iTravel iDance iGreen

China - Shanghai

2007-11-26T00:10:00.000-05:00

View of Shanghai skyline from the Captain Hostel, 37 Fuzhou Road, just off the Bund

Wedding photography on the Bund

People's Square

East Nanjing Road - Shanghai's 42nd Street

The infamous skyline of the Pudong district

The equally infamous Bund district

Competing to be Shanghai's tallest: SOM's Jinmao tower (completed 1999) on the left and the World Finance Tower on the right, currently under construction, by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Here's a graphic showing the world's 10 tallest buildings - Jinmao Tower is #7 and World Finance is #4, from left to right.

The Jinmao tower is by far my favorite, and really beautiful up close:

The tallest atrium in the world - the Hyatt in the Jinmao Tower.

The Pudong district with the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the background

Longtang, Shanghai's version of Beijing's hutong, or traditional, now backstreet, housing for urban communities.

Don't remember the name of this park

Temple of the Gods

Field trip

Shanghai Museum

Shanghai Grand Theatre

To get to the airport, take the MagLev - the world's first levitating train. The cars are suspended above the tracks by a magnetic field instead of sitting on the tracks with wheels, and reaches up to a speed of 430 km/hour, or 267 mph.

The top speed of the MagLev during my trip was 300 km/h, or 186 mph.

New York Sun on PBDW

2007-11-21T18:28:00.000-05:00

Awesome article - had to share. See here for the online version, a bit more clear for reading, but doesn't include the lovely photos. See also the PBDW website or the PBDW monograph (in the links section to the right) for more photos of the Reece School project!

Among other things, you'll read: "For New Yorkers who care about architecture, the Reece School should confirm how worthy an outfit Platt Byard Dovell White really is. They may not have the highest profile in the city, but one can say of them — as of few other firms — that they are consistently interesting, and always good."

China - Beijing

2007-11-17T01:59:00.000-05:00

Air quality, or lack thereof

Suburban Beijing

Forbidden City in panorama

Sunset over the Forbidden City

Outside the Forbidden City

Sunday afternoons in parks are the place to be - musicians, singers, dancers and calligraphers go to work

Pointing and miming and laughter = dinner

Night market near the Novotel Peace Hotel

Same night market (photo by Alex)

Inside a Catholic church

Lama Temple

The bird's nest / new Olympic Stadium

Roast duck dinner - thank you Philip for the recommendation!!

Pedestrian overpass on the way back to the hotel

China - Hong Kong

2007-11-17T01:48:00.000-05:00

A view of Hong Kong airport when we landed for refueling, before we were told the Beijing airport had closed and we were in HK for the night.

Free room, courtesy Qantas

Regal Airport Hotel, from the Hong Kong airport

Furry friends in Hobart

2007-11-08T23:45:00.000-05:00

Babies! (Tasmanian Devils)

Baby wombat

Tasmanian Devil

Tovah communicates with a Roo

Banjo the Koala

Baby Roo hiding out

For some reason as soon as the camera is on, this cockatoo stops talking!
You can hear him say "hello mate" as he's climbing down.

Movements

2007-11-08T23:32:00.001-05:00

Something I'm working on for my portfolio -

above: dance in plan

above and below: dance in elevation

Canberra in September

2007-10-01T05:42:00.001-05:00

Arriving a day early for the Rotary 9750 District Conference gave me a bit of time to wander around the city and take some photos:

The Australian Academy of Science in Canberra built as their first home the Shine Dome, completed in 1959 and designed by Melbourne firm Grounds, Romberg and Boyd. Go to the AAS website here to read more.

The New Parliament House (completed 1988) sits slightly uphill to the Old Parliament House (completed 1927), which was built as a provisional building meant to hold government for approximately 50 years. The city of Canberra was specially planned (by an American!) and constructed as the Australian capital due to an intense rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has the most severe water restrictions of any Australian state.

Entry to the New Parliament House on the right.

Rooftop cafe

by Italian artist George Baldesin (1929-1978);
National Gallery of Australia in Canberra

Sydney Swans 141 - Hawthorn Hawks 69

2007-10-01T05:29:00.000-05:00

02 September 2007
Aussie Stadium

Special thanks to Dudley at Randwick Rotary Club for the tickets to the game!

The Army Red Berets Parachute Team were responsible for delivering the ball to start the game. In style.

The one time I didn't wear my bright red jacket to the Stadium...

Proving a combination of proximity and camera zoom ability!

Sydney Fish Market

2007-10-01T05:28:00.001-05:00

What Brunch is Really About

2007-10-01T05:22:00.000-05:00

This is for my friend and fellow dog-lover UB.

Cafe Morso
Lower Deck (West side)
Jones Bay Wharf
Pirrama Road, Pyrmont
NSW 2009

Live Green

2007-09-16T03:48:00.000-05:00

Live Green - An event for your future...
Victoria Park (University of Sydney)

Mariana's Toyota Prius is ranked number one for performance on the government's Green Vehicle Guide!

