Thursday 14 April 2011

Bus drivers and passengers.....Smile!!

So, after jokingly saying that I wouldn't jinx QPR, we go and shockingly lose to Scunthorpe 4 - 1! Luckily, we made amends by beating Barnsley a few days later, so the Premier league looks good for us still. Had an unuasl TV-free week too, as my Sky Box decided to give up. Now, having been a Sky customer for the best part of 10 years, I would have thought I would have get a good offer or deal to replace the faulty box. No, they wanted £40 to just come over and have a look, and £60 if I upgraded to HD. New customers often get this free, so I wasn't amused. Still, after 45 minutes talking to various customer services people, I finally got the right person, (they do exist!) and got everything sorted for free. After all, I am paying more for the subscription. Just proves a bit of perseverance makes all the difference! Will we writing an article about this experience soon on Ciao and Dooyoo, keep your eyes peeled.


Onto the buses, (Cue On The Buses theme tune!), it still makes to laugh and somewhat depressed on the mannerisms of the London passengers. While most adults just breeze on and off, poker faces fixed in stone statues, some have a cheerful smile and banter with me. (Rare, but nice). Mostly, these people just need to cheer up a little, and not give the impression of looking down on the guy who's 'Just driving the bus'. Like most people who can't appreciate the effort that goes into jobs they have never done, it's so easy to criticise. Bus drivers get a bad rep from things like this. Yes, there are some drivers who are shocking, and shouldn't be in a job which is in contact with the public, let alone driving too, but most drivers are really down to earth people, and take pride in their work. Teenagers and school kids need to really take heed of this. They get free travel in London, but still 'lose' there pass given to them. When I say lose, I mean give to a family member or friend, thinking they will be fine without it. While always unnecessarily noisy and excitable, most kids are fine, but it makes me laugh when some try the same old tricks to get on board, and act like you have shit on their shoes when they are caught out! One of the best/worst attempts was a guy that had cut the date from one travelcard, and meticulousness stuck it onto another. A lot of hard work for something so cheap over the course of the day. I have many things like this happen on daily basis, and it either makes to laugh or annoyed, depending on the attitude of the passenger. I suppose it's something we have to take on the chin as bus drivers, funny that train drivers don't get these problems and still get paid more....


Funny clip involving an unfortunate/stupid driver, you decide. Worth noting the Porche driver parking on the wrong side of the road in a bus stop, she certainly gets taught a harsh lesson in where to park with consideration!


Don't forget to check out my reviews on Ciao and Dooyoo, and my profile on Hubpages. More and more content keeps being added. 


Weekly Highlights
Beating my brother at golf. Learning the entire script to 'Thomas and the Magic Railroad', 'Toy Story' and 'Up'. Working out a 45 hour paid week for 5 days work. Getting Sky HD+ and matching 4 numbers of the Lotto Plus 5. (£25, before you all starts knocking on my door!)

Tip of the Week!

While boiling an egg, don't drop the egg upon removing it form the pan, and try to pick up said egg with your left hand and replacing the hob grills with your right just after you have turned the gas off! Ouch! 

Conclusions of the Week...

Don't not burn my fingers before playing golf for 4 1/2 hours, and whilst playing golf in baking hot sunshine, put sun cream on the forehead! You CAN get what you want out of Sky TV company if you persist banging on about your loyalty, offering the promise to future upgrades and finally threatening to switch to Virgin Media. Rory Mcilroy - the most epic fail in the The Masters since Greg Norman, but you will bounce back young man!

Next Time on The NovaBug-Blog

My thoughts on the upcoming St Georges Day, Overpaid sportsman, and why working keeps your morality high.


Bug'.......Out!

Tuesday 5 April 2011

Only my second post and I'm already 2 days Late!!!

Right OK, I'm late posting this, but I have had a busy week at work. Bus driving shifts can drive (pun intended!) me crazy sometimes. Funny how, it still amazes me after over a year doing this job the behaviour of some of the passengers, and some are Soooo miserable too, even with my chirpy smile and not-so-witty gags! More on this nest week. Have written a few articles this week however, my MG ZS review on Ciao and Dooyoo, and an article about being a Dad on Hubpages, please take a look. Remember, E-mail me if you wish to join. Find me on Facebook and Twitter respectively.


