Thursday, July 29, 2010

Crazy Weather.....Crazy Week

It's just Thursday and I already feel like writing a review about my week, maybe because I want this week to end quicker. It's the 4th week of the semester and feels like course is getting ahead of me, moreover; work load seems to be increasing at my job and on top of that, the weather is just acting crazy. It's been raining all week since Saturday, yes everyday.The days are cold and gloomy with almost no Sunshine, never thought that weather in Sydney could go this wrong.
I don't hate rainy seasons but I just don't like when it rains while I'm on the road. It is not convenient to travel to work or University esp when you have to catch a public transport. Everything gets so messy and I start to get a little grumpy....

Read an article today in MX(free newspaper for commuters)on a research done about people being grumpy on Thursdays and I kind of agree with the research. Sometimes, i do have bad moods on Thursdays, though had quite a few this week and I blame the crazy weather for it.

Oh well, we can't always have bright and sunny days like the way we can't always have good moods. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get but still hope for the best. Similarly, I hope tomorrow will be a better day with better weather and above all, it's Friday. It's the day when we start to become happier, silly but true and not only I say so, but the research has revealed it as well.

Cheers!
RS

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Tax Return Season $$££$$

With 30th June being the tax year end, from 1st July begins the season of tax return. For most of you, who don't know what tax return is (I didn't know until I stepped out of my country) I can try and explain briefly but trust me the taxation system in Australia is very complicated.

Like every country, workers have to pay taxes to the government here in Australia as well. A portion of your wage/salary gets deducted for tax purposes as you get paid each time. Tax return is lodged by taxpaying workers with the hope of getting a refund of what has been paid as you earned your income but sometimes one can end up paying back to the Australian Tax office (ATO) because of high income or low tax deduction.

You’ll get surprised to see how much tax you have to pay when you start earning. As international students, you do have work rights and if you find a job, you have to pay tax and lodge tax return. Not only that, if you have some savings in your bank account, you even have to pay tax on the interest received. Most of the things are taxed heavily in Australia and your income is obviously one of them. It doesn’t sound too pleasant but it’s true, the amount of tax you pay in Australia is quite high. In a way it’s good, because it helps to make the country’s economy stronger. I believe that it is one of the reasons why Australia is developed so much. As students, we always manage to get some refund back when tax return is lodged because we don’t earn much income and believe me it feels so good to get a lump sum amount in your hand at the end of the day. I love tax return season as it brings me some extra money and let’s be honest who doesn’t love that extra money???

Anyway, if you want to know more about ATO and tax return, visit ATO's webiste on http://ato.gov.au/. In future if you come to Australia to study and work, you are going to need a Tax Agent to do your tax returns and you never know you might bump into me:)

Cheers
RS

Friday, July 16, 2010

TGIF!!!!

Friday nite party pics!!!!!






After a hectic week, finally it's Friday. I never really used to look forward for weekends before as much as I do now. Life can get really busy when you are working & studying and of course you have to take care of your cooking, cleaning, washing, run errands........ the list goes on. Doesn't sound too appealing, does it? Especially boys might be thinking, hmm.... should i really go overseas to study??? Relax guys , it's not as difficult as it sound . You just have to learn time management skills (only if you don't have some), have bit of patience and everything can be done without too much hassle. But yes, you do get stressed at times and really look forward for that 2 days off in a week. By the time it's Friday, you already start to feel relaxed, i do.

I am not a party animal but i do like to go out once in a while,(esp Friday nites) have couple of drinks and hit the dance floor(love dancing). Sydney has an awesome nightlife and some of the best clubs that I've ever been to. With plenty of clubs and bars around, you'll definitely find one that you will enjoy going to and that you can afford as well. Most of the clubs have free entry all night or before 10pm so you don't really have to have loads of money to party and have fun. For me clubbing is indeed one of the best ways to chill & add some spice in your life, at the same time you can socialize with friends or colleagues and even make new friends. As Rihana said, you gotta get your body moving, shake the stress away.............. I completely agree with that:)

Happy weekend folks!
RS

P.S. Check out the link below to get bit of an idea about Sydney's Night Life

http://www.munky.com.au/

As I recall my first day in Sydney...............

I came to Sydney about 3 years ago. I can clearly recall almost everything about my first day here as if it was just few days ago. It’s interesting how time flies and never comes back, leaving behind the memories for us to cherish.

