The totally off-topic thread

[amaroo]

Serves me right for posting.

Bad weather in SYD tonight? The 6:05pm OOL-SYD was retimed to 7:05pm, then 7:20pm, then 7:35pm and now 7:50pm.

Have been here since ~4:45pm. I was bored well over an hour ago.

Life of a commuter ... glad I gave that up a few years ago.

 

[JohnK]

Life of a commuter ... glad I gave that up a few years ago.

Hope I can say that soon....

 

[Princess Fiona]

I'd already purchased the perfume here. Trying to send is a different story. Can't send it from Thailand either.

Very difficult to buy and ship perfume. Only worth it if it's something very rare, or vintage collectible. Anything bought off a shelf in-store is not worthwhile. Much easier to order through an online retailer for delivery in the country purchased.

 

[Foreigner]

I'd love a device that is able to render all gadgets inoperable in public. Even better if it worked on people too.

Music without headphones, music with headphones leaking noise, 40 minute phone conversation still going, 17 different conversations each one trying to outdo the other.

Where did it go wrong?

Seems these days people lose their inhibitions too quick. And ready to let others in, in their personal lives. And have little regard for others' wants to have peace and quiet. Worry state.

 

[jukebox333]

Apologies. I should have said Fedex.

I am trying to send perfume to my aunt in Greece and Australia Post will not accept it. I was looking at Fedex but ~AUD120 to send a ~AUD20 gift is ludicrous and I think not possible anyway.

How does perfume get delivered here from USA online retailers?

Ah, liquid.... dangerous good, no less (flammable?)

I had an issue sending back a brand new Dell Surface that was the wrong model - $170 via DHL through Pack and Send - for a $600 device. Luckily I was reimbursed in full by the vendor, as it was his error.

Good luck.

 

[Flashback]

Ah, liquid.... dangerous good, no less (flammable?)

I had an issue sending back a brand new Dell Surface that was the wrong model - $170 via DHL through Pack and Send - for a $600 device. Luckily I was reimbursed in full by the vendor, as it was his error.

Good luck.

I assume because of the battery?

 

[coriander]

Anone seen the latest Emirates promotional footage with an A380 being paralleled by two blokes in jetpack?

https://youtu.be/_VPvKl6ezyc

 

[OATEK]

Very difficult to buy and ship perfume. Only worth it if it's something very rare, or vintage collectible. Anything bought off a shelf in-store is not worthwhile. Much easier to order through an online retailer for delivery in the country purchased.

I was a Christmas casual in the then Redfern Mail Exchange in 1967, when we had quite a few armed services personnel in Vietnam and Malaysia. My job was all the rubbish stuff, like opening (often foul smelling) parcels for Customs inspection, and then resealing them later. We got a call one day that something liquid had broken in a large bag of parcels and went down the conveyor belt below the drop chutes (it was no wonder things broke after the final metre or more drop out of the chute).

The smell was over-powering and we needed small towels tied around our faces as we approached the damaged parcels. When we opened it we found that a poorly packed 1L bottle of perfume from Butterworth air base had broken. Nothing in the bag escaped the liquid, and lots of services personnel received highly perfurmed and stained present that year. The smell in the basement where the bags went in/out of trucks persisted for many weeks!

 

[drron]

I was a Christmas casual in the then Redfern Mail Exchange in 1967, when we had quite a few armed services personnel in Vietnam and Malaysia. My job was all the rubbish stuff, like opening (often foul smelling) parcels for Customs inspection, and then resealing them later. We got a call one day that something liquid had broken in a large bag of parcels and went down the conveyor belt below the drop chutes (it was no wonder things broke after the final metre or more drop out of the chute).

The smell was over-powering and we needed small towels tied around our faces as we approached the damaged parcels. When we opened it we found that a poorly packed 1L bottle of perfume from Butterworth air base had broken. Nothing in the bag escaped the liquid, and lots of services personnel received highly perfurmed and stained present that year. The smell in the basement where the bags went in/out of trucks persisted for many weeks!

Small world.I was the foreman of the student night shift at Redfern from 1966-69 over Christmas.I think that was the year I was sent over to the Customs section only to find a post bag wriggling.The 2 snakes released caused pandemonium for a while.

 

[Deleted member]

So a few days ago we 'celebrated' Halloween. Yet nobody has mentioned the celebration we used to have tonight. I guess you have to be old enough to remember when we had a cracker night?

NZ still has it. I don't really miss it to be honest.

 

[amaroo]

NZ still has it. I don't really miss it to be honest.

All the dogs would agree with you...

 

[TheRealTMA]

Anone seen the latest Emirates promotional footage with an A380 being paralleled by two blokes in jetpack?

https://youtu.be/_VPvKl6ezyc

It was even shown on Channel 9 news last night!

 

[TheRealTMA]

So a few days ago we 'celebrated' Halloween. Yet nobody has mentioned the celebration we used to have tonight. I guess you have to be old enough to remember when we had a cracker night?

