Before moving over to Melbourne, Eg and I have been reminding ourselves about the cultural difference in Australia comparing to Malaysia. So far we've been coping quite well as things are within our expectation, and we're always talking to others, and learning the ways of living from the locals here.
But there're a few conversations that EG and I shared after work that make us chuckle. As much as we awe on some of the ways things are done here, the locals here also find our lifestyle back home rather unusual, or bizzare.
1: Milo
Aussies put milk into everything - tea, chocolate, milo, coffee, etc. Local milk here is nice, I don't deny that. Even the cheapest milk in the supermarket also taste really good. But the way I drink milo is only put milo powder, and hot water. I once told my colleagues about it, and they went big eyes and asked,"Serious? No milk?"
2. Sambal
EG's workplace (a university) has a student union house that sells Malaysia food. Once, his colleague bought mee mamak and it came with sambal. He shared with EG and EG put into his home-packed noodle for extra kick. And when his colleague saw the amount of sambal EG took, he went, "That's suicidal!"... And EG told him we're used to this taste. And he asked,"And you have nasi lemak for breakfast?" EG said yes, and they all went shocked as they couldn't understand why would us take such a heavy tasted spicy food for breakfast. But later on they deduced that it's probably healthier as it contains rice, eggs; instead of usual local breakfast of cereal which contains more sugar. EG begged for differ and lots of explanations went on that I'd skip here. :)
3. Coffee
This is again from EG's workplace. When he introduced himself and mentioned that he's from Malaysia, a lady asked him, Oh, you guys eat nasi lemak for breakfast right? (point #2 above), and next that we never expect - "And you drink coffee with ice?".. Hmm at first we thought what's wrong with that, and later we found out, locals here they drink coffee to keep warm due to the cold weather here. No wonder I never see Starbucks being any popular here.
4. Leaving home
While chit chatting during lunch in the pantry, my another colleague who came from Malaysia and been staying here for the past 9 years shared his story. He said he left home to Melbourne at the age of 17 until now. All my colleagues were shocked and asked him how did he cope initially. I told them it's common in Malaysia for someone to leave home after high school. And one of my colleagues mentioned, "Oh yea, I have a friend who did this. He left home to another state, and the parents paid for his fees, rental, food, everything!" And later on they just kept saying that they can't imagine themselves doing this etc etc. Hmmm.....
So far these four are those that we thought it's the usual common which really make locals here jaw dropped. I'd think the coffee is really something that we never expect from anyone.
Anyway, it's interesting to see how others think about us. Nevertheless, we're having lots of fun exchanging our experiences with others here too.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Thursday, August 07, 2014
About Introverts
Saw a friend shared this in Facebook and just clicked in to have a look while taking a break from work.
I was laughing while reading it. I believe I used to be an extrovert. But after marrying EG,as a submissive wife, I believe his introvert genes has eaten into me. Now, EG sometimes thinks I can be more introvert than him. The article explains us pretty well - I could relate to almost all the points. But the one that makes me laugh out loud is #7. :D.. I think only EG and I will share this joke. Hehehe! :)
I do hope some friends will read this and know why sometimes we're just so reluctant to come out. And we hate it when we have to justify or give reason why. Gee, there're times when we just want to be left alone (refer #1). :P.
So, excuses us if we sounded rude. And don't ask why. :D
Copied from: http://playfullytacky.com/2014/07/16/things-you-should-know-about-introverts/
I was laughing while reading it. I believe I used to be an extrovert. But after marrying EG,
I do hope some friends will read this and know why sometimes we're just so reluctant to come out. And we hate it when we have to justify or give reason why. Gee, there're times when we just want to be left alone (refer #1). :P.
So, excuses us if we sounded rude. And don't ask why. :D
Copied from: http://playfullytacky.com/2014/07/16/things-you-should-know-about-introverts/
Things You Should Know About Introverts
1) We need to recharge alone.
This right here is the cusp of the entire introvert v. extrovert debate (if there is one, anyway) – Introverts need to be alone to recharge. We tend to get completely worn out by socializing. This is basically what it means to be an introvert.
2) We don’t hate being around people, but we probably hate crowds.
I love being with people, but if you drop me into a large crowd I instantly feel like I’m alone and invisible. I try to avoid situations where I feel that way, so I may decline your open invitation to some random event. It doesn’t mean I don’t like to be around you, it just means I like to have more control over my surroundings.
3) We don’t mind silence.
I can sit beside you in silence and not think we are having a bad time. This is especially true on road trips and can be a little confounding to true extroverts. For this reason, I especially like going to the movies where it is already considered rude to chat. Rule #1 for dealing with introverts – Don’t tell me I’m “too quiet.” I hate that. Sorry I’m making you uncomfortable, but you really don’t get to decide how much I have to talk.
4) Just because we are introverted doesn’t mean we are shy.
Introvert and shy are actually two different things. Google it! In my case, I’m a shy introvert (the double whammy!).
5) We can turn on an extroverted personality when necessary, but it is especially draining.
See #1 and #2. I have no problem getting up in front of a group of people and giving a talk. I don’t even get nervous by a question and answer period. But – here is the thing – I will need major recharge time afterwards and I won’t be able to keep up this extroverted illusion all day. I can turn it on to dazzle a crowd, but if you take me out for lunch afterwards, I’ll probably just listen to you talk. I am an excellent listener.
6) We aren’t judging you.
See #3. Did I get quiet? Do I have a mean look on my face? I’m not judging you; I’m just wrapped up in my thoughts with my bitchy-resting-face on. I might have even forgotten you were there. Sorry, just poke me. I didn’t do it on purpose.
7) We secretly love it when you cancel plans.
I like being with you, but finding out I suddenly don’t need to be “on” and it wasn’t actually me that backed out? – priceless! Don’t worry if you have to cancel, I’m probably thrilled to be able to stay in my pajamas.
8) We can get very wrapped up in our own thoughts.
