No tsunami here

As most of you should have heard by now Japan was hit by the biggest earthquake in its history yesterday, which then caused a tsunami to add to the destruction.  I would like to take a moment and let all of you know that the tsunami has not affected us here in Australia, and I don't believe it will. In fact, Adsy is down at the beach as I write this filming guys surfing in the water. 

Being in the Pacific where now two major earthquakes have hit, Japan and Christchurch NZ, I cannot help but be a little worried that this is only the beginning. Not to get all 2012 on you guys, but I think we all need to take a moment and remember those emergency procedures that we learned in primary school.  Get under the table, stand in a doorway, etc. You never know where the next big one is going to hit! 

I also learned today that Google has come up with a new "person finder" application that helps users report missing people as well as enter information about someone in disasters such as Japan's earthquake. With all of the natural disasters the world has been facing, I think this could be a really useful tool.  

My thoughts go out to all of those people in Japan.  I hope the rescue teams get in there quick to help anyone who may be trapped. Peace and love to everyone. 

Mardi Gras!!

On Saturday night Adsy and I ventured into the city to watch the Mardi Gras parade. There is one major difference between how we celebrate Mardi Gras and how Australians celebrate it.  In Australia the Mardi Gras parade is really a gay pride parade, in fact anything to do with Mardi Gras over here is completely associated with the GLBT community. So really instead of going to a Mardi Gras parade on Saturday night I went to my first gay pride parade! 

Getting down there was a little bit of a pain because they had to block off a lot of the main roads for the parade route, so we did a lot of walking.  Then after all the walking we stood in one spot for about 3 hours to watch the parade.  Needless to say we were tired halfway through and Adsy's knee was killing him, so we left before it finished.

I must say I was a little disappointed in parade's level of quality.  I didn't think the floats were that great and everything looked thrown together.  Everyone made such a big deal about "Sydney's Mardi Gras" parade, but honestly I was let down.  I guess I should not be so critical of a parade, because let us be honest it is a parade, but I still thought it could have been better. Oh well it was a new experience for me, and another insight into Sydney's diverse culture.

P.S. I'm sorry I don't have pictures to show, but for whatever reason they all came out really blurry.  Just imagine a lot of guys in really short shorts.

Semester 1 courses

For any of you that care to know here is a list of the courses I am taking this semester.  I have only been to two out of the four so I'll have to let you know how they go! The first two seem good, I guess so far so good.

Writing for Different Cultures and Audiences 
This course is about the kinds of writing that those working in art institutions most commonly undertake: writing from the perspective of the institution. It recognises that writing may have many different functions and writers must learn to adapt their style, vocabulary and technique, according to who will read the product. Questions to be considered include the current debate on captions, writing for children and non-specialist publics, research techniques including oral history, press kits and media management, and different types of catalogues. The method of study is very much hands on. It involves, among other things, the editing and layout of an edition of Artwrite, a magazine of student writing.


Exhibition and Gallery Design Development  
This course considers two areas of design development. These are the theoretical and practical aspects of exhibition design and display techniques and the specific design demands of a gallery space. The ways in which the objectives of an exhibition may be identified are discussed, and all aspects related to project initiation and completion examined. These include planning and design management, budget formulation and controls, production and installation management, spatial requirements and evaluation, light and lighting.

 
Festivals and Biennales
This course covers the history, conception and implementation of arts festivals and recurrent national and international exhibitions. Particular attention is paid to events in Australia such as the Biennale of Sydney, the Australian Sculpture Triennial and the Adelaide Festival (including Artist's Week). Overseas events include the history of the Biennale commencing in Venice in 1895 to Sao Paulo and Paris, as well as major expositions such as the Indian Triennial, Documenta and the Carnegie International. The history of these complex programs is discussed, in particular, the administrative skills, conceptual insights and artistic resources essential to their successful realisation.


The Art and Culture of Everyday Life
This course looks critically at the different formulations of art in relation to mass culture. It gives an overview of the social and technological development of mass culture including the advent of photography, film, television, advertising and the popular press. Special attention is paid to the ways in which the relationship between art and mass culture has been conceptualised by such seminal thinkers as Michael de Certeau, Fernand Braudel, Paul Virilo and Jean Baudrillard.

Bars and pubs and bars and pubs...

This place looks harmless right? Well in 2008 it was named Sydney's second most violent pub, and I ventured there last Friday night. 

Friday was girls night which included dinner at a place called Beach Burrito which surprisingly was good (Adsy and I ended up having it Saturday night too). After dinner we went to Oceans bar which we've been to many of times.  Afterwards it was over to the Coogee Bay Hotel or 'the bay' as most people who go there refer to it. 

