First interview!

After landing here for more than a month, hubby has finally got an interview! This is of course a piece of good news since getting one is not as easy as we first thought! That's the thing about being 'newbies' on this big vast land!

This morning, he even ironed his own shirt and suit and tried them out! Yeah, unlike in Malaysia, the guys have to wear formal suits for interviews! Luckily, the weather forecast mentioned there will be rain else I think he'll probably sweat buckets!

Hubby don't even wear shirts to work last time. He only put on T-shirts. Now that he has to wear formal, I'll probably get him some nice cuff links to go with his shirts and suits.

Is summer ending??

The weather has suddenly turned cold the past few days which hoover around 13-15 degree Celsius. Though it is still summer but weather in Melbourne is so erratic which making it tough for us to put on our cloths! Generally, I find it difficult to dress my kids. It can be so cold in the morning and sometimes burning hot in the afternoon.

Both my kids are rather fair so I slapped lots of suntan lotion on them as the heat from the burning sun can be really harmful. When I was younger, I was silly enough to put on spraytan during summer and baked under the sun but I guess the risks are so much greater now that I will try to hide from the sun as much as possible.

Loving the check out system here

One of the thing I love about living in Australia is the check out counters at all supermarts and shops. Besides doing normal check outs, it can also give cash out so it is damn convenient especially when you want to save time looking for the ATM machines.

Also, we can do self-checkout in some major stores which make queuing up less stressful. I am not sure what sort of system they are using but it could be Honeywell Barcode Scanner systems for all I know. Just love all these conveniences here!

Job hunting

We are here for 3 weeks and hubby is getting restless. He said he needed to find a job soon.

Well, we have been spending quite a big deal since our arrival so it kind of hurting the pocket a bit as we are not used to spending and not recouping all the monies we have spent. Thus, the need to find a job soon. It is not easy for him to find jobs in his profession (it takes times since he is kind of specialized).

For now, he do not mind any job. He will even consider jobs in conferencing service if that is available. After all, he has so much experience in marketing services in his previous job.

Crazy summer weather in Melbourne!

Though we are only here for 3 weeks but we have experienced some really crazy summer weather here in Melbourne! It can be as low as 19 degree Celsius one day and the next it rose up to like 38 degree Celsius!!! The morning is usually cold and when it comes to noon time it is roasting!

I only have an indoor thermometer now but will go check out some outdoor thermometers soon so we can know exactly what temperature it is. Fortunately summer is ending soon (another month or so) and we'll be having a more cooling time when April comes.

Sometimes it is frustrating when dressing up the kids on our day out with such crazy weather!

No vacation plans for this year

Since our BIG move and soon the baby's arrival, we won't be planning for any vacations.... not for this year at least as there are just too much for us to handle. With our eldest boy starting 1st grade this year, I can foresee a very busy and challenging year. There are a lot of of adjustments and getting used to to all the new routines.

Probably next year will be a better time for plan for a short trip when my brother and his family come to visit us. May want to try rv loans and let them experience the fun of travelling with RVs. I think my kids and my nephew will enjoy the experience.

The 'Dos' and Don'ts' in a rental house

This is the first time we went into contract for a rented house in Melbourne. There are lots of 'Dos' and Don'ts' that we need to follow. We are not allowed to knock in nails or stick anything onto the wall. Even changing the locks we'll need to inform the agent. Therefore, we are not going to get any decorative switch plate covers for the kids' room.

Hubby even thought of getting the same color paints so he can paint the wall once it is dirty so we will be 'safe' when the agent or the landlord come for a surprise inspection. :P

Greetings from Melbourne!!

YES!!! We are finally here!!!

It has been really hectic since the day we arrived as there were just too many stuff to do and settled. We have to get our house furnish too so imagine the amount of shopping we need to do in within the first week we were here else we can't move in.

So glad that everything has fall into places now and we can say we are ready to start our new life here in this beautiful place filled with clean fresh air!!

