METIOR MURDOCH UNIVERSITY
The Unspoken of Murdoch
STUDY DRUGS Student Exposure
MOST REGRETTED TATTOOS
PEOPLE OF BUSH COURT
FREE
M
Chamber of Secrets
After studying at Murdoch for the past two months and building quite an intimate relationship with it, I have heard and noticed plenty of unspoken things about this place. As it is a relationship, I should not share everything. On the other hand, since my roots are from Eastern Europe and we are apparently hospitable, as a new editor I have decided to dedicate this issue to the “Unspoken of Murdoch.” This issue goes on to expose the talented, interesting, oppinionated students of this wonderfully diverse campus. We explore the entrepreneurs, artists, and multi-talents of those that would otherwise be hidden amongst Murdoch’s walls, leaves and shrubbery. Because all of these are knowingly, yet unknowingly ruling Murdoch’s campus. Wish you a lovely read with chuckles along the way, Pavlina Kolouskova EDITOR IN CHIEF / Pavlina Kolouskova CREATIVE DIRECTOR / Harry Cunningham PHOTOGRAPHERS / Sofia-Seika Atrutkepic (Cover), Harry Cunningham CONTRIBUTORS / Pavlina Kolouskova, Carmel Hooshand, Harry Cunningham, Rhys Prka. PUBLISHING / hartsign.weebly.com
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Contents 3. PERTH’S FIRST RICKSHAW 5. PEOPLE OF BUSHCOURT 7. MOST REGRETTED TATTOOS 9. STUDENT EXPOSURE 13. STUDY DRUGS 15. MEET PATTY; LOSO APPAREL 18. BEST OF CONFESSIONS 19. THE GREAT EIGHT UNIVERSITY ETIQUETTES METIOR 2
PERTH’S FIRST RICKSHAW “Like Uber but fun”
by Pavlina Kolouskova
Zac Duggan, 23 year old bachelor student of Psychology and Journalism at Murdoch University, has just launched his new business in Perth Peddle: “a consious transport that brings back the interaction.” Zac, what is your new business and does it link to your major at Murdoch at all? Since I major in Psychology which links to everything in life and underlines all the weird yet wonderful things that humans do, I would say it links. The business is a rickshaw taxi service called Peddle. It is a mixture of a tour guide service and taxi since we are showing all the good sides of Perth while stopping for a slice of pizza and a whiskey. It is just like UBER – except way more fun, with music and environmentally friendly.
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“I tried to paddle back while she was pulling and ripping the skirt from the wheel” How did you come up with the idea? Every February, there is a festival in Australia called “The Fringe World” where all the weird comedy and circus act. They had some rickshaws as a way of transport, and I though to myself: wow, this is super cool. While seeing them on the streets in Europe, I liked how they always added a new layer to the city. And so I decided: If I won’t do it somebody else will and I will regret it for the rest of my life. (smiles) How long did it take to implement it since your initial idea? I started making plans and calling people in September 2016. I made a formal proposal to the City Council that month, but since they got back to me in March 2017, I moved away from it a little bit. When I got the approval later I realised that it’s actually going to happen. Therefore it took six months in total and I still have so much to learn. What was the most unexpected obstacle? On the second day I was peddling two lovely ladies and one of them had a white skirt that got tangled into the rickshaw’s wheel. The rickshaw stopped and I tried to paddle back while she was pulling and ripping the skirt from the wheel. Thank god it was double layer. At the end we managed, but this happened in the middle of Murray street on a busy Saturday night, so I was thinking that it is a giant failure. I gave her a hug, apologised and peddled them where they wanted. She still decided to pay me though. I don’t think I will forget that. (laughs) What is so unique about your business? It’s unique for Perth – it’s not new for the world since rickshaws are very old. People take taxis or an Uber very often and I would like Peddle to be more personal while being almost disruptively and overwhelmingly fun. This includes remembering everybody’s names and having nice conversations instead of unconscious ones. If you had one piece of advice for young entrepreneurs, what would it be? I have two advices. First, you have to make yourself and others believe that it will happen since you cannot do this on your own. The other one is that you have to do so much more work than you will ever imagine. But you will love it. (smiles) How would someone book your Rickshaw? 0411448724 or http://www.peddleperth.com
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People Of
Bush Court By Harry Cunningham
That person sleeping on a beanbag who you think is dead. While hanging out at bush court on a sunny day, you take a glance at a guy who looks to be taking a nap out on the grass. You tell your beanbag squad “Lol look at this guy taking a nap what a lad”. After half an hour of chatting you notice the guy hasn’t moved. “Lol is this guy even alive,” you joke with your beanbag squad. “Geez he’s pretty sunburnt...” You decide to check if he’s alright and see if he’s actually dead. Holy shit, he is dead! Oh no, actually he’s just exhausted from eating too much delicous banana bread from Club Murdoch. Been there.
