PISA

2009-04-02T13:32:00.003+11:00

WELCOME LUNCH 2009

2009-03-17T22:50:00.002+11:00

welcome back everyone! it's nice to see everyone back here at monash healthy and fit.
anyway, PISA will be having a welcome lunch mainly to welcome first years but also to welcome other years students as well. it will be our pleasure to serve you on this Thursday, 19 March 2009 at SNAKE PIT!!! We will be serving kaya toast, barbecue chicken and pork with rice and a very famous Malaysian dessert 'ais kacang'.

p/s : MEMBERS : FREE ( bring your pisa card please)
NON-MEMBER : $5 ONLY

See you there!! :)

good luck and farewell...

2008-10-12T13:57:00.002+11:00

it's the time of the year where you will bid farewell and saying good luck to your friends.

In this PISA, we have organized alot of activities every year and we hope that we are not just wasting your precious time to study but to bring more sweet memorable memories to you all.

Especially to the 4th year students that are leaving this year, we hope that you have enjoyed your uni life, all the activities that we have organized and all the hangouts that you have spent with us. we hope that when you leave, you will have no regrets because you have spent your time wisely not just on studying but to bring the most out of your uni life!! we understand that this is part and parcel of life and that you will part ways with your friends but you have memories with you that you can always bring with you.
Like a Malay saying, 'SETIAP PERTEMUAN BERAKHIR DENGAN PERPISAHAN'.
and we would like to wish you all the best in your future undertakings.Good luck!

PISA would also like to wish all of the students out there all the best and good luck for your final exam! and to the other students that are not leaving this year, we hope that you will join us more next year to brighten your life, to make your uni life more meaningful and to know more friends! We are here to cheer up your life :)

2008-10-09T19:40:00.011+11:00

Today we had a small meeting at the cafeteria to set up our new committee for next year. SO, here we goes.... *akhem akhem* PISA proudly present to all of you, our new committee members for 2009 starring...
(we have some pictures just in case you dont know who the new committee members are)

PRESIDENT : JAMES VOO

VICE PRESIDENT : AARON SIK

SECRETARY : JIMIN

TREASURER : VIVIAN

LIAISON OFFICER : KRISTIE

PUBLICATION OFFICER : PAIK YEN

WELFARE OFFICER : KUSH

ACTIVITY OFFICER : XING XIN

GENERAL AFFAIR OFFICER : KENDY

With these new committee members, we aim to bring out more fun, more excitement to you. WE are here to make your university days more memorable and meaningful!

Hot pot and bbq!!

2008-10-09T19:10:00.008+11:00

On Sunday, 28 September 2008, PISA has organized a small yet GLAMOROUS party aka bbq and hot pot. It was a great success. It was a windy day but yet we are still motivated to continue on with the plan. Food was finished and laughter were heard. Some played games like mafia while some played mahjong.. to make things short, everyone has a wonderful time and still managed to fill up their tummy! It was certainly a day well spent!! :)

p/s: pictures grabbed from robin's facebook

Latest updates of AGM

2008-09-18T23:39:00.002+10:00

Your 2009 PISA president is.......

JAMES VOO YAU HON!!!!!

Vice president: Aaron Sik

Congrats to both!!!

(p/s: full coverage of this event would be done later.. please excuse the extremely busy blog manager =p)

PISA AGM

2008-09-15T22:59:00.007+10:00

The PISA annual general meeting will be held this Thursday (18/9) in Cossar Hall Tute Room 1 from 4.30p.m. to 6.00p.m. It will be an avenue where we review our preformances this year and you as a PISA member can offer your opinions on how we went and what we can improve on. All PISA members are invited to the AGM.

For those of you interested, we will also be conducting elections for 2009 Executive Council positions. This year there will be 7 Executive Council positions available. Every PISA member can be on the council. All you have to do is to attend the AGM, voice you interest, do a short speech and get people to vote for you. Easy! As council members, you will have an opportunity to develop your leadership skills and have more say in how the club should proceed! You will also be responsible for a portfolio such as secretary or welfare officer or liaison officer etc.

