A Singaporean In Australia

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Woolies, my first employer?
We waited at the foyer of Woolworths' office at Kewdale. The actual address was 135 Kewdale but the email sent to me told me it was 123 Kewdale. Somehow I landed at the right place on time.

On the way there was a slight traffic jam. I looked at the time all the time and thought, "I may be late. Well it's ok. Maybe I should look for another job."

Deep inside, I wished I didn't have to attend the interview - no, it's not the interview I was frightened about but the group assessment.

I did a little bit of reading up on the Internet to get a glimpse of what I should expect. Didn't like the sound of it. Indeed, it came out the same way as described.

Joanna told me that she heard Woolworths hires in a way similar to our BTO HDB flats. There was some kind of an ethnic quota.  According to hearsay they would try to hire a little mix of everything from the group who came for group assessment.  They would pick a few veterans, a few young chaps, females, males, Caucasians, Asians, Africans.. you get the idea.  Not sure how true it was.  Like the BTO ethnic quota, sometimes it could be give the minority advantage. If you are the only Eurasian couple applying for a BTO flat, you are almost certain to get a flat even if the scheme is 50 times over subscribed. That's the theory. 

There were 20 of us. Saw 2 other Asians. Waited 15 uncomfortable minutes where no one was talking. Basically everyone was just staring into space. I took a long look at the whole foyer. 1 young chick. 1 really really young chap. Was he like.. 12 years old or something?! 2 Asians, 1 guy in his late 20s, another girl probably in her early 20s. There were about 8-10 Caucasians of both genders in their 20s. The remainder were veterans.  I briefly thought of what Joanna said. 

Then things happened, we were ushered to a rather large meeting room with 4 rows of tables. It reminds me of a class room more than a meeting room. The lights were bright, too bright for my liking. Each table was labelled with a candidate's name. I found my name in the middle of the first row, spelt 'Eng Chin'. That wasn't right but it should be me, I took a seat.

The chick was on my right, on my left was an absentee. We spent the next 15 minutes listening to the HR manager introduce Woolworths the company. It was more than a supermarket.  A strong company with stake in many industries.

Then we needed to do a self introduction. When it was my turn I felt uncomfortable with it. I admitted I was new to Australia, 1 week's old in fact and that was the first job I applied for. The lady acknowledged. I would imagined the rest of the people in the room thinking 'Bloody FT, get out.' but it could be just the typical narrow-mindedness of a Singaporean.

After that, we were divided into groups. There were 4 in my group. The chick, a young Aussie chap, a senior lady and myself. We were supposed to draw a card and act as if we were Woolworths employees and react according to the scenarios given the way we thought was the best.  I knew about this.  We were all going to be observed during the discussion. If I really wanted the job, I had to do something instead of looking stunned all the time.

Our scenario went this way:

1) A customer came in to collect her cake ordered a week's ago for her kid's birthday and you discovered the order was misplaced and no cake was baked.

2) Another customer then walked in and showed a brochure of a Sultana cake on offer but the cakes had run out.

3) A large delivery of bread came in to the store.

4) Before you could react to any of these, an apprentice was burnt and hurt in the bakery.

Question: What actions will you take to address this scenario?

The discussion went for a few minutes. I only spoke a sentence, giving a suggestion. My team mates didn't really pay much attention to me. Time was running out. I knew my performance suck. I should had participated harder so I didn't have to do the last resort. 

I volunteered to read out of discussion.

This may seem easy for most people but not for me. I was the withdrawn kind of person and I would never do it. 

Not in primary school.
Not in secondary school.
Not in the polytechnic.
Not in the army and the university either. 

But not this time. I did it and I was surprised my group were more than happy to let me do it. Guess nobody really likes doing such things.  I read the stuff, adding a little more things which I thought was appropriate. I could not remember when was the last time I felt so awkward.  Obviously I stood out, because I couldn't speak as fluently as the locals but the ordeal did end.

These were just mental barriers. I knew I didn't do well and I used to think it matters because everyone was looking at me. In reality probably no one really cared as they were more worried about if they could get a job. 

Survival skill no.1 unlocked - Thick Skin.

Indeed. Guessed I finally understand a little what they meant by 'unsinkified'. I needed time.


After the test, they started going round to talk to the candidates. As I was in the front row, they got pretty much fast to me. I was told to attend the 2nd interview in Belmont. I didn't know why I was selected but I didn't care. It was progress to me..

******

I met Peter in the Belmont Woolworths the next day, the giant mart I applied to work at. He was a big man but seemed quite friendly. He asked me to follow him into his office. It was a quick one. He asked me I did in Singapore. I told him and he raised his eyebrows. He didn't ask me more questions but instead outlined a lot about the job, told me it was actually a simple job, too simple for an engineer and asked me if that was the kind of job I was interested in. I replied I was and asked him a few questions like the working hours and the number of hours I could get each week.  

