The Centrelink Cycle

After being stuck on the train for 5 hours yesterday, with a power outage at one of the stations, mechanical failures and an emergency stop to some pitiful station called Auburn, along with multiple instances of misinformation from station staff (they also stopped apologizing about delays after the first 2 hours), I couldn't help but be reminded yet again of the sheer disappointment Centrelink brings. Then again, the government hasn't exactly been stellar in using taxpayer funds for purposeful use, especially in the last few years...

Centrelink

For some reason, I've got some mysterious lower back pain as I'm posting this, and the pain of having to deal with Centrelink somehow came to mind. After all, it has been a considerable while since I last interacted with Centrelink, and I'd prefer to keep it that way for as long as possible. But that doesn't stop this surging pain in my back, so here I am, in a constant toggling state of being pain-struck and feeling like things will return to normal soon. Is this what pensioners have to deal with all the time?

For a Good Cause

Yet another comic inspired by a true event last year, except it was insect-filled chocolate bars instead of cabanossi. It's like how petrol stations around the same area can sell at wildly different prices, and just by going to the petrol station on the next block can already save you a couple of cents per litre. But it seems that being at the right place at the right time for the right reasons can actually allow some rather unusual situations to manifest. Although identifying them to begin with is the biggest challenge...

Chump Change

For all those times when I pay for things in excessive amounts of low-value coins. And every time it happens, the same set of events happen: The clerk gives me a weird look and starts awkwardly counting all the coins I've spilled in front of them, while people in the general vicinity briefly stop and stare at me for a bit. Yeah, because society has never seen a guy pay with coins before. Sigh, people these days...

The Price of Thirst

Based on the fact that summer is currently underway here in Australia, and drinking that warm coffee from 7-Eleven probably wasn't a good idea in hindsight. Seriously, I press the "Iced Coffee" button at the coffee machine and all it does it make regular coffee! GGGRRRAAAHHH!!! I suppose all the other options produce actual iced coffee then! But I shouldn't be ranting about some $1 cup of coffee that I happen to acquire on a hot summer's day. After all, you get what you give...

The Art of Budget Cuts

Happy New -- ah, forget it, I'm already three to four days late, and I'm sure your social circles have spammed you more than enough times about this already. Besides, some of you are likely still recovering from all the partying since Christmas, so it's probably best for the both of us to slowly migrate into 2019.

In regards to the comic and its "experimental aesthetic", this should only be for this week only, thankfully. Unless people like this kind of art style, then I might consider doing future comics in a similar way.
Essentially, since the ongoing theme is money, it lends itself nicely as a premise for trying out different art styles. Also implicitly lets me skimp out on quality. It's a win-win!

The Paradox of Riches

What better way to end the year than with some profound wisdom about true riches. I suppose the true pessimist would say something like "Ptooie! So-called 'true riches' only exist as an excuse for people to compensate for their lack of wealth!"
Firstly, please don't spit while you're around me. Secondly, if there's anything I've learned from sharking trading cards from innocent students back in primary school, it's that value is almost always a relative construct. Whether it's how shiny something is or the fact that something smells like carbon, value can be derived from any arbitrary attribute.
Having said that, you can also exploit this insight to improve your own sense of wealth. But then you also have to deal with moral dilemmas and ethics-based variables, which is a whole other barrel of monkeys...