Farewell to Debbie Terry

Today we said farewell to outgoing Head of School Professor Deborah Terry. Debbie has been the HOS for over six years and during that time the school has grown enourmously as well as achieving academic and teaching success. I wrote a funny farewell speech, during which Debbie had to read off cue cards... 

A great time was had by all...

Many staff were on hand to wish Debbie all the best in her new role as Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences...(and they found the speech pretty funny...) 

"I'd like to thank the Academy..."

I got Debbie an Oscar from the School, which reads "Best Performer in the Role of Head of School" - here she is wearing my shades and looking very Hollywood! 

More Chinese Art

Tim did NOT go to China again (much as he would have liked to) but DID pick up more Chinese art from the Australian imported of the place in Beijing where he bought the other art scrolls. Here is our new crane scroll... 

Chi Lin

And this is our new Chi Lin. The Chi Lin is a mythical Chinese creature which is similar to a unicorn. It is often known to be a dragon horse mixture since it seems to have the body of a horse and the head of a dragon. According to Chinese tradition, looking at this creature is very auspicious and brings happiness. 

Cane Toad Comes for Dinner

Well, we had company for dinner last night, and guess who came as an uninvited guest? A cane toad (which secretes a poison from glands under the skin). Guests were either a) impressed (US guest) or b) unimpressed (Australian guests), one of the latter of whom said ("well, that's just a TINY one..."). 

At the awards ceremony cocktails

The teaching awards ceremony took place at Customs House, a heritage building owned by UQ. It it right on the river, and is a great setting... 

Teaching Award from UQ

The award is lucite, although it looks like glass. I also got a certificate...you can see an excerpt from the citation at the UQ Teaching Awards Page. 

I'd like to thank the Academy...

Here is a close-up of the teaching award itself... 

What is she holding?

And finally, one of the publicity shots (it looks like I'm teaching chemistry, but actually it is a neuropsychological test I've got in my hands....) 

Teaching Award

I won a University Teaching award last night. This is me walking down from the podium after getting it (note the clear statue in my hands!). I was very excited because it is a huge honour! But it's probably the most nervous I've felt since I gave the speech at our citizenship ceremony last year... 

Downtown Beijing

Here are some more photos from Tim's trip to Beijing. This is a northern suburb of Beijing - along the Fifth Ringroad. You can see that there is a lot of new construction happening. 

Huh?

Here is an example of why they might need some help with their translation of advertising slogans... 

Peking Duck

Here the chef at a restaurant specialising in "Peking Duck" prepares a meal for Tim and his group. The restaurant is near Tiananmen Square in Beijing (formerly Peking...) 

More Chinese Art

Here are some more things Tim brought back from China - this carved wooden plaque is of a dragon. 

Starbucks is Everywhere!

And here is a Beijing mug from Starbucks! 

Tim's Trip to Beijing

Here are some photos from Tim's trip to Beijing. This is a palace within the Forbidden City. There were a lot of people around when Tim was in Beijing because it was a national holiday when he was there - "National Day Holiday"..... 

The Imperial Palace

This is one of the temples in the Forbidden City. This was the Imperial Palace for many years. If you have seen the movie The Last Emperor, this is where it was filmed. 

Restorations in Progress

Here is a detail of the Imperial Palace. They are repainting and restoring all of the buildings within the Forbidden City for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. 

Lions on Guard

Here is a stone lion from the Forbidden City - notice the traffic sign in Chinese at the back? Tim said it was wild to be driven around in Beijing - apparently people drive pretty fast and vaguely towards the middle of the road... 

Tim's Birthday

Today (19th Sept) was Tim's birthday! We went out to celebrate at a local Italian restaurant. Tim has been very excited since returning from China. He brought back beautiful artwork from Beijing. Here he is by his favorite pieces, two large scrolls with a Chinese poem on them. 

More Artwork

These are my favorite pieces Tim brought back from China - they are a set of painted scrolls called "The Four Seasons" and they are very delicate and on a gorgeous heavy fabric background. 

Tim's Hotel in Rotterdam

Here is Tim's flash hotel in Rotterdam - Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark. I've asked for a t-shirt that says "brainpark" but we'll just have to see...  

Tim going to the Hague!

Tim is having fun in the Netherlands - today he is going to see an art exhibit in the Hague featuring the Dutch artist MC Esher. 

One of Esher's drawings

This is one of my favorites by Esher - see more of Esher's work at www.mindspring.com/~mc.escher/escher.html.