Surfs Up Dude

catchin awesome waves on the boogie board...brah'

So this week was my mid semester break, which marks the midway point in the academic career in Sydney.  Of the many things I'd like to do with my time in Australia, surfing was definitely on the checklist.  So yesterday (courtesy of Clay and Bec), we headed to one of the northern beaches.  It was a little cloudy, with a hint of wind.... just the way I like it.  Well, i've never surfed before (despite Californian stereotypes), so I was anxious to give it a go.  So... when we first stepped onto the beach, it was pretty chill.. except for a couple noteworthy observations.  I was made aware of 'blue bottles'.  Contrary to the cute name associated to coffee chains from Nor-Cal, these small little jellyfish, about the size of teaspoon (or tablespoon), deliver a little sting and seemed to be in bunches (as they were washed up on the beach).  Luckily, there were some people in the water and if they weren't afraid, I wasn't gonna wuss out cause of some faceless rubberbands.  Well, we strolled along the beach to set up camp.. meanwhile passing through some lifeguard training. 12-year olds practicing saving lives? alright cool, but I didn't see any other 'adult' (read: proper) lifeguards around... so if something were to happen, my life would be in the hands of some pre-pubecent youngsters.  Luckily, I'm fairly confident in my swimming abilities.  We headed out to the waves.  As the water is pretty clear, we could see the sand for a while.  Pretty far out, I spotted some dark patches below... suddenly, i panicked.  All those news reports and tv shows (River monsters) flashed through my mind... oh god, i could see the headlines now: "Foolish International Attempts Surfing, Ignored Warnings From Internet.. More News at 6".  Luckily, Clay comforted my fears and determined I was tripping out cause I saw some seaweed or rocks, rather than sharks or rays.  Anywho, after some boogy boarding and body surfing, I decided to pull the trigger and do what I set out to do.
So we headed out to the break and patiently waited for some good waves.  During this time, I was constantly drifting away from where the waves were breaking so i was continuously paddling horizontally back to the 'spot'.... I can't emphasize how tiring paddling is.... also my balance is pretty bad already, but the board has wax to keep me from sliding off.  Unfortunately the wax is also pretty unfriendly against bare skin... watev.  Eventually, I saw it... the wave I wanted to catch.  I paddled, caught it right after the break, and stood up..  .  (even though when I got to standing up, the wave had almost died down).   It was magnificent... for all of 2 seconds.  then I 'wiped out'.. and found myself in flurry of sea and sand.

before

after

Somehow I got back to the sand (probably washed up on shore) and called it a day.  I was so exhausted.  Caught a wave, stood up,.... .  Finished off the day with some hot chips and chicken salt.  yep mission accomplished

donezo

Biennale18

buttons & cups

art ... everywhere

middle of the room art

closeup

arches & color

Alright... now that I got all that art photos outta the way.  These are some of the art exhibitions of the Biennale (an art show that comes to Sydney every 2 years).  All the exhibits above were located on Cockatoo Island, just a little island in the bay.  Note: the island used to be a prison, then a shipyard, and now  it's just a bunch of abandoned buildings (with campgrounds).  Anywho, the art show is free and I had time, so off I went!
So a lot of this is exhibition art which varied on different scales and media.  From the complex strings and colors to a video of 4 people laughing for an hour (yes, this was an actual exhibit.. 4 people, in colored suits... just laughing... for an hour).
Well describing the art work will take rather long, and i'd probably bore you to death, so i'll describe the experience and such.

To get to this island, there was a (free) shuttle, which ran from the city.  Getting around the island, though pretty small, took a couple hours.  Mostly cause we tried to inspect and see every corner of the exhibits.  Some of the art were located in a main industrial warehouse,.. others were in the old living quarters or tunnels.  To make the point short.. it was a good trek outside the city.

The great thing about the Biennale, is there are multiple venues.  Right down the street from my crib, there was the performing arts exhibition.  We checked it about, but there were no performances.. so we headed to the pub (a very Australian thing to do.. i assume).

The other venues were at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and a set of old piers (wharfs).  Again, I won't go into detail about how 'deep and meaningful' the art was, but the amount of exhibits were just too much to count.   Going to each venue, I felt more and more confused.. When I though I was getting to understand some of the art (or at least appreciate it), ther'd be something outta left field and BAM... mind blank.

