Rubénerd!

If I were into paranormal stuff, I'd claim it was a syncronicity.

Today, in Sydney:

Trains across most of the CityRail network are delayed up to 40 minutes after a fire safety alarm activated because of smoke in the Strathfield Signalling Complex earlier.

Today, in Singapore:

[a fire in an MRT tunnel] involving electrical wiring disrupted train services on the North-South line at about 9.05am. [..] Train services between Marina Bay and Toa Payoh stations resumed at 11.30am

So a fire alarm goes off, and the entire CityRail network goes down in Sydney for the rest of the day. A fire hits the Singapore MRT, and the affected line is fixed in less than 3 hours. Good to know.

Photo of the Newton MRT station by Terence Ong. Newton was the station I lived closest to for most of my time in SG, funnily enough ^_^

Here's an article from the Australian ABC. Tell me if you can spot the problem.

A fully-marked New South Wales police highway patrol car has been stolen. Police say highway patrol officers stopped a car on the M7 near the Richmond Road off-ramp in western Sydney at around midday. Officers say there was an altercation and the driver of the car struggled with police before breaking free and stealing their fully-marked highway patrol car. The driver, identified as Arthur Partsch, was last seen travelling north in the light blue Holden Commodore sedan. Officers have warned anyone who sees the car not to approach it, but to contact Triple-0.

Did you catch it?

We're being warned to call the police if we see a patrol car. I wonder how many calls they must have got from people spotting all the hundreds of cars on active duty?

I avoid Australian terrestrial television like the plague, but fortunately I was tweeted that Channel 9 informed us of the licence plate of the specific patrol car in question. Georgina even went one step further and (shock!) told me what it was!

So a lesson for reporters appealing for information from the public: give us the specifics as well. I wouldn't want to sick the SOS-Dan force on you.

I'm writing this post as I sit here at the Earlwood Library, basking in its crisp air conditioning and drinking litres of chilled water from my fridge down the road. Earlier today, I was typing code and prose at the Euro Coffee Bar and chatting with the owner about the new air curtains he had installed to keep the aircon inside.

According to ADN and the Twitterari, Sydney had its hottest day since records were begun 157 years ago. Having blogged about the temperature reaching 41° earlier in the month, today it got past 47°C (about 117°F). I compared walking outside on that day to being hit in the face by a hair dryer. Today, it was more akin to stepping into a tandoori oven, and without the benefit of getting food afterwards. What an insult.

I'm lucky I didn't have to catch a train. Predictably, CityRail is in chaos (screenshot), with all but two lines reporting delays and skipped stations, including mine.

I'm super lucky to have been able to enjoy air conditioning all day today. Plenty of people weren't so lucky.

I am fully aware of the (albeit reversed) insinuation kaeru on Pixiv was... insinuating. Still, after a full day of heat in Sydney yesterday, and a terribly hot sticky night (I'm not doing anything to help this insinuation), the late morning was positively refreshing by comparison.

It's amazing how one merely has to spend a day being blown at by nature's hair dryer to render an otherwise normal summer day with a gentle sea breeze feel so wonderful.

The WordPress ID for this entry is 10707, the ending of which was Boeing's first commercial jetliner. I'm going to pretend this was done on purpose somehow to coincide with my passing mention of breezes. That made sense in my head.

Fortunately, I was able to ride out most of the intense heat at the UTS library with Clara today. Plenty of people weren't as lucky.

My first 2013 post, my first K-On! post of 2013, the first post from my adorable new 11" MacBook Air, and the first 2013 K-On! post from my adorable new 11" MacBook Air!

The image on the left is by おまる@3日目西“け”23b on Pixiv, the image on the left is the video I took of the Sydney fireworks from my iTelephone 4 in the company of some wonderful friends, and especially Clara ^_^.

Peace, health, sillyness and happiness for the new year to you all.

Little did I know when I posted that link back in August that I'd be seeing PSY perform Gangnam Style LIVE in Sydney with @hanezawakirika and @JamieJakov!

