Shop till you drop

-By Edwina 
       

Shopping! Well who doesn’t like to shop? Whether you’re a boy, shopping for gadgets and gizmos, or a girl shopping for the latest fashion, shopping somehow plays an important role in our lives. Shopping can also be our companion at times when we are sad or depressed or even when we go through a break up! It's not called retail therapy for nothing.

Well! When I first came to Australia, and to be more precise, when I first went out shopping, I was in wonderland. The shops in the city, the mannequins, all wearing designer wear blew me away; it was as if I was living my dream, and I did not want it to end. But it did end once it hit 5pm at the shopping centers (still not used to the shops closing at 5pm)

                            

              

Forever New was the first place I shopped since I needed a dress for a party, and honestly I had never shopped for party wear before; this was my first time which made it even more exciting. Till date it’s my favorite shopping destination. There is never something that you won’t like at Forever New. My cousin for her 18th actually bought everything the mannequin was wearing, because it gave her a complete look.

But ‘complete looks’ do cost a fortune and for me shopping at Forever New won’t be on a daily basis.

As I started getting used to the place, K-Mart and Coles, came to my rescue. I can shop for all my necessities from toothbrushes to make-up from Coles.And K-Mart of course is from where I get my basic T’s, singlets and even sandals. And not to forget jumpers from Coles, which are really warm and stylish as well, as I purchased one yesterday.

Let’s not forget shoes; well I still am aghast as I turn into every corner and there’s a shoe shop with sparkling shoes which look gorgeous from afar, but untouchable for me at this time of the year, but on sales days and especially on Boxing Day, it’s all mine. Boxing Day for example is a great way to shop from stores you have never shopped from before. On Boxing Day last year, I shopped from Myers, Just Jeans, Rubi Shoes, and Bardot - shops I could never think of shopping at on a daily basis, since I had just got a job and I didn’t want to burn a hole in my pocket. These brands were actually my incentive to work even harder. 

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter where you shop from, it doesn’t matter whether you paid 10 dollars or 30 dollars for the same item, all that matters is whether you feel good in what you wear. Its not about following fashion, it’s about how you can make a simple item like a tee and a pair of jeans into something fashionable that you feel proud of. I believe fashion is not about following the latest trends but what you feel comfortable in. 

Life as we know it

-By Aretha Zhen

Life as we know it

“I think Josh Duhamel from the movie ‘Life as we know it’ is truly one handsome guy!”

“No, he is definitely not handsome at all"


"Well your perception of who is handsome and who is not is utterly devastating!”

“No, it is you who has no taste at all!"

"No, it is definitely you!”

Cuttttt….. I’ll stop writing more about any stupid arguments…..

Hmmm well my beloved readers, hello! Please don’t be surprised with the stupid arguments I put up there. Those dialogues happened between me and my friends approximately a year ago, a time when we used to have arguments regularly. However, it only made me realize that although my friend and I may come from the same country but we indeed have different tastes. Well, that's why this post is called - life as we know it. Life could be kind and life could be bad too.

Coming to Australia as an international student, I'm sure a lot of you would have found out that Melbourne might be very different from your home country. It could be a lot bigger or a lot smaller. But all of this just makes me realize that studying in a different place is a new challenge. And the biggest challenge that possibly confronts us all is the difference in opinion and culture.

Getting back to the stupid dialogue I put up there, made me realize that everyone is different. No matter where we end up in the future- whether here in Australia or back in home countries or even some other planet (hehe..just joking. Sure thing not another planet, unless we are the crew of Star Trek, which I think will be quite cool:D), we will have a clash of opinion with others. All we need to remember is that everyone is different. So just be yourself, embrace what life offers you and get back every time life wants to beat you down. Just remember, life itself is one great big adventure! That’s why this life is the life as we know it!