That person secretly getting drunk at the Tav before their philosophy lecture. “Who’s coming to the Tav” your mate texts you. “Don’t we have a BAR200 unit next”. “You mean philosphy? Exactly lol”. Expand your mind to new ideas. Overcome your social anxiety and have fun by making interesting yet unwanted verbal inputs during lectures. Yes, beer makes philosophy lectures fun and interesting.
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That person who casually offers to share a joint during your study sesh. During your chill study sesh out on bush court, before a somewhat important online test, someone from your beanbag squad starts to roll a cigarette, lining it with an oregano like substance. “You want a hit man?”. “Nah I’ve got an online test soon..“ “Bro you can just google it lol”. “Fuck sake this is why i don’t study on bush court” you say as he passes it over.
That person who competes for the last red beanbag. You almost gave up on it for an uncomfortable deck chair or one of those stinking hot black beanbag that would surely give you third degree burns. But in the distance.. You see it.. The last red beanbag in all its glory. As you walk towards it you notice someone who seems to be looking for the same thing in the distance. As they pick up the pace, you show no shame for running and jumping on that shining red treasure, for you know the dread of the other Murdoch sitting equipment.
The person in your squad who prepared the red beanbags. Shout out to that person in your squad who gathered all the red beanbags for the group hang out and study sesh. Unless of course I’m not in that group and there’s no red beanbags. Then you’re all selfish people...
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MOST REGRETTED TATTOOS “A laugh at others ink misfortune”
Pavlina Kolouskova
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henever I speak to friends about tattoos I often find two reactions. One is the classical: I would love to get one, but I want it to be meaningful (and then getting an infinity symbol on a wrist.) The second case is: Ah, I got this in Thailand, it’s from my travels (pointing proudly at a little elephant or a capitalised THAILAND). Whatever your circumstances, it’s safe to say there are plenty of people out there with shit tattoos. We sent a request out to Murdoch students, asking them to send us their most regretted tattoos. We didn’t get much of a response, but we’ve mixed the entries in with some hillarious ones I found on the internet. You’ll have to guess which ones are Murdoch students. Have you seen the ninja turtle guy walking around campus? #inspirational
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Student Exposure Sofia-Seika Atrutkepic is a student studying photography here at Murdoch University. She loves travel, photography and has a Pug named Potato. I decided to find out more... Interview: Harry Cunningham
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Hey Sofia, I love the Image you shot for the cover. How did you go about shooting it? “I shot in the sound studio with my friend Imogen for a class. The assignment was on light gels and we shot Imogen’s sister Astrid.”
“I love people, I love expression, and I like capturing what I find is beautiful about someone, the special thing that makes them who they are.” Can you tell us more about these photos from India? When did you go? “I went last year (2016) in the uni holidays. I used this trip to work on my photography, and experience a different culture that was vastly different from Australia.” Is there a particular reason why you chose India? “Not particularly, as a student it was a destination that was suitable for my budget (laughs). But before my travels there I had seen some pictures that made it seem like such a magical place.”
How did you travel around India? “I backpacked mostly. I started at the bottom of India (In Goa) and travelled around by bus, taxi, Tuk-Tuks and Rickshaws.”
You seem to love to shoot portraits, why is this? “I love people, I love expression, and I like capturing what I find is beautiful about someone and what makes them who they are.”
