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The_MoUsY_spell_checker
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Name: Kerry
Country: Australia
Metro: Sydney
Birthday: 9/30/1989
Interests: Drawing, singing, reading, roleplaying, chatting... What do you expect?
Expertise: Spell-checking, helping other people, making pictures way too colourful, finding ways around just about everything
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
Member Since:
10/4/2003
 Lifetime
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| This is the third time I've been on a Critical Mass Harbour Bridge ride. With more than 400 cyclists, this year's turn out isn't bad. I'm glad it didn't rain this time.
As always, it's a great photo opportunity.
There's the crowd at Hyde Park waiting for it to start.
And this time, since it's not raining, we can fit in some posing while we waited for the ride to start.
And then it's time to start!
Typical "stopping in the city" shot complete with someone looking back and someone else taking a photo.
And one where I look back.
And a closeup of me.
And we get closer to the bridge...
Almost there...
There's got to be some interaction between the cyclists and the motorists...
And finally, we got onto the bridge itself.
The obligatory photo of the bridge.
As always, there's the bike lift on the bridge. As the too-much-stuff-girl, I can barely get mine off the ground, so I took a photo instead.
As always, someone I don't know offered to take a photo of me. Back in 2007 when I didn't have panniers, I at least attempted to lift my bike when posing for such a photo, and even then I couldn't get it over my head. This time round there isn't much point in trying.
And then it was time to keep riding.
As with the ride in 2007, once again I have a photo featuring Bina.
Riding up the Pacific Highway at North Sydney, I went past this family on recumbents. Aww... <3
And that's the end of it at North Sydney.
This year, I have stickers to sell.
So, that's another great ride. Critical Mass Harbour Bridge rides will always be special to me. My first one back in 2007 made a real difference to me. It was pretty much the start of my social life. I remember looking at all those cyclists all dressed up for the ride and spotting Miss Helen in the crowd. It was her idea to go to BikeSydney's twilight ride together, and ever since then I've been a regular. All these big group rides also helped me get used to going out and meeting people. Now I'm part of so many groups that it gets annoying when I leave Sydney during the holidays, because I know I'll be missing out on lots of parties. I have a t-shirt that says "Asexuals Party Hardest", and I live up to it.
On the other hand, it also means that I don't really have the same excitement looking forward to events any more. There's just so much happening that it has became the norm for me. Time seems to go by so much more quickly these days. There are so many things happening that I don't even remember everything I've done in a week. I used to always have something interesting to tell mum when she called, but these days I usually can't think of anything to tell her because everything is so interesting and nothing in particular really stands out any more. Back in 2007 I went to Hyde Park an hour early because I was so excited. This year, I arrived 10 minutes before the mass was due to leave. (I did get a flat tyre on my bike on the way there, but still.)
Actually, this lack of excitement also applies to uni. Then again, doesn't this happen to everyone? I was surely a lot more enthusiastic back in first year. This semester, even in stuvac I was already in holiday mood, and I just didn't feel like studying. Once I get into studying, I actually really like it, but I still lack the motivation to start.
And to think that I'll be doing my last arts unit in semester 1 next year... it's all engineering from then on. It's just not as exciting.
Oh well. I know I'll make up for it with all the excitement from riding my bicycle.
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The gearing on this bike is actually more suitable for riding in Sydney than the one I have in Sydney, but this one can't take a luggage rack so it's not really right for riding to uni. Conversely, the bike I have in Sydney has the right kind of gears for climbing the big hills, but it doesn't fold so it's not right for Hong Kong. So, this bike stays in Hong Kong (and the one in Sydney stays in Sydney).
"See you this time next year! I'll miss you." Yes, I actually said that to the bike... while holding back tears and smiling for the camera. Saying goodbye is the one place where I always get teary.
Yes. with both of you too, Alice and Sylvia. Alice, I'll see you around this time next year. Sylvia, "有緣千里能相會" in English would be "fate brings together people even if they are far apart". 有機會再見啦。
My bike is under the green cover now. I'll get to ride it again next time I go back to Hong Kong.
Saying goodbye aside, I'm definitely glad to be back to Sydney. I was tired enough after only getting about 3 hours of sleep on the plane, and this year the staff at the airport seemed to be a lot stricter than last time I came back. Someone questioned me about being a permanent resident returning to Australia (even though I have an Australian passport), and then my contact lenses were mistaken for food when my suitcase went through the X-ray machine.
After just two days to recover from the jetlag, it was time to start summer school. That was tiring. At least I didn't fall asleep in class! I like summer school though. The intensive course is just right for me.
Then again, even though I was tired, after having ridden up Blue Pool Road in Hong Kong, North Sydney does seem a lot easier in comparison. The traffic also looks a lot less intimidating for now. xD
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| When I'm in Sydney, I ride uphill on my way home every day. I remember when I first started cycling to uni, I often had to pull over twice between the Harbour Bridge and my home because the uphill ride was so tiring. Of course, once I got used to it, I have no trouble riding up those hills.
Now that I'm back in Hong Kong, it's time to try something more challenging. I don't have to look far. Blue Pool Road is right nearby.
I managed to ride up to the Cricket Club. It's steep like this almost all the way there, which is about 2.5 km altogether. Appropriately, my iPod played "Still Alive" just before I got to the Cricket Club. "This was a triumph. I'm making a note here, HUGE SUCCESS. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction..." I love it when my iPod does that. I'm glad I didn't play that song at the beginning. For the start of the ride I chose "Dans ma fusée". "Three, two, one, zero, rocket takeoff. Are you comfy, Ilona? Have a nice trip!"
That was last week. Today I decided to try the next part of the challenge, Cricket Club up to Parkview. That's even steeper.
