Happy Easter.
No school today, many shops are closed, and worse of all, the internet connection has been erratic or non existent since yesterday.


I'm trying out this blogger app on my mobile.


one of the pictures is my dinner - the lamb was quite raw but it was good.

The other is of Easter decorations at a shop.

There was a party at the bar in uni last night, people put on bunny ears.

I can always hear the music from my room. the DJ was trying to get the crowd excited. It was annoying.

also, when I had to use the internet at the school library last night, a group of girls from Saudi Arabia were chatting and uploading pics on Facebook and talking about boys. one or two of them were very loud and confident and obsessed about cultivating a "sexy, not cute" Facebook image.
Young people scare me.

really envy my flatmate - she gets very excited about the things she enjoy. and she enjoys doing many things.
last week she enjoyed her first samba class ($15 a lesson).
so this week i went to try it out.

she really enjoyed this week as well, especially the last part.
me, i have mixed feelings.
it's interesting + good exercise, but i can't get the rhythm or strutting or jiggling or fast stuff.  

this week's students were hip hop dancers (2 guys and 1 girl), flatmate, 2 other ladies, and me.
it's supposed to be a "female samba" class, so the guys learnt many female moves and some guy moves.
then the teacher ended by getting us to do the "dance in a circle", where anyone can go dance with someone in the middle and become the center of attention, but the cool thing is that they cut in with flair.

i learnt many things about samba in 1 hour:
it's a dance about showing off.
move the hips, not the legs.
lift the knees and strut.
stick out front and back. jiggle everything.
the rhythm is 3 beats and a "throw" beat (or something).
dance to the beat of the drum and shake to the drum cues.
you can samba without moving your feet.
point the hands outwards (pointing both inwards looks sad)
there is the carnival version, the traditional version, the poor people version, and the rich people version.

the teacher also teaches the taichi class just before the samba class. she also teaches capoeira, i think.
if i had to, my order of preference would be taichi, capoeira, then samba. haha
 

this mac laptop is 10.5.x, which is now unsupported and apparently should be thrown to the dogs.
i needed to unzip the zipx file to extract my project images but couldn't find the right software.
a software called Unarchiver, listed on cnet, was for the 10.6.x + versions of the mac and i didn't want to navigate through cnet to find a version for my 10.5.x.

 so i went to the Unarchiver website and downloaded the version for older macs.
it unzipped my file beautifully.
hooray!
it's very good freeware.

many thanks to the great people who make and provide useful things for free.

but to paraphrase Dylan Moran:
those are just words. if you really want to show your love, give cakes. or money.

flatmate showed me how to play Dutch Blitz today - it's a counting-based fast-paced card game.
the game-play looks like this.
the main point is to get rid of 10 cards by systematically stacking them in sequence before the other players do.
once your 10 cards are gone, shout "Blitz" and the round is over.
score calculation is based on the cards you have left and the cards you stacked.

my score was 30+, the other two had 70+ and 100+.
social butterfly flatmate had already introduced the game to everyone in the flat and many people on the estate, using her one deck of cards. a true social butterfly!

 saw the completed mural for the back of the art and design building.
i don't get it - person in sweater is throwing money at the gleeful pink time-monster?

 i love potatoes.
 i love potatoes, part 2.
this was 3 potatoes, sliced, fried in butter and lots of milk (flatmate taught me about the milk).
the viscosity was almost like caramel :9


SmarterEveryday? yes please!
this guy makes fun videos on his SmarterEveryday channel to explain things scientifically.
the featured video on his front page is about cat physics. very cool.

yesterday i went to Fremantle.

they have interesting shops, art galleries, cafes, old buildings and a beach.
it's nice. i like it.

the journey by bus takes about 1 hour 10 minutes.

 jake the tiger.
(youth art at bus stops)
 maritime museum
(walls listing the people who emigrated to Australia via Fremantle)

 horsie!
(sculptures @ bathers)
 bathers beach
(quite deserted for a saturday afternoon)
 for the dog lovers
(giant sculptures)
tweed by chanel?
(no, those are chicken and duck bones)
 very nice
(slowly revolving paper airplane tornado)
 very cute entrance to the inner gallery (kidogo).

the old man in orange holds drawing lessons at the studios. his face reminds me of Quasimodo, it's twisted to 1 side and one lower eyelid is turned outwards. we had a short talk and he ended with "it was lovely to speak to you" and it sounded so sincere.
and yeah, and the artist (Tim Burns) for the "car crash" sculpture at Cottlesloe (photo #66) was there too, complaining about how authorities slapped a $500 parking fine on that car.
 round house 
it's Western Australia's oldest surviving public building - and it's a gaol, of course.
 no modern or tall buildings in sight.


