Archive for January, 2010

27 July 2008

January 31st, 2010

More pictures from our wedding in Sydney, courtesy of Ines :)

Before the ceremony:

Changing habits.

January 31st, 2010

I get annoyed very easily these days. I realised it’s time to detoxify my day, so I can identify which things make life worthwhile, and which are not worth paying a second thought (or even a first, if I can manage to train myself well to streamline my thoughts).

Detox. Change habits.
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Reply from NSW Transport

January 28th, 2010

So I wrote to NSW Transport to vent my frustration about my flimsy paper ticket, and they wrote back today:

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I am responding to your feedback logged with Transport Info in regard to the quality of transport paper tickets.

I note that you normally purchase a weekly yellow TravelPass. These passes can be purchased from CityRail stations, Sydney Ferries tickets offices and Sydney Buses TransitShops or ticket agents.

If the ticket becomes faulty or damaged, as long as the expiry date is clearly legible, you can normally use it as a “flash pass” to board your service of choice. If you wish to provide me with your postal address, I would be happy to send you a plastic ticket holder to help protect your ticket.

Alternatively, you may wish to consider purchasing a quarterly or yearly yellow TravelPass. These tickets offer additional discounts and if you purchase one from us, Sydney Buses, you will be issued with a plastic coated magnetic ticket which are more resilient to everyday use.

Please click on the attached link for details on how to order quarterly or yearly TravelPasses -

http://www.sydneybuses.info/tickets/combined-tickets/travelpass.htm

As you may be aware, the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation (PTTC) terminated the Tcard contract with Integrated Ticketing Systems Limited (ITSL) on 23 January, 2008. This cancellation brought a temporary halt to the introduction of a “smart card” ticket payment system. However, the government is committed to providing an integrated ticketing system and State Transit looks forward to being a part of this.

I hope this information is of assistance to you. Thank you for taking the time to bring your comments to our attention.

Yours sincerely,

(name)
STA Customer Relations

Tennis in Melbourne 2010

January 27th, 2010

Such were Penelope’sprojections for how the 4th round onwards would go in the Australian Open (21 January onwards). Let’s see how many I got wrong.

In the 4th Round, my mistakes were 7 players: Haas, Verdasco, Del Potro, Clijsters, Safina, Jankovic and Hantuchova. Instead there are Tsonga, Hewitt, Cilic, Petrova, Wickmayer, Zheng and Na. So in Top 16 in each category, I batted 81.25%. Not bad.

Hence in the Quarterfinal, I only got Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Roddick, Henin and the Williams sisters correct. For the mens’ I got 50%, while in the womens’ I got 37.5%. Horrible.

Now in the top 4, there are Federer, Murray, Cilic and Djokovic (assuming I’m right that he beats Tsonga tonight); Serena Williams, Henin, Zheng and Na. Mens’ 75%, Womens’ 50%.

So all that’s left to guess is the top 2. For the mens’, I previously picked Del Potro, but now to update this I pick Federer and Murray. For the womens’ I originally picked Venus, but with her out I now I pick Serena and Justine.

And who to win? I’ll say Federer and Justine.

Unfortunate.

January 27th, 2010

Perhaps it’s my blabbering about ferries that have got me unlucky today. I put my sheets in the wash, then thought, may as well put in my jumper in. It was a bit chilly one day during the past week, and the one time I use a jumper, I put in my travelpass in its pocket.

And so what remains of my flimsy paper 50 dollar travelpass is a pulp :(

Commuter

January 20th, 2010

I’ve always been a commuter. I never got to take a driver’s test in the Philippines, and I’ve gone through
two student permits. I’ve driven a few times with my father, and that’s it. I never felt the need to drive, I was never motivated. But it is somewhat a regret that I have no license to, because it makes me feel juvenile when I have nothing to show when asked. On many occasions, I’ve been looked down upon for not having a license. On one rare occasion, I was told I was adorably peculiar, but nonetheless, ibreceived a lengthy lecture afterwards about driving being a handy skill to have but it’s no good unless you have the license to actually drive. Hehe, point well taken.

Anyhow, not having a license to drive then makes me the eternal commuter. It isn’t without its perks, as my dad says, you have other people to take you were you need to be, and no worries about your own vehicle. Of course, though I agree with these points, I do think that at or point, owning a vehicle will have the benefit of flexibility and convenience. For sure this will be a matter to consider seriously especially when we settle down permanently somewhere.

In my 3.4 years in Sydney, I’ve taken ‘luxury’ in using public transport. Buses within and across suburbs, trains to and from the outskirts of the city, ferries to coast along the large Harbour and the rivercat to and from Parramatta.
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