Of course every council need a leader, and you can vote for the one you think can lead PISA to greater heights next year. The two presidental candidates for 2009 are:

James Voo (2nd year B.Pharm undergrad)

My name is James Voo. I am interested in becoming the President of PISA for the term 2008/2009 because I am capable of handling this huge responsibility. I will contribute most of my energy and time to organise any activities in Parkville International Student Association (PISA) despite the packed schedule for a 3rd year student next year. As I have been a treasurer for 5 years in my secondary school, I believe that I am a responsible and a trustworthy person. Besides, I have also held the position of President of the Taekwondo Association and Vice Secretary of Consumer Club before. Currently, I hold the position of Vice Secretary in PISA and have played an important role in organising some major activities such as the International Student Organisation (ISO) Meeting and Mooncake Festival in our Parkville Campus. Thus, with all the experiences that I have gained, I am confident that I would be able to bring PISA to greater heights. As a president of PISA, I will fight for the rights and welfare of international students in our Parkville Campus. Furthermore, I will ensure that PISA will bring more activities to our members and ultimately you will all have an enjoyable and unforgettable university life. To sum them up, I am very dedicated to become the President of PISA and will make a change in the future of our beloved association, PISA.

Aaron Sik (1st year B.Pharm undergrad)

Why do I want to be PISA president? Well, besides obvious reasons such as honor and the desire to lead, it’s mainly because of my enthusiasm in organizing events and activities, something which I really enjoy doing. Also, being PISA’s president would grant me opportunities to meet new friends, particularly international students from Parkville as well as other Monash campuses.

Regarding what I can bring for PISA next year, given the opportunity, I would strive to elevate the status of PISA from a ‘club’ to ‘a part of the Student Union’, something which I believe to be possible. I trust that this to be the best way to obtain more funding for better activities and more participations. Besides, I would strive to unite every committee member so as to achieve harmony within the committee. Only then, can we communicate and cooperate effectively with each other for the greater good of PISA and all international students. In short, given the opportunity, I will play my best to bring PISA to greater heights.

Both of them will also be giving a short speech during the AGM. Come and hear them out and vote for one of them!

Mooncake Festival

2008-09-12T19:45:00.006+10:00

As promised, the mooncake festival was brought to VCP on 11th of September 2008!!

We prepared heaps of mooncakes to satisfy your appetite... (Thanx a lot to Tamara, our international student officer for getting the mooncakes and lanterns!)We've committee members and helpful volunteers to set up the lanterns for you~~
And around 4.30pm, people start to fill in the cafeteria...
We started off with a few games.. We brought in the new game this year, Bo Bing, a traditional game played in Xiamen, China. The game involves 6 dices, which u throw into a bowl and judging by the pattern of the dices, you win prizes.
We had a desk of mahjong~~
And some conventional games such as Bingo...
and Jenga...
"Mooncake Festival is all about togetherness!" as rightly said by our advisor Robin... And to ensure that everyone blend together, we had this game: "London bridge" version of Musical Chair! (haha.. sorry for the poor creativity on the naming, i'm running out of ideas)
And after the game, it is TIME FOR MOONCAKES!!!!! wooow~~ we sure get a good response for this!
"which flavour should i get...."
Happy people with mooncakes!
When it got a bit darker, it is TIME FOR THE LANTERNS!!!
Ladies looking at... the... moon... no wait... the sky?

Group photo of those that stayed back for the lantern!
Introducing the first years (+Robin =p)
The 2nd years...
The 4th years!
All in all, this could very well be the best event we have had so far!! Good games, good food, good people... We sure do hope that we brought you one of the best mooncake festival that you've ever had in Melbourne and hope very much that you had enjoyed the event. We're DEFINITELY gonna do this again next year! So people, GIVE US YOUR SUPPORT!! We do welcome suggestions on how we can improve our events (not just this one, but all the others as well), so please help us to improve by dropping us an email in pisa2005@gmail.com or by leaving comments on this blog.

We hope to bring you more interesting events in the future! Till then, ta! =)

(p/s: We apologise that this event could not fit into the 3rd years schedule, join the fun again next year!!)

Mooncake Festival!

2008-09-07T20:54:00.002+10:00

Hello fellow PISA members!!

Yes!! It is the time of the year where PISA host the yearly event: Mooncake festival!! and this time, in collaboration with Global Friendship Series, we're bringing you one of the best mooncake festival ever organised in Parkville Campus!
Details:
Date: 11th of September 2008, Thursday
Time: 4.30-6pm
Venue: Cafeteria

What's a mooncake festival without food and fun??? We're NOT gonna let you miss out on the traditional part of this festival!! Mooncakes will be ready on the table and so will the lanterns and the candles! Curious to know how Mooncake Festival originated? We'll tell you all about it over the mooncake feast and lantern walk!

It doesn't matter if you'll be late! Just come after lecture/prac/tutorial and join us for the fun!

oh by the way, it is TOTALLY FREE. ;)

PISA fun fair --> SUCCESS!

