Words to Lyrics Ben Ho's observations from the cloud

2 September 2011

Driving Stories

Filed under: Reflection — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 1:45 pm

Last Wednesday was the first time I drove at 100 km/h legally (the speed limit for green P’s). Now I’ll admit that it’s not terribly exciting, but it did remind me of the first time I drove alone after I got my P’s.

It was in the afternoon, and I was on the train home from university. I needed to get some keys cut at the shopping village in the next suburb, and was deciding whether to get off the train early, or drive a short distance. In my head I squealed in excitement that I would be finally ‘free’ from the constraints of public transport.

When I got in Mum’s car, I was still shaking a little, so a few minutes went by whilst I calmed down. I turned the key, reversed out of the parking spot and set off.

Obviously the drive felt different because there was nobody sitting next to you watching out for things you were doing wrong. At least there wasn’t a testing officer making fail marks on the sore sheet. But I felt compelled to do everything right: indicate before turning, safe distance from others and checking mirrors.

Admittedly, some of those skills have deteriorated since!

I got the keys cut and drove home rather satisfied, knowing that I saved travel time by deciding to conquer the first-time anxiety.

Do you still remember the first time you drove alone?

13 July 2011

Sydney Town

Filed under: Movies,Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 12:28 am

I get really excited when a film or TV show is set in Sydney. For me, it becomes a game of identifying the locations, and then going there. Why do I want to visit the places concerned? Because it is kind of cool to understand how they add to the plot. A location is not just a dot on a map; the culture and characteristics define it too.

One great example is the first film of the Matrix series. Martin Place was used because it could portray the idea of a ‘perfect’ city (Trust me, it was more like that back in 1999!). In case you have not seen the film, the Matrix is a simulated reality of a perfect city used to fool humans while machines harvest their body heat for energy. As a Sydneysider, walking the length of Martin Place sometimes makes me feel like I am living in the best city in the world.

Let me cite another example. The recent ABC TV series Rake, centres on barrister Cleaver Greene who lives in Kings Cross, and has a ‘seedy’ lifestyle. Greene’s flat above a café does exist (in a quiet side street near the Cross), and one scene is shot at the El Alamein fountain (which I did not know existed; shows you how much I go there!). I am yet to find where Greene’s ‘lawyers bar’ is though (I think it is somewhere along Elizabeth St).

Sometimes the wrong connotation can be given to a location. Take Julia Leigh’s film Sleeping Beauty (Go see it, a great film). Lucy, a university student takes a high-paying job being a fantasy for old men. Leigh probably wanted to use a ‘generic’ university location, but several scenes are shot at the University of Sydney. For those that are interested, they take place in and around the Carslaw building, and the lawns outside the New Law building. I could immediately identify the location (I go to USyd), but to a casual moviegoer, it would be aesthetically pleasing architecture at a university.

What is interesting is that recently the SMH wrote about a large brothel (Stiletto), about to open opposite the university’s campus. A coincidence, or art imitating life?

11 July 2011

Sydney Universities Dates: Semester 2 2011

Filed under: Forward Thinking — Tags: , — Ben @ 9:05 am

As usual, dates for Sydney universities. Enjoy!

DATES S2 2011

Notes: As reported by the university, therefore weekends may or may not be counted. If you have additional information, please email me.

S2 Start Mid-Semester Break Study Vacation Examinations Summer Break S1 ’12 start
MQ 1 Aug 16 Sep to 3 Oct 14 Nov to 2 Dec 3 Dec to 26 Feb 27 Feb
UNSW 18 Jul 3 Sep to 11 Sep 22 Oct to 27 Oct 28 Oct to 15 Nov 16 Nov to 26 Feb 27 Feb
USYD 25 Jul 26 Sep to 3 Oct 31 Oct to 4 Nov 7 Nov to 19 Nov 20 Nov to 4 Mar 5 Mar
UTS 1 Aug 26 Sep to 3 Oct 12 Nov to 2 Dec 3 Dec to 26 Feb 27 Feb
UWS 1 Aug 26 Sep to 3 Oct 7 Nov to 11 Nov 14 Nov to 26 Nov 27 Nov to 26 Feb 27 Feb
ANU 25 Jul 12 Sep to 23 Sep 5 Nov to 9 Nov 10 Nov to 26 Nov 27 Nov to 19 Feb 20 Feb

Sources:
MQ: http://www.mq.edu.au/calendar.html
UNSW: https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/AcademicCalendar.html
USYD: http://www.usyd.edu.au/future_students/domestic_undergraduate/admissions/semester_dates/index.shtml
UTS: http://www.handbook.uts.edu.au/dates_academic.html
UWS: http://www.uws.edu.au/currentstudents/current_students/managing_your_study/dates/2011_academic_year_dateline
ANU: http://info.anu.edu.au/ovc/Committees/110PP_Principal_Dates

2 July 2011

Technology Roadmap updated June 2011

Filed under: Forward Thinking,Tech — Tags: , — Ben @ 10:18 pm

Back in February 2010, I wrote about when I would replace various pieces of technology that I use. Tonight as I was doing some research on home servers, I thought I would revisit my original predictions, and see what has changed.