My inner monologue is epic. When you have a strong monologue constantly running in the background, it is pretty easy to settle-in and listen for a while. I have to work through things in my head before I proceed, so I usually need a few minutes. When I’m ready to move forward though, I am 100% on top of it!
9) We can be pretty bad at connecting.
You know when you have had a really bad day and you just want to call up a friend and chat? Yeah, I’m bad at that. I tend to wait for extroverts to reach out and include me, so when the time comes that I need support, I can be a bit lost.
10) We don’t like to hang around.
That time after an event or meeting ends and stragglers hang around to talk – yeah, I know this is the perfect time to make more plans, connect with new people, and get involved with future projects, but I really really really hate this. I’m probably already checking my phone in my car before you have even picked up your purse. Small talk with strangers is my kryptonite.
11) We have strong opinions.
Just because I have difficultly sharing them sometimes doesn’t mean I don’t have opinions. Give me an extra minute to compose my thoughts and I will continue to push myself to speak up sooner. It is a give and take here.
Friday, August 01, 2014
Working.... in Australia
Never in my life that I ever thought that I'll be working overseas.
Ah well, I did travel a lot in my first job, where I went to Indonesia for a month, and then Vietnam for 11 months, before I decided to quit the job and got myself another job that doesn't need me to travel often.
Now that we moved to Australia, it's truly God's blessing that I can get a job in such a short time. I consider myself really lucky to work in this company. It's a small local company that does survey collection and I am hired as the Business Intelligence Analyst who is supposed to help with the IT support, data warehouse, data analysis and reporting.
My office is only 5km away from my house. When I first started work and while we're still staying with my aunt, I took bus to work most of the time as EG needed the car to chauffeur Eunice to/back from kinder. But ever since we move to our own place in June, I've been driving. It's only a 10 minutes drive. And the office hour is from 9am to 5pm, hence I could still cook lunch, and prepare breakfast for everyone, and only leave home around 8.45am.
Many have told me about racism in Australia. Deep inside me, I used to fear to work in a whole new environment in a whole new culture. However, I over-worried! My colleagues are most young chaps, so they're really a fun bunch. Of course, they have their unique working ways (foul words, relax, take-it-easy) but so far they treat me really well. I have a few female colleagues who have children and we have total different topics when we bump into each other in pantry, or during lunch. I have heard stories of Asians being discriminated in the work place but not for me. Most of my colleagues greet each other in the morning when they came in, and when they leave, they'd even come to my place to say bye to me as well. :)
Communication used to be a little bit of problem as we're still adjusting to each other's slang, but after 3 months here, I think I have picked up the right way to talk here, and now I can chit chat with my colleagues pretty well. But ah, most of them are young chaps so they have their jokes that might be too "modern" for me to comprehend but nevertheless, it's still good. I am pretty happy about it.
For my bosses - I report directly to my MD and a director. They're really nice to me and have been very accommodating. There are times where I need to go and settle some of the children's stuff and they let me have my time-off. Besides, they also trust me and allow me to work from home for 2 days a week so I could save cost on the childcare. I am really glad and thankful for their trust. Besides, they treat me with respect and lots of courtesy. They are really courteous when talking to me (maybe I have the good-girl look) but so far, I am very thankful for them.
None of my colleague eat out. Most of them bring their own lunches from home so I did that too. And we normally sat on the table in pantry for lunch together. I joined sometimes, but half of the time, I took the 30 minutes lunch break for a walk at the nearby shops near my office. Just to have some window shopping and looking for things that I might be interested in. Besides, the lunch break walking also helps me to take a break apart of sitting at the computer the whole day.
I wouldn't say Australians are very laid back, but it is probably more appropriate to say that Australians are very understanding, or accommodating. There are times when my director would ask if I am overloaded before passing me more work, or even ask me to pass some of my work to others when they see me looked really overwhelmed. Besides, they are very family oriented. Never once in my 3 months of working experience here that they request me to work over time. Most of the time they'll just tell me to do it the next day when I come back to office. I was so worried for the children arrangement when EG found a good job, and was thinking hard for 2 weeks to think how I should tell my director that I'd wish to work from home since childcare is just too expensive. When I finally gathered all my courage to tell her, I could be very frank on the reasons, and all she said was, "Hey Winnie, no worry, go ahead! Just let me know the plan when it's all confirm." You cannot imagine how relieve I felt deep inside me at that moment.
Anyway, this is a small company that I am working in. Probably this is why everything is more relax as there're less red tapes or processes. But so far I really enjoy myself working here. I do have job satisfactions, keeping some of my technical skills intact, earning some income to help paying bills and buying food, while still be able to mind our children is office is nearby to home/school/childcare.
As a summary, I'd say I am really, really lucky and blessed to get this job. And I am really thankful that it's an all awesome good experience for me. :)
PS: If you're curious, EG is enjoying his work place even more than me. He works in Melbourne University with all the technical teams, so the buildings are awesome, good facilities, nice colleagues and fantastic team members and colleagues.
I really can't ask for more. :)
Ah well, I did travel a lot in my first job, where I went to Indonesia for a month, and then Vietnam for 11 months, before I decided to quit the job and got myself another job that doesn't need me to travel often.
Now that we moved to Australia, it's truly God's blessing that I can get a job in such a short time. I consider myself really lucky to work in this company. It's a small local company that does survey collection and I am hired as the Business Intelligence Analyst who is supposed to help with the IT support, data warehouse, data analysis and reporting.
My office is only 5km away from my house. When I first started work and while we're still staying with my aunt, I took bus to work most of the time as EG needed the car to chauffeur Eunice to/back from kinder. But ever since we move to our own place in June, I've been driving. It's only a 10 minutes drive. And the office hour is from 9am to 5pm, hence I could still cook lunch, and prepare breakfast for everyone, and only leave home around 8.45am.
