ISSUE 4
SWINE
2019
CONTENTS
EDITOR’S LETTER Sophie Evans
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A WEEKEND IN... BRIGHT, VICTORIA 8 Therese McMahon FILM REVIEWS 10 ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Ana Tinc
SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME Claire Picouleau
10 BOOKS TO READ IN YOUR 20s Jaiden Connell
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IS VEGANISM GUILT IN DISGUISE? Sophie Evans
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GUARDIANS OF THE STATUS QUO Patrick Cashman
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FORMULA 1 Flavian Vaz
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TRAVEL ADVICE Jessica Murdoch
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PHOTOGRAPHY & ART 36 Aiden Watson Nam Dumi R-E-S-P-E-C-T, FIND OUT WHAT BODILY AUTONOMY MEANS TO ME 46 Tina Tsironis POETRY 50 DREAMS Aazaad Faraz
COLOURS OF MY POETRY Girish Gupta
UNITED KINGDOM OF HOME Sophie Evans
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ADVICE FROM ALUMNI: SARAH GEVAUX Sophie Evans
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EDITOR’S LETTER
By Sophie Evans
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We made it!
- We upscaled the size of each magazine each issue - We created the biggest issue of Swine EVER (with the help of our wonderful contributors)! - We collaborated via Australia, Japan and dodgy Chinese-censored internet to create Issue 3.
What a wonderful year as the editor of Swine Magazine. Since starting at Swinburne in 2017, I have consolidated a large portfolio of writing for the publication as well as gaining invaluable experience in the role as editor that has already helped me a great deal professionally.
Many times this year, I have reflected on my objective to be a magazine editor, forgetting that I am one! It’s helped me through some tough patches of indecisiveness and doubt to remind myself that I’m on the way to that goal. Thank you to the SSU for taking a chance on me. I hoped that during SSU elections, I would have a chance to continue being editor into 2020 but that won’t be the case. It is quite bittersweet writing this final Editor’s Letter.
Swine is a great opportunity to try new things and new styles! This can relate to all disciplines: writing, artwork, photography… I even tried my hand at a little creative writing this issue for the first time at Swine! This is a completely judgement-free space for you. We don’t hand out DNPs! I have loved reading all of your submissions and communicating with you all about your work and interests. I hope to have been a source of help and feedback, and perhaps inspiration. There are plenty of students that I could personally thank for their enthusiasm and acceptance of my edits.
We loved building Swine into a bigger and better magazine, and passing the baton on to the next editor after revamping the style and giving the mag a clearer vision for its future is a good feeling. Share the magazine with fellow Swinburne classmates and friends or see what it’s like to produce CV-building content that honestly will help you across that job interview line—it has for me.
We have so many intelligent and deepdiving writers willing to address some dicey topics without bias and analyse various topics of interest with great skill. Our photographers and artists are equally talented, producing original and stunning works to break up the written content.
I hope you have enjoyed Issues 1-3 of Swine this year and that Issue 4 is a great end to 2019 and my tenure as editor. I wish you all the best for your end of year assessments, exams and graduations!
Zoe and I have hit so many milestones this year for Swine and are so grateful for all of the compliments we have received about our hard work. It’s been a pleasure to work with someone with a similar vision for the magazine, which has made this year so enjoyable.
Enjoy the last issue of 2019, Sophie https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophieevans1/
In 2019, - We revamped the style and received a fantastic response 5
SOPHIE EVANS | EDITOR As I write, I am preparing to jet around Italy and revel in summer heat, whilst simultaneously planning the next adventure. Hoping to eat as many quesadillas as I can in Mexico City and visit a heap of national parks in the USA; or a trip to Tokyo to be hypnotised/bankrupted by sushi trains.
ZOE ABLETEZ | DESIGNER Honestly, just hope you’re all doing well during this lovely time of year and semester. Uni is getting super hectic so sending you all good vibes as I continue to procrastinate every assignment I have. Don’t forget to get enough sleep and drink water xx
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A WEEKEND IN … BRIGHT, VICTORIA By Therese McMahon
Is there a better country getaway aphrodisiac than an inner-city traffic light crossing? I’d argue not. In fact, there’s nothing that makes me fantasise about sacred weekends of crisp air, quaint pubs and Bessy, my cow-to-be, quite like the slog of crossing Swanston Street.
veer off the tedious highway to Albury ,the countryside is A+, with its magnificent alpine qualities and sweeping views of Mount Buffalo. FIRST STOP Food. Always food. As a town that’s known for its harvest and produce, its grub certainly measures up. Ginger Baker serves breakfast and a tapas-style lunch and dinner menu from its cosy home on the banks of the river that runs through Bright. We opted for the rösti and eggs (pro-tip: one must never go past a rösti if they see a rösti) and a serve of the ricotta pancakes (same rule applies). Between those two dishes, I promise you’ll be sitting in the gastronomic hinterland of A Very Great Breakfast.
Which is why I think I owe it to Melbourne to get out occasionally. You know, so I don’t resent it and its accelerated pace. This time I went to Bright. In any game of word association, Bright and autumn must rank in the same league as gin and tonic, or Bunnings and snags. Known for its snow-mad and foliage fawning frequenters, the sub-alpine valley of Bright in North East Victoria has safely secured its place on any self-respecting Victorian tourist map.
WALK, RUN, SKIP Bright is a base for exploring numerous bushwalking tracks. Whether you wish to get short of breath traversing the peaks of Mount Buffalo National Park or prefer to take a gentle, scenic stroll along the river (cos you’re still slightly hungover and uncomfortably full from breakfast), Bright, ever the gent, is here to accommodate you.
Thanks to some crafty green thumbs who planted an extensive variety of deciduous trees some hundred years ago, Bright is a blaze of orange, red and gold come autumn. And while people rave about its seasonal superiority in April/May, I’d argue that Bright offers a charming and revitalising excursion north any time of the year.
