Oli and Levi

Oli and Levi is a tiny little hole in the wall cafe. But a cute one.

I never knew this place existed until Sweet and Sour Fork wrote up about it.

Here this place specializes in sandwiches and $2 pastries. But they also do coffees.

The place when I came was really busy with all the office workers grabbing their coffee fix. It also seemed to be the only coffee place in Comandel lane outside Citardines and the finance places.

Since this is such a small, comfortable space; there is no bathrooms here. the kitchen is open, meaning that you can see what they are doing.

There is limited outside and inside seating and the waitress told me that they don't do baguettes until 12pm. I was hoping for a baguette...sadly after seeing the pictures of them. They are $9.90.

Instead I got the $8 salmon and egg wrap and $2 apple and rhubarb pastry. Oh and also a long black ($3.50).

The long black was smokey and nutty in taste. At least it wasn't the super duper size that I sometimes get as I wasn't in the mood for this.

I loved my burrito, but except it was hard to eat with cutlery. So I used my hands. I loved the rocket salad...yummy

And I also loved the pastry. It wasn't too sweet but it was nice and warm. The rhubarb balances the sweetness of the apple nicely.

I'd love to recommend this to students and I'd surely return someday to try out their baguettes.

Time management at Uni

A organiser and pen is a great way to be organised. RMIT has free diaries.

 Image courtesy of wired.com.

This skill is really important for you to learn during your years at Uni and beyond. It is not taught in the classroom; rather it is self taught.

You can also get some tips from the Learning skills unit about this as they do have a time management workshop once in a while.

RMIT also has free diaries for students to collect and use.

One good way to get started is to set some goals and little tasks to help you to complete the big task. One thing that myself and Katherine did to complete the website is to set up regular meeting times and there we set some goals and tasks to be achieved by the next time we meet. In most cases this has worked.

A diary would be a great way to remind you of what needs to be done. This can done on Google calendar.

Privacy Act

In Australia there is a law about how your information can be used. This is known as the Privacy Act 2000.

An example of a privacy notice. Image from Google Images

 What information can be collected about you and why?
Legitimate organizations must state why the information is being used and must also display what's known as Privacy notice.
They must say how it will be used and how it will be kept private. You can object this.

Your access to the Information

The sorts of "private" information that can be collected is
* Name
* Address
* D.O.B (date of birth, if you have be over eighteen for something)
* Bank account details (if you are buying something online)
* Passport details and pictures
* Phone

RMIT (or any other University for that matter)  cannot give out any information to a third party without your consent.

If you do need to post private information online,
Make sure that you read the company's privacy policy
In terms of banking and paying for things use Firefox if you have and turn it to private browsing
Read the testimonials
Use a 128 bit security lock
Install anti virus software on your computer (it costs around $30-$60 per year and they are good for keeping viruses at bay). But make sure that you update it once a while and do scans on your computer.
Delete the cookies.

Planning for the big trip down under to study

Are you a prospective student coming to Melbourne to study? If so you need to work out these things, or otherwise your stay in Melbourne could be fairly unpleasant.

1) Research the place. Google lots and lots of different blogs so that you get a feel for the place. Know how much things cost down here.

2) Once you have done your research work out your budget. How much can you afford each month? Take the exchange rate into account.

3) Plan your accommodation. No planning leads to a very unenjoyable and costly experience down under. You could be homeless if you haven't planned ahead. You don't have to work out as to which house you will stay in but what housing options are best for you and do your research about the rent so you know what to expect.  Head to www.domain.com.au to find out housing prices

4) Work out which is the cheapest airfare for you. You can usually do this from www.webjet.com.au. Webjet is an online service which compares flights so that you can choose whichever one suits you.

5) Work out how you will keep in contact with your parents whilst you're in Melbourne. If you're planning on bringing your own handset make sure that it works here and that you can unlock it without paying the fee. Skype is a cheap way to call them. Most 3G/4G phones has this service installed.

6) Download a calendar on to your phone. Most Android phones would have Google Calendar where you can fill in the important dates

Some travel items you might also need

Going traveling soon? These are a list of travel items which you might need if you are traveling around Australia.

|Travel. Image courtesy of Facebook.com

1) A pack of Cards- you should have picked on up on O-day for free for joining clubs etc. This is for really long train/plane/sea trips and you can play heaps of games with your friends without reverting to the boring ole TV/magazine/paper for hours

2) A sewing kit- Airlines might only allow this in checked luggage due to security reasons, but you can always buy one at your destination. A sewing kit costs $5-$10 and you can buy this at most luggage shops and at Lincraft. It is good for sewing on buttons and fixing threads.

3) Tooth picks- you can pick this up at any Chemist or Supermarket. So far we are loving Oral B's toothpicks in a box. Nicely kept and there are lots of toothpicks for only a small price. These are lightweight so it is easy for on the move

4) Bobble bottle-you can reuse it as many times as you like (priced between $8-$20). Simply wash it, put water in it and take it with you. And its also handy when you want filtered water instead of tap as it has a filter and it converts it for you. It's better than buying $3 bottle of water outside.

5) Shoe bags- you can usually pick up one for free at Orientation days. You can put your shoes inside and it will keep the rest of the clothes clean


6) A mini hanging line for washing clothes. Guess what you can hang your clothes in your room and you don't have to worry about someone stealing them

7) A mini laundry kit for to do your laundry and save about $4 at the laundromat

8) A silk liner for your bed. You can buy this at camping stores and Macpac have a 25% off discount for students. As many hotel and hostel beds are dirty this will protect you from bedbugs

9) Foldable flats for the ladies. You can buy them in stores for about $7-$15 a pair.

10) Make your own toiletry kit. Its free and you can use the samples that you collected from Orientation days, showbags etc. It would save you the ridiculous $10 that you'd have to pay for a travel kit outside and would be allowed in your carry on bags at the airport (without the sharp stuff of course)

11) Sunscreen- Australian sunshine is pretty harsh on the skin, thus this is a great idea to bring some sunscreen. Sunscreen doesn't have to be big; in fact it can be a sample from Orientation day. A sample is enough to last a few days.
At the moment we are loving Sunsense's sport cream by Ego. You can buy small quantities of this and it is good for outdoor activities. It is also water resistant for 4 hours.

12) A padlock for your bags- lock your bags. You would be surprised as to how many people exercise commonsense. Like your house lock your bag when you go away. Recently I was going home by Southern Cross station and I saw that not many country travellers locked their overnight bag. Now you don't want someone looking in your bag so it is better to lock it. Padlocks usually come for free with new suitcases but if you don't have one you can buy one from any luggage stores or a hardware shop for about $10-$30.