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Well I’m off to bed now. I’m not particularly tired because I accidentally dozed off between 8am-12pm, but with a sufficient amount of melatonin and laying dead still for a few hours I’m sure I’ll get there eventually…
4am wakeup 😟 very jam packed day. I’ll post unsolicited photos of train stations that stopped being train stations approx 5 decades ago tomorrow Arvo!
Enjoy your travels, Baku!
Does the melatonin help? I have a similar wakeup time in a couple of weeks.
Flights and accommodation booked for the other state 🕺
Watched the Buy Now documentary on Netflix. I don’t like the Netflix documentary style, but the message is still worth watching for. Am disgusted by how much waste we create. Not much we can do on an individual scale, and corporates and governments have no incentive to change anything. Consumption is profit. Economy above all else.
Finally got the cinnamon donut toothpaste half price… I don’t like it. It’s far too sickly sweet and doesn’t seem to clean very well. I’d be curious to try the Grants but I need fluoride
Is it the mint you can’t do, or were you just looking for cinnamon flavour? The samples of this toothpaste I ended up with have definitely got a cinnamon/mint flavour. Comes in two flavours, not sure about the other one.
I was a bit over the mint but didn’t want fruit flavour so tried cinnamon.
Thanks, I’ll see if I can find it
It’s been a long time since I’ve had cinnamon toothpaste but I remember it as quite nice
This flavour (fragrant mint) has an interesting minty floral kinda jasmine-like taste, another option!
My foot has swelled a bit over the past few days. Probably a mild sprain. I should be more careful, feet seem to take ages to heal.
I sprained my ankle real bad my first night in Barcelona. Couldn’t weight bare for 3 weeks. Even after that it was still real sore and hard to walk around. Would not recommend.
bandage, cold , put it up , rest
and hugs 🫂
Tickets to Singapore and Tokyo have been booked, AWWW YISSSS
Shit yeah, you go!
Yay! I’m hopeful going to Japan next year and I’m looking forward to Daiso and all their competitors. So much interesting shit to buy.
Enjoy your holiday!!!
Take me in a suitcase, pls.
Sure, on the way there, but on the way back you gotta find your own way because I am planning on bringing back enough Mofusand stuff to shame myself.
eee! eat all the gyoza for us.
I’ll post pics!
Yeeeee!!! When are you going?
Going to Singapore to 31/12 and then Tokyo a couple of days after that! Much excite!
Oooh fun start to the new year! Be prepared for the huge temperature difference haha. Today would be a cool day in Singapore…
I do not miss little flies. Ugh.
Hate fly season. Blowfly flew into house today. Managed to chase it out thankfully.
Went for a walk along the beach yesterday morning and URG, everyone constantly doing the Great Australian Wave because of the little fuckers.
80% humidity, vom. I have just remembered the Dry function on my AC so that’s getting cranked up while I finally sit down and eat something - had nothing but a coffee and a handful of soy crisps all day, no wonder I feel like death.
Bed has been remantled, along with painstakingly working out which slat goes where; suitcase of Immediate Clothes unpacked, and towels and sheets. Everything given a good vac along with the bag and filters replaced. Printer sold.
Need to unpack the boxes with pots and pans and just shove stuff somewhere for now. Then boil some pasta and I think that’s it for today. zzzz
Number your slats. Seriously.
I misread that the first time around… I normally name them but okay
Well after a certain point you can run out of inspiration
Did it this time. Really wished I’d done it the last time. Might end up turfing this bed frame anyway…
Done!
Time to learn a couple of new songs.
First on the list is “Orestes - A Perfect Circle (Acoustic demo)”
Done!
edit: alright, music is done, vocal is rough but in time. Solid enough to practice without needing the sheet music.
Next is “Right where it belongs - Nine Inch Nails”.
And I figured out how to deal with the subtle racism when looking for a band. I changed my profile photo to me playing at a gig lol
Yass, giving me life!
🙂
Back to Melbs today.
Have to leave behind the fence jumper Winston who just had a bath by his owners and here he is a few minutes later in my place rolling around in dirt:
Good boy Winston 🐶
So just wondering, how do you guys keep cool during the hot days (especially when it’s in the 40s) without A/C?
