Tiger Airways

I was mostly impressed. Except the strict flight closure 45 minues before take off.

Hrmph!

I'm a frequent traveller, but I've never flown Jetstar so I can't compare it with that particular budget airline. The staff are still learning the ropes so their safety instructions weren't smoothly read. Fine by me. The flight was smooth, the seats were comfortable the staff were helpful enough.

My feet touched the headrest in front of me. Which could have been a problem if I'd been sitting in that seat for 12 hours, but a short domestic flight is a non issue. I was pretty impressed with the seats - very wide and comfortable.

All in all it's a thumbs up from me. It certainly was not a "never again" experience.

And it seems the competitors are feeling the pinch already.

Whatever happens it's great to see holidays becoming more affordable for all and some great destinations being rediscovered and being up for a few extra tourist dollars.

“Tiger will increase direct access to and from Melbourne for locals and visitors by over 1,000 seats per week.”

“This is great news for the regional economy, great news for the tourism industry and great news for the budget conscious traveller.”

Last night, my flight was full of sunburnt Melbournians who hadn't had a holiday in years.

Spring Racing Carnival

This year is my first year! I am only attending Cup day however. I can't do them all for lack of funds/outfits/days off. Apparently you used to pay $9 to enter Flemington and had access to all areas. Now $50 will only get you onto the plebian grassy nole!

Increasingly, the Melbourne Cup seems more like a day for celebrities, models, sports stars and CEOs to be pampered and fawned over in the most lavish settings possible.
Each year, the attention paid to the goings-on in the exclusive marquee area grows. Who's in, who's not, which celebrity is where, who's wearing what, and which marquee is the standout — that is, which cup sponsor is overindulging the beautiful people to the most extravagant degree.
The Birdcage is like a burgeoning gated community. It's enclosed, tidy and fiercely guarded. And like all gated communities, the Birdcage allows only a certain kind of person inside. Within its walls, a comfortable uniformity prevails and it's as if poverty never existed.

Having grown outwards in recent years, the Birdcage is now growing upwards — several marquees this year are multi-storey, and one has four levels and features a curved bridge over water features. The exterior of this marquee is meant to bring to mind the Doge's Palace in Venice.

Other fanciful features this year include a grand staircase, a stone water wall, a century-old palazzo gate and cypress hedges. One marquee has a two-storey chandelier with 1000 flowers, while another has a bar made from six tonnes of sculpted ice. WHAT!!

The airline Emirates reportedly spends $2 million on its marquee. This works out to about $2800 per guest. (It's one of modern life's sad ironies that the very people who can most readily afford fine food, drink and entertainment are the ones who most often don't have to pay for it.) The politics of envy is apparently a big no-no these days, so I'm sure the commentary of envy is frowned on too. But with the Birdcage culture growing more excessive by the year, it's time to call this what it is: obscene. The marquees, in playing games of one-upmanship, are indulging in an odious kind of extravagance porn. Private companies are free, of course, to spend money however they please. But this shouldn't stop us from saying that their sucking up to the beautiful people, their cloying desire to link celebrities to their brand, to overindulge the privileged and bask in the reflected glow, is over the top and repellent.

The larger the marquee village grows at Flemington, the longer the shadow it casts over the more simple, traditional and, dare I say it, egalitarian pleasures of cup day. The more the media turns its powerful gaze to what Jennifer Hawkins is wearing, which marquee is graced with her exquisite form, and what delectable morsels are passing her beautiful lips, the more the average person feels disconnected from an event they've grown up with.

There is no perfect golden age, of course. Cup day has always showed up disparities in wealth and privilege. In the event's early decades, the aristocracy and well-to-do were in the grandstand, which, according to a journalist writing in 1876, "thronged with all the fashion and beauty, and a good deal of the intelligence of the colonies". Those of more humble means, meanwhile, gathered on the Flat, which was free to the public until 1913.

So, yes, there were clear class divisions at the cup going back to its inception in 1861. But for everyone witnessing the great race there was still some commonality of experience. The rich and famous weren't spirited off to a gated community to indulge in an opulent, hedonistic, gastronomic orgy.

The Victoria Racing Club has no doubt gained a lot in sponsorship dollars and media attention from the rise and rise of the Birdcage. But the august club should be paying more attention to all that it is in danger of losing.

I am appalled and this year's Derby Day has turned into a gridge match between Hawkins and Gale. Get over it people. (Gale looked better on the day I think!)

Kate Waterhouse was the only one dressed appropriately in black and white for the occasion.
Does anyone else think that Lindy Klim looks like Posh Beckham these days?
And where do I start with these two? Just because it's Dior doesn't make it ok, ok Mrs Packer?

Death

It's been just over a week since Tose Proeski died. Who is he, why do I care?

