This morning the wireless told me three people have recently slipped down between stationary train carriages and the platform, one a toddler. Why is there a gap for people to fall down? But as there is, why not some good old London Tube style nagging.
Vid of Mind the Gap won't work, so I publish without the vid.
Date Written originally, 22/10/10
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Crack
This is just so not good. Worse because there is not obvious reason for it. No detectable building movement. Although the exterior air con unit sits there, it has done so for eight years and never been a problem. The air from the side of it is not that hot anyway. The only thing that has changed is that the windows have been tinted. As I said to R, the crack will get worse, and it has. Our insurers say, not their problem, so I guess Owner's Corporation insurance will pay. Fingers crossed.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Con
I thought Con the Fruiterer was a comedy character, but here he is alive and well working at Prahran Market.
Stairway is not to heaven
I was thinking about our lifts today, because someone else recently wrote about their workplace lifts. I only really have one complaint about ours.
But some waffle before I say what it is. One of our lifts, and I have never ascertained if it is set for one or just random, sits at the ground and the other half way up when things are quiet so that neither lift is never too far away. A building this size should have three lifts, not two. If someone is moving in or out, or a cleaner is cleaning one, there is only one lift operating. Only one lift working can mean a decent wait, but on the plus side, it can be very social having people in a lift where normally you would do a quick get away.
Internally and externally, one lift does not show the unlucky Chinese number 4 but just blank. Pointless when the other one does. Would Chinese residents here really miss a lift because it was the one who showed 4? Mind you, no one with visible Chinese heritage lives on the forth floor, or ever has. The floor seems to be seems to favoured by Indian renters. Generally, renters live on lower floors and owner occupiers on the higher floors. One resident said to me one day, anything above 10 is respectable. It is kinda like that.
At the ground floor the lifts give a good amount of time to enter or exit, but still not enough time for Mother. She is always is so slow to react and busy talking, so the doors start to close on her and she panics. If only she would just enter the lift immediately when the doors open and exit when they open. Funnily, on other floors, one lift gives a minimal amount of time to enter or exit and the other a bit more. Regardless, we both nearly always hit the door close button, which responds immediately.
But yes, the problem. It is not unknown for someone to hold a lift. After maybe sixty seconds, the lift becomes unhappy and an alarm sounds and slowly but quite forcefully tries to close the doors. You can still physically hold it back though. Now, if someone on another floor has requested a lift and the one being held is the appropriate nearby one, then the other won't be sent. Well, it does eventually, after about five minutes. It doesn't happen often, but when you calculate your time to get to work carefully, it can make a big difference. I have done the stairs, but there is an awful lot of them.
So, developers, apartment highrise buildings, even short ones, need three lifts. One will often be out of service for moving or maintenance or other reasons.
But some waffle before I say what it is. One of our lifts, and I have never ascertained if it is set for one or just random, sits at the ground and the other half way up when things are quiet so that neither lift is never too far away. A building this size should have three lifts, not two. If someone is moving in or out, or a cleaner is cleaning one, there is only one lift operating. Only one lift working can mean a decent wait, but on the plus side, it can be very social having people in a lift where normally you would do a quick get away.
Internally and externally, one lift does not show the unlucky Chinese number 4 but just blank. Pointless when the other one does. Would Chinese residents here really miss a lift because it was the one who showed 4? Mind you, no one with visible Chinese heritage lives on the forth floor, or ever has. The floor seems to be seems to favoured by Indian renters. Generally, renters live on lower floors and owner occupiers on the higher floors. One resident said to me one day, anything above 10 is respectable. It is kinda like that.
At the ground floor the lifts give a good amount of time to enter or exit, but still not enough time for Mother. She is always is so slow to react and busy talking, so the doors start to close on her and she panics. If only she would just enter the lift immediately when the doors open and exit when they open. Funnily, on other floors, one lift gives a minimal amount of time to enter or exit and the other a bit more. Regardless, we both nearly always hit the door close button, which responds immediately.
