A freebee day
23/01/07 – Tuesday
Another busy job finding day. Got myself together with emailing etc, and then hit the library. You can get 4 hours of free WiFi at the local library, so I made the most of it.
Had a couple of notes of interest so that’s good, but it will be better when something comes together.
Spent the afternoon in the Museum of Contemporary Art, which once I had figured out how to get into it (an installation perhaps, or could be that I came in through the back door!?), it was great. Really nice exhibition of an Aboriginal artists work, Paddy Bedford, from Western Australia. Very evocative work of the land and the ‘stories’ of his people. Very simple paintings in a monochrome ‘natural’ palate. Very nice. Also saw an exhibition of new media from the last 30 years. That was surprisingly good too. So thumbs up for the Contemporary Art Museum, plus it was free!
While I was in the Museum I had 2 phone calls, and I don’t know anyone here! How does that happen when you are meant to be somewhere that you really shouldn't be talking on your phone?! One phone call was from the nice woman who I got chatting to about looking for work and she said she would help me out – how nice is that?
Headed back home in rush hour traffic, not the best, and then went for a swim to chill out. Watching the tennis again – a good evenings viewing.
Think you guys are probably bored of my day to day life by now, so I think I might scale it down for a while until something really exciting happens! But will still be keeping you posted with my strange wee observations of life in the Oz.
In fact it just rained. First time in almost 3 weeks. It was really nice actually, because I was inside, but it has really refreshed the air which is definitely a good thing.
Observations:
Australia vs America relationship to Britain: I have now been to both of these countries which are both ‘offspring’ of Great Britain; and yet how differently they have reacted and become. America couldn’t wait to get away from Britain and make a new Utopia, and look what they have done. Australia was forced to leave Britain for bad behaviour and yet they are obsessed with staying tied to us. I’m not sure why, but they are not letting go of Britain. They have all our TV programmes, they report on our news (with a strange sort of reverence), there are so many of us here it’s really almost like being in Britain and they are always talking about how things operate in England (as if the way we do things really make all that difference in a place so absolutely different as here). Strange, you would have thought they wanted to be rid of us.
Big Day Out: There is a big music festival which takes place here on Thursday called the Big Day Out which takes place in Sydney at the Olympic stadium. Lily Allen is playing in case you fancy going, plus lots of other good bands that I can’t remember off hand. However, the organisers of the festival have banned the Australian flag being taken to the event as they have suggested that it causes/can cause riots and racial tension. The whole country has gone mad about this and the government has even gotten involved. They have declared that they are going to make it illegal to ban the flag: it is a symbol of our nation they say. There have been some very vitriolic comments on television about it, including one woman who said she would drive all those unAustralian people to the airport and see them off out of the country, never to come back!! Don’t get on the wrong side of these people I think is the message!
Shark attack: Today a fisherman was attacked by a great white shark. The shark bit his head, and the man only got away by stabbing the shark in the eye with a tool and then punching the sharks head. I am looking forward to going swimming – anyone want to join me? On another shark attack note, there was also a news story in the paper profiling a young surfer girl, who is competing here at the moment, who lost her arm in a shark attack. And yet she still surfs; how brave is that?
Bush fires and water: There have been a lot of bush fires in and around Sydney of late, so much so that when Zain was at work yesterday, his consultant had to go home and save his house as it was in a fire path – how mental is that? They are also very good about water. Save water here, save water there, remember not to flush if you don’t have to and that sort of thing. ‘If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down’. Can’t say fairer than that.
posted by Yogini @ 11:20 pm
5 comments
5 Comments:
makes for some pretty interesting reading! cyndi put me onto the blog, and must say, you really seem to be living life as it was meant to.. all this damn snow in nebraska makes me wish I was in oz!
take care of yaself, I'll drop another comment or 2 at some point..
-kev the silly scouse git
(from camp in case you've forgotten :D)
Don't scale down Isla! I'm loving reading your writing - it's so fresh & full of zest for the new & unknown. Really impressed at your early morning runs - the heat sounds ungodly: am just about to head out in the brittle dry freeze that's here just now - makes a change from dank drizzle. Good luck with the job-hunts!
xxc
gasp! Just back - did the three hills of doom: whittinghame, cleveden & gibson street: you'd be proud (though I'm sure I was way slower than when you were with me ;@(. No peeps from drivers for me on my own either you saucy runner you!!
Hi Kev, Thanks for your comment - great to hear from you! Keep in touch, Isla x p.s. I hear you have lots of babies now...? How is life in the US treating you?
Christine, I am most proud of your running! You would love the hills here - I need you to help me get up them!! No whistles or toots for me on my own either - must be a twosome thing! XX (they all run with backpacks too - very scary)
p.s. I don't have your email address? Do you have mine??
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