The Graduate

The lad done well, and graduated easily with now Master's degree in Food Science and Technology. I am looking at envelope that contained details for attendance at the event and after his identify number at RMIT, it says "Name on Testamur". I have no idea what this word means, but I suppose related to testament. One of you edjicated types will know, I am sure.

Phyllis indicated the event was from 1pm to 5pm. That can't be. We trammed and trained our way there, and as usual his organisation for meeting people was chaotic. It was hot and I told them to buzz off while I bought an iced coffee. They reappeared both with bahn mi in their hands to eat as we walked across the Bourke Street bridge at the northern end of Southern Cross Station. We met with Miss capital of Peru and another of his friends. I am old and have old manners, which means you don't eat food while you are walking in public, but I didn't really notice it. 

I did notice when Phyllis handed his not quite finished bahn mi to me, and disappeared with his friends to where he was supposed to be. "Kosov, you take this", which he did as he continued to eat his own bahn mi. "Onnndreww, I need to find the tickets in my bag. Hold one of the bahn mi". It was very busy but the queue with a bag check and even female purses were quickly checked. Sensibly Kosov suggested we sit at the back to make a quick exit. Oh gosh, the seats were hard plastic, and as the heat rose, so did the hardness of the seats. 

We sat there for the best part of an hour or more before anything happened, and then there was some singing and dancing, Kosov having already finished both bahn mi. Although the seats were reserved, that went out the window. People kept coming and going, bringing in fried food and whatever. It is odd that so many had not eaten before attending. I'll keep my old fashioned thoughts about eating in public to myself.

Eventually things began, with speeches, none of which I could properly hear, so I am unsure why an indigenous person teared up when receiving a doctorate or something like that. Speakers are not honoured by audience silence as they speak? Apparently not, again I am out of step with modern behaviour.

Eventually the handing out of certificates began, sometime after 3.30. They were grouped by what type of degree they were awarded. This was really well done. Their names were displayed on a screen just before they reached the official to receive their certificate, as the person giving our the certificates tipped his hat to them upon their approach. They turned to face a camera, snapped, and off they went. 

As soon as I saw Phyllis receive his award, I was out of there. Shortly after, Kosov came out. I was going home and Kosov would go back in to wait for Phyllis. My hard walk to get to the 58 tram in the heat was fine, if exhausting. By the time Phyllis and Kosov left, the area was so crowded with people leaving the venue, they were just slowly shuffling forward.

Any wise person would have caught public transport to the venue but many had booked parking at a nearby commercial carpark. They arrived, and according to morning radio the next day, the car park was full. People were exiting trying to tell people entering that there was no parking. If you are not going to use public transport, then wouldn't paying $40 for a guaranteed parking space be a good idea? It seems not. What a disgrace. 

My cunning plan for next year when Kosov graduates is arrive at 3.30, stand at the back to see him receive his award and then bolt. 

I don't have a huge criticism of the organisation of the event. Docklands Stadium can hold around 60,000 people. The two lower tiers of the stadium were full, and the top level about 1/3 full, so say something around 40,000 spectators, two hundred staff and faculty, one hundred performers, plus the graduates. The multiple viewing screens were excellent. 

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a huge college, with campuses all over the world. In my estimate, 80% of the RMIT graduates were from the Indian subcontinent, 5% white Australian, 10% South East Asian and Chinese, and the remainder 'others'.

It was a very interesting experience, and many of graduates and audience were dressed to the nines.

Her are a few snaps. 

Tipping the hat to each new graduate. 

  

I expect I may have to correct a few things tomorrow in this post. 

Friday Funny, or maybe not

If you have an active cat, you will get this video. On the face of it, it is amusing. But it doesn't take a third view to see how it is either faked or AI. Can you pick up the fakery immediately?

Some time ago I innocently posted the photo below. Apparently there are similar cliff face beds available in Ireland, but this one in China was the one I saw online. The problem is, no one can give a precise location or booking details. It simply must be AI. Outdoor beds on the Emerald Isle is an amusing thought. Ireland is very green, for good reasons, and again without a location or booking details.

It is concerning that what we see online can be fake and we don't know it is fake. Once I master the art of fakery, I will show you how handsome I am. Camera filters can only do so much. 

Royal gays

You can be a gay royal without being a queen. 

