumble but is not mashed. He just needs some cosmetic surgery.

Nicholas Cage drops into a supermarket in Busselton WA spending $400. He is in town filming a new movie.

Cheng Lei speaks out about her 3 years in a Chinese prison includingher first 6 months in isolation.

Melbourne bail laws relaxed. what?

Apartments to be built into Hobart's new stadium design An interesting concept to solve a housing shortage situation.

Bush fires continue to rage out of control on the central coast of QLD near DeepWater and in NSW too late for residents to evacuate.

Princess Mary's son turned 18 and someone has left a shoe at his party. Will the prince travel to find it's owner.

Another shooting in San Souci in the Southern suburbs of Sydney. Another car crash into a tree in Sydney although it is thought this was caused by bad weather.

Thursday 19th October 23

Alec Baldwin could be recharged with man slaughter facing a grand jury.

A mysterious thunder and lightening flash in Melbourne caught on video could have been a meteor shower

Biden arrives in Israel for high level talks in an effort to restore peace in the region is now headed back to the US. Meanwhile Jewish protestors in DC  demand a cease fire.

Sara Lee iconic Australian frozen desserts has gone into voluntary administration after  decades.

Youth crime is out of control in SA as businesses South of Adelaide are being vandalised.

Ex Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was last overseas ( did he fly Qantas I wonder?!) but has not been calledbackto Australiato face an inquiry over Covid credits or the blocking of Qatar flights into Australia. 

Jo Lo looking great at 54 launching a new lingerie range ( after All I Want For Christmas Mariah's pj range launched) 

Another domestic home attack in Newington west of Sydney

The QLD fire threat continues and there is a toxic smoke warning especially for people with respiratory conditions. Asthma is a concern.

A surplus in meat supplies especially lamb has led to adrop in meat prices.

Paul McCartney 's Got Back tour kicked off last night in Adelaide .

Subscribers to X in NZ & the Philippines will havetopay $1.58 . it isunsure if Australians will have to pay this .

Friday 20th October 2023

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 50TH  SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE ( 3 Day Weekend celebrations starts with an ICONS lazer show light show on the Opera House sails)

I could not get tickets to the above event and  allocations became exhausted as I was given the runaround by Opera House staff when contacting them . Oh well plenty of other events on to attend this Fri Sat & Sun.

A top of 25 degrees today. No classes todaybut I still havethingsto do andplaces to go to. This weekend is catch up time my assessments.

Today I was planning to ho to Day 6 of SXSW Tech Expo but had

News headlines today include

Sculpture By the Sea ( Bondi to Tamara via MarksPark) opens today .

A third repratiation flight has just touched down in Sydney Australia as the war continues and Israelian troops prepare  to invade Gaza. Meanwhile in Rio de Janeiro  flags are being burnt as protests continue around the world. Even a pro Palestinian challenge within the Australian government has surfaced against Australia's support for israel.

Allergy season is starting earlier this year ( no one needs to tell me that! My asthma cough isstarting to rear its ugly head again just recently time for mask wearing again!)

A man in Poland has pretended to be a mannequin avoiding detection my security guards so he can rob the store after it closed for jewelry. 

Barnaby  Joyce is getting married to his lover and invited MPs to attend his outback wedding with their own swags.

Bush fires are burning outside of Adelaide

Cop shops have been quietly disappearing around QLD shutting down around shopping centres leaving only a few security guards as youth crime continues esculate out of control in Qld .

AFL is in hotwater as 2 separate AFL players have been found involved with drugs .

Trump's lawyer guilty what?! oh who cares, the world is at war and  there are much  bigger issues around the world to worry about then the legal woes of Trump! What another former Trump lawyer pleading guilty ? What's going on?!

There is a funnel web spider warning.

The chances of possibly winning the lotto might become bigger as the lottery orgainisation considers adding an extra draw on Fridays.

A gym in Brunswick Melbourne has caught on fire.

A plane has crashed out of control on a runway outside of Geelong carrying 17 paragliding passengers. Passengers walked away from the plane with 3 taken to hospital.

Saturday 21st October 2023

A topof 26 degrees c and sunny. Day 7 Tech expo

News headlines today include 

Another tabancconist set on fire in Logan which police are treating as suspicious. 

