“Get up, you have ten minutes to capture a Melbourne moment. Go.”

Surely this must be an easy task for a born and bred Melburnian. But as soon as everyone descended to the ground floor, I was honestly too caught up in the weather and lazy to even go through the flight stairs again. Yes I know there were the lifts but as I said, I was too caught up in the infamous Melbourne weather.

I realised that being in such a thriving metropolis, I don’t give myself enough time to appreciate such Melburnian moments. Whether it’s getting lost in a novel while lying down on a patch grass in front of the State Library, appreciating the quality of coffee we’re lucky to be sipping and whiffing on, being alerted by the sound of incoming trams or taking in the sights of graffiti coming to life.

Anyway, I figured that the eleventh floor was closer to our current tenth floor. I made my way up and awkwardly tried to find a balcony with a decent view. No luck. I suddenly found myself in and out of classroom corridors while carrying the glances from students as I dash past. Again no luck. I had about five minutes left, no choice but to just go back down to ten and hope for the best.

So down I go, and what was right in front of me? A huge balcony presenting Melbourne’s skyscrapers. I hurriedly stepped onto the timber bench and captured an aerial view of a passing tram, cyclist and parked cars beside a historical building that still holds the charm of the past.

I decided to name the picture “Sonder” (the realisation that each random passer-by is living a life as vivid and complex as your own). From straight out of high school, to congregating in the same room as people who have come from all different walks of life and share a common interest as you, is mind blowing. It’s probably the same with the passengers on the tram, the cyclist and the drivers who’ve all arrived at one destination from all directions of the city.

I guess within those ten minutes, I was able to appreciate the little things and find the reasons to why I call Melbourne home.

The eighties were surely a nostalgic time; rich in fluoro, classic films, hairspray and catchy tunes.

In particular, “This Must be The Place” by the Talking Heads became an ear-worm for the entire day as soon as it was played at the beginning of my first ever lecture.

We begin the lecture by being asked to write down ten goals for our future selves to (hopefully) achieve once 2019 came around. How was I going to figure out TEN things I wanted to achieve within the next three years, let alone not having a clue about what I wanted to have for lunch as soon as the lecture was over?! As everyone started to profusely write/type, I was just sitting there. It struck me that the future didn’t seem so distant any more.

I eventually compiled quite a broad and realistic list. I don’t know about everyone else, but as soon as I constantly replayed the song in head, I realised how much the lyrics reflected some of the goals I wish to achieve once I completed the course:

Think outside of the box and to always remember that less is more.
“The less we say about it the better. Feet on the ground, head in the clouds”
I always have trouble explaining things to people, especially when it comes to ideas that just visually pop in my head. For this reason, my ideas become unrealistic and lack a sense of direction.
Throughout the three years, I aim to become more pragmatic by enhancing my skills in lighting, camera work and editing for short films (of a variety of genres) and music videos. Moreover, I hope to broaden my interests towards other forms of media such as photography, animation, video games and even advertising, and marketing.

Surround myself with people who will push, inspire and cultivate my creativity. Return the favour.
“Never for money, always for love… I find you, or you find me?”
They say that some of your Uni friends could turn out to be your friends for life. Corny right? But I can’t see how that can’t be true. In this course alone, I’m surrounded by like-minded people and so far I’ve been lucky to meet people who are already putting my creativity to work. There are even students outside my course who are broadening my perspective on issues that affect the world.
At the same time, I want to push myself to reach my full potential and simultaneously do what I can to encourage, critique and support others to achieve their own goals.

GET OUT OF MELBS FOR A BIT (or for a while, who knows?)
“…she lifted up her wings, I guess this must be the place”
I will always call Melbourne home and a place “where I want to be” once I return after circumnavigating the world in eighty days (or more). RMIT puts emphasis on studying overseas and offer the opportunities to do so. Why not take that opportunity? An opportunity that’ll combine my love for film making and travelling, get myself out of my comfort zone, satisfy my wanderlust, get myself lost in translation and make me come back to Melbourne as a better and more of an open minded person.

Who knows what the future holds? It could probably “put me down and turn me around” but hopefully the “passing of time” can lead me to something greater than for what I aim for. Although now that it seems the three years will fly by, I reflect back at week one where I “guess I must be having fun” (so far).