With that, Peter ended the 2nd interview and told me he was inform me if I got the job latest by next Tuesday. 

I went back and sent the routine thank you email to Natasha, the HR lady as I didn't have the Store Manager's contacts. 

I was happy that I went for both interviews. If I were to fail this interview due to my unfamiliarity with the country, I couldn't do much about it. I had given my best shot.



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It has everything you need.

Cape - Disposable.

Scissors - a pathetic pair but we will see it strengthening this part.

Mirror - a small one (at the top of the air con unit)

High chair - borrowed Joanna's bar top chair.

Hair dresser - Jen

The birth of Jenny Alfresco Hairdresser.
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Angie SF Ng is a good woman. She did something she didn't have to yesterday. She had a bad day at work and showed it by posting numerous spits on facebook to keep her sanity on the scales. After work, she had to tend to her baby, almost a year old to me in photos. Definitely hard work at this stage I'm sure.

The last thing you would expect from a person who went through such a day was to stay up late till the night until 0130hrs the next morning to give pregnancy and newborn advice to a near stranger, a clueless father to be 3898km away - over the internet of course.

This post was meant to record down her tips so that I can refer to this blog when I need the information. Just couldn't do it without writing a little to thank the source. She would be my future neighbour in Punggol, staying at the same block as me. Punggol Residences is the best place to be, with such neighbours around.

Aunty Angie's Baby Tips, summary:

Food
- eat more than 3 meals, but only small bits in between meals. Nutrition is the key here, not putting on weight.
- spinach and broccoli is good
- avocado, apples, coconuts in the final month
- red dates + hot water a cup a day
- start chinese herbs now, stop at the 8th month
- eat more fish, the correct types
- bright colored vegs are good
- beef is good
- durian is good
- walnuts, almond, peanuts are good

Exercise
- brisk walks
- pelvic exercises

Confinement
Get ready 1 DOM 1 Martell, 5-6 rice wine on top of the rest I know

Others
- talk to baby
- read stories
- play some nice music (not Guns 'N' Roses, sadly)


http://www.baby2see.com/pregnancy_weight_calculator.html
http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-recipes?intcmp=email_pgmg_bulletin_txt4_recipes&scid=preg_2_20101007%3A5
http://www.contentedbaby.com/BabyandToddlerRoutine.htm
http://www.mummysg.com/forums/f146/shopping-list-baby-44901/
http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-26.aspx
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/months6/
http://www.mummysg.com/forums/f146/shopping-list-baby-44901/
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This day should be marked. 

For the first time in my life I applied for a job in a supermarket.

For the first time in my life, I attended a group interview with 19 other candidates.

For the first time in my life I have to introduce myself to a room of 24 strangers like I was in a freshman orientation camp to get a job.

For the first time in my life, I visited Fremantle.
A church in Fremantle. 130 years old no less!
















For the first time in my life, I visited Kewdale.

For the first time in my life, I travelled in a Kia Rio.

For the first time in my life, I brought my passport to an interview and nothing else.

For the first time in my life, I felt this bad speaking my first language - English.

For the first time in my life, I didn't get nervous in an interview. Just emotionless.

For the first time in my life, someone chauffeured me to an interview. Grace did and someone please bless her. What a kind soul who came over on her off day to lend me a hand! Let me take a look at myself and see what I am without friends................... Can't see anything yet. I'll let you know.

For the first time in my life, I went into an interview thinking I would flunk my job interview but I was wrong.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?



3pm, 30 September 2011 - 2nd interview @ Belmont Forum Woolworths.
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The Singapore population stood at 5.18 million as of June-end, according to its latest statistics from the Population Trends 2011 report. Our population expanded 2.1%, or 107,000 in 2011 as of now.

The population density over 778 km² would be something like 6658 people per km².  If you consider excluding the central reserves area, army camps, army training grounds, Jurong Island, Pulau Ubin, Pulau Tekong and other numerous islands, the figure we are looking at would more likely to be over 7000 people per km². 

The population was 4.14 million in 2001, translating to 1 million or 25% growth in population in the last 10 years. But we are not stopping at this. The target is 6.5 million people, set by our esteemed Mr Mah Bow Tan and we know the reasons:

Foreigners help create jobs for S’poreans: PM Lee Yahoo!

S'pore cannot do without foreign talent: Ex-MM Lee - CNA


The duet has been performed over and over again over the years.  Are we expected to accept this even if that could even be believable in the first place?

Ok. We take it that important governing officials don't lie - Singapore will go DOWN if we do not continue to import foreign talents to Singapore.  Fine.

So what's next for Singapore after we lost the temporary competitive advantage in future? Are we going to increase the population to 8 million? Or 10 million?