Many have told me about racism in Australia. Deep inside me, I used to fear to work in a whole new environment in a whole new culture. However, I over-worried! My colleagues are most young chaps, so they're really a fun bunch. Of course, they have their unique working ways (foul words, relax, take-it-easy) but so far they treat me really well. I have a few female colleagues who have children and we have total different topics when we bump into each other in pantry, or during lunch. I have heard stories of Asians being discriminated in the work place but not for me. Most of my colleagues greet each other in the morning when they came in, and when they leave, they'd even come to my place to say bye to me as well. :)
Communication used to be a little bit of problem as we're still adjusting to each other's slang, but after 3 months here, I think I have picked up the right way to talk here, and now I can chit chat with my colleagues pretty well. But ah, most of them are young chaps so they have their jokes that might be too "modern" for me to comprehend but nevertheless, it's still good. I am pretty happy about it.
For my bosses - I report directly to my MD and a director. They're really nice to me and have been very accommodating. There are times where I need to go and settle some of the children's stuff and they let me have my time-off. Besides, they also trust me and allow me to work from home for 2 days a week so I could save cost on the childcare. I am really glad and thankful for their trust. Besides, they treat me with respect and lots of courtesy. They are really courteous when talking to me (maybe I have the good-girl look) but so far, I am very thankful for them.
None of my colleague eat out. Most of them bring their own lunches from home so I did that too. And we normally sat on the table in pantry for lunch together. I joined sometimes, but half of the time, I took the 30 minutes lunch break for a walk at the nearby shops near my office. Just to have some window shopping and looking for things that I might be interested in. Besides, the lunch break walking also helps me to take a break apart of sitting at the computer the whole day.
I wouldn't say Australians are very laid back, but it is probably more appropriate to say that Australians are very understanding, or accommodating. There are times when my director would ask if I am overloaded before passing me more work, or even ask me to pass some of my work to others when they see me looked really overwhelmed. Besides, they are very family oriented. Never once in my 3 months of working experience here that they request me to work over time. Most of the time they'll just tell me to do it the next day when I come back to office. I was so worried for the children arrangement when EG found a good job, and was thinking hard for 2 weeks to think how I should tell my director that I'd wish to work from home since childcare is just too expensive. When I finally gathered all my courage to tell her, I could be very frank on the reasons, and all she said was, "Hey Winnie, no worry, go ahead! Just let me know the plan when it's all confirm." You cannot imagine how relieve I felt deep inside me at that moment.
Anyway, this is a small company that I am working in. Probably this is why everything is more relax as there're less red tapes or processes. But so far I really enjoy myself working here. I do have job satisfactions, keeping some of my technical skills intact, earning some income to help paying bills and buying food, while still be able to mind our children is office is nearby to home/school/childcare.
As a summary, I'd say I am really, really lucky and blessed to get this job. And I am really thankful that it's an all awesome good experience for me. :)
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| The bus station that I waited for bus for first 2 months before we moved |
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| The busy street |
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| Right outside my office entrance. I love the sunlight in Melbourne in the cold weather. Ironic, I know. :) |
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| The side street that I walk everyday from carpark to my office |
PS: If you're curious, EG is enjoying his work place even more than me. He works in Melbourne University with all the technical teams, so the buildings are awesome, good facilities, nice colleagues and fantastic team members and colleagues.
I really can't ask for more. :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Beginning of our new journey
We migrated to Melbourne, Australia in Feb 2014.
We have been very discreet about this - Initially we only shared with family and some close friends, only until recently that we started to share openly with friends.
Thinking back now, seriously I do not know why would EG and I have the gut to make this move. Anyway, we're glad that we did it together and we both had a good experience through the whole journey.
We have been very discreet about this - Initially we only shared with family and some close friends, only until recently that we started to share openly with friends.
Thinking back now, seriously I do not know why would EG and I have the gut to make this move. Anyway, we're glad that we did it together and we both had a good experience through the whole journey.
Why?
So you might ask me why? The standard answer we have been giving is - for the children. However, to be honest, it's not entirely for the children, it's partly for ourselves also. We were looking for something different that we could do to our lives. We went for a migration seminar in Penang and EG told me, we could do this. I was about 4 months pregnant with Natalie during then. We engaged a migration agent to overlook the whole process - which is the most correct decision that we have made as it saves us a lot of headache and hassle as we have someone expert to make sure we did the right thing. Besides, I have an aunt, who is very close to me, residing in Melbourne for the past 30+ years, and a few cousins around. I emailed them before deciding to engage the agent for migration and all of them were very helpful in giving us advice if this is a good decision. So, we thought, since we have relatives to watch over us if we go Australia, why not?
So you might ask me why? The standard answer we have been giving is - for the children. However, to be honest, it's not entirely for the children, it's partly for ourselves also. We were looking for something different that we could do to our lives. We went for a migration seminar in Penang and EG told me, we could do this. I was about 4 months pregnant with Natalie during then. We engaged a migration agent to overlook the whole process - which is the most correct decision that we have made as it saves us a lot of headache and hassle as we have someone expert to make sure we did the right thing. Besides, I have an aunt, who is very close to me, residing in Melbourne for the past 30+ years, and a few cousins around. I emailed them before deciding to engage the agent for migration and all of them were very helpful in giving us advice if this is a good decision. So, we thought, since we have relatives to watch over us if we go Australia, why not?
The Process
We engaged Kitson Migration for our PR application and after analyzing our skills/age/etc, they suggested that we should apply for Skilled Migrant Permanent Visa. I remember it took us a few sleepless nights to really think about this to be sure this is what we want to do. And finally we decided to give it a try - whether or not we'll have the Visa approved it doesn't matter - just giving it a try and have another option in life. Besides even if our application is approved, we have 5 years to plan and decide if we really want to move over. That was the real thought that we had during that time. So, EG was the main applicant and he went for IELTS test (passed with flying colors and pulled up our scores in application). Both me and EG are local graduates, hence in order to prove that his skill is competent to Australian Engineering Association, he had to write 3 major career episodes throughout his 10 years working experience as an Electronics Enginner, and submitted to Australia EA for skill assessment. It took probably about 2 months for him to complete the whole thing, and submitted.
