Student blog
It was 29 degrees today. The sky was a cloudless stretch of forget-me-not blue. To celebrate our new found freedom brought by the end of the exams, we took a 15-minute drive up to the end of Kensington Road, where situated a small lookout overlooking the square city of Adelaide.
As the car wounded its way uphill, I watched as the gum trees on either side of the roads shooting backwards, along with the many beautiful residences which resembled real-life versions of delicate doll houses. It was strange to suddenly have this much free time at hand: now that exams were over, I could do whatever I wanted without the nagging doubts that whispered ‘why aren’t you studying?’ constantly at the back of my mind.
As the car drew into a small park and came to an abrupt halt, I leapt out of the vehicle, and was momentarily dazed by the views that lay in front of my eyes:
Adelaide’s entire metropolitan, with its many leafy street that formed perfect little squares, stretched into the distance under a sapphire blue sky. At the edge of the horizon, a shiny strip of the ocean could be seen, reflecting the dazzling afternoon sun. Countless red-roofed houses stood neatly one next to another, like tiny little match-boxes amongst bushes of greeneries. Amidst the peaceful suburbs, a small cluster of high-rise buildings – Adelaide’s CBD – stood like a toy model of a city, surrounded by lush green stripes which represented the parklands.
We simply stood there at the hilltop, drinking in the scene. I felt slightly intoxicated as I gazed into Adelaide’s beautiful serene form, as the wind ruffled the corner of my light jacket, as if celebrating the joy of the beginning of the summer holiday.
The weather was perfect, as if celebrating with us the joy of the summer holiday. As the evening drew nearer, the sun sank into the west sky, its golden beams of light dazzled my eyes as we drove into the city, heading for the Festival Theatre for a play called The Cripple of Inishmaan.
By the time I finally manoeuvred the car into a 90 degree parking lot, taking three clumsy attempts to get all the wheels into the white lines, we were running very late. We ran along the Torrens River towards the Festival Theatre, the skirts of our would-be-elegant dresses billowing in our wake as we rushed up the set of steps leading into the dark-glassed front entrance.
We arrived just in time, puffing and panting, to hand over our tickets to the ticket-collector, who was already pulling shut the heavy door leading into the theatre. We squeezed through the half-closed door, walked down the sloping aisle until we found our seats, and sat down in the navy squashy chairs, just as the lights overhead were extinguished.
Watching a play was very different from watching a movie. Devoid of the special visual and sound effects that I had become so accustomed to in the modern age of entertainment, the pure talents of the actors and actresses on stage seemed to shine even more brightly, each of their lines, postures, movements, or even expressions won the audience’s laughter or applause. When the curtains finally drew close, I was left marvelling at the talents of the South Australian State Theatre.
4pm. Adelaide CBD.
The warm sunshine and the cool wind brushed comfortably against my face as I walked down the crowded Rundle Mall. Both sides of the Mall were covered in shopfronts, exuberant signs overhead proclaimed brands ranging from Esprit to Sportgirls, from Borders Bookshop to Shields Jewellery, while the shopwindows displayed such a wide variety of new fashionable garments, they hit the eyes like a colour explosion.
The street was full of people: middle-age women laden with shopping bags and groceries; fashionably dressed young lasses tossing their hair, their stiletto heels clicking feverously on the pavement; businessmen dressed in suits and ties sitting outside the coffee shops; groups of girls and boys, still in their school uniforms, moving in large packs, chattering loudly. The city seemed to have awoken with liveliness, the excitement and delight on people’s face suggested that it was Friday afternoon.
In the middle of the street, prominent amongst the many shoppers and passers-by, stood a few large red umbrellas labelled with the name Cibo – Adelaide’s iconic coffee-shop, which could be found at almost every street corner in the city. I stepped into the little outlet, breathing in the familiar fragrance of coffee beans, and ordered myself a large cappuccino. As I carried the steaming red paper-cup out of the shop, I looked around to locate the nearest shoe store, and set out for my search of a new pair of summer shoes.
Waiting to enter the exam venue was its usual noisy affair. People around me were still talking loudly – the many voices forming a loud buzzing that resembled a million fluttering bees – when the gates into the pavilion were opened.
Three hours later, I exited the pavilion through the very same white gates, my heart as light as the clouds floating overhead. The exam wasn’t bad at all, the merciful Intellectual Property lecturer even had the good humour to base the last question on Harry Potter, which kept my energy pumping during the last hour of the three-hour exam.
