how to find accommodation.

Hello all,

Hopefully everyone, having their holiday (or those, like me, who have to stay on and continue doing work :() are doing well! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


So, as the new academic year (one of them that is, there is also a July intake) is approaching, new students will be coming into Melbourne. One of the most asked questions in our Facebook group is concerning accommodation. This post will focus solely on this so it can be referred to if anyone else asks about it.



Right, first time going away is hard. It is reasonable to panic but don't! There are a lot of options you can choose from in terms of accommodation;

1. Living with friends or family (that you actually know before you arrived in Melbourne)
2. Flat/House-sharing (where you share a place with other people looking for accommodation as well)
3. Living by yourself.

Also, please check your university's website for housing options. They will be able to provide a formal explanation on what to expect in terms of housing and rent. But if you have any doubts about the places they have suggested, please feel free to ask us. We might be able to give a more personal account of those places if one of us happens to have stayed at the said place.

There are a number of sites that you can check for houses.

for living by yourself or with your friends or family, there are real estate websites that lists down empty apartments (sometimes furnished/more often not) along with their prices so you will be able to choose between them.

some of those websites are:

http://www.realestate.com.au/rent

http://www.domain.com.au/?mode=rent

please make sure to search within Victoria - be it Melbourne, Caulfield, Carlton, Hawthorn, etc., depending on where you want to live. Most people choose to stay near their campus so transportation won't be that expensive. However, other people also choose to stay in the city (Melbourne) even when their campus is not based there because it has easier access to a variety of shops, entertainment and necessities.

To calculate the price per month for a 12 month lease is...

the price per week x 52 weeks (the weeks in one year) divided by 12 months.

so if the advertisement says that it is $600 per week, the calculation for one month's rent would be 600x52/12.

For house-sharing, there are a number of places you can check. Again, please check your university website's housing options as they might provide a flatshare system where you can find other people who are looking for housemates. For example, in RMIT (where i go), there is a housing site within the university website that allows me to check for those looking to share a place together.

Other places you can look for this is:

http://melbourne.gumtree.com.au/ (under flat share/house share)

Please be careful with these advertisements. Do not give any payments unless you have seen the place yourself and are sure that they are the actual tenants/owners of the place.

From personal experience, when i first got to Melbourne, I stayed at a hotel for a few days to give time for me to inspect for a place. Although this is a bit risky, rest assured, it can be done. Also, if you have friends or family staying in Melbourne, i'm sure they won't mind giving you shelter for a few days before you are able to get up on your feet (But please, ask first :P).

Anyway, that's all I can really think of at the moment. But any questions, please ask away on our Twitter or Facebook page.


Thanks!

Asean Student Games: JERSEYS

Assalamualaikum and Hello all!

I trust everyone has had a wonderful Hari Raya so far. InsyaAllah all that we have learnt especially kesabaran over Ramadhan, we will continue to practise everyday. What more with exams once again looming ahead of us.

Now to follow up on the Asean Student Games Futsal tournament. We have a confirmed team of eight players:
...
TEAM CAPTAIN
Ahmad Za'aim

Bismil Muhammad
Hj Shahrin
William Wainwright
Dominic Tang
Wafiy Fakhrul
Nazirol
Noh

As discussed with many of our BSSMelb friends already, we will be ordering JERSEYS for the futsal tournament. The jerseys will also be available for order to individuals not participating in the futsal tournament.

Last weekend, Izzat with the help of Bismil found a sports shop at Queen Vic market and enquiried as to the pricing and quality of jerseys.
We have been given a quote of approximately $36.00. The more jerseys ordered the lower the set-up fee will be and ultimately the final cost for each jersey. The jersey is yellow and black with the BSSMelb logo embroidered on the front. Your preferred number will be printed on the back of the jersey.

I have uploaded an image of the jersey to this blog post and the BSSMelb Facebook: BSSMelb Jerseys Event Wall. The new BSSMelb leaf logo which Naafi'ah Mahdi has kindly designed for us will be embroidered on the front of the jersey. Thanks again Peh!

If you are keen in placing an order for a jersey, please reply on the BSSMelb Facebook: BSSMelb Jerseys Event Wall with your preferred SIZE and NUMBER by TUESDAY 20th SEPTEMBER EVENING. Note that the jerseys are made according to men's sizing (S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL). If you require a womens size, please estimate a mens equivalent. Also if you require a size smaller then a men's small, please inform of us your Australian numbered sizing and we will enquire further if there are kids sizes that can accommodate you.

We really would appreciate everyone's cooperation in getting back to us by the said date as we will need to recalculate the set-up fee accordingly and inform everyone of the confirmed price. Payment must be RECEIVED by Friday Morning at the very latest, remembering that if opting for bank transfer that this may take up to 2 business days. We will be placing the order on Friday afternoon.


Thanks everyone!
BSSMelb


PS. For our friends who have given Izzat and myself your details already, please check on the event wall if all your details are correct. Please only message/reply if changes need to be made. If not we will assume the details posted are correct. 

BSSMelb celebrates Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2011 with The High Commission of Brunei Darussalam, Canberra, Australia

On Saturday, 03 September 2011 / 5 Syawal 1432, the Brunei Student Society Melbourne (BSSMelb) organised their annual Hari Raya Aidilfitri Celebration in Melbourne, Victoria supported by the High Commission of Brunei Darussalam in Canberra. Bruneian students from all across Victoria gathered for this festive occasion.

This year’s celebration was attended by the High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to Australia, His Excellency Haji Adnan Bin Haji Mohd Ja’afar, who was the guest of honour for the function. His Excellency was accompanied by the Education Attache, Syed Rozman Bin Hj Syed Abd Rahim. Present at the function were upwards of 50 Bruneians which included Government Scholarship students, private students, in-service personnel as well as friends and families. The event was held at the house of the co-host, Awang Muhamad Fakhrul Anwar Bin Haji Abdul Wahab and his family.

The function which began shortly after the Asar prayer commenced with Takbir Raya followed by Doa Kesyukuran, led by the committee’s Religious Officer, Ahmad Za’aim Bin Haji Bagol. The Acting President, Kamaliah Saiful Rijal, then greeted the guests with a welcome speech and thanked the collaborative effort of the committee, the hosts, and also the High Commission of Brunei Darussalam for making the function possible. This was followed by a remark from the High Commissioner where he welcomed everyone and wished them a happy Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The High Commissioner reminded all students and in-service personnel to give priority to their studies as the nation relies on them to come home with greater knowledge useful to the nation. The High Commissioner also assured all Bruneians that the High Commission will always be available to assist in whatever way it can in their studies while in Australia.

There was an array of food and beverages provided during the function, dishes such as mee mamak goreng, barbeque chicken, daging rendang and sayur lodeh. Awang Muhamad Fakhrul’s family also had a barbeque going and a colourful variety of kueh-mueh served at every table.

A group photo concluded the day followed by a Doa Penutup. The committee aims to continue its commitment to the Bruneian community in Melbourne, especially to bring a bit of home to Bruneian students and families living overseas. BSSMelb will endeavour to maintain the relationship with all fellow Bruneians and to share the Bruneian culture with Melbournians in the hope of expanding the Brunei-Melbourne community.

Photo by Fitri Shah Hj Md Ali

Sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2011

Assalamualaikum and Hello,

Narrated Abu Huraira(r.a): The Prophet said:”… whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari).

With the end of Ramadhan nearing, we are sad to see this blessed month leave us until the following year. The end of Ramadhan however marks the beginning of Syawal where we celebrate the conclusion of our fast and to express gratitude to Allah (swt).

The Brunei Student Society Melbourne (BSSMelb) committee would like to extend an invitation to all Bruneians to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri together.

Alhamdullilah this year, the event will be held at a Bruneian family's lovely home. We are most grateful of their kind gesture in welcoming us all to celebrate with them. In addition, we will be celebrating this festive event with officials of the High Commission of Brunei Darussalam as well.


 
The details of the event are as shown below:

DATE:          Saturday, 3rd September 2011

TIME:          3pm to 6pm

ADDRESS:  Number 2, Shorts Rd, Coburg North 3058.

DIRECTIONS
 
Tram:           No. 19 North Coburg, last stop.

Train:           Merlynston station, Upfield line (http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/assets/Maps/Routes/PDFs/15_CraigieburnUpfield.pdf). 




Hari Raya Aidilfitri is never short of delicious foods. Fortunately our host along with the High Commission of Brunei Darussalam have been kind enough in providing food and beverages. That said, we would also appreciate if you are to bring any food with you to complement the dishes that will be served on the day.



We look forward to seeing everyone very soon. InsyaAllah the event will keep us closer to home, especially for those of us celebrating away from the family. What better way to celebrate than with your BSSMelb family kan?

Wassalam.

 
Best Regards,
BSSMelb

BSSMelb Sungkai Ramai-Ramai

Assalamualaikum to all fellow Bruneian students here there and everywhere in Melbourne, Victoria!

Seeing as it is the holy fasting month of Ramadhan for all fellow Muslims, the Brunei Student Society Melbourne (BSSMelb) acting committee would like to invite fellow Bruneians and friends to gather for a Sungkai Ramai-Ramai event.

We recognise how much the fasting month means to all Bruneians here and would like to take this opportunity to observe this holy month together. First and foremost, fasting during the month of Ramadhan is one of the rukun-rukun Islam, or the five pillars of Islam. The significance of Ramadhan is also highlighted with the commemoration of the revelation of the Holy Qur’an. One of the most common practices during this month is Sembahyang Terawih.

Not only will BSSMelb be organizing a Potluck Sungkai event to reminisce of Ramadhan back home, but there will be a Sembahyang Berjemaah for Maghrib and Isya’ followed by Sembahyang Terawih held at the venue.

The details of the event are as follows:

Date: Saturday, 20th August 2011

Venue: Unit 121, 418 The Princeton on St Kilda Rd Melbourne

Time: Arrival of Guests 4:30pm – 5:00pm

Directions: Take any tram EXCEPT #1 or #8 on Swanston St
towards St Kilda Rd and alight at stop #22.

For as long as we can remember, Gerai Ramadhan annually attracts Bruneian families in preparation for their Sungkai. The scenes of the stalls, the smell of bbq food in the air, $1 food and beverages being sold everywhere, and especially kueh-mueh is sorely missed by all of us here. =(BSSMelb would be most grateful if you could join us to ramai-ramai bersungkai on this

Potluck event. As a reminder, please do bring a sejadah(s) okeh? Thanks!
Insya Allah, we hope to see everyone on Saturday.

Wassalam,

BSSMelb