I've taken a couple art classes before and have a basic understanding of 'introduction to contemporary visual art'.  Since then, I 've been trying to understand the 'soulful expression' of artists and their 'struggle to define art'.. but usually end up calling SHENANIGANS!! and realize why they usually have to make frappaccinos to supplement their income.  Though this art show was pretty amazing.. I think I was just awed with the size of the art works and use of space to display their talent. .... Yes. talent.  I haven't been to many art shows.. (usually just art and wine festivals), but here, I really felt that there was a variety of talent used to imagine and materialize thoughts and ideas.

I was a pretty good experience to see all the Art throughout Sydney and, dare I say, I even felt a little more 'cultured'.  Who knows, perhaps I may even trade in my laptop for one of those apple computers and write this blog at a cafe that only serves fair trade coffee while eating organic radishes and sport a hemp scarf, fedora and skinny jeans....  nah....

Victory!!

Well Hello readers, sorry for skipping a week, but i'm sure you've made it through the week without the guidance of my blog.  Anyways, the reason/ excuse I came up with is the bane of student life: a midterm.  Oh jesus, I had a midterm and needed to study for that, so lemme reflect on this experience (especially when I read this entry in a few years time, i'll be able to reminisce on this experience).  As many of you know, i'm a science guy.  I love science. science science science. love that jazz.  Throughout my schooling career, i've had plenty of exams.  Finding addition, subtraction, fluid dynamics, hell yeah.  Give me an equation and i'll solve it (or at least look at it really hard).  When there weren't calculations, I had to write reports (such as I'm accustomed to as a grad student).  Well all and dandy, but this was the first midterm that I had in a long time.  To make things worse, this hour-long midterm was answering a couple questions... on paper.  yeah, I had to write things.. on paper... with a pen.  SAY WHA? (what when through my head).  I can't remember the last time I had to have a written midterm with essay questions... maybe high school?  maybe regarding the heroics of Atticus Finch.

credit to  Dave MacDowell.. damn straight I cite my sources

Anyways, if I wasn't nervous enough, the midterm was for my international business class.  I have never taken a business class in my life!  so i'm in a bit of a panic.  entrepreneurs, corporate strategy,... uhhh   and to top it off, all my class mates have some sort of business/financial/marketing (read: money degrees).  Well, I studied like no other.  For days, I pondered the theory of industry markets and innovative trends.. and on exam day.. I was ready.  well, almost.  The one thing I didn't prepare for was the amount of fatigue my hand would have to endure during the exam.

my preferred method of pen holding

 The intensity of the exam just goes to your head, and you're allowed one-hour to vomit as much information on to the 8"x11" booklet.  Holding your precious pen, thoughts flying through at 100 mph (160km/h).. you're on a roll.  And suddenly, you hit the wall.  not a mental block, but the agonizing numbness in your fingertips.  It occurs without notice and suddenly, your words-per-minute rate plummet.  Try to shake out the pain and get the blood flowing back into your hand, but it's only minimally better (also, I probably looked like an idiot).  At this point, the 20 minutes I've allowed for each question needs to be readjusted due to the slowing writing pace and my atrocious handwriting begins to look even more heinous..  it was like my handwriting slowly reversed in time, and soon my handwriting reverted back to the 5th grade.   Oh boy..

10 minutes left:  i'm almost halfway done with the last question.  Good pace, I just gotta push through for a little while longer.

7 minutes left: wish there was more time.. gotta step up the pace a bit.

2 minutes left:  wrapping up the question, just about finished--HAND CRAMP! oh god,... why now.  what do i do?  switch left handed? nah, too risky.  shake it out? nah, too little time left.  last resort...switch grips and write BIG.  my scribbles seem to barely pass for words...watev, good enough

13 seconds left:  i've done it.. finished with the exam.  looking over my answers (and subsequent de-evolution of my hand writing).  answered questions as good as I could and felt satisfied.  I was proud

1 second left:  Think I heard someone fart... (maybe... still suspicious)

Time up: Pencils down and exhale.
Whew, exam done.  It's all behind me now.  Victory.

