Apologies to my beloved readers for being away for a while!

My home, Lebanon, has been recently at a frustrating unrest rendering your friend in a worrisome and heart aching status. The mother of all crisis, politics, with all its back-end databases of the whole world's intelligence and business deals managed once more to split a heart into two. Being thousands of miles away may take its toll in similar situations; especially at times when my country needs its young spirited individuals the most!

Driven by my passion, my duty and my way of sharing and communicating a message; I found myself standing alone with a few humble words. Words of love, words of belief, scream of belief, scream of words, scream of a nation, starting with one individual!

"Stand up for what you believe in... even if it means standing alone!"

I am standing alone....

I believe in striving to create a better world and a brighter one for the generations to come and NOT planting hatred and aggression.

I believe in engaging our youth in their talents and creativity and building upon it and NOT engaging them in political cheer-leading.

I believe in an eternal spark deep down everyone for the love of living, playing and interacting positively and NOT in labeling individuals and misleading them.

I believe in the wonderful times and genuine love, bond and interaction I have with my friends and my brothers and sisters and NOT in the shaky sudden friendships only because of that ID label.

I believe in learning from the mistakes of the past, the tragedies, the dreadful crescendo and the memories of all the affected lives and futures and NOT in being guided into the same trap, by the same people, the same influences, the same media, the same invisible destructive hands and the same mongrels under unfaithful claims and concealed business deals and heritage/patriotic crimes.

I believe in the genuine souls who will stand up against all this chaos and NOT the souls who will be led into blinded hatred and irrational causes.

I believe in Lebanon, my Lebanon, your Lebanon, OUR Lebanon and NOT anybody else.

Tears shedding in my heart...
Agony boiling in my blood...
Glaze sparking in my eyes...
YET ...an eternal spirit ever strong in my existence...
to strive in reaching a message, a message of love, serenity, trust, understanding and awakening!

...maher

Sydney has been known for its New Year’s celebrations; the fireworks are the most glamorous worldwide. And if you are in Sydney, you have to be amongst the millions of people flocking around the Harbour; whether at the Opera House, Circular Key, Darling harbour, Sydney Observatory, Milsons Point, North Sydney or any other great spot. Fireworks will surround the area and the show will go crazy for a consecutive 15minutes, twice on that evening. An earlier show is at 9pm and another one at midnight, which is the fancier one!

This year, our chosen spot was Sydney Observatory, The Rocks; a good view overlooking Darling Harbour and Sydney Harbour Bridge. On the hilly site, our necessities were a blanket, some munchies, water and of course the flashing accessories, horns and noise makers. It was not the time to be quiet and calm after all; the cheering crowds and loud fireworks were synchronised, wild and awesome! Five, four, three, two, one… Hooray! At zero hour ignitions lighted Sydney’s sky. Fireworks surrounded us; from five different locations, an absolutely brilliant show.

In 2007… May peace, joy and prosperity be upon you!

Happy New Year everybody!!! WoooHooooooo…

...maher

Hope everybody is having a fantastic Christmas!

Yesterday, the cheerful spirit was all around; despite the commercialism of consumerism hijacking almost every occasion, Christmas is still Christmassy to certain extents. Later last night, I had an awesome dinner at my uncle’s place over a juicy turkey courtesy of aunty Rose. Aunty Rose is the local chicken shop where my uncle lives; some pretty amazing meals and menu; she is a friend of the family and we call her aunty after my 10 year’s old cousin. Thanks aunty Rose for the delicious treat!

On Christmas day, as agreed before amongst a group of my friends; a picnic and BBQ in Rodd park, next to Leichhardt, was an ideal multicultural gathering. We could have practically had a UN summit, HEHE, as each one of us was from a different spot on the globe. Luckily, the weather was good, a little bit windy yet sunny and relatively warm. The food list was long and various, different yet homogeneous. Sausages, kebab, seafood, tabouleh, hommos, baba-ghannouj, potato salad, fish cake, prawns, etc.

Paula, Scott, Meng, Sen, Siying, Pohsin, Siming and myself got busy is BBQing and eating at the same time; who could resist not to? Spending some long hours eating, everybody was enjoying, full yet pausing for a while and going for another round; then jumping to dessert, fruit salad, chips and chocolate of course! Secret Santa did once more add laughter and teasing amongst the noisy crowd. Playing ball was hilarious for the first timers, yet it went great as we played the Aussie way as well as the American way; it was a must after all that food! Awesome! What a day!