But yes, the problem. It is not unknown for someone to hold a lift. After maybe sixty seconds, the lift becomes unhappy and an alarm sounds and slowly but quite forcefully tries to close the doors. You can still physically hold it back though. Now, if someone on another floor has requested a lift and the one being held is the appropriate nearby one, then the other won't be sent. Well, it does eventually, after about five minutes. It doesn't happen often, but when you calculate your time to get to work carefully, it can make a big difference. I have done the stairs, but there is an awful lot of them.
So, developers, apartment highrise buildings, even short ones, need three lifts. One will often be out of service for moving or maintenance or other reasons.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Swim baby swim
I don't usually promote private company schemes, but I am shocked that so many kids don't learn to swim. I think we have gone backwards. I knew of no one who could not swim when I was a kid. Even in the country, we were crammed into a bus and carted off to the local pool for swimming. I get very bored when swimming and used to even when I was a kid, but I did manage to get my Herald certificate. I think that is awarded for being able to swim twenty five metres, not really sure now.
Even R's humble school in a northern industrial town in England had its own swimming pool.
The first person I came across who could not swim was our Anglo Indian friend who grew up in Calcutta. Psst, it is ok, he came from the posh part. Park Circus or something like that. Any sing song accent was drummed out of him at school and he spoke beautifully.
Sorry, a bit off track. Our ex policeman/ex NT politician friend is trying to connect Lions club, Rotary and Neighbourhood Watch to expend some funds on swimming classes. I will send him this link as it may of interest to him.
Uncle Tobys, the breakfast cereal manufacturer has put a good bit of money into teaching young people to swim. Personally I think schools should do it. Regardless, here is the link to Uncle Tobys swim programme, in conjunction with the Royal Life Saving Club.
Even R's humble school in a northern industrial town in England had its own swimming pool.
The first person I came across who could not swim was our Anglo Indian friend who grew up in Calcutta. Psst, it is ok, he came from the posh part. Park Circus or something like that. Any sing song accent was drummed out of him at school and he spoke beautifully.
Sorry, a bit off track. Our ex policeman/ex NT politician friend is trying to connect Lions club, Rotary and Neighbourhood Watch to expend some funds on swimming classes. I will send him this link as it may of interest to him.
Uncle Tobys, the breakfast cereal manufacturer has put a good bit of money into teaching young people to swim. Personally I think schools should do it. Regardless, here is the link to Uncle Tobys swim programme, in conjunction with the Royal Life Saving Club.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Catch a Sydney Tram
I came across a list of the world's largest tram systems. It rather depends how they are measured. If it is based on double track length, Melbourne wins. By other critera, other European places win. But one stat I had not seen before is number of passengers.
We Melburnians complain about our crowded trams, and they are crowded. In my memory, they were always crowded in peak times, but now they are crowded all the time, day and night, one reason why I favour our passing bus service over trams.
So by passenger numbers per year, St Petersburg, 879 million. Right down at tenth is Melbourne with 180 million, but we are still ahead of Amsterdam with 130 million (pokes tongue out at Peter).
The only other Commonwealth city in the running is Toronto with 105 million.
But get this. How many passenger trips per year were there on Sydney's tram system at its peak? No less than 400 million. If you consider the much smaller population sixty plus years ago, that is an impressive figure. Rhetorical, but how did it all go so wrong? Oh, you do want to know. Essentially the system was run down so much during the depression and the war years, it would have required massive expenditure to bring it up to an efficient standard. Ever so much cheaper and practical to introduce modern and flexible buses. Do I believe that? No, no one said everything had to be done at once to modernise Sydney's tram system in the fifties. Public transport should always be under renewal and improvement, an ongoing process. From my knowledge, while Sydney's tram system was run down, it was still a fast and efficient way to get about, right to the bitter end.
It is suggested by some that Sydney's narrow streets were a big problem for trams and cars to mix. Well, in my experience, Sydney's narrow streets are a big problem for buses and cars to mix.
Ah, ok, I know by now you are begging me to know what a Sydney tram looked like. Here is one that was prepared earlier some sixty years ago. For its time, it was very modern. It is last model tram made for Sydney, the R1 class. While clearly this one was saved, most were just burnt at Sydney's Randwick tram workshops. All that dry wood and they went up like the proverbial Hindu widow.
