SupaNova 2011 (Perth) - Day 1 (well night really)
So finally, here is part 1 of my 3-part series on my trip to Perth a few weeks back. Sorry for the text-intensive post, I promise more photos in later entries ;P
The trip did not start off well.
It all started while I was on the bus from the long-term parking to Melbourne Airport. I get a call from Foxtix. They were calling to let me know that the presenter for the two-days writing seminar was stuck in New Zealand due to the volcanic ash. As such SupaNova would be cancelling the writing seminars. The Foxtix employee assured me that I would be refunded in full - as if the cost of the seminar tickets would be all I cared about!
If I was going to Perth purely for the writing seminar I'd be screwed, was Foxtix going to refund me my airfare, lodging and car hire?
Luckily my reasons for going to Perth was three parts, 1) attend the two days writing seminar; 2) go see Wicked, the Broadway musical; and 2) see James Marsters.
It's okay, I thought as the Foxtix employee arranged for the refund back to my card, on a positive note I wouldn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it to the 8am seminars.
I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, so while waiting to board I started watching Durarara! on my iPad.
For an hour.
Apparently there was a mechanical fault with the plane and JetStar was trying to get it fixed.
For an hour.
In the end they still had to change planes for us.
It's still okay, I thought. I had given myself two hours leeway between arriving in Perth and getting to Burswood Theatre to watch Wicked. I had checked online that the Burswood Entertainment Complex wasn't that far from the airport - I just wouldn't have much time to eat beforehand.
Whilst boarding the plane, the attendants told us that the pilot will be trying his best to make up for the delay in the flight time.
Which is useless when they won't let you land.
Apparently since we've failed to arrive on time, we had to wait in "queue" for a slot to land. Who knew Perth experienced such heavy air traffic?
In the end I didn't get off the plane until 7:45pm, the show starts at 8pm. Even though I didn't have any check-in luggage, I still had to collect my rental car and drive to the theatre.
Did I also mention it was pouring? Like cats and dogs, with the occassional kangaroo? It was one step away from raining drop bears.
I arrived at Burswood Theatre at 8:40pm, rainwater practically running off me in rivulets. I think the theatre ushers took pity on me, because they let me in even though it wasn't intermission yet.
I was riverted for the next two hours - I wasn't as impressed by the music as I was by Love Never Dies - but I thought the story was very clever. Although I didn't miss *that* much of it because the show was so long, I would still have liked to have watched the thing in it's entirety.
The rest of the night was relatively uneventful.
Oh except for this.
There was a car crash outside my apartment window. I was reading a book and getting ready to sleep when I heard a loud long screech then....*crunch*. By the time I got to my window, I see the car bouncing off the side rails before coming to a stop. One of the guys, I think it was the driver, jumps out of the car and just runs off. His friends get out of the car a bit more slowly, but they just wander aimlessly around the car. I think the bunch of them were drunk off their heads. Later the driver wanders back and they just stand around on the side of the road.
Luckily it seemed that nobody was hurt, and they didn't crash into any other cars.
Also the ambulance and police arrived very quickly; I think it took no more than a few minutes. I took my camera out for the first and only time that day - to snap that photo above.
And that concludes my post for the first day of my weekend trip to Perth.
My trip did not start out well I'm afraid, but head over to my next post to see how it proceeds.
The trip did not start off well.
It all started while I was on the bus from the long-term parking to Melbourne Airport. I get a call from Foxtix. They were calling to let me know that the presenter for the two-days writing seminar was stuck in New Zealand due to the volcanic ash. As such SupaNova would be cancelling the writing seminars. The Foxtix employee assured me that I would be refunded in full - as if the cost of the seminar tickets would be all I cared about!
If I was going to Perth purely for the writing seminar I'd be screwed, was Foxtix going to refund me my airfare, lodging and car hire?
Luckily my reasons for going to Perth was three parts, 1) attend the two days writing seminar; 2) go see Wicked, the Broadway musical; and 2) see James Marsters.
It's okay, I thought as the Foxtix employee arranged for the refund back to my card, on a positive note I wouldn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it to the 8am seminars.
I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, so while waiting to board I started watching Durarara! on my iPad.
For an hour.
Apparently there was a mechanical fault with the plane and JetStar was trying to get it fixed.
For an hour.
In the end they still had to change planes for us.
It's still okay, I thought. I had given myself two hours leeway between arriving in Perth and getting to Burswood Theatre to watch Wicked. I had checked online that the Burswood Entertainment Complex wasn't that far from the airport - I just wouldn't have much time to eat beforehand.
Whilst boarding the plane, the attendants told us that the pilot will be trying his best to make up for the delay in the flight time.
Which is useless when they won't let you land.
Apparently since we've failed to arrive on time, we had to wait in "queue" for a slot to land. Who knew Perth experienced such heavy air traffic?
In the end I didn't get off the plane until 7:45pm, the show starts at 8pm. Even though I didn't have any check-in luggage, I still had to collect my rental car and drive to the theatre.
Did I also mention it was pouring? Like cats and dogs, with the occassional kangaroo? It was one step away from raining drop bears.
I arrived at Burswood Theatre at 8:40pm, rainwater practically running off me in rivulets. I think the theatre ushers took pity on me, because they let me in even though it wasn't intermission yet.
I was riverted for the next two hours - I wasn't as impressed by the music as I was by Love Never Dies - but I thought the story was very clever. Although I didn't miss *that* much of it because the show was so long, I would still have liked to have watched the thing in it's entirety.
The rest of the night was relatively uneventful.
Oh except for this.
There was a car crash outside my apartment window. I was reading a book and getting ready to sleep when I heard a loud long screech then....*crunch*. By the time I got to my window, I see the car bouncing off the side rails before coming to a stop. One of the guys, I think it was the driver, jumps out of the car and just runs off. His friends get out of the car a bit more slowly, but they just wander aimlessly around the car. I think the bunch of them were drunk off their heads. Later the driver wanders back and they just stand around on the side of the road.
Luckily it seemed that nobody was hurt, and they didn't crash into any other cars.
Also the ambulance and police arrived very quickly; I think it took no more than a few minutes. I took my camera out for the first and only time that day - to snap that photo above.
And that concludes my post for the first day of my weekend trip to Perth.
My trip did not start out well I'm afraid, but head over to my next post to see how it proceeds.
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