i think its about time that i posted something here, else people might think that i've vanished from the face of the earth.
anyway, tonight was kai chin's 21st, so we had dinner at this place at federation square called chocolate buddha. it;s kind of like a fusion style restaurant, with really authentic jap and korean food served in a western ambience.
we then wondered around and somehow ended up at this jazz bar along little collins st called galaxy space. i had a tequilla while the rest downed stuff like long island, desert wine... not enough to get high. one impt takeaway...never assume people are good drinkers or underestimate the effects of just one drink...
well...exams are in 2 wks and panic mode has set in. though i really feel relaxed at IH many a time. its only in school that i feel stressed.
music night was awesome. so much talent in IH, makes me feel so challenged! it reminds me that i shouldn't let my music background go down the drain!
the biomedical library is a shit place. the damn place is a furnace. air conditioner has not been working for the past 3 weeks and nothing has been done to improve the situation. what the hell are we paying exorbitant school fees for if an essential student facility such as a library can't even be in good working order. and medical students have little choice but to study there unless u wanna lug those huge medical texts around to a more habitable location.
which brings me into bitching mode about the Uni Melbourne administration and the Australian government in general. a recent article in The Age said that Asian students are choosing Australian unis over US ones as they feel that it is perceived to be safer due to the supposed "absence of terrorism."
my first thought is how naive the writer was about the realities of terrorism. in addition, i think the Australians should stop deluding themselves about the state of their unis and thinking that they are on par with US unis, giving them the legitimacy to charge fees that are fast approaching that of US unis.
look at the facilities here...there isn't even a football stadium, there's no olympics size swimming pool in the whole damned uni, the 25 metre pool is so heavily chlorinated, i stink of chlorine for hours after leaving the pool, and the water is salty.
in addition to the $400 amenities and services fee, we have to pay $100 a semester to use the gym and swimming pool is we want to be a member. if u wanna be a member of a club/society, u've got to pay $5 - $10 membership fee.
academics...well...in med, i've got a professor who is lecturing for free. that's really altruistic. but why's that? is it because Uni Melb can't afford to pay him? my tutor in problem based learning? he's an old fart that doesn't help one bit. hardly helps to clarify concepts as he doesn't seem to know no jackshit about the complex plysiology that we are going through.
apparently some of them are teaching for free, doing volunteer work.
i'll be moving out of college next year, not because i don't like college life, or i don't like the friends and activities that are abundant here. they are awesome and i will certainly miss the parties and social life here. but more because i hate the fact that this place is run by a bunch of hook nosed people who are obviosly ripping off students.
its fine if we get value for money on the $13,000 a year that we pay. but simple things like milo...yes....milo the energy drink...can't even be made more readily available to students in the dining hall. they replenish it in the morning and that's it. how expensive can a damn can of milo be?
getting second helpings for food....they behave as if their damned "eurest cuisine" is the finest in the world and we are desperate for a taste or their culinary skills. fair enough...the are times when the food is really good, but there never seems to be enough!
every time i see students lining up to get second helpings with their plates...it just irks me and fills me with disgust. a line of students with their dirty plates waiting their to get a second helping and being denied it until a certain time?
looks to me like some kind of soup kitchen or hungry homeless children begging for food, or oliver twist asking for a second helping...or worse still....convicts banging their plates and cutlery demanding more food.
what the hell is this? reliving Australia's convict past?
the list goes on....i am too tired now to fully express my dissatisfaction with the administration right now so i'm gonna have to break it up into parts. tune in for more updates!
