Orignal Article

On Oaks day it would appear that revellers would have been better off if they’d turned up on horseback themselves. Thousands were left stranded when the flemington racecourse train line along with 2 others were out of action. People were even walking on the train lines to get away from what would have been a fairly frustrating situation. But this is not the part that suprised me. My work collegue and I are reading the article and we come across how Connex plans to NOT compensate affected passengers.

Compensation For Affected Passengers

“Connex said it would not offer compensation for commuters, instead it would make a sizeable donation to a charity which is yet to be decided.

Mr Metcalfe said it was “very difficult to address the compensation because (people) get to the racecourse in different ways”.”

• Isn’t the cost transport included in oaks day tickets?
• Maybe anyone with an Oaks day ticket could be reimbersed. 
• Connex has had to reimburse tickets to passengers before such as early 2007. But this was not out of goodwill as they try to give the impression, but because less then 98% of schedules services ran, breaking their compensation threshold. See here.
• People holding tickets for that period may not have been effected by the peak hour debacles then, but could still received compensation if they could be bothered
• The least Connex could do  now is provide some plan that would more directly benefit some of those that were inconvenienced, had their Oaks day ruined and had to fork out more money to get home.

Connex Take Advantage Of Charities

Everyone loves a good charity and money that is going to them is always a good thing. But when a rich global company like Connex uses them as a money and face saving buffer it is nothing short of shameful!

To what? I hear you ask.

We just spent a good 10 minutes on possible ways it may have been pronounced. No-one likes the fact that Stadium names are large corporations but this one is going to be met with some resistance. Maybe everyone will get used to it quickly, doesn’t really matter, money has been exchanged and it’s good for at least 5 years. I’m thinking some form of nickname needs to be established quickly in order to make the adjustment easier.

Salvia the psychoactive

In case you have not heard, Salvia is a plant that has been readily available and growing in backyards for quite some time. In the last few years however, awareness of its psychoactive properites has grown with more and more people experiementing with it.

Shame on you dateline

A recent report on Dateline dissappointed (but not really suprised) me by how unbalanced and uninformed it was. Today Tonight and A Current Affairs sensationalised quality it was. They even used YouTube videos to demonstrate its effects. That’s RIGHT - Youtube videos. A bunch of people expecting to get high like on marijuana with the intention of posting their experiences (abuse) on Youtube. Not exactly a controlled and responsible environment.

The video posted on the dateline website is here. A couple of kids having a laugh. Whether they have actually used Salvia? I am guessing Dateline didn’t check.

Wiki better then dateline

But Salvia is NOT marijuana and is completely different to LSD also. In fact, if you want to really know more about Salvia, don’t watch a story on a current affairs program, have a read of Wiki which sadly in this case, appears more informative, balanced and will take up less of your time.

Salvia is readily available in states of the U.S.
Salvia has been banned in Australia since 2002

The weather is warming and fish is always a yummy, lighter and healthier option then red meat. We’re probably quite familiar with the benefits but for some reason making fish, especially fish that is yummy, seems more arduous to people then meals they would regularly make. I’ve heard lots of people say that they don’t know how to get good fish or how to prepare it. I’m going to share my easiest and yummiest fish meal in the world that I can whip up whenever I feel the urge.

Choosing your fish

• Easy peasy Japanesy. Just a fish with firm white flesh. No bones or skin

Preperation

• Depending on the size of the fillets I will usually cut them up a few times so they’re no longer then 3.5 inches in length or 1.5 inches in width (doesn’t really matter too much, just my preference)
• Rub salt generously on all sides of the fish pieces
• Have a plate with a bit of plain flour on it and put some on both sides of the fish, just so it’s lightly coated, don’t press it on. Give it a shake

Cooking

• Cover pan with olive oil, heat till hot
• Put in pieces of fish
• I fry until it’s nice and brown (maybe more then golden) on each side
• If pieces are thick, I can see from the side how much is cooked when it turns from clear to white. When the bottom half of the fish turns white, it’s ready to turn when you’re happy with the browning

You’re done!

• Out of the pan, place your fried fish onto plenty of absorbent toweling to soak excess oil
• Taste a bit bland, no worries, just sprinkle more salt on it
• You can eat your fish with rice, potatos, potato chips, mash potato, salad, bread, whatever you want

Only until recently I never considered mashed potato (or mashed potatoes) without butter. But then I starting thinking about how much butter I and everyone else I know, put inside a mashed poato. Just more and more till it was buttery and smooth.

