November 27, 2009
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Two years on…
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.
Comments (25)
wow thats great stuff.. when was this on?
i regularly see bunch of cyclists on the road but didnt realise there was such a big even on..
looks like u had a blast!
@keioffice -
Critical Mass in Sydney happens on the last Friday of each month. Meet next to the Archibald Fountain at Hyde Park at 5:30 pm for a 6 pm start.
The biggest ride in the year is the November ride where we cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the road.
do we need our own bike and helmet?
@keioffice -
Yes, you need your own bike and helmet. If you don’t have one, go to the Bike Club and see if they have any spares. Details here: http://bikeclub.wordpress.com/
i havent been biking since my younger days haha but it definitely does look fun!
might see you there..
@keioffice -
Since your younger days, you say? It’s a shame that many people who rode bicycles when they were kids stop doing it when they grow up. It’s a great way to get around. I commute by bicycle because it’s faster than catching the train, and I live right next to a train station. Yes, the trains are really that bad.
Ironically, most Critical Mass participants tend to be middle-aged people. I’m actually one of the younger regulars. Some people bring their kids, but those people don’t tend to come as often.
yeh pretty much, i used to bike alot around my area with older bmx’s where we’d go riding in new houses and complexes that were still being built in my area.
must admit after seeing these photos, im starting to miss the whole biking thing!
yeh? where in sydney do you reside?
man dont get started on trains, thats why i drive to work everywhere, cant stand the trains!
@keioffice -
Have you got a long way to drive to work?
I live about 10 km away from Sydney Uni, and I have to cross the Harbour Bridge to get there. Driving there doesn’t really save any time because of the time it takes to park. So, at the end, riding in is the best because it’s fun.
The bike also comes in handy for riding between my classes. I had back-to-back classes on opposite sides of campus, and without the bike there’s no way I could’ve got to them on time.
yeh i live in liverpool which is 45-50mins from the city.. traffic can be really bad at peak hour going home but it still beats crowded trains haha
no better luxury than to drive home with air con when needed with minimal delays..
yeh? thats pretty good, ur last blog entries are about bikes too i see! my old university was sydney uni, i miss that place.. has a different atmosphere than other unis! i actually went in the other day just to see what it was like, as when i left they were still in the middle of major construction and i must say the place looks really good now, really are modernising it.
what are u studying there?
@keioffice -
Yes, the campus has changed a lot. I started in 2007, and Eastern Ave was still a road at the time, and I’d usually be a bit tired after riding up University Ave, and there were usually cars behind me so I’d feel as if they were chasing me down to Carslaw. Now that it’s paved, I can usually coast all the way down without pedalling. I’ve seen the SciTech Library and the New Law Building open.
I study electrical engineering and linguistics. This year I did some Latin too. (Engineering/arts double degree, that’s why I get to do subjects with nothing to do with each other.)
I first started cycling because my classes were too far apart. One semester I had a lecture in the Quad immediately followed by one in the Electrical Engineering Building. I would’ve been late all the time if I didn’t have the bike. Can’t go too fast on the bike though. Lots of people don’t look before crossing, and many just walk on the road because the footpaths aren’t wide enough.
over at the back of wentworth, there are chairs too! we never got chairs haha
yeh it looks alot nicer eh? wow electrical engineering and linguistics, sounds like opposite ends of the earth.. i did telecommunications engineering and it was pretty cool, u dont look like an engineering sort of person but then again thats just off first impressions!
are u in 1st year? 2nd year? wish i was back in uni sometimes, fulltime work really does your week in, id take exams and assignments over meetings and schedules anyday..
@keioffice -
I’ve finished 3rd year (out of 5). Waiting for results now. (Not sure if I want to see them.)
I’ve had people say I “look like an arts student”. I think it’s mainly the colourful clothes. Not that I see many of my arts classmates dress the way I do. I think I’d be even less likely to see someone else in engineering dress like that though. (I would think that I simply look like a cyclist with all the fluoro, but most people don’t point that out.)
At O-Week this year, SASS handed out “This is what an arts student looks like” badges. (Too bad they didn’t have any left when I got there.) Would’ve been kind of appropriate for me. Then again, that would probably be kind of perpetuating stereotypes.