Well that's irrelevant. The sad thing is that he was only 26 and died due to somebody else's stupidity.

We all spend our days chasing fortunes, fame and superficial status, yet life could end any day. No matter how great you are. I asked the question, why does God take great people so young, when we need them on earth to make this a better place and the answer I got was "to save them from this world before they have time to become messed up too".

We all think, no I won't get married yet, now is not the right time to have kids, no I won't give money to this, I'll just sleep in this Sunday and won't go to church. But how do you know it's not your last day and last chance to do that?

The Election

Last week the election was called. I am on team Rudd.

John Howard is old, ignorant, totally up himself (for unnecessary reasons in my humble opinion) and just way out of his depth.

Time for a change I say.

Ah, glorious days!

Today is a near perfect day if I may say so myself. The sun is shining, the housework is complete and I am sitting on my tiny little balcony planning my summer wardrobe. I thought the day that the coat came off would never come.

I am currently reading the November edition of UK Vogue, and two features got me thinking: "does your wardrobe match your life?"

NO! I am a corporate type, yet I only own 2 suits. I own about 3 pairs of perfect (Scanlan and Theodore of course) trousers and some knits and that's about as appropriate as it gets. I own far too many dresses that lack the occasion to be worn and too many shoes that I lovingly admire from a far. You know when you open the box in the morning, remove the issue paper and quickly close it again because you can't bring yourself to endure the pain of walking in them 600m to the tram stop. Sigh. I really need to start BUYING practical. I am really starting to have nothing to wear. But I'm a woman, I can get away with everything, right?

The second article that got me thinking was "what do you do with your time". I was actually discussing this with my boyfriend and we decided that we don't do anything productive as such.

Here is my typical day the last 6 months.

6.50am Alarm goes off.
7.15am Crawl out of bed, spend the next half hour brushing teeth, growling over bad hair, thumbing my cupboard for something half creative to wear and chucking on some make up. Attempt to make lunch.
7.47am Walk 600m to the tram stop, pick up newspaper from the letterbox.
8am Board tram, catch up on world's events from the last 24 hours by reading said paper
8.23am Arrive at work, eat breakfast and finish reading said paper
9am Meetings
9.30am Action emails.. yadda yadda yadda
1pm Eat lunch at desk, stepping outside is a no no, too many money spending temptations
5.35pm Leave work, catch tram home, read whilst riding said tram
6.15pm Arrive home
6.30 Gym for an hour or so. If not gym, cook or clean or purchase groceries.
10pm Clonk out.

Now I'm depressed. I need a new life. You know nothing I do in my days contributes to anything worth while, it does not make me grow by any means. Where do I start?

The return

I have decided to revive my old blog and will transfer my entries from myspace as time permits. Now that I am somewhat financially viable, I am going back to shopping and looking after myself as I had always intended. First up, a fabulous new cut and colour, and then the purchase of THE shoe of the season.

Behold:

Stop! Don't move!

That my friends, is my life. Packed into a few boxes.

I am petrified. I cannot believe that I am leaving.








The negatives:
Missing my brother. Missing him taking out his puberty on me. Missing his volleyball games, his early wake up knocks to take him to high jump training. Just missing him grow up in general.

I will also miss the sunshine, my dog, my bed, my parents, my friends and my way of life. I will miss not having to pay all the bills, all the time.

On the upside:

I will be with my beloved. We will cook, go on adventures, save for our own home, start a brand new chapter in our lives. I will become a lot stronger and will realise just how capable I am of coping with life. It will be a brand new start. Though I wish I was there to send him off on his 'first day', we will be together so he can send me off on mine. And we can't wait to crack open that Moet once all the boxes are unpacked. I also cannot wait for us to go to Adelaide and Tasmania together this year.

See how life works out, just the way you planned it? Haha, yeah right! If you had told me 12 months ago that in Feb 07 I would be doing this, I'd have stabbed you with a screw driver.

I'm vowing not to shop ever again though LOL. I have just. so. much. stuff. Really, I didn't find anything I've never worn, but geez, if I have so much stuff why does it feel like I never have anything to wear?

The move has not been easy. The decision was made so long ago, yet we never gave it much thought until pretty much now. The logistics have been a nightmare. We are sleeping on the floor for about 10 days as we can't get the keys to our place just yet. The removalists were meant to have picked up our things on Friday at 12noon. They showed up with no boxes. Came back again that afternoon when they weren't expected. Again rescheduled for 2pm, called at 11am to reschule for tonight at 630. My last Saturday night here and I have to wait for them? Not happening for us, is it? My work is also giving me hassles.

Please pray for us guys. Right now we need it. I've wanted to say no about 3 times already. I think I'm crazy to love somebody this much. Hope you agree. Ease my pain, please?