From the Sunrise breakfast show website:

Venue: Martin Place Plaza Amphitheatre, Sydney

Time: 6am-9am

Korean pop sensation Psy is coming to Sunrise! The man behind global hit "Gangnam Style" will be LIVE outside our studio on Wednesday 17th October and we want you to come and join in the fun!

Psy will perform "Gangnam Style" in what is destined to go down in Sunrise history.

Have you learned the dance yet? You'd better brush up - we want you all to join in!

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, sexy lady~!

I'm very, VERY picky when it comes to choosing my favourite songs of all time. My Rubens Top 40 List contains only 12 songs, to leave room for more. Most of them are jazz (and most of those are Michael Franks), but then there are timeless, TIMELESS songs like Surfin' Bird. Everybody's heard. From me. THOUSANDS of times!

A few months ago, our former Anime@UTS club president Dom introduced us to Gangnam Style. I'd explain it, but I could not hope to do it justice. It screams brilliant epicness. It's Korean. The dance moves are as addictive as they are wonderfully fun and accessible for a nerd like me. PSY has more style than a cobra. To a Westerner, the music video is wonderfully Monty Python-esque, but also utterly unique and friggen brilliant.

Most of all, I just feel so energetic and happy listening to it, and I still crack the biggest smile watching the music video. PSY has really created something special here, and I'm thoroughly unashamed to admit it. I've never danced as much before in my life. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYIN'?

Ttwiineun nom keu wiie naneun nom

I'd worked almost all night on a data mining assignment, and I had to force myself out of bed at the crack of dawn to pull it off, but this morning I met with two of my dearest friends to see PSY perform for the Sunrise Breakfast show. And it was EPIC!

Much of Martin Place was fenced off with large... what are they called again? FENCES! Inside, a makeshift stage had been set up, and outside were packed an even mix of Koreans, other Asians and Westerners all jumping around waiting to see PSY. It was open air, and utterly free!

PSY came out wearing an utterly fabulous sparkly black vest with "PSY" in gold on the back, a bevy of dancers and bright lights that cut through the early morning sky like a thrusting pelvis appearing behind a lift door. He sang to the song with the pre-recorded synthed instruments, but otherwise jumped around did all the dance moves we know and love. Or at least, I think he did, given the crowd was so thick and I couldn't see much most of the time. The atmosphere was AMAZING!

Aussie Aussie Aussie... PSY PSY PSY!

After the performance which was broadcast love across Australia, the morning show hosts performed their regular small talk. He took off his trademark glasses, and was handed a plushie koala and kangaroo. He was utterly gracious. I'm saying utterly a lot, it's utterly too much!

To return to where this post started HEEEEEEY SEXY LADY I'm just so overwhelmed that I saw a performer on my top song list. He's the first one.

Years from now, I'll remember this, and smile. What a defining moment ^_^

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With all the chaos on CityRail today, this incident seems almost quaint. Still, wrote it up last night, so may as well release!

So I was making my way home from a particularly wonderful date, and was still feeling rather giddy. As I made my way to Town Hall station, I joked to myself that even a broken down train couldn't dampen my spirits. It seems I was overheard ;).

After waiting the usual amount of time on Platform 6 for our Airport and East Hills Line Revesby service, we boarded the tin can S-series strain at Town Hall, and proceeded around the City Circle without incident. Admittedly the carriage I was sitting in seemed a little louder and rattlier than usual, but it didn't bother me.

It was when we arrived at Central that we got the first inkling that something was wrong. While frantically tweeting before being plunged into the Airport Line tunnel (which has barely enough usable phone reception to send a text message let alone use data) our driver informed us that "the train has malfunctioning doors, and to please stand clear of them".

Malfunctioning doors, huh?

As we proceeded into their Airport Line tunnel, it became clear something was amiss. From my vantage point on the second level I couldn't visually make out what was going on, but I started hearing loud swearing, followed by even louder rattling sounds. That bone chilling metal-on-metal grinding sound... and it was only getting louder.

It wasn't long before the lights in our carriage started to flicker and go out, causing me great inconvenience as I sat there attempting to read my eInk Kindle! Around that time we started to decelerate, and eventually came to a stop inside the tunnel between Central and Green Square.

