I finally succumbed to temptation and got my hair cut. After many upon many months of growth, there certainly was a lot that could be taken off. The barber did a great job with layering and I think my hair looks fine. In the end, it was just getting a little too unmanageable as it curled incessantly towards the bottom. The good news is that with my new shorter hair (not much shorter, mind you) I can let it grow for another couple of months.
After a few days in the repair shop, I finally got my bicycle back. The final cost was $140.00, which was more than I had hoped, but it was still far cheaper than buying a new bicycle. Furthermore this is still a very good bicycle --- light and fast; I think it is worth the expense. As well, I can now be certain that I shouldn't need repairs on it, barring the unforeseen, for quite some time.
While watching the first game of the rugby NSW v Queensland State of Origin series, I happened to find the last episode of Lost and I must say I'm rather confused. While I think I've more or less understood what's happened, I've missed virtually the entire series so I feel a bit lost myself. From what I understand, Lost developed into a sort of stream of consciousness series as the writers had no clear plan at the beginning and sort of made things up as they went along. Maybe that was part of its charm? All I can say is that I wasn't a big fan of the ending. And by the way, Queensland won.
I'm also very happy because I received a High Distinction on a presentation I gave to my intellectual property seminar. The presentation consisted of my comments on two cases involving the famous author J. K. Rowling, the cases being Murray v Express News and Murray v Big Pictures. Essentially it involved photos taken of Rowling and her family while they were shopping in Edinburgh and the subsequent publishing of those photos in a newspaper. The Court of Appeal eventually found that the privacy of Rowling's toddler son had been violated and made rulings to the effect that what is public or private will depend on the circumstances; this is in keeping with most privacy rulings around the world. I states that I felt that the Court of Appeal had incorrectly decided the matter while finding their statements of law to be acceptable. I then went on to add a few more of my own thoughts. Anyway, the professor thought it was a very well-done presentation and has awarded me with the highest mark possible. Just to gloat a little more, I will now quote what he wrote:
"This presentation on the dispute over the Rowling Privacy cases was all class. The speaker not only demonstrated a good understanding of the facts of the matter; and the complications of the appeal; but also displayed a fine understanding of comparative law; and a deeper philosophical insight into the underlying thematic tensions underlying the case. Excellent. A high distinction."
I should further point out that this topic was kind of cheating for me as my postgraduate course this semester was "Freedom of Information and Privacy" and touched on these cases. In my defence, though, I did disclose that at the beginning of the presentation.
In the last 2 days, Canberra has received somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3.5cm of rain. I was scheduled to officiate a game at Manuka Oval, Canberra's premier aussie rules ground, and I had to wake up at 08:00 to get on my bike at 08:30 to be their at 09:00 for a 09:30 start. As I rode into the driving rain my shoes, socks and feet became more and more wet. At one point, I ran into a fallen branch and temporarily lost control of my bicycle leaving my with a small cut. I made it to Manuka only to be told a short while later that the game was cancelled due to weather. After waiting around for a bit, I rode back home to dry off.
Later that day, Fenner Hall was playing in the interhall rugby final against arch-rivals John's College. For most of the game Fenner led 6-0 until John's scored a try midway through the 2nd half making it 6-4 after they failed to convert. Then, following a string of bad calls and non-calls on the part of a questionable referee, John's scored a second try late in the game and converted to make it 10-6, which ended up being the final score. This loss stung because Fenner really were the better team on the field and were just a bit unlucky. We'll see how we go next year and I may even decide to join in.
As well, I rediscovered one of the great TV series of all time --- The X-Files. I've taken to watching episodes as a reward for work done and I'm already up to season 9, the final season. I had forgotten how well David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson worked together on the screen; they really were one of TV's greatest partnerships. I remember watching it with my dad whenever we could and we tried as best we could to follow the storyline although when in turned from paranormal things into a love story we kind of tuned out. I'm now realizing and understanding the whole story, which is another thing you get from watching several episodes at once. When it's a weekly series you ten to forget things over time but now that I can watch them whenever I want, I finally see the patterns and the overall picture.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I hear the adventures of Mulder and Scully calling.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Greatest Invention
If I asked you what the greatest invention of all time was, many of you would answer the wheel. Personally, I think the printing press takes the cake but there's no doubting the importance of the wheel. But if you think about it, it wasn't the wheel that was the greatest invention but the second wheel.
Keeping that in mind, and all that the wheel allows us to do, I got in contact with someone to buy a new used bicycle. It's a little older but the price was right, $100, and that included a brand new bike lock and light. Already I've felt the difference as this bike is lighter and the wheels seem to flow more easily. Also, the breaks and the gear shift actually work, or should I say worked. The other day I was biking along and as I shifted down the jockey wheel (the little wheel at the back) got caught in the spokes, or so I guess, and the torque completely ripped the jockey wheel out of its position and bent the chain as well. Needless to say, this will require some repair but the parts aren't particularly expensive. It shouldn't be too hard to fix. I don't think there's any way to avoid this type of accident except caution.
There really isn't much else to write about.
Keeping that in mind, and all that the wheel allows us to do, I got in contact with someone to buy a new used bicycle. It's a little older but the price was right, $100, and that included a brand new bike lock and light. Already I've felt the difference as this bike is lighter and the wheels seem to flow more easily. Also, the breaks and the gear shift actually work, or should I say worked. The other day I was biking along and as I shifted down the jockey wheel (the little wheel at the back) got caught in the spokes, or so I guess, and the torque completely ripped the jockey wheel out of its position and bent the chain as well. Needless to say, this will require some repair but the parts aren't particularly expensive. It shouldn't be too hard to fix. I don't think there's any way to avoid this type of accident except caution.
There really isn't much else to write about.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Lull
I've been enjoying the lull time between the end of assignments and the start of exams. They're about 3 weeks away and I plan to use the time to finish up my readings and study. As exams approach, I'm beginning to take stock of what I really know from my courses and I'll be reviewing everything in the near future. Luckily, I only have 3 exams this semester. With any luck, they'll finish and then I'll be able to relax for a bit before next semester.
There hasn't been much else apart from university other than the fact that I haven't bought a bicycle yet. I've rediscovered the joy of walking, something I hadn't really had to do for well over a year. With my bike now beyond repair, or more accurately, not worth the trouble to repair, I've been hunting for second-hand bikes. I have some promising leads but we'll have to see how things go. With any luck, by the end of the week I'll have a new set of wheels.
I umpired a double-header on Friday night at Kingston Oval, which is a little unusual for Canberra. As the Sydney Swans were playing the Western Bulldogs at Canberra's Manuka Oval the next day, the league decided that there would be a bye this weekend. However, two games were to be played on the Friday before and I was asked to umpire. Although the weather was fine, the temperature started dropping at a reasonable rate after the sun set, although the overcoats weren't needed until the last half of the last game. The games themselves were alright although they were both blowouts, Eastlake winning one and the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) winning the other. The atmosphere, though, was quite exhilarating in a way that doesn't happen during the day on a Saturday or Sunday. Because the games were during the evening and it wasn't a working day, many people showed up. They also brought beer with them and got into the games with a sort of vigour that's often lacking. As it was nightfall, the spectators could drink with a sense of propriety and I must say that it turned out alright. If it wasn't so clod and dark, I would recommend that the league consider more night games.
I realize I haven't written about my New Zealand adventures yet, though I do intend to. I'll see how this week turns out.
There hasn't been much else apart from university other than the fact that I haven't bought a bicycle yet. I've rediscovered the joy of walking, something I hadn't really had to do for well over a year. With my bike now beyond repair, or more accurately, not worth the trouble to repair, I've been hunting for second-hand bikes. I have some promising leads but we'll have to see how things go. With any luck, by the end of the week I'll have a new set of wheels.
I umpired a double-header on Friday night at Kingston Oval, which is a little unusual for Canberra. As the Sydney Swans were playing the Western Bulldogs at Canberra's Manuka Oval the next day, the league decided that there would be a bye this weekend. However, two games were to be played on the Friday before and I was asked to umpire. Although the weather was fine, the temperature started dropping at a reasonable rate after the sun set, although the overcoats weren't needed until the last half of the last game. The games themselves were alright although they were both blowouts, Eastlake winning one and the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) winning the other. The atmosphere, though, was quite exhilarating in a way that doesn't happen during the day on a Saturday or Sunday. Because the games were during the evening and it wasn't a working day, many people showed up. They also brought beer with them and got into the games with a sort of vigour that's often lacking. As it was nightfall, the spectators could drink with a sense of propriety and I must say that it turned out alright. If it wasn't so clod and dark, I would recommend that the league consider more night games.
I realize I haven't written about my New Zealand adventures yet, though I do intend to. I'll see how this week turns out.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Give a Little Bit
This has actually been a pretty rough week. The last of my assignments were due and I had a bit of bad luck. I've also had supervisor training at ACTTAB which took longer than I thought and didn't go all that well at first. I've also had some bad luck.
Positively, my assignments are all done although it was a lot of work to finish them. I had a 4 000 word essay about privacy due on Monday and a presentation about privacy in the context of intellectual property on Thursday. I think I did well on both of them. I also received a Distinction grade for my intellectual privacy essay, so I'm pretty happy about that. Now, it's clear sailing until exams.
On Tuesday, I biked through a rainstorm to get to umpire practice because I was told we had new uniforms. Essentially, the umpires had a new sponsor and we needed the uniforms with the new logo on it. Our coach had told us that it was imperative for us to get the new uniforms before the next round started and I didn't want to wait a week. I was very wet when I pulled in so you can imagine my surprise when the new uniforms were not what we expected. While the uniforms were new there was actually no new sponsor, so I could still use my old uniform. I stuck around for training but I wasn't very happy.
The next few days were devoted to supervisor training at the Garema Place branch of ACTTAB. The training involved me coming in early in the morning to help with the setup. It was implied that it would only take the morning but I ended up staying until the early evening. The next day was my turn to supervise under the watchful eye of the manager and it didn't go that well; I feel like I got nearly everything wrong and I was glad when that day was over. The next day was much the same, except a different manager and I managed to do much better. On the plus side, I do get paid for it. I'll also have to do a few night training shifts to learn how to close.
Now it seems that my bike has decided to have a meltdown. The pedals aren't moving and are loose. Add to that, neither the brakes nor the gears work well. I've got to see about getting it fixed. I'll see what I can do about turning this luck around in the coming weeks. I hope it changes by exam time.
Positively, my assignments are all done although it was a lot of work to finish them. I had a 4 000 word essay about privacy due on Monday and a presentation about privacy in the context of intellectual property on Thursday. I think I did well on both of them. I also received a Distinction grade for my intellectual privacy essay, so I'm pretty happy about that. Now, it's clear sailing until exams.
On Tuesday, I biked through a rainstorm to get to umpire practice because I was told we had new uniforms. Essentially, the umpires had a new sponsor and we needed the uniforms with the new logo on it. Our coach had told us that it was imperative for us to get the new uniforms before the next round started and I didn't want to wait a week. I was very wet when I pulled in so you can imagine my surprise when the new uniforms were not what we expected. While the uniforms were new there was actually no new sponsor, so I could still use my old uniform. I stuck around for training but I wasn't very happy.
The next few days were devoted to supervisor training at the Garema Place branch of ACTTAB. The training involved me coming in early in the morning to help with the setup. It was implied that it would only take the morning but I ended up staying until the early evening. The next day was my turn to supervise under the watchful eye of the manager and it didn't go that well; I feel like I got nearly everything wrong and I was glad when that day was over. The next day was much the same, except a different manager and I managed to do much better. On the plus side, I do get paid for it. I'll also have to do a few night training shifts to learn how to close.
Now it seems that my bike has decided to have a meltdown. The pedals aren't moving and are loose. Add to that, neither the brakes nor the gears work well. I've got to see about getting it fixed. I'll see what I can do about turning this luck around in the coming weeks. I hope it changes by exam time.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Through the Looking Glass
One of the first things you will have noticed is that I haven't posted anything with regards to my New Zealand trip. For that I must apologize. I have been knee-deep in an important assignment and I just haven't had the time to write the updates. However, after this week, I'll have finished all my assignments and I should be able to knuckle-down and write about my experiences. Otherwise, you should check my brother's blog.