Oh dear, my photo taken at the Sydney Tram Museum is an R class. I will have to hunt on the net for an R1 class. They are not so different.
And this is an R1 class from a bus website. Don't ask. Look at that filthy diesel fume spewing beast next to the glorious Sydney tram.
But look, if you are in Auckland, you can go to the excellent tram museum there, Museum of Transport and Technology, MOTAT, and see a Sydney R1 class and a Melbourne perhaps W5 class. I knows me Sydney trams better than than me Melbourne ones. The Sydney tram looks like it will slice through an obstacle and proceed, whereas the Melbourne tram looks like it will just bash into an obstacle and maybe just push the obstacle along in front of it. As an often motorist, I find it best to stay out of the way of trams. Looking at one less than a metre behind me in my rear view mirror terrifies me. I know what they are capable of.
We Melburnians complain about our crowded trams, and they are crowded. In my memory, they were always crowded in peak times, but now they are crowded all the time, day and night, one reason why I favour our passing bus service over trams.
So by passenger numbers per year, St Petersburg, 879 million. Right down at tenth is Melbourne with 180 million, but we are still ahead of Amsterdam with 130 million (pokes tongue out at Peter).
The only other Commonwealth city in the running is Toronto with 105 million.
But get this. How many passenger trips per year were there on Sydney's tram system at its peak? No less than 400 million. If you consider the much smaller population sixty plus years ago, that is an impressive figure. Rhetorical, but how did it all go so wrong? Oh, you do want to know. Essentially the system was run down so much during the depression and the war years, it would have required massive expenditure to bring it up to an efficient standard. Ever so much cheaper and practical to introduce modern and flexible buses. Do I believe that? No, no one said everything had to be done at once to modernise Sydney's tram system in the fifties. Public transport should always be under renewal and improvement, an ongoing process. From my knowledge, while Sydney's tram system was run down, it was still a fast and efficient way to get about, right to the bitter end.
It is suggested by some that Sydney's narrow streets were a big problem for trams and cars to mix. Well, in my experience, Sydney's narrow streets are a big problem for buses and cars to mix.
Ah, ok, I know by now you are begging me to know what a Sydney tram looked like. Here is one that was prepared earlier some sixty years ago. For its time, it was very modern. It is last model tram made for Sydney, the R1 class. While clearly this one was saved, most were just burnt at Sydney's Randwick tram workshops. All that dry wood and they went up like the proverbial Hindu widow.
Oh dear, my photo taken at the Sydney Tram Museum is an R class. I will have to hunt on the net for an R1 class. They are not so different.
And this is an R1 class from a bus website. Don't ask. Look at that filthy diesel fume spewing beast next to the glorious Sydney tram.
But look, if you are in Auckland, you can go to the excellent tram museum there, Museum of Transport and Technology, MOTAT, and see a Sydney R1 class and a Melbourne perhaps W5 class. I knows me Sydney trams better than than me Melbourne ones. The Sydney tram looks like it will slice through an obstacle and proceed, whereas the Melbourne tram looks like it will just bash into an obstacle and maybe just push the obstacle along in front of it. As an often motorist, I find it best to stay out of the way of trams. Looking at one less than a metre behind me in my rear view mirror terrifies me. I know what they are capable of.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Memorial
ABC News 24 covered the memorial service for the dead miners on New Zealand's south island today. Just an observation from someone overseas, interesting that none of those killed looked like they had foreign or Maori heritage. Is New Zealand mining a closed shop for white New Zealanders? Or won't the Maori or foreign types work that sort of job?
I could check who he was but there was one speaker at the service who was distinctly Maori. He spoke well and looked very regal. Perhaps he was the Governor General? If he wasn't, he could be.
The sky was blue with fluffy clouds. The sun shone, but not too hotly, with a temperature just below 20 deg.
Tributes were read out from leaders around the world, including three from their royalty, Liz, Chaz and and one of Chaz's kiddies.
The setting at the racecourse just outside Greymouth was just stunningly beautiful. Maybe the racecourse can be seen in this photo by David Wall. You can certainly see some big hills. Doesn't it look so pretty.