We opted for the Canyon Walk, which is a three-kilometre loop track that follows a gorge naturally carved by the river. It’s mostly an easy walk with a few hill scrambles and plenty of gorgeous ducks.
WHERE AND HOW TO GET THERE Bright is approximately a 3.5hr drive North from the Melbourne CBD, nestled in the beautiful Ovens Valley and surrounded by the towering Australian Alps. Once you 8
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REGARDING EXCEPTIONAL BEER I know, you’re parched. Fittingly, The Bright Brewery sits at the finish line of the Canyon Walk for a hard-earned beer after your 3km stroll. C’mon, you deserve it. Sink into one of the couches by the fire and get a tasting board or a pint of your preferred beer. (I don’t want to influence your decision, but their porter is like a liquid bear hug.) For extra ambience, sit on the deck that looks onto the glittering river for some Sunday afternoon sun and live music. Wonderful.
making The Wandi pub what it is today: a charming meeting place for alpine wanderers. Beechworth is another particularly good-looking destination to point the car towards. About an hour’s drive from Bright, Beechworth ticks all the boxes of a staple country town, with its gold-rush-era architecture, famous bakery and distinct lack of traffic lights. Ahhh-ha! Beechworth is a not so secret foodie go to spot. For fancy and lauded Japanese food, head to Provenance. For a very excellent wine bar, plonk yourself at the Cellar Door Wine Store. They showcase local wines and produce (and for the caffeine fiends, they also sling Melbourne grade coffees). And finally, make sure you pay Bridge Road Brewers a visit and pick up an assorted six pack for when arrive back in Melbourne and are held hostage by the post-holiday-sads.
CALLING ALL SNOW BUNNIES Whether you’re a well-versed skier or prefer to flirt with tobogganing, you can get your snow fix at Mt Hotham, Falls Creek and Mt Buffalo – all around an hour’s journey from Bright. NOT FAR FROM BRIGHT If you’re the restless type and want to explore as much of the region as you can, Wandiligong or Beechworth are both nearby towns worthy of a squiz.
DINNER AND NIGHTCAP Or a Brightcap. While we’re talking about booze, Tomahawk is known for its burgers and liquor game. Alas, they were on their annual winter break while we were in Bright so I cannot testify myself but sometimes you gotta let the 4.8 star Google review do that for you.
The small town-ship of Wandiligong is 6km South of Bright and excels in apples and pubs. For juicy apples with the perfect amount of crunch, head to Nightingales Bros Alpine Produce and Cider. Impressively at the farm gate, you can take home every type of apple: red ones, green ones, Jazz ones, Royal (Gala) ones - you name it. Better still, everyone’s favourite apple, the Pink Lady, also appears in their signature cider, served sweet or dry. Yum!
CATCH SOME ZZZ’s For a unique sleep… try camping in winter as we did. Or don’t. Well, because, it’s seriously cold and if you’re smart and decent, you’ll book yourself a few nights at a cosy AirBnB. Some notable bed for the night options being Cavedon’s Kilnhouse, Abby’s Cottage and basically anywhere you can find that has giant windows, a deck or any vantage point of the odd grazing cow.
Another infamous institution in this wee town is The Wandi Pub, which has been a watering the gobs of locals, tourists and skiers alike since 1864. Notably, friends Tim and Paddy took the pub reins in 2015. The pair gave the menu a spit-shine and dusted off the dorky beer paraphernalia, 9
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FILM REVIEW: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD By Ana Tinc
Blimey, Quentin Tarantino. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (OUATIH) was everything you’d expect from Tarantino. There were a lot of times I asked myself “literally, why?”, there were a lot of times I laughed, but there were never times I didn’t enjoy eagerly eating up the mastery Tarantino served hot on a plate. This film is a juxtaposition of new and old, of budding and wilting, of rising and risen. In the “humble” residential area of the mega rich in New York lives two neighbours. A famous Polish film maker with his up-and-coming film star wife, and an established Western television actor living the single life – if you don’t count his bromance with his stunt double/friend/chauffer/handy man – who is staring down the barrel of the end of his career. In a lot of ways, this story is of validation, of comradery, acceptance and human flaws; all the while being witty, light-hearted and worthy of a literal laugh out loud. But, in the same way a love story set in WWll is no longer just a love story, OUATIH isn’t really about a “has been” actor and his stunt double. One snapshot of a Manson-esque character and I knew that Tarantino was up to something – and boy, was there something.
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Just as Tarantino used Inglorious Basterds as a means of taking a moment in history and letting the limits of his creativity answer the question of “what if?...”, OUATIH, too, takes a moment in time and gives us the ending we’d prefer, the justice our rage begs for. The satisfaction that, just for a second, somewhere, even if only in the realm of our imagination, the right people lived. For whichever reason you are pulled to watch Quentin Tarantino films, I assure you, what you’re looking for is there. And to all those new to the inner workings of Tarantino’s mind capsule, strap in. There’s gore: you may have to wait patiently, but boy does he deliver dramatised, crazy gore for the sake of gore. There are characters acting within the movie: Just like Shosanna putting on a persona in Inglorious Basterds, Rick Dalton acts within the film. Such an element usually provides humanity, suspense and adds higher stakes to the story line, but this time Tarantino used this element a little differently. Rather than the acting possessing the qualities, it’s
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the juxtaposition of Dalton’s personality on and off the set, giving Dalton humanness through fumbling his lines and off camera remarks. There are feet: …Again with the bare feet? I would’ve quite liked the film feet free, but then it wouldn’t be Tarantino without it, would it? And of course, there’s vivid imagery, seamless camera techniques, bloody good music and absolutely A-grade screenwriting. Let’s talk about casting. How is it that Brad Pitt works so well as the stunt double, Cliff Booth? Easy. Think of one movie where you weren’t hoping for Pitt to come out as the winner, despite any of his characters’ shortcomings? The answer is none, isn’t it? It’s not your fault, we never stood a chance. He’s sexy, charismatic and has the face of someone who’s always one step ahead-- everything Cliff Booth needs. Quentin portrays Booth as the underdog. The side-kick – the Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes, the butter to a good slice of bread – whose existence and efforts are the glue to Rick Dalton’s success. Just like in the films they shoot together; Cliff Booth takes the brunt of the load in their day-to-day lives. Although he comes across as a simple man (more brawns than brains), we discover that although he is a man of little words, he is brave, he is loyal, he is an absolute weapon and is the one that people cheer for when the day is being saved. Then we have Leonardo DiCaprio. Oh, Leo, Leo, Leo. Could there have been anyone better for the part of Rick Dalton than Leo? If the answer is yes, I don’t want to know. His face is capable of emulating an existential crisis better than I can describe. His body language can portray “cocky” and “clueless” effortlessly. I suspect it’s in the nuances of his furrowed brow and deep facial expressions.