I wish I could report on some interesting events but I've been so cooped up lately that I haven't really done anything. The trivia team I'm part of won first place last week; the first win since the round started in February. Apart from that, I can't think of anything although I'm sure I've missed something. Oh well, I guess it's just a short post this week.
I wish I could report on some interesting events but I've been so cooped up lately that I haven't really done anything. The trivia team I'm part of won first place last week; the first win since the round started in February. Apart from that, I can't think of anything although I'm sure I've missed something. Oh well, I guess it's just a short post this week.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Purity Control
I had intended to write about my adventures with my brother in New Zealand, but university work has gotten in the way. I will write about that trip, pictures included, at some future point, hopefully starting this week. This last week has had some newsworthy events, included the discommendation of a particularly powerful sports team. It remains to be seen how far the repercussions will reach.
I returned to Canberra from New Zealand on the 17th and almost immediately I had to retool my thinking for university. The 2-week break was a welcome respite but it didn't take too long to get back into the rhythm of scholastic activity. This is now the 2nd half of the semester and all are anxious about the upcoming exams; I know I am.
I received an interesting letter from the Australian Electoral Commission the other day stating that I was not enrolled to vote at my current address. Under Australian law, both registration and voting are compulsory under penalty of monetary fine. While that is all well and good, it overlooks the fact that I am not an Australian citizen and, therefore, not entitled to vote at all. Luckily, the form had a box which I could tick informing the agency that I am not an Australian citizen and that should be the end of the matter. Many decades ago, it wouldn't have mattered. A former professor of mine, Dr. Martin Rudner, stated that during the Gough Whitlam Affair in the 1970s, while he was travelling through Australia, he, as a Canadian citizen, was also obliged to vote. What an odd country this is that takes voting so seriously that even non-citizens had a duty.
2 nights ago, I was invited to a Turkish dinner at a restaurant called Harem in the suburb of Kingston. After some misdirection, where we ended up in the neighbouring suburb of Griffith, myself and 3 companions found ourselves at the appropriate establishment. We ordered a small dinner banquet that was delicious, although slow in coming. A particular centrepiece was a belly dancer who performed a short number for the patrons. I'm not a great fan of Turkish cuisine but this dinner was pretty good. I won't frequent a Turkish restaurant for some time, but I'll keep them in mind from now on.
The big news in sports is the terrible dishonour visited upon the Melbourne Storm rugby league team. It has been brought to light that the club has deliberately violated the salary cap imposed by the league as revealed in secret account books found in a search of the club headquarters. As punishment, the team has been stripped of all competition points acquired to date, it cannot acquire anymore points for the remainder of the season (guaranteeing a last place finish) and, a bit bizarrely, has been stripped of its 2 championship titles in 2007 and 2009. Curiously, the opposing teams will not be granted the championships meaning that, technically, no one won the championship in 2007 and 2009. I'm not sure that I would have imposed that last penalty. It's not like the team bribed an official or fielded otherwise ineligible players, they won only by playing better than the other teams. It's also a bit of an absurd penalty if you think about it. Anyway, the NRL is contemplating further civil suits while it will be left up to the Victorian or NSW police to lay criminal charges. Needless to say, this has shocked the rugby community especially as the NRL was trying to expand its profile in Melbourne, traditionally the home of aussie rules. The Super 14 Rugby Union league is also expanding into Melbourne and it remains to be seen how this scandal will affect those plans.
Today was also one of the most important days on the Australian calendar, ANZAC Day. It's sort of like Remembrance Day for Australians. It commemorates the disastrous Gallipoli landings in World War One of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. It has since expanded to commemorate all Australian soldiers lost in war; New Zealand also celebrates this day. As the holiday falls on a Sunday, tomorrow is a holiday which will give me more time to do my school work. There is no rest for the weary.
I returned to Canberra from New Zealand on the 17th and almost immediately I had to retool my thinking for university. The 2-week break was a welcome respite but it didn't take too long to get back into the rhythm of scholastic activity. This is now the 2nd half of the semester and all are anxious about the upcoming exams; I know I am.
I received an interesting letter from the Australian Electoral Commission the other day stating that I was not enrolled to vote at my current address. Under Australian law, both registration and voting are compulsory under penalty of monetary fine. While that is all well and good, it overlooks the fact that I am not an Australian citizen and, therefore, not entitled to vote at all. Luckily, the form had a box which I could tick informing the agency that I am not an Australian citizen and that should be the end of the matter. Many decades ago, it wouldn't have mattered. A former professor of mine, Dr. Martin Rudner, stated that during the Gough Whitlam Affair in the 1970s, while he was travelling through Australia, he, as a Canadian citizen, was also obliged to vote. What an odd country this is that takes voting so seriously that even non-citizens had a duty.
2 nights ago, I was invited to a Turkish dinner at a restaurant called Harem in the suburb of Kingston. After some misdirection, where we ended up in the neighbouring suburb of Griffith, myself and 3 companions found ourselves at the appropriate establishment. We ordered a small dinner banquet that was delicious, although slow in coming. A particular centrepiece was a belly dancer who performed a short number for the patrons. I'm not a great fan of Turkish cuisine but this dinner was pretty good. I won't frequent a Turkish restaurant for some time, but I'll keep them in mind from now on.
The big news in sports is the terrible dishonour visited upon the Melbourne Storm rugby league team. It has been brought to light that the club has deliberately violated the salary cap imposed by the league as revealed in secret account books found in a search of the club headquarters. As punishment, the team has been stripped of all competition points acquired to date, it cannot acquire anymore points for the remainder of the season (guaranteeing a last place finish) and, a bit bizarrely, has been stripped of its 2 championship titles in 2007 and 2009. Curiously, the opposing teams will not be granted the championships meaning that, technically, no one won the championship in 2007 and 2009. I'm not sure that I would have imposed that last penalty. It's not like the team bribed an official or fielded otherwise ineligible players, they won only by playing better than the other teams. It's also a bit of an absurd penalty if you think about it. Anyway, the NRL is contemplating further civil suits while it will be left up to the Victorian or NSW police to lay criminal charges. Needless to say, this has shocked the rugby community especially as the NRL was trying to expand its profile in Melbourne, traditionally the home of aussie rules. The Super 14 Rugby Union league is also expanding into Melbourne and it remains to be seen how this scandal will affect those plans.
Today was also one of the most important days on the Australian calendar, ANZAC Day. It's sort of like Remembrance Day for Australians. It commemorates the disastrous Gallipoli landings in World War One of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. It has since expanded to commemorate all Australian soldiers lost in war; New Zealand also celebrates this day. As the holiday falls on a Sunday, tomorrow is a holiday which will give me more time to do my school work. There is no rest for the weary.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Big Wins
As I'll be in New Zealand for the next 2 weeks, travelling around with my brother, I might as well post an update today. Luckily I finished the assignment I needed to so it means no working vacation; I'll get to relax as much as possible. In other good news, there have been some big wins in my world recently.
A few days ago the ANU team won the Jessup Moot, the World Cup of international law moots. It was held in Washington, DC this year and the ANU team took the championship. Naturally, the law school and the university have taken full advantage of this and I am sure that the winning team will be lauded as heroes when they return. An acquaintance of mine, Rohan Kapur, was on the winning team. I guess they deserve congratulations.
The other big win was Fenner Hall winning the Interhall Trivia Competition, again. This makes it 4 or 5 years in a row, I think, though one year we tied with John's College. They way it worked this year was that each college had 3 teams and each college's team's score would be added up to find the winner. Each individual team that won would also receive prizes. The topics were geography, history, famous faces, science, literature, sports and entertainment. Each team selected their "lightning round", the round in which correct answers were worth double. My team, Fenner 2, selected geography, the first round, and a good thing too. We answered all questions correctly including the one with the number of Canadian time zones, which, I'm sorry to say, I nearly got wrong but I caught myself almost immediately. The other Fenner teams did extremely well too and the final tally proved interesting. Fenner 3 tied with another college for third place while Fenner 2 and 1 tied for first! With 3 of the top 4 teams from Fenner, it came as no surprise that we won the competition. We're still the smartest residence, either despite or because were are off campus. Hopefully this wasn't my last trivia night but I'll have to see how my GDLP goes. Maybe I'll be able to get one more in.
A few days ago the ANU team won the Jessup Moot, the World Cup of international law moots. It was held in Washington, DC this year and the ANU team took the championship. Naturally, the law school and the university have taken full advantage of this and I am sure that the winning team will be lauded as heroes when they return. An acquaintance of mine, Rohan Kapur, was on the winning team. I guess they deserve congratulations.
The other big win was Fenner Hall winning the Interhall Trivia Competition, again. This makes it 4 or 5 years in a row, I think, though one year we tied with John's College. They way it worked this year was that each college had 3 teams and each college's team's score would be added up to find the winner. Each individual team that won would also receive prizes. The topics were geography, history, famous faces, science, literature, sports and entertainment. Each team selected their "lightning round", the round in which correct answers were worth double. My team, Fenner 2, selected geography, the first round, and a good thing too. We answered all questions correctly including the one with the number of Canadian time zones, which, I'm sorry to say, I nearly got wrong but I caught myself almost immediately. The other Fenner teams did extremely well too and the final tally proved interesting. Fenner 3 tied with another college for third place while Fenner 2 and 1 tied for first! With 3 of the top 4 teams from Fenner, it came as no surprise that we won the competition. We're still the smartest residence, either despite or because were are off campus. Hopefully this wasn't my last trivia night but I'll have to see how my GDLP goes. Maybe I'll be able to get one more in.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Time is of the Essence
There just aren't enough days in the semester, and the problem is the mid-semester break. Due to the date of Easter, instead of 7 weeks of instruction and then a 2-week break, this year it's only 6 weeks of instructions. That means that some assignments have significant portions of their research or writing time within the break. As I'll be away in New Zealand for the entirety of the break it means that I've had to make some choices. The first is that I've had to disregard the optional assignments, although this also has to do with the due dates of other assignments. Property is difficult and I'll be going in to a 100% exam, meaning I'll have to know everything cold. The second choice is whether I'll be able to finish the components I can prior to the break or take my laptop to New Zealand and have a working vacation. I'll have to see how I go. My New Zealand trip was planned before all these assignments were promulgated.
In relation to my assignments, I've been reading several scholarly articles and I've quickly come to a realization, legal scholars suffer from a complete lack or want of a sense of brevity. As with history or other arts topics, legal scholars are erudite, linguistically well-rounded and capable of using language that non-experts would understand but seem unable to succinctly express their theses. Scientists, on the other hand, use technical language that requires years of study to decipher but have the ability to be brief; ironically, legal documents given to a lawyer are called "briefs". The ideal would be someone with the expressive abilities of an artist coupled with the brevity of a scientist. I think Bill Bryson comes closest to this level of perfection but would someone please tell me if they ever find legal scholar like that?
This weekend a university cross-country tradition called Inward Bound took place. Teams from all the residences are blindfolded and driven out to various locations. From there, they have to make their way to a designated end point using only compasses, maps and their wits. I wish everyone safe success, especially the Fenner teams.
And in local news, a fellow Roman was appointed Police Commissioner of Canberra. Roman Quaedvlieg was appointed to the post a few days ago promising to focus on alcohol-related crime and dangerous driving. I include this news only for the fact that he and I share our first names. I'm sure the ACT is all the richer for having a Roman in charge of something.
In relation to my assignments, I've been reading several scholarly articles and I've quickly come to a realization, legal scholars suffer from a complete lack or want of a sense of brevity. As with history or other arts topics, legal scholars are erudite, linguistically well-rounded and capable of using language that non-experts would understand but seem unable to succinctly express their theses. Scientists, on the other hand, use technical language that requires years of study to decipher but have the ability to be brief; ironically, legal documents given to a lawyer are called "briefs". The ideal would be someone with the expressive abilities of an artist coupled with the brevity of a scientist. I think Bill Bryson comes closest to this level of perfection but would someone please tell me if they ever find legal scholar like that?