It’s been so long at this point since I lived in the country without A/C that I’ve kind of forgotten how to do the do. I don’t pay the power bill, so at the moment I have pretty much zero hesitation about turning the air con on the night before hot days to keep the house cool. But once I move, I will start paying for my own utilities, and in any case, the house doesn’t have a splitty or anything, just a single gas heater in the living room
The only thing that’s coming to mind is a wet towel draped over a pedestal fan or two. I’d prefer not to buy one of those portable ones with the pipe that goes out the window because in my experience they usually just end up heating the space it’s in, with the only cooling being the air it blows out (mike used to radiate heat out the sides like mad). And I’m a bit concerned with energy efficiency
I lived without cooling for a long time. You can have icypoles or freeze a little water in the bottom of your water bottle so it stays cold.
Also you can wring out a T-shirt or a bandana in cool water and put it on. The water will pull heat out of you. When it gets warm rewring it with cool water.
Watch your environment too - if there are any windows that face the sun that will heat up that room and probably the rest of the house. Closing the blinds helps but putting cheap blackout curtains over that is another barrier to keep the house cooler. Taping foil over the windows looks bad but that really helps a lot.
Also if it gets cooler overnight let the cool air flow through by opening two opposite windows/doors in whatever way is safest. Then once cool seal up the house before morning and keep the hot sun/outside air out.
ZOOPER DOOPERS ♥️♥️♥️
We couldn’t afford them when I was young. I’m going to indulge on behalf of past me
I’m not sure I’ll be able to safely leave the windows open, as they’re all outwards opening and open from the bottom. You could probably get in relatively easy, as it’s all ground level. But while I’m awake it should be right
I keep the screen doors locked with the wooden doors cracked
I have a very old air con so I only put it on for days like yesterday. I look at the weather ahead of time. Do everything in the cooler days. Exert no sudden moves on the hot days.
Go full sloth mode, ay?
Yes
As someone who’s kind of done it all and lived mostly without aircon… What I have found helpful:
- Everything closed up, even doors inside, especially if the sun is on one part of the dwelling, during the day. Keep the doors closed between the hottest rooms if possible.
- Car sunscreens on the window have helped reduced the heat a little.
- Open up windows at night if possible and cooler outside, although sometimes ambient heat make it challenging.
- Portable fan on the body when sleeping. As someone that used to not be able to sleep with the sound of fans, the day I finally could, this was a game changer. It kept me cool enough to sleep.
- A comfortable foam mattress to sleep on the floor of another room if the bedroom is too hot. Heat rises, so it will be cooler closer to the floor. (This I can’t recommend enough. A few nights of restlessness in the heat is enough to make anyone batty.)
I’ve had portable units from evaporators to vented aircons. The cool air from a portable aircon is an amazing, but my unit was noisy as all hell and made it hard to sleep.
Thanks Llab! Super helpful, especially the foam mattress idea. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of that. Lounge rooms in my experience are often the only places air conditioned, so sleeping out there makes sense. And a foam mattress is certainly a lot more comfortable than the couch!
And I actually can’t sleep without the sound of a fan on. I pretty much have a fan running 24/7, although these days I use an air purifier rather than a fan. When I go to hotels, I play white noise if there isn’t a fan
be active in the early morning and evening, rest during the day
take a tepid shower, dress cool and loose
Oh yeah, you’ve just reminded me, when we lived in the country, we used to wet our heads under cold water and sleep with a wet pillowcase or towel on our neck/head. We had a long hair cat for a while, and on the super hot days we used to give it a bath in lukewarm water to stop it from getting too hot
I rub the cats down with ice cubes. Some like this more than others. Have you got any of those first aid hot/cold gel things? A frozen one of those on your head or neck looks dorky but feels amazing.
No first aid kit as yet, but once I settle in and have the super essentials sorted, I’ll buy a fire extinguisher and first aid kit
May I recommend a super basic sewing kit too? You’ll save a shit ton of money if you can do basic clothing repairs. And a hammer.
And a pair of pliers.
A cheap tool set would cover a lot of bases and provide a storage box
Pretty sure he builds computers, so that and screwdrivers are likely covered already
No splitty is gonna suck :( I would do everything you can to reduce humidity. Get a squeegee for the shower, shower early in the morning, do clothes drying and automatic dishwashing the day before if possible. Fill up ice trays for smoothies and iced coffee too.
