Brussels: You are not alone

The news of the Brussel's attack has shocked the world.
Just when everything seems quiet and safe, we are rocked off our feet once again.

Now we are again in fear. France and Germany are on alert, awaiting another attack that may never come. Police in major cities are afraid that this new attack could convince others of Islamic State to make their move. We are withdrawn from strangers in the streets, imagining them as the next bomber to strike.

But we are not isolated.

Images of Solidarity: http://ktla.com/2016/03/22/images-of-solidarity-support-for-brussels-flood-social-media/

It is in times of fear that the world unites. This image of the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of France, lit up in the colours of Belgium is one such example.

ISIS wants us to be separated, isolated, alone, because alone we are weaker. We must keep in mind that this is the act of terrorism, and not religion.

I say this, because just a few weeks ago I discovered that a friend of mine was Muslim. I believe he expected some sort of major reaction of surprise or fear from me. Instead I asked what it was like, to be a part of a community that so many have labelled evil because of the actions of a few people. He told me that people are faster broadcasters of the news than the media. When I asked him to elaborate he said that he always gets bad looks after something has happened, "My mother and sister get it worse, they wear the headscarf."

Simply,
this is wrong.
And exactly what ISIS wants.

So pray for Brussels, pray for peace, but also pray that we stay united, and do not make enemies of ourselves.

Or else the terrorists have already won.

They act only to cloud us in terror. Well lets fight them with strength. Lets fight them with sheer united numbers. Lets stand against them, as one people, fighting against tragedy, loss, fear and discrimination.

Lets stand against them as the human race.

I give my sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like. I cannot begin to fathom the despair, anger, hopelessness and all other emotions spawning from this heartache and fear.

But know this, in perhaps your darkest hour...

Know that

You are not alone.

- Michelle

Halo Infinity Courier Messenger Bag

First things first... This thing is MASSIVE!

I bought this from ThinkGeek  for $79.99 US (more than I would usually spend but I needed a good bag for uni) and received it in about a week, which considering I live in Australia and this was shipped from America, is record time. I was expecting about a month. Shipping was also free at the time instead of the usual $50 (I bought other items but can't review them because they are gifts) because of a discount they were having. I would recommend signing up for their emails if you're into geeky sort of things.

The company is 10/10, seriously, even if the shipping is a bit much for Australia.

So, what do you get?

• Well there's a zipped pocket about the size of my hand in the front

                            

LEFT TO RIGHT IN NEXT PICTURE:

• 3 x single pen slots
• 2 x slots that can hold around 5 pens each
• 1 x slot big enough for a calculator or phone (below the key chain hanger)
• A key chain hanger thingy that you can detach
• A zipper pocket that can fit 2.5 phones side by side, joined by the long side (where that aqua purse is)

                                     

• A MASSIVE compartment section that is currently holding my French textbook, a folder full of 4 exercise books, 3 diary sized books and my DS and calculator and anything else I manage to throw in. Sorry that the picture doesn't really show the size, its bigger than what it looks like in it. The actual dimensions are on the Think Geek site by the way.

                                                       

• A velcro pocket inside the MASSIVE compartment that can fit a laptop
• A metal label that says INFINITY

                                      

• A pretty UNSC logo

                                                     

• A seat belt material like strap
                           
  
  It's worn on your back with one strap over your shoulder and across under your other arm, like a backpack sort of thing
• And overall a really cool looking bag

But be warned, its massive, which can be a good and a bag thing.

Good because I have a lot of stuff I need to carry around with it.

Bad because I'll look like a marine carrying a Spartan or an Elite weapon.

Ever seen a marine holding an energy sword? It looks ridiculous... 

But at least I'll be happy!

PROS

• Lots of space
• Very nice to look at
• Materials all seem pretty tough and heavy duty
• Lightweight (when empty)
• Heavy duty clasps
• Halo!

CONS

• Pens are a tight fit in those single slots
• Bit bulky when completely filled but that's to be expected
• Expensive but probably due to the materials and because its from Halo
• Wish it had an option to be worn on one shoulder and on the side like a handbag or normal messenger bag rather than always on your back, but it's too big for that I think. UPDATE: I don't mind this now too much after using it, it's made to act like a backpack thingy

Overall, I'd give it 9/10 and update you tomorrow on how it feels after a day of carrying it!

UPDATE:

So far so good, this bag may be a little awkward to get over your shoulder, but its not too horrible to carry once its there. It's actually quite comfortable and sits nicely. Even better if its slightly less on your collarbone than where you would put most bags. The lighter it is the better it will feel of course, but I don't mind carrying around the load like this. You also get to look really cool and tough carrying around a massive bag without breaking a sweat because its comfortable to carry. I'd liken it to carrying a mixture between a Duffel or sport training bag and a backpack. Perhaps it's better to say it's like an instrument case bag.
UPDATE: You can wear this on one shoulder, but I wouldn't recommend doing it for agessss.

My stuff is nice and easy to find in this thing, and it doesn't all fall out when I open it up like what would happen with my backpack.

