Because I was so fascinated by our observation last night, I took some time in the morning today to learn some facts about the Moon. I opened a few science books I have and found out what the books tell about the Moon, the satellite of our planet Earth. So, let me provide some evidence I found about the Moon.

First, as I mentioned earlier there are a lot of craters on the Moon. The craters on the surface of the Moon are caused by meteorite impacts. Dark areas called Maria or seas are large craters that have been filled with lava.

Another fact is that the Moon is a dry place with no atmosphere or water and consists of mainly solid rocks. With a diameter of about 3,470 kilometres it is quite large for a moon.

The following is about Moon’s orbit. As we all know, the Moon orbits the Earth. The Moon takes 27.3 days in average to orbit our home planet. This is known as one lunar month. The distance of the Moon from the Earth is about 384,400 km. You would take more than nine years to walk there!

The next are a couple more facts that I want you to know. Did you know that the Moon is bigger than Pluto? Did you know also that an astronaut last walked on the Moon was in 1973? There are many more facts but that’s enough from me now.

Many of you must have seen the Moon, also the full moon. What I saw last night from my telescope was just wonderful. It’s one of the beautiful things that I’ve ever seen. How beautiful is our Moon.

I insert the picture we took from our telescope last night. It was difficult for my dad to get a good picture because our telescope is not the best one. But I bet you would like to use it if you could also see what we saw last night.

A beautiful full moon, Sydney 20 Jan 2011

I have presented you the picture of a full moon as we saw last night, also some evidence about the Moon. I hope you enjoy the picture and want to learn more about the Moon by yourself. Have a nice day. Cheers.

Me and my telescope

We arrived in Katoomba at nine and went straight to the tour shop to show our tickets. We had to be quick because the bus was already there. The bus had to wait a few more minutes until everyone was there. It was a one and a half hour trip to Jenolan Caves so I got out my book and started reading.

We went through very narrow roads winding up and down the mountain. A few cars passed and the driver had to drive very slowly so that both vehicles could pass by safely. About an hour on the bus we stopped in front of a small cottage. The bus driver said that this was an opportunity to go to the toilets if any of us needed to go before the bus continues the trip. Three passengers got off and didn’t come back into the bus, I guessed that they were going to stay there. However the rest of us continued with our journey. After half an hour or so, we arrived at the area. I noticed a thin river going through the rock. There also was a big cafe that sold burgers, fries, etc. The driver handed out our cave tickets. We only went in the Lucas Cave, one of the biggest caves. We all went to the toilet and then went to the waiting area for Lucas Cave. After about ten minutes, the tour guide came and we started to walk up into the cave.

She told us that there were chambers where we would stop to have a break and there she would talk about some history that happened right there in the chambers years and years ago. There were lots of steps to go through and a lot of the rocks were shaped interestingly but we weren’t allowed to touch them because the oil inside our hand makes the rocks go black. After a long time of walking and stopping we were nearly at the end of Lucas Cave. Our tour guide told us that the way to remember which way the end of the cave was to find a stone shaped like a man, called the Bishop, and follow the direction where he is pointing.

We got out of the cave and headed to the cafe to hace lunch. I had a chicken burger and fries. We weren’t allowed to eat inside the caves so I was so hungry that I finished my whole burger, which I don’t usually do. After we finished our lunch, my dad and I went for a walk while my mum and her friend went inside the gift shop. After a short walk, we came back to the gift shop and I bought a mini, stretchy, purple dinosaur toy. When we came out, it was showering so we ran back to the tour bus and got inside because the driver had just unlocked it. We started to make ourselves comfortable while the othe passagers came in.

Finally, when we were ready to leave, the showering lowered to a sprinkle. We went off, back to Katoomba. Up and down the narrow roads we went again and on the way, I fell asleep because I was very tired. When I woke up we were already in Katoomba and my parents were packing up our things, not forgeting our camera behind. We then took the train back to Sydney and like before, I fell asleep again. When we arrived home, we felt very tired but happy that we had been to Jenolan Caves, especially to see the beautiful Lucas Cave.