My question for the PAP, Ex-MM Lee and PM Lee, is this the only strategy that the government has, to keep Singapore going? 
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It is Spring in Perth. Spring is where flowers spring out of nowhere, everywhere. I couldn't stop noticing the flowers when I had a my second jog this evening. I told Joanna about it. She was oblivious about it. She told me she was the polar opposite of a green thumb. What do we call this group of people? Black thumb? Heh.

Lavenders growing in many yards everywhere
















I am not a green thumb myself. My mum had a strong influence on me about appreciating greens. Or should I say I was more curious to find out what she was up to instead when she plodded around the pots and plants outside our HDB flat.

She would have love to see these lavenders, smell them and caress them. I used to find it amusing and sometimes annoying she used to stop by the street to gush about 'some flowers' or 'weeds', halting our steps. Things changed. Maybe I grew old.

My mum will probably love these too, flowery stuff unknown to both of us.

She had toiled for all her life. It is the time she should take a break and literally smell the flowers. It's all up to her. If she is willing, I'll break my back for her just as she did for me.
There is something about wounds. I didn't get a cut. It started as a crack due to dry skin during my second day here and it was never deep enough to see flesh.

I do cooking and washing everyday. I have no qualms about it. These are very small tasks I love to do for Jen and the baby. When I looked at my skin crack, now upgraded to a cut, it reminds me of emotional heart breaks. If one never allows a wound the time to heal, the wound will simply widen and bleed more.

A human body is designed to self heal, probably including emotional wounds. Although sometimes scars could remain after a heal, it would only serve as a reminder of a bad lesson without the function to cause hurt and bleeding anymore.  Perhaps a wound is like a seed. Disturb it and it will never sprout. When we leave it alone in the right conditions and wait long enough we will see the dawning of Spring.
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Jen took this picture, I stole it from her
















I missed the food in Singapore of course. I did an early dinner before the sky turned dark.  Did I mention the sky gets bright here very early?  And it gets dark here very early too. It could be pitch darkness at 1830 hrs at times.

I am not penning the recipe for this one. It's just a simple, probably sub-standard one I used. But it felt like my mother's cooking except that I don't have carrots and tomatoes in that soup. Close enough.

Jen gladly finished it. I thought she must had enjoyed the meal very much after a few days of western stuffs I whipped up for her.

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Sweet popcorns done at home
If you like popcorns, be it sweet or salty, you can do it all at home.

No, it doesn't take long and it doesn't create a mess - as long as you know what you are doing.



In Australia, I heard from Joanna, sweet popcorns is not common. They sell the salty ones here.

Solution: Do it yourself.

All I need was a pan (deeper if you want to do bigger quantities) and a cover.  The cover is unnecessary if you like to witness a mini fireworks right in your kitchen.

So you'll need a bag of popcorns.  I got mine for AUD$1.25 for 375gm, not sure that is expensive or not.  After you do this a couple of times, you will realised how ripped off you are by the cinemas. Not just ripped off, but totally ripped off.

For 1/2 cup corn:
Prepare 5 tablespoon oil
1-2 tablespoon butter (optional)
2 tablespoon honey (optional)
3/4 cup of icing sugar (more if you like it sweeter)

Just sprinkle that oil and butter (if you choose to use it) in your pan and set it on medium heat.

Next pour the corn kennels in and cover pan with lid.

Wait.

and Wait.

and Wait.

Once you hear the first pop, reduce the flame to low.  The pan is hot enough to pop the rest of the kennels so keeping it medium may overcook or burn the corn.

Enjoy and popping and dance around while it does, it was fun.  I did that, so tried it.

When you think you hear the last pop, count to 10. Recount if another pop occurs. When you finally hit 10, remove lid and pour sugar and honey (if you choose to use it) EVENLY across the pan.

This is the stage that makes or break your popcorn.  Observe. If the pan is emitting light smoke, remove pan from fire or switch it off before it is too late.  If you put it on low flame, you should see the sugar gently melting and turn light brown. I was doing it in 14 degree celsius environment so I am not sure how quick the browning will be at normal room temperature elsewhere.  So it is critical to observe and act fast at this stage.

Stir the corn around constantly. You will see some corn gets coated pretty nice like how the pros do it. Control the heat. You need that to caramelise the sugar but it burns very quick so always go slow and steady here.

When all sugar melted and coated your popcorns the way you like it, let it cool down before you consume or store.

It's a lot of instruction but in reality, the whole process takes you 10-15 minutes. It takes very little kennels to produce a lot of popcorns.  Jen and I had our fill thrice and did a big batch for the housemates to try but we barely used up 1/3 of the small bag only.  Worth trying to delight the kids or ease boredom.
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List of offices: here

The one I am going for:

Corner Troode Street and Plaistowe Mews, City West, West Perth WA 6005











Class 'C' (Class 3) holders from Singapore need to take neither the theory nor the practical tests.