As for my life at Deakin, the first time I came here I just went - oh My God! The term was very hectic as I had put a lot on my plate and I was going crazy trying to cope up with everything. I was stressed out and I knew that I needed help so I come to Student Life - the absolutely magical place where we can find out any information we need. From them, I found out that Deakin has a special service for international students called ISS - International Student Service Support. Just fix up an appointment with the ISS office and tell them your difficulties.Trust me, speaking to them really helps!

Up till today, Australia has been treating me well and I believe it will do so in the future. I try my best to enjoy every single moment of my student life here and am trying to make the most out of it. We international students, being away from family, can keep quite busy with either work or studies. But try to find time to spend with friends, and obviously, time to visit and explore this beautiful continent. Never forget, wherever you are now or in the future, keep trusting yourself, make new friends, and enjoy your life!


Cheerio

Melbourne: the city we all love

Do you want to get on the right foot in your studies? Why not get to know your tutors/lecturers?

-By Erzsebet

Can you remember your years at school? You may recall you had one teacher for each subject, am I right? I remember every year the dreaded fear I had before going back to school and not having a teacher that I have worked well with or that I liked. At uni, we have a different system. We have a tutor and lecturer for each class we undertake to help us better understand our work.

Before I started at uni, many people who never really knew what it was really all about tried to make me believe that it's a lot like school. You have a single teacher for each unit, they take the class and the rest is all independent study. Although it's partly true about the independence, Deakin has proven to me something of a completely different nature. Let me tell you about it!

I came to university from a two and a half year ordeal of correspondence study due to ill health. Let me assure you, it was by far one of the hardest experiences of my life! I came to accept that going back on campus wasn't going to be easy and I really needed to work around it.Not to forget that because of my ill health, if something unexpected occurred, there would be someone who knows about it. I took the courage to contact my unit chair. I first visited the handbooks and got their name and then searched the staff directory to get their contact details.

I think it was the best decision I could ever make. It gave me a chance to speak to the unit chair and get to know what would be expected of me. I also learnt that by getting to know your lecturer/tutor early on, you can learn a lot about them. You're also looked upon as an individual as opposed to just a student who is undertaking a course because they need it to get into their career. The lecturers/tutors at Deakin are well known leaders in their chosen field and I have learnt that they are always willing to guide you along. You're not left alone in the dark. You can gain so much insight just from getting to know your lecturers and tutors! It makes a big difference in your approach to your study and everything else!

So, take the opportunity while you can! Get on the right foot of things early :)

Housemate rules and regulations

-By Ninah

What you need to know about share houses is that every house is different, so whether you are moving into a share house for the first time or whether it's just a transfer from one to another, what you need to realise is that the difference between a good and a bad shared house experience is the people. Now there is nothing you can do that will guarantee awesome housemates. It's basically a luck thing, except maybe moving in with friends. But the following tips that I'm going to give will help in living with awesome and not-so-awesome housemates.

Tip No. 1: Chocolate is a huge commodity within the share house community (especially with girls). It can gain you favours such as lifts to town and it can subdue the anger of a fellow housemate.
WARNING!! Keep chocolate out of reach from housemates or it will disappear without a trace.

Tip No.2: Hot water is essential for a good shower as we know; the trick is having one of the first showers of the day so that it doesn’t run out part way through your steaming hot shower and leave you screaming like a girl who has seen a gigantic spider.

Tip No.3: Having a sound system or earmuffs is useful as walls within share houses are not usually very thick and you never know what you might overhear from the rooms around you; there are just some things that were never meant to be overheard....

Tip No.4: Following on from tip No.3 there are some signs that are put up on doors as warnings of not to enter unless you want to completely destroy your life as you know it (if you are not sure though it's best just to knock first before entering). They are:

 





What's behind door number 1?? The tie is usually an indicator that...well if you don't know already I won't ruin it for you, ask a housemate they will enjoy telling you.

What's behind door number 2?? The sock means exactly the same thing as door number 1 it's just people's preference to what to put on the door. Again ask a housemate what it means if you don't know already.

What's behind door number 3?? If there is a sign on the door read it as it usually tells you exactly what not to do, but if it tells you to punch yourself or to stand on your head I would advise you not to follow those instructions for health and safety reasons.