Another drug crack down in Adelaide  

Anothe tobacco raid in Victoria related to gang land crime. 

The war in Israel  continues with an Australian grandmother caught up in the war laid to rest after she was killed outside her home. 2 American  hostages ( amother and daughter) have been realeased from Hamas. Egypt has agreed to reopen their border crossing with Gaza as food water power and medical supplies run out . Trucks of aid are ready to be delivered but are waiting for the border to open to let them in. Meanwhile in Sydney pro Palestinian protests have seen 11 arrests and 3 charged and hopes are for continued peaceful protests over this weekend  ( today at Town Hall) with zero tolerance of violence and anti semitic solgans enforced by the government and police.

Today a public memorial will take place in Singleton to honour the 10 victums who died months ago in that horrific wedding bus crash with the NSW premier Chris Minns present.

Brisbane freight congestion surcharges means goods on shelves will become more expensive 

Qantas says they can no longer absorb the rising cost of fuel as the wars continue overseas in Israel and Ukraine  therefore passengers will have to pay more to fly.

Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin author of "Mao's Last Dancer" Order of Australia receipient stock broker business man artistic director of QLD Ballet defector from Mao's China announces his retirement aged 62 due to a heart condition taking timeout with his wife Mary also undergoing cancer treatment to look after their health .

Bill Hayden former politican dies aged 90 

Sunday 22nd October 2023

grocery shop woolworths metro & per peri chicken large pizza dominos pizza thin crust nice toppings disgusting too much sauce.

A sweltering 31 degrees C  today after a rather hot day yesterday. a total fire ban is in place in NSW

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake has hit Southern 

Victoria where tremors could befelt as far as Melbourne.  No injuries reported

SA  seafood  prices could skyrocket for Christmas as fishing licence increase by as much as  $9000 .

Aid arrives in Gazaa border reopen. Meanwhile Biden has met with the mother daughter hostages released  .

PM AA is traveling to the US to meet Biden asthe non of election of a replacement speaker continues stalemating the AUKUS deal. It is being argued that this is not the time for the US President Bideto invite the Australian PM over for a cup of tea given  the worldsituationof warsgoingon in Israel  and the Urkraine and the US government's  own internal problems of a lack of a speaker and government debt situation.

Miley Cyrus has performed a new version of Wreking Ball with godmother Dolly Parton who showed her how it should be done.

Paris Hilton has released along awaited follow up to her 2006 album.

Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown has broken aanother record in backstroke now breaking  7 out of 10 world records

The original 4 Wiggles members appeared at SXSW to promote a new documentary on their story to fame. ( unfortunately I missed this appearance at Primeville) . The documentary tells the story of how They were originally The Coachroaches an adult band with hits like "She's the one" in the 1980s to being rejected initially when they became The Wiggles and then fame and entertaining kids for decades continuing to do so with an extension to 8 members covering race and gender diversity.

Monday 23rd October 2023

Cloudy and 26 degrees c in sydney today. It actually reached 27 degrees C today.

News headlines today include

77 Australians trapped in Gazs as more aid arrives from Egypt border.  Meanwhile Israel warns Gaza of airstrikes as the war continues and people asked to evacuate South to avoid bombardment.

After shocks from the magnitude  5 earthquake  in Victoria have been as severe as 3.5 .

2 children killed in a shed fire in Geelong Victoria and 2 more injured fighting for life l have been identified . they were playing in there when it happened and not deemed suspicious just a tragedy. 

Testing of the new Metro rail  line in melbourne is affecting the electrical supply at Melbourne  hospitals. Metro is negotiating with the hospitals so testing times anddates won't affect the running of the hospitals.

Used cars are becoming cheaper asmore are becoming available on the market as new car orders are being fulfilled more quickly and EV becoming more popular.

The 4 original Wiggles have given an interview on Channel 7 promoting their documentary on how they became the Wiggles. 

Nat & Shirvo bust a move andlip syncat the annual Perth Telethon to raise money for charities 

Minjee Lee  LGPA withherbrotheralso winning.

Australians will be forced to pay $102 to see a non bulked billed GP a 3rd rise in fees  this year.

Fears fuel price increase will keep the inflation rate too high &  increase interest rates again 

There are rumours Charles isready r to welcome Harryand Meghan back?

