Thursday, June 28

Weather Blues


And to think, this is actually an improvement already as we've been having 5C and 6C days recently.

Yesterday was really dreadful, pissing down all day, really cold and windy. Today's marginally better with the sun peeking out once in a while.

I've been doing better on the work situation. Well, not exactly better. More like, if I don't think about it, it doesn't bother me. But at least a meltdown has been avoided. At least for now.

Yesterday I had the best news ever! Tiger Airways is going to fly to/from Melbourne beginning December this year! Woohoo! They're advertising flights for Melbourne-Singapore for just A$499/return! I want to book now.

Monday, June 25

Free Hugs


I like hugs. Free hugs are even better.

Hmm, this is exactly what's needed to de-stress.

Go here for the story.

Apparently, 07/07/07 is Free Hugs Day.
(well as deemed by the forum on the free hugs website anyway)

Thursday, June 21

Work Stress


Work has been progressively going from bad to worse.
I don't know what to do about my situation right now.
I'm slowly heading towards a breakdown or at the very least, a meltdown.
I need a break.
A year-long one.
Yeah, like that's going to happen.
I need to de-stress.

Four Eyed Monsters

I watched this indie film online last night with D. It was funny and very artsy. We both really liked it so I decided to post it here as well to help them promote the movie.


They've uploaded the entire film on YouTube for a limited time and are asking viewers to help with their credit card debt (incurred during the filming and production of the movie) by joining spout (free sign-up and the site will give them $1 for every person who joins) or buying a DVD or high quality download.

Learn more about their story here.

Monday, June 18

Living in a Ghetto

This happened this morning:

Photo: Craig Abraham

From The Australian:

One dead, two wounded in Melbourne CBD shooting
Milanda Rout
June 18, 2007

A HUGE manhunt is under way for a gunman who killed one person and injured two others in the heart of Melbourne's CBD this morning.

Much of the centre of Melbourne is in lockdown as police search for the gunman who fled on foot east of the city after the shooting.

Eyewitnesses saw the man drag a woman out of a cab on the corner of Flinders Lane and William Stree in the city just after 8am. Two bystanders apparently came to help the woman, only for the aggressor to pull a handgun and shoot all three.

A police spokesman said a male had died in the shooting and a man and a woman had been taken to hospital. Ambulance officers have placed a sheet over a body at the scene of the shooting, near the corner of Flinders Lane and William Street.

Cherie Harding, a worker in the Rialto building opposite the shooting scene, said several of her colleagues heard up to four shots. Ms Harding said she saw ambulances at the scene and stretchers being used to transport patients. “There are a few people here who heard them (gunshots),” she said.

Police said they were now searching for the gunman in Melbourne's city district. Ambulance spokesman James Howe earlier told of paramedics trying to resuscitate a critically injured victim at the scene. He believed the gunshot wounds were in the victims' upper bodies.

Melbourne's city centre was in shutdown as police searched the area for the gunman, with offices sealed off and people kept away from nearby workplaces.

Witness Carly, who is in the Rialto building on Collins Street, said people in her building had been told not to move. “We've just been told that none of our people who are waiting downstairs to come upstairs can come up,” Carly told 3AW. “They've blocked off all the access to the floors in our building because they're still looking for the shooter. “We're not allowed to go anywhere and no-one is allowed to come up into the building.” Carly said she had heard six or seven shots about 8.15am, coming from the corner of Flinders Lane and William Street.

Police Inspector Glenn Weir asked people in the area not to panic. “There is an extensive search underway to try and find the offender at the moment,” Insp Weir said. “There are numerous police attending to the search within the vicinity of the incident and there is a large cordon and containment operation underway as we speak. “We are just asking the public not to panic and assist police if requested and if you have no business being in the vicinity of Flinders Lane and William Street please keep out of the area.”

The gunman is described as wearing black jeans and a denim jacket, with short light brown hair. Inspector Weir said it appeared the gunman knew the victims. “There is no suggestion this is a random act - it appears there was a relation with the gunman and the victims, so we are asking people not to panic,” he told ABC radio.

Malcolm Bates, a witness, said before the shooting broke out the gunman grabbed a woman by the neck as she sat in a taxi, and tried to get into the vehicle. “The lady got away and he turned and shot three people basically point blank,” Mr Bates said. “I was right across the road.” He told ABC radio the gunman then ran down Flinders Lane toward the city centre. He said the whole scenario took no longer than “the wink of an eye”.

Police wearing bullet-proof vests were scouring the area, and police helicopters hovered overhead. Insp Weir said the last confirmed sighting of the gunman was east of the shooting scene, on Flinders Lane.

The Victoria Police homicide squad this morning took over the investigation as the police Special Operations Group joined the search for the gunman. Police have blocked off a number of city streets until further notice and have also begun evacuating some buildings.

Police said a handgun had been found a short time ago at a Melbourne city construction site near where the three people were shot.

The gun was found at the construction site on the corner of Flinders and Queens streets they said, but had yet to confirm if it was the one used in the shooting spree.

Watch the video.

_________

UPDATE: 20 June

Accused Melbourne gunman surrenders to police

OUTLAW Hells Angel shooting suspect Christopher Wayne Hudson has handed himself into police north of Melbourne after two days on the run.

He walked into a police station at Wallan, about 50 kilometres north of Melbourne, and handed himself in and is now in custody.

A police spokeswoman confirmed Hudson’s surrender about 5.10pm (AEST).

Read more from The Australian.



Thursday, June 14

First Proper Dinner

Two Sundays ago, D and I had our first proper sit-down dinner at our (not-so) new place. We invited D's brother, brother's girlfriend and D's pseudo brother R (pseudo because they're not related but D considers him his brother. R's been part of the family ever since they found him one day on the beach. Very long story.).

I cooked heaps (adobo, baked chicken wings, veggie stir fry and fried basa fillets) and D made a salad. Plus we bought a sour cherry pie from the bakery down the street. Lots of food for 5 people. It was yum though.

Anyway, it went quite well. We had a lot of laughs, lots of stories and lots of ribbing (brothers, after all).

Well, everything did go well until it was time to leave.

They had arrived around 7pm and we probably started eating at around 7.30. I was fully prepared for the dinner to go for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. So, imagine my surprise when, at 10 o'clock, the dinner did not show signs of winding down. Around 10.30, D started clearing the table and preparing the dishes to go into the dishwasher. By 11 o'clock, I kept glancing at the clock whilst D prepared their take home bag (we had heaps of leftover).

Finally, by 11.30, we had managed to get them going, put on their coats and out the door. Slight delay due to their car not having ANY OIL (another story. apparently brother does NOT know how to maintain cars.).

We got into bed slightly before 1am. On a Sunday night.

Now, don't get me wrong. We loved having them over. We discovered we actually like (and are good at) entertaining and having people over for dinner. Now, we just have to learn how to get them out the door earlier.

Wednesday, June 13

I'm Back (sort of)

So, after a month-long hiatus, I'm back to blogging.

Things have been hectic with the parents coming, watching heaps of Lost and Prison Break and just general not-doing-anything stuff.

To make up for the fact that I don't really have much to say today (too lazy to think of anything), I'm posting some pics from when the parents were here.



Sovereign Hill, Ballarat


Halls Gap, The Grampians


The Grampians


The Grampians


Great Ocean Road