?

See, environmentalists can be cool, says the Johnny Depp look-alike running the solar powered sound system.
That's hot.

Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb

2007-09-16T03:34:00.000-05:00

After the breathalyzer, metal detector and near strip search (no joke!), Carrie and I clipped ourselves to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and spent the next hour or so climbing up through the structure to walk on top of the upper arch and then tumble back down the stairs to the store where you can spend any money you might have left on photos of yourself.

It was an amazing experience. Don't let me fool you.
Click here for their official website.

Special thanks to the Rose Bay Rotary Club who were extremely generous and gifted the BridgeClimb to me as their Ambassadorial Scholar for the year!

Darwin Day 4 - Kakadu National Park

2007-08-24T15:56:00.000-05:00

On our fourth and final day in Darwin, Saturday 8/18, we took a one day tour to the Kakadu National Park. Our tour guide, Kerry, was awesome - we learned a lot about the park and the surrounding areas on the bus ride over. The highlights included a boat ride on the Yellow Waters, visiting the Cultural Center, aboriginal rock art at Nourlangie Rock, climbing to the lookout point and visiting the cathedral termite mounds.

There were plenty of crocs about that day, sunning themselves on the shores and trying to regulate their body temperature. We saw only saltwater crocodiles, the vicious man-eating kind...The Jabiru is a large regal bird that resides in the park, we watched one catch lunch while we rode by on the boat.The aboriginal rock art at Nourlangie Rock is amazing to view - the one here is entitled "Want To Dance?" because it depicts a lot of movement. We climbed to the lookout point and took lots of photos , it was impossible to capture the amazing panoramic view on camera... :)Our next stop was the enormous Cathedral Termite Mounds - so named for the shape they form. The "wings" to the sides of the main mound are primarily to help regulate the temperature inside the mound, apparently these guys are picky about their living environment...Last stop was at Windows on the Wetlands, a small museum and observatory where we watched the sun go down over the wetlands with a glass of wine in hand~Julie and I returned to Darwin and had dinner at Duck's Nuts on Mitchell Street. Across the street, at the Hog's Breath Cafe, it was Bike Night - a traditional shared by Americans and Aussies alike~ :)

A short while later, we arrived at the airport for our overnight flight back to Sydney (read: red eye flight) and took a nap when we got back to Julie's house Sunday morning.

We have a few more adventures to share~ For now, I must finish packing, my flight leaves this afternoon to come back to the U.S.

Darwin Day 3 - Tiwi Islands & Darwin Festival

2007-08-20T19:11:00.001-05:00

For our third day in Darwin (Friday), we booked a one-day tour to Tiwi Islands, inhabited by an aboriginal culture unique to these islands. There are two islands, Melville and Bathurst, but only Bathurst Island is open to the public. Transportation to the island is largely via small aircraft, a ferry operates only on days with calm enough water.I volunteered to sit in the co-pilot chair right next to Mel, our pilot.

My view from the cockpit.

Mel, our pilot, explains the safety features of our Cessna 404.

Tours of Nguiu, Bathurst Island, are guided by local people and include a visit to the cemetery, two arts & crafts studios, the mission, the cultural museum and a picnic/guided nature walk at a local billabong.Our first stop was at the Patakijiyali Museum.

We then stopped at the Artist Co-op where we could talk to local artists about their works and purchase some of their wares - I bought a hand-carved bird and Julie bought a hand-stamped bag.

Julie's bag was much like this one being stamped at the Co-op.Our second arts & crafts stop took us to the pottery house and the wood carving shed - where they work on carving the totems, both for burial poles and for sale.

Our next stop took us to the Tiwi Tours "base camp" where we enjoyed tea and damper. Then the crew painted their faces to perform some of their traditional dances for us at a smoking ceremony.The paint they used was stained onto a block using ochres and clay. Their paint designs and dance styles are passed down to them from their fathers.

They first performed the smoking ceremony, setting afire leaves from only the ironwood tree and then blessing each traveller to wish them a safe journey. They performed the shark, buffalo and battleship dances, which represented the family dances of several of the crew members.

Our tour guide, John, took us on a nature walk around a billabong before our picnic lunch.

Our next stop was the mission, St. Therese's Catholic Church.The alter was decorated by local aboriginal artists.

Julie and I at base camp with a decorative totem.

Upon returning to the mainland, we took a taxi to the Darwin Festival grounds at the Botanical Gardens. We asked to be dropped off at the Star Shell, an amphitheater-style stage set up for performances every evening. The cab driver must not know much about the festival, because he tried to drop us off at the Shell gas station! *sigh* We stayed there for dinner, yummy curry from Hunaman, and some entertainment - Aboriginal dance troupes and the Dilly All Stars reggae/punk/ska band.

The Star Shell at the Darwin Festival.The White Cockatoo Dance Troupe and legendary didgeridoo player, Darryl.