We engaged Kitson Migration for our PR application and after analyzing our skills/age/etc, they suggested that we should apply for Skilled Migrant Permanent Visa. I remember it took us a few sleepless nights to really think about this to be sure this is what we want to do. And finally we decided to give it a try - whether or not we'll have the Visa approved it doesn't matter - just giving it a try and have another option in life. Besides even if our application is approved, we have 5 years to plan and decide if we really want to move over. That was the real thought that we had during that time. So, EG was the main applicant and he went for IELTS test (passed with flying colors and pulled up our scores in application). Both me and EG are local graduates, hence in order to prove that his skill is competent to Australian Engineering Association, he had to write 3 major career episodes throughout his 10 years working experience as an Electronics Enginner, and submitted to Australia EA for skill assessment. It took probably about 2 months for him to complete the whole thing, and submitted.
So, what did I do? :D.. In order to make sure he has the time to prepare for the IETLS test, and to write the skill assessment document, I made sure Eunice (around 2yo+ then) didn't disturb him and gave him lots of time to do it. Work in office was terribly busy and the only time he could prepare all these is after working or during weekends. Besides, I also helped to complete and compile some other documents like pay slips, passports, application forms, HR letters, etc and made sure all are in place for the application.
After all are ready we just send them in to Kitson's office and they handle the rest, and we waited.
Express of Interest
Australia EA came back with the skill assessment result and recognized EG as an Electronics Engineer per their standard. And now we can submit our application into the Express Of Interest (EOI) pool and wait for the system to pick us before we could officially our application. Our score was pretty high (Kudos to EG for scoring high in IELTS), and we were picked almost immediately by the system for lodging our application officially. That was in October 2012, when Natalie was only born for 2 months. Of course we submitted our application immediately, and we brought the whole family to Adventist to do a medical checkup per the request by Aus government. And then we submitted everything, and waited again.
Australia EA came back with the skill assessment result and recognized EG as an Electronics Engineer per their standard. And now we can submit our application into the Express Of Interest (EOI) pool and wait for the system to pick us before we could officially our application. Our score was pretty high (Kudos to EG for scoring high in IELTS), and we were picked almost immediately by the system for lodging our application officially. That was in October 2012, when Natalie was only born for 2 months. Of course we submitted our application immediately, and we brought the whole family to Adventist to do a medical checkup per the request by Aus government. And then we submitted everything, and waited again.
Visa Approval
The waiting process was never fun. We were often anxious if we missed out any document or any details in the submission, but Kitson has been doing a very good followup and convinced us that everything is good. We weren't expect the approval to be done fast, however, in less than 3 months, we received an email from Kitson saying that our application is approved and we're granted with Australia Permanent Resident Visa. The best thing is, the date of approval was our ROM date! That was the best 5th year anniversary present that we've received! :)
The waiting process was never fun. We were often anxious if we missed out any document or any details in the submission, but Kitson has been doing a very good followup and convinced us that everything is good. We weren't expect the approval to be done fast, however, in less than 3 months, we received an email from Kitson saying that our application is approved and we're granted with Australia Permanent Resident Visa. The best thing is, the date of approval was our ROM date! That was the best 5th year anniversary present that we've received! :)
Planning to move
In order to activate our Visa, we whole family must enter Australia once by using the Visa. We did that in April 2014. During that trip, we stayed with my aunt and tried to check out as many things that as we could - house, lifestyle, weather, schools, banks, etc. My aunt has been giving us very good advice and also trying to brainwash us to move ASAP. After the trip, we have decided that we'll move soon. Why wait? Like my aunt always tells us. Again, the whole process caused us many many sleepless nights - very often that we were worried if we made the right move. However, it's a very strong desire in me and EG's heart that this is really what we want to do. So, we often pat on each other's shoulders and decided to go through this together as a family. And, we started with all the major things - sold our home (still remember we held our hands tightly together before going into the lawyer's office to sign the S&P - as this is our HOME that we bought together after we got married), sorted out the schools in Aus for Eunice, financial planning, packing, resigned and passed down work in office, transferred all the posting address, sorted out all the insurances, cut/transferred all the utilities to the new owner and got the refund, etc etc.
In order to activate our Visa, we whole family must enter Australia once by using the Visa. We did that in April 2014. During that trip, we stayed with my aunt and tried to check out as many things that as we could - house, lifestyle, weather, schools, banks, etc. My aunt has been giving us very good advice and also trying to brainwash us to move ASAP. After the trip, we have decided that we'll move soon. Why wait? Like my aunt always tells us. Again, the whole process caused us many many sleepless nights - very often that we were worried if we made the right move. However, it's a very strong desire in me and EG's heart that this is really what we want to do. So, we often pat on each other's shoulders and decided to go through this together as a family. And, we started with all the major things - sold our home (still remember we held our hands tightly together before going into the lawyer's office to sign the S&P - as this is our HOME that we bought together after we got married), sorted out the schools in Aus for Eunice, financial planning, packing, resigned and passed down work in office, transferred all the posting address, sorted out all the insurances, cut/transferred all the utilities to the new owner and got the refund, etc etc.
Now that we think back, it's seriously a nightmare. If you asked me again, I'd say it's such a tough job to do that. Everynight after we made the girls asleep, EG and I will be busy sorting out things and packed them up. We engaged Unigroup as our shipping company and we had to think and sort out what to bring or what to give away or what to not bring or how do we fit those things into the shipment etc etc. For the last 1 month before our move, EG and I could only sleep around 1-2am to do the packing. We split the job to make it more efficient, and until Unigroup came and packed up our house, we were at the most stressful moment as we were worried that we forgot or missed out anything. Besides, packing up a HOME that we have stayed for 6 years is definitely not an easy task.
Our family has been quite supportive over our decision. Surely, they felt heavy or sad that their grandchildren are moving so far away but they respect our decision and have been supportive and helpful. It is not an easy decision for anyone in the family, really.
