Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Hotel Mackay - 140 Victoria Street, Mackay, QLD 4740



Gosh, I miss playing poker out at the Mackay Hotel. I used to play there so often back in the day. If it's not at Hotel Mackay, it will probably be the CBD Hotel or the North Mackay Bowls Club.

Anyone looking to play at the Hotel Mackay, check out: http://www.findpoker.com.au/venues/2238

Don't f***in mess with me bro. I've placed as high as 2nd place at the Australian Masters Poker.

I use to get so pissed drunk and return home to lil ol' Marley. Such comfort. I sure am glad that Centrelink is paying me to get myself pissed and hopefully rich one day. Good thing they no s*** about my other business activities. Might get my dough withheld from me.


Thursday, August 21, 2014

Canberra Parkmobile App

Fined: Matthew Graham's parking ticket, right, and a screen shot showing how much time he had left according to the app.
Fined: Matthew Graham's parking ticket, right, and a screen shot showing how much time he had left according to the app. Photo: Matthew Graham

Canberra's parking inspectors continue to draw the ire of drivers using a new smartphone application, with one going to extraordinary efforts to avoid fines.
Canberra IT worker Matthew Graham has received three parking tickets in the city in the past week, despite paying the $14 daily fee  through the Parkmobile application. 
Still no luck: Matthew Graham's sign did not prevent another ticket.
Still no luck: Matthew Graham's sign did not prevent another ticket. Photo: Matthew Graham
Introduced this year, the application records the owner's credit card details, number plate and parking location and allows drivers to pay without going to meters or displaying a printed ticket on the dashboard.
Signs on the meters say users of the application do not need to display a printed ticket, but Mr Graham says his experience has been somewhat different.
Frustrated after receiving parking fines totalling $291 in just one week, he placed a printed sign on his dashboard on Wednesday while parked near Constitution Avenue.
"I have paid for parking using the Parkmobile app," the sign said. "Stop giving me parking fines. The sticker on the machine says I do not need to display a ticket."
The written plea clearly fell flat, as the 28-year-old received another fine for $97 that day. 
"This Parkmobile app has failed and should be suspended until the ACT government fixes their mess," he said. 
"More people would definitely use the application if it worked, but how can people have confidence in it when they are hearing stories like this one?"
Mr Graham said he had  emailed a complaint from his car each time he received a fine, including a screenshot of the application's parking history function showing he had paid for parking.
Inspectors have access to digital logs  while checking cars around Canberra.
"I called Canberra Connect on Wednesday and they said fines are now on hold so at least they have actually acknowledged them," he said.
Mr Graham is yet to receive an official response from the Office of Regulatory Services. 
A $2.25 million deal has led to the introduction of state-of-the-art Duncan MX parking meters around Canberra, allowing users to pay with coins, credit cards or the Parkmobile app. The machines are used in 70 locations around Australia and New Zealand.
Similar problems were reported in April, when the directorate was forced to withdraw fines to drivers who followed instructions but did not display a ticket. 
In May, drivers complained to officials at the City of Melbourne after receiving fines while using the application. Officials there said very few complaints about the application had been received. 
The ACT government began the rollout of 300 "pay and display" parking machines in March, replacing hundreds of coin-only meters.
The new machines are in the city, Woden, Dickson, Belconnen, Manuka, Kingston and Tuggeranong. 
A spokeswoman for the ACT Justice and Community Safety Directorate said Mr Graham's fine was issued in error.
"The ORS Parking Review Office is undertaking a review into this matter," she said in a statement.
"Parking officers check the electronic records as a matter of standard operating procedure to determine if a Parkmobile session is active.
"If anyone believes that they have received an infringement in error they should contact parking operations on 132 281."

Source: Canberra Times



This was taken from the ACT rego website


Mobile Phone

To use your mobile phone to pay for parking, download the free application ‘Parkmobile’ for either your iPhone (from the App Store) or for Android users, (from the Play Store) and register online.
1.                  Open the Parkmobile application on your smart phone and select ‘Parking’.
2.                  Enter the ticket machine number (which appears on the front of the ticket machine) into the app and select ‘Continue’. (NOTE: The app may indicate to enter the zone number; this is the ticket machine number.)
3.                  Confirm the parking and vehicle details
4.                  Enter the time required and the amount will automatically be calculated
5.                  Select ‘Start Parking’.

