The gym

So you see a post entitled “the gym” and you think it’s going to be about how butch the author is and their stats on the bench press.

Am I right?

Normally yes but not in this case. I’m going to talk about the gym and fitness in more esoteric terms so please bare with me.

So it’s a bit hard to find where to start; for those who’ve read a few of my previous posts you can see I have a somewhat “unusual” relationship with the gym, for lack of a better way of describing it.

So I guess I’ll start from where I think is the logical starting point and see where it goes from there.

Before the big lock down necessitated the closure of my gym, I found myself in a good place. A typical day would involve walking to the station as a enjoyable warm up, then hitting the gym for a two hour warm up followed by a PT session (I’ll discuss this later). And it was working well- I had my life organised to an extent that my entire life was work and gym and nothing more; I would work then head to the gym or vice versa. On the days where I wasn’t working I would do a workout and then also a walk between Port Melbourne and St Kilda. It was fun and enjoyable and it got to the point I finally felt able to push myself further- I had signed up to do the Stadium Stomp and was also contemplating doing either a few other fitness events.

So as one can gather I was happy- mostly. I had mostly good days and some bad days but hey that’s life is it not; a mix of good days and bad days where you hope the good days outweigh the bad?

But the gym routine was more than just the physical. Studies say that if you workout it is beneficial for mental health as well and I would agree with it; in principal. But I also noticed something interesting. There were days- despite the fact I was working out in my “happy place”- where I would be totally pissed off for absolutely no real reason. And when I was pissed off it was for things that I logically had no control over.

For me it was strange; the things which really annoyed me were selfish people and just people in general. It’s ironic I have to admit because when you visit the same place so often you tend to get to know people. And in this case it was mostly the staff that worked there (excluding my personal trainer). I can truly say without a doubt that some of these people are some of the best people I know; you can’t buy or fake niceness and when you get to know them you see their “real” niceness and not just their customer facing niceness. (It’s a bit like your customer service voice- anyone who deals with the public knows what I’m talking about). But yet conversely I was getting annoyed at some of these people for no real reason.

The logical question would be to try to identify the ”reasons” yes? I mean why the reasoning may be faulty, it doesn’t preclude the fact that you can be logical in your attempts to analyse things and identify how you can improve. So I decided to take this approach and see where it would get me.

And where exactly did it get me?

I don’t know to be honest. After all this time I still don’t know. I suppose the easiest way is to say it’s most likely the ideals that people represent which annoyed me; but more realistically I would say jealousy because they represented what I would like to achieve in life. I mean they are good people- the individuals I know there anyway- and you can tell that they enjoy what they do and working with each other. And it shows blatantly and makes the gym a wonderful place to go; a friendly welcoming place is always a good thing and in a place where it/the individuals are there to help to to achieve a better version of yourself is the perfect place for it.

You know the saying that “money is the root of all evil?” I would have to disagree to an extent. Jealousy is probably more “evil”- while jealousy isn’t evil as such in my mind, it usually conjures such strong negative emotions. And when you’re trying to be a better person it isn’t what you want.

It’s also why- since lock down has started- I’m asking myself do I want to return to the gym?

On the one hand I LOVE the gym 20000%- it’s fun and I’m working on being a better person and to be honest a lot of the enjoyment is because I have a personal trainer who is nothing short of amazing.

Without giving the individual a big head; they’re just an all around awesome person. If I ask for a lazy day they adjust, but they also know when I’m just being a whiny little mofo. It’s a fine balancing act but they understand me and it makes a difference. There’s not too much to more to say other then the fact that they deserve as many accolades as possible and it wouldn’t be enough to even come close to highlighting their awesomeness as both a fitness professional and an all round good guy. Hell the guy even convinced me to change footy teams I follow- Hahahah!!

So yeah; an awesome PT and awesome encounters make it a great place to workout along with awesome gym classes.

But on the other hand if psychologically speaking you tend to be a bit more “down” then up, is it worth it?

If I didn’t return to the gym what’s my options you ask?

• Change gym locations to the other location.

• Change gyms completely to a different franchised gym.

• Join MSAC (I used to be a member there) and concentrate on my swimming

• Do more walking and outside activities like canoeing etc combined with swimming and also yoga.

• Do nothing

Just writing this all down makes the answers seem a bit more clearer so that’s always a good thing.

I guess I have the answer in my face don’t I?