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| Packing at home for almost a month! |
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| Packing team is here - most stressful moment |
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| Our house in boxes |
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| Our house in 4 cubic meters |
Leaving on the jetplane
So, we left on the 14th February - don't ask me why the date. :).. My aunt wanted us to arrive on a weekend so that they can pick us up from the airport since both her and my uncle were working on weekdays then. We wanted to come in February (house already sold) after Chinese New Year and there weren't many dates for weekends available. So this will be a very easy date to remember - we left on Eunice's 4th birthday. We took MAS airline because we needed the luggage check in, and 4 of us were entitled to 100kg of luggage and we fully utilized that, not forgetting our hand luggage too. It was CRAZY. I really couldn't imagine how on earth did we manage to do it at all. However, Eunice was a perfect good girl. She was in perfect mood and that helped A LOT as she could run with us in the airport, slept in the flight, ate the food, watched the cartoon, etc. Nat was hyper but was still manageable. The overall experience was pleasant but still overwhelmed. It wasn't until EG and I boarded into the flight in KLIA to Melbourne then we looked at each other, and said, "This is it! It's now real!"
So, we left on the 14th February - don't ask me why the date. :).. My aunt wanted us to arrive on a weekend so that they can pick us up from the airport since both her and my uncle were working on weekdays then. We wanted to come in February (house already sold) after Chinese New Year and there weren't many dates for weekends available. So this will be a very easy date to remember - we left on Eunice's 4th birthday. We took MAS airline because we needed the luggage check in, and 4 of us were entitled to 100kg of luggage and we fully utilized that, not forgetting our hand luggage too. It was CRAZY. I really couldn't imagine how on earth did we manage to do it at all. However, Eunice was a perfect good girl. She was in perfect mood and that helped A LOT as she could run with us in the airport, slept in the flight, ate the food, watched the cartoon, etc. Nat was hyper but was still manageable. The overall experience was pleasant but still overwhelmed. It wasn't until EG and I boarded into the flight in KLIA to Melbourne then we looked at each other, and said, "This is it! It's now real!"
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| Last picture in our master bedroom |
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| Our checkins |
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| Our checkins + hand carry |
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| 4 of us in the airport - We stick together |
Our New Journey
So, we landed on the 15th February in the new land.
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| Can't believe that we made it! Got help from airport crew to help to push the luggage out from terminal. :) |
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| Another side of the luggage. Both girls were angels throughout the whole journey. :) |
We're here for more than 5 months now. How're we doing, you must be wondering? :)
All I can say is God has been really really good to us. He has poured us blessings over blessings that we couldn't even imagine or believe. We're doing really well here. We stayed with my aunt for the first 3.5 months and she took real good care of us by feeding us good food, and giving us a good place to stay. Our cost was bare minimum for the 1st 3 months and that really helps as we're still trying to get ourselves familiarized with the new place. We bought a car in the first month that we arrived, and both EG and I got the local driving license in the first 2-3 months. I was offered a permanent job as a Business Analyst since Easter Sunday, and EG has just been offered a Test Engineer position in Melbourne Uni last week in the research department. Eunice has been going to kinder on the same day that I started work, and she is enjoying herself a lot. Since I am working, EG has been taking care of the girls at home and they surely enjoy the parent's care - however, since EG is going to work soon, we're sending them to childcare for 2-3 days a week while I work from home for the rest of the weeks. We moved to our new home in June, and we're much more settled now. We enjoy the lifestyle here - maybe we weren't preparing to come to "bed of roses" at all - we were planning for the worst case scenario for no job for 1 year, and took a gamble with all our savings. So, whatever that we're having now is much much better that what we've planned. I have been cooking A LOT here as it's not a culture to eat out. All my colleagues pack their lunches to office and hence I did that too. I cook before I leave to work in the morning so that EG can just feed the girls with the lunch straight. It took us a while to get used to the new routine, but now we're pretty good - getting more efficient in getting things done. Of course, my relatives, esp my aunt & uncle, have been the great help here. I often say our lives will be 100 times harder if without them helping us here.
Very often, when EG and I looked back, we thought that compare to many migrants, we probably are the luckier and blessed ones who can settle down pretty well. It'll still be a long journey for us to find out more about this new land, but I surely hope that God will continue to shower us with His blessings and watch over our family.
Now, time for some random pics here. :)
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| Me and girls in the park |
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| EG's heaven - Library |
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| Easter Party @ Bunnings. Eunice loves face painting |
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| Amazed with ducks in pond @ Carribean Market |
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| Nat's favorite activity! |
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| Eunice in her kinder |
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| Sand playing - Cooking |
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| Invitation to Mother's Day tea party - Kids singing songs to all mums :) |
New Journey!
Finally, I'm BACK!
A lot of things happened in our family and to mark a new beginning, I have made some changes to my personal blog. Initially, I intended to move my blog from blogger to wordpress (actually I did it for a few weeks and even blogs a few posts in wordpress already!) but I decided to move back to blogger as the wordpress (with the free domain) has too many restrictions, unless I have my own domain. I don't really like the restrictions and I decided to move back to blogger.
Anyway, I am now determined, I mean, seriously, to revive my blog with more interesting posts (finger crossed!).
:D
Friday, November 08, 2013
Bread Baking
I have been wanting to try bread baking for very long. But I don't have a bread maker (don't plan to get one at the moment), and I cannot imagine how hard it is to knead with hands. And then, I saw Christine's blog posting a no knead crusty bread recipe, it looks so easy and I quickly saved it into my google drive. Still, I wasn't very sure to bake it, until last week.
I tried baking it with wholemeal flour, and I mixed in some cut apricot. And sad to say I am still not very good in my oven setting hence I used fan bake (which I read is 30C hotter than normal bake). And my bread got overbaked. However, it's still tasty. All of us (Yes, including Natalie) finished half of the bread for breakfast and it was so filling that we didn't feel hungry until lunch.