...maher

As an international student, your visa is the most important technical/legal asset in Australia. It is not surprising, especially in Sydney, to endure long periods of wait and paperwork to ensure a standard and valid international student state. DIMIA, the department of immigration and multicultural and indigenous affairs, is almost never a deserted territory. Considering the large number of international students, it is a wise strategy to know all the facts, requirements and spare a significant time-margin when you are applying for a new visa or to extend your current visa.

First things first. Applying from overseas is pretty straight forward. Always make sure you are up to date with the requirements, either from DIMIA’s website or representatives in your designated country. Ensure your application is fully completed; certify all the required documents, including translations, recent statements, certificates, English requirements, academic transcripts, work recommendations, etc. The more complete your application is, the less time it will need to be processed.

When it comes to extending or renewing your visa, for one reason or another, a similar strategy is needed. DIMIA is 5 minutes away from UTS, which is awesome! But before you lodge your application, it is crucial to make sure everything is in place. All the documents are attached and certified. It’s always good to provide more documents than required, recommendations and detailed scripts. DIMIA’s website was recently updated making it easier to retrieve the information in concern; it’s more accessible and more user friendly in contrast with the heaps of information and details for all the different conditions, types of visas and immigration.

The reason for this big fuss about a fully complete application is very rational. Once your application is missing a document, it will be placed at the end of the pile until you provide that document(s). And it will not be a matter of days until it is re-processed; it’s a matter of weeks and sometimes months if the re-provided documents were not complete! The large number of application, especially students’ application, is tremendous. And in a place like Sydney, UTS as well as many universities and academic institutions have a large number of international students.

The e-visa is also encouraged by DIMIA. It’s a similar process but online; you would fill an online application and attach specially certified documents in a digital format; and should take less time to process as advised by DIMIA’s representatives.

Soooo..briefly, think, plan ahead, allow a time margin and ensure your application is complete with all the documents attached before you lodge it. Make sure to keep a record and copies of everything you submit for future references!

…maher

The “Sunshine State”, Queensland was truly awesome. Last week, I went for a 2days conference in Brisbane and spared one additional day to get to known Brisbane as it was my first visit. Can’t say I have seen much of Brisbane as much as I would want to; yet, the little time around shed a lot of insights on the whereabouts of that city. A less cosmopolitan city, compared to Sydney of course and its rush, and a remarkable architecture and urban designs just strolling down Brisbane’s river banks, especially the South Bank. A man-made beach in the middle of the city, white sands, and a giant entertainment screen are in parallel of the silent river. Stylish and old Brisbanic houses and alleys. So many things to do and see, so many events especially that it’s summer time and the art, entertainment and cultural programmes are on everybody’s agenda!

Another visit to Brisbane and definitely the Gold Coast and Cairns are on my list to within the next couple of months. An hour or so by plane is what stands in the way between me and that sunshine land…of course I started saving money for the awaited adventure!

…maher

It’s the holiday seasons; summer sessions at UTS and most of the renovations and refurbishments kicked back before the next academic year. The food court down in the tower building will be restructured including the shops and eatery. It was sad to say goodbye to a couple of the people whom leased ended and will not be coming back. They’ve been feeding people for quite some time; and as most of new know me, I am a food lover and definitely one of their best customers. Damn that Turkish shop was nice…fancy kebabs and some Mexican varieties; the Indian delight was great too as well as the Asian fusion corner. Yet, it is exciting to find out the new outlets; I wonder what will be in store; the sign mentions a bigger variety and a cooler entertainment area.

Sounds FANCY! ...and YUMMY!

…maher

English is a major required to be a student in Australia. Duhhh!
So, if you are applying to UTS or any other academic school, even for your temporary or permanent visa application, you have to meet certain English requirements and criteria. You either need to be a native English speaker or need to sit for an assessment to prove your English proficiency. The most common assessment is IELTS or the International English Language Testing System; a fair test covering major skills: hearing, writing, reading and speaking. Make sure to book for IELTS ahead of time as it is very popular and almost always overbooked for 3 months.

The beauty in UTS is the English support it provides as part of its ongoing sustainability. ELSSA is the English Language Study Skills Assistance and is absolutely free for all UTS students and staff. Their programs cover academic writing, speaking, workshops and pronunciation; a definite recommendation even if your English level was fine. ELSSA also provides assistance in reviewing your essays and assignments before they are due which is an absolute plus especially in your first semester at UTS.

Though, one issue should be commented on. Beware guys; don’t fall into the trap of getting your English worse! How would that be, you wonder! Well, a lot of my friends, international students, came here and sticked to a circle of friends from their homeland or speaking their languages…so they were and still interacting in languages other than English! That won’t get your English any better for sure! Your language is perfect; it is time to perfect another one! So practice with your friends, help each others out by commenting and correcting each others statements and sentences…there’s never a shame in learning…even the simple things!

…maher