This weekend a university cross-country tradition called Inward Bound took place. Teams from all the residences are blindfolded and driven out to various locations. From there, they have to make their way to a designated end point using only compasses, maps and their wits. I wish everyone safe success, especially the Fenner teams.
And in local news, a fellow Roman was appointed Police Commissioner of Canberra. Roman Quaedvlieg was appointed to the post a few days ago promising to focus on alcohol-related crime and dangerous driving. I include this news only for the fact that he and I share our first names. I'm sure the ACT is all the richer for having a Roman in charge of something.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
21 Days
It's been 3 weeks since my last weekly update, and for that I apologize. It's just been very hectic but I've finally got everything out of the way. Be sure to check out the photos of my Perth trip as I've just added them. Now let's see what's happened in the last 21 days.
Something I forgot to mention in my last weekly post was the annual Fenner Hall Commencement Dinner. Like last year, this year's dinner was held at the National Museum of Australia. However, I was a little disappointed with this year's event. The food was good, but not great, and the main course was fish --- some sort of salmon dish. That's alright in itself, but there was no meat dish and no vegetarian option. I appreciate the thought, and dessert was alright, even if it came out a little late, but it could have been better. Still, I met some interesting people so it wasn't all bad.
The Winter Olympics ended and I believe I can say that they were a resounding success, not just for Canada. From what I've read online, everyone seems to have enjoyed the games, which have come in at budget, I believe. Just as important was Canada's podium success. From no gold medals as a host, Canada set a new Winter Olympics record by taking 14 gold, including the coveted men's hockey gold in a close game. I think it kind of speaks to prejudices about Canadians when the last Olympic event is hockey. I would like to say well done, Vancouver. You may not have the greatest weather, but you've got spirit.
On the home front, we had a rather troubling event at Fenner Hall a few weeks back. There was a small fire in someone's room but that set off their sprinkler system and because the fire alarm sounded, we all had to evacuate.. The sprinkler proceeded to flood the 4th floor with the disgustingly black water contained in the pipes. The water seeped through the floor and proceeded to cause decreasing water damage all the way to the ground floor. Luckily I live on the 6th floor so I was not affected. The emergency services arrived and the fire department spent the next few hours cleaning up the mess.
Because the floors were soaked, there was a question about what to do with those residents who couldn't go back to their rooms. Residents from floors unaffected were asked to provide sleeping bags and pillows, if they could, to those less fortunate. With the night's activities, I was just too full of adrenaline to go to sleep so I stayed up until 06:00 the next morning. One stairwell was essentially closed due to water and throughout the South Tower the water left a stale smell in the air. After a day, the floors had dried out enough that everyone could go back to their rooms. The moral of this story seems to be live on the top floor.
It got me thinking, though, about what I call the "Fire Drill Dilemma". Although conducting fire drills would appear to be necessary so that everyone knows what they're doing, if you do them too often, when there's a real emergency people just don't believe it. I wonder how this problem can be resolved?
Last Sunday was one of the premier horse races in Canberra, the Black Opal Stakes. I was working at the racecourse and it was pretty busy, though not as busy as previous years. This was due to the weather as it rained for quite a few of the races, but it didn't affect the running of the main event. I'm sure a few fortunes were made and many more were lost, all in good fun, though, I'm sure.
Speaking of money, I was pleased to hear that Canada will be switching to plastic money starting next year. Australia has been using plastic money for almost 15 years, I think, and Australians swear by it. It lasts longer, can go through the wash, can be taken into the water, is recyclable and harder to counterfeit. I just hope the Bank of Canada comes up with interesting designs. This is one area where Canada can learn from Australia though I fear it will give the Americans something else to poke fun at. And one more thing, Canadian money isn't paper in the true sense of the word. The currency, like the American, is made from a cotton weave, like jeans, that is called cotton paper but there's no wood pulp in it.
In fitness news, I've started running 8km twice per week to get my fitness up for umpiring season. Speaking of which, I officiated my first game of the pre-season yesterday in Queanbeyan. It was a beautiful day, 30C and sunny. That's the great thing about the season in Canberra, it starts out around 30C and sunny, dips to about 10C windy and rainy, and finishes off back around 20C in September. The regular season doesn't start until the first week of April but I have to be in peak form for it.
Also there was an event by the lake today called Skyfire, much like the Symphony of Fire in Canada. Sponsored by a radio station, fireworks are set off to music on the lake. I walked down to the lake and managed to get a seat on the water's edge. Several thousand people made their way down for the 20-minute show, which was quite spectacular. I don't know, though, maybe next year I'll just watch it from somewhere closer to home.
Well, that's it. 3 weeks summed up in a few succinct paragraphs. I'll be resuming the regular pattern starting next Saturday but only for a while as I'm off to New Zealand again for the break. We'll see how that adventure goes.
Something I forgot to mention in my last weekly post was the annual Fenner Hall Commencement Dinner. Like last year, this year's dinner was held at the National Museum of Australia. However, I was a little disappointed with this year's event. The food was good, but not great, and the main course was fish --- some sort of salmon dish. That's alright in itself, but there was no meat dish and no vegetarian option. I appreciate the thought, and dessert was alright, even if it came out a little late, but it could have been better. Still, I met some interesting people so it wasn't all bad.
The Winter Olympics ended and I believe I can say that they were a resounding success, not just for Canada. From what I've read online, everyone seems to have enjoyed the games, which have come in at budget, I believe. Just as important was Canada's podium success. From no gold medals as a host, Canada set a new Winter Olympics record by taking 14 gold, including the coveted men's hockey gold in a close game. I think it kind of speaks to prejudices about Canadians when the last Olympic event is hockey. I would like to say well done, Vancouver. You may not have the greatest weather, but you've got spirit.
On the home front, we had a rather troubling event at Fenner Hall a few weeks back. There was a small fire in someone's room but that set off their sprinkler system and because the fire alarm sounded, we all had to evacuate.. The sprinkler proceeded to flood the 4th floor with the disgustingly black water contained in the pipes. The water seeped through the floor and proceeded to cause decreasing water damage all the way to the ground floor. Luckily I live on the 6th floor so I was not affected. The emergency services arrived and the fire department spent the next few hours cleaning up the mess.
Because the floors were soaked, there was a question about what to do with those residents who couldn't go back to their rooms. Residents from floors unaffected were asked to provide sleeping bags and pillows, if they could, to those less fortunate. With the night's activities, I was just too full of adrenaline to go to sleep so I stayed up until 06:00 the next morning. One stairwell was essentially closed due to water and throughout the South Tower the water left a stale smell in the air. After a day, the floors had dried out enough that everyone could go back to their rooms. The moral of this story seems to be live on the top floor.
It got me thinking, though, about what I call the "Fire Drill Dilemma". Although conducting fire drills would appear to be necessary so that everyone knows what they're doing, if you do them too often, when there's a real emergency people just don't believe it. I wonder how this problem can be resolved?
Last Sunday was one of the premier horse races in Canberra, the Black Opal Stakes. I was working at the racecourse and it was pretty busy, though not as busy as previous years. This was due to the weather as it rained for quite a few of the races, but it didn't affect the running of the main event. I'm sure a few fortunes were made and many more were lost, all in good fun, though, I'm sure.
Speaking of money, I was pleased to hear that Canada will be switching to plastic money starting next year. Australia has been using plastic money for almost 15 years, I think, and Australians swear by it. It lasts longer, can go through the wash, can be taken into the water, is recyclable and harder to counterfeit. I just hope the Bank of Canada comes up with interesting designs. This is one area where Canada can learn from Australia though I fear it will give the Americans something else to poke fun at. And one more thing, Canadian money isn't paper in the true sense of the word. The currency, like the American, is made from a cotton weave, like jeans, that is called cotton paper but there's no wood pulp in it.
In fitness news, I've started running 8km twice per week to get my fitness up for umpiring season. Speaking of which, I officiated my first game of the pre-season yesterday in Queanbeyan. It was a beautiful day, 30C and sunny. That's the great thing about the season in Canberra, it starts out around 30C and sunny, dips to about 10C windy and rainy, and finishes off back around 20C in September. The regular season doesn't start until the first week of April but I have to be in peak form for it.
Also there was an event by the lake today called Skyfire, much like the Symphony of Fire in Canada. Sponsored by a radio station, fireworks are set off to music on the lake. I walked down to the lake and managed to get a seat on the water's edge. Several thousand people made their way down for the 20-minute show, which was quite spectacular. I don't know, though, maybe next year I'll just watch it from somewhere closer to home.
Well, that's it. 3 weeks summed up in a few succinct paragraphs. I'll be resuming the regular pattern starting next Saturday but only for a while as I'm off to New Zealand again for the break. We'll see how that adventure goes.
Monday, March 15, 2010
A Walk in the Park
Perth is home to one of the finest urban parks in the world. King's Park is located on a rise just outside the central business district. Created for the citizens Perth to enjoy some peace in the city, King's Park is quite large and holds a splendid collection of native and foreign flora.
I entered King's Park via an avenue lined by large karri trees. Once in the park, you can walk any of several trails that lead you through native bushland and botanical gardens. There are also several war memorials with great views of the city. There's even a large double-helixed called the DNA Tower from which you get a good view of the park. From there you realize that the groomed portion is just a small portion of the whole, the majority is native bushland. Interestingly, there's even a wishing well that was out of order. Think about that for a second.
It felt as though I had walked about half the park by the end of the afternoon but it could only have been a small percentage. I made my way back to the hostel where I had to lie down for a while. All that walking had taken its toll on my muscles and I wanted to be rested up for that night. I wanted to check out Northbridge, Perth's night life center.
After nightfall I explored Northbridge. At first it didn't look like much but as I made my way further in it transformed into a bustling hive of lights and people. Clubs and restaurants were open and there seemed to be a myriad of people milling about, having a good time. It was a warm night with a cool breeze so I imagine it was a great night to eat out. The night before it had been Chinese New Year's and I had heard the fireworks form the hostel. It really is the area that anyone who's anyone finds themselves in.
I decided that before I left I had to get some night photos of Perth's skyscrapers from the other side of the Swan River. I walked to the south bank of Perth Water and managed to get some good photographs. I slept well, though only for a short time, as I had to leave early to catch my flight.
Perth is my second favourite city in Australia. After Darwin, I think Perth is where I'd live if I had a choice. The climate is wonderful, it's a nice city, it's not too big and not too busy. I don't understand why anyone would want to leave. Then again, the Western Australians are a little funny. Being so isolated has maybe given them a slight case of collective cabin fever. Nevertheless, I think it's worth the risk to live in Perth. A well spent trip indeed.
I entered King's Park via an avenue lined by large karri trees. Once in the park, you can walk any of several trails that lead you through native bushland and botanical gardens. There are also several war memorials with great views of the city. There's even a large double-helixed called the DNA Tower from which you get a good view of the park. From there you realize that the groomed portion is just a small portion of the whole, the majority is native bushland. Interestingly, there's even a wishing well that was out of order. Think about that for a second.
It felt as though I had walked about half the park by the end of the afternoon but it could only have been a small percentage. I made my way back to the hostel where I had to lie down for a while. All that walking had taken its toll on my muscles and I wanted to be rested up for that night. I wanted to check out Northbridge, Perth's night life center.
After nightfall I explored Northbridge. At first it didn't look like much but as I made my way further in it transformed into a bustling hive of lights and people. Clubs and restaurants were open and there seemed to be a myriad of people milling about, having a good time. It was a warm night with a cool breeze so I imagine it was a great night to eat out. The night before it had been Chinese New Year's and I had heard the fireworks form the hostel. It really is the area that anyone who's anyone finds themselves in.
I decided that before I left I had to get some night photos of Perth's skyscrapers from the other side of the Swan River. I walked to the south bank of Perth Water and managed to get some good photographs. I slept well, though only for a short time, as I had to leave early to catch my flight.
Perth is my second favourite city in Australia. After Darwin, I think Perth is where I'd live if I had a choice. The climate is wonderful, it's a nice city, it's not too big and not too busy. I don't understand why anyone would want to leave. Then again, the Western Australians are a little funny. Being so isolated has maybe given them a slight case of collective cabin fever. Nevertheless, I think it's worth the risk to live in Perth. A well spent trip indeed.