But licence above class 3 is not transferable. Meaning if you wanna drive a truck in Australia, you got to take lessons and pass the test here even if you already have class 4 or 5 of the Singapore licence.
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The days of surviving with 3 t-shirts on rotational basis is officially history! Here comes the rest of my clothes. Jen is elated too. The first thing I picked up was the small TV. (see below). It was perhaps the last b'day gift form my old friends, if I remember right. After which, we stopped the practice of gifting during each others' b'days. It is an old junk I'll admit that, but it's important to me as with the friends who gave me the gift. It is still working and I used it all the time when I was in Singapore.

Special thanks to Siang Hwee (Foo) and James for making this a smooth one.  Thanks a lot guys! Hope to see all of you soon. I want to personally cook a meal, my best dishes for you.

It's here! Finally. What took you so long?

I'm not even going to wait


Happy days

 My 30th birthday present inside too. Portable mini TV!
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Surprised to receive an email from Woolsworth. I applied for a job in their supermarket a couple of days ago.  I am not sure if this is considered an interview.  The email was titled : 

Woolworths/Safeway Invitation to Group Assessment


I gathered it is an interview? 

I have mixed feelings about it. Happy, definitely. Worried too, as usual. After all, I'm still me. The position I thought I applied for was a Nightfiller.  You know, replenishing goods and stuffs during the night time when the mart is not in operation so it will be ready for shoppers by the morning. But the email said I applied for a Longlife Assistant. Wondered what position is that? I'm going anyway. I need the job.

The interview process is going to be something I never experienced before. I am expected to work in pairs and then in groups(i've got no clue what it means), before I am given a pass or fail to the next round - the proper interview.  This sounds tough enough for a casual position.  Nevertheless, I hope I get the job. It's going to be on Thursday.


Meanwhile I am still waiting for DHL to deliver the goods. Oh man. 
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I did the check myself.

DHL's notification sms DID NOT come. At times like this you don't know if you should feel happy or annoyed.

So it is 'with delivery courier', I gather it has to come by TODAY. Unless of course, the courier guy decided to bring it home or something. Or back to the storage because he is tired.

Oh come on DHL. I live 10 minutes from the airport where your storage is. Bring it to me now! Now now now now NOW!



Just kidding. Take your time. BUT do it by today please.

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I woke at 0630hrs today, my all-time earliest.  It was chilling at 11 degrees Celsius. Surprisingly, the sky was already illuminated.  It looked something like 0730hrs in Singapore. I checked my mobile phone, no wireless network was detected - not a good sign. It happened before though, when the multi-plug that the router was drawing its power from fused.

Not this time.

Xiao Mei (Joanna's sister), told me there was a outage for the entire house. To proof it, she opened the bread maker and showed me her unbaked but proofed dough. I got her to direct me to the main switch box and did a check. The main did not trip and everything looked fine. I gathered I was experiencing my first power outage over here.

I did the old trick. Removing my mobile phone SIM card and converted it into a mobile broadband token for my laptop. Used to do that for almost 2 years to save some money. It was the other way round though, I used my mobile broadband meant for my PC in my hand phone. I probably confused (or annoyed?) some friends by watsapping them using a line which they couldn't call me with.  Anyway, it worked, I managed to get on the Internet and found the number to call.

Not sure if Joanna was with another power supply company, will check and confirm. Otherwise this would be the number to call the in future.

13 13 51 (24 hours) - Western Power. 

Before I could make a call, the power was restored, the fridges started purring again and the eerie silence was vanquished. Xiao Mei bid goodbye and went to school, leaving her bread half-baked.

Meanwhile, I have waited 2 days in annoyance for my luggage. DHL told Foo it would be delivered on Sunday, which I was skeptical yet hopeful for. Didn't arrive on Monday either. The tracking on their site revealed it had been here in Perth since Sunday morning. The current status is : "Scheduled for delivery." Can't they set a date so that I can plan my activities?

Morons.
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Want to eat cake? Want to eat a low fat healthy cake and not compromising the yummy rating?

You must give this a try!

No, not this:







But this:


I mean, most cakes aren't healthy food right? And most healthy food don't taste that great.  Not this one. I am sorry for taking such poor shots of the cake. It doesn't do justice to the real thing. Its aroma was divine. It tasted brilliant - for a cake that nutritious, low fat and healthy.  

Joanna, my landlady did all this in 1 hour, including all preparation time (10 mins). That's reasonably little effort and a short wait for something delicious.  If you do attempt this: Get hold of your partner, seat him or her near the oven, read a book or surf the net and watch him/her react to the aroma during baking. It's that good :)

Enough of nonsense, the recipe as follows: (graciously donated by Joanna)

2 carrots - grate them
1 egg - beat it
A handful of raisins (1/3 cups to be exact), chopped if you like it.
A handful of walnuts (1/3 cups too), chopped <--- do it
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 cup self raising flour
pinch of salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon together.
Mix oil and egg together.