The Big Lockdown

So I guess with the world slowly going back to normal; it’s probably a good time to put fingers to keyboard and pen some thoughts on the whole covid-19 lockdown/iso/whatever you want to call it situation.

The big question is where does one actually start? I mean the obvious answer would be the beginning (well duh!) in order to tell a linear progression of start to know; but again that implies that the situation is some sort of linear progression- after all life is pretty fluid and so is this situation. For a better idea; I think it’s well worth taking a bigger picture view of the entire situation as a whole.

For me, it’s certainly been an “interesting” time. Initially it started off not too bad- I still went to work and I simply substituted the gym for walks. And it actually worked; I was disappointed by not going to the gym because I had finally found my “sweet” spot but  that’s ok, it was a change of routine and logically speaking, that’s never such a bad thing is it? After all complacency is a killer when you exercise or at least in my view anyway.

Then I had my vertigo incident and things changed.

After a hospitalisation and a tentative result (which is still ongoing) I haven’t returned to my modified exercise program. Yes, it’s probably an excuse but I think it’s more than that. I had been feeling ambivalent towards the gym and exercise for a while and I think I’ve subsequently been using it as a crutch for not going.

That's the thing with the lockdown- I’m all for the lockdown by the way because people are certainly unique- it’s left me in a position where I’m ambivalent about most things these days. To be frank, people’s true colours tend to show in the worst of times and it’s certainly interesting to see who’s willing to make an effort to check in on me as opposed to me always checking in on others.

Could I be dramatising things? No doubt- after all negativity breeds negativity and there’s nothing logical about it; that’s why in my view depression is such a doozy of a thing. You can’t/don’t think logically and you tend to focus on the negativity instead of the positive of life.

At the end of the day I’m probably rambling right now. 

But for me I’m at a point where I’m mostly happy but there’s still questions to be asked. 

One of the bigger questions is do I continue my fitness journey? Before the lockdown I was already indifferent to being at the gym for various reasons; now it’s still there but the bigger questions are more philosophical than that. Which is ironic because while you think the dichotomy of physical exercise is incompatible with the philosophical aspects of life; they go strangely well together. It was a place that I could push myself to be a better person physically but mentally it was a place to be myself; I was allowed to have good days and bad days. But now the question is is it worth it? Sadly there were things that normally I was indifferent to, but by the time that lockdown and the gym closure happened, most things I was either indifferent to or I just wanted to walk away from.

It’s quite an effort to recognise toxicity in whatever form it takes; it’s much harder when things appear to be good but then slowly creep into toxicity. 

The question, at the end of the day for me, is do I make a decision that I may later regret or do I take a step back, take a breath and realise that it’s my insecurities getting to me?   

How to Be An Ally

If you’re like me, you find your inspiration not from the celebrities and the sport stars; it’s from the real shining stars that are people that run close to us in our social circles. 

And when you see these inspiring people you want to ask yourself how can you be an ally? 

I’m no expert but in my view here’s my personal suggestions. 

Spread the word via social media.

The advantages and disadvantages of social media could be argued until the cows come home but what can’t be denied is the power of it. 

By simply reading about the stories of some awesome people who I’m honoured to call a friend, it inspires me to help me in any way that I can. And one of the small ways is by sharing the word on my social medias- I’m no means an influence (urgh how I hate that word!) but I have some awesome people on my pages and if I can get the word out to them, then hopefully they’ll share it to their friends and so on. Why it doesn’t seem like much- knowledge is power and we have an obligation to better ourselves; after all some conditions are so rare that we need to find a way to get the information out so we can find a way for more research and funding. 

Listen and support. 

I’m no expert but the support and love we give to each other is probably some of the most powerful things we can do as fellow human beings. 

I’m honoured to know some of the best people around- hell I can’t even remember how I met them! But this person is such an inspiration and a star, that anytime I see what they’re up to it inspires me to be a better person.

Be supportive and don’t act holier than thou.

Like with anything in life, unwarranted advice does more danger than good. After all unless you’re in the situation yourself you really have no clue on how the person is feeling and while your advice may be well meaning; to the individual you came across as nothing but a know it all.

In this situation just listen, be supportive and empathise; a friendly ear is always appreciative and by simply letting the person know you are there; it is more effective and does a world of good.   

It’s a short list really, but to be a good ally you have to be supportive and take your cues from the person/group- the path to hell is often laid with good intentions and in a time like these days, it’s best to take a step back and calm down.    

