Bhaskar Bhatt
20 August 2009
Have any of you been in situations like this when you were young? When elderly people would tell you to stop asking questions because you are too young to understand any of that. I have been. I used to scratch my head and leave but I was always very disappointed.
Then you grow up, you get a better understanding of life and you know exactly why they told you to be quiet. It just wasn’t the right time for you to know then. Life is a step-by-step process and personally I believe that everything happens at the right time. But of course, there are important factors like hard work, faith in yourself and patience which play an important part.
As students, we have career aspirations and goals we want to achieve and be successful in life. From my experiences, I have learnt that there’s always a right time when we will find success for sure. Two things that need to be understood certainly are that there is no substitute for hard work and there is no shortcut to success. On top of studying, working and managing your expenses, you need to have patience and you will be sure to easily climb the ladder of success. So keep doing all the good work that you’ve been doing. The right time for achievements might not be too far.
Have a great time at uni and as usual good luck with your studies.
06 August 2009
Good day guys. Hope you are all good and back into the habit of studying again after a vacation. And I also hope that you had a great time during the holiday period.
We already have some new friends at La Trobe this semester who had a great time through the Welcome Festival and Orientation Week. So, a big hello to all our new student friends as well.
For me, it wasn’t good to miss out on last week’s blog entry and not getting in touch with you guys. Actually, I was just proved wrong in considering myself impervious to the recent flu strain which struck down most people around me. In the end, I wasn’t spared.
We all know that horrible feeling of being sick. You sleep on your bed, gaze at the walls, hear the clock ticking and can’t do anything else. It sounds so depressing.
But fortunately, those days are gone and now I guess it’s time for the happy days. I tell you what, in the last few weeks I have been hearing heaps of good news and they still keep coming. I had some very good news for myself but more from my friends and family. Someone got the Permanent Residency in Australia, someone got a new job and someone else is going to have twins.
And I wish so much that there are some good news that might be touching your lives or people that are dearer to you. And if you haven’t heard of any yet, then I guess they are just on their way and might be reaching you shortly.
Good luck to everyone with their studies and organising things in the new semester. Will be in touch with you people soon. Ta.
25 June 2009
Hello everyone, how’s it going? I believe some of you might have already finished your exams and others might be at their last round. You are almost there. And soon it will be time to put your holiday plans into practice and have fun for a few weeks.
I’m the kind of person who loves a bit of everything. And sport is something that I always enjoyed. I love a bit of every sport. Cricket is my favourite, but I also like badminton, table-tennis, volleyball, hockey and now AFL as well. Yes, I’m talking of the Australian rules football. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the football season for sure.
I was very excited to come to Australia. Study was surely the main reason but at the same time I knew it’s a country of sports. I had no idea about the Australian football as a sport and didn’t know anything about it. With studies and other priorities like finding work or accommodation in the first year, I didn’t get a chance to understand the game properly.
But football is the biggest sporting event in Australia, and in Melbourne especially. So from last year, I have been working my head around the game and this year I am a devoted fan. I just love the game. The history of the game goes back to the mid 18th century when it first started and it continued to flourish in the 19th and 20th century. Today there are 16 teams which compete with each other for the premiership.
I saw my first live game this year a couple of months ago at the Etihad stadium at Southern Cross. The game was between St Kilda and West Coast Eagles. With almost 30,000 people in the stadium, the atmosphere was completely electrifying and everyone was on the edge of their sit shouting, cheering and backing their team. It was a thrilling experience. I hope you find the time to go to a game this season and also find a team to back. I guess some of you might already have a team.
All the best for the rest of your exams and enjoy your vacation.
11 June 2009
Hi guys, we are in the middle of exams and I hope everyone is handling the pressure well. As always, the month of exams seems to pass more slowly than the whole semester. But we are nearly there. And vacation time is not too far away.
Students for whom this was the first semester at La Trobe must have got the idea of how the curriculum runs in a semester and I hope that they settled down with their study and life at the University. First semester is always exciting when you are new. You are restless and impatient at times in order to get things sorted. It can be stressful, but right now is the time to manage the exams stress and I’m sure you guys will be able to manage it.
For some students, this semester might be the last one. And I guess they would not be in any mood to compromise their grand finale leaving any stone unturned in their studies. It’s like sensing the victory; soon you will be earning a degree with a sense of achievement and freedom.
I wish good luck to everyone with their exams. It’s always difficult to remain calm and cool during exams but I hope you all hold your nerves right for the final performance in this semester. It’s also a chilling spell from the winter right now and the weather is going to be quite cool and cloudy for the at least the rest of the week. So let’s borrow some of that coolness from it and finish these exams.
