Tower10

Disstill Update – Filter by Maximum Diggs

Alex — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:50:00 -0000

A few people asked for it, so I added the ability to filter by maximum diggs on disstill.com, which you can find under the ‘Advanced options’ link. I’ll add at least a category filter under there at some point too.

Disstill Update

Alex — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:19:00 -0000

I just did a quick update to disstill.com for anyone who’d rather see the feed directly in their browser. As well as the RSS feed, I’ve added a ‘view now’ link. You can even digg articles right from that page.

Disstill

Alex — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:37:00 -0000

I haven’t updated this site for a long time now. Such is the way of personal blogs – the Internet is a virtual graveyard for them! I’m in London for a couple of weeks, having a great time catching up with everyone.

To the real point of this post – I knocked up a little site last weekend, which I thought I’d share. If you’ve never heard of Digg or RSS feeds then it probably won’t interest you! Otherwise, take a look at disstill.com. I find the Digg Popular feed has too many stories to keep up with, which led to the simple concept of Disstill. It uses the Digg API to create a filtered down version of the Digg Popular feed, allowing you to set the minimum number of Diggs that stories must have to appear in your feed.

If you like it, don’t forget to digg it!

A Day on The Green

Alex — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 08:31:00 -0000

Having both my laptop and phone fail on me, I wasn’t too pleased to find my iPod literally submersed in a puddle of water from a leaking bottle! Especially since I trod on (and broke) my last iPod no less than six months ago. This one seems to be made of tougher stuff though, now working normally after a few day’s drying.

Not that I was concerned about my iPod anyway, being too busy having fun at A Day on The Green in Rutherglen, northern Victoria. Technically, it was also my first road trip to New South Wales, just over the state border to Corowa, a true Aussie country town that took us in for the weekend.

Ash Grunwald, Sarah Blasko, Tim Finn (Crowded House) and Pete Murray were playing. Ash Grunwald was plagued by power failures but we were right in front of the stage and the (acoustic) show carried on for us! Pete Murray seemed to be quite a star in front of the Australian audience and he was, indeed, very good. I’m surprised he hasn’t made more of an impact in the UK.

Back in the city and the real world now!

Hardware Failures

Alex — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:08:00 -0000

It’s been a busy month! Sadly, my beloved iBook is suffering a possibly terminal affliction whilst my phone has given up on cellular communications and has decided to pursue a career as a Geiger counter impersonator. This has been a bit awkward but life goes on (the fear of living without a mobile is greater than the reality).

I welcomed the new year at the Belgian Beer Cafe (question answered, Penny :-), which has a huge beer garden that, although not as impressive as Munich’s finest, provided a more-than-adequate venue. The inclusive beer all night helped too!

I’ve done a little bit of travelling around Victoria too. I visited the Dandenong Hills a couple of weeks ago; a relaxing retreat just outside the city. To live in Victoria and not see the Great Ocean Road would be a tragedy and I fully intend on exploring the entire length of the road at some point. Recently I made it just a few kilometres along the coast, first to Torquay for a traditional Aussie Day barbie, then along the Great Ocean Road to Lorne. My exposure to Aussie surf culture on the trip must have been too great as I even bought a hoodie. I fit right in now.

Now back to some real culture. Not only did I visit the Ramsay Street Neighbours set (not as big as it looks on the television) but I also saw hundreds of screaming female backpackers lusting after Dr Karl Kennedy and his band. Before you jump to the conclusion that I paid to witness this rather surprising event, I should point out that my friend, who is Dr Karl’s drummer (and a very good one at that) arranged for me to hang out, away from the mob, at the side of the stage. Seriously, how could I say no?

Jade came over for a brief visit and we went back to Tony Starr’s Kitten Club, this time for food, which was impressive and reasonably priced, as most places are in Melbourne. Jade was fun as ever but is hiding most of the photographic evidence from me!

Happy belated Australia Day!

Merry Christmas

Alex — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 21:48:00 -0000

Christmas in Australia is a sunny affair, usually a barbecue outdoors or possibly a picnic at the beach. Right? Wrong! Well, not in Melbourne at least. It’s been raining for the last couple of days and we were even blessed with a hail storm during our Christmas lunch.

I spent Christmas Day with four other English guys. We ate. Lots. We drank. Lots. After several hours of the usual Christmas festivities we headed to a bar for some drinks, which was surprisingly busy, and chatted to a couple of English backpackers. Oh, we missed the Queen’s Speech. Damn!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Smokey City

Alex — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 20:20:00 -0000

Victoria is being hit by lots of bush fires at the moment and I woke up this morning to the view in this photo. The entire city is shrouded in smoke, although it doesn’t smell as strong as you might expect.