I hope these few tips have been helpful to you newbies of the share house community, and I hope it has brought back some good and possibly some face-palm moments to those who have been in share-houses before. If you have any questions that need answering or if you want more tips just comment below and I'll get back to you

May your alcohol keep flowing and your hangovers be short.

Tootles,

Your fellow Housemate,

Ninah

Getting involved in clubs, societies and other groups

-By Jayne

Groucho Marx once said he wouldn’t belong to any club that would accept him as a member. While I appreciate the dry humour and ironic self deprecation with which Marx intended this statement, I have to say I disagree. I have been involved with a few clubs in my time, and without exception involvement has proved to be an enriching and infinitely rewarding experience. Well for me anyway-whether the club has been better off for my involvement is probably debateable ;)

In two cases now, I have been a group founding member. There’s something electrically exciting about the energy involved with starting a group (or even a social movement) at grass root level! However, whether you start a group of your own, or join a pre-existing group, the experience will surely be enjoyable, and could possibly be the beginning of a new career or study direction. At the very least, you will meet some great, likeminded new friends!

I’m going to tell you a bit about my most recent experience with clubs and societies here at Deakin.

When I started as a first year mature age student last year I felt isolated and lacking in connection with others mature agers. Never fear, I won’t bore you with that tale again (yay they all chorus in unison!)... but read here if you are interested ;)

I had tried to contact the mature age club listed on the DUSA website without success. It turns out that the committee members of that club had finished their studies leaving the club somewhat alone and unloved. I was extremely frustrated with this, so I began to entertain the somewhat crazy and delusional idea of starting my group. I’d started a group once in another life-so why not? Why not indeed. Oh no reason at all...other than the small fact of being a full time student and single parent with a gazillion other responsibilities. Hmm. Maybe not such a great idea, the sensible side of my brain reasoned. However, as ever, the more impulsive side raged against Ms Sensible and the seed was sown. Being somewhat lazy, a notoriously adept procrastinator who never actually gets many of her ‘brilliant’ ideas off the ground; I typically did nothing with it...*rollseyes at self*

That was until I met some passionate likeminded students via the Facebook page for one of my subjects (yay social media!) Meeting up with these amazing people, who had similar ideas about the need for a new mature age group became the catalyst for ACTION! We formed an executive committee, became affiliated with DUSA as a club, held a highly successful stall all throughout O-Week at Burwood...and the rest is history. We even formed ties with other such groups at other Deakin campuses; even other universities. Some awesome friendships have been made via our club. I love knowing so many great people to whom I can turn for study support, advice or just a chat; it has made me feel a part of something amazing and wonderful. And observing how the mere existence of the club has eased the transition into uni for many first year students is incredibly rewarding.

While starting your own club may not be something you are interested in, I’d definitely urge you to check out the DUSA clubs page, and if there is something there that tickles your fancy contact the club to express your interest. And hey, if you are interested in forming your own club or group, it’s not that hard-it just takes passion and a few like-minded souls. If I can do it, anyone can.

Hopefully this post has been useful (if not, perhaps at least you enjoyed the lolcats? ;)) You can find out more about joining a DUSA club, or starting your own club or group here J

Clubs can help members out with study support and advice

N = the least favourite grade

-By Jo

Results are usually a relief, they arrive, you got what you wanted, sometimes more and sometimes less, but it usually means you can tick those units off your course and sigh happily that you’re still on track.

That’s how it usually goes for me, until trimester one last year. Of the four units I had taken that trimester I had completed three of the optional assignments, but the fourth one remains on my hard drive to this day, approximately a day away from finished but totally useless to me. I went into the exam knowing a pass would be very hard to come by – but not turning up to the exam would have made me feel worse.

I chose to sign up to receive my results by SMS.

I paced the house from 4 pm.

I held my mobile in my hands from 5 pm.

I stopped pacing at 5.40pm when the message tone sounded.

Here’s where I would normally open the message as quickly as possible and announce my results to my family and then share by email with fellow students.