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Leo plays the role of the star of the show, who’s acting career is at a threatening end. The “man with it all” (including an unquenchable thirst for margaritas) who cares so much about staying relevant that he’ll sell himself out for corny commercials and spaghetti westerns. But, despite his desperation for validation and somehow always managing to take credit for his stunt man’s work, he is made so easy to forgive and to love. And in the end, there is nothing sweeter than the bromance between Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth. Lucky last we have Margot Robbie herself, doing Australia proud. I won’t lie, I wasn’t expecting the role she was playing. I was expecting her in the forefront, potentially someone’s lover or wife or the leading actress in the Western films. I was mistaken. Margot plays Sharon Tate, the budding actress next door, who was charming and unsuspecting of the existential crisis that will soon follow her successful career, as it did with Dalton, or the dangers that lurked in the shadows. On face value, her role in the film seems not to add much value to the plot. Her lines are minimal, her actions are minimal, but she is still essential. For without her naive and gleaming perspective of the world and her eagerness to be famous, we wouldn’t understand so deeply the struggles of Rick Dalton, the falling star. For Rick, Sharon and her husband’s fame are the pinnacle of success and he yearns for their validation. So, although subtle and quite subliminal, she is the integral part of the build-up, and climax of the story. Quentin Tarantino’s film OUATIH is a thing of beauty. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to get lost in an alternate universe for a mere few hours.
www.anatincediting.com
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By Claire Picouleau
FILM REVIEW: SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME
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T
o be completely honest, I have not been the best at keeping up to date with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Only in the lead up to the release of Avengers: Endgame did I really start to care again. After the first Avengers (which I loved) I felt, as many others did, that Disney was just churning out these soulless cash grabs. They certainly didn’t deserve my hard-earned money at the box office. While I was making these somewhat high handed judgments, Marvel has not so sneakily taken over the world. But I promised a good friend that I would watch Endgame at the cinema with them and so started what I thought would be a long slog through the available backcatalogue on Stan.
friends found out that I was watching my way through them, we had lots of visitors that week to eat popcorn with. There is something for everyone in it and it’s easy to cheer for your favourites. Needless to say, I was absolutely blown away by Endgame, I am completely on board now. Which is why I was so excited to see Spiderman: Far From Home. It was going to be my first MCU viewing where I was one hundred percent up to date! Thankfully, I was not disappointed in the slightest.
Now, I am not saying that everything I watched was a gem. But there did seem to be compelling consistent love and attention put into these films and I started, however reluctantly, to change my mind. I live in a share house, and none of my housemates are huge Marvel fans either. But for this week leading up to me going to see Endgame, I think I finally understood why the franchise is so popular. My housemates and I would gather around our modest TV in the evenings and laugh, cry and pick apart the little homages and pieces of foreshadowing. When my
There is something to be said about Spiderman’s narrative since the reboot. I think that Disney has taken the “friendly neighbourhood Spiderman” catchphrase and run with it. For being the first release after Endgame, it was a nice change of pace to have a smaller story again. Not to say that it didn’t do justice to the overarching story-- there were a few choice moments. In one of the battle scenes, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) finds a makeshift hammer and shield in the debris and fights off his attackers with it. It feels like Disney is silently nodding to everyone’s expectations that Holland will be taking over as poster boy after Robert Downey Jr’s departure. 15
The dynamic of MJ (Zendaya) and Peter is really the heart of the story. Marvel has cleverly hidden a teen rom com inside a superhero film. With all the fun of a classic European road trip complete with zany teacher and girl-obsessed best friend. It’s impressive the way they’ve decided to continually subvert the usual trope of optimistic sunny female love interest and tortured pessimistic hero. MJ is a joy to watch, reminding us of the ridiculousness of going to school with a superhero and them expecting no one to notice. It’s easy to see parallels between Pepper and MJ’s changing positions in this sprawling universe. Stepping out the shadow of their romantic interests to become fullyfledged characters in their own right. Just a warning, SPOILERS from here on out. As you may have guessed, my inexperience with Marvel also meant that I was going into this movie not knowing that Mysterio had been and still is a villain. I assumed they were introducing a new character that would be with us for a while, judging mostly from the star power of Jake Gyllenhaal. But Mysterio’s character actually feels to be one of the most poignant of the Marvel villain’s so
far and maybe that’s because he doesn’t actually have any powers. He is a normal man using the tools that egotists use in our world to control people. Mysterio points out to the audience that anyone will believe his ridiculous story of coming from another dimension. Hasn’t the public been conditioned to believe the absurd at this point? The instruments of his evil aren’t alien tech or ancient magic, it’s drones which pose a very real concern for everyone today and seem to infiltrate all walks of life. These things are so easily harnessed for the worst, and the film takes the idea of these tools coming into the wrong hands to its logical conclusion. But! As always in this world, there is a sincere hopefulness infused into this serious critique of modern life. The good guys still win, we still come back to the old standby that at least there are some kind, smart, brave people out there who have a chance of changing the tide. Spiderman: Far From Home is definitely worth seeing even if it’s not still out in cinemas when this is published. There’s nothing like when you first hear the orchestral Spiderman theme on the big screen. From the perspective of a converted cynic about superhero films, it’s worth the money.