Put in carrot, walnut and raisin into flour mix.
Mix them thoroughly.

Add oil and egg mixture. Do not over mix this batter.

Pour the batter into a rectangle tin, non stick and bake in oven for 50 minutes at 180 degree celsius.

Profit!




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A week passed quickly.

Here I am, penning my thoughts while Jen is still sleeping.  My mum told me to let Jen sleep as long as she wants. "It's good for the baby," she said. There is no one around to give these gentle verbal advice anymore.

It is 14C today and it looks like a bad weather day like the few days after I just landed. I can cope better with the cold already. I have gotten used to the strange salty taste of portable water here.  We have taken care of Jen's medical needs and awaiting an appointment letter to the maternity hospital. Our tax file numbers have been applied and awaiting the confirmation letters.  The TFN is important as it is essential for job hunts.

What next? I have been quiet and not updating much over the weekend. My worries about getting an income compounded languidly but enough to invoke a little unrest in my heart. Many casual jobs here require my own transportation, i.e a car. On the other hand, it would be unwise to get one without a job. Should I go for the chicken, or the egg?  If anyone is reading this, feel free to leave a comment or two.

Learning from the Coke Mystery,  used cars purchase over here can be tricky. It isn't as structured as Singapore, that's for sure.  You may be able to get an 06 Hyundai Getz, for example, the same price as an 08 model. In Singapore, at least with the current system, you'll never encounter anything like these.
That means I need twice as long to get a hang of things with the more dynamic and fluid system here. That is not necessarily a bad thing, except that time is not quite on my side.  I aim to get something done everyday. If not, at least adequate effort to know more about Perth and how things work here, before calling it a day.

I sent Vincent a text via watsapp to ask for his opinion about Suzuki Alto. His response was the car is too small for Australia. Well I know what he is thinking, probably agree with him too.

Australia. Big.
Road trips. Long.
Cars. 'Cheap'.

Thus: Buy bigger car.  The problem is no car is too small for my pockets. A bigger car costs more, which may require me to take up financing. Financing requires a regular income (job), a job requires a car.  That's what I am facing now.

Sure, I can get an older (think 90s) bigger car for a price that I can handle without financing. That was my initial plan. My landlady Joanna, wise for her age, advised against it. She urged me to put the priorities on the baby. A reliable, working car is crucial to deal with the possible emergencies that comes with the newborn, she reasoned.

She is right. In Singapore, I could get stuck on an expressway anytime. I don't mind and I can get out of trouble without breaking a sweat. Over here, I am not interested in trying out any survival fiestas. She has a point. I do listen, contrary of what many of my friends think.

The search continues.

Meanwhile, DHL let me down and did not deliver the day before.  So that left me with no Bunnings, no luggage and a cold Monday morning, penning these on the kitchen island which I have been using as my work space lest they arrive and I couldn't hear them from my room.
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$2.49 for 2L of Coke
Same supermart. Same product. One is a 2L bottle. The other a 500ml bottle. The 500ml bottle is more expensive than the 2L bottle.

There were 2L bottles at the bottom of the fridge (didn't manage to take a pic though) - the same fridge! Yet the 2L bottle still cost less ($3.00) than the 500ml one.  So it's not about the 'cooled' factor.


$3.31 for 500ml of Coke
What's going on?
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Today we are supposed to visit Bunnings. I love Bunnings. If you haven't know about Bunnings, it's not a place for bunny activities or somethings. It's simply a hardware giant mart. Most guys will not mind having a sniff in this place for a few minutes anytime.

In the morning I received good news from Foo via watsapp.

My luggage has cleared the customs. Now the dilemma, shall I go visit Bunnings with everyone or stay at home?

Just for information, DHL is charging is SGD 252.34 Nett. 


Before I could celebrate, Foo told me the Australian custom side decided to slap a  AUD 150.00 admin charges on us. Sigh.

So the total would work out to be around SGD 447.00. Still a good deal, as they deliver to my place so there will not be anymore holding charges and other costs I may not know.  Fingers crossed.
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A candid shot from Jen. Might as well post it here for memories.
It had been 3 or 4 months since that fateful 16.5km run that made me pee blood 2 days later. I gained back the 7kg I lost and lost my stamina I've gained during that 2 months of hard jogging. I guess that's what some of them meant by sometimes you gain some, you lose some.

I only managed 1km today. Laughable but I tried. By the time I stopped, I was wheezing hard. It felt like asthma. It was a run I never experienced before.  The sun was hot with rays piercing through the icy cool  atmosphere. The air felt like frozen fingers gripping my lungs, a little harder every step. I never felt a single drop of sweat but I was forced to stop within 7 minutes of attempt. Pathetic I know. I think I am a slow to adapt the the new environment. I suspect if I tried this one my first day, I could have dropped dead there and then.