I think one of the most underrated things about living by myself is having cold water always available in the fridge, and ice cubes always available, too. At the last place we did have a water jug in the fridge and many ice cubes trays, but nobody gave a shit and would never replenish what they use. It fucking sucked on hot days
Not answering your question with this but I just want to say again how excited I am that you’re moving out to your own digs 😄 Having nobody fuck with your pantry and fridge items is THE BEST
THANK YOU! It really is! I’ve been by myself for quite a few months now, so it’s not super new, but it’ll be great to know that people can’t mess with my home environment anymore
(Side note: the new house is in what I reckon is a better area. My current area is very posh, but there’s not really anything to be walked to. There is a small supermarket within walking distance, but it’s 15 minutes up a steep hill. There’s also a yuppy cafe, but they charge $6 for coffee and $12 for a croissant. This new area has a train station, bus stop, library, like 10 indian restaurants, a pharmacy, etc etc all within a 10 minute walk)
Oooh this is all coming up Baku! New place defo sounds way more useful for you and in case the house gets hot or uncomfortable or whatever you’ve got plenty of other good places to hang out at and explore, this is excellent. Posh area only sounds nicer if you have a bougie house and a car. Yay!!
Ohhhh good point, I can always duck down to the library on uber hot days! I think it’s open on weekends, too!
Agree on the bougie areas. Unfortunately I don’t drive/have a car, and we probably have the worst house in the suburb (through decades of lack of adequate maintenance, it’s pretty much falling down and half the wood’s rotted at this point)
Also, it’s just very sterile. Most of the houses are white double decker things, most of the cars are white, and most of the people here are very up themselves with a ton of inherited wealth and property. It’s been an interesting experience to live with maybe the 10%, but I think I got in far better with the less pure feeling area I’m moving to
Oh lord I know the kind of suburb you’re talking about. Ugh. It’s time for you to truly experience society and life as an independent human, on your own terms, not just one stuck under care. This new suburb sounds like it’s much better suited for that
Definitely make use of free air-conditioning as much as you can on the hot days! If a hot day falls on cheap movie night and there’s a cinema nearby, that’s a nice option too.
All the best with the move, keep us updated! We’ve missed having you around here
If it’s not too humid then you can go a long way by shutting down windows/doors/blinds during the day and opening up in the dead of night. I used to have a little portable evap cooler - a fan with a water reservior. Pop some ice water in that and sit in front and it can make everything bearable. No idea what they cost these days (I think we got ours as a hand me down anyway).
If it’s hot and humid (less likely down here but lately I have noticed it more and more), normal fan and open windows is key -get that air moving. And embrace the siesta!
Thanks! I avoid opening the windows here because we don’t have fly screens, and I’d rather be a bit stuffy than deal with bugs and creepy crawlies. The new place doesn’t either, but I’m definitely going to buy those removable sticky tape ones. Unfortunately outwards opening windows does mean that I can only really put them inside, which’ll look funky, but eh
The PO has flyscreens that work off magnetic tape and can be cut to size. Basically you outline the window frame with one half of the tape, then the flyscreen just sticks to the tape. Easily removable too. I’ve got these on my windows now, and I recommend.
Can i ask which brand? Will need this for my current place as well - flyscreens on kitchen and bathroom windows but not the lounge and bedroom weirdly enough.
Called “Magic Mesh” Magnetic Window Screen. Pack of 1 window costs about $15. Fits windows up to 139.7 by 91.4 cm size. No tools required except for scissors. Fits on wood, aluminium and vinyl window frames.
Bewdy. Thanks for that, saved on my to do list. Nothing like an endorsement from the Witch to save me from the sea of similar products out there with wildly varying reviews.
So, are you guys still doing your chores today or nah?
I think I’m going to do a couple and chill a bit. Yesterday I pretty much slept all day so didn’t really get to do any music
Edit: alright you guys convinced me not to be lazy. Vacuuming and washing done.
More cleaning then meal prep. It’ll feel better when I’m done and I can chill.