2008-08-05T21:03:00.003+10:00

Dear members,

As promised, we brought you a FUN FAIR!! This is TOTALLY NEW in VCP, no one has ever done this before!! Let the pictures do the talking, shall we?

Present to you: PISA's mini fun fair in Cossar Hall on 4th of August, along with PISA iconic figure: Miss Aisha Adam, our vice president!
The prizes that we prepared for you to win!
Now now... let's introduce you to the games...

This is our Wheel of Fortune!
The Loop of Luck with some of our committee members, fr left: Kendy, Vivian, Aaron and Phik Lun.
Buzz, You LOSE! a highly sophisticated game designed and built by our advisor, Robin Tan (hidden behind the posters). Present to you: Our first GRAND winner of the game!!!
We've got a lil free time during the event.. so... you get a sneak peek into PISA committee member's current mental state: model-wannabees.. (or near crazy!)
This is Circus Roll.. A highly challenging game where you'll have to roll the ball into one of the holes to gain points. Built by Robin, Boon Phiaw and James, Graphics are beautifully designed by Vivian and Kendy.
Heheh.. the NBA wannabees, an attempt to satisfy the needs of basketball-deprived VCP students.
Kudos to our committee members!
Standing fr left: Lay Ai, Robin, Aaron, Vivian, Phik Lun, Sophy, James
in front fr left: Aisha, Chu Jie, Kendy
not in picture: Jyo, Lynn, Nirisha, Boon Phiaw, Kush, Bryan, Kerry
PISA would like to thank all that came to the event and all that gave support to PISA in many different forms to make the event a TOTAL success! We welcome any sort of suggestion to make PISA a better club for everyone, do drop us an e-mail at pisa2005@gmail.com, or simply drop a comment in this blog, we'll respond to your suggestion/questions as soon as we can.

Cheers!

MINI FUN FAIR!

2008-07-31T20:29:00.003+10:00

Dear PISA members,

We understand that we have been quiet for awhile since the start of semester 2, but...

NOT ANYMORE!!! (and never will be!)

We're bringing you... a MINI FUN FAIR!!!

EXCITED? Here are the details:
Date: 4th of August 2008, Monday
Time: 2-5pm
Venue: Cossar Hall
Fees: Gold Coin Donation

What's a fun fair without games? Come on! Of course we prepared games for you, some are new and proved to be quite challenging. And... there're PRIZES to be won! We assure you that it is attractive to university students (say if you're running low on snacks.. *coughs* *hint hint*) So what're you waiting for?? COME JOIN THE FUN!! Spread the word around and bring your friends, challenge the games and win the prizes!! If this is what you're looking for to breakaway from all the study stress, we are definitely not letting you down on this!

Health Services

2008-05-23T18:06:00.002+10:00

It was written in STEPS (pg 8) that the Melbourne University Health Services provide general practice services for Monash Uni Parkville Students.

However, University of Melbourne chose to terminate this service for students outside their university from May 2008. =(

For those of you living near Melbourne Uni and wondering where to go in case you got sick, the VCP monash link here provides a good rundown.

The medical centre listed are bulk billing centres, which mean they claim your consultation fees directly from your healthcare provider (OSHC) so you generally do not need to pay any money.

If you go for other medical centres that are not bulk billed, you need to pay the doctor first and then claim the moeny from your healthcare provider (a waste of time and effort).

Hope this is clear for everyone.

Another side tip: please take care of yourself well in Melbourne coz medicines are expensive!

Karaoke

2008-05-22T10:54:00.003+10:00

For the very last event of first semester, PISA gave the chance for everyone to let their hair down by organising a karaoke event at K-box.This event concludes the PISA activities in semester 1. We hope that you've enjoyed PISA events this sem and we will bring more fun events to you next sem! Keep an eye out on the notice boards and this BLOG for first-hand news!!!

Vietnam Feast

2008-05-22T10:47:00.004+10:00

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay!! Here's the pics from the yummy Vietnam Feast we had ages ago:

Some preparation steps were conducted by our Vice President, Aishah the night before. And on the day itself.. we have all the fresh fabulous ingredients on the table...

Plus our expert cooks...

.... Translate into a very delicious and enjoyable meal!

PISA members enjoying the noodle soup!
For everyone who came for the feast, PISA say "Thank you and hope you enjoy it. See you in other activities!"
(p/s: a big thank you to those that helped out!!)

Karaoke Night!