Well, another day, another disaster. Forty Israeli fire fighters killed in the line of duty, but Israel is not quite as close as NZ is to Australia.
I could check who he was but there was one speaker at the service who was distinctly Maori. He spoke well and looked very regal. Perhaps he was the Governor General? If he wasn't, he could be.
The sky was blue with fluffy clouds. The sun shone, but not too hotly, with a temperature just below 20 deg.
Tributes were read out from leaders around the world, including three from their royalty, Liz, Chaz and and one of Chaz's kiddies.
The setting at the racecourse just outside Greymouth was just stunningly beautiful. Maybe the racecourse can be seen in this photo by David Wall. You can certainly see some big hills. Doesn't it look so pretty.
Well, another day, another disaster. Forty Israeli fire fighters killed in the line of duty, but Israel is not quite as close as NZ is to Australia.
Tips for Oprah Guests
American tv talk show host Oprah Winfrey is gracing our fair Australian shores along with a few hundred guests she is bringing with her. Here are a few tips for her guests to make them feel welcome and familiar once they land.
While we don't dress like this all the time, you will find us wearing our national costume on Sundays and for special occasions. PS, Clothes are cheaper in the US, so buy yours in advance before you come.
It will be very cold at this time of the year, so bring plenty of warm clothes, coats, scarves, mittens etc. This range is called the Blue Mountains.
We have many beautiful buildings here. This one is right next to our very special opera house. It's easy to get to. Simply catch a train to the suburb of Redfern and wander the streets at your leisure. There lots of nice and expensive shops in Redfern, so take lots of cash and impress the locals with your finest jewellery.
Porche is a very common car here and note, we take law and order very seriously. You vill obey.
Some of our food, such as burenwurst will make you feel quite and home.
But then some of our breakfast staples may seem a little different to you.
One thing you can relax about, we drive on the same side of the road as you, so you don't have to be so concerned when crossing the road. If you wear something that readily identifies you as American, can drivers will usually stop and let you cross the road anyway. Just do it like in Vietnam, walk slowly across the road and everything will go around you.
While we don't dress like this all the time, you will find us wearing our national costume on Sundays and for special occasions. PS, Clothes are cheaper in the US, so buy yours in advance before you come.
It will be very cold at this time of the year, so bring plenty of warm clothes, coats, scarves, mittens etc. This range is called the Blue Mountains.
We have many beautiful buildings here. This one is right next to our very special opera house. It's easy to get to. Simply catch a train to the suburb of Redfern and wander the streets at your leisure. There lots of nice and expensive shops in Redfern, so take lots of cash and impress the locals with your finest jewellery.
Porche is a very common car here and note, we take law and order very seriously. You vill obey.
Some of our food, such as burenwurst will make you feel quite and home.
But then some of our breakfast staples may seem a little different to you.
One thing you can relax about, we drive on the same side of the road as you, so you don't have to be so concerned when crossing the road. If you wear something that readily identifies you as American, can drivers will usually stop and let you cross the road anyway. Just do it like in Vietnam, walk slowly across the road and everything will go around you.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
A faint cheer for Soccer
Australia has put in a strong bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022, but the competition and the bribes and back room deals are strongly against us. One reason I can suggest that we won't win is that the result will be announced at 2 o'clock in the morning our time. There won't be too many around to cheer. Just from the bits I hear, the whole awarding of who gets to host the World Cup is corrupt as it could be, regardless of whether Australia wins.
Our final video submission has been described as crass, cringeworthy, tasteless and downright embarrassing. The video went for all the stereotypes but hey, it is not made for us. I expect foreign types will enjoy it. The stereotypes are what attracts people to Australia. Once here, I hope people discover there is a bit more to us.
The vid is particularly impressive as it managed to get a black man, a Muslim woman, an Asian heritage person and our indigenous, all within about 30 seconds.
Here is the vid.
Our final video submission has been described as crass, cringeworthy, tasteless and downright embarrassing. The video went for all the stereotypes but hey, it is not made for us. I expect foreign types will enjoy it. The stereotypes are what attracts people to Australia. Once here, I hope people discover there is a bit more to us.