moore and moore cafe
cool kitschy decor! so many different kinds of furniture to look at or sit on!
 their home-made berry cheesecake (giant slice).
stupendous.
cheese was dense, thick and rich, it clumped exceedingly well and the tart berries balanced out the light sweetness.
 mural at their cappuccino strip.
the shops nearby were selling interesting jewellery, antiques, books, vinyl records.
 random rabbit.
 Jason Mraz!! (he performed today)
at about 5+pm, i could hear some old school roll and rock music - walked toward the sound and saw many police and guards standing around. the ticket prices were $180+. then i saw this poster when i going home at 6pm and realised it was a big-deal.

the Blues and Roots Festival was held at a large park surrounded by houses. i think the people living there would have enjoyed all the live music.
sunset

6 seasons of the Perth region
according to the Nyoogars (Indigenous people of the South West)

Makkuru (maggoro), the winter period between June and July – cold and wet with westerly gales 
Djilba (jilba), the spring period between August and September – becoming warmer  
Kambarang, October to November – rain decreasing 
Birak (birok), the summer period between December and January – hot and dry  
Burnuru, the autumn period between February and March – hot easterly winds  
Djeran (wanyarang), the period between April and May –becoming cooler  

pdf source: Indigenous History of the Swan and Canning Rivers (page 6) ;
website : River Culture and Heritage - Personal Reflections


the weather is certainly getting cooler... it was 10 degrees early this morning.
of course, once under the sunshine, the skin feels like it's frying under a giant magnifying glass.
now it's 28 degrees.

i do not want "cold and wet" in winter :(


there was an interesting book i saw in Fremantle, called The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines made Australia.

"Explodes the myth that pre-settlement Australia was an untamed wilderness revealing the complex, country-wide systems of land management used by Aboriginal people."

Aborigines traditionally managed the land in Australia, but they worked the land in a totally different way from the Europeans, so the colonists thought it was all natural wilderness and used that to claim Australia for themselves.
this is what my lecturer would call "destabilization of knowledge".

and on a related note, the university begins official documents and presentations with an "Acknowledgement of Country", which is to "respectfully acknowledge the Indigenous Elders, custodians, their descendants and kin of this land past and present."

i'm glad learnt a little more about their history today.

this notice was pasted around the Arts building today.
and it's not even Valentine's day!
yes, i took the picture in the toilet.


yesterday i wrote about being glad to not encounter to Mr Master since ...whatever day it was.
and lo and behold, i met him today...  >. > fuq.

i was walking to uni and he caught up from behind.
there was no creepy smile, didn't ask where i was "hiding" myself (i hate that phrase), didn't refer to the event.
it was a "how are you? you've been busy. i'm going to school too. where is our class? mine is there."
i quickly walked away, saying i was going to be late.
then he yelled, "run!"
i want to punch him in the face.


on a happier note:
# 1 hour 17 mins of Dylan Moran :) a recording of his stand-up comedy show "What It Is", live from Sydney in 2009.
have to thank the people who chose to broadcast "Black Books" on Singapore TV in the past, because it introduced me to his Irish humour.

# the uni admin sorted out the mess about my tuition fees. phew. /relieved

# and i have a vague semblance of a general topic. i need to talk to the lecturers and get their advice.

 i'm going to start with the most awful thing i've seen today.

oyster in an orange.

no, it's not actually an oyster. it's insidious black mould and rot.

the orange looked fine from the outside and it smelt very fragrantly of orange when i was slicing it in half.
the juice that flowed from the cut looked fine too.
but wow. the inside was utterly disgusting. never seen anything like this.
and in the morning i :
1- attended a workshop called "From Research Questions to Objectives";
2- joined Curtin Volunteers for a trial volunteer session.
it was to help out at Foodbank, but actually they didn't have much for us to do.
today, we mainly emptied bottles of soft drink (blood orange flavored drink) into a huge container, reserving the bottles for recycling.

i finally made contact with a Singaporean today (haven't met any since i came here). he was at the Volunteer session as well.
got to hear about how NS kills the brain.
and he shares food with his flatmates so $20 from each of them will feed them for 2 weeks. wow.
must be nice to have such great camaraderie with everyone in the flat.

also, there's another African postgraduate student who i met during my first week - met him again today.
he says he likes talking to me and that he wanted to dance with me during the Welcome Party last Saturday (the event where Mr Masters phoned me 4 times).
......why? i don't understand.
but it's not that creepy because he doesn't contact me and he leaves to go do his own stuff quite quickly.
anyway, i'm glad i haven't seen Mr Masters so far.

there was a talk on leadership today.
they started the talk with this video - TEDxToronto - Drew Dudley "Leading with Lollipops. 
cool story.
the speakers liked to make us talk to each other.
"discuss X with the person sitting next to you. i'll give you 5 minutes."
and the whole theater would be filled with conversation.