But I sat.

I starred at the message preview in the lock screen of my mobile phone.

I waited, but I wasn’t sure for what.
There is a certain last minute hope that is hard to give in to. After some time passed I concluded that the marks were there and as they weren’t going to change I had to be brave and look.

There were three credits that I was happy with and one dreaded ‘N’.

I sat and starred some more.

Perhaps I should have gone to my lecturers and told them about the intense semester I had endured and the house move, and my physical health problems, but I hadn’t, thinking I could never fail.

Then I went into denial. I sent an email to the unit chair, one to my lecturer to see if they had got it wrong (after all it was the only logical explanation).

Then I went into meltdown. 
This unit was a pre-requisite for a unit in trimester two, and for a unit the following year. I had effectively added another year onto my degree not to mention the extra fee for when I repeated the unit (back then I didn’t know the textbook would be updated by the following year so on a very tight budget I was going to need another textbook too).

All these thoughts kept leading me back to that assignment I’d missed. I kept comparing my results with that of my friends – how come they passed and I didn’t? Was I not as intelligent as them? Was it a cosmic sign that the powers that be felt I shouldn’t be in this course? Was it karma for lying to my mother in the 90s?

Then the tears and self-pity moved in and decided we should be roommates for the next week or so.

I didn’t access Student Advocacy (through DUSA) which is available free to all students, and which I should've accessed. I felt I deserved the ‘N’ like I’d deserved all my other marks. I had failed a unit and my pride and my ego were suffering from severe bruising! 


I found out that failed exam papers are looked at twice to make sure the grade is correct, that lecturers are usually willing to go over your paper with you and help you understand where you went wrong and most importantly the world doesn’t launch into an apocalyptic ending.

My failure highlights a few things for me – I’m human, life events do impact my study, it’s best to speak up as soon as this happens and maintaining a strict study time table is more important than it sounds.

‘The only failure is when you quit’ is now the first thing I write in my notebooks.

Deakin rollercoaster - the ups and downs of university life

-By Ryan D'Souza


When I started to think about this blog topic, I had no idea where to start and where to end. Really speaking, the ups and downs of university life are so many that one can go on and on. You ask any student about his/her experience at university, and you can come up with a huge book.



Let me share with you my experience at Deakin. The first good thing was that I received an offer letter from the University. Being accepted by a prestigious and renowned university gave me immense pride. When people asked me, ‘Which university are you studying at?’, and I replied, ‘Deakin,’ it gave me a tremendous sense of satisfaction that I had decided to pursue my dreams at one of the best universities in Australia.

But then started week one!


The system of education in Australia  was completely different from that in my home country. During week one, I was bombarded with lots and lots of information about units, assignments, workshops etc and as the weeks kept flying, I wondered how was I surviving. There is also the cultural transition that international students have to make, and this can be a very difficult process at times. The good thing is that you don’t have to feel stressed - the university is there to help you and of course, you have friends whom you can always rely on.

Speaking of friends, I have made and continue making new friends from different countries - friendships that I will cherish forever. I have also had the opportunity to mentor new students and this has been very fulfilling for me. Doing well in exams and obtaining good grades has been very rewarding as well. Balancing studies and work has helped me to become more focussed and improve my time-management skills. Above all, my post-graduate studies have broadened my thinking and equipped me with skills that will certainly help me in my professional career.

I am waiting for that special day - the day we all look forward to! I can already visualise myself standing in a line waiting for my name to be called and then being crowned a graduate! At that moment, I will think about the first day when I started my degree at Deakin, I will think about the struggles and difficulties I faced, I will think about the hardships and the trials I went through, I will think about the sleepless nights I had, and I will smile with a tear in my eye, and say, ‘Well done Ryan, it was worth it!’

Eating on a budget

-By Jodi


When I first went to uni and was living away from home I had minimal money and I existed on toast (with no butter as that cost too much) and cheap pasta cooked with a can of diced tomato. Luckily, my new family-to-be took pity on me and fed me copious meals of carb-laden homemade pasta, salads, and richly cooked meats.