The Doctor
Fremantle, Perth's port, is slightly older than its "bigger sister". When I say older, I mean by only a few days. However, Fremantle has been a port city continuously since the 1830s, which isn't too bad if you think about it. At one point a goodly distance from the city it is now just another suburb of Perth, although the residents object when you point this out.
First, though, I stopped by the Western Australian Parliament as it's open only a two days per week. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside so I have no pictures of it. I can't understand why and it actually irritates me a great deal. Is there really any sort of security risk? Anyway, the Parliament is built in a sort of Italian style that suits the warm Western Australian climate. On the tour there were the usual stops to the Legislative Assembly, some hallways, works of art, though the Legislative Council was closed due to renovations. It's a nice building but it should be open to photography.
Afterwards I made my way to the central train station to catch a train to Fremantle. Luckily trains to Fremantle are fairly frequent so I didn't have to wait long. The ride itself didn't take very long, only about 30 minutes. I disembarked at Fremantle Station and made my way into town. Fremantle has a fairly large collection of Victorian buildings.
Fremantle has a special claim to fame in that it is the home of the "Fremantle Doctor". On some hot days a cool sea breeze blows into Perth from the approximate direction of Fremantle and is called the Fremantle Doctor. In case you're wondering why, it's because it makes you feel better, like any good doctor.
As I wandered around I made my way firstly to the Round House, a former small prison. Now a historical site, it is the home of the 13:00 Gun that fires every day at that time, which it did just as I arrived. The building made of stone with a tunnel underneath that let whalers carry their catches from the port to processing centers in the city is a rather nice museum. It gives you a fairly good idea what early life in Fremantle was like. There are plenty of photographs and other artifacts in what used to be the prisoners' rooms. Not many were housed at any one time.
I spent the whole afternoon wandering around Fremantle. I stopped by the Fremantle Prison but didn't go in as the entry, I felt, was too expensive. I walked through parks and made my way to the harbour. All sorts of ships were docked, from large bulk carriers to small fishing vessels. There was even a cruise liner that departed in the late afternoon. After it had left I took a peak inside the passenger terminal, having never been in one so big before. As twilight set in I made it to South Point so that I could watch the sunset. As Fremantle is nestled on the eastern Indian Ocean, the sun sets quite spectacularly over the ocean. It ended up being quite a good sunset and the lighthouse made for a good photograph.
I took the train back to my hostel and ran into my roommates on the patio. We all got to talking and eventually broke into an impromptu acapella version of What I Got, by who I can't remember. We had a great night, laughing and sharing stories. I went to bed pleased with the day I'd had.
First, though, I stopped by the Western Australian Parliament as it's open only a two days per week. Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside so I have no pictures of it. I can't understand why and it actually irritates me a great deal. Is there really any sort of security risk? Anyway, the Parliament is built in a sort of Italian style that suits the warm Western Australian climate. On the tour there were the usual stops to the Legislative Assembly, some hallways, works of art, though the Legislative Council was closed due to renovations. It's a nice building but it should be open to photography.
Afterwards I made my way to the central train station to catch a train to Fremantle. Luckily trains to Fremantle are fairly frequent so I didn't have to wait long. The ride itself didn't take very long, only about 30 minutes. I disembarked at Fremantle Station and made my way into town. Fremantle has a fairly large collection of Victorian buildings.
Fremantle has a special claim to fame in that it is the home of the "Fremantle Doctor". On some hot days a cool sea breeze blows into Perth from the approximate direction of Fremantle and is called the Fremantle Doctor. In case you're wondering why, it's because it makes you feel better, like any good doctor.
As I wandered around I made my way firstly to the Round House, a former small prison. Now a historical site, it is the home of the 13:00 Gun that fires every day at that time, which it did just as I arrived. The building made of stone with a tunnel underneath that let whalers carry their catches from the port to processing centers in the city is a rather nice museum. It gives you a fairly good idea what early life in Fremantle was like. There are plenty of photographs and other artifacts in what used to be the prisoners' rooms. Not many were housed at any one time.
I spent the whole afternoon wandering around Fremantle. I stopped by the Fremantle Prison but didn't go in as the entry, I felt, was too expensive. I walked through parks and made my way to the harbour. All sorts of ships were docked, from large bulk carriers to small fishing vessels. There was even a cruise liner that departed in the late afternoon. After it had left I took a peak inside the passenger terminal, having never been in one so big before. As twilight set in I made it to South Point so that I could watch the sunset. As Fremantle is nestled on the eastern Indian Ocean, the sun sets quite spectacularly over the ocean. It ended up being quite a good sunset and the lighthouse made for a good photograph.
I took the train back to my hostel and ran into my roommates on the patio. We all got to talking and eventually broke into an impromptu acapella version of What I Got, by who I can't remember. We had a great night, laughing and sharing stories. I went to bed pleased with the day I'd had.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Golden West
I don't imagine that there are many finer cities in Australia's than Perth. I stepped out into a beautifully sunny and warm day. I always imagined that Perth has this kind of weather year-round. That's a fallacy of course, but it was nice to have a wish granted anyway.
As is my custom, I spent my first day exploring the city. Through the many skyscrapers I made my way to the Swan Bells, a bell tower built to house bells from London's St. Martin in the Fields. It's certainly one of Perth most architecturally distinctive edifices, a towering spire of glass. I paid the admission and walked up the stairs to the ringing room where a ringing demonstration was under way. There's an art to ringing bells beyond mere brute strength. You have to stop the bell part way through its swing so that the clapper can make contact with the side. Not much strength is required to produce sounds on even very large bells but in order to make tunes more or less strength may be required in order to make the bells sound in correct time. After the demonstration all participants got to ring some bells, including myself. It was quite an experience to make music on a such a large instrument.
The Swan Bells were moved from their original home in London after it was decided that new bells were needed; these had been cast in the 1720s. Instead of melting them down they were given to Perth in 1988 to celebrated the bicentennial of European colonization in Australia. I think Perth has done admirably in giving the bells a great new home.
In case anyone ever asks you, the art of bell ringing is known as "campanology", named for the Campania region of Italy. Bell ringing sequences are given unusual names such as a Reverse Canterbury Pleasure. Also, just so you know, a peal of bells is ringing through all possible combinations; therefore, a set of 6 bells will have to be rung through all 720 combinations (6!=6x5x4x3x2x1) while 12 bells have 479 001 600 possible combinations that must be rung for a true peal!
After I'd finished with the bells, I explored the rest of the tower. The great thing about this place is that you can see how everything works. Just above the ringing room is the belfry and you can watch the bells swinging. Above that there's a small museum dedicated to the history of bells and then there's an observation deck.
Happy with the Swan Bells, I marched a little more around the city and found the grounds of Government House, the residence of the state Governor, open. It's an unusual house that recalls the architecture of the Tower of London but the grounds are well-kept. Like most old government buildings, Government House is on a large plot surrounded by skyscrapers and busy commercial land.
I was quite tired after all this walking so I decided to return to the youth hostel to rest up. I met my other roommates, one of whom was Irish while the other two were German. In my opinion, German is the most common language spoken in Australian youth hostels after English. I don't know why Germans seem to be such a large portion of the backpacker population Down Under, but there you go. The trip I had planned for the next day I expected would be quite interesting as I would be travelling to Fremantle, Perth's port city.
As is my custom, I spent my first day exploring the city. Through the many skyscrapers I made my way to the Swan Bells, a bell tower built to house bells from London's St. Martin in the Fields. It's certainly one of Perth most architecturally distinctive edifices, a towering spire of glass. I paid the admission and walked up the stairs to the ringing room where a ringing demonstration was under way. There's an art to ringing bells beyond mere brute strength. You have to stop the bell part way through its swing so that the clapper can make contact with the side. Not much strength is required to produce sounds on even very large bells but in order to make tunes more or less strength may be required in order to make the bells sound in correct time. After the demonstration all participants got to ring some bells, including myself. It was quite an experience to make music on a such a large instrument.
The Swan Bells were moved from their original home in London after it was decided that new bells were needed; these had been cast in the 1720s. Instead of melting them down they were given to Perth in 1988 to celebrated the bicentennial of European colonization in Australia. I think Perth has done admirably in giving the bells a great new home.
In case anyone ever asks you, the art of bell ringing is known as "campanology", named for the Campania region of Italy. Bell ringing sequences are given unusual names such as a Reverse Canterbury Pleasure. Also, just so you know, a peal of bells is ringing through all possible combinations; therefore, a set of 6 bells will have to be rung through all 720 combinations (6!=6x5x4x3x2x1) while 12 bells have 479 001 600 possible combinations that must be rung for a true peal!
After I'd finished with the bells, I explored the rest of the tower. The great thing about this place is that you can see how everything works. Just above the ringing room is the belfry and you can watch the bells swinging. Above that there's a small museum dedicated to the history of bells and then there's an observation deck.
Happy with the Swan Bells, I marched a little more around the city and found the grounds of Government House, the residence of the state Governor, open. It's an unusual house that recalls the architecture of the Tower of London but the grounds are well-kept. Like most old government buildings, Government House is on a large plot surrounded by skyscrapers and busy commercial land.
I was quite tired after all this walking so I decided to return to the youth hostel to rest up. I met my other roommates, one of whom was Irish while the other two were German. In my opinion, German is the most common language spoken in Australian youth hostels after English. I don't know why Germans seem to be such a large portion of the backpacker population Down Under, but there you go. The trip I had planned for the next day I expected would be quite interesting as I would be travelling to Fremantle, Perth's port city.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Last Outpost
Perth, Western Australia's capital, is often claimed to be the most isolated city in the world, but that isn't true. Auckland is the most isolated metropolis (city of 1 million+ furthest from the next city of 1 million+) by being 56 kilometers further from Sydney than Perth is from Adelaide. Even if you define a city as having 500 000+, Perth still doesn't make the cut. In that case, the most isolated city is Honolulu. However, Perth is the most isolated city in Australia and the world if you only count overland distances. You begin to understand this isolation when you fly to Perth.
Perth was the last mainland capital city of Australia I had left to see and I'd decided that I'd earned a break just before undergraduate courses began. I organized the hostel and the flight and was on my way. I think my Perth trip was the first one where I paid for everything. On my Adelaide trip last August, I think I put one or two meals on my mom's credit card but this time it was all me.
The trip from Canberra to Perth required a brief stop in Melbourne but once in flight, it quickly becomes obvious just how far away Perth is. Out of Melbourne you fairly quickly reach the Great Australian Bight but then it's nothing but kilometer upon kilometer of blue ocean until you hit the Western Australian coast. Even once you've hit that, all that there is below you is an endless expanse of arid waste. Finally, you see some farms below you, then a river or two, then a highway, then suburbs and you know you've arrived. Perth, the great western metropolis.
Perth was founded in 1829 on the banks of the Swan River establishing the Swan River Colony, however, Fremantle (now a suburb of Perth) and the town of Albany are slightly older. Perth was founded in what was then New Holland as a way of ensuring British dominion from possible encroachments by the French particularly, but also by the Germans and Dutch. The Dutch had been some of the first Europeans to visit Western Australia, de Vlamingh did so in 1606, but believing it to be essentially desert, they chose not to colonize. Unfortunately, while Perth's position made strategic sense it did isolate its inhabitants from the rest of Australia and in some ways, they still are; in WA there's a small separatist movement. In any event, the colony got started and resisted convict transportation until about 1850 when it was decided that the labour shortage required convicts. They weren't transported for very long but WA was the last colony to stop convict transportation in 1868. For a long time it was assumed that WA was mostly barren of minerals until discoveries in the 1950s found huge gold and other valuable mineral resources in the remote interior. As the mining boom took off in the 1960s, much of the wealth found its way to Perth. From essentially a largish provincial city Perth exploded into a vast wealthy metropolis, attracting people from all the world over. To this day, although WA has only 10% of Australia's population, it is responsible for something like 25% of Australia's economic activity. However, the modern building boom has meant that Perth lacks many of the old Victorian buildings present in Sydney and Melbourne.
