Like everything, there are pros and cons of the transport systems in this town. This is the technical term for a transport breakdown in Melbourne. The upshot is, we get compensation… well, kind of.

Monthly and longer ticketholders will get compensation from Connex for January for the large number of cancelled and delayed trains.

If you’re feeling affluent and want to improve on the cons, feel free to put your money where your mouth is. Melbourne’s transport companies only get 35% of operating costs recovered from fares. The Public Transport Users Association are awaiting your investment.

The free W-11 tram cruising around the city circle has got to be the best thing since sliced bread. If you’re craving for a momentary return to my favourite spot in India… then look no further – literally – jump on board and close your eyes as you boogie your way down the aisle to the Punjabi beat.

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Failing that, or you happen to be working every Friday night, a vision for your sore eyes: not such a busy street on Vimeo

This years main Australian Photographic Expo is in Melbourne, May 3-6. The show is run by the Photo Marketing association of Australia and the Photographic Imaging Council of Australia.

A feature of every years show is an exhibition of photographs from the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers.

This year however the organisers would like to invite members of the Melbourne Flickr groups to submit images to be used in a special ‘Electronic Gallery’.

In keeping with the sharing nature of Flickr, we have created a wall of LCD frames of various sizes that will feature a constant electronic slide show of images of Melbourne. This Electronic Gallery will feature nothing but images of Melbourne taken by Flickr members.

I won’t be able to make it to this event. If you are in Melbourne though, please check it out and tell me what it’s like.

In my job, the office isn’t always the office. Sometimes its a cinema, a cafe, a sound studio, a winery, a news printer, a gallery, a museum, a bowling alley… I have to admit, teaching English rocks! Check this out for just a few reasons to like work:

• with my previous class, we went out for coffee and yacked about soccer and watched Bend it like Beckham
• in my class at Victoria University we are studying films, so we get to watch movies as part of the course! (Last Friday we saw Gorillas in the mist)
• sometimes we listen to music, like Cat Stevens (unfortunately not his best song)

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• at Melbourne University our class excursion ended up with wine tasting at the Rochford winery
• students brought a rich chocolate cake to class for my birthday last Monday

  

To top it all off, next month I will be taking up an invitation to work in China! Nothing has been confirmed yet but the details so far sound pretty good to me: a free return flight, free travel insurance, free accommodation, 1 week of holidays between the two blocks of 6 weeks. So stay tuned and catch me hanging out in Shandong province . I wonder if I can wear Chacos on hot days…

And whatever you do, don’t work too hard!