On the way back into the City, relieved of the iron weight of exam revision, I suddenly noticed just how beautiful the fluffy white clouds were as they drifted idly across the crystal clear sky, like gigantic fairy-flosses.
We had lunch at a little dumpling shop near Chinatown. I munched through the plateful of steaming fat white dumplings with much gusto, savouring the thoughts that it was finally the end of the exams.
It was the final countdown to the end of the exams.
‘Finished!’ I sat back in my chair with a long sign of relief, the desk in front of me was scattered with notes, exam questions, and sheets of paper with my fast scribbled writing.
For the last three hours, I had been going through a practice exam paper. Studying with the past exam papers – which can be downloaded from the University Library website – was extremely useful, it was reassuring to complete a few trial runs beforhand, to ensure that no nasty surprises stare up at me when facing the real thing at the Wayville Showground.
I looked habitually out of my window into the courtyard. It was noon, the sunlight upon the tiled floor was dazzling. A few brownish grey sparrows were hopping around on their tiny feet, evidently looking for food around the rose bushes.
This time tomorrow, I thought, I’d be free: free from exam revisions for the first time in weeks. I imagined how I’d feel – would it be a triumphant relief? Or would it be a dreadful guilt knowing that I’d stuffed up the last exam? The thought of the latter was so terrifying that I immediately picked up the notes from the table, and started to read again.
University exams took place at the Wayville Showground, where I duly arrived just before 9 o’clock. The massive pavilions were no longer occupied by exuberant show-bag stalls, but instead were surrounded by thousands of anxious university students, some chatting loudly in groups, some sitting in the corner with their fingers in their ears, trying to scramble in some last-minute revision.
At 9am, when the gates to the pavilion opened, I was amongst the first who flooded into the exam venue where, under the extremely high grey ceilings, countless individual metal desks and chairs were lined up in row after perfectly straight row, rather like a yet-to-be-opened battleground.
I quickly located the signs indicating my subject – Administrative Law – and sat down on a vacant seat. My heart started pounding furiously as I contemplated the exam paper – a thin booklet lying smugly at the centre of the desk. I looked over two occupied seats to smile at a friend nearby, just as the chief invigilator piped into the microphone: ‘You are now under examination conditions. Any electronic devices must be switched off and placed in your bag, NOT in your pocket…’
As the clock hit 9:20, I turned the first page of the exam paper, my head bent low over the desk, trying to digest the words as fast as I could. Ten minutes later, the hall was filled with a deep hissing sound, as thousands of pens scratched against paper, pouring out their owners’ best hopes for a Pass, a Credit, a Distinction or a High Distinction. Minutes ticked by quietly, I held tightly onto my biro and frantically scribbled down everything that I knew, and guessed, about the Administrative Law (Judicial Review) Act.
Three hours later, three dazed, intense, heart-racing hours later, I walked out of the pavilion with the crowd. ‘How was it?’ I said to a friend, who shrugged. ‘What did you get for Q3?’ she asked. ‘Huh? There was a Q3?’ I jumped. ‘No, no, I meant Q1(3)…’ ‘Phew…’ Many exchanges of answers took place as we walked towards the car park. ‘Good luck with your next exam!’ we piped at each other in unison, our parting voices drown in the billowing wind, as the distant rumbling of thunders announced that rain was fast approaching.
Another day was drawing to a close. I looked up from a thick pile of revision notes out of the window, to see the garden fence painted bright orange by the setting sun. Another day closer to the exam.
Exam time was always stressful, but also exciting in a strange way. One thing different about studying at university is the absence of high-school teachers chasing after you, demanding for homework with threats of detention. To the contrary, everything is left to your own accord. As if to emphasize the importance of self discipline, we get Swap Vacs – a whole week free of lessons before the exams – to prepare for ourselves before facing the final challenge.
I picked up my revisions notes and walked out onto the driveway. The suburban street was quiet and peaceful in the evening, each red-roofed house stood cosily behind a patch of green lawns, some decorated with rose bushes, some shaded by leafy trees. My feet carried me forward automatically, while my brain wandered from judicial review to procedural fairness, until, a few roundabouts later, I came to stop in front of the entrance to a large park.
Green lawns were rolling gently up and down the hills, a stone bridge stood arching across a dry creek. In the distant playground, a few swings were visible through the tree branches, their red plastic seats flying back and forth, the ringing laughter of young kids permeating the air.