As I explored the city on my first night there, I couldn't help but compare Perth to other cities I've been to. I thought of Perth as a sort of mix between Adelaide's architecture and Brisbane's architecture and climate. Being subtropical, it was a particularly warm and pleasant night. However, I think the best comparison I can come up with is Miami. There are palm trees, warm nights, hot days, sunshine and a pleasant cooling sea breeze. I instantly liked Perth. It is a well-kept, busy, interesting and beautiful cosmopolitan city. It may be the last outpost of Australia, but it has all the best parts rolled into one.
Perth was the last mainland capital city of Australia I had left to see and I'd decided that I'd earned a break just before undergraduate courses began. I organized the hostel and the flight and was on my way. I think my Perth trip was the first one where I paid for everything. On my Adelaide trip last August, I think I put one or two meals on my mom's credit card but this time it was all me.
The trip from Canberra to Perth required a brief stop in Melbourne but once in flight, it quickly becomes obvious just how far away Perth is. Out of Melbourne you fairly quickly reach the Great Australian Bight but then it's nothing but kilometer upon kilometer of blue ocean until you hit the Western Australian coast. Even once you've hit that, all that there is below you is an endless expanse of arid waste. Finally, you see some farms below you, then a river or two, then a highway, then suburbs and you know you've arrived. Perth, the great western metropolis.
Perth was founded in 1829 on the banks of the Swan River establishing the Swan River Colony, however, Fremantle (now a suburb of Perth) and the town of Albany are slightly older. Perth was founded in what was then New Holland as a way of ensuring British dominion from possible encroachments by the French particularly, but also by the Germans and Dutch. The Dutch had been some of the first Europeans to visit Western Australia, de Vlamingh did so in 1606, but believing it to be essentially desert, they chose not to colonize. Unfortunately, while Perth's position made strategic sense it did isolate its inhabitants from the rest of Australia and in some ways, they still are; in WA there's a small separatist movement. In any event, the colony got started and resisted convict transportation until about 1850 when it was decided that the labour shortage required convicts. They weren't transported for very long but WA was the last colony to stop convict transportation in 1868. For a long time it was assumed that WA was mostly barren of minerals until discoveries in the 1950s found huge gold and other valuable mineral resources in the remote interior. As the mining boom took off in the 1960s, much of the wealth found its way to Perth. From essentially a largish provincial city Perth exploded into a vast wealthy metropolis, attracting people from all the world over. To this day, although WA has only 10% of Australia's population, it is responsible for something like 25% of Australia's economic activity. However, the modern building boom has meant that Perth lacks many of the old Victorian buildings present in Sydney and Melbourne.
As I explored the city on my first night there, I couldn't help but compare Perth to other cities I've been to. I thought of Perth as a sort of mix between Adelaide's architecture and Brisbane's architecture and climate. Being subtropical, it was a particularly warm and pleasant night. However, I think the best comparison I can come up with is Miami. There are palm trees, warm nights, hot days, sunshine and a pleasant cooling sea breeze. I instantly liked Perth. It is a well-kept, busy, interesting and beautiful cosmopolitan city. It may be the last outpost of Australia, but it has all the best parts rolled into one.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Golden Age
I suppose I should start by apologizing for not updating last week. I returned from Perth and intended to update this week but I just couldn't find the time or the energy. What I'll do now is update the last 2 weeks, minus my trip to Perth, and then post updates on my trip in the coming days.
The Winter Olympics have certainly heated up and Canada is performing especially well, far better than I, or probably anyone else expected. It all started with Alex Bilodeau winning his gold medal in the men's moguls. It was the first time a Canadian had won gold on Canadian soil. From there, the bevy of gold medals has continued unabated and at last count, Canada actually leads the gold medal count with 10. The United States leads the total medal count with 34 but Canada's 21 puts it in 3rd behind Germany with 27. However, we'll have to see how the men's hockey goes. Even though our women's hockey team has already won gold, for some reason it's the men's hockey that draws the most attention. I think that even if Canada won every gold at the Olympics save for men's hockey, Canadians won't be happy. Anyway, I wish them success.
Getting back to Bilodeau, it has been the topic of some discussion that the Australian who finished 2nd, Dale Begg-Smith, was actually born in Canada and moved to Australia due to a falling out with the Canadian skiing authority. Begg-Smith is a very successful and wealthy entrepreneur, something to do with computers, and it was the tug between work and sport that brought him into conflict with his Canadian coaches.
Although Begg-Smith was interviewed on Australian WIN TV, to Australia's great credit, they interviewed Bilodeau as well. I think it says something about the Australian way of thinking when they'll interview the winners from other countries. To be fair, Bilodeau does have a connection with Australia --- he trains sometimes at Jindabyne in the Australian Alps. Nevertheless it does great credit to Australia to be interested in athletes from around the world.
Most of my time in the last week has been taken up with the first week of university. Classes have begun and life has returned to the campus. Going into my final year, I'm pretty nervous as I do have some difficult classes ahead, like Property and next semester, Equity and Trusts. Already I have to think of assignments and how to plan them and I can only hope that my best will be enough.
In more bizarre news, a Ukrainian tourist was recently rescued from the cliffs of Sydney's Manly Beach. After a night of revelry, he climbed down the escarpment that abuts the ocean and became unable to climb back up. He was rescued by the local service but now faces a hefty bill for his rescue because he was the instrument of his own predicament. I wonder what'll happen?
Finally, I wanted to leave you with a thought I've been having, and that is on accents and dialects. Interestingly, linguists do not know how or why differences in language develop. If we learn to speak from our parents, primarily, then that should be a recipe for constancy not differentiation. For example, within 100 years, Australia had a distinct English accent. This may sound like a long time, but it's only 3 or 4 generations. One possibility is that accents of one language originally started as accents of the dominant language by speakers of another language. To take England as an example, the northern dialect reflects, roughly, the borders of the area once known as Danelaw, a region once under the command of Danish settlers/conquerors. Nevertheless, one would think that over time as people intermarried and communicated that accents would eventually disappear. However, that doesn't explain why Australia, Canada and to a lesser extent the United States are so linguistically homogeneous. The obvious retort is that the more time elapses, the more accents can develop but this seems a little counter intuitive, and if you think about it, can you even really talk of accents and dialects on a large scale? Each person's physiology and life experiences mean that they speak differently, both audibly and by using words they have picked up in their travels. In a fundamental way there are as many accents and dialects of a language as there are speakers of it. The next time someone asks what accent you have, you can reply your own and not be speaking with a forked tongue.
The Winter Olympics have certainly heated up and Canada is performing especially well, far better than I, or probably anyone else expected. It all started with Alex Bilodeau winning his gold medal in the men's moguls. It was the first time a Canadian had won gold on Canadian soil. From there, the bevy of gold medals has continued unabated and at last count, Canada actually leads the gold medal count with 10. The United States leads the total medal count with 34 but Canada's 21 puts it in 3rd behind Germany with 27. However, we'll have to see how the men's hockey goes. Even though our women's hockey team has already won gold, for some reason it's the men's hockey that draws the most attention. I think that even if Canada won every gold at the Olympics save for men's hockey, Canadians won't be happy. Anyway, I wish them success.
Getting back to Bilodeau, it has been the topic of some discussion that the Australian who finished 2nd, Dale Begg-Smith, was actually born in Canada and moved to Australia due to a falling out with the Canadian skiing authority. Begg-Smith is a very successful and wealthy entrepreneur, something to do with computers, and it was the tug between work and sport that brought him into conflict with his Canadian coaches.
Although Begg-Smith was interviewed on Australian WIN TV, to Australia's great credit, they interviewed Bilodeau as well. I think it says something about the Australian way of thinking when they'll interview the winners from other countries. To be fair, Bilodeau does have a connection with Australia --- he trains sometimes at Jindabyne in the Australian Alps. Nevertheless it does great credit to Australia to be interested in athletes from around the world.
Most of my time in the last week has been taken up with the first week of university. Classes have begun and life has returned to the campus. Going into my final year, I'm pretty nervous as I do have some difficult classes ahead, like Property and next semester, Equity and Trusts. Already I have to think of assignments and how to plan them and I can only hope that my best will be enough.
In more bizarre news, a Ukrainian tourist was recently rescued from the cliffs of Sydney's Manly Beach. After a night of revelry, he climbed down the escarpment that abuts the ocean and became unable to climb back up. He was rescued by the local service but now faces a hefty bill for his rescue because he was the instrument of his own predicament. I wonder what'll happen?
Finally, I wanted to leave you with a thought I've been having, and that is on accents and dialects. Interestingly, linguists do not know how or why differences in language develop. If we learn to speak from our parents, primarily, then that should be a recipe for constancy not differentiation. For example, within 100 years, Australia had a distinct English accent. This may sound like a long time, but it's only 3 or 4 generations. One possibility is that accents of one language originally started as accents of the dominant language by speakers of another language. To take England as an example, the northern dialect reflects, roughly, the borders of the area once known as Danelaw, a region once under the command of Danish settlers/conquerors. Nevertheless, one would think that over time as people intermarried and communicated that accents would eventually disappear. However, that doesn't explain why Australia, Canada and to a lesser extent the United States are so linguistically homogeneous. The obvious retort is that the more time elapses, the more accents can develop but this seems a little counter intuitive, and if you think about it, can you even really talk of accents and dialects on a large scale? Each person's physiology and life experiences mean that they speak differently, both audibly and by using words they have picked up in their travels. In a fundamental way there are as many accents and dialects of a language as there are speakers of it. The next time someone asks what accent you have, you can reply your own and not be speaking with a forked tongue.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Olympic Feats
There's actually quite a lot to get through this week. As student life returns to Fenner Hall, I have been fairly busy. There has been a multitude of things to do and see in the past week. Along those lines, there's a poster all over the ANU which features two friends of mine, Jason and Alice. Funnily enough, it's for international orientation even though Alice is from Canberra and Jason is from Tasmania (which is almost another country). It's a candid photo taken of them working on a park table but if you know who they are, it's quite ironic.
Canberra's multicultural festival ended last Sunday. I went down to Garema Place to see what was on, and it's mostly a food festival. There were hundreds of people in Garema Place lining up at various tents to sample the cuisine of the world. There were also performances by cultural groups from around the world, and the buskers making a small living off their talents. Busking, a tradition as old as entertainment and street corners.
Later that day I biked down to EPIC to watch the running of the Canberra Cup for harness racing. Luckily there was no admission and I walked around talking to people I knew. This year it was nowhere near as hot as last year, thankfully, so many more people showed up. Although I didn't get a chance to work, I enjoyed watching the races; the direct descendant of chariot racing.
On Monday, although I had a training session, I managed to catch most of the Superbowl and I was ecstatic that the New Orleans Saints finally won one. It was a pretty close affair until that last interception. Although the Colts weren't entirely out by that time, it was clear that unless they pulled something very good off, they were defeated. I don't know why exactly I cheer for the New Orleans Saints. I've never been to New Orleans nor do I know anyone who lives there. I guess it's just one of those things. Because I was working I didn't have the chance to make myself some popcorn, chicken wings and nachos, but I'll try next year.
The weekend saw the beginning of the first class of the new semester, that being a postgrad course on freedom of information and privacy. It's not easy getting up at 09:00 and going until 17:00 on Friday and Saturday, but it's what you have to do. Most postgrad courses are run this way to accommodate working people who do this as part of their training; virtually everyone in this course is a public servant. The content is interesting but you have to sort of force yourself to enjoy it. I get to do it all again in a few weeks time. I hope to do really well.
The 2010 Winter Olympics have started in Vancouver and I wish everyone success. Actually, if I wasn't in Australia, I'd be with my family in Blaine, WA just across the border. I'd stay with them and drive up to the venues. I'm kind of sad that's not going to happen but I hope that they are having fun, at least. I've also heard that due to the warm weather, it has been necessary to truck snow to some of the venues. I'd never thought I'd hear of the day that there was a lack of snow in Canada but that's what you get for holding the games in western BC.
In other festivities it's Chinese New Year, starting the Year of the Tiger and St. Valentine's Day, the holiday brought to you by the greeting card companies. Even if you realize what it is, woe betide you if you have a significant other and not get them something.