Like my in-laws, I think we all know the message about five serves of fruit and veg a day, add some protein, some carbs (low GI preferably), some essential fats and lots of water. We also know that food is a fuel to our body and we are affected by what we eat. But with limited time and finances (like when I was living away from home) it is sometimes hard to make an effort to eat well.

I think that planning is a key. As Karen put it so well in her post, it is helpful to write lists, such as:

* a list of meals for the week,

* a list of grocery items that are needed for those meals (include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in this list). 

It also helps to:

* have a budget that you can stick to (I find that shopping with cash means that the budget can’t be exceeded and it makes me think more about my purchases).

* Have a predetermined shopping day each week to make sure that there is food to cook.

*Buy no-name brands as they save so much money and usually taste good.

* I also find that if I cook double portions and then freeze the extra amounts, it saves time and cooking later (more time for study!)

Because we’re talking about food I have included my favourite basic muffin recipe here which can be varied to make chocolate muffins, fruit muffins, or hide-the-veggies muffins. These can also be cooked in big batches and put in the freezer. Happy cooking!

Basic muffin recipe

1 ¾ cups of self raising flour

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 egg lightly beaten

½ cup of milk

drops of vanilla essence

80 grams of butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Prepare muffin trays by wiping with butter or oil.

2. Sift flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl.

3. Add egg, milk and vanilla essence (I find that adding the vanilla essence to the milk first helps spread the flavour evenly), and lastly butter. Mix well.

4. Spoon mixture into muffin trays, filling them to half the height of muffin space. Bake for 20 mins (approx) until golden brown.

Variations:

At step 4 I sometimes add a couple of dessert spoons of cocoa to make chocolate muffins (choc chips work well here too), or I add berries or sultanas at this point to make fruit muffins. If I have added an extra ingredient then I omit the vanilla essence.


So bake-away and enjoy your semester break :)

   

Money, money, money!

-By Tenille

Now that you’ve enjoyed your first trimester at Deakin (and might be sitting exams now), I hope you’ve all had a blast.

Most of you would have had to purchase textbooks and new stationary, which would have put a major dent in your budget. Paid for parking permits, lunches, as well as hanging out with your new mates and spending some cash. Have some of you come to the sudden realization that you need more cash, a part time job, and have no idea where to start?

Well aren’t you all so lucky that Deakin provides a service called Jobshop! The title really speaks for itself. The staff there makes finding a job much easier, especially if you haven’t had to look for a job yourself before.

Don’t worry if you are off-campus either as Jobshop is also available online, just go to http://www.deakin.edu.au/jobshop and log in with your Deakin username to access all their services.

When I headed off to Uni after High School I’d never had a job or even attempted writing a resume, and I realized I had no real savings apart from some money I got for my eighteenth. That’s when I stumbled across Jobshop.

I went in to visit them one day and they help me perfect a resume as well as helped me browse for some jobs. I’m so glad that I did it too, as now I have a part-time and casual job, which just makes costs for Uni and other essentials so much less stressful.

So if you’re strapped for cash and need a job head into Jobshop on your campus today, or simply log on online. And best of luck for your exams!

Stay classy,

Tenille

A big decision: How I applied for course transfer at the end of my second year

-By Sui On Tang

After finishing my second year at Deakin, and almost finishing a major in accounting for my undergraduate Commerce degree, I wasn't sure about what other majors I could take/ or was interested in for the remaining one year of the course. Also, I didn't have much hope for a course transfer since my first attempt at doing so at the end of Year one had failed. As the requirement for course transfers is average Distinction (70%), I knew my application would be rejected since my average was about 69%.

However, I could not resist applying for a second time. I really wanted to transfer to something that was of more interest to me – Bachelor of Arts (International Studies)/Bachelor of Commerce, where I could major in History and Accounting. As I had studied VCE History in high school and enjoyed it, I knew that studying History will not only give me a broader perspective on things, but I could choose a career of my liking at the end of the course. As a result, I put in my best effort to fill out the personal statement to persuade Deakin to allow me to change my course.

