With all this talk of the 'unliveability' of the pension, I started to think about studying and money (or lack thereof). I think it's worth pointing out that Student Allowances at their maximum level (and with rent assistance included) amount to $200 a week, while pensioners recieve $300 a week. Both levels are disgraceful. People can't live like this, as shown by the article below, which found 1 in 8 students regularly miss a meal or go without essentials because they can't afford them.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22208668-29277,00.html

Hi y'all,
So I'm over it already. The being home thing. We only landed at 6:30am yesterday and already I'm over it.
Mostly it's the weather but also it's our pokey little mouldy house and the 2 weeks of uni I have to catch up on. Blegh. Spanish.
It's not all bad. Last night Dani came round and we had Thai. Ah, Thai. It had been much too long. And today we had brunch with Rui's brother and checked out the Glebe markets. I swear the coffee is stronger in Australia.
Anyway, we're thinking of doing afternoon drinks soon if anyone's around and up for it. Surry Hills is the plan, 3-ish. If you're interested in my (still ongoing) Spain/Portugal blong  and photos check 'em out here. Saves me boring those who don't want to be bored.
http://losquelos.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28403647@N02/
bejinos,
        Lau

Oh Sydney Uni. You motherfuckers. You with your aesthetically unpleasing and badly organised website, like a filing cabinet tipped into a bathtub full of acid.

Let's try a simple test. Say I want a phone number. Let's say, for the sake of argument, Adam Adamson in Architecture. How would one go about that? Oh, simple, right? The website must have a phone book. Let's try this: USYD Home>contact>staff>design>architecture. Type in full name. Error! No match found. Type in 'A'. Same again. Ummm....alphabetical list of staff, anyone? WTF? Search Google>'usyd architecture'>home>staff>teaching staff>Adam Adamson>profile. Wow. Great system guys. I know shit about computers, but I know I shouldn't have to use Google to find a staff contact number for THE OLDEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY IN THE COUNTRY.

Before I left for Portugal, the unthinkable happened. My timetable was online. In its entirity. So I jigged it around a bit, got it to my satisfaction. But what happens? Oops! This week, one of my classes was cancelled. So now I have to take Spanish at 5pm, after a fully scheduled Monday? Lovely.

So I try to change it. But what's that? The centrally timetabled units of study aren't available from overseas, so I can't see when the class is runing? Oh, and rather than just being given a list of available times and PICKING ONE I have to play your stupid little 'select a full day or two timeslots when you're not available' option and 'we'll timetable it for you'. Subtext: we don't trust you, student scum. Get out of our lumbering antique admin system and back to your parents' house where you belong.

*Sigh* Ok, ok. So I ring my mum and she looks up the timeslots for my Spanish class for me. I find one that suits. But what's this? They've sceduled me a NON-EXISTENT LECTURE WHICH CLASHES WITH THE CLASS I WANT. AAAUUGH! And it can't be moved? And timetabling doesn't have an email address, nor a phone number? And no one from any of the departments that run my courses can do anything? And timetabling is open Monday to Friday, 9:30 till 4, until August 1st, and I get back to Australia on August 8th?

And I thought this time, it was all gonna be ok.

So this weekend was very productive...

The tastiest procrastination.

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Buying things for people who aren't me = no chance of guilt.

The other day as I crossed Cleveland Street I saw

A man...
                   ...driving a car...
                                      ...smoking a pipe!

And really, what else is there?