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Byron Bay & Geography

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ByronBay

Quickly quickly.. because *singing in unison* I am super busy:
This is very old drawing. At least… 5 or 6 months !!! wouhou.

I said “very old” because things are rapidly changing here in Australia and there around the world, that 6 months can be a long long time.

I said “here in Australia” because obviously, being in exchange is not quite the same as living at home. Here, I am constantly watching the landscape, the vegetation, the people (I know it is not polite, but hey! people are fascinating). I perceive so many new things that I always want to give my own interpretation of these through my drawings. When you are away, you see everyday life with new eyes. Like.. what seems to be ordinary for local people might actually be very curious for me. I strongly feel that way, even in a western culture such as Australia which apparently seems much alike France or Swiss’ culture. I think that is partly why my drawing skill is changing everyday, because my creativity is fed by such novelty. Even when I am asleep, or while I am studying, or while I am talking I feel like the way I draw evolves. It is also because the act of drawing is related to the right side of the brain (I read something about that, it is a riveting topic by the way!) blabla.

Anyway, let us come back to the topic: The changing nature of things

I spoke about changing things “around the world” because this semester, Geography and I have decided to make peace after 4 years of love-hate relationship. I am proud to say that I took the first step in this endeavour by taking “Geographies of Global Change” class. And guess what? Geography has seemed to feel the same way so far ♥. I am absolutely delighted! The teacher is so good, interesting and it is really refreshing to study a “well-known” subject from such a different perspective, especially when she talks about France or Europe (she hasn’t mention Switzerland …..yet). I put “well-known subject” between commas (that’s irony-) because I feel that, even though I have gained knowledge about Geography during my 3 years study in Switzerland (hell yeah! Sometimes with pleasure for human geography and sometimes unwillingly when it was about geomorphology), I always felt like I couldn’t really, deeply understand the purpose of my studies and why geography matters so much. BUT NOW I GET IT!! Explaining now the secret would take too much time. J’ai déjà explosé mon forfait msn et blog du jour. Puréé je suis en forme aujourd’hui.

So quickly quickly, to give you a small explanation of the drawing: this is a picture of Byron Bay that I did start during our road trip in September and that I have just finished (procrastination hello).
Byron Bay is such a cool place. Cool place for cool kids. If I was cool and if I was a surfer, I would definitely live in Byron Bay. (East Coast Baby!)
Since I am not cool (apparently to be uncool is the new cool haha) but above all I do not surf, I just don’t. If I ever move there, I am not sure that I would fit in.
Yet, I still really enjoyed our stay in Byron Bay, especially at the Arts Factory – Backpackers Lodge (bon là on atteint le sommet de la coolitude les gars!).

It is all for today.

Abruptly & joyfully ♪ ♫

Fifty Shades of Sydney – Chapter 13 + Galaxtree

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Fitfty

Hoy,

Just some little words to say that everything is okay but, with all this master applications and with the beginning of the second semester, I do not really find the time to write long piece of text here.

My trip to the Blue Mountains was really nice, especially the hike to Wentworth Waterfalls. The landscapes are breathtaking and despite the heat (more than 36°) and a tricky part where you have to climb ladders, the view is well worth the effort!! I will post something exclusively on this area.

Today, you can see that I am still obsessed with the idea of drawing the galaxy and tree. Voilà voilà

Sorry for dashing off this post 😀

Bisousousou

galaxtree

Random Access Memories – Last beat

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Hello,

In order to complete the collection of drawings from Bali, I am happy to share with you these last two drawings as well as the story and picture(s) that go with each. Ready?

THE GHOST HOTEL

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The story takes place in Bedugul, it was just after visiting the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple. We were sitting in the middle of the lake and I let you imagine how much the fog gave a special atmosphere to the lake: a kind of mystic or magic air somehow, especially if you have a vivid imagination. I remember that, after taking the picture, we walked for a while on the shore. It was already dusk, we were hungry, we had seen some lights far away and we had guessed that it was a restaurant. At some point, we couldn’t apparently go any further because there were big stones and heavy vegetation blocking the way. Since we were very close to the lights (and starving) we decided to climb the stones anyway with help of our flashlight’s phones because it was getting very dark. C’était casse-gueule mais bon. After climbing the rocks, we found a little Iron Gate leading to a stone stairway. We climbed the stairs and arrived into a very curious and quite disturbing temple.