I wouldn't recommend running with it or jumping, but you can, it just bounces around slightly on your back, shoulder, or butt. Or maybe that's just me.....

It's also quite stylish and seems to match most outfits.

So far I'm actually thinking of changing my rating to 10/10, so therefore I give it...

9.5/10

With my main issue being the price, but most bags are pretty expensive these days anyway.

-Michelle

The First Week of Uni

........That was the most fun I've had learning in my entire life... my spare time is used for doing homework because its fun.... what is going on??

Okay so for me, Uni is awesome. That opinion might change during exams and all but for now I am really excited to get up every day at 5.45 am and get home around 8 pm. I'm currently studying at Melbourne Uni (A.K.A. Hogwarts) and I've finally worked my way out around the school and now only becoming lost very rarely. It helps that they have a Google Map sort of app for the campus.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Make friends!

My god I cannot stress this enough. If you make a friend or two in all your classes (French tuts I have trois!) it will be all the more enjoyable, and make it easier to get back on track when you're having trouble with an assignment. It also makes those hours of waiting for your next class to be more enjoyable.

Join Clubs!

Okay, okay... I joined four, which seems like a lot... but even if you don't continue with them then at least you have an opportunity to. I've got one that I won't being doing anything with until next year because they prefer people with at least one year experience with their course. Another one is a social thing, so every other week (making more friends!), one is helping out the community and another is keeping my French Horn playing up to scratch in an orchestra. Clubs are a great way to make friends, extend your boundaries, and just have some chill out time! 

Know the Layout of the Land!

You're going to get lost, a lot. Keep up that Google Maps app, take photos of every map you see, plan out a series of directions for you to follow and ask for directions! There's no shame in that, everyone has the same problem. Give it maybe a week or so and you'll know your way around fine.

Keep up to Date!

So yeah, it's easy the first week, but after that the homework and assignments is going to start piling up. Get on top of it while you can. With my Foundations of Computing subject I'm already a week or so ahead, mainly because I enjoy it so much haha. That leaves time to do the essay thingy for Engineering, the couple of half finished questions for maths, and that journal I have to keep writing for French. You might have plenty of time in between classes, I know I do, so use that as relaxation and study, or both, depending on how much you like the topics.

READ ALL YOUR EMAILS ALL OF THE TIME! It's honestly the only way anyone will ever contact you, and they do it all of the time... 

Gear!

Grab a bag, either some cool looking big messenger bag or a backpack, you'll need it to carry the days worth of stuff you have a log around. 

Bring an exercise book per class at least, mainly for writing notes. You're more likely to look at the lexicon of notes you made in a book rather than a laptop. 

If you have a laptop, bring it. Everything is online these days, and lecturers and tutors will expect you to have access. It's extremely hard to grab a computer in the libararies, trust me on that one. Even if its some slow laptop or iPad your high school gave you as part of that education scheme, bring it! Even a phone will do but a laptop is better.

Or a sandwich grill......

And use some common sense: a computer subject will need a computer, a folio sort of subject will need a folio. 

Textbooks you may as well hold off for the first week, just to make sure the lecturer actually wants to use them rather than have them buried away and never used. My maths lecturer had all these books filled with notes for us to buy. Turns out they're his slides for his presentations, and you can get them online for free through the Uni's student portal. 

Unless you're rich, bring some food with you, and leave your spare change for that much needed coffee or hot chocolate. You will go through a great deal of money if you buy your lunch everyday. Pack a water bottle as well, but most places will have a drink tap if you need it.

Bring money, you don't want to be stuck somewhere with no cash, especially if your myki money runs out in the city.

Running late?

Some classes, mainly lectures, do not care if you don't turn up. Sometimes the lectures are recorded so you can go check them out in your own time, but don't rely on them because sometimes the quality is terrible, especially if your math teacher thinks he knows everything about computers and then uses the one projector out of two that doesn't record footage.

Other classes, e.g. tuts and workshops, will require you to be there to pass. French for example is only tuts, and you need an attendance of 75%, or 17 out of 24 classes. Some like engineering workshops will not give you a mark for the session if you are over 15 mins late, because it is all teamwork and you can not be carried by your team. It's best to be on time and show up for everything, because you don't want to fall behind. But if you reallyyyy want to miss a class, pick one you know you can skip and still gather all the information for later. 

Other:

Watch your stuff. There's so many people on campus that it's just naive to think they're all honest. Just always keep everything on you, especially if you're in a city. Hate to say it but yeah, it needs to be said. You're not just in a safe school environment anymore, you're in real life! Out in the big real world! (As scary as that is...)

-----------------------

That's it for my tips gathered from my first week! Stay calm, enjoy yourself and it'll be the best 3 to 7 years of your life...maybe... I think it will be for me haha

BECAUSE YOU GET TO LEARN STUFF YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT!

And my Computer programming worksheets mention Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones and cool stuff like that in it hehe

Well I hope everyone enjoyed their first week at Uni! 

- Michelle