Hyams Beach

the land of lost beaches

sand for DAYS

A couple weeks ago, me and couple friends decided to head down to Jervis Bay for a day trip.  It was a nice 3 hour drive down south (I was asleep for most of the way).. lucky me.  Oh real quick sidetrack,.. we stopped by some place to eat/ get some coffee, but I had the heartiest pie ever.  it had some basic beef + gravy, then add on some bacon and an egg in the middle= delicious! ... ok back to the story.  I didn't know what to expect of this place (I guess have have a habit of not knowing what to expect).  Well, I just knew it was south and the beaches are supposed to be "nice"... Quite an understatement if i ever heard one.  Anyways, our arrival in the bay ended up with us getting lost (surprise surprise).  We must have driven 40 minutes just trying to get to this one lunch place.. and didn't even find it.  But whatev.  we found a cafe, and took our sandwiches (well, they got sandwiches, I was content with an apple strudel and juice) and strolled down to a beach.  Sitting there in the sun, with the sand below our toes, the day just drifted and swayed.  After a seemly distant time, we got up and seeked out Hyams beach.  This beach is known for two things: having a deceiving pronunciation... and the whitest sand beach in the world (guiness book of records.. check it)

waters gonna water

 To describe how phenomenal the sand is... it squeaks.  lemme explain.  the sand here is so fine that when you scruff it with your foot, so many particles (sand) rub up on each other and break the sound barrier (produce the squeak).    Now I must remind you it was still winter.  So good news,.. we pretty much had the beach to ourselves.  Bad news.... water was just a tad chilly, but that wasn't gonna stop us.  We ditched our gear and went for a swim.  This was probably the clearest water I've ever swam in.  You could see the sand below the water, even 50 yards out.  And the sand was so fine, walking in the water produced a sort of underwater dust cloud, though it seemed the sand behaved similar to a puff of flour or baking soda.  Although the water was a bit cold, we soon forgot it and splashed around the waves.. After a while, the waves got a bit bigger so we rode the waves on our backs and let the swells roll us around til we got tired.  But the sun was still up!  after a round of coffee, we took a most excellent stroll on the beach.  The consistency of the sand led a long and in-depth conversation of the 'sinkage' level and comfort between our toes.  We strolled on and on til we had lost a sense of time.  Eventually we turned around, just as the sun was setting behind the hills.  It was a good day; the scent of sand lingered on my clothes as I drifted to sleep on the drive home.

dusk

Dem Medals

Sydney welcomed back the nation's Olympians this earlier this week.  There was a big parade in honor of Australia's proud athletes... and I missed it.  meh, I got there just as they were wrapping up and signing autographs and stuff. 

 Dozens of yellow and green trackies crowded around with bright smiles and sharpies at hand.  This is probably the closest i'll ever get to a gold medal, but check out the size of that piece!.  it's pretty big, i'm sure some athletes had some aching necks afterwards.

autographing smartphones are the new thing

Anyways, I didn't get to watch much of the olympics (cause my cable was all wack), but the bits/ highlights were all focused around the Australian athletes.  Of course this shouldn't be a surprise, though I wish there was some coverage of other events that didn't have a water element.
Well, every olympics, for a couple weeks, the world gleams of national pride.  Australia was no exception,  though I had to question... what are the national colors (colours) of Australia?  the flag got some red, white and blue.. but everyone seems to rather sport the yellow and green... which is a better color combo according to the fashion police (citation needed).

'getting gelato, they're just like us'  - people magazine

If you ask any Australian about the results of the 2012 olympics, 'disappointment' is probably the most common answer.. i've actually done this survey myself.  Although the Australians usually show a justly dominant force in water sports, these games seemed to prove otherwise.  But what the Australian athletes seem to capitalize on is approachability and character.  lemme xplain.  I've seen some elite athletes who appear at these big events, but tend to hide from the crowds and lurk behind the stage to avoid interaction with us 'normal folk'.  Well the Australians stayed around for hours after the parade ended to sign autographs, take pictures and pretty much hang around.  I would have been inclined to get an autograph or a picture... if i knew the name of just one Australian olympian....but I didn't... so i bounced... besides.    'merica

Royal National Park (inland)