Today and yesterday saw large rainfalls in the area with flood warnings in effect and even Sydney had roofs collapse due to too much water. I maintain that the drought is slowly breaking and the next decade will see wetter conditions around Australia. I think Australians can start preparing for an end to their long suffering as Australia is moving from a drought-dominated to a rain-dominated period.
I'll also just mention that I'm off to Perth Tuesday and I'll be back on Saturday. I'll see when I can update my blog after that.
Canberra's multicultural festival ended last Sunday. I went down to Garema Place to see what was on, and it's mostly a food festival. There were hundreds of people in Garema Place lining up at various tents to sample the cuisine of the world. There were also performances by cultural groups from around the world, and the buskers making a small living off their talents. Busking, a tradition as old as entertainment and street corners.
Later that day I biked down to EPIC to watch the running of the Canberra Cup for harness racing. Luckily there was no admission and I walked around talking to people I knew. This year it was nowhere near as hot as last year, thankfully, so many more people showed up. Although I didn't get a chance to work, I enjoyed watching the races; the direct descendant of chariot racing.
On Monday, although I had a training session, I managed to catch most of the Superbowl and I was ecstatic that the New Orleans Saints finally won one. It was a pretty close affair until that last interception. Although the Colts weren't entirely out by that time, it was clear that unless they pulled something very good off, they were defeated. I don't know why exactly I cheer for the New Orleans Saints. I've never been to New Orleans nor do I know anyone who lives there. I guess it's just one of those things. Because I was working I didn't have the chance to make myself some popcorn, chicken wings and nachos, but I'll try next year.
The weekend saw the beginning of the first class of the new semester, that being a postgrad course on freedom of information and privacy. It's not easy getting up at 09:00 and going until 17:00 on Friday and Saturday, but it's what you have to do. Most postgrad courses are run this way to accommodate working people who do this as part of their training; virtually everyone in this course is a public servant. The content is interesting but you have to sort of force yourself to enjoy it. I get to do it all again in a few weeks time. I hope to do really well.
The 2010 Winter Olympics have started in Vancouver and I wish everyone success. Actually, if I wasn't in Australia, I'd be with my family in Blaine, WA just across the border. I'd stay with them and drive up to the venues. I'm kind of sad that's not going to happen but I hope that they are having fun, at least. I've also heard that due to the warm weather, it has been necessary to truck snow to some of the venues. I'd never thought I'd hear of the day that there was a lack of snow in Canada but that's what you get for holding the games in western BC.
In other festivities it's Chinese New Year, starting the Year of the Tiger and St. Valentine's Day, the holiday brought to you by the greeting card companies. Even if you realize what it is, woe betide you if you have a significant other and not get them something.
Today and yesterday saw large rainfalls in the area with flood warnings in effect and even Sydney had roofs collapse due to too much water. I maintain that the drought is slowly breaking and the next decade will see wetter conditions around Australia. I think Australians can start preparing for an end to their long suffering as Australia is moving from a drought-dominated to a rain-dominated period.
I'll also just mention that I'm off to Perth Tuesday and I'll be back on Saturday. I'll see when I can update my blog after that.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I'm a Noun and an Adjective
There really hasn't been that much to report this week. There's a multicultural festival on that so far I haven't been able to visit, one of my classes begins in a week and I'm about to begin supervisor training at ACTTAB, but really, that's it. I guess I'll just fill this post with uninteresting filler. I also wish the New Orleans Saints luck in the coming Superbowl.
I've been getting ready for my trip to Perth by buying maps of the city; one is a complete street directory while the other is a small one I can take with me. I'm getting excited to see the city. I hope Perth will be interesting and it'll be a good reward for a summer well-spent.
I've seen in the news that the Australian Olympic team is under pressure for the International Olympic Committee to take down the boxing kangaroo banner they have hanging off their balcony because it's a registered trademark. This might give me something for intellectual property this semester. So far the Australians have resisted and judging by the posts on cbc.ca, most people support them. Speaking of intellectual property, an interesting case was decided in the Federal Court the other day. It turns out that Men at Work's famous song Land Down Under has a flute riff that sounds too much like Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, which turns out to be a copyright violation. Personally, I would have thrown the suit out because the copyright owners took too long to file it. The current owners bought the rights to the song around 2000 and only brought suit 2 years ago. I think equity should have mandated a dismissal. Copyright, along with privacy, seems to be one of those areas of the law that have been taken too far and people treat as sacred. I really don't understand it.
In good news, Australia's been getting a lot of rain, especially in the interior where it needs it. In Canberra, it looks like we'll be getting a week of rainy weather, though not continuous. Still, it's good for the ground and the reservoirs. I maintain my belief that the drought is slowly breaking.
I also went on to urbandictionary.com and found the following definition. It's a little contradictory but I hope it's true. Roman, also roman: noun or adjective, "a really hot guy who isn't ugly but isn't all that physically attractive, yet he has something that attracts girls." Maybe it hasn't been such a boring week after all.
I've been getting ready for my trip to Perth by buying maps of the city; one is a complete street directory while the other is a small one I can take with me. I'm getting excited to see the city. I hope Perth will be interesting and it'll be a good reward for a summer well-spent.
I've seen in the news that the Australian Olympic team is under pressure for the International Olympic Committee to take down the boxing kangaroo banner they have hanging off their balcony because it's a registered trademark. This might give me something for intellectual property this semester. So far the Australians have resisted and judging by the posts on cbc.ca, most people support them. Speaking of intellectual property, an interesting case was decided in the Federal Court the other day. It turns out that Men at Work's famous song Land Down Under has a flute riff that sounds too much like Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, which turns out to be a copyright violation. Personally, I would have thrown the suit out because the copyright owners took too long to file it. The current owners bought the rights to the song around 2000 and only brought suit 2 years ago. I think equity should have mandated a dismissal. Copyright, along with privacy, seems to be one of those areas of the law that have been taken too far and people treat as sacred. I really don't understand it.
In good news, Australia's been getting a lot of rain, especially in the interior where it needs it. In Canberra, it looks like we'll be getting a week of rainy weather, though not continuous. Still, it's good for the ground and the reservoirs. I maintain my belief that the drought is slowly breaking.
I also went on to urbandictionary.com and found the following definition. It's a little contradictory but I hope it's true. Roman, also roman: noun or adjective, "a really hot guy who isn't ugly but isn't all that physically attractive, yet he has something that attracts girls." Maybe it hasn't been such a boring week after all.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Australia Day
Australia's national holiday, inventively titled "Australia Day", was last Tuesday, the 26th of January. It was on January 26th, 1788 that the First Fleet arrived in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) and established the settlement of Sydney. Some indigenous people call it Invasion Day and use the occasion to bring attention to indigenous issues. The celebration usually involves fireworks and is much like Canada Day, I suppose. Since I missed most of the celebrations last year, I thought I would take the opportunity to see what was going on.
The first order of the day was a shift at the Garema Place outlet of ACTTAB. I was actually quite thrilled since I get double pay on public holidays. Even though it abuts onto a major urban square, there was virtually no one in the outlet. To put it more accurately, there was virtually no one in the square. Even though it's a pedestrian mall, there were no buskers, face painters, or anyone else you would associate with a major national holiday. In Ottawa, Sparks Street is full of activity on Canada Day but here there was only silence. Anyway, since no one was coming in, my shift only lasted 3 hours. I thought this would give me plenty of time to see how Canberra celebrated Australia Day.
The result was rather anticlimactic. I biked down to Commonwealth Park by Lake Burley Griffin, which is the center of the festivities. There really wasn't all that much going on. There was a dragon boat race, some musical numbers from a stage and a few kiosks set up but that's really it. It wasn't at all what I expected of a national celebration in a national capital. Really, people were just sitting around. The fireworks weren't scheduled to start until 21:00 so I left and came back. The fireworks display was spectacular in that the fireworks are fired off a bridge and a few boats nearby. This means that, unlike Canada, you're relatively close to the pyrotechnics. There were screamers, boomers, Roman candles, magnesium flares and everything else you'd expect. This went on for about 10 minutes and then everyone left to go home. As I said before, I think anticlimactic is the best word to describe it. There just wasn't the atmosphere or other physical examples of celebration. If Canberra is to shed its image as a backwater that no one would even think about except for the fact that it's the national capital, then I think it should endeavour to have Australia Day celebrations of a scope worthy of a national capital.
Aside from Australia Day, the only other piece of interesting news is that umpire training has started. Although it's still about 10 weeks until the season begins, we are meeting to get ourselves in the physical form that is required. My running has helped somewhat and I ran further than I could have otherwise but it's still gruelling, even at a jogging pace. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I have a feeling that I'll improve as the weather chills since I'll be more in my element and the denser air will help me oxygenate more efficiently. Although, in a point of pride, I did beat the AFL's goal umpire 4km time. The AFL standard was (they've since changed the length to 5km) 18:30 and I did it in 18:22, although I was absolutely finished by the end. Still, it means I'm getting better and, with any luck, as the training year progresses, I may find myself in top form.
Finally, I've posted photos from my last day at Sokil in the appropriate update.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
90%
It's been a fairly busy time for me since my last post. It's been mostly work related, but I've had some fun as well. Actually, I'm rather happy as I've had quite a lot of time working at ACTTAB and I'm expecting a nice paycheque very soon; I think I've put in the equivalent of 47 hours over the last 2 weeks. And it comes at just the right time. In about 3 weeks I'm off to Perth for a few days and I'll need some spending money.
I've also been a little busy with an application for a clerkship and the Canadian Federal Court and/or Federal Court of Appeal. For some reason the application due date is Friday, Jan. 29th although the clerkship doesn't begin until August 2011. Why they need 19 months to sort everything, I don't know. Anyway, I've had to write a short letter explaining why I want the position, as well as prepare my CV and get 3 letters of reference from my law school professors. Surprisingly, that wasn't as difficult as I thought. On of the professors, Fiona Wheeler, is also the Associate Dean and she told me that clerkships really open up opportunities. I wouldn't mind getting the position although it would mean leaving Australia, at least for a while. Luckily, the position recognizes my Australian JD as equivalent to a Canadian JD. We'll see how it goes.
In fitness news, I've been running quite well and I've set 2 personal records. A few days ago, I ran my 4km in 19:30 and then a few days later in 18:45. This means that I am about 15 seconds to 1 minute off the AFL's time requirements for goal umpires. While that 19:30 run wasn't too bad, the 18:45 run was exhausting. By then end, I was ready to collapse. To get that fast I had to pull out all the stops and essentially run to my very limit. Still, if I can keep it up, I'll be well set for the coming season. It also means I'm running somewhere between 11.5 and 12.75km/h.
To try and eat more healthily, as well as lose weight, I've started eating corn flakes as a snack. It seems to be working and I've already lost a few kilos. It's amazing how much a little thing like that can make a difference. Corn flakes with milk are healthy and nutritious, though not always completely filling. Still, it beats McDonald's. Also, I've started drinking pineapple juice, something I like but have never really had much of. They say pineapple juice sweetens up the blood but I can't say I've noticed.
The most exciting thing that happened to me last week was my birthday on the 20th; I turned 27. That means I'm 90% of the way to the dreaded age of 30. I remember being in Grade 1 and thinking how much I would like to be 27, for no particular reason, and now that I am, it's not as exciting as I thought. We'll see how it turns out.
My birthday began at around 09:00 as I helped clean out a storage room. It involved us taking everything out, cataloging what we needed, throwing out what we don't and then moving everything back in. It took most of the day but we were virtually done by the end. I thought to myself, this isn't the way to celebrate my birthday but I didn't have anything else planned so here I was. After the cleanup, I went to El Dorado's for a steak dinner. I had a t-bone steak and some garlic bread; I think I earned them. And that was my birthday from beginning to end. Not as exciting as I would have liked but there's not much you can do when everyone's away for the summer.
