So, maybe you were wondering what I have been up to? The answer: not much. The whole week was a bit slow, I expected more from the university introduction which was very short, and was left with a lot of spare time. I have been hanging around in the Botanical Garden, reading a bit and visiting a few museums.
Today was pretty okay though because I went to visit Tropfest: a short film festival. It was held on the Domain, which is a large piece of grass next to the Botanical Garden. In the middle of the field there was a large triangular stage with screens on three sides. It started in the afternoon; there was not much to do yet, but you could have a picknick on the field which created a nice and easy going atmosphere.
Around 6 things started to get going with a band - Von She, or something - which was acceptable. After that the directors came in and after that, at long last the movies started. They screened 16 short film finalists (rules: première movie and max 7 minutes). I liked the ones on the mouseracing and the Japanese most. Sadly I left early, after seeing 8, because it started to rain, which I did not like. I will try to get the DVD next week and watch the other 8. All in all, a cool and easy going festival.
If you are interested, visit the Tropfest website by clicking here. Bye!
17.2.08
15.2.08
Bats
Hi! I have just seen a lot of bats flying through the city tonight. They look very cool and they move in large groups. Below you see them hanging in the tree in the Royal Botanical Garden. They sleep and hang during the day and go look for food at night. When they fly they have a cool batman silhouette against the night sky. Luckily they only eat fruit. I think. A cool site on bats is sydneybats.org.au, read their article by clicking here.
To get you started, here are some quotes from sydneybats.org.au:
"Flying-foxes groom their fur frequently with their claws and lick their wings. They urinate on themselves to wash and in the summer they urinate on themselves, then fan their wings to cool down."
"Do flying-foxes drink? Yes. They swoop down to belly-dip in rivers and dams. They then land on trees and lick the water from their belly fur."
"Can I have one as a pet? No."
To get you started, here are some quotes from sydneybats.org.au:"Flying-foxes groom their fur frequently with their claws and lick their wings. They urinate on themselves to wash and in the summer they urinate on themselves, then fan their wings to cool down."
"Do flying-foxes drink? Yes. They swoop down to belly-dip in rivers and dams. They then land on trees and lick the water from their belly fur."
"Can I have one as a pet? No."
14.2.08
Homebrand... mmm...
Hi! I haven't done much today, I think I might even have been lazy. Just read some books and articles and went to the supermarket. At Woolworths they've got a very cool brand: Homebrand. This brand offers value for money and, most of all, stunning graphic design. Check out the Tomato Soup below. For more pictures go to Flickr by clicking here.
A house in Sydney...
Aloha! Here some more on how I am doing in Australia. First of all, I just found a room, which is nice. I will be moving out of my hostel and into my room on Monday. The room in located in Leichhard, an Italian neighbourhood about 10 minutes from the city centre and university by bus. For 150 dollars a week I will have a small room in a student housing facility. It comes with a bed, a desk, a closet, internet and breakfast: just about everything you need. It was formerly run by the academy of music, but now by the church next door. Because of the fact that it is ran by the church you are not allowed to drink alcohol on the premises, but I can live with that as it is clean, quiet and relatively cheap.
Besides looking for a room I visited the NSW gallery, the botanical gardens and the Opera House. The gallery was good: located in the park and with no entry fee it is definitely worth a visit. They show a collection of modern art from the European renaissance up to contemporary Australian. While the European renaissance collection was not as nice as you can find in Europe, the contemporary Australian collection had a few surprisingly good artists.
The Royal Botanical Gardens were very cool. The gardens are large, with great greens, very cool Australian plants, great views of the city skyline and harbour There were also some cool birds flying around and big bats hanging in the trees. The Opera House is located at the end of the botanical gardens. It was nice to see, but I found that it looks better from afar than up close.
More pictures will follow on my Flickr account, listed and linked below, in a while. Cheers!
Besides looking for a room I visited the NSW gallery, the botanical gardens and the Opera House. The gallery was good: located in the park and with no entry fee it is definitely worth a visit. They show a collection of modern art from the European renaissance up to contemporary Australian. While the European renaissance collection was not as nice as you can find in Europe, the contemporary Australian collection had a few surprisingly good artists.