10 BOOKS THAT YOU MUST READ IN YOUR TWENTIES By Jaiden Connell
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I have read many books in the first three years of my twenties so far. I have enjoyed all of them as I am very picky and know how difficult it is to find opinions with your own social circle or wider community. This is where I carefully research books that may be to my liking – and to emphasise this potential bias – of genres such as History, Psychology, and Philosophy. I welcome the challenge on how I view the world, and thoroughly enjoy understanding other stories that shaped their own perspective on life. With all this in mind, here are my ten recommendations for books that I believe will change the way you view yourself and the environment that surrounds you in your twenties. 1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky I reviewed this book for Swine Issue 2, 2019. For a deeper analysis of its themes, read this issue. Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment was a shift in the tide for novels. It was the first work to delve into the psyche of its main character, Raskolnikov. It became known as the first psychological thriller that inspired many great books and films to come. 2. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson For a deeper insight into this work, I have reviewed it for this current issue of Swine. 12 Rules for Life is Peterson’s response to the political and social climate of our times. His notoriety or cult following aside, Peterson provides powerful anecdotes tied to history, skateboarding, and even lobsters to suggest ways in which to create meaning in our lives. 3. Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche Considered Nietzsche’s finest work among his other masterpieces, Thus Spoke Zarathustra reinforces his ideas of the Übermensch or Superman, and ‘God is Dead’. These notions manifest into the story of Zarathustra, who descends from his solitude in the mountains to tell the world of a new Superbeing who has replaced God. He argues that a chaotic and free “will to power”, not religion, is the key for a life worthy of meaning and existence. 19
4. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Written by whom is considered as one of the greatest and wisest of all the Roman emperors, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations showcases the struggles, victories, and mental fortitude associated with the responsibility of being the most power man on the planet. Aurelius’ wise and rational thinking has inspired statesman and powerful figures alike for the two millennium that followed this powerful work. 5. Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl Victor E. Frankl writes of his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz death camp in Man’s Search for Meaning. He emphasises the importance of man’s need for meaning and purpose to withstand and overcome atrocities such as the Final Solution. A hugely/greatly inspiring book that advocates to celebrate and build upon even the smallest of victories, Frankl illustrates the powerful potential of the human mind and spirit in the face of the darkest corners of existence. 6. Victory at Villers-Bretonneux by Peter Fitzsimmons Written with Fitzsimmons’ typical joviality and Aussie wit, Victory at Villers-Bretonneux chronicles the permanently forged bond between a small town in France, and a nation in Australia. The town of Villers-Bretonneux was an incredibly important strategical position for the Allies’ defence of Amiens and Paris in World War I. It was lost by the British and retaken by the Australians on numerous occasions during the war period. To this day, above every blackboard at the primary school in Villers-Bretonneux does it read ‘N’oublions jamais, I’Australie’: never forget Australia. 7. 1984 by George Orwell Considered one of the great works of the 20th century, Orwell’s 1984 displays a worryingly prophetic vision of the world in the decades and centuries to come. From Big Brother, to newspeak, and mass-surveillance, plenty of parallels are to be found with the modern rise of technology, populism, and factionalism. 8. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by Carl Jung The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious combines two of Jung’s most fascinating theories in terms of the relationship between the human mind and
society’s ever-growing collective unconscious. Examples such as tragedies and hero storylines are argued by Jung to directly relate to how we attempt to visualise our life story as the timeless classics that preceded us. By placing ourselves as the hero in our life story, we are enabled to express our desires and abilities upon the backdrop of the world we live in. 9. Upheaval by Jared Diamond Jared Diamond’s Upheaval documents how seven countries’ survival of mass-change and atrocities in recent times provide hope for the future of mankind’s adaption of the newly-arising problems of tomorrow. He identifies examples such as Australia in response to the GFC of 2008, the Soviet invasion of Finland, and Japan’s opening-up of its economy to the world. Discussions subject history and its importance for learning to deal with future natural or man-made disasters. Have we learnt from our mistakes? Or is the path toward another catastrophe inevitable? 10. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 1491 encapsulates the lost history of the Americas civilizations before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. This work redefines the history of the Americas as we know it, as recent research and discovery has provided evidence of early genetic engineering, with corn and artificial soils. The civilisations in the Americas moulded and shaped their environments around them to be able to live in populations larger than contemporary European cities, with clean water and streets. The world that we thought we knew is challenged and surprising as insights into more advanced civilisations’ long lost secrets create a sense of the potential to significantly advance our civilisation today. I do hope that the works mentioned above ignite the bookworm inside and inspire your approach to life in the often volatile years of twenty-somethings.
IS VEGANISM GUILT IN DISGUISE? By Sophie Evans
Let me paint a picture of some of the vegans that I have met. Often, they are passionate, opinionated, realistic and inquisitive. They may not bully me into giving up my $40 rib eye steaks at restaurants, nor send me live videos of animals being slaughtered. However, many vegans have confounded me with their completely ridiculous contradictions. The many times that I have discussed veganism with a vegan, or overheard the topic between others, hands that are gestured emphatically are later holding a rolled-up five dollar note to their nostril, or smoking a joint. Can vegans have fun? Of course they can, but promoting and sometimes persuading the positivity surrounding a plant-based, clean diet seems counterintuitive to late night parties and drugs. In this instance, I really don’t think you can have it both ways. Have a drink and enjoy yourself? Sure. Snort white powders and load up on hallucinogens at festivals? Is your body a true temple then? Veganism seems to largely stem from a debaucherous past, with a new life of clean eating and yoga making up for years of excessive alcohol consumption, drug
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taking and other high-risk behaviours. An individual in this situation has an “epiphany”, or more so that one last time they get so fucked up, their health or life is endangered. The revelation turns into starting over and recuperating the body due to what seems to be guilt-ridden redemption. I’m sorry body! Love me again! Here’s some kale and kimchi!