At a chamber in Lucas Cave

During winter in July 2009, I went to the Snowy Mountains with Mum, Dad, and Om Arnold, dad’s colleague at Satya Wacana who studied at Univ. of Sydney. We went to Perisher Blue, one of the tourist destinations at snowy mountains. It was the first time I visited it, the first time to see snow. We went there by taking a bus, followed a tour program from Sydney. I was very excited to get there. It had been long I wanted to see and play with snow for the first time in my life.

Our trip to snowy mountains was in the evening. We went first to om Arnold’s place nearby the University of Sydney and waited there before we went to the meeting point of the tour-bus. The people joined the trip gathered in front of Rydges Hotel in the city. The bus left at 11.45, via Kingsford to pick up other passengers there. I slept during the trip, but that was not a good sleep because I was too excited to reach Perisher Blue as soon as possible.

Early in the morning we arrived at a small town named Cooma to hire skiing equipments. The bus also provided hot chocolate and noodle for breakfast. I was assisted by mum and dad to choose my sky, a booth, and winter cloothing. Dad also hired a toobogan so he can also sled down the hill. Om Arnold hired one as well.

After awhile, the bus went up to the enter the Mount Kocziozko National Park where we can do skiing. I’d never learned skiing, but I wanted. We arrived at Smiggins, the place where the bus was going to be parked, but it went first to Perisher Blue. After arrived at the parking place, we went down. We changed our clothes with the winter cloothes and took on the booths. “Well, I am ready for skiing now!”

We decied to go to Perisher Blue first, took a shuttle-bus serves for Smiggins – Perisher Blue. Wow, it was so beautiful. I liked to see the snowy mountains. There were already several people skiing and snowboarding. Dan, Mum, and om Arnold helped me to do skiing. Dan, pushed me to a higher place then let me sledding down. I did it a few times. Wow, it’s amazing. We took some pictures there of course. Then we moved to another side of the hill to do tooboganing. We all tried tooboganing. Several times I did it. It’s also amazing, sledding down the hill. I love it.

After that, we went to had another breakfast. It’s so cold and it’s easy to be hungry. I ate hot potato chips and drank hot chocolate.

We then returned to Smiggins for another session of skiing or tooboganing. But we first just sat down in the snow, made a small snowman and took pictures.  Mom was tired, she decided to take a rest at the only restaurant there. There are seats outside the restaurant so she could see people skiing and snowboarding. Me, Daddy, and om Arnold walked a bit to another side of the mountain so we could sledding down the hill with our toobogans. This hill is even higher than at Perisher Blue. We went on and on tooboganing. I was so tired, but it’s so great.

We went back to the restaurant and found Mum sitting at a seat outside, very sleepy. Thus we got inside the restaurant to have a drink and buy some food. After had our lunch we changed our clothes then went back to the bus. Wow, I felt so tired but of course I was happy. It was a wonderful experience.

Our bus returned to Sydney right at 2pm, as the tour-guide said. I was sleeping during the trip, I thought all people sleeping. I just woke up because we had our dinner at a McDonald restaurant, then slept again. I really woke up when we nearly arrived the city. We set down the bus and thanked the tour-guide. We then went to QVB to take a bus. It was about 10pm and I was very, very tired.

We arrived at home at about 10.30, took a bath and then slept. In sleep, I was dreaming of skiing again. What a nice experience. Want to do it more another time.

HI, I'm at Macquarie University

After I went to school for 2 weeks it was time for holidays. I was excited after school I get my bag and raced down the stairs, I saw my mum standing near the lunch seats. On the way home I kept thinking about the holiday. It should be fun.