The vid is particularly impressive as it managed to get a black man, a Muslim woman, an Asian heritage person and our indigenous, all within about 30 seconds.
Here is the vid.
Tran Tran
The name seems to have changed from Tran Tran to just Tran. Feels odd just saying Tran. The first Asian restaurant I can recall visiting in Victoria Street, Richmond was Thy Thy 2. It was upstairs, loud, noisy and chaotic and incredibly cheap. We tried quite a few different places along Victoria Street over the years, but we kept returning to Tran for good food, good service and ok prices. How long have we been going there? At least fifteen years.
We had a break for a couple of years though. I am not sure exactly what happened, but our brother friends had some problem with either a drug user or dealer after we parted ways one night after our meal. They decided to not go to Victoria Street anymore, however this time they decided to relent.
Just a couple of weeks ago when R and I visited the new Daiso store in Victoria Street we were standing at the tram stop on the corner of Lennox Street and a guy was openly selling drugs. We overheard him say that his stash is a bit down the (Lennox) street to a buyer. There is obviously some police tolerance going on here but I wonder how the restaurateurs feel about it when open dealing is going on and smack heads hanging around drives some of their customers away?
To our surprise Tran has had a big makeover. It did have a repaint once before but his time it was the fully monty. The owner remembered us. Fourteen months since it has been renovated, the owner explained. The back wall is interlocking stone from Japan and he could only find specialist installers in the Victorian regional city of Shepparton. He had to accommodate and feed them while the did the job. He was replacing the acoustic tile false ceiling when he discovered a beautiful intact ceiling above the false ceiling. The plans had to be significantly altered but I am sure you think the effort was worth it. It was a chapel, he said, and it certainly looks like it was. I think he had the clerestory windows added, not sure. I couldn't get a good distance to get a proper photo of the ceiling, but believe me it is good and not out of keeping with an Asian restaurant.
Tran was still quite cheap, the food and service good, although a bit noisy but not unbearably so.
How very modern, a rusting sign at the front.
As well as the interior back wall, some of the Japanese interlocking stone tiles were used along the front.
It was bit cool this evening, but the windows at the front all open up.
The ceiling. I can't imagine the weight of it or the value of the timber.
I always have a tapioca drink at Tran. I must eat/drink it with the spoon.
Across the road is The Vic. It used to be a Thai restaurant I think. The Vic looks pretty cool. I wonder if the Mamma San who owned the Victoria restaurant set it up?
We had a break for a couple of years though. I am not sure exactly what happened, but our brother friends had some problem with either a drug user or dealer after we parted ways one night after our meal. They decided to not go to Victoria Street anymore, however this time they decided to relent.
Just a couple of weeks ago when R and I visited the new Daiso store in Victoria Street we were standing at the tram stop on the corner of Lennox Street and a guy was openly selling drugs. We overheard him say that his stash is a bit down the (Lennox) street to a buyer. There is obviously some police tolerance going on here but I wonder how the restaurateurs feel about it when open dealing is going on and smack heads hanging around drives some of their customers away?
To our surprise Tran has had a big makeover. It did have a repaint once before but his time it was the fully monty. The owner remembered us. Fourteen months since it has been renovated, the owner explained. The back wall is interlocking stone from Japan and he could only find specialist installers in the Victorian regional city of Shepparton. He had to accommodate and feed them while the did the job. He was replacing the acoustic tile false ceiling when he discovered a beautiful intact ceiling above the false ceiling. The plans had to be significantly altered but I am sure you think the effort was worth it. It was a chapel, he said, and it certainly looks like it was. I think he had the clerestory windows added, not sure. I couldn't get a good distance to get a proper photo of the ceiling, but believe me it is good and not out of keeping with an Asian restaurant.
Tran was still quite cheap, the food and service good, although a bit noisy but not unbearably so.
How very modern, a rusting sign at the front.
As well as the interior back wall, some of the Japanese interlocking stone tiles were used along the front.
It was bit cool this evening, but the windows at the front all open up.
The ceiling. I can't imagine the weight of it or the value of the timber.
I always have a tapioca drink at Tran. I must eat/drink it with the spoon.
