2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup

Every 4 years, soccer fans around the world rejoice and join in the action. The World cup showcases the elite teams playing each other for the ultimate prize, winner of the world cup. This time the world cup is played in South Africa and to celebrate the event UniLodge @ Melbourne decorated the common areas and threw a world cup opening ceremony party.


Residents gathered in the common Tv room for pizzaa, snacks & drinks to watch the spectacular world cup opening ceremony and then the first match of the tournament South Africa vs Mexico, the match resulted in a one all draw.

Some residents even dressed up in their favourite gear to celebrate and showcase their nation. A raffle was drawn during the night and some great socceroos gear was given out to the lucky winners.
Parties for the Socceroos matches will be held throughout the tournament and a FINAL match party will be held.

UniLodge Ski Trip '10

It's that time of the year again, the snow is plentiful and there was no better time than to go to the snow. Following up on the success of previous years UniLodge took close to 100 residents to the snow. For some this was the first time they have seen snow.

It was an early morning with residents departing UniLodge at 5am in the morning. On the way to Mt Buller to keep everyone awake and to get them ready for the cold we watched the movie ICE AGE. Just before we hit the ski fields we needed to get some snow gear and equipment. This meant a stop over at the mansfield hire store.

With all the equipment sorted and everyone rugged up ready for the cold and snow we made our way to Mt Buller. Everyone had a blast with, Skiing, snowboarding, Tobogganing & snowman making. After over 5 hours at the snow we made the return journey back to the city.

Those that went described it as a once in a lifetime opportunity. New friends were made and memories will last forever.

The entire photo album for the ski trip is online at http://www.communityspirit.com.au/.

Thai Dinner

This months dinner was held at Tasty Thai in QV where residents enjoyed a the tasty Thai

experience.

Around 20 residents went to the dinner, where they enjoyed a drink and meal as part of the Community Spirit Program. Most people chose the Pad Thai and sat, relaxed and chatted away. It was a very successful evening. We aim to hold a dinner function most months, so get on board and sign up for the next function at reception. Don't forget to visit http://www.communityspirit.com.au/ to see what's happening.

Fame - The Musical

On the 30th May 2010, Evana and I brought 18 Unilodge CSP members to watch Fame the Musical in Regent Theatre. All of us gathered at UniLodge D2 before setting off.

But first of all, we had to get everyone fed! None of the members knew, it is a mystery for everyone. NANDOS, yeah, the portugasm chicken!!! We did not book the place for lunch and the two staff in Nandos were overwhelmed by a 20 strong people group coming for lunch. We kept the workers in Nandos occupied for 30 minutes and we managed to finish our meal on time.

After lunch, we had to rush to the Her Majesty Theatre for the show. Fame The Musical is based on a movie called Fame is the 80s. It is about a class of students trying to excel in one of the best Americas performing arts school. As the name suggests, Fame the Musical, being a musical there were lots of fabulous dance moves and singing. The actors portray their character very well and with their vibrant costumes proved the show to be entertaining to watch. I have yet to watch the movie Fame but will catch it one day if I have the chance. The feedback from the residents is that they LOVED the show!

Although, this musical event for CSP members has finished, there are a lot more events coming up. So CSP members, QUICK, make your membership fee worth every dollar and participate in the up-coming events.

Evana & Haozhen

Pancake Parlour - Study Break

Although only a small group of people residents of UniLodge @ Melbourne ventured down to the Pancake parlour in the Burke St Mall for a study break.

Residents thought they were getting pancake and coffee to help them study, however we ended up having lunch with those famous delicious pancakes for dessert.

Residents that attended loved it, saying that it was a well deserved break and that after tasting those famous pancakes will be back to enjoy more.

You can enjoy pancake parlour pancakes with some great discounts available form the minicards stand at UniLodge @ Melbourne reception.

Luna Park

On the 22nd of May a large group of UniLodge students made their way to Luna Park with an all you can ride pass. Rachad one of the UniLodge @ Melbourne residents shares his experience;

"We have spent a day full of fun at Luna Park! Although I am really scared of heights, I decided to try most of the rides.I really enjoyed the scenic roller coaster because I was able to see Saint Kilda beach from really high. I remember that each time the roller coaster went down really fast, I held on soo tight!

There was another ride that turns you upside down! So I waited in line with my friends for our turn and then I saw two of the staff holding a girl who was fainting and I got so scared! But my friends were encouraging me to try it! When we got inside the vehicle, then I imagined myself being upside down so I told them that I want to go out cause I will not be able to do it!