*toumtoumtoum* ♪

At that moment, we began to feel that it was obviously not the gateway and that it was perhaps not a good idea to be there. Anyway, we managed to get out of the temple and… arrived into a huge and completely empty hotel. There were hundreds of tables on a terrace facing the lake (that must have been the lights that we had seen before). Not only that, there were like a giant ballroom, dining room, breakfast room with red curtains and fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.. like in Titanic or something!!

And yet, we did not see any living soul.

Quite frankly, I felt more like in Shining than Titanic.

Eventually, we bumped into a woman –a waitress—. It was funny to see that we were more surprised than she was even though we had entered by the back and that we were alone in the hotel; she gave us the menu, took our orders with a straight face. Later, when I went to restroom, I had to cross the ball room (I saw two rats on my way) and spotted a very old lady, who was sitting on the middle of the piece and watching a completely- fucked-up- Indonesian-reality-show. THIS WHOLE SITUATION WAS SO WEIRD.

Anyway, we ate all right and left by the front door this time, but in the complete darkness. There were no lights on the front of the hotel…

We thought that we were far away from our own hotel with all we had to walk along the lake but actually less than 5 minutes later, we came across our hotel! That was a bit disturbing as well. (Voilà pour l’anecdote. Non, il n’y a pas d’autres chute).

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THE APE EMPIRES

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For this one: In Ubud (big up to all the members of Eat Prey Love’s Fan Club) we went to the Sacred Monkey Forest. One of the first things that have happened is that a monkey robbed one of my earrings. Goodness me! It was fortunate that I was not wearing my diamonds that day! (LOL)

Then, another damned monkey stole the cup that I used to use for painting. As its name suggests, the monkeys (or forest I am not sure) are, well, sacred. So needless to say that there was no way that I could bring my properties back in this ape world.

I felt dispossessed. 😀

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On another matter, I go back to school in less than one week. It I can’t believe that the summer is almost over: the three months have gone sooo fast! Melbourne was amazing and I am going to blue mountains tomorrow for three days so that means that I see you very soon for other adventures !

Travelling in Slow Motion

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Fantasy

I left for Melbourne last Tuesday. I am going on holiday after these intense weeks of English class.

I decided to go by train because I prefer travelling in slow motion when I have the time. That way, I can really feel the distance and the movement is also part of the journey.

I think that rail is my favourite mode of transport because I don’t get sick when I read on the train or when I look at the landscapes. Besides, trains have often been a thematic in my drawings. I love this thematic perhaps because of the film “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki and especially the moment where Chihiro walks on the sea and catches a train in middle of the water. In think this is one of the most inspiring scenes in a film that I have ever seen.

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Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki

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Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki

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Tiphaine and me, the 26th of Mars 2013 (almost 3 years ago!!) “I love taking the train with Titi. I love taking the train actually, especially the trip “Geneva-Lausanne”, on the morning, on the seat next to the widow, with the view on the lake and if possible, in the direction to travel”

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My interpretation of the movie, the 29th of January 2014 (two years ago!)

I am taking a night train and for sure, it won’t be like my drawing at the beginning of the article at all because, first, l’Ayers Rock is not on the way between Sydney and Melbourne. Second, one of my friend has just told me that even though it is during the night, there is no beds in this train (et merde). Third, I am in Economy class so I think that I can forget the idea of space and comfort. I don’t care, I mean.. I am on holiday !!!!

One day, I would love to go either on the Orient Express or the Trans-Siberian Railway. I am sure Nina would be up for it.

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Flowers in the hair, flowers in the air

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cerise

draft

the draft

 

I love when people wear flowers in their hair. It always remains me Aung San Suu Kyi, who is a woman who has fought for the democracy in Burma and who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

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the final.

