CHINESE New Year is right around the corner, and Marcella Purnama shares her thoughts on celebrating this thousand year old tradition as an Indonesian-born Chinese.

JANUARY is one of Melbourne’s best music months, with artists flocking to the city to play under the summer sun. And there are plenty of free concerts on too!

SUN, sand and… well, maybe not surf. But there is still no better place to hang out on a Melbourne summer’s day than at one of these beaches.

CAN’T survive without Wikipedia, but stumped by the blackout? Myriam Robin shows you how to get around it.

STARTING work was hard, but maybe not as hard as going to uni. Not that it had to be that way. Myriam Robin reflects.

IF THE headlines in this tabloid newspaper-strewn land are supposedly indicative of Australians’ values, what impression does this give the country’s newcomers?

Too hot to go outside? Film-buff and Meld contributor Richard Houlihan suggests ten of the best new and classic movies to chill out with as you hide from the heat these holidays.

OUR resident blogger Belinda Tan has the secret to keeping all those hard thought out resolutions: buy, buy, buy… for your nearest and dearest of course!

More than half of the 40,000 students living in the city are international students. But, James Shackell reports, many international students are isolated in expensive student housing complexes.

To all you students who are new in Melbourne, welcome!