My birthday did get me thinking about what I call the Birthday Cycle, and just how you count when your birthday begins. Most people just celebrate it on the day but if it's supposed to be another revolution of the Earth around the Sun, then birthdays will change from year to year. For example, I was born, according to my mother, at 16:20 EST in Ottawa on Jan. 20th, 1983. At this time of year, Ottawa is 16 hours behind Canberra so 16:20 Ottawa time would be 06:20 Jan. 21st AEDT (Canberra time). As well, a year is approximately 365.25 days long so you have to add 6 hours for every year until you hit a leap year. That would mean that my birthdays in Australia would be at about 06:20 Jan. 21st, 12:20 Jan. 21st, 18:20 Jan. 21st and 00:20 Jan. 22nd until the cycle resets because of the leap year. These are the times that the Earth completes 1 full revolution from the previous time. I think, for simplicity's sake, everyone just celebrates according to the day wherever they are. A little unfortunate though, since it means we can stretch out birthdays a little longer.
I've also been a little busy with an application for a clerkship and the Canadian Federal Court and/or Federal Court of Appeal. For some reason the application due date is Friday, Jan. 29th although the clerkship doesn't begin until August 2011. Why they need 19 months to sort everything, I don't know. Anyway, I've had to write a short letter explaining why I want the position, as well as prepare my CV and get 3 letters of reference from my law school professors. Surprisingly, that wasn't as difficult as I thought. On of the professors, Fiona Wheeler, is also the Associate Dean and she told me that clerkships really open up opportunities. I wouldn't mind getting the position although it would mean leaving Australia, at least for a while. Luckily, the position recognizes my Australian JD as equivalent to a Canadian JD. We'll see how it goes.
In fitness news, I've been running quite well and I've set 2 personal records. A few days ago, I ran my 4km in 19:30 and then a few days later in 18:45. This means that I am about 15 seconds to 1 minute off the AFL's time requirements for goal umpires. While that 19:30 run wasn't too bad, the 18:45 run was exhausting. By then end, I was ready to collapse. To get that fast I had to pull out all the stops and essentially run to my very limit. Still, if I can keep it up, I'll be well set for the coming season. It also means I'm running somewhere between 11.5 and 12.75km/h.
To try and eat more healthily, as well as lose weight, I've started eating corn flakes as a snack. It seems to be working and I've already lost a few kilos. It's amazing how much a little thing like that can make a difference. Corn flakes with milk are healthy and nutritious, though not always completely filling. Still, it beats McDonald's. Also, I've started drinking pineapple juice, something I like but have never really had much of. They say pineapple juice sweetens up the blood but I can't say I've noticed.
The most exciting thing that happened to me last week was my birthday on the 20th; I turned 27. That means I'm 90% of the way to the dreaded age of 30. I remember being in Grade 1 and thinking how much I would like to be 27, for no particular reason, and now that I am, it's not as exciting as I thought. We'll see how it turns out.
My birthday began at around 09:00 as I helped clean out a storage room. It involved us taking everything out, cataloging what we needed, throwing out what we don't and then moving everything back in. It took most of the day but we were virtually done by the end. I thought to myself, this isn't the way to celebrate my birthday but I didn't have anything else planned so here I was. After the cleanup, I went to El Dorado's for a steak dinner. I had a t-bone steak and some garlic bread; I think I earned them. And that was my birthday from beginning to end. Not as exciting as I would have liked but there's not much you can do when everyone's away for the summer.
My birthday did get me thinking about what I call the Birthday Cycle, and just how you count when your birthday begins. Most people just celebrate it on the day but if it's supposed to be another revolution of the Earth around the Sun, then birthdays will change from year to year. For example, I was born, according to my mother, at 16:20 EST in Ottawa on Jan. 20th, 1983. At this time of year, Ottawa is 16 hours behind Canberra so 16:20 Ottawa time would be 06:20 Jan. 21st AEDT (Canberra time). As well, a year is approximately 365.25 days long so you have to add 6 hours for every year until you hit a leap year. That would mean that my birthdays in Australia would be at about 06:20 Jan. 21st, 12:20 Jan. 21st, 18:20 Jan. 21st and 00:20 Jan. 22nd until the cycle resets because of the leap year. These are the times that the Earth completes 1 full revolution from the previous time. I think, for simplicity's sake, everyone just celebrates according to the day wherever they are. A little unfortunate though, since it means we can stretch out birthdays a little longer.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Camp: Post Script
As I explained, after camp finished most of the counsellors decided to decompress in Geelong. We were invited by Mr. Lubczenko to party and sleep at his house. In the end, I think there were nearly 15 of us there. We ordered a copious amount of pizza and had an equal amount to drink. It was so much fun and a great way to relax after the days away.
Mr. Lubczenko lives in a rather large bungalow in northern Geelong. His daughter and son were both counsellors at the younger scouts' camp while his other son, Greg, is studying law at ANU as well. Strangely enough, though, I haven't run into Greg really at all. We seem to keep virtually entirely different schedules and if you know the law school, that is quite a feat. We all set ourselves up in various places and, as luck would have it, I was offered a bed, even though I was willing to sleep on the floor. It turned out very well as I was one of the first to go to sleep anyway. For some reason, in the preceding days I had felt very tired and I finally got the rest I needed.
The night was filled with jollity as we caroused, ate and drank. I even learned a new Ukrainian drinking song which involves the people telling all those born in a particular month to front up and have a shot. I'd never heard this one before but everyone else seemed to know it; it must be an Australian thing. We all went to sleep very relaxed, of that much I am certain.
The next morning we were treated to Mr. Lubczenko's famous pancakes. Apparently, these are a Plast tradition and delicacy. Usually Mr. Lubczenko makes them after New Year's as a sort of hangover cure but he didn't do that this year, he saved them for us. All I can say is that they were delicious. Mr. Lubczenko made so many and I don't know how he found the ingredients or the time. We all gobbled them up as fast as we could.
A little after 13:00, Magalas and I were driven to North Geelong Station to catch our train into Melbourne. The V-Line runs a sort of express service into Melbourne and very soon we were flying through the flat countryside between Geelong and Melbourne. We arrived at Southern Cross Station, a gloriously grandiose structure that looks like it might be Melbourne's main hub but isn't; that honour goes to Flinders Street Station one stop further down. As Magalas and I made our way through the station we had to split up to catch our respective trains. We said goodbye and I assured him that I would see him again in at least 2 years' time.
I made my way to Glenroy Station where I got off and walked to the Stasyshyns' house. These are people who are distantly related to me by marriage. There I talked with Tania, who's now in her 90s and first arrived in Australia in 1949. We talked about her adventures coming here and how much Australia has changed since then. One of the things she remembers most was the heat in September when she got off the boat with her family in Melbourne. They were taken to Bonegilla (bah-ne-GYL-la) a refugee camp where many Ukrainians were first kept. Tania also told the story of how Nadia (her eldest child who lives with her) was segregated because she had a cough and the authorities were worried about tuberculosis. Nadia, who was only 3, complained constantly in the hospital that here parents had abandoned her. Eventually, her father was called in to take her of the hospital's hands after she had been cleared; Nadia says she was kicked out. As I talked to Tania, Nadia arrived home and shortly thereafter Maria and Katia. I said goodbye to Tania and Nadia and left with the Soc's as I promised to see them again next time I was in Melbourne.
I had always planned to fly out on the 5th so now I had a day to kill. I decided to go to the Fitzroy and Treasury Gardens that I had bypassed the last time. There are some very interesting buildings and works of art there. These are civic parks that have been around since the 19th Century.
The oldest building in Australia is housed in the gardens and that is Captain Cook's cottage. His home was built in Yorkshire in the mid 18th Century and was taken apart brick-by-brick, transported to Australia and then rebuilt. There was also a small model Tudor village with a fanciful sculpture called the Fairy Tree beside it; a tree trunk carved with fairies and Australian animals. There were other sculptures, fountains and assorted things. I could have sworn I took pictures but I don't seem to have them on my camera. At any rate, I took the train back to Broadmeadows where Katia drove me to the airport. I said goodbye and promised to visit again.
Plast in Victoria I found to be quite similar to Plast in Sydney. There may be a little more Ukrainian spoken and the scouts may do a little more of there own cooking in Victoria but most things are the same. Although I'll be at the Sydney camp again next year, all things going to plan, I'll go back to the Victorian camp in 2 years' time. I found everyone and everything to be most enjoyable.
Mr. Lubczenko lives in a rather large bungalow in northern Geelong. His daughter and son were both counsellors at the younger scouts' camp while his other son, Greg, is studying law at ANU as well. Strangely enough, though, I haven't run into Greg really at all. We seem to keep virtually entirely different schedules and if you know the law school, that is quite a feat. We all set ourselves up in various places and, as luck would have it, I was offered a bed, even though I was willing to sleep on the floor. It turned out very well as I was one of the first to go to sleep anyway. For some reason, in the preceding days I had felt very tired and I finally got the rest I needed.
The night was filled with jollity as we caroused, ate and drank. I even learned a new Ukrainian drinking song which involves the people telling all those born in a particular month to front up and have a shot. I'd never heard this one before but everyone else seemed to know it; it must be an Australian thing. We all went to sleep very relaxed, of that much I am certain.
The next morning we were treated to Mr. Lubczenko's famous pancakes. Apparently, these are a Plast tradition and delicacy. Usually Mr. Lubczenko makes them after New Year's as a sort of hangover cure but he didn't do that this year, he saved them for us. All I can say is that they were delicious. Mr. Lubczenko made so many and I don't know how he found the ingredients or the time. We all gobbled them up as fast as we could.
A little after 13:00, Magalas and I were driven to North Geelong Station to catch our train into Melbourne. The V-Line runs a sort of express service into Melbourne and very soon we were flying through the flat countryside between Geelong and Melbourne. We arrived at Southern Cross Station, a gloriously grandiose structure that looks like it might be Melbourne's main hub but isn't; that honour goes to Flinders Street Station one stop further down. As Magalas and I made our way through the station we had to split up to catch our respective trains. We said goodbye and I assured him that I would see him again in at least 2 years' time.
I made my way to Glenroy Station where I got off and walked to the Stasyshyns' house. These are people who are distantly related to me by marriage. There I talked with Tania, who's now in her 90s and first arrived in Australia in 1949. We talked about her adventures coming here and how much Australia has changed since then. One of the things she remembers most was the heat in September when she got off the boat with her family in Melbourne. They were taken to Bonegilla (bah-ne-GYL-la) a refugee camp where many Ukrainians were first kept. Tania also told the story of how Nadia (her eldest child who lives with her) was segregated because she had a cough and the authorities were worried about tuberculosis. Nadia, who was only 3, complained constantly in the hospital that here parents had abandoned her. Eventually, her father was called in to take her of the hospital's hands after she had been cleared; Nadia says she was kicked out. As I talked to Tania, Nadia arrived home and shortly thereafter Maria and Katia. I said goodbye to Tania and Nadia and left with the Soc's as I promised to see them again next time I was in Melbourne.
I had always planned to fly out on the 5th so now I had a day to kill. I decided to go to the Fitzroy and Treasury Gardens that I had bypassed the last time. There are some very interesting buildings and works of art there. These are civic parks that have been around since the 19th Century.
The oldest building in Australia is housed in the gardens and that is Captain Cook's cottage. His home was built in Yorkshire in the mid 18th Century and was taken apart brick-by-brick, transported to Australia and then rebuilt. There was also a small model Tudor village with a fanciful sculpture called the Fairy Tree beside it; a tree trunk carved with fairies and Australian animals. There were other sculptures, fountains and assorted things. I could have sworn I took pictures but I don't seem to have them on my camera. At any rate, I took the train back to Broadmeadows where Katia drove me to the airport. I said goodbye and promised to visit again.
Plast in Victoria I found to be quite similar to Plast in Sydney. There may be a little more Ukrainian spoken and the scouts may do a little more of there own cooking in Victoria but most things are the same. Although I'll be at the Sydney camp again next year, all things going to plan, I'll go back to the Victorian camp in 2 years' time. I found everyone and everything to be most enjoyable.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Camp: The New Year
After the exhaustion of the bike hike, the scouts were looking forward to a Plast camp tradition --- the New Year's Eve party. In Australia, Plast camps are usually held from Boxing Day to about Jan. 3rd which allows for a party to ring in the new year. As the camp's theme was The Jungle Book, the idea was you made costumes based on a jungle theme. Mine wasn't quite that, but I'll tell you about it in a second.