And lastly, how is your pug Potato? “Potato is great and loving his little doggy life. His best friends Jaffa and Jedha go for a walk together every day down in the field. He hasn’t been in any photoshoots lately but he makes a great assistant!”
Do you have any websites you want to share? “My Facebook (Seika Photography) and you can follow my intragram @sofiaseika for more of my photography :).”
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STUDY DRUGS; A SUMMARY “Adderall, Ritalin, MDMA, Modafinil” By Rhys Prka
ADDERALL XR
25 mg
CONTROLLED DRUG POSETION WITHOUT AUTHORITY IS ILLEGAL KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN
Ritalin 10 100 tablets
If you’re a university student and have never taken a study/smart drug, or don’t know someone who has, are you really even a university student? Most people will use drugs like Adderall or Ritalin to cram a last minute study session or write that 3000-word essay that is due in a few hours. These drugs are pretty easy to access; you can order Modafinil online like everything else in your life. However it isn’t just your usual set of suspects that are used as study drugs: Weed, painkillers, MDMA, cocaine, are all used to give students an edge. It is surprisingly common. Walk around university or chill in the library for a while and you’ll see someone dealing it or someone talking about it, as long as you pay attention. Obviously these drugs help people who procrastinate study. If you’re so lazy that you can’t do an assignment without drugs I worry about your future. But I’m not here to lecture you like your father probably does. However there are some obvious health risks associated with these study drugs. So because I know the large majority of you won’t do any research into the potentially dangerous things you cram into your body let me do it for you. So just as an example I will look at the fallen king Ritalin.
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Ritalin is a central nervous system stimulant, that affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. It is used to treat ADD, ADHD, and narcolepsy. So what are the side effects I know everyone loves to hear? Well they include: chest pain, troubled breathing, hallucinations, seizures, numbness, pain, muscle twitches, impaired vision, erection (rare but can last for 4 hours), muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness. The more common side effects include feeling nervous, insomnia, and loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea, or headaches. Also you probably shouldn’t take these drugs if you have heart problems, glaucoma, high blood pressure or family history of heart disease. And remember mixing any drug with alcohol is never a great choice. Please refer to a drug mixing chart if you plan on mixing to see what it is safe to mix with.
“You have those health conscious fanatics running about doing a thesis worth of research on what goes into a Milo muesli bar but will happily stomach some dexies on a night out without thinking twice.” Look I’m not your doctor (I don’t even talk about mixing with other medications or illegal substances for Christ sake), I don’t have room to go into depth about these drugs so, go do some research. If you want a key message from this article it’s that. Don’t be an idiot fiend, be a smart fiend. Know what dosages are safe to take, know what to expect from a drug and what the side effects might be. You have those health conscious fanatics running about doing a thesis worth of research on what goes into a Milo muesli bar but will happily stomach some dexies on a night out without thinking twice. Just remember that most drugs you’re taking, especially uppers, are just speed, and don’t fool yourself otherwise, you can’t trust any dealer, because in all likelihood they don’t even know what’s in their shit. Now obviously your parents and cops will tell you to not take these things and tell you that you are ruining your life, but we all know no one listens. But, like all drugs, study what you’re taking, what is a healthy dose, what the side affects are, buy a drug test kit and always use drugs in moderation. And remember, a drug fiend is a drug fiend, no matter what they take.
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MEET PATTY
Student’s Streetwear Label; LOSO Apparel By Harry Cunningham
Patty Curral is a 22 year old studying graphic design here at Murdoch. In July 2016, she created a street wear brand label called LOSO Apparel. I took some time to get to know more about her, and LOSO Apparel. Hi Patty, How did you start designing for your own street wear label? “One of the Graphic Design courses here at Murdoch called ‘Brand and Identity’ (IDD202) was based around coming up with a logo and merging it with a product to sell. That’s when I created LOSO. I really loved that course, and it taught me how much I love designing my own product, it gave me so much satisfaction (Shout out to my tutor Erica Ormsby!).”