My body was fine after 30 minutes. Perhaps I should have ran more after a rest. Will do it again tomorrow if the weather permits.
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Do Australians or Australians PR pay 40% of their annual income in tax every year? Yes, according to most Singaporeans I knew.


In reality, there are different tax levels for different income groups. Most importantly, there are tax rebates. These rebates aren't anything like our rebates in Singapore, i.e a pittance. In Australia, there could be many items you can do a tax claim with, especially work related items.  For example self education items related to your jobs such as taking a course, buying related books or publications etc.


Travel and car expenses for those who use their vehicle between jobs while at work can be deducted from your tax. This alone could potentially shave a few good percent from your tax. Work clothes are tax rebatable, particularly for those who wear a uniform or specialised clothing such as protective gears, to do their work and even the dry cleaning costs for these uniform.


You can file tax rebate such as 30% of out of pocket childcare expenses up to $4,000.  They also give a tax cut of 30% of your insurance costs. These are only the tip of the iceberg.  I am not a pro on taxes but there are enough sites out in the web to verify these and other tons of items that are tax deductible that I don't have the time to read up yet.


Tax reliefs cannot be underestimated.  They could come out to thousands of dollars and take your overall tax contributions from double digits percentages to a single digit.


Rebates aside, back to the topic: Do Australians tax contributors pay 40% of their income as tax?
Take a look at the income brackets and the different tax levels. (Based on 2011 tax model)

0 – $6,000
Nil

$6,001 – $37,000
15c for each $1 over $6,000

$37,001 – $80,000
$4,650 plus 30c for each $1 over $37,000

$80,001 – $180,000
$17,550 plus 37c for each $1 over $80,000

$180,001 and over
$54,550 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000


Eg. If you rake in about $60,000, your gross tax (not including tax rebates, more into that later) would be

(60,000 - 37, 000) * 0.3 + $4650 = $11,550


Your gross tax would be $11,550/$60,000 x 100% = 19.25%, excluding tax rebates. Should you take off 5% of this from rebates, you may be contributing around 14.25% at the end of the year.


A far cry from the 40-50% figure we always thought it is, isn't it?


How much will you be earning here then?
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Remember this?  I bought chicken drumsticks because it was cheaper. Today I deboned 4 drumsticks before they start turning bad.

 Since it is Gongbao Chicken, we gotta cut them into small pieces right? So I did that.

Add this to the bowl of chicken cuts as marinate:

a pinch of salt
2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp  corn flour
2 tsp water
2 tsp shaoxing wine or any cooking wine

As the chicken is cut to small pieces, you do not need to marinate a great deal of time.  After this step, just prepare the rest of the procedures and you can cook it immediately after.

Now prepare the sauce that makes or break this dish:

3 tsp of sugar
3 tsp of balsamic vinegar. If you are too poor like me, you can use a cheaper substitute: I used this:

1 tsp of chicken stock (powder or 1 cube is fine)
1 tsp of sesame oil - do not leave this out
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce

Mix these into a bowl and if it looks something like that, you are on the right track.

We are not finished yet.  Slap 2 cloves of garlic out of their skins and throw them into the pan with a little bit of oil on low flame.  While it is frying the garlic out slowly, quickly slice up 7 slices of ginger and cut them into thin strips and add them to their friends in the pan.  

Stir a bit and let it be.  Meanwhile, throw a few pieces of dried chilies into the fray.  I don't have any of them here with me today so I used fresh chillies, the outcome taste as brilliant as it should be.

If you have a few peppercorns to spare, add them in as well.

Fry, take a breath, smile. When it smells all right to you, add in the chicken and turn up maximum flame.
Make sure your hands are moving fast from now. Fry and fry please.


 It should look something like that at this stage.

It should look something like that in a minute.

And better in another minute (no pics though), brownish golden.

Final step, add the sauce you have prepared earlier and give it some time for the chicken to absorb the sauces.  Lower the flame if necessary.

End product would be something satisfying and really good with steamed rice.

 Again, this tastes better than it looks. Try it yourself if you don't believe =)
Our brunch of the day.
Our Taiwanese housemate could not resist and took 2 bites and gave a thumbs up to it.

Jenny the good critic couldn't stop eating it so I gather it is good.




Credits:

I chanced upon the recipe while searching for Gong Bao chicken. After reading a bit, I realised it is the blog of another Singaporean. What a coincidence!
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Just something simple and easy to do but it tasted astonishingly good for something simple and easy to do.

All ingredients can be reduced or increased with their own preference. We aren't the pros here and have no wish to.  We just want to enjoy a no-frills, no stress, no fuss with minimal equipment and washing to do.