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Aung San Suu Kyi

Wearing flowers in my hair remains me my mother as well. ♥

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Aung San Suu Kyi

For the anecdote:

Last week, on the way between the post office and home, I picked some flowers which have fallen on the ground. When I came home, I asked one of my housemate to help me with taking an artistic picture. My original idea was just to take a picture of the flowers resting in my hands, as you can see below. By the way, my glittering nail polish is an intended part of the artistic installation. The golden glitters represent the stars and the Universe and the eternity while we can say that the flowers symbolise the ephemeral aspect of the life…

I am kidding of course. There was a bargain on bad taste nail polish at Big W. 😀

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Anyway, when I asked my housemate, he told me “yeah sure. Do you want me to take a picture of you while you are throwing the flowers in the air?” Regarding my initial idea and the fact that he is like.. the engineer of the house who is not really interested on Arts, I was really surprised that he came out with this idea. Actually I couldn’t stop laughing, because I was picturing the scene in my head.

But then, I thought that the idea of falling flowers was poetic somehow. So we tried to take a picture of this and it has been, I think we can say it, an epic fail. 😀

20160103_120109Hahaha.

I think the worse is that we can see his feet on the right and a little bit of my foot on the bottom.

Random Access Memories

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My dears,

This Sunday, my computer and I would like to unload the majority of the drawings that I made in Bali.

Most of them have been drawn “on the back of an envelope” while I was chatting in a café, or in the taxi while we were driving surrounded by mountains or even when I was walking in the busy streets of Denpasar (that is not a good idea by the way).

That’s why those ones are generally less complex and elaborate than usually. This is part of the charm of a real travel diary. nan ? 😀

Let’s start with the day zero :

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Scandal at Virgin Airline: they had no TV in the plane !!! Fortunately I was well armed with my craft & art stuff.

Ahh, I really want to comment each of these drawings but I have a research paper to finish for tomorrow.

So I’ll leave you to look at the images and to imagine the trip 🙂

 

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Super Mum in the capital

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Failed Selfie at Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple

 

 

 

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Waterfall Hike, Back of the Russian Girl

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Before the Heavy Rain

GREEN

Waterfall Hike

 

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The Beautiful Owner of Our Hotel in Amed

 

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Illegal Taxi (we were not super comfortable)

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GOOD MORNING BALI

GUIDE

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Restaurant in Ubud

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GOOD GIRLS (and good grades 😉

 

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My Delicate Handwriting (LOL)

 

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Another Restaurant

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Sunrise in Mount Batur

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Room With a View

 

 

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Room With a View

 

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First Day

 

I think it is enough for today but I still have some drawings/pictures left.

Bookshop & Big City Life & Time

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cafe_bookshop

Sofia & National Geographic – Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore

Today, with a great deal of pleasure (fancy, I know..), I’d like to introduce to you my second favourite district in Sydney (after the Rocks ) which is… toum toum..

Paddington !

Oulala!
Between the cute handicraft shops, art galleries or nice places where you can share a drink, you will undoubtedly find something to please yourself.
Paddington is an inner-district: in terms of distance it is very close from the skyscrapers and from the “Australian Times Square” (yeah man, we have our own shopping sanctuary here). However when you are walking around Paddington, you don’t feel the hustle and bustle of daily life in Sydney. There are not that many cars, building height is quite low and you won’t find giant shopping mall. In short, it is like a remote village within a global city.

What this kind of place tells me is that I could live into a big city (and it is probably going to be the case because at some point, urban sprawl won’t be a possible scenario at all. This was engaged geography minute)

…I could live in  provided that it doesn’t look like a big city. This is where green infrastructure and others ways which try to make big-city-life better, come in.

Lucy, when I come back, we will be able to sing right. I finally looked up the real lyrics, not the one we used to sing in yahourt:
“Big City Life, try forget by
Pressure nah ease up no matter how hard me try
Big City Life, my heart have no base
And right now Babylon deep on me case
People in a show, all lined in a row
We just push on by, it’s funny, how hard we try
Take a moment to relax, before you do anything rash”

But let’s get back to our subject. Paddington.