After a few minutes of sitting there doing nothing, people in my carriage started worrying and discussing what was going on. The driver came on the PA and informed us there was a door malfunction, and that he'd let us know what was going on shortly. An engineer in a CityRail uniform walked past us in the carriage and back down the stairs, obviously to see what was going on.

Fifteen odd minutes past, and the train jerked into motion again, the way only the older R/S series trainsets can without their chopper control! We didn't seem to be going as fast as usual though, meaning our trip to Green Square seemed to take far longer than usual. When we arrived, we sat there for another few minutes, before being told the last two carriages in our train were being shut down and locked, and that we'd have to move down one!

We huddled in this carriage, now clearly full to capacity with these extra people, and stared through the window into the one we'd just left. It looked eerie through the darkness of the tunnel; the lights kept flickering and the malfunctioning doors kept shaking around and causing all sorts of noise. It was downright creepy!

The train limped along the Airport Line up to Wolli Creek, then connected to the East Hills line for the final leg home. I was dearly fortunate enough that the carriage was finally deemed unsafe when we arrived at my station; shortly after I got off everyone was told to, and wait for the next one! It was the biggest crowd I'd ever seen at our sleepy little Bardwell Park station!

The last time I was stuck in the Airport Line tunnel for an extended period of time was in November 2011. At least an hour to get home was less than the three hours I went through back then, I suppose!

Thank you to @Adasifs for capturing my slightly better side! ^^;

Where are the photos?

Having taken my DSLR and lenses to every convention before, I decided to eschew (gesundheit) them this year, putting my trust into the far more talented members of the UTS anime club. They all were using Canons not Nikons, but I forgave them ;). I'll post links here to public galleries once they start appearing.

Being without a camera was quite a different experience. Rather than watching people wandering and doing things through the viewfinder, I was doing... all... the things! I think I'll go back to taking it, but I'll admit it was nice not having this heavy kit weighing me down, getting in the way of photo requests and so on.

The Bird is The Badge!

As for the con itself, I built a Gundam[head!] in a workshop, sat in on the seiyuu interviews (blush) and part of the cosplay competition (before other commitments had me assigned to Starbucks, WiFi and a conference call for an hour!), went to stall after stall after stall and talked to artists, supported our UTS Anime club with a ton of swag, watched some of our club members sing Karaoke (and really well, wow!), stared in wonder at the Gundam building contest and the people in their ridiculously detailed and spot-on cosuprey, caught up with folks from some of my other uni classes, chatted with some of the lovely staff at Japan Airlines about flights via Singapore, and topped it off with a hot coffee on a cold night with friends :).

I'd been tempted to become a volunteer for this year's SMASH, but I had insufficient time and energy. I watched in wonder at some of my friends who were volunteers pouring their heart and soul and energy and time and and and and... into it this year, and I think it paid off handsomely!

Speaking of handsomely... well okay, it definitely wouldn't be the first term I'd use, more like... passably? XD I'd felt so dejected and sat having lost all my sci fi and uniforms, but with the help of the super friendly @hanezawakirika (who also had the best cosplay there!) who flew in at just the right moment with a wonderful save, I cosplayed as Yoite from Nabari no Ou! He was the perfect character for someone of my relatively meek but tall build to do, save for the hair! I vaguely remembered the series from 2008, and on the night before watched several of the anime episodes again to refresh myself and help get into character :). Overall I was asked for photos 24 or 29 times, I have it written down as one or the other. In any event, a lot!

Had a great time, and the UTS Anime club peeps were far too much fun to hang out with. Thanks guys! :D Ghibli group cosplay next time, for sure!

Normally my train heads through the Airport Line tunnel to Green Square, Mascot, Domestic and International. Today, it bypassed the tunnel completely, passing Redfern and Syndenham without stopping before heading to Turrella and my stop at Bardwell Park. What's usually a 20-25 minute train ride was over in less than 15!

I have no idea why it did this (and why TwitPic refused to upload the image above!) but I wasn't complaining!