This is not to say that the entire vegan population wreaks havoc on my rationale. I can see that eating a plant-based diet has marvellous health effects, and the macroand micro-nutrient intake far surpasses many of that of us meat-eaters. Organic food is far better for you, and there has been evidence of a high red meat intake inflicting carcinogenic harm.
Also, to put a spanner in the works: how does anyone know if there are definitely NO animal products in drugs? What about some types of alcohol?
Have I thought about changing my diet to a plant-based one? I will honestly say that I have. I love mostly all fruit and vegetables, and a lot of the vegan products on the market. Living a more sustainable lifestyle has been at the fore of many discussions of late due to the decline of our planet, and the conversation has often left me wondering why I shouldn’t. Let’s grow more ourselves, especially in urban environments, and live off the Earth—bring it back to life!
While it is unlikely for the most part, no one who doesn’t have direct discussions with the Walter White in their life would know whether any animal derivatives were used. What about this for an idea: try some kerosene, a key ingredient in cocaine, and tell me if it’s vegan? You wouldn’t, would you? Lactose is believed to be in cocaine— an element of most animal-based dairy products.
I have very good friends of whom are vegan and whilst there have been intelligent discussions about it in the past, and my lovely friend is very impassioned, they let people get on with their own choices. They’re raising a newborn however they please, converting family members not by stealth but by facts and proof. You can see the benefits. She is an ethical and environmental vegan, which means she believes that it is morally wrong to kill animals for food. Fair enough.
What about the effects that illicit drug production has on animals? What about the fumes emitted from hidden labs which leak into the atmosphere? I’ve personally never heard of an organic drug lab. Animals are therefore the collateral damage of drug and alcohol production, having their land—predominantly rainforests—farmed to plant marijuana or coca plants, or bulldozed for a brewery. Where are these green-living vegans now?
I have often seen covert videos of animals being slaughtered or images of the conditions they’re kept in. It’s awful, and admittedly I have a brief moment
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of, damn, I shouldn’t be eating the poor things. But I think, as someone who loves the food industry, we need to get better at managing and controlling the methods of animal slaughter for food. Who are we buying from? I have begun to change my preference, especially for meat, to free-range and organic. I’ve bought freerange eggs for years. These certifications are labelled on packaging which helps greatly when shopping. However, when have you ever gone to a secluded warehouse abattoir to buy your meat? You just wouldn’t. Buy fresh from butchers and your “should be” vegan conscience will be happy that you’re buying good quality, humanely-farmed ingredients. At the end of the day, this is an opinion piece. If you’re vegan, I’m sure you’re a lovely person. This article isn’t to defame or segregate but to present a view about what should be a clean and healthy lifestyle. It’s a trend that has been evident in my experience, and through research about the topic on the internet. Contradictions riddle our world, and whilst this one may not start world wars, it’s not exactly helping the causes that many vegans and Greens are fighting for. Climate change in all its facets is impacted by mass-production and destruction whether someone is building an abattoir or growing marijuana plants. It’s not good enough to say one is bad and the other isn’t to suit your lifestyle. How much are we really willing to give?
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by Patrick Cashman
GUARDIANS OF THE STATUS QUO
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lobal life rests on a knife-edge, diplomacy is a high-wire act above an ocean of boiling tensions, and mutual tolerance among superpowers is an endangered species. The impression that we sit on the precipice of military, economic, and ecological disaster is palpable and growing. Neo-liberalism and its sacred markets are the fuel propelling us on a collision course with the harsh realities of finite natural resource and the ambivalence of capital. As privilege is entrenched so too is class disparity, and working people always shoulder the majority of burden from that growing divide. Mutually beneficial national cooperation is cast aside during serious contests for power, at the expense of the majority who ought to benefit. Their interests are traded in or held hostage as bargaining chips in political arm-wrestles and pursuits of private profit. There has been a substantial chorus of objection from the continually oppressed - the 99% - to the continued neglect of their interests; but in a proportional response, the guardians of the status quo are collectively digging in their heels. Their potent influence and that of their propaganda is such that even those they tread on most may feel compelled to take up the fight on their behalf. We are seeing a concerted, organised, and well-funded global effort to convince us of one thing: that progressive change is not only unviable, but far too risky. We don't need outlandish conspiracy theories of secret societies with reptilian overlords to explain this effort. Elements of government, corporate interests, the media, the military-industrial complex, and industry are working in unison toward a common goal; not because they share member cards to a secret clubhouse for rich elites, but because they have a shared interest in securing their grossly unequal shares of wealth. Change and reform are staved off by those with special interests who enjoy abundant benefits in the current situation and would prefer if we would all just stop virtue signaling and let them secure their ordained advantage. Increasingly broken and disconnected lines of logic are required in defence of the status quo. For example, buying the argument put forward by proponents of coal mining that their interest lies in the prosperity of workers and their families requires a gymnastic act of self-deception. To accept their claim, one must deny the following: a) that their industry is systematically ensuring that the 26
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earth is inhospitable for generations of families to come; and b) that they are hoarding the overwhelming majority of the wealth created by workers. What then, allows for such absurd claims (among countless others) to find fertile ground among ordinary people? The status quo seems to possess a powerful gravity all of its own. It's bolstered by our fear of change, the stubborn lens of ideology, and relies heavily on cultural and social tribalism. All of this is exploited and carefully cultivated within us. This politics of polarity is the weapon of choice for status quo defenders, whose strategy is simply to fearmonger, divide and conquer. Freedom is their sacred bastion, of course. The freedom to exploit, the freedom to mislead, and the freedom to incite hate. It's common knowledge that marketing plays on our anxieties and insecurities to encourage over-consumption. But it's equally self-evident that the same wily techniques are employed by conservative, neo-liberal voices. Narratives are literally constructed by means of gross distortions of fact, and these narratives are then taken for granted as the foundational basis on which divisive rhetoric and behaviour is perpetually escalated. One favoured tool of the propaganda arm of the status quo involves the language of extremism and terrorism. Extreme, a word commonly reserved for fundamentalist terrorists, is being used to describe public figures like Bill Shorten, Bernie Sanders, and Jeremy Corbyn. Recently, animal rights protesters in rural Australia were labelled as "vegan terrorists" by Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton. Smear tactics are the knee jerk reaction to any zealous challenger of the status quo. It is their only choice. If progress and reform aren't demonised, they would run the risk of their popular appeal being realised by the people. Which is clearly imperative. 27
FORMULA 1 By Flavian Vaz
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was always fascinated by speed and call myself a “Petrol Head”, but there was one sport that brought about this thrill and addiction in me: Formula One.
