Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Stress Less?

As I sit here writing this entry, I notice how fast this year has gone. I've only got two more classes until I have completed my very first year as a TAFE student. I've gained so much knowledge this past year, in this writing course. For one, it has made me realise that the responsibility for handing in assignments is totally up to me. I must admit that I soon became used to this, and slacked off a little bit when it came to completing and handing in my work. And this also made me realise that if I want a career in writing, I need to be committed to the work and follow deadlines.

The last term of this year has been pretty hectic. With everyone including myself, trying to get in their last few assignments and such, I almost think I'm back in my senior years of high school. Of course there are no Sac's or exams which is a bonus, but all of us have been stressing one way or another. But the stress I've been dealing with is so much different compared to VCE (high school) stress. Making sure you hand in all your assignments, and getting a pass in your subjects is the only things you need to stress about in TAFE. Well, there is probably a few other minor things to worry about, but it depends how stressful they are to the students. What is stressful to one student may not necessarily be stressful to another.

The stress that you deal with in VCE, is ten times worse than in TAFE. Apart from the fact that you constantly have to worry about the dates and deadlines for each SAC, you also need to revise your notes and class work and make sure you hand everything in on time. As soon as you miss one deadline for a SAC, you automatically have your teachers and year level coordinator hounding you until you hand it in. The other different things about VCE are that you have to follow a strict timetable, be on time for each of your classes, different class times, scheduled breaks, and the most important one: end of year exams. I believe VCE exams were the most challenging work I've ever done in my life, and they put an enormous amount of stress on me. All I can say about the exams is that I'm very proud I got through them, but they didn't affect my future education or career like my teachers said they would. I achieved where I wanted to go, which is right here in this professional writing TAFE course at Victoria University. And I'm proud to say that I'm doing what I love.


By Angela Hryc


Monday, November 1, 2010

Rotunda for musos -- or anyone who loves music

Rotunda often has a musical prelude so it seems only natural that we should extend this further at some point. Our next Rotunda event features songwriters -- here are the details from Bruno:
Rotunda in the West: Conversations with Australian Writers (SONGWRITERS)

(brought to you by Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE), Victoria University and Greg Aronson from VU Music dept)

Warmly invites you to the next Rotunda In the West event featuring musicians:

Ashley Naylor, Dan Kelly, Chuck Jenkins and Phil Kakulas

plus

performances from VU music students

Date: Tuesday 23rd November

6pm for 6.30pm start.

Come early for light meal @ Vu Bar

Venue: VU Bar (building M level 0)
Footscray Park Campus
Victoria University.
Ballarat Rd Footscray.

Stay tuned for more details. More info coming!!!

Be sure to book your place.

Wave back to let us know you’re interested.

Grazie!!

Bruno Lettieri

0422 29 86 43

( bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au)

Events at the gym

by Kavita Balvally

One of the things I like to do in my leisure time is go to the gym. I was reluctant at first, thinking that nobody but muscled bodybuilders went there, but I was completely wrong.

A few years ago, I was horrified after climbing a flight of stairs to be out of breath. A young person like me, wheezing like an asthmatic. I decided I should get fit and now going to the gym is probably one of my favourite things to do. It keeps me fit physically, and if I was ever chased down the street by a madman late at night, I think I could probably outrun him.

The only time I really get to go some days is in the evenings from between 6-8pm. That’s when the whole population of the world seems to have descended upon the gym and the aquatic centre.
There are people on their way home from work, students like me and high school kids with their parents. The gym area is a hot, crowded noisy box that makes me feel overwhelmed. The cardio machines are often occupied and we have to take turns on the weight machines between sets. Plus, there are sometimes never enough dumbbells for use (damn that woman who hogged both 5kg sets. Karma, woman, karma.)
Nonetheless there are incentives like the massive TV screens everywhere where you can watch your favourite program or the plenty of hot male eye candy around (the patrons and the instructors.)

The main idea is to relax and keep fit at the same time. I don’t carry my i-pod with me, but I like to listen to the music from the overhead stereo system. I often run in beat to the music on the treadmill, and count beats while doing abs or arm exercises.

Gyms are also a great place to people watch. Not only guys, but the girls as well. Sometimes I tend to find myself in a competition to see who can do more reps with the same weights. Most of the time though, the other person has no idea she’s in a competition with me. There’s no point trying to pace myself with the guys though; they can probably lift the same amount of weight I do with just one hand.

The other day, a group of construction guys came in after work still in their gear, but wearing sneakers instead of their usual work boots. They were clustered around a machine talking. Maybe something to do with their work?
Nooo, of course not. They were gossiping about what they did on Saturday night and some of them even took out their phones and were comparing photos. It made me smile, watching them bust their guts lifting weights one minute then laugh and giggle away the next.
The gym is a veritable place for relaxing, pushing yourself, keeping fit and people watching. Why did I not discover this haven years ago?