X'mas shopping

Christmas is just around the corner but we have yet to really shop as we are too tied up with our packing. Hopefully we can get something done this weekend when we go down to KL. I guess there are more stuff to see and buy in KL compared to here.

This will be our 'last' year celebrating Christmas in Malaysia. Hubby said he should get something for his dad. I told him about getting some cigars for him since FIL so smoke. We can get acid cigars cheaply online these days but only to find out that FIL has stopped smoking!

Oh well... we'll have to search for something else then...

Changing the gold to something else

Since we'll be moving, I've decided to take out some of my jewellery to be brought along with me. Found that I have some small gold items and decided to change them to something I like since I am not such a gold person.

Went to the local jewelers and was told I can make an exchange with a 20% cut from the actual gold price. After considering for a few days, I decided to get a pair of earrings. The sales rep showed me some new emerald engagement rings but I prefer to have a pair of earrings since I don't like wearing rings too.

At the end diamonds won over and I got myself a lovely set of Lumiere diamond earrings with certificate. I'm a happy camper! :)

Moving is such a daunting exercise!

We are just a month away from our BIG move to Down Under. The mover will be here tomorrow and we hope we can receive our shipment upon our arrival next month. Has been busy packing the last few days and we are glad we are almost done. Did not realize we have so much junks!

Getting a car and car insurance

When we move Down Under, we'll need to get at least 2 cars once I got my driver license converted. I am not sure if I could get it converted yet but I'll try though the chances may seem rather slim. Else I'll have to do the theory and practical test all over again! This is not what I am hoping for since I will be heavily pregnant by that time! :P

Hubby mentioned that he will have to look at the various auto insurance premium since everything will be different in Down Under compared to Malaysia. Car repairing is extremely costly so we will definitely have to take up a more comprehensive coverage.

Of course we don't wish to be involved in any accidents but sometimes things like these are hard to tell. We will try to be extra careful and mindful of all traffic rules especially when we are ferrying the kids around.

Repairing the car before we leave

Hubby has decided to send our car for a mini over-haul before we leave so it will be easier for my MIL to maintain the car for us while we are away. There are a few parts that needed to be changed too so that will cost quite a fair bit. The tyres needed to be changed too but hubby said he will probably get the two front tyres changes instead of all four as that will cost quite a lot.

Anyway, I am clueless when it comes to such stuff. I don't even know how industrial bearings looks like so when hubby told me he will need to get these and that for the car I'll just nod my head! :P I know the car will be in good hands when hubby is maintaining it but when MIL takes over... I'm not so sure any more! 

Time to job hunt

Hubby's cousin who has just completed her one year pre-registration as a pharmacist and is actively looking for a permanent job in Australia. She does not intend to work in Malaysia for the time being as she felt Australia will give her more exposure.

However, during the end of the year period is also the summer break for many companies, hence it is tough to go job hunting since most companies are closed for the holiday season. We hope she can find something temporary to tie her over the next few months so hubby actually suggested that she should try looking for some Physician Assistant Jobs first.

Hubby has just returned from Down Under and he said there are some expansion projects in some new suburbs in various states so this could be the right time. Hopefully she will find something soon!

Still not feeling on top of the world

I wonder how long would my morning sickness stay this round. It has been more than 3 month (now I'm in my 4th month) and I still don't feel on top of the world. It seems to be longer than my 1st pregnancy as I remembered I only suffered for 17 weeks, the max.

I would say my cough which has been quite bad even before I discovered about my pregnancy made it worst. Each time I cough, there will be phlegm and the nausea will come. It is really taxing as it affecting my sleep too so I can't sleep well for the past months.

This is the only pregnancy that I am all alone. Previously I will go back to my mom's place and she will take care of me... well, at least you can cook some nutritional stuff for me! Though she is no certified nutritionist austin, but it is nice to have someone to take care when you feel sickly all day.

Now, I have to take care of two kids and myself! Arrgghh!!