EG said the bread is good. Asked me to do it again. So, this round I followed the recipe carefully and precisely. I went to buy bread flour, and still I added in cut apricot. And this time, I used Bake function in my oven. I remember I put my bread dough into the oven and I went to bath with my girls upstair. When all of us are ready, when I opened my room door, Eunice said, "Wow mummy, the bread smells so nice...!" I was sooooo happy - that was one of the greatest motivation.
And when I went to the oven and see my bread - the satisfaction cannot be described. I just looked and looked at it and felt so happy about it. It was big and nice, but I had to cut them up so that I can keep them in some container. I had to admire it for a while before cutting them up. Silly me! :D
While I cut the bread into 3 portions to store in container, both my girls couldn't wait to taste the bread. And guess what, the two small girls (~14kg + ~9kg) finished 1/2 of my 1/3 bread, that means it's 1/6 of the bread. I really think it's quite a lot for 2 small girls - but they like it. As long as they like it, mummy is happy. It's homemade and I am pretty sure it's healthy. :)
So now, I am so addicted to bread making. I am still not getting a breadmaker. I think I'll stick to this recipe until everyone gets bored, and I think, it'll last for a while before they get bored. :)
I tried baking it with wholemeal flour, and I mixed in some cut apricot. And sad to say I am still not very good in my oven setting hence I used fan bake (which I read is 30C hotter than normal bake). And my bread got overbaked. However, it's still tasty. All of us (Yes, including Natalie) finished half of the bread for breakfast and it was so filling that we didn't feel hungry until lunch.
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| Wholemeal bread with apricot - overbaked. Very hard but taste is good. |
EG said the bread is good. Asked me to do it again. So, this round I followed the recipe carefully and precisely. I went to buy bread flour, and still I added in cut apricot. And this time, I used Bake function in my oven. I remember I put my bread dough into the oven and I went to bath with my girls upstair. When all of us are ready, when I opened my room door, Eunice said, "Wow mummy, the bread smells so nice...!" I was sooooo happy - that was one of the greatest motivation.
And when I went to the oven and see my bread - the satisfaction cannot be described. I just looked and looked at it and felt so happy about it. It was big and nice, but I had to cut them up so that I can keep them in some container. I had to admire it for a while before cutting them up. Silly me! :D
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| Tadaa! A successful attempt! |
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| Fluffy bread inside.. Yummy! |
Some asked me if the bread is very hard. No! The skin is crispy and the inside is soft. Well it's not so nice to eat just plain like this but if you put on butter and cheese, Wow, it's so good! :)
After that EG got really addicted to the bread. He told me he doesn't want to buy the normal bread out there anymore. So this round I tried the no knead herb wheat bread that Christine posted up after a few days. Again, it's NICE! But I forgot the step to shape it nicely, so the shape looks funny. However, it still tastes very good.
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| 3rd attempt with Italian herb. Smell very very good :) |
While I cut the bread into 3 portions to store in container, both my girls couldn't wait to taste the bread. And guess what, the two small girls (~14kg + ~9kg) finished 1/2 of my 1/3 bread, that means it's 1/6 of the bread. I really think it's quite a lot for 2 small girls - but they like it. As long as they like it, mummy is happy. It's homemade and I am pretty sure it's healthy. :)
So now, I am so addicted to bread making. I am still not getting a breadmaker. I think I'll stick to this recipe until everyone gets bored, and I think, it'll last for a while before they get bored. :)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Spouse as Colleague
EG and I have been colleagues for quite a while. Hmm...
When I first came to Penang in 2006, we were colleague for a month before he moved to the current work place.
After 3 years, I joined his work place as well, in different department of course.
However, for the first 4 years of my career here, we're working in the same floor, just different wing. So we'll run into each other in the pantry (shared), or when we're going to toilet or meeting rooms. But no, we don't work together, and we don't attend meeting together. His work and my work are totally different.
Friends once asked us if we are bored that we see each other almost all the time. We talked about this but no, we don't. I guess it means we're having a very healthy relationship. :D... We have lunch together almost everyday - unless we have team lunch or personal errand to attend to. The only time when we don't see each other probably is during office hour.
EG always tells me that not everyone has the chance to work in the same company together with their spouse (though it's getting common now), and we must appreciate this opportunity. I used to think that he's silly but I have to agree with him. There are times when we can discuss our company's products together, the design or manufacturing issues, and gossip about the politics in the office because we know the same people, same bosses, same management. Well, I guess there's really not many people can have this kind of "luxury".
I don't go to EG's cube often, but he comes to mine more often - that's his rule, I dunno why he doesn't like me going his cube but it's fine. I lazy to walk over there anyway. :).. And there are times when I find some funny notes appearing in my cube. And the best part is, when I asked him, he'd say no first. And I'll be looking around to find who left the note/stuff at my place before he admitted it's actually him. Ya, cheeky.
Now we're not in the same floor anymore. More "privacy". :P.. However we still bump into each other quite often because we're in the same building. There are times when I heard people "jut jut" (make the funny noise with the lips like how you ask for order in mamak stall) me in office corridor and I know it's definitely him without turning my head over.
Anyway, I am going to work in this place for 5 years already and it's quite fun to have my husband as my colleague in the same floor/building for the past 5 years. It does add some beautiful memories to my career life. :D
When I first came to Penang in 2006, we were colleague for a month before he moved to the current work place.
After 3 years, I joined his work place as well, in different department of course.
However, for the first 4 years of my career here, we're working in the same floor, just different wing. So we'll run into each other in the pantry (shared), or when we're going to toilet or meeting rooms. But no, we don't work together, and we don't attend meeting together. His work and my work are totally different.
Friends once asked us if we are bored that we see each other almost all the time. We talked about this but no, we don't. I guess it means we're having a very healthy relationship. :D... We have lunch together almost everyday - unless we have team lunch or personal errand to attend to. The only time when we don't see each other probably is during office hour.