Ingredients:

300g minced beef 
2 big onions, doesn't matter white, red or brown.
2 big carrots
2 garlic cloves
4 potatoes
1 stalk celery (optional)
salt
pepper
sugar
black soy sauce
a dash of sesame oil (optional)
a tablespoon of totmato paste (optional)

include the optionals for a better taste of course

Instructions:

1) Get a pan, pot, or whatever big enough to use and heat it up. Sprinkle a tiny bit of oil.

2) Stir fry garlic and onions until the neighbours come round asking what's the nice smell.

3) Add in minced beef and stir around till it's cooked.

4) Throw potatoes and carrots in and spread evenly.  Add enough water to submerge all the ingredients in the pot, boil and wait.

5) Once the broth is boiling, season it to your preference with salt, sugar and black sauce.  This is done earlier so that the minced beef can absorb the seasonings while cooking, saving time usually required for preparation.  If you have a few bay leaves to spare, you can add them in too.

6) Simmer on low flame, long enough for everything to soften and melt.  You may have to add top up the water a few times if your pot loses moisture faster than other equipment.

7) If cooked long enough, you'll be amazed how tasty this dish is and it serves as a great complement to your steamed rice or plain noodles.

 It tastes better than it looks, trust me.
Had it with rice. It kicks ass.
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Redcliffe is the suburb I am living temporarily at right now. It has a rating of 77/100 at realestate.com.au compared to the likes of neighbouring suburbs such as Belmont and Kewdale which has raving ratings each at high 80s.

Perhaps I am new here and can not see the intrinsic values of things here, but Redcliffe is seriously good enough for me. Too good perhaps. I took a few pictures of the surroundings on the way to the supermarket this morning. Take a look and be the judge.

The bus stop right near Joanna's house at the far sight of the picture. Only 1 bus, No.37 serves this area.

The street outside Joanna's house.
IGA, the nearest supermarket in our area. Feels like Cold Storage of Singapore but with much larger lanes, carts, larger packs of items etc.. you get the idea..
$1 bread again. Seems to be available everywhere, which is a good thing for paupers like us.

Tiny flowers on the ground everywhere makes me feel happy.
I like the way they park on lawn here. In Singapore how often do you see this?

It's no fun being told what to do and what not to do in every minor issues where most of us are mature enough to make decisions.

Joanna's house with at Suzuki Swift resting contentedly at the yard.


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Chocolate the bionic dog, picture taken during the last week before departure.










No words could describe my relationship with my dog, Chocolate.  I hate to say this but I have been avoiding writing anything much about him because merely thinking about him alone invokes homesickness.

I doubt anyone could understand my feelings towards my dog and the special bond we have. It isn't anything that could be put in words and sentences and I am struggling to pen how I am feeling now.  I know I missed him badly when I avoided the pet section lane in Supa IGA, Redcliffe, during our grocery shopping today.

A routine call to mum today. Both of us were feeling better about the whole thing. We could even joke a little this time, just like good old days.  However mum did something cruel which almost brought me to tears.  She put her receiver at my dog's ear and asked me to speak.

I was game for it as I thought it was funny but the joke backfired. Mum told me Chocolate jumped up when he heard my voice through the receiver.  Then he scratched the phone and stood on his hind legs and grabbed my mum's hand with his front paws.  My heart sank. I could picture his actions in my mind. After all, he had been my sleeping mate for 10 years, before and even after my marriage.  We had been through sickness and difficulties and he has been always there to provide his quiet consolation at night. Problems always seem to lighten a bit by a few minutes of interaction with him.

No doubt he did behave like a tit at times but I never took things to heart at all unlike my other family members.  He is a Jack Russell Terrier after all and making a nuisance of himself is a forte.  I am proud of him.  Hopefully I will settle fast enough and be able to bring him over with me.  Regardless whether I manage to achieve this, Chocolate will live his final days with me at his side when the day comes, I will assure that.

 At the vet 2 weeks before my departure for his swollen hind with a fishball size cyst.


Begging for food last week.



His square mouse pillow that he sleeps on every night.

Chocolate and his buddy, Tramp.




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      • My First Jog
      • The Myth about Australian Tax.. for Singaporeans only
      • Gongbao Ji Ding (宫保鸡丁) recipe
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Albany's Quotes

"Daddy, my promise is

painful."
-

Albany showing me her pinkie

"Let's go to the park of living

room."
- she

led me, as she pulled her toy pram along

"A-P-R-I-C-O-

T."
- Albany,

15/8/2015

"Tax."
-Albany, after taking part of the dessert she

served me to her plate, leaving me open mouthed in

disbelief.

"I will hug

you tightly so you cannot go."
-grabbing my arms with both hands

while trying to fall asleep. 25/11/2015

"Daddy, don't get injured at

work."
-

Albany, 3 years old

"Daddy, I love you. Because you cook yummy lunch

and dinner."
-

Albany, 14/2/2016

"Mummy, why are these called shorts?