Tuesday 24th October 2023

A very hot and sunny 28 degrees c  today. I decided not to go to the Dell Technology careers day that Meadowbank Tafe  today as I am so teched out. Giving myself a day off today from attending any events. It's just too hot .

Cyber Aware Connected   Class from 6 pm - 9 pm. We didn'tactually learn anything new toight so I  just stayed online via teams all night and worked on assessment in the background. Justas well as it took them more then 20 minutesagain to do aroll call and theymarkingoneof my classmates in team DJ HEJ absent again and I was almost marked off as absent . My classmate had  messaged ithe chat like Idid advising hwas present yethestill marked him off as absent so  when I saw it on the screen I messaged him in a message on the teams chat. Most ofthenightwas takenup byplacinstudents in breakout rooms to complete their role play exercises for their assessments only problem was ittook 20 minutes for each student to complete the role play which should only take a max of 5 minutes per student to complete and this is from all 4 role plays we have had to complete either as recording or face to face in class. Speaking of which I asked Ellalee to do this role play with me for cyber aware but now regret my decision .

Even after class I was up late past 10.30 pm doing my assessments before going to sleep. 

News headlines today include 

There has been increase in job scam advertisements on Whats App & social media platforms . This as the unemployment rate dropped in Aug from 3.7% to 3.6% in Sept 23.

Reports US sites in Syria and Iraq have been attacked . Hamas releases 2 more older women hostages.

Fires continue out control rapidly around QLD outside of Tawoomba.  In NSW The Hunter Valley and Port Macquarie as well as several other regions in NSW  remain major  fire threats .

There is a second diary strike in SA which could continue indefinitely over pay and  conditions

AA has  invested $5 billion with Microsoft tech giant in a  deal to build a cybeshield to help Australia combat the amount of cyber security threats and tbring Australia upto date with the rest of the world.

Wednesday 25th October 2023

HAPPY BIRTHDAY  VEGEMITE!

A top of 25 degrees c today.

Today I was about to go to my Programming class which is now a face face all day class as I have completed my IT Work Skills classes already when I decided not to and attend online via teams as if it was a connected class all day ( I expect  high data usage  and power  usage bills coming up  ) . I was running a little late and was only going to join via teams until I arrived at the Tafe campus. Oh stuff it I decided as I was so tired from staying up late last night well past 10.30 pm doing assessments. Never again will I do it for this subject - tech problems ( tafe not mine) a Nazi teacher who would not let us leave early to work on our assessments , who kept checking up on us  individually to see our progress ( including wanting screenshots sent to him of our assessments and even insistent on remotely taking control of out computers and not getting as much done as I could because of the constant disruptions to my concentration. As soon as classes ended at 4.30pm, i hung up on the teams session and went out to get some fresh air.. I had been stuck in the apartment today in front of my laptop all day today.

After class a chat to a neighbour and off to return my bottles for recycling ( I only noticed that I forgot one bottle left behind in my bag at the bottom after I left to get a pizza which I ended up keeping for next time's recycling) and shopping for groceries. I headed for Chatswood . 

Dinner was a large  thin crust peri peri chicken pizza from Dominos Pizza which took 10 minutes to cook so iwent trecharge myOpacharge returning to pick it up before going grocery shopping . I ate it whilst waiting for the bus home that night.Itwasn'veryniceand I am pretty sure that I won't behaving it again. Pizza is not something eat often and i like to make it myself when i do. Iusually don't have Dominos pizza as the closest one is at St Leonards which isn't walking distance enough to keep ihot until iget home. The one in  Lane Cove is also the same distance and both are tiny. I don'tthink ihave had a Dominos Pizza since I lived ithe Eastern suburbs in Rose Bay. It was usually a  Crust pizza or the odd woodfire pizza from the Chatswood Mall"s Thursday and Friday markets at night. I really did not like that peri peri chicken pizza from Dominos.  The large was more like a small pizza for a start. It was smothered in sauce with little else except lots of chunks manufactured chicken meat which could have been any type of white manufactured meat and was it fried? Icould not tell but it wasn't nice. Just awful and not cheap either. The only nice thing about it was the slightly oily thin crispy crust - maybe should just order a thin crust magarita next time ( if there is a next time). 