Luisa Isabel Alvarez de Toledo y Maura, 21st Duchess of Medina Sidonia. Spanish.

Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, heir to the throne in the Netherlands, and it seems like she is gay. Should she wish to marry a same sex person, it has been clarified she is still eligible to rule the Netherlands. 

Lord Ivar Alexander Michael Mountbatten. Obviously English. 

These are ones widely known about. I am sure there are more. The post feels unfinished, my excuse being it was a big day yesterday as Phyllis graduated. Two and half hours of sitting on a hard plastic seat in 31/88 degree heat did me in. 

A filum

For some reason tonight I wanted to watch a disaster movie. Clearly not Towering Inferno, which I did see when it was released, before I lived in a tower, and I've seen Poseidon. Perhaps I should have watched Snakes on a Plane, or rewatched the original Jaws. This is possibly to avoid hearing anymore about our own Australian disaster of a couple of days ago. I feel emotionally drained. 

I consulted the oracle, aka Google, for a good disaster film, and I chose 2012. What a load of crap. I so want the featured family to die, and soon. The noise and loudness of the film is horrible, and I've turned it right down to a level where I cannot really hear the inane dialogue, but still it is loud. 

Better that I again watched Shelley die on a ship.

I'm in a bit of a mood tonight. Can you tell?

Transport Tuesday

We have some shiny new things in Melbourne, our new Metro underground rail tunnel and a new toll road, including a bridge over the Yarra River and a tunnel under the Maribyrnong River.

I've use the Metro tunnel a number of times since it opened. It works well but does have teething problems. Both incidents happened at Anzac Station, one with the train stopping short of the platform doors and having to move forward to align the train doors with the platform doors.

The second and more disturbing one was when the train I was travelling on stopped at Anzac Station, my local, and the train doors opened but the platform doors did not. Well, this is interesting. What will happen? I did not have to be anywhere soon and the worst case was the train would leave the station and I would end up in Malvern. While in the tunnel, the train is self driving, there is a driver to drive once out of the tunnel. Of course the driver and the staff along the platform would realise what was happening, and so they did. There is a green handle on the platform doors to open the doors, but after a few minutes, no one had used any of them, which is I guess like the olden days of pulling on the filthy and rusty emergency train chain, which would automatically apply the train brakes. There was a fear of interfering with the train. 

I was in the front carriage and there about three wheelchair passengers at the very front, and one of them must have opened the doors manually.  I used the exit they opened. Staff had ensured all were off who wanted to be off. I sat on a seat to see what evolved. The train doors closed and opened a couple of times. There were a couple of announcements, apologising for the delay. 

Ok, I was getting bored and as I started to walk away, there was announcement that a reset was underway and shortly after the platform doors opened. I was home ten minutes later and I saw on my phone that the train was mobile and then past South Yarra Station.

Yesterday I asked Phyllis and Kosov if they would like to try the new road tunnel and I would take them to the biggest large green shed they had ever seen. "Phyllis, I am driving through the new tunnel." It is probably the only time I will ever drive on the new road and tunnel. It is way too early, but the tunnel was dead quiet. Will this be a failed road project? I think the toll was just under $5. 

I missed seeing the big green shed as while it once stood out, it is now surrounded by other buildings. A zip around a roundabout had me in the other direction and finding the entrance. We bought what we had to, and then drove a couple of hundred metres to the supermarket where we bought food. 

I saw no need to use the same tunnel and road to return home as it would take longer, and cost another $5. Well, it may have been faster as even on a Monday, the Westgate Bridge and Freeway was congested. "Phyllis, you drive." I really don't like driving. I concentrated on the road guidance signs and still we nearly ended up in Williamstown. I think the signage at that point was very poor. 

State Library Station is rather confusing if you are lift user. I should try the escalators to how they work...well I did on opening day and the escalator failed and I had to walk up many stairs The problem is that most stations have a platform, concourse and street level, whereas State Library has a mezzanine level in between, making it three lifts to get to ground level, and none are next to each other. 

Here are a few photos of my travels.The entrance to Arden Station is nice.

With a great building opposite. I don't know what its use is. 

Photo separation problem above, and a linking problem here. 

A bus stop with no bus. I believe a new 421 bus route will begin next year and service this stop. 

Platform paving art. 

Rather nice art at State Library. 

Train doors auto opened, but platform doors did not.

Both sets of doors closed.

