Sydney Life

Apologies for the lack of entries! Things became rather busy. Let me explain.

I took four subjects last semester because I want to finish my undergraduate degree this year (so I can do any of a few things that I have planned, including - fix up some health problems, travel to London, move to Melbourne, get a full time job, etc.) As a consequence of this decision, I was busy. Very busy. I chose subjects that required a lot of reading and even more thought - third year English subjects especially, and pre-Honours subjects. If you are looking to do honours make sure you find out what is required from the faculty or department that you are studying under. You probably need to complete the requirements for a major and a bit more, and possibly take some specific subjects that teach you about research or other things necessary for an honours degree.

Like Asako I’m pretty behind in my readings and I’m sure that by now (based on a Dickens novel being an average of 550 pages) I’m 1500+ pages behind across all my subjects. Man down! And blogging about it, and the past few weeks of my (I wish it were magical) life is some form of redemption, right? Either way here’s a selection of situations and musings for your enjoyment.

Even with the temperamental weather that’s plaguing Sydney this week, nothing can dampen the spirits for Sydney Uni LIVE! on Saturday because we won’t let it and because sandstone’s just as sexy, if not sexier, in pseudo-British rain. If worst comes to worst, we still have incalculable numbers of plastic ponchos for the fashion conscious, or so I hear.

The pie machine’s making another guest appearance. While I was sitting up in Manning with a friend, I watched as the line for the mystic pie machine grew from zero, to one, to two, to three. Amazing, I thought, people actually use the thing. Shrapnel’s slotted in and the patron watches on bewildered at the black magic; two minutes later, a steaming hot pie (some say the origin of the pies are divine) drops down, and one’s suspension of disbelief is broken. Having a mind that doesn’t tend to stay on topic for long, my thoughts give way to something of greater importance.

Exchanging Manning for the dusty corridors of Fisher, I've sublimated all urges into some long overdue research for an Art History essay. My old habit of leaving things to the last minute seems to have followed through from high school, but this time round, I'm not so sure I can pull it off like in the good ol' days.

Sydney Uni is full of hidden treasures - just imagine my surprise, though, at discovering that St. John’s College plays host to the skull of St. Bede the Lesser (which, of course, led me to ponder: was there a St. Bede the Greater? And why was he so great?) Apparently, Reverend Roger Vaughan received the skull as a gift (ok, so it wouldn’t be on my registry, but who am I to judge a man born in an iPod-less age?) and when he became rector at St. John’s, he presented the relic to the College. Over a century later, it remains there.

I can’t believe it’s all nearly over. I don’t want to pack my things and leave. I hadn’t realised before now, how much I love it here.

For a college kid, the concept of actually working at uni can seem a little foreign. Ok, really foreign. But even for us the day comes when O-Week (O-Month?... four weeks is a month, isn’t it?!) finally ends and the realisation hits us that we’ll actually have to sit down and do something other than drink (i.e. open a book and start reading it). Sadly for me, that day was today…