2008-04-23T21:15:00.003+10:00

Need a break after constant mugging and rush to meet assignment deadlines? Karaoke is the perfect way for you to unwind temporary before the exam season starts! PISA proudly presents the last event of semester 1: Karaoke Night!
As of the poster,
Date: 2nd May 2008, Friday
Time: 3pm - 8pm
Location: K-Box, 52 La Trobe Street (Between Exhibition Street and Russel Street)
Entry Fee (drinks included!):
$10 for PISA members
$8 for PISA & MPSA card holders
$12 for non members

As you would have probably discovered, this is a reasonably good deal for a few good hours of fun! So quick! RSVP with us at pisa2005@gmail.com or approach any of our friendly committee members to book your place by 29th of April 2008! Feel free to bring along your friends! The more the merrier! =)

Vietnam Feast

2008-04-21T11:23:00.003+10:00

HEY EVERYONE!!!

want a taste of HOT soup and noodles in this COLD and FREEZING weather?

30th of April is YOUR DAY!!! PISA presents:

Come to the Snake Pit at 5pm after your lectures/tutorials/practicals and enjoy the Vietnam cuisine that we've prepared for you! It is ABSOLUTELY FREE for PISA members and Gold Coin Donation for non-members! So quick! send us an RSVP to pisa2005@gmail.com or approach any of our friendly committee members by 28th of April!! DON'T MISS OUT!!!

Korean BBQ

2008-04-07T11:43:00.002+10:00

On 4th of April 2008, to relieve possible stress from lectures and practicals, PISA had organised Korean BBQ EXCLUSIVELY for PISA members.

People started flowing in around 12pm...

Three of our chefs: Jyo, James and Vivian

On the other table, we prepared some kimchi (a traditional Korean fermented dish made of some select vegetables with varied seasonings), bread and juices to go with the food...

PISA members enjoying the food!

This event was quite a success! We thank everyone that helped out with the preparation and cooking and ALSO thank everyone that came along to share the fun! We apologise if you haven't been able to make it due to timetable constrains, we tried our best to fit in to everyone's schedule.

For the rest of the year, we've got brilliant activities lined up for you! So for non-members, if you wish be part of the PISA family, do approach one of our friendly committee members and we'll do the registration for you!

Committee members

2008-04-03T20:18:00.013+11:00

Hi all! This came a lil late, but nevertheless, helps you recognise the commitee members' faces! Feel free to come up to us if you have any problems, we're really one nice bunch of people!!

Advisor: Robin Tan (PhD student)

Advisor: Boon Phiaw KHO (4th year pharmacy student)

President: Jyotishna (2nd year pharmacy student)

Vice President: Aisha ADAM (3rd year pharmacy student)

Secretary: Phik Lun FOO (2nd year pharmacy student)

Assistant Secretary: James VOO (2nd year pharmacy student)

Treasurer: Jun Lynn YEN (2nd year pharmacy student)

General Affairs: Chu Jie PHUA (2nd year pharmacy student)

Activities: Kushedison YUNUS (2nd year pharmacy student)

Liasons: Nirisha Yellapah Chetty (2nd year pharm science student)

First year rep: Aaron SIK (pharmacy)

First year rep: Kendy LEE (pharmacy)

First year rep: Vivian KEONG (pharmacy)

First year rep: Bryan YEOH (pharmacy)

First year rep: Lay Ai CHAN (pharmacy)

First year rep: Kerry NG (pharmacy)

First year rep: Sophy MAK (pharmacy)

If anything, be it comments or complaints, feel free to drop us an e-mail at pisa2005@gmail.com ! If not, approach anyone of us and we're willing to help out as much as we can!

Korean BBQ

2008-03-28T14:03:00.003+11:00

Yes People! We at PISA are bringing you yet another free fun-filled event: The Korean BBQ!

Details are as below:
Date: 4 April 2008 (Friday)
Time: 12.00p.m. to 1.00p.m.
Place: VCP Courtyard - BBQ Pit

This event is EXCLUSIVE for PISA members.

If your friends are interested to join but are still not a PISA member, encourage them to join PISA! Membership is still open - $20 for a four year membership. Just apply via e-mail or find one of our friendly PISA rep.

Please reserve your place by Wednesday 2/4/2008 5.00p.m. via our email at pisa2005@gmail.com

Don't miss out!

ISO Meeting

2008-03-26T23:15:00.005+11:00

Today was a historical day for PISA.

We hosted the International Students' Organisation (ISO) meeting for the very first time.

We were very excited about it. So we came as early as 7a.m. to help set-up (some of us didn't even sleep the night before).

We put up sign posts throughout Uni.

And pretty soon, International students' reps from the five other Monash campuses (Berwick, Peninsula, Clayton, Caulfield and Gippsland) started to infiltrate our tiny greeny campus.