Train doors reopened, but platform doors remained closed. 

A terrible crime

I feel compelled to say something. I consider myself to be a decent person who is horrified by the death of many people at a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach. Did I read somewhere that Muslims are not a good fit in Australia? Perhaps someone analysed  crimes committed in Australia by race. Hmm...I think Jews would be quite low on the scale...Muslims, maybe not so much.

We need to remind ourselves that the majority of Muslims in Australia are peaceful people and are pleased to live in Australia, and become Australian citizens.

It only took hours for our conservative opposition party to start to pile on to our ruling Labor Party for not doing enough to protect Jews. I am not sure whether Australia has done enough. It has done plenty to protect Jewish Australians, but was it enough? I don't know, but it is way too early for the so called Liberal Party to attempt to take political advantage. Fuck off Opposition Leader, Ley. 

But what about that fucking cunt arsehole, the corrupt Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, with the blood of thousands of innocent people on his hands, lecture Australia about protecting our Jewish citizens. How dare he!

Monday Mural

Sami hosts Monday Mural, and I am joining with her.

Gedyes is a strange name. For once I will check some detail about the mural, to save Steve the bother.

Damian Cazaly fills in the blanks. I am inclined to agree with his opinion about the demise of the building. 

"Gedye’s Mills in Grattan Street, Prahran was a knitting mill operated by Vincent Gedye who was born in Melbourne in 1872. He lived at 20 Grattan St from 1903 to 1919 but continued operating his mills for many years after. Recently, the Mills have hosted many institutional businesses including Wooten Cordwainer and Leather Craftsmen and The Establishment Studios.

Unfortunately the beautiful old building was demolished in early 2020 for more high density living. Shame on those in the City of Stonnington that approved this destruction of history."

Sunday Supplement

There was a pesky mynah bird nearby, out of the reach of Jass and she did not like its presence. I've never heard a cat make this kind of noise before but have you?

The quiet life of a retired gentleman

Friday:

My fifth visit to the new Melbourne State Library station saw me finally work out how to get out and in without accidently going into the god awful Melbourne Central Station shopping centre. 

I bought a couple of things in the much more civilised QV shopping centre, and then walked down to Bourke Street, caught a tram one stop to Elizabeth Street and made my way up the steep hill to Corner and Bench for a chicken and coleslaw slider, and coffee of course. Gosh, I was a bit whacked, with the temperature at about 30/90.

I walked on to William Street to catch a 58 tram home, with a big gap between trams, and a friend from the country called. He was at Anzac Station and would I care to meet for coffee. He was outside my building when I arrived home, met Phyllis and Kosov and then assisted as P & K dragged and carried the old dishwasher down to the car and got it into the back of the car. Don't accelerate quickly Phyllis, or it will smash the back window. 

I took my friend across the road for coffee, which extended to an hour. Kosov messaged me to say the job was done. He called to ask if they could take the car to a shop, then Phyllis called to ask the same. Where, I asked where. Somewhere on the route 57 tram line. My friend found these messages and calls all highly amusing. They returned home after making the car back to normal, with a 12kg/26lb watermelon, plus a quarter of a watermelon, maybe 3kg. 

I heard a noise something like a key turning in the door lock. It happens when someone gets the wrong apartment number, or is trying to rob us. It was Jass, out on the landing scratching at the door. A neighbour had put a bowl of water and a bowl of food for her next to the door. She had slipped through someone's legs, not mine, and gotten out for what must have no longer than twenty minutes. I left a thank you note and quickly after, the bowls were gone when I went out again at 6.30 for dinner, with a note explaining that the person was concerned because of the heat, and their cat had once done the same. I think it was our neighbour to the front. 

I had to miss the building's Christmas barbeque because I had been invited out by my former workmate for dinner at Victoria's Swiss Club restaurant, Edelweiss. (Insert Mary Schneider yodelling clip) The meal was fine and the staff great. My friend had dined there before and was remembered by the delicious German waiter Michel. He was very sweet indeed and a right charmer. 

I could not believe how busy the city was, busier than daytime, I think,  heaving with people out on the warm night. All dining venues seemed packed and no doubt the hidden laneway bars were booming too. 

So, it is rather nice to be a retired gentleman with time to read Proust and Dostoevsky... maybe I'll make a start tomorrow. 

Did Jass think the old dishwasher should stay?