I’m vegging on the couch. Saw Cold Chisel last night and they were fantastic but I can’t do late nights like I used to.
Absolutely no time for chores next week and I want it to be relatively stress free, so it’s chores galore today. Future me will thank present me. There’s nothing like having a good night’s sleep on Sunday knowing you’ve got nothing to worry about :) whatcha making for meal prep?
You make valid points. I absolutely love a clean house.
I’m trying fried rice. It’s odd, I’ve worked in hospitality for years, I can cook really well. But if it’s just for me, it’s the basics like chicken and veggies or meat and veggies.
So I’m actually putting in effort in my meals now.
How about yourself?
Eh, I can totally understand putting in minimal effort with your own meals sometimes - when it’s just one person eating it and it’s just fuel for the work week, feels a bit much to put effort in all the time.
I haven’t unpacked my pots and pans yet or figured out how to make this tiny kitchen work. I’ve still got some food from the stuff I bought on Wednesday - specifically a box of vegan bolognaise sauce - I think that’ll be my lunch over the next three days with some pasta.
I don’t think I’ll be cooking in earnest until next weekend. This kitchen is such a downgrade lol. I used to cook during the week to help me distress sometimes, but I think I’ll be sticking mainly to weekend meal prep for the six months I’m here. Lots of beans and lentils in my pantry to use up.
It’s extra hard when you don’t have enough kitchen space.
I’ll be doing a downgrade in the next few months as well, and as much is I’m looking forward to a new area, I’m going to miss having so much space.
I guess sacrifices need to be made.
Hopefully you find a nice place that has a good compromise - maybe fewer rooms but larger ones/inbuilt storage and a decent kitchen. I find myself being able to actually store stuff a lot more efficiently now whereas I kind of sprawled a lot at my old place and kept stuff I probably didn’t need at all.
You might find you’re spending more time out of home and don’t need as much stuff for home activities either 🙂
Yep. I like everything in order for the following week.
You make a good point
Apart from dishes and a slight tidy up that’s all I have to do today just trying not to let stress and anxiety take over me today.
I’m sorry to hear you’re having a hard time man. Maybe some video games as a distraction could help?
I need to get this assessment sorted ugh
😔
Yeah…I have some admin stuff for but life and work that is causing me stress. Had a leisurely morning now about to tuck in after a cuppa. Will do some meal prep as well later but decided more cleaning/house stuff can wait.
Tis a very good chill day though
of course, got to get ready for the coming week.
I’m also going to get these dinosaur pics traced onto good paper so I can practice some painting
Cleaning the floors today. I feel like I’m moving slowly though, from the humidity. There’s no joy in doing this today that’s for sure. Afternoon will be more chill.
Yup. Didn’t finish them yesterday and am also doing some batch cooking so I don’t have to do so much during the week
I did half the dishes or so last night, and packed up my suitcase for tomorrow. Just need to top it off and whack out half the other dishes. I’ll wipe down the benches and maybe do a quick vacc, but that’s going to be it for me (there’s definitely more to do, but it’s not getting done until next week 😁)
Reading a thread on the other place, from auscorp and people being fired for accessing data they shouldn’t. Man, why? Like, firstly, the Privacy Act is really fucking strict, and is drilled in during training, with excerpts used in the e-learning and whatnot. Secondly, one user states their ex-colleague looked up the CEOs account for the bank they worked at lol, so so so dumb 😭
Reminded me of when I worked at one of the energy companies, and we heard Hugh Jackman had an account with us. We were told, so extremely explicitly, not to access it at all, don’t even think of accessing it, he has an account manager so we mere phone monkeys have no reason to check it out and we’ll be fired if we do.
Nek minit, my colleague left her brain cells at home and did the dumb. 😂 She was fired so fast time stopped for her 😂
Smdh
I found one of Hugh’s early autographs at work the other week. It’s rather timid looking, don’t think he was used to it yet.
Yeah, I remember years back someone phone up a radio station saying that a well known celebrity claimed their cosmetic surgery as medical procedures. It’s like dumbass, someone will recognise your voice.
The level of entitlement to know people’s personal information is mind boggling.
It’s so stupid and audacious 😭 like, the company will have ways to find whether you accessed data in good faith, and will kick you to the curb if you didn’t note the account with a good reason as to why it was accessed. People have been seriously injured and died from assholed accessing data to find where they live. It’s protection that should never be violated.