We went to the “Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore” located on Oxford street.
“This sophisticated venue is a wine bar, cafe & bookstore all rolled in to one. It reveals a hidden library upstairs, with book lined walls. Wooden tables and Bentwood chairs give the venue the feel of a chic living room. Ardent readers can enjoy browsing the titles on the shelves as they swap notes with their friends. All, of course, whilst enjoying a glass of wine or cocktail (Elsa’s Note : Or a cup of tea chaï) in hand”

Books + Tea +  Wood+ Friend + Food = I was overjoyed!

Speaking about books, I currently am reading “The Power of Slow : 101 Ways to Save Time in our 24/7 World” written by Christine Louise Hohlbaum. It is interesting. Not everything but many things. For example, she challenges the idea that “Time in money” (big up Papa) or she busters “the Myth of Multitasking”. Eventually, the way she defines the notion of Time has made me think a lot.

“Have you ever tried to fight the wind? If you were a fisherman, you would know it is not possible to combat a force much larger than yourself. You have to go with it, not against it, to maintain your own equilibrium. You can certainly harness the wind’s power with turbines and windmills; you can utilize its energy to propel yourself forward with sails and fibreglass. Despite all the things you can do with wind, it remains a juggernaut you cannot really control (…)

Time, my friend, is no different.” (p. 15)

She argues that we can actually save time by slowing down. It is cool. It has worked for me so far.

Also, I’d really recommend that all chronic procrastinators read it. 🙂 (Nana)

Okay it’s time to stop, I am hungry. I just want to say that now, I will post one article per week instead of one every 5 days. I am quite sure you would have noticed if I haven’t told you but I felt like I had to tell you (what a honest person!) It is just that now that I write more (wouhou), I need more time. And 5 days it is complicated to integrate into my routine.

If I feel brave, I will post more, but for the moment let’s say that Sunday will be my publication day. ♪♫

See you in 7 days.

Merry Christmas !

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Sea and Christmas Tree

As Charlotte said :

“When you have the Christmas lights on AND the fan/air con.

How does this make sense?“

 That is a powerful point.

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A barbie. (Australian nickname for “Barbecue”)

From my point of view, having a barbecue, cooking tzatziki (you know the strained yoghurt mixed with cucumbers..), wearing shorts, complaining about the heat, listening Christmas Song while eating Ice Cream, swimming outside, going on the beach and getting a sunburnt … on Christmas Day,

seem all to be anachronisms.

According to Wikipedia, “an anachronism is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of person(s), events, objects, or customs from different periods of time.“. I am sure it exists a more accurate concept to explain what I feel by being in Australia during holidays season but I guess I didn’t listen enough my French class in High School..

Okay, it is the last time I speak about Christmas. ‘Just want to say that we had an overdose of Frank Sinatra’s songs and all the others typical songs. But I like this one, even if I didn’t drive home for Christmas.  ♪♫

Thank you for your messages/emails/parcels/thoughts!

Merry Christmas and Gros love !

An overview of Bali

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Bali

Well, I am about to have three different Christmas (lucky me), so I am kind of busy with food recipes and kitch decoration (I love decoration).

But I just wanted to say that Bali has been a beautiful trip. This island is so inspiring that I couldn’t stop drawing there.

As I wrote to my Family from Melbourne (I have family in Melbourne ! World is small !) :

“Bali has a rich and enriching culture. I really appreciated all the flower offerings and temples, the Balinese are very kind and smiley and above all the landscapes are breathtaking (unfortunately, the island is quite polluted though..)

Anyway, now that I am back, I take some time to integrate that I saw. “

And I take the time to quietly complete my drawings.

‘Can’t wait to show you !

Special thanks to my fellow travellers: Julia & Lera. You made my trip.  ♥

PS: The drawing takes place into the Botanic Garden Eka Karya Botanic Garden. Actually it was raining like crazy when we got there..but sometimes, I confess, I cheat. That is what is cool with drawing : I can embellish reality. I don’t even feel guilty about it.