After a long waiting period of two months for the result of my application for course transfer, I was delighted to know that my application was approved. Indeed it was a brave and big decision for me, when I thought about the options of my future career in Hong Kong- my home country. In Hong Kong, Arts, especially History is not a popular subject. Parents don't really look upon it favourably and there is lack of opportunity for Arts students to get into high paying jobs. Luckily, my parents support me in my choice of pursuing History and so I haven't encountered as many difficulties as others.

Now I enjoy my current course and have also discovered some new hobbies, such as creative writing and literature. I believe that it is better to study a subject that I am interested in and build opportunities in that field rather than securing a high paying career that I may not enjoy. Now I hope to be into publishing, museums or maybe even becoming a historian. I know what I want my future to look like. My tip for you: if you are still not sure and just pondering about whether your course is right for you, I suggest you go and meet a course adviser in your faculty or career counsellors in Jobshop. They are really helpful and knowledgeable staff who can help you in planning a great career.

How not to be eaten by a lion (or how to pass sneaky exams)

-By Chelsea

There are three types of exam which students most commonly underestimate for difficulty:

• The Multiple-choice Question Exam
• The Take Home Exam
• The Open Book Exam                                                                    

You need to think of all exams as lions who are well trained in telling the difference between the weak and the strong.  As students, you can either be the unsuspecting Gazelle (or buffalo) that gets picked off or you can be the prepared Gazelle who survives another day.  While all exam formats can be equally hard in their own way, they do require different strategies to succeed.  This post will give you a few tips on how to prepare for the most commonly underestimated exams. 

Multiple-choice Question Exams (MCQ)  - Know your details 

MCQ Exams actually give you the answer on the exam paper – how stupid are these lecturers?  That has to be the easiest exam to take right?  Unfortunately this is one big lie usually manufactured by students trying to justify one more beer in the bar before going home to study (or letting you go home to study).  Just like a well-fed lion, a good MCQ exam is designed to separate the weak students (who rely on multi-guess) from the strong.  So when studying for this type of exam, do pay attention to the details; it won’t be enough to understand the general gist of a topic.  Also you need to make sure you read the question carefully as often MCQs have a few of the following tricks:

• Double negatives – Watch out for these as two negatives make a positive which will completely change the context of the question.
• ‘Not true’ questions – Make sure you don’t select the first answer you see that is ‘correct’ when the questions wants you to choose the answer that is ‘not correct’
• ‘Best answer’ questions – these questions are mean because usually a few of the answers are ‘almost’ right but the correct answer is ‘the most’ right – know your details!
•  50/50 – often the question is designed so most students can eliminate some of the responses immediately and are left with two responses that appear right.  The problem here is that there are no options for ½ marks on MCQs (or phoning a friend) - so you again - know your details! 

 

Take Home Exams – Know your content

Another exam which sounds promising – is the lecturer serious?  Doesn’t he/she know you have the text book and google at home?  Definitely time for another beer in the pub when you have a take home exam… Put down that glass now!  This form of exam usually makes me shudder, I would rather take on a lion than do another take home exam.  You need to imagine doing a complex assignment in 3 days instead of 6 weeks. However rather than giving up on uni and becoming a lion tamer, here are a few hints:

• Take home exams don’t usually require additional research, so concentrate on keeping up to date with class readings and lectures.  You won’t have time to read articles, text chapters or listen to lectures when you get the exam and a take home exam is usually about applying the knowledge that you have acquired.  So the best way to prepare is to acquire all the knowledge in the lead up to the take home exam and then focus on applying it correctly when you get the exam.
• Schedule your life to allow the maximum time possible to work on the exam.  This is not an exam that will take 2 hours to complete or maybe 3 if you watch TV at the same time.  This is an assignment troops and you will need discipline and focus to succeed!