The Darwin Arts Festival featured a night-time showing of aboriginal art.

For more information about Tiwi Islands and Top End Tourism, check out this site: http://www.travelnt.com/en/explore/darwin/region/tiwi-islands.htm.

Darwin Day 2 - Darwin & Rotary

2007-08-20T18:46:00.000-05:00

We started our second day in Darwin at Roma Cafe for banana pancakes (yum!), an excellent recommendation from the Lonely Planet guide. We then embarked on a walking tour of Darwin architecture and shopping. We ended the afternoon with a relaxing massage at a local spa and returned to our room to ready for dinner.

The Top End Hotel (hotel=bar), designed by Troppo Architects.

Thursday evening, we attended the local Rotary Club Meeting, at the Red Bull Steakhouse. Julie gave a short presentation on the Ambassadorial Scholarship and her current endeavors and ended with the official banner exchange with President Peter.Julie and President Peter, Rotary Club of Darwin, District 9550.

Darwin Day 1 - Sunset Cruise

2007-08-19T21:21:00.000-05:00

Julie and I decided to go to Darwin while I was here visiting. Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory and the architecture of the city is quite modern because 90% of the city was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in the 70's.

On our first day in the city, we arrived early afternoon, checked in at the hostel, went to the Visitor's Center and the office of Troppo Architects - we then went on a sunset cruise around Darwin Harbor. We finished the day with dinner of Barramundi (local catch) and Kangaroo steak at Shennanigan's in town~

Best airplane food, ever! We were on a leg of an international Qantas flight to India~

I think I may have inherited my father's predilection for liking sunset photos... :)
The day ended quite beautifully~
And there's always another friendly tourist around to take your photo... :)

Carrie's in Sydney - Act II

2007-08-19T20:12:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Sydney at 6:30 am (ew!) and stayed up the rest of the day to re-set my internal clock to the local time zone (14 hours different from home). I went to bed at 8pm, got up the next morning and didn't have any trouble with jet lag. :)

My first picture of the Sydney Opera House... :)
The Opera House is fun to photograph because it looks different from every angle~

My first weekend in Sydney, Julie and I went on a walking tour of the city - the CBD (Central Business District) isn't too big. We walked through campus, Chinatown, Darling Harbor to the Circular Quay. We then walked from Circular Quay through the botanical gardens, Hyde Park and the shopping district.

The bats sleep during the day in the Botanical Gardens - they are fun to watch moving around while they sleep high above in the trees~

The reflecting pool at Hyde Park is a popular hang-out spot for skateboarders~

While Julie sat in class all day, I went to the zoo~ As chance might have it, Nina (a friend from WMU Dance Dept.) was also in Sydney! We enjoyed the zoo together and were lucky that it didn't start raining until we were back in the city. Thanks for the tea & dessert, Nina!

The giraffes have quite a spectacular view of Sydney~

The Koalas sleep a lot, probably to avoid spending too much time around tourists like us... :)

Carrie's in Sydney!

2007-08-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

It looks like we're standing in front of a green screen!!

more later.... right now we're headed to Darwin.

Chinese Friendship Garden - Darling Harbour

2007-08-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

This is what boys do in Chinese friendship gardens.

And this is what dancers do.

Aussie Stadium

2007-08-14T15:57:00.000-05:00

Football game with the girls. And a couple Rotarians. Many thanks to Dudley from Randwick Rotary Club for the tickets to the game!!

Climate Change Summit 2007

2007-07-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

Official website for the conference here.

The conference took place at Dockside in Darling Harbour over two days, 25-26 July. I was responsible for taking notes that will be turned into a short summary of the outcomes to send to the Prime Minister, John Howard. There were some outstanding speakers and extremely interesting case studies on how Australian business and local governments are responding to the challenge of climate change.

Primary topics included risk management as it applies to climate change, development of an environmental policy with internal commitments to greening the workplace, adaptation required due to the changing climate, supporting and influencing behavioural changes, and the importance of credentials and transparency to avoid "greenwashing." In one of the more lively discussions early in the first day, many of the delegates criticized the use of carbon offsetting as a legitimate practice toward carbon neutrality. Other topics included "climate porn" in the media's overuse of dramatic images like the Antarctic ice-shelf collapse and stranded polar bears, the creation and future of Earth Hour, and the application of the Stern Report to the Australian market.

Roger Beale AO, Senior Associate, Allen Consulting Group
Published reports include:
Triple Bottom Line Measurement and Reporting in Australia (2002) – Triple bottom line includes the economic, social and environmental factors of sustainability.
Deep Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions (2007) – Analysis of the cost implications in Australia as a result of reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly by 2050.

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour: Dockside is all the way down on the right

Aroma Festival

2007-07-26T21:30:00.001-05:00

This is at the risk of being called over-caffeinated.
Again.

"For lovers of coffee, chocolate, tea & spice."