I waited patiently while trying to read up on more Administrative Law notes, until the last swing was cleared off as a small boy left reluctantly with his parents. I then rushed forward, sat on the plastic seat, clutched onto the chains, and kicked hard off the ground. As the swing soured joyfully into the air and the wind ruffled my hair, I saw the dusky inky sky above me, patched with white fluffy clouds, rocking gently back and forward. Ah… I took a deep breath, the exam tomorrow suddenly didn’t seem too bad anymore.
After what seemed like a hectic week, a stroll down the glenelg beach was what I needed. Licking my favourite choc fudge vannila drumstick, I took a lesiurely stroll for about an hour, stopping occasional to gaze at the marvellous sunset. I explored the parts of the beach I had not before and wondered why I had not given this stroll a go before. We would have kept going down the path we had taken if not for the fact that we were drifting furthur away from the tram stop.
NEvertheless, it was an amazing way to get some fresh air and really just to relax. Beautiful weather and company--It was absolutely perfect!
Each October, the Governor of SA hosts a special farewell party for departing international students who would be completing their degrees. And this year is no exception.
On Friday afternoon, as the sun shone brightly overhead, I crossed North Terrace to reach the corner with King William St, where a pair of massive white gates proclaimed the entrance to the Government House – a property which was normally off-bound to everyone but authorized personnel.
After presenting my invitation to a smiling guard, I walked along the smooth driveway into a world quite separate from the hustle-bustle outside on North Terrace. Every surface was covered in lush greeneries. In the centre of a large stretch of neatly-trimmed lawns, stood a white rectangular building with impressive stone pillars. Across from the Government House, a big white marquee has been erected, into which guests were being ushered to be seated.
The presentation commenced soon after I received a drink from a passing waiter. At the end of the speeches, I was rather touched by the sincerity with which the Governor had thanked all the international students for choosing Adelaide as a study destination.
Outside the marquee, the students were now chattering merrily in little groups. A dozen of round tables were dispersed on the lawn, each holding a bottle of wine, their pure white tablecloths fluttering in the light wind. Waiters in white shirts were negotiating their ways through the crowd, carrying plates of drinks and cocktail food with dazzling variety: spring rolls, satay chicken, cheese tarts, biscuits with tuna and cream.... A few feet away, a girl in high school uniforms was daring her friend to take an oyster shooter.
‘Excuse me,’ I felt someone tapping my shoulder, ‘Could you please take a photo for us?’ I turned around to see a girl holding a camera, standing next her was none other than the Governor himself, with a kind smile spreading across his face.
A short queue soon formed next to us. I took the cameras, one after another, from excited and expectant students. The cameras clicked away madly, capturing the special moment of receiving farewell personally from the Governor, witnessing what was clearly to be treasured piece of memory for many future years to come.
Fed up with the constant and never-ending revision war that I was raging against the course notes and exam papers, on Saturday afternoon, I hastily accepted the first invitation to the beach that came my way this weekend, glad to have a good excuse to be out of the house, rather than being stuck in front o the desk for another evening.
By the time we finished dinner, the sun was already hanging low over the oceanic horizon, painting a gentle hue of pure gold over the sand, the waves, and the towering pine trees which stretched into the distance. The beach was filled with strolling, sitting, running and dog-walking people, each with a long, thin, dusky shadow moving alongside their figures.
I took off my sandals and ‘waded’ through the sand-hills to reach the wave-washed smooth end of the beach. The sand was cool and damp under my feet. Thousands of sea-shells, all of difference shapes and sizes and colours, littered the beach – all glittering slightly under the setting sun, also with long thin shadows. I suddenly remembered how obsessed I used to be with seashells, having always rushing through my homework during lunch time so as to make time for beach visits after school. Occasionally the foaming edge of the waves would creep up near my ankle, only then to draw away again, leaving graceful watermarks on either side of the tiny pieces of shells engraved into the sand.
There was a loud ‘whoosh’, I caught a brief glance of something golden brown zooming towards me, before what felt like a furry ball collided with my legs. I looked down to see a gorgeous Golden Retriever bouncing happily around me, his front pals on my knees, his tail wagging excitedly. I bent over to pad him and felt his smooth soft fur sliding through my fingertips, when – ‘Mark!’ a man in beach shorts and sun glasses rushed forward, smiling apologetically, ‘Mark, don’t you attack young ladies!’
We walked away roaring with laughter. The sun was beneath the sea now, leaving a shimmering scarlet upon the lower sky, as if a brilliant light bulb was hidden out of view. Everything else suddenly seemed so insubstantial. A whole week of stress seemed to have melted into this dusky pink glow.