Open Book Exams – Know your notes

Hopefully by now you can see a theme here:  exams that lull you into a false sense of security only to kick (or bite) the bottom of any unprepared student.  Open book exams are no different.  Usually these types of exams are used in subjects like Law where it is less important to “know” the answer and more important to “know how to find and apply” the answer.  This usually means that there is a massive amount of information that you will need to sort through … without the help of Google… then you have to apply the information correctly.  SO! Don’t expect that you can just turn up to your exam with the text book and check the index – you will spend most of the exam finding the answer and run out of time to actually write anything.  My final helpful hints are:

• Make your own notes of the important content from the course – this will mean that you have less to sort through in the exam and it will help you get familiar with the content as you go, so you will have more chance of remembering where to find it. 
• Once you have your notes you need to practise finding the answers. The best way to do this is to use practise questions – old exams if available, tutorial questions, study guide questions or at worst – make up your own questions. Have a crack at finding the right answer and applying it in the time limit you would be allowed in your exam. You may find the first couple of times you try that you run out of time, but you will get faster – and better to learn that you grossly overestimated your ability when studying than in the exam itself. Nerdy? Sure! But here is a little African Proverb to get you motivated ...

Me and my buddy - procrastination

-By Jo

Procrastination creeps up on me and watches over my shoulder.

I feel its breath on my neck and my concentration is swayed.

The pages of my textbook flutter and the words blur ever so slightly.

I shake my head and try to throw it off, but the damage is done.

I may be five minutes into a study session or an hour or...maybe I never got that far...

The kettle is boiling, another cup of coffee is what I need, but the caffeine takes time to work on me so I should feed some dragons in Dragonvale or see if the Angry Birds are up for a game...and...
I haven’t read today’s news, must catch up with that...A text? Might be important, best check it to be sure. 

Ah, Mother’s roses are in bloom...meh...that essay won’t write itself you know?

The voice of reason kicks in, but procrastination tells me there’s always tomorrow, the sun is shining and well, not to be rude, but all that sitting on your butt is leaving you kind of out of shape...Oh! When did I last go to the gym? Or for a walk even? Hey...I could walk around the shops, then, it wouldn’t seem like exercise...

See what procrastination did there? Yeah, now I’m procrastinating about the vehicle I was going to use to procrastinate my way out of study, it’s clever stuff, no doubt about it, but it doesn’t help me pass my degree. It just adds stress.

But the essay is due and the exams are getting closer and I’m way behind in my readings, my notes, how many lectures did I miss? 

Deep breath, deep breath, knots in the stomach, headache that’s dull and persistent, racing heart from panic or too much caffeine, bad moods, can’t sleep, can’t function, deadline looming, indigestion. 

HELP!

It’s time to implement the emergency plan (which should be my initial plan all the time).

Switching off social media devices (if I can’t be trusted and that means deactivating Facebook and Twitter, just for now).

Setting a time to check my emails.

Turning off my mobile phone – the world survived just fine without them for eons, I can survive a study block.

Getting out of the house, away from distractions – go to the library, a computer lab, a public park or a cafe.


Learn to say ‘NO’ and mean it. Others have to respect my choice to get this degree, and not interrupting is all the help I need them to give me.

Remembering that my body can’t survive on coffee, chocolate and toast for a whole trimester.

Most importantly I must always sleep – I find it very tempting to feel guilty over the number of study hours lost during a night’s sleep. Unfortunately they are necessary and come to terms with that for my sanity.

Living in Student Residences abroad

-By Troy

I’m about ten weeks into my Study Abroad student exchange program at the University of Exeter in the UK.

As the semester comes to a close so does a crazy couple of months that has been living on campus.

I have lived in share houses many times before, from Brunswick to Hawthorn to Clifton Hill. Equally, I am lucky to have travelled a little bit across the USA, Canada and now the UK and I'm quite comfortable staying in hostels and backpackers. But NOTHING could have prepared me for putting 48 international students together in the one apartment block!

The first two weeks of semester,  there were parties just about every night. Every Sunday morning somewhere on campus, a kitchen looked like some kind of disaster zone from cramming a million people in there for drinking, socialising and debauchery!