My brain can’t adjust to a December in summer. Even though I’m totally aware on a conscious level, I get an uneasy and confused feeling every time I hear a Christmas song while it’s thirty-something degrees outside!

We have our work Christmas party next week, which should be a lot of fun going by the last two that I went to. They are rather extravagant affairs with people flying in from all over the world to attend. The only problem I have with this year’s event is the theme – Hollywood. It’s a tough theme. Any ideas?

Racing

Alex — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 05:47:00 -0000

The last couple of weeks have been all about racing. After winning at the Seymour Cup I lost all that money at Derby Day last Saturday! I was still standing at the end of the day, which is clearly not traditional for this particular day in Melbourne’s calendar, so I met Charlie for a fairly relaxed time at Tony Starr’s Kitten Club and hoped the others would find their way home.

The next day, having not had enough sleep, I went karting with a couple of guys from work. One of them has his own 100cc kart, similar to ones that I’d driven when I was at Imperial but that was a long time ago and I’d all but forgotten the experience. These things are in a whole different league to the type of karts that you might hire at a track – all I can say is they’re fast and a whole lot of fun! Not to mention hard work. I’m still aching four days later.

Winning Ticket

Alex — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 07:54:00 -0000

Seymour was the setting for the most recent cup in the Spring Carnival horse racing series. I travelled the 100km to this country town early on Sunday morning with Erin and Stephen. The day started off well, with Champagne in the rising sun. The local girls put on an impressive display of hats and frocks, in stark contrast to the largely casual dress of the men. Stephen and I felt good standing out in our sharp suits. I felt even better when my horse came in a winner!

My broadband connection at home is finally connected so hopefully I’ll be posting a bit more often than of late.

Room with a View

Alex — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 20:06:00 -0000

My new flat is really feeling like home now that I’ve stocked it with the essentials. I took this photo from my balcony last night but it needs a wider angle lens for the full effect. There aren’t actually any blinds on my windows but the omnipresent view far outweighs the lack of privacy.

Last Friday was a busy night, starting off in the cafe across the road from work, then on to meet Erin and Stephen in St Kilda where we were joined by Adrian and, finally, I rejoined the work crowd back in the city. Phew!

I met Danielle on Saturday for the first time since I arrived on Saturday. Danielle, another London friend, has been kind enough to show me some of Melbourne’s highlights on previous visits. This time was no different; we dined in a fantastic, buzzing Italian restaurant on Lygon Street (famed for its proliferation of authentic Italian joints) and drank cocktails at the Yacht Club bar. It was a civilised evening.

My head was surprisingly clear the morning after the cocktails so I headed over the road to the Victoria Market – a huge network of stalls with a vast array of goods on offer. Much of the market consists of cheap clothes and tacky tourist mementos but the real attraction for me was the food stalls. Vegetables, meats, breads, cheeses and spices from all over the world fill the air with unusual smells. Then there’s American Doughnuts for when trekking round the market becomes too tiresome.

Leaving Lennox

Alex — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 06:14:00 -0000

The apartment that I mentioned in my previous post is now mine. This photo is a view of my new home in the CBD from my old home, Lennox Street. The electricity’s not on yet, so I’m staying put tonight but tomorrow I’ll be bidding farewell to Lennox Street.

I’m not sure why I said the views aren’t very good from my new flat – it actually has a completely unobstructed view of the city from the balcony! I can’t wait to see it at night. Unfortunately, although the view improved on second viewing, the furniture didn’t. I can live with that though.

Oh, and I have a sofabed, so get your bookings in while there’s room :-)

Botanical Babies

Alex — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 08:30:00 -0000

Matt and Fred invited me over to Toorak Road today for a spot of lunch and a walk in the Botanic Gardens with their triplets, who are only three months old and cry a lot. They have a three-across pram that barely fits on the pavement and provokes some very surprised stares from passers by. Sometimes, Fred carries one of them in a sling whilst pushing the pram, making the entourage look like quads!

Travelling with a baby makes you instantly approachable by any woman, old person (especially old women!) or Japanese tourist; travelling with three babies increases your chances of being mobbed several times over!

AFL Final in a Small World

Alex — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 21:47:00 -0000

Yesterday saw Melbourne taken over by the biggest sporting event of the year – the AFL Grand Final. And an exciting match it was with just a single point differentiating the teams at the final whistle.

On Friday, the office had been decorated in the red and white livery of the Sydney Swans and there was a competition for the best-dressed supporter. In the end though, it was the West Coast Eagles that came through as the winners. Each team has a song that is played when they win. Unfortunately, the Eagles were formed in the eighties, so their theme song is particularly dire!