So I decided to make some mashed potatoes WITHOUT the butter with delicious and cardio-friendly results! Here’s what I did.

Ingredients 

• Potatoes peeled and cubbed (I like using the brown unwashed)
• Garlic ( approx. 1 clove for every 2 large potatoes)
• Sweet potato or carrot (approx. 1 for every 3 large potatoes)
• Water from the boiling of ingredients
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Bring cubed potatoes, peeled garlic clove(S) and cubed sweet potato\carrot to the boil and boil till soft

Drain of the hot water, setting aside a cup of this water

Place pot back on stove top too eliminate left over moisture. Not too long, no more then a minute and give it a shake around to release the steam. Don’t let contents burn.

Now mash it all and add tiny amounts of water till it’s the smoothness and creaminess you’re happy with. Season to taste.

VOILA!!

It tastes good, at least to me and all the honest people I’ve tried it on thus far. There are so many alterations you can make to this and experiment. For example, replacing the water with soy sauce, chicken broth, skim milk etc

Now the thought of throwing in large amounts of butter seems a bit on the McDonalds side. So make the change. Say no to blocks of butter in your Mash.

Sometimes when people try ecstasy, not knowing what is going to happen is what results in paranoia, bad trips and an overall bad experience

If you know what to expect, instead of being unpleasant, these little things can also be controlled so that ecstasy can be taken with confidence and utilized to its full positive potential, rather then niggle at you and distract from the experience

So let me jot down the types of things I’m talking about

Dehydration And Over Heating

Issue:

• Ecstasy results in extra adrenallin which can allow you to be active, stay awake and dance for hours on end
•  It’s easy to forget and neglect your water intake during this time. Same as when people are drinking alcohol

Fix:

• Simply sip water every ten minutes or so, ensuring your body is well hydrated
• Sip more depending on your level of activity, body and room temperature but not too much. You will be able to manage how much you drink quite well with time
• Drinking too much is also a serious side effect of feeling dehydrated or dehydration paranoia. In some cases this can be dangerous, like when you can’t swim and drown

Jaw Clenching

Issue:

The highly stimulated nervous system can make you grind and clench your jaw. This can leave your jaw and its associated muscles in the head feeling sore and can be harmful to your teeth. The muscle action can cause or contribute to headaches.

Fix:

• Leaving sugar free gum in your mouth will help you distract you from going into grinding the jaw mode. Have a lot of it on your, ready to go. Other oral distracts are used like chuppa chups but sugar free gum is a good for your teeth option
• Also, if you do start to grind or clench, you can distribute your chewing gum so that it creates a buffer and your teeth don’t cop the full brunt of it
• It’s easy to tell when somebody is clenching their jaw or grinding their teeth. Make a habit of telling eachother to stop grinding/clenching when you notice it on your friends.

Racing Heart

Issue:

One of the main things you must come to terms with to have the best time with ecstasy. As the adrenallin rushes into your body, your pulse and heart rate will probably start racing. When you’re not aware of this fact and even if you do, this can be quite unsettling. If you let it, you can work yourself up into a bit of a panic and anxiety, not uncommon is to become convinced that you are in danger of having a heart attack and dieing.

Fix:

• The most important thing about a racing heart on ecstasy is to recognise it for what it is
  • It is a part of the process and one of the passing side effects of having an awesome time
• With the right mindset, the racing heart can be an indicator that the drug is working and a positive association with it can be made
  • quite often I’ve felt the racing heart come on and thought, alright this is it woohoo. You can commonly recognise it in other friends and with the right attitude, the awareness of racing hearts can be grounds for a high five
• Even when you recognise racing heart as a positive thing, chances are at some point you will need to take a moment to collect yourself
  • Stand still for a moment
  • Breathing deeply through the nose and out the mouth will help you to remain calm
  • Sitting down if things really get too much can be a good idea especially if you have been pushing your body hard. You may be dehydrated and physically exhausted also.
  • Sip some water
  • Go for an easy walk, more space and some fresh air
  • Find a nicer and quieter spot that you can think about good things
  • Let a friend know if it’s getting a bit too much
• The points just made on keeping calm when a racing heart becomes a bit much should be applied gently to a person who is becoming a little panicky or anxious.
  • First and foremost, let them know that
    • They are safe
    • This is completely normal and apart of the process
    • It will pass
    • They can use this moment to have a lot of fun (don’t push them too hard to have fun)

I have had this for almost 3 years now so I can testify to the long term value of it. It really does need to be experienced to get the full effect but for an example of how it looks in real life, some online videos can still give you an idea. Take this one for example —> here.