Grocery shopping was confined to Coles Aldi and Woolworths before heading home. I could not find the Bundaberg Ginger Beer Kettle chips at any of the Coles advertised online so settled for  apacket of Red Rock Deli "Beef Randang by Poh" Chips. Not my favorite but it did taste very much like beef randang. Not quite asexpensive as the Bundaberg Ginger Beer Kettle Chips I rateit 8 /10

Face to face classes tomorrow all day starting at 9.30 am so I need to sleep earlier. Totally exhausted from today's classes .

News headlines today include

What?!  chocolate prices to skyrocket by 11% and advice is to stockpile now before the price hike as he price of cocao increases and the price of sugar increases by 40% .

Another tabaconnist in Melbourne set on fire .

It's end of year exam cramming time again and studentswarnednot to drink those colourful flavoured energy drinks as too many can cause physical and mental harm to body and brain.

Australia is sending 2 RAAF aircraft and deploying defence force troops to Middle East but only as a precautionary measure.

A cartoon depicting the new Victorian female premiere naked with the caption " emperor's new clothes" nwhas been slammed as sexist.

Australians say corruption " pork barrelling" in government is common .

Fires in Western Downs QlD destroys properties ( atleast 5)l with a evacuate immediately for at least 170 residents and families losing everything except the clothes on their backs. Missing  residents and even a body found on a property. Communications are down. Strong winds in QLD  are fuelling these fires making them out of controland difficult to extinguish .

Residents in Western Sydney are left outrage as a draft offlight paths ofthe new Western sydney Airport under construction is revealed with no curfew of flights unlike at Sydney Airport operating 24/7. Only 91 residents are being eligible for compensation for the noise that will result from the flight paths. 

JLo has sold her home now that she is now living with Ben .

Britney Spears bio "The Woman In Me" is released in Australia today.

Clarkson and Fagan could share part of the million dollar compnsation settlement over the Hawks AFL racism claim. Both are demanding an apology. 

Thursday 26th October 2023

I rained overnight and is a grey wet overcast hopefully cooler morning. A rather wet and cold day with atop of around 19 degrees C today.

I decided to attend class all day today face to face even though we never learn anything in these 2 Thursday classes and hardly anyone attends them in person preferring to attend them via teams as if they were connected classes. Tod3sy only one person attended via teams and there only 5 of us physically in class.

I did achieve something today and that is I unofficially completed all my assessments for the Security & Privacy subject finishing off the last question , checking and submitting the entire range of assessments either as a single file, multiple files  and zipped folder containing files but it  took me ages as I had a corrupted file could not find files and had trouble zipping a file despite being so organised on Onedrive. I told a classmate that I achieved probably 4 times the amount of work today as I did with my programming assessments  during yesterday's all day online connected class. 

Now I can continue with the Systems Admin class assessments which there was no way that I  can complete today. I managed to complete Question 4.3 . The amount of screeshots that we have to attach to our assesment is ridiculous! We are suppose initial everysingleoneofthemawell for every subject otherwise they will be rejected  - who has the time? All ourteachersexcept fou r Tuesday night's Cyber Aware class have agreed that this is not required - thank goodness as it is so easy to forget to do so!

After class I walked down to St Leonards station to the IGA and found what I wanted - 2 packets of limited edition Bundaberg Ginger Beer  Kettle Chips , I thought they would run out by the time I returned but they still had a few packets left. If you can find them and love ginger and haven't tried them, they are worth trying however they are not cheap around $5 - $6 a packet. I rate it 9/10 very nice ginger flavour!

Next train to Chatswood ( bus too slow and Ihave to cross the road to catch it) for another grocery shop - hopefully i can find at least some of the groceries on my list. Arewe hhaving a food shortage? Empty shelves and not being able to find the basics in fresh produce on several of my shopping ventures and at several different supermarkets at different locations is concerning . Grocery prices remain high and individual grocery items prices fluctuate daily. Shrinkflation is rampant andmoreandmore companies are adulterating their products. I mean a tub of vanilla yoghart no longer contains just natural vanilla and cultured milk/ cream , it is now full of additives such as thickeners sugar and even E numbers I'm not even familiar with! No wonder i can't find items on my grocerlist my usual items have been replaced and I have to search for alternatives.