They look long to me."
- Albany, 20/2/2016

"You

are the best daddy in the world because you did these (pointed to

the house renovations)
- Albany, 1/5/2016

"I left the door unlocked so that you can come in because I love you so much."
- Albany, 21/11/2016

Emails 2017

Hi Nix,

I came across your interesting blog and wish to ask on your honest opinion.

Do you think it's a good idea to pay 6 months worth of house rental in advanced to secure a place to stay before we go over. Our situation makes it a little difficult to look for one in Darwin with 2 dogs that we couldn't leave behind. And we don't have a job there yet. Oh, we have gotten a 489 visa. And we are intending to move somewhere in June with our 2 dogs and an almost 2 year old kid.

Appreciate your intake on this.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Elaine,


The housing market is currently quite depressed so it should not be difficult to find rental properties. I don't think it is a good idea to pay 6 months in advance at all. You shouldn't find it a problem to get one. If you face any difficulties, let me know the details and see if I can give you ideas.


Hi,

Saw your blog while searching on Singaporean based overseas and hopeful can meet a bunch of you all if i ever go over eventually.

For myself after looking at migrating or completing the process before i do not have enough points to qualify.

Basing on my current situation, it seems since my CV is leaning towards the marketing and financial field. Which in this case seems only Adelaide and Darwin is the only option for Subclass 190.

Do you know any fellow Singaporeans based in either place?

Anyway, for me is more towards wanting a more laid back life and changing the environment. Ideal situation would be to work another 10 years before settling with a small farm land in the country in Aussie. But my worry is whether i would be able to secure a job in Aussie especially with my advance in age 38?

Lastly, any good advice for a frog in the well on his migration journey to aussie?

Many thanks in advance

Regards

Stanley

Hi Stanley,

If you cannot qualify for skilled migration on points, you will not be able to work here, unless you find an employer who is willing to hire you for your skill set and apply for a work visa for you. It is unlikely in this economic climate but may be your only chance.


Dear NIx,

Good day!

I have been reading your blog and decided to migrate to Australia.

I have been researching on how to go about migrating to Australia and unfortunately, I seem to have hit a road block, thus writing this email to seek your advice on which type of visa should i apply.

I will be turning 36 next year. BE Chemical Engineering from UNSW (Stayed in Sydney for 2.5 years and graduated in 2008). Msc in Maritime Studies from NTU (Graduating in June 2017). Currently working as a Business Development Manager in the Shipping Industry. I have also attached my CV for your reference.

I am confident of getting 60 points in the Points Test BUT my current job is not on the SOL list.

My mother's cousin is a PR in Australia and she and her family are living in Perth (I do not know whether this information helps)

I was thinking of taking part time courses in ITE in Electrical Wiring, Residential Plumbing or Air Conditioning and Refrigeration since these jobs are on the SOL list.

Any advice will be really appreciated.


Regards,
Colin Soh

Dear Colin,

First thing first, I would like to know how you qualify for 60 points in the Points Test. Will you be able to provide a breakdown ?

*Please note that if your occupation is not on the SOL, you will not be able to claim points for work experience nor academic qualifications.


Hey buddy!

Was scrolling through and landed on your site. Loved the Art of Survival; plain, blunt yet simple.

I'm a local Sporean dude and just got my PR. Currently workin on contract job and planning to move down under. I realise getting a job in Oz from Spore isn't gonna be easy. Thought of giving it a try since its been just a month. Plan B is to just move and get an unpaid internship for 3 mths. Any advise?

Kind regards,
Hi dude,

To be honest, I don't have a single clue about unpaid internship or anything like that. If you manage to get one of those, I will appreciate if you can let us know the details so we can all learn from you.


I apologise for being painfully obvious but if you find it hard to find a job in Australia from Singapore, then come here and look!


Hello,

My name is Adam and I cam across your blog about migrating to Australia. I would love some advice or experience that you can share with me with regards to my questions.

First of all, I am a US bachelor grad in Mechanical Engineering and worked in the US for 2.5 years. I am a Chinese Malaysian and I'm 25 years old by March (2017). Do you have any ideas or suggestions on migrating to Australia? The subclass 189 doesn't allow me to accumulate enough points because of my work experience did not meet the requirement of 3 years which I was told that usually the Australia immigration officer pay the most attention to. If you disagree with that statement, I would like to hear your advice on that.

The other way I thought is by studying my Masters degree there and while studying, I could think of an idea to set up a business there. Didn't research much into this path but if you have experience with this path, I appreciate a lot if you are willing to share.

Thank you very much and hope to hear from you soon,
Regards,
Adam

Hi Adam,

It sounds really simple. Choose the path of least resistance. Work for 3 years to gain your 60 points then! You'll need the funds to relocate anyway.


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