Across the road is The Vic. It used to be a Thai restaurant I think. The Vic looks pretty cool. I wonder if the Mamma San who owned the Victoria restaurant set it up?
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Just a Name
I am fine with the major streets of the western end of Melbourne's city streets, but for some reason, the eastern ones are problematic. I know Russell Street and Exhibition Streets are between Swanston and Spring Streets, but I could never remember the order. Like more recently when one of my blog mates told me a way or remembering how to spell Woolloomooloo, sheep toilet, cow toilet, I needed a reminder method. I invented my own, RES. Russell, Exhibition, Spring.
Then there are places that confuse me.
I struggle with Whittlesea and Winchelsea.
Patterson Lakes should have a nearby Taylors Lakes, but it doesn't. Diametrically opposed and a couple of hours distant.
New housing estates have their own names but umbrellared by a suburb name. Where Mother lives in an old farming town but there are many new estates. A small shopping centre Mother drags me to at times is called Heritage Springs. I thought it was Lakeside. Given that I never saw a lake, I should have twigged.
We can never travel to ABI Brother's house without a childish smuttish snigger as we pass by a new estate, Falling Waters.
Any of your own that leave you confused, wrong or never quite sure?
Then there are places that confuse me.
I struggle with Whittlesea and Winchelsea.
Patterson Lakes should have a nearby Taylors Lakes, but it doesn't. Diametrically opposed and a couple of hours distant.
New housing estates have their own names but umbrellared by a suburb name. Where Mother lives in an old farming town but there are many new estates. A small shopping centre Mother drags me to at times is called Heritage Springs. I thought it was Lakeside. Given that I never saw a lake, I should have twigged.
We can never travel to ABI Brother's house without a childish smuttish snigger as we pass by a new estate, Falling Waters.
Any of your own that leave you confused, wrong or never quite sure?
Brumby's Demise
I am not sure Big Ted is going to be able to fix all the problems in our city and state. His intentions sound good and so far he is not spooking the horses, but time will tell.
So why did we vote Brumby and the Labor Party out?
People mention water and the Desal plant, the North South Pipeline, public transport, congested roads, a lack of services especially to new suburbs, high stamp duty on property (well something has to pay for facilities for new areas), health care and hospital waiting lists, inappropriate higher density construction in inner areas, loss of our green wedges. You know all these things.
There is a common thread. Too many people. While I don't let the previous government off the hook, with our state and city's population growing at the pace it is, it would be an exceptional government who could keep up with supplying what the rapidly growing population wants and needs. Clearly the previous government failed to keep up.
The Premier to be Baillieu assures us that the financial accounts seem to be in order, so I suspect there is rather a lot of money in the state government's pockets.
Meanwhile our economy rolls along nicely, being supported by housing and building construction. So long as we keep our population growing, all will be well. If population growth stops though, just watch the house of cards fall. Of course eventually population growth must slow or stop. With barely any manufacturing now, we will be dependent on income from agriculture which won't keep too many of us in fine jewellery for long.
Ah well, something will turn up. It always does. Back to the sand pit for some head burial.
So why did we vote Brumby and the Labor Party out?
People mention water and the Desal plant, the North South Pipeline, public transport, congested roads, a lack of services especially to new suburbs, high stamp duty on property (well something has to pay for facilities for new areas), health care and hospital waiting lists, inappropriate higher density construction in inner areas, loss of our green wedges. You know all these things.
There is a common thread. Too many people. While I don't let the previous government off the hook, with our state and city's population growing at the pace it is, it would be an exceptional government who could keep up with supplying what the rapidly growing population wants and needs. Clearly the previous government failed to keep up.
The Premier to be Baillieu assures us that the financial accounts seem to be in order, so I suspect there is rather a lot of money in the state government's pockets.
Meanwhile our economy rolls along nicely, being supported by housing and building construction. So long as we keep our population growing, all will be well. If population growth stops though, just watch the house of cards fall. Of course eventually population growth must slow or stop. With barely any manufacturing now, we will be dependent on income from agriculture which won't keep too many of us in fine jewellery for long.
Ah well, something will turn up. It always does. Back to the sand pit for some head burial.
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