Gratefulness

So I’ve decided to be more grateful in life.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately- well more then usual to be frank- and I’ve been asking myself what can I do to be a better person. And I’ve come to the conclusion that to appreciate both myself and what I have, I need to embrace gratefulness .

You’re probably wondering how I am going to do that and I agree- it was something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on while, paradoxically, the thought was percolating around in my head.

So I asked a person who I consider to be a friend to help me and (truth be told) he agreed which I will forever be appreciative of.

So what’s this idea you’re asking yourself?

Each day or when I see this person he will ask me to say one thing I’m grateful for. Verbalising this will help get my gratefulness out in the ether and hopefully should help me visualise positiveness a bit more easier so I can embrace being the better person .

Triggers

Isn’t it amazing how the smallest thing in the world can trigger you?

Now, I know lately that the word trigger is usually used in the context of one side or the other saying the other is a triggered snowflake of same variation; but that’s not what I’m meaning in this post. No- I’m talking about triggers in relation to mental health.

It’s “funny” how I can be having an OK day- well I’m a little bit tired, but generally OK otherwise- and how the smallest little thing, very innocuous, can trigger such a change in you, that it’s like you’ve done an emotional 360!

What annoys me the most, well at the least in this situation; is that I know that I have no right to feel this way. I mean hell, I feel like an idiot not only for feeling like this, but feeling jealous of something I have no right to be jealous of!

I suppose, if I take a step back and engage in some mindfulness (well at least my version of it), that at the core of it is that I’m more annoyed at the situation that I am in. Don’t get me wrong- I’m generally happy and in a great place; but I know I could be better (don’t we all know this about ourselves?) and that I’m actually jealous.

Lethargy and being in a rut is quite terrible thing; it makes you accept mediocre even if you don’t want it. And I think that’s where I am- don’t get me wrong, I’m doing my best to shake things up (good example is doing the stadium stomp), but some changes are easier to achieve then others.

Yes; baby steps is the way to go and I also believe you can’t do it all at once; after all I also believe that if you want change to stick, you can’t go from one extreme to another in all aspects and expect it to sick- but it’s still very hard.

For me, I think what I’m really annoyed at is the following- I’m also there supporting everyone and making sure they’re OK and doing well and giving encouraging words of wisdom. It would be nice for someone to come up to me, give me a giant hug, and say everything will be fine.

I’ll be OK- I mean lethargy stops me from being an idiot and I’m passed the stage where I would do anything unhealthy. I guess all I need is time and the training for the Stadium Stomp.

Heat Wave

Man does anyone like heat waves?

I'm at work (don't start for another hour!), ready for another day in 35 degree heat and I'm not looking forward to it.  

Surprisingly a workout at the gym earlier did help me. I was hesitant to head in, but when i got there and into it, it was quite worthwhile. I mean yes, the gym is airconditoned, but doing the exercises really cleared my head.  

Hopefully next week, the weather is cooler for when I take my training up a notch- I intend on doing the 1,000 steps on a regular basis to train for the Stadium Stomp! 

Return to Work

So it’s my first week back at work- i returned on Sunday 22 December- and so far it hasn’t been too bad.

Admittedly it helps having Christmas day off, but also not surprisingly I have had frequent shift changes which I think has helped; in the sense that I’m easing my way into it.

So far- apart from the last two night’s worth of insomnia!- my body has been handling it well as has my mind, but that’s probably due to the fact that I had a shift in the office all to myself and I didn’t have to talk to my colleagues; instead I could concentrate on serving people when I needed to and be content with my thoughts when I had no one to assist.

Hopefully tonight I can get some sleep- I feel totally buggered! And with tomorrow being a bit of a long day- up at 0900 then off to gym for a PT session followed by yet another shift that’s been extended- I could need all the energy I can get!

New Year's Eve- Score!

So i went into work yesterday (Wednesday) to check my upcoming rosters and I've hit the jackpot for New Year's!

Unlike in previous years where I've copped hideous overnight shifts, this year I've got a brilliant shift! 

New Years Eve I'm working 0700 to 1500 and New Years Day I'm doing 1300 to 210p. Now the downside is the following day- another 0700 to 1500 shift.  But compares to other options and other shift times,  I'll gladly take the tight turn around to avoid the scrotes on NYE!

Inspiration and Continuation

Isn't it funny where we get our inspirations from?

For some, we are influenced by the media. For others, it's from a song or a piece of other media.  For me, I draw my inspiration mostly from the people I know and encounter. 