The sport just doesn’t consist of a driver and his car, the sport consists of a TEAM. A team that works together to develop the fastest car and to win races and championships. It just isn’t the sport that catches my fascination but it’s the strategies, the pit stops that are all executed as a team.
I was first introduced to Formula One back in 2006, when Fernando Alonso was ruling the sport and the great Michael Schumacher had retired. This sport had a great impact on me and had me glued to the television during a race weekend. Although the interest was high up there to watch these cars doing around 350 km/hr along a circuit, it wasn’t until 2008 that I really got hooked on this sport, courtesy of Lewis Hamilton.
This sport shows us that we need to be a well-oiled machine in order to work at our full potential. Take the example of our daily life: we need to eat, drink, have fun, work out and communicate in order to be physically and mentally fit. All sports in general take people to new highs and new lows, but it’s in defeat that we really understand our worth.
There’s no doubt I’m a big fan of Lewis Hamilton, but above all I’m a fan of the sport that has outstretched the limit of engineering, building these mean machines; and the “gladiators” that push these cars to their extreme boundaries in order to go fast and be the fastest humans on the planet, all for being crowned a Formula 1 World Champion.
‘Really, you should always discuss the defeats because you can learn much more from failure than from success.’ Niki Lauda. There are a couple of life lessons that Formula One has taught me and I would like to share these with you:
Many people underestimate Formula One being a sport where a car just goes around in circles until the number of laps are completed. That’s true that these cars do go around in circles but there’s a whole other world that we don’t see in this sport.
1. Team Work Across your educational life, you will feel the need to be part of a group of people that share common goals, and
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these people join you to become a team. Understanding your team and knowing each group members strong and weak points really helps in achieving what one is set out to do. An example of this linked to Formula 1. It is the only sport where a pit stop takes place under 2-3 seconds-can’t believe it right? Well, believe this: the fastest F1 pitstop just happened recently at the 2019 German Grand Prix, at a mere 1.88 seconds. This wouldn’t be possible without a team goal, to change the tyres as quickly as possible. Have a goal and set your team towards that.
Achieving or failing to achieve these milestones will make you judge yourself and where you can improve. Many great sportsmen have gone down this lane and by being their own critique, they have gone ahead to great heights. There are many sports aside from F1 or influential people that we follow that teach us all of these life lessons. Go on-find the thing that keeps the hunger alive and be your best. For those of you who would want to dwell in the history of Formula One, these suggestions of movies can make you generate some interest to check out something different and form a new habit maybe:
2. Strategise yourself Be smart, don’t procrastinate on things that you want to achieve. Take risks, as there are greater dividends, and the victory is much sweeter. Strategies can differ from every individual and you’ve got to find it by yourself, plan on how you want to achieve your goal well in advance and take baby steps towards it. Formula One teams play and call for different strategies in a race-- strategies that will best suit them and try to win the race.
• Rush (2013) • Senna (2010) (Available on Netflix) • Drive to Survive (A Formula One series available on Netflix) And some races that you can give a quick watch while commuting: • 1998 Japanese Grand Prix • 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix • 2011 Canadian Grand Prix • 2018 German Grand Prix
3. Be honest with yourself There’s no greater judge towards your habits than you, yourself. Keep track of what you want to achieve and set milestones in order to achieve them.
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TRAVEL ADVICE By Jessica Murdoch
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erfectly blue skies cloud over and out of nowhere, torrential rain hits. I’m caught without an umbrella. The water soaks through every layer of my clothing, my backpack and down into the top of my socks. My toes feeling weirdly dry, the water-proof hiking boots at least live up to their promises. I search for cover. When I’d left the hostel that afternoon, rain hadn’t even been a consideration. The large open-plan room full of messy beds and piles of clothing debris had contributed to the carefree backpacker vibe but had not encouraged a feeling of much security. We’d been focused on the bedroom doors that couldn’t even close, which added to the charm but had thrown us about where the safest place to keep our valuables was. The laissez-faire setting thrilled our wannabe bohemian traveler hearts, so we’d decided to stay. After all, the neighborhood felt fine and until the swift weather change, I’d been enjoying the friendly streets of Budapest. I find a doorway to provide some shelter. A middle-aged woman tucks herself in beside me. I don’t understand what she says to me, but her forlorn face speaks volumes in a reflection of mine. A strange sense of intimacy, standing so close but unable to understand each other. We communicate through commiserating smiles and awkward shrugs. The streams of water are running down my neck, weighing down my hair. Then, almost as soon as it starts, the rain is gone, leaving behind rivers and all of us picking our way through the puddles. When I get back to the hostel, I’m not the only one who has been caught out. We sit around, bedraggled and waiting for a
shower to be free. I take off some of the top layers while I wait, hanging them on a backpacker's clothesline of any-spacearound-my-bed-I-can-claim-as-my-own. As I unlace my shoes, I thank my lucky stars that my toes are still dry and feel slightly smug at my brilliant traveler foresight in choosing this pair. My Black Wolf backpack has held up pretty well too. Only the very back pocket is wet, where the rivers ran down the back of my neck. Only that secret zipper pocket that I don’t use....my heart stops. That I don’t use except for when the security at the hostel is lax and I decide to take my passport with me. My fingers fumble as I pull out the, yes, soaked plastic sleeve that is supposed to protect this essential document. The rain has snuck through the opening edge of the slip and bled into the pages. I go numb as I open to the photo page and realise my features have become indistinguishable. My face has been washed away, and I can’t even cry. We had to extend our stay by three days and the resulting emergency-issued passport was cause for tense moments and fierce scrutiny, as we made our way through eastern Europe (one inspector on the train between Croatia and Slovenia even pulling out a little magnifying glass to take a closer look. Amusing, once we knew we weren’t about to be dumped off the train). It was over ten years ago, but to this day it’s the first piece of advice I will give any new traveler. My passport forever lives in a seal-able, purpose bought plastic pocket and it never comes out on walks with me, no matter the circumstances.