Individual booths with coffee for $1 and other treats from $1-5. Dangerously cheap but the best booths have long lines, so there's plenty of time to finish the latte before ordering the flat white.

Product showcase for mostly commercial use. And giant beans.

Nouméa Day 2 & 3 - City Center & Beaches

2007-07-20T07:20:00.000-05:00

DAY 2

At the bookshop (Librarie Montaigne) near Place des Cocotiers, I was tempted to buy Al Gore's book in French.

Giant chessboard in the Place des Cocotiers.

Coco Glacé – recommended by Lonely Planet for ice cream and crepes, tested and re-recommended by yours truly – in the Place des Cocotiers.

Hôtel de Ville at the bottom (west end) of the Place des Cocotiers.

Looking at Ile aux Canards on the left from the beach at Anse Vata, and Ilot Maître farther away on the right.

Five minutes by yellow water taxi gets you to Ile aux Canards for a round-trip fare of 900 francs (about $9 US) where they have chairs, umbrellas and a snack/coffee shop.

I met up with two local Rotarians who were very kind and took me on a tour of the lower part of the peninsula Nouméa sits on. Dominique is a Rotarian of Nouméa Ouen Toro and Christian is the President of the Nouméa Rotary Club, still a men-only club.

Sunset over the Baie de Ste Marie from Mount Ouen Toro, a 132-meter hill at the southern end of Nouméa.

Plaque showing Rotary Nouméa Ouen Toro meeting time at Hôtel Le Méridien.

The grounds of the five-star Hôtel Le Méridien – the most expensive place to stay in Nouméa but by far the most beautiful, too.

DAY 3

Sunday morning: the last time climbing down (or up!) these stairs that go all the way down to street level, where you can see the cars.

Moved into the (Best Western) Hôtel Le Paris for my last night in Nouméa – breakfast was included in the morning and the room had a bathtub. Also voted the most French hotel line outside of France. Fantastic.

My last visit to the market where there is music on the weekends and dancing children to create an obstacle course.

For dinner on my last night I headed to Baie des Citrons (the city center is completely closed at night), and picked the restaurant La Boucherie & Cie, decorated in everything cow. Perfect. Very touristy row of places, but the food here was very tasty and the staff's recommendations were excellent.

A glass a red wine to finish the evening at Ethnik, just down the way from the restaurant.

Nouméa Day 1 - Bastille Day Eve

2007-07-19T01:36:00.001-05:00

The beginning of forming lines to get the lanterns to march to the Place des Cocotiers where the parade ends with fireworks, performances, snack stands and amusement rides.

handing out the lanterns

waiting for the parade to begin

walking down the Avenue du Maréchal Foch

"Macarena" dancing marching band - I have a video to prove it!

Nouméa Day 1 & 3 – Tjibaou Cultural Center

2007-07-19T01:05:00.001-05:00

See the Tjibaou Cultural Center website for more information.

first look from the bus on the way there

first look from the entry

reception

DAY 3 – Sunday July 15

Nouméa Day 1 - City Center

2007-07-19T01:01:00.000-05:00

View of the city from near the Auberge de Jeunesse.

Place des Cocotiers (Coconut Square) where you'll find the red-roofed rotunda, la fontaine Céleste (an old fountain from 1892), and most importantly, the Office of Tourism for friendly and helpful advice!

Port Moselle marina near the Market

At the Market

Market Café for breakfast

American Memorial
The USA set up a military base here during World War II and arrived with 40,000 troops in 1942.

Lanterns for the Bastille Day march that evening

Mwâ Ka – a 12 meter high totem pole, meaning the house of mankind. The eight sections of carvings represent the eight regions of New Caledonia. The Kanak community created it to commemorate 24 September, the anniversary of the French annexation of New Caledonia in 1853.

Boulangerie Marais - do not miss this place if you make it to Nouméa!

Nouméa, New Caledonia!!

2007-07-19T00:21:00.000-05:00

Three weeks of University holidays in Sydney + cold, rainy bad weather + no one in town but myself = last-minute travel plans to go away! A colleague at work in NYC recommended Nouméa and I couldn't have had more fun in three days.

Arrived early evening Thursday July 12 and stayed through Monday morning July 16. Get the Lonely Planet guidebook for New Caledonia if you plan on going. (I bought the Vanuatu & New Caledonia book since the country by itself isn't readily available by itself.)

More posts to follow with many many photos!

Rotary Presentations

2007-07-17T09:11:00.000-05:00

Ambassadorial Scholars are required to make a number of presentations to clubs around the area during the year abroad and once we return to our home country. Here are some action shots from the presentations I've made so far –

Powerpoint at a Sydney Inner West lunch meeting, with what looks like a little dancing, too!

The guest speaker sits at the head table with the club President and other Board members - it's just good luck that it looks like the flags are coming out of my head. [Turramurra Rotary Club]

My attentive audience at Turramurra Rotary Club.