As semester rolls along, you eventually find that assessments are due and you can’t be out every night. But you hear the music or the laughter drifting from your window or down the hallway and you are tempted to go and join in!

Living on campus has many perks. Everything is provided for: Internet, bills, rent- everything is included. You are walking distance to classes; you can quite easily roll out of bed 15 minutes before a lecture if you really want. For me, the campus gym is only a 10-minute walk away and the supermarket is an easy 15-minute stroll.

There is always someone to talk to and hang out with. I made toast at 2am last week and ended up chatting to my French comrades for an hour! During the first week we held an international dinner night where everyone cooked something from home. You are exposed to new cultures, new ways of doing things.

Of course there are also challenges! Sometimes you just need your own space, and it’s hard to have this with twelve others on the same floor as you. Noise can be problematic at night. Social politics and alliances emerge within the flat. Romantic relationships begin and evolve; jealousy and gossip can be sure to follow.

Coming back to the kitchen; with no common area, this has been the natural gathering point for each floor and never has it been such contentious ground to navigate. Food gets eaten, fridge space becomes a battleground, and people have no clue how to wash up or put away dishes.

After all the water restrictions we've had back home, I was horrified when several of my flat mates washed their dishes under a running tap! In light of all this, I thought it might be useful to offer some strategies that have worked for us over here:

• Establish a weekly garbage and recycling roster early on.
• Set up a Facebook Group for your floor as a forum to deal with issues as they come up. Drama is tough but don't avoid it!
• Split costs of expendables such as dishwashing liquid and toilet paper. Set aside a shelf or something to keep these things and make sure to contribute.
• Wash up your dishes after meals and put them away.
• Make your bedroom your own space where you can go if you need some timeout.
• Buy earplugs for the nights you need to study or sleep and can’t party. 
• Maximise services offered on campus such as the gym and the medical centre. These things are there to help you. 
• Get involved and get interested! So many cultures and new perspectives on life to learn about! 

Make the most of the parties and meeting new people. All the students living on campus are going through the same things as you. There are lifelong friendships to be formed even when you are on the other side of the world. I now have friends all over America, Canada and Europe who I can visit in the coming years!

Good luck and have fun!

   

My very own backstage pass

-By Aretha Zhen

FREE BACKSTAGE PASS!!! Free backstage pass!!! Who wants a free backstage pass? Come over here please!

Now, have I got your attention yet? Ok, now you have to do volunteering first before you get the free backstage pass.

Hmmm, what did you just say? Volunteering and getting a free backstage pass? This must be quite confusing. However, as a matter of fact volunteer work is a great chance to gain experience in a broad range of fields. You can volunteer and gain experience in education, journalism, social work, animal care, health care, marketing, politics, web design- the opportunities are endless. Volunteering is a great way to put in a little of your time and gain some valuable skills, whether professional or practical.

Once upon a time, the volunteer's stereotype was the middle-aged housewife or retiree with time on their hands. Now volunteers come from all walks of life: they may be teenagers learning to manage responsibility by caring for wounded wildlife or university students enjoying a new friendship as a volunteer reader at the community library. One of the more obvious reasons why people volunteer is because they find something they are passionate about and want to do something good for others. Volunteering is an opportunity for making this world a better place, for ourselves and others. It is a chance to give something back to society and appreciate whatever we have - big or small by sharing it with others. 

Moreover, volunteer work can often lead to a paying job. How is that? Because similar to interns, volunteers can try out a field to see if it suits them and also display their dedication, talent and enthusiasm for the job while working. Now that's what I would call my very own backstage pass. By volunteering, we as students can gain a truly unique experience, we can make friends but the most important thing is the pride that comes from completing something. Imagine the sense of accomplishment when you put the last roof tile on a house you've been building or watch the dog you’ve saved and cared for in RSPCA being successfully adopted. You will certainly feel very proud of yourself. Even if this isn't the main motivation for volunteering it is certainly a major bonus

Cheerio