Out Of The Box

• With no cover, it projects a visual light show on your celing or wall. The best way to describe it is intergalatctic
• It has two different sized lamp covers which look great
• It has a transparent clear lamp cover that you can fill with any liquid and smoke
• It has a glass thingy that you place on top to change the intergalactic effect on your wall or ceiling

Why I Love It So

• It looks pretty and is mesmerizing
• It is never the same, it somehow always manages to change constantly
• It can be mains powered and battery operated so you can take it anywhere around the house and outdoors
• It can help you get lost in your thoughts and sleep
• It can be left on for hours, even over night without the risk of fire. It doesn’t heat up. The lights are LEDs so they stay cool
• It is quite strong and long lasting. Before I purchased it people told me that after much use and a few knocks it kept working strong. After 3 years I can attest to this

Fun Things To Do With Your Laserpod

When you are high on say, weed for example, it can be so cool to look at, great for the imagination and so many ideas you can come up with using it

• The lasers emitting from the laserpod can be seen in mist, fog or smoke. This makes for some spectacular visuals with lasers moving in the air. 
  • Outside in the fog
  • Run the hot water or shower n a bathroom to fill it with mist. Excellent while you’ve having a shower!
  • Pointed towards a basin filled with hot water
  • A room filled with smoke from a machine or something else
  • Blowing smoke above the laser pod, perhaps while you are having a cigarette
• Experiment with different places around the home. Different rooms, ceilings, walls
• Mirrors add a new dimension as the lasers are reflected all over the place (try this in your steamy bathroom!)
• Take it camping - the lasers look frigging awesome on a tent - both from the inside and looking from the outside
• Experiment with different glass\reflective objects on the lazer pot including crystals, glasses (with or without liquid in them), mirrors, diamonds if you have any. The visualisations will change completely!

 There are actually a number of Laserpods out there. Mine is the original and there are others with improvements and even more spectacular shows. The latest is the Laserpod Supernova which sounds pretty awesome but is twice the cost of mine. Mine cost around $130AU all up and it’s just come to my attention that it’s no longer available in Australia. So if you’re in Australia and you’re reading this, find an international seller that will ship or better yet, on ebay, I’ve seen them around. It’s totally worth it!

Related:
Things To Do When Stoned

I think the value that Febreze can provide for the single bachelor male is severely underestimated. They should not be showing females on advertisements using Febreze, they should be showing male uni. students and graduates.

The following are some ways that Febreze can help the lazy, dirty, short for time etc Basically, those of us that have no-one to clean up for ourselves. Not that I’m insinuating that a female significant other will clean up after us. Though, females do tend to have a higher standard of hygiene then many males which they tend to bring to a relationship.  What a gross generalisation.

Anyways, on to the many uses of Febreze!

• Sneakers
• Pillows - air them out in the sun after some Febrezing. I’d like to use the allergen reducer one, but can’t find it here (North Melbourne) or haven’t looked hard enough.
• Doonas (see Pillows ^)
• Clothes that you won’t throw in the wash, like jackets
• Clothes that you will throw in the wash, but want to wear immediately, but doesn’t smell right. Spray, flap, dry and wear. Good as new!
• Great for getting smoke smell out of clothes, useful for hiding the fact that you smoke or as a quick dry clean of clothes you want to wear but not wash
• Curtains and carpet to make a room smell better
• Before you go away for the day, spray your mattress, tip it up so it’s leaning against the wall or something, then spray the other side. Leave it like that to air out for the day. Do this every couple of months and rotate your mattress while you’re at it (you’re suppose to do that)
• Backpacks, bags etc every week or so
• Car boot and inside the car

Febreze works by dampening then drying. Don’t dampen your items too much and make sure they can air, you want Febreze to be able to dry and air out quickly.

Bad language warning