The last couple of months, I've been having an itch to explore as much as I can- and as you're aware I have by going overseas and also doing day trips around the fantastic state of Victoria. And if I'm honest I'll have to admit I've been inspired by the Instagram posts of a buddy of mine. 

I guess I've always had that itch- personally I love exploring and I always have to be doing stuff- but seeing someone else's posts of the great outdoors and their adventures? It's made me push myself to do it myself- especially since I no longer need to pay for public transport!

If you think that's a hardship- using public transport as a means to get around that is- you'll have to think twice.  Apart from Leongatha and Port Fairy in the last few days, one of my adventurers was the Great Ocean Road.  Now that was enjoyable as I got to sit back, enjoy the fantastic ocean views and even got to spend some time st both the Twelve Apostles and the Loch Ard Gorge. Not bad I say! (Incidently as my friend also said, quite impressive as it's all without a car!)

So what's next on my adventurers? 

Well I think my next adventure highlights will be more fitness based- I'll be doing the MCG Stadium Stomp as well as the Star Wars neon run!

For me I can't rest on my luriels- and I'll thankful to have awesome people to encourage me. 

On wards and upwards! 

Last Week of Leave

Urgh.

So I'm onto my last week of annual leave; well less actually as I go back this Sunday (23rd December) and man hasn't that come around fast? 

I mean the three weeks in London went by like no tomorrow so should I really ne surprised? I mean after all the more fun you have, the faster it seems to go. 

But it's not all doom and gloom. I mean look at what's happened since I returned- I had a very productive lunch with a good friend, I've gotten back into the swing of things at the gym (first session did suck though!), managed to get over the jet leh quickly,  tried cryo therapy with a buddy and doing a few day trips.

Hell,  as I'm writing this I'm on a train to Port Fairy because why not? Yesterday I did Leongatha and that was enjoyable. 

At least on Thursday I'll be doing lunch with another awesome person so I'm pleased that I'm pacing my last week of annual leave- and on Saturday night it's off to see the Alien and Aliens double feature at IMAX Melbourne.  

Turning 30

So even though my 30th isn’t untill the end of March (the 29th), my party is in a few days so I’ve decided to write a fw words (even if it’s at 0500 in the morning!)

I'm not one to really give two hoots about age and getting older; after all it’s not like any of us get out of this alive is it? All we can do is really make the most of our time on this planet and be the best we can do. 

For me, the last few years have found me on the right track (boom tish!) I’ve finally managed to enter the industry I’ve aimed for for a very long time and I’m plodding along at a steady pace, all while aiming to get where I want to (I won’t say what as I don’t want to jinx it but if you ask me face to face I’ll tell you- putting it online would make it all too real!)

While my career is going great guns, I’m pondering about my personal life. For me my friends are my family and I’ve been lucky enough to have found two friends who really are my brothers; hell everyone in my company agrees with me about one! And that’s ok; after all as an individual I thrive (for a lack of a better word) on people who can help me become a better person and my two brothers do this; they accept me for who I am and challenge me to be better and I know they are there for me when times get tough as I am for them. 

The rest of the people in my life I also truly love; after all I believe we meet people for a reason and we should encourage each other to be the best we can be and to be more loving and helpful to one another; there’s too much bullshit in the world and hate and who has time for that? 

I know I don’t!

As for my love life- meh. It’s certainly not what I thought it would be that’s for certain. And sometimes yes I long for a deeper connection with someone; this I cannot nor will not deny. 

But I am what I am and that’s ok. Life is messy and ugly and unexpected and we are along for the ride; the best we can do is accept what we can change and aim to make a difference to peoples lives no matter how small or big; after all a simple smile, a gesture or a compliment can go a long way. 

So I guess turning 30 for me is just another day in my life; my party will be small but intimate and the people going are all people that hold a special meaning to me.

And to my two brothers, thank you! 

Musings

So I haven't posted in a while so I thought (yeah, yeah I know I've said this before!) I'll try to get back into the swing of things.

I wanted to put down a few words about an experience I had last year.

My dream job finally got advertised and to cut a long story short; I didn't get it nor even an interview. This despite (both in my mind and friends who work for the company) thinking and saying to me I would be the perfect person for the position.

Anyway; it got me thinking as to how we deal with disappointment and how life doesn't go according to our grand plans. Now first thing I will have to say is that while I was disappointed that I didn't get the job, I realised that I wasn't as upset as I thought I would be.