Aw the bay, Adsy hates the bay which is why I hadn't been there yet.  It took a girls night without the boys to get me to the bay. I had heard that it was the second most violent pub in Sydney/Australia but it really didn't mean anything to me.  It looks nice, why is it so violent? Well supposedly a lot of people like to fight there and the cops get called out there a lot, hence the name.

Because of this stigma of being so violent the Coogee Bay hotel has an extreme door system to let you in.  First you have to hand over your ID where they scan it into their computer system.  Then you also have to place your right index finger on a finger print scanner and get that information into their system. Freaky right? The girl who was scanning my ID and finger was so up beat about it saying "and now next time you won't even have to show your ID, just scan your finger and we'll know its you!"

Thanks but seriously I am now freaked out, and I'm not sure there will be a next time.  In fact, I think i may burn off my right index finger print because I don't think the Coogee Bay is worth the cost of my identity.

Happy Presidents Day!!

Last Saturday our friend's Jeremy and Amanda picked Adsy and I up to go to a bar for drinks.  While driving to the bar we passed Coogee beach where we spent new years eve.  I was sitting in the back of the car looking out the window and spacing out. Then I saw it. The American flag hanging in all of it's glory from a hut on the beach.  It took me longer than it should have to register that the American flag was out of place. Then I saw them, blue and red everywhere.  Solo cups*! What I was looking at was clearly a American party on the beach.

I'm guessing they were celebrating President's day because that is the only holiday I could think of and it was the following Monday (today). When we got to the bar all of our friends that were there kept coming up to me and saying things like "did you see your people on the beach? why aren't you with them?" "what is the deal with those red and blue cups?" If only I could have jumped out of the car to party with the Americans and drink out of those wonderful solo cups! But I didn't so I'll never know what they were celebrating or if they were celebrating anything at all other than the fact that they are American. Oh well, next time!

Maybe from now on if there is ever an American holiday coming up I'll make sure to be at the beach so I do not miss any of the celebrations.

P.S. I have heard that Australians throw "American" themed parties which I find funny because that is a random theme for a party.

*They don't have solo cups here or at least I have never seen them. Someone must have imported them.

Night Swim!

Down the beach (where I was walking yesterday) there is a rock pool built into the side of the ocean where the water meets the rocks.  It is a really cool public pool where people can swim laps, without having to worry about getting sucked out to sea (or eaten by a shark). With Adsy's hurt knee he is not able to do sports of any kind and that has been bumming him out. Last night I suggested we go for a swim at the pool. I figured it would help him to do something active in the ocean, but also start to strengthen his knee before surgery. 

Once we got there I was kicking myself for suggesting it because the water was pretty cold, but once I got in it felt really nice.  It was a lot of fun too, because even though you are in a pool you are still in the ocean.  The waves crash down and the current pulls you so it is a really good work out.  We were only in there for about 15 minuets and afterwards I was exhausted.

Adsy brought his camera and snapped a few photos of our time there.  It was pretty dark by this point so the photos may be hard to see clearly.



I am sitting on a rock looking past the pool at the ocean. The pool is pretty shallow therefore no diving.

The rock pool with the ocean beyond the little wall.  There is a chain on the wall that people like to hold on to and let the waves crash on them. 



Pretty sky!

 I think after the surgery we will be spending more time here. However, since we'll be getting into winter by that point I don't know how much time I'll be spending in the pool. For now though, the pool made for a nice Thursday night!

A morning walk to the beach

I must say how proud I am of myself for how much I have been blogging after such a long time of not doing it. I know my avid readers a.k.a. my dad must also appreciate the daily updates of my currently boring life.  I should not say boring because I know my life is far from boring, I'm just bored so the word is on my mind.  Maybe it is because of the boredom that I have been so good about blogging.  

However, I now have caught up on all of the important and interesting things I have been doing since I got back to Australia and now have nothing to post about.  One friend told me to come up with a list of Australian stereotypes and start to prove/disprove each one with a blog post.  All I need are some good Australian stereotypes. Not sure Adsy would like this project, but it could be a bit funny.

Since I didn't have much to say today, for your enjoyment I decided to go for a nice little walk down to the beach and take some pictures.  A reader, a.k.a my dad, made sure to let me know that my blog is much more interesting with pictures, and I agree with him.  Who wants to sit and read a bunch of words? 

Mapping my journey from the apartment to the beach.

If you look closely the box thing is painted like a rubix cube 

Next time I think I need to be sure and find some 'Bra boys' to include in my blog.  I still have yet to see them, but I was told it is because I don't know what I am looking for. That post to appear soon!