2 years to go.. enjoy it while you can!
how do u find the ELEC subjects, im guessing you dont have to do as many as single degree students right? my course was like 5-6 subjects a semester back when i did it and all i can say is that it was like a fulltime job 30+ hours!
this is what an arts student looks like? haha
@keioffice -
These days, the normal workload for most students is 24 credit points, which is usually 4 subjects of 6 credit points each except for first year where one does two maths units that are 3 credit points each.
Since I have to fit in the arts subjects somewhere, I do fewer engineering subjects than someone who does engineering on its own, and since arts subjects have fewer hours than engineering ones, I usually end up with 4 or 5 hours fewer. On the other hand, arts subjects do tend to have more assignments.
I find most of the ELEC subjects quite difficult. 2104 (Electronic Circuits and Devices) was just boring. I liked 3304 (Control) though.
I happen to have picked all easy subjects for arts, so generally one arts subject is a lighter workload than one engineering subject. Overall I’d say that the stereotype of arts students being bludgers is NOT true though. There are difficult arts units that require a lot of essay writing, and most of the arts students I know seem to do a lot of those. (If anything, I would probably fail quite badly if I did arts on its own because then I wouldn’t be able to get away with just doing all easy stuff.)
hey thats pretty good, ive had semesters with 30 and 36 credit points.. its crazy!
haha i still remember 2104, is kumar or yash (nicknames for the lecturers u might be familiar with) still teaching em?
i remember doing a subject for arts called cyberworlds, cant remember the alphanum code but basically all we did was go in and talk about online personas, games, love, lifes on the internet and had like 1 essay and an online blog to write which were so easy and that was it!
are you goign to pursue ur arts or engineering studies after you finish uni?
sorry for my late reply, was out and about over the weekend! how was yours?
@keioffice -
My weekend was great. I went to a friend’s farewell party last night, and then I went on another bike ride today and had a picnic at Centennial Park at the end.
Under the current rules, one may do up to 30 credit points a semester and 54 a year (not counting summer/winter school). I managed to get the permission to do 30 in both semesters last year anyway because Kumar (who is the combined degree advisor) didn’t really pay attention to what he was signing. xD I also did summer and winter school. That’s 72 credit points altogether last year… but my plans of accelerating have fallen through because I should’ve done ELEC2104 last year and I didn’t. (And yes, Kumar still teaches that. Yash teaches 3304.)
I got my results for three subjects so far. I only just passed ELEC2104 and 3304, and I got a distinction in Latin. Ironically, I’ve been missing half the Latin classes because of clashes with the ELEC units, and it ends up being my best unit out of the three. (In a way, I kind of resented the ELEC units because of the clash. I can make myself go to those classes, but there’s no changing where I would really rather be.)
u really like ur bikes! haha
do you ever go on bike trails? or just keep it suburban.
LOL that sounds like kumar, i had a similar experience with him signing me off to do a subject that was meant for electrical engineering (i did telecommunications) and sounded just as urs..
yeh, to be honest, elec isnt the easiest subject to get a D in anyway.. im not sure how i managed to pass 2nd year the way i was going, cruising through haha.. really picked up in 3rd year though when i realised cruising isnt going to get me anywhere..
yeh? u mean like a group dinner/outing? i saw 2012 on the weekend and wow it was a bad movie..
@keioffice -
Yes, I really like my bike. On Facebook, I’m in a group called “Love me love my bicycle“.
I don’t normally do much mountain biking, but I did go on a bike trail at Faulconbridge a week ago. It’s not too rough. I rode my hybrid bike and it was still alright. The trip back home wasn’t so good though. I caught a train from Springwood, and when it got to Penrith, the staff told everyone on that train to change to another train that had no air conditioning. It was really hot on that day. By the time it got to Parramatta, I was considering getting off and riding the rest of the way (but I didn’t).
If Kumar would sign off electrical engineering subjects (which are at least in his department) without checking, imagine what he was like with arts units. He didn’t know what functional grammar was, and asked me if it was an English subject. (I would think that the LNGS code made it obvious. xD)
I think next year will be time for me to stop cruising. I’m not so sure about doing second-year Latin any more. Not because I don’t want to do it, but because I’m worried that I’ll end up spending too much time on it to the point where it’ll affect my other subjects.
My friend’s party was at her house. At some point we started dancing. I can’t actually dance, but I get away with waving my lights around and looking like I’m dancing in disco lights.
