The Blog - The Archive

   Dare mo Inai Machi...

This morning I got off the train, happily listening to my iPod as I often do in such situations, and I was suddenly struck by how isolated these devices make us. Everyone on the platform was listening to something, an iPod, a cd player, some other sort of music. Those few people who were holding conversations were talking to no one, the headsets they were wearing the only sign that they weren't necessarily insane.

Even though I normally feel irritated when someone on the trains talks to me, within a few minutes I settle down and usually enjoy my conversations on public transport. But when I have my headphones on, no one talks to me. Everyone on that train station was lost in their own little bubbles of reality, and no one else was welcome.

In completely other news, my goodness peoples. 800 hits in four weeks? That's crazy! Who are you people? Talk to me, please! Let me know why on earth you read this site so regularly and that I'm not alone in this bubble.
*smiles*
'Wild Bill' is the winner of the little competition I was running too, having sent in the screenshot of number '9999'. I haven't found a fabulous prize yet, but I'll think about it on the weekend and post here when I figure something out. Congratulations!

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   Cosplayers in Space!...

It seems the next space tourist is a Gundam Wing fan, and is planning on wearing his favourite character costume when he is having fun upon the international space station. I have to say, that is the coolest thing ever.

The fourth space tourist to visit the International Space Station next October will be Char Aznable, ace fighter pilot from cult Japanese anime series Gundam.

Actually, it will be his human alter ego. Japanese businessman Daisuke Enomoto wants to wear Char's red costume during his eight-day stint aboard the ISS, as well as build a plastic replica of his hero, also known as the "Red Comet".
- NewScientist

Actually, I'd originally read that Char was an original character, but a quick google search reveals him to be an established character.

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   My life in pictures would be a drama worth millions...

Twice in the last 12 hours I've wished I was brave enough to draw my camera and document an experience. And I do regret my insecurity now.

Last night I got home very late from uni (I had been 'in the zone' and everything was working, so I didn't notice what time it was until I took a bathroom break and realised it was 7:30), and upon jumping off the train I found myself face to face with a film crew.

This wasn't an independent film, this was big and expensive, though whether they were making a movie or an ad for cityrail remains to be seen (but now that I think about it, I've never seen an ad for cityrail on tv). There were huge cameras about, and people holding chunky boom mikes, and security teams to direct passengers to walk around the other side of the platform, and guys with clipboards and headphones shouting orders.

And it looked like a lot of fun. As well as filming the next set of doors down from me (oh, that I'd sat a little further down the platform at Lidcombe) they also seemed to be filming the stairs from the platform, so maybe I ended up on film there. So I wish I was braver, and had asked what was going on and took photos to show off here. (I ought to have taken photos back when we saw them filming the superman movie too.)

The other thing I wished I had documented was a car accident this morning. I didn't see the accident, but I must have only missed it by a few minutes, as we drove past that spot ten minutes before I walked there and the intersection (burwood rd and railway pde, Burwood) had been mostly clear (there were some construction work at one of the cafes on the corner).

But when I walked up to the station a few minutes later, a truck and a small car had been smushed together. (Keep in mind that we drive on the left hand side of the road here.) What had happened was that the truck (being a long beast with many steel rods piled up on the back) was turning left from the right lane (as it is allowed to do when there are two lanes and it is a big truck) and a little yellow car decided to race up the left of the truck and turn left too.

Of course, given that the truck was turning from the second lane so that it could cut the corner better, the little car was completely smushed on the left hand side, the driver's side window being smashed and the side of the car crumpled. However, given that the driver of that car had been able to climb out the passenger side, and that the ambulance was only there to treat people for shock, I really didn't feel bad about the thought of taking some photos, as it just seemed to be really interesting and the perspectives were great.

But at the same time, the police officer seemed rather grumpy, and I don't blame him given that this is one of the bigger intersections in Burwood (and right by the railway station so there's no way to detour people without sending them to Strathfield) and two lanes of the main road were now blocked by a very big truck. So I just walked on, and resolved to blog about it.

In completely unrelated news, I looked in the mirror this morning and decided that either I've lost weight or these clothes make me look less plump, as I really look rather attractive today.

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   Yeah, I know I ran out of trip stories to tell...

But Hawai'i was a lot of fun and I met a giant bloody turtle while snorkelling and nearly drowned trying to avoid swimming into him.

This comic reminds me of someone I love.

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