Each Rotary Club around the world has their own club banner to exchange with other Rotarians when receiving guests or traveling – my presentations typically end with a banner exchange when I accept the club's banner and they accept a banner produced by my Rotary District in Michigan/Ontario for the scholars. At the East Sydney Rotary Club, we had some trouble with the hand-off.

From left to right: Mira, President of Randwick Rotary Club, myself holding the Randwick banner, and Richard, Randwick Rotary member, holding the District 6330 scholar banner.

Random Photo #02

2007-07-17T09:07:00.001-05:00

Sydney Olympic Park

Random Photo #01

2007-07-11T11:23:00.000-05:00

Rooftop of Eva's Backpackers
Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia

Pittwater

2007-07-10T20:53:00.000-05:00

On grey and rainy Sunday in June, I headed up to the Pittwater area for dinner and we stopped at the beach where you can imagine how lovely it is in the summer!

[left]

[right]

The family had several wild pets who stopped by for dinner, including the Kookaburra and the Possum - different to the North American Opossum.

Architecture on Architecture

2007-07-08T01:12:00.000-05:00

If you happen to be in the market for a new coffee-table book, check out the newly published monograph of the architecture firm I work for in New York City!

The Amazon link is in my list of links to the right and the cover of the book is shown here.

Some of the projects the firm is especially known for: The New 42nd Street Studios (NYC), Chanel Headquarters 57th Street (NYC) and Saginaw Art Museum (Michigan).

Platt Byard Dovell White Architects
20 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010 USA
www.pbdw.com

Ode to Coffee

2007-07-08T01:02:00.000-05:00

I think it's appropriate that there is an overwhelming presence of caffeine in this blog.

Campos – recently mentioned in the New York Times/Travel: The Remix; Coffee Down Under | Blame It On Roma – is probably the best cup of coffee in Sydney. And time will tell whether it's a good or bad thing that the place is across the street from where I live.

193 Missenden Road (off King Street)
Newtown (Sydney)

Rotary Shares

2007-07-08T00:48:00.000-05:00

July 2007 marks the beginning of a new Rotary year under the theme "Rotary Shares." Each Rotary Club has a changeover celebration to pass the club leadership over to the new President and Board. I went to two changeover meetings, the first for Sydney Inner West and the second for Rose Bay, my host club.

Left to Right: Doug McArthur (2007-2008 Rose Bay President & my host counselor), Julie, Peter Zadelis (Rose Bay Past President 2006-2007)

Winter in Sydney (June - August)

2007-06-09T00:19:00.000-05:00

So far it's like the wet, chilly Autumn season in Michigan and New York:

June 5 - World Environment Day

2007-06-08T00:19:00.000-05:00

For my part, I made a presentation to the Turramurra Rotary Club on June 5th and spoke about the environmental movement in the building industry. The club members were very interested in the current architectural trend toward sustainability and I hope they support it when possible!

For more information on World Environment Day, an initiative started by the United Nations, follow the link below.
United Nations Environment Programme: World Environment Day

Additional links to websites with pertinent information in climate change, potential effects and what you can do:
World Health Organization
G8 Summit 2007
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas
Friends of the Earth

And in honor of the UN and other international bodies, like the G8 Summit currently meeting in Germany, that attempt to gain support in the area of climate change, I thought you may enjoy this cartoon:

Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA)

2007-05-24T02:18:00.000-05:00

From the Rotary District 9750 MUNA program:

The Model UN Assembly is in its 12th year in Australia and has developed into an important Rotary project, with the aim of fostering an understanding of the workings of the UN and International Understanding and Goodwill.

Rotary International's relationship with the UN is as old as the UN itself. In 1945 there were 45 Rotarians in 29 delegations at the UN Charter Conference in San Francisco.

The UN Association created MUNA, to enable young people in high schools to simulate the great debates of the UN Assemblies. Rotary first conducted MUNA at Winnipeg in Canada. It was introduced to Australia in 1988 and since 1997 culminates in a national competition in Canberra at the Old Parliament House.

Saturday, May 19, on the 7:40 train from Central Station in Sydney, arriving into the Unanderra station in the Wollongong area at 9:30am. As measured in July 2001, 85% of Australians live within 50 kilometers of the coastline - here's one little coastal village we passed on the way.

The MUNA conference was held at the Nan Tien Temple, opened in 1995. It is the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere, and has the best conference facilities MUNA could hope for.

Happy Buddha

Photography is not allowed in the temple, so this is the best I could do for an interior view.

Shoes off to enter.

21 UN member nations represented at this conference; The team representing Russia won for best costumes, they were really outstanding with everything they did.

Clearly, the sombrero on a Mexico team member. We sat across the room from the team portraying the USA, 4 talented kids, with McDonalds cups and Hillary Clinton books for props. The boy in blue wore a holiday outfit complete with Hawaiian shirt, and flip-flops with white socks. The girl next to him wore an I heart NY t-shirt, very nice. The second girl wore a Yankees jersey and the second boy wore a black suit wall-street style, with sunglasses on half the time.