The Royal Botanical Gardens were very cool. The gardens are large, with great greens, very cool Australian plants, great views of the city skyline and harbour There were also some cool birds flying around and big bats hanging in the trees. The Opera House is located at the end of the botanical gardens. It was nice to see, but I found that it looks better from afar than up close.
More pictures will follow on my Flickr account, listed and linked below, in a while. Cheers!
India photos on Flickr!
Hi everyone! I just created an Flickr account and I put the photos I took in India online there. If you are interested, go visit my Flickr account by clicking here. I hope you like it...
12.2.08
New Number in Sydney
Hi! I have got a Australian sim in my mobile now, which means you can no longer reach me on my Dutch number. I will be using that again in the Netherlands. The number I am using in Australia is: +61 (0) 450 454 352. So, now you know.
11.2.08
Sydney update: UTS and Living
Yesterday was the introduction to the university at UTS. In a series of long talks we were welcomed about 1000 times and explained the does and don't of university life. Most seemed more suitable for first year students but all in all it was okay. I now know where to get a student pass (discount on the publictransport and zoo: nice!), I know where the library and psyciatric help can be found (both seemed equally important at UTS) and that if someone asks you for coffee, they might not mean "just" coffee. Hmm.
I also met some other Dutch people in Sydney as well as some other foreigners, which is nice. Below, a picture of the UTS main tower, voted last year to be Sydneys most ugly building. My faculty is to the right of it and connected by a footbridge. So this is where I will be studying.
Today has been a slow day. I am trying to find a house, which is difficult as there are not many of them. It seems rather expensive and also far away. You pay per week and it starts at 120 to 150 dollar a week. In my hostel I pay 120 a week and that includes breakfast, wifi and free (powdered) coffee all day. But then, I have 9 other people sleeping in the same room.
Living in a hostel is a bit strange. It is always very busy and you seem to have a few distinct groups of people here. I have been thinking on this and now I can divide them in 3 main species. Those with work: they either sleep or work and do nothing else (mostly from France and Germany). Those without work: they complain about not having work, do nothing all day and go drinking heavilly at night (mostly from England or Sweden). The third group are the Surfers. They are either out surfing or in front of the TV. These are most mysterious as I do not hear them talking and they seem to eat very little (only warm up noodles). I have yet to discover how they communicate and where they are from.
This afternoon I wanted to go the Bondi beach which seemed to be going really well, but just as I set foot on the sand the first drops of rain started falling. It seems to rain a lot here in Sydney, which is not common for this time of year. Next time I will have check with the weathergods before going outside. I just managed to take a picture before the weather went really bad. So, here it is.
I also met some other Dutch people in Sydney as well as some other foreigners, which is nice. Below, a picture of the UTS main tower, voted last year to be Sydneys most ugly building. My faculty is to the right of it and connected by a footbridge. So this is where I will be studying.
Today has been a slow day. I am trying to find a house, which is difficult as there are not many of them. It seems rather expensive and also far away. You pay per week and it starts at 120 to 150 dollar a week. In my hostel I pay 120 a week and that includes breakfast, wifi and free (powdered) coffee all day. But then, I have 9 other people sleeping in the same room.
Living in a hostel is a bit strange. It is always very busy and you seem to have a few distinct groups of people here. I have been thinking on this and now I can divide them in 3 main species. Those with work: they either sleep or work and do nothing else (mostly from France and Germany). Those without work: they complain about not having work, do nothing all day and go drinking heavilly at night (mostly from England or Sweden). The third group are the Surfers. They are either out surfing or in front of the TV. These are most mysterious as I do not hear them talking and they seem to eat very little (only warm up noodles). I have yet to discover how they communicate and where they are from.
This afternoon I wanted to go the Bondi beach which seemed to be going really well, but just as I set foot on the sand the first drops of rain started falling. It seems to rain a lot here in Sydney, which is not common for this time of year. Next time I will have check with the weathergods before going outside. I just managed to take a picture before the weather went really bad. So, here it is.
See you next time!
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)