Another friend did invite me (and some other friends) to watch 2012, but that was in the week before my exams so I couldn’t go.
yeh it shows!
so how good are u at spell checking? wow springwood, i remember seeing that suburb on the way to the blue mountains!
yeh thats public transport for you! haha kumar, funny guy.. do you wanna become an engineer when you finish uni? thast what im doing at the moment but im pretty interested in a career change, dont think i can stick to engineering for the rest of my life!
house party eh, lights? sounds like a rave! with glow sticks haha.. if youre going to watch 2012 but are expecting something original and good, save your money and just watch it online or download it (dunno how asian you are).. i was glad i did ^^
talk about xanga conversations haha
@keioffice -
I used to pick on my friends’ spelling all the time when I talked to them on MSN. (I don’t really do that any more though.) That’s why I first chose the name. I’m also usually the first one to notice typos on menus, street signs or TV subtitles.
The whole idea of studying engineering is that getting a job as an engineer would at least be easier than having to answer the age-old “What are you going to do with THAT?” question that arts students always get. Maths and science were my best subjects when I was in high school, so engineering was a logical choice when I had to decide what to do at uni. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Study engineering so that I can get a job, and do all those other interesting arts units on the side just for fun.
Now I’m really starting to doubt my choice. I do like everything I’m studying once I get into it, even the difficult engineering subjects… but it’s obvious what I like the most. Sometimes, I even wish that I had just settled for doing engineering on its own, because at least I won’t be torn between engineering and linguistics.
Many of my friends will be doing honours in linguistics next year, and I kind of wish I could do that too, but I don’t have the confidence to do it because that’ll require a lot of writing, which is my weak point. Also, it wouldn’t fit in anywhere with all the engineering units that I still have to do, not to mention that I’ll get in so much trouble with my dad if I even suggest that I’ll take an extra year at uni. In a way, it’s more painful knowing that I at least theoretically have a chance but realistically can’t go for it, than not having the chance at all.
Well, that was depressing. Anyway…
I have friends who are into rave, and they have clothes with colourful reflective strips and all that. My reflective gear actually goes quite well with that kind of stuff. At the friend’s party, I just used my bicycle headlight. The standard comment is “it’s a long walk to Central Station if the batteries run out”. Not that this will actually happen, because I have spare batteries.
(The party was in Newtown, but I don’t normally use Newtown Station because there are no direct trains to the North Shore from there, and I wouldn’t want to have to carry my bike down the stairs.)
haha so thats where u got ur nickname from eh?
interesting i must say! ur friends must of appreciated it.. a spell checker outside of word! haha
to be honest, i have HEAPS of typos on msn, i just type as i want.. think i just try and touchtype too fast.. (im correcting my errors atm so to look good haha)
ur right about the engineering concept, ive always wondered what arts stduents end up doing for a living so thought it would be a good chance to get an insight from you.. most my friends, well actually pretty much all my good uni friends were doing economics, maths, engineering, business, accounting, science etc, anything but arts
its ok, ull still hav eto get a feel of what its like to work in the real world and industry before u’ll really know which onje u wanan do..
your exams are over now though right? i heard results are coming soon.. u should be partying it up if anything
partying with ur bike light? haha hilarious!
im actually going to study nextr year.. looking at masters of project management, but i dont wanna think too much about it yet.. looking for aholiday and first!
@keioffice -
Most people get annoyed very quickly when I point out their spelling mistakes. Some friends ask me to proofread for them though.
I’ve got all my results. Despite missing half the classes due to clashes, my best subject was Latin. I got 77 in it. My worst subject was ELEC3304, in which I got 53.
There are lots of different subject areas under “arts”. People who studied languages can do translation and interpretation. Not so sure about other subject areas. The obvious answer would be research, or maybe teaching, but that can be said for just about any subject area. When this question comes up, I’m glad I study engineering. Realistically, I don’t expect to work in anything directly related to linguistics.
I already party to my physical limits. (Not just in the holidays. All semester long except during exam time.) I need to get fitter so I can have the energy to party more. xD
sorry for the late reply!
im just finishing my application for masters now! do you have msn or gmail?
@keioffice -
I’m “The.MoUsY.spell.checker” on Gmail. (My usernames are more or less the same everywhere. xD)
just shot u an email on gmail!