As for the home server, I found a solution and am very excited about its potential!

So here we go.

Laptop

Current: MacBook Pro 15″ (early 2008) purchased February 2008
Change every: 3 years
Original next purchase estimate: MacBook Pro 13″ after February 2011
New next purchase: MacBook Pro 15″ at next major update (~February 2012)

Since last year, I have replaced the internal left-side fan. Also, the performance has not worsened significantly. I have decided to stay with a 15″ model because this is my only computer, and that carrying the laptop to university almost everyday does not bother me at all. I also have a 24″ screen that can be used if I need more screen space. Although I aimed to replace it this year, I decided to delay replacement for tax reasons.

Mobile Phone

Current: iPhone 3GS purchased June 2009
Change every: 2 years
Next purchase: Next iPhone after June 2011

The plans for my phone have not changed. Although I am out of contract, I will wait until the release of the next iPhone.

Camera

Current: Nikon D80 purchased March 2008
Change every: 3-5 years, or until image quality deteriorates/equipment fails
Next purchase: Next Nikon dSLR

Nothing has changed here either!

Portable Music Player

Current: iPod (5G) purchased December 2005
Change every: When it breaks
Next purchase: iPod classic

The backlight of the screen began to fail, and I replaced the screen. Repairing is better than throwing stuff out!. It now looks as if it were new! This iPod is now plugged into the car, so at least it has some use. Still has not broken yet. There are rumours that the iPod classic may not be made anymore, so I will have to keep an eye on that.

Portable Hard Drives and their Functions

Current: 2 portable hard drives (80GB and 320GB), one desktop hard drive (500GB)
Change every: When they get full or break
Next purchase: Depends on the current need

Over the last few years, I have bought bigger hard drives as my need for storage grew. The portable hard drives are used for photos and other storage (disk images, archives) and the desktop hard drive is used for Mac backup via Time Machine.

Now I want to consolidate all these drives into one unit, as well as provide file and media sharing services over the home network. Put simply, a box that stores lots of things and can do certain functions. I had originally wanted to build a Linux-based PC with lots of storage, but that proved to be cumbersome.

I looked at network attached storage (NAS) devices, especially this QNAP one (TS-419P+), and knew this was a good enough solution. The spare hard drives can then be sold for dirt cheap!

The network router will need to be upgraded soon, as it is struggling to cope with all the wireless devices (at least 8). Faster network traffic would be a plus. I welcome any suggestions as to what router I should get.

 

So, that’s made me excited for what is to come. Anyone want to buy the 80GB hard drive for $10?

30 June 2011

Review: Terminus

Filed under: Arts,Attended,review — Ben @ 4:16 pm

A word of warning before you go see this: If you can’t focus for more than an hour, don’t go. Also, note there is no interval to gather your thoughts.

Terminus by Mark O’Rowe follows the stories of three strangers going about their lives. From the dead of night to the deadly violent, the stories take wild turns until they somehow relate, similar to the 2006 film Babel (starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett). From the stage, we can only rely on the limited body movements and the rich, rhyming dialogue. The rhyme keeps the stories going, renewing the audience’s (and certainly my) attention. There’s not much else to see, except for the occasional flashing light. But from what we get from the stage, the imagination is left to paint the picture of what is going on.

For me, it took a while to ‘settle in’ into the play. The stories become more intense as the play progresses, and more gruesome as well. As for the supernatural element (B gets caught by a demon), it was fun imagining what it was like. (Actually, kind of hard when it is described frequently as a ‘can of worms’!) The thing to take away from this play is that ‘click’ moment, when you realise three stories combine into one, and how much of a train wreck one of the characters is. All in all, I liked it, although I could have been more awake throughout.

This is a play for the mind, not the eyes. You have been warned.

Terminus plays until Saturday, 9 July at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House.

19 June 2011

What to do?

Filed under: Reflection — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 6:26 pm

Two Saturdays ago, a friend and I went out to see the lights as part of Vivid Sydney (they were really good, by the way). As we were walking back to the car park, we witnessed an altercation between a taxi driver and the passenger. The passenger didn’t want to pay the fare, the driver wanted the fare. A fight ensued, and a minute later the passenger ran off the driver’s cap.