What a beautiful campus: Nike at Macquarie

On the first day of holidays I visited my dad’s campus. I saw a big fountain in the middle of the pond. We had lunch there also. After that we went to the library, the building of the library is big, much, much bigger than my library at school. At the entrance there is a big skeleton of dinosaur. My dad took a few photos of me in front of the dinosaur skeleton. There we also saw a few public telephones, then I call my grandparents in West Java, Indonesia to say hello and tell them about my school and the holidays.

After that I went to the shopping center near my dad uni. It is quiet big. Then my mum bought some food to bring home. We went home by bus. My dad said the transportation here is unlike in my country. Here is very convenience. The bus is still good and very clean.

Look at my photos. The first, my dad took my photo when I was standing in front of the water, the fountain. And, the second was when I did acting as a dinosaur in front of the dinosaur skeleton.

Me and the dinosaur at the library

Woooaaawww!!!!

My first day going to school at Truscott Street Public School in North Ryde, Sydney was on the 23rd June 2008. I went to year 2, although I had turned year 3 in Indonesia. When I first came, my classmates crowded around me. They asked me so many questions. A girl called Rhea was my fist friend.

When the bell rang, all students got their bags and lined up.  A teacher welcomed all the students and informed a few things and let the students went to the classes with their teacher.

At recess my friends went to the canteen, while I was still drinking on the place where we were eating. So I got lost because I didn’t know well the school and where the canteen was. But then I saw my friend Grace standing there looking around then she found me already stood right next to her. She said that she was looking for me. The next day she showed me everything at school so I start to know the school better and didn’t get loose anymore.

Nike is Ready to go to School

My teacher’ s name is Mrs. Millar and sometimes she was also assisted by Ms. Williams. They put me at the magpies group of our class 1/2M. There were 23 students in my class divided into 4 groups: magpies, cockatoos, kookaburras, and lorickets. Daisy, Frank, Cian, Bailey and Maggie were in the magpies with me, but Mrs. Millar then moved Maggie to the cockatoos.

On the first days I didn’t wear the school uniform because I haven’t got it. On my photos you can see that I used non-uniform clothes. But in one afternoon when my mum picked me up I saw she was holding a plastic bag. When I looked inside it, I was happy because it’s my uniform. From then on, I used my uniform and I love to use it. I love to be a Truscott’s student.

In late June when I started my school, the temperature was already getting lower and lower. It’s getting cold. That’s why I used a  jacket when I went to school everyday, just like the first photo of me.

The second day to school

On 11 June 2008 I flew to Sydney, saya dan mami naik pesawat Garuda. Perjalanan dari Salatiga ke Airport Yogya kami tempuh pada pagi hari. Lalu, dari Yogya kami terbang ke Denpasar, Bali siang itu. Kira-kira jam 12 tengah malam waktu Bali kami terbang ke Sydney. It was my first time having a long journey. I am sorry,  it was actually not my first time travel with airplane since I was born in the Netherlands. I had my first air travel when me and mom returned from the Netherlands to Indonesia, but I was a little baby so I didn’t know how it was.

We arrived in the next morning, around 7am Sydney time. After long queuing at the immigration and custom checking, we went out the airport and met Neil and Oma Jenny at the arrival gate. Oma Jenny then drove us home. At that time, I felt it was very cold because I arrived at the end of Autumn and a transition to Winter.

Nike in front of laptop at home in North Ryde, Sydney

My dad said we stay at 120 Epping Rd, North Ryde, New South Wales. We live in a shared house. Our house just at the main street of North Ryde suburb. Not too far from the house there is a shopping centre, Macquarie Centre, but the interesting thing for me is a park which is just across the shopping centre.

After a few days resting, I asked my dad to bring me there. I also visited Macquarie University, where he is taking his PhD. And after a week, my dad brought me also to a school that I will attend. The school is just close to my house. We just walked to the school and met the principal of the school, Mrs. Shannon. She said I will soon be joining year 2 after I got a letter from the government to enroll.

Nike di Jembatan Penyeberangan Epping Rd: Menuju Kampus Macquarie

In Front of the House