Of all the days at camp, only New Year's Eve was hot as I recall. In any event, we spent most of the afternoon at a beach in the nearby town of Airey's Inlet. There was a strong northerly breeze which made the air feel like an oven. It wasn't too bad but after many days in the low to mid 20C's, 37C felt stifling. Still, the beach did us all some good.
On the way down I went with Marko and another guy called Timmy in his 4WD. Marko brought his iPod and we played Men at Work's Land Down Under at least 4 times on the way there. I remember saying that there is no better way to listen to that song than on a dirt track in the bush, riding in a 4WD with a few friends in the middle of the Australian summer. Most of the roads to Airey's were unpaved and Tim likes to really drive his 4WD.
We got to the beach in 1 piece and I spent a few hours wandering around. The scouts were having a great time on their own and we just had to make sure none of the drowned or anything; luckily, none did. We had lunch there and afterwards returned to camp ready for the party.
At the New Year's Eve party, most everyone had a costume on. Some were very elaborate while others, such as mine, were a little more spartan. Because of weight restrictions on the aircraft I kept my costume simple. I didn't do a jungle theme exactly, but I chose a tropical theme which consisted of me in a Hawai'ian shirt and board shorts. It was actually quite comfortable and worked with the overall theme. The new year rung in, we all retired eager for the next day's activities.
I don't remember much of what happened on the 1st except for the evening's activity which was a trivia game designed for all ages. There were questions about animals, places, movie quotes and puzzles all with a jungle theme, except for the last round which was devoted to events at camp. I designed the game with questions for a broad range of ages and even had them vetted by the counsellors of the younger groups. My particular favourite was a round where the teams were asked to put jungle-themed words to the chori of popular songs; it worked out very well and proved very amusing. Except for technical difficulties with the projector and a rather large huntsman spider at one point, the game went very well and was enjoyed by all.
The penultimate day of camp also had a highlight, which was a traditional Ukrainian Christmas variety show called a Yalynka (yah-LYN-kah/"Christmas tree" or "pine"). There were carols sung along with servings of borshch (beet soup) and varenyky (vah-REH-nyh-kyh), potato-stuffed dumplings. Ukrainian-Australians called going carolling "kolading" (sometimes pronouncing it "colliding") as a gerund anglicization of kolyada. The whole event was well attended and people from all over turned up, even Katia and Maria from Melbourne. The acts were all great and I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. From what I understand, this is combination of camp and Yalynka is fairly new but it seems to be working so far. It gets everyone together.
The 3rd was the last of camp and most of it was spent decamping. We took down all the tents and the like and everyone packed up their gear. The closing ceremonies included a defilade and the unveiling of a new mosaic prepared by the parent volunteers at the camp. They'll find a suitable place for it I suppose. After the closing ceremony there were the usual photos of the camp participants. I had a great time at Sokil and I look forward to returning again in 2 years time. I wonder what the scouts will be like in 2 years? I also hope to see my fellow counsellors again and they really were a great bunch.
After the scouts had left, the counsellors got together and finished cleaning up. Normally we would stay for a day to have a winding down party but another group had been accidentally/on purpose/negligently booked in so to avoid any conflicts, we decided to leave and go to a house in Geelong for the post-camp party. I'll mention that in the next post.
Of all the days at camp, only New Year's Eve was hot as I recall. In any event, we spent most of the afternoon at a beach in the nearby town of Airey's Inlet. There was a strong northerly breeze which made the air feel like an oven. It wasn't too bad but after many days in the low to mid 20C's, 37C felt stifling. Still, the beach did us all some good.
On the way down I went with Marko and another guy called Timmy in his 4WD. Marko brought his iPod and we played Men at Work's Land Down Under at least 4 times on the way there. I remember saying that there is no better way to listen to that song than on a dirt track in the bush, riding in a 4WD with a few friends in the middle of the Australian summer. Most of the roads to Airey's were unpaved and Tim likes to really drive his 4WD.
We got to the beach in 1 piece and I spent a few hours wandering around. The scouts were having a great time on their own and we just had to make sure none of the drowned or anything; luckily, none did. We had lunch there and afterwards returned to camp ready for the party.
At the New Year's Eve party, most everyone had a costume on. Some were very elaborate while others, such as mine, were a little more spartan. Because of weight restrictions on the aircraft I kept my costume simple. I didn't do a jungle theme exactly, but I chose a tropical theme which consisted of me in a Hawai'ian shirt and board shorts. It was actually quite comfortable and worked with the overall theme. The new year rung in, we all retired eager for the next day's activities.
I don't remember much of what happened on the 1st except for the evening's activity which was a trivia game designed for all ages. There were questions about animals, places, movie quotes and puzzles all with a jungle theme, except for the last round which was devoted to events at camp. I designed the game with questions for a broad range of ages and even had them vetted by the counsellors of the younger groups. My particular favourite was a round where the teams were asked to put jungle-themed words to the chori of popular songs; it worked out very well and proved very amusing. Except for technical difficulties with the projector and a rather large huntsman spider at one point, the game went very well and was enjoyed by all.
The penultimate day of camp also had a highlight, which was a traditional Ukrainian Christmas variety show called a Yalynka (yah-LYN-kah/"Christmas tree" or "pine"). There were carols sung along with servings of borshch (beet soup) and varenyky (vah-REH-nyh-kyh), potato-stuffed dumplings. Ukrainian-Australians called going carolling "kolading" (sometimes pronouncing it "colliding") as a gerund anglicization of kolyada. The whole event was well attended and people from all over turned up, even Katia and Maria from Melbourne. The acts were all great and I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. From what I understand, this is combination of camp and Yalynka is fairly new but it seems to be working so far. It gets everyone together.
The 3rd was the last of camp and most of it was spent decamping. We took down all the tents and the like and everyone packed up their gear. The closing ceremonies included a defilade and the unveiling of a new mosaic prepared by the parent volunteers at the camp. They'll find a suitable place for it I suppose. After the closing ceremony there were the usual photos of the camp participants. I had a great time at Sokil and I look forward to returning again in 2 years time. I wonder what the scouts will be like in 2 years? I also hope to see my fellow counsellors again and they really were a great bunch.
After the scouts had left, the counsellors got together and finished cleaning up. Normally we would stay for a day to have a winding down party but another group had been accidentally/on purpose/negligently booked in so to avoid any conflicts, we decided to leave and go to a house in Geelong for the post-camp party. I'll mention that in the next post.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Camp: 3 Days of Motion
The main event, so to speak, of the scout camp was the 3-day bike hike through the surrounding area. Based on a map, a route had been traced out which would allow us to see most of the park and didn't look to challenging. Unfortunately, Fedz hadn't really reconnoitred any of the trails and this would prove a challenge in the coming days. Also, the age and ability range of the scouts was considerable so we often had to wait for the slower ones to catch up. Add to that, we were asked to carry our fire gear (towels and clothes) which greatly restricted our packing space for things like food and water. The heavier gear, like tents and other camping items were taken in trailers to our campsites.
The first day was sunny but began with a reasonably steep uphill climb from Sokil to the next main road. I was at the rear with Magalas making sure that none of the scouts fell too far behind.As this was the first few minutes on the bikes, some of the scouts struggled and had to walk their bikes up the hill. After that hill, though, the riding became mush easier as we rode on a flat road. We made good time until 2 of the scouts lost control and fell in separate crashes but at roughly the same time and stretch of road, requiring some bandaging.
After lunch we hit the real bush tracks and here we met some great challenges. Much of the track was sand making riding difficult and we lost time as many scouts had to walk their bike along portions of the track. The fact that much of it was uphill also didn't help. Nevertheless, we made it through some nice bush and after deciding to cut a portion of the planned route, we made it to our first campsite exhausted. I am a reasonably fit and experienced biker and even I found this first day difficult. I can only imagine what it was like for some of the younger scouts. One of them, Alex, was inexperienced, not fit, and had crashed earlier but forced himself to tackle the track and made it to the end of the day. Another scout, Teresa, had only learned to bike 2 weeks beforehand and had been thrown into the fire, but handled herself like a pro and kept pace with the middle of the group.
The second day's trekking started out much like the first's. We ended up on sandy track. Alex, for all his effort and determination, was simply out of his depth and had to be driven back to camp. It wasn't for lack of will, just he wasn't physically able to take on a track of this difficulty, but good on him for trying his hardest. He punched far above his class and pushed himself right to his breaking point; he did admirably. As we made our way between hills and dales, trying to reach a flat hill (Fedz's word for a plateau), I was struck with misfortune --- my bike broke. Somehow the chain got caught in the spokes and bent part of the derailleur making the bike unridable. Fedz and Magalas went about repairing it, turning it into a 1-speed, so that I could at least ride it. This gave the scouts a good long lunch break.
Realizing that the original route would take us far too long, the night before at the "kadra" (KAHD-rah), or council, we had decided to cut a large portion of the route out. Nevertheless, this new route took us along a major road with continuous traffic. As there was no shoulder, we had to walk our bikes all the way to our campsite, again uphill. It was rather unfortunate because this was a proper paved road and biking would have been relatively easy.
We arrived at the camp site and staked out an area right away, where I received a new bicycle. There was a music festival happening in a few days so the grounds already had campers but luckily we found a spot big enough for us all. Here, one of the scouts, Emil Dickson, was chatting to Dam'yan Pavlyshyn and was so sure of his position that he swore "on the lives of most of the Apostles". This phrase was repeated with laughter for the rest of camp.
That night passed quietly and then came the final hike day. The morning began foggy but I could sense a palpable sense of relief among the scouts that they were returning to camp. Again we set out through difficult and hilly terrain. Alex joined us, eager to finish the hike, but, alas, again found himself outclassed. He tried so hard and it wasn't easy for him to go back to camp but better that than him getting hurt. Speaking of which, at one point, on the scouts sat on a bull ant nest (as the name suggests they are very aggressive) and one bit him 4 times, including once in a particularly sensitive area.
As we kept going we approached the highest point in the surrounding countryside; it would be all downhill to Sokil from there. All that stood on the way were some tracks through a pine plantation. As we started down the first part, Teresa lost control and crashed her bike. She required some very basic first aid but I volunteered to take another route around the plantation with her. We made our way, sometimes riding, sometimes walking but eventually made it to the fire tower on the highest point. And there we waited, and waited, and waited. We had assumed that the group would be no more than 10-15 minutes behind us but after about 45 minutes and still no sign, we became worried.
At the fire tower Symon Kohut, a volunteer parent and 2 girl scouts were waiting with lunch and a van. After waiting what seemed like an eternity we decided to drive down and look for the rest of the group. We eventually found them, coming up as individuals more or less, up something called Retreat Valley Road; Teresa and I had passed it on our route. They all made for the shad and dropped there bike one-by-one as they came up. Everyone rested in an area of tall grass, which we flattened and unanimously refused to move when Fedz suggested that it might be safer to move because tall grass has snakes; I don't blame them. After letting them rest for a minute, we learned the full horror of what had happened. It turns out that the tracks were steeper and rockier than anticipated, not to mention that there was virtually no shade anywhere. What they thought was a track ended up being a dead end so they had to backtrack for a while. It had just turned into a colossal nightmare but luckily it was over. Kohut drove back to Sokil and brought back some Icy Pops (freezies) which was a huge moral booster. Luckily, the rest of the trip was pretty much downhill.
As we left this little spot of Hell, Magalas had his own bike disaster, the crank arm bolt dethreaded (think no pedals) so a new bike had to be brought for these last few kilometers. I continued on and left Magalas at the rear on his own but he quickly caught up once he had his new wheels. As the group waited we joked that the only thing we would see would be a streak of fire on the road as the only evidence he had gone by. After a few more turns, but no more hills, we arrived back at Sokil. The scouts were given permission to go for a swim; some of them didn't even bother to change into swimming gear and just went in with their clothes.
The bike hike was fun but exhausting, even for strong riders like myself. The tracks chosen were challenging and the large age range made it difficult for some. Personally, I think this was a ride really only suitable for older scouts. Nevertheless, it did help build some muscle tone and was rewarding for the sense of accomplishment. I think everyone slept soundly that night.
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