South Australia, with its warm and dry climate, is ideal for wine-production, and indeed SA not only is the host of the National Wine Centre, but also produces 80% of Australia’s annual export of wine to overseas – so I was told by the tour guide on the bus ride to the Barossa Valley: a town famous for its wine-production, located an hour outside of Adelaide City.
As the bus entered Barossa Valley, I was greeted by the first scene of vineyards. Under the blazing sun and the crystal-clear sky, the vast area of ground was covered by dry, brown grape vines standing in neat and endless rows, their ancient branches (some as old as a hundred years) twisting horizontally, as if little wooden people with their arms outstretched on either side of them.
The brown colour of the earth and the vines was contrasted by the rich and vivid green from the grass and the hills in the distance. On either side of the road were many tall, thick, and flourishing palm trees, planted – again taking credit for information from the tour guide – during the Great Depression decades ago.
We also visited a number of wineries, where everyone else in the group (with me watching interestedly) enjoyed the wine tasting – a process of finding out what type of wine best agreed with your taste buds.
The trip was concluded by a visit to a toy factory on our way back, where stood the biggest rocking horse in the world. The gigantic wooden thing smiled cutely down at us, its vivid red paint glowing in the bright afternoon sunlight.
Australian Beaches, with their white strips of sand and pure blue water, form a charming and rather irresistible part of the country.
It was warm and sunny on Saturday afternoon. The time of the year has come, when the breezes in the air are no longer damp and cold, but carries with them a trace of warmth to announce the pending arrival of spring.
Catching the tram – one of the iconic forms of transportation in Adelaide – from the city down to Glenelg Beach, the thirty-minute journey passed quickly as we chatted in the crowded carriage full of beach-goers. As we stepped off the tram, the dazzling sunlight hit my eyes, and there it was, the beachfront stretching in front of me with such breathtaking beauty.
The jade blue ocean was separated from the sapphire sky neatly by the single line of horizon. Waves of blue and green were beating gently against the beach, leaving white foams upon the silver sand, washing away the shallow footprints left behind by laughing and splashing children. A line of Norfolk Pines towered on the edge of the beach, underneath their shade we sat, licking Wendy’s large ice-cream cones, leaning on the tree trunks contently, watching the exuberant collection of colour stretching into the distance.
Our walk on the jetty turned out to be very windswept. It was sunny yet the wind was blowing energetically, messing up our hair and making our coats billow. Laughing at one another’s now explosive hair-style, we leant on the side of the jetty, gazing into the distant stretch of deep blue sea, wishing that summer could be here sooner.
It has been a while since I wear my favorite outfit - Polo and shorts! Oh yea, its the end of September and the weather has been awesome! The sunshine has been great and 23 degrees celcius is the best temperature I reckon!
Everyday when I wake up and look out the window, all I see is LUSH GREEN grass, different patches of wild flowers showing off their colors, and 3 ducks (2 ducklings!) that hang out on our lawns, just cause the rain has created some small water pools for them! All signifying SPRING! Yeah and I'm not joking! That is why I love living on the hills so much! It just lifts my mood up everyday! Ha!
Anyways, spring is my favorite season of the year because its not too warm nor it is too cold. I am looking forward to spend more time with my friends and hopefully soon the weather will be warm enough for me to go to the beach!
Daylight savings will be this Sunday (5th of October) and that is when we shift our clock one hour forward, because we are getting more sunlight! The butchers that I work with are telling me how they play golf everyday after work when its daylight savings! I can't wait for that to happen! It will be another new experience for me!
Hope everyone is enjoying spring as much as I do! =) I'll fill you guys in next time!
School today was pretty easy. We finished the syllabus for most of the subjects, so we ended up doing a zillion questions for maths while english was more interesting. We played double jeopardy which was good fun! So yeah, these two weeks of hols are critical according to my teachers and I can see where they are coming from but being the last day of term I took a break from schoolwork.
Today has been quite eventful. I had two stuff on. One was this study adelaide event where they were presenting awards to winners of the letters home competition. The other was my club presentation where all the netball teams playing under the club name came together and presented awards and basically gave all the teams an opportunity to catch up with their mates... It was a potluck thing so we all brought a dish, making the event all the more exciting-You know how I love food! I received a check for umpiring throughout the season. It felt good holding onto the fruits of my labor in more ways than one. I was also nominated for the senior club girl award. So yeah, it was simple gathering of its kind and it went better than I thought it would.
