It's because Australia has a poor Internet backbone infrastructure due to years of government neglect and Telstra monopoly. The cap limits ensure residential users do not choke the limited bandwidth the ISP controls.

If you want greater bandwidth, there are always enterprise grade plans, but be prepared to pay a huge premium (why would you need that much bandwidth anyway? Go legit once in a while).

The Unlimited plans are usually governed by a "Fair Use" policy. What this policy dictates is that you are expected to keep your average usage within reasonable limits or else you may incur additional charges or speed caps once you abuse the "unlimited" capacity.

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Added on February 27, 2008, 9:51 pmWhy do you download a show you can view on FTA TV?

....oh wait, poor Melburnians. Your courts screwed you over.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Feb 27 2008, 09:52 PM

Wow this thread is turning into a East vs West debate? The East is that superior huh?

Just use a courier service with tracking.
Alternatively, insure your parcel and send it registered. It's usually safe and fine. Haven't heard of horror stories when they are insured and registered.

Australia Post should be sufficient.

Anyway, don't bother shipping the phone home. Just sell it on eBay or something.

Free printing (approx 250-500 pages per session depending if I tutor) from uni, but I've just got myself an HP Multifunction printer (as my old Epson died) as I'd still like to do some printing/scanning/etc. in the middle of the night.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Mar 2 2008, 08:19 PM

I'd say that if I were studying in Melbourne.

Second that!
With 12 week session in effect (we used to have 14 weeks, so less cramming), mid session break in Week 3 (wtf!) and the loss of our beloved StuVac, this is the toughest session at UNSW by far.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Mar 15 2008, 11:34 PM

I'm pretty sure there should still be StuVac, probably just 2-3 days rather than a week.
The official line is that a 12 week semester is in line with other Go8 universities as previously we had the longest running session.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Mar 16 2008, 07:18 PM

UNSW Computing is now trialling online video delivery of lectures much like what UC Berkeley and MIT is doing in the US. Here's a complete lecture for first year Computing.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=JA_G8XbVYug&feature=user

P.S. The Windows mishaps were intentional, just to gauge student response.

Yeah, I had Haskell and C in 1st year, last batch to do so. After that, they revamped the program to only teach C in 1st year, but more in depth (data structures, etc.). However, they had to sacrifice functional programming now that they will be solely in imperative territory.

I think 1st year is the best opportunity to make new friends. I got to know most of my friends in 1st year as everyone is fresh and new and haven't formed their cliques, so it's easy to get along and know who you want to spend your time at uni with.

Please note that it is ILLEGAL to apply for a student visa just so you can work here. If you are a professional already, you should go for the skilled migration program. Doing the wrong thing is a very selfish act that will harm people who are legitimate students (like many of us here) from gaining proper working rights and migration opportunities when we graduate.

Please do not give Malaysia a bad name/image like India/China by abusing and exploiting student visas.

For those intending to take up part time work, you should ensure that you are signing into a fair contract and working the appropriate hours. Do not get pressured into working under unfavourable conditions as some employers are out there to exploit desperate international students, especially under these tight labour market conditions.

As a legitimately employed individual, you should also check your superannuation entitlements, benefits & awards, file your tax returns each FBT, etc.

You should remember that your first and foremost responsibility here is to study. You should not expect to work to cover your tuition or basic living expenses, but mainly to gain the experience which will be useful for graduate employment.

This is a Catch 22 situation. Don't the government also take appropriate action on you for working illegally?

I think they will just fine you $100 on the spot (not that much right? Won't hurt). Multiple offences might result in a charge for fraud. It is generally not a serious offence, but being a civilised citizen with some self-respect, you abide by the rule of law.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Apr 10 2008, 09:33 PM

There are 2 ways to send with a global carrier like DHL/FedEx.
DHL and FedEx usually only serve volume account customers, i.e. those who use more than RM3000 per month. However, they may occassionally choose to serve individual consumers like you. Just call up their hotline to enquire.

Alternatively, there are express companies like SecureXpress who uses DHL for international forwarding. These companies will serve individual consumers. The prices are the same.

RM79 is normal pricing because they guarantee next business day delivery. It's considered affordable for the level of service they provide. If you ship on Monday, the document will arrive latest by Wednesday and earliest by Tuesday morning. I've got some docs sent via DHL from Malaysia to Sydney and it arrived the next morning. It was THAT quick and efficient. On top of that, the documents are delivered to the door with signature for proof of delivery.

Besides DHL and FedEx, you may also try UPS. They are all equally good, but I personally prefer DHL and UPS (FedEx is a little stuck up). DHL in particular is very good in Sydney because they have a direct base next to the airport and manage an extensive logistics operation here.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Apr 12 2008, 01:47 PM

Yes, they can pick up from your place.

Don't you think that's pretty discriminatory? Don't the majority of Malaysian students here have an excellent command of the English language? Taking IELTS seems like a waste of money and time.

Native speakers are exempted from IELTS. However, how do they decide who's a native speaker? If I've been speaking and using English all my life, am I not a native speaker (despite the colour of my skin). I guess this is the point where your nationality betrays you.

Have you tried calling them?

https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/StudentContactsPage.html

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Apr 19 2008, 11:36 PM

You'll need long sleeved clothing and jackets. As it doesn't get any colder than 8 degrees, you don't really need any special clothing (your friend is correct). Sydney doesn't get very cold, but since you're living in a coastal area, it can get windy. It only snows in the mountain ranges.