Other than that, it was an awesome fun day!! " - Rachad Atat

Ada, the UniLodge receptionist also braved the rides for the first time going on a roller coaster. Apparently after the first ride, none of the residents wanted to sit next to her because she made so much noise! Here you can see her, sun glasses on yelling all the way down the slope of the scenic rail way!
Mind you, there are quite a few excited residents on this train!

So, don't forget to check our online calendar for upcoming events as June is going to be big!

Rock Climbing 2010

On Saturday 8 May 2010, UniLodge @Melbourne arranged a rock-climbing activity as a part of the Community Spirit program. Sam and I were two Residential Advisors that participated in the activity with about 20 other UniLodge residents.

It was a fantastic experience. To most of us, it was our first experience doing rock climbing. Arriving at the location, we had a briefing session explaining the equipments worn and how to use them. The instruction sounded lengthy at first, but once the harnesses were worn and set properly, we only needed to remember how to climb and pull the safety rope with our partners. Pretty simple.

The activity was so much fun. (though as you can see, I did need to concentrate when holding my partners rope!)

We got to know each other better and made new friends with neighbours from different floors, especially with the person you're partnering with. It was a good exercise for arms and legs, and also your courage. The pictures and videos taken would definitely be Facebook worthy and are currently in our online photo album at http://www.communityspirit.com/ . Hehehe...

This is certainly a must-try activity, and I strongly encourage you all to participate next time. Don't worry if you're afraid of heights. We first trained by climbing a short wall, and once you get used to it, you'll want to climb higher. You may even overcome your fear of height after all the fun.

I look forward to joining the next Community Spirit event with you all.

Cheers,


Budiaman

Monthly Mingle

Well, some students may ask, what is a Monthly Mingle as those that came to this months Mingle were pleasantly surprised...

The Monthly Mingle is an event held each month somewhere in Carlton where staff and students get the opportunity to 'mingle'. This is where we can get to know one another in a relaxed atmosphere over a coffee, hot chocolate or cold drink. Students have the opportunity to talk about any of their concerns whether it be relating to UniLodge or not and it also gives everyone yet another opportunity to get to know other residents from not only their own building, but from other UniLodges.

So, this month the mingle was held at San Curros on Lygon St where we ordered an assortment of Spanish doughnuts with melted chocolate dip along with some Spanish hot chocolate with ice-cream in it called a 'hot cold'. Over this delectable morning tea (which was breakfast for some of our students) we proceeded to chat about everything from scary Australian Animals to the traffic in Cairo and Rome to various tourist destinations between Brisbane and Cairns.

1000 or so calories later we then all meandered back to UniLodge with our bellies full of chocolate and some new friends.

Who knows where we will mingle next month? Check out our online calendar to find out when the next mingle is so that you can sign up for the surprise.

Glow Golf

On Thursday 29th April a group of Unilodgers went to mini glow golf in Dockland. We headed down with tram and took a short walk. Joining us was UniLodge on A'Beckett (who we would like to thank as they lead us in the Dockland Harbor City to the glow golf venue.)

Different than the normal golf you seen on TV, we played in the dark and the golf balls were especially painted so you can see at the dark. We divided into 3 groups and started our mini golf competition!

It took about 1.5 hours to compete the whole golf game and all the residents enjoyed the event so much that we chatted and laughed all the way through. I won't mention my golf score, but Bradley Brown was the winner of the day.

We had so much fun that we talked about the competition on the way back to Unilodge @ Melbourne.

We are all looking forward to next community spirit event.

Ada

Comedy Festival

This year’s Comedy Festival, UniLodge community spirit members were treated to a night of laughter in Melbourne Town Hall to see Arj Barker.

The members met at two separate UniLodge locations, UniLodge@Melbourne and UniLodge On Campus. I led the batch of members from @Melbourne to the corner of Collins and Swanston Street where the Melbourne Town Hall is situated. We waited for Evana who led the other batch to arrive before we had a group photo. We did an ice-breaking session together to get to know other members from other UniLodge.

Everyone was very excited and could not wait to get in to the main hall to see Arj Barker on what he does best. Arj Barker was funny and his jokes were interesting with a little essence of local laughs, I could see many people among the audiences laughing their heads off. No wonder, according to one of the website, he was named as Australia’s adopted son of comedy!

After the comedy show finished, the event participants were treated with some sweet treats at Brunetti Cakes Shop. They were excited with the allocation of $15 budget per person to have their selection of hot/cold drinks and tempting deserts. Everyone was so happy with their choice and we had a nice chat getting to know everyone better but unfortunately we had to go home separately. We would love to invite the residents who would like to to join us in the next event. I bet you won’t regret it!
Haozhen & Evana.