Nothing from the Thursday Chatswood Mall  Markets tonight but I did purchase a small California roll from Sushi World as a snack - it was not the best and it was happy hour. Maybe should have grabed sushi from Woolworths Metro which looked fresher.

Homeon the bus it's still raining on and off and a little cooler - I wouldbefreezing if i didnothave an extra layer of my puffer hoodie vest on.

A bit of await for the next bus home. I will sleep well tonight and I knew that assoon as i had finished submitting all mmy assessments for the  Security & Privacy subject however it is not finalised until all is marked by my teacher.

News headlines today include

A 4 year old found a golden ticket to meet and greet Dolly Parton via a imagination kids book program. One in only 7 in the world mistake initially as a book mark.

A body of 21 year old ofemale teacher was found  in the gym toilets togat St Andrews Cathedral School last night is being investigated . The school has been closed for the day but the year  12  exams will still be running. A body of a man has been found at the base of the Vaucluse cliffs. Investigations are still in progress as to why a young waterpolo sports coach was murdered . The man has been identified as her ex boyfriend.

Another body has been found in the bushfires in Qld  

Teachers in Adelaide strike  and at the most inconvenient disrupting final school exams

Friday 27th October 2023

A wet and cold day today with a top of 19 degrees c again. A great day to sleep in until almost 9 am this morning!

I did absolutely nothing today except sleep and eat . A well deserved day off from completing assessments with no places of interest to visit or events to attend. 

Today I submitted my fortnightly centrelink income reporting online and caught up on watching YouTube videos channels as well watch tv a lot.

News headline today include

A very rare $400 K Mustang , the only one in Australia has been stolen from a car yard in Victoria.The keys were easily  accessible asthe thief just drove off in it & captured on camerththief waidentified as the same thieft had just stolen drinks from a take away.

PM AA is on his way back to Australia after being wined a dined and given a fan fair welcome treated as if he was a head of state by US President Joe Biden but itwas not all about  presidential dinners they discussed the AUKUS deal progress , the wars  in the Ukraine and Israel  possibly trade and relationships with China where Biden advised AA to treat Australia's relationship with  China with caution After returning to Australia AA is due to visit China next week where trade talks are on the agenda. AA knows that he will stand his ground when it comes to the Australia China relationship. Chinais aan important trading partner to Australia but at the same time Australia defense and cyber seciruty in case  Australia comes under attack by China.

Paul Kelly's How To Make Gravy is being made into a film next year.

Lady Gaga sings with U2 bu tnot the best audio .

Justin Timerlake responds to Britney Spears biography release (narrated by Michelle Williams on Audio Books) .

A power problem has bought down the communication network causing rail disruptions shutting down the entire Sydney rail network during peak hour. Meanwhile there is trackwork this weekend on the Northshore and Northern lines yet again!

Wharf strikes at Botany threaten Christmas supplies

Paul McCartney plays his first show  in Sydney at Alliance Stadium tonight at 7 pm. Meanwhile a new beatles song will be released next week called now & Then. It is the last Beatles song and was produced with the help of  AI 15years later.

Disney cruise ship arrives in Sydney .

Gwyneth Paltrow arrives in Australia for Jackie O's Besties podcast.

A Sydney school has banned same sex partners to year 12 formal resulting in  a petition even signed by the premier's sister.

Aldi is the latest companyto be accused ofwage theft. A class action is underway and affects thousands employees who were expected to perform duties 30 minutes pre opening and post closing unpaid. 

First looks at the new Metro Station Waterloo as Metro train testing continues.

Forecasted Sydney temps for sydney is 21 degrees C with chance of showers in the morning with a drop to 13 degrees C overnight.

Iceland PM goes on strike with thousands of others over gender eqality.

What?After 3 weeks without one the US House of Representatives now has a new speaker and AA was the first to meet him? When did this happen?!

Saturday 28th october 2023

A cloudy top of 21 degrees c today.

Another do nothing day. I'm just so tired.