USA Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars with the 1st-place winning USA team from Caringbah High School. Left to right: Julie Janiski, I love New York, Laurent Oliva, Tara McKenzie, On Vacation, Jamie Fumo and Go Yankees.

Royal Botanic Gardens

2007-05-22T06:52:00.001-05:00

from an office tower

on the edge of the business district

if only they sounded as pretty as they look

many many bats in the trees

Rotary - It's a Hard Life

2007-05-10T04:51:00.000-05:00

Many many thanks to Geoff and Joan Pritchard for hosting an evening of Rotary friends. The scholars in District 9750, along with two Swedish GSE team members and others, were treated to dinner and drinks at their home near Milson's Point on the North Shore. This is their view of Luna Park, directly below, and Lavender Bay.

First thing's first: Champagne on the roof of their triplex, while making sure not to fall in the pool.

Rotary PR

2007-05-05T22:50:00.000-05:00

A little Rotary fun:
If you were to use this photo in an ad campaign for Rotary International (by inserting text in the convenient empty space on the right), what would you say? I might even have a little prize for the best idea... :o)

Photo courtesy of Toby Tanzer

Birthday Photos (April 27)

2007-04-28T00:58:00.000-05:00

Sumalee Thai at the Bank Hotel on King Street in Newtown
(very yummy!)

Out to the garden for drinks.

Cheers!

Carolina and Andrew think they're on a roller coaster.

Saren, Derrick, birthday girl, Philip

Group photo! Jan, Saren, Derrick, yours truly, Thomas, and Andrew in the front.

And then I gathered the boys...
Karl (USA), Andrew (South Africa), Enrico (Italy), happy girl, Philip (USA), Edwin (South Africa), Derrick (USA), Soenke? is that your name? possibly from Germany? :)

The Economics of Sustainable Design

2007-04-18T22:19:00.000-05:00

The New York Times (which I'm addicted to and read online daily) has been doing an outstanding job in their articles on sustainability. The links to a few recent articles are given below with brief descriptions of what they discuss. Bravo to the NYT!

Maybe Only God Can Make a Tree...
The New York City Parks Department, after a 2-year study, has put a dollar and cents value to its trees, concluding that for each dollar NYC spends on its trees, the city receives $5.60 worth of benefit.

The Power of Green
"Green: The New Red, White and Blue" Thomas Friedman's argument that America could re-establish itself as a beacon of progress, hope and inspiration by committing itself to a green political movement.

Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label
Take fluorescent light bulbs - while they cost more at check out, they last longer and use less energy - and then multiply that by the 3000 products they are starting with for the potential impact this initiative will have. It's all about the green.

And for anyone REALLY interested in the economics of it all:
The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change
Sir Nicholas Stern contends that it will cost less for the world to sit up today and spend money on environmental concerns than it would cost for the repercussions of doing nothing in the "business as usual" approach. Like anything, it's not perfect, but it has done well by getting the attention of decision makers world-wide.

... and this one is for the architecture people.

2007-04-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

PSB - It's Renzo Piano in Sydney!
Matthew - Still working on Renzo Piano in Noumea...

Aurora Place + Macquarie Apartments

Louvers!

Open louvers!

5 - 6 - 7 - 8

2007-04-18T08:17:00.000-05:00

"...do you know the difference between a 5, 6, 7, 8..."
And speaking of pilates, every dance class I've taken here so far has incorporated yoga and/or pilates moves into the warmup. This is serious stuff.

Since arriving in Sydney I've taken many different classes at two studios in the city. Here's me in the middle of a feisty pose in the "chory" at the end of a class at Urban Dance Centre (for those of you in Sydney - come to class at 1:00pm on Saturdays!):

The other studio is at Sydney Dance Company, which is on a wharf in Walsh Bay, on the water, on the other side of the Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay. Here's the exterior of the building, stretching the length of the wharf, with the cafe inside the entrance and four large studios behind:

In other news, I've been told these studios have student showcases in December - VERY excited to participate if possible!!! And, a special hello to all my BDC friends in NYC, save my spot!

Happy Birthday Joanna!!!

2007-04-15T07:52:00.000-05:00

While it's the same day in Sydney and in New York! Happy Birthday to my first NYU friend, my late-night listening, couch-sharing, tv-watching, massage-giving, inspirational-texting, crazy, amazing, talented, beautiful friend.

(Click HERE for the link to her jewelry design website, because I can't resist the opportunity for shameless advertisement, also coming soon to a Barney's near you.)

Cultural Learnings of Australia :: Coffee Pt. 2

2007-04-15T04:09:00.000-05:00

Australians are big into their coffee art.

Pretty + Delicious = Cafe Ism, 187 Wilson Street, Newtown

Taronga Zoo

2007-04-15T02:43:00.000-05:00

Admission gifted by Barb Warnock (thank you!!). After the Sydney Cove Rotary meeting – which takes place on a boat at Circular Quay – Barb, her daughter Emily, and I took the ferry to Taronga Zoo.