AFL Footy trip

On the 10th of March a group of 17 students went to watch Essendon vs Carlton in the AFL.

Here is a photo of the mighty Essendon Bombers warming up prior to the game.

Though we were seated in two different rows with all students rooting for Carlton (while I was the only Essendon Supporter) I beleive that everyone had a good time watching the game, being a part of the 71,600 crowd and learning a variety of Aussie language in what to yell!

As you can see some of the students were surpised by the variety of 'crowd personalities' along with the unique language used at this traditional Aussie game!

In the end I'm afraid that I had a better night as Essendon managed to hold the lead throughout the game to win by over 25 points in the end. Unfortunatly for Carlton they kicked themselves out of the game by giving up many free kicks as well as scoring many points instead of goals.

At the end of the game trying to get back to Swanston St through a 71,600 was a challenge but I still managed to squeeze in some time to take some night photos of Melbourne - below is the ferris wheel along the Yarra River - the rest can be seen on our community spirit photo album.

So look out for the rest of the month that includes Arj Barker at the comedy festival and Glow in the Dark Mini Golf!

The baking event.

On Saturday, 10/04/2010, a few eager faces were seen in the kitchen on Level 5. I was unsure how to get the session started but once everyone was introduced to each other, we got the ball rolling. The recipe for the day was a chocolate and peanut butter fudge cake.

The ingredients were basic with the addition of peanut butter and chocolate. Within half an hour, the cake batter was done and it was slipped into the oven. The icing was made in a separate bowl. When the cake came out, it smelt good enough to devour right away! Unfortunately or fortunately, the icing was very rich and the cake was consumed with gusto, prompting another cake-baking session. It was a good reinforcement and I was pleased to note that everyone enjoyed the experience and could not believe how easy it was!

Ingredients

 2 cups of self-raising flour
 1 cup of white sugar
 1 tsp of baking powder
 ½ cup of chocolate chips
 ½ cup of unsalted butter
 2 eggs
 ½ cup of icing sugar
 1 tsp of vanilla essence
 ¾ cup of peanut butter
 1 cup of milk
Icing
 I cup of Woolworth cooking chocolate
 ½ cup of peanut butter
 2 tbsp of butter
 ½ cup of milk
 1 tsp of vanilla essence

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, white sugar, baking powder and the chocolate chips and set aside.
2. In another bowl, melt the butter and combine with the eggs, icing sugar and peanut butter to give a creamy batter.
3. Then, sift the butter mixture into the bowl of flour that has been kept aside and add the cup of milk at the end. Mix well.
4. Place the batter into a baking tray and put into oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.
5. For the icing, melt the chocolate and add the peanut butter, butter, milk and vanilla essence together.
6. Stir thoroughly and once the cake has been baked, pour the icing over the top layer of the cake.
7. INDULGE!!!

Til the next event.

Praveena

Grand Prix

UniLodge F1 Grand Prix 2010

It comes only once a year and it’s known as one of the best races in the world! Yes, the grand prix was here and thanks to Ainsley and the Community Spirit program, it was one of the greatest events to attend.

Despite being on a very short notice, we managed to have a good turnout to witness one of the most spectacular races of formula 1. The residents of Unilodge were very punctual to meet up at D1 before we headed to Albert Park. After lots of photos courtesy of our favourite receptionist, Haozhen, we made our way to the venue via tram. It definitely was a task keeping everyone together considering the numerous distractions of amazing rides, mini car and the V8 super cars challenges occurring one after the other and nobody was willing to miss any action.

After finding a good spot to catch all the action, everyone was free to disperse and wander around. It was good exercise too, walking around the park looking for the perfect location! What more could we have asked for... there was plenty of food, good music, revving engines and a chance to see all the famous drivers and cars under one roof, not forgetting the amazing air show and the remarkable Qantas A380 jet.

The race started at 5pm and went on for about 120 minutes. Was perfect weather too as it wasn’t too hot but did rain here and there which kept the temperature down and provided some hope for crashes and possibly more action! Everyone was exhausted at the end of the day and decided to leave after the race but I stayed back to watch the concert which was simply amazing. Tram ride back was very exiting too talking about the event and making new friends. For those who haven’t been to the grand prix before, I’ll just say one thing...it is definitely worth the noise (not to worry, as ear plugs are catered for!).

Till we meet again,
Cheers!
Komal (RA-D1)

Australia's got tallent!

There we were in the Arts centre, eighteen of us. Excitement was in the air as everyone waited impatiently for the Talent show to commence. The waiting area was jam-packed with hundreds of people chatting amongst themselves in high spirits. The anticipation pervading the entire congregation of people was highly contagious.