Yes; I was slightly pissed for a day or two after the news, but then I got some perspective. Maybe it had to do with my good friend pointing out to me the job would have been late shifts and/or overnight shifts (god help me!); or maybe it was just me maturing as a person; but it wasn't as heartbreaking as I thought it would be.

Why?

Quite possibly it's because I still am employed and despite the politics and some of the bullshit going on there; complaining about not getting my dream job is a first world problem. I mean, I'm employed in an essentially full time job doing a position that on a whole I quite enjoy doing. Compare this with the many millions of others in the world that's homeless, destitute or needing a helping hand while society ignores them as if they don't exist.

Perspective isn't it?

Anyway, what got me thinking about it was this link that I saw on the Huffington Post. While not directly related; it's to do with the stigma of doing things alone. 

It's well worth a read and pondering about. 

Take care everyone!

Life

So life has been busy and I've neglected my website. However, since I have crippled myself I have this week off (huzzah!) so I thought I might as well do some updating of this; and stick to the updating!

What can I say? I may or may not have crippled myself while up in Bendigo a few weeks ago; doing what I love up there (being a volunteer conductor on the trams there). Anyway; the good news is that it only appears to be a hairline fracture of the foot and not a full on fracture- so that's awesome!

Anyway what else is happening? Just working when I  can, spending heaps of times up in Bendigo that's about it. I'll have to get off my butt shortly and apply for a passport soon as the holiday is coming along. Should be awesome!

May the Fifth Be With you!

[Review] Coming Out to Play

One of my passions in life is sports. Regardless of the type I LOVE it- so as you can imagine I am very particular when I come across books- both fiction and non fiction- which features both sports but with a queer taste to it.

I'm not knowledgeable on football (hell when I say football I am usually meaning AFL!); but I was aware of the out football player Robbie Rogers; so when I came upon the fact that he had written an auto biography, I knew I was going to read it- it was just a matter of when! 

The appropriately titled Coming Out to Play was a very enjoyable read at all times; it was only after reading it and reflecting on it that I wanted to cry my eyes out at both Rogers' struggle with his sexuality; but the fact that when he accepted himself, he became "whole"- as cliched as this sounds; it's a fairly common feeling in the queer community after coming out.

As the LGTBI community becomes more visible and more accepted into the wider community; its stories like "Obbie Ogers" that needs to be told and shared; for every next door neighbour or friend of ours that are queer, it's also the visibility of high profile people sharing their experience that not only compliments Joe Blogs thoughts that "oh; them gays are alright fellows", but also shows to teenagers- well frankly anyone- that whatever path you choose to go down, people will still love you for who you are!

What also needs to be said about this auto-biography is that Rogers' passion for football really show. From childhood he was a lad crazy about football and a lot of other sports and to this day he still is.

If you want a read that is about passion, identity and loving oneself, this is a auto-bio I highly recommend for you.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Crazy Month of January

So my crazy month of January is finally over- well 6 days ago really.

How crazy do you ask?

Well, in the five (roughly) weeks of the month, over the course of 3 of them I averaged 60 hours of both work and volunteerism (sadly not in Bendigo, which I will always enjoy doing!) 60 hours you say? Well my average working week at Big Dub is approximately 38 hours, this was followed in the first week of the month by 30 hours as customer slavice as my friend would refer to it, 32 roughly in the second last week of the month due to sheepel counting at the tennis and the second week of the tennis was roughly about the same, give or take.

Do I regret any of it? Not really to be honest. I mean; admittedly I did loose a lot of the pay from the other jobs to tax, but such is life and I do enjoy doing those jobs. Yes, money is nice and good, however I enjoy what I do and I take extreme pride in what I do.

Anyway, things are very slowly getting back to normal for me. I still have my good friends, a luncheon on the tramcar restaurant with a close friend to look forward to and of souse, time in Bendigo.

Hopefully from now on I'll also have more time to work on my website.

Sunday- the dumping day of soft news by the PTV

As most people are aware (consciously or not), Friday is usually the traditional dumping ground of news that government departments etc want quietly swept under the rug due to the new cycle and hoping that the community misses it.  However, it seems that the PTV and the Victorian Liberal government is doing the damnedest to make sure that Sundays are now their dumping ground.  

The case in point is the "news update" that the PTV has uploaded on their website today (21st September) simply entitled  1 January 2015 Fare Changes (http://ptv.vic.gov.au/1-january-2015-fare-changes/).

