Sydney Life

LIVE! – A musical for you, involving sandstone

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:55:17 +1000

Okay, so I might have lied about the “musical” bit, but LIVE! – Sydney University’s Open Day is definitely something for you. As it is coming up on Saturday, I thought I might give it a bit of blogspace… After all, it is a great way to check out Sydney Uni and what it’s all about before you have to put your preferences into UAC.

Those of you who frequent the world of Paramatta Road, City Road and the Sydney Uni Live! Website, I’d just like to point out that the girl in the picture is me. Yes, I am holding a giant megaphone. Yes, it is real. Indeed, I would like to clarify for those of you playing at home that I am indeed surrounded by swirls of knowledge (golden swirls of knowledge, might I add) on a daily basis. It is a part of the magical experience of attending ~~Hogwarts~~ Sydney University. Information, accio!

Food Much? A Guide to Best Eats: Part 2

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:57:06 +1000

Hello all,

This blogs marks the continuation and subsequent conclusion of my 'eating food' blog- a truly wonderful guide to the most supremely wonderful places to, so to speak, stuff one's face at our great university. Last week I covered the cafe 'Mint', the Wentworth Kebab shop and the watering hole we call Manning Bar. Be sure to check that out if you haven't already.

What to do about what it is that you want to do and where....and when....and with whom... but hopefully not why

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:41:24 +1000

The clouds have parted, the sun has come out, the blue birds sing and the flowers are in bloom. Spring has sprung, and this can only mean one thing. The HSC trials are over.
Some of you are undoubtedly about to be reported missing, last seen laughing maniacally as you run from the exam room in your underpants, ready to obliterate any brain cell that dared to learn anything useful for the exams. Those of you not on this “Quest to Ingest” may be thinking about university. Quite responsible for someone who is (clearly) not yet eighteen!

Welcome to Bezerkley

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:33:17 +1000

Greetings..

I guess no amount of exchange pre-departure seminars prepare you for that first day of exchange when you wake up, breath American air, hear American accents, and head down to a local bar; all the while being told to keep your head down so the cop peering into the back of the ute doesn't see you hiding amongst the old sleeping bags.

Not quite in the swing

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:54:36 +1000

This is my last semester of undergraduate coursework. I thought this wouldn't affect anything but boy was I wrong. I feel like a kid trying to sit through maths class before icecream after school. I haven't been able to get in to the swing of the semester and I can tell you why as an example of obstacles you might encounter.

How I survived UAI day?

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:24:32 +1000

On the day I got my UAI I learnt one of life’s most important lessons; a great dress can cure even the deepest of disappointments.

Cold and flu season

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:40:27 +1000

We’re fast approaching the end of winter—the days are getting longer and the temperature’s rising. Everyone’s starting to wear T-shirts or singlets and bringing a warm cardigan or two in case of that freezing gust of wind. I’ve even seen some brave souls start to wear their thongs (flip-flops), even if it’s only the thongs die-hards. With it also comes the end of the winter cold and flu season. Studying pharmacy, this holds greater significance for me than just being a sniffling, coughing, miserable victim of a member of the rhinovirus genus of the picornavirus family of viruses...

Exchange Begins!! (well, almost)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:46:00 +1000

Well, well , well, I have arrived at last in the land of the maple leaf, the mountie, the Rockie Mountains, and, apparently, famous things beginning with the letter ‘M’! Yes, that’s right folks, for those of you who haven’t yet picked it up, I’m in Canada!

The Survival Guide for You Who Will Be Deprived of Your Mothers Cooking

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:24:58 +1000

At the beginning of the year, I decided, after assistance from friends and fits of panic, to move out. Six months on, I have survived the initial whims. But there are several things that you should be aware, lest the lack of your mother’s cooking leave you ill, grumpy and hoping that you should have lived off your parents until you could live off your kids.

Why I love being an arts student!

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:46:07 +1000

Is it just me, or is looking at pictures of Vivienne and Knox more exciting than my media readings?

Food much? A guide to Best Eats: Part 1

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:32:02 +1000

Speaking from the vast experience of one who is oft described as a person who thinks with their stomach (then again, I am a teenaged male) I can confidently say that the procurement of food is one of the most important and enjoyable past times a uni student can ever experience… err. Pretty much. Anyway, to cut straight to the steak… or point, the purpose of this blog is to share my favourite eateries in and around the university, in terms of value, taste, and most importantly, coffee quality. In addition, since I truly want to cover this in detail, I’ll be releasing this ginormous blog as a two-part special, so if you like, you can think of it as one of those B-grade mini-series they put on free to air every now and again.

back into the swing

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:22:05 +1000

First week back, done and dusted. Semester 2 is a little different from Semester 1 - for the most part, you know your way around and you know where to get a mean Italian hot chocolate on campus (see: Ralph's). Semester 2 doesn't, at first, seem have a lot of the perks Semester 1 has - summer, O-Week, the thrill of something new in a new year... However I have already found Semester 2 to be just as awesome, if not even MORE AWESOME than Semester 1. It is already JAM-PACKED with activities, however I think playing a game of chess against the Chess Society's Grandmaster Chess Player (while he was playing four other people at the same time) may have had something to do with my first week being so awesome.

THE GRANDMASTER (left) ponders his next move. OTHER PLAYERS (right) are concerned for their health. BEETLEJUICE (back) looks on in the distance, approvingly.

SURG FM!

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:27:04 +1000

The beginning of my second semester at the University of Sydney means only one thing. It’s time for Uni Radio.

The Sydney University Radio Group (SURG) is a small but enthusiastic group of people who like the sound of their own voice. A friend and I decided we could not pass up the opportunity to communicate our comediocrity to anyone who will listen, so the two of us joined up during O-week for the small fee of three dollars.

SURG broadcasts on 90.9 FM. After a very brief demonstration of the simple equipment, the executive committee pretty much lets you say what you like. Other kinds of shows include chart countdowns, breakfast shows, heavy metal broadcasts and the odd variety hour.

NAPSA AGM

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:57:16 +1000

In the holidays, I was lucky enough to be able to attend NAPSA* AGM** as the NAPSA rep for SUPA***. You must be wondering—what’s up with the acronyms? Well, at uni there’s a lot, and on the topic of shorthandedness—you’ll get very good at it, trust me. But I digress...

Learn while you bludge

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:44:40 +1000

So the holidays are officially over, which means that I have to get myself organised. I have done a few things to get to this ideal stage of productivity. I have bought a five subject notebook from Kikki K - Swedish paper goods just seem much nicer than any other type. In my uni career I have used many different types of books for writing in - starting with, first year, the free ones from the Co-op bookshop (I'm not sure that this happens anymore), and then graduating to small Moleskine notebooks filled with black felt tip scrawl, which worked well because I could put them in any size bag and they looked so artsy I was delighted to go to class just so I could show them off. Anyway, I then moved on to multiple-subject notebooks with internal dividers - I have never used a ring-bind folder at uni, they are far too bulky and annoying and as an arts student I rarely get sheets anyway. One semester I did get a few sheets so I bought some simple display folders to store them in. And now I have one from Kikki K, and it is green, and its pristine white pages and classy index page make me happy with anticipation.