Darling habour

Today is the first weekend of our Australia trip. We went to another landmark of Sydney-Darling Habour. We got on ferry at Circular Quay and got off at the pier neer Darling Habour Aquarium. This place is really a paradise to relax and suitable for family with children. I really like the friendly facilities in Sydney's tourist spots. Tourists will not have trouble to find toilets which is really important for seniors and children. Also, the toilets are really clean. I think most backpack travellers would agree with my opinion. I feel I can really relax at this moment. Sydney is the right destination in January.

Korean restaurant at Eastwood

We decideded to go a little bit further after work this afternoon. One of the colleagues at MELCOE told me that Eastwood has large aisan population and genuine asian foods. We chose a restaurant close to the station. The meals were excellent and really a taste of Korean from my point of view.

MELCOE的LAMS軟體

此次來到澳洲雪梨的Macquarie University的數位學習中心，主要是來學習LAMS電子化課程設計運用，LAMS為一個視覺化介面的課程設計軟體(看起來有點類似Macromedia的Authorware)，它的主要功能是提供教師與學生將課程設計編製成一個模組，而此模組是利用編程(SEQUENCING)的方式設計，並可重複利用與分享給其他的使用者或教師。我跟中心的主任James談過希望將這套系統介紹到台灣去，因為它是開放源碼，所以完全免費。不過目前並沒有繁體中文介面，因此James請我幫忙將它翻譯為中文，因此在中心的第一天，我除了學習基本的操作外，就利用一個小時將其中的一項功能翻譯成繁體中文。

Sydney Opera House雪梨歌劇院

I got off from work around 4:30 pm. We decided to go to visit one of the world's most famous landmarks-Sydney Opera House. It is really a gorgeous and magnificent building. From the Circular Quay, I can see the habour bridge which is another famous spot in Sydney. I really enjoyed to have couple hours off and walk along the pier.

MELCOE-開始在麥格里大學的數位學習中心進行研究

I begin my offical visit at Macquarie University’s E-Learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE)today. It is my primary goal to understand how LAMS (learning activity management system) is being used and applied at the education settings. Following is a introduction of MELCOE.
"Macquarie University’s E-Learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE) is an international focal point for e-learning infrastructure and standards development. The Centre consolidates Macquarie University’s position at the leading edge of best practice in e-learning. MELCOE is a recognised leader in implementing global standards and specifications for learning technology. Through collaborations with educational organisations, government and commercial partners, MELCOE fosters the adoption of the next generation of distributed e-learning and information systems. MELCOE’s unique approach fosters innovation and creativity in e-learning software development and implementation driven by open standards."

A long flight to the south hemisphere

It took about 14 hours fly from Taipei to Syndeny. We flew to Hong Kong to cath the Qantas airway to Sydeny. It was really a long flight because I coundn't get sleep during the flight. We arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith airport around 8:40 AM, and the custom inspection took so long because they scan most people's luggages even they have nothing to declare. I think it must be terrible when the Olympic game was held in Sydney in 2000. My host Leanne Cameron asked us to take train to Burwood station. It was not a problem for us to find the station, and we met around 11:00 am outside the station. We then took shower and slept for a while. Around the evening, we had our first offcial dinner in an Italian restaurant at Concord shopping center. We ordered a pizza that is pretty unique. It came with figs (無花果)(see the picture on the left). I am a big fan of Italian foods when I studied in the States. I also had an Italian beer which is similar to Stella, a Belgium beer. It is really nice to enjoy summer in Australia.

Going to Sydney, Australia

I begin my offcial visit to Australia today. I am pretty excited about to visit one of the biggest coutries in the world. This visit will be rewarding and productive.

early bird or early worm?

Oh if you’re a bird, be an early bird and catch the worm for your breakfast plate.If you’re a bird, be an early early bird. But if you’re a worm, sleep late.

Recall life in San Francisco

I visited my alma mater (San Francisco State University) in April last year. It was nice to go back to the place I was familiar with. I spent 3 hours to see all the buildings on campus, and I especially pay attention to the classrooms and computer labs I used to stay and work. San Francisco is really a place inspiring me in many ways. I found my career goal here, and my language skill improved when I studied at San Francisco State University. Also, I got my first “good paid” job in the Bay area too. I had so many good memories in San Francisco. A famous song's name “ I left my heart in San Francisco” (by Tony Bennett) really describes my feelings toward San Francisco.