Now onto my gripe of the past week, and something which really got my goat was these so-called "cuts" protesters in London. Look, I don't agree with all the cuts being made, but at least I can UNDERSTAND why they are being made. I, like many others have no easy answers, so choose not to go ballistic about it, so why do a load of people think it's a good idea to smash up London? Does this cost money to fix, and guess where that money comes from? That's right, us, the taxpayer. I would guess some of these protesters are not taxpayers, and therefore have no actual concept of their actions. I bit of media exposure certainly to maybe prove a point, but otherwise embarrassing to the country. Only the "thinking" protest ever seems to hit home to the right people, and mass boycotts and such like would achieve this, but running around the capital, smashing Banks, Shops and Hotels, (What have The Ritz done to deserve it?) is not the way forward, quite the opposite in fact, backward! I wonder it any of the protesters had concerns about the proposed front line police cuts, because they saw the front line in full force, the very thing they don't want to cut stopped them trashing London entirely. Ironic....


I don't watch too much TV, but I do sometimes catch an episode of Question Time, and was pleased to see the London Mayor Boris Johnson on the show this week. Now, some people feel he is an embarrassment, incompetent or just plain silly, but I think he is one of the most 'human' of the politicians around. He speaks what he feels true, and laughs off any instant unfair criticism in a warm manner, and this is reassuring to me. He played a blinder on QT, and most of what he says makes sense, even though it is delivered in a rather eccentric way. Claps aplenty he did receive from the QT audience. At least he doesn't read from the "how-to-sound-miserable-with-the-world" book that Livingston reads from. Another show I caught was the side-ways political look of The 10 O'Clock show. Hats off to David Michell for pressing the actual question that was in my mind to the cuts 'Activists' (60% translation for - layabout troublemaker with no real solutions), of what they would do instead of the heavy cuts?. It seems that these guys, whilst heavily tolling the bell for doom and gloom from the governments cuts, that they harp on about an 'alternative' without stipulating what the 'alternative' is! Tax the rich they say, we already are... 50% a believe. Invest more they say, what with...? The former government spent all the dosh, and they admitted this too! Funny that even though they, rather obviously support the Labour party, the Red's themselves would have made 80% of the exact same cuts the coalition is making. Like Johnson said, Labour would make "Nice Cuts?!" A shadow budget would have been interesting wouldn't it? And don't get me started on Ed Milliband's shameless goading of the peaceful protesters, he didn't actually say any alternative policies, a good old politicians trick.
Boris always choose L'oreal Extreme Hold Gel!
 May look mad, but possibly the sanest of all Politicians?
Honestly, this is the Vulcan Nerve Grip!
 Mr Milliband have you got any answers or even apologies, because you haven't let us know about them yet.


Weekly Highlights
New tyres on the car, weekend away with the family booked, sad news from a family member, and a bloke asking for directions to Kings House, Harrow, whilst standing outside....Kings House, Harrow! Like he said after my laughter has stopped, "I'm being a dick ain't I?"


Tip of the Week!
Don't mess around with the Air Vents or plastic fixings on a MG ZS!


Conclusions of the Week...
The cuts protesters, whether peaceful or otherwise need to rethink what they are doing, and the consequences it may cause. Fuel prices are getting ridiculous, greedy fuel companies and too much tax! Congratulations to the India Cricket Team on winning the ODI World Cup, but let's be honest, it was all geared up for them right? Most TV today is total mind-melting garbage! (Ref: The Only Way is Essex, Any Katie Price show and ALL soaps!)  Do something else like play a sport or listen to music instead!


Next Time on The NovaBug-Blog - Going have a proper rant about bus passengers, and how they have to understand what REALLY goes on behind the scenes, a a self-indulgent talk about my wonderful football team, Queens Park Rangers, soon to be a Premier League team. (Hope I havn't jinxed that now!) Thanks for reading and I hope your are either smiling or angry about my words, it's all good either way!


Bug.......Out!