EG always tells me that not everyone has the chance to work in the same company together with their spouse (though it's getting common now), and we must appreciate this opportunity. I used to think that he's silly but I have to agree with him. There are times when we can discuss our company's products together, the design or manufacturing issues, and gossip about the politics in the office because we know the same people, same bosses, same management. Well, I guess there's really not many people can have this kind of "luxury".
I don't go to EG's cube often, but he comes to mine more often - that's his rule, I dunno why he doesn't like me going his cube but it's fine. I lazy to walk over there anyway. :).. And there are times when I find some funny notes appearing in my cube. And the best part is, when I asked him, he'd say no first. And I'll be looking around to find who left the note/stuff at my place before he admitted it's actually him. Ya, cheeky.
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| Some drawings on my board from EG for the past 4 years. Colleagues actually avoided rubbing them or writing onto them as they said it's very nicely drawn. |
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| My silly "colleague" message in my FB while moving my cube from 3rd floor to 2nd floor. |
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| A drawing on my notebook that gave me a shock when I came back from toilet break. |
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| A note that EG took and gave to me in my cube when I was so stress out with my work. :) |
Now we're not in the same floor anymore. More "privacy". :P.. However we still bump into each other quite often because we're in the same building. There are times when I heard people "jut jut" (make the funny noise with the lips like how you ask for order in mamak stall) me in office corridor and I know it's definitely him without turning my head over.
Anyway, I am going to work in this place for 5 years already and it's quite fun to have my husband as my colleague in the same floor/building for the past 5 years. It does add some beautiful memories to my career life. :D
Monday, June 10, 2013
Wisdom Teeth Extraction Experience
My life has been almost the same everyday ever since the arrival of my Natalie. And days seem to pass so much faster when we have 2 children. It's all about work - cook - feed - take care of kids - go out occasionally for a breather - repeat.
We went for Aus trip for 10 days (ahh.. I wonder if I'll ever have chance to blog about it), and after my trip, I had a very bad toothache at the back of my tooth. First, I suspected it's wisdom tooth problem. I couldn't open my mouth big to even brush teeth, or eat. It's that painful. I nibbled while I bit apple for snacks, and I couldn't eat a full mouthful because I couldn't open my mouth big when I was very very hungry (thanks to breastfeeding!). That's really a torture for me when I couldn't eat well!
I called up a dentist for appointment to check, but I could only scheduled it after a week since the appointments were all full. While waiting, the pain got better. And I thought, Ah, probably it's just some pimples caused by heat during the trip.
Nay, I was very wrong. The dentist said it's because of wisdom tooth and it's buried deep inside that he couldn't do any surgery or procedure for me. And I need to go to Adventist for specalist aid. Geee! So, I quickly made an appointment on a Monday and off EG and I went together.
I was very scared of the procedure, I am not sure why. My friend said I can endure the most painful child birth then what's this for me? Ah, there's some truth in there but still I was terrified deep inside me. EG knew me well and hence he accompanied me and kept whispering to me that it'll be fine in the dentist room.
I had to take an x-ray on my teeth, and to my horror the procedure can be done immediately in the dentist clinic. Well, they called it a surgery, so I was expecting something like a surgery room or etc. Nope, after Dr Heng (the specialist) checked, and he did the surgery for me on the spot.
I am not sure if it's a good idea to share the details *grin* but as a summary, he said he'll need to cut my gum, break the bones at the gum, cut the tooth into 3-4 pcs, and take them out. I was, really, REALLY terrified. I think my tears were already in my eyes and I held my two hands very tightly together. The LA surely helped to numb and I couldn't feel anything at all. However, all the grilling or drilling or knocking sounds IN MY MOUTH was very traumatizing.
Dr Heng said he'll extract my upper tooth as well since it's of no use and its "partner" is now gone. So, he pulled it out.
And my wisdom reduced 50%. :(....
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| In the midst of the procedure |
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| My "broken" tooth and an extracted tooth, with all the ka-chang... |
Many friends told me their experiences on wisdom tooth extraction, mostly caused migraine due to the pain, but mine was fine. I believe the specialist skill is one of the key reasons. Anyway, this is surely an experience in my life that I wouldn't want to go through anymore. So I have the other two of my wisdom teeth will stay well behaved, so that I can retain some of my wisdom also lah... (Ya, stupid reason I know).
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Super Clean Compound
EG always likes to try new things. So, he saw this cleaning compound when he was in Thye Huat the other day. And he bought it and wanted to use it to clean our keyboard.
He tried at home (I didn't see), and told me it's very effective, and asked me to try in my office keyboard. Ah, my office keyboard is very dirty - since I've been here almost 5 years already. And I eat here, drink here, so imagine all the food crumbs, hair, etc.
So I put the soft, jelly-ish compound on my keyboard. Btw, it's supposed to be in clear color. EG used it to clean the keyboards of our laptops and PC at home, hence it has turned greenish. Looks geli, I know. :)..
I think it's quite effective because of its texture, it can slit into the small gaps between the keys of keyboard and pick up all the small things, even dust, hair, etc. So, look at my keyboard after running the "jelly" on my keyboard back and forth for a few times.
Not a bad invention I must say. Best thing is, it's only RM4 in Thye Huat.
He tried at home (I didn't see), and told me it's very effective, and asked me to try in my office keyboard. Ah, my office keyboard is very dirty - since I've been here almost 5 years already. And I eat here, drink here, so imagine all the food crumbs, hair, etc.
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| Keyboard before cleaning |
So I put the soft, jelly-ish compound on my keyboard. Btw, it's supposed to be in clear color. EG used it to clean the keyboards of our laptops and PC at home, hence it has turned greenish. Looks geli, I know. :)..
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| The "jelly" on my keyboard |
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| Keyboard after cleaning |
Not a bad invention I must say. Best thing is, it's only RM4 in Thye Huat.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
5 Years Anniversary
It's our 5 years anniversary this year. 5 years, with 2 beautiful children. Many told us well done.
I somehow can't believe that we have been husband and wife for 5 years. How time flies.