And apparently it comes with the secret service -

After our suspicions being raised by the police boat that tailed our ferry over to the zoo, we got there and saw, without exaggeration, a minimum of two dozen men in black suits with black sunglasses and the earpiece with the clear wire attached to whatever, the camera in their pen, or something.

Barb asked a zoo employee who was visiting and the guy said that this was just a practice for next week, and he didn't know who for. Will have to keep you posted on the development of high-security political/celebrity visiting at the zoo - haven't heard anything else yet.

Back to the main attractions!

Koala!

Kangaroo

Giraffe

Red Panda

Meerkat

Chimpanzee

Wallaby

Emu

Echidna

Penguins

Getting back to the Harbour and heading off to dinner.

Cultural Learnings of Australia :: Quarantine Matters!

2007-04-07T19:42:00.000-05:00

What can't be mailed to Australia? Well, let's refer to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry pamphlet left for me in a recent package from my family in Michigan:

Meat and Meat Products, Dairy, Eggs and Egg Products, Fruit and Vegetables, Plants and Soils, Seeds and Nuts, Plant Material, and finally, Live Animals, Australia has plenty of their own, thank you.

"The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) checks goods arriving at international mail centres, airports and seaports. Quarantine officers, x-ray machines and detector dogs screen all of the 150 million items of international mail sent to Australia each year, intercepting around 80,000 high-risk items."

Let's consider the items in my package: one Carebear spiral notebook, a bag of Starburst Jellybeans, two Cadbury cream eggs, one Easter card, a few wallet-size photos of Barbara, my little sister (see below for one taken by yours truly), one USB digital card reader + cable, two birthday cards and a birthday present (DVD).
Maybe it was the eggs?

Barbara Janiski, Clio High School Class of 2007
Recently accepted to Michigan State University!

Earth Hour, part II

2007-04-01T05:50:00.000-05:00

These photos are from the Sydney Morning Herald:

Earth Hour

2007-03-31T06:32:00.000-05:00

Sydney 31 March 2007 7:30pm
Over 65,000 people committed to turning lights off for an hour in Sydney, click HERE for the official site. Sydney is engaged in a campaign to reduce it's greenhouse gas emissions by 5% this year - Earth Hour is one of the events planned in order to educate and motivate people to get involved.

Unfortunately, the Macro Cafe (below) was one of only 3-4 shops in my neighborhood that participated. And that includes all the shops that were already closed and left all/most of their lights on. Hopefully the EH website will have photos, too.

Cultural Learnings of Australia :: Coffee

2007-03-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

WHAT IS THAT IN MY CUP?

Caffeine - How do I love theeee, let me count the ways:

ESPRESSO
(aka short black) a single shot topped with a rich crema

LONG BLACK
a shot of espresso topped up with hot water

FLAT WHITE
half a cup of espresso topped with hot milk in a cup

CAPPUCCINO
one third espresso, one third hot steamed milk, one third froth served in a cup and dusted with chocolate powder

CAFFE LATTE
a shot of espresso with steamed milk, and a topping of froth served in a tall thick glass

LONG MACCHIATO
espresso coffee in a regular glass or cup, topped with cold or warm milk and froth and marked, or stained, in the centre by the crema

SHORT MACCHIATO
a shot of espresso and cold or warm milk and froth marked, or stained, in the centre by the crema and served in a glass or demitasse

AFFOGATO
a shot of hot espresso over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, served in a cup

DOPPIO
two shots of espresso with a good golden crema

RISTRETTO
a double strength espresso with good golden crema

CORRETTO
a short black with a shot of brandy, frangelico, or galliano in a demitasse cup

ICED COFFEE
a shot of espresso added to ice cream, ice and cold milk in a tall glass, and sweetened with vanilla syrup, then topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

MOCCHA
a shot of espresso and a heaped teaspoon of chocolate powder in a tall glass topped with frothed milk and sprinkled with chocolate

Happy 75th Anniversary

2007-03-21T00:02:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, March 18, the Sydney Harbour Bridge celebrated its 75th Birthday and thousands of people celebrated by strolling over it. The bridge was closed to vehicles for the longest period in its history, and the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars in the Sydney/NSW district got together to represent the wheel and meet each other.

Click here for the official website.

Our group photos are coming soon, in the meantime, here are a few images from the afternoon:

L to R: Thomas, Toby, Laurent, Tara

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2007-03-17T02:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm cheating a bit, this is a photo in a German beer cafe on Manly Beach from two weekends ago. The Irish will congregate in The Rocks, part of the oldest part of Sydney, where the pubs today are packed from dawn until many hours past dusk.
Trusty Wikipedia here for more on the area:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocks,_New_South_Wales

Newtown

2007-03-14T02:20:00.000-05:00

King Street is like Main Street in Newtown and the area is best known for food. Most of it Asian. It reminds me of Astoria, except it's Thai instead of Greek, and it's less dense, meaning not much tops two or three stories. So, this is where I go to eat in, take out, catch the bus or walk to class. My 'hood -

Speaking of class, here's the Architecture building on campus, very solid looking if I do say so myself. All of my classes are here, stuffed into little corners of the building between faculty offices and undergraduate messes. Nothing against the undergraduates of course.