I have a few things to look forward to during the hols. There is a 18th birthday party on the first saturday and um....a deepavali function which I am the Mc for on the second saturday. In between, I have all the revision classes. As my school is having the abestos removed, we have to have the hols revision in a boat shed...That would be interesting, learning by the Torrens River. I have like 4 tests on the first week back to school including the tamil written, oral and listening components...so yup this hols is a good chance to buckle down and consolidate the year's work. Good luck to me and anyone else who find themselves in a similar situation!
Uni Holidays!!! The weeks leading up to the holidays are a busy time for uni students in Adelaide. Lots of Tests and assignment due! Its holidays now so time to relax... For a bit anyway before getting back into study!
Last week my Japanese class celebrated the mid semester holidays with a dinner. There were about 70 people there. Students studying Japanese, Japanese students, Japanese people that live here with their families or that were on a working holiday! It was lots of fun and the food was great – Cheap too!!! We had so much, I almost had to roll out of there!!We went to a little place called ‘Wasai’ near China Town – I would defiantly recommend it. Especially for Japanese students that are missing some traditional Japanese food like Tempura Udon. They also have the not so traditional food... For the non –ramen and sashimi lovers!
On the weekend I went surfing again and went to the hockey Grand Finals! Unfortunately we got knocked out in over time the weekend before and Allie got 5 stiches in her eye so we had to watch on the side lines... Very very disappointing!!
Surfing was sooooo cold! Usual for South Australian winter but hopefully it will start to warm up soon – I don’t like getting brain freeze in the water, that’s only meant to be for eating ice-cream or drinking a ice-cold drink too fast!
Next week I am off to Melbourne for the Australian University Games. It is going to be a lot of fun. Of course I am going for hockey!! The bus trip is going to take about 12 hours... Ekkk.... Tell you about that next time!!!!
The final exams are starting in about 1.5 months time, so yeah, pretty much busy preparing for it. Although I have to admit I spent a great deal of time reading the whole sequel of twilight...yes all 4 of them in the past week. I pretty much had countable hours of sleep that week just so I am not totally neglecting my school work. I do feel a tiny bit sad about having finished the sequel...but since it was a happy ending i was okay with it. I have to say New moon was not what i expected it to be but eclipse was better and breaking dawn was great(except for the whole build up of the war which never happens). Have to say twilight is the best of all four!
Went for friend's 18th birthday party last saturday and had a great time. She had all sorts of games...Karoke, the dance mat thingy, table tennis, soccer. Oh yeah !Iforgot to add that it was a costume party. I went as a jypsy...so I wore this cool orange top and yoga pants....put on heaps of bangles and bam I was all set to go!! It was interesting to see my friends all dressed up as different things and people. It was super colourful and we had so much fun. It was an exceptional way to wrap up my week.
I can’t remember the last time I felt homesick – and that is really something for someone who’s been living away from home for this many years, especially on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, when the full moon was shining brightly overhead.
I spent the evening at the house of two brothers whom I’ve known since high school. There was no moon cake (mainly due to laziness on my part to go down to China Town and carry back one of those brilliantly wrapped tin boxes); but there was a hotpot, plus heaps of sliced meat, lots of green vegetables, too much mead, and a few really good friends.
The night passed quickly while we ate our way through eight plates of raw stuff boiled in the bubbling hotpot. It was hard not to smile when surrounded by people who know you so well and whose company you truly enjoy.
We concluded the night by gazing into the cloudy sky where the moon was poking its mysterious face at us at irregular intervals. This was my 7th Mid-Autumn Festival away from Beijing – and Adelaide is feeling just like home.
September is generally I favourite time in Adelaide. And the reason is simple: this is the month when the Royal Adelaide Show is held!!
This annual carnival takes place on the Wayville Showground (which is ten-minute bus ride from the city) over approximately two weeks. Stretched over the Showground are countless thrilling rides, game booths with gigantic stuffed toys as prizes, and multiple big pavilions which host dog shows, animal booths, food stores, and random yet exotic vending stalls.
This year, I went to the Show again with my high school friends on Saturday (as our annual tradition). The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. It was such a great place to simply relax and forget about uni for once. I spent the day licking ice cream, patting the gorgeous dogs in the Dogs Pavilion, watching my friend losing on the shooting game three times in a row, shopping for show-bags and other trinkets, and we concluded the day by taking a ride on the enormous iconic fairy’s wheel (being too cowardly to try other more thrilling rides).
I can’t wait till the Show starts again next year!
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