Yep, so there was a second time to the Royal National Park, though this time the venture was inland.  Still teeming with water features, this route had the added bonus of hills and whatnot.  So, lets begin with a little recap:  same as last time, 10 minutes of research, the night before, and we were set ..   The day started off as little train ride to the town of Waterfall (known for its proximity to waterfalls).  Well, where there's some waterfalls, there's some pools and we were on a quest to seek out them pools... cause.. why not.  Well, getting to the pools were a mix of technical scrambles, followed by narrow trails with impeding branches and shrubbery.  Well eventually we got to where we were supposed to go.

water on water

livin the life

keep an eye out for raptors

Well, damn them pools is pretty neat. (see pics above).  crisp pools of crystal clear water.. what more could you ask?.  well, warmer weather i guess.  Also check out the pic to the right..  look at how big those plants are..  holy crap!  that bushy looking thing could be the size of a small bedroom.  It was like plants from the pre-historic ages.  HUGE.  I didn't even know plants like this still existed... it was like we traveled back through time.  I know i'm rambling a bit about these big ass trees, but it was pretty cool to see.  surreal almost.

Anyways, this day was just a bunch of hiking.  Huge outlooks made of sandstone formations were perfect for cloud-watching and watching the day pass.  The thing that surprised me the most was the lack of people on the trail.  A beautiful park.. and not another soul in sight.  I guess that was the best thing about that day too.  We had all day to ponder the wonders of life and galaxies.  Meander the mountains with only our thoughts.. it's something everyone should do once in a while.  a little breath and crisp air never hurt anyone.  

Royal National Park (coastal trail)

A little while ago, me and my (then) housemate went to the Royal National Park (obvious from the title).  Well, I didn't know what to expect, .. the only other national park I went to was the Blue Mountains, but it was pretty well stocked with tourists and information kiosks, so a total of 10 minutes of research were contributed to transportation for this trip.  Pretty easy directions: take a train south, then a ferry to a town that's right on the edge of the park.   After a couple distractions and timing issues, we finally arrived in the small town and went to find the information center/ ranger station.  Good news: no entrance fee to the park.  Bad news: no information center, just a faded looking map against a wall...  The only thing that pointed us in the right direction was a pamphlet that I happened to snag on the ferry.  WEll, immediately we got lost walking into what we though was the right direction.  wandering through residential neighborhoods and a vague sense of where the ocean was, we were desperate to find a trail head.  With the help of some feral looking natives, we finally got on the right track.. so to speak.

Lucky...

 This is what some of the trail looked like.  yep maintenance was minimal and it had just rained the night prior.  Well, this slowed our progress down quite a bit.  Having to jump over mud puddles and balance on tree roots, it was pretty fun... for the first 5 minutes, then I fell in one of the mud pools.  Completely soaked and cold, I've come face to face against my greatest pet peeve.. wet socks.  Well, thanks to my fantastic preparation skills, my quick-dry socks saved me from misery in a flash.  My partner had other plans.

Not so Lucky

So we wandered along the coast when we stumbled upon a beach.  specifically Marly Beach (I only remember because there was a smaller beach next to it called Little Marly Beach).  Anywho, there was a formidable stream at the edge of the beach and it looked like we had to cross it to make our way to get to the other bit of the trail.  We decided to look for a path around (big mistake).
Well, after a bit of water, we realized how duney (not sure if this is a real word) the beach was.  Dunes + cloudy skies looked pretty apocalyptic.  After an hour of treking in this coastal desert, we eventually made our way to the other side of the beach and continued on to the trail.

sand for DAYS

Further up the trail, there was a sign toward some sort of 'deer pond'.  WEll, why not? I'm down to check out ponds and stuff.. it looked like there was some sort of trail.. kinda

supposed to be a trail... deer pond ahead?

Waterfallin to the ocean

We spent another half hour or so trying to figure out where the hell a pool was supposed to be, but the trail was so overgrown retreat was the only viable option.  With ominous skies looking close, it was getting pretty late in the day.  We decided to head back to the ferry before nightfall.
What was planned to be a peaceful walk along the coast turned into a real adventure full of sidetracking and obstacle... and I wouldn't have it any other way.