also, there was a Singaporean guy who blatantly hit on the female speaker.
she asked what the qualities of a good leader were, and he yelled, "good-looking" while pointing at her.
then he tried to hit on her at the end of the talk, but she (and everyone) ignored him.

the main highlight was when the Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi, came to give a speech.

she spoke like an American sometimes. example: "there will be people who won't like what you're doing. get. ov~er it" with the sassy hand gesture.

here are the notes i took down from her speech:
-personal brand
 -attitude
-flexible
-compel people to never want to disappoint you because they want to uphold your values
-due diligence
-set your boundaries, goals
-be consistent
-build relationships
-be okay with criticism
-don't be a fence-sitter, have some opinion
-courage of conviction

i'm having problems finding 2 designers for this project:

Study two designers or artists who have work that relates.
The first person should be in practice now. The second person needs to be from history. They do not both need to be famous but you will need to find information and images to support and explain your thoughts.
You may find aesthetics, simple function or materials are the common elements that connect these people. The connections you make can be your explained opinion or written fact from a source.

Your study should may  explore
the use of materials
method of manufacture of items
signature elements of the designers/ artists
historical/cultural significance of the design/pieces of work
details significant to their work

have even more problems trying to find a research topic, thanks to the guest lecturer's talk today. :(

the guest lecturer worked with Silica Aerogel, which is a synthetic ultralight material. it's not a gel, it's a dry solid that's extremely light-weight.
he said it's 99% air, therefore 99% light - extremely strong and yet very brittle at same time.
NASA is using it to collect stardust. it's good for thermal insulation.
it's now out-dated by new strong+ultralight material that isn't brittle.

but the lecturer is an artist, so he is using aerogel to create clouds and sculptures that play with light.
this is his website - sky for sale. because he can create clouds, he is selling it in vials.
it's a funny concept, but also serious, because technology is so advanced now. and maybe in the future we won't have clouds anymore.

he's Greek, he studied in Paris and is now teaching in Perth. i like how he knows so much about Greek mythology and how he uses it in his conversations.

i walked from A to B this morning. it took about an hour.
why? because the bus is very irregular and very indirect on Saturdays.
won't do it again anytime soon though - very tiring. 
found it surprising that sometimes, the pedestrian path was only on 1 side of the road.

at B (Victoria Park), there are a lot of car-sale lots, shops catering to ethnic needs and a Salvation Army store.
i bought Indian ready-to-eat veg packs and 2nd-hand clothes.
sneakers for A$2.99. oh yeah.

then i walked to Vic Park train station.
look at this!
there are no gates, and no staff. just 2 fare-card-readers at the end of the stairs.
i think one can travel between stations for small suburbs like this for free.

the wait between trains to Perth station was 27 minutes. omg.

went to the Cultural Centre. there was a fair to promote studying in Perth or something.
8 food stalls, and a performance of drummers and some Brazilian dancers?
i don't know, okay?

checked out the state library.
there was an exhibition for the WA Press Photographer of the Year Awards.
the photo essay about the skateboarding friar was cool.

then went to PICA. there were 5 pieces of work in there. this was one of them.

also picked up real time, an art free-paper with interesting articles about festivals and performances around Australia.
the arts scene in Perth definitely pales in comparison to Sydney or Melbourne.
i want to go to those places someday.

look at this mouldy bread!

and no, i did not try to eat it.

this is Coles White Bread, bought on 11 march 2013 at 17:45.
it is supposed to be "best before" 16 march and the package was kept closed in a cupboard in the kitchen.

will think twice about buying another loaf.


also relevant: The rise and fall of white bread (article by Salon) and Sister Corita's re-appropriation of Wonder Bread.

learnt in class today:

1. Andy Goldsworthy, British sculptor/photographer/environmentalist. 

our tutor showed us some of his artwork from a photo book, where most of the pieces involved wool and Great Britain's landscape.

"There is an ephemeral quality locked into Goldsworthy's work just as surely as it is locked into nature. Many of his pieces only last a few hours, though they achieve an afterlife on film or in photographs..." from an interview with The Observer.
 

2. Lucy McRae, Australian artist/designer/body architect.


her homepage has gorgeous videos of her performance art and also a blog with behind-the-scenes footage.
classmate showed us the video entitled "Liquid Experiments".
above is a screenshot from it. cool shizz

and she's a speaker on TED, which is a nonprofit that shares ideas about Technology, Entertainment and Design.