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By Aiden Watson
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By Nam @h_n_am
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By Dumi @comfy_gram
DREAMS By Aazaad Faraz More and more dreams I've seen this year. Their story reads with a different hue. Less and less of you I’ll see, I fear. I only caught a glimpse of the moon in a few. I had reconciled with the distances that cemented, But through the dreams I had hoped to meet. I hear those waking moments, they sound tormented, When the eyes think of past years incomplete. Scared of the loss the mind tends to stay awake. It whirls, as the night on the body falls briefly, Thinking about the gravity of what's at stake. It declares, 'I will remember...my dreams,' and tries To fabricate a dream and live albeit cheaply. Why is it still I dream of old unbearable goodbyes?
COLOURS OF MY POETRY by Girish Gupta Have you ever read the blue in my poetry, the cries from the wrecks of my soul? You never wondered what gave me that pain, did you? It was you and your innocence passing me by without even knowing I was there. The red? The longing to be together but the inability to. It was my love for you despite you looking right through me. The crimson? Of the deep blush of my eyes. It was for every moment you acknowledged my existence. I’m sure you saw the grey, the helplessness of the choice of white or black. You saw that, didn’t you? And you probably know it was my dilemma of saying a simple hello. The green? Of the voids of my every day that I spend lost. Not that either, it was about my constant stare on you and your not knowing, and that shading up the better part of my days. You didn’t read my poetry, I guess. The yellow was about you shining bright into my smiles and fading away into my pain every night. And the brown was just me; it was me and my cowardice to stay away, to never come up to you and begin a simple conversation. It wouldn’t have hurt to try, or maybe it would have.
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T,
FIND OUT WHAT BODILY AUTONOMY MEANS TO ME By Tina Tsironis CW: Rape; Abortion; Incest 40
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or all the heated debate currently surrounding abortions and the woman's right to choose, the act itself is actually quite undramatic.
without fanfare or trauma. The most impactful element of her experience was clearly what came after, or rather what didn't.
Or at least it was for M*, who found herself pregnant at 18, while she was a university student studying in Melbourne and living on res.
So why has an unspectacular medical procedure held enough weight in New South Wales that accessing it on many grounds is considered a criminal offence – until recently, where a historic bill to decriminalise abortion finally passed in the Lower House?
‘I remember thinking oh shit, my period is a bit late and I've been having all this unprotected sex ’cause I was 18, dumb and didn't think I would get pregnant,’ M said.
Why was abortion decriminalised only last year in Queensland, and why is abortion considered a crime in South Australia; only unless certain exceptions apply related to the physical and mental health of the woman, and the risk of the baby being stillborn or suffering severe mental or physical abnormalities?
‘I did the pregnancy test in the bathroom of a shopping centre, saw the positive, did about three more and was in total shock.’ M had a surgical abortion, which left her with "no pain, no spotting, no physical pain."
After Alabama passed a law earlier this year effectively banning abortion, pro-life arguments centred around the notion of "every life" being a precious, sacred gift from God, while pro-choice discourse highlighted the horrifying nature of women having to carry their rapist's child to term.
‘Emotionally I was weirdly okay and that was something that I felt worse about, was that I didn't feel bad,’ she said. ‘I have very strong views on abortion and so mentally afterwards I felt no different because I knew that I hadn’t done anything shameful. It helped too that I had no negative influences around me disagreeing with my choice.’
If every life is precious, as Alabama Governor Kay Ivey so passionately stated after signing off on her state's bill, this should also apply to women or even girls who do not want to become pregnant and raise a child for the rest of their lives. They should have full autonomy over their own bodies, because their choice will fundamentally alter the course of their precious lives, not the life of the lawmakers.
Prior to the abortion, M sought help from her residential counsellor. ‘I didn't know who else to tell. She was so utterly wonderful, supported me, offered to drive me there and gave me flowers when I came back,’ she said. As a teenage university student living away from home, M was able to choose whether she would carry a baby to term and eventually give birth to a child she could not raise – and she decided not to.
This is not to say that current pro-choice discourse should not be challenged. While it is horrifyingly inconceivable that Alabaman women cannot abort even in cases of rape or incest, arguments framed solely around rape exceptions blur the
M's abortion experience was evidently 41
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bigger picture surrounding reproductive rights.
service and legislation alone are not enough."
Having lawmakers “exempt” rape survivors from such draconian laws sends the message that women should only be granted bodily autonomy if something as terrible as rape happens to them. Women should be granted bodily autonomy permanently, not on a case by case basis dependent on factors deemed appropriate by a bunch of people who don't even know our names, let alone what is best for us in a reproductive sense.
‘Even once decriminalised, governments must invest in services that support women. Tasmania for example, has decriminalised abortion, yet there are no clinics available in the state and women have to travel to the mainland for care.’ Adjunct Professor Ward says the Australian College of Nursing acknowledges the Australian states and territories that have modernised their regulations, but stresses that "women should not be disadvantaged due to their location."