Today I spent the day  paying bills bills and more bills and working out how to make ends meet

like most people. The budget is really tight and after paying every bill by Tuesday ( excluding rent)  I calculated that I will have only $33.37 in my bank account for groceries public transport etc. Rent is another story - rent assistance does not cover weekly rent only subsidises it so I am -$91.46 a week short in rent whilst I am studying and not working. I would be worse off if I was Austudy as payments received are less. Luckily I was and still am keeping on top or ahead in paying all my bills  which is all thanks to my decades of being a bookkeeper. A lot of planning has allowed me to pursue my studies eg study courses that are free or government subsidised. Have savings and putting any spare funds into high interest earning accounts and accumulating as many loyalty points as you can stashing them to use on a rainy day eg I have be collecting flybuys points for as long as I can remember to use when I can't afford groceries and stashing everyday reward points for long as I can remember to convert to Qantas frequent flyer points in case I want to go to that interstate event or AGM. Then there are your favourite takaway loyalty points that I also collect and not use until I really need a meal. And what about bottle recycling - now I'm not one of those people that go dumpster diving in peoples bins at night to collect cans and bottles as it is pretty hard work for 10 cents a bottle or can , but I am concerned about the amount of waste not being recycled so do my bit as it also contributes towards  change for doing my  laundry which is coin operated. Life is pretty tough for most athe moment but  planning ahead helps and it is good training for when I retire. 

News headlines today include

Taylor Swift has released a new album with new versions of her original music and 2 new songs who is now a billionaire. Meanwhile a giant pumpkin has been made into a Tay Tay look a like for Halloween.

Trumps daughter has been told by the judge that she must testify at her fathers faud trial despite her saying she should not have to as she had walked away from her father'company in 2017.

A hit & run at Homebush where a 44 year old man was dragged by a car is being investigated as there is no sign of the driver or car that did not stop after the incident/ accident.

A second cruise ship terminal is being considered for Brisbane as popularity for cruisi g increases to above 80% .

 

IDF steps up ground operations. Israel has be accused of war crimes claiming it has targeted a  hospital in Gaza with staff patients and residents seeking refuge from the war there using them as human shields . Claims that they had been asked to evacuate and given time to do so have been rejected due the difficulty moving such a large amount people particularly with medical conditions. There are difficulties of what is  exactly happening due to communications being cut off. 

The EU continues to support Ukraine  as the focus is on the israel Hamas war.

117 kg of drugs have been seized in raid in Sydney 

Fires continue to burn Western Downs in QLD.

Sam Smith spotted in Adelaide 

Sunday

Monday

The deadline to lodge your 2022/2023 tax return is looming - there still time to lodge it yourself via my tax but register with a tax agent to avoid penalties if you can't lodge it time by the  deadline ie 31st October 2023.

The war continues in Israel. More hostage propaganda as Hamas uses Isrealians to send out messages.

A scorching 36 degrees c forecasted today out West. 33 degrees C in Sydney

A man is arrested in Bendigo after a woman's death. 2 children were present howeveriti unsure if they called 000 or witness the murder

Fires contiinue to burn as homes under threat South of Sydney near Ingleburn . Meanwhile fires continue to burn in Western Downs QLD with firefighters taking advantage of cooler weather.

Eddie Jones resigns as Wallabies coach

Matthew Perry dies suddenly aged 54 found unresponsive. No apparent cause found yet but perscription drugs found in home.

Matildas win against Philipines next play Chinese  Taipei 

Another interest rate rise is imminent  by the RBA. 

Tuesday 31st October 2023

Last day of October.  

Happy Halloween!

Another scorcher of day today with a top of degrees c  but with high winds.

News headlines today include

Friends cast member tribute to Matthew Perry who were not just friends but family.

A new marketing campaign has been launched to address the severe national teacher shortage and try to attract more people to become teachers as there is a low intake of students studying teaching courses and those that graduate to  join the teaching profession are leaving after 3 years. Pay and ccondutions are not exactly the best.

Heavy winds in NSW has Sydney airport restricted to one runway and for passengers to check delayed and cancelled flights. Meanwhile  South West Sydney a building has had its roof blown off and fears people were inside but no injuries reported luckily. Trees anpowerlines have been down cutting power off tthousands of residents.

Fires in NSW &  a large portion of Qld West of Brisbane continue to burn out in Western downs area. Worsening weather with high winds and scorching conditions are fueling fires making it more difficult for firefighters  to control these fires.