3. there's another 'sculpture by the beach' event at Fremantle, Bathers Beach, called Sculpture@Bathers. 16 march - 1 april.
thinking of going this weekend...

 it's been raining the whole day. it rained when i went to uni, meaning 15+ minutes of walking in the rain with bits of dirt getting into my rubber shoes, making every step slightly painful.
it rained when i went home from uni.
rain is okay, but 17 degrees celsius + rain is not.


did the wood-work induction course for today's workshop.
then stood around at Student Central while they tried to figure out my admin issues. /!$!%#$&^

nearby was an event where students were surrounded by camera crew because they were doing The World's Greatest Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation.
there were chairs, bright orange hair-dresser aprons and many volunteers. some shaved, some spray-painted their hair. i donated some money.


okay, while i was writing, i saw a brown squiggle appear near the wall below the window. 
investigated (flashlight, lifting mattress) and saw it again when it fell to the floor.
it was a dark brown house gecko.
after spraying it with insecticide, it seemed to move slower. then i beat it to death repeatedly (it kept playing dead).
at one time it even turned its head to its back and stuck out its tongue. :(
once it was sufficiently beaten, i put it in the trash and dumped it in the bin outside the flat.

i think my flat mate would have "set it free" if she saw it in her room.
that's what she did with the cricket in the kitchen.


things i regret:
1. taking a life
2. not bringing my red water-resistant jacket

 today i attended 2 talks - 1 on Research Design & Development, and 1 titled "Library 101".

Research Design & Development was mainly geared to PhD students, on how to narrow down your research topic, identifying a theoretical context and selecting research methods suitable to your topic.
but anyway it was useful.

"Library 101" was cool - it was held online in a virtual classroom (screenshot above). isn't technology amazing?
 the evening sun at 6.15pm was gorgeous but my camera phone couldn't capture it.
it looked kinda like this - the sky was still pale blue and cloudless, and the sun was still visible, surrounded by its own arena of pale orange. wacky.

got prepared prawns and prepared veggies at clearance prices from Carousel.
the prawns were mushy in the center.
not sure if because they were on the shelves for a long time or because i didn't cook them well enough. no stomach problems so far.

11.32pm edit:
still no stomach problems.

also saw this - Dr Steve Pinker, cognitive psychologist at Harvard, answering questions on Reddit.
what a beautiful mind!

some quotes from him:
"Wisdom consists in appreciating the preciousness and finiteness of our own existence, and therefore not squandering it; of being cognizant of what makes people everywhere tick, and therefore enhancing happiness and minimizing suffering; of being alert to limitations and flaws in our own judgments and decisions and passions, and thereby doing our best to circumvent them."

"After having written Better Angels I now have a stronger intellectual and moral commitment to Enlightenment humanism, classical liberalism, and the ideal of human rights, because I saw how those ideas were instrumental in bringing about the best things that have happened in human history -- the reduction of institutionalized violence, and the development of knowledge and technologies that have increasingly allowed human beings to flourish."

a display.

1. deglaze pan-fried salmon with soy sauce and reintroduce cooked pasta into the pan.
2. i buy tuna not fished responsibly.
3. from Greenpeace - options for sustainable 'pole and line' caught tuna.
4. what i did for our first exercise in 3D modeling software. tangram puzzles are hard.

also relevant : College students of Reddit, what is the stupidest question you have heard another student ask a professor? 
very humorous stuff.

 i went to the beach on Sunday. it took about 1h 30mins to get there but the Sculpture by the Sea event there (exhibition of art on the beach) made it very worthwhile.
but the funny thing was that i didn't even know there was such an exhibition there.

anyway, let's crack on.

i checked out the prices at the cafe. outrageous.
only a small strip of real estate offers food and beverage. the rest were all houses. i learnt this the hard way.
 down to the beach. the sand is fantastically soft, fine and white.
Cottesloe is very family-friendly because of the playgrounds in front of the F&B places, so there were many people of all ages there.

there were at least 25 sculptures scattered here and there.
i liked hearing how the kids and their parents discussed how they thought about the pieces - their comments were much more insightful than mine.
 3 giants prostrating before a bowl. ritual?
crochet croc from the back.
 from the front. very popular with the kids.
 lobster on the rocks. the 2 dudes were asking people how it should be positioned. a lady told them to stay there so they can keep moving it. lol
roly-poly bathers.
 this one is awesome. tall sticks of bamboo with a knocking device on top driven by the wind.
a boy said that the sound changes as you go in, because the sticks change in height as well. cool~
the symphony of sounds is calming, meditative and reminds me of old-skool Asian toys.
 the sea of bamboo as seen from the grassy area.
this one is quite sobering. i thought it was an actual car crash because of the police tape around it, but they planted some fat palms around it, so it's as if vegetation grew back around it. or it could be that the car flew into the middle of the palm trees.
anyway, i was looking at the fake body in the car when a lady mentioned the car radio being audible and how she had the same experience of hearing it at a car crash.
so i listened and yeah it was on. woah.
on the front end of the car was what looked like the flayed and bloodied carcass of a kangaroo. might also be a human, it was an ambiguous shape.
woah.