With two children, it's tough to plan for any getaway trips that we wanted to, also we're saving up our leaves for CNY and later this year. Hence, we kept it simple, and went to Kampachi in Equatorial for buffet lunch. I have been wanting to go for quite some times, especially on my birthday, but it always didn't happen due to many reasons! Sigh... So this time, I was very determined to go! :)
Overall, the food is good. Sashimi is good. EG and I both whacked 1 plate each. :D.. It's fresh and soft. Beef is very good too. We are not a very big eater hence we have to be careful with our intake so we can try many types of food. While eating the buffet, I had to feed Natalie once. I told EG, good la, she burnt my calories and I could eat more. Wahahaha! :).. EG said Eunice enjoyed the buffet more than us. :).. For Natalie, she fussed a bit but still we could stayed there for 1.5 hours, so she has been a good girl also. :)
While on our way back to the car park, EG took a nice pic of me and my girls. Love the shot. Everyone looks happy. :)
Since last year December, I have been thinking of a special gift for EG. We're not gift person so we don't really buy things for each other. My colleague Cindy introduced me to scrapbooking, and I bought a mini album kit from her online shop. However, I only started doing it a week before my anniversary. When? I had to do it when everyone was sleeping soundly, because it's supposed to be a surprise! :)... EG slept with Eunice in her room so I could do in my room with a dim light while Natalie was sleeping. Yea, and that made my panda eyes worse last week.
Anyway, being a guy, EG wasn't VERY touched, but he said it's nice. I know he's a heart person so I am pretty sure he'll show me this album many years later and told me how he treasured it, just like some the small souvenir that I did for him many many years ago before we were even couple!
While I was doing this, I found it's so interesting to do scrapbooking. Now I know why people love doing it. However, it'll require some investment in all those kits and papers. I'll see if my interest will continue before I try more later. Nevertheless, I think for a first timer, I had done a good job. :)
5 years together, and I truly believe the best is yet to come! I thank God for His abundant blessing upon us and our little family of four now. And I truly believe there will be more blessings ahead of us and I am sure that we'll continue to grow old together as a lovely couple. :)
With two children, it's tough to plan for any getaway trips that we wanted to, also we're saving up our leaves for CNY and later this year. Hence, we kept it simple, and went to Kampachi in Equatorial for buffet lunch. I have been wanting to go for quite some times, especially on my birthday, but it always didn't happen due to many reasons! Sigh... So this time, I was very determined to go! :)
Overall, the food is good. Sashimi is good. EG and I both whacked 1 plate each. :D.. It's fresh and soft. Beef is very good too. We are not a very big eater hence we have to be careful with our intake so we can try many types of food. While eating the buffet, I had to feed Natalie once. I told EG, good la, she burnt my calories and I could eat more. Wahahaha! :).. EG said Eunice enjoyed the buffet more than us. :).. For Natalie, she fussed a bit but still we could stayed there for 1.5 hours, so she has been a good girl also. :)
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| Foooood... Yums! |
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| Some pics of my girls eating.. |
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| Some pics of us |
While on our way back to the car park, EG took a nice pic of me and my girls. Love the shot. Everyone looks happy. :)
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| Me and my girls |
Anyway, being a guy, EG wasn't VERY touched, but he said it's nice. I know he's a heart person so I am pretty sure he'll show me this album many years later and told me how he treasured it, just like some the small souvenir that I did for him many many years ago before we were even couple!
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| Our 5 years journey together as husband and wife |
5 years together, and I truly believe the best is yet to come! I thank God for His abundant blessing upon us and our little family of four now. And I truly believe there will be more blessings ahead of us and I am sure that we'll continue to grow old together as a lovely couple. :)
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Family Portrait Shots
Happy New Year! :)
EG and I took a week off on the last week of December since babysitter is off. No, we didn't go anywhere but stayed in Penang to spend time with parents and kids, and celebrated Christmas.
We got our friend Daniel to help us to take some simple family portrait shots, since this is going to be the family size for the next 2-3 years. And we plan to give to our parents during CNY this year. :). My MIL bought 2 similar dresses for my two girls during Christmas so I thought that's the best outfit for two of them.
It's such a challenge to take pictures with children. Eunice will have her mood, but thank God she was still willing to take pictures, just not smiling, sometimes not looking at camera.. Natalie fussed and slept during the photo shoot session, and getting her to look at the camera is really a BIG challenge.
After taking the few shots, EG and I are already tired and don't feel like taking more with other postures. No mood. So, we stopped since we're happy with the pictures. :)
I am still waiting for Daniel to give me the edit copies, but below are some of my favorite shots. Sorry for the blur picture coz I re-take the pic with my iPhone. I am too lazy to download and resize the pictures. Excuse me for that but as a mother of two now, I really don't have much time left. :)
EG and I took a week off on the last week of December since babysitter is off. No, we didn't go anywhere but stayed in Penang to spend time with parents and kids, and celebrated Christmas.
We got our friend Daniel to help us to take some simple family portrait shots, since this is going to be the family size for the next 2-3 years. And we plan to give to our parents during CNY this year. :). My MIL bought 2 similar dresses for my two girls during Christmas so I thought that's the best outfit for two of them.
It's such a challenge to take pictures with children. Eunice will have her mood, but thank God she was still willing to take pictures, just not smiling, sometimes not looking at camera.. Natalie fussed and slept during the photo shoot session, and getting her to look at the camera is really a BIG challenge.
After taking the few shots, EG and I are already tired and don't feel like taking more with other postures. No mood. So, we stopped since we're happy with the pictures. :)
I am still waiting for Daniel to give me the edit copies, but below are some of my favorite shots. Sorry for the blur picture coz I re-take the pic with my iPhone. I am too lazy to download and resize the pictures. Excuse me for that but as a mother of two now, I really don't have much time left. :)
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| Nat slept in her rocker and we finally could take some pic in peace :) |
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| My two pretty girls |
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| Family shot after Nat woke up |
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| Another family shot |
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| I love this shot :) |
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| And this is my fav shot on my pretty little baby Nat :) |
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