Sydney, May 09

So, my 50% assignment was over on Wednesday. Big load off my shoulders. Prasad was in Sydney so I thought why not go visit - I really wanted the break.

In case you don't already know the train ride to Sydney is a bum-breaking three hours. I get bored. I patch up the holes in my clothes, sew back the buttons that have come off from my clothes... And then take random photos. Like this one: It's not just of my thumb, it's of my thumb that was stumped. Lol. Well, I kinda injured it a couple of many weeks ago... And basically that whole area that is discoloured is hollow! There's actually hair that got in there! (I don't know how.) So I basically spent a good deal of my time inserting a safety pin into that crevice to try and get the hair out. I didn't succeed. Yeeaash.

Ok, I'll skip all the small details about the arrival and all that, but I really had a good time on this trip.

I spent the whole Saturday afternoon in the Art Gallery of NSW, the Fern Garden at the Botanic Gardens (which weren't much, but I got to see the largest bats in the world nesting.) and the Power House Museum, with most of my time at the art gallery.

I was blown away at the art gallery, and there's the Archibald Prize going on right now. Wiki says it "is regarded as the most important portraiture prize, and is the most prominent of all arts prizes, in Australia... first awarded in 1921." But anyway, the main point of this is that I came across last year's finalist, Vincent Fantauzzo, and his triple portrait of Heath Ledger.



http://www.nydailynews.cojavascript:void(0)m/gossip/2008/05/08/2008-05-08_portrait_of_heath_ledger_wins_australian.html

I simply love it and If I had $115 to blow I'd spend it on the framed print of this. In case I wasn't clear, this is a painting. So since I couldn't afford a framed print I bought 5 postcard instead. I would have bought the print alone since it was ony $25, but then I would crease it and then there'd be bo point...

Go to http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/home to see this years' finalist.

Also I was at Martin's Place just off George St, right at the fountain where The Matrix was filmed. That's right! It's in the first Matrix, the scene with the Woman in the Red Dress. I compared my pics and the scene in the movie.. And realise the flooring was different. The amazing wiki tells me the fountain was redone after the film. Why would they want to redo it?! But still, you can identify the details of the columns in the adjacent building.

I did something I've not done in awhile too. I watched a movie on my own again. Was nice.

This trip has made me think more about archi and where I want to study in the future and I'm pretty sure I don't want it to be in Newcastle. I mean, Newcastle is awesome to build the foundation and ground yourself. But it's just too secluded, cut off from the whole art scene. Good place to lay the foundation, but not grow from there.

I did seem to want to type more.. At least more fluidly, but I am getting tired. And you will forgive me since it's 5am.

TTFN.