After work my colleagues and I headed to the Railway Hotel on Chapel Street for Nick’s leaving party. Further to the evidence of the world being a small place that I told you about in my last post, I went to the bar and was greeted with a strangley familiar Irish accent. It was Adrian from The Castle! I didn’t speak to him much that night as he was working but he sent me an email so hopefully we’ll catch up soon. I wonder who else I’m going to bump into in this city?

Back to AFL final day, I was nursing my hangover as I caught a tram over to see Erin and Stephen, who I was introduced to by my American friend Tiffany. The sun was blazing in the rich, blue sky and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. They had a few friends over and we all huddled round the television to drink beers, eat crisps and watch the game in what felt like true Aussie style.

After the game we headed over to Holliava. I went to this bar when I was here in December and felt content when the others were surprised at my local knowledge, having only been here two weeks.

Half way through the night, I had a surprise visit from Matt and Frederique, who I was expecting to be staying in, looking after their triplets. Understandably, they couldn’t stay all night but it was great to see them again. On which note, I’m now off to see them and the triplets for lunch. Bon Apetite!

Fitzroy Dogs

Alex — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 05:54:00 -0000

I headed to Fitzroy last night to hook up with Charlie. I randomly bumped into Charlie (who I know from London) when I was last here, proving that the world is indeed a small place. There is a certain amount of reassurance in having an English friend over here.

I met Charlie in Black Cat, a bar remniscent of my old haunts in Old Street where the atmosphere is laid-back and the music varied. We drank jugs of beer and discussed the finer details of living as an expat in Melbourne (read, the accent “works”).

After a while, we were joined by Ellen, from the “deep south” of America. The three of us moved on to a big, busy bar that I forget the name of. A funk band were putting on quite a show at the centre of the huge bar room. A couple more bars later and we finished the evening watching another funk band until 4am.

A fight commenced as people spilled out onto the street, which was quickly brought to a head by the police in dramatic style. The fight had attracted a substantial audience, who proceeded to chant “Dogs! Dogs! Dogs!”. A friendly bystander informed me that this is a colloquial, derogatory term for the police. This place is becoming less foreign to me by the day.

I can see myself spending a lot of time in Fitzroy. It’s a shame I haven’t been able to find a place to live there.

New Flat?

Alex — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 06:29:00 -0000

I put in an offer to rent an apartment today. The building that it’s in looks somewhat like the logo of this site! It’s in the CBD, right in the middle of the city.

Things I like about it:

The location – very central and next to a tram line that’s easy to get to work on.
The kitchen – it has an island and a dishwasher; what more can I say.
It’s furnished – the only furnished flat I’ve seen so far, which works out a lot cheaper than renting furniture and white goods.
The bathroom – well fitted out and a big shower.
Gym, pool and spa.

What I don’t like about it:

Slightly ropey furniture – see my Flickr page.
Not such an amazing view, given that it’s on the 16^th floor!

I guess it would be on the market for a lot more with top-quality furniture and an amazing view over the city. You pay your money and take your choice.

You might have noticed the people milling about in my photos. The ‘Australian way’ is a system of open inspections at a pre-determined time. They do appointments too but there is usually at least one open inspection. This leads to some rather amusing poker-faced behaviour amongst the prospective tenants at the inspection!

Settling in at Work

Alex — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 06:24:00 -0000

I’ve been at work for two full days now. The picture is of my “cubicle”. It’s very grey and Office Space looking! Actually, it’s not really a cubicle – more of a corner desk with dividers. Anyway, it’s a lot bigger than my old desk in our London office!

I’m still without a phone because the IT guys didn’t know I was coming but that should be sorted soon. I have an Australian mobile number now, so get in contact if you want that.

Flat Finding

Alex — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:59:00 -0000

This picture is the view from one of the apartments I saw today, on the 13th floor of a building in the CBD. Unfortunately, there was barely room to even fit a sofa in there so I’ll be giving it a miss.

Work starts tomorrow, which doesn’t give me a lot of spare time to look at flats but there seem to be plenty about about so weekends and lunchtimes should allow enough time.

The First Day

Alex — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 04:03:00 -0000

It took a while but I finally finished the long journey to Melbourne. Knowing that Steve’s party was in full swing made the three hour delay at Heathrow all the more painful.

I’m now in a 4am wrestle with jet lag but hopefully writing this post will put me in a more settled mood. I’ll be arranging some apartment viewings in the morning. I’m still undecided as to whether I should share or not but there don’t seem to be too many shared places on the market at the moment so perhaps my fate will be decided for me.

Let me know if you notice any glitches with the site – I’m still tweaking the templates a bit.