With the "brilliant" and "eye catching" mini banner touting "More Affordable Public Transport" by the way of the "Free Tram Zone" and "Travel in Zones 1+2 for the Price of Zone 1 Fare", the devil is in the detail of this update.

The delightful PTV banner touting the changes

The first detail worth mention is the actual physical layout of the Free Tram Zone (FTZ). Traditionally speaking, in recent years the trams have considered the area bounded by Melbourne University, Queen Victoria Market (both Elizabeth Street and Victoria Street), Docklands, the Casino, Domain Interchange and Flinders Street up to Spring Street and the Batman Street extension as the CBD area. With this announcement it's worth noting the following:

• The FTZ on Swanston Street ends at Melbourne Central/LaTrobe Street- how many uni students will be (quite rightly) caught out fare evading based on their claims they didn't know it ended there?
• The Spencer Street  corridor ends at Batman Park and NOT at the Casino/MCEC stop- a bit random in my mind as to why the one stop difference?
• The middle of the city FTZ corridor ends at Flinders Street and Queens Bridge (under the rail viaduct) and not the Casino East- again why the change to the status quo?
• The Southern Swanston St FTZ ends at the major interchange of the Flinders St/Federation Square tram/train connection- the only possible reason for this is to stop the possible increase of fare evasion of people "forgetting" to touch on if the FTZ was through to Domain Interchange.

It is quite interesting to note the FAQ section on the PTV website about the FTZ notes that if you are travelling beyond the FTZ you still have to touch on (which is fare enough). And this would support the reasoning of why some of the corridors end where they do. After all- based on the information provided, people transferring between modals at Flinders Street/Federation Square, Melbourne Central/La Trobe Street and Southern Cross/Spencer Street/Collins Street (towards Clarendon St and the St Kilda Light Rail), will still need to touch on and if they're using the early bird Myki fare (finish travel before 0715 on a metropolitan train service); they will still be paying at least one fare and not "double dipping free loading".

Call my cynical, but this to me reads like a half arsed attempt by the PTV and the current Liberal government to grab votes of public transport users. A more successful attempt at making public transport a viable means is what is undertaken in South East Queensland with the TransLink Go Card System. I'll do a post specifically about this shortly, but in a nutshell their system (which admittedly is a distance/time based rather then Melbourne's zone/time based) has the user paying for 9 trips in a Monday to Sunday week, and then the rest of the trips are free. Now I took advantage of this recently and took a few trips from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and not paying for these trips helped my budget quite a bit (but I digress).

The second part of the PTV announcement is the Zone 2 will be the same price as Zone 1 fares. In a nutshell- vote grabbing, artificial growth stunt.

I'll post some quotes from the article below to let you, the reader, judge what I think are the "highlights"

“For customers travelling with a myki pass, from 1 January 2015, Zone 1 passes will no longer be sold. Instead you will be able to purchase a Zone 1 and 2 myki pass, which will cost the same as a Zone 1 pass.

Important note for customers purchasing a myki pass

To ensure you get the full benefit of the change, we encourage you to buy your new Zone 1 and 2 myki pass on or after 1 January 2015.

Until then, top up your myki to New Year’s Eve or the start of your Christmas holiday, then come back and travel with us in 2015, with a new pass and more savings in your pocket.”

— http://ptv.vic.gov.au/1-january-2015-fare-changes/

“13. Why do I need to buy a Zone 1 and 2 myki pass if I’m only being charged a Zone 1 fare?

Zones across Melbourne are not changing – what is changing is that travel across Zones 1 and 2 will be charged a Zone 1 fare from 1 January 2015.

Not everyone travels across Zones 1 and 2 and people who travel only within Zone 2 will continue to get access to the cheaper Zone 2 fare.

”

— http://ptv.vic.gov.au/1-january-2015-fare-changes/

I am a firm believer in making public transport more accessible and the system easier for people to use. That is why I like the Brisbane modal; it's simple (though possible slightly expensive), trustworthy and rewards the user for using it.

As for Melbourne?

The Myki system has become that barstardised and that weak, it's unreliable at best and at worst it's confusing. And it  doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon

Sandown 500

So today I went for the first time ever to Sandown 500, with a mate who's an uber Holden man (though apparently so am I according to him!)