I can still feel the roller coaster of emotions I was going through from the time I boarded my flight till the moment I landed at Sydney Airport. First day at Sydney Airport waiting for the people, who were supposed to pick me up, I felt kind of nervous and lost. As I didn’t have any relatives in Sydney or any friends whom I could stay with, my agent had arranged for accommodation and some fellow students to pick me up who came to Australia through him.

Anyway, that cab ride from the airport to Strathfield (suburb where my accommodation was arranged) was quite interesting and exciting as I got to see and feel Sydney city for the first time. It was drizzling and the weather was a bit chilly though it was summer season. I had heard and read about the beautiful weather of Sydney and that it doesn’t get too cold even in winter but to my surprise; I was feeling the chill in summer. While talking about the weather, one of the guys even said some really funny stuff. He said something like ‘Never trust 3 Ws in Sydney i.e. Women, Work and Weather’. I couldn’t comment about the women or the work but felt may be he was right about the weather. I arrived to my destination and nearly had a heart attack paying the cab fare. I knew Sydney was one of the most expensive cities in the world but the cab ride was bit too much expensive. At that very moment I decided that I am going to stay away from cabs as much as possible.

As I rested, I started thinking about all the things I need to do in order to start a new life in a complete new city, far away from home and family. Though it was not the first time I had been away from my country,( I had studied and lived in US before moving to Sydney), I had the same feeling of awkwardness as I was with strange people , new surroundings, was missing home; however I was also excited about the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I couldn’t sleep that night maybe because of the jetlag or excitement or that uncomfortable feeling, whatever the reason was, I pretty much stayed awake the whole night, thinking, planning and enjoying the feel of a new city – Sydney.

Cheers
RS

Friday, July 9, 2010

Why CQUniversity for me?

Choosing the right University to pursue higher education is not an easy task to do. There is something unique about every University and they all claim to be one of the best in the industry. With so many options around, one is bound to be confused and on top of that, you are subjected towards the strong marketing strategies of these institutions which can influence your decision. However, one needs to go for what works best for themself. Every individual is different and has their own priorities and perception towards things in life. What worked for me might not work for someone else and vice versa. Undoubtedly CQUniversity is one of the best Universities in Australia but I have my own reasons to pick this one for myself.

1. Location: conveniently located in Sydney CBD, easy to get around, close to shops and restaurants and famous Darling Harbour (most amazing place to be, trust me)

2. Tuition Fees: found bit more competitive and affordable, (you definitely need to check your pocket while shopping for Universities)

3. Recommendation: I don't go by what people say but good recommendation from people you trust is something that is considerable, heard good stuffs

4. Scholarship: cherry on top, saves you lots of $$$ if you are eligible (I was), just make sure you don't fail any subjects to maintain it

Apart from them, there are many other reasons that made me pick CQUniversity amongst all these good Universities around Australia. You can always check the website or contact University to know more about studying here, you never know this could be the place you are looking for to further your studies. As I said before, you need to find out what works best for you; my intention is not to influence anybody’s decision but to share my views on choosing CQUniversity. All I can say is I am not disappointed with my choice.

Cheers!

RS

Friday, July 2, 2010

Let’s Get Started!!!!

Hey guys! First of all, I’d like to welcome you all to my “BLOG”.

Let me first introduce myself; I am an international student, currently enrolled for my Accounting degree in CQUniversity Sydney. This is my last semester here and I am super excited about it. I can’t explain how good a feeling this is. I am sure all you guys have experienced such a feeling many times in your life. It’s the feeling of being that close to finishing something or achieving your goal, either small or big, doesn’t matter. Three years of hard work will finally come to an end in about three months time.

Okay, now I don’t mean to scare anyone by referring study as ‘Hard Work’ but University life is quite challenging and can be bit tough at times.

I’ll be sharing some of the challenges I faced and how I survived through them in my upcoming posts. For today, I just wanted to keep it short and simlple and to be honest; I was not sure what to write in my first post. I promise to write something more meaningful in my next posts (if this doesn’t any make sense). Also, let me know if you want me to blog about anything in particular, nothing weird but something that is more relevant and appropriate to post here. Most importantly, your comments and suggestions are much appreciated.

I look forward to expressing some positive ideas, share my experiences about the University and Australia through my blogs so keep an eye for my posts.