If you ant to see one of the best, try to drop in to Lewes in East Sussex sometime on Guyfawkes.

Lewes crowds brave rain to spark bonfire night celebrations into life | Life and style | The Guardian

We've been there a couple of times over the years, first in 78. Last time I drove into the town in the afternoon and all the parking meters had been removed so I was concerned about parking fines. I asked someone. They said the council now removes them for the day/night lest the revellers put large bungers in them and blow them up. All the high street shops were also boarded up.

 

[coriander]

It was even shown on Channel 9 news last night!

I don't get Channel 9 here.

 

[TheRealTMA]

It was even shown on Channel 9 news last night!

I don't get Channel 9 here.

They are going to start live streaming soon, although why anyone would watch it is a puzzle.

 

[OATEK]

Small world.I was the foreman of the student night shift at Redfern from 1966-69 over Christmas.I think that was the year I was sent over to the Customs section only to find a post bag wriggling.The 2 snakes released caused pandemonium for a while.

Small world indeed! I worked days, and got the job through one of the personnel staff who worked there. I found it very educational seeing I was in year 11 (5th Form), with all sorts of demarcation issues, and of course the obligatory pre-Christmas strike. The Union rep, a former roosters hooker who's name I can't remember, was quite a character. Turned up in a suit every day as befitted his status, and then changed into overalls. He came up to the casuals to reassure us we should attend work as we were not in the Union and there was no reason we should join in. But we were not to do anything the union members would do, so could only sweep, seal up parcels and the like.

I was fascinated by the conveyor system with the different side gates that were used to sort the parcels. Again, there was little chance of really fragile items surviving 'the drop" into the bins. And it was my first exposure to the volume of foodstuff sent through mostly from Europe, that was not improved by the long journey. Bags of dates were ok, but olives, cheeses, smallgoods etc were on the turn more often than not. We would open the parcels from overseas, send them through into the "forbidden zone", where customs would inspect, and then those items that were not seized would come back out on the conveyor for resealing.

 

[OATEK]

If you ant to see one of the best, try to drop in to Lewes in East Sussex sometime on Guyfawkes.

Lewes crowds brave rain to spark bonfire night celebrations into life | Life and style | The Guardian

We've been there a couple of times over the years, first in 78. Last time I drove into the town in the afternoon and all the parking meters had been removed so I was concerned about parking fines. I asked someone. They said the council now removes them for the day/night lest the revellers put large bungers in them and blow them up. All the high street shops were also boarded up.

We found ourselves in Cambridge on Guy Fawkes quite by accident. We were driving in looking for somewhere to feed the family, when it all kicked off. we had a ford Sierra with sunroof, and got a great view in the middle of midsommer common as the traffic ground to a halt. It was a great show, and our girls still talk about it nearly 25 years or so later.

 

[Walter_Plinge]

Very difficult to buy and ship perfume. Only worth it if it's something very rare, or vintage collectible. Anything bought off a shelf in-store is not worthwhile. Much easier to order through an online retailer for delivery in the country purchased.

If it was me I'd just lie on the postal declaration. The chances of being caught are less than minimal. I buy OTC drugs from overseas on Ebay and only once has the package been opened (and passed) by customs so I doubt they take any interest in these sorts of things.

 

[RAM]

I guess Guy Fawkes night'd days were numbered with the general abolition of DIY fireworks ... (doesn't stop many on NYE however ...)

The power of the media (at least in NSW).

Anyone can get a permit to let off fireworks, often from the people selling the fireworks themselves.

Need to detail where you are going to let them off (size of open area) which then limits the size of what you can buy.

Nov 5th does NOT have to be consigned to PC history after all.

Just remember - your eyesight and reaction time may not be as good as the last time you were letting off fireworks!

OR you can go to Europe and relive the joys. Aldi sells very good fireworks in Austria (the place without the kangaroos they tell me) and Germany.

The 'made in Germany' fireworks are a pyromaniacs dream. Especially the 5kg box ones. Just light the one fuse and 10 minutes later the show is over.

Nobody looks twice as we board the ICE train to Austria with 15-25kgs of fireworks.

PS: I don't have a problem, I don't have a problem....

 

[Flashback]

If you ant to see one of the best, try to drop in to Lewes in East Sussex sometime on Guyfawkes.

Lewes crowds brave rain to spark bonfire night celebrations into life | Life and style | The Guardian

We've been there a couple of times over the years, first in 78. Last time I drove into the town in the afternoon and all the parking meters had been removed so I was concerned about parking fines. I asked someone. They said the council now removes them for the day/night lest the revellers put large bungers in them and blow them up. All the high street shops were also boarded up.

Remember the same from when I went a few years back with all the shops being boarded up. Went hiking in the region during the day then into town for the night. Went to one of the Bonfire Society shows after the parade. Cliffs I think.