Sadly, I don't have any photos to show you of the girls who spent an entire day last weekend on a blow-up mattress wearing tiaras, on the Village Green, directly in front of my apartment. Maybe next time.

Rotary District 6330 Group Study Exchange

2007-03-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Sydney! Or should I say, welcome to the current stomping ground for those having something to do with the number 6330... and the color yellow.

Before the group of five North Americans head to Newcastle, they are spending the weekend in Sydney where they arrived early this morning. Alex Martiniuk and I met up with them and the group of us invaded the Sidewalk Cafe under the Opera House to revel in the beauty of the area and forge the kind of relationship only known between Canadians and Americans. You know, the kind where we share stories over Australian beer while the sun goes down over the Harbour....

Those friendly Canadians and Aussies get along just fine.

Admiring the view of the Harbour.

From left to right: Alan Moir, District 9670 GSE Chairman, Nancy Fernandes-Giles, Ben Rycroft, Barbara Warnock, District 6330 GSE Team Leader, Lauren Shirey, Cindy Welsh, Julie Janiski, District 6330 2007 Scholar, and Alex Martiniuk, District 6330 2005 Scholar, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.

Contact Info (Finally!)

2007-03-08T01:52:00.000-05:00

Mailing address:
Sydney University Village
Locked Bag M161
Missenden Road P.O.
Camperdown NSW 2050
Australia

Mobile: +61 (0)413 706 015
Room Phone: +61 (2)903 64465

Home Sweet Home

2007-03-08T01:37:00.000-05:00

Village Green (where the village idiots hang out)

My place

Living Room

Kitchen + Carl

Three walls of my room. I'm on the ground floor,
while my roommates (all 4 of them: Carl, Tim, Will, Leah) live upstairs.

Mardi Gras!

2007-03-08T00:55:00.000-05:00

In Sydney, the Mardi Gras festivities run from late February to early March and make more tourism dollars than any other event in Australia (according to Lonely Planet). The Parade and after-party are the most popular events, here's wikipedia for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Gay_and_Lesbian_Mardi_Gras

(Priorities were strictly maintained.)

Sydney at Night

2007-03-03T00:05:00.000-05:00

Sydney's Central Business District (CBD)
skyline from the hostel rooftop

CBD from Circular Quay

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Uni - First Impressions & Orientations

2007-03-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

Victoria Park on the northeast corner of campus of the University of Sydney.

The Quadrangle, off one of the main entrances to the University.

The interior courtyard of the Quad.

Walkway surrounding the interior courtyard.

Lots of orientations for international students, postgraduate students, first year students, architecture students, postgrad architecture students, etc, etc, etc...

First Week in Sydney: February 17-23

2007-03-02T23:37:00.000-05:00

View of sunrise landing in Sydney, from my window seat on the plane. We "followed" the nighttime from LA to Sydney, staying in the dark for the entire flight. Slightly delirious from the trip, I was very grateful to have my Rotary host counselor (Cindy Lee) picking me up!

The Kings Cross train station.

My room at Eva's Backpackers in Kings Cross, home sweet home until I move in to Sydney University Village March 5!

The four of us shared the room above for my first week and ended our time together with a bbq on the rooftop of the hostel. From left to right: Tini-Tiny, me, Lucy, Stef.

First look! I met Alex Martiniuk, 2005 District 6330 Rotary Scholar, here at the Opera Bar. She is still in Sydney at the George Institute, which is also part of Sydney Uni, and will be enormously helpful over the next year as someone who has gone through the Ambassadorial program. Many thanks to Alex in advance... :)

Ode to the Empire State Building

2007-03-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

I miss my view...

Going-Away Weekend in NYC: February 9-11

2007-03-02T05:54:00.000-05:00

From 30 to 90 degrees F, or 0 to 32 for everyone else in the world!
Here's my snow-covered train station in Astoria, Queens.

My last day at Platt Byard Dovell White Architects, where we believe in happy endings and happy hours. From left to right: Ray Dovell, Charles Platt, yours truly, Paul Byard, Sam White.

Last Saturday night out with the girls in NYC. From left to right: Joanna, me, Tovah and Ellen. Many thanks to my beautiful friends for all their love and support during my move!

Cheese!

Last dance class of 2007 with Chio at Broadway Dance Center - it's up to these girls to hold it down and save my spot!! (^_^) From left to right: Chio, Lee, me, Tovah, Tinelle, Mai, Yae.

"And therefore, I proceed to break it down..."