We had a lot of fun meeting each other,

had meetings,

and a chat with our Vice Chancellor, Prof Richard Larkins.

We also had a nice lunch of chicken pasta and wraps,

while being serenaded by the piano music from our in-house musician, Kush.

The event was a success and everyone was happy.

For the uninitiated,

Monash International Students' Organisation (ISO) meetings are held twice per year and every campus hosted them on a rotational basis. During the meetings, we raised up issues concerning International students to the Vice Chancellor so that the Uni is aware of the problems International students are facing. This year, we talked about travel concessions for International students, fundings for more activities and the current accomodation problem (scarity of places and expensive rent) amongst other things.

We also had invited speakers to train International students' rep (including those from PISA) about various things such as Students' Right Officer, Victims Support Agency and Work Visa requirements so that we can serve you all better.

This is the very first time PISA is hosting this event and we are very proud and happy that it was a roaring success. We hoped to host it again in the near future.

Robin's B'day

2008-03-24T23:28:00.003+11:00

After the first end-note workshop, we threw a surprise birthday party to our beloved Endnote facilitator Robin Tan.

Robin cutting his cake.

We all have no idea how old he is, so we make do without the candle.^^

After that we cut up the cake and give to everyone present.

Lynn giving out the delicious chocolate cake.

And then we took a whole group picture.

Big happy PISA family.

Happy birthday Robin!

Endnote Workshop TWO!

2008-03-17T20:05:00.002+11:00

Due to the previous hiccups on the first endnote workshop, we're organising another endnote workshop so that you won't miss out!!!

Date: 20th of March 2008 (Thursday)
Time: 4.30-5.30pm
Venue: C2-1 (Comp Lab)

Members – FREE!!!!
Non-Members – $3
Bring-A-Friend(Non-Member) – $1

Endnote is a computer software that helps you reference your work? Bored of writing down (Harvard, 2005) over and over again manually? Feeling crap for messing up the numbers in Vancouver system? Endnote is your solution!! Come and we'll teach you how to use it!

(p/s: If you want us to install the software into your laptop, we can do that for you! bring your laptop!)

To have a look at the poster, please click: http://h1.ripway.com/chujiephua/endnote2.doc

End Note workshop!

2008-03-15T00:06:00.004+11:00

14 March 2007 and we are already having our 2nd event - the Endnote workshop! Conducted by our friendly advisor and soon-to-be doctorate holder Robin, this event is to teach students how to use Endnote - one of the essential research tool.

Robin doing his presentation

PISA members trying out Endnote

Robin helping out one of the students.

But no thanks to our Uni - they stuffed out the bookings and we had to reschedule our event from 12pm to 1pm, causing some students to miss out. We will be holding another workshop for them next week.

PISA welcome dinner

2008-03-14T23:45:00.003+11:00

We kick started our 2008 activities with a welcome party on the 7th March. We bought back our hugely successful Nasi Lemak and Teh Tarik. Response is very good and everyone seems to have a great time getting to know each other and more about PISA.

The PISA team with 2nd year members.

Nasi Lemak

Photos..

More photos..

and more photos ^^

There will be more exciting activities to be held after this.. check this space!

Committee Members

2008-03-14T00:13:00.001+11:00

The office bearers for PISA 2008 are:

Advisors:
Tamara Forbes (HWD Student advisor)
Robin Tan (PhD)
Boon Phiaw (4th Yr)

President: Jyotishna (2nd Yr)
V Prez: Aisha (3rd Yr)
Secretary: Phik Lun (2nd Yr)
Assist. secretary: James (2nd Yr)
Treasurer: Lynn (2nd Yr)
Activities: Kush (2nd Yr)
General Affairs: CJ (2nd Yr)
Liaison: Nirisha (2nd Yr)

We are all friendly and approachable people. ^^ Feel free to find us if you have any problems.

If you have any queries, drop us an email at pisa2005@gmail.com

STEPS

2008-03-12T22:00:00.000+11:00

STEPS, which stands for Survival Tips and Essentials for Parkville Students, is a 28 page booklet crammed full of information an International student will ever need to survive in Parkville.

Divided into 5 sections, it covers everything from available health services, favorite cheap eats, how to make friends, academic matters, how to look for work and even have a section on TV channels and newspapers!

The booklet was written by two International students who had spent a fair amount of time in Melbourne and are relatively street savvy. One of them is a post-grad students while another one is an undergrad, but both have in common in them a desire to share their experiences and help new students settle down in Uni without much worry.

STEPS is currently in its 2nd edition, being updated recently. It is distributed FREE of charge for 1st Year PISA members.

You will never know what you miss until you get STEPS.