It's currently 3:30pm on a Sunday and I'm hot spotting from my phone to my laptop downstairs in my room because upstairs is too hot and I'm too cheap to turn on air con. This is actually a first, being at home at this time. Apart from Sundays I take off for holidays, the only Sundays I have off are Easter Sunday or if Christmas falls on a Sunday, other public holidays we still open at work.
Another reason to hate summer-blackouts, especially on 40+ degree days. I actually don't mind working on hot days cause free air con at work. Although I may complain I don't want to work and just want to be a couch potato at home, because I can (for now), I still am grateful for being able to work so close to home, and on Sundays I get my own parking spot, and pays better on Sunday. Well, the whole shopping centre went into a blackout just after 2 (luckily finished some big sales earlier in the morning).
It's funny how when you don't have something you realise how dependent you are on it. Every time there's a blackout, nothing can work. Retail literally dies. If you saw my snap, it literally looked like a ghost town since inside is all dark, with stores all shut and not many people. Ended up leaving an hour earlier than normal. I know Woolies have back up generators, so they have some more lights which switch on, and lights to power their computers and eftpos machines/barcode readers, just all the displays are on minimal brightness. All stores also have emergency back up lights which come on if the main power is switched off or during black outs.
I actually don't really get too sad over anything that often, but do you know what's really morbid? Putting plastic over the open fridges at Woolies to prevent the cold from escaping too much. It sort of reminded me when people put a piece of tarp over a dead body. All that food and money potentially wasted if things aren't stored at that certain temp. What a waste of the farmers effort/people who made that stuff and then of course store loss as well if stuff goes off. It was too sad to take a photo off it. Doesn't help that the dim lighting matched those weird feels when they put massive pieces of plastic to cover their fridges. Goodbye wasted milk and melted ice cream...Their back up generators aren't powerful enough to power the fridges/freezers. They had people outside telling them they can't sell cold stuff only non perishables, baked goods and some fruit. Too many people turning on their air cons and blackout in the area around the shops. Even the petrol station closed.
My house is only going through brief periods of 1min black outs, not a long black out yet...But internet not working cause it's connected to some central place underground which is under a blackout. The shopping centre blackout ended up being fixed 2 hrs later (well after 4pm when most shops close). So I guess Woolies really needed to use plastic to retain the coolness from cold products for 2 hours. This happened last year on another 40+ degree day. On a hot day like this, I feel like a lot of stuff would go off, but maybe they have use some special cold insulating plastic...Hence another reason to not like summer because people overusing electricity→ blackouts→ no electricity→ fridges not working→ wasted meat/seafood/dairy products/food/melted ice cream→ wasting money and people's efforts.
Name me a job which doesn't require electricity. Retail literally dies. Like even if you're a farmer, you still need a phone or computer to keep track of stuff. Health related jobs still use computers to record stuff or equipment which needs to be charged. Toilets don't work, like at my local shops they have fancy Dyson taps and hand dryers, so water comes out using an electronic sensor. Luckily we have old school school/mechanical/normal taps at work so the optom had to go back to work to wash her hands. If you had an electric door at your house then you'll be locked out. Technology is good, but that depends on electricity. Everything depends on electricity in some way.
I love the week before Christmas, the week between Xmas and NYE, and week after new years. THE TRAFFIC IS SO GOOD. There are cars, but everything is moving and there's no traffic. The bus normally which is packed out is only less than a quarter full, buses arrive on time, less cars on the motorway, and where've I drive there is no traffic. Why can't everyone just continue going on holidays and kids not go to school? I think most people in corporate world would start work again this week if their companies have the whole forced leave thing. Back to uni this week and I know I'll definitely see the traffic literally build up.
The pre clinic quiz on Friday was pretty bad, but it's probably the first and last test you can fail without any 'life changing' consequences. Although I forgot to rebook it early and only 8am slots were left...
Ended up spending most of my last week of holidays not studying but going out or working. I am so, so rusty in all my techniques. This past month after research finished has gone by way too quickly. So much stuff to restudy or revise, and should stop being so yolo about it. Time to lug all my equipment to uni tmr.
Watched Coco the other day, and I love how it gives those nice happy feels at the end. Although it was more unpredictable for a Disney movie, but I like how their storylines are more complicated these days. They emailed saying there was a lecture after I booked movie tickets...so obviously wasn't going to waste money not watching a movie (but tickets for Coco are so cheap cause of school holidays!) Although I already feel behind on uni and it hasn't started...so many tabs within tabs, folders within folders of documents. I see what friends meant by something you write can be part of any of the three subjects...Maybe figure it out tmr morning on the bus.
Some food from the past week.
Home cooking from BW (greatly appreciated)
New Year lunch feast
Kit Kats!
Over 5 years, I've had a lot of different flavoured Kit Kats from generous friends who are willing to share one, or relatives who over buy for me. First time having Azuki (red bean) sandwich kit kats!
Japanese food
I went Japan last year, but even I didn't buy this much stuff for myself 😂 Thanks BW!
Chai Latte and Honey-first outside home ice cream of the year
Mum bought some collectable mint coins because it's my year (no where near as much as UK lunar mint coins)
Passage today at church was quite interesting, about how a group of children/youths were mocking a priest cause he was bold, there were 42 bears who ate the children...Never came across that passage before. Long story short, the punishment for sin is death, but we have Jesus who already died for us/takes our punishment (this is a super brief sentence summary).
The fireworks were pretty good this year, and they didn't stuff up the countdown on the ABC broadcast. So many colours, and different shade of colours, with more saturation. More different patterns as well, and I liked how the bridge was lit with rainbow colours. I think it would've looked good live, but I feel too old trying to go through crowds or even wait all day. Although you can get ticketed vantage viewing points so you don't have to stick with crowds or wait the whole time, I feel like that defeats the purpose of free fireworks. Sydney does do a pretty good display of fireworks.
Yesterday I thought I was the last one home at around 12:30am, turns out I was the first one home. I thought it was strange all the lights were off, turns out no one was home. Bro came back at 1:30am, and parents at 1:45am...It's so rare my dad can join and have fancy drinks at other people's homes, so I'm glad he could before he starts work again.
Time to put away my 2017 diary. Here's to less than 7 hours of sleep on weekdays, and study on weekends, and being stuck on buses.
I have yet to meet BW!! So wonderful to hear that things are going well (except for that blackout, that would have been the worst). It's always really sweet to hear how happy you are for your dad when he does things.
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