Then, the entrance door finally opened.. It was almost like a split second where everyone just miraculously teleported towards the door. Waves of people began swarming into the open door as we were helplessly swept along with them. Before we knew it, we were already inside the hall searching frantically for seats. The seats on the ground level were taken up at a phenomenal speed, however we were still fortunate to find some seats on the 2nd level.
It was 1.30pm and everyone was comfortably in their seats, yet the judges were nowhere to be seen. The show was suppose to start at 1 pm. It was just at the point where murmurs began spreading across the hall when a comedian named Dave appeared. He entertained us with his humorous jokes and his stunts which revolved around his horrendously sagging beer belly. We had a great time as he kept us entertained for almost an hour; laughter inundated the entire floor. Yet, Dave was not any of the talents performing that day. In fact, he was just buying time for the operation team to put everything in place and also to guide us along with a training session.

It was indeed a really interesting experience as we had the opportunity to witness how it works behind the scenes. The training session involved us practicing different acting schemes. There was one particular session where we had to laugh out as hard as we could after Dave muttered a single word (which wasn’t supposed to be funny). We practiced expressions of astonishment, horror and all sorts of reaction that audiences could get from a performance. All these footages were captured by the cameraman and I presume they are used to generate the effect the director want the show to be. We were thinking to ourselves that tv show producers can actually be really cunning at times...lol.

Finally, after almost an hour of waiting the talent show started; it was about 2.30pm then. Unfortunately, we had to leave after watching about 5 performances as each took up about 20 mins (including both the performance itself and the judges commenting on their performances). One particular performance which left a great impression on me was a duet performed by a father and son. They played their guitar beautifully and their voice felt like silk. Everyone was cheering them on with so much passion for we were truly witnessing an immense talent on stage.
The climax of the show arrived when one of the judges commented that he preferred the son to sing alone, and the idea of a duet with his father was not a good one. This meant that the father may have to leave, and make no mistake; the father was a darn good singer. Fortunately, and to our greatest relief, the judges reached a consensus and decided to give both the son and father a chance to sing alone. The final outcome was heart-warming as both father and son made it to the next round with their impeccable performances and their genuine singing. It was truly a sight to behold.

All in all, this experience has broadened our horizons tremendously. We had a much better idea of how it’s like being an audience watching a show live, and at the same time, it has cleared many of the misconceptions that we held previously. It took us more than 2 hours to watch just close to 5 performances; it was certainly quite draining both mentally and physically. Nonetheless, the whole experience was rewarding as nothing beats the opportunity of coming so close to the judges and contestants (of immense talents) and to see your cheers and words of encouragement heard and felt by them. It was a trip well made and an experience truly unique on its own. I had fun, real fun! ;-)

Richard Liman (RA)

Welcome BBQ 2010

My name is Suhain (the tall one in the middle not looking at the camera) and I moved to UniLodge from Sri Lanka in February this year and because I enjoyed the BBQ I was asked to write an article for the blog.

To me, UniLodge of Melbourne is one of the greatest places you could ever imagine living in, due to the fact that all of your friends are together and all of their joyful events...such as BBQ's etc. The BBQ in March was a fantastic way to start off the year, because you get great food and also you get to meet a whole heap of wonderful new people from all over the world. The BBQ not only had heaps of food, but a DJ as well!


And don't forget the staff. The Staff is always there for you 24/7, which you don't get in most places. Even at 3.00am there'll be someone, so you have nothing to worry about little things, like getting locked out of your room...cause the RA would most definitely help you get in and also if you get sick someone will be there to help or even call an ambulance, including all of the friendly residents. Here are 4 of the RA's, from the left there is Jude, Richad, Sam and Budi!



The UniLodge, makes you want to love life at University due to the fact that peoples study and social lives are being well balanced, cause you need to socialize as well as study to have a quality Uni life...


Suhain Yaseen.

The Community Spirit Bran Nue Dae movie night was great fun!

As per usual we met at reception at UniLodge @ Melbourne, but instead of going to the City, this time we headed to the much closer Nova Cinema (which you may have seen when doing your shopping as it's near safeway).

After a quick wander through Bookworm Heaven (AKA Borders bookstore), we went up to the cinema. There was a bit of a wait as Nova was having some 'minor technical issues' - the Community Spiriteers didn't mind though, as this meant we got to skip the ads and go straight to the ridiculously hilarious Aussie musical. :-) Bran Nue Dae kept us in stitches from start to finish - especially in the last few scenes. ;-)

So if you haven't seen it already, I would recommend that you do so!

RA Gemma