Anyway, despite both of us getting sunburnt and our faces on TV, the day was quite enjoyable. For me, it's not just the sport of V8s, but the entire atmosphere is what makes it so amazing. Heaps of car lovers in the one space, watching and supporting their teams.

If you're lucky enough, you can score a great spot to watch the race (we got the Dandenong Road bend which was awesome!)

I'll leave you all with a picture; just to show you at one point how close we were to the racetrack!

The safety car and the course car- two sexy looking cars

[Mini Review] The Strain (TV Series)

Just a few quick words about the new FX show The Strain based on the novel of the same title.

Now I haven't been a big vampire fan (I was forced to watch Twilight and got hooked on those films) but the previews of a virus on a plane got me hooked enough to Google the show and novel, and do a bit of digging as well as purchasing the novel.

After seeing 3 episodes so far; The Strain is one show that I am quite enjoying and I think I continue to do so (unlike The Last Ship for example).

Why?

The acting is quite good, the writing sharp and effective and the vampires are very interesting (and frankly quite scary).

I'll do another post later describing more, but I would highly recommend it if you're a vampire fan- as well as if you're fan of drama/horror which makes you think, squirm and is slightly campy in a good way.

Twists n Turns- Deliciously camp, with a hint of cabtastic and a dash of cabgasm!

They say no one is perfect,  but young Matt Mitcham may just be such a thing despite past indiscretions.

In the week up to seeing the show,  I immersed myself by rereading his memoir and constantly tweeting my excitement (and no I'm not employed by him, just an eager squealing fan boi!) Rereading the memoir was a helpful thing as I was interested to see what could be condensed into a one hour intimate cabaret show. And like a book to film adaptation,  you ask yourself which was better and if the adaptation was a success?

The answer is a resounding hells yes!

The most moving thing for me was the fact that Mitcham not only personified his depression in a form of a self hating bitter queen,  but he successfully avoided the old cliché of the black dog. Too long has depression been personified as such and thus in my opinion had its meaning decreased. The fact is his depression is a central "character" in his life story thus far;  by having it on stage and so central,  it places a high focus on mental illness and thus encourages a greater focus on it.

But enough of that; that's just but one part of its awesomeness.

For an individual who (I'm assuming) has little vocal training, boy can this man sing! I hadn't viewed his YouTube channel before heading into the show, so hearing him sing was certainly a first for me. I'm no expert,  but his vocals were very soothing and enjoyable to listen to.

I must highlight right now the mention/ performance of his gold medal winning performance at Beijing 2008. It's hard to describe the magic of not only his vocals,  but his interpretive dance style. All I can say is that it reminded me of the musical style of the alternative band Antony and the Johnsons; but more specifically their collaborative presentation Swanlights (which has only been performed 3 times in the world).

It's hard to really describe the rest of the show except to say bravo! You'll have a wonderful time seeing Matt bringing his memoir to the stage; while not essential I would highly recommend reading it before seeing the show.

Now when's the next performance- I'm off to see it again!

Road trip anyone?

[Review] Political Animals the Miniseries (First 3 episodes)

So I've been sick for the last week and a bit, but more specifically I've had a few days off work the last few days and I've decided to catch up on a few shows that have interested me- one a recently premiered and already cancelled show Enlisted (which I shall review in another post) and the other a 2012 political miniseries.

Created and developed by the producer Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters, Life As We Know It), Political Animals is essentially a fig leave for Belanti's fictional take on what then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton might have gone through during her time as the U.S's top diplomat.

Note the word fiction!

While it is easy to say that it was an imaginative idea to begin with, Berlanti does freshen the premise up having strong writing, performances by his cast as well as brilliantly what if propositions; such as the first gay child of a sitting president (pre-series). This plot has repercussions in the series; and from what I've seen so far, is a very moving story but yet also tragic as you can see this happening.

Apart from Berlantis' writing, the cast is the strong point. You have Sigourney Weaver as the lead Elaine Barrish; she gives a magnificent performance in any scene and you have no doubt that Weaver IS Barrish, and you also have no doubt why she still has a career. So far I will also single out Sebastian Stan as Elaine oldest son (by 3 minutes) and openly gay TJ. It is his performance and nuances to TJ that makes you blled for him; despite certain actions of the character.

I'll review more later- I have sort of started episode 4 (of 6), and had to turn it off because I was falling asleep. But from the tiny bit I saw of it; it looks like we shall be having a TJ episode.

Huzzah! 

Political Animals is rated M and is out on DVD now at JB Hi Fi ($19.98)