NOTE:- You will not need to print or display a parking ticket as parking inspectors are able to electronically verify if payment for a session (and vehicle) has been made via the Parkmobile app.
Motorists who choose to pay using their mobile phone have additional benefits:
·                      an optional reminder by SMS and/or e-mail will be given 15
          minutes
          before the ticket is due to expire
·                      the ability to view and print parking transaction records on-line
·                      the ability to amend user and payment details on-line.

Parkmobile
Description
Parkmobile provides a new and better way to pay for parking using your mobile phone. The Parkmobile Android app allows you to instantly start and stop parking transactions so you only pay for the time you've parked.
Starting and stopping your parking transactions takes just a few seconds. If you're driving a different car to the one you registered, no problem, you can quickly and easily change the licence number and activate your parking session. You can also choose to receive a range of sms text messages, such as a reminder 15 minutes prior to your parking session expiring.
We provide secure online access to all your parking data so you'll always have access to your parking history. You can change your account settings, print reports and export your transactions to Excel for expense reimbursements.
You'll soon find Parkmobile in parking lots, on city streets, at airports, stadiums and just about anywhere else you park. Registering with us is free and you're under no obligation to use Parkmobile. It takes less than 2 minutes to join.
We take the stress out of parking. No more searching for coins, no more worries about dysfunctional parking meters. Whether you use our mobile app or call our automated voice prompt service, Parkmobile is here to make your day just that little bit easier.
Find out more about Parkmobile and when we will be in a suburb near you by visiting our website.



Brett Stewart Canberra signing off

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

RIP Robin Williams


RIP - Robin Williams if we can learn anything from his death it should be to seek help before its too late. 
I got some stats on suicide and depression in Australia scary statistics if you or anyone you know needs help. I strongly encourage you to seek help. It is not a struggle that you have to face alone and you would be surprised how many people have faced similar struggles. 

"On average, 1 in 6 people – 1 in 5 women and 1 in 8 men – will experience depression at some stage of their lives. There are different types of depression. Symptoms can range from minor (but still disabling) through to very severe."

"At least six Australians take their own lives every day. For every suicide, there are tragic ripple effects for family, friends, colleagues and the broader community."


Beyond blue has good resources and professional services available I encourage anyone effected by depression to seek help. There is no shame in living with depression or a mental illness the only shame is when you don't seek help.


