The Birds of Cockatoo Island BOS17

17th Biennale of Sydney is on and I spent Sunday out there and took a heap of shots.
This evening I present...

Thirsty gulls

Crow

Crow 3

Crow 2

Bird sunning on mooring

Why the video of the ugly bird?

So why have I been posting strange little YouTube videos for the last couple of years?
I’ve been practising.

White Ibis

I’m planning on ‘chucking’ full time employ, and doing a film coarse next year.
The mid-year intake Open Days are currently being run so last weekend I attended the Sydney Film School Open Day to check out a potential option.

The school fills out a converted old ware house in the middle of the city.
I could see students cutting up strips of film on editing desks as I entered the common area.
The building didn’t seem overbearing or pretentious and I instantly felt comfortable.

Documentary and drama production are taught. The school has the belief that good films are made by good teams

Drama students start with film, and then move them onto digital. The school reckons that learning with (old fashion :-) film builds good discipline.
Doco students are digital all the way through.

It’s a private school, and the only entrance criteria are that students pay the tuition and that their personalities ‘fit’ with the place. That entails and interview with the staff.
Last year a hundred student short films were produced, and in four years forty three films have screened in film festivals round the world.
They believe in a broad training in a variety of disciplines rather then train specialist directors or sound guys.
Strong affiliations with international schools.

I liked the vibe of the place. Vibes are important. It’s your sub-conscious elbowing you in the ribs and wiggling its eyebrows.
I really liked their emphasis on collaboration, and they are actively trying to build a larger film community in Oz. This is important to me as unlike a doctor or a teacher, I don’t NEED to go to school to get in the industry, but I’m looking to find a community to slot into.
If there is one thing I’ve learnt in life, it’s that connections are more important then qualifications or talent.

Zen Duck

Get yourself a cuppa, light some incense, and chill out with the ducks...

Zen Duck

Entry for June 03, 2007: Grumpy Gutz

Bit grumpy today cause I was supposed to be going bush walking, but I slept in and missed the rendezvous time.
I didn’t get home till half twelve last night from the soccer game.
It was Australia v Uruguay and we lost 3/1.

There is probably a video coming next week.

To make up for not going on the walk, I wandered up along the beaches and back.

There is probably a video of that coming too.

Today’s video is of some visitors that I’ve had to the flat.

They are Corellas and Rosellas. I\u2019m not sure what Corellas eat, but Rosellas are partal to honey, which is what they are licking at.
Rosellas are usually in pairs, so I think they mate for life. Very cute when you catch them grooming each other.

Video of a Crane.

Kind of fascinating watching it fish.

No I don’t have anything better to do with my time.
At least I’m not lurking in the bushes stalking movie stars!

Dishwashing blues

Ahhhhhh,
This is going to sound weird, but I can’t wash up my dishes and I’m ‘pissed off!’
The sink is stacked with greasy plates, crusted cutlery, grimy glasses, and is half full of hot water.
But where the hell did the detergent go?
I’ve been eating lamb chops, and bacon, and hummus, and egg, and olive oil, and tomatoes, and mashed potatoes blended with sheep’s yogurt.
I NEED DETERGENT TO MOVE THIS STUFF.

I did have a bottle of detergent.
It was sitting on the window sill above the kitchen sink.
But it’s gone.
Did it fall out the window?
This seems to be the only option, cause I’ve searched all over the flat.

I live on the seventh floor.
A bottle of apple scented detergent falling seven floors is going to make a decent impact right?
I wonder if it hit some one?
Maybe it’s worth not pursuing this issue?
Could the plunging bottle have killed someone’s cat? Or at least scared the living bejesus out of a moggy as the bottle smashed against the earth.
That would be a bonus at least.

I was planning on starting the week with vacuumed floors, clean dishes, and ironed shirts.
It takes a bit of metal momentum for me to attempt these sorts of household chores.
Now my brain is fried.
I managed to get the floor vacuumed before this train wreck occurred, but the pile of laundry waiting for dewrinkerling has become an unscaleable mountain.
I’m writing this blog, just to avoid confronting the obstacle.

Things that I'm wondering about this device...

• Will it tag the photos with GPS info?
• Can this info be read by sites such as
  Flickr for instant Geotagging?
• Can it GPS tag the video?
• How much better then Mjpg, is the Mpeg4
  format that they have decided to use?
• Will it be able to take a series of photos
  at predefined intervals?
• Does it make coffee?

Entry for June 15, 2006: Ducks.

I like ducks. Have done for a while now. Less the farm type duck. More the undomesticated, honed in the wilderness sort of duck (park ducks sort of count.)

Kookaburras are cool, when you realise that they are a really big kingfisher. They like to roost in the evenings, squashed up together in a group, strung out along a brunch like a large furry caterpillar.

Rosellas have plumage so bright that when you see one in direct sunlight, you doubt the reliability of your eyesight. They hang out in pairs, like a farming couple. Tough as nails, but sweet with each other.

Willy Wag Tails are the size of a thumb. So small, that it’s hard to believe that internal organs can be so tiny, and yet function.

Cockatoos are impressive when they raise the sulphur coloured crest. But they are so irritating, with a screeching call and the penchant for eating houses, that you will find yourself wondering where you can track down a shotgun.

It’s harder to explain the attraction of the duck. Bright little eyes, the quack is endearing, and the bills are rounded and efficient.