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“I would always see so many streetwear companies soley targeted at men, so I wanted to make a change” So what does LOSO actually mean? “So, it’s a Thai slang word, which stands for low society (in a joking way). In Thailand if you’re a cheap skate they call you a LOSO. When I would go out with my friends in Thailand I would rather dress comfortable than dress up, so they would call me “LOSO” (laughs), so my nickname became the brand:) “ What are your inspirations behind LOSO? “I would always see so many streetwear companies soley targeted at men, so I wanted to make a change to the scene and introduce my own Street Wear label. I love hip-hop music so that was an inspiration behind my designs, but I also think it’s a great way to show what music you’re into or to show off your idols, these make a great ice breaker when meeting new people.”
Where would you like to see LOSO heading in the future? “To be honest I’d love to see it being featured in a shop like Culture Kings, that is a big dream of mine. Of course I could open my own pop up shop but it’s a bit too much to handle, with uni and lack of money at the moment (laughs).” How can people look at or possibly buy LOSO apparel? “You can check us out on Instagram @losoapparel, Facebook /LOSOapparel”
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BEST OF CONFESSIONS AT MURDOCH Murdoch confessions were anonymity allows for hate speech against arts students, campus food and the guild. Welcome... Submit yours: https://www.facebook.com/MurdochConfessions/
11547 “I swear every time i sit in bush court i get fucking carpet bombed by birds. Is there some kind of way to avoid this that i never learned?” #thanks
11517 #Sad, #Pokemon in the spirit of a true confession ... I’m one of the 10 people that still play pokemon walking around campus. what is.
11514 #Education I swear I saw a law student get a boner when he told someone he was a law student. 11510 #Sad, #Education”Is it that point in the semester yet, where it is socially acceptable to turn up to uni in your Aldi sleeping bag onesie? 11582 #Lifegoals Ah, you know it’s been a good study break if you completely waste it and spend the entire time on Netflix.
11464 the library now looks like a cubby
11494 The transition from the new Murdoch homepage to the stale old student log in page reflects the disappointment of what it’s like to actually enrol in this university XD...
11611 #Love, #Sad, #Thanks, #Library, #Midterms The only bad thing about bringing your 8-port power board (it’s the only multi-port I have) to the library is the awkward “this is mine” at the end of hours of study as it became a communal-mystery-power-board but now you want to go home and you need to leave everyone without a charging port. Sorry everyone!
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THE GREAT EIGHT UNIVERSITY ETIQUETTES Tips you don’t want to hear, or you want someone else to. Are you a new student? A “Fresher” newly emerging from the protective womb of high school? Or maybe you’re an older student, who realized the real world is terrifying and you’ve come back to the blissful denial of adulthood which is the label “student”. No matter which side of the spectrum you’re from, university is an ever evolving multi-headed dog that mutates every time you think you’ve figured it out. So where to begin when it comes to the basic university etiquette? The Great Eight University Etiquettes: The G8! 1. Personal Hygiene Yes, this is being addressed as “etiquette”. Welcome to university. Nobody more than a 5th year can appreciate that time gets scarce and that you will sometimes need to spend 48 hours in the library putting your blood sweat and tears into an essay. I’ve been there, I too have shed those tears, but I did the considerate thing and went home and had a shower as soon as I could, and didn’t show up to class smelling like the filthy sock that set Dobby free. You might have forgotten what you smell like, that’s not your fault (it’s your assignment’s fault) but if you’ve used the same set of clothes for more than 7 hours, please shower and change. 2. Talking in lectures This one is tricky, and controversial. If you talk a little you get your face recognised by the professor, but if you talk too much you get recognised on Murdoch confessions and will hear a collective sigh of a hundred annoyed people every time you talk. Now there is a lot of finger pointing that mature age students are the worst culprits of talking too much in lectures, but I’ve been around long enough to know that it’s just as bad with over-excited and uninformed first years. I believe that everyone has the right to speak in classes and lectures. If you are worried your contributions might not fit the etiquette of university here is a simple rule to follow. If your comment can be directly useful in an exam to the majority of students, then make the comment, otherwise hold off until you can speak to the lecturer in person. Comments like “Can you please clarify the last point” is great, comments like “this reminds me of when I….” will automatically waste everyone’s time. Keep your questions or comments academic and not anecdotal.