All the best.
27 May 2009
Hi friends, how are you all going? I hope my blog finds everyone in the best of health and spirits.
I know it’s never easy to get used to the weather in Melbourne. Even I haven’t accustomed to the weather completely, after living here for almost 3 years now. So I can imagine how difficult it can be for some of the new international students who might be coming from places where there are really hot and dry conditions. And for some, when they came in February, it might be a complete turnaround in seasons.
So make sure you guys keep yourself medicated thoroughly and especially during this time when the cases of swine flu are on surge and they have already been reported in Melbourne, it becomes extremely important for everyone of us to be agile and take our health issues seriously. There is no need to panic at all, but as it is said – “Prevention is better than cure”, so we should be wise enough to go to the doctor when we feel sick or uneasy than normal.
Not a long way to go until the semester is over, so lots of hard work and planning required to get us through the semester with shining results. Also hope that you guys might already be enjoying your Footy season as well. It’s getting more exciting with every round and some tight games recently. It’s bye from me for now, take care and always stay tuned.
13 May 2009
Hello my friends, how are you all? I believe the top priority at this stage for everybody is studies. I have already talked in my previous blogs about the hardships a student has to go through during his studies which require better organising and planning at every stage. And we know it all.
One of the big ordeals could be finding the accommodation. It can be hard finding a nice place to live which would be close to everything, with great housemates and above all a place we can call home. Now that’s the definition of an ideal house for a student, but it's not the easiest thing to find.
Last year my lease was expiring in one week and I had to move out of the house. So stressful, I couldn’t even concentrate on my studies. And in three days, I might have checked more than ten houses. Sometimes they didn’t like me and sometimes the other way around. But fortunately, I was able to find one only a day before my lease was about to expire. I never felt so relaxed the way I felt on my first day in the new house.
But finding accommodation can be quite funny at the same time. You can end up laughing at some of the conversations that you have at the share house interviews. I think I can make it to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and have at least half an hour of stand-up comedy material out of the house-finding theme. In the last one and half years we put up ads for housemates twice. And the experiences we had meeting some people were hilarious. You might have had them as well.
Good luck to everyone who is looking for a new housemate or a new house. At the same time, we are already half way through our course this semester. So, good luck with the studies as well. Talk to you soon guys, its bye for now from me.
2 April 2009
A big welcome to all new and old students into the first semester of the new year. A month has already passed, meaning we all probably have submitted our first assignments and would be working towards the next one. And as usual, the second one is always more difficult.
It's hard to get your head around studying again after a long break. I don't know about you, but I was always behind schedule in the first semester. Scenario of the first lecture for me: ‘Okay, where am I?' So the whole introduction, course curriculum and subject overview part is missed. Second lecture: "Okay, I know where I am, but then where am I heading? And I start chasing the whole missed part from the first lecture. And by that time everyone is working on their tutorials. And this is how I get caught into the chasing the semester game.
The winter is not too far away and the atmosphere has just been splendid in the morning over the past few days. I'm not sure if any of you celebrated Neighbour Day on 29 March. I didn't know about it before, but I really liked the idea behind organising such day. I would like to remember it next year.
And yes, very important, the graduate recruitment programs by big firms are closing soon, so don't miss out on your applications. Apart from that the AFL season is back and I believe many of you would have already built up your team for the Super Coach competition by Herald Sun. If not, it's still not late. I'm definitely going to find some time to make it to the biggest comedy festival which you might already know about. Melbourne's International Comedy Festival. The Australian Grand Prix, the Formula 1 racing is already over too with big surprises. This turned out to be one the most eventful times of the year and I hope it continues to be. Good luck to all of you and I hope it's just another successful semester for you guys. Will be in touch shortly, until then its bye from me and always stay tuned. Bhaskar.
18 February 2009
My heart goes to the survivors of the most devastating and horrendous bushfire in Victoria and I pray to God to give them strength to face this tough time in their lives.
No one would ever be able to forget the most dreadful day of 7 February when the whole sky went grey with white clouds and hot winds. The day when our brothers and sisters in Australia battled for their lives fighting against the merciless bushfires.
My mind was shocked and my eyes were filled with emotion when I read the news the next day and I realised the devastation caused by fires across the state. But even during such calamity, there were stories of courage shown by the people affected and of course, the fire-fighters, who have been working so hard to control the fires. It's very moving to see everybody in the country united and providing support in such hard times. I urge everyone to contribute in whatever form possible and show their support by donating to the relief fund, volunteering or donating blood for those in need in such hard times.