A rape survivor should never under any circumstances have to give birth to her rapist's child, and an 18-year-old student or 30-year-old woman or any type of person should have the choice to proceed with a pregnancy or safely terminate. Reproductive rights are rights we should all possess.
‘Consistency in abortion laws across the country should be enforced.’ Though M was situated thousands of kilometres away from her family at the time of her abortion, her experience was a smooth one. She is now 22, happily childless, and has recently graduated university with a Master’s degree.
On top of this frustrating debate we could also wax lyrical about the need for quality, holistic sex education earlier on in life as a “preventative measure” against unwanted pregnancies. But to save SWINE editors precious space, that will have to be another rant for another (abstinence-only DOES NOT work) day.
Not all abortion experiences might wind up painless, or be so easy to follow through with, but imagine every woman in Australia having full, safe, easy to access autonomy over their bodies and their reproductive rights, without shame or fear of being labelled a criminal?
The NSW Lower House recently passed the bill to decriminalise abortion, which is an incredibly positive, historic, and wholly overdue development. But the work should not end once abortion is decriminalised Australia-wide.
How good would that be? *Name has been changed to protect identity
Australian College of Nursing CEO Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward said "lip
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ADVICE FROM ALUMNI: SARAH GEVAUX
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Which course/s did you study at Swinburne? Bachelor of Business (Marketing and Media) / Advanced Diploma of Marketing. It was a double qualification with a Uni and TAFE component, which made transitioning from high school and making friends much easier.
in PR, focusing on consumer and FMCG, Government relations and crises communications. This was circa 2011, when social media was just starting to evolve from a personal medium, to one that could be utilised for promotion and I could see the potential it had. The job proved much more consuming than my government role, and within two years I was burnt out, with no time for writing. It was at this point I decided to freelance and be my own boss – with a focus on Social Media.
What are you doing now? I’m currently a Social Media Manager for a digital agency, working part time while I raise children. My job incorporates Marketing, Public Relations, Communications, Customer Service and Strategy.
As a freelance consultant, I worked across social media management, strategy and planning, copywriting and event management. I was thrilled to work with the Melbourne Fashion Festivals, Mix Apparel by Coles, Novo Shoes, Priceline, Kmart, the Spring Racing Carnival, Stonnington Council, Collins 234, Mount Baw Baw, Marketing Magazine and Kryal Castle, among others.
Where has your job taken you? My first job after finishing at Swinburne was at a Government Agency working in junior marketing role. Whilst working there I realised my real passion was writing, and I started a blog centred around fashion and food. The blog, Sarah’s Style Emporium, soon gained some traction and I found myself being invited to openings and being sent press releases about new and exciting products. Balancing full time work with writing started to become a struggle and I decided to quit and focus on the writing full time.
Whilst freelancing, I started contracting to an agency who needed after hours and weekend support for social media management. Over a period of time, I went from being a consultant, to a full time employee. My personal life required me to move states in 2015 and I was able to pick up my job and move it with me. Similarly, after the birth of my first child, I was able to fit in my work around my baby, rather than your standard 9-5.
Shortly after, one of the PR agencies who were sending me press releases got in touch and were looking for a PR Executive. I soon began a stint working
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Any tips for earning scholarships or internships? Enthusiasm is key! You can have book smarts but if you don't really want to be there, what’s the point?
part time is probably the biggest barrier for me, having taken some time away for maternity leave – I felt like I was playing catch up for quite some time when I got my head back in the game.
What is the best part of what you do? I love the variety and flexibility of my job. Over the past 15 years I’ve had jobs that have required so many skillsets and the continued evolution of the marketing landscape means that every day is different. You can inherently know the principles of marketing, public relations and customer service, but it’s the mediums that keep changing, and the way the customers interact. It’s fast paced and always interesting.
What is the most challenging aspect? For me, working remotely has its challenges. I miss the buzz of an office environment, and the day to day learning you get from information sharing with colleagues. I have to work twice as hard to keep up with the happenings of the business, and industry. I do feel very lucky to have such a diverse role with the flexibility I am afforded, but its challenge is being separated from the team.
It’s also amazing that my work can be done anywhere with an internet connection and a laptop. Over my career I’ve worked in Hawaii, Bali, Paris and London, and lived in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania – all while maintaining my role in Melbourne and freelance clients.
Career highlight? - A feature article I wrote that appeared in Marketing Magazine on the Future of Retail Marketing (actually all the articles I’ve written that have appeared in print!) - Taking a Instagram account for a department store from 0 to 100k - Making the leap (twice!) to quit my job, and freelance with only my desire to do something different spurring me on!
What is the worst part of what you do? Probably the speed with which things change! It might be exciting, but it means needing to be one step ahead of your clients at all times. Knowing what the next big thing is going to be is near impossible but educating yourself daily with industry news and learning new skills is a good place to start. Working
Is there an aspect of your Swinburne education that has stuck with you and you use day-to-day? When I attended Swinburne, I went to the local campus at Lilydale (now closed). It was close to my home and convenient, and
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the course I wanted to attend was offered there – it was an easy decision! During the application process, a family friend advised that I should attend the Hawthorn campus – that if I didn’t leave my comfort zone in the eastern suburbs, I’d be stuck there forever. I often think about how far I’ve come – literally and figuratively! - since my uni days and all that Swinburne taught me. It doesn’t matter where you learn, you can take that knowledge and apply it anywhere you want if the motivation is there. So many parts of my Swinburne education taught me to think outside the box and challenge the way things are done in order to push boundaries. I’m glad I’ve spent my career doing this, rather than staying in my comfort zone. Any advice for Swinburne students? Always, always, ALWAYS proofread your work. Not just spellcheck, but physically reading your writing. I will never forget my first semester, when our lecturer handed back assignments and pointed out the importance of proof reading. Spellcheck sees no difference between ‘disk’ and ‘dick’. I learnt this the hard way!
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