Well, this second part is only about 1.5 km, but it was a lot more tiring. The hill is steeper than it looks in the photo. One thing I can say is, when I look up there it makes me glad that North Sydney isn't anywhere near this steep.
I made it up to Parkview. What a shame that my iPod didn't play "Still Alive" this time. It would've been even more appropriate. My legs aren't that tired, but I could feel my heart beating, and I was out of breath.
Special shout out to Miss Helen: Now I think I can understand how you feel riding uphill.
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| Even though the semester has ended, somehow I still managed to be really busy.
One of the events that I looked forward to the most was of course the Critical Mass Harbour Bridge ride. It rained on that day. How disappointing. So much for all that postering.
Well, while it wasn't as successful as last year, at least 200 people turned up despite the rain. Still fun.
It was especially funny when my iPod played "Still Alive" just when I arrived at the other end of the Harbour Bridge. "This was a triumph. I'm making a note here, huge success. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction..." xD
After the November CM ride, it was time to leave for Hong Kong. I wasn't looking forward to that.
Well, there has to be something here to cheer me up. Dad bought me a bike. Just in time for this group ride that I found via the Hong Kong Critical Mass mailing list. Water-front Bike-ride for Pollution Free Hong Kong... Sounds good.
How ironic is that? There's a "no cycling" sign at the park where the ride started.
Too bad that didn't work out either because of a flat tyre. There was a taxi that carries the spare materials and a photographer, so the marshals arranged for the taxi to take me to the Golden Bauhinia Square (the next stop of the ride) to see if anyone had a patch kit, but it turns out that the bike had a tubeless tyre (Is that even the right translation for "原子呔"?) and it couldn't be patched. How disappointing. Oh well, at least there's still Critical Mass later in the month. (I wouldn't ride alone in Hong Kong (except for in the New Territories where there are bike paths). Hong Kong traffic is scary. On average, the drivers are even worse than the ones in Sydney, and many roads are so narrow that there's no riding past stationary cars.)
Since I was there anyway, I decided to take some photos of the other cyclists while they were stopped.
Someone noticed that I have a better camera than the designated photographer, so I became the second photographer. xD
Bikes aside, I've been eating too much in Hong Kong. (Then again, I'm generally not as hungry when I'm here because I spend most of my time sitting around, so maybe I haven't really been eating as much as I think I have.) Time to make everyone hungry. xD (No, this isn't all in one sitting.)
One thing that wasn't too disappointing was my grades for semester 2. At least I've passed everything, and I did get the HD in Syntax as expected. Now I can truly relax and enjoy my holiday. That said, I do have another problem in that one of the subjects in which I've pre-enroled has been moved from semester 1 to semester 2, and now it's messed up my pre-enrolment. (Not really that much of a surprise knowing the online system. That's what I get for overloading all the time.)
So far, this trip to Hong Kong has been better than last year's. I'm not as moody, not even on the days when I didn't ride the bike. (Of course, getting to ride at least once a few days makes a big difference.) Actually, this reminds me of a comment I got about being in Hong Kong for a whole month. xD Probably right for last year, but maybe less so this time.
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| Well, I didn't have as much chocolate last week. What's my other main focus? Cycling, of course.
One of the highlights of the week was the BikeSydney twilight ride, featuring Art and About.
These Tetris blocks are so cool! Let's just hope they don't fall down like in the actual game. xD
Ooh, tanks.
This one's my favourite:
Can't really tell what these are... xD
This recursive reflection effect is so cool. xD
There was the "Love TV" at Taylor Square.
On our way there, we saw the star Aphrodite standing at a pedestrian crossing, and she cheered when we went past. xD That was kind of funny. Somehow, this kind of reminds me of my officer title "Cupid domestique" in the group "Love me love my bicycle".
Hyde Park also became a gallery for this Art and About thing. Hey, this one has a bicycle in it.
This one is so cute!
I like these lanterns too.
Wednesday was National Ride to Work Day. Now, I normally ride to uni anyway, but with all the people gathered at Bradfield Park for the free breakfast, it's like having a party in the morning. The food wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't too bad either. I drank quite a lot of apple juice. xD
So many people...
Look at all those people coming down the stairs. Some people are very busy giving them HarbourLink flyers. I can see Russ keeping a tally on the number of people crossing the bridge too. Too bad I wasn't fast enough to get a photo of the person who wouldn't take his hands off the handlebars but instead took a flyer with his teeth. That looked kind of interesting. (Then again, I hope the really aggressive flyer-givers at uni don't see things like that, or they'd be expecting that from me too. Wait, they probably already do... xD)
Wow, this person rode down the steep ramp on a recumbent bike. Too bad I didn't get the photo while he was still on the ramp.
I stayed around until the last minute and only just made it to uni on time. xD That's the problem with morning parties. Of course, my iPod and speakers got me quite a lot of attention. As random as it is, I was asked "is that your real hair" again. What an odd question. (Nothing new though. My hairstyle seems to make people think that my hair isn't real. >.<; Of course it's my hair. What else would it be, someone else's hair? xD)
Another bike-related photo: a unicycle on the bike rack. I think it's the first time I've actually seen one on a bike rack. This one is slightly awkwardly positioned so that even though it's smaller than a bicycle, it kind of takes up the slots on both sides. (Then again, I suppose it's better than the motorcycle standing right next to a bike rack as if it's camouflaging with the bicycles. xD)
It'd be funny if one day I get a "Hey, that's my bike!" comment from someone who sees that I've taken a photo of their bike. Not only do I check out bikes more often than I check out people, but I go around taking photos of bicycles too. Then again, I don't really "check out" people at all, so that's kind of a pointless comparison. xD
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