My friend asked me whether we should help the driver. I said no. The reason being that I (we) didn’t want get hurt as a result. In the end I said to him, “Even though you want to help, it’s safer not to. Sad, I know, but that’s reality.”

I know I did the right thing, but would you have done the same?

Earlier that night walking along George St, I saw at least two cases of passengers running of without paying. In the more fortunate case, two girls ran out of the taxi to the cover (it was raining that night). The driver followed them and recovered the fare after some shouting.

These incidents, I believe, highlight the need for prepaid fares in the evenings on weekends. I think it’s reasonable and not difficult to hand over $10 before the trip starts. I also think it is right to pay for the services that you have used. For the drivers, it is their livelihoods. They are the same as anyone with a job, and deserve to be paid for the job they do. It is a shame to the society that young people are not taught/told of these basic life principles.

Whether drivers get paid enough is another issue; the important thing is that they get paid in the first place.

10 June 2011

Covers and Samples

Filed under: I Wonder,Rant — Tags: , , — Ben @ 2:23 pm

When it comes to current popular music, I usually prefer to listen to the longest, most original version of a song. Sometimes these songs are sampled or covered by others; I tend to steer clear from those (except in certain tasteful circumstances).

One example about duration. I have the Sister Sledge’s 8-minute long hit single ‘We Are Family‘ on my iPod. It’s far better than the 3-minute version that is often played on the radio. If you search through the iTunes Store for this song, you will find plenty of covers. Yuck.

It can be said that the radio has toned down the appreciation and creativity of popular music. Short versions, ads in between plays and countless and tasteless cover versions and samples. This is an extreme generalisation, I know.

But given all that, I must confess that I have a weakness.

Last week, I bought the album ‘The Very Best of Supertramp‘. When I listened to ‘The Logical Song’, my mind almost instantly thought of the version done by the German happy hardcore group Scooter. See the YouTube links for comparison.

Despite trying to block out the Scooter version from my mind in favour of the original, I couldn’t. Maybe it’s because I currently enjoy some forms of dance music. Who knows? Mind you, I still thoroughly enjoy the original. Often, they are the best version out of the lot. The only reaction for me is to simply laugh it off. *cue laughter*

This is a behaviour that will linger in my mind for sometime, perhaps until I get tired of hearing Scooter’s version.

In the meantime, back to exam study. Here’s another pair of songs to fill in the time.

8 June 2011

Another interesting recurring conversation…

Filed under: I Wonder,Reflection — Tags: , — Ben @ 8:52 pm

Here’s another recurring conversation topic that I have with other people. See what you make of it.

Me: So, I never went to my Year 12 formal.
Other: Really? Why?
M: Oh you know, political reasons.
O: Political reasons?
M: Yeah, tensions between me and the organising committee. They didn’t want me organising it.
O: I see.
M: But on the other hand, I did spend an hour outside Luna Park taking photos for everybody.
O: That’s very nice of you.

18 May 2011

A recurring conversation topic

Filed under: I Wonder,Reflection — Ben @ 10:00 am

SHB during Earth Hour 2008

The Sydney Harbour Bridge during Earth Hour 2008.

During university, I talk to people who I have just met for the first time. A question I often ask (a local) is which part of Sydney they are from. This question usually leads to questions about how they get to uni. I say that I have to catch the train across the Harbour Bridge each day. Then a statement similar to this arises:

Wow! Really? What’s it like crossing the Bridge each day?!

The answer: It gets boring after the first time. The only interesting times after that is when a big cruise ship is docked, or when some idiot dumps dirt on the road.

Just thought I’d share this with you.

10 May 2011

What am I?

Filed under: I Wonder — Tags: , , — Ben @ 3:37 pm

If you saw me across the hallway, would you think I am a local student, or an international student?

(Assuming you never hear me speak)

I’ve wanted to ask this question to passers-by at university for a while now. But thinking about it, if you were asked that question by me, you would think that I am a bit weird.

If you were to hear me speak, that would defeat the purpose of asking the question.

So instead I’m asking it here, and I’ll explain why I am interested in your answer.

First off, here is a picture of me:

This question arose after noticing the high proportion of international (mostly Chinese) students at Macquarie University. A similar claim can be made for other major Sydney universities.

I want to know how my look was perceived by the public. Do I look like an Aussie? Or do I look like a migrant/vistor?

After having studied belonging and identity in Year 12 English, I have been interested in seeing how much people have to do to ‘fit in’. My unscientific definition of ‘fit in’ is “to not feel out of place, or like a fish out of water”. Can someone fit in by just speaking the language (English)? Or does one have to fully adopt and accept the culture and mannerisms of the society?

I’ve noticed some changes in my behaviour, mostly in order to generate some small talk.

With your input, I’m able to judge whether I look more like a local or international student. It will also help me to understand what others think about this issue.

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »