Volume 32 November 2010
POINTS OF INTEREST
MOOLOOLABA TRIP
BE YOURSELF
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
North Sydney’s
Cultural Fiesta 1
Soul 2
Perfectionism: Part
3 - Tip sheet 4
The way I saw it…
our trip to the
coast 6
Be yourself 8
ACU blog, social
media & more! 9
ACU Mates @ the
Blue Mountains 10
The Legend of the
Three Sisters 11
North Sydney Campus ‘The Cul-
tural Fiesta’ 9th September 2010
On a rainy Thursday night, the North
Sydney campus hosted our annual Cul-
tural Fiesta. The organising committee
as always put in so much work and ef-
fort to make the night go off without a
hitch and the audience were not disap-
pointed. Our wonderful and talented
performers made the night possible and
we are all so thankful for their talents
and their boldness to share themselves
with us. What a richness of cultural di-
versity that we have on our campus!
From our Nepalese dancers and singers,
the Filipino bands (yes 2 bands!), our
very skilled pianist & vocalist from Ko-
rea, our Ecuadorian guitarist who had
the whole audience singing, our singer
with Lebanese background, our Aussie
acoustic guitarists and last but definitely
not least our cousins from the South
Pacific Islands performing the Hakka –
what a treat (and a bit scary!) for those
of us who had not seen
this before.
A highlight
of the
night was
the
„Cultural Fash-
ion Parade‟
where many
students and
staff put a great
deal of effort
into their cultural
costumes; it was a
tough competition
for our finalists in
French and Filipino
outfits.
After the show, all
of the performers
and audience were
able to share in a
dinner of various
stir fries and rice in
the common room, a great way to finish
off the night. This was a great chance to
commend the performers and get to
know each other better.
On behalf of the campus we would like
to thank all of the performers who
made the night possible. We are all
looking forward to the Cultural Fiesta in
2011 and we hope you can join us!
North Sydney’s Cultural FiestaNorth Sydney’s Cultural FiestaNorth Sydney’s Cultural Fiesta Emily Leite
ISA
North Sydney/Strathfield/Canberra
SoulSoulSoul
Once upon a time there was
a girl who had four boy-
friends.
She loved the fourth boy-
friend the most and adored
him with rich robes and
treated him to the finest of
delicacies. She gave him
nothing but the best.
She also loved the third boy-
friend very much and was
always showing him off to
neighbouring kingdoms.
However, she feared that
one day he would leave her
for another.
She also loved her second
boyfriend. He was her confi-
dant and was always kind,
considerate and patient with
her. Whenever this girl faced
a problem, she could confide
in him, and he would help
her get through the difficult
times.
The girl‟s first boyfriend was
a very loyal partner and had
made great contributions in
maintaining her wealth and
kingdom. However, she did
not love the first boyfriend.
Although he loved her
deeply, she hardly took no-
tice of him.
One day, the girl fell ill and
she knew her time was
short. She thought of her
luxurious life and wondered,
“I now have four boyfriends
with me, but when I die, I'll
be all alone!”
Thus, she asked the fourth
boyfriend, “I loved you the
most, endowed you with
the finest clothing and
showered great care over
you. Now that I'm dying, will
you follow me and keep me
company?”
“No way!” replied the
fourth boyfriend, and he
walked away without an-
other word.
His answer cut like a sharp
knife right into her heart.
The sad girl then asked the
third boyfriend, “I loved you
all my life. Now, that I'm
dying, will you follow me
and keep me company?”
“No!” replied the third boy-
friend. “Life is too good!
When you will die, I'm going
to marry someone else!”
Her heart sank and turned
cold.
She then asked the second
boyfriend, “I have always
turned to you for help and
you've always been there for
me. When I die will you fol-
low me and keep me com-
pany?”
“I'm sorry, I cannot help you
out this time!” replied the
second boyfriend. “At the
very most, I can only walk
with you to your grave.”
His answer struck her like a
bolt of lightning, and the girl
was devastated.
Then a voice called out, “I'll
go with you. I'll follow you
no matter where you go.”
The girl looked up, and
there was her first boy-
friend. He was very skinny
as he suffered from malnu-
trition and neglect.
Greatly grieved, the girl said,
“I should have taken much
better care of you when I
had the chance!'”
Volume 32 Page 2
Shallu Randhawa
MBA
Melbourne
In reality as well, WE all have four
boyfriends in your lives:
Our fourth boyfriend is our body.
No matter how much time and ef-
fort we lavish in making it look
good, it will leave us when we die.
Our third boyfriend is our posses-
sions, status and wealth. When we
die, it will all go to others.
Our second boyfriend is our family
and friends. No matter how much
they have been there for us, the
farthest they can stay by us is up to
the grave.
And our first boyfriend is our Soul,
often neglected in pursuit of wealth,
power and pleasures of the world
throughout Eternity. However, our
Soul is the only thing that will fol-
low us where ever we go.
Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it
now, for it is the only part of us
that will follow us to the throne of
God and continue ............
Thought for the day: Remember,
when the world pushes
you to your knees, you're in the
perfect position to pray.
(Photo source: www.google.com)
Volume 32 Page 3
Perfectionism: Part 3: Tip sheet Perfectionism: Part 3: Tip sheet Perfectionism: Part 3: Tip sheet
‘Charity, dear Miss Prism, char-
ity! None of us are perfect. I
myself am peculiarly suscepti-
ble to draughts’
(Dr Chasuble in Oscar
Wilde (1895), The Impor-
tance of Being Earnest).
A Tip Sheet is not a substi-
tute for the psychological
work involved in under-
standing the origins of per-
fectionism in an individual,
which, as we have discussed,
are located usually in early
familial relationships. Nor
can tips replace insight into a
perfectionist‟s underlying
feelings, which almost always
include anger and its associ-
ated defence mechanisms.
Tip 1: Do the psychologi-
cal work.
Perfectionists complete all
their tasks thoroughly before
taking a break. In the strug-
gle for a better world, there
can never be a vacation. But
because there‟s always
something that could be im-
proved, relaxation, leisure
and just fooling around
never eventuate.
Tip 2: Schedule 1 hour
each day for relaxation.
We need to be realistic
about our goals in life.
When we find ourselves
depressed and anxious, it is
important to ask ourselves
whether we are doing too
much; whether we are
straining to be perfect; and
whether we are being un-
duly buffeted about by the
demands of others. We
have to learn to draw
boundaries – a lifelong pro-
ject, particularly for the per-
fectionist. With whom do
we need to draw bounda-
ries?
Tip 3: Be prepared to
draw boundaries with
everything that
breathes.
„51 is wasted effort‟, my
onetime Spiritual Director
used to say. (That is, 1 mark
more than is required for a
Pass.) Instead of aiming for
100% success on a task, try
for 90%, 80%, 60%. The sky
does not fall down when
we‟re not perfect. In fact, as
Robert Browning (1855), the
English poet, put it:
„What’s come to perfection
perishes
Things learned on earth, we
shall practice in heaven.
Work done least rapidly, Art
most cherishes’.
Tip 4: Experiment with
your standards for suc-
cess.
Many of our failures in life
bring us inestimable insight
and wisdom. What seems to
us to be „bad news‟ so often
turns out to be „good news‟
if we are prepared to be
thoughtful about life.
Tip 5: Think of a recent
Volume 32 Page 4
Rosemary Williams
Counselling Psychologist
Counselling Service
error that you made and list all
that you have learnt from it.
A sense of humour is an essential
ingredient for human life. We need
to be able to laugh at ourselves and
at life‟s absurdities. Quentin Crisp,
the English writer, when asked by a
US immigration officer in the 1980s
whether he was a „practising homo-
sexual‟ could reply: „Practising? Cer-
tainly not. I‟m perfect (Sunday
Times, 20/01/1982). Crisp‟s sense of
humour allowed him to manage the
considerable adversities he faced in
life.
Tip 6: Remember to laugh.
We can never really be who others
want us to be. We can only be our-
selves with our own unique genetic
endowment and personal history.
While we rightly try to address our
limitations, we each have our foi-
bles and they are part of what
makes us human. In Shakespeare‟s
1606 play, Antony and Cleopatra, Eno-
barbus could say of Cleopatra: „I saw
her once / Hop forty paces through
the public street / And having lost
her breath, she spoke and panted /
That she did make defect perfec-
tion‟.
Tip 7: Our foibles are essential
to our humanity.
„I’ll love you dear, I’ll love you
Till China and Africa meet
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,
I’ll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky’
(W.H.Auden, 1940, „As I walked out
one evening‟).
The voices of duty, responsibility
and order threaten to overwhelm
the life of the perfectionist. Love has
the capacity to transform things,
slanting a laser through this serious-
ness. „That is why‟, Rohr (1991)
says, „I have to see to it that I fall in
love with somebody or something
daily‟ whether it is with the vast
continents, seas and skies of
Auden‟s poetry; the transcendence
of Handel‟s „Verdi Prati‟; or with our
peopled earth, which even the age-
ing Muggeridge could proclaim,
„seems more than ever beautiful‟
now that „I shall soon be leaving‟.
Tip 8: Fall in love daily.
Volume 32 Page 5
Much of the world‟s spiritual
thought recognises that it is human-
ity‟s vulnerability that draws the
divine to us. In Christian scripture,
the one on which I am qualified to
comment, Paul struggles with a limi-
tation, asking „the Lord to take it
away from me. But he said to me,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for
my power is made perfect in weak-
ness”‟ (2 Cor.12:19). We do not
need to strain for perfection be-
cause God will see us through with-
out it. We act rightly, as if it all de-
pends on us, and, we believe as if it
all depends on God.
Rosemary Williams
The way I saw it...our trip to the coastThe way I saw it...our trip to the coastThe way I saw it...our trip to the coast
When you are an interna-
tional student studying in
another country, connec-
tions mean everything (at
least that‟s how I see it)! In
my experience, getting to
know new people and mak-
ing connections is the secret
to a successful stay and the
secret to achieving an all-
round experience and the
best way to create unforget-
table memories!
I think that if you have a“I
want to make new friends
attitude” you can never fail
in achieving that whereever
you are! So in my case that‟s
how I found many friends
and became interested in
participating in campus ac-
tivities to keep myself enter-
tained!
The Sunshine Coast is about
a 2 hour drive from ACU
Brisbane and since I reside
close to the university, it‟s
the same distance from the
place I live too (I am not
bothered buying a car since
we have concession which I
think is a great benefit for all
of us students!)
So this article is about our
trip to the Sunshine Coast! I
would like to start with
what I would have men-
tioned at the very end of my
story….well, that is, I had a
great time!
Maria, our Brisbane ISA,
organised a day trip to
Mooloolaba on the Sunshine
Coast. The day‟s forecast
was rain but the only
thought that circled within
each of our minds was, “it‟s
going to be a great day!” 35
of us showed up which was
a great number considering
the weather that day …
Maria came with her sister,
and Danny from Brian‟s Bus
was our driver and I think
we all liked him from the
very start and I guess this
was due to his high spirits!
He yelled, “we are going to
have a great day!” at the
start of our journey and we
all seemed to agree with
him .Danny was an experi-
enced driver and suggested
we stop at Montville instead
of the Glasshouse Mountains
Lookout as the weather did
not appear to be on our
side. I was ready for any
stop as long as we have fun!
I would say that Montville is
a tourist hotspot - a country
Volume 32 Page 6
Promode Fernando
Bachelor of Nursing
Brisbane
setting with an attractive bunch of
antique buildings and cute shops.
For me it seemed to have a built in
theme of mystery which I would
assume to be related to the village
history. Any how, I was in love with
all the souvenir shops! Especially a
shop named “Products of the Soul”
where they had all sorts of fancy
items from beautiful wind chimes to
rare collectables. This is the shop
where I ended up buying some
books written about great souls
that once walked the earth like Ma-
hatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa.
And of course we managed to take
many photographs!
Our next stop was our destina-
tion…the beach! And before I for-
get I should also mention that
Danny seemed to know a lot about
the area and did not hesitate to let
us know any interesting detail. The
bus was equipped with a micro-
phone and TV‟s with a camera so
we could see the road ahead (of
course I succeeded in staying in
front of that camera when we came
to a halt so that everyone could see
me - a better way of introducing
myself I thought !)
So back to the beach...by that time
the good and kind weather was
smiling on us! Although we came
across some rain patches during
our bus journey, it did not rain
whenever we got from the bus!
Underwater World is a big attrac-
tion at Mooloolaba. We had the op-
tion of visiting this attraction or to
go the beach, but the majority of us
chose the latter option since the
beach seemed so welcoming! And
let me mention that I was one of
those few people who was geared
up for a swim! So I managed to ac-
complish the anticipation I had in my
mind. A good time at the beach
seemed safe to anyone of any age
for the fact there were coast guards
stationed to ensure that we were
safe. This is one big thing I love
about Australia! They think a lot
about our safety no matter where
Volume 32 Page 7
we are, even at the beach!
I would have loved it if we had
more time..but every good experi-
ence has to end which is kind of
sad...so we all had to say farewell. I
was very happy about the books I
bought and also the beautiful mo-
ments I managed to capture on my
camera! Photos are a definite indi-
cation we all are going to get busy
on FACEBOOK once at home! So
we all had something to be happy
about in spite of the thought of
leaving..
And thanks to Bora for
the great photos!
Be YourselfBe YourselfBe Yourself
Volume 32 Page 8
I have been writing ever since I
was a child, sometimes my com-
positions are sober and sometimes
they are wild,
sometimes they reflect that I am a
grown up and sometimes they
portray that I am still a child.
But whatever it may be still I am
happy that I can write,
I am happy that when I want to
express myself, me and my imagi-
nation stay with me and do not
take flight.
I am happy that I can write, today
I am happy to say that I can write.
(Ssunny)
Enough of my songs about
myself. The basic thought I
have in mind is expression.
When I was a child I often
found it difficult to express
myself. I was not good at
drawing, at that age, I could
hardly hold a brush, but
there was something in me
which always said I could
express myself better.
I tried and tried and the first
breakthrough came when I
was 14 years old. While sit-
ting in my classroom, I
wrote my first poem. It was
short but I was able to twist
words to express what I
wanted to say. After that
there was no looking back
and to date, I do not know
how many poems and arti-
cles I have written . For me
they all are masterpieces
because they all were cre-
ated by me, they are an ex-
pression of me, proof that I
exist and proof that I can
convey anything in a special
way. Proof that my poems
can express my feelings to
my special someone beauti-
fully, and that she smiles
every time she reads one of
the poems I write only for
her.
What I want to say here is
that, if you have a style, im-
prove it. I see youngsters
dressing differently, that‟s
cool, they are expressing
themselves. I see different
hairstyles, that's again cool,
and when I visit someone
and they cook something
special it impresses me a lot
because I see a talent which
can make them shine.
Shakespeare did nothing
more than express himself.
There would have been peo-
ple around him who would
have mocked his poetry;
similar things would have
happened to Einstein too,
but they never lost hope,
they never gave up.
So the moral is , if you have
a style, an expression of
yourself, develop it, do not
let those around you tell you
that it‟s useless. We humans
are all worthy, so develop
your abilities and develop
your thoughts. We all have
similar genes to Shakespeare
and Beethoven if not the
same. Find out your abilities
and polish them and live the
life of your dreams, be the
centre of attraction today,
tomorrow and forever.
That's it for this time, see
you all next month. Until
then May God bless each
and every one of us with the
courage to express our-
selves so that we can be
what we want to be. Amen
Ashish Attri
MBA
Melbourne
ACU blog, social media and more!ACU blog, social media and more!ACU blog, social media and more!
Volume 32 Page 9
#########################
Facebook : http://
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ACU-
International/6140842556
Twitter : http://twitter.com/
studyACU
Orkut: http://www.orkut.com/
Main#Profile?
uid=14495835605789267129&rl=t
Friendster : http://
profiles.friendster.com/
acuinternational
Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/
user/ACUinternational
Looking forward to seeing you all
on the internet!
########################
ACU is introducing a brand new
blog for everyone to discover
what it is like to be an interna-
tional student at ACU:
The purpose of this blog is to
share international students‟ ex-
periences in Australia and at
ACU. ACU International blog will
be updated with interviews, testi-
monials, main campus life events,
photos, videos and much more!
Take a look now: http://
blogs.acu.edu.au/international
In order to feed this blog, we are
looking for enthusiastic interna-
tional students who would be
willing to tell us more about their
life at ACU. If you are interested,
please feel free to contact us at:
ACU International is also present
on many social websites, giving
you the opportunity to follow
ACU international activities but
also giving you a chance to have
your say, ask us a question or
participate in the prize money
games that are to come soon!
You can find ACU International
on the following websites by sim-
ply doing a search or entering the
following web addresses:
ACUmates @ the Blue MountainsACUmates @ the Blue MountainsACUmates @ the Blue Mountains
On Saturday 25th September
over 40 staff and students
headed out to our world
famous Blue Mountains.
Leaving at 8am from our
North Sydney campus, a lot
of students took advantage
of the short bus trip to catch
up on missed sleep. After
visiting an Aboriginal carving
and learning about its his-
tory, students enjoyed the
sights of the „Flat Rock‟ that
gave an uninterrupted view
of the expansive area, its
vegetation and various
breathtaking rock forma-
tions.
After lunch and a visit to the
famous Leura lolly shop it
was onto the Scenic World
attractions with the Scenic
Cableway descending
steeply down to the lush
rainforest below. After
walking around and hearing
amazing stories and facts
from our guide we boarded
the world‟s steepest railway
and held on tight as we
made our way back to the
top of the mountains. After
hearing the Aboriginal story
about the famous 3 Sisters,
we enjoyed a quick stop at
Echo Point for a close up
view. It was then we went
off the beaten track to visit a
campsite well known for
wild kangaroo sightings.
Thankfully the site did not
disappoint and the day felt
complete. We returned to
the campus in the evening,
weary, but having experi-
enced an amazing day out
with some great new
friends.
Josh Ang - ACUmates
Volume 32 Page 10
The Legend of the Three SistersThe Legend of the Three SistersThe Legend of the Three Sisters
Volume 32 Page 11
International Student Advisers
Maria Valastro: Editor and ISA, QLD
Emily Leite: NSW & ACT
Zoe Banna: VIC
Counselling Service, Office of Student
Success: Rosemary Williams - ACU Melbourne
ACU Mates: Josh Ang
Student Reporters this edition Shallu Randhawa - Melbourne
Ashish Attri - Melbourne
Promode Fernando - Brisbane
http://my.acu.edu.au/student/support/
international
The Voice The Voice The Voice --- Your TeamYour TeamYour Team
White Ribbon Day White Ribbon Day White Ribbon Day --- 25 November 25 November 25 November
White Ribbon Day: In 1999, the United
Nations General Assembly declared No-
vember 25 the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence Against Women
(IDEVAW) and the White Ribbon has
become the symbol for the day. There
are plenty of ways that you can get in-
volved in the White Ribbon Campaign: see http://
www.whiteribbonday.org.au/Home-89.aspx for more
information.
University Dates:University Dates:University Dates:
8 to 27 November Examinations
Good Luck with your Exams!!!
Aboriginal dreamtime legend has
it that three sisters, 'Meehni',
'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in
the Jamison Valley as members of
the Katoomba tribe.
These beautiful young ladies had
fallen in love with three brothers
from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal
law forbade them to marry.
The brothers were not happy to
accept this law and so decided to
use force to capture the three
sisters causing a major tribal
battle.
As the lives of the three sisters
were seriously in danger, a witch-
doctor from the Katoomba tribe
took it upon himself to turn the
three sisters into stone to protect
them from any harm. While he had
intended to reverse the spell when
the battle was over, the witchdoctor
himself was killed. As only he could
reverse the spell to return the la-
dies to their former beauty, the
sisters remain in their magnificent
rock formation as a reminder of
this battle for generations to come.
„The Three Sisters‟ are the rock
formations (pictured left) and you
can find them in Katoomba, a town
of the Blue Mountains west of Syd-
ney (about 2 hours by train) – a
great day trip. Make sure you take
warm clothes if you go in winter as
it gets really cold and even snows
on the mountains!
Emily Leite , ISA
North Sydney/Strathfield/
Canberra