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“ 3. Talking to Professors After every lecture there is always 20 students waiting to see the professor. Some have very quick questions that can be addressed in seconds, and others have long questions that require 10 minutes to explain. Be systematic. If you KNOW your question is a hard one, let others go first, or else put it in an email. Please, don’t rush to the front, be the first to talk to the professor for 15 minutes about your life story. A key: “I need to clarify a point on topic X for my assignment” - Line up. “I need a detailed response for topic X for my assignment”- Email the professor. “I think the professor will find this interesting”- Stay seated.
“Trust me. You don’t ever want to be the person over-heard loudly talking about that cat video you spent all night watching or the new tinder fling you have good banter with.”
4. Library Noise restrictions Trust me. You don’t ever want to be the person over-heard loudly talking about that cat video you spent all night watching or the new tinder fling you have good banter with. Yes, there are floors of the library which are silent zones, and others that are not (IE Level 3 North Wing). But if you’re on level 3, in a booth, and everybody is dead silent, then read the room and also keep silent. Just because you’re allowed to talk loudly in the area it doesn’t mean you should. You’re also allowed to do 10kms under the limit on South Street, but why make yourself so unpopular? Show respect to the people you are sharing the space with (including the roads, it’s a 70km zone damn people come on).
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5. Murdoch Confessions This page is both a pro and con of university life. The bonuses include creating a sense of community. People who seek support or answers to a complaint are better received and answered on Confessions than through any other forum. We also start recognising familiar names (shout out to you Frodo Swaggins) which helps us learn who some of the more active members of the university community are. The downside is that often, things get nasty. Whether it’s a club president, a Guild president, or the one mature age student who annoys you, it’s not okay to publicly bash somebody because you don’t like them. Sure it’s funny when Bell Tower Times does it, but the second you put a face to the story, you’re bullying. Murdoch is a small place, if you take out the village and the horse’s we’re probably smaller than the Greek economy. Don’t characterise our university with online bullying. Keep in mind most academic staff have Facebook and regularly scan the page, and in the past they have commented on post’s too. Keep it clean, Keep it Memes. 6. Booth Bi-laws Scenario. You go to a restaurant, eat your meal, and leave your things at the table, and ask the waiter to keep the table there, because you want to pop out for 2 hours for desert somewhere else. The waiter is obviously confused as to why you would do this because it’s selfish to keep a table to yourself when people would be waiting and the table’s available are limited. If you want to go out for 2 hours then you should take your things with you and resign to the fact that you don’t own a table just because your thing’s are there especially when power points are so limited. You understand? It’s a metaphor. The library is the restaurant, the table is the booth, the angry waiter is every student you will piss off by leaving your things at a table for hours while you buzz around campus. 7. Group Assignments Group work can be a new experience for everyone, and if it’s your first time doing a group project it’s no wonder challenges arise. Firstly, attend all group meetings and respond to emails, don’t leave your group hanging. Secondly, if you look at the group project and everybody else’s work looks better than yours, then re-do your work. You are the weakest link. There are students who rely on the good performance of others in group work to achieve good marks. If your work is poor quality your group can kick you off the team, and you will end up submitting the assignment alone and doing twice the work. 8. Just be Cool, yeah? Don’t judge how people dress, if they come to class in heels or Crocs, whether they dress like Beyoncé or Dobby. Don’t be rude to people who have different opinions to you, don’t make discussions into arguments. Don’t complain and put Murdoch down constantly, suggest solutions. We have a culture unique to our campus, we make friends by sitting with strangers in the library. We feel comfortable wearing whatever we like and we are confident talking in classes without fear of missile launches. If you’re a new student, then contribute positively to this culture. Be nice, be friendly, shower regularly. By Carmel Hooshmand
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And so that’s it my friend. This issue might be over, but we are currently hardly working/working hard on the next issue called “Rollling In the Deep.” If you have something “deep” to say/write roll yourself in our direction. We hope you enjoyed yourself as much as we have while creating these pages. That said, I would like to thank all the contributors and creative brains that made this issue happen. Pavlina Kolouskova
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