Brett Stewart Canberra signing off

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

How Negative Energy Affects Your Life and How to Clear It

You know that like attracts like, right? So here’s the deal: Positive people are drawn to positive energy; negative people are drawn to negative energy.
We tend to perceive negative energy as something other people have. Sure, sometimes we feel negative – as in, “go away and leave me alone, world!” but did you know that negativity can be so ingrained in you that it goes unnoticed?
That’s because negativity sometimes wears a disguise called ‘reality’. It’s easy to rationalize that you’re ‘just being realistic’ in not daring to act on a dream – and believe it!
You may assume that positive people are not being realistic – that they’re being naive, that they are in denial with their heads stuck in the sand, that they put on fake smiles in the face of difficulty and so forth.  But are they really happy idiots or is there something to their positivity?
Consider this: since when does ‘being realistic’ necessarily mean that things will go wrong and that you have to accept that as the truth?
That doesn’t mean that being realistic is automatically negative. When you view the world from a ‘realistic’ standpoint, you can’t help but be negative IF your version of reality is negative.
If your version of reality is negative, you are conditioned to believe that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong and whatever can go right, will probably go wrong too. Your unconsciously held beliefs make you into a negative person without your being aware of it!
So – if this negativity is so ingrained in you that you don’t notice it, how do you determine whether you’re stuck in a cloud of negative energy that is attracting the wrong people, wrong situations and wrong feelings? And how can you be sure you’re not perpetuating that negativity?
Here’s a quick quiz to gauge the level of negative energy within you:
  • Do you complain? All the time or just sometimes?
  • Do you often discuss what’s wrong in the world more than what’s right? This includes the ‘terrible’ weather, ‘horrible’ traffic, ‘idiotic’ government, ‘lousy’ economy, ‘stupid’ in-laws, etc.
  • Do you criticize? All the time or just certain people?
  • Are you attracted to drama and disaster (can you unglue yourself from the TV when there’s a news story of a disaster and can you avoid getting involved in the lives of dysfunctional celebrities?)
  • Do you blame? All the time or just certain situations?
  • Do you believe that you have no control over most of your results?
  • Do you feel like a victim? Do you talk about people doing things to you?
  • Are you grateful for what is or will you be grateful when things finally start going right for you?
  • Do you feel like things are happening to you? Or do you feel that they are happening through you?
This last two points are important:
If you’re not grateful except when things go right, you are negative. Gratitude is positive. If you are grateful for what is (including the unpleasant school of life lessons, then you can invite more and more positive energy into your life.
Believing that things happen to you puts you in the role of victim; then it’s easy to be negative because it’s convenient to give up that power. So consider this alternative: who or what is to blame when GOOD things happen to you? Do you acknowledge that you are responsible for the good things – as in, you worked hard, you earned it, etc… but blame external events or other people for your failures? So how come, when good things happen, they are a result of what you do, but when bad things happen, they are not your fault?
Nobody likes to hear that. It takes courage to accept that you create your life experience!
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you are holding on to negative energy to some degree! To clear your negative energy and raise your vibration, you will need to retrain yourself to choose a positive attitude.
Here’s another interesting idea to consider: have you noticed that positive people seem to get what they want out of life, and even if things don’t go their way, they still enjoy their lives… while negative people whine and moan about their misfortunes and even the good things in their lives?
To clear negative energy, try this 3 -step process:

1. Take ownership:
“When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.” – the Dalai Lama
2. Cancel negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts.
This takes practice, dedication and making a decision to see the world through the eyes of “what can go right” instead of “what can go wrong.” You’ll have to catch yourself anytime you are acting out or speaking out your negativity, and immediately change your tune.
3. Use the Love or Above Spiritual Toolkit to clear your energy and bring more light and love into your life;  visualize the positive instead of getting sucked into negativity; overcome past conditioning; think intuitively from the soul instead from ‘reality’; create a new, desired reality in your imagination and manifest it in the outer world. Nobody wants negative energy to permeate their lives, yet many of us allow it. But we allow it unconsciously, based on past conditioning that suggests an inevitable outcome to certain situations. When you overcome that conditioning and realize that the future is NOT cast in stone but that you have more control over your circumstances than you believe – then you can begin to consciously design your life.
What’s going to happen then? Your positive energy will magnetically attract what you consider to be good and right for you: people, situations, things… and you’ll notice a huge, huge increase in your happiness and inner peace. Why not choose positive energy? Make some changes within, and you’ll quickly see positive changes in your life. Enjoy the good feelings and abundance!

Source: Themindunleashed  

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Monday, August 4, 2014

Joe Hachem - Australian Poker Player

When Joe Hachem took his seat on the first day at the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2005, the Australian professional immediately had buyer’s remorse.

He shared that uneasy feeling Saturday with players in this year’s Main Event at the Rio before giving the ceremonial “shuffle up and deal” command to begin play in the Texas Hold ‘em tournament.

“I still remember when I walked into (the poker room),” Hachem said. “I sat down and looked around. There were 2,000 players. My first instinct was to go back and cash out my (entry) ticket.”Before he played one hand, Hachem questioned why he entered the tournament and assumed his $10,000 entry fee was wasted.

Not only did Hachem remain in the tournament, he won it to pocket a then-record $7.5 million and instantly become one of poker’s biggest stars.


One day, I'll end up just like Joe Hachem. Joining a comp and taking it all!


Brett Stewart Canberra signing off