Like, we were even told not to access our own accounts, or accounts of people we know. If we got a call from someone we knew, we had to transfer it to a different consultant.
Like, what goes through these people’s heads that they think they won’t be caught and sacked? I don’t get it 😭
I realise this is a controversial opinion, but tbh I reckon some of the blame for these kind of things needs to rest on the company, too. The principle of least privilege should always be used where possible. If you don’t need to access information, you really shouldn’t even have the option, at least not without either the client/customer’s approval, or a managers authorisation
Humans are curious things, it’s bounds to happen. Firing people after it does is a reactionary response, not a preventative one. And prevention is better than cure, especially when it comes to personal information
(My perspective comes mostly from being in care, because pretty much every single piece of information about me, including things often said in confidence, lives in a little grey box with no transparency about what goes on or who has access. And there have been data breaches in the past, where people from certain organisations managed to gain access to the files for clients within completely separate organisations, with multiple instances of support workers using that access to do terrible things. I wasn’t involved in that, and have never even worked with that organisation, but it’s still something that used to play on my mind a lot and made me quite upset and worried. I realise that my views are probably a little OTT for certain industries that handle less confidential information, but that are still covered under the privacy Act. I still believe all systems handling PII should always use the principle of least privilege and fail safe, though)
The principle of least privilege should always be used where possible. If you don’t need to access information, you really shouldn’t even have the option, at least not without either the client/customer’s approval, or a managers authorisation
Nice idea in theory, but imagine you had a bank or energy account and had to call customer service. If the agent has to get approval to access every account, that would be so, so time consuming, the company wouldn’t have clients/customers. There isn’t enough managers on the floor or available for that to be feasible. So they drill into us phone monkeys that we are not to access that kind of data (celebrities, people we know). The authorisation to access comes from the customer calling in, and asking for an action or info on their account. This is also why, in the back end, everything is logged: the date and time, which agent, whether a note was left, what the interaction was for, etc. We are told, over and over, not to do it, with Privacy Act citations.
Besides, there are preventions in place. Example: I was trained, at one point, to deal with only residential customers. I could not access Small-to-Medium business accounts, nor Large Business accounts. When I was promoted, that’s when further training was provided and my access upgraded. Again, everything is logged, and every phone monkey KNOWS it’s illegal to access that info without a customer asking, or without a manager asking. I had to access Large Business accounts without a customer telling me to, because I was doing remittance. I’m talking over $1m in one payment from one company.
The phone monkeys know it’s wrong without authorisation. I promise you they KNOW. It’s on them at that point and they should expect at least a firing, if not legal action.
If the agent has to get approval to access every account, that would be so, so time consuming, the company wouldn’t have clients/customers. There isn’t enough managers on the floor or available for that to be feasible.
Some other call centres request authorisation through the caller in the form of an OTP, which doesn’t seem like a bad system. Or some banks still require phone banking passwords (although I believe they’re mostly about protecting the bank from the liability of somebody impersonating a customer, I don’t think that is required to access files. It should be though)
When you work in a call centre, let me know, and maybe we can then discuss this.
Bit rude. I’m allowed to have opinions on how I believe companies should handle my personal information. If you don’t think companies should have any semblance of accountability for how they process and treat personal information because it would slightly inconvenience you, that’s fine, but you don’t get to stop me from sharing my opinions.
why would they even mention hugh jackman’s name? 🙄
Ikr stupid on the managers part there 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
The plan would have been the miniature train in Eltham if it want raining. I guess we’ll stay inside today, but for the opposite reason of yesterday
Quiz
I got bored 15 questions in.
same, the transition between the questions was too slow.
22/50
A few guesses, a few against my better judgement.
Also, I was like, is this ever going to end? 😂
19/50. The answer to that would be ‘no’ :-(
E: I do know history in general, just not specific dates. And I suck at sports questions
Me - 23
The man - 22
The kid - 3123/50. Sydney Olympics and space related questions were okay, but the others? Wild, wild guesses 😭 that’s what I get for my tv not being plugged in lol
Oh, I don’t watch free-to-air, either.
