To save my old address in Oz

Tonight I'm changing my address on eBay account.
I screen-capture these old addresses of where I used to stay in Sydney as souvenirs.

Goodbye old good memories and thank you Australia again!

Notes from Brisbane - Amazing thing

"oh no Salma, I think I left my backpack on the Citycat", I told Salma when we were chatting on the bus to West End after visiting the University of Queensland by waterway.
Salma look a bit disappointed (about me, I was talking too much).Then she calmly called the city council, telling them about her friend's situation and asking them for help with hope the backpack was still there on the same Citycat that had just left UQ. She said they can find it unless somebody else pick it up.
I was half worried as I left my new Nexus tablet in the bag and half okay as something inside of me saying "This is Brisbane. Salma looks so calm. It will be okay". We then hung out in West End, having lunch at a Italian restaurant along the main road of West End. I could never forget that big super-delicious dish of mussels with tomato sauce. Just as I finished my lunch, somebody called Salma talking about about a black backpack as I had described before. I then talked to that woman, she finally made sure that the bag was exact as I said: with a yellow-cover tablet (deep inside). She told me to come to her office before 4:30 p.m

OMG. I feel so excited that didn't f*cking care about that rain coming at the moment. Salma took me to a small 'lost items' office in the city, next to the river. The woman was there, warmly welcoming me. She seemed excited to see me, as if she was the one who lost the bag. Quickly finishing a few procedures, she happily gave me back the backpack.

I then told Salma how amazing thing happened: I lost my backpack and got it back in just 2 hours. Yes, I was lucky but ain't Brisbane great?
I love Brisbane!

Notes from Brisbane - Places (2)

Brisbane Square

the building and the open space of Brisbane Square

Brisbane Square, view including the Treasury and toward Queen St Mall

View from the Brisbane Library to the Treasury

Notes from Brisbane - Places (1)

"There's not much to see in Bris"
"Oh you need no more than 3 days for Brisbane"
...

(view from Kangaroo Point)

I just decided to book and stay as long as possible due to my schedule before leaving Australia. I was so lucky to have 2 local Vietnamese and 1 Brissy friends taking me around the small river city. Closer to the equator, Brisbane has a warmer climate than Sydney and probably this explains why life seems to be more relaxing here.

Places:

Australians know how to design river banks. Both Melbourne and Brisbane have nice planned river banks, coincidentally called "Southbank", with chains of public buildings. While Melbourne's Southbank seems more exciting with lots of large commercial space, contemporary designed bridges, Brisbane's is still very enjoyable to me with the chain of gallery, museum, performing center.

Colorful Coogee

Again, I wandered to Coogee alone on a boring day. This time I had to leave my towel at swimwear to carry the heavy zoom lense and the camera. Lucky me, it was a sunny afternoon at the beach was filled with beautiful colors.

Sydney Mardi Gras 2013 (some video)

They passed by and said
"Happy Mardi Gras!"

The street got crowded since 4:00 p.m. People arrived since 2:00 p.m

And here came the Parade

queenz

Seeing me looking at her, she strikes a pose even before I point the lens at her.

Everybody looks at her. 

Nobody looks at that non-contributive man sitting for coins.

Fairday - the homo side

All love is equal

 I think Fairday is a very well-organized event where heterosexual and homosexual people, adults and children, local and tourists, visitors and passer-bys all mingles together harmoniously. It's hard to say this is a food festival, or a dog festival or a specific homo event. I could only see a fair where everybody in Sydney can come and enjoy a sunny-Sunday picnic.

Fairday

The photo-frame with the main theme of this year comingMardi-Gras : "Generations of Love"

Fairday is a kick-off for Sydney Mardi Gras season. This is a 'fun, friendly picnic in the sun for family, friends and our besties" (Mardigras.org) 

What if this was in Vietnam?

For you if you have seen the trees, the new village houses, the suburb houses, the countrysides in Vietnam.

What if this was in Vietnam?

Clovelly beach

It was a boring afternoon that I and my classmate Ryan quit the studio for the beaches ;-)

view more at my XNM-Scape

Australia Day - Do you love Dick?

First of all, thank you Australia for bringing me here!

And now, one question, do you love Dick?

:))

Escape to Coogee

It was just another extremely hot day in Sydney. I left all assignments and walked to Coogee beach.

View more on my photography pages here

Last night

my FB status today: "Yesterday diary: drawing from morning to 5:30 p.m. 7:00 go out and have an expensive steak by Darling Harbour. A city walk. Then a drive to somewhere totally strange to me for the beach in midnight. then back to Uni. at about 1 a.m. Then "InDesign" til 5 a.m, send email to the art director. Home finally to sleep. I ♥ this life!" 

Introducing Nomadic Notes by James

I found this blog from a facebook friend of mind.
Nomadic Notes by James, a Melbournizen, has quite a good amount of entries about my country and specifically about my hometown Saigon among which I like this one below most:

The incredible cafe scene of Ho Chi Minh city - Vietnam

image source: nomadicnotes.com

Generally I agree with his observation and selection. His entries would be helpful for potential travelers to the city. I'm thinking about my OZ classmates now, longing for the day they come and I can host take them around the city sometime.

It won't be about shopping nor clubbing. It will be street food and cafe'.

NYE

We came quite late at 9 p.m and had no hope to get through the gates to come closer to the water-front. This view was our last hope. 

We stood there for 3 hours to wait for the midnight fireworks. As time got closer to midnight, the crowd started to get chaotic. Some aggressive men tried to push the gate. The situation looked no different from political strikes. 

Not all people accepted the situation.

Finally there came the rock show.

People began to leave Circular Quay, but the whole CBD was still packed 

Fireworks came all around us, both the harbour and the high-rise buildings

Me and Eva, the new housemate

The party in front of Custom House

Gangnam-style at a large corner in CBD

stylish urbanizens heading to clubs and pubs

Queuing in lines for another hour to catch the rite bus to get home. 

At this time of the year, there are so many travellers staying Eastern suburbs of Sydney. That's why the lines  for bus 392, 394 and 396 were the longest.

Middle st.

Middle St., Kingsford, NSW 2032, Australia

Quite early morning, about 8:45 a.m, in Spring.

Petersham, around the train station

I had a night trip to Petersham by train. I started to get used to using the train but still got lost sometime. It's good nothing wrong has happened til now. I enjoy watching the city running by through the train windows. Not much, but still can see something. 

Introducing MUDD 18 (semester 2 - 2012)

This is the end of our first semester and first studio project. It's time our panels were pinned up showing off our imagination about the Bayshore city built on the site of  thecurrent Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. This first memory with MUDD is so unforgettable to me, including both the experience with the classmates and experience from the project. 

Our task was learning from different precedent cities around the world (both built and never-built) and adapting into Sydney's context to design a new city at the airport in concurrence with the proposal of replacing the KSA airport by a new one in Badgery Creek (NSW).

Prof. James Weirick, the father of the class opens the presentation in front of the jury.

I met Glenn Murcutt!

He came into our studio just to have a brief talk with Professor Weirick. I could recognize him right away. I watched videos of him in 2009, then another in 2011 when he had a talk in Utzon Lectures in Faculty of Built Environment (UNSW). Tonight, I could see him in reality, having a handshake and feeling so excited. When he said he had to get back to his studio, I just felt greater knowing that he was just somewhere close to our studio, in the same Red Centre building.

my previous entry about Glenn Murcutt : 
http://r-kudo.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/glenn-murcutt-interview.html