22 December 2008
The Christmas preparations are taking place at the moment. I had two festive celebrations in India and now we have Christmas only a couple of days away followed by the New Year. I think all of you might be in a festive mood too and getting ready to have a good time.
It gets more amusing every year, doesn't it? Another year went by and we are still uploading pictures of New Year's celebrations from last year on our Facebook and Myspace profiles. That must be why we love festivals. They bring a lot of get-togethers, party times and spread the happiness all around. Above all they give us those great memories to cherish. Some take the form of the pictures and others just stay in our hearts.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I also hope that the New Year brings more happiness in everybody's life and showers you all with success and achievements. See you all in the new year!
11 December 2008
After almost two years in Australia, I finally went back to see my family and friends in India. I returned three weeks ago and I am still a little bit nostalgic about the good times I had at home.
It was an anxious and eagerly awaited trip for me since it had been so long without me seeing them. I planned the trip so I would be there for two very important Indian festivals and there is nothing better than being home at a time of celebration.
The first was the festival of dance called Navratri (Nine Nights) that goes on for nine nights, and the second was the Diwali, which marks the beginning of the Indian New Year and is also called "the festival of lights".
I am sure anyone can understand how emotional it is to be reunited with your family. We were all very happy and emotional and it was really good to be home again. Walking on the same old streets with my old best friends, going out for dinner at those spicy Indian restaurants, going to late night shows in movie theatres and enjoying the ice-creams at my favourite parlours...Absolutely amazing.
But now I'm back in Melbourne. It took me a while to be out of nostalgia. But honestly, I did miss Melbourne and all my friends here when I was in India. And thanks to them, I have moulded myself back to the Melbourne lifestyle.
Summer has signalled its arrival and the cricket season has already started. I love cricket and play for a small club in Fitzroy and it's great fun. I'm really looking forward to the summer as it means lots of outdoor activities, barbeques, beaches and parties.
Well, it's a great pleasure to be back guys and writing the blogs. Wish you all a great summer ahead. Keep safe from the sun and save as much water as you can!
24 September 2008
As a student it's sometimes difficult to organise your time when there is so much to do. A lot of effort goes in organising time for studies, work, and friends and so on.
For nature lovers and explorers as myself, it can be annoying not being able to spend more time outside . I believe it’s worth making time to explore the natural and environmental beauty of Australia.
I recently visited Philip Island and I found it beautiful. But one place I really liked is the Mornington Peninsula, which is Australian countryside. A really beautiful place to visit and just one-hour drive from the city’s much-happening, busy life. And so the first thing you witness there is “serenity”. And then, these big farmlands, wineries and vineyards, huge pine trees and a beautiful beach as well. It wasn't the best time of the year to go for a swim, but it was still beautiful to watch. For the wine lovers, you can organise to visit a particular winery, have lunch and taste many different types of wines whether Shiraz or Pinot Noir or Sparkling Red etc. So blissful. It’s time to say bye again.
I am now about to leave to India to visit my family that I haven't seen for two years. I will talk more about it once I reach there. Take care and always stay tuned guys. Ta
September 2008
I hope my blog finds everyone in the best of health and spirit. In the last blog, I mentioned that everyone falls in love with Melbourne once they live here. Now I would like to highlight some of the reasons why I love Melbourne.
The first reason is that life here is really easy going. Compared to other countries I would say life is really safe secure and there are so many good people out here that you will seldom get caught into hassles on the street etc.
Another big reason I believe is the multicultural aspect of Melbourne. So many new things to learn, exchange and share that it’s always interesting and enlightening. To sum up the others I would include great study environment at La Trobe, so many wonderful places to see, art, museums, exhibitions, great night life as well, including bars and restaurants, etc. And the list continues.
That’s it from me for now, talk to you later.
August 2008
Free days are over and now we're back to uni.The Agora is once again a happening place and the weather is beautiful. Especially at lunch when it gets nice and sunny with cool breeze blowing.
Good-luck to everyone with their studies and stay tuned!
June - July 2008
How do you feel at the final minute of your last exam? That excitement is hard to describe in words: “It’s soon gonna be over”. Yes, finally, the exams are over. And now is the time for celebrating each and every moment. Some become party animals again, some might organise a trip outside the city and for some the international students – it's time to go home.
But expecting results can be just as stressful as the exams. So, I’m enjoying my Footy at the moment and I’m sorry to all those die-hard footy fans, but I barrack for the Saints. Also, can't wait for the Olympics to start.
Enjoy your holidays and goodluck with your exams!
